Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Maggie Sawyer, former NCPD Detective, paused outside the L-Corp building and studied the imposing structure for a moment. When Lena Luthor had first said offhandedly “If you’re ever looking for a job, I have one for you” after Maggie had saved her from a rampaging alien killer she’d merely smiled politely and assured the CEO that she was good as a detective. Now, here she was, a few months later and about to start her first day as head of L-Corp’s security. It hadn’t been an easy decision but seeing so many aliens, some of whom were her friends, murdered before she could stop the latest serial killer out to eliminate the alien presence in National City, she decided that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad doing private security for a company that had recently publicly come out as pro-alien.

Maybe it would even allow her to have a relationship without getting accused of being work-obsessed or sociopathic. She snorted to herself at that. She’d made the decision right before her most recent semi-long-term girlfriend had dumped her. Planning to tell the other woman over dinner. Hoping it would let them move forward in the relationship. They hadn’t even made it through the appetizer before Maggie was single again and her news went unshared.

Shaking off the grim thoughts, Maggie continued forward into the building’s foyer. She’d made the decision and damned if she wasn’t going to follow through, even if she’d been dumped before it had a chance to matter. She waved casually to the security guard at the entrance security desk and headed for the bank of elevators, swiping the key card she’d received just the day before at the security gate and again when entering the elevator enabling her to select the penthouse floor. First order of business was a meeting with Ms. Luthor. Maggie had been a little hesitant about the youngest Luthor but so far the CEO had done nothing to show she was like her brother and everything to show she wasn’t and Maggie certainly wasn’t going to judge her based on her name alone.

Stepping out of the elevator, Maggie flashed a smile at Luthor’s receptionist when the woman looked up. Jess, if she recalled the woman’s name correctly. “Ms. Sawyer right?”

“Yes. Ms. Luthor wanted to meet with me this morning?”

“Of course, let me see if she’s ready.” Jess gave her a practiced smile before hitting an intercom button and stating quietly, “Ms. Luthor, Ms. Sawyer is here.”

“Send her in, Jess. Thank you.”

Maggie flashed another grin and headed for the door before Jess could speak. She knocked briefly on the door as a warning before pushing it open and stepping inside. Out of habit she glanced around the room, looking for threats and, in this case, appreciating the simple stylish interior. Her scan halted abruptly when it landed on the pretty blonde-haired woman in glasses perched on the couch. Maggie cocked her head and gave Luthor an inquisitive smile.

Luthor smiled at Maggie as she rose from behind her desk. “Ms. Sawyer, it’s good to see you again. Welcome to L-Corp, officially.”

“Call me Maggie, Ms. Luthor.” Maggie glanced between Luthor and the mystery woman, curious and more than a little intrigued. The blonde smiled brightly at her and bounded to her feet.

“Hi. Kara Danvers.” She held out her hand, still smiling and Maggie shook it automatically, a little bemused.

“Maggie Sawyer.”

Luthor chuckled. “Yes, now that you’ve met Kara.”

The blonde looked slightly abashed and Maggie couldn’t help but think she looked adorable if not really Maggie’s type. “Sorry, Lena.”

Luthor laughed again, waving off the apology and Maggie’s intrigue increased. Every time she’d met Luthor, or seen her at an event, the CEO had been polite but very reserved. She didn’t think she’d ever heard Luthor laugh or knew anyone who had. “As Jess and the rest of security already knows, Kara is allowed full access to the building at all times.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “I see. May I ask why, Ms. Luthor?” She flashed a brief smile at Kara. “No offense, Ms. Danvers.”

“Oh, it’s just Kara,” Kara laughed and flashed another brilliant smile.

“Sure.” Maggie couldn’t help but smile back before looking back at Luthor, cocking her head curiously.

Luthor simply smiled in response. “Of course. Kara is my girlfriend. I trust her with everything. And please, call me Lena when we’re alone.”

Maggie blinked in surprise. She hadn’t even known Lena was dating anyone, much less another woman.

Lena seemed to sense the surprise because she continued, “We’ve been keeping it quiet. Kara is a reporter with CatCo Magazine and we’d rather wait as long as possible before the story breaks.”

“Of course, makes perfect sense.” Maggie nodded. She still wasn’t sure about this woman having full rein of the building but she didn’t have much choice either. She vaguely recognized the name and resolved to do some checking later and learn some more about this Kara Danvers, reporter for CatCo Magazine.

Kara glanced at the clock. “I have to get to CatCo, Lena. Snapper wants a press meeting at nine.”

Lena smiled at her girlfriend. “I’ll see you later, Kara. Thanks for stopping by.”

Kara grinned. “Anytime.” Swiftly she pecked Lena on the lips before practically bounding to the door. She paused briefly at the door and turned to point at the desk. “Don’t forget to eat your breakfast.”

Lena laughed and shooed the other woman out of the office. “Yes, dear. Now go before Snapper yells at you again.”

With a quick “Bye Maggie, great to meet you!” the blonde had vanished out the door, leaving Maggie slightly dazed at the enthusiasm. Blinking she turned back to Lena who looked amused.

“She’s… a happy person.”

Maggie chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll say.” She paused then added, “She seems nice.”

Lena nodded, turning back to her desk and picking up the pastry and coffee sitting there. “She is. I understand if you don’t trust her yet, Ms.—Maggie, but I assure you she can be trusted.”

Maggie nodded slightly but shrugged. “I understand. But it’s my job not to trust people. Easier to provide security if you just assume everyone’s out to get you.”

Lena smiled slightly. “I understand.” She took a bite of her pastry and was silent for a few moments before setting both it and the coffee down. “I thought I might show you around the building. I understand you didn’t get to see much yesterday given the paperwork.”

Maggie laughed. “No, the stack of NDAs didn’t leave much time for exploring.”

Lena nodded and simply stated, “We take our security seriously. We have too much valuable technology and science here not to.”

Maggie nodded seriously, her smile fleeing. “Of course. Believe me, I do understand that. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure it's even better.”

Lena smiled. “Thank you. Shall we?”

Maggie nodded and followed the CEO out the door. Maggie listened attentively as Lena pointed out various parts of L-Corp, doing her best to memorize what floor and where on the floor every department was on. Most of the departments required security access to enter, Maggie noted approvingly. It wasn’t a guarantee that unauthorized access would be prevented but it was sure better than simply allowing employees to roam. Several floors, such as Lena’s office level, also required security access in order to even take the elevator there.

Maggie was starting to wonder how many different laboratories this building had when the pair stepped off the elevator and entered a lab that was nearly completely dark except for a desk lamp in one corner. The lab appeared to be the only one on the floor, the rest of the space walled off and only accessible through a security door. Maggie frowned, hand edging toward the pistol she had concealed in her waistband. Something didn’t feel quite right about this lab.

Lena was unfazed, simply allowing the door to shut behind them before raising her voice only slightly to call, “Alex?”

A figure Maggie hadn’t noticed raised their head from where they had apparently been peering into some sort of device but Maggie thought looked vaguely microscope-like. It was hard to tell for sure in the near darkness. Her hand curled around the pistol grip but she didn’t draw, curiosity slowly winning over concern, especially since Lena seemed unconcerned.

“Lena?” a distinctly feminine voice asked.

Lena chuckled. Maggie raised an eyebrow. A second person who made Lena Luthor laugh and called her by name. Interesting.

“Yes. Can I turn on the lights?”

There was a pause and Maggie could just make out the person—woman—cock her head to the side as if considering the question. “Just a second.” There was a flurry of movement at the other end of the lab and after a few moments Maggie heard something open and shut. “Ok, feel free.”

Lena reached out and tapped a touchpad on the wall, turning the lights on low. Even that level of sudden light made Maggie blink suddenly. Then she blinked again in surprise. She didn’t really know what she’d been expecting of the scientist hiding in the dark lab but a beautiful, slender woman around her own age with chin-length, wavy, auburn hair and intelligent brown eyes was definitely not it. Maggie glanced down the other woman’s figure quickly, noting approvingly the sensible shoes, albeit nicer than anything Maggie usually wore. A white lab coat with the name “Danvers” embroidered on the left breast draped neatly over simple slacks and blouse. There was something about the way the woman stood that set off quiet alarm bells in Maggie’s head but she couldn’t figure out why. Everything else about the woman screamed “science nerd.”

Releasing her grip on the pistol, Maggie smiled at the scientist, waiting for introductions. Alex wandered over, looking curiously between Maggie and Lena. When she reached a comfortable speaking distance, she spoke again and Maggie caught something in her voice, almost as if the woman was concerned about Maggie’s presence. “What’s up, Ms. Luthor?”

Lena simply smiled. “Alex, this is Maggie Sawyer, the new head of security and former NCPD Detective.” Maggie raised an eyebrow slightly when the scientist’s gaze sharpened noticeably. “Maggie, this is Dr. Alex Danvers, one of our best bioengineers.”

It was Maggie’s turn to look sharply at Lena. “Danvers? As in—?”

Danvers smiled coolly, holding out a hand. “As in Kara Danvers’ sister, yes. Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sawyer.”

Maggie shook her hand automatically, noting the firm grip. “Likewise, Dr. Danvers.” She glanced around the still only dimly lit laboratory. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you working in the dark?”

Danvers smiled briefly and Maggie felt vaguely like she’d been kicked in the gut. The woman was gorgeous when she smiled. “I'm looking at a PCR gel. All you need is a black light but I like the lights off, since I want to be sure I get strong bands when I take the picture.”

Maggie nodded slightly. “Right. Of course.” She heard Lena laugh softly beside her and Danvers’ smile edged toward a full grin, eyes dancing with amusement.

“You asked.”

Maggie smiled wryly. “I did.”

Danvers looked from Maggie to Lena, the grin fading rapidly back into a politely curious smile. “Was there anything else, Ms. Luthor?”

Lena actually rolled her eyes. “No, Dr. Danvers. Just wanted to introduce you.”

Danvers nodded, smile becoming real once more for just a moment. “Thanks, Lena.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow before remembering this doctor was the sister of Lena’s girlfriend, of course they’d be on a first name basis.

Lena nodded with a smile. “Want me to shut the lights back off?”

Danvers waved her off, already turning for the touchpad. “Nah, I got it. Bye Lena. Sawyer.” With those words she’d tapped the pad plunging the lab back into mostly darkness and was navigating deftly back toward her PCR gels.

Maggie blinked at the sudden dismissal as much as at the sudden darkness. “Sure. See you around, Danvers.” She thought Danvers gave a vague wave in response but it was hard to tell in the darkness.

Lena laughed softly next to her before leading the way out of the lab. Maggie glanced over curiously, wondering if Lena would say anything further about Dr. Danvers.

“You’ll get used to Alex. She’s pretty much the opposite of Kara in nearly every way.”

Maggie nodded thoughtfully. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the scientist but for the life of her couldn’t figure out what it could be. She followed Lena on the rest of the tour, continuing to learn the layout of L-Corp but part of her mind continued to dwell on the beautiful Dr. Alex Danvers studying science in the dark.

Chapter Text

Alex ruffled her hair absently as she exited L-Corp, heading for the parking garage, most of her mind still running through the results of the day’s tests and contemplating the best ones to begin with the next day. Without even realizing it her mind drifted back to L-Corp’s new employee. Maggie Sawyer. Alex had to admit, she was curious. The former detective was not what she’d been expecting. Honestly, she didn’t really know what she’d been expecting. Whatever it was, though, a woman quite so beautiful wasn’t it. The official NCPD photo attached to the DEO file had definitely not done the woman justice and Alex found her thoughts shifting from running through results to detailing just how different and more vibrant the real woman was than the photograph.

Alex’s phone vibrated suddenly jarring her from her thoughts. Frowning slightly, she glanced at the caller ID noting the DEO number. “Danvers.”

“Agent Danvers, we need you at the DEO immediately.”

Alex quickened her pace. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“We don’t have that much time.”

Alex immediately stuttered to a halt as Kara landed in front of her with a grim look. Hanging up the phone, Alex nodded to her sister who, with a quick glance around, grabbed her around the waist.

The pair landed at the DEO balcony less than a minute later and hurried inside. “What’s going on?” Alex asked as soon as they were in earshot of J’onn.

J’onn didn’t even look over, instead pointing at one of the large monitors on the wall. “Hostage situation.”

Alex frowned. “Why isn’t Kara already there then?”

“I was,” Kara spoke up. “It’s a small bank near the edge of the city. The bad guys were using alien weaponry but when I tried to use my heat vision to melt one of the weapons it uh… it exploded. ”

Alex blinked. “Exploded?” She looked to J’onn and Winn for more details. Both shrugged at her.

“That’s pretty much it, yeah. It happened as soon as Kara’s heat vision hit the weapon,” Winn replied.

“We couldn’t risk the explosions harming the hostages,” J’onn added.

“So it probably wasn’t a case of overheating then.” Alex looked back at the monitor, studying the layout of the bank that Winn had pulled up while they spoke. “What else do we know? Was anyone hurt in the blast? How many of them are there? How many hostages? Are there any more of them not inside? Who’s running the containment?”

Winn looked vaguely shell-shocked at the rapid-fire questions.

Alex snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Winn!”

“Uh—right! Uh…”

Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at J’onn who gave Winn a slightly amused glance before speaking. “We believe at least a couple of the attackers were injured in the blast but we don’t know for sure; they took advantage of it to retreat. So far five men have been seen but reports indicate as many as ten. This particular bank has a vault lined with lead. It’s where they’re keeping the hostages and likely more men. There are at least a dozen hostages, mostly bank employees. As far as we know, all the hostiles are inside the bank and currently the NCPD has a cordon set up outside to keep it that way.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. The exploding weapons certainly added a different wrinkle. “So we can’t rely on disabling the weapons.”

J’onn nodded in confirmation. “We’re going to have to use the disruptors.”

“Are those ready?”

“They’re going to have to be. It’s the only shot we’ve got right now, Alex.”

“What… what are the disruptors?” Winn asked.

Alex spared him a quick glance. “Some weapons we’ve been working on. They disrupt a human’s neural network briefly. Long enough to, hopefully, disarm them.” She looked back at J’onn. “I’ll do it.”

He briefly looked about to protest then nodded. “Get changed quickly. The team will be ready in five.”

She nodded curtly then practically sprinted for the locker room, ignoring the abbreviated questions from Kara and Winn. When she returned a few minutes later, the rest of her team was armed and ready. Kara was glaring, stepping in front of her and asking harshly, “What does he mean you have to get close to them?”

“Kara—”

“No, Alex, this is crazy. You can’t just walk in there!”

“Supergirl,” J’onn’s deep voice cut in from behind Kara. “This is the only way.”

“What’s to prevent it from taking her out too?” Kara whirled around to face J’onn. “You said she has to get close, doesn’t that mean she’ll be in range too?”

“There’s an inhibitor built into the vest I’m wearing. It should block the pulse from the disruptor.”

“Should?!”

Alex sighed, resting a hand on Kara’s arm and waiting for her to meet her gaze. “Yes, ‘should.’ Kara, like J’onn said, it’s the only chance we have unless we want to risk blowing up the hostages.”

Kara looked away from her for a long moment, clearly conflicted. Finally she sighed and looked back at Alex, nodding slightly.

Alex held Kara’s gaze for a long moment before nodding reassuringly. “I’ll be careful.” She redirected her gaze to the team assembled behind the superhero. “Let’s go. Supergirl, J’onn, we’ll meet you there.”

Kara and the team all nodded grimly before Kara took off. Alex exchanged a final look with J’onn who nodded firmly. “Be careful.”

Alex nodded wordlessly. Kara might be right, getting close enough to use the weapons properly might be a bit nuts, especially if the prototype inhibitor didn’t work right, but at least she had the best backup in the world for it. A quick glance at her team and Alex was booking it to the garage; she could hear her team members’ boots striking the ground rapidly behind her.

When they arrived at the location, Alex could see J’onn and Kara both hovering in flanking positions near the door. Scorch marks were visible both outside and inside the bank. The NCPD Lieutenant heading up the situation immediately bolted over to Alex, looking relieved. “Thank God you’re here. Tell me you have something that can combat these things.”

Alex nodded grimly. “I do, but I need to get inside to do it.”

The lieutenant ran a hand through her hair and heaved a frustrated sigh. “That’s the problem; they won’t let anyone near. Even Supergirl and Martian Manhunter can’t get close, not without a great risk of harming the hostages.”

Alex nodded, looking past the cop to study the bank entrance. “Do we know if anyone is injured inside?”

The lieutenant nodded. “They demanded medical help just before you arrived in exchange for not killing hostages.”

Alex smiled darkly, eyes narrow. “You have communications? Perfect. Tell them you’ll send someone.”

“Who? You?”

Alex met the other woman’s gaze and nodded.

“No, no way. I know you’re FBI and all but if they figure out you aren’t a doctor—”

Alex cut her off. “I have an M.D. And I have the weapon to disable the hostiles. Get on the radio.”

The cop looked about to protest but a hard glare from Alex had her nodding instead and turning away to follow the instructions. Alex turned back to her team. “Be ready to move in as soon as you get my signal.” They nodded, expressions stern.

The cop was back quickly, a grim expression on her face. “They’ve agreed to let you in so long as you can prove you’re a doctor and there is no sign of weapons. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Alex nodded, handing off her various weapons to one of her team members. One of them handed her a medical case in exchange. Alex concealed the disrupters inside the case where they would, hopefully, be assumed to be other medical tech and turned back to the cop. “Let’s go.”

Alex waited at the front of the barricade until the lieutenant gave her a nod, indicating that the hostiles were ready for her. Taking a steadying breath, and deliberately not looking up at Kara, Alex headed for the bank doors, her vest the only remaining gear she wore, unarmed except for the concealed disruptors, and FBI ID held out ready for inspection. She had never been so grateful that J’onn had insisted on listing her as “Dr. Alex Danvers” on her alternate identifications just in case it came in handy.

One of the men yanked her inside as soon as she got close and Alex forced herself to go with it, suppressing the trained instincts screaming to fight back. Her flinch backwards at the gun barrel suddenly in her face was not entirely feigned and she felt the ID be snatched from her hands.

“She’s a fed!” The man holding her suddenly pressed his gun closer, and she could see his finger tightening on the trigger.

“I am a doctor. And I’m unarmed.” Alex forced a small waver into her voice, feeling calm wash over her as training took over. She’d long since learned not to panic in the face of death.

There was brief murmuring as the hostiles consulted with each other. Alex kept her eyes on the gun in her face and counted it a win that it hadn’t killed her yet.

After what felt like several long minutes the gun finally moved back and she blinked, refocusing her eyes on the men surrounding her rather than the weapon. They were glaring, but one of them stepped forward to search her for a weapon rather than ordering her shot. Finding none, the same man roughly grabbed the medical kit from her hand and opened it to search through.

Alex breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he snapped it shut and shoved it at her chest as another shoved her ID back in her hand.

Grabbing the ID and wrapping her arms around the bag, she followed him in silence, eyes darting around, mentally cataloguing the number of hostiles and their locations while she tried to determine the best way to execute the mission. J’onn was right, there were more than five men for sure. There had been three left behind in the front and there were another three in the room she was led to, for a, hopefully, total of eight, including the injured man on the floor.

Alex wasn’t expecting the rough shove forward when they entered the vault, now repurposed as a holding area. She stumbled but managed to keep from falling before straightening and stepping to the side of the injured man. The guards eyed her warily but stepped back to allow her to approach.

Alex’s gaze darted briefly to the hostages huddling in the back of the vault but didn’t dare let her gaze linger too long. She crouched next to the injured man and opened the medical kit while studying his injuries. It was clear he had been too close to an explosion. Severe burns marred his entire right side and his leg appeared broken. Alex removed several items from her kit, including the disruptors, lining everything up neatly out of habit and placing the disruptors in the line-up like they were just another medical device.

She could feel the eyes on her but ignored them, setting about checking the man’s vitals and applying burn cream and bandages methodically. Quietly, she commented, “He needs a hospital. I can only do enough to delay the inevitable with what I have here.”

“Do what you can,” came the snarled response.

Alex nodded slightly and proceeded, slowly working her way down the line of medical instruments and closer to the disruptors. She glanced over her shoulder a few times, ascertaining just how far away the men were. Not quite close enough for her to feel confident they would all be affected.

Frowning slightly, Alex studied the man’s leg. Perfect. She looked over at the watching men again. “I need two of you to hold him down while I set this.” They glared and she glared right back. “If you want me to fix his leg I’m going to need help, I don’t have sedatives and I can’t set it without him being still.”

The man who had brought her into the room glanced at two of the others and nodded sharply. The two approached, seeming unsure about actively being involved in the medical treatment and Alex saw the other two close in slightly as well, making sure they had her and the hostages still covered. Alex redirected her gaze to the injured man who moaned quietly when she rested her hands on his broken leg.

“Hold him in place so I can set this.”

She waited until they had slung their rifles around to their backs and grabbed the man before reaching out and swiftly setting the bone. The resulting yell made the other four men tense and the two who remained standing took a couple steps closer before seeming to realize that nothing was actually wrong and stopping.

Alex calmly reached for her equipment. “I need something straight and strong to splint this.” She pinned one of the standing men with a glare when no one moved. “Quickly.” She looked at the two men still holding down the injured man but with uncertain looks on their faces. “Keep holding him until I can get the splint in place. If he moves too much he might pull the bones back out of alignment.”

They blanched but she could see how their grip tightened. The other man reappeared at her elbow holding a piece of metal and she didn’t bother to question where it came from. What was far more important was that all four mobile hostiles were now within range of the disruptors.

Carefully, Alex took the metal rod and swiftly bound it to the man’s leg. Then reached over and casually palmed one of the disruptors, never taking her eyes off the man. She placed it against the man’s leg, and a quick upward glance showed no signs of suspicion on the watching men’s faces. Clearly they didn’t expect the FBI doctor who they had searched to have something else up her sleeve. Perfect.

Alex tapped the button on the disruptor.

A light on the top illuminated, flipping rapidly from red to a pulsing green. One of the men frowned and started to speak, “What—” His voice was cut off as the light stayed solid green and the disruptor went off.

Almost immediately the men surrounding Alex dropped to the ground, bodies jerking slightly. Bolting to her feet, Alex grabbed the regular rifles from the men and practically flung them at the hostages. “Quickly!”

The hostages looked stunned but a couple stumbled to their feet, grabbing the rifles and pointing them at the downed hostiles.

Alex grabbed the alien weapon for herself, not daring to leave it with a bunch of hostages who were probably lucky to know what end of a weapon to point at someone else. Grabbing a pistol from the closest man, she tucked it into her waistband, thigh holster currently with the rest of her gear with her troops. That done, she quickly rifled the pockets of the hostiles, not positive how long the disruptor effects would last. Finally she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a wad of zip ties she tossed most of them to the nearest hostage. “Tie them up with those. Now!”

Quickly they scrambled to do as she said, obviously still shell-shocked and responding near automatically to the authority in her voice. The men were bound not a moment too soon, starting to groan and come to almost before the last zip tie was pulled.

Alex stood and glowered down at the one who had brought her to the room, waiting for his eyes to focus on her. He glared and opened his mouth to speak upon which she shoved a wad of gauze in his mouth before tossing the remainder to the hostages who quickly followed her example with the others. Alex glanced around at them. They were staring at her with an expression uncomfortably close to awe and she resisted the urge to shift awkwardly and look down. “Stay here and be quiet. The NCPD will come for you soon.”

They nodded but the man closest to her spoke up, speaking lowly, “Who are you?”

Alex grinned briefly. “FBI. I’m going to go get the rest of them now.” She let her gaze encompass the rest of the hostages. “Be quiet; stay down.”

She didn’t linger, grabbing the rest of the disruptors and remaining zip ties and ducking out of the vault immediately, gun held at the ready. It was much more difficult to take out the remaining three men. One was standing just inside the doorway from the back portion and the lobby and Alex was able to grab him from behind and knock him unconscious before he could make a sound. On near silent feet she crept further into the lobby, ducking behind the counter after having hidden the man in the hallway, zip tied and gagged.

The remaining two men were split up, one on either side of the door and well out of disruptor range from each other. Not knowing exactly what the weapon in her hands did, Alex didn’t particularly want to use it if she could avoid it. The lobby was far too open for her to sneak up on either man. Shrugging mentally, Alex silently laid down the alien weapon and pulled out the pistol.

Leaning around the edge of the counter, she tapped the button on one of the remaining disruptors and tossed it gently toward the feet of the closest man. As expected, the sound of the disruptor hitting the floor caused him to look down and leap backward with a yell.

Unfortunately for Alex he managed to scramble out of range before it went off.

Unfortunately for him, Alex had no qualms about immediately rising from her crouch and firing a bullet into his leg, sending him crashing to the ground. The other man swung his weapon toward her and she dove to the side just in time to avoid the large bolt of what appeared to be lighting fire out of it.

Shit.

Alex fired her weapon as she moved, mentally counting shots. The man dodged and kept firing at her. Alex scrambled across the lobby, barely avoiding the weapon’s fire. She was down to her last two bullets when she suddenly reversed course and then bolted straight at the man. Her sudden move caused him to hesitate just long enough for her to slam bodily into him, sending them both crashing into the ground.

He tried to bring his weapon to bear at point blank range but Alex grabbed the gun with both hands and wrenched it out of his grip, flinging it to the side. The move left her open enough for him to land several punches, one smashing into her cheek and momentarily making her see stars. Regaining her senses, she fought back. Alex managed to block several more body blows as they tussled but felt a few land heavily on her vest. Blows that would have likely cracked ribs if not for the vest.

Something flew past her fast and, startled, she looked to the side. The man whose leg she had shot was aiming his weapon straight at her head and she flung herself to the side, and off the other combatant, just in time to avoid a second shot. She found herself landing heavily on the weapon she had yanked from the second target and without a thought grabbed it and whipped it around.

Barely taking the time to aim, Alex pulled the trigger, firing the weapon at the armed hostile. She managed to strike a glancing hit on his arm and his entire body jerked and he seized up. She didn’t give herself time to process the results of the hit before aiming at the remaining hostile, lips curling into a snarl.

“Give up.”

For a moment she thought he was going to keep fighting. He glowered at her through the blood seeping from a cut she’d managed to inflict on his forehead. After several tense moments he finally raised his hands over his head.

Alex kept the weapon pointed at him while she approached. Once in range, she swiftly slammed the butt of the weapon into the side of his head, causing him to drop to the ground unconscious. Immediately Alex turned to the other man, not trusting this time that he would stay down. But the man remained unmoving.

Quickly moving to his side, she checked for a pulse. Nothing. Breathing heavily, Alex allowed herself a moment to let her shoulders drop in relief as the adrenaline slowly drained out. Then, shaking herself, she walked over to the phone. Still keeping an eye on the downed hostiles, Alex swiftly dialed Kara’s number.

“Supergirl.”

“Alex!” It didn’t take any more words for the doors to burst open and Kara was there, followed closely by J’onn and the DEO troops who had obviously been the first to react, more used to Kara’s sudden actions than the NCPD.

Alex tried to brush off Kara’s hands but her sister ignored her flailing, instead running her hands carefully over Alex looking for injuries other than the obvious.

The NCPD piled in behind the DEO troops and most came to a halt, looking around in slight amazement. The lieutenant Alex had spoken to earlier hurried over and this time Alex managed to successfully stop Kara’s attempts to grab her.

“Lieutenant.”

“Agent…” The lieutenant pursed her lips for a moment before granting a rueful smile. “You know, I never did get your name.”

Alex ignored the prompt, not wanting her name to leak and blow her current cover. “The hostages are in the back vault along with four tied up hostiles and one injured one.”

The lieutenant let out a short, amazed laugh that was closer to a bark before she turned and ordered her men to the vault. Turning back to Alex and Supergirl, she grinned. “I owe you one, Agent.” She paused, apparently waiting again for Alex to give a name. When Alex didn’t reply the lieutenant huffed slightly. “How the hell did you pull this off?”

Alex shrugged slightly and returned the smile. “It was nothing. All in a day’s work.” She directed her gaze to the DEO agents that were waiting her command behind the lieutenant. They had retrieved the disruptors and the alien weapons, one of her men holding up the two depleted disruptors to show they had retrieved the first from the vault. Nodding to them, she focused back on the lieutenant. “If you don’t mind, I need to talk to my men.”

Alex ducked around the lieutenant without waiting for an answer, hearing her immediately start talking to Supergirl and grinning slightly to herself. Let Kara deal with the inquisitive NCPD for once.

Approaching her troops, Alex handed the alien weapon she was still holding to the closest. She kept her voice low and scanned the area continuously to ensure no NCPD officers got too close. “Get these back to the labs immediately. Have Wilson and Carter start running tests but only in a containment unit. Passive scans and tests only for now.”

Her second nodded and the DEO agents swiftly departed, ignoring the questioning looks from the NCPD.

“Agent!”

Alex sighed and turned back to the NCPD lieutenant. She really wished J’onn could handle this but despite his identity being known within the DEO, it was still mostly kept quiet to the general public. Also, she was pretty positive he was using that to his advantage to avoid these exact situations.

Plastering a smile on her face, Alex moved forward to deal with the NCPD and the questions of the hostages as they started to trickle into the lobby from the vault.

Chapter Text

The next time Maggie saw Dr. Danvers was several days later. It wasn’t for lack of trying per se. She’d wandered by the woman’s lab several times. Usually at least once a day, a few times more than that. Maggie steadfastly ignored any reason for why she’d want to see the scientist other than her still unsettled feeling regarding the woman. It was definitely not because the scientist was beautiful. But every time she’d found her way to Danvers’ lab, the scientist was nowhere to be seen, lights off and lab empty.

This time, however, the lights were on and she could see the scientist fiddling with something on one of the lab tables. Waving her key card at the reader, Maggie entered the lab quietly when it allowed her access. She’d barely closed the door behind her when the scientist spoke without looking up, “Was there a particular reason you’re invading my lab, Detective?”

“I’m not a detective anymore,” she responded automatically then paused. “How did you know it was me?”

A snort greeted her words. “Because no one else who has access comes in here without permission.” Danvers still hadn’t looked up from whatever she was fiddling with.

“What is that?” Maggie took a couple steps closer, not that it really helped. Whatever it was looked mostly like a mass of wires and metal. She wasn’t, however, quite prepared for the response.

“None of your business, Sawyer.”

“Excuse me?”

Finally, the scientist looked up with an annoyed huff, tugging off the goggles she’d been wearing. “I said, none of your business. Was there something I can help you with? If not, please get out of my lab.”

“You really are the opposite of your sister,” Maggie spoke without thinking then mentally kicked herself. But it was true. The few times she’d seen the younger Danvers sister since starting this job Kara had always been upbeat and chipper, usually smiling at everyone and everything. Alex Danvers seemed to be, well, grumpy.

Danvers simply rolled her eyes. “I’m not my sister. Now, again, do you need something?”

Maggie countered, “Where have you been the last several days?”

Danvers studied her for a moment, half-turning her head and smirking slightly. Maggie could swear she was laughing at her. “Why? Worried about me?”

“Just wondering why one of L-Corp’s ‘best scientists’ suddenly disappeared.” Maggie smirked back.

Danvers appeared completely immune. She merely raised an eyebrow and turned back to her mass of wires. “Also none of your business.”

“The security of this company is my business.”

“How is you having terrible timing when coming to my lab a security problem?” Danvers had resumed poking at the wiring, an intent look on her face.

“Terrible timing for five days in a row?”

Danvers shrugged one shoulder, clearly more intent on her gadget than the conversation. “Apparently so. If you’re so concerned I’m a security risk, go talk to Luthor.”

Maggie studied her in silence for a long moment. The scientist continued to ignore her, resettling her goggles and picking up a small welding torch. Maggie waited until she’d put the tool back down before speaking again, not sure the scientist even remembered she was there. “What are you working on?”

Danvers sighed, placing her gadget down and removing the goggles once more, carefully setting them next to the electronics. Slowly the other woman turned and stood, taking the few steps over to Maggie and cocking her head. Maggie inwardly groaned as the other woman made the most of their height difference, looking down on the security chief with an impassive look. “This is my lab, Sawyer. If you don’t need anything, leave.”

“This building and its security are my jurisdiction, Danvers.” Maggie cocked her head and grinned, knowing it showed off her dimples to full effect. The grin faded slightly as she caught sight of what appeared to be a fading bruise on Danvers’ cheek, the cheek that had been facing away from Maggie’s gaze earlier. It was mostly concealed with makeup but Maggie could still make out the shadow of color. “What—?”

Unfortunately, Danvers looked completely unaffected and started talking again before Maggie could finish her question. “And this is my lab. Your ‘jurisdiction’ ends at that door.” She pointed toward the door, irritated gaze boring into Maggie’s. “And before you bring up your security clearance, it is not high enough for me to have to answer to you for my work.” Danvers crossed her arms and glared at Maggie, clearly waiting for her to leave the lab.

Maggie regained her composure and smiled slightly. Finally she nodded. “Ok. See you around, Danvers.” She turned and left the lab, a glance over her shoulder showing that the scientist was glaring after her even after she’d closed the door. Laughing to herself, she got on the elevator, waving at Danvers as she did so. The laughter trailed off immediately and Maggie frowned thoughtfully at the closed elevator doors. What could Danvers have possibly been up to that caused her to practically disappear for five days and show back up with what appeared to be the remnants of a blow to the face? It was definitely time to run those background checks she’d been intending to do.

 *     *     *

Alex waited until Maggie had disappeared into the elevator and then a few more minutes to make sure the other woman wouldn’t come back before casually stepping into what she knew was a deliberate blind spot in the security camera’s coverage of her lab. Once safely out of sight, she pulled out her phone dialing the DEO while leaning against a lab table watching the elevator bank.

“Henshaw.”

“J’onn, we might have a problem.”

She heard a brief shuffle of motion in the background before J’onn spoke again, clearly having moved somewhere quieter. “What’s wrong?”

“That new head of security Luthor hired has apparently been snooping around my lab here. She noticed I’d been out the past week.” It hadn’t really been Alex’s intention. There’d been several things that just kept popping up after the bank incident, not the least of which was Cadmus’ newest gambit involving the explosions when Kara used her powers on or even touched seemingly anything connected with a Cadmus operative. The previous security chief had simply accepted Lena and Alex’s explanations for why the scientist kept odd hours, when he’d even noticed. Alex had a sinking feeling Sawyer wouldn’t be so easy to convince.

“Damn. You’ll have to do as much work from there as you can.”

“J’onn…”

“No help for it, Alex, at least not right now. We need you to maintain that cover until we can be sure Luthor and Kara are safe.”

Alex sighed and nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes, sir.”

“You think this Sawyer person is a threat?”

Alex considered the question for a few minutes. She’d read the L-Corp and DEO dossiers on Maggie Sawyer several times before Lena had hired her. Young for a detective but very good at her job and heading up the NCPD’s new Science Division, at least until she’d quit to work for Luthor, there was nothing in the documentation that was a red flag. Finally she spoke again. “I don’t think so but we might want to have someone do a little more digging to be safe. I know nothing popped the first time but let’s verify to be sure.”

“I’ll have Agent Schott get on it immediately. I’ll have whatever we dig up delivered tonight.”

“Yes, sir. Keep me posted.”

J’onn grunted an acknowledgement and hung up. Alex tucked the phone away, chin dropping to her chest and allowing herself just a moment to wish that things were different—that she was different and didn’t have to assume everyone was a threat—before grabbing a couple of tools from a nearby shelf and casually walking back into the security camera’s view, making sure it appeared she’d done nothing more than retrieve the new items. Plopping herself back on the stool at her original table, she tugged on her goggles and lost herself in the careful deconstruction of the piece of technology Kara had plucked off the last alien she’d fought. Alex hoped it gave some hint into what Cadmus was up to.

 *     *     *

Maggie watched the security feed for a few more minutes. When she’d reached her office Danvers had been nowhere to be found on the feed from her lab and Maggie had been about to head back upstairs when the scientist reappeared from what was apparently a small blind spot and carrying an array of tools. Maggie settled back into her seat to watch intently, hoping the feed would give her some more indication of why the scientist unsettled her so much but Danvers simply replaced her goggles and resumed fiddling with whatever the hell was on her lab table, periodically using the new tools she’d grabbed to, apparently, take it apart. Maggie huffed. It had to be the most boring security feed ever.

Eventually she turned away and back to her computer, shooting periodic glances at the various monitors while she started running searches. She had a team outside her office who watched the feeds closely 24/7 but Maggie liked that there was a second set of monitors inside her office as well.

She’d spent the past several days looking through the L-Corp records of virtually every employee that worked in the main building, double-checking for anything that didn’t fit. So far nothing had turned up. There’d even been a small file on Kara Danvers that Lena had delivered as it wasn’t part of L-Corp’s normal checks. Maggie had been gratified to see that Lena had been cautious, at least at first, when dealing with Kara Danvers. But right now she was more interested in the other Danvers.

Maggie tugged out the file on Dr. Alex Danvers and flipped through it for what felt like the millionth time. She had the whole thing memorized because, well, there really wasn’t much there. A copy of the woman’s resume, some letters of recommendation, and a copy of her final transcript from Stanford where she’d apparently graduated with a PhD/MD in Bioengineering in barely four years after only taking two years for undergrad. The woman was clearly a genius.

The scientist had apparently worked at some other, smaller lab, for a couple years right after graduation before joining L-Corp just a few months ago. The only thing that seemed even a little off about it was that Luthor had apparently hired Danvers personally and Maggie vaguely wondered if a little bit of nepotism was involved given Luthor’s relationship with the younger Danvers sister. But even Maggie couldn’t deny that Alex Danvers was more than qualified so if there was nepotism involved, it didn’t seem likely to damage the company.

The background check L-Corp had run hadn’t turned up much more. The Danvers parents were both scientists, though the father was dead, younger sister adopted when the girls were in their early teens, couple of tickets including a drunk and disorderly a few months before Danvers finished her PhD but nothing since then, and that was about it. Employment and education history all checked out. Maggie did briefly wonder how the younger Danvers sister ended up in journalism when everyone else in the family were scientists but given her own sharp departure from the normal careers in her family, who was she to judge?

Maggie frowned at the notation on the background check that Danvers was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, tapping it thoughtfully. It was the only thing out of place on the background check and she kept coming back to it. The license had been issued just prior to finishing her advanced degree and kept current since. “Why does a research scientist get a concealed carry? Ok, time to see if I can find out a little more about you, Dr. Alex Danvers.”

Except, hours later, the only other information Maggie had turned up was the full text of some scientific article Danvers had published just after graduating about polymers that Maggie understood about half of and a couple social media profiles that were locked down so tightly she was only certain they belonged to the right Alex Danvers because they were followed by Kara Danvers. She’d even called in a few favors at the precinct to see if anything else could be found but there was nothing. “Maybe there’s just nothing else to be found,” she muttered. But she didn’t believe it.

She sighed, glancing at the clock. It was just after noon. One of her security guys popped his head in to ask if she wanted in on the lunch order. After agreeing and giving him her order, Maggie found herself watching the monitor which showed Danvers’ lab, smiling slightly in amusement when she noticed the younger Danvers bouncing excitedly outside the door holding a bag of takeout. She wished she could hear what they were saying but the system wasn’t rigged for sound, for good reason. As it was, all security personnel were required to have ridiculously detailed background checks and clearance just because they could see into the labs.

She rolled her eyes at herself once she realized she’d been staring at the monitor, which was showing nothing but the two sisters eating food, for several minutes. “Ok, Sawyer, this is getting ridiculous.” She forced herself away from the monitors.

Next she pulled up the electronic access records, confirming that Danvers hadn’t accessed the building for the previous five days. She huffed. There wasn’t really a superior for her to check with regarding the reason for the absence and, even if there had been, she didn’t really have much cause. Maybe the woman had just been sick. Maggie did have to grudgingly admit that the scientist didn’t exactly answer to her. “But if that was the reason, why didn’t she just say that.”

Maggie frowned and made a mental note to ask Luthor about it, casually, when they met for the weekly security briefing the next morning.

*     *     *

Alex sighed heavily, feeling her entire spine slump slightly, as she finally entered her apartment. Instead of coming home and waiting for the courier she’d ended up heading for the DEO after leaving L-Corp due to another Cadmus attack. It was now after midnight and she was exhausted but she also wanted to review the information Winn had compiled on Sawyer before sleeping. Dropping her jacket across the back of a chair, she tossed the file on the island wincing when the motion aggravated the newly bruised ribs on her left side.

She tugged her phone out of her pocket as she made her way to the bedroom to change, automatically checking for messages. There was only one from Kara insisting Alex text as soon as she got home safely. Smiling a little, Alex typed out a quick “Home safe,” tacked on a couple emojis indicating she was tired and going to bed and hit send, rolling her eyes at herself. Only for Kara would she fall into communicating through emojis.

Kara’s response came through almost immediately consisting simply of a heart. Alex laughed softly and tossed the phone on her bed so she could change. She was so tempted to follow it and just collapse but forced herself to move back to the kitchen after changing. She had work to do and damnit, she’d been more tired than this in the past.

Flipping through the file while munching on some cold pizza that had miraculously survived the last sisters night, Alex was relieved to notice that Winn hadn’t found much more than Lena’s people. The report was far more detailed, perks of a secret government organization, but the basic information matched with previous information and Alex’s impression of Sawyer. The woman had been a good cop, nothing to indicate she’d ever even considered corruption. Alex nodded approvingly over the marksmanship scores, not even questioning how the DEO techs had somehow managed to get actual pictures of every target Sawyer had shot at in any official training.

The only thing that didn’t entirely make sense was why Sawyer had suddenly left the NCPD when, as far as Alex could tell, she had been working her way up the ranks rapidly. Frowning slightly, she began flipping through the stack of police report copies in the next file folder. They were organized in chronological order and Alex flipped to the last report, wondering if it could provide some insight. Settling more comfortably on the bar stool she read through the final report Maggie Sawyer had filed before leaving the force. A sympathetic frown tugged at her lips as she read the recount of the alien serial killer. The words in the report were neutral and straight forward but Alex picked up on the undercurrent of sorrow in each paragraph. A note attached by Winn indicated that Sawyer had personally known at least some of the aliens though they hadn’t been able to determine how well.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. It explained a lot. Glancing at the clock which now read 2 a.m., Alex closed the files and dropped her head to her hands for a moment, groaning. She wondered how much grief she would get for coming in late to L-Corp. Resigned to trying to avoid giving Sawyer anymore reasons to be suspicious, Alex headed to bed. 5 a.m. came far too early.

Chapter Text

Alex had barely exited the DEO locker room the next morning after her workout when she heard a far too loud “Alex!” behind her. Alex winced at the volume and turned to face her sister, cocking her head curiously at the annoyed look Kara was giving her. Kara was never at the DEO this early. In fact, she regularly teased Alex for being awake so early.

Automatically, Alex took the large cup of coffee Kara thrust at her. “What’s up, Kara? Why are you here?”

“Because I knew you would be.”

“… huh?” Alex sipped from the cup and nearly moaned in bliss. Kara might be apparently annoyed with her but not so annoyed as to screw up her coffee order.

“You do know you can take one morning off, right? Especially a Friday. You don’t have to operate on only a few hours of sleep. I know you didn’t go to bed when you told me you did.” Kara waved her free hand vaguely in the direction of Alex’s face, indicating the black glasses Alex only wore outside her apartment after particularly short-sleep nights.

Oh, that. Alex smiled a little sheepishly over the coffee cup. “Kara, you know I can’t sleep past five anymore.”

Kara scoffed. “You know you can always do this thing called rolling over and going back to sleep.”

Alex winced again, nodding. “Ok, ok.”

Kara seemed to deflate, looking simply concerned instead of upset. “Alex… you once told me not to spread myself too thin doing the Supergirl thing and CatCo and everything else. I don’t want you spreading yourself too thin either. I need my big sister.”

“Kara, I…” Alex sighed. “I know. I’ll try.” She stepped forward automatically, knowing a hug was coming and not disappointed when Kara wrapped her arms around her, holding on tightly but not so tightly Alex couldn’t breathe. Alex flinched a little when her bruised ribs twinged but refused to let go when Kara reacted and made as if to let go. After a second she felt Kara resettle her arms, but a little looser on that side.

Finally Kara muttered, “At least tell me you went easy on the workout this morning.”

Alex laughed. “I did. All light legwork and no sparring, promise.”

Kara let go of her and stepped back. “Want a lift to L-Corp? I’m meeting Lena.”

Alex considered the question then shrugged and nodded. “Sure.” She could always retrieve her bike later. In a blink Kara was in her Supergirl outfit and back to grinning brightly at Alex. Alex just shook her head in bemusement and followed her sister out of the DEO so they could leave.

A few minutes later and they were landing neatly on Lena’s balcony at L-Corp. Lena turned from her desk as they stepped through the balcony door, giving Kara a fondly exasperated look. “You know, that really isn’t supposed to be an entrance.”

Kara just shrugged, spinning back into her normal clothes. “Why not?”

Alex hid a smile behind her coffee cup.

Lena shook her head slightly and turned a smile on Alex. “Good morning, Alex. I logged your keycard into the system so it doesn’t trip security when you enter your lab.”

Alex smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Lena.”

The smile turned into a half-laugh and rolled eyes when Kara squealed and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. “You’re so thoughtful!” Lena just smiled and leaned into Kara for a moment.

Alex ignored the slight pang of envy and looked away for a moment, sipping her coffee. Kara turned back to face her and Alex immediately gave her a questioning smile.

“When do you have to start work, Alex?”

Alex laughed and glanced at Lena. “I don’t know. When do I need to be in the office, boss?”

Lena rolled her eyes and smiled without answering.

Kara immediately turned and gave Lena wide puppy-dog eyes. “She doesn’t need to be in there right away, does she?”

Lena laughed. “No, Kara. I don’t exactly force required hours on your sister.”

“We should—!” Kara cut herself off and pulled out her phone, frowning. “I should apparently get to CatCo…”

“Snapper?” Alex and Lena asked at the same time, knowingly.

Kara glanced up, frown having morphed into a pout. “Yes.”

Alex smiled and waved her toward the door. “We can get breakfast another morning.”

“How did you—?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “I know you, Kara. Go. Don’t be late.”

Kara nodded. “Right. Work.” She gave Lena a quick kiss before pulling Alex into a brief, but firm, hug.

Alex winced at the pressure on her ribs but hugged Kara back before her sister could get upset at hurting her.

Kara flashed them both a brilliant smile and dashed out of the office.

Alex watched Lena watching her sister leave and smiled softly at the look of adoration on the other woman’s face. She had to admit, she’d been skeptical of her baby sister dating a Luthor at first but Lena had proven several times over that not only was she nothing like her family, she really seemed to adore Kara. After a moment Lena seemed to realize she was being watched and quickly schooled her expression, arching an eyebrow at Alex.

Alex laughed and saluted Lena with her coffee cup. “Too late, Luthor. I already saw the sappy look.”

Lena looked chagrined for a moment before laughing softly, dropping her gaze to her desktop.

“Hey…” Alex waited for Lena to look up again and smiled gently. “She feels the same. Promise.”

Lena smiled bashfully in response, a faint blush on her cheeks. “I know I’m just…”

“Not used to anyone else seeing it? Yeah, I get that.” Alex’s smile turned rueful.

Lena didn’t get a chance to respond as the door to her office opened and Jess was standing there looking surprised to see Alex. “Sorry, Miss Luthor, I didn’t realize Dr. Danvers was in with you.”

Lena smiled politely at her assistant. “It’s not a problem, Jess. What did you need?”

“Ms. Sawyer is here for the weekly security brief.”

“Of course, send her in, please.” Lena glanced at Alex who had morphed from friendly sister-of-the-girlfriend into watchful DEO agent.

Sawyer sauntered in and stopped just inside the door before turning a grin on the two women. Alex noted the brief pause in Sawyer’s gaze as the woman’s eyes settled on Alex’s face, something sparking in the other woman’s gaze briefly before she seemed to collect herself and continued moving forward. “Good morning, ladies. I didn’t expect to see you here, Dr. Danvers.”

Alex shrugged slightly but it was Lena who spoke, voice smooth. “Alex and I were just discussing some of her results.”

“Early morning science, huh?” Sawyer’s grin broadened slightly. The slightly odd look in her eyes was back for a moment.

Alex gave Sawyer a polite smile in response. “Yes.” She glanced at Lena. “We can finish this conversation another time, Miss Luthor.”

“Of course, Dr. Danvers.”

Nodding sharply to Sawyer, Alex strode out of the CEO’s office, ignoring the curious look Sawyer threw her way. She just wanted to get to her lab and hopefully not see the annoying head of security for the rest of the day.

 *     *     *

Monday found Alex periodically muttering angrily to herself while she attempted to figure out a way to extend the range of the disruptors. So far they hadn’t been able to determine what Cadmus was using as a trigger that somehow reacted only to Kara’s powers but the limited range of the disruptors made them of limited use to drop Cadmus troops and let the DEO get close. And so here she was, trying to extend that range without weakening the effect.

So far it was not going well.

Sighing, she dropped the gadget on the lab table in front of her and glared at it, not looking up when she heard the door open. Given the lack of enthusiastic greeting, she was positive it was Sawyer anyway. The woman seemed to be making a habit of stopping by Alex’s lab. Even the previous Friday when they’d seen each other in Lena’s office the security chief had still popped up later that afternoon. “To say hi” she’d claimed.

Alex hoped if she ignored her, the other woman would go away again. She wasn’t keen on interruptions when trying to work, something most people at the DEO and in L-Corp were well aware of. If Sawyer was aware, she didn’t seem to care. But maybe Alex would get lucky.

Continuing to ignore her guest, Alex resumed fiddling with the device, flipping through readouts and making tiny adjustments based on the numbers. Eventually, Alex flicked a glance toward Sawyer, wondering if the woman was waiting for acknowledgement of her presence or what. The other woman was studying the disruptor on the table, expression a cross between fascinated and baffled. Rolling her eyes, Alex looked back at her work. If Sawyer wanted to stand there and stare, fine.

After several more minutes of silence, and another couple annoyed glances from Alex, Sawyer finally spoke, sauntering closer to the lab table. “How’s it going, Danvers?”

Alex just grunted in response, hoping, in what she was pretty sure was in vain, that if she didn’t engage the security chief would leave her to her work in peace. No such luck.

Sawyer just laughed. “That good, huh?”

Alex sighed but didn’t respond.

“So is it that it’s not working at all or just not doing what you want it to?”

Alex frowned slightly, realizing Sawyer must have been watching her frustrated one-sided conversation with the disruptor through either the security cameras or the door before entering. “Spying on me, Sawyer?”

“Watching the security cameras is kind of my job.”

Alex twisted her lips slightly in a silent acknowledgement but still refused to look up, continuing to flip through her readouts. There has to be something here that I’m missing… Frown deepening, Alex stood and moved to the side to grab a stack of schematics, nearly running into Sawyer who had edged closer. Glaring down at her, Alex waited silently until Sawyer had moved to the side. Ignoring the head tilt and curious smile, Alex grabbed her schematics and moved back to her stool, resolving once more to ignore the annoying presence of the security chief.

“So what’s that thing do?”

Alex paused then let an evil smile curl her lips, looking back up at Sawyer. “Well, if I adjust it wrong it’ll disrupt the nervous system of everyone in the building, thus likely wreaking untold havoc when everyone drops to the ground in the middle of their experiments.”

She watched as Sawyer’s eyes widened and she took what Alex was positive was an involuntary step backward. Then her eyes narrowed as she studied Alex’s expression. “You’re lying.”

Alex shrugged and turned back to her work. “If you don’t want to find out if I am or not, then leave me alone.”

She carefully pretended to be completely absorbed in her work while watching Sawyer from the corner of her eyes. After a long moment, the other woman rolled her eyes and headed for the door, throwing a clearly annoyed “Later, Danvers” over her shoulder. Once Sawyer had entered the elevator, Alex allowed herself an amused grin. Chuckling, she really did turn her focus back to the disruptor. Let’s not actually prove myself right, huh?

 *     *     *

Maggie stepped quietly through the laboratory door for the fourth time in as many work days since Danvers had reappeared. She had to admit, she took great amusement in seeing how long it took Danvers to notice she was in the room and also in how annoyed the other woman would become. She told herself it was just because she was suspicious, despite Luthor’s assertion that Danvers had just been sick those days of absence, and hoped to catch the scientist in something concrete.

She continued to ignore the part of her that insisted she really was just enamored of how beautiful the other woman looked when she was intent on her science. She also refused to acknowledge the part of her that was disappointed Danvers hadn’t worn her glasses since that one early morning in Luthor’s office.

Maggie jumped slightly when Danvers suddenly spoke, which usually didn’t happen until Maggie had spoken first. “If you’re going to keep coming in here, make yourself useful. Hand me those pliers.”

Maggie blinked, following the line of Danvers’ arm which was pointing at a lab table just out of the scientist’s reach with an array of tools on it. She stepped over and grabbed the first pair of pliers she could see and handed them to Danvers wordlessly, not really sure what to say.

“Thanks.” Danvers didn’t look up, just immediately started using the pliers to bend a piece of wire. Whatever Danvers was working on appeared to be completely different than the last couple days.

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Maggie murmured. Well, this was new and different.

Danvers continued working, the silence only broken by the occasional request for a different tool, which Maggie continued to hand over, bemused.

Maggie was trying to figure out what to say to break the silence when the door opened and her head whipped around. Only three people supposedly had access to this lab and two of them were in it. Make that four people, she thought as Kara Danvers practically bounded through the door.

“Alex!” Kara was grinning broadly, in a good mood as she always seemed to be when Maggie saw her.

“Kara!” the older Danvers sister muttered.

Maggie suppressed a smile. At least now she understood why Dr. Danvers never seemed fazed when someone interrupted her, not if she was used to Kara barging in.

“I’m taking you to lunch.”

“Can’t.” Danvers adjusted something on the gadget in front of her before waving a hand in the general direction of a machine in the corner. “I have to stay while that runs.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow. That was more information than she ever received about what Danvers was doing (minus the other day but she was pretty sure Danvers had been lying… hoped Danvers had been lying). Admittedly, she wasn’t Danvers’ sister but still.

“Aleeeex.”

“Karaaaa.” Danvers still hadn’t looked up but Maggie could see the smile starting to curl the other woman’s lips.

“Fine, I’ll bring you something. You know you forget to eat when you’re stressed.” Kara pouted at the top of her sister’s head.

That comment did make the older Danvers look up, raising an eyebrow at her sister, a slightly outraged look on her face. “Who said I’m stressed?”

“J’onn.”

She noticed that Danvers looked completely unimpressed by Kara’s assertion. At least I’m not the only one she looks at like that.

“No he didn’t.”

“Ok, no he didn’t. But he was thinking it!” Kara was grinning at her sister who rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Sure he was.”

Maggie wondered if they even remembered she was here. A question that was answered almost immediately when Kara turned that blindingly happy smile on her and asked if she wanted any lunch too. Maggie swallowed and glanced at Danvers who had lost all traces of the smile and was glaring. Fortunately, her glare was directed at her sister and not at Maggie. “Uh, no, thanks. I already ate.”

“Ok! I’ll be back shortly, Alex!” And then Kara was out the door and waiting impatiently for the elevator.

Maggie studied Danvers in silence as the other woman watched her sister leave with a fond smile before turning back to her work, still having only barely acknowledged Maggie’s presence. “So, is your sister always like that?”

“Yep. Hand me those wire clippers.” Danvers seemed back in her zone already.

Maggie let out a half-laugh, handing over the wire clippers, which, she noted, were well within Danvers’ reach. “Ok, I have to ask, how do you remain so focused when you have the walking personification of… bouncy, sunshiny energy as a sister?”

Danvers actually looked up from her work, lips quirking into an amused smile and stated wryly, “Lots of practice.”

Maggie smiled back. “Makes sense.” She mentally played down just how warm that little smile made her feel. She waited for Danvers to look back at her gadget then asked casually, “So, who’s Jean?” She watched Danvers closely, not missing the way the other woman completely froze for just a fraction of a second before continuing her work.

Danvers didn’t answer for a few minutes, focused intently on extracting a small piece of metal from the gadget in front of her. When she did finally reply Maggie almost didn’t contain the jump. She’d started to just assume she wouldn’t get an answer.

“A friend of mine. We’ve worked together in the past.”

“Seems to know you pretty well.” Maggie grinned, wondering if Dr. Danvers had a personal life after all.

Danvers shot her a clearly irritated look. “We’ve known each other for a while, yes.”

Maggie grinned unrepentantly back at her until the scientist turned her attention back to her work. Maggie considered pressing the issue, seeing if she could convince Danvers to open up just a little bit but before she could do so Kara Danvers was stepping back inside the lab. Maggie rolled her eyes and looked at the younger Danvers. “Seriously, how the hell do you have access to that door?”

Kara shrugged, handing a bag to her sister. “I went to that food truck you like.” She looked over at Maggie. “Lena gave me access so I could see Alex.”

For her part, the older Danvers had moved away from her table and was making quick work of extracting the food, commenting, “You are my favorite person.”

Maggie couldn’t help but be charmed at the sentiment even if she was still suspicious of the older Danvers sister. Kara just laughed and plopped on a nearby stool with her own food.

“So, what food truck? Smells good, I’ve been looking for new places to eat,” Maggie asked. What she wasn’t expecting was for Kara to suddenly look like a deer in the headlights.

“I… uh—it’s um…”

“Kara, breathe,” Danvers advised her younger sister before answering Maggie’s question herself. “It’s one that stops in front of CatCo sometimes.”

Maggie’s brow furrowed as she glanced from Kara who was studiously looking everywhere but at her, still seeming flustered, and the older Danvers who was giving her a completely bland look while munching on her food. “Oookay… well, I’ll leave you to it. Later, Kara. Dr. Danvers.”

