Chapter 5
“So you made a friend?” Cat questioned, a bright smile on her face as she spoke into her phone. She’s not going to lie, she’s been a nervous wreck all day since she dropped Kara off at school. Cat didn’t think she would have to deal with this for another few years until Carter went to school, but here she was, a new mother of two (technically three, but she didn’t like thinking about that) and sending a child to school. It was only her desire to keep her reputation that kept her from being a blubbering mess. She couldn’t let her employers or the other producers and director of her talk show see her cry or fret about in her office, so she snapped at a few employees, took them down with well placed barbs. It made her feel better in the end.
“I did!” Kara’s bright voice echoed out of the phone. Cat’s smile lessened slightly but still remained, no one would be able to tell that the bright, bubbly girl on the other end of the world had lost nearly everything just a few short months ago. Since Kara had told her about her nightmares just a few weeks ago, Cat had made it her mission to soothe every fear and wipe away every tear shed out of sky blue eyes. “Though she seemed to think that I wouldn’t want to be friends with her because of who her family is.”
Cat was intrigued. “What’s her name?”
“Lena Thorul.” That name stunned Cat. “None of the other students seem to like her, nobody talked to her all day, though a few people did talk to me.”
I can image none of the students talked to her, Cat thought, her parents might have enrolled her under a different name but people aren’t stupid. “I’m glad you made a friend darling,” she said, focusing back on the topic at hand. She wouldn’t question her daughter’s newest friend yet, especially since the girl was most likely living in National City alone, friendless, boarding at the school. No, Kara needed a friend and apparently Lena did too, no she’d leave the them alone, but she’d keep an extra eye on Kara’s new friend in case she turns out like her parents or the way her brother is going.
“I didn’t think I would make a friend on my first day, but I did!”
“Better than I did when I started middle school,” Cat returned, “Though I did start a few years earlier than you, during my even more awkward stage.”
“From what I understand from Ea- from books that it’s okay to have one really good friend, you think Lena will be mine?”
“She might, but don’t discount making other friends if you can. Having a few really good friends in your life is a gift.”
“I will Cat, do you want to talk to Carter? I think he's waking up from his nap.”
The girl handed the phone to the toddler and Cat listened with a fond smile as Carter recounted his day with some input from her blonde teenager about what they did when she got home. He had just started telling her about how he ‘rescued' Princess Kara from the big scary dragon, squealing that he got a kiss from the princess, when the head of the Catco broadcasting network appeared at her door. “Carter sweetie, I have to go but I want to hear more when I get home, maybe you and Kara can reenact this daring ‘rescue.’”
“Okay Mama,” he squeaked out, tossing the phone back to Kara.
“Kara?” She questioned, making sure the girl was listening. “I'm going to be home after six, Meredith is going to get everything out for dinner and we'll get it ready when I get home. Can you make sure that Carter eats? Meredith will have to leave before six to get to her class, so will you be alright with Carter by yourself?”
Cat could hear hesitation in Kara's breathing before she spoke again. “I… We'll be fine, I mean, it's not going to be long before you come home, so we'll be fine.”
“I'm sure you will, I have faith in you.” She lowered her voice so her producer wouldn't hear her. “If you start to feel overwhelmed, just listen to Carter's heartbeat or concentrate and listen for mine. I know you have no problem with it if you concentrate, I'll see you when I get home.”
The woman ended the call after she heard her daughter say goodbye and she turned her attention to the man waiting at the door. “Jerry,” Cat stated, narrowing her eyes. “What did I tell you about interrupting my time with my children? I have 3:30-4:30 marked off for a reason.”
Jerry Ordway, the broadcasting head and the producer for her talk show, sauntered into her office, a self-assured grin on his face. Cat narrowed her eyes at his behavior, wishing he wasn’t so good at his job so that she could fire him for his cockiness and terrible comb over. He was very good at his job though and she was already used to him, she would hate to have to break in another producer. “Figured you wanted to know that your show received the official go ahead, we start in two weeks,” Jerry replied, seating himself comfortably in one of Cat’s chairs.
“I knew this already Jerry, surely you have another, better reason on why you interrupted me, like you were dying and wanted to make a last request.” Cat’s tone was sharp and hard, making it clear to the man that she was not pleased with his interruption and that if he didn’t provide an good enough excuse, he might need to make a last request.
Jerry tugged at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably and straightened in the chair, unfolding his legs. “Right, well, um, I wanted to see if it was true, what they were saying.”
“What who has been saying?”
