Catalina never liked nicknames outside of her own, besides Scoop, which did annoy her sometimes, but not enough to call Johnny out on it. But when she arrived at the office Wednesday morning and overheard someone say, "Here comes Storm's girl," her blood boiled. She wasn't anyone's girl, much less his. She was a journalist. One who deserved respect.

Catalina tried her best to walk proud, head high, as she made her way to her desk. Still, she felt every pair of eyes on her. The news of her diner interview with Johnny had spread quicker than any other story in the city, and now it clung to her like ink she couldn't scrub off.

She could see Jules heading towards her with a smile, she hated it, Catalina knew what her intentions were. Gossip, and if she did do it and give her information, she would give the rest of her coworkers what they want, she would be Storm's girl. And also, nothing had happened, it was a work interview between two professional people.

"No." Catalina cut her off the second Jules leaned against her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friend's smile fade into a pout.

"Come on," Jules whispered, tilting her head. "You can't expect me to believe you just sat there and talked about powers and science. Not with him."

Catalina kept her eyes on her notepad, scribbling nonsense just to keep her hands busy. "That's exactly what happened. An interview. Work. End of story."

Jules leaned in closer, lowering her voice like it was state secrets. "You're telling me Johnny Storm buys you dinner, drops you off, and it's all business?"

Catalina finally looked up, meeting her friend's eyes with a stare sharp enough to cut glass. "Yes. That's what I'm telling you."

"Liar, you are really telling me there were no sparks between you two? Not even a single kiss on the cheek when he dropped you at your place? No want to come inside for a drink."

Catalina's jaw tensed up, she loves her friend, she really does, but this was getting out of hand. "Enough Jules, I am not talking because nothing had happened, we talked about work and he gave me the information I need to be the best, and if you want to keep working with me, focus on your thing instead of my own personal life."

Jules' hands went up to show a sign that she is dropping the topic, at least for now. Catalina focused on her unfinished notes for an assignment, the whispers around her continued, every little noise made her skin crawl, it itched in every curve. The urge to scream, to tell them to shut up ringed in her ears. Her thoughts interrupted by the sound of her name being called by her boss, he was signaling for her to see him in his office. She felt like a child in trouble as she walked, she felt everyone's eyes on her.

David was seating in his chair when Catalina closed the door behind her, he had a smile on his lips, it looked more like a smirk actually. "So." He finally glanced up, eyes sharp. "Storm. That little diner chat of yours has gotten around fast."

Her throat tightened. "It was an interview. For the story." She sat across from him.

"Sure. And that's exactly what I expect from you. The story. Not the gossip. Not the whispers. I don't care what people are saying. What I care about is what you're getting. Because, Catalina..." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "You have the kind of access other reporters would kill for. Don't waste it."

"The reason I call you in her is for another reason." He continued and a weight was lifted from Catalina's body. "I want you to figure out if they are telling us the truth, if they actually want to help us or is it just an act, if they have any kind of evil plans behind the curtains." And the weight that had left a second ago, returned, heavier this time.

"They don't have an evil plan behind this David, they are just people with abilities and making sure to use them for good." Catalina said, her words coming out softly. She was confused about this, it didn't seem even believable of them having such an idea.

"Well then, make it up, say something, people are starting to get bored of how good they are." David said and Catalina could hear the hint of annoyance in his tone. "Or I don't know, I can get you some scoop with some corrupt guy and have him create some chaos in the city and have the heroes do their work."

The words hung in the air, heavy and sour. Catalina just stood there, jaw tight, every instinct in her body screaming to argue but she didn't. Not yet. "Okay, I will think of something and I'll let you know my ideas." Catalina stood up and left his office, as she walked back to her desk she had forgotten about the whole nickname calling, she had other issues to focus on.

She could tell Johnny about this situation, warn them about her boss' intentions, and perhaps risk loosing her job if they do something about it. Or, not tell them and actually do her job, risking the possibility of loosing all trust with Johnny and the team. And there was a specific person she knew could help her, her grandmother, a woman with wisdom.

Time came fast and Catalina was out of her desk and building in no time, she rushed to her commute and head home. Catalina shared her home with her grandmother Lola and her brother Mateo who would only visit during holidays.

Queens welcomed her every day, the houses in different shades between brown and burgundy. The modest red-brick townhouse came into view, A small front garden, overgrown with roses and ivy that her grandmother refuses to trim too much. "Plants need room to breathe," she always says. The house itself feels like it's been standing there forever, the kind that smells like coffee and clean linen when you walk in, decorated with family photos and old colored furniture.

"Nonna, I am home." Catalina said closing the door behind her, there was a scent of spices and garlic comeing from the kitchen, and a very low sound from a vinyl. She reached the kitchen and took a seat on one of the chair from the dining table watching her grandmother cook.