Maggie swore she felt Danvers’ gaze on her as she left the lab but when she glanced back after reaching the elevator the scientist was laughing and shaking her head at Kara. Maggie tried to convince herself that she didn’t want to be the one making Danvers laugh like that.

Chapter Text

The last person Maggie expected to be in the bar playing pool when she walked in was Dr. Alex Danvers looking very different from how Maggie usually saw her, when she saw her anyway. The normal white lab coat over slacks and a nice shirt accompanied by sensible but nice shoes was nowhere in sight. Instead the bioengineer was clad in tight fitting jeans, a comfortable looking sweater and, Maggie swore, combat boots. A motorcycle helmet rested atop a leather jacket draped over a nearby stool. Maggie paused, wondering if those were also Danvers’ and if that meant Danvers was the owner of the sexy Ducati outside that Maggie had paused to drool over. Admittedly, the bar was just around the corner from L-Corp, and so a logical place for its employees to head after work, but still, she didn’t take uptight Dr. Danvers for the type to do so, even on a Friday night like this one.

Maggie continued making her way to the bar, surreptitiously studying Danvers as she did so. For her part, the scientist didn’t appear to have noticed Maggie’s entrance and was instead snickering at something that had apparently been said by her pool partner, a handsome black man sporting a broad grin. Maggie watched as Danvers shook her head at something he said before leaning over the pool table to take another shot. Maggie couldn’t help the heavy swallow as the other woman’s jeans pulled even tighter. Forcing herself to look away, Maggie flashed a brief grin at the bartender who immediately handed over her usual beer with an answering smile.

Maggie turned and leaned casually against the bar as she sipped her beer. Ostensibly looking over the whole bar, her gaze kept falling back on Danvers who was currently sipping a glass of liquor and still smiling slightly at her companion who managed to sink a couple of balls before missing. Maggie watched as unobtrusively as she could while Danvers proceeded to clear the rest of the table with apparently little to no effort. Against her will, one of Maggie’s eyebrows arched upward, impressed. Danvers flashed a brief grin at her partner and made a comment Maggie couldn’t quite hear before finishing the rest of her drink.

Hurriedly, Maggie averted her gaze as Danvers started to turn toward her. But it was hard to continue pretending not to see the other woman when she sauntered straight up to Maggie with that damnable smirk curving her lips.

“Sawyer. Long time no see.” Danvers raised an eyebrow questioningly, the smirk fading into a more impassive expression. She glanced away from Maggie briefly and nodded when the bartender asked if she wanted the same as before.

“Dr. Danvers. Didn’t expect to see you here.” Maggie cocked her head slightly, allowing a small smile and waiting to see what the other woman said. Maggie had assumed, based on her admittedly limited knowledge of the scientist, that Danvers’ hobbies ran more toward the reading of scientific journals and building models or something.

Danvers shrugged, smirking slightly once more and Maggie internally groaned at the desire to somehow wipe that smirk off the taller woman’s face. Danvers seemed to be secretly laughing at her and she was already getting sick of it. She also wasn’t expecting the response she received, delivered coolly in what Maggie was sure was a deliberately lower octave.

“You don’t know me, Detective.” Danvers retrieved her new drink and a beer from the bar and turned away. Maggie swore the other woman deliberately swaggered on her way back to the pool table, handing the beer to her companion.

Before she could stop to think too hard about why, Maggie pushed away from the bar and followed the scientist to the pool table. She met the gaze of Danvers’ companion who nudged Danvers and nodded toward Maggie at her questioning look.

Danvers cocked her head slightly, expression neutral as she asked, “Something I can help you with, Sawyer?”

Maggie copied the motion, studying the other woman for a moment. Danvers definitely didn’t act like basically any other scientist she had ever met. Admittedly her sample size wasn’t huge but the woman’s attitude reinforced her subtle feeling that something was not quite on the level with Dr. Alex Danvers. The other woman’s irritated “Sawyer?” made her grin. Nodding at the pool table Maggie asked, still grinning, “Fancy a game, Danvers?”

Maggie was not expecting the almost wicked grin that curved Danvers’ lips at the question. Or the laugh from the man she’d almost forgotten was still standing there. Maggie gave him a questioning look and he laughed again.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” He grinned broadly, eyes still laughing at her.

Maggie grinned in return, his smile was infectious, and held out a hand. “Maggie Sawyer.”

He shook her hand firmly. “James Olsen.”

Maggie blinked, startled. “The photojournalist?”

He chuckled. “That’s me.”

Behind her, Maggie could hear Danvers racking the balls but she was intrigued by this connection. “How do you know Dr. Danvers?”

It was Danvers who answered from behind Maggie, drawling, “My sister works with him at CatCo.”

Maggie looked back at Danvers, who was casually leaning against the pool table idly rolling a pool cue in one hand, nodding in comprehension. Right, how could she forget that Kara Danvers was the hot new reporter for CatCo, where James Olsen had been working for the past year since leaving the Daily Planet? “Right, of course.” She noted that the response didn’t quite answer the question. She certainly wasn’t pool buddies with any of her siblings’ friends or coworkers.

Before she could press the questions, Danvers waved at the pool cues on the wall. “You gonna get a cue or shall we just declare me the winner right now?”

Maggie narrowed her eyes slightly but didn’t lose her smile. The woman couldn’t be that good after all. “Oh no, you’ve gotta earn the win, Danvers.”

Danvers just laughed. “That won’t be hard. But I’ll let you break to be nice.”

Maggie took a few moments to collect herself while selecting her cue. This had not been at all what she expected tonight and she had to admit, this other side of Dr. Danvers was intriguing. Reinforced her unsettled feeling where the scientist was concerned, but intriguing. There was definitely more to the L-Corp scientist than met the eye.

Turning, she sauntered back to the table, chalking the tip of her cue and studying the table. She noticed that Danvers appeared to be watching her intently, Olsen perched nearby on a stool also watching, though he appeared more interested in Danvers than Maggie herself. Interesting; maybe that’s why they’re so close.

“We playing for anything, Danvers?”

Danvers quirked an eyebrow. “Sure, loser buys the next round. I could do with another free drink.”

“That confident are we?”

Danvers just grinned and motioned for her to break.

Maggie focused back on the table, determined to prove she was no slouch at playing pool. Carefully she lined up her shot before striking the cue ball solidly. She couldn’t help but grin when one of the solids sank neatly in the corner pocket. The grin faded almost immediately however when she missed on the next shot. Shrugging slightly, she turned to Danvers and nodded to the table. “You’re up, Danvers.”

A cocky smile was the only reply she received before Danvers proceeded to neatly sink four stripes in a row before finally missing one. Danvers looked over, that cocky smile still in place as she stepped over to Olsen’s side for a drink. Olsen for his part was trying valiantly to hide a smile but Maggie could see it. She sighed, stepping up to take her next turn. Ok, maybe she is that good.

Maggie managed to get two more solids into pockets before she scratched. Wryly she wondered if that would be her last chance to try to even the game.

Sure enough, Danvers wasted no time dropping the remaining stripes into the pockets. Maggie couldn’t help but be enthralled by the other woman’s calm confidence as she played. She couldn’t actually see any muscles but she could tell from the way Danvers walked and the smooth motions as she played pool that this woman definitely did not spend all of her time behind a microscope.

“Eight ball in the corner pocket.” Maggie watched, engrossed by Danvers’ fingers as the woman smoothly drove the cue stick into the ball, putting the eight ball exactly where she’d called it without the cue ball following.

Danvers straightened and her eyes met Maggie’s. Maggie could see the amusement dancing in the other woman’s eyes though her smile was relatively contained. “Not bad, Sawyer.”

Maggie laughed. “Yeah, sure. If that’s all it takes to be ‘not bad’ what’s ‘good’?”

Danvers paused for a moment and Maggie could swear she saw the scientist’s eyes darken. Maggie held her gaze, feeling her own smile slip into something she knew was more challenging and seductive than amused.

Olsen broke the spell before Danvers could respond, apparently oblivious to the sudden tension. “Good is if you can actually make it past turn two.”

Danvers shrugged slightly, looking away from Maggie and grinning at Olsen. “That only happened that once.”

He laughed. “Yeah, and you still won.”

“So what is it if someone else wins?”

Danvers gave her that wicked smile again. “That’s never happened.”

“Really?” Maggie was surprised. She knew some good pool players but that was unbelievable. In fact, she didn’t believe it.

“Nope. You can ask Kara.”

“I just might do that, Danvers.” Maggie smiled again, watching the other woman carefully. “So, appears the next round is on me. What are you drinking?”

“Whi—” Danvers paused in mid-word and pulled out her phone, turning away slightly as she answered. “Danvers.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow slightly though she supposed the opener wasn’t really all that unusual. Still, it seemed an odd choice for a scientist. She continued watching the other woman closely, glancing occasionally at Olsen who seemed unconcerned and was finishing his beer while waiting for Danvers to get off the phone.

“I’ll be right there.” Danvers hung up the phone and turned back to Maggie. “I’ll have to take a rain-check on that drink.” Her entire posture and attitude had shifted subtly, expression impassive and her body suddenly gave off the impression of a coiled spring though Maggie couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

“Problem?” Maggie narrowed her eyes slightly, smile completely fading.

“Nothing important. Thanks for the game. See you later, James.” With that, Danvers had slung on the leather jacket, grabbed the motorcycle helmet, and was halfway to the door before Maggie could respond.

Brow furrowing slightly, she muttered, “Later, Danvers.” Maggie looked over at Olsen who was watching her with a curious smile. Mustering a smile of her own, she nodded toward the door, “That happen often?”

Olsen shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

“But you’re her friend.”

“Sure, but we don’t hang out all that often. Both of us are pretty busy with work.”

“Yeah, of course.” She would find that a lot more believable if Danvers was in her lab more often. Maggie forced her smile into a grin. “So, Olsen, you more on my level when it comes to pool?”

He laughed. “Well, no one’s really on Alex’s level. But yeah, I could go for a game.”

 *     *     *

Alex glanced around with a half-smile at the nearly empty lobby of L-Corp. The security guard grinned at her as she moved through the metal detector.

“Working nights again, Doctor Danvers?” The security guards at L-Corp had gotten used to her sporadic bursts of working nights and weekends and it no longer fazed them when she showed up at odd hours to put in several hours in her lab when the building was generally empty. Admittedly this time wasn’t so much voluntary as a side-effect of being forced to stay at the DEO and home rather than come into L-Corp. Even this night, she’d seriously considered staying home, already feeling tired, except she was bored at home and wanted a record of her presence at L-Corp in case Sawyer was still snooping around. The woman had continued showing up at her lab at least once a day when Alex was there and she wasn’t really sure what to think of the part of her that, for once, didn’t entirely mind the interruptions.

She shrugged, forcing her mind back to the present and away from the persistent security chief, giving the guard a small smile. “Less interruptions after hours.” Consciously she made an effort to hide her limp. It had been a couple days since she’d been at L-Corp courtesy of a fight which had left her with a sprained ankle, wrenched wrist, and several other bumps and bruises. Kara had practically tied her to the medical bed at the DEO for 24 hours before insisting on ensuring Alex stayed home for another 24. Alex had finally managed to convince Kara that “I’m not going to break,” “it’s just a sprain,” and “please go back to work before Snapper fires you,” allowing Alex to escape her own apartment and return to work.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t hide the brace on her wrist when reaching to collect her belongings from the scanner. The guard frowned. “You alright there, Doctor Danvers?”

She gave him another smile. She had deliberately worked to cultivate a sort of friendship with the security guards that typically manned the entrance. “I’m fine. Just got run into by a kid on a skateboard at the park.”

He kept frowning and asked seriously, “Is everything ok at home, ma’am?”

Alex couldn’t help but be charmed at his concern and her smile warmed. “I promise. I just got run into and landed a little funny.”

He didn’t seem entirely convinced but eventually nodded. “Have a good night, doctor.”

“Thanks.” Alex nodded and moved to the elevator, enjoying the lack of people.

Alex honestly preferred working this time of day at L-Corp. She had gotten used to the DEO and its bustle, both at the desert base and the city office but she definitely preferred the silence. There had been many nights she’d worked odd shifts at the DEO simply because she wanted the quiet and random techs were less likely to bother her at midnight.

She sighed in relief as she entered her lab. She had to admit, another nice thing about the cover story at L-Corp was the dedicated, state-of-the-art lab that no one could access except herself, Lena, Kara, and, apparently, the ever annoying Maggie Sawyer. Though she had her own lab at the DEO, it was still generally accessible to the other scientists and technicians that worked there unless she put it into lockdown which then generated annoyingly concerned looks from Kara and Winn. J’onn had, fortunately, always understood her need to avoid people sometimes and would help shoo the technicians away from her door and toward a different scientist when they had questions during such a time.

Alex grinned slightly to herself at the thought and pulled out her current project. They hadn’t yet figured out how to bypass what Cadmus had done to its weapons so, out of frustration, Alex had shifted to breaking down venom from a recent alien encounter and trying to synthesize antibodies. The alien was in custody but he’d hinted at more of his kind working for Cadmus. The pure science provided a nice focus while she let the back of her mind turn over possible research angles on the weapons.

She knew Kara would be annoyed if she found out Alex was already working but Alex had long since fallen into the habit of working through every kind of pain or sickness unless near death. Alex couldn’t even remember the last time she’d stayed home from school or work for anything short of being physically unable to move. Only Kara’s physical presence had prevented her from coming back to work sooner in this instance as well.

After taking several minutes to gather her various samples and solutions, carefully arranging everything in her preferred pattern on the lab table, Alex eased herself on to a stool in front of a rack of microcentrifuge tubes. She let out a quiet sigh as the weight left her ankle and she began mixing. Absently humming to herself, Alex lost herself in the careful measuring of venom, cell samples, buffer solution, and various proteins, labelling each tube in the messy scrawl her sister always complained about. She had just opened the incubator to remove the tubes, thankful the venom was fast-acting, in order to shift them to the centrifuge when a sudden noise at the door had her jerking upright on the stool and nearly falling off it trying to reach for the gun she kept hidden in her purse as her body protested the sudden movement.

Automatically, Alex’s hands clamped on to the edge of the lab table to keep herself upright and she pursed her lips at Kara, who was standing awkwardly just out of reach, arms outstretched. Apparently Alex’s endless warnings about not using her superpowers outside of Lena’s office due to the surveillance cameras had finally stuck.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Kara helped her right herself before stepping back. “I am positive I left you at your apartment.”

Alex shrugged, turning back to the incubator, resuming moving her samples over. “I had work to do.”

“Alex.”

“Kara, I can’t just stop doing my job—”

“You were thrown into a wall barely two days ago, Alex!”

Alex closed and started the centrifuge then glanced at her sister, finding the younger woman standing exactly as Alex expected, hands on hips and glaring. Alex sighed. “Kara… I can’t just sit at home when there’s work to do. Work to keep you and everyone else at the DEO and in the city safe. You know that.”

Kara sighed before dropping dramatically to another nearby stool. “Ok, fine. But couldn’t you work at a normal hour?”

Alex laughed softly, returning her attention to her centrifuge and beginning to remove samples one by one. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I heard your heartbeat. Not where I left it.”

Alex rolled her eyes, studying the contents of the tube in her hand and jotting down some notes. “Has anyone ever told you it’s creepy when you listen for heartbeats?” she asked conversationally.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kara flashed an innocent grin that Alex could see from the corner of her eye.

Alex favored her with a disbelieving scoff. “Sure.” After a pause, Alex asked, “I thought you were with Lena?”

“I was but then she asked how you were and you weren’t home and—”

Alex held up a hand to stop the ramble before it began. “And you were worried and she told you to come look for me.”

Kara nodded, giving Alex a slightly grumpy look.

The sisters lapsed into silence for several minutes, Alex periodically making notes about her observations before she asked, “Are you just going to sit there and watch me?”

Kara shrugged. “Maybe. Oooor maybe you could go home and rest.”

“Kara, I’m fine.”

“The doctor said you should be resting,” Kara replied stubbornly.

“I am a doctor.”

“Come on… we could go home, have some ice cream, start Westworld like we keep saying we will…”

Alex sighed, looking regretfully at her work. But, she would do anything to make her sister happy. “Ok, fine, just let me finish this set of samples.”

“Yes!”

Alex laughed as Kara bounced slightly on her stool. “But! After I get home you are going back to Lena’s. I don’t need you to hover, I promise.”

Kara studied her for a moment before nodding and smiling brightly, clearly thrilled at the idea of going back to see her girlfriend.

 *     *     *

Maggie frowned to herself as she watched Dr. Danvers and then Dr. Danvers with Kara Danvers on the security monitors. She had just been about to leave when she’d noticed the sudden movement on the monitors that normally depicted nothing at this hour. Instead of gathering her belongings and heading home, she’d settled back in her chair to study the elusive Dr. Danvers. After a week of consistent presence and the encounter at the bar, the doctor had worked some odd hours for a few days then suddenly disappeared again. Now, here she was, two days later reappearing but at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night and Maggie felt her suspicions grow.

She’d also caught sight of the slight limp and braced wrist the doctor was clearly trying to hide from the security guards at the front entrance. What the hell is going on? Abuse? Or something shadier? She’d been watching the scientist for about an hour (and was starting to get heartily bored with watching someone, even a beautiful woman, take notes) when Kara had suddenly shown up, obviously startling the scientist.

Maggie’s frown deepened. The doctor had been reaching for her purse before losing her balance. Weapon? She is licensed to carry… Whatever she’d been reaching for, it was clearly a trained response. The doctor hadn’t even flinched at the sudden appearance of Kara, which Maggie had started to realize was pretty normal for the doctor. The woman seemed unfazed by almost anything. What wasn’t normal was the grab for her bag. The dramatic action was only marred by the sudden loss of balance which Danvers had managed to stop in an impressive display of reflexes.

Maggie felt an involuntary smile tug at her lips at the sight. She’d never tell Danvers but it was a little funny to see the normally collected scientist almost fall off a stool. But that didn’t answer the question of what the hell was going on with said scientist. It was obvious she and Kara were arguing about something before Kara simply sat and started staring at the other woman.

The frown tugged at Maggie’s lips again. What the hell is going on? The way Danvers held herself, the way she moved, the way she acted around Maggie, these all indicated that the scientist was not all she appeared but no one else seemed to notice or, if they did, care. Does she just have everyone, including her sister, fooled? Well, her sister does appear concerned about something… Maggie had tried to find out more information about the “Jean” that the younger Danvers had mentioned but there was nothing. If this person was someone Dr. Danvers had worked with, it didn’t appear to be in any sort of formal capacity. Which made Maggie even more curious.

Hauling herself out of her chair, Maggie headed upstairs. Maybe she could get some answers if she surprised the pair in the lab.

Chapter Text

Alex was just packing away her pipettes when she heard a sound at the door and whirled to face it, forcing down the pain in her ankle and stopping the abortive move to grab a pistol that wasn’t strapped to her thigh. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Kara had jumped off her stool. But while Alex was glaring at the interloper (and still half wishing she was armed) Kara was beaming.

“Maggie, hi!”

Alex sighed, leaning against the nearby lab table in silence and waiting to find out why the damn security chief was in her lab yet again. A security chief who was currently glancing between herself and her sister, a clearly suspicious look in her eyes.

“Hey, Kara. You guys are here late.”

Kara shrugged. “You mean Alex is here late and I’m making her go home.”

Alex rolled her eyes and crossed her arms but didn’t respond. It was the truth after all. Alex would’ve stayed in the lab until at least midnight if Kara hadn’t popped up. She still itched to continue studying samples and taking notes.

Sawyer looked over at Alex, an unreadable expression on her face. Alex gazed back just as blandly. “What’s got you working so late, Danvers?”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. “I like the quiet.”

“Nothing to do with that injured ankle and wrist?”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “They did make it a little difficult to come in the past couple days, yes.”

Kara scoffed. “No, they didn’t. You didn’t come in because I wouldn’t let you.”

Alex cocked her head slightly in acknowledgement but continued to gaze steadily at Sawyer, watching the other woman carefully. Sawyer’s gaze flicked to Alex’s wrist brace and then to her ankle almost too quickly to notice. Alex kept her expression carefully neutral.

“Everything ok, Danvers?”

Alex blinked and nodded slightly, wary. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s just…” Sawyer trailed off for a moment, seeming hesitant. Alex just waited. She could see Kara watching the pair intently, brow furrowed. Sawyer seemed to come to a decision. “Look, I know we don’t know each other and don’t really get along but… everything ok at home, Danvers?”

Alex blinked again, slightly taken aback. Really, she should’ve expected it after Charles asked the same question at the security checkpoint. “Yes, fine.”

Sawyer clearly didn’t believe her. “You sure?”

“Positive.” Alex made her voice as firm as she dared, carefully walking the line between confident scientist and special agent. It wouldn’t really do to start bringing out the command voice when she was just supposed to be a lab rat.

Sawyer’s eyes narrowed and Alex could tell she was about to push the issue when Kara interrupted with a slightly incredulous laugh. Both women’s heads whipped around to face the blonde who looked mostly baffled. “You think Alex is getting abused?”

Alex sighed, casting her gaze toward the ceiling for a moment. This was probably not going to help matters.

For her part, Sawyer frowned, looking a bit angry at Kara’s reaction. “You don’t sound concerned, Kara.”

Kara snorted. “Because it’s Alex. Seeing someone or not, she still runs around—” Alex coughed and Kara cut herself off before she could give everything away, looking at Alex with wide eyes. “Uh, I mean, she, um…”

Sawyer glanced back at Alex, clearly uncomfortable and a bit confused by Kara’s rambling. Alex merely arched an eyebrow but after a moment took pity on the other woman. “Me or not is irrelevant, Kara.” She flicked a warning look at her sister before looking back to Sawyer. “But to answer your question, Sawyer, though Kara has made it abundantly clear… no one is hitting me at home unless my apartment has somehow become sentient.”

Sawyer actually looked surprised by this tidbit. “You live alone?”

Alex scowled, glare settling back in place. The last thing she needed was to be mocked, for not the first time in her life, for being single.

Sawyer seemed to sense it and immediately raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. “That came out wrong.” She paused. “So what’s with the injuries? You still… what? You don’t really strike me as the clumsy type.”

Alex cursed Kara’s attempt to explain but didn’t get a chance to give her story before Kara jumped in. “Rugby! She still plays rugby!”

Sawyer looked back to Kara, eyebrows raised and eyes widening. Alex sighed again and closed her eyes for a moment, silently asking for patience with her sister. Opening her eyes again, she forced a rueful smile. “Like Kara said.”

Sawyer’s gaze snapped back to her. “I’m sorry… you play rugby?”

Alex met her sister’s wide-eyed gaze. Resigned, she replied, “Yeah, we’ve played since shortly after Kara joined the family.”

Kara nodded rapidly. “Yes! I saw a game on TV and Alex was nice enough to help me learn to play!”

“Rugby.” Sawyer sounded deeply skeptical.

“Sometimes.” Alex ground the word out.

“I… see.”

And then Kara tried to help again. “We’re playing tomorrow if you want to come join us!”

Alex barely kept herself from banging her head on the wall and forced another smile instead. She could tell it actually looked forced but hoped the woman would chalk that up to Dr. Danvers being distant and unfriendly and not this all being an elaborate lie. “Yes… we are.”

“Really?” Now Sawyer sounded deeply amused. Her eyes were smiling and though she was mostly keeping a somber expression, Alex could see the twitch at the corner of her mouth as a grin fought to break free.

Alex elaborated smoothly, shooting Kara a quelling look. “Yes, at the park by the river. Just some friends of mine and Kara’s from her work and my old lab.” Mentally she started categorizing every DEO agent she could successfully browbeat into pulling off this charade.

“Yeah, sure. Maybe I’ll swing by. What time?” Sawyer wasn’t even trying to hide the grin now and Alex sighed internally. She was going to kill Kara.

“Three.” That should, hopefully, give her enough time to threaten enough agents into going along with this farce. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Sawyer, Kara and I were on our way out and I’d rather you not contaminate my samples.” Pointedly Alex cocked her head toward the door.

Sawyer rolled her eyes but didn’t lose the grin. “Whatever you say, Dr. Danvers.”

The trio trooped out of the lab, Alex bringing up the rear and flipping off the lights. The ride down was accomplished in slightly awkward silence. Alex leaned on the elevator wall and refused to look at either of her companions. As soon as the doors opened, Alex practically bolted off the elevator, striding as fast as her ankle would let her toward the parking garage. She could hear Kara and Sawyer exchanging goodbyes behind her but didn’t wait, too annoyed with her sister.

Kara caught up with her in a moment but waited until they were in Alex’s car before speaking. “Alex—”

Alex shot her a sharp glance, causing Kara to fall silent. They’d reached Alex’s apartment before Kara tried again. “Alex…”

Alex held up a hand. “Not now, Kara. Just… go convince James and Winn to go along with this insanity, ok?”

“Should I… should I bring Lena?”

Alex sighed and forced a small smile at her sister. She was just trying to help, Alex. “Of course, if you want to.”

Kara’s voice was small as she answered, “I was just trying to help.”

Alex took a deep breath and consciously relaxed her muscles, dropping into her armchair. “I know. It’ll be fine, Kara. Just… next time let me handle it, ok?”

“Ok.” Kara’s voice was still small and her head hung slightly.

Alex smiled softly and held her arms out. She never could remain mad at Kara for long. “Come here.” Kara immediately crawled practically in her lap and snuggled close. Alex grunted slightly, briefly wishing she’d sat on the couch, but wrapped her arms tightly around her sister. “It’ll be fine, Kara. I’ll just get some of the DEO agents to play along. They’ve handled tougher undercover ops than pretending to be a bunch of nerds who play rugby occasionally, I promise.”

“’Kay. Are you still mad?”

Alex sighed and rested her cheek on her sister’s head. Now that she really thought about it, the rugby thing was kind of funny. Not at all the cover story she’d have gone with but amusing. And it was certainly going to be fun “convincing” her agents to back her up. “No, I’m not mad. Do you want to stay here or go back to Lena’s?”

Kara was silent for a long moment and Alex wondered if she’d fallen asleep. When she finally spoke, she did sound sleepy. “I think I’ll go call James and Winn and then go back to Lena’s.”

Alex smiled, kissing Kara’s hair. “You do that.”

Kara stood and looked down sternly. “No more science tonight. It can wait until Monday.”

Alex smirked slightly and favored her sister with a little salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

Kara rolled her eyes but smiled. “I’ll meet you at the park at 2:30 tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Now go. Be with your girlfriend. And don’t forget to call James and Winn!”

“I won’t! See you tomorrow!” Dropping a quick kiss on Alex’s cheek, Kara was out the window in an instant.

Shaking her head slightly, Alex hauled herself out of her chair, wincing slightly when she put weight on her ankle. Ok, practically running from the elevator was not my best plan ever. Grabbing her laptop and the blanket from the back of the couch, she ensconced herself on one end of the couch to research rugby rules and email them to her list of selected agents with the simple message “Learn these by 1 pm tomorrow and meet in conference room 3 at that time. Bring athletic gear.”

 *     *     *

Alex surveyed the motley group as they milled about on one of the park’s grassy areas. She had definitely gotten more than a few completely incredulous looks earlier when she’d informed her assembled lab techs, fellow scientists, and a couple of random field agents of what exactly they were going to be doing to help her maintain her cover. But a glare and reminder that she could have any of them reassigned to the DEO outpost in Antarctica made most of them fall in line. With the exceptions, of course, of Susan Vasquez and Lucy Lane who’d just continued to smirk at her, knowing she couldn’t touch them.

Alex rolled her eyes at the memory. Lucy had sauntered over after the short meeting and drawled, “Rugby, Danvers? Really?”

“It was Kara’s idea,” Alex had muttered in response, refusing to smile.

Vasquez, for her part, had simply patted Alex comfortingly on the way out the door though she was still grinning, clearly amused at the whole situation. Alex had allowed a small chuckle, finally smiling wryly at Lucy. Truthfully, the two women were the only people Alex could think of off the top of her head that she considered her friends rather than friends-by-proxy-via-Kara and she was willing to tolerate at least a minimal amount of teasing, even if Lucy had started out as Kara’s sort-of-friend rather than Alex’s.

Alex shook her head slightly, dismissing the memories. What mattered is that everyone was here and at least looked mostly like rugby might be a regular pastime. Alex had made sure to select people from the labs that she knew actually participated in sports leagues or similar activities when assembling her list. Vasquez and Lane had just been a fortuitous add-on at the last minute when she’d seen they were at the city office rather than the desert base.

She saw Kara suddenly look up from where she was standing with Lena and looked past Alex before meeting Alex’s gaze briefly. Alex nodded slightly and cocked her head, listening intently. She couldn’t hear anything but she trusted Kara. When Sawyer spoke, Alex merely turned her head slightly in that direction, grinning mentally as she imagined just how frustrated the former detective might be at being unable to surprise her.

“First pool, now rugby. You are not what I was expecting, Dr. Danvers.”

“Well, like I said, you don’t know me.” Alex turned her head enough to meet the other woman’s eyes, smirking. Sure enough, there was a vaguely disgruntled look on her face. “Problem, Sawyer?”

Sawyer smirked back, the look disappearing. “Not at all, Danvers.” She gestured to the assembled group who was starting to fall into something resembling formations now as Lena made her way to the pair. “I thought you played too.”

Alex shrugged slightly. “Kara won’t let me this week with the ankle and wrist.”

Sawyer gazed at her speculatively. “You and Kara are really close, huh?”

“Yes,” Alex answered shortly. She smiled briefly at Lena as the CEO drew near, then turned her gaze back toward her assorted mostly-friends and coworkers.

“Ms. Luthor, didn’t expect to see you out here.”

“And not cheer on Kara?”

There was a short pause, Alex assumed Sawyer was acknowledging the remark in some nonverbal way but it would be too obvious to turn and look. “So what’s with the Army chick, Danvers? Thought you said it was lab friends of yours.”

“I said friends of mine and Kara’s from her work and my old lab,” Alex corrected absently. She looked over at Lucy, studying the grey ARMY t-shirt briefly and nodding slightly. “That’s Lucy Lane. She was dating James when James joined CatCo and she became one of Kara’s friends.” Alex shrugged a shoulder. “They stayed friends even after Lucy and James broke up.”

There was a slight choking sound and Alex looked over in concern to see a somewhat stunned expression on Sawyer’s face. “Lucy Lane? Any relation to Lois Lane?” Alex could hear just the faintest hint of amazement in Sawyer’s voice at the question.

Alex couldn’t entirely stop the amused smile. The reactions of people when they found out she and Kara knew Lois Lane and Clark Kent never ceased to amuse her. “Yeah. Lois’s kid sister actually.”

“And do you… know Lois Lane?”

Alex allowed the smile to broaden. “I do actually. She’s engaged to Kara’s cousin.”

Sawyer’s jaw actually dropped slightly. “Your cousin is Clark Kent.”

Alex laughed; she couldn’t help it. The expression on Sawyer’s face was priceless. “Kara’s. Yes. Didn’t know you were so into journalism, Sawyer.”

“Every cop I know reads Lane and Kent’s investigative pieces.” There was a pause. “What about that really buff woman that just tackled Lane? I don’t buy that she’s a lab rat or CatCo person.”

Alex sighed inaudibly. She really should’ve pushed harder to play so she wouldn’t have to answer all of Sawyer’s questions. Unfortunately, not answering them would probably be more suspicious. She answered, words clipped, “Susan Vasquez, Lucy’s girlfriend.” But it didn’t mean she had to be friendly.

“Damn, Lane’s got good taste.”

Alex quirked a half smile, mentally making a note to share that tidbit with Lucy later. Sawyer lapsed into silence and Alex wondered just how long the woman was going to hang around so they could end this charade. After several minutes of the three women watching the game, Lena occasionally wincing when someone hit Kara, Sawyer finally commented, “Your sister can take a hit better than I thought.”

Alex tensed slightly but forced herself to answer casually. “Well, like she said, we’ve been playing for quite some time now. She’s tougher than she looks.” Mentally she added another bullet to her list: tell Kara to try and look at least a bit more… squishy… when getting hit in public as Kara Danvers. How long is this mental checklist going to be by the end of this, I wonder?

The mental list had, in fact, expanded quite rapidly by the time they finished playing about forty-five minutes later. By that point it also included “tell Winn to stop flinching whenever someone gets near him,” “teach Winn some self-defense,” “schedule a sparring session with Stafford and Dearing since clearly they are not keeping up acceptable levels of fitness,” “remind James that her people are trained DEO agents and he doesn’t have to go easy on them just because he’s taller,” “remind Kara that she owes Alex several pints of ice cream and beer for putting up with this,” and “see if there’s a way to conveniently trap Sawyer in her office and away from Alex on Monday.”

Sawyer had continued to ask questions periodically even when—or more likely because, Alex thought sourly—Alex’s answers had become more and more terse. Alex had found herself periodically shouting encouraging words at Kara and mocking ones at Lucy, earning herself bright smiles from the former and middle fingers from the latter. After the third time, Sawyer had asked, voice full of amusement, “So is it that you and Lane hate each other or are besties?”

Alex just shrugged. “Neither.” She didn’t say that she couldn’t actually remember the last time she had a best friend. Or that maybe she could but those memories were so old and fraught with so many emotions now that she chose to ignore them. She definitely didn’t say that, either way, it had been something like a decade since she’d had much in the way of friends at all.

But finally, finally, it was over and the personnel she’d scrounged from the DEO were departing with cheerful waves, relatively easily maintaining the cover that this was a regular, friendly activity. Alex did note that none of them used her or Lucy’s names, however, clearly not quite that comfortable in maintaining the cover.

Speaking of Lucy… Lucy sauntered up with a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes, which were flat and wary. Her gaze was mostly fixed on Sawyer rather than Alex herself, clearly evaluating the interloper. “How’s the ankle, Alex? Kara said you twisted it more than we thought last time.”

Alex waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah. It’ll be fine next week.”

“How exactly did you get hurt, Danvers?” Sawyer interjected.

Alex sighed but didn’t get a chance to answer before Lucy replied smoothly, “Oh, this one,” she waved a hand in James’ direction as he stepped up, one arm slung around Winn’s shoulders, “tripped over his own two feet and landed right on top of her. Shouldn’t have even counted as a tackle except he managed to grab her wrist in the windmilling to stop his fall and Alex had the ball.”

James affected a sheepish look and shrugged. “Ground was softer than I expected.”

Sawyer studied him for a moment before looking back at Alex with a half-smile. “Yeah, I can see how that could cause some damage.” She flicked a glance around the group. “Well, I gotta get going. See you Monday, Danvers.” With a brief raise of her hand in farewell, Sawyer turned and strode off.

Alex muttered, barely audible, “Not if I lock you in your office first.”

Kara looked at her askance, the only one who could hope to hear her. Alex just shot her sister an innocent smile, blithely ignoring the now disapproving look.

Lucy snickered, watching Alex. “Don’t look so thrilled, Danvers.”

“Shut it, Lane. Didn’t we agree to grab food after this fiasco was over?”

“Yes!” Kara bounced slightly. Everyone laughed as they trooped toward the waiting vehicles.

 *     *     *

Alex settled into the booth on one end of the wraparound bench, across from Lucy and Vasquez who’d had the same idea of making sure they had an easy exit. But Alex had managed to snag the side of the booth that also faced the door to the restaurant and she grinned smugly at the other two agents who were definitely giving her disgruntled looks. “Problem, Lane?”

Lucy rolled her eyes but Alex could see the hint of a smile. “Shut it, Danvers.”

Alex chuckled, ignoring the confused looks from the others minus Vasquez. “You’re just mad ‘cause you’re slow.”

“I can have you reassigned to Antarctica.”

Alex scoffed. “As if J’onn would allow that.”

The conversation paused as the waiter brought glasses of water and took their drink orders. Once he was gone, Lucy gave her a look that was somewhere between annoyed and amused, stating, “You know, you’re far less agreeable than your sister.”

Alex just grinned proudly while Kara looked between the two of them, clearly confused.

“Fortunately, that Sawyer woman seems to like that.”

Alex coughed and reached for her glass of water. “What?”

“Sawyer. She thinks you’re hot.”

Alex managed to contain her surprise that time and arched an eyebrow. “Pretty sure Sawyer thinks I’m evil. Or at least a bitch.”

Lucy shrugged, shooting a glance at Kara before commenting casually, “Evil can be hot. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t want you.”

At that, Alex did choke on her water, feeling a blush start. Coughing, she glared at Lucy who just grinned, unrepentant. The rest of the table laughed tentatively, with the exception of Kara, who looked completely surprised at this piece of information, and Lena who was smiling but not laughing. Shooting a ferocious glare around the table, which quieted everyone who had dared to laugh, Alex redirected the glare back to Lucy. For her part, Lucy just grinned smugly and took a drink of water, one eyebrow arched in challenge.

Alex rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the beer the waiter had just put in front of her. She kept her expression neutral, fighting the blush back down, as the conversation moved on to other topics but part of her mind dwelled on Lucy’s words. Eventually, she forced herself to focus on the conversation and not some hypothetical idea that Sawyer might be attracted to her. Or that maybe she was attracted back. Enough. The fact that a hot woman might, possibly, maybe think you’re hot doesn’t matter right now. Besides, exploring anything right now would be a very, very bad idea. She steadfastly refused to acknowledge the tiny part of her mind that insisted she could both do her job and explore the idea. A tiny voice that sounded suspiciously like her little sister.

Chapter Text

Maggie heard the scuffle before she saw it. Having parked her motorcycle outside the bar, she heard a brief yell just after shutting off the engine. The sound was cut off almost immediately and a muffled thud reached her ears instead. Frowning, Maggie flipped the kickstand down quickly and practically vaulted off the bike, tugging off her helmet and setting it to the side in the same motion she drew her pistol from the shoulder holster.

Sprinting in the direction of the noises, Maggie skidded around a corner to a narrow alley and practically tripped over her own feet stumbling to a stop. She raised her gun automatically, longtime police instincts kicking in, but she honestly wasn’t entirely sure where to point it. Instead she watched in stunned silence as Dr. Alex Danvers delivered a short, and clearly very powerful, punch to an orange alien before spinning into a roundhouse kick that nearly knocked the alien off his feet. Before Maggie could catch her breath to try and intervene, Danvers had grabbed the alien’s arm and slammed him into the wall face-first, arm wrenched behind his back. Maggie winced when she heard the clear sound of bones breaking.

She watched as Danvers seemed to double-check whether the alien was still conscious (he wasn’t, slumping heavily in her grip) before pulling out her cellphone, letting the alien drop to the ground. A small part of Maggie’s mind was starting to wonder if the woman kept getting injured from fights rather than rugby; which begged the question of why the hell she was getting in fights in the first place.

Maggie regained her senses and managed to stutter out, “Danvers—wha—?”

She hadn’t really thought more could happen that would surprise her given the sheer unreality of the situation. She found out quickly that wasn’t the case when she suddenly found herself staring down the barrel of a gun she hadn’t even realized Danvers was carrying. Swallowing heavily, Maggie carefully lifted her hands, deliberately removing her finger from the trigger of her own pistol and flicking the safety back on.

Danvers blinked and frowned at her. “Sawyer?” The gun didn’t waver however.

“Uh, yeah… mind uh, mind pointing that somewhere else?”

Danvers seemed to consider it and for an agonizing moment Maggie wasn’t sure if she really would lower the weapon. After what felt like far too long, Danvers lowered the pistol but kept it in her hand as if she wanted it handy just in case. Danvers glanced at the alien that had dropped to the ground when she drew the weapon on Maggie and squatted down, studying it for a long moment.

Finally Maggie cleared her throat. “What, um, what happened?”

Danvers frowned thoughtfully, gaze still on the alien. After a moment she replied, clearly mulling over her words as she did so, “I’m not entirely sure. He tried to jump me.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow, looking back at the alien. Now that things seemed more settled and the adrenaline was seeping out of her system she could better appreciate that the alien was at least a foot taller than Danvers and likely weighed at least 50 pounds more.

“He what?”

“Tried to jump me.”

“Just like… a mugging?”

Danvers never got a chance to answer, though Maggie wasn’t really sure if she would, when there was a rush of wind. Maggie had half-raised her pistol again when the sound resolved itself into a blue and red clad Supergirl who was frowning down at Danvers. Danvers didn’t even seem to notice Supergirl’s sudden arrival.

Supergirl glanced up at Maggie, frown deepening slightly before asking, “What happened here, Dr. Danvers?” Maggie caught a hint of something on the title but couldn’t figure out what.

At that Danvers did glance up, favoring Supergirl with a small smile. “Just a mugging gone wrong, Supergirl.”

Supergirl’s frown deepened even further, clearly not reassured and she shot another look at Maggie. Maggie got the clear feeling that Supergirl was not pleased with her presence. But the superhero didn’t say anything about that, just asked calmly, “Did you see anything, ma’am?”

Maggie blinked, and shook herself slightly as she realized she was being addressed. “No, not really. I just caught the end.”

Supergirl nodded before directing her gaze back at the body. Maggie got the distinct feeling she’d just been dismissed.

Danvers straightened, tucking her pistol away in the back of her waistband. “Thanks for coming, Supergirl.”

Supergirl smiled. “Of course, anytime. I’ll just take him away shall I?”

Danvers nodded, shooting Supergirl another smile and stepping back out of the way. “Of course.”

The superhero studied Danvers for a moment before nodding as if reaching a decision and hoisting the alien easily into a fireman’s carry. She gave both Danvers and Maggie a brief nod, though Maggie felt she still seemed unsure about Maggie, before launching herself into the sky and disappearing quickly.

Both women stood in silence for a moment, looking in the direction Supergirl had disappeared before Maggie finally slipped her pistol back into the shoulder holster and cleared her throat. Danvers looked over at her, one eyebrow raised curiously and what appeared to be a small smile curling her lips.

“So… wouldn’t have expected a scientist to be that good in a fight even with the, ah, rugby.”

The small smile disappeared as Danvers studied Maggie for a long moment. Finally the taller woman shrugged. “Self-defense is an important skill for anyone.”

“Of course.” Maggie sensed that Danvers wasn’t likely to elaborate even if Maggie asked. Maggie jerked her head in the direction the superhero had disappeared. “You know Supergirl.”

It was definitely not a question but Danvers shrugged again and responded anyway. “We’ve met a couple times.”

After an expectant moment, Danvers seemed to accept that Maggie wasn’t going to ask anything further and began striding out of the alley. Maggie fell in next to her, ignoring the slightly irritated look Danvers shot her way. “Where you headed, Danvers?”

“Home.”

Maggie shot her a surprised look. “You live around here?”

Danvers scoffed. “Of course not.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes, watching the other woman’s expression intently, wondering if she was about to finally get some more solid confirmation of her suspicions. “Then why were you in that alley?”

Danvers stopped walking and turned to face her completely, her expression having gone mostly blank. “Look, Sawyer, it’s really not your business.” She held up a hand, forestalling any further pushing from Maggie. “But, since it’s clear you won’t let this go if I don’t explain, I was in that alley because the alien jumped me when I walked by on my way to pick up food from here.” Danvers pointed to the storefront they had stopped in front of and Maggie turned slightly to read the name on the door.

Maggie smiled ruefully when she realized they were in front of a Chinese takeout place a couple doors down from the bar. She couldn’t let it go, however, and tried one more time to see if she could catch Dr. Danvers in a fake story. “So why not park in front here?” Maggie gestured to the couple of empty parking spaces.

Danvers just shrugged. “Those weren’t open when I got here. Closest was the one down there.” She waved vaguely back the way they came and Maggie twisted around to look. Spotting the Ducati from the bar, she couldn’t help the grin.

“So, it was your Ducati.”

Maggie turned back around in time to catch the pleased grin on Danvers’ face before the scientist managed to wipe the expression. She did, however, confirm Maggie’s statement with a nod. The smile hadn’t completely left her eyes which seemed to sparkle in the growing twilight.

“Nice bike, Danvers. You keep surprising me.”

Danvers smirked and Maggie could hear the words the other woman had spoken at the bar and the park “You don’t know me.” No… clearly I don’t, Dr. Danvers. Danvers waited a moment before arching an eyebrow and nodding slightly, smirk still firmly in place and eyes dancing. “See you around, Sawyer.” With those words the scientist ducked into the restaurant, leaving a slightly bemused Maggie Sawyer standing on the sidewalk.

Shaking her head slightly, Maggie continued to the bar, definitely needing a drink after the excitement and pondering this new information about one Dr. Alex Danvers.

 *     *     *

The next morning, Maggie called one of her friends still on the force, curious to see if the alien had said anything that he could tell her about why it had attacked Danvers. Except no alien had been brought in the night before, much less by Supergirl. Frowning, Maggie hung up the phone and studied her security monitors thoughtfully. Where the hell had Supergirl taken him?

She watched Danvers move gracefully around her lab. She’d noted the fluidity of movement before and after the rugby thing wondered if it was just athleticism, maybe some past dance experience. But now, after the previous night, she wondered if her initial suspicions regarding Dr. Danvers had been more spot on than she’d thought. The woman was clearly even more dangerous than Maggie had suspected, the only questions were why… and what the hell was she up to that apparently had even Supergirl somehow in on it?

Maggie was jerked out of her reverie by a knock on the door. “Yeah?”

One of her security guys, Mike Rodriguez poked his head in. “This was just delivered for you, ma’am.”

Maggie rolled her eyes and held out her hand. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Maggie, Mike?”

He grinned and handed over the envelope. “Sorry, Maggie, habit.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” She waved the envelope slightly.

He nodded, still grinning and ducked back out of the office.

Maggie waited for the door to shut before frowning down at the envelope, flipping it over to look at the address. It was from her old partner. “Huh.”

Ripping it open, Maggie pulled out several 8x10 photos, clearly taken from a distance with a zoom lens, and a short note. The note was from her former partner, short and to the point. “Sawyer—We took these last night. Thought you should see since you’re working for Luthor now. Call me when you can so we can work out next steps.” She frowned, flipping through the photos. The photos were a bit grainy, side effect of the department’s old cameras she knew, but showed what were clearly labelled L-Corp crates being moved into a warehouse, but one she was pretty sure did not belong to L-Corp. Except… she hadn’t been notified of any missing equipment or shipments. “What the hell…?”

She continued flipping through the photos and stopped dead at the last one. This one showed a woman. Short hair, dark colored. Leather jacket. Jeans. Unfortunately the black and white nature of the pictures made the hair color impossible to determine with accuracy but it sure as hell looked like Danvers. The woman’s face was mostly turned away from the camera which, combined with the quality of the pictures and the shadows cast by the warehouse’s external lights, made it impossible to tell for sure. But Maggie could feel the certainty settle in her gut, even without a clear shot of the woman’s face. I have to talk to Luthor.

Grabbing the photos, Maggie strode to the elevator, ignoring the curious glances from the security guards currently manning the monitors in the outer office. She was tempted to go directly confront Danvers except she knew this sort of thing would go much smoother with Luthor’s backing. She didn’t much fancy trying to explain to her boss or her boss’s girlfriend why she was accusing said girlfriend’s sister of stealing without having Luthor on her side. Maggie wondered if Kara had any idea that her sister might be involved in something shady. She shook her head slightly to herself. That seemed highly unlikely. Whatever Danvers’ flaws, she definitely didn’t seem like the type to involve her sister in whatever sketchy thing she, herself, was involved with.

Stopping at Jess’s desk, Maggie nodded toward Luthor’s office. “She free?”

Jess frowned slightly but checked something on her computer. Maggie had learned quickly that Luthor’s assistant did not appreciate unscheduled meetings. How the woman handled Kara stopping by randomly Maggie didn’t know and she didn’t really dare ask. After a moment Jess nodded and rose, stepping to the door.

“Miss Luthor. Ms. Sawyer is here to see you.”

“Send her in.”

Smiling gratefully at Jess, Maggie stepped around the assistant and into Lena Luthor’s office. Luthor was giving her a curious smile. “What can I do for you, Maggie? You don’t normally stop by like this.”

Maggie glanced behind her to check the door was completely closed before speaking, moving toward the desk as she did so. “I’m concerned about… Dr. Danvers.”

“Alex?” Luthor’s eyebrows rose and the smile on her face faded, replaced by a concerned look. “Is something wrong?”

Maggie paused to order her thoughts. “I think Dr. Danvers is involved in something shady.”

“Shady? Alex?”

Maggie nodded. “Look, I know you said she was sick that first time but she misses work frequently on an irregular schedule and won’t say why. Her background checks out, but then I can’t find anything about any of the few former work acquaintances of hers that she or Kara have mentioned. She doesn’t move like a scientist. And it’s not just the sports thing.

She carries a gun, at least part of the time. I saw her kick the ass of an alien that was easily a foot taller and had something like fifty pounds on her just last night. And then there’s this.” Maggie tossed the pictures on Luthor’s desk, waiting for the other woman to flip through them.

When Luthor reached the last one, Maggie reached out and tapped the image of the woman caught in the still. “I know you can’t see the face clearly, and the lighting doesn’t help, but I’m positive that’s Danvers.” She sighed, grimacing slightly. “Look… I know it doesn’t sound like much but… my gut’s never wrong about this. Dr. Danvers is involved in something. She’s not just a scientist.”

Luthor was frowning thoughtfully down at the photos. Finally, she looked up, tapping the picture idly. “This isn’t enough, Maggie.” She held up a hand when Maggie opened her mouth to protest. “I trust your instincts but I can’t use that to make decisions. Alex is a very private person. Even I have only just recently reached the point where she doesn’t glare and interrogate me at game nights and I’ve been dating her sister for over three months. She doesn’t share information easily. So far, what you’ve told me sounds like more of the same.”

“Kicking some alien’s ass is not more of the same!”

“Did she explain that?”

Maggie huffed. “Well, yes, she claimed the alien tried to mug her. Made some crack about ‘self-defense’ afterward.”

Luthor arched an eyebrow. “From what Kara has told me, that is true.”

Maggie shook her head. “This isn’t just self-defense. I know self-defense training. She’s been taught to fight.”

Luthor shrugged. “That’s not exactly uncommon.”

“Yeah, but,” Maggie ran a hand through her hair, “Supergirl showed up and took the alien away. Only, I called the precinct this morning, no alien was brought in last night to any of the NCPD jails.”

Luthor cocked her head slightly. “That is odd but what does that have to do with Alex?”

“She’s the reason. Whatever reason Supergirl didn’t take that alien to jail is because of Danvers.”

“You don’t know that.”

Maggie pressed her lips together because Luthor was right, she didn’t know that but she knew it. After a long moment she nodded at the photo. “What about that?”

Luthor pursed her lips. “You and I both know that picture isn’t enough for anything. You can’t see the woman’s face, it’s nighttime, and a leather jacket and jeans with short hair is hardly conclusive.”

Maggie scowled. “I’m telling you, she’s up to something and that photo is her.”

Luthor sighed. “Maggie, I don’t doubt your instincts, truly I don’t. But I need more than that in order to do anything. Both legally and before I even consider bringing this up to Kara or Alex.”

“What if I confront her?”

Luthor arched an eyebrow. “About what? You bring this to Alex and you and I both know she’ll not only refuse to answer your questions but throw you out of her lab. Possibly literally. You need more concrete proof before you can try to confront her.”

Maggie huffed again but nodded reluctantly. Luthor was right, unfortunately. But now she had something and she resolved to dig even more and find the solid proof necessary. After several moments of silence she jerked her head at the pile of photos. “Why wasn’t I notified that any equipment went missing?”

Luthor frowned down at the photos. “Nor was I. A failure I will definitely be addressing.”

Maggie nodded. “I’ll look into it too. Any idea where those crates came from?”

Luthor flipped back through the pictures then shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. Nothing I see here indicates an origin.”

Maggie turned to leave then stopped, turning to face Luthor again. “I know you’re dating her sister but… if Danvers is involved in something, I’m going to find out what and stop her, no matter what it takes.”

Luthor nodded, expression serious. “I would expect nothing less, Ms. Sawyer.”

Chapter Text

Alex sighed heavily as she entered her apartment. For a moment she just leaned against the door, letting the quiet wash over her. Sure, her apartment was a bit sterile but it was quiet and it was home and there weren’t suspicious security chiefs watching her. She’d forgotten how stressful it was to know someone was watching you just waiting for a slip-up. Shaking her head at herself and her melodrama, Alex pushed off from the door and dropped her bag and keys on the island. She forced herself to at least move to the couch before dropping on it bonelessly, gazing absently into the empty fireplace. For the first time Sawyer hadn’t come around to her lab during the day and the sudden change made everything even more unsettling. Maybe she’s even more suspicious after the fight than I hoped…

She dropped her head against the back of the couch studying the ceiling and calculating just how much energy ordering food would take compared with how much she felt she had to give. After the late night after said fight and the inherent stress of being undercover, Alex was beat. She raised her head when her phone buzzed and tugged it out of her pocket with a groan. Briefly she glared at the inanimate object before checking who the message was from. Lena? Frowning, and suddenly feeling very alert, Alex unlocked the screen hurriedly. It was very rare for Lena to contact her directly. Most of their interaction was either in person or via Kara.

Her frown deepened as she read the text. “Alex, Need to talk to you about something important. Sending Kara.” What the…?

Alex’s head jerked up as her sister entered through the unlocked window. She bounded to her feet and shot Kara a curious look. “Do you know what’s up?”

Kara just shrugged. “All I know is Lena said to come get you and make sure no one saw me enter or us leave.”

Alex blinked in surprise. So it was very serious then. Letting out a slightly worried sigh, Alex tucked her phone back in her pocket before retrieving her gun from the special pocket Winn had added to her bag so it wouldn’t set off the scanners at L-Corp. She tucked it into her waistband under her sweater before joining Kara at the window. She wished she’d had a chance to change out of her “L-Corp Scientist” outfit, jeans and boots would have been far more comfortable, but it seemed time was important.

Kara grabbed her and minutes later they were landing lightly in Kara’s apartment. Alex’s feet had barely touched the ground before she was talking to Lena, who was pacing in the kitchen. “Lena. What’s going on; what’s wrong?”

“Maggie Sawyer thinks you’re a criminal.”

That… had not been the answer she was expecting. Surprised, Alex exchanged a glance with Kara, who looked caught between shock and outrage. Turning back to Lena, Alex arched an eyebrow. “Explain.”

“She came to my office today saying she suspected you of being involved in something shady.”

Alex frowned thoughtfully. “We already knew she didn’t much like me and was suspicious. Why is this different?”

Lena stopped pacing as Kara moved to stand next to her, resting one hand lightly on the CEO’s back. Lena sighed, and Alex watched, somewhat impressed, as she visibly shifted from worried mostly-friend into collected CEO. “She has pictures. Of the ‘delivery.’ They were clearly taken from a decent distance on an older, lower quality camera. But one shows you, though not clearly, and apparently she realized it.”

“Fuck.” They had suspected the NCPD was watching but she’d foolishly overlooked that Sawyer used to be one of them and that this could cause them to go against their norm of avoiding working with private security. She hadn’t expected them to send Sawyer pictures. This definitely complicated matters. “You couldn’t convince her it wasn’t me I take it?”

“No, she was positive. I did convince her she didn’t have enough to accuse you but I imagine she’ll be working to correct that.”

Alex nodded and started pacing as she thought through the situation. So far Sawyer just had suspicions but that was dangerous enough. And those suspicions shared with the cops might just be enough to make her life an even bigger pain in the ass. She pulled out her phone and ran the DEO diagnostic to confirm nothing had been compromised and the encryption and Winn’s embedded “seek and destroy” program were still active. She knew it would have alerted her if there had been an issue but it was always better to be sure. The scan came back clear, encryption solid. She hadn’t really expected differently; it would be a cold day in hell before the NCPD or a head of security, even private security at L-Corp, was able to compromise DEO security. Lena might be able to. But Alex was pretty sure Sawyer was no hacker, and she highly doubted the NCPD had one on the level of Lena or Winn either.

Kara broke the thoughtful silence. “Why don’t you just tell Maggie the truth? Maybe she could help.”

Alex was shaking her head before Kara even finished speaking. “No. No way.” Lena’s expression was carefully neutral and she remained silent. Alex couldn’t really blame her for trying to stay out of the conversation between the sisters. “We don’t know if we can trust her and I’m not risking this operation by hoping she can be.”

“But—”

“No, Kara. It’s too risky. To the operation, to you, and to Lena.” Alex felt a little bad using Kara’s feelings like that but if it kept them all safe, especially Kara, then she would use every tool and weapon she had available. Kara subsided and Alex pondered the issue for a few moments. “We have to assume the NCPD knows everything Sawyer does.” She raised her phone and dialed J’onn. As soon as he answered she was talking. “J’onn, NCPD notified Sawyer of the delivery. She talked to Lena earlier today about me.”

J’onn was quiet for a moment. “We have to assume she’ll work with the NCPD on this. I’m pulling Lane in on this. Hold on.”

Alex nodded automatically, waiting for Lucy to come on the line.

“Lane.”

“Hey, Lucy.”

“Alex? What’s going on?”

“Director Lane, we believe Ms. Sawyer at L-Corp has likely passed her suspicions about Agent Danvers on to the NCPD and will probably be working with them. Apparently she received a photo from the NCPD this morning that shows Agent Danvers in a… potentially compromising position.”

Both women were silent for a long moment. Alex could feel a slight flush and wondered if J’onn realized what that sounded like.

After a moment, Lucy coughed. “I um, by that I assume you don’t mean sexually.” Alex could hear the smile in her voice that Lucy didn’t seem to be trying too hard to suppress and rolled her eyes.

