Chapter Text
Alex stands in the bustling airport lobby, staring up at the arrivals board. She glances down at her watch quickly before looking back up, hands wringing anxiously. Full of nervous energy, she cranes her neck, scanning the crowd, looking for the only passenger that matters.
“I’m sorry!” Alex mumbles as she bumps into an elderly man, who only grumbles in return. Too wrapped up in pacing, she fails to hear Maggie approach from behind, duffel bag in tow.
Maggie smiles, dimples full blown, allowing herself a few moments to watch her girlfriend without restraint. She taps Alex on the shoulder, and has to stifle a laugh when the woman whips around, alert, always alert, before she realizes she can drop alarm and don elation.
Alex lunges forward, picking Maggie up in a squeeze as her duffel bag thumps to the floor. Maggie hugs her back tightly, legs wrapping around Alex’s waist, sighing as Alex nuzzles into her neck.
“God, I missed you.” The words are muffled, but Maggie doesn’t have to hear them to feel the truth behind them. Alex drops Maggie back to the floor, Maggie’s hand coming to rest at the base of Alex’s neck.
“You too, babe.” Maggie leans in, kissing her softly. Alex picks up the duffel bag with one hand, the other reaching for Maggie’s as she leads them out of the airport.
“How was your flight?” Alex asks, practically bouncing as she leads them across the street to her car, entwined hands swinging.
“Bumpy. Long. Good ending, though.” Maggie smiles as Alex squeezes the hand in hers.
They walk in comfortable silence the short distance further to the car. Once there, Alex chucks Maggie’s duffel in the backseat before opening the passenger side door with a deep chivalrous bow. Maggie chuckles, an affectionate “nerd” leaving her lips while the door shuts behind her.
Noticing a neon pink cardboard poster at her feet, Maggie picks it up off the floor as Alex settles behind the wheel, the words “Hi Maggie!!!!!” written in childish glitter glaring back at her. Maggie looks over, the question written on her face.
“Kara. She wanted to come. Mom ran interference and we got her to compromise. She stayed home as long as I brought that monstrosity with me.”
Maggie smiles. “It’s sweet.” Maggie places it gently on her lap, slowly outlining her name. Touched. “She could’ve come. I’m excited to meet her.”
Alex blushes. “I, uh…I wanted some time alone before my family hogs you all week.”
“Aw, gettin’ soft on me, Danvers?”
The blush deepens as Alex shoves the key into the ignition. “I can leave you here if you’d prefer.”
Maggie laughs, dropping her hand on Alex’s thigh. “I prefer you, Danvers. Always you.”
Her hand doesn’t leave Alex’s thigh the whole drive home.
-----
When Alex opens the front door, she’s not surprised to find Kara sitting on the staircase, impatient. Alex leans over to Maggie, lips pressed to the shell of Maggie’s ear. “It’s not too late to run.” Maggie bumps Alex’s shoulder as Kara approaches.
“Finally. You took forever.” Kara gripes at Alex before turning her attention to Maggie. “Hi. I’m Kara Danvers.”
Maggie pops down to Kara’s level. Juts out her hand. “Maggie Sawyer. Nice to meet you.” Kara takes her hand in a firm shake, sizing Maggie up.
“Thanks for my sign, I love it.” Maggie wiggles the sign clutched in her other hand. Kara sticks her tongue out at Alex. “Told you she’d like it.”
“Mhmm.” Alex replies noncommittally.
Maggie touches Alex’s calf, soothing. She drops the sign to the floor, using both free hands to tug Kara’s gently. “Hey, before we go inside, I was hoping you’d help me real quick?”
Kara stares, curious. “How?” Alex, for her part, also looks down, intrigued.
“Well,” Maggie starts seriously, “did you know you’re Alex’s favorite person?”
Kara beams. “I am?”
Maggie confirms. “You are. And you make her very, very happy.”
The little girl launches herself at Alex, hugging her sister fiercely. “I like happy Alex.” Alex runs her fingers through Kara’s blonde hair affectionately.
Maggie shoots a warm smile up at Alex. “Me too.” Maggie winks before turning her attention back to Kara. “Which is where you come in.” She pokes at Kara’s side, eliciting a giggle as the eight-year-old squirms against Alex’s legs, before continuing. “Wanna give me some tips for this week? Because I’d like to make Alex as happy as you make her, too.”
“That’s so easy!” Kara exclaims, pulling away from Alex. She starts ticking off a list with her fingers, born for the task. “Her favorite food is Mom’s lasagna, but only if it has extra cheese in it, and --”
As Kara continues to list things her sister’s girlfriend is already well versed on, Maggie never lets on, instead nodding solemnly and seriously, keeping up the charade. Alex drops her hand to Maggie’s shoulder, in awe as her girlfriend gives Kara undivided and focused attention. Maggie reaches up, the pat she offers Alex’s hand the only acknowledgement of the gesture as they both listen to Kara.
