Chapter 35
“I do not cavort with the enemy,” Cat commented, not looking up from the papers spread out on her desk. She had heard the barely perceptible sound of feet landing on her balcony, one that she had become attuned to since she adopted a flying alien. She had stayed late to work at the office since both of her children were busy that night and Cat didn’t see the point of returning to an empty penthouse. With Kara preoccupied that night, that reduced the number of people capable of landing on her balcony, and prior experience has limited down to one. Cat glanced up and her eyes landed on the figure of Kara’s aunt Astra lurking on her balcony.
“Since when have I been labeled as the ‘enemy'?” Astra asked, stepping into the office. “I believed we had established a connection over the years.”
“You're the one that declared yourself the enemy by attacking my daughter,” Cat replied, folding her hands. “You put yourself on the other side.”
“An unfortunate but necessary situation.”
“And breaking into Maxwell Lord’s company, care to tell me what that was about,” the blonde continued, returning her attention to her papers. “Don’t tell me stealing some second rate technology is part of your master plan.”
“It is,” Astra breathed out, “a necessary evil, humans must be protected from themselves. I will not fail another planet.”
Cat rolled her eyes and looked back up at the woman, “You keep saying that, like you were personally responsible for letting Krypton die, from what Kara has told me and what she has managed to glean from that pod of hers and whatever was left to her cousin, Krypton’s downfall started long before any of you were alive.”
“It still could have been saved, much like your world can,” the darker woman defended, her eyes flashing dangerously. “I will not see another place that Kara calls home be destroyed by human foolishness.”
“So you are doing this for Kara,” Cat looked up at Astra with interest. “Despite the way you treat her, you do still care about her. I wondered for a while. You know, keeping the fact that you were alive from her got me in a lot of trouble, it really hurt her, we both did. Haven’t you hurt her enough for one life?”
“I’m trying to keep her from being hurt!”
The blonde just hummed in disbelief and moved to pour herself a drink from her mini-bar. “That I highly doubt,” she stated dryly after taking a healthy sip of her bourbon. “Alura and Astra In-Ze,” Cat mused, staring at the woman for a moment. It looked as if Cat was staring into her very soul and Astra nearly took a step back at the expression on her face. “Kara has of course told me about both of you, her mother and aunt, identical sisters. Different guilds, different ways with dealing with things, and yet you both hurt Kara in similar ways.” Cat took another sip of her drink, but her eyes continued boring in the Kryptonian’s, “Alura sent Kara away, and you’re pushing her away, results in the same thing, Kara being hurt.”
Before Cat could blink, Astra was right in front of her face, her eyes glowing, “You have no idea what you’re talking about, no idea how much I care about her.”
“You wouldn’t even tell her that you were alive, she had to find out by you attacking her,” Cat retorted, not afraid of the infuriated woman. Her previous dealings with her have indicated that Astra wouldn’t hurt her, not with her powers anyway, only with words.
“That… that is none of your concern,” the brunette stated, stepping away. “You’re human, you couldn’t possibly understand the depth of love I hold for my niece.”
Cat sat down on one of her couches, crossing her legs to stare at the woman, “Explain it to me then, why you’re doing what you’re doing and how you could possibly think that anything you’ve done is for Kara’s benefit?”
“Your planet is heading for destruction,” Astra explained, choosing to remain standing. “I will not let humans destroy their world the way we destroyed ours, Kara deserves more than that.”
The blonde woman waved her hand, “I know all of that, you’ve stated that, what I wanted to know about are your motives, why are you treating Kara the way you are? Why are you the way you are? You told me once you love Kara like she’s your own…”
Astra froze, Cat’s words sending her in a tailspin. This woman, this human woman wanted to know her, wanted to know her reasonings, her thoughts, why she did what she did and why she’s doing what she’s doing now. No one has ever asked before, but the only ones left to ask are Non, her soldiers, and Kara, though none of them would ever think to ask. She sank down onto one of the chairs across from the Cat lady, her eyes wary. “You’re not going to print what I say in your silly little reading pamphlet are you?”
Cat hummed, her eyes flashing dangerously, “First, it’s a magazine, you’d think after all your years on Earth you would know that, second, why would I publish this conversation? Yes, I would get readers, but as someone raising an alien daughter, I understand the value of privacy.”