“Oh God. No, of course not. I’ll brief you on the operation later. Suffice to say that Sawyer, who was already a bit suspicious of Alex, as you know, has reason to be more suspicious now.”

Lucy was silent for a moment. “So we’re assuming Sawyer is working with the NCPD, or will be. You said she used to be a detective, right, Alex?”

“Yes. A good one based on her file. I assume I’ll be under surveillance soon, if not already, and I imagine they’ll at least try for a wiretap.”

“Do they have enough?” J’onn asked.

Alex stared out the window, aware of Kara and Lena watching her and listening, as she waited for Lucy’s answer.

“Maybe… depends on how they can spin it as far as acts of terrorism or something. Probable cause might be iffy but…” Lucy sighed. “We should assume yes to that also. To be safe.”

Alex could practically hear J’onn’s thoughtful nod. “Does the NCPD have surveillance tech that would permit hearing without the tap?” she asked.

“I doubt it. And if they did they could never use it. It would be an unlawful search. Especially if we’re talking your apartment. Your lab on the other hand…”

Alex grunted in acknowledgement. She’d always assumed the lab was unsecure anyway.

Lucy added suddenly, “Also, if Sawyer was the one who used it, there wouldn’t necessarily be a search issue. Assuming the NCPD doesn’t ask her to do so… and since she was a detective…”

“She’d know that.” Alex sighed. “Damn. But would she have access to that sort of technology? I mean, I assume the NCPD can’t give it to her or it’d have the same issues you were just talking about.”

Lena asked, moving to stand next to Alex, “What sort of technology?”

Alex glanced over. “Listening devices, particularly something that wouldn’t require actually bugging my apartment.”

“If they don’t, L-Corp does. I imagine Sawyer could find some way to gain access if she wanted to; it would be easy enough to claim it’s for L-Corp security use. It would look too suspicious to suddenly start changing security protocols to prevent it. Though, it won’t work within L-Corp; I already ensured that once we developed it.”

Alex sighed. “Then we’ll assume if they don’t, she will. At least outside of L-Corp.”

Winn’s voice suddenly came through J’onn’s phone. Alex hadn’t even been aware he was listening in. “I have something here that can help! Just have to modify it a bit but then Alex can just turn it on when needed and it’ll jam whatever listening devices whoever might try to use!”

Alex raised an eyebrow at Lena who nodded that she’d heard his excited outburst. “I’ll send a copy of L-Corp’s device over to Winn so he can make sure his jammer will work on it.”

Alex nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Oh hey, Alex?” Winn’s voice broke through again.

“Yeah, Winn?”

“I just got a system notification that your name pinged in the legal system. Looks like they got the wiretap warrant.”

Lucy sighed. “So much for my iffy probable cause theory.”

“Speedy,” Alex murmured. “I wonder if they worked that fast to protect L-Corp from me… or because they think this will take L-Corp down…?”

“What—?” Kara started to ask but Alex waved off the question for the moment. Kara edged closer to Lena, her expression growing grim.

“Well, guess we’re about to find out how good Winn’s encryption and seek and destroy program is.”

“Hey, my software is perfect, Danvers!”

Alex chuckled softly. “Ok, then. J’onn, I’ll have Kara pick up Winn’s device. Any DEO business is going to need to be handled carefully since I’m sure they’ll be watching the windows as well as the exits. Hopefully that won’t be necessary but…”

Lucy finished the sentence wryly, “When has that ever been the case?”

“Exactly.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Alex. In the meantime I think we can handle any operations without your physical involvement.”

“Yes, sir.” Alex sighed again as she hung up the phone, staring contemplatively out the window. Kara interrupted her thoughts after a few seconds, “What did you mean earlier, Alex? About them wanting to bring down L-Corp?”

Alex turned and studied the pair for a moment before letting her gaze rest thoughtfully on Lena who met it unflinchingly. “I mean, Sawyer might be doing this to protect L-Corp and Lena from me. From what I’ve seen there’s no reason to think that isn’t true. But the NCPD?”

“You think they might still be holding my name against me,” Lena stated flatly.

Alex nodded. “Possibly. Obviously we don’t know for sure but if so… they probably figure you’re actually working with me to do whatever it is. Thus, taking me down takes the last public Luthor down also.”

Kara frowned. “But Lena’s done so much good! Why would they think that?”

Lena touched her arm gently. “Kara, you have to accept that there will always be people that will hold the name ‘Luthor’ against me.”

Kara shook her head stubbornly. “No, I don’t. And I won’t. I’ll continue doing whatever I can to change those people’s minds.”

Alex smiled fondly. Kara was always so optimistic. Alex fervently hoped nothing ever happened that changed that. “Ok, so… I think you need to get me back home, Kara.”

Kara blinked and looked back at her sister. “Right. I’ll do that.”

Lena nodded. “I’ll head back to the office and have the device couriered over to Winn. I believe one of the DEO’s shell companies in the building is a technology developer, yes?”

Alex nodded, a little bemused.

“Great. If anyone asks I’m just having some outside consulting done to see if the device can be improved.”

 *     *     *

Maggie sighed in boredom as she watched Danvers’ apartment building. The woman had come directly home, or well, Maggie assumed it was home, from work and there’d been nothing to see since. Sure, it matched the scientist’s L-Corp record but Maggie wasn’t sure just how accurate the info in there was. The scientist’s apartment appeared to be on the back side of the building and there was no way to get a clear look at her windows without actually exiting the car and loitering, something she figured she would leave up to the actual NCPD. It was bad enough Danvers would recognize her if she saw Maggie, no need to make said seeing even easier. She had confirmed that Danvers’ apartment was up on the third floor after sneaking in just after Danvers and watching the elevator numbers light up. It put Danvers right in the middle of the building’s height which struck Maggie as a sound tactical decision. She wondered if Danvers knew that or if it was luck. Suppose it depends on how long she’s been working with whoever the stuff in that warehouse is for.

Maggie settled in to keep watching the building. She had spent a decent chunk of her afternoon off-site at the NCPD precinct, reviewing what she knew of Dr. Danvers with the detectives that had been surveilling the warehouse, one of whom was her old partner.  It wasn’t a huge amount but all three of them were confident it would be enough to get a wiretap warrant for at least a few days. Unfortunately, the photo of Danvers that had been included in the stack was the best shot they had of the woman. She’d apparently done an excellent job of keeping her back to the detectives but they said, as far as they could tell, it looked completely accidental. Unfortunately, the best location for their stakeout just wasn’t in the right spot to get clear shots without giving themselves away. Maggie resolved to follow up with them the next day about the wiretap.

Darkness had just fallen with no sign of Danvers when Maggie’s phone rang. Absently she answered, “Sawyer.”

“Sawyer, it’s Thomas.”

Maggie straightened upon hearing her old partner’s voice. “What do you have?”

“Nothing yet but the tap got approved. Myself and Johnson are on our way to set up a tail.”

“Sounds good, Vic.” She grinned a little to herself at his long-suffering sigh.

Thomas hung up and Maggie started her car, knowing they would only need a few minutes to get here and not wanting to risk still being there when they did. If anyone saw her with them, it could lead to questions that could compromise their mission. Not to mention possibly tipping off Danvers. Besides, she needed to get her own plan together for digging up information, knowing that Thomas and Johnson couldn’t ask her.

Entering her own apartment a little while later, Maggie flopped on the couch, wondering if she felt up to cooking or being a slacker and just ordering food. Absently she wondered if one of the few delivery people she’d seen entering Danvers’ apartment building was on their way to Danvers’ apartment. Maggie rolled her eyes at herself and groaned audibly, muttering, “Oh my god, Sawyer, why does it matter?” Resolving to be good and cook, Maggie dragged herself from the couch and into the kitchen to see what she actually had available. She knew she needed to run to the grocery store soon but hopefully she had enough for something decent.

A quick bowl of vegetable stir fry later, Maggie plopped down at her desk to start figuring out her next steps. She could keep following Danvers but that might end up conflicting with Thomas and his new partner’s investigation. One thing she didn’t want to do was give the appearance that she was acting on their orders. She was pretty sure L-Corp had some listening devices she might be able to access. She wasn’t certain of the range on them but maybe it would be enough to let her listen to a conversation or two of Danvers’. Maggie ruled out using them in the building immediately. Even if they had the range, she was under no illusions that Luthor would develop something she couldn’t counter and probably already had implemented said countermeasures just to be safe.

She sighed. Well, first things first, see if she could even get ahold of such a thing and then worry about if she’d get to use it. And if the tap turned up something she could help with, she knew Thomas knew he could count on her. Meandering to the couch, she flipped on the evening news and found herself zoning out thoughtfully when the news anchor started talking about Supergirl’s latest exploit.

Supergirl. Another wrinkle to this whole thing. Did Supergirl know the real story? How had she and Danvers met? And what could Danvers have possibly told her or done to get Supergirl to help her out and cover up alien attacks. The possibility that Danvers and Supergirl were dating flitted briefly across her mind before she dismissed it resoundingly. They had acted nothing like people dating. Or at least, she tried to dismiss it resoundingly. But, Danvers did smile at her which is something you’ve only seen her do with her sister, Olsen, and Luthor. And there definitely was something in her voice when she said Danvers’ name… I mean it’s not like Supergirl is likely to be terribly obvious in public… she definitely wasn’t happy to see me. And why the fuck does that annoy me so much? Suspicious, Sawyer. Danvers is up to something nefarious. Remember that. Her dating life is not the problem here.

Groaning again, Maggie thumped her head on the back of her couch a few times. “This is really not helping.” Flipping off the TV, Maggie grabbed her current reading material—the biography of Alexander Hamilton which she’d decided to read after one of the rookies at the station had insisted on playing the musical endlessly in the squad room for about a week—and headed to bed.

The next day had her staring intently at the monitor showing Danvers’ lab. To Maggie’s frustration the woman appeared completely normal despite the fight two days ago. Maggie wasn’t sure exactly what she was expecting. Jumpy maybe? Which Maggie conceded made no real sense since the woman shouldn’t know she was being watched. She sighed and turned back to her work. She had already discovered that as head of security she had access to any number of security devices including, sure enough, a listening device with a decent range that could be connected to a set of wireless ear phones. She had noted in passing that Luthor had apparently sent one of the prototypes of the device to some technology lab but it didn’t concern her. It wasn’t uncommon for Luthor to send pieces of technology to one or several of her contacts for input. They weren’t even always prototypes. Just the other day some three year old piece of technology had been shipped off to three different engineers for input.

 *     *     *

Maggie’s opportunity to try the technology out came sooner than she expected. She noticed Danvers leaving for the day and casually made sure she was lurking just out of sight of the lobby and elevators when Danvers exited. She was pleasantly surprised to hear Danvers talking on the phone with someone who definitely wasn’t Kara.

“Yeah, just leaving for the day. … Sure, Olsen, we can meet. … Yeah, bar sounds great.”

Maggie watched unobtrusively as Danvers appeared to automatically scan the lobby before heading for the parking garage. Forcing herself to be casual, she wandered back to her office and grabbed her jacket. “Mike, I’m out for the day. See you in the morning.”

“See ya, boss.” He waved absently, never glancing up from the security report he was reading.

Maggie entered the parking garage just in time to see Danvers’ bike exiting. She hurried to her own motorcycle, grateful the weather was still warm enough to make riding comfortable and headed straight for the bar, hoping she was right and Danvers and Olsen were meeting in the same spot as last time she saw them. She grinned to herself behind the faceguard of the helmet as she spotted Danvers’ Ducati at the bar. Bingo. Tucking a wireless earphone into one ear and ensuring her hair fell in place over it, Maggie glanced around casually, spotting Thomas nearby watching.

Without acknowledging his presence, she entered the bar, scanning the interior immediately for Danvers. She found the scientist sitting in a booth alone, just taking a sip of beer. Maggie deliberately ignored the other woman and wandered up to the bar, flashing a smile at the bartender. Ordering her usual, Maggie glanced around casually, watching Danvers out of the corner of her eye. The scientist appeared engrossed in her phone though she did look up almost immediately when Olsen entered.

Figuring he had notified her that he was there, Maggie surreptitiously edged the listening device out of her pocket and activated it, turning slightly so the microphone was pointed toward Danvers and Olsen. It worked perfectly.

“Hey, James.” Danvers smiled up at him. Maybe my first thought was right and she’s seeing him… or at least interested. Ok, seriously, Sawyer. Her dating life isn’t the issue. Nefarious. Shady stuff. Not dating.

“Hey, Alex.” He grinned back and slid into the booth across from her. “Get up to some exciting science today?”

Maggie watched as Danvers rolled her eyes but continued to smile. “I’d explain it but I’m pretty sure you’d fall asleep… again.”

He laughed. “Touché.” Olsen threw a smile at the server and nodded when he was asked about a drink. “Sure, same thing she’s having.”

Danvers grinned briefly. “Didn’t take you for a stout fan, Olsen.”

He shrugged. “Well, you know, I like to surprise. Have to keep you Danvers sisters on your toes.” He flashed another broad grin when the waiter brought his beer.

Danvers just rolled her eyes. The smile faded somewhat as she leaned forward. “So… Kara.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

Olsen just laughed. “I see how it is, Alex. Invite me out for drinks and interrogate me about your sister.”

Danvers arched an eyebrow but settled back with a smirk. “You invited yourself out for drinks, Olsen.”

“I did, didn’t I?” He grinned at her for a moment, prompting another eye roll from Danvers. Maggie wondered just what the hell relationship these two had. One minute she was positive they were dating, the next it seemed like it was just a friends thing. “She’s fine. That new photojournalist is annoying her a bit I think but Snapper likes her writing so any crankiness he has he takes out on the photographer, not Kara.”

Alex nodded and Maggie watched curiously out of the corner of her eye as the woman’s gaze danced around the bar for several seconds. For her part, Maggie forced herself not to tense, sipping casually at her beer and staring aimlessly at the television which was currently showing SportsCenter. Finally Alex spoke again and Maggie perked up slightly. “And the other? She’s being careful right?”

“Alex… of course she is. Well, mostly. It is Kara after all. But you know I’ll back her up.”

Danvers sighed and took a drink. “I know. I just worry. You know how our mom is.”

Olsen reached over and patted her hand briefly. Maggie was interested to see Danvers visibly tense for a moment before relaxing again, though she didn’t pull away. Ok, so maybe not dating. “I know. Trust me, I have heard all about Eliza from Kara. I know Kara doesn’t entirely get it but she’s fine and she’s doing a great job. Even Snapper likes her.”

Danvers actually laughed. “To hear Kara tell it, Snapper hates her guts.”

“Ok, maybe ‘like’ is a strong word.”

Maggie listened absently as their conversation drifted into more boring topics while she dwelled on the first part of the conversation. Why is she so worried about Kara? Almost sounds like there’s something wrong… maybe she’s sick? Or is Danvers just that overprotective? The younger Danvers sister certainly didn’t look sick but Maggie hadn’t seen her in a couple days. Maybe she’d come down with something. Or maybe it was something invisible. If their mom was worried then it was more likely long-term… Invisible disability maybe? Even if it turned out to just be a case of an overprotective big sister, Maggie resolved to try and be as nice as possible to Kara, not that it was difficult given how cheerful the younger woman always seemed to be.

Maggie pretended she didn’t see the looks Danvers shot her way periodically as she continued to nurse her beer and listen. Danvers and Olsen seemed to finish their conversation and she wondered if there was another round of pool in the offing but both departed the bar shortly thereafter. Maggie waited an acceptable amount of time then followed suit. She’d barely reached her apartment when her phone rang.

Glancing at it, she raised an eyebrow in surprise as “Vic” flashed across the screen. She answered as she kicked the door shut behind her, automatically visually sweeping the parts of the apartment she could see. Nothing looked out of place. “Sawyer.”

“What the hell, Sawyer?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that, Thomas.”

“You. At the same bar as Danvers.”

Maggie rolled her eyes, wandering into her bedroom and toeing off her boots. “What of it?”

“You want her to know you’re suspicious?”

“Ok, first of all, I’m pretty sure she knows that. We aren’t exactly friends. And second, I go to that bar regularly; Danvers won’t think anything of it.”

She could hear the agitation in his voice. “You’re sure of that?”

“Thomas… Victor… yes, I promise. I know what I’m doing, remember? Hell, you taught me half of it. She looked at me, sure, but I made sure to do nothing to arouse further suspicion. I did get to listen in a bit though.”

“Oh? Hear anything interesting?”

Maggie chuckled ruefully, padding back out to the kitchen in bare feet. “Not a thing. She was talking to James Olsen. She’s concerned about her sister but that isn’t exactly suspicious.”

Thomas grunted. “Yeah, that seems to be a trend.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only thing we’ve picked up on the tap is a phone call between her and Kara Danvers. Something about potstickers and Netflix.”

Maggie huffed a laugh. “Sounds about right from what I’ve seen of Kara. You haven’t gotten anything useful?”

“It’s only been one day, Sawyer. But no, nothing. A whole lot of blank tape and that’s it. The IT guys said they thought they saw something weird but… there’s nothing there. Probably not enough caffeine.”

Maggie rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement even though he couldn’t see. The IT guys did their best but damn did they live on caffeine. Without it… well, they could get a bit punchy. Maggie sighed, staring into her refrigerator. “Well, keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything you need from me.”                               

“Will do, Sawyer.”

Maggie hung up the call and tossed the phone on the counter, glaring in annoyance at her food stocks. She hadn’t had a chance to go to the grocery store and clearly she needed to. Biting the bullet, she ordered some takeout and folded herself into the corner of the couch to stare blankly at the news and ponder the recent developments.

Chapter Text

The attack came two days later, a couple hours after most of the regular employees had cleared the building. Maggie herself was still in her office going over some paperwork when the alarms went off. Bolting from her chair, her gaze snapped to the monitors. She could see figures in tactical gear pouring into the lobby.

A quick glance showed most labs empty except for a couple, including Dr. Danvers’ lab and one with a few other scientists she knew usually worked late. Lena was still in her office as well. Slapping the button to lock down the building and alert the NCPD, Maggie bolted from the office, cursing the fact that it was after hours and the bulk of the normal security staff was already gone. But not all of them, fortunately, and the night staff had mostly arrived. Hope the NCPD gets here quickly though or this is gonna be ugly.

“Rodriguez, you and Mitchell get as many people as you can to the lobby! The cops should already be on their way. Rourke, get to Lab 6 and get those scientists somewhere safer! I’ll get Luthor and Danvers.”

The security guards nodded and ran out of the room, already speaking into their comm. units. Maggie grabbed her own earpiece and ran for the elevators, security card already out. Once inside she swiftly overrode the system, sending the elevator straight to the penthouse. Pulling out her phone she called Luthor’s private number.

“Maggie? What’s going on?”

“We’re under attack. Stay where you are; I’m on my way.”

“But—”

Maggie didn’t let her complete the sentence. Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she stared intently at the numbers above the door, bouncing on her feet impatiently. She just hoped the bad guys didn’t manage to cut the power before she got there.

As soon as the door opened, Maggie bolted from the elevator, running flat out to Lena’s office. She burst through the door and immediately flung herself to the side as a bullet went through the doorway. Rolling back to her feet, Maggie held up her hands and looked askance at a wide-eyed Lena Luthor. “Nice shot, Luthor. Are you ok?”

“I am.” Lena nodded, lowering the gun with a shaky breath. “Sorry about that.”

Maggie shrugged, moving closer. “Don’t worry about it. Can you pull up the security feeds up here?”

Lena smiled grimly. “I can do you one better. Give me your phone.”

Maggie handed it over immediately. While Lena typed rapidly on her computer, Maggie moved back to the door, gun drawn and ready.

“Maggie, here.”

Maggie held out her hand for the phone, still keeping her eyes on the outer office. She’d just glanced at the phone screen when the building power went out. “Shit.”

Pulling back into the office, Maggie closed the door. The lack of power meant everything that wasn’t already in lockdown now would be. Even as that thought flitted through her mind, the backup generators kicked in and low lights turned on.

Lena spoke quietly. “I set the feeds to display on your phone. It looks like the NCPD has arrived downstairs.”

Maggie nodded. “Good.” Rapidly she flipped through the cameras, grateful that the security system was on a completely separate power system and network, isolated in a secured area from the rest of the building. With luck, the invaders didn’t know that and the system would stay online.

“Fuck.” Maggie paused on the feed of Dr. Danvers’ lab. She could just make out a form on the floor in the dim lighting.

Lena peered at the screen. “Is that Alex’s lab?”

Maggie nodded. Mentally she cursed herself for not grabbing the scientist on her way up even though a larger part of her knew that Luthor was her priority. Sure, the woman was suspicious and probably a criminal but that didn’t mean Maggie wanted her dead.

“You need to go.”

“I have to protect you.”

Lena merely raised an eyebrow at her. “I know you don’t trust her but I’m going to help Alex. If you’re going to protect me, you’ll have to come with me.”

Maggie glared to no effect. Finally she growled, “Fine. But you stay behind me and do exactly what I say.”

Lena nodded solemnly. Maggie led the way to the stairwell, using her access card to override the security lockdown. Lena followed close behind, gripping her gun tightly. Maggie nodded at it once they were safely in the stairwell. “Where’d you get that?”

Lena glanced at the weapon. “I started keeping it handy after the attack on the naming ceremony.”

Maggie nodded again before looking forward and leading the way down the stairs. “Good idea.”

They proceeded down the rest of the stairs in silence, Maggie occasionally checking the security feeds. The NCPD had arrived and was engaged in a standoff with the invaders in the lobby. Cursing softly, Maggie picked up her pace. As they moved she engaged her earpiece.

“Rodriguez, what’s the situation?”

“We’re with the NCPD. Rourke has the Lab 6 guys secure.”

Maggie thought for a moment as she barreled down the stairs, Lena hot on her heels. “Can any of you sneak away from the NCPD and get behind the enemy?”

Rodriguez was silent for a moment. “I’ll ask Mitchell. We’ll try.”

Maggie stopped abruptly on the next landing, stumbling slightly when Lena ran into her.

“Sorry,” the CEO whispered.

Maggie ignored her, double-checking the floor number. Quietly she murmured, “Danvers’ lab is one more floor down. Follow close and be quiet.”

Lena nodded, expression serious.

The pair moved carefully down the final flight of stairs. Stopping inside the stairwell door, Maggie pulled up the security feeds again. Studying the cameras for the floor, she saw nothing other than the still unmoving figure in Danvers’ lab. Tucking the phone away, Maggie looked over to Lena. Quietly she said, “Use your card to open the door.”

Lena nodded and pulled out her access card, moving to the side to give Maggie room before waving it at the sensor.

Maggie swiftly opened the door, moving through it at a crouch and ducking to one side quickly. The floor was silent and mostly dark. She could just make out the lump on the floor of the lab. Maggie glanced to the side as Lena also exited the stairwell.

Nothing moved. Maggie felt uneasy. Slowly she crept forward, moving along the wall. She kept her weapon at the ready as they moved slowly toward the lab. Maggie froze as they reached the door to the storage area. The door was ajar.

Swiftly, Maggie spun around the edge of the door, remaining low. There was no one in sight. What Maggie had assumed was a giant storage area was actually a hallway with more doors leading off of it. All of the other doors were closed solidly, the locks clearly indicating they were secured.

Maggie looked over her shoulder at Lena who was facing the opposite direction, gun pointed toward the rest of the floor. Maggie edged backwards so she could speak quietly. “What’s kept in here?”

“Many things. It would take too long to list them all.”

“Things someone else would want?”

Lena shot her a slightly disbelieving look. “Someone else would want nearly everything that’s kept in this building.”

Maggie grimaced. “Figures,” she muttered. Glancing back at the empty hallway, she edged back through the door and waited for Lena to do the same. Swiftly she closed the door completely, listening for the lock to engage and watching the electronic indicator flip to “secured.” “Well, if anyone is still inside that should hold them for a bit.”

Quietly, Maggie moved toward the lab door. Once more Lena used her access card to open the door so Maggie could duck inside. Rapidly, Maggie cleared the room before approaching the body on the floor. Taking a quick glance around first, Maggie squatted down and gently rolled the body over. The body’s head flopped at a gruesome angle.

Her breath left her body in a long sigh. It wasn’t Danvers. Which left the questions, where the hell was the scientist and how the hell did this guy end up dead on the floor of Danvers’ lab? Danvers’ work… or someone else’s?

She looked over at Lena and shook her head slightly. Lena seemed unsurprised that the body wasn’t that of the L-Corp scientist and Maggie narrowed her eyes slightly. Stepping closer to the CEO, she hissed, “You knew it wasn’t Danvers.”

Lena shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t know, but I did not think it was.”

“Why?” Maggie’s voice was harsh.

“You said it yourself; Alex can take care of herself,” Lena responded calmly.

Maggie frowned, images from the alley fight flashing through her mind. A dead body with a broken neck and no defensive wounds wasn’t exactly the same thing as someone being able to “take care of herself,” however. Maggie revised her assessment. If this was Danvers’ work, the woman wasn’t just taught how to fight, but how to kill. And that just made her all the more dangerous. Unfortunately, there was no time to investigate the issue further right now. First, they needed to stop this attack. If they happened to find the missing L-Corp scientist—or whatever she was—in the process, great. Maggie definitely had more than a few questions for the woman once this was over.

“Ok, let’s get moving.” Maggie checked the security feed of the lobby again. The NCPD and L-Corp security seemed to be holding their own but she couldn’t see if her men had managed to flank the bad guys yet. She muttered, “Where the hell is Supergirl when you need her?”

Lena apparently heard her, breathing out barely audibly, “I wish I knew.”

Maggie sighed and moved back toward the stairs. “Downstairs we go. Be careful and try to stay out of sight if we meet anyone.”

Back in the stairwell the two proceeded downstairs at a somewhat slower pace than their breakneck pace of earlier but still as quickly as Maggie felt safe going. Every few floors Maggie paused to check the security cameras. They were only a few floors from the ground when Maggie cursed softly and came to a swift halt.

“What?”

Maggie shot Lena a warning glare then moved even closer, barely breathing out her words. “There’s someone below us.”

Lena swallowed but shifted her grip on her pistol and nodded firmly at Maggie.

Maggie gave her an appraising look before nodding slightly and continuing forward, now moving much slower. Maggie stuck to the shadows in the stairwell as much as possible, grateful for the emergency lighting which was much dimmer than the normal lights would have been. Finally, after edging ever so slowly and quietly down to near ground level, Maggie had a clear view of the enemy.

A figure in tactical gear and holding a rifle was waiting patiently at the exit door for the ground floor. Maggie couldn’t make out any features in the dim lighting but it didn’t really matter. It was clear the person was waiting for the best time to exit. Retreating back up the stairs until the turns had ensured the faint light from the phone screen wouldn’t alert the person below, she pulled up the security cameras one more time. Her jaw clenched involuntarily as she studied the images. She could just see Mitchell and several members of her team edging into place to hopefully surprise the attackers. And the person waiting below would be in the perfect position to then surprise them.

I cannot let that happen. Shoving the phone into her pocket, Maggie conveyed silently to Luthor that she should stay put. The CEO looked ready to object but a glare and sharp hand motion from Maggie had the other woman subsiding and settling into a corner in the deepest shadows to wait.

Maggie glared at her a moment longer then nodded sharply and headed back down the stairs. Fortunately, the person was still waiting but Maggie knew she didn’t have much time. As silently as possible, Maggie edged up behind the other person, gun leveled at the figure’s head. She growled, “Drop the gun.”

The person whirled, one hand grabbing Maggie’s gun and in an instant Maggie found herself slammed into the wall, gun on the floor, gasping for breath as a hard forearm pressed against her throat while her right hand was pinned to the wall. She was fairly sure at least a couple ribs had bruised if not cracked and her shoulder was definitely not happy. This close she could make out the features of the other person even in the poor lighting. Danvers. Maggie blinked, still struggling to breath, taking in the tactical gear, complete with tactical knife and pistol in addition to the military rifle now hanging from its sling. Danvers’ eyes were hard as she glared at Maggie. Well, shit, I kinda hoped I was wrong.

Maggie couldn’t stop herself from spitting out, between gasped breaths, “I knew it! You’re with them!”

There was an odd glint in Danvers’ eyes as she studied Maggie. Idly, Maggie wondered just how she was about to die. After a long moment, Danvers quirked the faintest of smiles and stepped back, releasing Maggie completely and letting her breathe properly again. “Not quite.”

A faint sound had Danvers spinning to face the stairs, snapping the rifle into a ready position.

Lena Luthor just quirked an eyebrow at the woman. Maggie gasped for breath and watched incredulously as Danvers simply sighed and lowered her gun, grumbling, “Damnit, Lena.”

Lena smiled slightly. “Sorry, Alex.”

Maggie finally caught her breath and straightened. “What. The. Hell.”

Danvers turned and studied her for a moment before responding. “I’ll explain later. In the meantime, Supergirl is a bit occupied at the moment with an alien attack on the other side of the city so we need to get rid of these goons ourselves. Think you can handle it, Sawyer?”

Maggie glared and retrieved her gun from where it had fallen. “Of course.” She rotated her shoulder a couple times. Now that she wasn’t pinned, she was more confident that her ribs were, at worst, just bruised. Her shoulder was sore, and it would probably hurt like hell later when the adrenaline wore off, but she didn’t think it was actually damaged, she could still fire her gun, and she’d be damned if she’d show weakness in front of Danvers after all this.

“Good.” Danvers glanced at the door. “Your people should be in position by now. There’re Cadmus reinforcements in the room to the left just outside this door. On my signal we take them out then help security and the NCPD subdue the main force. Sawyer, you go low, I’ll go high. Lena, stay back here and try to stay out of sight. Shoot anyone who gets near that isn’t Sawyer or me.”

Maggie found herself automatically nodding along to Danvers’ tone of command then mentally chastised herself. “Wait, how the hell do I know you’re really on our side?”

Danvers didn’t get a chance to respond before Luthor spoke up, her tone brooking no argument. “She is, Ms. Sawyer. I promise it.”

Maggie grimaced but nodded slightly.

Danvers smirked slightly but didn’t speak, simply adjusting her rifle and moving toward the door. She glanced at Maggie. “Ready?”

Maggie nodded sharply, dropping into a slight crouch, gun at the ready.

At Danvers’ nod, Lena activated the door and the women burst through, both immediately spinning to the left as Cadmus troops tried to exit the room where they had lain in wait.

Maggie fired her gun efficiently, double-tapping each troop, those that weren’t taken out by the rapid three-shot bursts from Danvers’ rifle anyway. It seemed the fight ended almost before it began, bodies piled up just outside the door and Maggie swung back toward the lobby. She knew she would need to reload shortly but she had enough bullets remaining to make a small dent first.

Danvers had already begun moving toward the main confrontation, rifle firing occasionally, each burst taking out a Cadmus soldier.

Maggie spared half a thought to appreciate the efficiency before following in the other woman’s wake. She took out a couple more men herself before reloading swiftly, ducking behind a pillar to do so. Briefly, Maggie hoped the fight would be done soon as she’d only had the one extra magazine on her. Fortunately, with the ability of the security troops to flank the Cadmus troops, and the added firepower provided by herself and Danvers, the fight was over relatively quickly.

Rodriguez jogged up as the last man fell. “Ma’am!”

Maggie jerked her head at the stairs. “Take Mitchell and everyone else you can and clear the building. Contact Rourke and his team in Lab 6.”

He nodded and ran off. Maggie looked around at the carnage and sighed. She’d hoped she’d left behind this kind of death when she left the NCPD. Frowning, she looked up, scanning the area for Danvers.

The woman had disappeared. Figures. Grunting softly to herself, Maggie strode over to the NCPD officers to handle cleanup.

 *     *     *

As soon as the fight was over, Alex dodged out of sight, not wanting to get questioned by the NCPD before she was ready. Once she managed to duck into a hallway off the lobby, she pulled out her ear piece. “Winn, sitrep.”

“Supergirl, J’onn, and their team have the attack on the warehouse almost under control. Lucy left the desert base with a team as soon as we heard about the attack on L-Corp. She should be there shortly.”

Lucy’s voice broke in. “We just pulled up, Alex. We see your signal. Maintenance door. East side.”

“On my way.” Alex glanced around briefly to get her bearings. Perfect. Quickly she hurried down the hall to the maintenance room at the end with the door to the outside. Overriding the lockdown, she stepped into the night air and found Lucy waiting for her, standing next to a DEO suburban. She looked like she had just stepped out of the courtroom in a well-fitted suit and heels.

“Danvers.” Lucy held out a suit. “Change quick and we’ll move back around to the front. The rest of the team will be here shortly. You have your badge?”

Alex tugged it out of a cargo pocket and flipped it open, already set to FBI. “Ready.”

Lucy nodded, holding up her own to reflect the same. “Let’s go.”

Swiftly, Alex changed into the suit, handing her tactical gear to Vasquez who’d popped out of the suburban as soon as she’d finished talking with Lucy. As soon as she was done, they all piled back into the suburban and the agent driving pulled them around to the front of L-Corp. Seconds later Alex, Lucy, and Susan were striding into the lobby where Alex could see Sawyer talking with the NCPD.

When Alex pulled open the door, she saw Sawyer’s head jerk up, gaze snapping in her direction. Sawyer’s brow furrowed and Alex smirked slightly as she strode up. Holding up her badge she stated calmly, fixing her gaze on the NCPD officer now looking at the trio in confusion, “Alex Danvers, FBI. We’ll take it from here.”

“Excuse me?” The officer was clearly surprised.

Lucy spoke up, holding up her own badge. “Like she said. FBI. This is our jurisdiction now.”

The officer blinked and hesitated for a moment. Alex let the smirk fall, fixing him with a glare. He nodded sharply and turned to gather up his men, shooting the three DEO agents resentful looks over his shoulder. Alex ignored him, turning her attention back to Sawyer who was studying her with narrowed eyes. Alex gazed back silently, waiting for the other woman to speak. Behind her, she could hear the arrival of more “FBI” agents from the DEO and knew they would be collecting evidence, including her bullets, before allowing the bodies to be taken to a morgue.

Lucy finally interrupted the silent staring contest, rolling her eyes. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Maggie flicked a brief glance at her before looking back at Alex. “Yeah, my office.”

Alex just smirked and gestured for her to lead the way, even though she knew perfectly well where the office was.

Lucy rolled her eyes again and turned to Vasquez. “Supervise the cleanup here and send Luthor… nevermind, there she is.”

Alex looked over and followed Lucy’s gaze to where Lena was standing off to the side. Meeting the CEO’s gaze, Alex nodded and waved at the woman to join them. Once Lena had walked up, Alex looked back at Sawyer. “Shall we?”

Sawyer glared but nodded sharply and turned to lead the small group to her office. Once inside she spun to face Alex and nearly growled out her words. “I say again. What. The. Hell.”

It was Lucy who answered, voice smooth, “We sent Agent Danvers to operate undercover at L-Corp, with Miss Luthor’s approval, because we knew Luthor was a target and we wanted to make sure someone was on site for rapid response.”

“Wanted someone on-site? Doesn’t seem to be working out so well given the number of times Danvers here is definitely not on-site.” Sawyer’s voice was biting.

“That’s my fault.” Lucy shrugged. “Agent Danvers is one of our best agents and knows more about bioengineering than anyone else in the local lab. Sometimes we’ve had to keep her in the home office. Trust me, we’ve kept in close touch with Miss Luthor during those times.”

Lena nodded when Sawyer looked over at her. Alex just watched the exchange quietly, arms crossed. She could see the aggressive tension in Sawyer’s frame and wondered how much was anger and how much was pain from the shoulder and ribs Alex knew she’d damaged at least a little when Sawyer surprised her. What surprised Alex was that she actually felt kind of bad about it; something that hadn’t happened since her first few times in the field years before.

Finally Sawyer looked at Alex, cocking her head slightly, expression still tightly angry. “So how much was a lie?”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. She knew the woman wasn’t just asking about the few verbal exchanges they’d had. “Very little, actually. The education and family history is completely accurate. I do have a Ph.D. and an M.D. And, technically, I did go work in a lab after grad school. It was just a government lab and I learned a few others things at the same time.”

“So the injuries… no one’s hitting you at home, huh? I should’ve caught that.” Sawyer sounded disgusted with herself.

Alex smirked slightly. “Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Unfortunately, field work is slightly more dangerous than the lab here. Like Director Lane said, sometimes I have to take care of other things.”

“Director, huh?”

Lucy grinned. “Oh, we are friends, if that’s what you’re asking. That wasn’t a lie either. But no, we don’t regularly play rugby.”

Alex’s smirk turned into a slight grimace. “Yeah, that was all Kara.”

“So Kara knows.”

Alex rocked her head from side to side with a hum. “She’s my sister, of course she knows who I work for. She’s just… not great at keeping secrets sometimes. Overcompensates.”

“Why wasn’t I informed of this?”

Lucy stepped in again. “Also my call. The fewer people who know about Agent Danvers, the more effective she can be. Which is why,” she tugged a folded piece of paper out of an inner pocket, “I need you to sign this NDA.”

Alex muffled a grin, highly amused at watching Lucy casually take the blame for Alex’s decisions. She knew the other woman hadn’t even been aware of Alex’s undercover mission until the Saturday with the rugby or had the details until this week and yet Lucy smoothly adapted to the story. Alex had to admit she was impressed. She idly wondered if the steady, impassive gaze Lucy was currently staring down Sawyer with was one she’d perfected in the courtroom and was briefly glad she wasn’t on the receiving end.

Finally, Sawyer gave in and signed the NDA. Lucy smiled brightly at everyone in the room, the change more than a little jarring. “Great. I’m going to go check on Vasquez and the cleanup.” Nodding at the others, Lucy left abruptly, followed by Lena, leaving Alex and Sawyer standing awkwardly in the office.

After a moment, Alex had just determined that there was nothing else to say and was about to leave when Sawyer asked, “So, are they really dating or was that just for the ruse?”

Alex smiled faintly. “Oh no, it’s real. The less lies the better.”

“I have some questions for you, Danvers.”

Alex rolled her eyes. Of course she does. “Ask them another day. If you’ll excuse me, Sawyer.” Before Sawyer could respond, Alex ducked out of the office, intent on retrieving her gear and heading to the DEO to talk to J’onn.

 *     *     *

Alex’s head jerked up sharply at the knock on her door. It had been a long day, at the end of a long week, made even longer by the attack on L-Corp and subsequent debrief. She’d been enjoying the quiet of her apartment. Frowning in confusion, she grabbed her gun before checking the peephole. What the hell is she doing here? Alex tucked the weapon into the back of her waistband before unlocking the bolt and pulling open the door just enough to peer into the hallway. She narrowed her eyes at the woman on the other side. “Yes?”

Sawyer gave her a wry smile, holding up a pizza box and beer. “Hungry? I thought… I thought we should talk.”

Alex considered the question for a moment before nodding slightly. “Come in.” She stepped back and opened the door wider to allow the other woman to enter. Briefly Alex was grateful she hadn’t yet changed into pajamas though she had come close to doing so before the desire to simply relax and have a drink won out.

Once Sawyer had entered, Alex double-checked the hall before closing the door and throwing the bolt out of habit. Turning she stepped to the island, pulling out the bottle opener for the beers and waiting for Sawyer to start talking.

Sawyer set the items on the island before starting to pace. Alex watched in bemusement. Finally Sawyer started talking. “Look, Danvers, I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot…”

Alex allowed herself a small, wry smile. “Which part? The part where you kept pestering me in my lab or the part where you accused me of being part of Cadmus?”

Sawyer gave a short laugh and nodded. “Yeah, that.”

Alex glanced down at the food and beer. “So this is… what? A peace offering? Bribe?”

Sawyer gave her a smile that was somewhere between bitter and amused. “Both maybe? Danvers, we’re on the same side and, honestly, I’m pretty sure you got your points by slamming me into that wall.” Sawyer rolled her shoulder slightly, smile definitely edging more towards wryly amused than bitter.

Alex couldn’t entirely suppress the small smile at that and ducked her head slightly in acknowledgement. “I’d say I’m sorry but…” She finally opened a pair of beers and held one out to Sawyer.

“But you’re really not.” Sawyer laughed briefly. “Yeah, I get that. I wouldn’t be either.” Sawyer paused for a moment, taking the beer Alex offered and downing a large swallow before starting to pace again. “Danvers… I was wrong… about you. I’m not sorry for doing my job but… maybe we could work together in the future?”

Alex nodded slowly, absently fiddling with the still full beer in her hands. “We can do that but first I have a question.”

Sawyer stopped pacing and cocked her head, smiling. “What’s that?”

Alex ignored the way her insides squirmed slightly at the appearance of Sawyer’s dimples. “Are you going to call off the cops following me around?”

Sawyer laughed, smile broadening into a full grin and dimples deepening. Alex felt her breath catch. “Of course you saw them. How long have you known they were there?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “I first saw them Wednesday morning but I assumed they arrived the night before,” she stated dryly.

Sawyer laughed again and nodded, grin turning a bit rueful, “In their defense, we thought you were just some scientist. Didn’t know they’d be trying to tail a federal agent.”

Alex looked away briefly to regain her composure, mentally chastising herself for getting distracted by Sawyer’s beauty. After a moment she looked back with a wry smile of her own. “Fair enough. You can tell them to drop the wiretap too. They won’t get anything from it anyway.” Alex grinned slightly at the surprised look on Sawyer’s face.

“How did you…?”

“We have technology that makes the NCPD’s look like an Easy Bake oven. Trust me, it wasn’t difficult.”

Sawyer shook her head and Alex studied her, noting she looked both annoyed but also a bit impressed. There was a brief silence before Sawyer asked, “So, Danvers, you normally carry a gun around in your own apartment?” Sawyer smirked at her.

Alex chuckled, finally taking a swig of her own beer. “Only when suspicious ex-detectives show up at my door unannounced.”

Sawyer tilted her beer towards Alex with a grin. “Touché.”

Chapter Text

Maggie got off the elevator and paused, studying Dr.—no, Agent—Danvers through the door. Well, still Doctor apparently…or maybe it should be Doctor Agent? Agent Doctor? Doctor Doctor Agent? Maggie rolled her eyes at herself. This was getting her nowhere. At least the agent was here. Maggie had been fairly certain Danvers would be “working” the day after the attack, even if it was Saturday, but she wasn’t positive. Clean-up was still ongoing downstairs, though the bodies had been removed from the lobby and Danvers’ lab, and Maggie suspected the FBI agent was keeping closer tabs on the progress than she let on. Bracing herself for an unknown reaction, Maggie entered the lab.

Danvers didn’t even glance her way. Maggie quirked a half-smile. Well, nice to see that hasn’t changed at least. She watched in silence for a few minutes as Danvers studied something with a microscope, periodically jotting down notes.

Finally, Danvers heaved a sigh and looked over at Maggie, one eyebrow arched. “Are you just going to stand there all day or what?”

Maggie smiled and shrugged a shoulder, wandering over. “Maybe.” She glanced down at the pad of paper Danvers had been writing on and her forehead creased. “Is this even English? How on Earth can you read that?”

Danvers scoffed and glanced at the paper. “It’s perfectly legible.”

Maggie looked at her skeptically. “Sure it is, to people who speak and read gibberish.”

That garnered her an eye roll but also the faintest hint of a smile. “Seriously, did you come in here for a reason, Sawyer? I am kind of busy.”

Maggie took a couple steps backward and leaned one hip against the lab table. “I still have those questions.”

Danvers sighed again, looking at her microscope. “I’m guessing you’re not going to leave until I agree.”

“Nope.” Maggie smirked, waiting. “You said another day. It’s another day.”

“Fine. Let me clean up then we can go.”

Maggie frowned in confusion. “We can just talk here. You’re the only one on this floor after all.”

Danvers looked over with an arched eyebrow then flicked a glance at the security camera. “No.”

“Ok, we can talk in my office then.”

For a moment Danvers seemed about to protest that suggestion as well then she shrugged and turned back to her equipment, beginning to put things away. “Fine.”

Rolling her eyes at the cranky agent, Maggie wandered around the lab while she waited. “No bike today, Danvers?”

“Hmm?” Danvers sounded distracted.

Maggie glanced over and saw her carefully putting samples in a freezer. She waited until the freezer door was closed and Danvers had looked over with a raised eyebrow before waving a hand vaguely. “Don’t see your helmet.”

“Oh.” Danvers paused and studied Maggie for a moment as if pondering how, or maybe just whether, to answer the question. Finally, she continued, “I keep it and my jacket in the storage room with the rest of my gear.” Danvers gestured toward the entrance to the storage area outside the lab.

Maggie raised an eyebrow in response but nodded. It made sense really and she’d been kind of wondering where the hell Danvers had gotten the tactical gear last night. She was surprised Danvers had given her that much information, even though it really hadn’t answered the question of whether she rode her motorcycle that day. Maybe now that I know she’s an agent she’ll be more forthcoming?

Danvers continued watching her for a moment before finally asking, “Shall we? I believe you said you had questions.”

Maggie smiled briefly and nodded. She wondered how she had ever entertained the idea that Danvers was just a scientist. That calm confidence and deliberate but fluid way of moving spoke of someone completely confident that they could handle anything that came their way. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast; she could practically hear her old firearms instructor barking the words. The way Danvers moved seemed to be the embodiment of that mentality.

“Let’s,” was all she said though, leading the way out of the lab.

The ride down was utterly silent and Maggie couldn’t help but study the agent out of the corner of her eye. Danvers simply stood calmly, feet shoulder width apart and posture loose. Her hands rested lightly on her hips in a pose that Maggie noted seemed to somehow be both completely casual as well as subtly intimidating. It also seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn’t figure out why; it certainly wasn’t a pose she’d ever seen Danvers in before. Maggie wondered if this was more the “real” Alex Danvers, versus the one pretending to be “just a scientist” for the past several weeks. Smiling slightly to herself, Maggie glanced up at the elevator doors opened, realizing they had reached the ground floor.

Glancing at Danvers, Maggie once more led the way, striding to her office. She ignored the curious looks and quiet whispers of her security officers as she moved through the outer office into her own, Danvers in her wake. Maggie closed the door behind them and waved Danvers toward a chair before plopping herself down in her own on the other side of the desk. Danvers continued standing, eyes narrowed slightly. Maggie rolled her eyes. “Just take a seat, Danvers.”

Danvers stood for a moment more before lowering herself gracefully into the chair. Her posture was casual but Maggie could see the tension, as if she was waiting to spring into action.

Maggie’s lips twisted into an amused smile. “You’re making me wonder how I ever thought you were a scientist.”

Danvers arched an eyebrow but relaxed into the chair slightly. “I am a scientist.”

“Yeah, yeah. But you’re also, apparently, a government agent.”

Danvers shrugged but didn’t respond. Not like there’s anything to say to that, Maggie thought dryly. After a moment Danvers spoke. “So… your questions?”

Ok, to the point then; works for me. “Yes. First of all, what the fuck happened to that alien Monday? Supergirl took him and he sure as hell didn’t appear in any jail cell I know of.”

Danvers’ lips quirked into a slight smile. “That you know of. He’s in federal custody.”

“So Supergirl knows who you are.”

Danvers nodded. “She does. We’ve worked together in the past.”

Maggie filed that away to mull over later. She’d heard that federal agents sometimes showed up at Supergirl’s crime scenes, particularly if there was a big attack or a lot of potential collateral damage from an alien. “Was it really a mugging?”

Danvers shrugged slightly. “Honestly? I don’t know. Like I said, he jumped me when I walked by. I haven’t heard anything about the interrogation results yet.”

Maggie scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”

Danvers cocked her head just slightly, a faint, curious smile on her face. “And why is that, Ms. Sawyer?”

Maggie rolled her eyes. She almost preferred when the woman was just being irritating and suspicious, not smug like she was now. “Don’t call me that. And because your people have had him for, what? Five days now? You don’t strike me as the type not to follow up on that sort of thing. And I know the feds don’t wait that long to start asking questions.”

Danvers nodded thoughtfully. “Normally… you’d be right.” It was clear she was weighing each word, deciding just how much to tell Maggie. “But the agency has been a bit busy lately. As have I. If they’ve already questioned him, I haven’t heard the results.”

Maggie sighed silently. She was pretty sure there was more Danvers wasn’t telling her. She was equally sure Danvers wasn’t about to tell her whatever it was. But she was also equally sure that what Danvers had told her was true. At least she’d gotten something resembling an answer. And at least now I know Supergirl wasn’t doing something sinister. “Fine.” She reached into a desk drawer and pulled out the photos. Without speaking, she tossed the one of Danvers on to the desk near Danvers. Sitting back, she watched Danvers carefully, waiting for a reaction.

Danvers leaned forward slightly, pulling the photo toward her and studying it for a long moment. Her expression didn’t change. Maggie had to admit, the woman was good. Eventually, Danvers looked back up raising her eyebrows in question. Maggie didn’t speak, studying the woman silently and waiting to see what she did. Unfortunately, Danvers just leaned back in the chair and smiled slightly, apparently perfectly content to continue the silent staring contest.

After several minutes of each of them trying to outlast the other, Maggie had just about decided to give up and ask her question when there was a knock at the door. Maggie frowned slightly, looking over at it. “Yeah?”

Mitchell poked her head in the door. “Oh, sorry to interrupt, ma’am. Hi, Doctor Danvers.” Maggie waved off the apology and waited for her to continue. “I have the incident report for last night?”

Maggie nodded and waved her over. “Great. I’ll review it when I’ve finished this meeting. Thanks, Mitchell.”

Mitchell handed the file to Maggie before nodding at both women and leaving quickly, closing the door quietly behind her. Maggie looked back at Danvers and leaned forward to tap the photo. “Explain.”

Danvers just smiled. “You don’t know that’s me.”

Maggie cocked her head, smiling faintly. She settled back into her chair. “Don’t I?”

“Not for sure.”

“It’s you.”

Danvers met her gaze for several seconds and Maggie forced herself not to just fall into the woman’s dark gaze. Eventually Danvers nodded slightly, lips still curled just slightly in a smile. “It is.”

“Like I said. Explain.”

Danvers steepled her fingers, studying Maggie intently for a long moment. When she spoke, tilting her fingers toward Maggie as she did so, it was simply to ask, “Where’d you get the picture?”

“Why is that relevant?”

“Just answer the question, Sawyer.” The smile had dropped and her expression was intent. The dark gaze pinned Maggie where she was and she was struck with the thought that Agent Danvers was even more impressive than she’d realized, and that after being physically pinned to a wall by the agent. Part of her wondered what it would be like to have that intensity focused on her in a different setting. Jesus… now is not the time to think about that, Sawyer.

“NCPD.”

Danvers nodded slightly, apparently unsurprised. “We thought they had the place staked out.”

“You knew they were there?” She couldn’t entirely keep the surprise out of her voice even after knowing that Danvers had somehow immediately picked up on the officers tailing her.

Danvers actually laughed. “Of course. They weren’t who we were hoping to ensnare but yes, we were pretty sure they had the warehouse under surveillance.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “What ‘we?’” There was something just a little off about the way Danvers talked about her work but Maggie couldn’t put her finger on what. She chalked it up to a natural inclination to keep details confidential but decided to push… just in case she could find something out Danvers didn’t want to tell her.

Danvers smirked, as if she expected the question. “The FBI.” She paused then nodded slightly as if reaching a decision, interlacing her fingers. “Cadmus is after L-Corp technology.”

“I thought Cadmus wanted to wipe out aliens.”

Danvers tilted her head just slightly in acknowledgement of the point. “That too. And they know who I am. We hoped if we made it look like we were securing L-Corp tech in a separate location—”

“That they would assume it was important, attack, and you could set a trap,” Maggie finished.

Danvers nodded. “It worked. That was the second attack last night.”

“The one where Supergirl was.”

Danvers nodded and glanced away briefly before meeting Maggie’s gaze again with a grimace. “I will admit, we didn’t expect the secondary attack on L-Corp itself.”

Maggie nodded. “Fortunate you stuck around.”

Danvers shifted slightly, almost as if uncomfortable, but didn’t respond.

Maggie pondered Danvers’ words for a moment. “You said they know who you are? I thought, and I quote, ‘the fewer people who know about Agent Danvers, the more effective she can be.’”

Danvers quirked a half-smile at that. “The fewer people here. We always banked on Cadmus knowing who I am.”

Maggie deliberately smiled just this side of seductively. “And just who are you, Agent Danvers?”

Danvers seemed surprised for just a moment then responded with a slightly dangerous smile of her own. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Detective Sawyer?”

Maggie spoke without thinking, “I would, actually.” Danvers blinked in surprise, the smile dropping from dangerous into bemused and maybe just a little shy. Maggie was mortified. Fuck. Idiot, Maggie. “I mean—” she was saved from formulating an explanation by another knock on the door. “Yes!” Maggie turned to the door, desperately fighting back a blush.

Mitchell poked her head in again. She looked curiously from Maggie to Danvers, who was still smiling just slightly. “Yes, Mitchell?” Maggie hoped her voice didn’t sound as desperate for the interruption as she felt.

“Oh! Yes. Kara Danvers is… here to see you?” Mitchell’s gaze kept flicking back toward Danvers, clearly wondering if it was intentional or a weird coincidence that the older Danvers sister was in Maggie’s office just when the younger one showed up.

Danvers sighed.

Maggie cocked her head in surprise. “To see me or Dr. Danvers?” she questioned.

“You.”

Maggie exchanged confused looks with Danvers. “Send her in.”

Mitchell backed out of the doorway and Danvers rose to her feet as Kara bounced through the door. “Hi, Maggie! Oh, hi, Alex. I didn’t know you were… down… here.” Kara looked between the two women in confusion, closing the door behind her.

“What are you doing here, Kara?” Danvers asked immediately.

“Uh, my job?” Kara was giving her sister an odd look. “What are you doing here?”

Danvers just quirked an eyebrow. “My job.”

“Uh…” Kara blinked, obviously uncertain how to continue.

Danvers sighed again and waved a hand in Maggie’s direction. “Don’t worry about it, Kara. Sawyer knows I’m FBI after last night.”

Kara’s eyes widened slightly at that but then she grinned so brightly Maggie was a little taken aback. “That’s great, Alex! Now you don’t have to just hide in the lab! Oh, Maggie, you should totally come to rugby again! But this time you should play!”

Maggie watched in amusement as Danvers’ eyes went wide. “Whoa, whoa, Kara. There’s no… she… I…” Danvers paused and seemed to order her thoughts. “She knows it was fake. We don’t have to keep doing the rugby thing.”

Kara actually pouted at her older sister and Maggie had to stifle a smile. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen an adult pout quite like that. “But it was fun.”

Danvers groaned. “We’ll talk about it later. Now, what did you mean ‘your job?’” Something in her voice told Maggie that Danvers was likely to give in to Kara’s wishes. Maggie wondered just how often Danvers caved to her younger sister’s demands.

“Right! Snapper wants me to write up a piece about the attack here last night, so I was hoping to interview Maggie for it.” Kara turned a pleading look on Maggie. Maggie immediately regretted laughing, even if only internally, at Danvers for giving into Kara so easily. Jeez, no wonder the kid had Lena Luthor practically wrapped around her finger such that she had free run of the building.

“I… I, uh, think I should clear that with Ms. Luthor first.” Mentally, Maggie patted herself on the back for the dodge.

“Oh.” Kara looked vaguely surprised by that, like it hadn’t quite occurred to her that it could be a problem. Then the smile was back. “Actually, Lena’s who sent me down.”

Oh… or that… crap. Now I definitely can’t get out of this.

Maggie gave Danvers a ‘help me’ look but Danvers just smirked. “I have to get back to my lab. Have a good interview, Sawyer.” Danvers turned for the door, briefly patting Kara on the shoulder as she passed the younger woman. Kara bumped Danvers’ arm lightly with her shoulder then turned back to Maggie, an expectant look on her face.

 *     *     *

Alex had barely entered the DEO later that afternoon when a grinning Lucy Lane grabbed her arm and dragged her into an empty conference room. Alex looked down, eyebrows raised slightly in bemusement as she allowed her friend to haul her around. “Can I help you, Lucy?”

Lucy released her arm and spun around once inside the room and out of earshot of the rest of the DEO. She was stilling grinning. “So…”

Alex arched her eyebrow even higher in question. “So… what?” Her voice was tinged with amusement.

“How’s Maggie?”

Alex furrowed her brow. “Sawyer? What do you mean how is she?”

“Oh come on, Alex! I saw how she looked at you! Pissed and yet highly attracted. So… did you kiss and make up?”

“I- yo- wha?” Alex spluttered. That had definitely not been the topic she was expecting.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Danvers. I already told you Sawyer thinks you’re hot. Susan agrees.”

“I- we’re just- I’m—”

“If you’re about to tell me you don’t like women, don’t.” Lucy narrowed her eyes. “We’ve already had that conversation.”

Alex snapped her mouth shut. It was true. Sort of. She could remember the “conversation,” if that was what Lucy was going to insist on calling it, all too well. It had been just a couple months before. Kara had just started dating Lena and, for once, Lucy and Alex’s shifts coincided, though Vasquez’s didn’t. So the pair had gone to get drinks and Lucy had spent the whole night pointing out men that were checking Alex out. Only, after Alex had shot down every single suggestion, Lucy had suddenly gone quiet.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Alex raised an eyebrow at her friend, taking another sip of her beer. “It’s creepy.”

“I just find it interesting that you don’t find a single guy in here even remotely attractive.”

“I never said that!” Alex protested. “Some are attractive. Objectively.”

“Fine. Then I find it interesting that you don’t find them subjectively attractive. Hell, you shot down—rather abruptly, I might add—all three that tried to buy you a drink. And two of them were definitely hot.”