“Oh! Sometimes when Alex talks to you on the phone, she turns all red and after it takes like four minutes until she listens to me again because she’s too busy smiling which is SO annoying.” Kara sighs dramatically as Maggie snorts, glancing up at Alex. Alex drops her head in her hands. Caught.
Undeterred, Kara continues. “She also thinks you’re super pretty in the mornings and Alex is a real grump when she wakes up so if she says something nice before coffee then she must lo—“
“Okayyy thank you Kara, I think you’ve helped Maggie enough for now.”
“I’m not done though!“
Alex physically turns Kara towards the kitchen, patting her forward. “You’ve got all week. Why don’t you go tell Mom we’re here?”
Kara runs off as Maggie pops back up from her squat, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist, a cocky smirk plastered on her face.
“Just in the mornings or…?”
“Oh, shut up.” Alex whines even as she leans in for a kiss.
Maggie pulls back slightly, whispering into the space between them. “I think you’re super pretty in the mornings, too.”
Alex kisses her again, soft and sweet, before resting her forehead against Maggie’s. They share a tender moment until –
“Let’s see what your mom’s got to say about you, shall we?”
“You’re already enjoying this far too much” Alex slumps into Maggie’s arms as Maggie laughs, her hand rubbing soothing circles on Alex’s back.
-----
“Kara, it’s time to do the dishes.” Eliza prods her youngest after dinner that evening.
“Mo-om! The dishes are boring and Maggie just got here!” Kara whines, but it only takes one raised eyebrow from her mother for Kara to push back from the table and gather the dishes.
“Alex ever teach you how to play the Dishwashing Game, Kara?” Maggie asks as she, too, pushes back from the table, her hand trailing across Alex’s shoulders before helping Kara collect plates.
“There’s a game?” Kara asks, glowering at Alex.
“Oh, yeah. I’m undefeated. Wanna learn? See if you can beat the champ?”
“Yes, please!” Maggie throws Alex a cheeky grin over her shoulder as she follows Kara to the sink.
“She’s lovely, Alexandra.” Eliza muses from across the table once they’re alone.
“You sound surprised.” Alex bites back.
“Alex."
Alex exhales, hands folded in her lap, chastised. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just nervous.” She looks up, her next words coming out in a teary wobble. ”I just, I like her so much, you know? She’s smart and she’s tough and she’s…beautiful. She’s so beautiful.”
“So are you.” Eliza smiles at her eldest, gently prodding her on.
Alex scoffs. “Not like her, Mom. She only gets a week off this summer. She could spend it anywhere, with anyone, and I’m making her settle for me.”
Eliza stands, switching into the chair beside Alex. She brushes Alex’s hair out of her face. “That’s right. She could spend her break anywhere and she’s choosing to spend it with you.” Giggles emerge from the kitchen sink as Eliza continues, “And with your sister, who, from the sounds of it, is quite smitten with her.”
Alex grumbles. “Yeah, well, you’ve seen Maggie. She could charm a paper bag.”
Eliza laughs, patting Alex’s arm. “As cute as Kara is, I have a strong suspicion Maggie’s only trying to win her over because she’s your sister. Maggie would give you the moon if she thought its what you wanted.”
“You think?” Alex asks hopefully.
“I know.”
“How?” Alex winces at how pathetic she sounds.
“Because your father looked at me the same way she looks at you.”
-----
Maggie startles awake that night, disoriented.
It takes a few moments for her to gather her bearings before she notices Kara staring at her, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes, a stuffed puppy hanging in her hand.
“You okay, Kara?” Maggie whispers.
“I have nightmares.” Kara whispers back. “They’re really scary. When Alex is home from school sometimes she lets me sleep with her but now you’re here and –“ Kara trails off as she hugs her puppy tight.
“Whoa, hey—“Maggie gently unhooks Alex’s arm from her waist, slowly extricating herself from Alex’s grasp. Alex flips over in her sleep, back turning to the pair. Once sure Alex is still sleeping, Maggie sits on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on Kara’s shoulders. “I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?” Maggie waits for Kara’s weepy nod before continuing. “You belong wherever Alex is, always. Doesn’t matter if I’m with her or not. So hop on it.”
Maggie pulls the sheets back and Kara climbs in with all the grace of a hippo. Maggie gets a knee to the thigh that’s sure to leave a bruise in the morning, but decides it’s worth when she sees the sheer relief on Kara’s face.
Maggie closes her eyes, feeling Kara shifting to get comfortable. Her eyes pop back open in surprise when Kara curls up to Maggie’s chest rather than into Alex like she expected.
“Night, Maggie” Kara sighs. Maggie drops a kiss to the top of the little girl’s head. “Night, Kid.”
On the other side of the bed, Alex smiles.
-----
Alex is the first to wake in the morning.
