"Alex, what is this?" Kara demands as she carefully cradles Cat in her arms, ignoring her wife's protests that she's fine. "This was supposed to only affect me, what happened?" The overwhelming rush of connection that had brought her earlier panic has mostly faded into the background, but the panic remains. After all her worry that something would go wrong and hurt Cat, Kara can't bear the thought that they'd miscalculated somewhere along the line and actually done so.

"Kara, I don't know yet, okay?" Alex says evenly, clearly trying to keep Kara calm. "I'll need to take a look at you both, but nothing seems to be hurting either of you, so take some deep breaths and we'll figure this out, okay?"

"Listen to your sister, I'm fine," Cat says, pushing once more at Kara's shoulders. "You can let me down now, you know, I can walk."

"You almost blacked out back there, I'm not letting you go until I know you're okay," Kara insists stubbornly, grip tightening just slightly as she speaks. She can't lose Cat, and right now she needs the comforting presence of the older woman in her arms as a reminder that she's still here. If she focuses on that, she can ignore the lingering worry in the back of her mind that something has gone horribly wrong.

"Fine, but I promise you I am," Cat says in defeat, and that almost sparks Kara's worries once more, not used to seeing Cat give in without a fight. "I swear, trying to argue with a Kryptonian is like trying to convince Trump global warming exists."

"Did you seriously just compare me, your wife of less than an hour, to a man you described as 'the worst thing to happen to American politics since men got the right to vote' to anyone who would listen?" Kara asks in disbelief as Alex chokes back laughter, and suddenly everything seems manageable. She's still worried about Cat, still wants to know exactly what's going on because obviously something hasn't gone to plan, but the back and forth banter between them is grounding.

"I compared your legendary stubbornness to the only thing remotely close," Cat says pointedly, gesturing at where Kara is still holding her. "We all know you're galaxies above that ignoramus, and not only because you can fly. But Kara, darling, you have to admit you're a tad bit overprotective at times."

"And you threatened Carter's school with a lawsuit because they required him to speak in class," Kara reminds her, carefully following Alex out of the hall to the miniature lab her sister had set up. The plan had been to check Kara over after the ceremony to double check the effects of the bonding, something she'd protested at first, but now Kara is glad the equipment is already here. The sooner they know what's going on, the sooner she can relax.

"Mm, yes, you do have a point. And speaking of Carter, are you sure he's okay with your mother? I know they get along well enough, but it's been a trying day and I know he's worried." The plan had originally been for Carter to leave with Alex once the ceremony was over until his father was free to pick him up, but now that plan obviously won't work.

"He's fine," Kara says after focusing her hearing back into the hall for a moment, hearing Carter laughing softly at something Winn is saying. There's a touch of worry to the sound, but obviously between Superman and two men he's come to see as almost family, he's staying distracted enough. "Especially with James and Winn there, he's in good hands. Eliza knows he's shy around new people, she knows not to push."

"Remind me to buy her something nice as well, once we get out of here," Cat says with a distracted look back over Kara's shoulder. "I don't know what she'll like, but I suspect it won't be a bike to match the one for Alex."

"You two got me a bike?" Alex says from ahead of them, turning to meet their matching sheepish gazes with a look of surprise.

"We were going to tell you after the ceremony," Kara says a little awkwardly, stumbling over her words now that the plan has been completely derailed. "But we kind of weren't expecting this to happen, so we forgot?"

"It's fine, obviously," Alex says, slowly starting towards the lab once more. "A shock, but I'm not going to turn down a nice bike just because I wasn't expecting it."

"Well um, there's more," Kara says when Cat shoots her a look, knowing her wife is rolling her eyes even without looking once she stutters that one out as well. "You've done so much for us, so we got you a few things to say thanks."

"For god's sake Kara, don't drag this out," Cat says with a huff, earning a laugh from Alex and a blush from Kara. "What your sister is taking years to say is that in addition to a very nice motorcycle that you've been drooling over for months, you now own your apartment, your school debts are paid off, and if you get with my assistant arrangements have been made to organize a weekend trip of your choosing. While inadequate, we wanted to show how thankful we are for your help reaching this point."

"I haven't earned any of that," Alex says, a little shell shocked as she opens the lab door and waves them inside.

"Tell me what's happening with my wife, and you'll have earned the moon," Kara says, all traces of joking gone from her voice now that she sees the equipment in front of her.

They're going to figure this out, she has to believe that.

