Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 02: Go get her Slugger

Dick Grayson had faced down many foes in his young life. He had taken down a serial killer know as Abattoir, a woman who called herself Cheshire and nearly left him in ribbons, and a meta human made entirely of clay. Fighting by Bruce’s side, he battled monsters like Bane, assassins like Shiva and a green female metahuman who could control all plant life and did so with murderous intentions. He was no stranger to life or death battles.

The man had never taken the beating that was being administered to him by Kara Danvers at that moment. He and Alex had landed in an enlarged hollowed out cavern in the desert near the DEO base, where she kept her hover jet, the one Kara built that was nearly identical to Batman’s. Changing his clothes, Alex and Dick made their way back to the city. Alex told him she would be going to the DEO’s downtown office to avoid the blood splatter and suggested to Dick that he count his remaining clothes and overnight bag at Kara’s apartment as lost goods and go back to Bludhaven as quickly as possible.

Dick did not take her advice.

When he arrived, the door was unlocked. Kara stood in the middle of the open room, having changed into jeans and a t shirt. He was grateful to see that she had put on a red sun bracelet she kept hidden from everyone. Perhaps she would be calm.

The poor man did not know she had put on the bracelet, so she would not have to hold back.

Kara and Alex had both trained in various forms of martial arts since they were young, Kara 13 and Alex 14. They knew as many styles as he did, and Bruce had taught them both a few more.

The blonde was using everyone she knew on him now.

The second kick to his groin made him nearly vomit. He tried to get up from his knees until her fist hit his mouth, sending him to the floor again.

Dick lay very still, thinking if he played dead, she might stop. After a few seconds he took a deep breath, followed by her foot into his ribs.

“Kara stop!” he gasped.

The man hopped to his feet, determined to defend himself some way. He lost track of where he thought she was. He turned just as Kara’s coffee table slammed into his face, causing him to black out.

Dick was not sure how long he had been out. It couldn’t have been long, maybe less than a minute. He woke up with her straddling him, and he hoped the beating had been a dream and they were actually about to begin more pleasurable activities. Instead her legs squeezed his ribs and she began hitting him again, straight jabs into his nose and eyes. Standing up once again, she delivered her third kick to his groin and walked away.

Nightwing rolled over, feeling nauseous. He was dizzy, and he knew blood was pouring out of his nose and mouth forming a puddle under his face and his eyes were swelling.

He heard a knock, what he thought was a knock. He couldn’t be sure. For all he knew he had retreated into himself and the sound was Kara hitting him over the head with a rock.

Kara stopped circling him when there actually was a knock on the door. Walking over, she swung the door open.

“What?!”

Her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Hendon from across the hall was standing in front of her, shocked.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Mrs. Hendon.” Kara told her quickly, planting a smile on her face. “I thought you might be a door to door salesman. How can I help you?”

The woman tried to look around Kara, so the girl walked out into the hall, keeping the door half closed.

“Are you okay, Dear? I heard shouting and screams and something breaking. I thought you may be getting attacked.”

“Oh no. That is so sweet of you to check on me, but I am fine. I was watching a movie a bit too loudly. The washer was running. I suppose I didn’t realize how loud it was. I am sorry if I disturbed you. I really should get back to it. It is a very good show.”

“There… there is blood on your fist.” the woman noted.

“Oh, it’s not mine. I mean of course it’s mine. Who else would it belong to? I slammed it in the bathroom door. Silly Kara. I really should get back to the movie. It’s pretty violent but I will keep the volume down, I promise.”

“Okay… if you are sure… I like your hair. Did you get it colored?”

“Yes! Yes, I did. Good movie don’t want to miss any of it.” Kara told her again.

“Has anyone every told you that you sort of resemble Supergirl without your glasses on?”

“Nope, never heard that before. Have a great day. I will keep the volume down.”

Kara stepped back in and closed the door. She saw Grayson had made it up. Running across the room, she jumped and swung hard, her fist catching the man’s nose and sending him back to the floor, definitely swallowing blood now.

The blonde walked into her bedroom and came out with his bag.

“Here are your clothes, Dick.”

She walked to the sink and placed the bag in it. Ripping off her bracelet she unleashed her heat vision onto the garments, the entire bag catching fire. As the smoke rose, Kara blew gently to disperse the smoke. Once the garments were ash, she blew on the bag and doused the flames.

As she did this, Dick had found his feet again, though he wished he hadn’t. The man was dizzy, nauseous, could barely hear, see or breathe.

Kara stalked towards him.

“Please Kara, no more.” he begged as loudly as he was able to speak, which was just above a whisper.

Despite the beating that had just been delivered, what hurt him worse were the tears in her eyes.

“You made me out to be your whore. I have always told you what we are Grayson! Always! I never pretended to be anything else. What the hell gave you the right to say that?”

“You are not my… Kara, I am sorry. I didn’t think.”

“You knew exactly what you were saying. You wanted everyone in that room to know we were screwing. Feel better now? Do you feel like a man? You asshole! I should have told you to go away a long time ago! What is your problem!? You think I am yours? I am some prize you can claim?”

“No! I just…”

“I just. All I ever hear from you is I just. I was just in the neighborhood, Kara. A neighborhood on the other side of the country! I just wanted to talk, I just wanted to go to a movie, I just wanted to go out to dinner. I don’t do dinner, Dick! I am not your girlfriend. Yeah, maybe I am your whore but that was private, your asshole!”

“You are not my… I made a mistake. I will fix it, I swear.”

