Vigilante

Kara woke slowly. She took a breath in and out as she stirred. She inhaled a familiar scent. Then she felt fingers in her hair, lightly scratching her scalp. She hummed a little and settled in. She slowly remembered where she was.

With Cat. She was with Cat. She was laying in Cat’s bed, with Cat. Kara didn’t dare move or open her eyes for fear of losing this moment that certainly couldn’t be real.

Sometime during the night their positions had changed. Cat was laying on her back and Kara had her head on her chest, tucked under her chin. With one hand, Cat was running her fingers through Kara’s hair, while the other was lightly holding on to the arm that Kara had draped around Cat’s waist.

Kara instinctively squeezed the other woman, trying to get just a little closer.

Then Cat whispered, “Are you awake?”

Kara didn’t want to answer. She wanted to pretend she was still sleeping. She didn’t want Cat to stop moving her fingers through her hair and she absolutely, positively did not want to get up.

She whispered back, “If I say yes, are you going to ask me to leave?” Her eye were still closed but her brows were knit together, terrified of the answer that was coming.

She felt Cat’s fingers stop moving. Kara’s muscles tensed. But then she heard Cat say, just above a whisper, “Of course not, darling.” Kara could tell by her tone that Cat was surprised at the question.

She opened her mouth and released a breath of relief as she felt Cat pull her even closer. She pulled her hand out of Kara’s hair and wrapped her arms around her. Cat held her as close as she could. Kara let herself be held. She had never in her life been held like this. Hugged, yes. Alex was a hugger, and so was Eliza. But held? No, she’d never just been held.

“Can we stay like this?” There was a desperation in Kara’s voice that Cat wanted so much to sooth.

Cat told her, “We can stay like this as long as you want.” She moved her hand back to Kara’s hair, relaxing her firm grip a little. Kara hummed contentedly again as she felt Cat resume running her fingers along her hair.

It was still dark outside. They didn’t have to get up for a while. They were happy to lay there together, enjoying the more intimate setting.

Finally, Cat’s hand stopped moving and she said, seriously, “Kara, I’m the one that asked you out for drinks. I gave you unfettered access to the most secret part of my life. I’m the one that asked you to stay last night.” Her voice was still soft, but she was trying to make a point. “If I didn’t want you to be here, you wouldn’t be. I want you here.” She reassumed her tight hold on Kara. “You have to start trusting me.”

Kara opened her mouth and breathed out another breath. She lifted her head from its comfy position tucked under Cat’s chin. She looked at Cat. She was struck by how sincere Cat looked, like she needed Kara to trust her, not just that she wanted her to.

“You’re right,” Kara said, nodding. After a pause, she said it again, for confirmation, “You’re right.” After another moment of taking in Cat’s relaxed features, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes again.

They stayed like that until the last possible minute they could before they both needed to get ready for the day. Kara finally extracted herself from the comfort of Cat’s arms. Cat rolled to her side, watching as Kara whooshed from the robe back into her Supergirl super suit.

She smiled at Kara while still laying on the bed. Kara stood there, glued to the space, not wanting to leave. But she walked back over to the bed and crawled over to Cat.

She was on her hands and knees and Cat saw her expression change. Kara’s eyes became more intense. Something about that suit brings out this fire in her, Cat thought. She stayed there, looking at Cat. She wanted her. Cat could see it on her face. But it was too soon. She could see that knowledge on Kara’s face as well.

Cat gently reached a hand up to Kara’s cheek. The younger woman closed her eyes at the touch and some of her intensity subsided.

“I don’t want to go,” Kara said firmly, with her eyes still closed. “I want to stay here, in this room, with you.”

“Soon,” Cat promised. “When the timing is right and we’re on the same page.”

Kara just sighed a frustrated sigh and opened her eyes. She nodded. Then she said, “I want to kiss you.”

Cat’s lips parted with the smile she gave. “But neither one of us could stop at a kiss. Not in this moment.” Cat spoke slowly and Kara nodded again. She begrudgingly backed off the bed to stand back to her feet.

