Chapter Text
“I don’t know how to do this.” Alex whispers.
Maggie breaks a little at the pain hiding in Alex's voice, shuffling across the bed and wrapping her into a hug.
“You don’t have to do it alone” Maggie assures quietly, brushing Alex’s hair back over the pillow as she pulls back a little.
“I can feel her.” Alex murmurs out softly. “It doesn’t feel good.”
Maggie had tried explaining this before, how she doesn’t know how, but all this time she could feel when Alex needed her, knew when she had to be there. And Maggie knows Alex hadn't really grasped what she meant by that, until this morning, when her family realised she wasn't there anymore.
“She just lost you, it's not easy.” Maggie reasons. “And it’s going to be difficult, for a long time Ally.”
“How did you do it? Feeling this?” Alex questions sadly, her hands searching for Maggie until their fingers intertwine and she can pull them close to her chests to rest over her heart.
“I don’t know. It helps to be there.” Maggie tries to explain, a little upset that she can’t help Alex understand.
“I can show you.” She finally offers. “You don’t have to go alone.”
Alex chews her lip for a moment, her eyes roaming Maggie’s face as she thinks.
“Okay.” Alex whispers.
“Okay?” Maggie questions, just to be sure.
Alex nods a little. “Just stay with me through it.” She mumbles quietly.
“Of course.” Maggie assures, leaning in to kiss Alex's forehead reassuringly. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” Alex offers, taking a deep breath as her hands shake a little in Maggie’s own.
“Just close your eyes.” Maggie instructs gently, stroking Alex’s hair back a little as she does as she’s asked. “Think about Kara, about our family, don’t be scared of the feeling in your chest.” She assures, making sure Alex doesn’t panic at the sensation Maggie knows she’ll be feeling. “Just concentrate on it, like a dream you're trying to go back to.”
Maggie closes her eyes as she senses Alex finding her way, the darkness surrounding her briefly before she can open her eyes again to see Alex clenching eyes shut in front of her.
But she did it, they're here, the airport surrounding them as the sun rises over the city, their family surrounding a space pod not far away as units of agents stretch out behind them, none appearing capable of holding a uniform layout as they cry amongst each other.
“You can open your eyes Ally” Maggie urges, reaching out to hold Alex’s hands reassuringly.
Alex seems intent on not seeing any of this though, her eyes remaining closed as her fingers shake. And Maggie can tell she’s scared, words swimming in her head at how she can help when Kara suddenly cries out.
The sound causes Alex to grip Maggie's hand a little painfully, her gaze forcing open to glance towards her sister who is being held up off the pavement by Lena as she sobs against the frame holding up Alex’s space pod.
Tears stream down Alex's face as she turns back to Maggie and huddles into her shoulder to be held.
“I ca-can't” she cries against Maggie, the former detective just stroking her hair gently until she calms down.
“I'm right here with you.” Maggie assures. “You can do this.”
Alex clearly still has doubt in her eyes, but she hangs onto Maggie’s every word and seems to believe in them more than she does herself right now.
“How?” She asks quietly.
Maggie takes her hand, walking them slowly over to where Jonn, James and Winn stand huddled together, their eyes red and arms wrapped tightly around each other.
But Maggie shuffles them past, urging Alex to kneel down to the pavement where Kara is sobbing in Lena’s arms, the CEO desperately trying to keep it together herself as her wife cries brokenly.
“Here.” Maggie motions, reaching out and placing a hand on Lena’s back, right where her heart should be.
Immediately the CEO seems to take a breath, her eyes looking around briefly before focusing back on Kara a little more calmly than before.
Alex watches Maggie’s actions, wiping tears from her face as she looks over Kara and does the same.
Maggie holds her breath as Alex’s hand rests on Kara’s chest, watching intently for any sign that she should help.
But after a few seconds, the hero’s sobs turn to soft whimpers, her fingers unclenching from Lena’s shirt and allowing her arms to wrap around her wife instead as she calms down a little.
“It’s going to be okay.” Alex whispers tearfully, letting her hand trail up to Kara’s face to rest against her cheek.
“Gon- be -kay” Kara mumbles out in Lena’s arms.
“It will.” Lena assures quietly.
Alex stifles a sob at the nod Kara offers her wife in response, Maggie shuffling over on her knees to pull Alex into a crushing hug.
“You did good Al.” Maggie murmurs into Alex’s hair. “She’s alright, shhh shhh, I got you, I got you.” She assures, instinctively rocking back and forth a little as Alex cries.
And they stay there, Alex calming as all the agents take turns laying a hand on her pod, as Jonn opens it to put a family picture inside and keeping the lid up for James and Winn to place her favourite alien gun in as well.
“Just in case.” Winn offers with a broken smile, huddling into James arms as Kara shuffles up onto her feet to lean against the pod.
Lena places a hand on the hero’s back, the other against the glass of Alex’s pod as she leans down to speak a little.
“I haven’t forgotten my promise.” The CEO assures tearfully. “Fly safe until we join you.”
Lena wipes at her face, checking that Kara is okay before giving the hero some room to be alone with her sister.
Alex shuffles onto her feet, Maggie helping her up until she can stand beside Kara and look at the tinted glass of the pod.
“Thank you.” Kara whispers. “You're the best sister I ever could have dreamed of. You made me who I am today, a girl who isn’t afraid to let love be my greatest strength. And it all started because I love you Alex.” She reasons, wiping at her face a bit to dry her cheeks. “I'm really glad you're here, I can’t do this without you. And give Maggie a hug for me.” Kara smiles out.
And Maggie can see the relief flood Alex's face at Kara’s confirmation, her hand reaching for her wife’s to hold her steady as Kara reaches out for the launch screen.
The machine whirs to life under the hero’s command, simply waiting for her to let it go.
“You taught me to believe in El Mayarah, not just understand it’s meaning. So I know you won't be far.” Kara whispers. “I love you Alex. And I'll see you again when we all come home.”
Kara pulls her hand back, stepping away from the pod as it starts to rise into the sky.
And Maggie feels her heart grow to fit all the love in this place as Alex pulls her forward a little so she can hold her sisters hand, her other remaining linked to Maggie’s own. And then Lena takes Kara’s free arm, her other hand joining with Jonn, who reaches out for Winn who pulls James into the row as well.
For the first time in a long while, Maggie can look to her side and see her entire family, here together.
And some part of her wishes she could tell them all, so that they could know what's waiting.
But having seen Alex live the rest of her life, having been there for the best and worst of moments. Maggie knows the only reason all of this has any meaning, is because of what she had to go through to get here.
Life was always designed to be filled with love and in the very same instant tear the hearts that hold it apart. Because it’s the knowledge and experience of having both that makes the end, that makes this moment right here, where Maggie can hold Alex in her arms and take her home, worth it.
And if this family's love can survive life itself, then nothing could ever really be stronger.