“That you adopted a child, a teenager.” Jerry leaned forward in his seat, “I mean, I saw the pictures in the tabloids, and heard that your lawyers were in the process of ripping them apart but I figured the girl was just a new babysitter you were testing out for Carter. I don’t think I can imagine you adopting a kid.”
Cat sighed, annoyed at having to explain herself so often. “She was the daughter of friends of mine, I adopted her after they passed. Leave it at that Jerry.”
“Are you kidding Cat, this is major news. A celebrity adopting a baby, that’s old news, someone of your status adopting a teenager who is dealing with the trauma of losing her entire family, that’s major news. This is great publicity Cat! We can get you both on the show, have you two talk about how she’s settling in, the troubles and joys of adopting an older child-”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Cat had stood up, slamming her hands into her desk. “Let’s make one thing clear Jerry,” Cat sneered, “My daughter is not a publicity stunt. I do not want her in the public eye, I do not want her used in such a way, she’s already been through enough. If you so much as even suggest something so ludicrous again, you will find yourself in the unemployment line.” He opened his mouth to protest and Cat held up her hand. “If you think I’m joking, I remind you of your earlier statement. My lawyers are already ripping about several tabloids, which I will add to my growing empire, all because they posted pictures of my children after I expressly stated not to. What do you think I will do to you, my own employee, for going against my request?”
The man paled and adjusted his tie. “Um, right, yes, forget I said anything. I’m just, I’m going to go now.”
“Jerry, I don’t want to see you in my office again until we start running preps for the show. Send me the final approved list of guests and topics for the first month and I’ll make sure that the writers are on the top of everything, including current events.” Cat had returned her attention to the papers in front of her on her desk, and when she looked up the man was still standing there. “You’re dismissed.” Ordway practically tripped on himself on the way out of the office and Cat smirked. She didn’t feel bad about reminding him of his place; the man had insinuated that the reason she was always sniping at Lois was because she was jealous of the attention the superpowered Kryptonian showed to the Daily Planet’s stooge.
Cat set into her work, wanting to finish everything so that she could get home to her children, and a few hours later, her driver was pulling in front of her building. She bid the man goodnight and headed towards her private elevator up to the penthouse. “Kara, Carter, I’m home,” the woman called when she stepped through the door, knowing it was a futile point because her no doubt was able to hear her when the car pulled up.
Kara padded softly to the door and smiled at her adoptive mother, using her super speed to take her coat and purse, putting them both away. “Have I told you how nice it is having you around?” Cat sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of a blonde head. “Where’s Carter?”
“Sitting in his um… high chair?” The girl replied, ducking her head. “I got his food out and tore it up like you do, but um, I think I got a little enthusiastic?”
The older blonde ventured into the kitchen and chuckled as Carter was eating ripped up pieces of macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and something green that was indiscernible. “I didn’t want him to choke,” Kara said anxiously, concern etched on her face. “I read a book that said that children have smaller throats, makes it difficult to swallow things, and I didn’t want to let you down…”
“Kara, Kara, it’s fine, calm down darling,” Cat shushed, cupping the girl’s face. “You didn’t do anything wrong, thank you for looking after Carter, I know he’ll always be safe with you.” She glanced back over at the boy and finally recognized the green on his plate, “And he seems to like what he’s eating, might be the only way to get him to eat broccoli.”
“Mama!” Carter cheered, looking up from the tiny pieces of chicken. “Look, Kar’ made me dinner!”
“She did, do you like it?”
“Mhm, mushy,” he answered, shoving tiny bits of food in his mouth.
Cat smiled and took a napkin off the counter, futily wiping at the food smeared on his face. “I’m going to get changed, can you watch Carter and check the dinner Meredith made?”
“She cooked a pan of… lasagna? It’s almost done, the cheese isn’t quite bubbling yet though,” Kara told her after glancing at the oven.
“So nice to have a superpowered daughter around,” the woman murmured, stealing away to her bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. She swapped her tight dress for a loose fitting shirt and yoga pants. By the time she re-emerged from her room, Kara was taking the lasagna out of the oven and placing it on the counter. “Hot pads, Kara, hot pads,” she said.
“What? Oh right.” Kara looked down sheepishly, and pulled out a few of the hot pads to set the container down on.
“I know that you can’t feel how hot it is, but you need to get into the habit of using them,” Cat chastised,”You don’t always have to when it is just us, but getting used to it for when other people around is a good idea.”
Kara nodded at Cat’s words and carefully took out plates while the older blonde opened the fridge, finding a large bowl of salad sitting on the top shelf. “I can always count on Meredith to make a good salad,” she murmured, pulling out the container and salad dressing to go with it. She sat down at the small table near the kitchen where Carter was sitting in his high chair, and cut out a slab of the lasagna before giving the rest to her daughter. “Make sure you eat your salad,” Cat insisted. Kara may be an alien and would always have impeccable skin and physique, but she would make sure that the girl ate healthy.