She looked out the window. She sun was coming up. She turned back to Cat and smiled brightly. “What?” Cat asked her, propping up on an elbow, thinking that smile was beautiful.

The storm front that had hovered over National City for days had finally lifted. “The clouds are gone. The sun is coming out,” Kara told her.

Cat caught the double meaning. She tilted her head toward the small balcony doors in the bedroom. “Go fly, Supergirl.”

Kara just nodded. In a flash of blue and red, she was gone. Cat laid back down on the bed. She closed her eyes and released a breath. Hurry up and get ready, she thought, she’ll be there when you get there.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And she was there. As Cat strutted off the elevator, her eyes immediately landed on Kara. She walked with authority toward Kara’s desk. But before she could get there, a staffer stopped her, forcing her eyes away from Kara’s, needing a signature for a delivery. She signed quickly and looked back to Kara.

No sooner had she taken three more steps when one of her top Trib reporters walked up to her with some papers. Kara overhead the phrase, ‘It’ll only take a minute.’

Department heads began filtering into Cat’s office for their usual meeting. Kara watched them walk in, disappointed that she was missing her chance to talk to Cat. She looked back to where she was standing and talking with the reporter, reviewing an outline for an article that she needed to approve.

Finally, the young man walked away. Cat just stood there and looked over to Kara. She gave Kara an exasperated sigh, though she was smiling. Kara smiled back and shrugged. When Cat finally made it to her, she stood in front of her and Kara passed her latte between them.

Cat took it and just said, “Thank you.”

Kara just said, “You’re welcome.”

Then, rolling her eyes, Cat sarcastically said, “Let’s go,” and they turned to walk into the office.

Cat moved the meeting along quickly. She listened intently to everyone’s ideas, dismissing the ones she hated with a dramatic wave her hand and a distasteful look, accepting the ones she liked with the slightest nod.

Kara secretly loved watching her in these meetings. She was so laid back and so confident. She never second guessed her decisions. She was always fair. Every once in a while during these meetings, Cat would make a small monologue about integrity or being innovative or about how CatCo was the was best damn media outlet in the world, and it was because of their hard work.

For all of her harshness, she could always rally the troops. No one could work a room like Cat Grant. Not because she was a good actor or because she was deceptive. But because she was always genuine. Everyone believed her because she always believed herself. She was amazing.

Kara had to rein her thoughts back in. By the time she had stopped admiring Cat, the meeting was over. Cat was standing behind her desk and dismissed everyone with a wave, saying, “Everyone out. Kiera, stay.”

The others filtered out and Kara slowly walked over to the desk. Cat looked up to her, her features soft. Kara smiled a little and said, “Hey.”

Cat smiled back, “Hi.” Then she added, feeling a little vulnerable, “I missed you when you left.”

Kara did that shy thing she did and glanced away with a smile. Then she nodded and said, “Me too.”

She sighed and her expression became serious. “Cat, we need to go to the DEO. Today. My sister still wants to help.”

Cat’s eyes dropped and Kara saw as her face clouded over. Cat had enjoyed the short reprieve from the darkness. She looked back up to Kara and she nodded. If she had to walk back into the darkness, she wanted Kara beside her.

Finally she said, “Let’s finish up here as quickly as we can. We’ll go after work.” Kara agreed with a compassionate look. She knew it was all starting to get to Cat.

They bustled through the day. Cat’s anxiousness increased with every hour that passed. She kept having to take deep breathes to calm herself. She was still confident in her decision to seek help from the DEO. She didn’t mind sharing information. But part of her was afraid. What if Bruce was right? What if working alone was the best way to get things done?

No. She pushed the doubt away. She had to. She needed help. She couldn’t keep up. With every new set of faces and facts she added to her chart she became more overwhelmed. She felt more bogged down.

When it started, she had contacted Bruce simply to get Lucius' help with an algorithm to track a license plate number. When Bruce had asked her why, she had told him everything. Everything about Kari, everything about what she was learning about National City's growing problems, everything about how no one seemed to care or know how to stop it. Even more so, how she felt that something more sinister was happening.

Bruce had seen how troubled Cat was. And he could see that Cat was afraid of how close it was to home. He immediately agreed to help.