“Fix it? We were there on a mission. I never invited you to come. You had no reason to be there. Then in a room full of people, including a cop on his knees, you let everyone know you were at my place. You had to pick up your clothes, huh? The ashes are in the sink. Take a zip lock bag and get out of here. If you ever come back, I will kill you.”

“I am sor… agghhh!”

Kara, bracelet now off as Dick realized, had him by his throat, feet off the ground. She let go and sent him back to the floor hard, landing on his back.

“I can’t believe you said that in front of people we were there to question.”

“You mean you can’t believe I said that in front of Barry Allen.”

Kara did not turn around. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. She hated to cry, but it was something she did often. Jessica told her it was healthy, but all Kara saw it as was one of her many weaknesses.

“Don’t say his name. He has nothing to do with this. What you said…”

“I’m sorry! I… I had never seen you like that!”

“Like what?” she asked. “Embarrassed? Humiliated?”

“No. Look, I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you six years ago, but I have never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at him today. I screwed up, Kara. What I did was wrong. I am so sorry and if I could take it back, I would. Beat me more, but please believe me. I will make this right.”

“If you want to make it right then leave. Never come back. I never want to see you again.”

Dick stood still, speechless. He would rather she had continued beating him. Beatings he could take. Kara had told him many times to leave and never come back but never with the hurt and conviction in her voice he heard now.

“I’m sorry. I will… I am sorry, Kara.”

“Don’t you ever say you love me again. Ever. That is not what this is about. It never has been. You know it. I don’t love you. I never have. We used to be friends. You are nothing to me now. Leave now or I will throw you out the window.”

Dick turned around and walked slowly to the door. Streaky was waiting by the exit and he could swear that damn cat was smiling.

Kara was left alone finally and went to the sink, pulling out the burnt remains and placing them in the trash. She poured water over her hands to clean his blood off. Then she reached into the fridge. Before she could pour a glass, her phone rang.

“What?”

“Good morning to you as well.” Cat Grant greeted her. “No wait, it is afternoon. Since I haven’t seen any one being saved on television, I am assuming you might find it in your heart to spend a few hours with me. I have been dealing with many minor issues that an assistant could take care of. Then I remembered, oh my, I do have an assistant. Are you planning on assisting today?” Cat Grant asked.

“Yeah, sorry. I was in Central City this morning.”

Kara heard nothing for a few moments before her boss cautiously asked her…”You didn’t destroy S.T.A.R. Labs, did you? You weren’t seen doing it, were you?”

“S.T.A.R. Labs is still in one piece. What would you like for lunch?”

“Caesar Salad, a sprinkle of dressing, cucumbers, freshly cut on the side. Sparkling…”

“Two cheeseburgers all the way, two seasoned fries and two Cokes. Got it.” Kara confirmed.

She hung up the phone before the woman could protest and moved to the bedroom, donning her work clothes and glasses, hair magically a darker shade of brown, with red highlights. She decided on green eyes today but the red from her tears was still obvious. Pouring a drink and downing it quickly, she was ready to face the world as Kara Danvers, assistant to Cat Grant when she wasn’t busy with other things.

The girl made her way to her favorite food truck on foot, wearing a dress today and leaving her bike behind. Lunch bags in hand, she stopped outside Catco and placed a smile on her face.

As usual, she smiled and greeted the security guards, and receptionists. Taking Cat’s private elevator just to annoy the woman, she exited and greeted all the staff she saw. Kara did not stop at her desk, but instead walked straight into Cat’s office.

“Good afternoon Kara. I am not cutting into your busy schedule, am I? Any other cities you would like to invade before the end of the day?”

“Nope, I am good.” she told her, closing the door and dropping the bag on her desk.

Cat shook her head in disgust at the grease soaking the bottom of the bag.

“When Congress called a session, debating whether they should force you to reveal your identity and be compelled to act on behalf of the States, who planted the false rumor that Russia was prepared to grant you full citizenship with no oversight?”

“You did.” Kara admitted, pulling out her cheeseburger and taking a small bite.

“And who talked the UN Secretary General into granting you world citizenship and diplomatic immunity, free to come and go into any country you wish without a passport?”

“You did.”

“Who went on the record, saying that you were definitely not having an affair with Bat Freak?”

“He is a good friend and you…”

“Who?”

“You did.” Kara did owe her for that. Jeremiah was not happy about those rumors.

“Then why can’t you do something as simple as bringing me what I asked for lunch?” the woman asked, genuinely curious to Kara’s amusement.

“I care about you and these are better for your health.” she explained, speaking through her own full mouth. “Meat is an important part of a diet and one of the four food groups. You do not consume enough meat. You are welcome.”

“Nothing from whatever food truck you got these from is healthy. I am about to have a heart attack just from being near it.”

“ All you ever do is complain.” Kara told her in Kryptonese. “You drink more than I do. You think that is good for your health?”

“Stop speaking Klingon this second! I cannot stand when you speak space talk. We aren’t in space, are we?”

“Not yet.” Kara answered with a look that indicated it could be arranged.

Cat rolled her eyes, not intimidated by the brat she had long become accustomed to.

“Fine, Miss Grant. I will eat both and have a salad delivered.”

“Do not touch my cheeseburger! My point is, I have done a lot for you and I can’t see why it is so difficult for you to do the simplest tasks.”

“You have done a lot for me. Oh wait, who do you publish the majority of your stories about? Right, that would be me. When you put Leslie Willis on a chopper and turned her into a metahuman, who saved you from being fried? Who defeated her?”

“Your sister.”

“That’s right… whoa! My sister?”

“She is the one who slid the little ghostbuster box under Leslie, while you stood there getting shocked.”

“I was distracting her and drawing fire!”