"Hola mi preciosa, how was work?" She said, her hand stirring on a casserole. "I am making pozole, your brother called and said he's coming over." That took Catalina for surprise, it wasn't summer just yet, it was still early March. Different theories came to her, maybe something had happened with his job, or he was sick.

"That's odd." Catalina could only say that. "Nonna, I have a little situation I would love your opinion and suggestion to —"

"Tu quieres una solución." Her nonna looked at her, her eyes glancing above her round glasses. "I can hear you out Lina, but I will not solve your problems, you are a big girl now."

Catalina let out a sigh and stood up wiping some sweat away from her hands. "It's my boss. He wants me to write something that isn't true. Or well, he wants me to make it true. He thinks Reed and his team are hiding something, that they're pretending to be heroes for the cameras. And he told me to find proof or... make some up."

Nonna's eyebrows lifted, unimpressed. "Ah. So he wants a telenovela, not journalism."

"Exactly!" Catalina said, hands gesturing in the air. "He wants drama, and I'm supposed to give it to him. But I can't. I mean, Johnny, he's actually been honest with me. He didn't even have to be, but he was. If I do what David's asking, I'd be betraying him. But if I don't..."

"You'll lose your job," Nonna finished softly.

Catalina nodded. "Yeah."

"Lina, let me tell you something. In life, you will always have to choose between peace and comfort. Peace comes when you do what's right. Comfort comes when you stay quiet. But only one of them lets you sleep at night."

Catalina blinked. "That's... very poetic, Nonna."

Her grandmother smirked. "I know. You can quote me when you win your Pulitzer."

That got a small laugh out of Catalina. "You really think I could?"

"I know you could," Nonna said simply. "Because you care too much. And people who care too much, they usually end up doing something that matters."

Before Catalina could respond, the front door opened, followed by a loud, familiar voice. "¡Nonnaaa! Smells like heaven in here!"

Catalina turned just in time to see Mateo drop his duffel bag by the couch and rush into the kitchen, wrapping their grandmother in a hug that made her laugh. "Ay, niño, careful with the pot!"

Catalina smiled, leaning against the counter as she watched them. The kitchen felt warmer somehow, fuller. Mateo's laugh filled the space, mixing with the clinking of spoons and the soft hum of the record still spinning in the corner.

For a moment, everything outside that little house in Queens didn't matter, not David's orders, not Johnny, not the noise of the city. Just family, food, and the smell of home.

Then Mateo looked at her again, eyes narrowing slightly. "Alright, Lina. You have that face."

"What face?"

"The one you get when you're overthinking something. Spill it."

Catalina hesitated, her throat tight. She glanced at Nonna, who just shrugged, like she was saying your move.

"Work stuff," Catalina said finally. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Mateo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Nonna handed him a bowl. "Let her be. When she's ready, she'll talk. For now, eat." The pozole gave warmth to both of the Serrano's siblings hands. The family sat down and shared their time eating and talking.

Catalina soon learned that Mateo's unexpected visit wasn't anything serious but instead that his boss had taken some time off to be with his family after welcoming a new baby, leaving Mateo with a few free weeks. After dinner she took her chores, drying the dishes her brother was washing.

"So Nonna tells me you are now some kind of hero journalist, didn't know those were real." Mateo said passing a spoon to his sister.

Catalina just chuckled at his comment. "Yeah, surprise surprise. Who would've thought heroes would be real before ghosts." Mateo chuckled with her. "I asked Nonna advice on something important that could affect my job or my connection to someone."

Mateo shut the water and turned to look at his sibling. "Go on."

Catalina hesitated, turning her spoon between her fingers. "My boss wants me to dig into the team. He thinks the whole 'city's favorite heroes' story is getting boring. He wants controversy."

Mateo frowned. "What kind of controversy?"

"The kind that doesn't exist," she muttered. "He wants me to make people question them, like maybe they're hiding something or using their powers for the wrong reasons."

Mateo leaned back. "That's messed up. So... what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know," Catalina admitted, rubbing her temples. "If I don't do it, I could lose the story and maybe even my job. But if I do, I'd be lying. And I can't do that to them. They've been honest with me."

Mateo tilted his head. "You've talked to them that much?"

"Mostly one of them," she said before she could stop herself.

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And which one is that?"

Catalina caught herself and immediately waved it off. "Just... one of them. It's part of my job."

He smirked a little but didn't push. "Right. Your job." Then, quieter: "Lina, if you have to choose between keeping your job and keeping your integrity, you already know the answer. You just don't like it."

Catalina met his eyes, the weight of his words sinking in. "You sound like Nonna."

Mateo chuckled. "Yeah, well, some of it rubs off." He returned to the sink and finished on washing the dishes. "You have a good heart Lina, you exactly know how to solve this. Now, I'll finish on here, go and solve your own problems."

Catalina was never a damsel in distress, she always solved her problems with few little help from others, when it came to her job she knew how to be the best and keep her place.

And for the first time in a long while, Catalina Serrano felt like she might actually need saving.