The longer she and Bruce had talked the more she felt compelled to take on the problem herself. Bruce had promised he would help however he could. It was only a couple days later that Cat had called him back and asked him to train her. She knew she would need the skills to get as close as she could.

She trained for months. When Bruce was available, he came to the city to instruct her. When he wasn’t available, he was on the video conference program, instructing her from Gotham City. He made her fast and strong and taught her to fight smart.

Lucius helped with the tech side. He wrote algorithms to track all kinds of information for her. He manufactured her weapons, including the kryptonite bracelets, which Bruce had kept on hand before he and Superman had come to their agreement. Lucius had also designed her special mask and boots. He had given her a few other gadgets she had yet to use. She was still new at this.

Cat had made a lot of headway on her own. So much, in fact, that her ability to achieve the ultimate goal was no longer going to be possible on her own.

She had thought about asking for Supergirl’s help many times. Part of her had hoped that when the story broke, Kara would, indeed figure it out. Though she had hoped that she would simply come talk to her, Cat knew there was also a possibility that Supergirl would try to intervene. She took precautions, but she hoped she would never need the kryptonite. She had been fully prepared to tell Kara everything. But she didn’t ask. The trust between her and Kara had been so thin.

And she was terrified that the tenuous affection growing between them would be shattered if Kara knew what she was up to. Thankfully she had already overcome that hurdle and come clean about the Vigilante. Kara knew her secret and the feelings between them were only stronger. Now it was Kara’s turn to show Cat that she could be trusted to let Cat lead.

She would see soon enough. People were beginning to filter out of the bullpen. Cat stood and walked over to the small bar in her office. She poured herself a drink and took a big swallow, shutting her eyes tight.

She turned and saw Kara in the doorway, leaning against its frame. She took a breath in and gave Kara a small smile. Kara just asked, “Ready?”

Cat looked away. She lifted the glass and tossed her head back, emptying it. She set it down and looked at Kara with a firm, “Yes.”

But they didn’t move. Then Cat furrowed her brow, put her hands on her hips, and asked, “Where exactly is the DEO?”

Kara laughed a little. “In the desert. North of the city.”

“Ah,” Cat responded. Kara waited for the inevitable question, which she already had an answer to. Cat still had her hands on her hips. “And how exactly am I going to get there?”

Kara just walked up to her slowly with her hands clasped behind her back. She was smiling mischievously as she said, “I’m going to take you.”

She held a hand out, offering it to Cat. Cat’s eye brows were up, but she slowly reached out to take the hand. Kara pulled her gently toward the balcony door. The cool air hit them as they stepped outside.

Kara pulled her over to the railing and turned to face her, still smiling. She turned her head to be sure no one could see. The offices had emptied out. They were alone. Kara stepped back a bit and went into tornado mode. She moved so fast, it created a breeze that blew Cat’s hair.

Then Supergirl was standing in front of Cat. She offered her the hand again. Cat just barely shook her head, slowly, and said, “This is a bad idea.” She took a glance down over the railing.

Kara laughed. “I’m not going to drop you.” She watched as Cat looked back to her and closed her eyes, scrunching her face together in apprehension. “Cat, look at me.”

Cat slowly relaxed her face and opened her eyes. Reaching her hand out a little farther, Kara said, “You can trust me.”

Cat took a deep breath. She did trust Kara. She took her hand and Kara playfully pulled her, hard, into her arms. Cat couldn’t help the laugh she let out as Kara pulled her in. It made Kara laugh too.

They looked at each other with wide smiles. Kara’s hands were around her waist and Cat’s hands had wrapped around Kara’s neck. Cat’s smile faded as her eyes darted from Kara’s eyes to her lips and back again. Kara’s smile faded when she saw the movement of Cat’s eyes.

Kara slowly leaned in, her eyes on Cat’s, silently asking permission. When she saw the other woman’s eyes shut, she closed the distance between their lips. They kissed each other softly. But the softness didn’t dampen the jolt that went through Kara’s body at finally kissing Cat again. Really kissing her.