Alex shrugged awkwardly, studying her beer intently. She didn’t really know what to say. Lucy was right. Several of the guys were certainly conventionally attractive and back in college she would’ve flirted with them in an instant, if only because it was expected. I just don’t have time for a relationship right now, that’s all. She was definitely not thinking about how all her previous attempts at relationships had ended when her boyfriends had called her uncaring or frigid or a workaholic or hated how much time she spent worrying about Kara.

She glanced sideways at her friend. Lucy was still studying her intently. “Seriously, Luce, stop being a creeper. I’m going to tell Susan.”

Lucy grinned a little. Abruptly she nodded toward another person. “What about her?”

Alex coughed, trying not to inhale the beer she’d just been taking a sip of. “What?”

“Well… if you don’t like any of the guys, what about the girls?”

“Look, Lucy…” Alex trailed off, uncertain what to say and honestly not sure she wanted to have this conversation anyway. Even with the one person she might be willing to concede was something like a best friend outside of Kara.

Lucy continued watching her for a moment then nodded. “Ok. But maybe you should think about it.” She had dropped the subject after that, no longer pointing out attractive people and shifting the conversation to other topics.

Two drinks later, Alex had conceded that it was possible she might be attracted to women. Lucy hadn’t pushed and the topic really hadn’t come up again until Maggie Sawyer showed up.

Alex shook off the memory and huffed. “Fine. We did not ‘kiss and make up’ but yes, we talked. She’s… less pissed than she was. We agreed to work together in the future.”

Lucy grinned again. “Progress! And you didn’t bite her head off for suggesting it? I’m shocked, Danvers.”

“How do you know I didn’t suggest it?” Alex glared in mock outrage.

Lucy just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Because I know you, Alex. When was the last time you voluntarily offered to work with someone that wasn’t Kara?”

“Yeah, well…” Alex could feel the faint blush and looked away from her friend awkwardly. “I mean, I couldn’t just be a jerk after she was nice enough to bring pizza and beer, right?”

Suddenly, Lucy grabbed Alex’s arm. Alex looked back down at her friend in startlement. Lucy’s eyes were dancing with glee. “Explain.”

“Explain what, Luce?”

Lucy shook her arm slightly. “You know what. Explain, Danvers. Don’t make me get Kara to pout at you.”

Alex pulled away. “There’s nothing to explain! She showed up last night with some pizza and beer and apologized for thinking I was with Cadmus and we agreed to work together. That’s all.”

Lucy’s grin broadened and she looked positively gleeful. “Showed up? At your apartment? Last night?”

Alex shifted awkwardly and felt the blush deepen, the back of her neck warming. “Yeah. Why? What’s… why are you grinning like that? What’s wrong with that?”

Lucy laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. Just… damn, Alex. You have more game than I gave you credit for.”

“What? I- no…”

Lucy groaned. “You really are oblivious.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex asked defensively, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring. She knew the blush had darkened rapidly and tried pretend it wasn’t there.

Lucy chuckled again and patted Alex’s arm, clearly unfazed by Alex’s tone or glare. “You’re cute, Danvers. Oblivious. But cute.”

Before Alex could insist that Lucy explain properly the conference room door opened and J’onn poked his head in. “Agent Danvers. Director Lane. Were you planning to join us?”

“Yes!” Alex ignored Lucy’s laugh behind her at the edge of desperation in Alex’s voice. J’onn just looked curiously between the two women as Alex strode rapidly out of the conference room. She refused to look at Lucy and hoped the blush would recede by the time she reached the command center.

Striding into the command center, Alex took up a spot behind Winn, studying the screens. “What have we got?”

He jumped and spun around. “Don’t do that!”

She arched an eyebrow. “Do what?”

“You- you know what! You can’t just go sneaking up on people!”

Alex scoffed, suppressing a grin. “I didn’t sneak up on anyone. Maybe we just need to work on your observational skills some more, Schott.”

He spun back around to his screens even faster than he’d turned the first time. “Nope. No. No, we do not need to do that again. Never again.”

Alex smirked at the back of his head and glanced over as J’onn stopped next to her, Lucy on his other side. J’onn looked at her questioningly. “Did you have a chance to talk to Ms. Sawyer, Agent Danvers?”

Alex nodded, ignoring Lucy’s grin and waggling eyebrows. “I did. She agreed to ask the NCPD to pull the tail and wiretap and asked that we work together in the future. I don’t know how much sway she’ll have with the NCPD, though. I saw them still waiting for me today and I presume the tap is still ongoing.” Alex rolled her eyes.

“I assume you were able to lose the tail.”

Alex frowned at him, offended. “Of course. They think I’m inside the bar near L-Corp.”

His lips quirked at her tone. “Good work, Alex.”

She smiled slightly at the praise before lapsing into a more professional tone. “So what have we found, sir?”

J’onn nodded at the screens, currently showing a location not far from the city with a gently pulsing red dot. “Agent Schott, bring Agent Danvers and Director Lane up to speed.”

Alex turned back to Winn. He stood, grabbing a tablet and gesturing at the monitors. “Right. So Cadmus took all the crates from the warehouse after Supergirl and Martian Manhunter ‘lost.’ We have the alien they coerced into fighting for them in holding, by the way. In case you feel like glaring and threatening someone who isn’t me.” Alex rolled her eyes, exchanging amused looks with Lucy as they waited for him to continue.

“As expected, they found several of the tracking devices we concealed inside. Trackers one through fifteen, eighteen through twenty two, twenty four, and twenty five went offline within hours after the fight.”

Alex frowned thoughtfully, absently nodding. One through fifteen were the trackers the DEO had counted on Cadmus finding. The other ten had been much better concealed, but they had still assumed Cadmus would find at least some. That meant three remained. Worse than she’d hoped; better than she’d feared.

“How long has it been since they moved?” J’onn asked.

“Umm….” Winn tapped at his tablet for a moment before looking up at the screen. “The trackers have not moved since arriving at the current location… just over twelve hours ago.”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “That location is only barely two hours outside the city. What were they doing before that?”

“Well, the other trackers kind of went offline in phases.” When he didn’t continue immediately, J’onn, Alex, and Lucy all pinned him with glares. “Right! Uh.” He tapped at the tablet again and one of the other screens shifted to show a map of National City and its surroundings with various red dots. “So these are the locations where we progressively lost more trackers. One through fifteen were disabled within the first two stops. The rest over the following three. After that, Cadmus seems to have moved to where the trackers currently are and stopped moving.”

“Or at least stopped moving the crates,” Lucy commented.

“Right well… I don’t… I can’t tell… that?” Winn’s voice trailed upward at the end and he looked between the three agents studying the monitors.

Absently, Alex reached out and patted his shoulder. “We know that, Winn.” She looked over at J’onn. “What do you think? Tonight or tomorrow?”

J’onn thought for a moment. “Tomorrow unless something changes.”

Lucy nodded. “False sense of security.”

Alex glanced over and nodded in agreement. “Perfect.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow what?”

Alex looked over at Winn. “Can you get me aerial surveillance footage of that location?”

“Well, sure but—”

“Do it.”

“We don’t know what’s there, Alex! Kara will kill me!”

Alex pinned him with an intent gaze, voice dropping into a lower register. “And that is why you’re getting me aerial surveillance footage, Agent Schott.”

He swallowed and nodded, plopping back into his chair and beginning to type, shooting sulky looks at her. Alex ignored him and turned back to J’onn and Lucy. “I’ll tell my team to be ready to head out at 1800.”

J’onn nodded and looked over at Lucy who flashed a smile. “I’ll run coordination and prep an extraction team at the desert base. We’ll wait ten minutes out.”

J’onn nodded again. “I’ll coordinate everything from here. Briefing at 1730.”

Both women nodded and turned as one to head out. Lucy nudged Alex with a small smile as they headed for the parking garage. “Gonna tell Maggie all about your daring escapades later? Bet she’d like that.”

Alex rolled her eyes and shoved back. “Shut it, Lane.”

Lucy stumbled briefly to the side with a laugh. “You know you love me, Danvers.”

Alex rolled her eyes again but smiled. “For some reason that defies all sense.”

“Ouch!” Lucy slapped a hand to her chest as if wounded. “I’m going to tell Susan!”

Alex laughed, shoving her lightly again. “You do that. She’ll agree with me.”

Lucy laughed as well and dropped her hand. “Yeah, probably so. See you tomorrow, Danvers. Gotta go meet Susan.” She waggled her eyebrows, pulling another laugh out of Alex who waved Lucy away, shaking her head in amusement.

Chapter Text

“I still say I should be going in with you.”

Alex rolled her eyes as Kara’s voice came over the comm. She’d heard the same statement, in various forms, at least half a dozen times over the past two hours. And with another half an hour to go until hitting the site, she was certain to hear it at least once more. “Kara, we’ve covered this. We still haven’t figured out how to counteract what Cadmus has done to their weapons. That’s part of why we’re raiding the warehouse. You are not coming in unless there’s something we absolutely can’t handle. We are professionals. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“But now you have me.”

Alex sighed. “Kara.”

“Alex.”

“Kara, if you come in there before called for I swear I will have Winn block all the cute animal videos from your computer and phone.”

Alex glanced down as her phone buzzed. Tugging it out of a cargo pocket, she smirked slightly at the message from Lucy. If this goes to hell she is NEVER going to let us live it down.

Oh, I know it. So let’s make sure it doesn’t go to hell, shall we?

Tucking the phone back into its pocket, she switched her attention to the data on the tablet in her lap. Winn had gotten her the aerial footage she requested and the images showed a small complex comprised of only a few buildings. One larger one, that appear to be a warehouse of sorts, was surrounded by scattered smaller buildings. The few scans they’d been able to run didn’t show any radioactive signatures, including the one for kryptonite, but Alex wasn’t taking any chances. Not with her sister. And not with Cadmus using goddamn exploding weapons. The DEO agents might be armored but Alex knew Kara would never forgive herself if one of them got injured because of Kara’s powers.

The plan was simple. Lucy’s team would peel off at the ten minute mark. Alex’s would continue in with Kara acting as aerial support. Alex’s team would clear the outer buildings first before entering the main warehouse. Kara would use her x-ray vision to scan the area and help tweak the plan as it went and only enter the warehouse if absolutely needed. Alex was positive it was not going to be that easy. No plan survived contact with the enemy after all. And if this warehouse was abandoned she would eat her hat. Or jacket since she didn’t wear hats. Whatever.

She glanced up as her second reported, “Ten minutes out, Agent Danvers.”

Alex nodded. “Ten minutes, Lane.”

“Copy. Extraction team setting up post. Watch your six, Danvers.”

Alex quirked a half-smile, most of her mind already shifting into assault mode. “Copy that, Director.”

“Alex, are you—?”

“Yes, Kara. I’m sure. Scan the buildings and stay outside unless I call you.”

She heard a huff but then Kara said, “Fine. I’m going ahead to x-ray the buildings.”

Alex nodded to herself. She looked down at the layout on the tablet one more time before tucking into its case, which would stay in the vehicle.

Only a few minutes later, Kara’s voice came through the earpiece again, her tone much more firm and serious than before. “Alex, the exterior buildings appear clear. I didn’t see anything that looks like a designed explosive. The main warehouse has about half the walls infused with lead. I couldn’t see anyone in the clear parts. The north half is completely obscured, however, floor to ceiling. There’s no one outside either.”

“Copy. Care to open the door for us, Supergirl?” Alex asked with a small grin.

“Of course.” Alex could hear the answering grin.

“Thanks. Once you’ve done that, hang out high and wait for a signal from Lane or myself.”

“Got it.”

She looked over at her second in command who promptly responded, “Two minutes out.”

“Trap team, Viking team, Trap Leader. Prepare to move.”

A soft chorus of acknowledgements greeted her announcement. Alex ran through her final equipment checklist, double checking straps and pockets and confirming all weapons were in the proper firing configuration. She preferred not to start missions in full-auto without good reason. A quick confirmation of spare clips and magazines and Alex leaned forward, grabbing the door handle and waiting.

As soon as the SUV came to a halt, Alex was wrenching open the door and jumping out, rifle already rising to her shoulder. She scanned the area, her peripheral vision catching the rest of her team pouring out of their vehicles. The complex was silent and dark and a quick glance upward showed Supergirl hovering and watching protectively. The gate to the complex hung open, the chains that had been holding it shut snapped and scattered on the ground. There was no sign of guards, like Kara had said, and Alex frowned slightly.

Quietly she ordered, “Trap, Viking, Trap Leader. Proceed as briefed.”

Immediately Viking split off to the left, fanning out and sweeping the area with their weapons. Alex pivoted and began moving rapidly to the right, her own team falling swiftly into place as they closed on the first outbuilding. The first building they reached was nondescript, with no signage. A swift glance at her team and Alex was kicking down the door. Alex immediately dodged inside and to the left, rifle sweeping across the room. Three of her agents blew through the door behind her, each immediately ducking away from the door.

As far as Alex could tell the building was a single room and empty. She met her second’s eyes and silently signaled for the group to sweep the room. The two agents outside would provide cover and warning if necessary. The four agents fanned out, checking the room thoroughly but swiftly. Rifles remained locked into their shoulders, laser sights dancing across the room as they made their sweep. The building was empty except for a small stack of boxes. At Alex’s nod, one of the agents dropped her rifle and began checking the boxes while the others kept watch. Standing, the agent shook her head slightly, indicating she’d found nothing of interest.

Alex nodded and waved them toward the door. The team moved through the complex silently, dark forms moving rapidly through the shadows. Each building they checked was empty of people, though two of them stored hazardous materials and gas for the scattering of parked trucks respectively. Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. They hadn’t encountered a single guard and while she didn’t think much of Cadmus, she knew they weren’t this stupid.

They reunited with Viking on the far side of the complex. There was still no motion from the main warehouse and Alex could feel the tension in her frame. A glance around her team showed that they were feeling it too, a slight uneasiness in their expressions. Alex considered for a moment before speaking quietly into her radio, “Rogue Leader, Trap Leader.”

Lucy’s voice came back instantly. “Rogue Leader.”

Alex couldn’t entirely prevent the tiny smile at the team name. When the name “Trap” moved with Alex to the main National City location, Lucy wasted no time in designating the now-nameless team in the desert “Rogue.” “Rogue Leader, Trap Leader. It’s too damn quiet here. Move up to five out. Trap switching to plan Bravo.”

“Rogue Leader,” came the acknowledgement. Alex nodded sharply and looked at the other agents whose expressions had hardened.

The agent heading up Viking nodded. His voice was soft as he stated, “Plan Bravo acknowledged.”

“Supergirl, Trap Leader. What’s inside?”

“Looks like rows of stacked crates just inside this door, Alex. Most of the room that I can see is empty though. Staircase to a catwalk is on the south side.”

“Trap Leader.”

Nodding to herself, Alex turned back to the warehouse. A sidelong glance and her second stepped forward, checking the handle. Locked. Alex grinned darkly. A sharp nod and another agent was stepping forward to affix small devices to the lock and the exterior of the door corresponding to the hinges. The other agents raised their rifles, muzzles pointed toward the door as the agent stepped back and activated the devices. A muffled set of thuds sounded and Alex immediately slammed her booted foot into the door, knocking it out of the frame and into the warehouse. Immediately the DEO agents poured through the doorway, led by Alex.

“It’s no longer empty, Alex! Half a dozen people coming from the lead lined part!” Kara’s voice rang through the radios.

Alex just had time to register the words in her ear before shots rang out. The agents returned fire, using the crates for cover. Alex moved forward steadily, returning fire. Calmly she spoke into the radio, “Supergirl, what do you see?”

Kara’s voice came back immediately, tinged with anxiety but steady, “So far just those six. No… Alex, there’s another two that just appeared on the catwalk. I can—”

“No!” Alex cut her off. “Trap Two, Trap Three, with me!”

“Viking, Trap, cover fire.” Viking Leader’s voice was sharp.

The two agents she called fell in on her flanks as she made her way to the stairs. The rest of Trap team and Viking quickly pressed forward, forcing the Cadmus troops to focus on the advancing nine agents and leave the trio alone. The three agents moved rapidly to the stairs, firing their rifles as needed.

“Shit!” Alex cursed and dove to the side as bullets suddenly rained down from above. She’d been hoping they could make the stairs before the newcomers got close enough to join the fight.

“Alex!”

“Stay there, Kara!” Alex pivoted on her knee and let loose a stream of bullets toward the catwalk. Trap Two and Three followed suit. Alex could just make out the dark forms of the Cadmus troops dropping into crouches to avoid the bullets. “Cover me!” Alex thumbed the magazine release and slammed a new one in place before rushing forward in a crouch toward the stairs. She could hear the repeated reports of her agents’ rifles from behind her.

She had just rounded the end of the row of crates when a Cadmus soldier loomed in front of her, raising his rifle. Without pausing, Alex spun into a kick, sweeping his legs out from under him. She paused long enough to fire two rounds into his head before running forward once more. Reaching the stairs, she bolted up them. Behind her she could hear the main fire fight starting to die down. She hoped that meant her agents were winning but she didn’t have the time to stop and check. The two men on the catwalk were taking turns standing and firing over the railing down at the DEO agents.

Alex swung around the corner, rifle snapping up to her shoulder. Still in a crouch she opened fire on the two men on the catwalk. She took out one almost immediately. The further man whipped around, firing. Alex cursed and dodged to the side. Knowing the open railing wasn’t going to protect her, she made an executive decision. Flipping the rifle into full automatic and rolling around the corner once more, Alex swept the catwalk with bullets. The man dove for the floor and Alex barreled forward. He had managed to regain his feet when Alex was on him. Barely slowing, she swung her rifle butt around, slamming it into the side of his head. He staggered to the side. Alex dropped the rifle and grabbed his vest, swinging him around and using the momentum to slam his head into the railing. The man dropped limply to the floor of the catwalk and Alex panted, only then realizing the sounds of gunfire had stopped.

Grabbing her rifle from where it dangled in its sling and switching magazines once more, Alex peered over the edge of the catwalk. Trap Two waved his arm up at her and his quiet voice came over the radio. “All hostiles down. Kelly and Martinez need medical attention.”

Alex didn’t get a chance to respond before Lucy’s voice responded. “Rogue Team inbound with medical.”

“Trap Leader.” Alex looked around, using the vantage point to survey the warehouse. “Supergirl, do you see anything else?”

“Not at the moment. Be careful.” Kara’s voice was tense but Alex didn’t hear anything to indicate her sister was about to blast into the warehouse. Glancing down the catwalk, Alex noted that it ended in a wall with a doorway. “Kara… can you see where the catwalk ends?”

There was a pause. “No. That wall is the beginning of the lead lined part.”

“Copy.” Alex looked back down at her agents and, with a series of quick hand signals, ordered the bulk of them to move toward the walled off portion of the warehouse while leaving one behind to watch over the injured. She wasn’t thrilled with it, given it dropped her team to nine but she wasn’t about to leave the wounded unprotected.

Alex moved along the catwalk, paralleling her agents from above. She trusted them to do what was needed without her being in their midst, and Viking Leader was one of the best agents in the DEO. Reaching the door at the end of the catwalk, she was gratified to see it was still unlocked. She didn’t particularly want to waste time picking locks at the moment. Looking down, she met Viking Leader’s gaze. Alex held up a hand and silently counted down from three. As soon as she made a fist, she shoved open the door. She heard the door below slam open in almost perfect synchronicity.

There was another Cadmus soldier a few feet from the door and he froze in surprise upon seeing her, clearly not expecting an entrance from the catwalk. Alex, however, didn’t freeze. Her rifle was already rock solid against her shoulder and she didn’t hesitate before firing. The soldier collapsed and Alex sprinted past, aiming for the stairs she could see at the other end. From below her she could hear the sounds of gunfire. She hazarded a quick glance below her and caught a glimpse of her agents sweeping the room, closing a noose around a small cluster of Cadmus agents.

Reaching the stairs, she bounded halfway down before stopping and raising her rifle. Her agents had the Cadmus agents edged into a corner but the Cadmus troops refused to surrender, using their computer equipment as cover, taking advantage of the fact that the DEO agents were trying to avoid damaging the computers. Except Alex was now at the perfect angle. Smirking, she fired a quick burst to get their attention. Almost as one the small knot of Cadmus agents looked at her. The distraction provided just enough time for several DEO agents to rush forward, circling around the other end of the equipment and setting up a crossfire.

Smirk growing, Alex called out, “You might want to consider surrendering.”

Glaring, the Cadmus agents didn’t move for several tense seconds. Finally, one of them raised his hands, still glaring at Alex. Grudgingly the rest slowly followed suit. Carefully, Alex moved down the remaining stairs, rifle still aimed at the Cadmus agents. She counted three, clearly not soldiers but also holding their weapons competently. Obviously Cadmus believed in the same mentality as the DEO, requiring everyone to be able to use a weapon even if not a field operative.

While a few DEO agents disarmed and restrained the Cadmus operatives, the others began sweeping the area. After a few minutes one called out, “Agent Danvers, there’s another door here.”

Alex’s head whipped up from where she’d been studying the computer system. Jogging over she frowned at the door Viking Three was indicating. She studied it for a moment before sweeping her gaze over the room they were standing in. Based on the proportions, it was clear that the area on the other side of the door would be smaller than the one they were currently standing in. Only, Alex had no idea what would be on the other side. The current room appeared to operate as a combination of an office and storage area for more dangerous or valuable equipment.

Alex raised her rifle and pointed it at the door. Agent Parker, Viking Three, glanced at her and she nodded briefly. Holding his own rifle in a ready position, the other agent swiftly pulled open the door, hand immediately snapping up to brace his rifle once the door was open. Nothing. Alex let out a slow sigh of relief but didn’t drop her guard. Slowly she edged through the door after Parker. The room on the other side was dark and Alex reached one hand out to fumble for a light switch. There was a muffled sound and Alex reacted, grabbing Parker and tugging them both to the ground as bullets whizzed over them.

A shout sounded from the outer room and Alex thought she could hear the sound of the other agents running for the door. Rolling on to her back, Alex pointed her rifle in the direction the bullets had come from and pulled the trigger. She just hoped that there wasn’t anything explosive in the room. She heard a grunt of pain just before more DEO agents burst into the room, flashlights blazing. The lights illuminated a single Cadmus soldier briefly before multiple rifles opened fire and he went down.

Alex sighed in relief as one of the agents found the light switch, flooding the room with light. She glanced over to the man next to her. “You ok, Parker?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thanks for the save.”

She gave him a lopsided smile in acknowledgement before rolling to her feet. Looking around the room, she ordered, “Sweep the room and then the entire building once more. Let’s get to work cataloguing everything here and someone download whatever we can from those computers.” Hopefully they didn’t get a chance to wipe them. She received a round of nods and acknowledgements. Sighing heavily, Alex moved back into the out room.

“Why are you bleeding?”

Alex spun around at the voice. She ignored the question as she strode over to Lucy’s side. “Status on Kelly and Martinez?”

“They’re going to be fine. Won’t be going on field ops for a little while though.” Lucy gestured toward Alex’s arm. “Why are you bleeding?”

Alex ignored her again. “Status of the op?”

Lucy sighed. “Rogue is providing outside surveillance. Kara already verified there was no one else around. Trap and Viking are performing a more thorough sweep of the warehouse and outer room here. Why are you bleeding?”

Frowning, Alex looked down. Now that her attention had been called to it and the adrenaline of the sudden ambush was wearing off, she could feel the sharp pain. “Huh. Bullet graze. Probably from the asshole that just tried to shoot Parker and me.”

Kara’s voice came through the radio. “You got shot?!”

Lucy rolled her eyes and commented conversationally. “Told you she’d be pissed.”

Alex glared and grumbled. “The mission did not go to shit. It’s just a graze, Kara. I’m fine.” There was no response and Alex sighed. That probably just meant Kara was saving her lecture for later.

Lucy chuckled. “What happened?”

Agent Parker stepped up. “She saved my life.” He glanced between the two women and grimaced slightly. “Sorry to interrupt, Director Lane, Agent Danvers.”

Lucy just grinned. “Don’t worry about it, Agent Parker.” She looked back at Alex. “Saved his life, huh?”

Alex just rolled her eyes and turned away, moving back into the smaller room. Once inside, she smiled wryly at the stack of L-Corp branded crates off to the side. “Hey, Lucy. I found our crates.”

Lucy appeared at her elbow almost immediately. She studied the crates for a moment then sighed. “You know, I was hoping my whole ‘they just stopped moving the crates’ theory was wrong.”

Alex nodded. She had been hoping that as well but it was very clear these crates were empty. Which meant the high capacity power sources they had contained were almost certainly already moved from this location. “Let’s see what else we find. Maybe Winn can get something from the computers.”

Lucy nodded. “Agreed.” She looked sidelong at Alex. “And you need to get that wound looked at.”

Alex started to wave her hand then grimaced at the lancing pain from the injury, dropping her hand. “It’s fine.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Sure it is. You know, Danvers. You don’t have to do heroic shit to impress Maggie. I’m pretty sure she’s impressed with you already.” Her voice was low, barely loud enough for Alex to hear her clearly. “Now get your damn injury looked at.”

Alex grimaced. “That’s not…” She trailed off and sighed. “Whatever, Lane. Where’s your damn medic?”

Lucy smirked and jerked a thumb toward the doorway. “Out in the main warehouse with Kelly and Martinez. Go get that checked out.”

“Yes, Director Lane.” Alex nearly snarled the words. Her tone had absolutely no effect on Lucy who ignored it and moved toward the agents currently cataloguing the contents of the room. Alex rolled her eyes at her friend and headed for the main area of the warehouse, still grumbling to herself about how it was just a graze and she was a damn doctor herself.

 *     *     *

Maggie took a deep breath before dismounting her motorcycle in front of the precinct. It was still a weird thought that she wasn’t about to go inside for work but as a visitor. She’d just barely stopped herself from parking her bike in the precinct garage rather than the visitor’s parking. But, Danvers had asked her to try and get the NCPD to back off so, here she was. Locking her helmet to the bike, she headed inside, shooting a smile at the desk sergeant.

“Detective Sawyer! It’s been too long since you swung by. What brings you over here?”

Maggie chuckled. “It’s just Maggie now, remember? And I’m here to see Thomas, we have a meeting.”

“You’ll always be Detective Sawyer to us.” The sergeant grinned. “I’ll tell Detective Thomas you’re here.”

“Thanks.”

Idly Maggie studied the variety of public service announcement posters on the wall, noting that they hadn’t changed one bit since she’d left the force. The sound of a door opening had her turning and grinning as Victor stepped into view. A former football player, he seemed to fill the doorframe. He grinned back, white teeth a bright contrast to his dark skin. “Hey, Sawyer.”

She ambled over to him. “Hey, Vic.”

He rolled his eyes at the nickname but the grin didn’t fade. “I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

“You know you love me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved at the sergeant. “Thanks for keeping her out of trouble, Joe.”

Maggie affected an outraged look. “I would never get in trouble!”

Victor arched an eyebrow, patently unimpressed. “Sure.”

Maggie ignored him and waved at Joe. “See you later, Joe!”

The sergeant waved back, smiling. “Have a good day, Detective.”

Rolling her eyes at the title, but still smiling, Maggie followed Victor further into the station. She waved at a few other detective’s and officers she knew as the pair made their way to one of the meeting rooms. Dropping into a chair, Maggie grinned up at her old partner. “No interrogation room?”

He rolled his eyes at her. “Maybe I should use one. I swear you’ve become even more flippant since you left than when you first started.”

Maggie laughed briefly then sobered. “You know I’ve never treated an investigation with anything but seriousness, Victor.”

He smiled, settling into a chair across from her. “I know, Maggie.”

She glanced around the room briefly. It, too, hadn’t changed. Not that she’d really expected it to. It wasn’t like the NCPD had a budget for interior decorating. “So where’s your partner? Johnson, right?”

Victor heaved a sigh. “Getting coffee. You know, it’s all your fault I got saddled with a rookie detective.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair. “My fault? Oh no, you can blame the brass for that one.”

Victor looked at her seriously, expression gentle. “You didn’t have to leave, Maggie.”

Maggie looked away for a moment. Scenes of that last case flickered through her mind briefly. Alien bodies nearly hacked to pieces. Finding the asshole who did it who was so proud. Who thought he was righteous for “purging the alien menace.” She shook her head slightly, dismissing the memories as she look back at Victor. “Yeah, I did, Vic. I just… yeah, I did.”

He studied her for a moment then nodded, remaining silent. Both of their heads whipped around as the door opened and a younger man walked in, looking vaguely uncomfortable. He was carrying three coffee cups and Maggie flashed a smile, standing. “You must be Detective Johnson.”

“That’s me.” Setting down the cups, he held out a hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Detective Sawyer. Detective Thomas has told me a lot about you.” He flashed what Maggie was sure was supposed to be a charming smile but just felt oily to her.

She maintained her smile and shook his hand as perfunctorily as she could without being rude. Regaining her seat, she took the coffee he held out to her. Glancing down at it she frowned slightly. Ugh, Vic knows I prefer black coffee. She glanced back up at Johnson who was still giving her that smile.

“Cream, two sugars, right?”

She raised an eyebrow. “No, I prefer black coffee.”

Victor heaved a sighed from the other side of the table. Maggie looked over, eyebrow still arched. He shoved his coffee cup toward her and gestured for the one she was holding. “That one’s mine, Johnson.”

Johnson looked confused. “But you drink black coffee.”

Maggie switched coffee cups with Victor and couldn’t stop the small smirk as she commented, “He does. But only first thing in the morning. After ten he switches to cream and sugar.”

Victor waved for Johnson to take a seat. “It doesn’t matter. Now that we’re all here, what brings you up this way, Sawyer?”

Maggie settled back in her chair again and sipped her coffee, ordering her thoughts. “I don’t think Dr. Danvers is who we’re looking for.”

“What?” Johnson sounded outraged. Maggie ignored him, cocking her head and waiting for Victor’s response.

Victor frowned thoughtfully. “Why do you say that?”

“Gut instinct for one.” Maggie ignored Johnson’s scoff. The rookie detectives always thought gut instinct was something left behind on the streets when they moved on from being officers. But Maggie had plenty of experience saying otherwise, and she knew Vic did too. “But, also, there’s nothing else indicating she had anything to do with the crates or those guys who attacked L-Corp Friday night. I combed through every shipping and access record. She didn’t access any of it. Nor can I find any suspicious access to indicate she somehow hacked in or used someone else’s credentials.”

“What about the photos?”

This was where it got tricky. Maggie sighed and grimaced. “Alibi. Apparently she was with her sister that night.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t think her own sister would lie for her?”

Maggie shot him a wry smile. “I take it you’ve never met Kara Danvers. Girl couldn’t lie to save her life.”

Victor leaned back, nodding. “I’m not sure that’s really enough, Sawyer.”

Maggie gave him a challenging look, leaning forward. “Have you found anything? You said yourself the only conversations you’ve picked up are between her and that same sister. Has that changed?”

Victor sighed and shook his head. Johnson let out a strangled sound. Both Maggie and Victor looked at him curiously. Johnson was looking outraged again, glaring at Victor. “You can’t just tell her our evidence, sir!”

Victor shook his head. “Kid, Sawyer’s got a better head on her shoulders than ninety percent of the detectives here. There’s nothing that says I can’t share information with her if it helps our case.” Maggie grinned a little to herself at his words. Victor looked back at her. “You’re right. We haven’t picked up anything but some dead space and calls to her sister.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “But, maybe you can tell us why she hasn’t left her apartment since Saturday night.”

Maggie shrugged slightly, settling back into the chair once more. “I presume she was taking a break after the excitement of Friday and Saturday yesterday. She’s working from home today. I can show you the login records showing she’s been doing paperwork from home if you want.”

Victor nodded slightly. He glanced at Johnson briefly then looked back at Maggie. “I’ll take it into consideration, Sawyer. Can’t guarantee anything though, you know that.”

Maggie sighed soundlessly but nodded. She’d known going in it wasn’t going to be easy to convince them to completely drop Danvers as a suspect. She had no authority over this. Which was exactly why she hadn’t actually promised Danvers anything. But still, she’d been hoping. Standing, Maggie flashed a grin at Victor. “Thanks for listening, Victor.”

He followed suit, smiling warmly. “Anytime, Sawyer. You know, we need to take some time to catch up. Now that you’re a fancy executive security chief.”

She laughed. “Sure, we can do lunch someday.”

“Oh no, you’re not getting off that easy. Dinner. My house. Johnny is dying to pick your brain about college life.”

Maggie’s smile softened into a more warmly affectionate one. Victor’s oldest son, Johnny, had come out as gay the year before as a junior in high school. Victor had spent all night reading and most of the next day picking Maggie’s brain so he could respond appropriately. There might be several assholes on the force—Maggie knew from personal experience—but Detective Victor Thomas was one of the good ones. “Of course. Let me know when and I’ll be there. Tell the family I said hello in the meantime.”

Maggie forced herself to smile at Johnson, who had risen and was giving her that same oily smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Detective Johnson.”

“The pleasure was mine, Detective.”

Maggie nodded awkwardly, flashed one more smile and a quick wave at Victor, and then quickly left the room. Once outside, she swung her leg over her motorcycle and sat for a moment, running over the meeting in her mind. She couldn’t think of anything she’d said that would give away Danvers’ cover. Unfortunately, it also meant she couldn’t think of anything she’d said that would for sure convince Victor and the NCPD to drop Danvers as a suspect. Sighing, she tugged on her helmet and headed back to L-Corp. She hoped Danvers was around the next day, Maggie definitely had a few things to talk to the agent about.

Chapter Text

Alex studied the gadget in her hand intently. She had found crates of the little devices in the warehouse the other night after the medic had checked out the bullet graze. She wasn’t sure if all of them performed the exact same function, or if each crate had contained a variant. Depending on the results of her testing, she hoped it would either give her more information on what Cadmus was doing, or at least provide something the DEO could use. So far she’d been able to determine that the base device was a sensor. This particular one detected temperature changes. Scattered across the lab table in front of her were samples from each crate, meticulously organized with color coded tags indicating which crate each had come from.

The sensor itself was pretty impressive. Smaller than average, it was also highly sensitive. As far as she could tell from a physical inspection, it appeared fairly robust as well. She had a tunneling spectrometer, based on the DEO design and improved by herself and Lena, in the corner currently analyzing one of the sensors from the same crate to determine its materials. A quiet beep from said machine broke the silence. Alex set down the sensor and picked up the tablet at her elbow, pulling up the results. Her eyebrows rose involuntarily. The metal the sensors were cased in was clearly not from Earth. Absently she muttered, still studying the atomic structure, “That explains why they’re so sturdy at least.”

She heard a sound at the door but didn’t bother to look up, recognizing the footsteps as Sawyer’s. It had long become a habit to memorize what regular visitors’ footsteps sounded like so she could form a response before interaction.

“Danvers. Glad to see you could make it today.” Sawyer’s voice sounded both amused and annoyed.

Alex twisted her lips slightly in acknowledgement but still refused to look up, continuing to scroll through her readouts. “You come up here for a reason?”

“What can I say? I’m getting used to a daily dose of glaring.”

Involuntarily, Alex quirked a small smile at that. She had to admit, Sawyer could be charming. That’s all… no matter what Lucy says… “If that’s all you wanted you should’ve said so. I’m happy to oblige and send you on your way.” Alex raised her head, smile gone and arching an eyebrow at her guest.

The other woman just grinned at her. “Yep, like that.” Sawyer moved around the table and leaned a hip against it, just far enough away to avoid interfering with Alex’s work. “So…”

Alex merely looked back at her tablet, waiting for Sawyer to continue. She heard the annoyed huff and smirked a little to herself.

“You didn’t come in yesterday.”

“I was busy.” Alex glanced up briefly, giving Sawyer a hard look to ensure she caught Alex’s meaning.

“I thought we were going to work together, Danvers.” Sawyer was glaring at her and Alex resisted the urge to squirm with guilt.

“You don’t even know what I was busy doing,” she protested, aware too late that the argument would just confirm Sawyer’s suspicions.

Sawyer rolled her eyes. “Give me more credit than that.”

Alex sighed and looked away for a moment. Eventually she shot a look at the security camera before casually turning back toward Sawyer, making sure her back was to the camera. “Look, I agreed to work with you. But there are a few things you need to understand. First, no talking about it here. Second, you’re going to have to accept that sometimes I can’t involve you directly. You were a cop; you should understand that. Third…” Alex paused, wondering whether to continue.

Sawyer cocked her head. “Third?”

Alex sighed. “Third, I was actually at home yesterday.”

Sawyer blinked, clearly not having expected that answer. “At home?”

Alex grimaced slightly. “I’ll… explain later. Not here.” She raised her eyebrows questioningly at the end, daring Sawyer to disagree.

Sawyer flicked a glance to the security cameras herself before huffing a sigh. “Fine. What do you say we grab a drink after work?” She raised an eyebrow challengingly at Alex.

Alex couldn’t entirely contain the amused smile that curled her lips. “Sure, Sawyer. We can do that.”

Sawyer grinned and Alex forced herself not to grin stupidly back. After a moment, the other woman nodded at the sensor Alex was absently fiddling with. “What’s that?”

Alex glanced down, vaguely surprised. She hadn’t realized she’d picked it back up while they were talking. “Oh, um, a temperature sensor.”

“That’s… it?” Sawyer cocked her head slightly, her smile turning a bit confused.

“What do you mean?” Alex set the sensor down, giving the other woman a curious look.

“Just seems a bit anticlimactic after the ‘if I do something wrong I could knock everyone in the building out’ spiel.”

Alex laughed briefly. “I suppose it does. But yes, a temperature sensor. This one at least.” She gestured to the collection of labeled sensors. “I don’t yet know if all of them are the same.”

“So what do the colors mean then, if not different purposes?”

Alex pondered her answer for a second then shrugged mentally. There wasn’t really any harm in telling the woman at least part of the answer right now. “Indicates the different boxes they came from. They weren’t labelled so just trying to reorganize.” She gave Sawyer a warning glance, hoping the woman would catch on not to ask too many questions while still in L-Corp. Alex didn’t know if anyone watching the security cameras could read lips but she didn’t particularly want to find out the hard way if Sawyer said something that indicated the sensors weren’t from L-Corp itself.

Fortunately, Sawyer seemed to get the message and nodded slightly. “Idiots forgot to label them before shipping, huh? Gotta love that.”

Alex smiled tightly, but gratefully, in response. “Yeah.” She glanced at her pile of sensors before looking back at Sawyer. “If you don’t mind, I need to get back to work.” Mentally she rolled her eyes at herself. If you don’t mind? What happened to badass Agent Danvers who kicks people out of her lab at will, hmm? God, Lucy would have a field day with this.

Sawyer gave her a curious smile but nodded. “Sure, Danvers. I’ll see you at the bar at 5:30?”

Alex thought about that for a moment, running her schedule and her planned tests through her mind. After a moment she nodded slowly. “That should work, yes.”

Sawyer’s smile broadened. “Well how about you give me your number and then you can text me if you’re going to be late?”

Alex arched an eyebrow with a half-smile. “Smooth, Sawyer.”

Sawyer just grinned. “I thought so.”

Alex sighed but gestured for Sawyer’s phone. As she typed the numbers into a new contact, she commented, “You know, you could have just looked at my resume, which you clearly have.”

Sawyer shrugged. “It’s more fun this way.” She smirked and an eyebrow raised challengingly. It was an expression that clearly said How was I to know it was correct?

Alex couldn’t entirely stop the wry smile and shook her head slightly at the comment. Handing the phone back, she stated dryly, “So much fun.”

Sawyer tapped something out on her phone and Alex felt her own vibrate from its location in her pocket. Sawyer continued smiling, her eyes dancing with… something. “Now you have mine too. See you this afternoon, Danvers.” She didn’t wait for a response before turning and making her way back out of the lab. Just before getting on the elevator, the security chief turned and gave Alex a jaunty two-fingered salute.

Alex stared idly at the empty space for a long moment before starting, realizing she’d been staring off into space with an almost fond smile on her face for far too long. Rolling her eyes and forcing the smile away, Alex pulled her phone out and saved Sawyer’s number before turning back to her sensors.

 *     *     *

Alex glanced around quickly after entering the bar. She had spotted Sawyer’s Triumph outside so she knew the other woman was already here. She’d seen the motorcycle at the bar most nights Sawyer was there, as well as during the altercation in the alley. She’d had Winn run the plates eventually, confirming it belonged to the other woman. She had also seen the “nondescript” car holding the tailing police officers, making her roll her eyes. She was definitely going to talk to Sawyer about that. Sighing, she moved further into the bar, finally seeing Sawyer herself waiting at a table in the back. Pulling out her phone and verifying that Winn’s software was active, Alex shot Sawyer a text. At your 2 o’clock. Don’t discuss case until I say so.

She watched with a small smile as Sawyer read the message and rolled her eyes before raising her gaze to look for Alex. As soon as their eyes met, Sawyer pointedly looked at the phone then rolled her eyes again. Alex made her way to Sawyer’s table still grinning a little and flashing a slightly wider smile at the bartender as she passed. Reaching the table, she stopped and frowned slightly, realizing her back would be to the entrance.

Sawyer seemed to sense her discomfort and intuit the reason for it. With a smile, she shifted her chair to one side and dragged the other one around so both women would have a line of sight to the door. Alex fully expected a smug smile but Sawyer’s expression was simply understanding.

“Thanks.” Alex took her seat and gave the bartender another grateful smile when he set two beers in front of them.

Sawyer didn’t mention the beers, apparently having realized that if Alex didn’t want to talk about the case yet, she also didn’t want verbal mention that they had planned to meet. Instead she asked casually, “So, what brings you here on a Tuesday, Danvers?”

Alex smiled tightly and reached into her pocket to pull out Winn’s jamming device. She replied just as casually as she verified the jammer’s settings, “It’s been a stressful few days. A beer seemed like a good idea.” Flipping the jammer on, she waited for the indicator to turn to green before continuing. “We can talk freely now, at least as concerns electronic listening.”

Sawyer rolled her eyes again. “Paranoid much? The NCPD doesn’t have the tech to listen in here unless they got a huge budget increase since I left.”

Alex shrugged, filing away the confirmation of the NCPD’s tech level to tell Lucy and J’onn later. “Is it really paranoia if they’re really out to get you? Your NCPD buddies are still following me around and, presumably, trying to listen to my phone.”

Sawyer grimaced. “Yeah. I tried to get them to back off but without blowing your cover, or violating that lovely NDA Lane made me sign, it wasn’t very effective.”

Alex nodded; she’d figured as much. “Thanks for trying.”

Sawyer nodded then gestured at the device on the table. “So, is this some of your ‘technology that makes the NCPD’s look like an easy bake oven?’ And is it how you’ve kept them from overhearing your phone conversations?”

Alex grinned, taking a drink of her beer. “Yes to the former. No to the latter.”

Sawyer raised an eyebrow and, when it became clear Alex wasn’t going to elaborate without being prompted, huffed and asked, “So what’s this thing then?”

Alex shrugged slightly, drinking from her beer as she considered how much she could tell Sawyer. “Broad band dampener. Prevents listening devices from working within a certain radius.”

“And it’s not what’s keeping your phone conversations secret?”

Alex smiled innocently. “What makes you ask that?”

Sawyer practically growled at her. “Are you trying to be an obnoxious asshole? Because it’s working.”

Alex laughed. “You know, technically, you don’t have clearance for these questions you’re asking. Why should I violate protocol to tell you?”

Sawyer cocked her head and studied Alex for several seconds, sipping at her beer. Alex just arched an eyebrow in response, in her element and curious to see what Sawyer would say. Finally, Sawyer stated, “Cute, Danvers. You have enough autonomy on this op to make the call regarding what you can and can’t share. You also know I’ll be better able to help if I have more information.”

Alex tried desperately to control the blush at being called “cute.” Mentally, she berated herself, trying to convince herself that it didn’t mean Maggie actually thought she was being cute but that the other woman meant it in the sarcastic way. It didn’t quite work and instead she focused on Sawyer’s other words. She wondered if Sawyer was guessing or had somehow actually figured out Alex’s position at the “FBI.” Or at least figured out she wasn’t a bog-standard field agent. “You know all that, huh?” She managed to get the words out. Her voice sounded relatively calm and she just hoped the dim light concealed the blush.

Sawyer smirked. “I’m not an idiot, Agent Danvers.”

“I never said you were.” Alex sighed. “How do I know you won’t just go tell the NCPD about any technology or other details I give you, huh? Help out your old partner?” Sawyer looked surprised at that statement and it was Alex’s turn to roll her eyes. “I’m not an idiot, Sawyer,” she snarked. “Of course we checked out who was on the case.”

Sawyer narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. For several seconds she let her gaze dance around the bar rather than continue looking at Alex. Alex could tell the other woman was pondering her words, however. Alex took advantage of the lull in conversation to perform her own perusal of the bar and drink more of her beer. Eventually, Sawyer looked back at Alex. “A fair question. I’d bring up the NDA—” Alex snorted and Sawyer smiled faintly. “I see you trust those as much as I do. And, obviously, threatening to ‘disappear’ me doesn’t help.”

Alex smiled dangerously. “Oh, I could disappear you before you had a chance to give me away. Unfortunately, it’s not really considered acceptable.”

Alex thought she saw… something… flash in the other woman’s eyes. But her voice was level when she spoke. “I’m sure you could, Danvers. But that would create more problems than it would solve and you know it.” Sawyer paused and sighed. “You’ll just have to trust me. I swear I’m on your side and I’m not going to go telling the NCPD anything they don’t need to know.”

Alex raised an eyebrow and smiled grimly. “That leaves you a convenient out.”

Sawyer sighed but Alex could see an appreciative glint in the woman’s eyes. Alex suspected Sawyer had used such phrasing to her advantage in the past, much as Alex herself had. “Touché, Danvers. What if I promise not to tell the NCPD anything without your approval unless absolutely necessary?”

Alex narrowed her eyes contemplatively. “You promise not to tell the NCPD directly or indirectly without my explicit permission unless it is a matter of life or death.” She paused then added, “Objectively one.”

Sawyer gave an admiring sort of laugh. “Sure you’re not an attorney, Danvers?”

“No, but my best friend is,” Alex shot back with a smirk.

“Lane?”

Alex nodded but didn’t speak, waiting for Sawyer’s agreement.

Sawyer laughed again. “I should’ve guessed. Fine, Danvers. I promise not to directly or indirectly inform the NCPD of anything you tell me without your permission unless it is, objectively, a matter of life and death.”

“Don’t suppose you’d be willing to put that in writing,” Alex quipped, smiling now.

“You’re something else, Danvers. Not much like any other fed I’ve met.”

Alex shrugged awkwardly, looking away. “Yeah, well…” When she looked back, Sawyer was giving her a curious smile. “What?”

Sawyer just shook her head and nodded toward the jammer. “So. Elaborate.”

Alex sighed. “Like I said. Broad band dampener. A jammer. One of our tech guys developed it.”

“And your phone?”

Alex hesitated before responding, choosing her words carefully. If she wasn’t careful she would give away more about the DEO than intended. “The phone signal is encrypted by default and the phone is loaded with a special program that automatically piggy backs on the phone’s signal. Without the proper encryption key, the program deletes any stored copy of the data.” Sawyer just stared at her, appearing completely stunned. Alex smirked. “Cat got your tongue, Sawyer?”

After staring for a short time, Sawyer seemed to collect herself, finally spluttering, “Are you serious, Danvers?”

Alex chuckled and nodded. “Our tech guy is kind of a genius.”

Sawyer just gave a disbelieving laugh and shook her head, drinking more beer as she did so. “Easy bake oven, huh? I feel like you were trying to be nice with that.” She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I take it you can disable the program when you want to.”

Alex blinked. “Why do you say that?”

Sawyer gave her a wry smile. “Because my old partner commented that they had gotten some clear conversations. But only between you and Kara. Apparently about food and Netflix.”

Alex laughed softly. “That does describe many of our conversations, yes. And yes, before you ask again, it can be disabled.”

Sawyer laughed also, settling more comfortably in her chair. “So where were you yesterday?”

Alex leaned back as well, mimicking Sawyer’s pose and scanning the bar idly. “I told you. I was at home.”

“Ok… why were you at home?”

Alex pursed her lips briefly. “Because I was sleeping until about noon after having been out on an op until after midnight. And debriefing until four a.m.”

Sawyer blinked. “Good reason. Can you tell me what the op was for? Was it related to L-Corp? Those crates?”

Alex sighed, debating whether she really trusted the other woman. She surprised herself by concluding that yes, she did trust Sawyer. She gave Sawyer a half-smile that the other woman returned. Alex really hoped trusting Sawyer didn’t bite her in the ass. “Yes, yes, and yes. We had some trackers embedded in the crates. Enough stayed online for us to find the warehouse they’d been taken to. We hit that warehouse Sunday night.”

“Find anything useful?”

Alex shrugged. “We’re still going through it all.”

Sawyer nodded, appearing to accept that answer for now. “What was in those crates anyway? Actual L-Corp tech?”

Alex nodded, finishing her beer. “Advanced power sources. Not something too dangerous on its own but…”

“Not really something you want them hanging on to for too long either.” Sawyer nodded. “Smart. Impressive enough technology, I assume, that they wouldn’t really question why it was being stored elsewhere.”

“Yeah. But the power sources weren’t at the warehouse anymore. Just the crates. Hopefully we can get them back before they manage to modify them to work with whatever they’ve got coming up next.”

Sawyer nodded grimly. “Hopefully.” She drained her own beer and had opened her mouth to say something else when Alex’s phone vibrated.

Alex frowned, tugging the phone out of her pocket. At the sight of the name on the screen her frown deepened and she seriously considered not answering.

“Problem, Danvers?”

Alex startled slightly. “Um… hopefully not. But I should take this.”

“Sure. I’ll get us another round.”

Alex flashed a grateful smile at Sawyer before tapping the glowing green circle on the phone. “Hi, mom.”

“Alexandra Danvers, how could you let her do that?”

Alex sighed. “Nice to hear from you, too.”

“Don’t give me that. How could you, Alex?”

Alex tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. “How could I what, mom? You’re going to have to help me out here. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Let Kara play rugby!”

“It was Kara’s idea.” Even as she said it, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Their relationship may have gotten better since the previous Thanksgiving but there were still far too many phone calls like this one.

So she studied the ceiling and half-listened as her mother continued, “She could have hurt someone! What if she used her powers and someone saw her!”

“Mom, it’s just rugby and she’s a grown adult.”

“She’s used to using her powers now, Alex! She said you were with coworkers, what if she had started showing off? Think, Alex!”

“Mom. She was fine. We were both—”

“I can’t believe you let her do that, Alexandra.”

Alex clenched her jaw, dropping her head back down as she heard a shuffle nearby. Sawyer was standing next to the table, two new beers in hand and a concerned look on her face. “I have to go, mom. We can talk about this later. Or, better yet, call Kara and yell at her. Bye.” She barely heard the spluttered response before jabbing a finger at the “end call” button.

Sawyer cocked her head and set a beer down in front of Alex, raising an eyebrow when Alex immediately took a large swallow. “Everything ok?” she asked cautiously, reclaiming her seat.

Alex sighed. “Yes. No. Ugh. It’s my mom.”

Sawyer grimaced and Alex thought she caught a slight flinch. Before she could wonder further, Sawyer asked, “She mad at Kara about something?”

Alex laughed mirthlessly. “No, she’s mad at me about Kara.”

Sawyer’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“It’s just—” Alex cut herself off. “Sorry, I doubt you want to hear about my family issues.”

Sawyer smiled softly. “I don’t mind. But you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and found herself rambling despite the part of her that continued to insist Sawyer really didn’t want to hear this. “Short story is Kara’s adopted and ever since then my mom has insisted I protect her. You know, be a good big sister. Which is fine. I always wanted a sister. I wanted—want—to protect her. Unfortunately, that led to our mom getting mad at me for anything that went wrong with Kara, or that mom didn’t approve of Kara doing, or… what have you.”

Sawyer was frowning, but not in a way that said she didn’t want to hear this or thought Alex was overreacting. “That’s bullshit. What’s she mad about this time?”

Alex sighed. “Rugby.”

Sawyer’s frown deepened. “Wait, she’s mad at you because Kara played a sport?” Sawyer hesitated for a minute then asked, voice delicate, “Is there a particular reason Kara shouldn’t be playing sports?”

Alex could tell Sawyer had wondered that before. She smiled wryly and shook her head. “Kara is as healthy as a horse. Always has been. But, you know, she might get hurt. Or I should encourage her to get out and meet other people and ‘is this why she’s not dating someone? Because she keeps doing things with you and your coworkers?’ And so on.” Alex grimaced at the bitterness in her own voice. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to word vomit all of that on you.”

Sawyer shook her head immediately. “No, don’t apologize.”

Alex smiled slightly. “It’s… it’s gotten better recently. Helps that Kara is dating someone. But still…” Alex shrugged. She glanced over at Sawyer. “What about you? Siblings? Overbearing mother?”

Sawyer flinched just slightly again and Alex’s smile dropped. Before she could press, Sawyer was smiling, “No siblings. Parents live in Blue Springs, Nebraska. Tiny town and I got out as fast as I could.” Alex nodded slightly, considering how to phrase her next question. Sawyer continued speaking almost immediately, however. “How about a game of pool?”

Alex studied her silently, but acknowledged that she didn’t really have any sort of standing to try and push the other woman to talk about anything she didn’t want to. Hell, they weren’t even friends, though Alex conceded they were probably beginning to work toward that. After a moment she nodded. “Sure. But I believe you still owe me from last time.”

Sawyer laughed. “I already bought two rounds tonight, Danvers. We’re even.”

Alex grinned, reaching out to turn off the jammer and tuck it away, a silent statement that there would be no more talking business. “Fair enough.”

Sawyer grinned in return and grabbed her beer, heading for the pool tables. Alex took a deep breath and grabbed her own before following. She hadn’t really planned on the night turning into a pool game… or that she might have somehow made a friend… but she wasn’t going to object. Mentally she assured herself that they were just almost-friends and there didn’t need to be anything more and that attractiveness meant nothing. Lucy will never believe you, Danvers. Do you even believe you? Alex shook off the thoughts and set her beer down next to Maggie’s, grabbing a pool cue. “I really hope you weren’t planning on winning this, Sawyer.”

Maggie just laughed at her. “I guess we’ll find out, huh, Danvers?”

Chapter Text

Alex trotted into Kara’s apartment building, pretending she didn’t see the cops watching her from across the street and down a short distance. She was really starting to question the NCPD’s training techniques in how to follow someone. Of course, she had to concede that maybe she had more reason than most to be aware of and know how to spot that sort of thing. Still, they should know better.

The cops had been waiting when she left the bar the previous evening, in a different spot than when she’d entered but she had still had no trouble spotting them when they resumed tailing her to her apartment. She had spotted them again that morning and evening heading to and from L-Corp. Rolling her eyes, Alex dismissed the thought of the cops for now as she headed up the stairs to Kara’s floor. She would just have to hope that they got bored of tailing her soon so she could resume her normal life… or at least, as normal as her life ever got.

Juggling pizza, potstickers, ice cream, and beer, she kicked at Kara’s door. It was probably open, since her sister seemed to never lock the door when she was home (not that Alex could completely hold that against her given who and what her sister was), but Alex’s hands were kind of full.

“It’s open!” Her sister’s voice rang from inside the apartment.

Alex rolled her eyes. “I know. Open the damn door, Kara.”

In moments the door was opened by Kara. “Oh! Sorry, Alex. Oooh pizza and potstickers!”

Alex scoffed but smiled fondly as Kara promptly relieved her of said food items. “Yeah, I see how it is. Food is way more important than your sister.”

Kara glanced at her. “Well, duh.”

Chuckling, Alex kicked the door shut behind her. “So what are we watching now that we caught up on Veep? Unfortunately, it’s your turn to pick,” she teased.

Kara mock-glared at her. “If you’re not careful, My Little Pony.”

“The horror!” Alex laughed, placing the ice cream in the freezer. “Seriously, though. What were you thinking?”

“Westworld? We’ve been saying we’re going to watch and we can binge the first season.”

“Sounds like a plan. Speaking of plans… were you planning to save any of that pizza for me?”

Kara merely waved a hand vaguely at the pizza box as she cuddled onto the couch with half the pizza and the container of potstickers. “There’s plenty left; stop being dramatic.”

“Says the alien who threatens to melt faces when she doesn’t get the last potsticker.”

Alex smirked at the dirty look Kara shot her way as she plopped down next to her sister, grabbing a piece of pizza. When Kara started looking for the remote, Alex reached over and snagged a potsticker from the container in Kara’s lap.

“Hey!”

“I bought them. The least you can do is share.” Alex blithely ignored Kara’s offended look as she popped the potsticker in her mouth and grabbed a second before Kara moved the container further away.

Chuckling, Alex leaned back into the couch to start on her pizza. “So, things have been a bit hectic lately. How did Snapper like your article about the attack?”

“Eh, fine. Had to rewrite part of it but that’s pretty normal no matter who you are.”

“And a huge step up from rewriting the entire thing three times,” Alex teased.

Kara seemed to consider hitting Alex with a pillow, going so far as to grab one but then let it go and laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

“And that new photographer? James said he’s a pain?”

Kara grinned a little. “Have I mentioned how happy I am that you and James have bonded? Even if you do appear to spend way too much time talking about me” Alex rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. Kara laughed, poking her sister with sock covered toes, and continued, “Yeah, he’s a pain. Snapper takes out most of his anger on the new guy, though, so it works out better for us reporters.”

“Finally moving on to the ‘not quite as crappy boss’ stage, huh?” Alex laughed softly, grabbing Kara’s toes when her sister made to poke her again.

“I’ll have you know Ms. Grant was a good boss.”