X

"Okay, so as expected, nothing bad happened as a result of the bonding," Alex says sometime later, staring at the screens in front of her. "Unexpected things did happen, obviously, but they aren't bad."

"So if they aren't bad, are they good?" Kara asks nervously, still waiting to hear something that will actually calm her nerves.

"Most of them just are," Alex says carefully, clicking to another display to read the words there. "It looks like our miscalculation was in how we thought about the connection between the two of you. We were thinking it would be solely on Kara's end."

"Well yeah, it's a Kryptonian ceremony and I was the only Kryptonian involved," Kara points out, not seeing what her sister means.

"Kara, let her finish explaining before you jump in," Cat says patiently, reaching out from where she's sitting on the exam table to lay a hand calmingly on Kara's forearm. "It will go much faster that way, and if nothing bad has happened, we do have a honeymoon to get to."

"Right," Alex says, hurrying on with the explanation before Cat can say anything else. "Basically, we were expecting Kara to be affected by the bond, but we weren't considering the fact that a bond by its very nature goes both ways. Obviously the ritual was designed to work with Kryptonian physiology, and Kryptonian physiology is optimized in a way that allows for greater changes under the right stimuli, but that apparently doesn't mean the ritual can't work on a human. It's on a much lower level, but the effects are still there."

"What effects," Kara can't help asking, wondering if Cat will resent her for this. They hadn't known, there's no way they could have known, but Kara still feels guilty. And given the reason for having the Kryptonian marriage ceremony in the first place, those answers could be very important for them.

"Nothing major," Alex is quick to reassure them. "Nothing like what it did to you to allow conception, no alteration to Cat's DNA the way yours has changed. Just improvements on what was already present."

"What do you mean by improvements," Cat asks sharply, apparently offended by the insinuation there was anything to improve in the first place.

"I mean boosts to your senses, specifically hearing and eyesight. Nothing drastic, barely above human ranges, but definitely an improvement over your previous stats. Increased cellular regeneration, enough to significantly slow aging. Again not considerably over human benchmarks, but enough to give you an extra thirty or forty years depending on variables we don't have at this point." Alex has slipped into her detached scientist persona now, and Kara finds herself grateful for that as she struggles to wrap her mind around what her sister is saying.

"I guess you could count those as improvements," Cat says after a short silence, her voice echoing the surprise Kara is feeling. "And Kara, if you try to apologize for any of those, you can sleep on the couch. I don't care if it is our honeymoon."

"Still gonna think it," Kara mutters, earning a laugh from Alex and an exasperated sigh from Cat.

"I know you are, darling. And I appreciate the care. But this is not a mistake, and you are not to blame for the fact we didn't see this coming. No one could have, and this is not a bad thing." Cat's voice is insistent, if gentle, and Kara looks up to meet her eyes. They're soft, full of love, and prove to Kara that she means what she's saying.

"I love you," she whispers, hearing Alex turn away to give them a moment of privacy as she leans forward to kiss her wife, finally allowing herself to relax into the pleasant knowledge that they're actually married, feeling Cat do the same through their new connection.

"I love you too," Cat sighs as they break apart, foreheads leaning against each other for a moment as they find comfort in the connection. "Alex, I do have one question," Cat says once Kara finally pulls back slightly, looking over to where the agent is pretending to study a readout.

"Ask away, but I may need some time to study the tests to give specifics," Alex says as she turns slowly, obviously making sure she won't see anything scarring as she does.

"You've mentioned all the physical changes, but what about the emotional ones?" Cat asks, and Kara realizes with a start that she'd somehow forgotten to mention that aspect of the bond to Alex. She hadn't even discussed the possibility with anyone during the planning stages, not expecting it to be relevant.

"What emotional changes?" Alex questions, looking confused. "Obviously with everything that's happened there will be some reactions, some adapting you'll have to do, but I'm not really suited for therapy."

"No, not those kind of changes," Kara says sheepishly, looking between her wife and sister. "The bond, it's designed to build on and strengthen the love and connection between those it joins, and one of the ways it does that is by allowing the bonded to experience what the other is feeling."

"And you're just thinking to tell us that now?" Alex says once the information sinks in, looking at Kara in disbelief. "With all the projections we ran, you never thought to mention increased mental connection as a possible side effect?"

"I didn't know it was!" Kara defends, knowing Alex won't accept the excuse but needing to try anyway. "I remember it happened to my uncle and his wife, but they were both Kryptonian. Nothing was supposed to affect Cat in the first place, let alone to this extent."