Through the night, Kara has flopped onto her stomach, one hand now fisting Maggie’s t-shirt while the other rests above Alex’s heart. Alex shifts closer to Kara, tucking an errant strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. The gesture jostles Kara, and she wakes with a sleepy grin. She releases her clutch on Maggie and burrows into Alex.
“Maggie’s the best.” Kara yawns. Alex looks over at the sleeping woman, whose mouth hangs slightly open. Alex responds, nothing short of reverent. “She truly is.”
Alex cuddles Kara for a few minutes longer, allowing the girl to slowly wake, before finally nudging Kara and pointing at Maggie. “Sleeping Beauty needs her rest. Why don’t we make Maggie breakfast and let her sleep a little longer?”
---
Maggie wakes an hour later to an empty bed and the smell of pancakes. She stretches, screwing her face in confusion when she pulls Kara’s puppy out from beneath her back. She sits the puppy on the pillow before padding downstairs, following the soft murmurs of the three Danvers women already starting their day.
“You should’ve woken me up.” Maggie states as she enters the kitchen.
“Alex called you ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and said you needed rest!” Kara responds around a mouthful of food.
Maggie blushes, bashful, as Alex shoves a coffee mug into her girlfriend’s hands. “Hey, pretty lady.” Alex murmurs against Maggie’s lips. Eliza smirks as Maggie’s wide eyes find hers, old remnants of shame dying hard. Eliza knowingly takes mercy, squashing down the urge to tease. “Morning, dear.”
Maggie physically relaxes, nestling in under Alex’s arm and taking a sip of coffee, relishing in the opportunity to freely give and receive affection without parental threat. “Morning.”
“Stop kissing Alex and come eat before I eat everything!” Kara yells from the table. Maggie kisses Alex’s cheek for good measure as Kara grunts out a “gross”, handing the mug back to Alex. “I’ve been summoned.”
Maggie ruffles Kara’s hair as she sits down, piling a few pancakes on her plate as Kara goes in for a third helping.
“See? The moon.” Eliza points at the mug in Alex’s hand, decorated with the solar system and planetary moons. Alex rolls her eyes, but Eliza doesn’t miss how tightly Alex clutches the mug to her chest anyway.
-----
A couple days later, Eliza drives them all to Kara’s soccer game. Maggie sits in the backseat with Kara, who talks the entire drive.
Kara skips to the field when they arrive, one hand firmly in Maggie’s, the other in Alex’s, pulling them along, still yammering away a mile a minute. She lets go as soon as she’s in sight of her teammates.
“Make sure you show Maggie the best place to sit!” Kara doesn’t wait for a response before she’s off.
“You’re a saint for putting up with her.” Alex proclaims as she rests her chin on Maggie’s shoulder from behind. Maggie swivels around, arms looping around Alex’s neck, her fingers playing with Alex’s fine hair at the base.
“I’m having fun, I promise.” Maggie nudges Alex’s nose with her own. Before Alex can respond, Eliza approaches. “Come on, girls, the stands are getting crowded.” Halfheartedly, Alex pulls out of her Maggie bubble, linking her arm with Maggie’s.
“Ready to watch some truly awful athletics?”
Maggie nods. “Bring it.”
----
Alex isn’t wrong, and they spend the whole first half laughing as eight-year-old limbs thrash about. Eventually, the halftime whistle blows and Alex grabs Maggie’s bicep, pulling her up. “We’ll be back before halftime ends, Mom!”
Alex doesn’t wait for an answer before setting a blazing pace, dragging Maggie through the crowds. She ducks under the bleachers and pushes Maggie against a beam. Her lips find Maggie’s instantly and she kisses the woman deeply, tongues battling, until Maggie has to pull back, breathless. “Wow”.
“I’ve been wanting to do that.” Alex smirks, eyes glistening.
Maggie smiles. “Yeah, I can tell.” Maggie leans back in, her hand sliding around Alex’s waist, up and under Alex’s shirt.
“How long do we have?” Maggie asks as her hand comes around to cup Alex’s breast. Alex moans, her lips finding Maggie’s neck. “10 minutes.” Alex responds while she nips a particularly sensitive spot on her girlfriend’s jaw.
“Better get moving, then.” Maggie purrs, letting the thundering footsteps of the spectators above drown out their moans.
-----
“Sorry I got a little carried away.” Alex has the grace to look sheepish as she re-buttons Maggie’s shirt when the whistle blows again 10 minutes later, marking the end of halftime.
“I don’t recall complaining. If this is what being a soccer mom entails, I’m all for it.” Maggie jokes as Alex buttons her jeans.
“Want a mini-van for your birthday? Really play this fantasy out?” Alex jokes back. She tugs Maggie by her shirt, pulling her in for a chaste kiss. As they part, she asks, “How do I look?”
