Troubling Bonds
“Kara Zor-El,” Kara said as Cat rested her head on the superhero’s chest, stirring when Kara spoke.
“What?” Cat mumbled as she lightly stroked the superhero’s sides, not moving her head for the question.
“My full name, Kara Zor-El,” Kara repeated as Cat began to look up the response in confusion, “My last name is Zor-El. The Danvers adopted me when I came to Earth, and I’ve used their name since, but my family name is Zor-El. The House of El, last house of Krypton, the noblest house on Krypton, before…” Kara said as she trailed off looking towards the blinds.
“Before you came here,” Cat finished cupping the hero’s face and placing a chaste kiss on the younger girls lips.
“Yes, my family name is from the House of El. My families motto is Mayara Zor-el, translting to mean stronger together,” Kara replied as she cupped Cat’s face planting a soft kiss on her lips.
Cat snuggled closer into the side of her hero, wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist, “We are stronger together. You give the city hope.”
Kara stared down at Cat and wondered how she got so lucky. She didn’t imagine coming out as Supergirl would transpire to having Cat Grant in her arms a year later. A year she thought. It has been a year since she first saved the woman. Now it seems she would need her even more in the next coming weeks with Non planning to take over the city.
“Cat, I think it’s about time we had that ta-,” Kara began to say until she found lips crashing down on her.
Leaning into the kiss, she let herself get swept away by Cat. Cat started to move her body slowly over Kara, letting their skin slowly move against each other. Twirling her fingers into Kara’s golden locks, attempting to deepen the kiss between the two women when she found a firm hand pushing against her chest.
“Cat…” Kara said with heavy breath, “we….” Kara was succumbing to Cat’s lips yet again before quickly huffing out, “we really need to talk,” As she placed both of her hands on Cat’s shoulders and slowly floated her body up so that she could shift them to talk.
“Hmm, so your superpowers must be how you have been so efficient this past year,” Cat said with eyes honing in on the young girl who too effectively stopped their make out.
“Well, you know just a bit, your elevator, keeping your coffee warm, keeping up with the emails,” Kara stammered as she felt her cheeks turning a shade of red.
“My Coffee! Tell me you did not laser vision my coffee!” Cat exclaimed with eyes now wide open looking in shock.
“Don’t worry, my laser vision is harmless when directed at your coffee, no more harm than an average microwave,” Kara huffed out hoping this with calm the older woman.
“You really will be hard to replace.”
“What! Replace? Cat, no, you’re not going to fire me? I thought we’ve been through this, I need this job, you, CatCo.” Kara said as she sat up, holding Cat’s hands.
“Don’t worry dear, I’m not going to fire you, but it is about time you received a promotion.” Cat said pulling her closer, "It's about time, I did change your position when I hired you. I can only date my assistant so long, and you deserve it. I rather people think it for your work ethic, not dating me."
Kara thought, dating, we're dating?
“No, not this right now,” Kara said speaking as Supergirl, “We need to talk about this, us, are you sure about this? I’m not safe Cat. When people figure out, when people who want to hurt me figure out, they will come after you. I’m not sure if I could ask you of that,” Kara said now standing up, pacing the room wrapped in Cat’s silk sheet. “I can’t, I can’t put you in this type of danger, being with me, I couldn’t ask that of you.” Kara continued as she was moving towards her super suit.
Kara felt arms wrap around her in a hold and a warm body press against her back. She spun around and found herself looking down at a smiling Cat.
“You, my dear, can not make that decision for me and are not asking that of me. I want this, I want us,” not breaking eye contact with Kara and firmly holding her hands. “I wasn’t sure what was going on between us, hell I didn’t even think you would go for me, but this, this connection we have," moving her hands to place one on each of their hearts, “our hearts beat as one. I know there’s some connection between us that can’t be broken”
Kara looked away from Cat, her eyes sunken with grief and her mouth turning down.
“Hey,” Cat said grabbing Kara’s chin and locking eyes with her, “I’m in this, I know we have a lot to figure out, but I’m all in.” Cat said to a now smiling Kara. “If you forgot, I’m Cat Grant. I can be a pretty dangerous woman myself.”
“I know,” Kara chuckled, “the entire bullpen wouldn’t dare talk to you before your morning coffee. They’re all grateful I get your coffee right on the first try. Supposedly they use to fly?”
“Right, right, yes. The bullpen pre-Kara was a more dangerous place,” Cat said now walking away dismissing the comment with the flick of her wrist and slipping on a robe.
“I should be the one asking you if you want to be in this. I’m older than you, have two kids, and I’m in the public eye. Can you handle this, Kara?” Cat said with one hand firmly placed on her hip locking eyes with the hero.
“Yes. Of course, I can. You give me comfort and strength. I finally feel like I’ve met my intellectual equal. My strength doesn't hurt your ego; you don’t get upset if duty calls and I absolutely adore Carter. You’re an amazing mother,” Kara says now slipping into the robe offered by Cat.