She wrapped her arms more fully around Cat’s core and Cat opened her mouth, deepening the contact. She needed this. Their mouths began to move together as Cat slipped one hand up to Kara’s hair. She scratched her scalp, but not with the tenderness she had earlier that morning. She pulled Kara into her. Their teeth scraped and Cat pulled her mouth away from Kara’s and redirected it to her neck.

Kara inhaled sharply at the wet contact of Cat’s tongue on her skin. She tangled a hand in her shorter hair, almost trying to pull that beautiful mouth closer. Cat lightly sucked her way down Kara’s neck and back up the other side. Kara dipped her head down when she felt Cat’s heavy breath against her collar bone.

Cat unconsciously pushed Kara against the railing. Kara’s head was beginning to get foggy as Cat captured her lips again in a hot kiss. Cat was trying to pour every ounce of passion she felt for Kara into these kisses. Kara moaned against her mouth.

Then Cat slowed down the pace of the kisses. She released the grip she had taken on Kara’s hair. She kissed her lips one more time. Then her cheek. Then her jaw. Then she slowly pulled back.

Kara’s eyes were still closed and she was still breathing hard. She hadn’t loosened her grip on Cat. The older woman watched her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the conflict on Kara’s face. Then the conflict came out in words. Kara slowly leaned her forehead against Cat’s and breathed out, “I wanna stay here.”

It was so similar to her words from earlier. Cat put her hands on Kara’s face and pulled back just enough to get Kara to look at her. When she finally opened her blue eyes, they looked so deep. Cat thought she could drown in those eyes. They held so much longing.

They just watched each other, allowing the intensity of the moment to pass over them. Kara took a deep breath. Cat didn’t need to say anything. They had always had an unspoken language between them. Cat’s expression told her that she wanted to stay too. But they still had a job to do.

Kara watched as one side of Cat’s mouth quirked up just a touch. It was her way of saying ‘Let’s go.’

Kara took another breath. She had been looking forward to this part. She knelt down a little and put one arm behind Cat’s knees and one around her waist. She easily scooped the smaller woman into her arms. Cat instinctively put her arms around Kara’s shoulders. She couldn’t help but smile a little as Supergirl literally swept her off her feet.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Kara said to her.

“And I can’t tell you how long I’ve been avoiding it,” Cat said, sarcastically. She looked back over the railing and made a whiny noise that made Kara laugh.

Slowly, easily, Kara lifted them off the balcony floor. Cat held on tighter as they left the safety of the balcony and floated over the city. She pressed her forehead against Kara’s temple. Kara simply cradled her a little closer.

“Cat, you never told me you’re afraid of heights,” Kara said.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cat responded, her eyes shut tight as she still held her head against Kara’s temple, “I’ve base jumped off-,”

“Mount Kilimanjaro, I know,” Kara interrupted, smiling. “I told you that you can trust me. Cat, open your eyes.”

Cat took a breath and did open her eyes. She kept her head against Kara’s, but she slowly turned it to face in front of them. Then she lifted her head and took a deep breath in and unconsciously held it.

They were at the top of the city. They were high enough to see the ocean, where the sun was setting. All the night time lights were coming on in the city below them. They watched as the sky started to turn dark orange, and then pink. It was beautiful. They hovered there for long minutes.

Cat put a hand on Kara’s cheek and said, “Thank you for showing me this.” She kissed her cheek gently.

“This is what I see when I look at this city,” Kara began, “I can see everything from up here. I can see the people. I can see the them helping each other cross the street. I can see the parents dropping their kids off at school. I can see store owners opening and closing up. I see people talking and laughing while they take a walk in the park.” The small smile she had been wearing faded. “And I can see when someone tries to hurt someone else. But, Cat, I never saw what you saw. I never saw the shady deals and the violence. I never saw the connections. And I’m sorry about that.”

Cat’s expression turned to compassion. Supergirl did everything she could to help this city every day. She knew that Kara must have felt guilty.

Cat still had a hand on her cheek when she quietly said, “Let’s fix it.”