"All the data, Kara. You know that. We have to have all the information to accurately predict the outcome," Alex says, ignoring the excuse as expected. She's a scientist at the moment, not a sister, and withholding variables is the biggest offence Kara could have committed.

"Oh, pipe down Alex," Cat says, coming to Kara's defense. "It's minor, and manageable, I just wanted to know if you had any readings that might give insight on how to better control it." Kara can tell it's not that simple, for either of them, but Cat never lets herself panic, let alone before she has all the information.

"It sounds like a brain thing," Alex says after a moment of thought, turning to study the limited range of equipment she has available. "And if it is, I really can't test for that here. But walk me through what you're feeling, and I'll get some scans set up at headquarters when you get a chance to stop by."

"It's not very strong," Cat says, brow furrowing as she thinks. "Well, that's interesting. When I focus it gets much clearer," she adds after a moment. "It's still not very strong, but I'd be able to tell it's Kara even if it weren't for the guilt and ten different layers of concern coming through."

"That's Kara all right," Alex agrees with a smirk while Kara rolls her eyes, refusing to apologize for that. "If concentrating on what you're feeling makes it stronger, can you focus on shutting it out?" she asks before Kara can jump in with some attempt at a witty deflection, keeping them focused like the trained agent she is.

"Not completely, but enough," Cat says after a moment. "I don't think I'd want it gone completely even if I could, even turning it down makes me feel somehow empty."

"As long as you can control it, then I think you're good," Alex says thoughtfully before turning to Kara. "Okay, as the Kryptonian the bond was designed for, how's this one working for you?"

"It's stronger than what Cat described, I think," Kara admits, because there's nothing faint about what she's experiencing. She knows she's handling this part of the bond better than Cat, mostly because her physiology is designed for the connection, but it's very much a part of who she is now. She can feel Cat's love, the strains of worry wrapping around it, and even the touch of sorrow Kara thinks probably comes from Adam's absence on this day. "I can tune it out if I need to, but that's harder on me than it is on Cat."

"I would imagine so," Cat says before Alex can respond. "As difficult as it was for me to shut you out, if you're experiencing this on a much stronger level, I'd imagine cutting that off would be nearly impossible."

"You'll need to practice anyway," Alex says apologetically. "You can't be distracted in the middle of a fight, you have to stay focused on what's in front of you, not what's inside you."

"It doesn't work like that," Kara tries to explain, searching for the right words. "I know they aren't my emotions, but they're as much a part of me as mine are. They aren't a distraction, I don't need to shut them out to focus. If anything they'll help, give me a constant reminder of what I'm fighting for."

"You have to be sure. I'm not going to let you risk yourself just because you're stubborn." It's clear Alex is still worried, but Kara knows she'll be fine.

"When we come in for the rest of those tests, you and I can spar. If I'm not up to your standards, then we can talk," Kara offers, knowing that the only way to convince Alex will be to show her hard proof. "My brain is kind of designed for this, Alex, don't worry so much." The disbelieving look shot her way is all the response she needs, and Kara raises her hands in defeat without a fight.

"If you're done being ridiculously oblivious, I think there are a few wedding guests that might be a bit worried by now," Cat says to break the silence, standing and reaching for Kara's hand. "And I want to see my son before I let your sister teach him far too many bad habits in a very short amount of time."

"Don't worry, the kid is practically incorruptible," Alex says with a laugh as she starts powering down equipment. "I tried to offer him ice cream for dinner one time, and he gave me a look that would put even your best glare to shame. Then he pulled out his phone and had practically a three course meal at the door in twenty minutes."

"Should've started with a Nerf gun fight," Kara says in a stage whisper, smiling at Cat's eye roll in her direction.

"As long as the shooting stays limited to Nerf guns, I'm sure Carter would enjoy facing off against you," she admits with a sigh. "Though I am thankful he has enough sense to resist Kara's horrible influence when it comes to food."

"He's a smart kid," Kara agrees without taking offence, knowing her dietary habits would be horrible for anyone other than a super powered being from another planet.

"Yes, he is," Cat says proudly as she stands, curling into Kara's side for a moment before heading towards the door. "And I know he's probably worrying even if your friends are keeping him distracted, so let's not keep him waiting any longer."

Carter is indeed glad to see them, as is everyone else they'd left waiting while they'd run the tests. And it takes a bit of time to calm him down, no matter how he pretends to be fine, but none of the adults begrudge him the worry. His mother is the most important person in his life, and he in hers, and everyone present understands and respects that.