“Mama, Mama,” Carter called, “Kara and I played a game today, and I got to save her!”
“I remember, you told me,” she said, chuckling at the toddler. “I also remember you saying that you would reenact it for me.” Cat cut a glance at Kara and found that she had already eaten the rest of the lasagna and was starting in on the salad. She rolled her eyes, the fond smile on her face cutting out any sting of the gesture.
“Yes, yes, Kara get me down!” The toddler squealed, reaching for the girl.
“She’s almost done with her dinner sweetie, give her a few minutes-”
“Done,” Kara said, popping out of her seat as she stuffed the last cherry tomato in her mouth. Cat sighed and continued eat while Kara scoped her son out of his chair. She watched in amusement as Carter carefully explained how Princess Kara was kidnapped by an evil dragon and he, her brave, royal knight, set out to ‘rescue’ her. She let out a laugh accompanied by a fond grin when Carter’s face turned bright red as Kara pressed a kiss on his cheek as thanks for rescuing her. The toddler was infatuated and it was very amusing for the older woman. That crush of his is going to get worse with Kara being as affectionate as she is, Cat mused, stifling back a chuckle.
She finished her dinner and asked Kara to start cleaning up while she took Carter for a bath and to get him ready for bed. It was close to seven and she preferred that he be in his bed asleep by seven thirty or eight at the latest. Cat heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen and just called out to her daughter, “It’s okay, just put what’s broken on the list to be replaced.” While the girl had gotten better at controlling her strength, the learning curve was steep and accidents still happened. Cat finished bathing the wriggling toddler and had wrangled him into his pajamas when Kara appeared at the door.
“Sorry, I broke the lasagna dish. I cleaned up all the glass though.”
“And you didn’t get hurt did you?” Cat asked, staring at the girl’s hands and feet. Kara dutifully showed the older woman that she wasn’t hurt and Cat nodded. She was about to say something else to the girl when she heard her phone ring from her bedroom. “Can you put Carter to bed while I get that?” She asked, handing the drooping toddler over to the alien girl.
When she reached her phone, her heart dropped at the number appearing on the screen. “Jason,” she said, answering the ring, “Is he okay, are you both okay?”
There was silence on the other end for a moment before the man spoke. “Cat...”
“Jason, is he-”
“What were you thinking?”
“What?”
“What were you thinking adopting a child? One nearly the same age as Adam.”
Cat’s heart iced over. “What’s it to you what I do Jason, need I remind you that you thought I was a terrible mother.”
“And I still think you’re a terrible mother, why would you subject another child to that?”
“Jason-”
“Did you think of Adam at all? Did you think of what it would do to him if you adopted a kid, someone his own age? If you wanted to make it even clearer that you didn’t want him-”
“Don’t you dare,” Cat hissed out. “Don’t you say I never wanted Adam, I fought for him! I love him, but you were right, I was so focused on my career that I wouldn’t have had time for him. I gave Adam up because it was what was best for him, he deserved more. I took Kara in because she deserved more, needed something that I could give her.”
Cat could hear hear the man on the other side snort in disbelief. “What? What could you possibly give her? A mother? What do you know about being a mother, yours was horrible enough.”
“Don’t you even Jason Foster-”
“I’ve said what I wanted to say Cat, goodbye.”
Her hands itched to throw something and only her years of therapy managed to keep her from throwing her phone in frustration. Instead, her hand shot out and latched onto a glass sculpture sitting on her dresser and launched it at the opposite wall. She didn’t look, but waited for the sound of glass shattering. When she didn’t hear anything, Cat glanced over and found Kara gently setting the sculpture on her bedside table.
“I think enough things have been broken since I started living here,” Kara said nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Were you listening to the conversation again?” Cat barked out, wincing slightly at her own tone. She promised herself that she wouldn't yell at her children, she wouldn't be like her.
Kara was quiet for a minute before clear blue eyes looked up to meet her own. “Don't listen to him,” she said firmly. “You, you're a great mom. I'm glad I'm here with you and Carter. I don't think I would be doing so well if it wasn't for you supporting me and encouraging me.”