“Like you just got fingered underneath the bleachers at your kid sister’s soccer game.” Maggie deadpans, smoothing down her own hair. Alex gasps. Maggie laughs. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. You look fine. A little flushed, but it’s hot out.”
Alex nods, giving her own shirt a tug, straightening out. She reaches for Maggie’s hand. “Time to watch eight year olds suck at sports again.”
---
Maggie and Alex return just as the second half kicks off. Eliza greets them, turning her attention back to field until something registers and she turns back in a double take.
“Maggie, you’ve got –“ Eliza trails off as Maggie’s hand flies up to her neck, eyes wide, hiking up her shirt collar up. Next to her, Alex looks just as mortified.
“Honey, you should really take more care in leaving hickeys where no one can see them. You don’t need to mark your territory to keep your girlfriend around.”
Maggie snorts as Alex grimaces. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Mom.”
Maggie wraps her arm around Alex as Alex drops her head into her hands. Maggie leans in, pressing her forehead to Alex’s temple, teasing. “Should I show her the marks on my stomach? So she knows you leave ‘em in intimate spots, too?”
Maggie’s free hand goes to her shirt, fingers toying at the hem. Alex reaches out, lacing their fingers together and halting Maggie’s movements. “Are you always such a cocky little shit, or is that just for me?”
Maggie chuckles, kissing Alex’s forehead as they watch Kara score against her own team.
----
“Whatcha drawin’ there?” Maggie asks Kara as she and Alex treat Kara to milkshakes at the little girl’s favorite diner after the game.
“Krypton.” Kara replies matter-of-factly, her tongue popping out in concentration as she colors what looks like a spaceship.
“Krypton?”
Kara drops her crayon, mouth agape. “Alex! You didn’t tell Maggie my Krypton story? It’s the best story!”
Maggie turns to Alex, officially confused. Alex pops a cherry into her mouth. “Maggie’s a little past wanting bedtime stories, Kar.”
“But it’s my story! I trust her. She needs to know! You have to tell her!” Kara yelps, thinly veiled panic in her voice.
Though still unsure of what’s transpiring, Maggie feels the shift in energy at the table. Alex reaches over, placing her hand on Kara’s arm, her voice softer than Maggie’s ever heard it. “You’re right, she needs to hear it. I’ll tell her, okay?” Kara nods, placated.
Once she returns to coloring, Alex places her hand on Maggie’s thigh. “Later.” she mouths.
----
After Kara goes to bed for the night, Alex gathers some blankets and helps Maggie climb out her bedroom window, setting up a cozy little enclave on the overhang roof.
They sit side by side and Maggie waits, giving Alex time to collect her thoughts. Five minutes later, Alex’s voice cuts through the chirping crickets.
“You already know Kara’s adopted but…she – God, Maggie, her life was so fucked up before us.”
Maggie takes Alex’s hand, thumbing circles across the back of it, encouraging her to continue.
“Kara’s piece of shit birth parents abused her.” Alex looks at Maggie before adding, “Now that I think of it, it’s probably why you and her get along so well. You’re both too good for the people you were born to.” Maggie nods sadly, head resting on her knees as she watches Alex.
Alex mirrors Maggie’s position, hugging her knees to her chest, speaking out towards the night. “Anyway, when Kara first came to us, she had these awful night terrors. The therapist said she was re-living trauma. She stopped sleeping. Wasn’t eating. Things no four year old should ever struggle with. It was terrible to watch.”
“I’ll bet. Poor Kara.”
“Yeah. One night, on a whim, I brought her up here. I pointed to a random star and made up this story about a girl stuck on a planet called Krypton with terrible parents who hurt her until one day a lady put her in a pod and sent her to Earth because there was a girl down here who really wanted a baby sister to love.” Alex looks up at the sky, laughing before continuing.
“And because Kara’s not stupid, she immediately was all ‘Hey, that sounds like me!’ and I just…went with it? It was the first time she’d shown genuine excitement, I couldn’t take that away from her. That night was all she needed. Once she felt like her life had meaning, she started sleeping through the night.
Alex smiles ruefully before finishing, “Eventually, she realized it was just a silly little bedtime story, but it became our thing. When she’s feeling lost, she’ll ask for her story and it reminds her that she matters.
“Wow.” Maggie breathes out in admiration. “You’re in a league of your own, Danvers.”
“It’s nothing.” Alex looks down, picking at a roof tile.
Maggie reaches out, gently turning Alex’s head back to meet her gaze. “Please don’t do that. The days of you pushing down your feelings are officially over. We both know it’s not nothing.
Alex shrugs. “She’s my sister. It’s what sisters do.”
Maggie shifts, bracketing one leg behind Alex’s back and bending her other at the knee to get closer to Alex. “Do you know what my sister did for me when my parents kicked me out? She shot me a text asking if she could have my mattress because it was ‘better’. My dad cut my service before I could tell her to piss off.