“Sure. Whatever you say. So what’s next on the agenda for Rising Star Reporter Kara Danvers?”

Kara rolled her eyes but Alex didn’t miss the pleased smile that her sister tried to hide. “Continued coverage of the Cadmus attacks I think. Snapper hasn’t said for sure but he also hasn’t had anyone but me cover it.” Kara paused then suddenly blanched. “Oh no…”

Alex straightened, already setting aside her food in preparation for leaping to her feet. “What? What is it?”

Kara blinked and focused on her. “No, it’s uh… it’s nothing.”

“Sure doesn’t sound like nothing. What is it, Kara?”

“It’s just… I remembered that Lois is coming in town.”

Alex blinked. That hadn’t really been the answer she was expecting. She had definitely been expecting something more along the lines of “I just remembered some tidbit about Cadmus I forgot to tell you.” “Lois Lane? Did she call you?”

“No, Kal did. Well, messaged me. Apparently the Daily Planet wants to increase coverage on the Cadmus situation. It’s starting to attract attention outside of National City.”

Alex cursed in several languages before sighing heavily. “Great. Just what we needed. But why ‘oh no’? Oh…” She paused then grimaced. “Lucy.”

“Yes. I need to tell her.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, good idea. Lucy doesn’t do well blindsided by her sister. Is Clark coming too?”

“No, he has to go to D.C. to report on President Marsdin’s press conference about the effects of the Alien Amnesty Act.”

Alex settled back into the couch, munching on her pizza thoughtfully. “Does Lois know Lucy works here?”

Kara raised an eyebrow at her. “You talk to Lucy more than I do, you know,” she pointed out. “You tell me.”

Alex half-smiled. “Ok, smartass. Lucy’s never mentioned. I thought maybe Clark or Lois had. You talk to them more often than I do.”

Kara cocked her head thoughtfully, gaze distant for a moment. “Neither of them have ever mentioned, no. Lucy doesn’t come up very often honestly.”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. “Makes sense. How long is Lois going to be in town?”

It was Kara’s turn to grimace. “Clark didn’t know. Possibly until the situation is resolved.”

Alex groaned, dropping her head on to the back of the couch. “Lucy is going to be a nightmare to deal with if Lois is around long term. Can’t you have Clark… convince her to come home or something? Plan the wedding?”

Kara gave Alex a look that clearly said “Really?”

Alex sighed. “Ok, fine. No, you can’t. When are you going to tell her?”

Kara’s gaze suddenly danced away. “Well, about that…”

“Oh, no. You are not making me do this.”

“Please?” Kara turned a pleading look on her sister.

Alex looked away. “Nope. Don’t do that, Kara. I’m not doing your dirty work.”

“But she’s your best friend! She’ll take it so much better coming from you!” Alex snorted at that. “Ok, marginally better. Please, Alex?”

Alex tried to resist. She made the mistake of flicking a brief glance at the puppy dog eyes her younger sister was giving her. Groaning again, she flopped back dramatically. “Ugh, fine! Just… stop looking at me like that!”

Kara grinned and popped another potsticker in her mouth. “Thank you!”

Alex rolled her eyes. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Kara gave her a deeply unimpressed look. “You haven’t corrected that in years.”

“Yeah well, you aren’t usually making me tell my best friend something you should be telling her but are too chicken to.”

“I’m not making you…”

Alex rolled her head so she could pin Kara with a skeptical look.

Kara deliberately avoided her gaze, asking in a perky voice instead, “What about you? How’s work? Oh! How’s Maggie?”

“Fine, fine, change the subject.” Alex leaned over and snatched a potsticker from the container Kara had inadvertently let drift within range. Ignoring the outraged look on her sister’s face, Alex sat back, smiling smugly.

“You’re avoiding the questions.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Work is fine. I think those sensors we found at the warehouse play a huge role in why Cadmus’s weapons explode when you do anything to them. I’m meeting J’onn, Lucy, and Winn tomorrow to discuss what was on the hard drives we retrieved from the warehouse computers and next steps. I’ll keep you posted.”

“I can come by, too. I have to meet with Snapper in the morning but assuming he gives me the Cadmus assignment…”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds good. When’s your meeting?”

“Eight thirty.”

“Great. I’ll be at the DEO at nine then.”

“What about the cops? Did they stop tailing you?”

“No, but it’ll be fine.” Alex waved her pizza crust dismissively. “If they look at the records of the DEO building, they’ll find several independent labs listed as operating there. Many of which have ‘worked’ with L-Corp in the past. I’ll just take something out with me labeled with one of the labs and they’ll be none the wiser.”

Kara blinked. “There’s a list of companies that work in the building?”

Alex raised an eyebrow and smirked a little. “Of course. Did you think we just let the building be listed as ‘DEO’ or suspiciously empty? There’s a whole host of cover companies that purportedly are located in there which run the gamut of businesses, including labs. None of which are the type to get random visitors.”

Kara seemed perplexed for a moment. “I guess I never really thought about it. Ok. I’ll be at the DEO at nine then.”

Alex nodded in agreement, grabbing another slice of pizza. She was just about to ask Kara if they were going to start Westworld when her sister gave her a mischievous smile. “I notice you didn’t answer my question.”

Alex furrowed her brow. “Sure I did. You asked about work. I answered.”

“Not that question. About Maggie.”

Alex rolled her eyes, ignoring the little squirm in her chest at the thought of the ex-detective. “What about her?”

“Oh come on, Alex! I thought you were going to be friends!”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “When did I say that?”

“It was implied.”

“By you. I said we were going to work together, Kara.”

Kara let out an exasperated sound. “That doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, Alex.”

Alex nodded solemnly. “I know that.” Kara gave her a frustrated look and Alex laughed as she grabbed Kara’s toes again before the Kryptonian could retaliate by resuming poking Alex’s side. “If it makes you feel better, we went to the bar the other night and talked. And played a couple games of pool.” Kara squealed slightly. Alex ignored her, adding abruptly as the thought occurred to her, “And mom called; did she call you?”

Kara blinked, clearly slightly confused by the sudden change of subject. “Eliza called you?”

“Yes. She’s mad about the rugby.”

“But… why?”

Alex gave Kara an exasperated look. “Because you might hurt someone. Or expose yourself.” She sighed and waved a hand, shaking her head slightly. “Forget it just… call mom.”

“Alex…” Alex raised an eyebrow questioningly but didn’t speak. Kara grabbed her nearest hand, cradling it gently. “I thought it was getting better. Do I need to yell at her again?”

Alex half-smiled. “No. It is better. It is. I guess it’s just… old habits die hard right?”

Kara frowned but simply said. “I’ll call her tomorrow. I promise.”

“Good. Now, were we going to watch Westworld or not?”

“Yes, of course.” Kara gave her another concerned look, which Alex ignored, before turning to the TV and settling into Alex’s side to watch. Alex smiled slightly and draped an arm around Kara’s shoulders, snuggling just a little further into the couch and her sister.

 *     *     *

Alex strode through the main doors of the DEO, carrying a briefcase with the L-Corp logo and resisting the urge to urge to wave at the cops still following her. No. Bad, Alex. Don’t make your job harder than it has to be. Rolling her eyes at herself, she waved her badge at the entry gate, waiting for it to blink green before nodding absently at the security guards and “receptionist” as she headed for the elevator bank. Sliding her ID into the reader, Alex waited patiently for the biometric scanners hidden in the walls to verify her identity before retrieving her ID as the elevator doors slid open. Given she was out of uniform and would have to stay that way so she could head back to L-Corp after this, she clipped the ID to her jacket rather than tucking it away like she normally would.

Stashing the L-Corp briefcase in her office, Alex made her way to the main conference room, absently nodding at the agents she passed and ignoring the occasional double take at her attire. Her phone rang and she tugged it out of her pocket, glancing briefly at the screen. She couldn’t completely stop the slight smile that tugged at her lips as she saw “Sawyer” glowing on the screen.

“Danvers.”

“Are Thursdays hooky day or something for you?”

Alex rolled her eyes but chuckled. “I have a meeting this morning. Getting an update on the situation.” She knew that no one, in theory, could hear the phone call but habit kept her circumspect.

“Ah, I see. Going to update me later?” Maggie’s tone was teasing but held a distinct edge of wariness. She clearly didn’t entirely trust Alex to keep her in the loop yet.

Alex couldn’t blame her. If the situations were reversed, she wouldn’t trust Maggie yet either. “Yes, I should be able to do that. I’ll have a better idea as to when after this meeting.”

“Sounds good, Danvers.” Her voice shifted slightly and Alex was positive the other woman was now just smiling. “I’ll swing by your lab later. After all, I need that daily dose of glaring anyway.”

Alex laughed softly. “You know, if you just stopped randomly invading my lab…”

“And miss out on the fun? Not a chance. I’ll see you later, Danvers.”

“Yeah. See you later, Sawyer.”

Alex tucked the phone back in her pocket as she tugged open the door to the conference room. Winn looked over and raised an eyebrow at her. Raising one in silent reply, she moved toward the table.

“You’re awfully smiley this morning. Have a hot date or something? Ouch!” Winn flinched, rubbing the back of his head where Alex had just smacked him.

Alex scowled at him. She hadn’t even realized she’d still been smiling. She was about to respond when she heard a slightly amused voice from behind her. “You know, Alex, we need his mind intact.”

Alex turned and flashed Lucy an innocent smile. “He’s durable.”

Lucy rolled her eyes but smirked in response. “Nice outfit.”

“You’re just jealous the shoes make me even taller than you than I already am,” Alex shot back, lips curling into a smirk of her own.

Lucy huffed in clearly fake offense then chuckled, making her way to the table and plopping into one of the seats. “Where’s J’onn?”

“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” Winn answered. “There was some issue he was handling with one of the teams.”

Alex frowned as she moved around the table to sit across from Lucy. “What issue?” She shared a concerned look with Lucy.

Winn waved a hand absently, attention mostly focused on the tablet in front of him. “Nothing major. Some minor disciplinary issue. Lateness or something.”

Alex nodded. J’onn didn’t normally deal with minor issues like tardiness to work but he did get involved when it got to be excessive. She turned back to Lucy, pondering whether she should break the news about Lois now or after the meeting. Something must have shown on her face because Lucy frowned at her questioningly. Alex didn’t get a chance to respond before J’onn entered. Shaking her head slightly at Lucy, Alex redirected her attention to her boss.

J’onn glanced around the room before frowning over at Alex. “Is Supergirl planning on joining us?”

Alex pursed her lips in mild annoyance with Kara’s tardiness. “She said she would be, yes.”

She had barely finished her sentence when the door flew open and Kara sped through it in a burst of super speed. “Sorry! Sorry! Snapper had questions for me! I’m here!”

Alex smothered a smile and sat back in her chair as Kara moved quickly to sit next to her. Alex glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “Snapper give you the Cadmus piece?”

“Yep! That’s why he had questions.”

“That will be helpful moving forward, Supergirl,” J’onn commented. Alex turned, waiting for him to begin the briefing proper. J’onn glanced at the assembled group before turning his gaze on Winn. “Mr. Schott, if you would begin.”

“Right!” Winn bounced out of his seat. A few flicks of his fingers threw images onto the screens along the end wall of the conference room. One was a surveillance shot of the warehouse Alex had raided earlier that week. The others appeared to be incomplete file structures. “We didn’t get as much as we had hoped from the Cadmus files at the warehouse. Partly because they did manage to wipe some of them and partly because it seems Cadmus isolates its data much like it isolates its cells of personnel. Most of the information that was intact consists of shipping records. Which, you know, makes sense since it was a warehouse.”

J’onn cleared his throat and Winn hurried on. “Personnel records, in particular, seemed to be the focus of the wipe. The few we were able to access are pretty corrupted; only pieces are left from them.”

Alex frowned thoughtfully at the monitors. Personnel information would have been very helpful. They really needed to know if Cadmus had moles in other agencies or the NCPD, and particularly needed to know if there were any more in the DEO itself. Just because she and Winn had discovered McGill before he could cause trouble didn’t mean there weren’t more. “Are the prisoners talking at all?”

“Not so far,” J’onn replied, his tone heavy. “And I tried reading their minds but they don’t know much more than Agent Schott was able to find in the systems. I was able to get some personnel facts, but only about the people working at that warehouse and most of those are dead.”

Alex sighed. Not unexpected but still not the news she was hoping to hear. Nodding, she gestured for Winn to continue.

“I was, however, able to get the location of at least one other Cadmus facility. We’re also working to reassemble some of the information that wasn’t completely wiped but only corrupted in hopes it will give us more.” He tapped a few commands on the tablet and the images on the monitors shifted. Now they showed various images of what appeared to be another warehouse. One monitor showed a map of part of the California/Arizona border. Alex really hoped they weren’t supposed to be finding something with the small mountain range visible on the map. She really didn’t fancy hiking through mountains.

“This is the location of the facility we were able to read the records on. It looks like another warehouse but bigger and actually located just outside Yuma, right on the border of California and Arizona.”

Alex’s frown deepened. Jurisdiction wasn’t a problem. But there was both a Marine Air Station and Army Proving Ground nearby. And really, she figured that part made sense. Just because Cadmus was no longer part of the Army, didn’t mean they’d stopped using old resources. Briefly she wondered why General Lane hadn’t emptied it out. A quick look at Lucy showed that her friend appeared to be wondering the same, if the dark look on her face was any indication.

But even more than that, Alex never particularly liked ops that took her too far from the city. Too far from Kara. And it meant her team would be quite a distance away should Cadmus attack within National City again. An option that seemed likely given the organization’s apparently focus on Kara and her cousin. Alex sighed. She didn’t have much choice though.

Turning to J’onn and Lucy she asked, “When do we go?”

“Tomorrow. The plan is to hit the facility at the end of the duty day or as close to that time as we can.”

Alex nodded. A look at Lucy showed the co-director still scowling at the monitors. “I should take at least one more team in with me this time. This place looks bigger and they’re probably expecting us to keep pressing.”

J’onn nodded. “You’ll be taking Trap, Wolf, and Spook inside. Viking will be providing cover and backup.”

Alex frowned. Those were all city based teams. “What about the desert teams?”

“We’ll keep them on alert in the desert. I’ll come into the city to take charge of Blitz and Hammer.” Lucy looked between Alex and J’onn as she continued. “We should have Blitz and Hammer geared and ready to go also. I don’t like the fact that Cadmus hasn’t attacked again and this would be the perfect opportunity for them to do so.”

Alex nodded. She would have preferred Lucy be leading her back-up again but it was better if she stayed in the city to help out against Cadmus if needed. “Sir, should we consider bringing in outside teams?”

J’onn considered the question for a moment. Alex ignored the inquisitive looks from Kara and Winn as she waited for the answer. Finally he shook his head, though his expression was grim. “Not just yet. We’ll reevaluate after this raid, particularly if we can get further information on Cadmus’ numbers. I don’t want to weaken other DEO facilities if we don’t need to.”

Alex and Lucy exchanged grim looks but nodded. Alex had suspected that would be his answer and it was the same decision she would have made. That didn’t mean she was entirely comfortable with it though. Cadmus had proven to be organized and efficient. If they also had numbers on their side, this could get very ugly. “Winn. How far away is that warehouse?”

“Um.” He seemed surprised to be spoken to, having been watching the exchange with wide eyes. “Uh, it’s, just over two hundred thirty nautical miles.”

Alex nodded, considering. “Helicopters then?” J’onn nodded in response. “Perfect. We’ll need two. Winn, get me everything you can about the layout of that warehouse and its surroundings. If there’s any more information in the Cadmus files, or for that matter in any other files you can access, I need it by end of day.”

“Right. On it. If it’s out there, I’ll find it.”

“Great. J’onn, I need to head to L-Corp soon to avoid suspicion. I’ll be back this evening to hammer out the strategic details.”

“Sounds good, Alex.”

“Wait, what about me?” Kara asked. She was frowning intently at Alex and Alex idly wondered if she was about to be incinerated with heat vision. “I’m coming with you, right?”

“Not this time, Kara. I need you to stay here in case Cadmus tries something.”

“Alex—”

“Kara. No.” She pinned her sister with a glare. Sometimes Alex wished they had insisted more firmly on proper chains of command when Kara started working with the DEO. Her sister was most definitely a hero; Alex never doubted that. But her tendency to contradict Alex’s orders or argue with Alex publicly was something Alex could often do without. Fortunately, this time only J’onn, Lucy, and Winn were present. “I can do this. I have been doing this for years. Stay here and work with Lucy and J’onn and make sure Cadmus doesn’t cause too much trouble.” She paused then softened slightly. “I’ll be back before you know it, ok?”

Kara glared back and for a moment Alex thought she would refuse. Finally, Kara sighed and slouched in her chair. “Fine. But promise me you’ll be careful.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow, tempted to make a quip about having lived this long but bit it back. Just because she was cranky didn’t mean she needed to take it out on her sister. “I promise,” she said instead, holding Kara’s gaze for a long moment to convey her sincerity.

J’onn cleared his throat and Alex looked back at him. “It sounds like we have a plan. Agent Schott, get working on that information for Agent Danvers. Supergirl, Director Lane, we’ll meet later this afternoon to discuss the plans for our end of the operation.”

Everyone nodded and stood. Winn hurried out of the room immediately, barely taking the time to turn the monitors back off before he was tapping furiously at his tablet and scurrying toward his console. J’onn met everyone’s gaze briefly before nodding and leaving. Kara met Alex’s eyes then looked significantly at Lucy.

Alex rolled her eyes but nodded, waving a hand to shoo Kara out of the conference room. “Hey, Luce. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Lucy shot her a concerned look. “Of course, Alex. I was already planning on tracking down why this facility managed to stay in Cadmus hands after they broke from the Army.”

Alex nodded. “That’s great. But… not actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Is this about that weird look you were giving me earlier before J’onn got here?”

Alex sighed. Damnit, Kara. Why couldn’t you do this? “Yeah, it is.”

“Is everything ok? Did something happen at L-Corp? Or with Maggie?”

“No, no, everything on that front is fine. It’s uh…” Alex tapped her fingers absently on the table top. “It’s actually about Lois.”

Lucy frowned, her voice taking on a wary tone. “What about her?”

“Well, you see… Kara told me last night that the Daily Planet has taken an interest in the Cadmus story. And they’re sending someone out here to investigate.”

Lucy sighed and sat heavily in a chair, dropping her head into her hands. “And it’s Lois. Of course it is.”

“Yep.”

“Why didn’t Kara tell me herself?”

Alex snorted. “Because Kara is a chicken.”

“I heard that!” Kara’s outraged voice came from around the corner.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Then stop eavesdropping!”

Lucy snorted a brief laugh. “Big bad superhero, can’t even tell the puny human her sister is visiting. Chicken is right.” She met Alex’s gaze, both women smirking as they waited for Kara’s outraged squawk.

Sure enough, a defensive “Hey!” came only second later.

Both women chuckled and Alex leaned a hip on the conference table. “Does Lois even know you live out here?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You really think I would get away with not informing her of where I lived? You have met my sister, right?”

Alex huffed a laugh. “Yeah, ok, good point.”

Lucy groaned and dropped her head on to the conference table. “She’s going to want to go shopping, Alex. And get coffee. And talk. And pretend to bond.”

“You like all of those things,” Alex pointed out.

“Not with Lois I don’t,” Lucy muttered.

Alex smirked and patted Lucy on the shoulder, murmuring in a tone just this side of mocking, “There there.”

Lucy batted her hand away and rolled her head to the side so she could glare up at Alex. “Some sympathetic friend you are.”

Alex dropped the smirk and gave Lucy a sympathetic look. “Look, in all seriousness, if you need a place to hide out just let me know. I’m pretty sure Lois doesn’t know where my apartment is and if someone tells her, well we’ll just tell all the restaurants to stop serving her potstickers and pizza.”

Kara appeared at the door instantly, horrified look on her face. “You wouldn’t!”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “I will if you don’t make sure Lois doesn’t somehow ‘conveniently’ find out where my apartment is.”

“I won’t tell her!”

“Good. Then there won’t be a problem.”

Lucy sighed next to her. “Why couldn’t it be Clark? Or, at least, both of them?”

Kara answered, “Because Clark has to cover the reactions to the President’s press conference on the effects of the Alien Amnesty Act so far. He might come afterward. It depends on what Mr. White wants him to do next.”

Lucy sighed again but nodded. “Well, thanks for the heads up. Maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll forget I live here.” Alex raised an eyebrow skeptically and Lucy groaned, thunking her head against the table once more. “You’re right. I’m doomed.”

Alex patted her shoulder again. “Tell her you’re out of town and crash at my place for a bit if you need to.”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks, Alex.” Lucy stood. “I should get back to work. I’ll see you later, Alex. Kara.” Lucy gave Kara a grumpy look as she left.

Kara grimaced. “So that went… well.”

Alex rolled her eyes and started moving back toward her office. “Oh yes, so well. I can’t believe you were too afraid to tell her yourself.”

Kara pouted for a moment and Alex ignored her. “Ok, fine, I should’ve told her myself.”

Alex looked sidelong at her sister and smirked. “Superchicken,” she teased.

Kara laughed and shoved her lightly. “Yeah, yeah. It’s not like you were keen to tell her either!”

“Ah, but I am, as Lucy put it, but a ‘puny human!’”

Kara sobered abruptly. “You’re not puny. But you are human, Alex.”

Alex sighed, unlocking the door to her office and moving toward the case she had left earlier. “Kara…”

Kara followed her inside, closing the door behind them. “Alex, I get it. It’s your job. But why can’t I be there to protect you?”

Alex turned to face her sister, crossing her arms as she leaned against her desk. “You can’t always be there to protect me, Kara. And in this instance, I am asking, ordering, you to stay here. My agents and I can handle a warehouse raid. You need to stay here in case Cadmus tries something.”

“But I—”

Alex held up a hand. “Kara, I understand. And I appreciate that you want to protect me, truly I do. But you can’t put everything else aside to do so. You are needed here. I will be back tomorrow night and I will be careful, I promise. But this is how it has to be. Lucy is right. It’s concerning that Cadmus has been quiet this long. They attacked openly a week ago. We raided their warehouse two days later and nothing since? No. You need to be here with Lucy and J’onn because you, and this city, are their target right now.”

Kara pressed her lips together but finally nodded. “Ok. I don’t have to be happy about it.”

“I’m not asking you to be happy about it. I’m just asking you to do it.”

“Fine. Fine. I’ll stay here.”

“Promise?”

Kara nodded shortly. “Promise.”

Alex studied her for a moment then nodded. “Good. I have to get to L-Corp. Wouldn’t want our friendly NCPD getting suspicious would we?”

Kara frowned. “I thought Maggie was going to take care of that.”

Alex shrugged, grabbing the briefcase and waving Kara out the door first. Automatically locking the office behind her, Alex moved down the hall, Kara falling in step beside her. “She tried. She’s not a cop anymore and there’s only so much she could say without compromising my cover. It’s fine. They’ll eventually either hit the end of their warrant or get bored. Or this whole Cadmus thing will blow up even worse and it won’t matter what they know anymore.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “You’re so cheerful.”

Alex laughed and nudged Kara with her shoulder. “That’s me. Miss Cheerful.”

“I’ll see you tonight, Alex.”

Alex nodded; she would have been surprised if Kara wasn’t at the evening’s planning session. “I’ll see you later, Kara. Try not to get too frustrated with Snapper.” She smirked as Kara groaned. She waved briefly as she entered the elevator, Kara peeling off to head for the balcony. Briefly Alex stopped on the floor containing some storage rooms, popping into the one that was used to store props for the various cover companies allegedly located in the building. Grabbing a portfolio emblazoned with the logo of one of the labs, and verifying that the lab was listed as doing work in Alex’s wheelhouse, she headed back for the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Alex took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, pulling her “I’m just a scientist” guise back over herself. It definitely wouldn’t do to come striding out of this building like Agent Danvers rather than Dr. Danvers. Deliberately she positioned both briefcase and portfolio in such a way that the appropriate logos could be viewed with either a zoom lens or binoculars but would still appear to be casual. She set her expression into one of preoccupied thoughtfulness as she exited the elevator, waving at the “receptionist” as she left the building and headed for L-Corp.

Chapter Text

Alex had barely stepped through the doors of L-Corp when she spotted Maggie waiting, one eyebrow raised pointedly. Rolling her eyes, Alex scanned through security and directed her steps toward the waiting Security Director. “Impatient much?”

Maggie shrugged slightly and Alex could see the tension in her shoulders. “Maybe a little.”

Alex couldn’t really blame her; she knew she would be impatient in Maggie’s position. Frowning, Alex glanced around the lobby idly, noting the security guards that were watching but trying to pretend they weren’t. She didn’t really want to talk about this at L-Corp but the bar wasn’t exactly the best option either. And taking Maggie to her place was also out until the cops stopped sniffing around. She sighed and waved a hand toward Maggie’s office. “After you.”

She heard whispers and caught sidelong glances from the security guards as she followed Maggie through the security office and into Maggie’s private one. For a moment, Alex wished she had her sister’s super hearing so she could know what was being said. Mentally, she made a note to have Kara try and eavesdrop. She needed to know if any other employees suspected anything. And, if they did, if there were any hints of them being in Cadmus’ employ.

Once inside Maggie’s office with the door shut, Alex let herself drop into the visitor’s chair, setting the folder she still carried on the desk in front of her and the briefcase on the floor.

Maggie arched an eyebrow, gesturing at the portfolio as she took her own seat. “Something important, Danvers?”

Alex waved a hand dismissively. “No, not really. Just some reports on something I was having tested.”

“Something you couldn’t have tested here?” Maggie cocked her head just slightly, expression suspicious.

Alex smirked a little. “Peer review is critical in my field, Detective.”

“Touché, Dr. Danvers.”                                 

Alex smiled tightly then reached into her briefcase and pulled out the jammer, flipping it on. At Maggie’s questioning look, Alex shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t trust that Lena has this place secured but it never hurts to be safe.”

Maggie nodded. “Understandable, Agent Danvers.”

Alex rolled her eyes but smiled a little. “You are having far too much fun.”

Maggie chuckled a little. “Perhaps.”

Alex shook her head slightly and changed the subject. “So, now that you’ve ambushed me.”

“I didn’t hear you objecting,” Maggie shot back with a smirk. Alex smiled wryly in response and gestured for her to continue. “So, Danvers, got an update for me?”

Alex ordered her thoughts. “Most of the data recovered from the first raid was corrupted, as expected. But our tech guy was able to pull enough information from it to locate a second warehouse.”

“When do you plan to take it out?”

Alex quirked a slight smile at the question. She should have known Maggie would come to the right conclusion quickly. She couldn’t help a glance around the room even though she knew there was no one else and that the tech within the building and sitting on the desk would prevent most forms of eavesdropping. And the door was soundproof. Not that they were talking loud enough to be heard even if it wasn’t.

Maggie arched an eyebrow, clearly impatient.

Alex sighed. “Tomorrow night.”

“I want in.”

Alex arched an eyebrow back. “No.”

“Danvers.”

“Sawyer.” Alex hardened her expression. “No. This isn’t your jurisdiction or your mission.”

“Alex—”

Alex set aside the small thrill at being called by her given name for examination later and cut off the other woman. “Maggie. No. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t let you. And, I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

Maggie’s expression went blank but her eyes were hard. Alex sighed internally and waited for the impending berating she knew was coming. “I see.” Maggie’s voice was controlled, nearly emotionless. “I was hired to protect Lena and L-Corp’s assets.”

“As her chief of security, not a paramilitary force.”

“So is it that you still don’t trust me, Danvers, or just think I’m incompetent?”

Alex sighed audibly and stood to leave, suddenly exhausted. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with after the stress of the past few weeks. But she’d be damned if she apologized or changed her mind either. “It’s the way it is, Sawyer. I’ll let you know if we find anything relevant.” Grabbing her belongings, Alex made a beeline for the door without giving Maggie a chance to respond, already mentally berating herself for daring to think she’d found someone, a friend, who understood.

*     *     *

The rest of the week seemed interminable. For the first time in a long time, Maggie didn’t randomly pop into Alex’s lab either day and Alex was surprised to realize she missed the intrusion. Shaking her head slightly, she shoved the thoughts away as she left L-Corp Friday afternoon. But she couldn’t completely suppress the tiny flicker of disappointment when she finally exited the building that evening with no further sight of Maggie. Briefly, she considered swinging by the security office to see if Maggie was there.

Rolling her eyes at herself, Alex focused on the more pressing issue which was ensuring the cops wouldn’t suspect anything amiss when she went to the “external lab.” She really hoped their warrant ran out soon. This cat and mouse game was annoying, even if she was better at it than they were. She casually ignored the cops as they followed her to the DEO building. Catching herself before she could turn into the parking garage for employees, Alex parked in one of the few visitor spots out front and grabbed her briefcase and an L-Corp branded box which ostensibly held the technology she was having the “lab” look at.

She didn’t really relax until the elevator doors had opened on the floor containing her office and spared a moment of wry amusement for the fact that being in the middle of a top secret, black ops, paramilitary facility on the way to a briefing for a raid was what made her relax. A quick glance at her watch indicated she had just over fifteen minutes to get changed and make it to the briefing. Stashing her belongings in her office, Alex swiftly changed into her standard uniform and hurried to the briefing room, hopping on one leg briefly in front of the elevator to finish strapping on her holster.

She strode through the briefing room doors with exactly one minute to spare and dropped nonchalantly into the seat just to J’onn’s left at the head of the table. Lucy was sitting on his other side and they locked gazes briefly before J’onn stood to begin the briefing. Alex redirected her gaze to study the other agents silently as J’onn spoke. The plan was straightforward. All four teams would leave for the desert base as soon as the briefing was over and they had suited up. From there, two helos would fly for Yuma followed an hour later by a pair of cargo helos. The warehouse itself had two known points of entry and, barring discovery of more, both would be breached simultaneously. From there… who even knew?

But Alex had faith in her teams.

Alex watched the expressions of her teams closely. No one looked nervous and everyone was attentive. Good. Alex’s gaze flicked to the door briefly as Kara slipped inside, shooting Alex an apologetic look. Alex arched an eyebrow slightly but resumed her study of the room and listening to J’onn’s brief.

After a few minutes covering the broad strokes, J’onn sat down and Alex stood to detail the particulars of the mission. She made sure to make eye contact with each team leader as she covered the details of their entry, the routes to be used for sweeping the compound, the exit strategies, and the mission goals. And repeated for each backup plan. She ignored Kara’s still slightly disgruntled look. Her sister was still unhappy that she wasn’t accompanying Alex on the mission but Alex was confident she would stay behind as requested.

As soon as the briefing was over and the teams dismissed to grab their gear, Alex turned to J’onn and Lucy. “Everything is set to go on this end?”

J’onn nodded. “Yes. Comms have been tested and the helos are fueled and loaded.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully, mentally running through her pre-mission checklist to ensure nothing had been forgotten.

Kara interjected, having come up behind the trio as they spoke, “What about Alex’s cover? Won’t the cops get suspicious when she doesn’t leave? Or are they not outside?”

Alex glanced briefly at J’onn before turning to Kara. “Actually, that’s the easy part. Near the end of the day J’onn will leave here disguised as me and head to the bar near L-Corp on my bike. He’ll leave it there and return to the DEO in his normal guise. After the debrief, I’ll head to the bar in a group of other agents and then leave as myself. It also allows me to return here Monday morning since I’ll need to ‘retrieve’ the L-Corp technology left behind over the weekend.”

“Oh. What if Maggie’s there when J’onn gets there?”

Alex shrugged slightly. “She doesn’t leave L-Corp before five at the earliest on Fridays since security has its final end of week briefing and review at four. J’onn will go around four-thirty and he’ll check for Maggie’s bike before going in. If she’s there, backup plan is to head to my own apartment.”

“I guess you really have thought of everything.” Alex arched an eyebrow at the slightly snippy tone and Kara sighed. “I know; I know. You plan for every eventuality you can think of. I just don’t like not being there with you.”

“I’ll be on comms the whole time. And I’ve done this before. Many times.”

“I know just…” Kara trailed off then hugged Alex hard for a moment, causing her to grunt softly. “Be careful.”

Alex hugged her back tightly for a moment, murmuring into Kara’s ear, “I will. I promise.” She stepped back and looked over at J’onn. “Anything further, sir?”

“Nothing, Agent Danvers. Go get your gear and move out.”

“Yes, sir.” With a brisk nod to both J’onn and Lucy, Alex strode out of the room, heading for the armory.

*     *     *

Lucy paced for a few steps behind Winn’s console before making herself stop. Pacing was going to serve no one well and would only serve to make her agents, especially Winn, nervous. Even though Lucy herself was nervous. Which she would never admit to anyone, even Susan. And especially not to Winn or J’onn.

Technically, there wasn’t anything to be nervous about. Yet. J’onn had left a few minutes before disguised as Alex and had reported the cops were following him to the bar. Any minute now Alex should be reporting that she and her teams had arrived at the warehouse location. Prior to departure from the desert base Alex had reported that everyone’s gear checked out and there was no signs the cops had been noticed the departure of the DEO SUVs from the rear of the city office building. Take off had occurred on schedule and without a hitch.

So far everything was going exactly as planned. Which was only serving to ramp up Lucy’s nervousness. This would be the perfect opportunity for Cadmus to strike National City again. She was fairly confident they didn’t know about the raid. At least not yet. But once the attack started… all bets were off.

A quick glance at Kara showed the superhero watching the monitors closely and absently chewing on her lip. Well, that’s comforting. At least she hasn’t gone flying after Alex. Lucy sighed inaudibly and turned her attention back to the screens, forcing herself not to start pacing again. The screen showing the helicopter track indicated that they were no longer moving, hovering over the facility. Once Alex and her teams had rappelled out, the helos would retreat a short distance, ready for extraction.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the comm system crackled. “Base, Trap Leader. Proceeding as briefed.”

Lucy responded, voice calm and betraying none of her inner turmoil. “Copy, Trap Leader.” Another glance at Kara showed her watching the monitors even more intently if possible. Lucy just hoped she didn’t accidentally heat vision a monitor given how intense her stare was. “J’onn’s going to be upset if you break more monitors.”

Kara huffed a little but her glare softened a little. “It only happened once.”

“Uh-huh…” Lucy smirked a little at Kara. The superhero rolled her eyes but smiled slightly in return before they both turned their attention to the monitors. “Anything yet, Winn?”

“Nope. I’m not detecting anything out of the ordinary in or around National City. Not even near any of the known stops.”

After Cadmus had stolen the power sources, the DEO had surreptitiously placed cameras and sensors as close to the locations the crates had stopped at as possible. Unfortunately, they hadn’t yet yielded any reward but J’onn and Lucy were still hopeful.

“Supergirl, can you make sweeps of the city regularly to make sure there’s nothing we’re missing?”

“Got it.” Kara nodded and almost immediately vanished in the direction of the balcony.

Lucy let out a relieved breath, glad she’d distracted Kara at least somewhat. The regular job would help keep the superhero from breathing down Lucy’s neck during the op. Lucy redirected her attention, watching silently as the small dots indicating the signals from the DEO troops swept around the target facility. Alex’s, as mission commander, was a different color and Lucy watched, externally impassive, as the dot led a squad on a sweep to the left as the other dots moved right.

Several minutes passed. Lucy barely registered J’onn reappearing at her side, arms crossed and watching the monitors almost as intently. They watched in silence as the dots indicating the various team members moved slowly through the compound. Kara returned after a moment, hovering—Lucy flicked a glance down to make sure that wasn’t literal—at Lucy’s other shoulder.

“What’s happening?”

Lucy shrugged a shoulder and waved at the monitor. “So far they’re proceeding as we planned. Radio silence except when necessary as per procedure so we haven’t heard anything.”

“Wolf Leader, Trap Leader.” The communication system crackled with Alex’s voice as the dots began to reach the opposite end of the compound.

“Wolf Leader.”

“Status.”

“All clear. No hostiles.”

“Trap Leader. Viking, Trap.”

“Viking.”

“Move up to point Bravo.”

“Copy.”

Lucy held her breath momentarily before forcing herself to breathe slowly. Viking moving to point Bravo meant phase two of the raid was underway. She hated this. Tactically she understood why she had stayed behind but she hated only being able to listen. She always had. She knew Alex was their best agent but the woman was also her best friend and so knowing that didn’t really help minimize the worry.

The radio fell silent again and Lucy and J’onn watched in continued silence as the signals for Alex and her team slowly moved toward the main portion of the facility.

“Trap Leader, Wolf Leader. Wolf in position. On your mark.”

“Copy. On my mark.”

Lucy winced slightly as she felt a sudden grip on her arm. She had half noticed Kara disappearing again for another check but not her return. Quietly, she murmured, “Uh, Kara?”

“Yeah?” Kara didn’t look away from the monitors.

“I’m kind of going to need circulation in my arm.”

“Oh!” Kara looked down, clearly startled. “I’m so sorry!” She immediately released Lucy’s arm.

Lucy smiled wryly. “Not a problem. Just remember I’m not indestructible, yeah?”

Kara half-smiled back before looking back at the screens.

Lucy redirected her attention as well, watching as the dots indicating Wolf and half of Spook were waiting by the rear door to the warehouse. Alex, Trap, and the other half of Spook were slowly moving around to the other side of the building where the front entrance was located. The plan called for simultaneous breach. Finally, after what felt like three times as long as it had been, the comms crackled again.

“Wolf, Trap.”

“Wolf. Ready.”

“Mark.”

Muffled explosions came across the radio followed by near simultaneous heavy thuds and then the sound of quickened breathing as the dots on the monitors suddenly moved faster than before, pouring into the building from both sides. The sound of gunfire followed almost immediately. Lucy shifted her gaze from the monitor showing Alex’s mission to the ones showing the surveillance of the city. Everything was still quiet.

Lucy didn’t like it.

She looked over at J’onn and found him studying the same monitors with a concerned frown. He spoke before she could. “Supergirl. Go scan the city again.”

Kara nodded wordlessly and left in a gust of air that was just shy of bad enough to throw everyone’s work on the floor.

Once she’d left Lucy exchanged a look with J’onn that clearly said “This is too easy.” He nodded grimly and turned back to the monitors. Lucy did the same, refocusing on the still continuing spurts of gunfire and Alex’s barked orders over the comm system. She thought she heard a grunt at some point, as if someone had been kicked or hit but she couldn’t tell who it was.

She hated this. Sure, she could theoretically hear everything that was happening but gunfire, the occasional yell, and orders from Alex consisting of short phrases like “Spook go left!” or “Trap three and four on me!” didn’t really tell her much about how the fight was actually going. J’onn looked impassive again. Lucy could tell Winn was trying to focus on monitoring the feedback from his various sensors and cameras rather than the fight itself. She could also tell it wasn’t entirely working. He looked anxious though, surprisingly, not quite as anxious as she would have expected. She supposed he’d gotten somewhat used to this. Plus, she knew he had unwavering faith in Alex’s abilities.

Kara seemed to flip between supremely confident and extremely worried. The regular patrols definitely seemed to be helping the superhero keep calm though. Lucy wished they were helping her keep calm as well. The longer this went on with nothing from Cadmus the more tense she became.

“Base, Trap Leader.”

Lucy couldn’t entirely contain the slight jump as Alex’s voice, calm if tired sounding, came over the comm. “Base.”

“All clear here, Base. One casualty. No fatalities.”

“Base copies. Find anything interesting, Trap Leader?”

Lucy could practically hear the shrug through the radio. “Unknown. Lot of boxes. We’ll begin uploading the computer systems to Agent Schott momentarily.”

“Base.” Lucy moved over to stand at Winn’s shoulder, J’onn on the other side of him. “You ready to receive the transmission, Schott?”

His fingers flew across the keys, shoulders noticeably less tense now that the fighting appeared to be over. “Ready.”

Lucy tapped the comm. “Trap Leader, Base.”

“Trap Leader.”

“Ready for transmission.”

“Trap Leader.”

Lucy watched the monitors as they waited for Alex’s transmission. Everything was still quiet. She glanced at the clock. The cargo helicopters would arrive in about ten minutes to begin loading everything that looked important and bring it back to the DEO.

“Transmission incoming.” Winn’s voice broke into her thoughts and Lucy blinked as she refocused.

“Anything useful?”

He shot her a slightly incredulous look. “Um, no idea yet. I might be able to give you an idea once more of it comes in.” He waved at a different monitor, which had been showing one of the sets of city cameras and was now flashing various pieces of information across it at a rapid rate. “It does look, at first glance, like the file structure is complete. But until I have all, or at least more of, the information, I can’t tell you how much of that is actually useful.”

Lucy nodded but sighed quietly. She knew that she was just antsy. If Cadmus’ intention in not attacking while several DEO teams were outside the city was to drive her crazy, it was working. Intellectually, she knew that it was genuinely possible they had caught Cadmus off guard but Lucy wouldn’t take that bet. The people in charge of Cadmus were far too smart. Particularly given they knew one of those people was Lillian Luthor. Sure, maybe they hadn’t expected this specific attack but Lucy doubted they were unprepared to take advantage. Which meant failing to do so was deliberate.

And Lucy feared what that meant.

Shaking off those thoughts for the moment, Lucy watched the status bar for the information download progress while half-listening to the comm chatter that was Alex directing the newly arrived agents on what to take and in what order to load on the cargo helicopters.

“Trap Leader, Base.”

“Trap Leader.”

“Anything interesting?”

Alex hummed thoughtfully into the comm and Lucy exchanged a mildly amused look with J’onn. “A few things, yes. Won’t know for sure until I go through it all properly.”

“Copy. Be careful.”

“Of course.” Lucy smirked slightly at the hint of exasperation in Alex’s voice.

It took another hour before Alex spoke directly to the DEO again. Kara continued making regular sweeps of the city while Lucy and J’onn watched the monitors carefully for any other signs of problems. Winn was flipping through screens on his tablet at dizzying speed while conversing quietly with the other IT agents as Lucy hovered over his shoulder when Alex’s voice rang out clearly, rather than the mostly silence brought on by her muting the comm system so she could direct the loading.

“Base, Trap Leader.”

“Base.” J’onn answered this time and Lucy looked up from Winn’s tablet.

“Everything’s loaded here. Airborne in five.”

“Base copies. Fly safe, Trap Leader.”

“Trap Leader.”

Once they received confirmation that all the helicopters were in the air, J’onn waved Lucy toward the nearest conference room, ordering Winn to let them know the moment anything happened. Lucy closed the door behind herself and dropped into the nearest chair, giving J’onn a troubled look. “I don’t like it.”

He shook his head, sitting in a nearby chair with more grace than Lucy had bothered with. “I don’t either. It’s too neat.”

She nodded and tapped the table thoughtfully for a moment. “You think Winn will actually be able to get anything useful off that data? Or has she already scrubbed everything outside her primary bases?” Lucy had a feeling she knew the answer but she was curious what J’onn thought.

J’onn grimaced slightly. “I won’t be surprised if she’s scrubbed things. But Schott is smart. I imagine we can piece together more than she thinks.”

Lucy smiled a little. “Plus, we have Alex.”

J’onn let out a light laugh and Lucy was briefly proud she’d managed to get him to lighten up even for a moment. “True. Wouldn’t be the first to underestimate Agent Danvers.”

He gave her a knowing look and Lucy blushed slightly, looking away for a moment. She knew none of them, least of all Alex, held a grudge for her actions prior to switching from the Army to the DEO but still, she didn’t particularly like to dwell on it. Dismissing that train of thought, Lucy cocked her head slightly as she thought. “They’re probably trying to do what we attempted.”

“A false sense of security?” Lucy nodded. J’onn pondered the topic for a moment before speaking again. “Perhaps. Though, they have to realize it would not be as effective. The opposite, however, that might make more sense.”

“Make us so hypervigilant we begin to make mistakes?”

“Precisely.”

Lucy nodded again. That was definitely the most likely purpose. Part of her wondered if it might actually work. The DEO was used to being on high alert in a general sense, but this sort of waiting and watching for a specific threat, one that quite possibly had as many or more resources as the DEO itself? That was a bit of a different matter, particularly given the personal nature of the conflict on several levels. “So what do we do?”

J’onn settled himself back into his seat. “We’ll talk it through more when Alex returns but the best option is likely to keep going as we are. Stay alert, make sure no one starts cutting corners or overworking, and continue to try and get as much information from the databases we’ve acquired and the technology being brought back as possible.”

“Not having Alex around regularly is going to make things more difficult.”

J’onn frowned and nodded. Lucy knew he wasn’t thrilled with the surveillance on Alex either. It locked their best agent down far too tightly, making it difficult for her to fully integrate what she was doing with the DEO. “How much longer do you think the police will want to follow Alex, Director Lane?”

Lucy considered the question. “It likely depends on if they’ve actually acquired anything that confirms their suspicions about Alex. Which seems unlikely. But even then, it depends on if they can convince their superior officer that continuing to follow Alex is worthwhile. The wiretap will run out on its own and they can’t get anything from that anyway.” She sighed and shrugged. “Hard to say. I don’t think it can be for too much longer before they’re forced to drop it but, again, that assumes they haven’t seen something, or thought they saw something, that gives them more substance. It’s highly unlikely given they’re following Alex but… anything is possible.”

J’onn studied her for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. “You don’t trust Sawyer.”

Lucy arched an eyebrow questioningly.

His lips quirked just a touch. “You like her but you don’t trust her. You think she might give information to the NCPD.”

Lucy’s lips tightened briefly. “Alex trusts her so I do, too. But… yes, it’s possible.”

“And you think Alex hasn’t considered that?”

“I didn’t say that.” Her voice was sharp. “I trust Alex and her judgment completely. If she trusts Sawyer, then so do I. But she doesn’t trust her completely either. Nor should she.”

“Agreed.” He was silent a moment. “I should visit L-Corp and meet her myself.”

“Excuse me?” That had been the last thing she expected to hear come out of his mouth.

“We need to know if she can be trusted.”

“Kara likes her.” Even as she said it Lucy wasn’t really sure why she said it. Kara liked nearly everyone after all. And likeable didn’t mean trustworthy. She also wasn’t entirely sure why she was defending Sawyer. J’onn had just pointed out, rightfully, that Lucy didn’t trust her. Scratch that, Lucy knew why she was defending her despite the lack of trust and it had everything to do with her best friend and said best friend’s obliviousness. She shook her head slightly. That wasn’t the point right now. “But you’re right. Alex said she agreed not to tell. And she signed the NDA but still.” Lucy shrugged eloquently.

“Precisely.”

*     *     *

Alex stalked into the DEO, handing her helmet to her second in command and waving her troops toward the armory and locker rooms. She continued to the command center, ignoring the pain in her side though she could tell the bandage would need to be changed soon. She had barely hit the top step when she was already speaking. “Anything?”

Lucy looked over and shook her head. As soon as Alex had come to a stop next to her, Lucy waved at the monitors. “Not a thing. Supergirl is out doing a circuit of the city again. She’s done a sweep every ten minutes, almost on the dot, since you left but… nothing.” Lucy huffed.

Alex scowled slightly up at the monitors, automatically resting her right hand on the butt of her rifle where it still hung in its sling. “I don’t like it.”

“Join the club.” Lucy’s gaze continued to flick over the monitors. “Mission sounded like it went well?”

Alex nodded, glancing to her left as J’onn stepped up beside her. “It did. Won’t know how much data we really recovered until Winn and the team have a chance to look at the hard drives but we recovered what looked to be some interesting tech. I—”

“Will start studying it on Monday.” J’onn broke in.

“Monday?” Alex whirled to face J’onn head on. “It can’t wait until Monday!”

“And it won’t,” he answered calmly. “This is why you have a team, Alex.”

“Yes, but—”

“No, Agent Danvers. Your weekend team can begin examining the retrieved technology over the weekend and they will notify you of anything that requires your attention before Monday.”

“Cadmus—”

“Isn’t attacking at the moment. And you will be notified if they do as per usual procedure.” J’onn paused then lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. Alex was vaguely aware Lucy had moved away and was talking to Winn. “You’re allowed to take breaks, Alex. Everything that was retrieved from the facility needs to be sorted and inspected for potential problems anyway. You know that will take nearly all day tomorrow at best.”

Alex sighed. “Fine. I will be here first thing Monday.”

He smiled slightly. “I would expect nothing less.”

She looked over at Lucy who was gesturing at something on Winn’s screen. Raising her voice slightly, she asked, “Debrief in five, Lane?” There was no way Lucy would agree to that.

Lucy looked over and arched an eyebrow, flicking a glance down Alex’s form. “In twenty. Go change.”

Alex rolled her eyes but nodded, heading away from command and lazily flipping Lucy off as she did so.

“Right back at you, Danvers.” She grinned a little to herself at the amusement in Lucy’s voice.

Once out of sight of the command center, Alex winced slightly and let the smile drop. Gingerly, she pressed lightly against her side. Yep, definitely needed to change that before the debrief. She kept her expression impassive as she headed for the armory. The rest of her team had already been and gone by the time she arrived and Alex deftly unclipped the rifle from its sling, handing it to the waiting armorer. Her tactical knife and vest followed, leaving her in her normal pullover and thigh holsters.

With a brief “Thanks” to the armorer, she spun on her heel and strode out, ignoring the pull on her side. She refused to show weakness in front of her agents. It wasn’t until she reached her private DEO quarters that she allowed herself to grimace, carefully pulling up her pullover so she could see her side in the mirror of the small attached bathroom. “Well, that’s going to sting for a bit.”

Fully removing the pullover, she dropped it on the floor for the moment and grabbed her first aid kit, kept under the bathroom sink. She had a similar one in her actual apartment but, somewhat depressingly, this one had seen far more use given how little time Alex spent in her own apartment sometimes. Hissing slightly, she removed the bloody bandage and tossed it in the trash.

She hadn’t had much time in the field to do more than check that it wasn’t serious and slap gauze on the injury. Now, in the bright light of the bathroom, she confirmed the seriousness (not very) and took the time to thoroughly flush it out with saline. Checking the time and noting she still had ten minutes, she turned back to her kit. Retrieving a local anesthetic, she carefully injected a local anesthetic before meticulously adding a few stitches. They weren’t really necessary but Alex would rather be safe than sorry.

If Hamilton found out she would likely be pissed that Alex had tended to her wound herself. Alex smiled faintly to herself as she cleaned up and put the first aid kit away. She swore the medical staff had a bad tendency to forget she had an MD herself despite the fact that she was officially part of the medical staff and Kara’s lead physician. Retrieving a clean pullover from the few she kept in her base quarters, Alex tugged it on and headed for the debrief room.

*     *     *

Alex had barely stepped through the door to the briefing room before she was accosted by Kara. A small part of her was glad the local anesthetic hadn’t yet worn off given the tight hug from her sister. Nevertheless, she could feel a twinge in her side and dimly hoped Kara hadn’t managed to pop the stitches she had just put in. Before Kara could notice, Alex hugged back briefly before gently disengaging. “Told you I’d be fine, Kara.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kara muttered, barely audibly. She backed off and resumed her seat as Alex moved to the front of the briefing room, letting her gaze sweep the assembled personnel. Only the squad leaders were present in addition to J’onn, Lucy, Winn, and Kara. All the rest of the team members that had been on the raid were going through medical before leaving. Minus one who had been shot in the leg and would be staying at least overnight in the medical bay. Everyone else was a little battered but nothing that required immediate medical attention beyond what had already been administered. The entire team had debriefed over the radios on the way back and now Alex and her squad leaders would debrief with leadership so the rest of the agents could leave.

Alex glanced briefly at J’onn, Lucy, and the other squad leaders to ensure everyone was ready before beginning the briefing. She pulled up the layout of the facility on the large screen behind her and began talking, emphasizing points with the laser pointer contained in the slide remote as she moved smoothly through the details of the operation.

“The mission was a success, though we won’t know the full extent of that success until the teams have finished going through the data and items recovered. As planned, Trap, Wolf, Spook, and Viking were dropped off  just post 1630 inside the compound. Trap, Wolf, and Spook split to scan the compound while Viking provided backup.

Nothing significant was noted in any of the exterior buildings, just like the previous mission. We breached the main building at 1706. As expected, the facility was still manned by a small staff of Cadmus guards. Fernandez was injured in the ensuing firefight. He’ll be fine but out of commission for a couple weeks pending Doctor Hamilton’s evaluation.

All Cadmus forces were eliminated. None surrendered. Based on the at-site assessment, the cargo obtained contains at least some weapons and related pieces. Agent Schott will discuss the data.”

She lightly tossed the remote at Winn, who bobbled it for a moment but managed to avoid dropping it. With a faint smile, Alex took her seat at the head of the table and to one side so she could see the screen. Winn shot her an annoyed look, which he immediately schooled at her arched eyebrow, before rising to speak himself.

“Right.” He clicked to another slide, this one showing a couple screenshots of the file structure that had been uploaded from the raid site. “We haven’t finished going through the data yet. However, at first look, it does appear the file structure was intact. We’re still suspicious since they had plenty of time to alter or delete data before Agent Danvers and her team entered the main building. Agent Danvers was nice enough to bring back the computer hard drives themselves so we’ll go through those also and see if we can recover anything that may have been wiped. If we do, we’ll compare that with the data that was uploaded. I’ll have a better idea of the reliability of the data once we’ve completed the full analysis.”

Winn sat back down. He seemed to consider throwing the remote at Alex but then thought better of it and handed it over to Lucy instead. Alex smirked. Lucy rolled her eyes at both of them as she took the remote. Alex gave Lucy an innocent smile, garnering another eye roll but also a faint smile.

“Thank you, Agent Danvers, Agent Schott. Agent Filoni, your report?” J’onn spoke from the opposite end of the table from Alex and Lucy, causing all present to swivel slightly to face him.

Alex settled back into her chair and turned her undivided attention on her agent, ignoring the pain starting to creep back into her side. The rest of the debrief would be filled with each squad leader going through a rundown of what their squad had noticed and done, relaying the information the squad members had already detailed during the initial debrief and including any concerns or things of note about the agents under their command.

*     *     *

After the other squad leaders had left, Alex turned her gaze on Winn and Kara until they both shifted awkwardly and followed them. Not that Kara couldn’t listen in if she absolutely wanted to but still. As soon as both were out of sight, Lucy snickered, leaning comfortably back into her chair. “You know, you’re the only person I know that can do that except for J’onn. And even then it only works marginally on Kara.”

Alex grinned a little, looking over at J’onn as he moved to join them at their end of the table. “I’ve had a few more years of practice using it on Kara than J’onn has, to be fair.”

J’onn chuckled briefly as he took his new seat and settled comfortably. “And those same number of years to pass on your particular brand of resistance to authority.”

Alex shrugged slightly. It was true after all. She didn’t trust or give respect easily and though she, and Kara, would follow J’onn’s orders mostly without question, that level of respect didn’t completely negate the independent streak in both her and her sister. Trust and respect? Yes. Ability to be cowed with just a look? Not so much.

Dismissing those thoughts from her mind, she flicked a glance between J’onn and Lucy. “So, what do we know?”

J’onn grimaced slightly. “Not much I’m afraid. There were no attacks during the same time as yours. Here or anywhere else that we know of. And Winn’s cameras at the Cadmus drop points didn’t pick up any activity either. Cadmus is clearly biding its time.”

Alex nodded. “False sense of security or an attempt to get us so on edge we make a mistake.”

It wasn’t a question but Lucy answered anyway, “We suspect the latter. Unlikely they really think we’d be lulled into a sense of security just because they didn’t attack tonight.”

“Agreed.” Alex tapped the table for a moment. “I’m not sure there’s a way to avoid a heightened sense of concern. Everyone knows about Cadmus and that we’re after them. The longer it goes without an attack from them, the edginess is going to rise no matter what we say.”

J’onn studied her for a moment. “You propose we counter that with actual heightened alert.”

Alex shrugged again and tilted her head back to study the ceiling briefly. “To some extent, yes. Keeping it from them will just make it worse. If we take steps to actively show everyone that they are prepared, that will mitigate some of the antsiness. Though not all.”

Lucy nodded slowly. “We’ll have to make sure that doesn’t translate to people pulling extended shifts like some people.”

Alex just smiled and ignored the barb. “We will. That should be easy enough given DEO security. Winn can easily set up a program to flag anyone that’s been on base too long with certain exceptions.”

“Exceptions like yourself?” Lucy asked dryly.

Alex arched an eyebrow. “I was referring to J’onn. After all, I work at L-Corp right now.”

“Oh yes, of course, how could I ever think you’d want to be an exception to that particular rule?”

Alex laughed briefly before sobering. “In all seriousness, senior staff should probably be the exception, workaholics or not.”

“Alex is right,” J’onn stated. “Though we still need to take steps to ensure senior staff doesn’t exhaust themselves, it’s better not to limit their access to the base.”

“What about the cops? So long as they’re tailing Alex this becomes more annoying. And difficult.” Lucy interjected.

Alex sighed. “Unless you have a better idea, being a lawyer and all, I don’t think there’s much we can do there except continue as we are. The switch went off smoothly earlier, sir?”

J’onn nodded in response.

Lucy sighed also. “I can’t think of another solution, no. Eventually their superior will order them to stop surveillance unless they’ve acquired more reason to be suspicious than we’re aware of?”

Alex thought for a moment then shook her head. “Not that I can think of. I’ve kept eyes on them and they’ve only seen me go from L-Corp to home and to Kara’s or running some errands. The few times I’ve come here have been under guise of working with one of the cover companies that are officially listed as collaborating with L-Corp. Unless there’s a gap in the cover stories we don’t know about, I can’t see how they could know.”

“What about Sawyer?”

Alex controlled the frown before it could appear, asking calmly, “What about her?”