“Really? Because it seemed like you were just standing there, doing an impersonation of… I am not sure where I was going with that. I will think on what you resembled later. Leslie Willis was your fault regardless. “Cat reminded her. “It was a lightning bolt through your body that turned her into the murdery, over the top villain she became.”

“I was saving her because you put her on a chopper in a thunderstorm!”

“Because she was tearing you apart on the radio!”

“What should I have done?”

“Let the lightning bolt hit her.” Cat suggested.

The two women looked at each other for a moment then both laughed, thinking the idea had merits in hindsight.

“Since you are the worst assistant in the world a new one will be starting tomorrow.”

Kara looked sharply at the woman, trying to determine if she was serious. Apparently, Cat was.

“Fine. I bet Perry White needs an assistant. Lois and Jimmy would probably love to move back to the Planet. The only reason they work here is because they figured out I lived here.”

“By all means, take the dynamic duo. I can’t believe I let you talk me into hiring her.”

“She won a Pulitzer for this company.” Kara reminded her boss.

“Writing about you.”

“Exactly which is why you aren’t firing me. Plus, I know all your account numbers, every bill you have at Barney’s, all the numbers for Carter’s teachers, all the theatre managers in the States, it was my robot that kept you from being outed by that email scandal…”

“Stop already! I am not firing you.” Cat assured her. “I am not sure why I’m not. Probably because my mother gave me self-esteem issues and deep in my subconscious I feel you are all I deserve. Due to your other activities that take up your time, I need someone to be here. Think of her as your assistant. You teach her not to be incompetent, in other words, teach her to do the opposite of everything you do, teach her the ins and outs and what to do when you aren’t here, including bringing me the correct lunch. If she could bring me hot lattes that would be more than a CEO could ever dream of. Why are my lattes always cold? You have heat vision.”

“I also have freeze breath and you have a habit of drunk dialing me at weird times when I am trying to sleep.” Kara reminded her. ” I apologize. I will make sure the powers I use to help mankind and protect this planet are at your disposal regarding the heat of your coffee. Did you miss any meetings this morning that need to be rescheduled? I sent you an email last night with your appointments for the day.”

“Yes, that was so considerate of you.” Cat admitted, shaking her head. ” Why have you been crying?”

Kara looked away quickly and took a bite of her burger.

“I haven’t…”

“You always make your eyes a darker green when you have been crying.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Have your parents perfected alien Prozac yet?”

“No. I don’t need it anyway.” Kara snapped.

“Of course not. You are the picture of emotional health. Are you at least seeing your therapist three times a week?”

Kara barely held in a growl. “Cat, please stop. I had a bad night and morning and I just don’t want to talk about it. Who is this assistant who is desperate enough to take this job?”

“Shifon, or Shabby, or Sharif. I don’t pay attention to names. She is going to be your lap dog. Guide her, try and make her somewhat competent. Her job is your job and one would not think it should be that difficult.”

“You have no idea how easy it is.” Kara told her sarcastically.

“Kara!” Lois Lane practically shouted, bursting into the office. She closed the glass door behind her quickly. “There are reports from Central City that you were seen flying away from S.T.A.R. Labs this morning and you were wearing all blue. Is it true? What’s going on? Did you meet the Flash? Wait, you didn’t kill the Flash, did you? Nobody saw you, right?”

“Good afternoon to you too, Lois.” the blonde greeted her.

“All blue? What did I tell you about that suit? It makes you look like a pinup on one of those World War 2 bombers!” Cat nearly yelled.

“It was laundry day. That was the only one that was clean, and I was in a hurry.” Kara lied.

“Wear jeans if you have to. Young girls…”

“I know!” Kara stopped her, having heard it hundred if not thousands of times from Cat. “Young girls look up to me. Believe me, I regret wearing it now. I was pretty much called out as a whore in front of… it doesn’t matter. Yes, I was there, no I did not kill the Flash.”

“Did you meet him? Do you know who he is?” the woman continued pressing.

“I don’t reveal other identities, Lois. Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t tell you his identity any more than I would tell you Batman’s You know this by now.”

Kara had told Lois her identity when the woman began working for Cat after she figured out that Cat and she spoke a lot more than her and Lois did. When Kara began working here it became too much of a pain to lie. Lois was one of the few people who had been close enough to Supergirl often enough to see through the hair and glasses. Getting her and Jimmy to agree to keep her identity a secret was easy. She threatened them and told them in vivid detail what she would do if they betrayed her. It worked.

“There is a rumor that a black flying object was leaving Central City and that jet thing your sister flies…”

“You were with Batman again? Kara, you have got to find better friends.” Cat admonished her, not for the first time.

“Better friends? When I was fighting my evil uncle, I had to go through a White Martian first. My uncle had an edge over me and it was Batman that distracted him long enough for me to take control of the fight. He is the one who deactivated that bomb at Gotham City Hall while I handled the one at the airport. The last meta I fought…”

“Yes, your team of vigilantes is dear to you. I suppose it could be worse.” Cat conceded. “At least you weren’t seen with that hooded serial killer in Starling City.”

Kara took another bite of her burger.

“Wow. You know who the Hood is.” Lois caught on, aware of Kara’s penchant for eating when avoiding a subject.

“We have met. I wouldn’t call us friends. He knew someone was alive that he had told me was dead and I wanted this man very… arrested.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “Arrested. Of course you did, Kara. Are you going to be useful for the rest of the day?”

The Blonde shrugged her shoulders. “Probably not. Jimmy isn’t taking pictures of anything. Can’t he answer the phones?”