The Kryptonian stared at her for a moment before looking away, staring behind her out over the city shining brightly against the darkened sky. “Kryptonians are born in pods,” Astra said finally after a few minutes, “The birthing matrix and the codex, they’re used to decide who a person will be, exactly what they will be, that way the population can be controlled and people can always have a place. It had been that way for hundreds of years, no surprises, no abnormalities.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “Until my sister and I were born. Twins were never heard of, not while using the birthing matrix that controlled every aspect of the process, but, well, Alura and I never liked fitting into the mould. By the time they noticed something unusual, our cells had already divided and we were both in the pod, living, growing. Our parents had planned for someone to follow them in the judiciary guild, and through tests they determined that Alura held that leaning, though I retained a strong sense of justice. My cells had to be slightly reprogramed though and was geared more as a warrior.” Astra fingered the silver streak of hair on her head, “That is why I have this while my sister did not.”
“Kara had told me that she had chosen the arts guild,” Cat mused, “Was she always meant to choose that guild?”
Breathing out a laugh, Astra shook her head, “No, no, Kara, Kara was different, special, but of course you know that.” She hummed, her eyes bright and smiling even as she talked, remembering a time and world long gone. “Kara was granted possibilities, everything the codex could offer, nothing was held back from her. This was mainly because Alura and Zor-El couldn’t decide between the judiciary and science guilds for their child.” She barked out a laugh, “They would’ve been shocked to know she chose the arts, proud of course, for paving her own path, but shocked.”
Her voice trailed off as she thought of her sister and her niece, both once bright spots in her life, now shroud in darkness for different reasons. “Alura and I,” she continued, “We grew up close, thick as thieves as you humans would say, but that changed when we separated into our guilds. Alura was older and took to the judiciary guild quite quickly, and made a well match into the house of El. My husband, Non… he is lesser than I in status and position, but we were still matched, mostly as a way to connect our houses and build alliances, which is an important part of the military guild. We were constantly denied the right to a child, something about Non’s genetics being systematically inferior in many ways.” Astra glanced down at her hands, “Part of me can’t help but feel that was a blessing now, with how everything turned out. Kara was enough for me, more than enough.”
“How were you imprisoned?” Cat questioned, “Oh Kara’s told me why of course, but how, you don’t seem like the type to get caught.”
“My sister used Kara to trap me,” the brunette growled. She took a small device out of her pocket and held it between her hands. “Our spy beacons,” she explained, “One of a pair, Kara had the other. Whenever she wanted to see me, Kara would leave a light on the beacon and I would follow it to her. Alura knew of course, and had Kara call me to her, which gave my sister opportunity to sentence me to life in prison, eternal damnation.”
“No love lost between sisters then,” the blonde hummed. “I can’t entirely relate, but I’ve always had an adversarial relationship with my mother, though she hasn’t been around much in recent years since I adopted Kara. She never approved, she always has a way of tearing people down, making them feel less than dirt.”
Astra nodded, “I’ve observed her, she resembles this race of beings from a planet I visited early in my years in the military guild. They resembled your lizards, just larger and more humanoid, and breathed fire.”
“That’s my mother,” Cat clicked her tongue. “Spits fire and venom, full of piss and vinegar, it’s a wonder she doesn’t burst into flames when she encounters sunlight.” At the confused look on Astra’s face, Cat waved her hand, “Human folklore.” The two women sat quietly for a moment, thinking about their similar lives and circumstances despite being light years and worlds apart. “Do you still want to do it?” Cat asked finally, “Do you still want to take over the world?”
“I don’t want to take over the world,” Astra said, standing from the couch. “I want to save it, protect it from humans. You have given me much to think about.”
Before Astra could take off the balcony, Cat’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “Ponder, debate, take all the time you need,” the blonde said, standing from her seat to approach the Kryptonian, “But make no mistake, if you continue to hurt Kara, break her heart in the way that you have been doing, I will find a way to destroy you if it’s the last thing I do.” Her eyes flashed dangerously, her words punctuated with emotion, “I will kill you to save my daughter the heartbreak, do not underestimate me.”