Lucy gave her a curious look but didn’t comment. “Do you think she can really be trusted to keep her word? And would she have some more information on how to handle the NCPD?”

Alex pondered the question for a moment, absently rubbing her fingers together. “Yes, I think she can. I’m not proposing we read her in but in the context of what she knows so far, yes. As for the NCPD? I don’t know. She’s not one of them anymore and though she implied her word still carries some weight with the lead detective on the case, he doesn’t appear to be inclined to take her at her word and having her ask again might be suspicious.”

They were all silent for a moment, digesting the information, before J’onn spoke again. “Continue treating Sawyer as you have been. I trust your judgment on what to tell her. She could be a valuable resource if she can be trusted.”

Alex nodded, ignoring the speculative look from Lucy. “Yes, sir.”

“Do you think the technology and information recovered from the Cadmus facility will be beneficial?”

Alex pursed her lips. “I didn’t have a chance to look at all of it closely but… yes, I think so. It may not directly tie into what we’ve been dealing with but I think it will give us some idea of what else they have been doing or are planning, at a minimum. As for the data… you’ll have to ask Winn. We grabbed what we could in the upload plus the hard drives themselves but I have no idea if the men left behind were savvy enough to wipe or modify any of the data remaining in the computers.”

“It seems like our best option is, as you said earlier, J’onn, to continue as we are with the added protections Alex suggested.” Lucy stated.

Both J’onn and Alex nodded in agreement. “I will have Agent Schott implement the security measures immediately.”

As J’onn started to rise, Alex added, “What about checks on our current agents?” At the curious looks from her companions, she elaborated, “Winn and I already found one mole in Agent McGill. I know we ran checks on everyone after that and it’s unlikely there’s anything overt but, in light of recent events, I think it would behoove us to run those checks again. See if anyone has started exhibiting any strange patterns or behaviors or accessed things they shouldn’t.”

“Good idea, Alex,” J’onn responded. “Director Lane, would you—”

“Have Vas implement close security checks of all current agents and employees and coordinate with Schott to look for suspicious activity? Yes, immediately.”

J’onn smiled slightly. “Thank you, Lucy. Is there anything else?” His gaze encompassed both women.

Alex thought for a moment then shook her head. Lucy did the same. J’onn rose, followed by Alex and Lucy.

“I’ll tell Agent Schott to begin implementing the proposed plans immediately. I will see you both on Monday.” A stern glance stopped their protests before they began and he strode out of the room.

Alex exchanged a wry look with Lucy. “At least I’m not the only one kicked out until Monday.”

Lucy frowned. “He can’t do that.”

Alex snickered and patted her friend on the shoulder. “He just did. And since he outranks us both… I think it’s going to stick. Sorry, Luce. Go be with Vasquez.”

Lucy sighed dramatically as she followed Alex out of the briefing room. “You mean go prepare for Hurricane Lois.”

“She’s not that bad.” At Lucy’s deeply skeptical look, Alex corrected herself. “Ok, she is that bad. But invitation’s open to crash at my place if you need to. Or, hell, go stay at Vas’ for a while. I doubt she’ll mind.”

Lucy rocked her head back and forth briefly, gaze distant. “Either could work. I’ll think about it and let you know. But, for now, I have post-mission duties to wrap up and you, I believe, need to go trick the police into thinking you were at the bar this whole time.”

Alex sighed, though less overtly dramatically than Lucy. “You just had to remind me.”

Lucy smirked. “I did. Have fun.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “I know where you live, Lane. And your sister likes me.”

Lucy’s eyes widened slightly. “You are my very best friend, Alex. Is there any way I can help throw the cops off?”

Alex laughed and patted Lucy lightly on the arm. “Not tonight but I’ll let you know. See you later.” With a half-wave, Alex peeled off to head back to her office to change. She would be meeting a small group of agents downstairs and they would head to the bar together, Alex in the middle, helping sneak her inside where she could then exit as if she’d been there the whole time.

 *     *     *

Alex exhaled tiredly as the SUV she was riding in pulled up to the bar, forcing her mind into the right headspace for the temporary deception. She was riding with agents from Spook, a squad that normally grabbed a beer together after missions and had no problems switching their normal location for a night to help out Alex.

The team leader, Scott, glanced over at her. “You ok, boss?”

Alex forced a quick smile. “Yep. Let’s do this.”

Alex tugged the hood of her borrowed jacket up and the group piled out of the SUV, the rest of the squad doing the same from another car that had parked nearby. Alex smoothly inserted herself in the center of the group, all of the agents laughing and goofing off as they headed for the door of the bar. About half of them also had the hoods of their jackets up and Alex was grateful for the chill in the air which helped it look less suspicious. She didn’t dare look at the police car once outside though she had marked its location as they pulled up.

“They paying attention to us?” she asked Scott through a laugh, deftly maintaining the façade.

“Nope. They looked over then back at the door.”

“Perfect.”

The team poured through the door of the bar and immediately sobered up. Alex tugged off the jacket she was wearing and traded with one of the other agents who had been wearing hers. She was just saying her goodbyes to her agents when she heard her last name called by someone definitely not in the group and tensed, eyes closing briefly. She really didn’t want to deal with this now.

The agents with her tensed as well and turned almost as one to face the source of the word. Alex sighed and did the same, gently nudging Scott. “It’s fine. Stand down.”

He looked down at her, clearly still keeping the newcomer in sight. “Are you sure, ma’am?”

Alex nodded. “Positive. Get your beers and relax. I’ll see you next week.” He inclined his head and wordlessly moved his team toward the bar. Alex knew he’d be keeping an eye on her though. She twisted her mouth slightly as she met the gaze of an annoyed Maggie Sawyer. “Sawyer.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow expectantly and Alex sighed again. She refrained from looking longingly toward the door and strode toward Maggie instead. She had hoped to delay this confrontation until the following week if not forever. Right now her primary goal was to get home and sleep. Unfortunately, that goal appeared to be on hold.

Alex came to a stop next to where Maggie was leaning against a pool table. She raised her eyebrows and inquired coolly, “Something you need, Sawyer?”

“Having a good night with your friends, Danvers?” Maggie’s expression was mostly impassive but her eyes glinted with challenge.

So that’s how she wants to play this? Ok, then. Alex smiled blandly in response, propping her hip against the pool table. “It is Friday night after all.”

“It is. So color me surprised to see Alex Danvers’ bike but no Alex Danvers.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sure your own friends were delighted to know this information.”

Maggie scoffed. “Is that really what you think of me, Danvers?”

Alex didn’t respond immediately, studying Maggie’s expression. The woman was genuinely offended. Interesting. And a good sign. Finally she cocked her head slightly, deliberately softening her expression and stance just a little. “No. It’s not.”

Maggie watched her through narrowed eyes before gesturing with her chin to the group at the bar. “Who’re your friends?”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “Just some friends from work. Unwinding after a long day.”

“I see. Good day?”

Alex sighed. “Look, Sawyer, can we drop the game? It’s late and I’d like to sleep some time soon.”

Maggie cocked her head, expression shifting minutely from annoyance to concern. “Everything ok?” The hard edge had bled from her voice.

“Everything’s fine.” Alex flicked a hand slightly in dismissal. The wound in her side hardly counted as a problem given Alex had gone the extra step of ensuring it was stitched in addition to bandaged up.

“Define ‘fine.’”

Alex sighed. “Can the interrogation wait until Monday?”

“You said you were going to keep me in the loop. Since you wouldn’t let me come along… no, no it can’t.”

“It’s not like I’m going to sit at home plotting how to change the details to keep you in the dark, you know.” Alex saw the flicker of guilt that indicated the barb had struck home. Abruptly, she was even more exhausted than before. She really had thought they’d reached a place where they trusted each other. Were even friendly. Either she’d been very wrong about that or refusing to let Maggie join the raid had damaged whatever relationship they had been forming even worse than she’d thought it would. Which would just figure.

It was the story of her life, really, from the day she’d joined the DEO. Longer, if she was being honest with herself. But it had gotten worse once she was no longer able to really talk about her life with friends or family. There was a reason her friends were ones Kara had acquired that now knew about the DEO and the occasional work-friend. Alex was self-aware enough to realize her prickly nature prevented her from making many friends even at the best of times nowadays. But she’d really thought Maggie might be different.

“Fine.” She waved toward a table in the back corner, ignoring the curious looks from her agents and the concerned one from Maggie—Sawyer. No point in getting too friendly, right? She dropped heavily into the chair facing the exit and winced slightly as the motion jarred her injury.

“Danvers?” Sawyer was frowning now as she slipped into one of the other seats.

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t look fine.”

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s not the same as fine.”

Alex groaned quietly. “I got cut a bit. It’s nothing.”

“You got cut.”

“It’s a minor knife wound, ok? I’m fine.”

“You got stabbed?”

“Lightly. Didn’t even require stitches. Just grazed along the ribcage.” It wasn’t, technically, a lie after all.

Sawyer looked outraged. “Don’t you idiot feds wear body armor?”

“Of course. Which is why it was minor.” Alex took in the look on Sawyer’s face and resigned herself to elaborating. “It caught the edge of the armor and skipped to the side and managed to slice through part of the webbing on the side of my ribs as I moved. It’s fine.”

Sawyer continued to frown at her for a long moment before muttering, just loud enough for Alex to hear (which Alex was positive was deliberate), “Some federal agent… idiot.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “So what did you want to know?”

“Were you successful?”

Alex shrugged slightly. “Depending on your definition. The mission was completed. We won’t know just how successful it was in the overall scheme until we go through things.”

Maggie inclined her head slightly toward the bar. “Those guys?”

Alex smiled tightly. “I told you. Coworkers.”

“Find anything useful?”

“Maybe.”

Sawyer huffed. “Are you going to give me a real answer to any of my questions?”

“There’s really not much to tell right now. We still need to go through everything to get an accurate assessment of how successful the op was.” Alex dropped her head back for a moment, pushing away the wave of tiredness for now. She straightened and met Sawyer’s gaze once again. “Look, I get that you’re mad at me for not letting you tag along and you don’t trust me or whatever. But I promised I would keep you in the loop and I keep my promises. As soon as I have something actually concrete to tell you, I will. In the meantime, I’m very tired and being in hostile company isn’t really my idea of a good time.”

Alex stood to leave and paused as Sawyer asked, “You think I’m hostile company?”

Alex frowned slightly, looking down at the other woman. Sawyer’s expression was blank, the kind of blank that was clearly deliberate, but there was something in her voice that gave Alex pause. It almost sounded as if she was hurt by Alex’s assessment. “Aren’t you?”

Sawyer was silent long enough that Alex rolled her eyes again and moved to leave. She hadn’t taken more than a step when Sawyer’s voice made her stop again. “Not intentionally.”

Alex turned and gave Sawyer a curious look. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I’m not going to deny that your refusal stung. And I’m certainly not going to claim I trust you one hundred percent yet. But I wasn’t trying to be actively hostile.”

Alex shoved down the twinge of hurt at hearing it confirmed that Sawyer still didn’t trust her. “Just passively?”

Sawyer sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Look, Danvers—Alex—this is just all a little bit more crazy than I thought I was signing up for, ok? I’m not saying I don’t trust you; I just wasn’t exactly expecting federal agent scientists and terrorist groups when I took this job.”

Alex chewed on her lip for a moment then nodded. “Fair enough. I won’t promise to take you on any ops. I will keep you updated and as involved as possible given the nature of the situation, ok?”

Maggie nodded, smiling tentatively. “Ok.” She stood fluidly and waved toward the previously abandoned pool table. “Round of pool? Loser buys drinks?”

Alex chuckled. “You mean you buy drinks. Unless you have somehow vastly improved since the other day. But… rain check? I really am exhausted.”

Maggie nodded again. “Sure. Oh, one more question, Danvers.” Alex raised an eyebrow questioningly. “How did your bike get here without you? In such a fashion that the detectives thought you were actually here?”

Alex laughed softly. “Saw them, did you? That, Detective Sawyer, is for me to know and you to find out.” She flashed a grin and, without thinking, winked before pivoting and heading for the exit. Outside, she paused and looked up at the sky, mentally berating herself for the wink. Get over it, Danvers. It’s too late to take it back now. Lucy would be proud. Huffing out a brief laugh at her own thoughts, Alex made her way to her bike to head home, ignoring the cops still watching.

Chapter Text

Alex was jolted awake by a pounding on her door. Instinctively, she rolled out of bed, grabbing her gun as she did so. The last vestiges of a dream tried to cling to her mind, but the surge of adrenaline was already washing it away as training kicked in and she looked for a threat. Finding nothing, she blinked and straightened in confusion, gun still gripped in both hands and trained on the main room of her apartment.

The pounding came again and she frowned. Slowly making her way to the door, sweeping the room carefully for danger, Alex peeked out the peephole then sighed. Lucy. Grumbling, she threw the lock and pulled the door open.

“Lucy, what the hell?”

Lucy practically barreled through the door and Alex sighed, flicking a glance at the clock. Eight a.m. Figured. It had been nearly eleven by the time Alex got home the night before and well after midnight before she could relax and quiet her mind enough to finally sleep. Combined with the stress of recent events in general, she’d slept somewhat fitfully until around five. She had been looking forward to sleeping in this morning.

Pointedly, she set her gun on the island and moved for the coffee maker. “What are you doing here, Lucy? It’s eight fucking a.m.”

Lucy arched an eyebrow at the gun. “Pretty sure if I was a bad guy I wouldn’t have knocked, Danvers.”

Alex rolled her eyes, turning the coffee maker on. “Answer the question.”

“I need your help.”

The desperation in Lucy’s voice made Alex straighten and pin her friend with an intent stare. Whatever part of her that had still wanted to go back to bed upon realizing it was just Lucy at the door was gone. Alex was on full alert. Her voice was intense as she asked, “What’s wrong? What happened? Is it Kara? The DEO?”

Lucy blinked then backpedaled. “Oh shit. Not, like, in the ‘there’s an immediate emergency’ sense. Sorry.”

Alex closed her eyes for a long moment and let out a slow breath, restraining the impulse to shake her friend. When she opened her eyes and spoke again, her voice was level, “Ok. So what do you need my help with?”

“Lois!”

Alex blinked, staring in surprise. Finally, she groaned and dropped her head into her hands, elbows propped on the island. “It’s too early for this.”

“Alex!”

Alex sighed again, turning gratefully as the coffee maker beeped at her indicating it was done. She poured herself a cup, adding sugar and very deliberately not offering any to Lucy. Instead, she glared balefully at her friend as she waited for the coffee to reach a drinkable temperature. “What about Lois?”

“She’s coming to town! Today!”

“I am aware. Haven’t we had this conversation? Go crash at Vas’ place if you don’t want Lois to be able to track you down. I offered you my couch as well. Or, hell, at your quarters at the DEO.”

“Yeah, but—” Alex sighed and only half-listened as Lucy startled rambling about Lois, pacing on the other side of the island. Alex sipped her coffee slowly and let her mind wander, trying to recall what she’d been dreaming about when she was so rudely awakened. She knew it had been happy. Possibly even peaceful. And she had a nagging feeling that someone familiar was involved. Unfortunately, the rush of adrenaline had wiped most of the details from her memory already and she couldn’t quite place who the other person had been. A woman. She knew that for sure. But all the details were so hazy she couldn’t even figure out what the damn topic of the dream had been.

“Alex!”

The sound of her name yanked her back to the present. “Lucy!” She took another drink of coffee, willing the caffeine to act faster. She was so taking a nap later if she could manage to wrangle Lucy.

“Help me!”

“Help you with what? She’s your sister. I have my own to manage.”

“Did you listen to a word I said?”

“Honestly? Not really.” Lucy glared at her and Alex sighed. “Lucy. It’s early. I slept like crap. I thought we had already hashed this out. What’s the problem?”

Lucy studied her for a moment before asking, “How did things go at the bar last night?”

Alex blinked, thrown off by the abrupt subject change. “What?”

“The bar. Everything go ok? I saw the cops still hanging around outside when I got here.”

“Uh, yeah. It went fine. No problems. Cops were already there and followed me back. Didn’t seem to suspect anything.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes and watched Alex quietly for a moment. Alex arched an eyebrow in silent question and drank her coffee. Eventually Lucy spoke again. “There’s more.”

“More to what?”

“Last night. Something else happened.”

“Nothing else happened. I went to the bar with Spook. We went inside. I switched back to my own jacket. And then I came home and tried to sleep.”

“Uh-huh… nothing happened inside the bar? No one thought it was odd you entered and left? Looked suspicious?”

Alex sighed, draining the coffee and briefly debating with herself before giving in and pouring a second cup. “You’ve talked to Scott.” It was definitely not a question.

Lucy shrugged. “He called in last night. Said someone recognized you but that you didn’t seem concerned. He just wanted to be careful in case something happened but he said she didn’t follow you.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “It was just Maggie.”

Lucy looked thoughtful. “Maggie, huh?”

“She’s often there on Friday nights,” Alex pointed out. “It wasn’t exactly unusual.”

“What’d she say?”

Alex shrugged. “She was mad I wouldn’t let her go on the mission but she’s over it.”

Lucy let out a surprised laugh. “She wanted to come along? When did that happen?”

“Thursday.” Alex shook her head slightly with a grimace. “I told her the basics when I got back to L-Corp after the meeting. Keeping her in the loop as we’d agreed on. She asked to come along. I told her no. She wasn’t thrilled. We saw each other at the bar last night. Each insinuated the other was hiding things. Had a small fight. Got over it. Good times.”

Lucy was smirking now. Just a little. “Wasn’t thrilled, huh?”

Alex eyed her. “Right… why are you looking at me like that?”

Lucy ignored her question. “Had a fight? What about?”

Alex answered slowly, studying Lucy closely. “Trust.”

“But you’ve made up now?”

“Yes…” Alex had a sneaking suspicion she knew what Lucy was implying. And it was silly. Wasn’t it?

Lucy simply smiled. “Good.”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “Uh-huh. That’s it?”

“Of course. Why would there be more? You’ve made up. You’re still working together. It’s good.”

“Sure. No more ‘she totally likes you, Alex’? ‘Tell her about your daring escapades, Danvers’?”

Lucy hummed and nodded. “The latter probably would’ve helped, it’s true. But you said it. Not me.”

Alex sighed and hid her face behind her coffee mug. “She just wants to work together and was upset when she thought I was refusing to do that.”

“Of course.”

“Lucy…” Alex dragged the name out warningly.

Lucy gave her an innocent smile. “What? It’s perfectly reasonable as you say. I’m sure there’s nothing more to it. I know I definitely seek out people I have professional annoyances with at bars to make up.”

Alex scowled and ignored the tug on her mind that said Lucy might be right. That maybe there was more to it than just professional annoyance. And she definitely ignored the part of her mind that wondered if Maggie had been the woman in her dream. “It wasn’t like that. She was already there.”

“And just… happened… to notice you come in. In the middle of a crowd of people.”

“I pay attention to who enters rooms I’m in also,” Alex pointed out.

“Do you then deliberately engage in conversation with someone you think is in the wrong?”

“I—”

“In a casual setting versus the professional one that the wrong is related to?”

Alex scowled again. Deliberately, she changed the topic. “So, about Lois.”

Lucy groaned and slumped onto a bar stool, dropping her head into her hands. “She’s going to be the death of me.”

Alex wasn’t entirely sure if she’d been genuinely diverted or was just letting Alex get away with it but she’d take it for now. Either way, she suspected Lucy would be returning to the topic of Maggie Sawyer in the relatively near future no matter what Alex did. “How long is she supposed to be in town?”

“Open ended pending, and I quote, ‘the details of the resolution of this Cadmus situation’ end quote.”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “That… could be a while. The Planet really would keep her here the whole time?”

Lucy gave her a baleful look. “She’s their best senior investigative journalist. I don’t even remember how many awards she’s won. I think Perry will let her do what she wants at this point.”

Alex tilted her head slightly in concession of the point. “Sic her on Kara. Kara would be ecstatic at the chance to work with Lois professionally rather than just as family.”

Lucy hummed thoughtfully. “That’s an option. She’s still going to want to bug me. And know what I do since there’s not exactly an Army base here and I’m not at CatCo either.”

Alex merely arched an eyebrow. “Don’t give me that. I know you have your cover story memorized just as well as the rest of us.”

“What if she wants to see where I work?”

“Then you tell her it’s classified and that you can’t just bring your sister to work at the FBI because it’s a classified facility. Seriously, Lucy, what’s the problem?”

Lucy sighed. “Seriously, Alex, it’s Lois. Even if I keep her out of the DEO you know she’s going to somehow end up at one of our crime scenes or L-Corp or something. And then she’ll see or hear something that makes her suspicious and you know how well that’s going to go.”

Alex winced. “Good point.”

“Plus! She has already texted me about meeting for dinner! I told you, the bonding!”

Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “I was with you regarding the legitimate concerns about security but, Lucy, she’s your sister. You can’t avoid her forever.”

“Why not?”

“Because, as you have pointed out yourself, she’s very persistent,” Alex responded dryly. “But, you’re still welcome to crash here if you don’t want to be at your place and being at Vas’ doesn’t work out.”

Lucy stared into space thoughtfully for a moment. “I might take you up on that. I’ll let you know.”

*     *     *

Monday morning found Alex at the DEO bright and early, interrogating the techs that had been going through the data and recovered items over the weekend. Alex had spent the rest of Saturday and much of Sunday coordinating with Winn and Vasquez to ensure all the cover stories were checked and solid just in case Lois got it in her head to start digging into Lucy’s coworkers. When J’onn had complained Alex had smugly pointed out that she was still at home and he never said she couldn’t work at all. Plus, this was important to the security of the DEO. He had sighed but agreed on the condition that Alex not set foot on DEO property until Monday morning.

Now it was Monday and Alex had strode through the doors of the DEO at eight a.m. on the dot. Normally, she’d have been there even earlier, anxious to see what the results were and get to work. But with the cops still tailing her, she knew that would look suspicious. Instead, she’d taken the time to go for a long run, trying to clear her mind. Not that it had worked. As the investigation dragged on, she was getting frustrated. They had so many pieces to the puzzle but none that helped her make solid progress.

“What did you find?”

“Not much, Agent Danvers.”

Alex arched an eyebrow at the tech, tamping down on her irritation. “Define ‘not much.’”

“Well, the computer system seems to have only contained the records for the items at the warehouse. And none of the technology goes together. At least, it doesn’t appear to.”

Alex pursed her lips. “What kinds of technology are we talking about?”

“A mix of things really, ma’am. Some biological items that haven’t been fully categorized yet. Some more of those sensors like we found at the first warehouse. A mixture of various items that we haven’t really had the time to make heads or tails of, mostly appearing to be modified alien tech. And this.” The tech waved her hand at the pile of technology sitting on one of the lab tables. “It looks like one of the guns we recovered in one of the attacks but it’s not giving off any of the same signatures. In fact, it’s not giving off anything detectable at all.”

“Nothing?”

“It’s like it doesn’t even exist according to the scanners.”

Alex frowned at it thoughtfully. “Put it in containment for now. Get Agent Broadnax to assemble a team to study it.”

The tech nodded. “Right away. We haven’t finished cataloging everything. Some of it we’re just having difficulty categorizing and some we haven’t gotten to yet.”

Alex arched an eyebrow, glaring. “You’ve had forty-eight hours, how have you not finished cataloging everything yet?”

“Um, well—”

The tech was saved by the deep voice of J’onn. “Agent Danvers.”

Alex whirled, still glaring. “J’onn.”

“A word?”

She sighed quietly and nodded sharply. Turning back to the techs, she ordered, “I want a detailed list cataloging everything recovered from the warehouse sent to me immediately. Package samples of all biological items and send them to my lab at L-Corp.” Once she’d received a confirmation from the techs, Alex turned on her heel and followed J’onn to his office.

Once inside, she arched a questioning eyebrow. “I told you I’d be here first thing.”

He smiled slightly as he settled into one of the comfortable chairs next to the table in his office, waving her toward the other. “Yes, I know.”

Alex quirked a small smile but settled into the chair. Her own office was set up similarly, large enough to accommodate a large desk as well as several bookshelves and the table and chairs. One of the perks of her position, it was handy for private meetings like this one. She couldn’t count the number of hours she’d spent in a similar position with J’onn in his office either here or at the desert base.

“This is your way of trying to get me to relax,” she commented dryly.

“Is it working?” he responded, smiling warmly.

Alex sighed, relaxing into the chair slightly. “It’s been months, J’onn. Almost two just since this whole ‘exploding weapons’ thing came into play. And we are no closer to finding Cadmus and taking them down.” She left the “or my father” unspoken but could see in J’onn’s eyes that he understood the implication anyway.

“You know that’s not true, Alex.”

She sighed. “Perhaps. But if that preliminary report is accurate, then the data recovered from the warehouse computer systems didn’t contain the personnel information we’d hoped for. Nor does it appear to have helped point to another location to continue tightening the noose. Hell, we don’t even have a noose right now.”

He nodded. “What about the technology we recovered? Surely something there must give a clue as to Cadmus’ plans.”

“You mean besides wanting to kill my sister?” she asked sarcastically. At his steady look she sighed and shrugged. “Based on what the techs said, it’s hard to say. Superficially, apparently none of it appears to go together. But I’ll look through the catalog myself as well as the biological material that was recovered. It’s possible we’ll be able to tell more as we start truly digging into the recovered items.”

He nodded again, gaze thoughtful. “I’ll have Agent Schott continue digging through the files we retrieved. Perhaps he can recover something else. What were the results of the cover tests?”

“Everything looks good. No holes that we could find. I’ve already sent out a reminder to everyone to ensure they are following protocol regarding maintaining everyone’s cover. No mention of Lois, though. We certainly don’t need to pique anyone’s interest in what she’s doing or forgetting that, unlike her fiancé and her sister, she isn’t read into the DEO. And, in light of the current situation, it was probably a warranted reminder anyway even without reporters.”

J’onn chuckled but inclined his head in acknowledgement of the point. Though the more experienced agents were well versed in maintaining the cover stories no matter who they talked to, the younger agents and rookies were more likely to forget the specific details of who outside the DEO was read in and who wasn’t. Not that it was a very long list but even so. “I’ll make sure that only experienced agents are assigned to any missions where Lois might be present.”

Alex nodded. “Good idea.” She thought for a moment. “We might consider accelerating the annual security refreshers. Not only is it a good idea given Cadmus, we can have the agents running the sessions keep an eye out for anyone that appears to be not taking it seriously or otherwise acting suspiciously.”

The agents that ran the security protocols, including the regular training as well as maintenance and development of the various cover stories used, were among the most experienced and best agents in the DEO. All of them had years of undercover missions under their belts and their loyalty had been proven several times over. Not that Alex, J’onn, and Lucy weren’t keeping an eye on everyone but these particular agents were definitely far down the list of concerns.

J’onn considered the suggestion for a moment then nodded. “I’ll talk to Pam and see what can be done.”

Alex exchanged a wry look with him. Pam was great but the sheer amount of red tape that even the DEO had to go through for things like training schedules was a nightmare.

“Anything else?”

“One of the seized items appears to be an alien weapon similar to those used in the other attacks.”

“The ones that exploded?”

“Yes. Only this one isn’t emitting the same signatures as those. It’s not emitting anything apparently.”

J’onn frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Agreed. I had the techs put it in containment and Broadnax will be assembling a team to study it. Maybe Winn can find something in the records to indicate what’s going on with it.”

“Mm. Hopefully it’s just lacking a power supply rather than something nefarious.”

“Perhaps. It seems to be completely inert. As if it’s not even there.”

“A dampener of some kind? Suppressing all ability to scan it?”

Alex nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. If it’s there, Broadnax will find it.”

“Anything else?”

Alex grimaced. “Don’t know yet. Apparently they haven’t even finished the cataloging. I told you I should have supervised.”

J’onn sighed. “Burning yourself out isn’t going to do us any good, Alex.”

“Neither is taking too long to figure out what’s going on. We’re already several steps behind Cadmus,” she argued.

“Alex.”  She huffed a little but subsided. When he saw she wasn’t going to speak, he continued, “I understand your frustration but we also can’t afford to make mistakes.”

“I’m not talking about mistakes, I’m talking about efficiency.”

He held up a hand to stop her. “I understand that. But personally supervising every detail will not be efficient. You need to continue your mission. I promise I will make sure that the techs move as quickly as possible without making mistakes.”

Alex sighed and glanced down for a long moment. Finally, she spoke again, voice calm, “Yes, sir.”

He stood, resting one hand on her shoulder briefly. “We’ll get them, Alex.”

She looked up, expression carefully neutral but gaze determined. “Yes. We will.” She stood as well. “I should get to L-Corp before the cops get too antsy out there.”

He studied her for a moment. “Ok. Let me know what you find.”

She nodded and slipped out of the office.

*     *     *

Alex scowled at the report on the tablet in front of her. The techs had finally—hours later—sent over the catalog of items retrieved from the warehouse and none of it appeared helpful. As they’d initially said, the pieces didn’t seem to fit together. More sensors. Several as yet unidentified pieces of technology. A handful of as yet unidentified biological material. The gun which was still resisting all attempts to scan it. And several crates of traditional technological materials such as wires, screws, etc. More puzzle pieces for the ever expanding puzzle that was Cadmus and its plans.

Angrily, she swiped to a second report. Not that this one made her any happier. Winn’s report from the computer files recovered indicated that, despite the initial assessment that the file structure appeared intact, it had apparently been a dummy structure which had overwritten the initial structure. So far Winn had managed to retrieve some basic personnel records for the troops stationed at the warehouse and a partial inventory of items. Unfortunately, several of the items on the inventory had already been moved on before the DEO had raided the warehouse, leaving them with several still unidentified items. There also was, as of yet, no indication of where the items had been transported to.

Winn was cautiously optimistic that he could recover more data but had included a warning that he might not be able to recover the entire original file system and there was no telling what sort of data he would or wouldn’t be able to recover. It might be useful and help the DEO further their mission to take down Cadmus. But it equally might be worthless information that helped move them no further forward.

With a growl, Alex flipped to the latest test results on the sensors. So far they were resisting all attempts to disable them. The alien material they were formed of appeared to render them invulnerable to normal EMPs. Kara had only known the basics about the material, learned far too long ago on Krypton in the Kryptonian version of a basic science class. The few things she could recall were nothing Alex hadn’t been able to determine for herself or J’onn had known. And none of it explained how to counteract its apparent ability to resist EMP pulses.

Forcefully, she shoved the tablet away and dropped her head, arms braced against the lab table, hands curling tightly around the edge. She tightened her hands and was briefly glad that she didn’t have super strength. Otherwise she would likely be explaining some very strange indentations in her lab table to a very curious former detective.

Speaking of… Alex sighed softly to herself as she heard the door open but didn’t raise her head. She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Maggie right now. Especially not all the questions she was certain were going to come about what they had found or not found and next steps.

“Danvers?”

Alex was vaguely surprised that Maggie’s voice was gentle, even concerned. She grunted in response, part of her wishing Maggie would leave but surprised that a large part of her actually wanted the other woman to stay.

“Alex? You ok?”

Alex sighed heavily, studying the top of the lab table as she considered her answer. Well, she had thought maybe she and Maggie could be friends rather than simply non-antagonistic colleagues so… maybe being honest-ish wasn’t a bad idea. “Not really, no.”

Maggie was silent for a long moment and Alex toyed with the idea of looking at her but opted against it, not wanting to see what she was sure was either annoyance that Agent Danvers wasn’t ok when she needed to be or pity that Agent Danvers was having a hard time.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She was surprised when Maggie’s voice was still quiet when she spoke again, not a trace of annoyance or pity in it that Alex could detect.

This time Alex did lift her head, turning it to look at Maggie. Quietly, she studied the other woman’s expression, searching for anything beyond the simple concern Maggie was radiating. She was surprised to realize she could find nothing. Maggie genuinely seemed simply concerned about her and not as if she was concerned about the impact Alex’s mental state might have on the mission. Alex tried to remember the last time someone other than Kara had been purely concerned about her without any secondary concerns. Probably her parents at some point in the past. But lately there always seemed to be a layer of something else. Concern about how her actions would affect Kara. Or the DEO. Or the mission. Even Lucy and J’onn couldn’t entirely suppress the secondary concerns about how things might affect Supergirl, the current mission, or any number of others at the DEO sometimes.

The concern on Maggie’s face seemed to deepen the longer Alex went without answering and she finally replied, “Not really.” She paused, then added, “But I’ll let you know if that changes.” She gave Maggie a small smile and was rewarded with a smile in return.

“Ok. I can’t guarantee I can help with whatever the problem is but… I’m happy to listen if that’s what you need.”

Maggie’s expression was warm and Alex felt her own expression soften in response. She smiled a little more. “Thanks.”

Even though she’d just told Maggie that she didn’t want to talk about it, something about the way Maggie was looking at her made her want to talk for once. Maybe it was the complete lack of judgment. Or the way that Maggie genuinely seemed to not mind that Alex wasn’t opening up. Lucy’s preferred method was usually to prod her until she finally said something. Kara, of course, just had to give her that concerned look and Alex usually eventually caved. But this was different and Alex wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to examine why.

She sighed a little and shifted so she was leaning one hip against the lab table. Absently she tapped her fingers on the table top and dropped her gaze to watch her fingers. She glanced up and found Maggie still watching her silently, expression gently encouraging but not judging or expectant. Alex took a slow breath. “I—”

Her words were cut off by a loud rap at the lab door and both she and Maggie spun to face it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maggie reaching for what Alex guessed to be a shoulder holster. Alex’s own gun was out of reach in her bag but her body settled automatically into a defensive stance. Then the identity of the visitor registered and she sighed, dropping her shoulders and head, chin hitting her sternum briefly before she straightened again. Alex glanced to the side to find Maggie giving her a puzzled look, one hand still resting on her gun but it remained in the holster.

“Friend of yours?” Maggie asked wryly.

Alex quirked a half smile and flicked a glance to the woman that was visibly becoming impatient, giving her a glare though it lacked a lot of the heat Alex knew she was capable of. “You mentioned being a fan of Lois Lane, right?”

Maggie blinked and dropped her hand. “You’re joking.”

Alex sighed. “Nope. She’s in town on assignment from the Daily Planet to investigate the Cadmus stuff.”

Maggie frowned, flicking a glance to Lois and back to Alex. “I’ll follow your lead.”

Alex cocked her head and smiled gratefully. “Thanks.” She only just kept herself from reaching out to squeeze Maggie’s arm as she stepped past to let Lois into the lab. What the hell was that, Danvers? Since when are you touchy-feely? Shaking off the thoughts, Alex glanced around the lab briefly to confirm nothing classified was out before keying open the door. She smiled wryly as Lois smacked her on the arm. “Nice to see you, too, Lois.”

“It’s what you get for making me wait.” Lois held the glare for a moment then smiled. “Good to see you, Alex.”

Alex smiled in response and waved Lois in. If Kara or Clark had been around, they would have hugged but neither were particularly effusive people and without the El cousins to insist on it, they didn’t tend toward many overt displays of affect despite being friendly. Alex turned to see Maggie had moved closer and was watching Lois with a curious mix of wariness and awe.

Lois shot Alex a questioning look.

Alex half smiled. “Lois, this is Maggie Sawyer, L-Corp’s Director of Security. Maggie, meet Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet and regular pain in the ass.”

Lois shot Alex a playful glare before holding out a hand to Maggie. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sawyer. Lena speaks highly of you.”

Maggie’s eyebrows shot up as she shook Lois’ hand. Despite that sign of surprise, Alex didn’t detect a trace of it in her voice as she responded coolly, “A pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Lane. Your recent piece on the uneven policing practices as applied to humans versus aliens was very impressive. I was particularly impressed that you dared to point out how those practices should never have occurred and needed to be modified in light of the alien amnesty act.”

Alex smiled faintly at the surprised look on Lois’ face. “Maggie used to be a detective,” she supplied quietly. “NCPD science division.”

Maggie grinned a little and added, “I worked with aliens.”

Lois gave her a speculative look and nodded. “I’m glad you liked the article. You sound like someone I would have loved to interview for it. It was difficult finding cops willing to even concede that the practices were imbalanced much less that they needed to change.” She arched an eyebrow at Alex. “Why couldn’t you befriend her sooner?”

Alex rolled her eyes and didn’t deign to respond.

Maggie laughed softly at the exchange. “Well, I’ll leave you both to it. See you later, Danvers. Ms. Lane.” Maggie shot Alex a small, but warm, smile and ducked out of the lab.

Alex watched her go, smiling faintly, and was brought back to the present by Lois clearing her throat. At the knowing look, she rolled her eyes again. “Don’t start. Your sister is bad enough.”

Lois laughed. “Whatever you say, Alex.” She grinned and changed the subject. “So, when did you start working for Lena Luthor? Last I knew, Clark said you were still working at the FBI lab with Lucy.”

Alex shrugged slightly. She responded with perfect casualness, easily reciting her cover story. “A few months ago. It seemed like a good career move. Lena offered me my own lab and all the toys I could want. How could I refuse?”

Lois chuckled. “God, sometimes I forget how much of a science nerd you are.”

Alex merely arched an eyebrow. “I am a scientist. Speaking of Lena… what brings you to L-Corp, Lois?” Alex propped herself against the nearest lab table, watching her sister’s almost sister-in-law closely.

Lois shrugged. “She’s been involved in at least some of the attacks from this Cadmus group. Of course I wanted to talk to her.”

Alex nodded slowly. “True.”

Lois gave her a sly smile. “Don’t suppose you want to be interviewed about the technology Cadmus is using?”

It was clear Lois was expecting a no but Alex paused, considering. Finally, she spoke slowly, “Let me think about it. I’d hate to say something that puts Lena at further risk.”

Lois gave her a look of clear surprise. “Yes, of course.” She paused then continued, “Honestly, I thought you’d say no. Lucy already did.”

Alex laughed briefly. “And if I was still working at the FBI, I probably would have but… it could be ok. Like I said, I’ll have to think about it. And talk to Lena of course. I’ll let you know.” She was already running the pros and cons in her head. It would depend on the publication date. And what J’onn and Lucy thought. Depending on what was said, it could help lure Cadmus out or lull them into a false superiority complex. She’d have to be extra careful about her cover story though.

Lois nodded. “Sure. Thanks, Alex.”

Alex waved off the thanks and changed the subject again. “So, you saw Lucy yesterday?”

Lois laughed. “I did and you already knew that.”

Alex inclined her head briefly in acknowledgement but didn’t speak.

After a moment, Lois smiled at her wryly. “For a scientist, it’s eerie how good at that look you are.”

Alex merely shrugged, the tiniest of smirks tugging at her lips.

Lois sighed and waved her hands a little. “It’s… better. We’re working on it. Father’s pissed at both of us now so that’s always a good topic.”

Alex nodded, finally interjecting. “He really is.”

Lois gave her a flat look. “You’re so helpful,” she deadpanned. Alex merely smirked. Lois rolled her eyes. “Anyway, the reason I stopped by was to see if you wanted to join Lucy, Kara, and I for dinner.”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really. Just that?”

Lois maintained the façade for several seconds before smirking. “Ok, yes, that and to ask about the interview.”

Alex chuckled. “I think I can manage that. Just have Kara text me the time and place.”

Lois nodded and made as if to leave before pausing. “Did you want to invite Ms. Sawyer?”

Alex blinked at her. “Why would I want to invite Sawyer?”

Lois shrugged. “You seemed cozy. I assumed you were friends.”

Alex narrowed her eyes at the inflection on the word “friends” but opted against calling her out on it. For now. “We’re… friendly acquaintances.”

Lois huffed a laugh. “Of course you are. And people say I’m antisocial.”

Alex shrugged in response. “Perhaps. But, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do if you really do want me to make it to dinner.”

“Sure, Alex. See you tonight.” Lois waved and exited the lab, vanishing into the elevator a minute later.

Alex let out a slow breath and dropped her head for a moment. While she liked Lois, interacting with her was always vaguely exhausting. Especially in a situation like this one where she needed to be extra careful about her cover stories since Lois was actually looking for a story rather than simply being around as Clark’s fiancée. Shaking her head, Alex moved back around the table and tugged the tablet over. At least the visit from Maggie, even if Alex hadn’t ended up talking about what was bothering her in the end, had helped relax her a little.

Chapter Text

Maggie’s face was directed toward the security cameras but her gaze was unfocused. Mentally, she ran through recent events, looking for things she’d missed. She believed that Alex was a good guy, or at least on the same side of this Cadmus situation as Maggie herself, but something was nagging at her. Maggie knew feds. She’d unfortunately worked with them several times in her roles as police officer and detective. Alex was very, very good at portraying a normal fed. Her friends however…

It wasn’t so much the ones that had been playing rugby that day. It was clear Alex had made sure, other than Lane and Vasquez, to actually get fellow nerds to participate in the alleged “lab people and friends of her journalist sister’s” rugby game. People who, of Alex’s selections, were clearly more lab rat than special agent even if in decent shape.

No, it was the people Alex had come into the bar with the other night that had Maggie’s spidey-senses tingling. Those people were clearly more in Alex and Lane’s mold. Field agents and very capable ones based on the limited looks Maggie had achieved. For the most part they’d acted like any other group celebrating the end of the work week. Maybe a little more buff than your average office worker and definitely not lab workers (though, Maggie supposed she might need to reassess her standards for government lab rats if Alex herself was anything to go by).

It was in the way they moved, however. Especially as a unit. Maggie had never seen a group of feds, not even ones that worked together frequently, move around each other like that. They were clearly highly trained to someone who knew what to look for. And Maggie had definitely counted no less than three sidearms—and she suspected that was just because the others were even better hidden than the few she’d managed to suss out. Her instincts told her that, for all they appeared completely normal on the surface and to the vast majority of viewers, there was more to the story. She suspected even most detectives and other law enforcement officers would have a difficult time pegging them as anything they didn’t want to be seen as. Maggie was certain she only realized it because she already knew they were feds as Alex’s coworkers. Which, unfortunately, didn’t tell her who they were instead if not actually FBI.

Maggie studied Alex over the security cameras. She had no idea what she was looking for, really. It’s not like Alex was about to break out something that gave away who she really worked for if the FBI thing was a cover. Maggie found herself studying the other woman for more reasons than just wondering if she was telling the truth about her work. They hadn’t spoken since the previous day and Maggie had truthfully been—and still was—concerned. And not just because she was starting to wonder if Alex was still lying to her about her work. Admittedly, she hadn’t known Alex long but she could tell that admitting there was a problem was uncommon, at best, for Alex. There’d been more, too. Maggie hadn’t been able to fully decipher the expression on Alex’s face—the woman was damn good at hiding her feeling and thoughts—but Maggie was almost certain that Alex had actually expected her to be upset that Alex wasn’t perfectly fine. That along with the “light” stabbing from the op the other night…? Yeah, Maggie was concerned. She just didn’t know quite what to do about it.

She couldn’t deny there was a small part of her that, as intrigued as she had been to meet Lois Lane, was still annoyed at the interruption. She was positive Alex had been about to tell her something and, even if it had just been something small, Maggie really wanted to encourage her to open up. She couldn’t even claim it was just for professional reasons anymore. Maggie had been aware of how gorgeous the other woman was from the start and now that they were something like friends? Well, she couldn’t deny she wanted to see how far that would go. Not that she knew if Danvers was even into women but, well, she could dream right?

Maggie did take small comfort in the fact that Alex had appeared—as best she could tell via security monitor at least—more relaxed after Lois had left. Unfortunately, Maggie had no idea if that was because of her or the visit from Alex’s friend. She knew who she wanted to be the cause, though. Maggie rolled her eyes at herself. This sort of speculation really wasn’t going to get her anywhere but frustrated and maybe a little jealous. Maybe.

She glanced at the clock and back at the monitor showing Alex’s lab, wondering if this was a good time to visit without interrupting anything too crucial. She arched an eyebrow as she saw Alex’s head shoot up, looking toward the door. The woman appeared surprised but not concerned and Maggie watched curiously as she put some things away before moving to the door. Maggie wondered if Kara had dropped by, or maybe Lois again.

Her eyebrow arched even further as she watched a black man follow Alex into the lab. This was definitely no one she’d seen before. She frowned slightly as she watched him move. He didn’t really strike her as the scientist type though Alex appeared perfectly comfortable with him in her lab and he seemed familiar with the space. Humming thoughtfully to herself, Maggie rose. She wondered just what Alex would tell her about this person if she were to “happen by” the lab while he was still there.

*     *     *

Maggie exited the elevator and took a moment to study the two people in the lab before they noticed her presence. They’d both turned their backs to the security cameras but the pose looked completely natural, though Maggie was positive it was very deliberate, at least on Alex’s part. The scientist was currently explaining something to the man, periodically waving her hand at something on the screen on her tablet as she did so. Maggie frowned. To her knowledge, very few people were cleared to know about any of the L-Corp scientists’ work and even fewer to know about Alex’s given who and what she was.

Lightly, she knocked on the door before opening it. Normally she would have just walked in but she wasn’t sure how Alex or this man would react to being surprised in this situation. Both of their heads whipped around at the sound and Maggie gave what she hoped was a warm smile. “Hey, sorry, I didn’t realize you had company.” She tried to keep from wincing. It was a terrible excuse given one could see into the lab from the elevator.

Alex didn’t call her on it but did raise an eyebrow in an expression that appeared equal parts amused and mildly annoyed at the interruption. She casually lowered the tablet to the tabletop but Maggie noticed the screen was blanked already. “What can I do for you, Director Sawyer?”

Maggie considered her next words for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to casually bring up the visitor’s identity. It’s not like she and Alex really had the relationship where she could just ask. At least not yet. Maggie tried not to get her hopes up that one day they might reach that point.

A silently arched eyebrow from Alex brought her out of her thoughts. “Uh, right. I just wanted to see how things were going.” She paused, not sure how much she could say. “Since you weren’t… feeling well… when we talked Friday night.” There wasn’t really an easy way to say “when you were stabbed” when you weren’t sure how much the third party in the room already knew.

Alex’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Her eyes darted briefly to the man who raised an eyebrow at her. The smile turned into a slight grimace as Alex turned back to Maggie. “Maggie, this is my colleague, Hank Henshaw. Hank, Maggie Sawyer, Lena’s chief of security.” She gave Maggie a meaningful look that Maggie took to mean this man was her colleague at the FBI rather than just a fellow scientist.

The man—Hank—held out a hand with a reserved smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Director Sawyer.”

Maggie shook his hand automatically, studying him even more closely now that she knew he must be FBI—or whatever—like Alex. He was dressed relatively casually in slacks and a button up shirt with no tie but Maggie got the feeling he wasn’t entirely comfortable, as if his normal day-to-day wear was something different. It reminded her of the slightly different vibe she’d started getting from Alex once Maggie knew she wasn’t just a scientist. “The pleasure is mine, sir. What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

Alex answered smoothly. “I was just showing him some of the progress I’ve made on my analysis. A second pair of eyes is always helpful when trying to decide the next step forward to further a potential discovery. In particular, we’ve been looking over the analysis of this potential new material.” Alex turned the tablet toward Maggie. She recognized the shape of one of the sensors Alex had been fiddling with but she had no idea what all of the numbers and formulas attached to the drawing meant. “Both the differences and similarities to known materials are fascinating. For instance, the density…” She was off, rattling off a variety of numbers. Maggie couldn’t help the small, fond smile at the way Alex’s eyes lit up as she talked about her science.

When Alex wound down after a couple minutes, Maggie nodded slowly, still smiling. “Sure, that makes sense.” Henshaw had been nodding along the entire time and she wondered if he specialized in the same sort of science as Alex did.

Alex blushed slightly, as if realizing Maggie hadn’t entirely followed her explanation. “Sorry, uh—”

Maggie cut her off. “No, don’t be. It’s really interesting. Just not my area of expertise.” Maggie shrugged, smiling warmly. “But from what I did follow, it sounds really helpful.”

Alex seemed unsure how to respond but any response was cut off as Henshaw spoke up. “Not to interrupt, but I should probably get on my way. I have some things running at the office that I should get back to. It was nice to meet you, Director Sawyer. Alex, let me know if you want me to look at anything else.”

Alex nodded. “Of course. Thanks, Hank.”

With a polite smile to Maggie and a warmer one directed at Alex, Henshaw left the lab.

Maggie watched him go then turned back to Alex. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys.”

Alex waved off the apology. “Don’t worry about it. We were wrapping up anyway.”

“Short visit.”

Alex arched an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “Spying on me again?”

Maggie felt a blush creeping up the back of her neck. “Um… well, it is my job to monitor this building and keep an eye on potential threats.”

Alex chuckled. “You think Hank’s a potential threat?”

Maggie arched an eyebrow back at her. “A colleague of yours? Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that could be very possible. Though hopefully a threat to the bad guys and not L-Corp.”

Alex inclined her head slightly. “Touché. Was there another reason you came up here or did you just want to ‘casually’ meet him?”

Maggie smiled wryly, chagrined. She should’ve realized Alex would see right through her excuse. “For the record, I did also want to make sure you’re okay after Friday.”

Alex smiled, almost bashful. “Uh, yeah. It’s fine. I told you it was minor.”

Maggie shrugged. “I don’t think I’d ever qualify that as ‘minor.’”

Alex rolled her eyes and turned back to her tablet. “I promise, it was.”

Maggie laughed and leaned against the lab table. “Fine. Fine. So, explain to me what’s up. Anything new?”

Alex nodded and began walking her through a list of things she said they’d found at the warehouse.

*     *     *

Alex frowned as her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and her frown deepened at the alert on the screen.

“What is it?”

Alex blinked, looking up. She’d almost forgotten Maggie was present. She’d gotten caught up in her work as she was explaining things to Maggie and started just working. Part of her had assumed Maggie had left after Alex trailed off mid-sentence a few minutes before. “There’s an alien attack nearby. Just a block over. I should—”

“You should stay here. I’ll go help.”

“I should stay here?” Alex felt a flash of outrage at the commanding note in Maggie’s voice. She hadn’t taken orders from anyone but J’onn in over two years. “This is my job.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow, shooting her a clearly amused look. “Yes, you should. You’ve been recently injured. And,” she continued as Alex started to object, “it would be suspicious if you went to help. Someone needs to stay near Lena in case it’s a diversion. But you’re right; someone needs to go check it out if it’s that nearby.”

Alex pursed her lips but nodded. It was a good point. Her instinct was to go do her job as the DEO has trained her and leave Maggie to defend Lena but Maggie had a point. “Fine. Be careful.” The admonishment was out before she could catch it and she felt a light blush spread. Ignoring the blush, and Maggie’s curious look, Alex moved quickly for the door. Now that they’d agreed on a course of action, she saw no reason to delay acting.

Ignoring Maggie’s amused look, Alex punched the down arrow before redirecting her gaze to the other woman. “Let me know when it’s clear.”

Maggie nodded. “Will do. She stepped into the elevator that had arrived to take her down to the ground floor. Before it closed, she held the door open and turned back to Alex with a slight smile. “And Alex. Be careful.” The smile warmed briefly as she allowed the doors to close.

Alex stared at the closed door for a moment, brow furrowed slightly before shaking herself out of her reverie. She stored the interaction in the back of her mind to be explored later, focusing on the actions that would be necessary to defend Lena should this turn out to be a diversion. She casually rooted around in her purse after reentering the lab, verifying that her pistol was in an easily accessible position.

Once assured of that, she stepped over to the lab phone and called up to Lena’s office.

“Yes?”

“Lena, it’s Alex.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Can you come down to my lab? Immediately?”

There was a brief pause. “I’ll be right there.”

Hanging up the phone, Alex quickly set the locks to the storage area for quick open. If she needed the rest of her gear, she wanted to be able to get to it quickly. From the outside, the locks looked no different to give away their status. She’d just finished doing a sweep of the lab when she heard the ding of the arriving elevator. Plastering on a bland look, Alex waited until Lena had entered the lab and waved her over.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asked immediately.

“Hopefully nothing.” Alex made her way around the lab tables and leaned against one, careful to keep the elevator bank in her line of sight and fire. The lab wasn’t really her ideal situation for a defensible position but it was better than Lena’s office. And nowhere else in the building was much better. “There’s an alien attack about a block over,” she continued. “Sawyer and I agreed it would be best if I stayed with you and she went to check it out just in case.”

“You think it might be a diversion.”

Alex shrugged eloquently. “There’s no indication that it is one but… it’s better to be safe than sorry. We already know Cadmus wants L-Corp technology.”

Lena’s lip curled. “And I’m sure my mother would love to get her hands on me as well.”

Alex nodded. “Precisely. Which is why you are down here where there are no walls made entirely of windows to shoot through from a helicopter and where we have more than one option for an exit should we need it.”

Lena arched an eyebrow. “There’s only one door to your lab,” she pointed out.

Alex smirked a little. “True, but here, we have warning. If they come in force, we’ll know from security alerts. If they try to pass themselves off as people looking for a meeting with you, they’ll go to your office first and Jess will notify you that they are here. In either situation, I grab my gear and we head out before they get here. Worst case, if need be, we will see anyone arriving at the floor and can quickly hide in the storage area, allowing me to surprise them. From there, we can break for the stairs.”

Lena nodded. “I trust you. In the interim, what do we do?”

Alex waved Lena toward the tablet. “We get some work done. Take a look at the results from the sensors and the preliminary scans of the weapon we found in the warehouse.”

Lena nodded and flicked through the results while Alex kept a casual eye on the elevators, her back to the cameras. Her phone was set on the lab table, right in her line of sight so she couldn’t miss any incoming alerts. She only half-listened as Lena murmured to herself reading through the data and tried not to worry about Maggie as the minutes dragged on without any further information.

Finally, Lena looked up. “None of this explains why they wanted those power supplies.”

Alex nodded, flicking a brief glance at the tablet. “Agreed. Based on that data. We’ll see what more comes to light as my people continue to study it but I think as we get through the rest of the components we managed to take, we’ll at least be able to figure out some reason they needed them. At a minimum, they can be used to drastically increase the power of these weapons making them that much more dangerous.”

Lena frowned. “That would potentially overload the weapons even without an inciting event.”

Alex cocked her head slightly with a grimace. “I’m not sure that personal protection for its soldiers is high on Cadmus’ list of concerns.”

Lena sighed and nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately, I agree. It was never one of Lex’s concerns either.”

Alex glanced at her phone, waiting for an alert that L-Corp itself was under attack or that Maggie was safe. She hoped she wouldn’t get a notification that Maggie was injured… or worse. Despite the near constant worry about the phone, she still startled slightly when it vibrated. Berating herself silently, she snagged the phone and unlocked it to read the message.

Quietly, she let out a sigh of relief. It was a text from Maggie stating that the situation was contained and didn’t appear, as of now, to be linked to Cadmus. Almost immediately after she finished reading Maggie’s text, a DEO alert also came through reporting the situation resolved. She tucked the phone away, looking back up at Lena. “All clear.”

Lena smiled slightly. “Well, then I’ll leave you to your work, Doctor Danvers. If you could send what data you can to my personal files, I’ll continue studying it and see if I can find anything useful from it.”

Alex nodded. They’d set up a direct, encrypted transfer straight to a DEO encrypted drive and laptop that was kept separate from the rest of L-Corp’s systems when this mission began. “Will do.”

Once Lena had left, Alex resolved to focus on her work now that she knew the situation was resolved and didn’t involve her mission. She had just started to lose herself in the work, making notes about the results and what they might indicate when the sound of the lab door opening made her startle again.

Cursing herself for being so damn jumpy, she turned to see Maggie slipping back into the lab. Alex’s eyes narrowed, gaze honing in on the sight of blood. She was at Maggie’s side in an instant, already reaching for the other woman’s hand to inspect the injury. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Alex looked up and met Maggie’s gaze with a stern one of her own. “You’re bleeding. That’s not nothing.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow at her. “Says the woman that claims stab wounds are minor.”

Alex pursed her lips. “Touché. And yet, I am a doctor and did, in fact, stitch up my wound. Why hasn’t this been looked at?”

Maggie shrugged, seeming a little uncomfortable with the concern but she didn’t pull her hand away. “Not worth bothering the paramedics about.”

Alex glared and dropped her hand, pointing to a stool. “Sit.” Maggie appeared about to protest but subsided as Alex continued glaring and sat on the stool with a roll of her eyes. Alex glared a moment longer to make sure she wouldn’t move before turning to retrieve her first aid kit. She returned to Maggie’s side and began pulling out gauze and antiseptic. “So, what happened?”

Maggie sighed. “It’s stupid.”

“Try me.”

Maggie sighed again, her gaze fixed firmly on Alex’s hands as Alex gently cleaned the cuts on Maggie’s knuckles. She hissed as Alex flushed them with antiseptic but otherwise made no indication the injury was bothering her. “I went to check out the incident. It wasn’t anything major, actually. Some rogue Nefiwiwehs that got loose from their handler. Mostly just caused panic more because they look scary than because they’re actually dangerous. Some idiot was freaking out. He must have thought I was trying to grab him and he took a swing at me.”

Alex made a concerned sound and paused what she was doing to flick a look up at Maggie’s face, studying her for any sign of a blow.

Maggie seemed to sense her gaze because she glanced up briefly with a tiny smile. “He missed, promise.” She waited until Alex had resumed doctoring her hand before continuing. “Anyway, self-defense kicked in and I swung back at him. Only he apparently had lost his balance attacking me and went down right as I swung. Ended up punching a wall instead.” She paused. “Like I said. Stupid.”

Alex was silent for a moment, putting butterfly bandages over the deepest of the cuts. “You’re lucky you didn’t break your hand. Some of these are deeper than I’d like but I don’t think any need stitches. However, I want you to be careful and keep the butterfly bandages on for at least a few days.” She glanced up and waited for Maggie to meet her gaze, consciously softening her expression. “And it wasn’t stupid. Just bad luck. Happens to the best of us.” Absently, she rubbed her thumb across Maggie’s knuckles.