“Oh, Maggie…”
Maggie waves Alex off. “No, it’s not about that right now. I’m using it as an example. What you did for Kara wasn’t sisters being sisters stuff. That was heroic Alex Danvers stuff.”
Alex plays with the knee seam of Maggie’s pants. “You’re not just saying that because you’re the best girlfriend?”
Maggie gathers Alex’s hand in hers, pressing it to her lips. “I’d never lie to you. Kara is so lucky to have you in her life. We all are.”
-----
“Maggie?” Alex questions as she mutes the TV the next morning, patting Maggie’s legs resting in her lap.
“Yeah?”
“You know how you said I need to stop pushing down my feelings?”
Maggie hums in agreement.
“I really need you to meet my Dad. I – is that – can we go to the cemetery?”
Maggie hooks her heels into Alex’s thighs, pulling herself closer. She kisses Alex’s cheek, meeting her nervous gaze.
“I’d go anywhere with you.”
And from her spot in the hallway, just out of sight, Eliza bites back tears.
---
“Well. This is my Dad.” Alex gestures to the cemetery ground at their feet; to the few flowers planted at the base of Jeremiah’s headstone. “He wasn’t always this boring.” Alex jokes uncomfortably.
Maggie wraps her arm around Alex’s, dropping a kiss to her shoulder. “Do you mind if I say a quick prayer?”
Alex shakes her head, chewing her lip as Maggie lets go of Alex and bows her head. Unsure of what to do with herself during Maggie’s prayer, Alex drops to her knees, tidying up some overgrown weeds around the plot. Maggie finishes with the sign of the cross before joining Alex on the ground.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Maggie states as she plucks a weed. Alex sits back on her heels, eyes shining with tears. “You’re not weirded out I wanted you to meet my dead Dad?”
“Sweetheart…” Maggie exhales as Alex hugs herself, tears finally falling. She gathers Alex into her arms, her body absorbing Alex’s shuddering breaths, wincing in sympathy with each wracking sob. “I’m here, Alex. For all of it. Happy, sad and every shade of gray in between.”
Alex’s lip trembles as she looks at Maggie. “He would’ve liked you.”
Maggie smiles. “From everything you’ve told me, I would’ve liked him too.” A tear drops onto Maggie’s cheek. Alex reaches out to wipe it away. “I know why I’m crying but why are you crying?”
Maggie lets out a small laugh, tucking a piece of hair around Alex’s ear, hand coming to rest on Alex’s cheek. “I meant what I said to Kara, you dork. I just want to make you happy.”
Alex places her hand atop Maggie’s. “You do, Maggie. I can’t even begin to tell you how much.”
Maggie looks up at the sky. “God, I hope.”
----
“Maggie?” Eliza questions as she walks into her living room at 2 am. Maggie looks up from the notebook she’s huddled over, startled.
“I’m so sorry. Did the light wake you?”
Eliza waves her hand. “Not at all. I was having trouble sleeping so I decided on a cup of tea. Care to join me?”
“That’d be great.” Maggie places her notebook on the end table and stands before Eliza stops her.
“I’ve got it. I’ll be back in a moment.”
----
“You’re really great with my little girl” Eliza muses over her mug after re-joining Maggie on the couch.
“Aw, that’s easy. Kara’s a cute kid.”
“I meant Alex.”
Maggie sputters. “Yeah, well, that’s even easier.”
Eliza’s eyes widen playfully. “Really? You’ve met my Alexandra, right? She’s as hardheaded and infuriating as her father was.”
“Keeps things interesting.”
“That it does.” Eliza agrees. Maggie sips her tea, waiting for Eliza to break the silence. When it becomes clear she won’t, Maggie eyes her wearily. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to like, tell you what my intentions are?”
“Only if you’d like to.”
Maggie takes a deep breath. Eliza smirks at the muttered “You can do this” pep talk Maggie gives herself before diving in.
“I – I don’t meet many people that I care about and I care about Alex - ” Maggie lets out a nervous laugh. “-A lot.” Maggie plays with the tea bag in her mug, unable to meet Eliza’s gaze. “Your daughter’s become really important to me and I don’t want to imagine my life without her in it.” Maggie looks up, tears in her eyes, her lip trembling. “I can’t imagine my life without her in it."
“No one’s asking you to imagine life without Alex. I’m certainly not.”
“Not right now, maybe, but it’s just – look, everything is great now but one day Alex will realize…” Maggie trails off, placing her mug down and rubbing her eyes in frustration.
“Alex will realize....” Eliza prompts.
Maggie pulls a blanket over herself, wrapping herself up tightly. Desperate for comfort. “After what your family’s been through, Alex deserves something easy. She deserves someone she can walk down the street with, hand in hand, without doing a homophobe check first. She deserves a marriage that’s seen as valid and binding on all fronts, in all states. She deserves in-laws who cherish her, not in-laws who hate her as much as they hate their own daughter just because they’re a bunch of queers. All I do is make Alex’s life harder and I can’t give her anything she deserves but -” Maggie’s breath hitches as she finishes, “-I need her."
