Charlotte's Web
The past week had been hard between them. After Kara’s big reveal on the balcony, and subsequent leap into heroics, things hadn’t quite settled down. It had been a mess, really. Some new villains hellbent on taking out National City and Supergirl along with it. Kara flying into action everyday, doing her best to keep people safe.
Anyone with eyes could see these were all little parts to a bigger plan. Each fight was calculated to learn more about their opponent. More about Kara. But Kara was set in her ways, she would charge into battle without a second thought for herself.
It was nine in the morning when Alex discovered that their new enemies were fueled by the darkness, and ten in the morning when Kara came marching into Cats office.
The knock on the door almost startled Cat, too engrossed in the latest footage of Supergirl fighting to realize someone was there. When Kara strode tentatively, but meaningfully into her office, all she could do was pay attention. But the silence between them continued, as Kara did nothing but go out to the balcony and sit on one of the chairs.
Cat waited for a moment, not wanting to seem too eager. It had been nearly six days since they’d actually spoken more than three words to each other. A combination of deflection and busyness has kept them from having the conversation they so desperately needed to have.
Cat quietly closed her laptop, stood from her desk, and made her way through the balcony doors. She sat down on one of the chairs across from where Kara was currently fiddling with something in her hands.
“Kara...” Cat started softly, unsure of what was going on.
Kara looked up quickly, the nervousness evident on her face.
“At some point we’re going to have to have a conversation out here that doesn’t consist of you being afraid to speak. Understood?” Cat joked lightly, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.
“It’s not -” Kara said, before stopping herself. She took a long breath in, steadying herself, before she continued, “It’s not that, Cat. I promise.”
Cat was slightly taken aback by the use of her first name again. No matter how many times the girl said it, it always made Cats heart race.
“If you want to talk about the other night, I don’t have all day.” Cat said, her signature annoyance creeping into her voice.
“We can’t do that.” Kara said curtly.
“And why not exactly?” Cat said with a scoff.
“Because there isn’t time!” Kara blurted out, standing up from her chair quickly and beginning to pace the balcony.
“What on Earth do you mean there isn’t time? We’re both here, and I don’t have another meeting until four.” Cat said, narrowing her eyes as her gaze followed Kara’s quickly moving form.
“Because I’m leaving. Soon.” Kara said, stopping in her tracks.
“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Cat asked, standing up as well.
“The aliens, the ones that have been attacking the city all week. They get their power from the darkness. Or well, from the lack of the sun to be exact...I have to take them out before the sun goes down when I get weaker, and they get stronger.” Kara said calmly, like discussing her heroics was something they normally did now.
“Why would you get weaker when the sun goes down?” Cat said, her inquisitive brain going into over drive.
Kara smiled fondly, almost forgetting what she was here to do and quickly changing her demeanor back to serious. “I get my powers from the sun, Cat. But, this is a conversation we can’t have right now. There isn’t time.”
“Alright, then if you’re not here to talk about the other night, then what are you here for?” Cat asked, watching as Kara moved back to her seat and sat down again. Cat did the same.
“I brought this for you.” Kara said, outstretching her hand.
Cat looked closely and saw what appeared to be an earpiece, similar to the ones she’d seen before. She reached out her hand and carefully grabbed it from Kara’s palm, ignoring the spark that she felt when their hands briefly touched.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Cat questioned.
“Put it in your ear.” Kara said simply.
“Yes I know that part thank you Kiera,” Cat chastised, “I meant what am I listening for with it?”
“Well it’s not just a listening device. It’s a communication device too. You can talk and it’ll work off the vibrations in your jaw and mouth.” Kara explained.
“You still haven’t told me who i’ll be communicating with.” Cat said, trying to put the comm in her ear, but failing when it fell back out into her hand.
“Here, let me help.” Kara said, taking the comm from her hand.
Kara got up from her chair and knelt down next to Cat. She lifted her hand up cautiously, sweeping the hair from the side of Cats face, tucking it behind her ear, and placing the comm delicately in her ear.
Cat had to tell herself to keep breathing as the girl untucked the hair from her ear and let it fall back into place.
“You’ll be able to hear everything I hear.” Kara started, “It’s connected with the agency my sister works for, so she’ll be on it, some other people from her work too. Maybe Winn.”
“Don’t you find it distracting to have that many people in your ear?” Cat joked, earning an almost smile from Kara.
“It’s actually helpful sometimes, there’s more people, which means more ideas, more support.”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense.”
“The point is that...this way you won’t have to worry about me during the fight, because you’ll be there with me in a way.” Kara said, feigning a smile.
“Oh darling I don’t do worrying.”
“Cat...”
“Fine, fine…” Cat said, dismissing the skepticism with a wave of her hand.
The two sat in silence for a moment, both looking anywhere but at each other. Until Cat finally breathed out a quiet “Thank you.”
“The comm line is only open when my sister opens it. You’ll know if it’s active if the supergirl symbol shows up on your phone. That was Winn’s idea” Kara said with a soft smile, before continuing solemnly “But if it gets to be too much, you can always take it out.” Kara said softly, standing up from her chair again.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Cat said sincerely, her eyes not leaving Kara’s.
Kara sucked in a deep breath, trying to muster a smile as she said “I have to go.” Before walking through the doors, and leaving Cat alone on the balcony once again.