Maggie watched her for a moment, gaze intent. Finally, she smiled a little, just enough to make her dimples show and cocked her head a little. “Even to big bad Agent Danvers?”

Alex laughed a little. “Even to me.” She squeezed Maggie’s hand instinctively. Maggie’s gaze dropped to where their hands were still joined, Alex’s thumb still making slow sweeps across the back. Alex followed her gaze and immediately dropped her hand, blushing furiously. She missed the warmth but ignored it. Stupid. She is injured. Not the time for your foolish crush or whatever the hell this is, Danvers.

She cleared her throat and busied herself repacking the first aid kit. “Well, good as new. Keep it clean and, like I said, keep the butterfly bandages on it. If you think it’ll be easier, I can wrap it with some gauze and tape as well. But I wouldn’t recommend that long-term.”

There was a long pause and Alex wondered if Maggie was waiting for her to look back up. She kept her gaze firmly locked on the first aid kit, meticulously arranging the items in it. After a little bit, Maggie said quietly. “Got it. I’ll let you know. Thanks, Danvers.”

Alex waited until she heard the ding of the elevator before she finally managed to force herself to move and put the first aid kit away. Her gaze was drawn to the now empty area by the elevators and for a moment she rested her forehead against the shelving unit where she kept the kit. Sighing, she muttered, “You’re a fucking idiot, Danvers.” She wondered how long Maggie would hold her awkwardness against her.

*     *     *

By Friday, Maggie was more than ready for the weekend. Alex had been on edge all week and Maggie wasn’t sure if it was because of the incident with her hand or just a general tenseness because of the mission. Maggie tried not to read too much into Alex’s abrupt awkwardness one way or the other. She couldn’t forget how comforting it had been to have Alex holding her hand, or how soothing the rhythmic motion of her thumb was. And she definitely couldn’t forget, no matter how she tried, how much she really wanted to feel Alex’s hand again, and not just on her own hands. But, she also couldn’t forget how strange Alex had started acting once she realized she was holding Maggie’s hand. Maggie figured Alex wasn’t homophobic given her own sister and other friends so Maggie couldn’t help but wonder if it was just that she didn’t want Maggie to get the wrong idea and was trying to be nice about it. Or just didn’t want Maggie full stop.

There was also the matter of Maggie starting to seriously suspect she didn’t have the entire story regarding Alex. She had run Hank Henshaw’s name after meeting him in Alex’s lab on Tuesday and while he had officially popped up as FBI, just like Alex did, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things didn’t add up. There were no holes that she could find but something about him didn’t sit quite right. Like Alex, he didn’t quite strike her as a fed in the same way most feds she had interacted with did. Maggie wasn’t sure if that was a byproduct of them loosening their covers while around her but not letting their guards down completely resulting in a weird hybrid of fake and real or if it was something more.

There was also simply the sheer knowledge Alex had about aliens and their technology. Much less the level of technology Alex herself had access to that Maggie knew didn’t come from L-Corp. And then there was Supergirl. To public knowledge, Supergirl worked with no one. And yet she clearly knew Alex quite well and worked closely with her. It all pointed to something more going on. Maggie suspected some sort of special division of the FBI. Similar to the NCPD’s Science Division perhaps.

Either way, the speculation was giving Maggie a headache. Her gut told her she could trust Danvers. But she couldn’t help but be curious and maybe a little resentful that Alex hadn’t told her the whole truth. The logical part of her brain told her it was silly to resent it but the part of her that totally-didn’t-have-a-crush on one Special Agent Alex Danvers felt it nonetheless. She sighed. That part also really wanted to invite said agent out for Friday night drinks. Maybe she could get that pool game this time.

Tugging out her phone, she swiftly sent a text to Alex. “Danvers. Pool tonight? Loser buys first round.”

Ten minutes later she hadn’t received a response and Maggie frowned slightly, glancing up at the monitor. Alex was nowhere to be seen. That’s odd… she never leaves this early. Turning to her computer, she felt only the slightest guilt at checking the system and finding Danvers had scanned out of the building half an hour earlier. Still frowning slightly, Maggie turned back to her work.

Another half an hour had passed and she still hadn’t received a response. She was slightly concerned even knowing Alex was likely working her other job. Or, hell, maybe she was doing something with her sister and not checking her phone. They seemed to have that sort of relationship. Actually, Maggie hoped it was the latter given what Alex’s other job was.

She frowned at her phone for a moment before shoving it into her jacket pocket and leaving the office. Maybe she’d just head home for the night after all. Playing pool had lost its appeal. Grabbing her bag, Maggie headed out for the weekend, waving a friendly goodbye to the night security crew that had come on duty not long before.

Opting against too much effort, it was Friday after all, Maggie picked up a pizza and some beer on the way home. She couldn’t help but check her phone again, frowning as she saw Alex still hadn’t responded. Woman can’t even send a quick “no”? Sighing, she resigned herself to a night of whatever she could find on Netflix and her pizza and beer. Maybe Alex would text later. Not that Maggie wanted to make plans or anything. She just wanted to be kept in the loop. Definitely. Sighing again, she dropped on the couch and dropped her head back. She was totally fooling herself and she knew it. Danvers was far too intriguing and gorgeous for Maggie to not want her.

The breaking news alert broke her contemplation and she straightened, glancing briefly at her phone then flipping on the TV, already tuned to the local news station. “Oh shit,” she breathed out. The alert was for what appeared to be a large fire at the very bar she, and Alex, frequented near L-Corp. Transfixed, she watched the news report, part of her grateful she’d opted to come home and part of her wishing she was there. She wrestled with the cop in her that insisted she head there right now, knowing that as a civilian she wouldn’t be of use right now.

She barely thought before grabbing her phone and sending Alex a second text. “I hope you’re not near the bar right now.”

This time, she received a response a few minutes later. “Why? What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

Maggie couldn’t contain the brief smile at the concern that was evident in the last question. “Fire at the bar.”

“Are you safe? I can send people.”

“Not yourself?” She grimaced at the flirty tone, unsure if Danvers would object. Assuming she caught it.

“Unfortunately, no. Are you safe?”

Maggie considered for a moment before sending her response. “I’m safe. Where are you?” She wondered if she would get a response at all, much less an answer.

There was a longer pause this time and Maggie had resigned herself to receiving nothing before her phone lit up again. “Can’t say.” Another pause. “Sorry.”

Maggie sighed. She’d half expected the answer but still it stung. “Just be careful.”

“Always. I have to go. We’ll talk later.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

She waited but received no response to the final text. Leaving the news on, Maggie retrieved her dinner and settled in to watch the coverage, hoping no one was hurt.

*     *     *

Maggie swung her leg over her motorcycle, tugging her helmet off and placing it on the seat. Automatically shoving her hair out of her face, she glanced around. Given the fire was long out, and it was relatively early in the day, the area was fairly quiet. A few pedestrians wandered past on the opposite side of the street, gawking at the mostly burned out bar. Or what had been a bar anyway.

Maggie grimaced as she took in the sight. Without a proper investigation she couldn’t really tell if it was arson or just a fire that managed to get a good foothold but either way, what had been a popular bar in this part of town was now not much more than charred walls. She hadn’t seen on the news that anyone was seriously hurt and she hoped that had held true through the night. Securing her helmet to her bike, she began making her way toward the police tape marking off the scene.

The sound of another motorcycle caught her attention and she paused, turning to watch Alex Danvers drive up and park next to her own motorcycle. Maggie couldn’t deny the bolt of attraction watching Alex take off her helmet and shake her hair back before dismounting the motorcycle. Alex nodded at her briefly before securing her own helmet and walking over to Maggie’s side. The fingers on one of her hands rubbed together in what appeared to be an absent gesture and Maggie wondered if it indicated nerves or anger. Despite that, Alex moved with a confident swagger that Maggie rarely caught a glimpse of at L-Corp.

Alex came to a stop at her side, gaze fixed on the remains of the bar. Her face was almost expressionless but Maggie caught the tightness at the corner of her mouth and the hardness in her eyes. “Do you know what happened?”

Maggie shook herself, trying to clear the lust. The leather jacket and heavy boots had taken Maggie back to the first time she saw Alex Danvers outside of L-Corp and the realization that this woman wasn’t just your average lab rat. Knowing what she did now and seeing that confident swagger again, she couldn’t quite stop the turn her thoughts had taken.

Alex gave her a concerned look. “Maggie? Are you okay?”

“Yeah—yes. I’m fine.”

Alex didn’t look completely convinced. “You’re sure? Were you at the fire? Do you need to be checked for smoke inhalation? Burns? Did something happen after you texted me last night?”

Maggie laughed a little, moving closer. “Danvers. Alex. I’m fine. I wasn’t at the fire.” She couldn’t help but be amused—and more than a little touched—that whatever awkwardness Alex had during the week seemed to melt away at the thought that Maggie might be injured.

Alex studied her for a moment longer before nodding. “How’s the hand?”

Maggie held it up, wiggling her fingers and smirking a little. “Works perfectly, promise. See? Jazz hands!”

The corner of Alex’s mouth curled into an amused half-smile. “Wow. And there that is.”

“What can I say? Many talents.” She winked at Alex and her grin broadened a little at the slight blush she could see.

Alex shook her head slightly, still smiling in amusement. “Whatever you say, Sawyer.”

Maggie laughed briefly then cocked her head curiously. “What are you doing here anyway, Danvers?”

Alex glanced over at the burned bar. “I wanted to check the place out after your texts. Do you know anything?”

Maggie shook her head, looking over at the bar. “Just what was on the news.”

The hand that had been fidgeting closed briefly before relaxing. Alex’s gaze swept over the area intently. “Burn pattern appears consistent with a fire starting in the kitchen.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow, impressed. She studied the scene closer. “True. You think it was an accident?”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. “Very possible. I can’t know for sure without analyzing any residue that’s left and getting a closer look at the origin site of the fire. Just because the overall burn pattern is consistent with a normal fire doesn’t mean the actual origin is.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. She was well aware of that fact.

Alex glanced sidelong at her and smirked a little. “Problem, no-longer-a-science-division-detective Sawyer?”

Maggie felt a slight blush at being caught but shook her head, quirking her lips in a slight smile. “Not a thing, nerd.”

Alex chuckled and turned her attention back to the scene. She took a couple steps forward but stopped just shy of the police tape.

Maggie glanced around before following. “Don’t you still have… friends… following you?”

Alex smirked a little. “I do. Gave them the slip last night and they haven’t caught back up to me yet it seems.”

Maggie laughed a little and shook her head. She had to admit, she was impressed. Not just with Alex’s skills, which were impressive enough, FBI or not, but with her casual confidence. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled when they figure it out.” Casually, she added. “Where were you last night?”

The sound of a car pulling up interrupted them and both women turned as one to look. Maggie caught the impassive expression falling back over Alex’s face as they did so. They watched as the unmarked car pulled up. Maggie knew it was a cop car, not just because she recognized Thomas and Johnson inside. The stock Crown Victoria combined with a certain air around it just gave it away. She suspected Alex could sense it also.

The two detectives exited the car, eyes fixed on the pair of women. Maggie could see a tightness in Thomas’ lips and posture. He was definitely not happy finding them both here. She wondered if Alex had given them the slip or someone else had been watching last night. Not that she had any doubts Alex could lose even her experienced former partner.

“Ladies,” Thomas greeted.

Maggie nodded slightly. “Victor.” She glanced over at Alex and smoothly introduced them, not wanting to give it away that Alex was well aware of who the two men were. “Doctor Danvers, I’d like you to meet my old partner, Detective Victor Thomas and his new partner Detective Chris Johnson. Vic, Chris, Doctor Alex Danvers.”

Alex nodded politely, shaking hands perfunctorily with both men.

Pleasantries out of the way, Maggie cocked her head at Thomas. “So, what brings you here?”

Thomas glanced from her to Alex and then to the bar. One broad shoulder shrugged casually. “Just came to check out the scene. What brings you two ladies out here at this time of morning?”

Maggie glanced at Alex but the other woman appeared content to let her take the lead for now. “Saw the news last night. Couldn’t help but be curious.”

Thomas studied her. She could see Johnson’s jaw clenching and his gaze appeared mostly fixed on Alex but he didn’t speak. After a moment, Thomas commented, “Kind of out of the way for you.”

It was Maggie’s turn to shrug. It was but there was no need to respond to that and she knew it.

Thomas smiled faintly and continued. “You two frequent this place at all?”

Maggie considered the question then nodded. It wasn’t incriminating after all and cooperation looked good. “It’s near work.”

Thomas nodded slowly. Before he could say anything else, Johnson jumped in. “What about last night? Were you here?”

Alex answered this time, voice cool. “No.”

Johnson zeroed in on Alex and Maggie’s eyes narrowed at the look on his face. Something about him didn’t sit right with her and it wasn’t just the oily attitude from when she’d met him at the station. He pushed, tone just shy of aggressive. “So where were you then? It was a Friday night after all.” The question was clearly directed solely at Alex.

Maggie jumped in. “She was with me.” She had to give Alex credit for not batting an eye at the response.

Both Johnson and Thomas looked at her in surprise. “With you?” Johnson asked, slightly incredulous sounding.

Maggie smirked. “Yes. With me. We were on our way to breakfast when we decided to stop by and check the place out.”

She looked over at Alex and found the other woman smirking also, eyes dancing with amusement and something Maggie couldn’t quite pin down. Alex took over the conversation again smoothly, as if they participated in conversations together all the time. “Like Maggie said, we were curious after seeing the news last night. But, if you don’t mind, we have a reservation at eight at Martin’s to meet my sister. It was nice chatting with you, detectives.” Maggie forced herself not to jump when Alex casually gripped her elbow and subtly began steering her toward their motorcycles.

As they reached the pair of bikes and grabbed their helmets, Maggie asked lowly, “A reservation at eight?”

“Yep. You know where Martin’s is?” Maggie nodded. “Great, I’ll see you there then.” Alex didn’t give Maggie a chance to respond before flashing a smirk and pulling her helmet in place.

Maggie sighed and followed suit, laughing to herself. Whatever Doctor Alex Danvers was and whoever she worked for, she was definitely something else. Neither of them looked back at the detectives as they roared away, Maggie on Alex’s heels.

*     *     *

They pulled up outside the restaurant and Alex took a deep breath as Maggie parked her motorcycle next to her. She’d caught a glimpse of the detectives’ car tailing them just before pulling into the parking space. But even more, she wasn’t sure whether this was a good idea. She’d been telling the truth, there was a reservation at eight at Martin’s. Of course, it was actually for herself and Kara, one of their weekly traditions they’d started relatively recently when Kara had decided she wanted to find the best place for breakfast in National City. Since weekdays didn’t work so well for full breakfasts, they’d taken to trying a new restaurant every Saturday morning.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how Kara would react. Kara would be ecstatic. It was that Alex wasn’t sure how she herself was supposed to act. She’d kind of, sort of, tentatively accepted that she had a crush on the other woman but hadn’t decided what to do about it. Or if she wanted to do anything about it. And then here was Maggie implying they’d spent the night together and Alex was… not unhappy that the police likely got that impression.

She sighed and removed her helmet, running a hand through her hair to settle it really quick. Then she made the mistake of looking over as Maggie removed her helmet. The other woman didn’t appear to be paying attention to Alex for the moment but Alex was riveted by the sight of her tossing her head to clear the hair from her face before copying Alex’s actions and running the fingers of one hand through it to settle. Alex looked away quickly when Maggie turned to look at her, focusing intently on dismounting and securing her helmet to the Ducati.

When she felt somewhat more in control, she turned to find Maggie had done the same and was watching her with a curious half-smile. Alex tried to return it and stepped to the curb. “Ready for some breakfast?”

Maggie chuckled and nodded. “I am actually.” Then, with a mischievous look, she held out a hand. When Alex blinked at it, she just grinned wickedly. “Gotta sell it to your ‘friends,’ right? I know you saw them tail us just like I did.”

Alex rolled her eyes and grabbed Maggie’s hand, trying to pretend it didn’t affect her to do so. With her own mischievous smile, she abruptly tugged Maggie closer as she began to walk, playfully bumping their shoulders together. She felt Maggie stumble slightly and looked over, finding an outraged look that was completely belied by the amused smile struggling to break out. Alex laughed lightly and kept walking, trying not to think about how natural it felt to have Maggie fall in step beside her, hands still intertwined.

Once inside, they were led immediately to a table off to one side. Alex didn’t realize she was still holding Maggie’s hand until Kara gave her a confused look as she bounded to her feet to greet Alex and then Maggie with a hug. Alex blushed as she dropped Maggie’s hand, the two sitting across from Kara and with a clear line of sight to the door.

Kara looked between them, confusion and curiosity etched on her face along with a subtle knowingness.

Alex rolled her eyes and ignored the unanswered question. “Kara, I believe you already know Maggie.”

Kara gave her an amused look before turning to Maggie. “Yes, of course. Hi, Maggie. I’m glad you could join us!”

Maggie glanced between the two and Alex studied her silverware intently. “Yeah, thanks for letting me crash your breakfast.”

“Of course!” Kara pinned Alex with a look. “Though, not that I’m not glad to have you join us, but I’m guessing there’s a reason.”

Alex sighed, looking up from rearranging her silverware to meet Kara’s eyes. Instead of answering her question, however, Alex simply commented, “We ran into each other outside. I invited her to join us.”

Kara’s brow furrowed as she studied Alex intently. Alex doubted she bought the excuse for a second and likely suspected the real reason had to do with the Cadmus operation. If anyone was likely to invite a random friend to their breakfast it was definitely Kara. However, she didn’t push. “Okay… well… happy to have you!” She flashed a brilliant grin at Maggie. “I ordered a pot of coffee for the table. Is that alright with you, Maggie?”

Alex watched out of the corner of her eye as Maggie nodded. Maggie shot her a glance as Kara bent her head toward the menu, one eyebrow arched. Alex simply shrugged and turned her attention to her own menu. She could tell Maggie picked up on the fact that Kara didn’t completely buy the excuse but figured it would be easy enough to brush it off. After all, there was no reason for Maggie to suspect that Kara knew about the entire operation. It would be easy to pawn it off as Kara simply being surprised that Alex brought a friend rather than Kara suspecting it had something to do with the operation.

Before more slightly awkward conversation could commence, the waiter appeared at their table with a smile that was far too chipper for this time of morning. Alex wondered if he was somehow related to Kara. “Good morning. Welcome to Martin’s! Will everybody be having coffee this morning?”

Everyone nodded and he swiftly filled their coffee cups before setting the carafe down. “Can I take your orders?”

After orders were placed, an awkward silence fell over the table. Finally, Kara huffed a little laugh. “This is silly. So, Maggie, how was your week?”

Maggie laughed a little. “Well, that’s one way to break the ice. It was… fine. A bit slow. I only got kicked out of your sister’s lab twice so I’ll call that a win.” She threw a sly grin at Alex who rolled her eyes.

Honestly. She’d only kicked her out because she had experiments that required minimal distractions and she didn’t have a second set of protective gear in Maggie’s size. “Did you acquire a PhD in bioengineering when I wasn’t looking?” she shot back, retort softened by the slightest of teasing grins.

Maggie chuckled. “No, but I did attend a chemistry demonstration at the science museum last summer,” she retorted.

Alex laughed and tried to ignore the curious look on Kara’s face. “Oh, well in that case next time I will definitely let you assist.”

Maggie started to retort when the waiter appeared again with their food. She fell silent as he distributed the plates.

They had just begun to eat when suddenly Kara raised her head. Alex gave her a questioning look though she had a feeling she knew what had grabbed Kara’s attention. Maggie also raised her head, cocking her head curiously at Kara. Kara smiled at them both but Alex could read the concern in her eyes. “I just remembered I need to make a call. I’ll be right back.” With that, she nearly bolted from the table.

Alex sighed. Hopefully whatever it was would be quick. She turned to Maggie with an awkward smile. “Sorry about that. You get used to it with her.”

Maggie smiled back. “It’s not a problem. So, Danvers, I was meaning to ask you…”

Alex narrowed her eyes warily. “Ask me what?”

“Where were you last night? Really? Out with ‘colleagues’?”

Alex sighed. This was the part that sucked about being DEO rather than regular FBI or similar. Sometimes it was really hard to explain “we had an attempted breakout of a Valeronian and I spent half my night patching up the idiot rookies that didn’t follow security protocols before running them through several rounds of training” especially when something like Friday night was involved. “Well—” Alex cut herself off and mentally cursed, hearing her phone beep with what she knew was the trouble alarm. She pulled it out and grimaced at the screen. This time she cursed audibly.

“What is it?”

Alex angled the screen at her. “Alien attack one street over and heading this way.”

“Shit.”

“You said it.”

“Are you armed?”

Alex scoffed at the question. “Are you?”

“Ok, ok, silly question. I’ll head that way, you handle the restaurant owner?”

“Got it. Be careful. I’ll be on your six as fast as I can.”

Both women bolted from the table, Maggie in the direction of the door and Alex for the front desk. It didn’t take much more than a wave of her badge—set to FBI—to be taken to the manager and a second wave got the manager moving patrons out the back. Just in time, too, as Alex skidded out the front door to see a Khund running down the street in her direction.

“Fuck.” She pulled her phone out, calling Winn. She didn’t give him a chance to speak once the line connected. “Winn! I have your Khund charging down the street straight toward me! Where the fuck is the tactical support and where is Supergirl?”

She ducked back inside the restaurant, crouching and drawing her gun as she did so.

“Uh… they are closing in on your position!”

“Well, can they close a little faster? Shit!” She dodged to the side as a chunk of concrete came flying toward the restaurant, the Khund having turned in the street to face whatever was chasing him and flinging anything he could find in the process.

“Sorry! Sorry! They’re on their way! He had friends!”

“Great,” she growled. She peered out of the restaurant and growled again. She’d hoped the people on the Khund’s tail were her own but those were distinctly Cadmus soldiers. “Winn! Tell Supergirl to hurry up! Cadmus is trying to take this guy!”

“Shit!” She heard the curse and then something fumble. Only a second later he was back, however. “Supergirl’s almost there! Trap Team and Hammer Team are en route. What direction is Cadmus?”

“Coming from the north.”

“Got it. Trap is coming up behind them, Hammer from the south. Supergirl should be there any minute.”

“Copy. Tell them to hurry their asses up. All of them.” She hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket. A swift glance around the street showed that her friendly local cops were, for once, nowhere in sight. “Figures, for once they could be useful instead of just following me around and now they aren’t here? Typical.”

She peered out the door again. Cadmus was trying to fan out to surround the Khund. Alex just hoped he didn’t decide her and Maggie’s motorcycles were good weapons. It was bad enough she wasn’t getting to eat her breakfast because Cadmus had to be assholes. She really didn’t want to have to replace her bike also.

She studied the area, absently muttering, “Come on, Kara, where are you?” She didn’t see Maggie either and tried to tamp down on concern for the ex-cop. Hopefully the woman had simply gotten out of the way upon seeing how outgunned they were without backup. Alex resolved to find her when this was over but she couldn’t let herself get distracted right now.

“You rang?” A voice from behind caused Alex to startle.

She spun and glared at Kara. “What the hell?” she whisper-yelled.

“You asked where I was!”

Alex took a deep breath. “Fine. Okay.” She turned back to the street. She could make out the forms of the DEO teams approaching but Cadmus almost had the Khund. “Get the Khund out of here. We’ve got Cadmus.”

“Alex—”

“Kara.” Alex cut her off. “There are two tactical teams almost here and we have Cadmus between us. We’ve got this. Get the Khund out of here and back to the DEO so we can figure out what the hell is going on.”

Kara nodded. “Got it. Be careful.”

Alex shot her a small smile. “You too.”

Kara bolted out the door at super-speed, grabbing the Khund and flying nearly straight up.

Alex took a moment to snicker at the sheer confusion in the ranks of the Cadmus troops before leaning around the doorframe and opening fire. More confusion spread. The soldiers began to turn, firing wildly in her direction. Alex dodged back inside, sheltering her face from the flying glass, and mentally thanking the developers for the brick wall on the restaurant’s face. She heard gunfire that was clearly not from in front of the restaurant and knew that her men had opened fire.

Carefully, she raised her head over the windowsill and looked out at the ongoing firefight. The Cadmus troops were back to back and firing both ways down the street. They appeared to have forgotten that any gunfire had come from the restaurant. Perfect.

Swiftly, she checked her remaining rounds. She only had about half a dozen left but hoped that given the distraction of the DEO teams, she could help at least a little even with that. Alex took a slow breath to center herself. Focused, she popped around the corner once more, firing through the remains of the door. She managed to take down two of the Cadmus soldiers before her slide clicked back.

Cursing, she withdrew into the relative safety of the restaurant. Now she just had to wait it out. Fortunately, the shooting ended in short order. Not long after, she heard someone calling out “Agent Danvers” and rolled smoothly to her feet.

She stepped out of the restaurant to find most of the Cadmus troops dead and the few living being rounded up and given first aid until transport back to the DEO could arrive. Her usual second in command fell in step next to her. “Agent Acosta. Report.”

“Ten hostiles in total. Six fatalities. Four casualties. On our side, no fatalities. Three casualties.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully, coming to a stop at the edge of the bodies. “Transport on the way?”

“Should be here in three, ma’am.”

“Good. Any word from Supergirl?”

“She reports that the Khund is in containment back at base.”

“Great.” Alex’s gaze swept the area and she frowned. “Did you encounter a det—woman in a leather jacket with a gun on your way?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He paused and she glanced over to see his grimace. “One of the Khund’s buddies tried to grab her but she took him out.”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “Where is she now?”

“Ah, last report I had was that the cleanup crew took her back to the DEO for medical treatment.”

Alex frowned and her voice sharpened. “Medical treatment for what?”

“The guy’s buddy was an Infernian. Doesn’t sound serious but they wanted to check her out.”

Alex let out a slow breath and nodded. Well, that cat was going to be out of the bag now. “Thanks. Get this cleaned up and I’ll see you back at base.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

*     *     *

Alex paused before entering the medical bay at the DEO. She tried to pull her normal impassive look in place but knew she likely looked somewhere between sheepish and defensive instead. Instead of meeting Maggie’s eyes, she grabbed the chart hanging at the end of the bed Maggie was perched on. Clearing her throat, Alex commented, “Minor first degree burn and a bruised collarbone. Aggravated the hand injury but nothing severe. You should be fine in a few days.”

She dared to peek up and found Maggie giving her a thoughtful look. “You’re not FBI, are you?”

Alex sighed but shook her head slightly. She’d hoped she could actually tell Maggie this voluntarily at some point… eventually. “Department of Extranormal Operations.”

Maggie smiled tightly, the expression devoid of warmth. “DEO.” She gave a short, disbelieving laugh that was barely more than a huff of air, shaking her head slightly. She glanced around the medical lab. “Nice place you have here. Were you ever going to tell me?”

“Maggie…”

Maggie pinned Alex with her gaze. “Were you?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“I… I don’t know.” Alex shrugged helplessly.

“Was everything a lie?”

Alex frowned and took a step forward, her words vehement. “No! The only thing that was a lie was the name of the agency I work for. Everything else was true.”

Maggie sighed, looking away. Some of the anger left her expression but not the hurt. “Alex…”

“Maggie, I couldn’t tell you.”

Maggie met her gaze again, shaking her head briefly. “No, Alex… I, I get it. I do. Sorry, I just…”

Alex stepped forward again, tentatively. Her voice was firm, however. “No. You have nothing to be sorry for. I understand why you’re upset and you have every right to be. All I can say is I wish I hadn’t had to lie but… I can’t apologize for it. It’s my job.”

Maggie half-smiled this time, eyes gentle. “Alex, I get it. Really. Do I wish you’d told me? Sure. But I can’t very well get mad at you for doing your job.” She looked around again, slower this time, appearing to study everything she could see. Alex watched her cautiously, forcing herself not to fidget nervously. “This place really is sick. Like James Bond bad guy hideout sick.”

Alex laughed a little. “We try.” Despite Maggie’s words, Alex was just waiting for Maggie to say that sure, she understood and she wasn’t mad but she was still never talking to Alex again.

Finally Maggie spoke again, voice thoughtful, “You know, just before I left the force, there were rumors of some sort of black ops alien hunting group. Name ‘DEO’ got bandied about a couple times but no one knew what it stood for or even if it was the right name.” She looked back at Alex with a half-smile. “Guess it was, huh?”

Alex frowned. “Yeah…” she trailed off.

Maggie cocked her head, frowning in response. “What?”

Alex shook her head slightly, smiling wryly. “Nothing really. Just wondering who I need to punish for being careless enough that rumors started about us.”

Maggie chuckled. “If it’s any comfort, they were very vague rumors. More like bogeyman stories. I don’t know that any cops really put much stock in them.”

Alex shrugged. “So maybe I’ll just yell at whoever it is rather than yell and beat the crap out of them in training.”

Maggie laughed again. “I think I might pay to see that, Danvers.”

Alex grinned a little. “Play your cards right, detective, and maybe you’ll get a chance.”

“You know I’m not a detective anymore, right?”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, but it sounds better than ‘security director.’”

“Touché, Doctor Doctor Special Agent Danvers.” She favored Alex with a little two-fingered salute then laughed at the look on her face. “That is your title right?”

“Ugh, close enough. I prefer ‘Agent,’ thank you.”

Maggie just laughed at her. “So, how long do I need to stick around or am I clear to go?”

Alex grinned a little wickedly. “Oh, you’re free to leave the medbay.”

Maggie looked at her warily. “I sense a ‘but’ there.”

Alex laughed. “You would be correct. But you need to fill out some NDAs before leaving the facility. Looks like it’s your lucky day, Sawyer. Hope the drugs are working on that hand of yours.”

Maggie sighed and dropped down from the table, grabbing her jacket and pulling it on. “Lead the way, Agent Danvers.”

Chapter Text

Kara waited until Alex had settled on the couch for sisters night before fixing her with a thoughtful look. Alex leaned back, eyeing her sister warily. “What?”

“I think I should be asking you that question.” Kara arched an eyebrow.

Alex arched her own eyebrow in response, at a loss. “About…?”

“You. And Maggie.”

“Me and Maggie what?” Alex should’ve known she wouldn’t avoid Kara asking about the brunch thing. But she’d hoped maybe she would get lucky. Apparently not.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating?”

“Uh, because we’re not.”

Kara frowned slightly, eyes shining with concern. “Alex, it’s ok, you know. I just… wish you’d felt comfortable telling me.”

“I do. Uh… I mean… not that there’s anything to tell…” She trailed off, well aware that her statement was far from convincing and sighed.

Kara scooted forward on the couch, placing a tentative hand on Alex’s arm. “Hey. It’s ok. I promise. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I… I do. I think.”

Alex took a deep breath and looked away from her sister, ordering her thoughts. She knew she really should have probably tried to talk about it sooner. After all, it’s not like Kara would have a problem with it given she was currently dating a woman herself. But still, it was hard. Too many years spent trying to be perfect. Too much of society insisting that this included being straight.

“I’ve been… wondering… for a little while now,” she started haltingly, still not looking Kara in the eye. “Lucy and I, uh, you remember when we went out for drinks that night a few months ago?”

Kara nodded. “The one where afterward you then barely spoke ten words over the next three days… oh.”

“Yeah, that one.” Alex sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Kara frowned, voice fierce. “Alex, if Lucy said something to upset you I will personally—”

“Whoa, whoa.” Alex laughed a little, finally meeting Kara’s gaze briefly. “Nothing of the sort. She just… guys were hitting on us, right?” Kara nodded, subsiding. “Nothing bad but so Lucy, being Lucy, was pointing out the cute ones.” They shared a knowing look before Alex continued. “Anyway, I wasn’t really interested and she, well, she decided to point out hot women instead. Said something about how I didn’t find any of the guys attractive so maybe I should think about it. So uh… so I have been.”

Kara nodded, waiting silently. When Alex didn’t continue, she spoke, “And… have you concluded anything? Maybe run some tests?” Her tone was gently teasing, smiling warmly at Alex.

Alex half-laughed and ducked her head for a moment. “No, no experiments. But conclusions… yeah, maybe.”

“And?”

“I, uh…” Alex huffed and stood to pace. “God, this shouldn’t be this hard! You already did it! Why can’t I just—”

“Hey, whoa, Alex, no. That I did it doesn’t matter! It’s your life and it’s scary and it’s tough to do no matter what. Okay? And if you don’t want to talk about it we don’t have to.”

Alex sighed. “No, I do. I just…”

“Like girls?”

Alex huffed out something resembling a laugh. “Yeah, that.”

“Alex, come sit down.”

Alex took a shuddering breath and perched on the edge of the couch again. She knew that tone of voice. It was the tone that meant Kara had something Very Serious to say. She looked over as Kara started speaking.

“I… I think I owe you an apology.”

“For what?” Her brow furrowed in confusion.

“For not creating an environment where you felt like you could talk about this with me. All those years we spent together growing up, the endless nights talking and sharing… Now I realize that they were all about me and my secret. And even since then… it’s been about me as Supergirl. And then me coming out and being with Lena. There’s never been room for you, and that’s my fault. And I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know how lonely it can make you feel to keep this inside. But… I’m here for you. Just like you were for me.”

“I can’t do this without you.”

“You don’t have to.” Kara pulled her in for a hug and Alex let herself lean against her sister for a long moment, slowly relaxing as the weight of what she’d finally accepted settled over her. She wondered what her mom would say. She’d been supportive of Kara but expectations had always been so different for Alex and even though their relationship was getting better… she still worried. Kara squeezed her slightly tighter, likely having felt Alex tense back up and Alex resolved to worry about her mother’s reaction later. She would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Eventually, she felt Kara chuckle beneath her. “So, this opens up a whole new area for us. Now there might actually be crushes I can tease you about.”

Alex laughed and sat back up, reaching for her wine. “Yeah, sure.”

“Like say… Maggie?”

Alex glanced over. “I told you, there’s nothing there.”

“Oh, really? That’s why everyone at L-Corp is firmly convinced that you spend all your time together in her office because you want to canoodle in private?”

Alex choked on her sip of wine. That had not been what she was expecting. “What?” Her voice was strangled.

Kara grinned a little, clearly highly amused. “You didn’t know? I hear all the whispers. It’s basically the most valuable L-Corp gossip right now. The security team is top of the gossip food chain since they have the firsthand tidbits about how much time you two spend together. And how you look at each other. Apparently, you two are quite a bit friendlier to each other than anyone else.”

“And how do you know that? Spending time gossiping at L-Corp as well as CatCo now?”

Kara rolled her eyes. “No. But you know I’ve been keeping an ear out for anything weird when I’m at L-Corp lately given the situation. And it’s kind of hard not to hear them talking about it.”

Alex sighed, setting her glass down and pinching the bridge of her nose. She’d wanted to know what the employees thought about her and Maggie and whether they were suspicious. She wasn’t really expecting this. Though, in hindsight, she supposed she should have. And… it would provide a good cover.

“We’re not dating.”

“Okay…” Kara dragged out the word. “So brunch was… what? A casual outing with a friend?” Kara chuckled. “Come on, Alex. I know you better than that.”

“No. It was supposed to look like a date. To throw off the cops.”

Kara cocked her head, frowning in confusion. “I’m not following.”

“We ran into them outside the bar that morning.”

“Why were you at the bar together?” Kara interrupted, brow crinkled in puzzlement.

“Checking out the fire. Well, the burned down remains anyway. But, so, to excuse why we were there together, Maggie implied we’d spent the night together. So I said we were on our way to brunch and just stopped by the fire site out of curiosity since we both spent time there. And, so… we couldn’t exactly not follow through given they were following me.”

Kara studied her for several seconds. “But you’d like it to be real.”

Alex tried to fight back the blush. “What? No! She’s just a friend.”

“Uh huh.”

“Kara,” Alex said warningly.

“What?” Kara smiled innocently before abruptly veering back to the previous topic. “So, are you going to continue with that? Pretending to date?”

Alex pursed her lips. “I don’t know. I need to talk to Maggie. But… it does provide a good cover for why we spend time together working on the case.”

“Plus you get to spend more time with her…” Kara pointed out with a grin.

“Shut up.” Alex shoved her sister—who was nice enough to pretend that it had an effect—but she laughed. She had to admit, maybe it would be nice to have crushes of her own to talk to Kara about… or maybe even a girlfriend. Possibly even a girlfriend that happened to be a former detective.

Kara subsided and cuddled into Alex’s side. “So. Westworld?”

Alex grinned, wrapping her arm around Kara and squeezing her shoulders briefly. “Sounds good.”

“You do know I’m going to keep teasing you about this, right?”

Alex sighed. “Yeah. I had that feeling.” After a moment she asked, “Canoodle? Really?”

“It’s a perfectly acceptable journalistic word.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, sure. Hit play, dork.”

There were a few minutes of silence before Kara spoke again. Alex chuckled silently and hit pause. “You know, I think I understand part of why Lucy gets so annoyed with Lois.”

“Why’s that?”

Kara straightened and looked at Alex, clearly having expected Alex to follow her train of thought. “She scooped me, Alex!”

“Kara… you knew she was writing the story. She interviewed us! No one prevented you from writing a story also. You can type faster, you know.”

Kara’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “Snapper doesn’t want me using Supergirl as my only source except when absolutely necessary.”

“Well… Snapper probably has a point. After all, Lois doesn’t use Clark all the time either.”

Kara sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Alex smirked. “Of course I am.”

Kara twisted just enough so Alex could clearly see her roll her eyes.

Alex chuckled. “It’s just one story, Kara. And she’s here to write about Cadmus so it was bound to happen sooner or later. Just write faster next time and interview someone other than yourself. I’m sure Lois won’t mind if you scoop her… much.”

“Ha. Yeah right.”

Alex chuckled again. “Ok, she will. But she will also understand. Just do your job. Lois will do hers and it is what it is.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one that might be stealing a story from Lois Lane.”

*     *     *

Maggie blinked and frowned at the knock on her office door. It was barely seven-thirty in the morning; she definitely didn’t have any meetings scheduled yet. “Enter!” A familiar head poked through the doorway and Maggie cocked her head with a puzzled smile. “Hi, Victor. Come on in.” She waved him to the chair in front of her desk as he entered, closing the door behind him. “What brings you here?”

He settled in the chair and fixed her with a serious look. Maggie tensed, waiting for him to speak. This didn’t feel like good news at all. Finally, he took a deep breath. “Maggie, you know I love you like a daughter so I have to ask… what the hell are you doing?”

Maggie blinked. That was not at all what she had expected to come out of his mouth. “Uh, at the moment or more in general?”

“With Doctor Danvers,” he clarified.

Maggie frowned. She felt tight as a coiled spring. This wasn’t entirely unexpected but definitely unwelcome and something she’d hoped to avoid. She knew she had to be careful here. She and Alex hadn’t really discussed the plan going forward but admitting that they’d been lying about being together would be a rather big mistake. Maggie just hoped she could grab Alex and talk to her about it before she inadvertently gave the game away. And hoped that Alex was going to be willing to play along… Maggie pushed aside the thoughts of what “playing along” might look like. Definitely not what she needed to be concerned about right now. Slowly, she replied, “I thought that was obvious.”

Victor sighed. “Maggie…”

“What, Victor?” Her voice was hard.

“You’re dating a suspect!”

“Your suspect. Not mine. And I’ve already told you. I don’t think she’s your suspect.”

“You know she’s under investigation!”

She cocked her head. “So you found something in all your tailing and wiretapping? Because last time we talked about it you had nothing.”

He sighed again. “I’m not going to talk to you about that. Not now that you’re involved with her.”

Maggie quirked a tiny, knowing smile. “You found nothing. You weren’t even tailing her anymore Friday night or you’d have known where she was.”

“I have to go where the evidence tells me, Maggie.”

“And right now the evidence isn’t pointing you at my girlfriend or we’d be having a very different conversation.” She ignored how natural it felt to refer to Alex that way. Definitely, not the time.

“Maggie—”

“If you have some actual evidence to support suspecting Alex of something then tell me. But if not… I’m not going to dump her just because you don’t like her. I respect you a lot, Victor, but I’m not going to do that.”

“Johnson still insists there’s something there.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Johnson insists… but what do you think, Victor? In fact, where is your partner?”

“He doesn’t know you like I do.”

“No, that’s true. But I know that in this sort of situation, you normally bring your partner with you.”

He hesitated then replied, “Detective Johnson isn’t on duty yet.”

Maggie filed the information and Victor’s tells away for future analysis, probably with Alex, sighed, and leaned back. “Victor, I respect you. You know that. And I definitely respect your instincts and that you’re damn good at your job. But like I said, my gut says she’s not the one you’re looking for.”

“Just your gut?”

Maggie shook her head. “No. She has an alibi for the pictures. And you yourself said you weren’t finding anything during your surveillance so unless that’s changed… She’s convinced me of her innocence.”

He was silent for a long moment. “I trust you. I do.”

“But?”

“I’ll need more than that eventually.” He paused before adding. “Chris is very determined.”

Maggie nodded. “And I’m sure, eventually, you’ll get more. And, as it stands, I would need more to convince me to dump her than just because Detective Johnson ‘is very determined’ to convict her of something without proof.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m not saying I agree with you. Yet. But…”

“You’ll withhold final judgment on my dating choices for now?” she added wryly.

He chuckled, smiling for the first time since entering her office. “That is one way to put it, yes.”

She smiled slightly in return. “I promise I’ll let you know if I find out some further reason to suspect her. But I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.”

Victor stood. “Well, like I said. I trust you. So I’ll trust you on this for now.”

She caught the emphasis and nodded as she stood. “Good.”

He headed for the door then paused, turning. “By the way, since I’m here, Simone insists you come over for dinner soon. So does Johnny.”

Maggie laughed. “Of course. How about some time this week? Unless something crazy happens my schedule should work. Assuming yours does.”

He nodded. “Unless something crazy happens,” he agreed wryly. “Thursday?”

Maggie ran through her schedule then nodded. “Should be good. Text me the time and I’ll put it on my calendar.”

He nodded again and, with a smile, ducked out the door. Maggie sighed quietly, processing what had just happened. First and foremost, she definitely needed to talk to Alex. Hopefully the other woman would be okay with them continuing their charade. Gathering herself, Maggie stepped outside her office, flashing a smile at the woman sitting at the desk monitoring the internal systems. “Morning, Teresa. Has Doctor Danvers arrived yet?”

The woman gave her a small, knowing smile and turned to her monitors. After a moment, she replied, “Doctor Danvers scanned through front security just a couple minutes ago, ma’am. Should I let her know you want to see her?”

“No, that’s alright. I’ll—”

Maggie stopped speaking as the door to the security office opened and Alex herself poked her head in. “Hey, Maggie. Can uh, can we talk?” Her gaze darted briefly to the security guard watching them both attentively and Alex gave Maggie a slightly sheepish smile.

“Of course.” Maggie couldn’t prevent the warm smile that spread across her face, not that she tried too hard. “Come on in.” Alex followed her back into her office and Maggie ignored the way Teresa’s grin widened. Once inside, Maggie absently waved Alex toward the chair Victor had so recently vacated. “What’s up? I was, uh, I was actually going to come see you.”

Alex smiled at her. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. We should talk about this weekend and the plan going forward.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.” Maggie fancied she saw a look of disappointment flicker across Alex’s face before the other woman settled back and her usual mostly impassive look slid into place. “I was thinking about that yesterday actually.”

“Oh? What were you thinking?”

Alex was silent for several moments, appearing to gather her thoughts. Finally, she blurted out, “We should date.” Maggie blinked, unsure how to respond. Before she could even attempt to formulate a sentence, Alex’s eyes widened and she immediately backpedaled, “I mean, not for real. Obviously. Why would you—uh, anyway. But like, pretend. Like we did Saturday. Let them keep thinking it.” She fell silent, looking more uncertain than Maggie had seen her thus far in their interactions.

Maggie didn’t respond immediately, trying to gather her thoughts. Sure, it was exactly what she’d been planning to propose as well but she was more than a little caught off guard that Alex had apparently thought the same. She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. Alex was more than intelligent and it was a clear solution.

Alex shifted and started talking again, this time a bit more calmly though still clearly uncertain. “It just um, it makes sense. It would explain to both the employees here and the cops why we’re together so often.”

“Alex.” Maggie smiled softly and waited for the other woman to stop rambling. At the inquisitive look, she continued, “It’s a good idea. It’s, uh, it’s actually exactly what I was going to suggest. Victor—Detective Thomas—was here just before you actually.”

Alex nodded. “I saw him on my way in. Interesting that his partner wasn’t here also.”

“Ah, you caught that too. I think there might be some disagreement there as to your guilt. But still… better to be safe. I told him we were dating. It seemed like the best course of action.”

“And?” Maggie cocked her head curiously, unsure what Alex was asking. Alex smiled briefly and elaborated, “What was his reaction?”

“Ah. He is not happy that I am ‘dating a suspect.’”

Alex chuckled. “The dangerous L-Corp scientist.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow with a little grin. “Well, let’s just be thankful he doesn’t know just how deadly you really are.” Inwardly she cringed at how flirtatious her voice sounded, hoping Alex didn’t take it poorly.

Alex merely ducked her head briefly. Maggie thought she caught a hint of a blush but then Alex was talking again. “So it seems we’re on the same page then.”

“So it would seem.” Maggie grinned wryly.

Alex returned the wry expression before her grin turned mischievous. “Besides, the whole building thinks we’re dating anyway.”

“What?” Maggie stared in surprise. Sure, she’d caught Teresa’s knowing look but… everyone?

Alex laughed and nodded. “Apparently we are the hot gossip commodity and your security people are at the top of the gossip food chain.”

Maggie stared. “I… um…” She shook her head slightly, trying to bring her brain back on track. “Well, um, I suppose it’s extra smart to continue the charade then.”

“Right.” Alex’s smile appeared to dim slightly.

“So, uh, you said Victor was here alone. How’d you know?”

“Oh, that.” Alex looked a little relieved for the change in topic. “I saw him leaving but I also called my tech guy and he said Thomas arrived alone.”

“Should I be concerned that he apparently can just access our security system willy-nilly?”

Alex chuckled. “I wouldn’t bother being concerned about that. There’s not many systems that can keep Winn out. And none are on this planet that I’m aware of.”

Maggie’s eyebrows flew up at the statement, surprised both at Alex’s casual reference to her knowledge of aliens as well as the professed skill of her tech guy. She’d half expected Alex to continue pretending she was “merely” an FBI agent rather than an employee of a secret, anti-alien government organization. For that matter, she needed to have a serious talk with Alex about this DEO thing and soon. She’d spent much of Sunday trying to recall everything she’d ever heard rumored about the DEO and none of it was good. “Alien hunting” was likely putting it mildly. “Alien disappearing” might be more accurate. But she doubted Alex would discuss it here. “Seriously?”

“Mm. He out programmed a Coluan on the fly once.” Alex must have caught the confusion in her expression and elaborated, “Race of… not really artificial intelligences but techno-organic, extremely intelligent aliens.”

“Wow.” She paused, running through the people associated with Alex that she’d met. “Winn was the short-ish nerdy guy at the rugby? Dating James Olsen?”

“That’s him. Nice deduction, Sawyer.” Alex half-smiled.

“I was a detective, Agent Danvers. I detect.”

Alex chuckled. “Touché.” She glanced at her watch. “I should probably get to my lab. Otherwise we’ll really set the rumor mill spinning.”

Maggie smirked and couldn’t resist. “Would that be so bad?” This time she definitely caught the blush on Alex’s cheeks. With a soft chuckle, Maggie stood. “Let me walk you out?”

“Uh, sure.” Alex stood just a hair too fast. “That sounds good.”

Maggie simply held the door open with a slightly curious smile but didn’t dare comment. After all, it wasn’t like Alex was actually reacting like this to the idea of pretending to date her. Probably just general awkwardness. After all, it was probably not the most common undercover scenario for the DEO agent.

They paused just outside the security offices. Maggie was acutely aware of the curious glances they received but ignored them to focus on Alex. “I’ll see you later?”

Alex gave her a teasing smile and Maggie felt her heart rate increase slightly. “So long as you promise not to break anything in my lab.”

Maggie huffed a laugh and shook her head. “I haven’t even broken anything and yet…”

“Haven’t broken anything yet.” Alex’s smile widened. “Can’t be too careful.”

Maggie smiled wryly. “Yeah, yeah. I was more thinking drinks.”

Alex hummed, still giving her a teasing smile. “Perhaps. See you later, Maggie.”

“Hmph. Maybe not if you’re going to be like that.”

“Promises. Promises.”

Maggie laughed and waved her off before turning and heading back to her office to get some work done. She didn’t even bother trying to suppress the fond smile at the teasing, ignoring the quick glances and barely suppressed smiles from her employees who had likely heard the whole exchange. This whole thing could definitely blow up in their faces but right then Maggie couldn’t bring herself to care.

*     *     *

Alex tried to focus on work rather than dissect the conversation with Maggie earlier. At times she thought Maggie might actually be flirting with her. A thought that made her want to grin and giggle, though she managed to refrain. At other times she was positive it was just a cover story to Maggie, definitely not actual flirting with intent. She couldn’t figure out which was true and it frustrated her. Mostly she assumed Maggie was definitely not flirting with her but still, some of her comments to Alex, the way she smiled, niggled at the back of Alex’s mind and she wondered.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the door opening. A quick glance confirmed that the newcomer was the very object of her thoughts. Alex tried to shove away all thoughts of whether Maggie liked her like that but couldn’t completely contain the warm smile. “Hey, Maggie.”

“Doctor Danvers.” Maggie’s answering smile was just as warm.

“What brings you to my lair, Director Sawyer?” Alex flashed a teasing grin, garnering rolled eyes and an answering grin in response.

“Just bored. Figured maybe your nerdiness would help me nap,” Maggie shot back.

Alex simply chuckled in response and leaned back over her microscope to continue studying the blood sample from the Khund she had been looking at.

Maggie leaned against the lab table nearby but not so close she would be in Alex’s way. “Whatcha up to?”

Alex answered absently, scribbling some notes on her ever present notepad. “Analyzing the blood of that Khund from Saturday. We took some while he was in containment.” When there was no response from Maggie, Alex raised her head and looked over curiously. She found Maggie’s expression had darkened and the look she was now giving Alex was bordering on a glare. Alex frowned in confusion. “Maggie?”

“Took some, huh?”

Alex cocked her head slightly, still frowning in confusion. “Yes. To test. We need to figure out what the hell Cadmus is up to.”

“And the Khund?”

“What about him?”

“Where is he now?”

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’d forgotten that Maggie wouldn’t know yet. “He’s dead.”

If possible, Maggie’s expression darkened further. “I see. So you just… what? Decided that made him a good test subject?”

Alex sighed. So that was the problem. She should’ve guessed Maggie would’ve heard the worst sort of rumors about the DEO as a cop. And she couldn’t even deny them because most of them were likely true or close enough to true. Even with J’onn’s ongoing slow shift. There was only so much he’d been able to change prior to the new president without blatantly going against the DEO’s official mandate and even under President Marsdin, they weren’t exactly a warm and fuzzy group. They were not, and likely never would be, normal law enforcement with the varying obligations that came with that.

She wished she was surprised at Maggie’s reaction. She couldn’t blame her. One thing was for sure, even if Maggie had been flirting for real before, she certainly wouldn’t be going forward, having been reminded of Alex’s true job. Even if she was off base in this instance. Resigned, Alex simply commented, “He asked us to. If you’ll excuse me, Director.”

Pointedly, she refocused on the microscope, hoping Maggie would take the hint and leave. She wasn’t much in the mood to explain. For once, she just wished someone she cared about would give her the benefit of the doubt and not instantly hold the entire history of the DEO against her.

“Alex, I—”

Whatever Maggie was going to say was cut off by a sharp knock on the door. Blinking, Alex glanced up in confusion. Lois Lane was standing outside the lab giving her a pointed look through the glass. Alex sighed. She surveyed her work. She supposed she was at as good of a stopping point as any. And hopefully Lois’ presence would deter Maggie from giving Alex the grilling she knew was coming. Carefully putting away her samples, Alex moved to let Lois into the lab, taking her time and grinning internally at the impatient look on her sort-of-almost-cousin-in-law’s face. She deliberately didn’t look over to see Maggie’s reaction.

Opening the door, she merely stepped out of the way casually as Lois plowed into the lab. “Hello, Lois. Nice to see you, too.”

“Don’t give me that. I want all the details.”

Alex frowned slightly in confusion and couldn’t help but exchange a puzzled glance with Maggie. “Details?”

“About the other day. Before the attack.”

Alex paused for a split second before asking in confusion, “What attack?” Was there a second attack she had missed?

Lois turned back to her, gaze just shy of a glare. “The attack outside the restaurant. Martin’s?”

Alex frowned. “What about it? We already discussed this, Lois.” She racked her brain for something they had missed, aside from the obvious. That being that Alex herself was involved in the fight. So far as Lois knew, Alex had simply herded the patrons out the back and followed them while Kara dealt with the Khund. They’d kept Maggie’s presence and involvement completely quiet, not wanting Lois to dig deeper into the former detective. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to hide the presence of Cadmus. Lois had already learned that tidbit before she ever came to talk to the sisters about it. But Alex couldn’t think of anything else that had been left out that wasn’t deliberate to preserve the DEO’s, and Alex’s, identities.

“Oh, no, I’m not talking about the attack itself. I’m talking about a certain detail you neglected to include to me, your favorite cousin.”

Now Alex truly was baffled and she knew it showed.

Lois made an exasperated sound. “Why did I have to find out from Kara that not only was Miss Director Sawyer over here at brunch with you before the attack, but that you two are dating?” She jabbed a finger in the direction of the watching Maggie without taking her eyes off Alex.

Oh shit. Not that Alex hadn’t planned to tell Lois eventually. After all, no one but the minimum people required could be in on the ruse for it to work. She just… hadn’t expected it quite so soon. She looked at Maggie and found the other woman already edging toward the door. Alex gave her a look that clearly said “Where do you think you’re going?”

Maggie cleared her throat and jerked a thumb at the door. “I, uh… I don’t think you need me for this. I’m just gonna… uh… go.”

“Maggie Sawyer, don’t you dare.”

“Sorry. I uh… need to do some work.” Flashing a weak smile, Maggie slipped out the lab door. “We’ll finish our conversation later, Danvers.”

“Sawyer…” Alex said warningly to no avail. Maggie didn’t even wait for the elevator, ducking through the stairway door without a look back. Alex sighed and turned back to Lois, giving her own weak smile. “Um.”

Lois gave her an expectant look, clearly not deeming the departure of Maggie significant enough to prevent pressing Alex for further information.

“I… what did Kara say?”

“She let it slip that Sawyer was there and then confirmed she was there with you. Don’t avoid the question.”

“Which was?”

“Don’t pull that, Alexandra Danvers.”

Alex winced at the use of her full name and muttered, “Jeez, Lois. Go for the jugular why don’t you?”

Lois just smiled. “It’s part of my charm. Now come on. Spill.”

Alex sighed. “What else did Kara say?”

“Not much.” Lois narrowed her eyes. “You’re still avoiding.”

Alex grimaced. She definitely was. “There’s not much else to say about it.”

“Why didn’t you say something when we spoke Saturday?”

“It didn’t seem important.”

Lois considered the statement and seemed to accept Alex’s point for now. “Fine. How long?”

“Um, about three days.”

Lois gave her a surprised look. “Three days? As in just as of Friday?”

Alex nodded.

“Kara made it sound much longer.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Of course she did. We’ve known each other for weeks, yes. And became friends.” She didn’t mention that the “friends” status was very recent and possibly already gone. “But we only started dating very recently.”

Lois nodded slowly. “Then it makes sense why you didn’t mention it. Sorry, Alex.”

Alex shrugged. “It’s fine. I planned to tell you.”

Lois smiled. “Well, for what my opinion is worth, I’m happy for you. And Clark will be, too.”

Alex gave her a small smile back. Admittedly, Kara’s reaction had been the highest on her list of concerns. But it was still nice to hear that from someone that was basically family. “Thanks, Lois. Speaking of Clark, will he be coming to National City soon also?”

Lois rocked her head back and forth for a moment. “Not sure. Perry’s made noises about wanting us both on the story but right now he has Clark pursuing the topic from the alien amnesty angle rather than putting him on the Cadmus angle.” She deliberately paused then added, “He’ll be here if needed, though.”

Alex nodded. She knew that nothing would prevent Superman from helping Supergirl out if he thought she needed it. Right now, they had things under control. She just hoped it remained that way.

“Speaking of the story…” Alex gave Lois a curious look as she spoke again. “How about that interview?”

“Ah, right.” Alex considered for a bit. If she was careful, she thought she could use it in their favor. Potentially draw Cadmus out. “Sure. Wednesday? If you agree to keep it anonymous.”

“Done.” Lois glanced over at Alex’s abandoned microscope. “I’ll let you get back to whatever fascinating science you have going on in here. See you Wednesday, Alex.” Alex nodded and watched her head toward the door. Just before exiting, Lois paused and turned back around. “Also, find out when your girlfriend is free for a family dinner. I’ll let Clark know.” Before Alex could manage to find her voice to protest, Lois was out the door and entering the elevator.

Alex sighed and dropped her head. The only part of the past hour in her lab that had gone how she wanted it to was her lab results. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and a quick glance at the screen showed it was a text from Maggie. Shooting the security camera a baleful look, Alex deliberately slid the phone back in her pocket without unlocking it to read the message. It vibrated again and she ignored it, returning to her analysis. She was sure Maggie was trying to set up a time to continue their conversation and she didn’t much feel like hearing it right now.