Astra stared at the woman wide eyed before pushing off the balcony, disappearing quickly in the darkness. Cat watched her leave for a moment as she finished her drink, and turned one of the TVs on to distract her from her thoughts. She quickly realized her mistake though as images of Supergirl fighting a creepy red robot flash across the screen. One of her CatCo News choppers was broadcasting the footage, and she quickly called the pilot to confirm if he was live or not. Cat watched as Kara was knocked back by a tornado and one was unleashed on the people and cars nearby. She held her breath as Kara quickly defused the tornado and chased the android, taking it down further in the desert. She ordered the pilot to maintain his distance, not wanting to distract Supergirl from her task or put her pilot at risk.
A few moments later, a large explosion could be seen in the distance, and a red and blue blur shot off returning towards National City. The breath that had caught in her throat escaped as a relieved sigh, and Cat slumped back on her couch. “I didn't take into account the stress of having a superhero for a daughter,” she grumbled, rubbing at her face. “I'm going to need to arrange a meeting with my therapist.”
She lingered in her office for a few minutes before gathering her purse and calling her driver to take her home. Her mind was split between worrying for her daughter and the conversation she had with Astra. Cat hoped that her words made a difference to the woman, she didn't think her daughter would survive losing her aunt.
Krypto’s ear perked up when he heard a light knock on the apartment door and he turned his furry head towards the sound. He waited for a few moments for Kara to get up to check on the sound, and when she didn’t, he shuffled back into the apartment and padded silently towards the door. Sitting down, Krypto waited for the sound to return and was rewarded only a few seconds later. Sniffing the air, he quickly identified the person on the other side of the barrier, and carefully nosed the lock and opened the door. He sat back and wagged his tail as the person came into view, and snuffled her hands looking for treats.
“Thanks Krypto,” Maggie whispered, scratching him behind the ears, “where’s Kara?”
He pointed his nose in the direction of the bedroom where he could hear his person breathing deeply, still unconscious to the world. The woman moved to head to where Kara was, but Krypto parked himself in her path, still smiling and wagging his tail, nosing her for a treat. Maggie sighed and moved to the kitchen, searching for where Kara hid Krypto’s treats until she looked in the refrigerator and found a large box labeled ‘Krypto.’ Peeling off the lid of the container, the detective found large, homemade treats, and fished one out, dropping it in the dog bowl for Krypto while she trotted up to Kara’s bed. The dog demolished his treat before licking his bowl clean and returning to his house on the balcony to sleep for the rest of the night. He thought briefly about checking what Maggie wanted with his person, but reasoned that someone who smells as nice as Maggie didn’t mean any harm.
Maggie took in Kara’s sleeping form as best as she could in the limited light streaming in through the window. The blonde was curled up on her side, facing away from the window, her hair spread out on the pillow behind her and light breaths coming from her mouth. She wanted to be annoyed with her, she partially was really, if Kara had been honest from the beginning, Maggie wouldn’t have been another month into a relationship she knew wouldn’t go anywhere.
Sighing, she turned away from the blonde and lightly sat down on the bed, rubbing at her face. Why did she come here, to Kara’s apartment? What was she looking for by seeing the younger woman? The truth, revenge, absolution, all of them, none of them? Maybe she was just seeking out comfort, and she knew from experience that Kara gave the best hugs, full of warmth and care. It was near impossible to hate the girl, which was frustrating at present.
“Mags?” Kara’s sleep filled voice broke Maggie out of her thoughts and she turned around to find sleepy blue eyes staring at her. “What are you…” Confusion flittered across her face as she struggled to find the words she was looking for, “Did you break into my apartment?”
Maggie couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression on Kara’s face and ran her fingers through soft blonde hair. “No, Little Bat, Krypto let me in,” she shot the girl a slight grin. “He’s a good guard dog.”
Kara let out a sigh and slumped down on her bed, muttering a low “bad Krypto” for the dog to hear, only to be answered by a ‘woof’ and the wagging of his tail. He really was a terrible guard dog, except when Carter was over, then he couldn’t be peeled away for anything, and wouldn’t let anyone in or leave the apartment except for Kara, Cat or Lena. One time Carter’s father had to pick him up from Kara’s apartment because he had been taking Krypto for a walk, and when Kara came home that night, the dog had trapped the man in the bathroom while he and Carter continued to watch TV. Kara had to let him out and pretend to scold Krypto, but later she gave him a large treat and long belly rub. Her tired mind ran over Maggie’s words again before catching on a phrase she hasn’t heard in awhile. “You called me Little Bat,” Kara said, turning over to better look at the detective. “You haven’t called me that in years, not since you and Kate broke up.”