"You're fine too, aren't you Kara?" he asks when he's finally convinced that nothing bad had happened to his mother, and Kara is touched that he's able to spare a thought for her at all.

"Absolutely fine," Kara says reassuringly. "Alex did her checks, and everything came back clear. She wouldn't let me out of her sight if they hadn't."

"Okay," he says quietly, and Kara feels a surge of love for the boy who'd stolen her heart as completely as his mother. "I'm really glad nothing bad happened to either of you."

"You and me both, kid. You and me both."

X

"You're really okay with all of this, right?" Kara asks when they've finally made it to Cat's beach house and the privacy it offers. "I know it's overwhelming, and you've always been private about your emotions, so that might be a lot for you to deal with."

"Kara, what did I tell you about apologizing?" Cat cuts her off as she starts to ramble, earning a small flush. "This is not a bad thing, and I haven't particularly wanted to hide anything from you in quite some time. This might be a bit more straightforward than I'd expected that particularly solution to be, but that doesn't mean I resent it. You're the one with the connection to my emotions, can't you tell that?"

"I was trying not to pry," Kara admits sheepishly. It's nearly impossible to avoid registering the constant flow of warmth and emotion from her wife, but she's been trying to let it pass over her without taking in too much detail. "At least until I made sure you were really okay with it."

"I am, Kara," Cat reassures her, softening slightly. Kara doesn't know if it's due to what she'd said or what she's feeling, but she doesn't care either way. She's never hidden from Cat, not since she'd finally admitted her identity and her attraction, so worrying about this particular development seems particularly ridiculous. "You've always been able to tell my mood from the way I stand, or hold my glass, I don't see how this is much different."

"I can think of one way it's definitely different," Kara mutters as she finally lets herself fully experience the depth of the connection between them. The jolt of completion that settles through her mind and body brings with it a jolt of something warmer that settles low in her stomach, reminding her that they're officially on their honeymoon now. And the fact that Cat's emotions and desires are echoing across that bond deepens her own reactions.

"Well, that could be interesting, I think," Cat says as she obviously feels her own muted version of the arousal flooding Kara's veins, expression sharpening as she steps closer. "To feel you as you feel me? There's quite a bit I can think to do with that piece of information."

"We're barely on our honeymoon and you're already trying to kill me," Kara says with a breathless laugh as she closes the last of the distance between them, lowering her head to capture Cat's lips in a deep kiss. The shock of it rushes through her, and after a moment she has to break away, moan slipping from her lips as Cat places soft kisses along her neck, nipping lightly every so often.

"Good thing you're invulnerable then, because this is just the beginning of what I have planned for you," she whispers in between strokes of her lips along Kara's pulse, smirking as it speeds up against her tongue. "I can feel how much you want me, Kara. Can you feel how much I want you?"

"Oh, Rao, yes," Kara stutters, breath hitching as Cat bites down firmly, teasing abandoned at least for the moment. "I n-I need to feel you, Cat. Not just like this, all of you." Normally it would be a bad sign that Kara's already reduced to begging, because Cat loves the power that comes from it, has kept her dangling on the edge for hours to hear the pleas fall from her mouth. But tonight, with their mutual need echoing between them and driving passions ever higher, Kara knows she has only to ask and she will receive.

"Then take me to bed, Kara," Cat says as she pulls back, hand slipping between them to cup Kara's breast firmly, no trace of subtlety in her actions. And Kara doesn't mean to use her super speed to get them there and undressed, but between one second and the next they've moved from the sitting room to the king bed in the master bedroom. "God that's useful," Cat laughs as she pulls Kara down against her, both letting out a soft moan as their bare skin finally brushes together.

"I didn't mean to," Kara admits once she can force her brain into coherent thought. "Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"You'd better not be," Cat teases, running a hand slowly down Kara's side, tracing patterns as she finds each area that makes Kara shiver in anticipation.

"Never," Kara promises, leaning down for a passionate kiss before slowly sliding down her wife's body. "I will never have a single complaint about being with you. In bed, in life, in anything." Each promise is punctuated by a wet kiss against Cat's skin, tongue darting out to take in the taste of her lover's skin. And when she finally takes a pebbled nipple into her mouth, Kara feels the jolt through her as if it were her own, matching Cat's moan with her own.