It was nearly two hours later when the notification popped up on her phone. She had nearly forgotten she was wearing the earpiece to begin with. But as soon as that symbol appeared on her screen, her heart began to race.
She kept quiet, instinctively as she listened to various voices flood into her ear. A woman, a man, another man, another woman. All distinct voices. She recognized three of them, one as Kara’s not so secretive sister, her sisters boss, and then the hobbity IT boy that was supposed to be working for her and not them.
She continued to say nothing as Kara’s voice came through the comm, announcing that she was nearing the nest of the alien enemies.
Technical information and scientific terms were thrown out by Kara’s sister, Kara simply agreeing and saying she understood.
It was then when Cat heard a loud crash followed by Kara yelling out “Stand down and I won’t hurt you.” In her most confident Supergirl voice.
When Cat heard a grunt followed by a sharp intake of breath, she knew that that plan hadn’t worked.
She listened to the continued rumbling, the slaps, the hits, the pain she could hear Kara going through. It was one thing seeing her hurt on the news footage. It was another to be listening as Kara breathlessly fought the monsters head on.
“Supergirl you just have to lure them outside, use your strengths against them.” The voice of Lucy Lane filtered through, surprising Cat just the slightest.
“Okay, I’ll try” Was Kara’s determined response.
More hits, more grunts, more cries of pain from Kara before a loud THUD was heard and silence radiated out.
“Supergirl...” She heard Alex call out.
“Supergirl, are you there?” Lucy followed.
“I don’t...I don’t know if I can do it. I can’t lure them outside, it’s not working.” Kara’s voice finally fluttered through, heavy with tiredness and pain.
Another THUD and another groan from Kara as she heard what sounded like a body being slammed into concrete.
Cat brought a hand over her mouth, trying to keep herself composed in the office as she listened to Kara being taken down.
“I’m...I’m sorry..” Kara’s voice rasped out, as another loud THUD was heard.
“Kara!” Cat shouted out involuntarily. She sucked in a sharp breath before saying “You do not die on me Kara Danvers. Do you understand? Get up. Get up and fight.”
“Cat...I...I c-”
“No!. Get up. Get up and take those bastards down.” Cat said, her voice wavering as she felt a hot tear run down her cheek.
“O...Okay.” Kara said, her voice more solid than it was a minute ago.
Cat heard a loud whoosh of air and more THUD’s, but this time, the thuds were more distant, she could tell the blows weren’t being dealt to Kara.
“Okay, I’ve got them outside, Is the team ready?” Kara asked, her voice stronger than Cat had heard it this entire time.
“Team one is in position, line them up, we have the weapons ready.” Lucy’s confident voice said.
“They’re in position! Fire!” Kara yelled. Cat could hear unhuman screaming in the background, mingling with the sounds of Kara panting.
“We got them, hostiles contained. Good job Supergirl.” Alex called out happily.
“Good” Kara said, her voice wavering again. Cat knew her voice. Something was wrong.
“Kara what’s wrong?” Cat asked immediately.
“I think...I think one of the stingers is stuck in my back.” Kara slurred.
Cat felt her heart skip a beat when she she saw a blur of red and blue followed by a loud crash on her balcony.
Cat got up from her desk and ran out to the balcony to find a bloodied Kara unconscious against the chair Cat had been sitting in earlier.
“Kara! Kara, where are you?” Alex’s worried voice came through the comm.
“Catco, she’s on my balcony.” Cat replied quietly, as she scooped up Kara’s lifeless form into her arms.
“I’ve got a team on the way, we’ll be there in two.” Alex said, before Cat heard the comm disconnect.
The two minutes it took Alex Danvers to get there was the longest two minutes of Cats life. All she could do was sit with a dying Kara in her arms, and hope like hell that she kept breathing. When Alex arrived, it all happened very fast. They loaded her onto a stretcher, attached some green wires and whisked her away without a second word to Cat.
It was one in the morning when Cat, defeated, decided to go home, and eight in the morning when Kara Danvers herself came strolling into her office, coffee in hand.
She said nothing as she placed the coffee, and a book on Cats desk. Cat swallowed thickly, and watched in pain as Kara walked out of her office again.
Her hand hovered over the cover of Charlottes Web for a moment, staring at the pink post it note that was all too familiar now. She gently grasped the outer edge, and cracked open the book carefully. She saw the underlined passage, and had to keep herself from visibly crying as she read:
“Well,” said Wilbur. “I’m no good at making speeches. I haven’t got your gift for words. But you have saved me, Charlotte, and I would gladly give my life for you – I really would.”
Cat closed her eyes, taking in the sentiment of the quote when she lifted the book, and another post it note fell out.
‘I’ll clean up the blood from the balcony after work. I promise.’
Cat crumpled up the post it and threw it into the garbage, before grabbing her phone and sending a text saying ‘Don’t bother, I already had a cleaning crew clean it up last night. I paid them a lot of money to keep their mouths shut.’
Cat waited for a moment until her phone buzzed again, with a text from Kara saying nothing but ‘I’m sorry.’
Cat pondered for a moment, unsure of what to say, before finally typing out ‘I’m glad you’re okay.’ and tossing her phone back onto her desk.
Finally, Cat felt like they were getting somewhere.