“Since you have been crying and are deflecting and most of my calendar is clear, by all means go.”

“I can’t yet. We need to talk about the account.”

Cat nodded her head. It was that time of the week. Catco held the trademark on Kara’s symbol and the name Supergirl. Even before she worked at Catco, the two women would meet once a week and decide what to do with the money.

“Lois be gone.” Cat ordered.

“Not yet. I got an idea for a story. I have a source who can get me an interview with the leader of the rebel movement in Pakistan and…”

“Is there a good chance you will die covering this story?” Cat interrupted.

“Uh… yeah.”

“By all means then, take my private jet. Off with you now. If you are taken hostage, I am not paying any ransom.”

“Love you too, boss lady.” Lois told her with a wink and left, leaving the CEO and assistant alone.

“How much this month?” Kara asked, getting to the point. Cat had trademarked and copyrighted her name and symbol less than 24 hours after Kara caught her first and thankfully only plane so far. After drinks one night, Cat offered to give Kara the proceeds of merchandise using her name and symbol. Kara refused, insisting it all be sent to charities like Make a Wish and her own charity her and Cat had started, assisting families of kids with Cancer and children’s hospitals. Kara felt it had caused enough pain on one planet and maybe it could be used for something good here. Every month the two would go over the dollar amount and Kara would decide what children’s hospital the money would be granted to.

“We have done quite well. Perhaps an all blue costume would give collectors something else to buy but please cover your entire top and make the skirt the same length as the red one. So what institution will be getting a windfall?”

“None this month.”

Cat was surprised. “Have you finally decided to take a bit of what you have earned?”

“I will never take a dime off that symbol. It wouldn’t be right. I have a list of 26 children that are in stage 4. They have all been told there is nothing else that can be done for them. There is a new treatment in Switzerland that has had some success. Their insurance carriers won’t pay for them to go so we are. We set the families up near the hospital, pay for their living expenses and treatment costs and give the rest to the hospital as incentive to take these kids as patients.”

“I will contact the hospital as soon as you get me the names.”

“They are being emailed to you now.”

Grant shook her head trying not to laugh. “I wish you were as quarter as efficient as your robot servant.”

“Then what would you have to complain about?” Kara asked, a fair question. “We both know you love complaining. Talk to the hospital administrator and I will contact the families this evening. I can have flights and lodging booked by tomorrow evening. The sooner they can start the better. Time is running out.”

“I understand. May I ask why you are so adamant to never accept money off the symbol of your house?”

“It isn’t my house anymore. It has caused enough damage and is dead. I wore it as a target, but it became more. If it is out there, it must be used for something good. My little brother deserves that. He will wear it one day and I want it to be something he can be proud of. If he ever finds out the truth, the whole truth, he wouldn’t… it’s just… anyway, contact the hospital and I will make the arrangements. I have already talked to the families. They are desperate, willing to try anything. It won’t save them all but if even one…”

“It will be done, Kara. Whatever has made you upset this morning, if you don’t want to talk to me, talk to your family, talk to your therapist. Just talk to somebody instead of drinking. No matter how much you drink you won’t drown the problem. I’ve learned that the hard way in life.”

“Yeah, I know. I am going to have lunch with my sister and parents now. I will be here barring any end of the world events in the morning to start training my lap dog. Can I yell at her like you yell at everybody?”

“Oh, if you must. Have fun. Remember every time you run one off it means you have to train another. Why do you think I have kept you so long? Also, there is a party tomorrow night, a fundraising Gala for the National City Museum. I need you there.”

“Why?” she asked immediately.

“To assist me if I need you. It’s been a year, Kara. What part of assistant do you not get?”

“I guess I will be there.” the girl agreed. “I’m not getting you drinks. Seriously, it’s ridiculous that you would need an assistant at a party. If you insist, I guess I don’t have anything else going on.”

“Thank you for granting me such an honor. It would not kill you to get out in public in something other than a cape. Go, have a second lunch, gain no weight while I eat half of this grease sandwich and go to Pilates for two hours tonight.”

At the DEO, Jeremiah had just unsuccessfully attempted to make a very tired Alex feel better. He expected her to be furious at Cameron, at J’onn for offering Cameron the job, at the world at large. Instead she just seemed resigned and that hurt him worse. At least he felt better knowing she would be moving back in with Kara. The two always were better together than apart. She may not open to him, but she would tell Kara everything.

For now, he had concluded a tour with the newest tech support guru. Vivian had finally been let off by the government and promptly resigned, planning to make it on her own. Connolly and Webb had recruited this kid. He was only 24, Kara’s age and apparently the son of a man who killed people with bombs disguised as toys, but Director Henshaw had read his mind and he was supposedly sane. The more he got to know Winn Schott Jr, the more he liked him. He had a wide-eyed wonder about everything he saw. Showing him to his main console where he would give intel to teams in the field, the boy nearly jumped when the speaker announced a Code Blue.

“What is that? Has an alien escaped? Radiation?” he asked nervously.

“Relax Winn. Code Blue is an alert to the agents not to panic, Supergirl is about to come flying onto the balcony.”

“Super… Supergirl? She really works for the DEO? I heard that but didn’t believe it. Do you know her? Am I going to meet her?”

“Relax. She doesn’t work for the DEO, but she works with us at times. You could say I know her. It’s one of those secrets that are well known here but not talked about. She is actually…”

HIs explanation stopped when Supergirl landed on the balcony and began walking down the steps towards Winn’s console.

“She is coming this way. What do I say? What do I do?”

“You could say hi and introduce yourself.” Jeremiah suggested.

