Does this communion take place apart from the Supper alone?

Yes, indeed, we have it through the Gospel, as St. Paul declares (1Co 1:9): in that the Lord Jesus Christ promises us in it, that we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone (Eph 5:30), that He is that living bread which came down from heaven to nourish our souls (John 6:51), and that we are one with Him, as He is one with the Father (John 17:21).