Kara nodded and moved them forward, toward the DEO.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They touched down outside the bunkers not too long after. Kara carefully put Cat down on her feet. Cat kept her hands on Kara’s shoulders, steadying herself. Her adrenaline had been pumping the entire time they were in the air. As she felt her heart rate returning to normal and the jelly like feeling in her legs subsiding, she released her hold on Kara.

Cat took a step back and appraised her surroundings. Yep, this was the desert alright. Cat looked at the above ground bunkers that were dug into the landscape. She immediately deduced that the bulk of the DEO was underground.

Kara let her take it in for a moment. Then she lightly took her hand and led her to the metal entry doors. She punched in a code and the doors opened. They walked down a long corridor. Cat was suddenly aware of herself and released Kara’s hand. Kara glanced over to her and watched as she ran her fingers through her hair and set her jaw. Cat lifted her chin a little and turned on the swagger in her hips. Wow, Kara thought, I need to figure out where that on/off switch is.

They turned left down a shorter corridor. At the end, the stone walls opened up into a large bullpen area. The walls were covered with screens showing all manner of information. Agents dressed in black bustled about. In one corner was a door marked ‘Armory.’ The door was open slightly and Cat saw all different types of weapons, big ones. The placed oozed military efficiency and hardness. Cat suddenly felt very out of her element. Of course, that didn’t effect her persona, though.

“Ma’am,” Cat looked up as an agent addressed Supergirl. “Are you looking for Agent Danvers?”

Kara smiled at her. Kara always smiled, Cat thought. “I am, Vasquez.”

“I’ll let her know you’re here.” She eyed Cat, suspiciously and Cat slightly narrowed her eyes back. Kara knew her defenses were up.

“You don’t have to worry,” she tried to reassure Cat. But Cat didn’t answer. Instead her eyes were darting around the entire place. Kara knew she would have the entire layout memorized in a few seconds.

Cat felt edgy and uncomfortable. She was very thankful that Kara was with her. She watched a taller, attractive woman come into the bullpen. She walked with authority, Cat noticed. She could always pick out another alpha. As the young woman came closer her eyes landed on Kara and she smiled. “Hey, sis.”

Cat watched as the woman, who looked only slightly older than Kara, put her arms around Kara’s shoulders. Kara hugged her back with a big smile. “Hey, Alex.” They pulled apart and Alex’s eyes went to Cat. Kara quickly introduced them. “Alex, this is Cat Grant. Cat, my sister, Alex Danvers.”

Alex reached her hand out. Cat observed her apprehensive expression. Cat took her hand in a firm handshake. They held each other’s eyes and didn’t let go of each other’s hands, which they were holding a little more firmly than necessary.

Cat knew the look in Alex’s eyes. It clearly said, ‘Fuck with my sister and I will be your end.’ Cat wasn’t one to back down. She made sure her eyes conveyed something along the lines of, ‘Fuck with me, and I will ruin you.’

Kara noticed them both wearing a similar expression and instantly feared for the lives of everyone close by. Thankfully, the only thing that came out of their mouths was, “Ms. Grant.”

“Agent Danvers.”

Then the tension stretched out.

“Oh gosh, come on,” Kara broke in, grabbing either arm and pulling the painful hand shake apart. “We are on the same team here.”

“We’ll see,” Cat said, nonchalantly. Kara shot her a ‘watch it' look. Cat shot her the same one back.

Alex took a deep breath and said, “Come with me.” It was obvious that the best to work with Cat Grant was going to be just to work. So Alex decided to dive in.

On one of the large screens, she pulled up the connection chart she had been working on. She had added a few more faces but it was still minimal.

She looked toward Cat. “This is all I can piece together on my own. I know this operation is massive just based on the change in the city's statistics, but I don’t know where to look.” Alex paused. “Supergirl told me about Carter and Kari. I want to get these guys. If we work together, I think we can do it.”

Cat just looked to Kara, who gave her a small nod. She looked back to Alex. She didn’t respond. She was still unsure.

“Ms. Grant,” Alex’s expression softened just a touch. “I care about this city, too.”

Cat sighed, loudly. She pulled out her phone. She clicked away for a moment and then looked up at the large screen. She cast a file to it and her own chart opened up over Alex’s. The one Kara had seen the night before. Cat watched as Alex’s eye brows went up and her mouth opened. She was shocked at the shear number of people on the chart.