Cat was silent for a moment, just staring in Kara's eyes before glancing away. “That was Jason, Jason Foster,” she said sighing. “He, well, he's Adam’s father, my eldest son. He's around your age, about a year older.” Kara didn't interrupt the woman while she was speaking, knowing that she had to get this out. “He, I didn't know him very well before I found out I was pregnant, we weren't together, not really. I was working at the Daily Planet, trying to get enough contacts and notoriety to build CatCo and Adam… Jason wanted to keep him, got sole custody. I fought at first, but then I realized then that I couldn't give him the life he deserved. I let him go, what kind of mother does that?”
She hadn’t noticed when Kara moved, but she felt her as warm arms wound around her and a small head buried into her side. “You’re a good mom,” Kara whispered. “I… Mom’s make mistakes, family makes mistakes, I’ve learned that. You gave Adam his best chance, the best opportunity for him and you so that you both wouldn’t be miserable.” She pulled back and gave the woman a sad, teary smile, “Sometimes mothers have to make hard choices. You’re nothing like your mother, you love Adam and Carter, so you want what’s best for them.”
“I love you too Kara,” Cat whispered, running a hand through blonde strands. “Never forget that I love you as much as my own children.” She gave her a wry smile, “You and your innocence, bright smile and amazing stories have wormed your way into my heart and planted roots.” Kara just grinned, an impish smile that had her smiling and rolling her eyes at the same time. “Alright pretty girl,” Cat murmured, tugging on blonde strands, “Let’s go to the living room and look at your schedule and you can tell me more about your day at school.”
Kara smiled and tugged the woman into the living room, telling Cat about everything that happened at school. Cat answered every question the girl had about what she saw with human interaction, smiling in amusement as the girl rambled about how unusual human girls were. When Cat finally went to bed, she wondered if she had fully prepared herself for raising a teenage girl. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was thank God she only had to do this once.
“I love musicals!” Kara squealed as she and Cat left the showing of Wicked on Broadway that the woman promised they would see over Christmas break. “I mean, wow, the books were really good, but the music, everything, it just added another dimension. It was amazing!”
Cat smiled wryly as the girl babbled about the play. She wasn't a big fan of musicals but she had to admit, this one was entertaining. If one more person offered to take her and see Cats though… She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Kara mention something about the actresses. “Yes I'm glad that we were able to see Kristen and Idina before they left the show. It's never quite the same without the original cast.”
“Weren't they on your talk show a few weeks ago?”
“I know, quite the coincidence don’t you think?” It wasn’t, Cat arranged for them to come and talk about their run on Wicked and asked them to stay a little longer so that her daughter could see the show over Christmas. She didn’t ask that on air of course, she wanted to keep Kara out of the public eye so that meant not talking about her all that much. Every now and then she mentioned her children so as not to make them these big mysteries, which would mean even more curiosity about them, but her years in media gave her the experience she needed on how much information to release. Kara let out a yawn and Cat’s eyes snapped to her, the excitement of the day obviously draining on the normally endlessly energetic girl. The blonde girl had finished her term exams that morning and they had flown out to Metropolis that afternoon. The flight was hard on Kara, being trapped in a small space with all of the noise and smells of over a hundred other people. Cat could understand how everything had worn the girl out. She pulled her cell-phone out of her purse and immediately called for the car service that she had requested while they were in the city. Within fifteen minutes, a black car pulled up to the curb and the driver that picked them up from the airport got out of the car and opened the back door.
“So did you have anything specific you wanted to do tomorrow?” Cat asked once they were back at their hotel room. “I know today was pretty whirlwind, but the rest of our trip shouldn’t be that bad.”
“The park, and ice skating, Lena said we have to go ice skating in Centennial Park. When she found out I’ve never been to Metropolis, she told me we definitely have to go.”
“I remember you two talking about the trip when you were sitting in the living room watching the Thanksgiving day parade,” Cat said, pouring herself a drink from the mini-bar. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting for Thanksgiving that year, but having Lena Thorul, Lena Luthor sitting in her living room with her adoptive daughter and son sipping hot chocolate watching the biggest parade of the year wasn’t on her radar. When Kara came to her a few days before Thanksgiving with tears in her eyes saying that her only friend was going to be alone for the holiday… Tears in those bright blue eyes should be considered a lethal weapon. “Anything else you want to see?”
“Lena told me about the stores, all the decorations, something about a giant toy store? And Gotham is right across the bay…”
“We’ll do Gotham a different trip, I promise. We’re only in Metropolis for a few days, so maybe focus on that?”
Kara scrunched her nose, but nodded. “Okay, um, Chinatown? Potstickers, yum, and…” She hesitated, looking up at Cat with anxious eyes.
“What?”
“Can… do you think we could visit my cousin? I know you said he lives here in Metropolis, I don’t think he knows I’m here and I… I would like to see him.”