Eliza places her mug on the coffee table, turning slightly to face Maggie. “What Alex deserves is to be cared for. To feel supported. Loved. You’ve already told me you care for her, and you’ve already shown me you support her. I guess the only one left is, do you love her?”
“A terrifying amount.” Maggie’s voice quivers.
“Then it sounds like you already give her everything she deserves.”
“But –“
Eliza raises her finger. “Falling in love is daunting in even the safest of conditions. I can’t imagine how frightening it is to be told the love you’re feeling doesn’t count.” Maggie sniffles, hanging on Eliza’s every word.
Eliza reaches out, placing her hand on the couch beside Maggie, giving Maggie the option to initiate contact should she choose. “No one ever questioned the validity of my marriage, or my rights as a spouse when we lost Jeremiah. I’ll never know the challenges you and Alex face together just to be seen as a couple. But I swear to you, no matter how loudly people scream otherwise, that love you feel counts. It’s real. You’re real, and you deserve a real, full, happy life. And if your version of real includes loving and fighting for my daughter, in spite of all the ways the world tries to tell you why you shouldn’t, then you exceed my wildest dreams for Alex’s future.”
Maggie’s response is so quiet Eliza almost misses it. “You don’t think I’m a bad person?”
“Oh, honey.” Eliza exhales. “Come here, please?” Eliza begs, patting her lap. Maggie moves closer, the floodgates opening as Maggie lays her head down, face burrowed into Eliza’s stomach. “You’re a beautiful person. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.” Eliza soothes, brushing her fingers through Maggie’s hair.
“Thank you.” Maggie sobs back.
----
The bed creaks as Maggie sits gingerly next to her slumbering girlfriend, leaning over Alex’s back and tucking a strand of hair behind Alex’s ear. She kisses Alex’s head. “Good morning, Sunshine.” Alex blinks awake, bleary eyed.
“Baby, it’s…” Alex looks at her alarm clock. “5 in the morning?! Are you kidding, Sawyer!?” Alex groans as she pulls the covers up over her head. Maggie laughs, pulling them back. “Up and at ‘em, slugger. I made coffee and a bitchin’ breakfast spread. We’ve got a sunrise to catch.”
“Whyyyyy.” Alex whines, flopping into Maggie’s lap.
“Can’t appreciate the beauty in life without a little pain, Danvers.”
Alex considers that for a moment, thumb brushing along Maggie’s brow. “Fine. But only because you mentioned coffee and now it’s all I can think about.”
“Whatever gets you movin’.” Maggie laughs, patting Alex’s hip as they tumble out of bed.
----
Alex falls asleep the second Maggie pulls out of the driveway. 20 minutes later, Maggie pulls into a gravel parking lot, the sound of tires meeting pavement jolting Alex awake.
Alex helps Maggie carry a packed picnic basket and some blankets down a path to a secluded beach, grumbling the whole way about it being “too early for manual labor.”
They settle in, Alex between Maggie’s legs, her back resting against Maggie’s chest, listening to the crashing waves as dawn slowly lights up the coast. Maggie’s almost convinced Alex has fallen back asleep in her arms until Alex asks, genuinely this time, “Why sunrise?"
“If you can’t recognize a date, Danvers, then I’m doing this whole girlfriend thing wrong.”
“Normal people take their girlfriends on dates to things like brunch. Or the movies. Activities that occur over the course of a day, when the world is awake to provide said activities.”
“Today’s a day, is it not?”
Alex pauses, caught. “It is.”
Maggie squeezes Alex. “We’re awake, are we not?”
Maggie laughs as Alex wearily concedes. “We are.”
“And the world is providing an activity?” Maggie gestures to the rising sun.
“Yes, dear.”
“Then, it’s a date.”
Alex relents as she trails her fingers along Maggie’s arm, digging her feet into the sand. “I’d still rather be asleep, but it is beautiful.” Maggie kisses Alex’s neck in acknowledgement.
“I watched a lot of sunrises as a kid. It never gets old.”
Alex knocks her knee against Maggie’s. “Now I know you’re not normal if you make a habit of waking up at the ass crack of dawn to hang with the sun.”
“I had trouble sleeping after my parents kicked me out.” Maggie answers honestly. She can feel Alex still, listening with bated breath. “Kara’s shrink was right. If Kara’s like me, she was re-living trauma.” Alex lets out a strangled gasp, rubbing her hand along Maggie’s biceps. “After I left Blue Springs, the only thing left to count on was that every day, the sun would rise."
Alex leans her head back against Maggie’s shoulder, looking up. “You know you can count on more than just the sun now, right?”