“Hey, do you think it’s true about her and Batman?” the man asked very quietly. “That they are… you know? Has she ever said anything? They are seen a lot together and I heard they were close. Do you think they are…”?

“Hi Dad.” Kara greeted the man, hugging him and kissing his cheek. “Who is this?”

“Nobody who will be around for long.” Jeremiah assured her, putting a hand on Winn’s shoulder and squeezing. Let’s find your mother and sister and eat. I am starving.”

“Okay. Hi Nobody who will be around for long. For the record. I’m not having sex with Batman.” Kara told Winn with a sweet smile and walked off on her father’s arm.

Winn sat speechless and embarrassed, not realizing he had been talking to her… father? She heard him? Of course she did, she is Supergirl. The man palmed his face, not believing that was his introduction to his idol.

“Good first impression, Agent Schott.” Director Henshaw told him, patting the kid on the back. “He has another daughter who is an agent here if you would like to ask about her sex life. I would suggest you familiarize yourself with the tools of your job. Have a nice day. Oh, and don’t drink or eat anything offered by the Danvers. They are our top biochemists. You would not believe some of the nasty alien viruses those two can create.”

The family of four, minus Clark who was at school, sat in Eliza’s lab. The woman had gotten Chinese take-out and as always passed a large bag of pot stickers to Kara. It was a way for Eliza to make her happy and gauge her mood. If Kara ate one or two, she was okay. If she ate them all she was very happy. If she ate none, she would be getting frequent surprise visits from her mother and father.

Today she ate none.

“Not hungry Kara?” Eliza asked, trying to sound casual.

“I already ate at the office before I came here. Hey Alex, why do you have a bag at the loft?”

Alex stopped chewing, then swallowed quickly, followed by a large drink.

“Do I?”

Kara caught her evasion immediately of course, mostly because unlike Kara, Alex was a horrible liar.

“You and Cameron had a fight, didn’t you?”

“Not exactly. We had a parting of ways. She was offered the job of Deputy Director of the DEO office in Metropolis and decided to take it. I was as surprised as everyone else.”

“Henshaw offered her the position?” Kara asked, obviously not happy.

The three realized they would have to calm her down quickly before the DEO became a battlefield for Supergirl versus the Martian Manhunter. Of course, J’onn couldn’t reveal his true form and identity so Kara would most likely pretend he was the real Hank Henshaw and treat him as such.

“She deserved it. It wouldn’t have been right for him not to offer her the job.” Alex argued.

“So, you are thinking of moving to Metropolis?” her sister asked cautiously.

“No, she thinks we need space. Like a country of space between us.”

Kara shook her head and stood up, wrapping her arms around a still sitting Alex. “Alex, talk to her. You don’t have to stay for me. I know you love her…”

“I don’t. I did once, and she loved me but… Kara, it hasn’t been working for a while. I thought when we moved in together, maybe it would solve some things, but it didn’t.”

Kara shook her head. “So, stop going out crime fighting at night.”

“That’s not it. I suppose I could blame that, but it wasn’t the problem. It was just time. We both needed to move on. She didn’t understand me, and I didn’t understand her.”

“She was too old for you.” her father told her, not entirely unhappy at this turn of events. Chase and his daughter had begun doing… things when Alex was 19 and hanging around the DEO. He wasn’t pleased to learn about it a year later, but there was not much to be done by that point.

“Jeremiah,” Eliza warned him, “what did or did not happen or who was what to who, doesn’t matter now. I think it is a great idea for Alex to move back in with Kara until she can figure out what she wants or perhaps stay single for a while. You are young, and you have a demanding job among your other activities. Maybe it is for the best. Jeremiah, rent a moving truck after work and you and Kara can move Alex’s things.”

“Yes Ma’am.” both agreed.

“Unless you want to come home with us, Alex? Maybe you both should for a little while. Get away from the city and crime and enjoy the beach life. Clark is almost out for the summer and I know he wants to spend more time with both of you.”

“Stop listening Clark.” Kara told him, hearing him ask if they would come to the beach this weekend. “You are supposed to be paying attention at school. I know Shakespeare is stupid, but you still have to learn it… I don’t know why, you just do. I had to and so will you.”

“Have you two ever considered texting each other?” Alex asked.

“I would love to. Tell him to stop listening to everyone when he is bored, Mom and Dad.”

Eliza smiled at her. “Who taught him to drown out millions of sounds, find individual voices and listen to make sure we are all safe?”

“I told him I listen, not for him to listen. Also, I do not listen all the time. Alex and I will be fine, and we can spend the weekend at your house. I was hoping we could get away for a week this summer to go home.”

Home in Kara’s mind was always Midvale. The Danvers still owned the house and Kara flew over a few times a month to make sure it was being well taken care of and to hang out alone for a while. The house had some horrible events happen in it, mostly the real Henshaw attacking them and nearly being killed by Kara before Connolly’s team killed all the DEO agents present. It was also the place where she had her first of two suicide attempts, the place she had harmed herself too many times to count. But the good outweighed the bad easily. It was her home, the place she learned English, discovered food, and movies, spent holidays, the place her mother and father held her at night when she couldn’t sleep, the place her and Alex snuck out of or played pranks or just held each other at night to make each other feel better. Midvale was where Clark played his first soccer game, where Kara learned to fly and her and Alex spent so much time on the beach it should have been named after them.

“So, Kara took a trip with her friend in black to Central City this morning.” Alex mentioned. “And guess who she saw?”

“Alex don’t…” Kara begged.

“Let me guess, the Flash? Kara, please tell me you didn’t beat the poor guy. I know he has been around a lot of disasters, but he has been trying…” Eliza started.