“Oh, I will get upset if duty calls, but I understand,” Cat smirked pulling her into a kiss. “That strength though could be put to some use, and I can’t wait to see what your super speed can do,” Cat whispered to Kara’s ear and ended the sentence with the flick of the tongue on the young hero’s lobe making her squirm.
“Now why don’t we move to the kitchen and get some breakfast. It’s Saturday morning, Carter is with his father this weekend, and I imagine we have to talk about your fight last night.” Cat said as she walked down the hall swaying her hips in such a manner to make Kara forget to move.
“Chop Chop,” Cat said without looking back.
////
Some while later and a full spread prepared for them on the balcony. Kara’s super speed came in handy with prepping the food, even though a few plates and bowls did break during the preparation.
Cat didn’t mind making twice the normal amount pancakes along with eggs, bacon and plenty of fruit to balance the spread. Now that Kara wasn’t holding back, she was able to see how much the hero did eat.
“So, do you eat more after all strenuous activities?” Cat questioned, arching her eyebrow in a suggestive manner.
“You’ll have to make your observations about that, figure out which actives increase my appetite over others,” Kara quipped back without stopping to eat, surprising Cat with the sharp comment.
Kara did have multiple sides she was hoping to see.
Placing her food down, Cat noticed the hero looking out over the skyline.
“So, Kara, that fight last night, why do I have the feeling it isn’t over?”
“Because it’s not.” Kara got up, looking to the skyline, “I pushed him out past the city limits and got a lucky shot in thanks to some, help." She would eventually tell Cat about Alex, Hank, The DEO, Superman, but right now Non's intention focused on hurting her, hurting Cat.
"He’s injured, but still vengeful. Especially now that,” She trailed off, catching her breath, choking back tears. “He’s not going to stop until he has want he wants.”
“What does he want exactly?” Cat questioned slowly approaching the railing.
“He wants retribution. His partner, my aunt, Astra, was taken from him. He thinks taking what I hold dearest to me will fill his loss.” Kara said with a clenched fist against the railing, “But I won’t, I won’t let him take you from me. I promise.”
Cat placed her hand over Kara’s, and she stood beside her looking out over the skyline and said, “Stronger together.”
Kara looked towards the woman. Cat was looking out into the city holding her hand. She was feeling her strength, and she felt stronger standing next to her. Her heart beat was moving with Cat’s when a familiar click occurred in her ear.
“Kara, come in. It’s 10 am and we need to discuss what to do with Non.” Alex told her over the comm.
“Duty calls?” Cat questioned looking to the hero now with one hand raised to her ear and no longer looking at Cat.
“Duty calls.” Kara said disappearing for a moment and returning in her suit, “I’ll be right there Alex, I need just a moment.”
“Kara, make it quick, we need to discuss yesterday before Non reappears,” Alex replied.
“Alex, I know, I just need to say goodbye to Ca…” Kara cut herself off. She was too relaxed around Cat to stop the slip from happening.
“Cat? Is it Cat now? Weren’t you only going to talk to you? Didn’t you need to figure out some things? Wait are you there now?! She’s your boss who happens to be the Queen of All Media!” Alex said with increasing stress in her voice after each question.
“Alex, calm down, yes I talked to Cat, yes I’m here now, and I need to talk to Alura. As much as I don’t want to, I need to figure out what’s happening between Cat and me. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”
“It better be 10 minutes.” Alex huffed.
“Cat’s out the bag?” Cat joked.
“Who knew you had a sense of humor. Well, I think I have a few things to figure out this afternoon. When I’m done can I come back, hopefully, it won’t be more than an hour or two?”
“Of course, I’ll be waiting,” Cat replied placing a kiss on the hero’s lips.
Kara attempted to deepen the kiss before she felt hands on her chest this time.
“If you don’t leave now I’m afraid you won’t be wherever you have to be in 10 minutes.”
“I’ll be back, Cat,” Kara said as she took off into the sky.
“I’ll be waiting, Kara.” She whispered, wondering if Kara would hear.
Kara did, and she flew over the city. She knew Cat would be waiting for her to return quickly to have the answers about the connection between them.
//////
It had been a lot longer than an hour or two, in fact, it had been almost six. By now Cat had cleaned up the food, gotten a head start on the week’s work, and found time to practice yoga. If only her hero would come back.
She checked on the news multiple times to see if the city needed Supergirl. She wasn’t. The anticipation of finding out what was going on between her and Kara was starting to build. She felt different after the night they spent together. There was a sense of longing and need. She felt like this before in love when she was younger. It felt like puppy love. Damn Kara and her puppy Danvers smile to make her fall in love.
By now it was getting close to dinner, and she figured the hero would be hungry upon her return. She’s seen Kara inhale pot stickers at work; that seemed like the safe choice.
//////
Kara didn’t want to leave Cat waiting for that long, but Alex had let it slip to Hank that Kara spent the night at Cat’s which resulted in Kara needing to stop DEO agents from descending on the penthouse.
When the situation finally deescalated, she was able to enter the chamber with Alura, despite her dislike for needing to speak to her.