Cat froze, her glass touching her lips but the liquid still in the bottom of the glass. She cursed herself mentally for not having a better reaction to Kara’s request, for not preparing herself. She should have known that the girl would want to meet up with her cousin when they were in Metropolis. Despite her misgivings about the man and his behavior, he was Kara’s family, her blood family, and Cat knew how important that was to the girl. Arranging a meeting with the man would mean contacting that harpy, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “Metropolis is his city,” Cat acknowledged, setting the drink down. “I’ll see if I can get in contact with him. I don’t know what name he uses here, but I know someone who might know how to contact him.”
“Really?” Kara questioned, looking up at her with large blue eyes.
The woman cursed internally again and nodded. “Yes, yes, I’ll make the call.” Great. “Now go get ready for bed. Super alien or not, you look dead on your feet. Shower, brush your teeth, go,” Cat ordered, pointing towards the girl towards the bathroom. The girl hadn’t had an accident in weeks, so she trusted Kara not to break anything while they were staying in Metropolis.
She waited until she could hear the sound of the shower running and moved to the sitting room just outside of the bedroom. Letting out a heavy sigh, she pulled up a familiar number on her phone and dialed. The dial tone rang a few times before the queen bitch herself answered the phone.
“Cat Grant, who died? Someone must’ve died for you to call me? Did you die and are just giving me a courteous call from the grave?” Lois Lane’s voice purred out full of snark and vinegar.
“Oh Lane, I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of my death,” Cat returned, sitting down on the sofa.
“And you probably wouldn’t be calling me about it anyway, what do you want? You must want something.”
Cat took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten and thinking she would love to reach through the phone and strangle the other woman. “I’m in Metropolis,” she said finally, “I need to talk to your flying man in tights.”
“Superman? Wh- oh, oh you’ve finally realized you’re in over your head with that cousin of his?” Cat narrowed her eyes as she heard Lois chuckle, “Have you come to return her or are you trying to arrange a time for him to pick her up?”
“She’s not a pet you insufferably stupid woman, despite how puppy-like she is. And she is my daughter, I took her in, I adopted her when her own blood relative couldn’t be bothered! I brought her to Metropolis for vacation, and she wanted to see her cousin, I’ll just have to tell her he is too busy to see her!”
“Whoa, whoa, Cat, calm down, geez, you can still strip the paint off walls with your voice can’t you?”
“You’re really trying my patience Lane…”
“Alright alright, look, Cl- Superman, he isn’t here. He said he had some things he had to take care of and wouldn’t be back for a few weeks.”
Cat let out another sigh, “That’s what I was afraid of when I haven’t seen news of him having disagreements with the Bat or helping little old ladies across the street for quite a few days.”
“It’s probably for the best Cat, things here are getting pretty tense with Lex Luthor spewing hatred of aliens. It would bring extra attention if Cat Grant met with Superman, and you know that someone would find out.”
“You tell anyone I said this and I’ll deny it and bury you in lawsuits, but you’re probably right, despite being a Lane.”
There was silence on the other end of the call and Cat waited, knowing that the other woman would want to get in one last dig. “Cat…” She started and the blonde woman was surprised. Lois sounded far more hesitant than she thought she would. “Can- Could I be able to meet her? Kara, your daughter. I know I don’t really have any right to ask, but I want to meet her. I want to make sure that she’s okay.”
Cat bit back the scathing ‘no’ that threatened to escape and truly thought about the request. This woman, her arch nemesis, asked something of her knowing that she had no right to the request, much like she did when asking to speak with Superman. “We’re staying at The Plaza,” Cat answered after a moment. “Best not to meet in public lest someone thinks we’re getting along. Room 1210, one of the suites, I’ll order room service, but make sure you bring food with you as well. It might endear you to her.”
“I- thanks Cat, any specific type of food?”
“Potstickers and pizza is her favorite meal. Tomorrow night Lane, eight sharp.” She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply. The soft padding of Kara’s feet alerted Cat that the girl had finished her shower and was making her way to the sitting room.
“He’s not going to come a see me is he?” She asked when she saw the look on Cat’s face, her eyes sad but resigned.
“Oh darling,” Cat murmured, reaching out for her. She tugged Kara down on the couch next to her and tucked the girl into her side. “I called his keeper, she told me that he’s going to be away from Metropolis for a few weeks and she doesn’t have a way to get ahold of him. She wants to come and meet you though.”
“His keeper… you mean that Lois Lane person?”
Cat just hummed, “She’s going to be coming over tomorrow night for dinner to meet you.”
“I… I don’t know…”
“She’s bringing you food.”
“... Okay.”