“It’s Barry Allen.” Alex spit out quickly. Kara dropped her head and the pot sticker she had considered eating.

“Barry Allen? Barry Allen is the Flash? That Barry Allen? The Barry Allen?” her father asked to be sure. He had never met him in person but Alex said Kara lit up around him in a way she had never seen before. That was enough for him to like the boy. He also knew Kara cut off contact before she decided to come out as Supergirl, so he wouldn’t be a target. She never admitted it how bad it hurt her, but he knew it was a bigger deal than she let on. She never stopped wearing that necklace he gave her.

“Yeah, it’s a long story.” Kara told them. “One I am sure Alex would love to tell you. Give me your card, Daddio. I’ll rent the truck and start moving her things. Our place will be Alex ready when you get home. I am sorry, but it will be good to have you home. I will have your favorite pizza and maybe we can watch the Notebook and cry it out, okay?”

“I was thinking Poltergeist and the original Shining.”

“Okay, this once. But you are sleeping with me and if I have nightmares and knock you off the bed, that is on you. I also need to pick up a new coffee table.” Kara remembered.

“What happened to the one we had?”

“Uh… it had a tragic accident. You know me, sometimes I forget my own strength. See you at home.” The girl decided not to mention that she had thrown the coffee table at Grayson with her bracelet on. Her father would be ecstatic, and her mother would insist on more therapy sessions to work on her temper.

Kara left, leaving an uneaten plate no one talked about, but all knew what it signified.

“I might take off early. I got no sleep last night. Left Cameron, went to Kara’s, found out she was gone and flew to Central City. I need sleep.”

“Are you really okay?” her mother asked. “It’s okay if you are not. Why don’t you talk to Jessica before you leave or at least talk to me?”

“Maybe later. Right now, I don’t want to think about it. I just want to sleep. I’ll give Kara a couple hours to get my bed home and then I am going to crash for about 14 hours. I promise this weekend we will come out to the beach.”

“Good.” Jeremiah agreed. I will have the grill fired up and nothing short of a major, historical natural disaster is going to bother us. We also need to pick a time for us to talk about Kara and her… she is beginning to have tremors. I know we have all noticed it. What she is doing has to stop.”

“Not now.” Alex warned, assuming Kara was listening like she always did. They could write on paper later. Yes, she had noticed that Kara’s hands shook at times and shortly after she had a drink the shaking stopped. The drinking had gotten out of control, been out of control for a long time most likely and something would have to be done, soon.

Central City

Barry stood by the window in his lab, having given up on work. He had seen her, he had dreamed about seeing her in the past, but it had happened. He thought seeing her on television all the time was enough, but it wasn’t. She was more beautiful in person. There was absolutely no way he could think about work today.

“Hey!” Iris practically shouted, walking in quickly. “Is it true? Dad won’t talk about it, but Caitlin told me he got taken out by Batman and Supergirl was there? You met her? You knew her? You know her?”

Barry shook his head, not in the mood for the third degree by his best friend.

“Good afternoon. How are you? I’m fine and you?”

“Cut it out Barry. Is it true?” Iris asked again slapping him on the shoulder.

“You didn’t see the video before you raced over here?”

“No, it was erased. Cisco is freaked out. Apparently, some code broke his system and erased everything. He thinks it was an alien code, at least in his opinion. Caitlin may have told me some of the details.”

“Then you know that Joe did not get taken out by Batman. He was taken out by Nightwing and Manhunter.”

“You met them?! Nightwing? Oh my God, I saw a picture of him once. It wasn’t great light but that costume, you could tell he had a gorgeous body. He is on par with Oliver Queen. That dark hair… did he have his mask off? Did he have dark eyes? They were probably smoky or smoldering maybe? Give me the scoop.”

Barry clenched his jaw but tried to remain unaffected.

“Yes, Nightwing was very muscular, Batman was very scary and Manhunter was very thin but had a lot of weapons that looked like they could do serious damage. Supergirl was…”

“In a hot blue suit according to Caitlin. Okay, forget about the vigilantes, unless you want to give me more details about Nightwing. How do you know Supergirl? Caitlin said she recognized you with your mask on, just by seeing your eyes. You must know her well.”

“I did.” he told her. “We haven’t seen each other in six years.”

Iris caught the sadness in his voice. She had heard it before.

“Six years? The rumors I heard place her in National City… Caitlin said something about a necklace… oh Barry. Why didn’t I think of this? You called her Kara. It was her, wasn’t it? The girl you met in National City and called and texted all the time.”

“Is there anything Caitlin didn’t tell you?” he asked, annoyed that he had been a topic of conversation by everyone but not surprised.

“That’s all. Just her name and the necklace. Did you know when you two were talking?”

“No. She ended it a couple weeks before she caught that plane.” he admitted.

“That’s why you were so weird about that.” Iris guessed. “But you saw her. You are a superhero too. Maybe…”

‘Maybe what?” Barry interrupted, crossing his arms and turning away from her. “She was there to find out why S.T.A.R. was in the middle of so many screw ups. I told her. I told her everything. She saw what Zoom did to me, she knows I let my father die…”

“You did not let him die.”

“That isn’t the point, Iris.”

“You beat Zoom.” the girl reminded him.

“Yeah, and if I had asked for her help, maybe my father would still be alive, maybe Caitlin wouldn’t have been hurt, maybe the multiverse wouldn’t have nearly ended. She had a plan to take him out. It would have been easy for her. I didn’t want to… I told myself I didn’t want him to get his hands on her, but I don’t think that is true. I think I wanted to prove that I could handle it and I didn’t.”