The older woman smiled sadly and stared out the window, her eyes lost. “I couldn’t,” she whispered after a few minutes, “It hurt too much.”
Shuffling up in bed, Kara gave the woman her full attention; she knew Maggie, not as well as her other friends, but they talked a lot when the detective was dating Kate, she knew that the woman wouldn’t have just randomly showed up at her apartment, basically using her dog to break in without a reason. “Mags,” Kara started softly, not wanting to spook the distressed woman. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“You could have told me you know,” Maggie murmured after a few minutes.
Kara scrunched her face in confusion and placed a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “Told you what?”
Maggie shrugged off the hand and turned to face the blonde. “You should've told me you and Alex were married,” she said, staring hard into blue eyes. “A real friend would've told me.”
The Kryptonian’s eyes widened and Maggie briefly took pleasure in being able to surprise the girl before reality hit her like a brick. “I…” Kara started, unsure as to what to say. “I didn't, I don't… I don't know what to so.”
“How about the truth for once?”
“That's not fair Maggie.”
“No!” The detective yelled, standing up, “What's not fair is letting your friend unknowingly date your wife without telling her. What's not fair is letting that friend tug you around, rubbing their relationship in your nose. What's not fair is not telling your friend she made the biggest mistake of her life by walking out on her fiancée, the love of her life because she was scared.” Tears welled in her eyes as she screamed before escaping down her cheeks as she broke down in sobs, slowly slumping to the floor.
Kara scrambled out of the bed to catch the detective before she could hit the floor and pulled her into a tight hug. “Shhhh, Maggie, it’s okay,” she murmured, tugging her back up on the bed with her.
“It’s not,” Maggie muttered, rubbing her face into Kara’s chest. “It’s not, I loved Kate, still love her, and I walked away from her, away from our wedding, our future because I was scared to lose her.”
“What?” Kara asked, her eyes wide.
Maggie pushed back away from the blonde and wiped her eyes. “That’s why I left,” she explained, sniffling slightly. “I… She kept throwing herself into danger with the Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow, Cheetah. Every time she went out on a mission that Batman sent her on or just chasing criminals, it would scare the hell out of me.”
“Don’t you think Kate was worried about you too Mags? I mean, you were out there too, chasing all of those bad guys, getting shot at, and she didn’t shy away from you Maggie, in fact I think it caused her to hold onto you tighter.”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
Shaking her head, Maggie changed the conversation, “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me that you were married to my girlfriend.”
“Who told you?”
“Does it matter?”
Kara looked at her for a moment before sighing and shrugging slightly, “No, I guess it doesn’t…” Her voice trailed off, her eyes dropping to the space on the bed between them. “I guess… I guess I just didn’t want to hurt you. I don’t really know Alex, not really, we got married after a drunken night in Las Vegas, and had one night together. She doesn’t remember me, and I don’t see the point of bringing it up.”
“Kara, you basically mate for life,” Maggie said, reaching out to squeeze her forearm. “Once you form that lifelong commitment, like marriage, with someone, you’re in, you have to tell her.”
“I don’t want to force her into it,” Kara replied. “She’s with you, she doesn’t… she doesn’t like me like that.”
Maggie had to hold back a snort of disbelief at her words, “Oh please, she is so into you, it’s painful to watch sometimes, the thirst is real in that one.” She rolled her eyes a bit, “And besides, we’re not together anymore, I broke up with her tonight, the relationship couldn’t go anywhere, not with her being technically married and me still head over heels for my ex-fiancée.”
“Oh Mags, I’m sorry,” Kara started, “I didn’t mean-”
“No, no,” Maggie cut her off. “It’s alright, it wasn’t… I think we both kind of knew that we were better off as friends, she’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had really. We both just kind of… got tired of being single and decided to give dating a try. Long term wouldn’t have really worked, we both lacked the passion for each other needed in a healthy relationship.”
“Still… I really sorry Mags.”