“You had no idea what you were saying when you said this operation is massive,” Cat told her. “Hundreds of dealers all over the city,” Cat walked up to the screen and indicated all those highlighted in blue. “At least a hundred buyers,” she pointed to the section highlighted in yellow. “Dozens of unpackers, cutters and repackers.” The section in green. “Fifteen lieutenants.” Black. “All of them loyal to this man.” Cat pointed to the man at the top of the chart, highlighted in red. Then she looked back to Alex.

“Police Chief, Rudy Jones?” Alex asked. She needed confirmation. It didn’t seem possible.

“Police Chief, Rudy Jones,” Cat repeated. “He was appointed chief just a few weeks before all this started, after his predecessor died.” Cat looked back to the photo, still not able to shake the feeling that there was more to him.

“Can you prove this?” Alex asked her.

Cat swiped around on her phone again and cast something to another screen. It was photos and video of the ring, along with some news articles. The articles Danny had been writing all week, plus some from other outlets besides CatCo. Cat clicked play on the video. If Alex wanted to help, she needed to be invested.

She watched Alex’s face as she watched the video of Kari in the alley. Alex closed her eyes, thankful that there was no audio. She looked back to Cat.

“It might not prove that he is the head of all this,” she made a sweeping movement with her arm over the screens, “but it proves he murdered Kari. The information facts from these articles place him at the top of the this chain.” She paused. “I’m still working on the fact checking,” she said, discouraged that she hadn’t been able to finish it by now. It was just so much.

Alex took in the information. It was a lot. She never would have come up with all this on her own. She nodded to Cat and asked, “So what’s your plan?”

Cat walked back over to the first screen. “We work from the bottom up. Take down the buyers and the dealers get anxious and make mistakes. Take down the cutters and packers and they have to scramble to get the product out. The lieutenants start to make mistakes and we take them down. Then,” she pointed back go Jones, “before he knows it, everything is falling apart and he makes mistakes. And we take him down. Not to mention all the information we’ll get from these lower level guys in the process.”

Alex sighed, “That’ll take too long. Let’s just take Jones and prove it later.”

Cat shook her head. “If we do that, then one of these others will just take his place and the whole thing keeps going.” Cat shot Alex a small glare and added, “And you can’t just ‘prove it later.’ That’s how criminals get off every day.”

Alex ignored the dig. “We don’t even know how to find these guys. How are we supposed to do what you’re suggesting?”

Again, Cat tapped away on her phone. She commandeered another screen and cast a shot of several camera shots tracking license plates through the city. Alex stepped closer and watched as the cameras tracked a black Mercedes as it traveled through downtown. Another was tracking a late model Impala. Another was just watching a parked car.

“Wait,” Alex said, “how did you get our wifi?”

Cat smiled while she watched the plate tracking algorithm work. “I have smart friends,” she said. “This program is tracking every license plate I’ve recorded them using. We have eyes on those cars at all times.”

Kara smiled, “That’s amazing, Cat. This should give us exactly what we need to keep moving along.”

Cat nodded. “This is how I knew where they were packing orders. There’s also this.” She tapped and took up another screen.

This time there was an agent using it. He turned with a “Hey!”

“Don’t worry,” Cat drawled. “You can go back to your online shopping shortly.”

The agent looked at Alex, who gave him an apologetic shrug.

Screen shots of a notebook popped up on the screen. “I found this at the warehouse last weekend. It has buyers listed going back for months.”

Alex was impressed. Kara could see it on her face. “Okay,” Alex said. “So what now?”

Cat, Kara, and Alex all looked back and forth between one another. The two sisters looked expectantly at Cat, but Cat seemed unsure. She just looked to Kara.

Kara slowly walked the few steps it took to stand in front of her. “Hey, I told you, you can trust the DEO. We want to help, not take over.”

Then Alex stepped up to them. “No one knows this like you, Ms. Grant, that’s clear,” her eyes nodded to the screens. “You tell us what to do.”