Maggie meets Alex’s stare. “Yeah. I know.”
Maggie releases her hold of Alex and twists over, rifling through the picnic basket. “My shrink wasn’t as wonderful as you are. She didn’t give me a sweeping story about my overarching purpose to get me over my trauma. Instead-” Maggie pauses as she pulls out a folded piece of paper, raising it up to show Alex, “-she recommended I write letters to my Dad. Not to send, but as a way to release the things I was holding onto.” Maggie wraps her arms back around Alex, hitting the folded letter against her palm a few times in front of the Alex, embarrassed. “I wrote a lot of letters.” Maggie presses the paper into Alex’s hand. “I still do.”
Alex unfolds the paper, Maggie’s chin coming to rest on Alex’s shoulder as they silently read:
Dad,
I’m in love with Alex.
If Alex were short for Alexander, you’d be elated. “I told you being that way was a choice” you’d celebrate as you popped open a cold one and handed it off to my knight in shining amour. You’d talk shop with him at the dinner table and watch football with him on Sundays and kiss my cheek when you joined my hand with his as we stood before an altar, me in my white dress.
But Alex is short for Alexandra and that changes everything for you.
I hate that it changes everything for you.
I hate that you’d open your arms to Alexander so freely just because he has a dick, regardless of whether he was a dick, but you’d turn your back so vehemently on Alexandra. My beautiful, sweet, brave, goofy, amazing Alexandra who is perfect in every way except, in your eyes, for her gender.
I adore Alex.
If I kept it unisex, you wouldn’t know to care. If I kept it unisex, my adoration would be enough.
Why does everything change when Alex is short for Alexandra? Why isn’t adoration enough?
Alex’s dad died a few years ago. He was a good man who loved and supported his gay daughter and yet somehow, he’s six feet below ground while you stand six feet above, full of hate and disgust.
Jeremiah had no say in missing Alex’s life. You have a say and still chose to miss mine.
It’s not fair.
We went to Jeremiah’s grave yesterday and as Alex cried for her dead father, I cried knowing I’d do anything to bury my living one if it’d bring hers back. That may not be rational, but what you did wasn’t, either.
Do you remember the night you kicked me out? You called me disgusting. You condemned me to hell and told me to rot. You spat at me, and before slamming the door in my face, you told me it wasn’t worth it. That I shouldn’t throw my life away for something “so unnatural”.
You told me loving was wrong.
It was the worst night of my life, but I would re-live every bad thing you ever put me through if it led me to Alex again.
Because you were wrong that night, not me. I wasn’t throwing my life away.
I was gaining one. She gave me one.
Falling in love with a woman was worth it.
Loving Alexandra is worth everything.
Maggie
By the time Alex finishes, tear marks litter the paper. Alex shifts, laying Maggie down as she hovers above. Alex lowers herself, flush against Maggie, kissing her girlfriend fiercely.
“Are you okay?” Maggie asks when the kiss ends, clutching her hands tightly to her chest as Alex props herself back up on her elbows, hovering again.
“Am I okay? Are you kidding?” Alex breathes out, shaking her head gently. She takes a deep breath before declaring, “I love you, Maggie Sawyer.”
“Really?”
Alex smiles. “How could I not love you?”
Maggie pulls Alex back down, rolling their bodies over so she hovers atop now. “I love you, Alex Danvers.” She sighs against Alex’s lips, lowering herself down for another kiss.
-------
That night, Alex tosses Maggie a shirt from her bedroom floor as she pulls her own over her head.
“I can’t believe I just had sex with my little sister right next door.”
Alex lies down, pulling the sheet over herself and Maggie as Maggie settles on Alex’s chest. Maggie shifts to look up at Alex, a sympathetic smile on her face, hand resting above Alex’s heart.
“Think of it this way. Now we know we’re quiet enough to maintain a healthy sex life when we have our own sleeping children one wall over.” Maggie can feel Alex’s heart race, and she pulls herself up on her elbow. She pales, running a hand through her own hair. “I – I don’t know why I said that out loud.“
Alex sits as well, tilting Maggie’s chin up. “Kids, eh?”
Maggie eyes Alex wearily. “Um…yeah? I mean, we’ve only been dating for 7 months and we just exchanged ‘I love you’s’ but I’ve – I’ve thought about it?” Maggie pauses, mistaking Alex’s silence for something else, and tries to backtrack. “It’s whatever though. We’re still in college. Forget I said-“
“Maggie. You don’t have to be guarded with me. You can tell me anything.”
Maggie bites her lip, her hand rubbing her chin nervously. Alex pushes Maggie’s hair behind her ear, a warm smile on her face. “After watching you with Kara this week? I mean, Christ. You’re making my ovaries explode over here.”
Maggie sighs in relief as Alex pulls her back down, Maggie’s head finding home on Alex’s chest again. Maggie links their hands together, playing with Alex’s fingers. A few moments pass before Maggie asks the burning question into Alex’s chest. “So, what’s our hypothetical child’s name?”