“Hello Kara,” Alura said.
“Hello, Mom,” Kara said trying to look at the AI but struggling, “I need to know about marriage on Krypton.”
“Marriage changed over the years on Krypton. As you know, divorce was not allowed on Krypton. The tradition was to marry but only after the Matricomp program approved the marriage, until Jor-el destroyed the programming, deeming it unfit,” Alura began to explain.
“But what about more recent times?” Kara questioned
“Well, the high council had some inputs about marriage. It came to be that mates didn’t see their partner before the wedding, marriage turned into a method to maintain strong family houses and see Krypton through new troubling times.” Alura finished.
“That doesn’t make sense, is there another ritual for Kryptonians who mate with a partner they love?” Kara questioned further.
“Yes, the bonding ceremony.”
“Bonding ceremony? What do you mean, is it different than a marriage?”
“Yes, in the early days of our culture, Kryptonians were known to bond with their partner. These bonds were rare, but created the strongest families on Krypton that ultimately became the families of the high council.”
“So, The House of El is from a bonded coupling?” Kara asked trying to understand further.
“Yes, bonding ceremonies take place when a Kryptonian of superior strength and intellect meets their equal. A bond is formed to create a lasting line.” The AI said.
“But what happens after the bond? How does the family continue?”
“After a bonded ceremony the couple produced a child, there was always at least one male to carry the family name. Our race was on the verge of extinction and these bonds insured the strongest survived.”
“How did one know if they bonded?”
“It was simple; their two heart beats became one. The two individuals would get drawn to each other’s heartbeats and would find themselves unable to be apart for too long without needing the other. That proved difficult in a hostile world. They eventually found if they took a cloth and branded it with a shared sign and vowed to protect and nurture each other for their rest of time they would be able to function separately but with their full strength.”
“What happened over the years? Why don’t we bond anymore?”
“Twelve bonds were formed in the early years of Krypton. The twelve houses which would eventually create the high council. These first bonds created multiple offsprings who would marry and produce more offspring. Eventually, we were no longer in threat from other settlers, and it became hard to find a unique pairing of strengths.”
“Krypton found stability?” Kara asked.
“Yes, the Kryptonian population found a way to ensure the strongest survived, ensuring our raced thrived. During this period, there were settlers and multiple regions of Krypton. The bonded families would travel and eventually spread throughout Krypton. But yes, once there was no longer need, modern marriage rituals took over.”
Alura paused before adding, “Daughter, there are still some direct descendants, you and Kal-El both have a direct line of coming from parents who are both from bonded families.”
This made Kara think; she had a direct line from two of the bonded families. She was also only one of two Kryptonians on the planet who worked in proximity to one of the most powerful women on the planet. Her Kryptonian heritage would seek a bond to ensure the survival of the race.
“Would it be possible for a Kryptonian to bond to another race?” Kara asked.
“Yes, there have been bonds in our history with the Daximites. Settlers from another planet on Krypton. The bonding ritual takes places when we sense our need of survival. If there is an equal to our strengths, we will bond to insure survival.”
“I bonded with Cat.” Kara gasped.
“Cat? A feline? That is not possible.” Alura stated with confusion for an AI.
“I, I got to go, if this is true that means Cat must be in discomfort” Kara stated rushing out of the room to leave the DEO.
She noted she wasn’t feeling well. Her powers felt drained, and she felt nauseous; it had been over six hours since she was with Cat. If what Alura said happened between her and Cat she needed to return as soon a possible.
“Hey, Supergirl, hold up you don’t look so good,” Vasquez said trying to stop Kara from leaving the facility, “let us run some test.”
“No,” Kara said with a flush face, “I need to go,” she said as she hurled herself back towards National City. I need to get back to Cat she thought.
/////
It was dusk now and still no Supergirl in sight.
Cat had been anxious for most of the time Kara was away. The first two hours were fine, but hours four and five had her pacing around the penthouse. Hour six and seven had her almost throwing up.
Cat began to wonder if she yelled out to the balcony if she could get her to return.
Cat started to make her way to the balcony, ignoring the Chinese food still left out in the kitchen for dinner and she walked into the bedroom to open the doors.
She heard a thud on the balcony.
Swinging open the doors, Kara was in front of her, in her super suit and looking pale compared to her typical sun-kissed look.
Kara seemed to stumble onto the balcony without her normal balance and took a few steps.
Cat in shock rushed forward and caught the young hero just in time as she tripped over her cape and began to fall towards the ground.
This time, Cat was holding Kara in a dip. There was a slight difference. Cat was moving to her knees and slowly sitting down. She had to use all her strength to catch the girl. Kara’s powers were weakened, but the hero still weighed a lot.
Kara had her eyes closed, and her arms laid down on the ground as Cat held the girl in her lap, lightly stroking her face with her free hand, the other one still wrapped around her back.
“It’s about time you finally caught me,” Kara whispered, opening her eyes slightly so she can reach out to Cat’s hand on her face.