Cat looked between them and Kara saw the emotion creeping into her eyes. She knew how tired Cat was. Tired of fighting alone. Tired of feeling like no one was with her. She closed her eyes and breathed out. She wanted to hug Kara, she felt so relieved. But she glanced to Alex and composed herself, not wanting to appear weak in front of the elder Danvers.

She straightened herself up and turned back to the screen. “You know, these guys aren’t afraid of anything. They think as long as they stay loyal that Jones will protect them.”

Alex asked, “You want to compromise that loyalty?”

Cat nodded. “I want to give them something to be afraid of.”

Kara asked, “How do we do that?”

Cat answered. “No more hiding in the shadows.” She turned and looked back to the screens. “No more avoiding the cameras. I take them down, hard, so everyone can see.” She turned back to the sisters. “We let the Vigilante loose.”

Alex nodded and jumped in. “Our team here can do the logistics. We can monitor all this intel and get you set up.” She looked at Cat compassionately. “It must have taken weeks just set up one hit. We can get this done so much faster together.”

“Thank you, Agent Danvers,” Cat said honestly.

They spent more time going over the intelligence Cat had spent months gathering. Kara was surprised at how well Alex and Cat were working together. She thought Cat would be much less cooperative and possessive of her information. But, once again, she was faster to trust than Kara had thought.

She watched as Cat and Alex leaned over a work station, already working out their first operation. They talked animatedly and Cat even said something that made Alex laugh, just a little. Kara thought it was wonderful. Cat in her expensive blouse, pencil skirt and high heels. Alex in her black slacks and long sleeved sport shirt, tactical belt around her hips. Total opposites, working side by side.

Finally, hours later, they said their goodbyes to Alex and headed out. When they got outside, Kara smiled at Cat. “You and my sister work well together.”

Cat shrugged. “She seems competent enough.”

“You’re going to love her,” Kara said.

Cat just smiled back a little. “I’m leaning that direction with another Danvers sister.” She lifted her arms around Kara’s shoulders. Kara let out the smallest laugh and dipped her head down in that shy way she had. But Cat put a finger under her chin and guided her eyes back up. Then she just watched her. She liked watching Kara. She took her fingers and ran them through Kara’s hair and she closed her eyes at the touch.

Kara leaned down and, once again, scooped Cat up in her arms and held her tighter than she had the first time. Cat just closed her eyes and laid her head on the cozy spot in the crook of Kara’s neck.

Kara flew slowly back to the city. Cat kept reaching up and putting her fingers in Kara’s hair or touching her face or she would place a kiss on her temple. She was so much more relaxed. She would swing her legs every once in a while and she was freely looking all around, enjoying the view.

After a while, Kara said, “I love this side of you.”

Cat smiled, suddenly realizing how affectionate she was being. Her response was to simply nuzzle back into Kara’s neck. When they touched down behind Cat’s house, neither moved to separate. Kara didn’t put her down and Cat’s hands stayed on Kara.

Finally Cat said, “I should go in.” Kara just nodded.

“Oh.” Kara realized she still hadn’t put her down. She laughed a little and lowered Cat to her feet. As soon as her feet were on the ground, Cat reached up to pull Kara into a hug. Kara wrapped her arms around Cat, too.

“Thank you, Kara.”

“For what,” Kara asked her.

“For helping me. I can’t tell you how you have lightened this burden for me. Being at the DEO, talking to you and your sister just made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

Kara gently put her hand on Cat’s face. “Cat, I promise that I will walk with you through this until it’s finished.”

Cat leaned up and tenderly kissed Kara’s lips. Then, without a word, she walked toward the house. With one last look over her shoulder, Cat disappeared behind the door.

Kara just smiled after her. Then she shook her head and giggled to herself. What I am doing, she thought. She had been under Cat Grant’s spell since the beginning. The very beginning. But now that she had kissed those lips, slept in her arms, Kara knew she was done for. She was forever ruined for the other woman.

Kara slowly lifted herself off the ground. She felt like the ground was pulling her back down. She never wanted to leave Cat’s presence. She turned to head home, knowing sleep would not come easy. She would miss Cat tonight.