The detective lightly punched the superhero on her arm, ignoring the stinging pain that shot through her hand. “Just take care of my best friend Grant, Danvers, whatever your last name is, and we won’t have any problems.”
“I just… I can’t tell her yet Mags,” Kara shook her head. “It isn’t the right time.”
“I’m not going to pressure you to tell her, that wouldn’t be cool. I know that you know you need to tell her, and I believe you will eventually, on your own terms.”
“You’re far more understanding about this than I thought you would be.”
Maggie grimaced and shrugged slightly, “Well, to be honest, I didn’t come over here intending to do any of this. My original plan was to scream and yell at you, and then drink whatever was left of the collection of alcohol you have here, so that I would end up at work tomorrow with a splitting headache.”
“How about we just to sleep?” Kara suggested, laughing weakly, “I mean, you’re not the only one that has to work tomorrow, and I’m exhausted from dealing with a rogue robot.”
“Married and trying to take another woman to bed,” Maggie tisked while Kara just rolled her eyes.
“Fine, you stay up, while I go back to sleep,” Kara humphed, climbing back under the covers and rolling to face away from the older woman.
“Oh come on Kara, don’t be like that,” Maggie chuckled. The blonde just sighed and snuggled down into her covers. The detective considered leaving for a moment but it was late and she was emotionally and physically exhausted from the day. Standing up from the bed, she stripped her shoes and pants off, and shed her jacket as she made her way to the dresser. She pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, and quickly put them on before moving back to the bed. Climbing in bed Kara, Maggie shuffled closer to the heat radiating alien, and wrapped an arm around her, pressing her front into the younger woman’s back.
“Mags,” Kara murmured, her voice heavy with sleep. “Are you spooning me?”
“I’m tired Little Bat,” Maggie responded, the warmth from the woman lulling her into sleep. “And you’re warm, go to sleep.” She breathed out a sigh and buried her face in soft blonde hair, inhaling the slight fragrance of peaches and vanilla. ‘Alex always liked eating peaches,’ she thought before drifting off to sleep.
Shuffling sounds outside of her apartment and the lock on her door turning pulled Kara out of her sleep and into the waking world. She blinked a little as her mind entered awareness and identified the heat radiating behind her as Maggie. “Well this is a surprise,” Lena’s voice sounded and Kara glanced down to see her best friend smirking at her. “Something you need to tell me about what happened last night?”
“Shut up Lena,” Kara groaned, dislodging herself from the detective’s hold to sit up in bed. Lena just smirked again and trotted back to the kitchen to pull food out for breakfast. The blonde rubbed at her face in an attempt to wake up, while she poked Maggie in the shoulder. “Mags, Maggie! Wake up,” she said, rousing the woman into wakefulness.
“Mhm, Kara?” Maggie murmured, blinking herself away, “Kate was right, you are really snuggly.” Kara sputtered a bit, causing Maggie to crack a grin as she sat up. “Calm down Kara, geez, you’re so easy to rile up.”
“Keep it PG guys, there are innocent ears present,” Lena called back from the kitchen, causing Kara to roll her eyes.
“Leaves you out then Luthor,” Maggie replied, hopping up off the bed. The two started bickering while Kara just stared at them, wondering when her life got so weird that her best friend found her snuggled in bed with her sister’s ex-fiancée.
“Hey Mags,” Kara said quietly, drawing the older woman’s attention. “Are we okay?”
Maggie smiled, her dimples in full view, “Yeah Little Bat, we’re good. Just give me a few days, and I can start helping with your plan to woo Alex.”
Kara started to sputter, and Lena just looked at Maggie curiously before realization dawned in her eyes. “Ah, you’re in the know now aren’t you?” She asked, a large grin on her face.
“Yeah,” Maggie nodded, “And while I wish Kara had told me, things actually make sense now, and Kara and Alex would definitely make a good couple.”
“Right?” Lena stated, “You’re a shipper now too aren’t you, they make a hot couple.”
“They need a ship name,” the detective continued, ignoring the sputtering protests from the blonde.
“I’ve just been referring to them as Kalex, has a fun ring to it.”
Maggie smirked and shot a wink at the blushing superhero, “Kalex, I like it, so we just need a plan to get Kalex together.”
The two continued to talk and make breakfast while Kara just sighed and sat down at the kitchen island. “You guys are the worst.”