"Definitely interesting," Cat manages to pant as she feels Kara's reaction to her own, the bond echoing the sensations between them, driving them both higher despite how little contact there's been so far. "God, Kara, don't stop."

"I won't do that either," Kara agrees instantly, hand rising to Cat's untended breast as she continues to nip and suck at the one in her mouth, intent on giving Cat every bit of pleasure she can. She knows she's succeeding when Cat winds her fingers through her hair, holding her in place as she continues to reduce her wife to a panting heap on the bed, all without actually touching her.

When those hands push at her, urging her lower, Kara doesn't resist, feeling just how much Cat needs her and loath to deny her anything. With the portion of her mind that's now fully occupied by her wife's presence full of mingled need and love, she has no interest in drawing this out beyond what it takes to make Cat feel amazing.

When she's finally between parted thighs, Kara takes a moment to thank Rao and every action that's gotten her to this point before finally dipping her head to taste Cat. Something about tonight, more than the bond and the love between them, something feels significant about this moment, about being together like this despite all the times they have been before. It feels like a culmination, even as it is also a beginning, and Kara needs a second to feel that before continuing.

"I can feel you being ridiculous down there, and while I do love that penchant of yours, if you don't touch me right now I may explode," Cat complains when her thinking stretches a beat too long, the impact of the ire in her voice lessened by the breathy quality of her voice, but still enough to urge Kara on.

Holding back a chuckle that she knows will only get her in trouble later, Kara does as requested and finally leans down, slowly licking a path through the wetness she finds before starting a rhythm. The way Cat's reactions echo to her is nearly overwhelming for a moment before Kara finds a balance between focus on Cat and allowing the bond to affect her. As much as she loves the connection it's giving them, she doesn't particularly want to come apart before she even really touches her wife. Balance found, it's easier to push Cat higher, tongue circling her clit slowly as two fingers press slowly inside, twisting and curling slightly with each stroke. She's not teasing, every action is deliberate and calculated, but she won't rush this, not tonight. She wants Cat to feel every move she makes, every emotion it sparks, to experience the depth of how much Kara feels for her. After their years together, after the battles to demolish the last of Cat's walls and worries, she isn't afraid it will be too much, and now that she has the opportunity she wants to take it.

Kara can feel Cat tightening around her with each slow stroke of her fingers, can feel the urgency in the way hands tighten in her hair, and speeds her pace, reveling in the moan it urges from Cat's throat. Her wife is close, and suddenly all she wants to do is push her over that edge. So as she speeds up again, curling her fingers every time she slides them out, she also speeds the movements of her tongue, twirling and flicking until she knows Cat is almost there, then closing her lips around her clit and sucking, free hand holding now bucking hips down so Kara can make sure she brings out every bit of pleasure from the orgasm.

"You're almost too good at that," Cat sighs as she comes down, shuddering slightly as Kara slowly leaves her place between her thighs, breaths coming in long pants as she recovers.

"What happened to no complaining in bed?" Kara teases, resolutely ignoring her own need as she waits for Cat to be ready, settling into her wife's side with a contended sigh.

"That was definitely not a complaint," comes the easy response as Cat leans up on one arm to look down at Kara, eyes narrowing slightly even as her lips twitch with the effort of holding back a smile. "I very deliberately specified the almost."

"You always did pay attention to the details," Kara breathes, mind going fuzzy from the look Cat is giving her, need pulsing through her veins even as she fights for control.

"The little things are very important," Cat agrees, one hand raising to play softly over Kara's breasts, light touches doing little more than teasing as Kara bites back a sob. "They help the end result exceed expectations."

And with that her mouth descends, and Kara loses her grip on coherency as it covers her breast, sending sparks through her as a hand raises without conscious thought to tangle in Cat's hair. And where in the past such a move would require careful concentration to hold back her strength, it's effortless tonight, the bond between them letting Kara know exactly how much pressure she can use, how firmly she can tug before it's too much. And that's enough to have her coming undone, hips rocking as Cat doesn't slow her movements at her chest, moans filling the air until she finally comes down.

Only then does Cat raise her head with an impressed look, and Kara can feel herself blushing. "All sorts of new things are happening tonight, aren't they?" is all she says, and Kara is thankful for that much at least. She knows they'll probably talk about it later, or at least Cat will love using it to tease her, but she doesn't think she could handle it tonight. "Get your breath back though, because as soon as you do we're doing that again, but this time with me inside you."

Any breath Kara had recovered leaves her at that, but she really can't complain. Cat might just kill her tonight, but what a way to go.