“You won, Barry.”

“It doesn’t feel like that. Do you remember that guy who was made of rock and had one eye in Metropolis?”

“Yeah, he had that laser that came out… what about it? He was an alien.”

“I couldn’t have done anything but run around. What did she do? She flew in, he hit her with that beam and didn’t even slow her down. One punch. She never even landed, just swooped in hit him, knocked him out and flew off like she was late for a date or something. I let my pride…”

“That is not true. You… Barry, we won. You won.”

“Yeah.” he agreed. “I must have impressed her enough that she felt the need to invade S.T.A.R. Labs with Batman and ask what the hell was going on? She stopped when she realized who I was but… it was embarrassing. Admitting to her that I let what happened… she was worried for me. She felt sorry for me, regretted not being there so she could clean up the problem and I wouldn’t get hurt. I’m the Flash, but she was worried about me. She has no problem working with humans, but she worried about me. I don’t blame her. Her and Batman have taken down the strongest metas and aliens on the planet. I struggled… she saw me being dragged all over Central City by Zoom on TV.”

Iris looked over her friend, heart breaking at the depression in his voice and on his face.

“Barry, she wanted to protect you because after all this time she still cares about you.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, leaning against his desk.

“Women don’t wear necklaces for years from guys they don’t care about.”

“She has a boyfriend.” he told her, hating to say it.

That caught Iris by surprise. Caitlin hadn’t said anything about a boyfriend.

“She told you that?”

“Not exactly. Not her. Nightwing…”

“Oh my God, she is with Nightwing? Of course, she is, he is so hot… and this is so not helping. Let’s take it back a step. Did he say she was his girlfriend?”

Barry took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

“He told everyone he had to go back to her place because he left his clothes there. It was pretty obvious what he was inferring.”

“You don’t always catch the obvious. At any time did she introduce him as her boyfriend?”

Barry was becoming very annoyed. “No Iris. I just told you it was inferred. By the look on her face it was true and…”

“Whoa.” Iris stopped him. “The look on her face? What look exactly?”

“She seemed… surprised, kind of mad I guess. Embarrassed?”

“Embarrassed? Okay then, he isn’t her boyfriend.”

Barry looked at her to see if she was serious. Apparently, she was.

“His clothes were at her place.”

“Yeah, and I suppose you have been celibate these last few years?”

“Yes! I mean, not by choice but yeah, for the most part. Okay yes, I have been. I’m not exactly a lady’s man, Iris and we have had a lot going on.”

“I get that, but that doesn’t mean she has been.” Iris pointed out. “She probably thought she would never see you again. Think about it. Her and her… sister?”

Barry nodded.

“Her and her sister hang out with Batman and Nightwing. They all are involved in some crazy things. They get to fight bad guys all the time and see a lot of bad stuff, just like you have. Nightwing is in Bludhaven all the time. If he were her boyfriend don’t you think he would live with her? I am sure someone in her position would need an outlet. I bet she has a lot of tension to let out.”

“Kara would not have sex with a guy just to blow off steam. She wouldn’t do that unless she loved someone.”

“Do you think I am the kind of girl who would do that?”

“Of course not.”

“That shows how little you know about me. I don’t sleep around, and I don’t love Oliver Queen, but if I had a chance, I would wreck him. I’m not kidding either. Her life, it must be lonely, Barry. Sure, she has a sister, but she also has the weight of the world on her shoulders, sometimes literally. You are probably reading too much into this thing. Maybe he spent the night because they are friends. Maybe it is casual sex every now and then.” she suggested.

“But Caitlin said she wouldn’t take her eyes off you. You are hot too. Stop selling yourself short. So what if he looks like an underwear model? He can’t break the sound barrier and Zoom would have killed him in seconds. You are a hero and she knows that. She also really liked you before this Flash stuff. Maybe she isn’t into a certain type of guy. Maybe she is just into you. She wears the necklace you gave her under her costume. That means something. It means that every time she is doing something dangerous or protecting others, she feels you are with her. She pushed you away to protect you, right?

Barry shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the window, seeing that is was now raining.

“I should be so mad at you. I thought I was mad when I found out on my own that you were the Flash and didn’t tell me. But this? You have known who she is all this time? I have a Supergirl coffee mug. I have Supergirl underwear…”

“Iris! TMI, okay?” Barry told her quickly.

“Hey, every female on this planet looks to her as a symbol of strength. She is the definition of girl power. If you like her that much she must be a pretty amazing person.”

“She is or was. I really know nothing about her now. It has been six years and she was keeping a pretty big secret then.”

“Yeah, a secret she didn’t want anyone to find out, but she still spent time with you anyway.”

Barry had thought of that. It would have been in her best interest to not spend any time with him at all, especially after she learned why he was in National City.

“You think she really thinks about me when she is out there?”

“Yeah, I do. You just found her again. At least call her. If she is really with the underwear model, she will tell you. Then you can be friends while stealing her from him.”

“I don’t know her number. I’m sure it has changed. She still lives in the same place, but I am not going to just show up unannounced.”

“You know her last name. You could find her number. Maybe it didn’t change. I know Cisco could find it. At least text her. Tell her it was good to see her again.”

Barry smiled at her. “You just want to meet her, don’t you?”

“Of course not! But if she was around do you think she would take a selfie with me?”

Iris was glad to see a genuine smile on his face now. As long as she could get him to at least smile she knew he would be okay for a while.

“Iris, my Dad just died. He was just murdered, and I couldn’t do anything about it. This probably isn’t the best time to try and win a girl, especially the most famous girl in the world.”