“Let’s name her Gertrude.”
Maggie bolts back up, incredulous. “Gertrude?!” Oh hell no, Danvers. I’m out.” She makes a great show of leaving the bed but Alex grabs Maggie’s waist, pulling her back into her arms. Alex tickles her girlfriend, loving the sound of Maggie’s squeals as she tries to escape Alex’s jabs.
“You’d never leave me and Gertie” Alex laughs, dodging Maggie’s flails.
And though they’re joking, it doesn’t stop Maggie from grabbing both of Alex’s hands and answering with absolute sincerity.
“Never.”
------
The morning Maggie’s set to leave, Alex finds Maggie and Kara with their heads pressed together at the kitchen table, crayons strewn about, working on the same piece of construction paper.
Alex walks over, curious, but before she can catch a glimpse Kara flings herself over the paper. “No! No peeking!” Kara exclaims. Maggie smirks as Alex turns her focus, appealing to Maggie now instead.
“Sorry Danvers, you heard the kid. No peeking.” Alex huffs as she settles on a stool at the kitchen island, far enough away for the duo to continue their work. “You’re supposed to be on your sisters’ side, Kara.”
Kara shrugs, her brow furrowed. “Maggie’s my sister too.” Maggie stills, eyes never leaving the paper even as a dimpled smile lights up her face.
Eliza walks in shortly after, leaning against the kitchen island as Alex sulks, albeit playfully. “What’s wrong?”
Alex juts her finger over her shoulder, responding vaguely. “I’ve been replaced.”
It’s no more than a second later that Alex lets out a massive “oomph”, the surprise recipient of a Maggie and Kara bear hug. Her girlfriend and her sister pepper her cheeks with kiss after kiss, chants of “We love Alex” echoing over and over like a mantra.
Eliza joins in and by the end, Alex’s stomach hurts from laughing.
-------
Kara cries when she says goodbye to Maggie, and Eliza has to physically remove Kara from Maggie’s arms so she and Alex can leave. The ride to the airport is subdued, neither Maggie nor Alex able to say more than a few sentences to the other without cracking voices.
Alex purses her lips as Maggie hikes her duffel bag on her shoulder, boarding pass in hand, once they reach the security checkpoint. “Are you sure you can’t stay for the rest of break? We can head back together when the semester starts up.” Alex pleads for the fourth time.
“I wish, but I really can’t take any more vacation days.”
“So? Quit. I’ll support the both of us.”
Maggie smiles. “You make less than I do.”
Alex kicks the ground. “It’s the thought that counts.”
Maggie tilts her head, watching her girlfriend affectionately. “I love you so much, you thoughtful nerd.”
Alex nods, tears finally falling. Maggie quickly gathers Alex in her arms, cradling Alex’s head. Alex’s hands fist Maggie’s shirt as she chokes out a sob.
“It’s only a month, Alex. We’ve dealt with distance before.”
“It feels different this time.” Alex sniffs out. Maggie presses a kiss to Alex’s temple. “I know, baby.”
They hold each other until the PA system announces final boarding for Maggie’s flight. Reluctantly, Maggie pulls back, readjusting her bag on her shoulder and reaching for the folded construction paper tucked in her back pocket. “If I wanna make it through security in time, I should go.”
Alex thumbs away a tear from Maggie’s cheek. “Call me when you land?”
“The second we hit tarmac.” Maggie promises.
Alex gnaws at her lip, biting back tears and reaching for one last hug. “Okay. Have a safe flight.” She rests her cheek to Maggie’s hair, breathing in. “I love you.”
Maggie’s hand slips into Alex’s back pocket, transferring the paper to Alex’s possession. “I love you, too. See you soon.” With one last peck and a wave, Maggie turns, walking through security.
Once Maggie’s out of sight, Alex pulls the paper out of her jean pocket, unfolding it with shaking hands.
She cries all over again when she sees Our Story written in Maggie’s crayon scrawl staring back at her, crude stick figure drawings of Alex and Maggie and a little girl named Gertrude between them. Off to the side, in Kara’s handwriting, stand a stick figured Aunt Kara and Grandma Eliza, with Grandpa Jeremiah shining down as the sun.
----
The drawing becomes Alex’s most prized possession and years later, it hangs framed above their daughter’s bed.
“I know I’ve said this before but thank God I talked you out of naming her Gertrude. What was that?” Maggie whispers, watching their two-year-old’s chest rise and fall in slumber. Alex grins, wrapping her arm around Maggie’s waist, tugging her close and kissing Maggie’s temple.
“How about Herbert for the next one?” Alex muses as her hand rubs her own slightly protruding stomach. Maggie pulls back, faux affronted.
“Good lord, Danvers, why do you hate our children?”