“Then you are an idiot.” Iris told him. “Because I know in my heart if Henry were here he would have his hand on the back of your neck and tell you to go get her, Slugger. He would not want you to stop living. All he and your mother ever wanted was for you to be happy. This might be a chance for that Barry. Do what you want, but if you don’t at least text her you are an idiot. I have said my peace. If you don’t text her I will repeat this every day until you do. Now I am going to soothe over Dad’s wounded ego by taking him to lunch. Want to come?”

“I don’t know…”

“Of course you do. You can’t stand by the window looking at the rain all day and it is obvious you aren’t getting any work done. While we are at lunch you can ask Cisco to find her number. Doesn’t that sound like a great plan?”

Iris reached out her hand and Barry took it, allowing her to pull him away. What she said definitely had him thinking.

What was the worst that could happen?

He could be told by the girl he had been in love with for the past six years that she was in a serious relationship with an underwear model who wore spandex.

That would definitely be the worst that could happen.

National City

Kara sat on the couch with Alex, curled into her side. As many times as Alex made her watch these horrible movies they still freaked her out. The two girls switched ice cream cartons and Kara tried not to flinch as Jack Nicholson splintered a door with an axe.

“I would fry him.” Kara told her sister. “Are you really okay?”

“No, not really. I guess I am, but I’m not. I’m kind of sad and kind of relieved. Maybe I needed a new start. I was getting tired of all the fighting.”

“Maybe you should stop going on the streets at night? Whoever you date is going to want to spend nights with you, Alex, not compete with criminals for your attention.”

“Then who would keep you from getting in trouble?”

Kara sat her ice cream on the new coffee table.

“I’m not saying you… Oh stop it!” she finished, talking to Jackie in the TV. “I’m not saying you can’t fight with me, but I don’t prowl the streets at night looking for street gangs or drug dealers. You could just cut it down to metas and aliens for a while. I would like it if you would.”

“I would like it if you stopped drinking.” Alex told her, causing Kara to cringe.

“Please don’t, Alex. I have been doing everything everybody wants of me. I haven’t hurt myself, I haven’t been reckless, I didn’t destroy S.T.A.R. Labs. I’ve been controlling my temper….”

Kara stopped, annoyed at Alex’s sharp laugh.

“I was listening to your feed. If you touch him I will tear your limbs off. Oh hey Barry. Sorry, didn’t know it was you.”

“I thought Harrison Wells was alive.”

“And you planned to kill him.” Alex reminded her.

“No… I just wanted to make him really hurt. Permanently.”

“Uh huh. So are you going to call him?”

“Call who?” Kara tried.

“Don’t. I think you should have called him after we blew up Myriad. He doesn’t need to worry about the Lex Luthors of the world now. You have no more excuses. You should call him.”

“He thinks I am screwing Grayson.”

“You are screwing Grayson. I mean you were. I am guessing that was his blood on the floor that I wiped up?”

“We may have had a discussion that turned violent… on my part. He deserved it. I can’t believe I wore that uniform. If Grayson didn’t make me sound like a whore that outfit made me look like one. I’m throwing it away.”

“No, it didn’t make you look like a whore. You looked hot. Plus now you know he must really like you. All that skin showing, and he never stopped staring at your eyes. I always did like him. You should call him.”

“No, its best if I just leave it alone. Even if he can take care of himself, you know what a wreck I am, Alex. Who would want my drama?”

Alex shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, be the crazy cat lady for the rest of your life. I get that you want to get rid of your powers when you are 30 but does that mean you are going to live the rest of your life alone too? You said you wanted to be normal. You have always said that. Normal is falling in love.”

“Can we please not talk about me? Are you going to call her? At least make sure she made…”

“Hell no. I have had it, Kara. I think the saddest thing is I just don’t care. I’m an adult now. Sort of. I need to find someone who shares my interests.”

“I don’t think there is anyone who shares your love of fast vehicles and alien weapons.” Kara fairly pointed out.

“True but there has to be someone out there who has what I am looking for. Someone who isn’t focused on climbing some ladder, who is more interested in doing what is right.”

“Yep, because a lot of people are like that. Face it Alex, we are going to be spinsters. Maybe we should get a few more cats.”

“Or maybe you should call Barry Allen instead of having a drink once I fall asleep.”

“Yeah, maybe. But not tonight. I had enough embarrassment for a day and you need me to cuddle with you. It’s okay if you want to cry.”

“I’m not going to cry.”

“I’m just saying it can be healthy…”

“Kara, stop. I am not going to cry. I will take the cuddling though. Let’s go to sleep.”

The two girls retired to the bedroom and Kara took up her customary position when Alex was upset, sitting with her back against the headboard while Alex curled into her side. The girl must have been emotionally and physically exhausted because she fell asleep after ten minutes. Kara continued to run her fingers through Alex’s hair, upset that her sister had to be heartbroken but very happy inside that she had Alex back. Living without her had been… lonely.

Gently placing her on the pillow, the blonde walked quietly to the kitchen, listening to the sound of Alex’s breathing. She opened a bottle and poured a glass, having no doubt that Alex would check the level in the morning, but not caring at the moment. She couldn’t stop thinking about him and those damn eyes that captivated her so many years ago. She walked to the window and enjoyed her drink, telling herself it would only be one, and knowing it would probably turn into two or four.

Her cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. Thinking Cat must be drunk texting her, or Lois or even Bruce asking if Dick was still alive, Kara was pleasantly surprised.

Barry had texted her.

/What are you doing? /

Kara shook her head and smiled.

/Thinking about fast cars, fast motorcycles and faster guys. You? /