*     *     *

Maggie sighed and watched the monitors, her gaze constantly drifting back to the one showing Alex’s lab. It had been not quite 48 hours since they’d last spoken. After Alex had ignored the texts she’d sent on Monday, Maggie had backed off and given Alex her space. But it was now Wednesday and Maggie figured she really needed to talk to Alex. She needed to explain herself and apologize for jumping to the conclusions she did. Not that she didn’t have reason. Everything she knew about the DEO pointed to taking blood by force as being the most logical option. They weren’t exactly known—what little even was known—as being a pro-alien rights group. The whole dead alien part didn’t help.

But, Maggie had to concede once she’d had some space to think it over, she had no reason to think Alex was like that. Plus, if she was being honest, she was very curious about what the DEO was really like. They were clearly opposed to Cadmus, or at least to how extreme Cadmus was. Alex’s reaction told her that, even if what she had heard about the DEO had been true at one point, it likely wasn’t now. At the very least, it clearly wasn’t completely accurate. Besides, they definitely needed to get back on speaking terms if they were going to continue this dating charade. Though, Maggie supposed, they could always claim to have broken up.

She tried to ignore just how much that thought hurt even though they weren’t even dating for real.

Sighing, she pulled herself from her thoughts and refocused on the screens in front of her. Motion from Alex’s lab caught her eye and she watched as Lois put away her notepad, the interview that Maggie assumed she had been conducting apparently now complete. Before she could second guess herself, Maggie pushed away from her desk and headed for the door. Maybe if she caught Alex right after Lois she would be amenable to talking. Of course, she could also decide she’d used up her allotment of socialization for the day and kick Maggie out immediately. Maggie figured it was 50/50 at this point.

Lois was just leaving Alex’s lab when Maggie stepped off the elevator. Maggie held the elevator door for her and exchanged polite nods. Lois gave her a speculative look but didn’t speak other than a quiet “Thank you” as she entered the elevator. Maggie frowned slightly but dismissed the look as she turned toward the lab. She figured Alex had likely told Lois that they’d had a fight. They were basically family, right? Fights with your “girlfriend” were the sort of thing she assumed you talked about with family members closer in age to you.

Taking a deep breath, Maggie keyed into the lab. Alex flicked a glance her way before turning her attention back to her work. Alex’s expression was mostly impassive but Maggie caught a slight tightening of her lips. Definitely not the type of greeting Maggie had gotten used to in recent weeks. Not that Maggie could blame her. Sighing, Maggie spoke quietly, “Hey, Danvers. How was the interview?”

“Fine.”

“Accomplish what you wanted?”

Alex shrugged a shoulder. “We’ll see.”

Maggie sighed again. Oh yeah, this was going well. “Alex… I’m sorry.”

That got Alex to look up at her, one eyebrow arched slightly. She clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “For?” Her tone was cautious but Maggie fancied she got a hint of hope.

“The other day. Jumping to conclusions. At least about you.”

Alex seemed to consider the statements for a moment then inclined her head slightly. “I’m sorry for not explaining better to start.”

Maggie tried out a small smile. “I know this isn’t the best place to talk about it and I agree with that but… pool? Friday night?”

Alex cocked her head slightly. “Where?”

“I know a place. I used to go there more frequently before I left the force.”

Alex studied her thoughtfully for several moments and Maggie tried not to squirm under the contemplation. Finally, Alex nodded. “Sure. Text me the address.” She favored Maggie with a small smile, gaze warming slightly.

Maggie nodded back. “Will do. I’ll let you get back to work then.”

She turned to leave but paused as Alex said her name. Turning, she cocked her head curiously. She couldn’t recall a prior time where Alex had actually asked her to stay longer, even after they’d become friendly. Alex’s small smile hadn’t really grown but had grown a bit devilish and Maggie narrowed her eyes. “What’s up, Danvers?”

“Oh, not much. Just… don’t make plans for Saturday if you don’t have them already.”

“Why…?” Maggie drew out the word cautiously.

Alex’s smile grew. “Family dinner with Lois,” she replied innocently.

Maggie blanched. “Uh… what?”

“You heard me. So if you didn’t already have plans… you do now.”

“I—”

“Don’t even think of trying to find one.” Alex’s tone was wry. “Believe me, I’ve tried. You aren’t going to win against Lois. She wants a family dinner. She’s going to get one whether we like it or not.”

A little stunned still, Maggie nodded. “Uh, right. Just, um, just tell me when and where.”

Alex nodded. “Will do. We, uh, can discuss a plan on Friday?”

“Uh, sure. Yeah, that sounds good. Friday.” With a half wave and something that resembled a smile, Maggie left the lab, still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Meeting the family… and we’re not even dating for real. What did I do to deserve this? Shit.

*     *     *

Alex flopped on her couch and contemplated her ceiling thoughtfully. Maggie had surprised her earlier. She had fully expected the other woman to either pretend it had never happened or lapse back into a purely professional relationship except when absolutely required. It seemed, however, that Maggie actually did want to be friends for real. Or at least… more friendly than just coworkers. Alex still wasn’t sure what to think. Would there be more potential flirting? Alex honestly wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer to that question to be yes or no. “No” would certainly be less confusing. But “yes”… well, yes might mean she actually had a chance.

Sighing, she draped an arm over her eyes. At the least, Saturday was going to be some kind of torture. Only Kara knew they weren’t really dating which meant they definitely would need to act like they were. Alex wasn’t entirely sure what that would entail. She’d always been shit at dating in the past, though she supposed she now had an idea of why that was. Certainly she was more interested in Maggie than any of her ex-boyfriends. She’d never spent days agonizing over whether they were flirting with her.

Groaning, she rolled to her feet and padded into the kitchen. She needed to distract herself from dwelling on all of this. She’d gone over it enough. The only solution would be time. Which didn’t stop her brain from constantly trying to dissect everything, discontent with not understanding and knowing. It’s what made her a great scientist and agent. And what had often made her a terrible girlfriend. Grumbling to herself, Alex pulled out food for dinner, intent on eating and trying to find something on TV that could make her brain shut up for just a little while.

Her phone buzzed on the island and she picked it up, smiling slightly at the picture of Kara. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I think I need to be asking you that. I heard Lois came by today.”

Alex shrugged, sandwiching her phone between her shoulder and ear. “It went fine.”

“Accomplish what you were hoping?”

Alex hummed thoughtfully. “I think so. We’ll find out for sure soon enough.”

There was a short pause then Kara spoke again, “I also heard Maggie came up afterward but didn’t go see you yesterday.”

Alex sighed. “We… we didn’t have a fight. But… a misunderstanding.”

“About?”

“The Khund.”

Alex could practically hear Kara’s frown through the phone. “The Khund? What about him?”

“We’re… I think we’re going to talk about it more on Friday but Maggie assumed we took his blood involuntarily.”

“Ah.” Kara lapsed into silence and Alex took the opportunity to start eating. She knew, like herself, that Kara would be thinking about how not too long ago that likely would’ve been a very accurate perception of the DEO’s operating procedure. Though they’d never experimented like Cadmus—that having been Cadmus’ role in the first place even when official—they also hadn’t been much concerned with alien rights. Even knowing that most of the aliens they dealt with were escaped prisoners didn’t really excuse that fact.

Finally, Kara spoke again. “So, Friday, huh?”

“Mhm. We’re going to play pool. Talk.”

“Where at?”

“Don’t know yet. She said she knows a place. She’s going to send the address later.”

Kara’s next question was tentative. “And… how much do you plan to tell her?”

Alex sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Relationships are built on honesty.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “We aren’t actually in a relationship,” she reminded her sister.

“You’re friends.”

“True. I think. But…” Alex trailed off with another sigh.

“But?”

“I don’t know how much to tell her, Kara. What am I supposed to say? ‘Actually, you’re completely right about me and the DEO’? ‘Please don’t hold my actual actions against me’? Like that will go over well.”

“Alex… you know things are different now.”

“Not that different.”

Kara sighed. “Just be honest, Alex. I don’t think she’ll hold it against you.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Have you… um, have you thought about telling her about Jeremiah.”

“No.” Alex’s response was immediate.

“She’ll find out eventually if you keep working together.”

“Then she can find out eventually.”

“Okay. Okay. I assume Lois talked to you about dinner, Saturday?”

Alex grunted affirmatively.

She heard Kara stifle a laugh on the other end of the line. “And how are you and Maggie going to handle that?”

“No idea. We’re going to talk about it Friday.”

“Well, I think it’ll be fun.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

“Oh come on, Alex! Clark’s flying over for it too! It’ll be fun!”

“For you.”

“Lucy’s going to be there.”

Alex nearly choked on her drink. “What? How did that happen?”

“I asked… okay, I begged. Lois asked me to.”

“And she agreed?”

“I… may have had to bribe her a little.”

“What on Earth could you bribe her with to get her to agree to that? Is Vasquez going to be there also?”

“I told her I’d use my connections to get her and Vasquez an appointment at that exclusive spa that just opened up. And yes, Vasquez is coming too.”

“Well, that should be entertaining at least. And why don’t you ever use your connections to get me spa trips?”

“I told you it would be fun.” Alex rolled her eyes as Kara conveniently didn’t answer the question. Not that Alex had actually expected her to. Kara continued, blithely, “Anyway, Lena and I are going to dinner. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun on Friday!”

“Yeah, sure. Later, Kara.”

Alex hung up the phone and tapped it against her chin thoughtfully for a moment before setting it aside. She really did need to figure out just how much she was comfortable sharing with Maggie before Friday. Her father was a definite no, at least for now. But maybe in the future… Alex sighed and returned her attention to her food. She could worry about that later.

*     *     *

Maggie double-checked her watch as she waited for Alex. She hoped the other woman hadn’t changed her mind about talking and bailed on their… date? Maggie wasn’t entirely sure what to call it. Date wasn’t quite right but it also seemed more accurate than most other terms she could think of. Or maybe it was just that she wanted it to be a date. Her attraction to Doctor Doctor Agent Alex Danvers had definitely not diminished the more she got to know the other woman. Quite the opposite.

She sighed and tried to push those thoughts away. She doubted Alex actually wanted to date her. Though, sometimes… some of the things the woman said or did made her wonder. Having to casually reference Alex as her girlfriend the night before at dinner with Victor and his family definitely had not helped the situation. Especially since Johnny, Victor’s son and still so new to the gay dating scene, had so many questions about Maggie’s girlfriend. It just felt so natural to talk about the other woman like that. Despite how their “relationship” had started, Maggie found it surprisingly easy to work with the other woman or even just talk to her.

The roar of a motorcycle pulled Maggie from her thoughts and she looked up. A smile bloomed on her face involuntarily, recognizing Alex’s Ducati. As in the previous instances of seeing Alex on her bike, Maggie could not deny the attraction. The woman was gorgeous and definitely knew how to handle her motorcycle. Maggie watched, still smiling, as Alex pulled up next to her Triumph and parked, kicking down the kickstand in a practiced move. Alex pulled off her helmet, shaking her hair back and Maggie swallowed. Yep, still gorgeous.

She forced her expression to be easy as she pushed off from the wall she was leaning against. “Hey, Danvers.”

“Hey.” Alex flashed a brief smile at Maggie as she secured her helmet. Swinging off the bike she stepped over to Maggie’s side, looking around curiously. “So what is this?”

“You’ll see.” Maggie flashed a broader smile and turned to the door. Quickly, she knocked and recited the passphrase “Dollywood.” She sensed Alex at her back as she led the way inside. She paused inside and let Alex move past then fell in step next to the other woman.

Alex glanced sidelong at her. “A dive bar?”

Maggie chuckled. “Okay, I’ll grant, not as nice as the place near L-Corp but they do make a mean peach mojito and there are other advantages.”

“Such as?”

“Things aren’t always as they appear, Danvers. Take a look around. What do you see?”

“People who’ve made questionable life choices.”

Maggie really hoped this hadn’t been a terrible idea. She was already second-guessing her decision. When she’d said she knew a place, it had seemed like a great idea at the time. A good way to show Alex that she really didn’t think Alex was like the rumors she’d heard about the DEO. To show her she trusted Alex. But now the doubts were creeping in. What if she was wrong? Or even just what if Alex hated the idea of a dive bar and never went anywhere with Maggie again?

She watched carefully as Alex looked around. She could see the moments when Alex started clocking other patrons as aliens. The slightly widened eyes. The sharply indrawn breath. The twitch of a hand toward a hidden sidearm. Maggie grabbed her hand to stop the motion. “Hey, whoa, easy.” Her fingers were wrapped around Alex’s warm ones before realizing Alex had stopped the motion on her own. Maggie swallowed, not sure if she should let go or if that would be more awkward. Trying to cover up for the grab, she used her grip on Alex’s hand to tug the other woman toward an empty table.

Alex turned slightly wide eyes toward Maggie as they walked, seemingly uncaring or just unnoticing that they were holding hands, and asked, “What is this place?”

Maggie tried to let go of Alex’s hand as casually as possible as they reached the table she’d targeted. “A safe haven. A place for off-worlders to hang out, have a drink, not feel so alone for a minute.” She watched as Alex looked down at her hand before meeting Maggie’s gaze again.

“So this is where you heard the DEO rumors.”

Maggie nodded slightly and watched Alex carefully.

Alex huffed a half-laugh. “I gotta say, that makes sense.” She looked around again, this time appearing a little more comfortable with the surroundings now that she knew what to expect.

Maggie watched her closely. When Alex glanced back at her, Maggie tried to look as though she hadn’t just been staring. She flagged down a waitress. “Two beers, please, Darla.”

“You got it, Mags.”

Maggie looked over at Alex, finding her giving her a bemused look. “Don’t.”

Alex just smirked a little. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Uh huh…” Maggie lapsed into silence, content to wait for their beers and surreptitiously watch Alex before starting the conversation she knew they still needed to have.

Alex seemed content to follow her lead, still looking around the bar with interest.

Maggie still wasn’t entirely sure what Alex thought about the place. She didn’t seem inclined to call in a raid or something but that reach for the gun had been pure instinct. Even if she’d stopped herself before completing it, it was clear that Alex wasn’t used to being around aliens that she didn’t consider enemies.  Except for Supergirl, Maggie reminded herself. She still wasn’t completely clear on the relationship there but it was at least a start for Alex presumably not being entirely anti-alien. And obviously Alex—and the DEO—were against Cadmus. So that was… well it was a start. Alex was still clearly alert for trouble but given that seemed to be Alex Danvers’ normal state, Maggie didn’t hold it against her. Maybe Maggie really had misjudged the DEO as well as Alex herself.

Once the beers were delivered, Maggie cleared her throat, drawing Alex’s interested look back to her. “So, about Monday…”

Alex held up a finger and pulled out her high tech jammer. Maggie had led them to a table off to the side and somewhat secluded but Alex still covered the jammer up casually with the hand not holding her beer. Once set, Alex didn’t respond verbally, merely looked at Maggie quietly and arched an eyebrow expectantly.

So that was how it was going to be. It was a technique Maggie had used herself throughout the years, both with perps and her girlfriends to encourage them to talk. She was a little amused at having it used on her and also a little disgruntled that it was definitely working. Alex’s cool gaze seemed to look right through her. Maggie got the distinct impression the other woman somehow already knew what she was going to say. Sighing silently, Maggie continued, “About Monday. I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions based on what I’d heard about the DEO. I should’ve asked you about it.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully, clearly considering her own words. Finally she spoke quietly, gaze dropping to the beer bottle she was fiddling with, “It’s uh… it’s fine. You had your reasons.” She paused and Maggie was just about to insist that it wasn’t fine when Alex continued speaking. “It’s not like you were that far off anyway.”

Maggie paused for a moment before asking slowly, “What do you mean?” She tried to keep any judgment from her voice. The part of her that hated what the DEO apparently stood for warred with the part of her that was undoubtedly already falling for DEO Agent Alex Danvers.

She watched Alex take a deep breath and glance around again before meeting Maggie’s gaze briefly. “Exactly what I said. What you heard and concluded about the DEO wasn’t that far off. It’s changing, slowly, but…” She shrugged a little. “We aren’t a warm and fuzzy pro-alien group and never will be. We are… working on changing some things. Seeing if our mission will change. But our mandate is what it is and we do what needs to be done. The things that other groups can’t or won’t.

“So in this instance… yes, we had permission. I can’t say that about every time in the past, nor guarantee it will hold true in the future.” Alex met Maggie’s gaze almost defiantly, clearly daring Maggie to judge her for it.

It struck Maggie that that was exactly what Alex was expecting. For Maggie to hold the DEO against her. Maggie wondered how many people in Alex’s life had done so in the past. Not that Maggie was under any delusions that Alex was completely innocent in this. It was clear, mostly by what Alex hadn’t said, that Alex herself hadn’t exactly been the catalyst for whatever changes were being made, though Maggie didn’t get the impression she objected to those changes either. She wondered how much of that had to do with Alex’s obvious friendship with Supergirl. Not that it was impossible, or even very difficult, to separate the kind of alien Supergirl was from other aliens and be fine with the one while holding their alienness against all the others. Alex certainly didn’t seem to see much of a problem with assuming aliens were the enemy by default.

Alex was studying her warily and Maggie realized she was waiting for a response. Maggie sighed. Her voice was dry as she responded, “You know, Danvers, that’s not exactly the most reassuring response you could make. ‘Hey, this time we had permission but if we didn’t we’d probably have just taken his blood anyway. After all, he died and couldn’t say no.’”

Alex’s gaze grew cold and it struck Maggie she hadn’t seen that distance in the other woman in weeks. “My job isn’t to reassure. We don’t all have the benefit of assuming the best in everyone, particularly aliens that can kill us with their pinkies.”

“Really, Danvers? Do you assume every human bigger than you is a criminal also?” Maggie tried to keep her voice level but she was starting to wonder if it was worth it. She’d been mostly sarcastic with her initial response but, based on Alex’s reaction, the other woman seemed to take it as a judgmental cheap shot directed at her personally rather than the more generally wry response Maggie had intended. Maggie was sorry she’d jumped to conclusions in the lab but Alex wasn’t giving her much to work with here.

Alex studied her in silence for several seconds, looking as if she was working out a puzzle. Her next question threw Maggie slightly. “Why does it matter so much to you?”

“What?”

“What I think of aliens. Or, hell, what people in general think of them. It clearly means a lot to you.”

Maggie paused, ordering her thoughts. “I can relate to them, I guess. Growing up a non-white, non-straight girl in Blue Springs, Nebraska? Might as well have been from Mars. I was an outcast and I felt like it. Our alien neighbors? They’re no different. Most of them are hard-working immigrants or refugees just trying to get by and they have to hide who they are in order to survive. I can sympathize with that. And now with Cadmus out there going out of its way to stir up anti-alien sentiment?”

Alex nodded slowly as Maggie trailed off. After a moment her lips quirked slightly and Maggie cocked her head in confusion. That was definitely not the reaction she was expecting. “You know,” Alex started, “you sound like Supergirl. Sort of.”

Maggie wasn’t entirely sure what to think about that. “Like Supergirl, huh?”

Alex gave her an amused look. “Not a fan of the comparison? I thought we’d established that she is, in fact, not doing something nefarious by working with me.”

Maggie sighed. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

Maggie chose her words carefully, well aware that Alex and Supergirl clearly worked together and seemed at least a little friendly. “As a cop… her methods were not always the most conducive to the way we operated.”

Alex cocked her head a little, looking interested. “Care to elaborate on that?”

Maggie studied Alex carefully. She wasn’t entirely sure how they got from practically arguing about the DEO’s methods to a debate over Supergirl’s, but she figured she’d run with it for now. “The property damage alone is a problem. Plus her tendency to, well, not look before she leaps. Metaphorically. She tends to kind of… barge into things, disrupting police operations and causing avoidable injuries to the bad guys. As a person, I understand the sentiment of not particularly caring if a bad guy doesn’t have a friendly arresting experience. As a cop? Those criminals use the ‘Supergirl Defense’ to get out of charges due to injuries sustained during the situation. Not very helpful long-term.”

Alex looked thoughtful and surprisingly agreeable given Maggie’s statements. Eventually, she spoke again. “I should tell her that. She tends not to listen to me when I tell her she’s being reckless. The whole invulnerable thing makes it difficult to convince her to be safer. But maybe hearing that perspective will get through to her.”

Maggie blinked in surprise. “Just how well do you know Supergirl? And how do you know her that well?”

Alex gave her an enigmatic smile. “Pretty well. She’s been working with the DEO since shortly after becoming Supergirl.”

Maggie wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the response didn’t really answer the question. She was pretty sure if she pushed that Alex wouldn’t give her more, however. She changed the subject slightly instead. “So how does what I said sound like Supergirl? But only sort of.”

Maggie got the distinct impression Alex was choosing her words carefully as she responded, presumably to avoid saying too much negative about the hero. “Supergirl is generally a proponent of alien rights. Big supporter of the Alien Amnesty Act. But, she also works closely with the DEO and supporting much of our mission.”

Maggie nodded. Not a terribly surprising answer though she was very curious about just what, exactly, the DEO’s mission was. Or had been. Or whatever. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly before speaking. “I’m not going to pretend to be okay with the DEO’s actions in the past or in the future if they violate aliens’ rights… but I’m also not going to pretend that I understand or know everything. Okay? I’ll try not to jump to conclusions in the future.”

Alex seemed surprised by her statement. “Okay.” She paused then continued, almost hesitantly, “Uh, in the future I’ll try to explain myself a little better. I’m… not used to having to do that, really. At least not to most people.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

Alex gave a stiff nod in response and sipped at her beer. Maggie got the distinct impression she wasn’t used to explaining herself to a far more limited subset of people than even what she alluded to. She wondered just how high up “Agent” Danvers was in the DEO. She had a sneaking suspicion that while Lucy Lane might be a Director and, at least based on the way they spoke when Maggie met her, nominally in charge of Alex that the distinction existed primarily on paper. Speaking of Lucy… Maggie cocked her head curiously. “So, Danvers, about this dinner…”

Alex groaned and Maggie smothered a laugh. “I want you to know, that was all Lois.”

“I figured. Care to elaborate on that?”

Alex flashed a faint smile, clearly catching the call back to Alex’s own question earlier. “Once Lois heard we were ‘dating’ she decided a family dinner was required. She’s even forcing Clark to fly in and convinced Kara to bribe Lucy to come.”

“Lucy requires a bribe for dinner with her sister?” Maggie felt trepidation creep up her spine. Lois Lane was intimidating enough with what Maggie knew about her, but so much so that her own sister didn’t want to attend dinner?

Alex appeared to consider the question, or perhaps just how much to say. “Lucy and Lois have had some differences of opinion in the past and, as you can imagine, the fact that they're both stubborn as hell makes them clash. It should be fine.” Alex's tone was doubtful, however.

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “You've given me such confidence in this idea.”

Alex chuckled, sipping on her beer. “Kara will pout at them if they act up too much. It'll be fine. Amusing for us.”

“Ah yes… us. How, uh, how do you want to handle this? Does Lucy know we're ‘dating’?”

“Oh, um… yes, she does.” Alex appeared flustered for a moment before her more usual calm settled back in. “I guess just… like we normally do? It's supposed to be new after all. And people already thought we were dating.”

“New yet we allegedly already spent the night together,” Maggie pointed out wryly. She really shouldn't have found the faint blush creeping up Alex's face as endearing as she did.

“Lois and Clark don't know that part. I don't think.”

Maggie laughed. “Great. How about hand-holding? Nice. Simple.”

“Uh, yeah. I can do that.” Alex took another drink of her beer and her gaze danced around the bar even as she answered Maggie's suggestion.

Maggie found it amusing and interesting how skittish the other woman was talking about this. She hadn't really shied away from the previous hand-holding outside the brunch place. Maggie wondered if she was just someone who preferred actions to putting relationships into words or what. “So, seems like we’re agreed. Act like we normally do but with extra hand-holding.”

Alex nodded, still seeming caught somewhere between enthusiasm and skittishness. “Right. Yeah.”

“Do you know where we’re supposed to be going? Should we arrive together?”

At this, Alex shrugged, her body language relaxing somewhat now that they’d moved on to more pure logistical issues. “Lois hasn’t told me yet. Arriving together isn’t really necessary. I doubt Lucy and Vasquez will.”

Maggie chuckled. “But Kara and Lena will?”

Alex gave her a wry smile. “You’ve seen them. Practically joined at the hip sometimes. I imagine they will. Lois and Clark probably will too but that’s more because Lois will have to pick him up.”

“So Lois really is making him fly all the way in?” Maggie was surprised. She didn’t know anyone that would fly across the entire country just for dinner. But then again, her relationships had never progressed to the engagement/marriage stage so what did she know? Wouldn’t it be nice to date someone who thought that much of you?

“Yep.”

“Just for dinner?”

Alex shrugged. “Lois can be very insistent. And he might be sticking around to work on the Cadmus story with her.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Maggie considered for a moment. “Does he uh… know about you?”

Alex gave her a confused look. “In what way?”

Maggie frowned, confused. “The DEO? Or does he also think FBI turned private scientist?” What other way could I possibly mean?

“Oh!” Alex looked a little relieved at the clarification and Maggie felt the wheels in her head turning. There was clearly something she was missing. Before she could dwell further, Alex continued, “Actually, he does. He actually worked with my boss in the past so he knew before Kara even did. But since Lois doesn’t…”

Maggie nodded in understanding. Keep things on the down low. Got it.

She was about to ask for further information about what to expect when Alex frowned and pulled out her phone, clearly ringing. Maggie watched as Alex double-checked the jammer—still working fine—before answering. “Winn?” The frown on Alex’s face deepened. “Where is he?” Whatever response she got made her pale. “Got it. Thanks.”

Alex hung up the phone and immediately stood. She barely looked at Maggie as she spoke rapidly. “Sorry. I can’t do this. It’s too dangerous for you. Sorry.” She flicked a final look at Maggie, somewhere between apologetic and dread, before she snagged the jammer and took off.

Maggie watched, stunned, as Alex vanished through the door of the bar. What the hell was that?

Chapter Text

Maggie took a calming breath as she pulled into the DEO parking lot. She’d sat at the bar for a few more minutes, still completely blindsided by Alex’s sudden about face. But after paying the bill she’d decided she wasn’t going to let Alex get away with a unilateral decision again. It was one thing to accept that she couldn’t be actively involved in some DEO decisions. But this? This involved Maggie directly and she was going to get to the bottom of it. Besides, too dangerous for her? While the sentiment of protecting Maggie would be endearing if she let herself think too much about it—and a definite difference from previous relationships where she was expected to always be the stronger one—it was also not something she would tolerate in this sort of one-sided way.

Pulling herself from her thoughts, Maggie stared up at the imposing building that housed the DEO. She’d taken every precaution to make sure she wasn’t being followed on the way here and didn’t see anyone suspicious. She just hoped she was right. She also didn’t see Alex’s bike anywhere, but she figured this place had some fancy parking garage that the employees normally used. Leaving her bike in a visitor spot in front, Maggie headed into the building, completely unsure if she would be able to actually accomplish anything.

The “receptionists” gave her wary looks as she stepped into the lobby, not entirely masked by the practiced smiles they wore. Maggie headed straight for them, though she consciously tried to soften her expression so they wouldn’t think she was a threat. She was pretty sure they didn’t entirely buy it, but they also didn’t shoot her on sight, so she counted that as a win.

“I need to see Agent Danvers.”

They exchanged glances that Maggie was pretty sure would appear confused to anyone that didn’t already know about the DEO’s presence. Carefully, the one on the right stated, “I’m sorry, ma’am. There is no ‘Agent Danvers’ in this building.”

Maggie sighed. “Listen, I already know what the building really is. I’ve signed the NDAs and everything. Just please tell me if Agent Danvers is here or not.”

The two exchanged looks again, this time far more wary. “Ma’am, we’re not at liberty to discuss that.”

“Then Director Lane. One of the two. Or even Supergirl.”

There was a pause, then one of the agents stated calmly while the other spoke in hushed tones into a concealed mic, “Please wait where we can see you, ma’am. Someone will be down shortly.”

Maggie nodded perfunctorily and turned away to study the rest of the lobby. Really, it just looked like a typical, boring office building lobby. A couple of fake plants dotted the area but nothing large enough to obscure any sight lines. She had a sneaking suspicion the windows here were bulletproof or stronger as well. She really hoped Alex was here. She knew the woman wasn’t at L-Corp and honestly had no idea where else to search if not here or at her apartment.

A deep voice behind her pulled her from her contemplations. “Director Sawyer.”

She spun to find Hank Henshaw standing in front of her. Well, at least now she knew her guess about him being an “FBI” colleague was spot on. “Mr.—or is it Doctor?—Henshaw.”

He smiled, seemingly amused. “I suppose I owe you a proper introduction.” He held out a hand. “Director J’onn J’onzz.”

She took his hand automatically, then froze as the name sank in. “Wait. Jean. As in Alex’s ‘friend she worked with in the past’?”

His smile somehow became even more amused. “J’onn. Yes, most likely.”

She narrowed her eyes at the slightly different pronunciation but didn’t pursue it for now. She had a feeling she wouldn’t get a satisfactory answer anyway. A trend with these DEO types it seemed. “So then who is—or was—Hank Henshaw?”

“Ah. For this conversation, we should move elsewhere. Come with me, please.”

Somewhat bemused he was taking her further into the DEO, especially since he was apparently Alex’s boss rather than just colleague, Maggie followed behind. There was a long pause at the elevators as J’onn apparently overrode something and Maggie pretended not to notice the agents at the reception desk watching them curiously. She wondered what rumor she may have inadvertently started by coming here. She dismissed the thought from her mind as J’onn finally led the way onto the elevator. He punched a button for one of the top floors and she remained silent as the elevator ascended swiftly.

He gave her a look she couldn’t quite read before leading her out of the elevator to a floor she definitely hadn’t been to before. He led her to what was clearly his office and waved for her to take a seat in front of the desk. The office was good sized, with a large desk at one end and enough space for a small table and chairs surrounded by bookcases at the other. Briefly, Maggie wondered if Alex had an office somewhere on this same floor and what it looked like in comparison. She had a sneaking suspicion there were a lot more science books involved. J’onn’s voice broke her from her reverie and she refocused on the task at hand.

“So, you’re looking for Agent Danvers.”

She filed away the clear redirect away from the Hank question but allowed it for now. Alex was a higher priority than whatever cover story this DEO Director liked to use. “Yes. Is she here?”

“Why?”

Maggie gave him a neutral look and settled into the conversation. This was how he wanted to play it, huh? “Maybe I just want to say hello.”

He actually chuckled. “Maybe, but somehow I doubt that.”

Maggie contemplated how much to reveal to this man that was also Alex’s boss. They had seemed close in the lab but, still, she didn’t know what exactly their relationship was. How much did he know about Maggie’s relationship—whatever that even was right now—with Alex? She did have to assume he knew something about the call Alex received earlier. No way was that anything but case related. “What do you know about the call Alex received earlier?”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “The one about forty-five minutes ago?”

She simply smiled slightly in response.

He nodded slowly. “Everything, as I’m sure you realize. Why?”

She considered then made a decision. “Because whatever she was told made her say something about danger and bolt.”

He looked a little surprised. “You were together?”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Is that a problem?”

There was something in his gaze she couldn’t figure out. Pride? Happiness? Concern? Could go any way really. His voice gave nothing away either as he responded, “Not a problem at all.” He paused briefly before continuing, “Agent Danvers isn’t here.”

Maggie sighed. It had been too much to hope that it would be that easy. “I don’t suppose you know where she is?”

This time his look was far easier to read. Protective. She suspected that was intentional and made her that much more curious as to the relationship between Alex and her boss. “Why do you want to know?” The sharpness in his gaze gave her the uncomfortable feeling that he would know if she was lying.

“I’m just concerned. Like I said, she bolted. I want to make sure she’s okay.” It was true. She was concerned. Alex had clearly been upset. He didn’t need to know that she also wanted to confront the other woman about this whole “too dangerous for you” nonsense.

J’onn simply watched her for a long moment and Maggie resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. His gaze was penetrating and it almost felt like he was reading her mind. “I see. I don’t know where Agent Danvers is. She did not come here after the call.”

“Any ideas where she may have gone?”

“If not home, then no.”

“Will you at least tell me what the call was about?”

“You’ll have to ask Agent Danvers.”

Maggie huffed slightly in annoyance. Figures. “I will.”

He looked amused again. “I should, however, thank you for your support of Agent Danvers. And her mission.”

She cocked her head a little at the slight pause after Alex’s name, creating a subtle emphasis on “Agent Danvers” separate from Alex’s mission. She was pretty sure the agent meant more to this man than her mission, though both were clearly important. “Of course.”

He smiled again, just a little. “Anything else, Director Sawyer?”

She sighed. “Just call me Maggie. And don’t think I didn’t notice you ducked the ‘Hank Henshaw’ question.”

“J’onn,” he responded. Then he paused thoughtfully, studying her for a moment as if assessing how much to share. “Hank Henshaw is a cover story.”

There was more to it. She could tell. She could also tell there was no way in hell he was going to elaborate. At least not right now. She supposed she couldn’t really blame him. They’d met all of twice now. Alex may trust her—she thought—but that didn’t mean anyone else in the organization had to. She smiled tightly. “Good cover.” She stood. “You’re sure you have no idea where Alex could be?”

He shrugged a little. “To be honest, she doesn’t go many places that I’m aware of besides work and home. Or her sister’s. Sometimes she goes for runs in the parks but I wouldn’t know which one she could be in if she went there now.”

Maggie sighed. There were more than a few parks in National City, especially along the waterfront. Far too many to try searching for one woman at night. “Right. Thanks.”

He rose as well. “Let me walk you out.” Definitely not a suggestion.

She nodded silently and followed quietly as he led the way back downstairs.

Once in the lobby, he held out his hand for another handshake. “It was good to speak with you one-on-one. I see why Alex likes you.” With another smile, and apparently in complete disregard for her surprise, he turned and headed back into the DEO.

Still vaguely stunned at his parting comment, Maggie exited the building. She caught the agents watching her and whispering to each other but ignored them. Whatever rumor they were about to start, she certainly couldn’t stop.

Once astride her motorcycle, Maggie paused to take stock. She had no idea where Alex was. She definitely needed to talk to her, if only to figure out whether tomorrow was going forward as planned. She didn’t have Kara’s number to ask if Alex was there. Sighing, she pulled on her helmet. Time for a stakeout.

*     *     *

Maggie hesitated briefly before knocking on Alex’s door. She’d seen Alex come home a few minutes before. She’d also seen Detective Johnson. That was definitely something she was going to talk to Victor about. She thought they’d stopped surveillance on Alex. But for now, the focus was on dealing with Alex herself. She didn’t receive an answer to her first knock and huffed before knocking again.

Finally, she heard the turning of locks on the other side and the door opened slightly, revealing an Alex Danvers that looked somewhere between concerned, annoyed, and hesitant.

“Hi. We need to talk.”

“I…”

“It's not really a suggestion, Danvers.”

Alex sighed but pulled the door open and waved Maggie in. “By all means.” Her voice was just shy of truly sarcastic.

Maggie resisted the urge to roll her eyes before turning to face Alex, watching as she closed and relocked the door. Once Alex had turned back to her, one eyebrow arched questioningly, Maggie began. “First of all, Detective Johnson is outside.”

Alex nodded. “I know.”

“Of course you do. Was that what the call was about?”

Alex hesitated. “Sort of.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow expectantly, crossing her arms.

Alex frowned. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah, you said that. Let me decide for myself. I’m not some damsel in distress you need to protect, Alex.”

“I know that—”

“But?”

Alex huffed. “It’s my job to protect people, you know.”

“I know. And mine. I was a cop, Alex. I run security now. I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I don’t appreciate you making that decision without me. I can handle it and take care of myself.”

Alex sighed and scrubbed a hand over her face. Maggie caught a flash of something in her eyes that made her wonder if she’d somehow gone too far. “Yes. Fine. You’re right.” Alex’s voice was resigned.

Maggie frowned. Well, she didn’t really want Alex just giving up either. “Alex… I’m not mad that you’re protective. I’m just upset you didn’t include me in the decision. We’re in this together. You don’t have to do it all yourself.”

Alex dropped her hands and gave Maggie an unreadable look. Eventually, her mouth quirked into a small smile. “Okay.”

Maggie studied her for a moment longer, then nodded. “Okay. So, you going to tell me what that call was about?”

Alex turned and paced a short distance before turning back. “Winn has been trying to pull data from the computers we recovered at the raids on the Cadmus facilities. He called to tell me he found something.”

She hesitated and Maggie cocked her head. “And?”

Alex sighed. “You’re not going to like it.”

“I doubt I would like most information about Cadmus other than that they’ve been destroyed.”

“Yeah but…” Alex trailed off and her lips twisted as she watched Maggie. Finally, she continued, “Winn found evidence that there’s cops working for Cadmus. Possibly a significant number.”

Maggie froze. Definitely not what she’d expected. And definitely very far down on the list of news she liked. Unfortunately, it was also something that didn’t entirely surprise her. She kept her voice as level as she could when she asked, “Does he have names?”

Alex shook her head.

Maggie frowned. “Then what about Johnson?”

“He was part of the call but not because of this. We don’t know who the cops are. Unless you have some ideas?”

Maggie started to shake her head then stopped, considering. After a few seconds, she shrugged. “I might have a few ideas but no one I could point to for sure.”

Alex nodded. “If you give me those names, we can look into them.”

Maggie commented dryly, “Perfectly legally, I’m sure.”

Alex merely shrugged unrepentantly. “As for Johnson himself, Winn discovered that he’s still tailing me, as I’d already noticed, as did you. What I didn’t know is…” She hesitated again before plowing forward. “He’s also targeting you. Digging into your files and the like. And, especially if he’s Cadmus, he’s dangerous. I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

Maggie blinked. “Your fault?”

Alex raked a hand through her hair and began pacing. “If I hadn’t dragged you into this, this wouldn’t have happened. A potential Cadmus agent wouldn’t be targeting you. One that is working with your old partner at that. Hell, you wouldn’t be on opposite sides of this from said partner!”

Alex was clearly getting more agitated as she paced and Maggie wasn’t entirely sure Alex even remembered Maggie was there. Maggie considered the issue for a moment, ignoring Alex’s rambling before finally simply stepping in Alex’s path and waiting for her to turn back around. When Alex did so, she pulled up short at finding Maggie in her way, abruptly stopping talking. Maggie cocked her head and seeing Alex wasn’t about to start rambling again, stated, “It’s not your fault.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, for one thing, I didn’t exactly give you much choice on telling me things. For another, even if you hadn’t, if he’s Cadmus, or even just an overly zealous anti-alien sympathizer or something, he likely would’ve started investigating me anyway. Particularly given he’s working with my old partner.”

“True but—”

“But what? Alex, he is not your fault.”

“But Cadmus is!”

Maggie furrowed her brow, taken aback. “How is Cadmus your fault?”

“If we weren’t doing this dating thing you wouldn’t be on Cadmus’ radar.”

That wasn’t exactly the answer to the question Maggie had asked but she left it for now. “You don’t know that I am.”

Alex gave her a withering look. “I know Cadmus. You are. Whether it’s through Johnson or someone else or just because they’re after me.”

“Fine, even assuming I am, you can’t stop that, Alex. I get you want to protect me but you can’t just shut me out. And I’m not going to stop doing my job just because there’s a little danger.”

Alex quirked a tiny smile. “Far cry from a ‘little’ danger. But, I see your point. I would never ask you to stop being yourself.”

Maggie twitched a little in surprise. Even her real girlfriends had never quite understood that this was who she was versus just a job.

Alex continued, apparently oblivious to the effect her words had had. “I’m sorry I reacted like that. It’s just…” She sighed. “I’ve always been the protector. It’s hard to turn that off. I’ll… try to do better in the future.”

Maggie nodded. “So you got the call and bolted to try and protect me.”

Alex nodded, still looking vaguely like she was expecting a shouting match.

Maggie sighed and gave Alex a small smile. “It’s sweet, Danvers. Just don’t do it again.”

Alex smiled in return and appeared to relax. “Deal.”

There was a small pause and Maggie shuffled her feet a little. “I should—”

“Do you—?” Alex cut herself off and cleared her throat. “Sorry.”

“No, go ahead.”

“I was, uh, going to ask if you wanted to stick around for a little. Maybe order some food? Um, after all, Johnson is still outside. And he was at the bar. He, uh, probably expects…” she trailed off and Maggie could see a blush beginning.

She grinned a little. “Expects that we’re making up?”

The blush deepened but Alex nodded. “Don’t, uh, want him getting suspicious. Well, more than he already is.”

“Sure. Sounds good, Danvers. And we can discuss this whole dinner thing tomorrow a little more.”

Alex laughed a little. “Sure.”

*     *     *

Maggie pulled up outside the restaurant and simply sat astride her bike for a minute. This was… big. In a weird way, bigger than meeting any of her “real” girlfriends’ families and she couldn’t quite pinpoint why. After all, she and Alex weren’t actually dating (no matter how much a traitorous part of her wished they were). But somehow it still felt bigger. Like it had more meaning.

Chalking it up to the nerves of maintaining a cover story and being around Lois Lane and Clark Kent, as well as her own boss, Maggie dismounted. She used the ritual of securing her helmet and settling her hair to settle her own nerves before plastering on a confident façade and striding toward the restaurant doors. A quick check of her phone told her that Alex was already inside but they hadn’t been seated yet. Maggie hoped that wasn’t because they were waiting on her. She knew they had a reservation for seven.

Fortunately, when she entered, she saw that she was actually only the fourth one there. Kara, Lena, Lucy, and Vasquez were still all missing. Alex immediately turned as she entered and a smile lit up her face. Maggie realized with a jolt that the smile wasn’t an act—that was just Alex being happy to see her. Her own lips curled into a responding smile and, without thinking about it, she moved to Alex’s side and kissed her cheek. “Hey.” It was only after she spotted the blush on Alex’s cheeks that she realized what she’d done. She could feel a similar blush rising on her own face and was grateful her complexion would likely hide the worst of it.

Trying to cover, Maggie turned to Lois and Clark, finding the former grinning broadly and Clark watching with a more subdued, but still clearly approving, smile. “Um, hi. Maggie Sawyer.” She held out her hand to Clark.

He flashed a friendly grin as he shook her hand. “I’ve heard. Clark Kent. Great to meet you, Maggie.” He had an air about him that was surprisingly calming. Given his journalistic reputation, Maggie had assumed he would be more like Lois. High strung and a bit uptight. But he seemed quite the opposite. Probably why they work so well together.

Releasing his hand, she turned to Lois. “Good to see you again.” Maggie wasn’t entirely sure what sort of greeting the reporter preferred so she just held out her hand again. She was relieved when Lois’ gaze turned appreciative for just a moment as she shook Maggie’s hand.

“Likewise, Director.”

Maggie half-smiled. “Just Maggie is fine.”

Lois nodded as she dropped Maggie’s hand and wrapped an arm around Clark’s waist. Clark immediately draped an arm around her shoulders, watching the conversation with a smile. Lois glanced between Maggie and Alex before asking, “So, Maggie, tell us how you two met. Alex has been fairly reticent.”

Maggie glanced over at Alex who looked fairly impassive right up until she met Maggie’s eyes. At that, she softened slightly and favored Maggie with a slight eye roll and small smile. Maggie smiled a little in return before turning back to Lois and Clark. “Not much to tell, really. Lena was giving me the initial tour of L-Corp. Alex was in her lab doing science in the dark. She kicked us out. The rest is history.”

“I didn’t kick you out!” Alex protested.

Maggie grinned at her. “Sure. So the ‘Is that all?’ was what, exactly?”

“Politeness.” Alex smirked down at her and Maggie chuckled.

“Keep telling yourself that, Danvers.”

Alex chuckled and looked back at the others, picking up the thread of the story seamlessly. “Despite my so-called ‘kicking her out’ it didn’t stop her from coming by my lab regularly.”

Clark chuckled. “And you let her? I’m impressed, Alex.”

Maggie glanced over to see Alex blushing lightly. Smiling fondly, she deliberately reached out to take Alex’s hand. “Well, I’ve been told I can be quite convincing. But don’t worry, it definitely took several weeks before she spoke to me beyond making me hand her tools.”

Alex shrugged slightly, maintaining a pretty good level of calm. Maggie didn’t miss how her fingers intertwined with Maggie’s own, however. “I just figured she should be useful if she was going to come pester me every day.”

Whatever Lois was about to say next was interrupted by the door opening and Lena entering followed by Kara. Greetings had barely finished when Lucy and Susan also arrived. Maggie was more than happy to step back and let the others greet each other and follow the server to their reserved table. She and Alex had discussed how best to describe aspects of their relationship in order to maintain Alex’s cover but still, it felt a little too real and Maggie wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. It didn’t escape her notice that Alex appeared to do the same, practically fading into the background after initial greetings were accomplished.

Maggie only realized she and Alex had continued holding hands the entire time when Alex let go in order to pull out Maggie’s chair. Flashing a smile and murmuring a “thanks” just loud enough for Alex to hear, Maggie settled into the seat which placed her between Alex and Clark. Alex settled next to her and they both let the conversation wash over them as everyone looked at the menu and made superficial conversation, clearly trying to avoid anything too controversial. They were seated at a large, circular table in a private dining room, Lena’s doing Maggie wagered.

Maggie had to admit, it was an… interesting… group. Three special agents. One of whom was both a medical doctor and a bioengineer. A CEO that also happened to be a Luthor. Three reporters, two of whom were more than a little well known. And herself. A former cop. Part of her sincerely wondered just how this had happened. A swift glance to her right at Alex, who was watching the goings on with the faintest of smiles, reminded her that she definitely didn’t want to give it up no matter how it started. Eventually, they had all ordered and a slightly awkward silence fell over the group, small talk exhausted.

After a moment, Clark broke the silence by turning a friendly grin on Alex. “So, Alex, how did you and Lucy meet? We heard about Lucy being at CatCo and meeting Kara but not how you two became such good friends.”

Maggie looked at Alex curiously. She had to admit, she’d been wondering the same thing though she’d assumed they had met through work at the DEO.

Alex smiled blandly, but Maggie caught a mischievous glint in her eye. “She arrested me for treason.”

Maggie was glad she wasn’t drinking or eating anything or she certainly would’ve choked on it. Even Clark—who Maggie was already realizing was normally very even-keeled—seemed surprised. Maggie looked over at Lucy in time to catch her rolling her eyes, but she didn’t seem inclined to contradict Alex’s description.

No one seemed to know what to say to that so Maggie finally asked, “I’m sorry, did you say treason, Danvers?”

“Yep.” Maggie could see the enjoyment dancing in Alex’s eyes even though her overall expression remained calm.

“Care to elaborate on that?” Lois asked from the other side of Clark, her gaze flicking between her sister and Alex rapidly.

Alex shrugged slightly. “It was when I was at the FBI and Lucy was still in the Army. There was an incident. Lucy thought I was at fault. So she arrested me. Obviously, I was innocent. And here we are.”

“What Alex means to say is that she couldn’t resist my charms and we became besties,” Lucy interjected with a grin.

It was Alex’s turn to roll her eyes. “Besties is definitely a matter of some debate.”

Lucy made an offended noise. “If not me then who?”

“Me,” Kara piped up.

Alex just smirked and stated, “James. Of course.”

Both Kara and Lucy turned outraged looks on Alex, immediately talking over each other to make their case for why they were Alex’s best friend.

Maggie heard Clark chuckling next to her and exchanged an amused look with him. He leaned over and murmured, “She’s very good at this. Has been as long as I’ve known her.”

Maggie grinned. “And how long has that been?”

He flashed a grin. “Longer than Kara.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “I might have to pick your brain at some point, Kent.”

Alex had apparently been listening because she immediately leaned over, though her eyes were still fixed on Lucy and Kara. “You tell her anything and you’re dead, Kent.”

Her motion brought her up against Maggie’s side and Maggie relished in the warmth until Alex straightened. After she did so, Maggie asked with amusement, voice just loud enough to carry over Lucy and Kara, “Wow, Danvers. So not even your girlfriend rates the best friend category?”

Lucy and Kara both stopped talking and pinned Maggie with sharp looks before turning on Alex, clearly very interested to hear what she would say. Maggie wondered if both of them knew her relationship with Alex was fake… or at least, not as official as they pretended.

For her part, Alex seemed surprisingly unflustered about the question. “I’ve beaten James more times at pool.” That surprised a laugh out of Maggie before Alex continued, “Besides, you’re in a whole different category that James couldn’t hope to touch. ‘Bestie’ seems a little too much of an understatement, wouldn’t you agree?”

Maggie couldn’t stop the amused smile. “Very smooth, Danvers.”

“I try.”

They locked eyes for a long moment, both smiling until Alex suddenly jumped and whipped around to glare at Kara. From the gleeful expression on Kara’s face, Maggie guessed she had poked her sister. Kara was giving Alex a very serious look though she couldn’t entirely suppress her smile. “This is all very sweet but James?”

Alex laughed. “To see your reaction.”

The server arrived at that moment with salads and Kara settled back, seemingly content with the answer. Alex hadn’t completely shifted away after leaning into her and Maggie was certainly not about to say or do anything to draw attention to that fact. Maggie pretended not to notice the speculative glances both Kara and Lucy were shooting her direction, focusing on her salad and letting the conversation drift to other topics. Quietly, she observed the others as they talked. Lucy and Lois were polite to each other but Maggie could sense the strain. Lena was reserved, though in a different way than Alex. Where Alex was just naturally reserved, Maggie sensed Lena was being reserved more because she just didn’t know the others very well. There was particularly a strange sort of hesitancy between Lena and Lois and Clark. Clark was friendly and surprisingly genuine. Lois was particularly interesting. She was friendly. But Maggie got the distinct impression she was more naturally like Alex than Clark, but the reporter in her made her far more outgoing than Maggie’s not-girlfriend. Kara, of course, was the friendliest of all. Maggie could definitely see the relation between her and Clark. Susan seemed the most like Alex. Reserved but throwing out the occasional sarcastic comment or backing Lucy up. Maggie wondered if that was Lucy’s influence or if she’d always been like that.

The mention of Cadmus brought Maggie’s attention fully back to the conversation. It was Lucy that had brought it up, watching her sister and almost brother-in-law intently as she did so. “So, Lois, how goes the Cadmus story?”

Lois appeared completely unfazed by Lucy’s somewhat aggressive tone. “Quite well, thanks for asking. Clark is probably going to stick around to help as well.”

“So you’re… sticking around for a while?” Lucy’s voice sounded slightly strangled.

Maggie glanced quickly at Alex to find her watching with a slightly amused look though she didn’t say anything.

Lois smirked slightly. “Yes.”

Clark sighed, a somewhat long-suffering look on his face but he, too, didn’t interject. This was clearly something everyone had already decided was between the Lane sisters.

“I see.” Lucy’s voice was tight. “You think that’s wise? Cadmus is dangerous.”

“Like that’s ever stopped me before? Besides, I have Clark.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes slightly. Something about that statement seemed… off… but she couldn’t pinpoint why. Not that Clark didn’t appear to be a perfectly capable person but the undercurrent in Lois’ voice and the way Lucy and the others seemed to accept that indicated there was more to it.

“Still,” Alex interjected. “Lucy’s right. You both need to be careful.”

“You know us.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Cadmus isn’t just some corrupt politician scandal or something. They’re dangerous.” Alex looked like she wanted to say more but opted against it, leaning back in her chair instead. Maggie waited until she looked over and gave her a curious look. Alex simply shook her head slightly. She did, however, shift slightly closer to Maggie.

Lucy and Lois exchanged a few more barbs and Maggie took the chance to shift closer to Alex as well, casually dropping a hand between her and Alex to briefly pat Alex’s leg. There was clearly something more behind Alex’s concern but, whatever it was, was definitely not something they were going to get into here. Alex tensed slightly before she relaxed and reached down to squeeze Maggie’s hand briefly.

The rest of dinner passed relatively uneventfully though Maggie could tell Alex had never really relaxed after the topic of Cadmus came up. Maggie had tried to subtly reassure her, but she wasn’t sure if her actions were successful or just made things worse. Certainly Alex seemed to tense up briefly every time Maggie touched her though she then tended to relax after a second. Maggie wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. She hoped she could figure it out soon. Fake relationship or not, she cared about Alex and definitely didn’t want to be the source of further problems. The woman clearly had enough of those on her plate as it was.

*     *     *

Monday morning, Alex pulled into the parking garage at L-Corp lost in thought. She’d spent the rest of the weekend dwelling on her feelings and how to handle this going forward. The dinner with her family and Maggie had rather bluntly reminded her that her feelings for Maggie definitely surpassed just pretending. She wondered if she should propose a change to Maggie. No, not propose… suggest. Yes. Suggest. Which she didn’t actually want to do. It had led to restless nights and Alex could feel the tiredness tugging at her despite the coffee she’d already consumed. Sighing, she shook her head slightly, no closer to an answer than she had been. She had just swung her leg over her motorcycle when her phone vibrated.

Frowning slightly, she pulled it out. Her frown deepened as she saw the caller ID. “Danvers.”

“Alex, it’s Winn.”

“What’s going on?” She hovered by her bike, wondering if she needed to head for the DEO instead.

“Well, ah, you might want to get inside L-Corp.”

Alex immediately started striding for the door that led to the interior of the building. “What’s wrong?” she barked into the phone.

“Nothing. I don’t think. But that cop friend of Sawyer’s just showed up.”

Alex frowned thoughtfully. “Detective Thomas?”

“That’s the one.”

“What about his partner? Johnson?”

There was a brief pause and Alex could hear the sound of clicking in the background. Winn’s voice returned. “Not with him. I double-checked both exterior and interior cameras. Looks like Thomas came alone.”

Alex hummed thoughtfully. She entered the lobby and stepped to a quiet alcove where she could see everything to finish her conversation. The detective wasn’t in sight but she assumed that meant he had entered Maggie’s office.

“What are you thinking, Alex?” J’onn’s voice came over the line.

“That it’s possible I need to talk with Detective Thomas a little more.”

“You have full authority over the op. Do what you think is necessary.”

“Yes, sir. Thanks.”

“Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do. Winn, is he still inside?”

“Yes. He entered Sawyer’s office just a minute ago.”

“Thanks.” Alex hung up the phone and tapped the corner on her chin thoughtfully for a moment before directing her steps toward the security checkpoint. She flashed a smile at the security guard manning the station as she set her purse down for the scanner. “Morning, Charles.”

“Good morning, Doctor Danvers.” He smiled broadly in return.

“On the day shift now?”

“Just for now. Baby’s due any day and I wanted to make sure I would be best able to help during the parental leave rather than being asleep all day.”

Alex flashed another brief smile. “Smart man.” She chanced a quick glance toward Maggie’s office, hoping Thomas hadn’t left yet.

He laughed. “My partner might disagree with you.” He checked the monitor once more before waving for her to grab her belongings. As she did so, he added, clearly trying, and failing, to be casual, “If you were wanting to go chat with Director Sawyer, she has some company right now. But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a ‘hello’ from you.” The slight emphasis on the word “you” left no doubt what he was insinuating.

Alex wondered if she had somehow just missed the comments before. Admittedly, she didn’t talk to the security personnel all that often outside Maggie and these brief exchanges with the people manning the entrance so perhaps she hadn’t. She could feel the slight blush creeping up as she deliberately didn’t correct the obvious assumption and instead commented, “I might do that.”

He gave her a knowing smile and waved. “Have a good day, Doctor Danvers.”

“Yeah. You, too.” She turned toward Maggie’s office and took a slow breath to settle herself, mentally moving further into the persona she knew she would need for this meeting.

One of Maggie’s employees looked up at her as she paused in the outer office. Alex managed a small smile, part of her brain still whirring with her own thoughts and now Charles’ not-so-subtle comment. “Is she in?”

“She is. She has company at the moment but you can go ahead and knock. She didn’t say anything about keeping people out.”

“Thanks.” Ignoring the exchange of knowing looks between the guards manning the monitors, Alex knocked perfunctorily on Maggie’s office door. At a called “Come in!” she opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it firmly behind her.

Maggie blinked at her in confusion. “Alex. Hey.”

Alex smiled warmly, “Hey, babe. Sorry to interrupt.” She glanced swiftly at Thomas, sensing the tension in the room.

Alex caught the slightest hint of surprise in Maggie’s gaze before it vanished and she smiled back just as warmly. “Not a problem. Actually, it’s a good thing you came by.” She indicated Detective Thomas, who had stood as Alex entered and was now watching the pair closely. “Victor here was just asking some follow-up questions about the bar.”

Alex nodded. “And again about why we were there?” she guessed.

Thomas cocked his head slightly—Alex briefly wondered if he’d picked up the habit from Maggie while they were working together—and nodded. “Among other things, yes. Good morning, Doctor Danvers.”

Alex nodded slightly. “Detective.” She turned back to Maggie. “So what’d I miss?”

“Not much so far. Just a rehash of what we said the other day.”

Alex shrugged. “We could tell him the truth.”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Well, that’s completely up to you, babe.”

Alex grinned, filing away the look in Maggie’s eyes at the action for later evaluation. She turned to Thomas, holding out a hand. “Special Agent Alex Danvers, FBI.”

His eyes widened in surprise even as he shook her hand automatically. “Excuse me?”

Alex glanced over at Maggie who was merely watching her quietly, expression betraying nothing of what she was thinking. Alex turned back to Thomas and waved for him to sit back down while she leaned casually against Maggie’s desk, pose radiating confidence. She pulled out her badge and flipped it open, holding it up for him to see. “FBI. I’ve been undercover here for months due to threats against Ms. Luthor and the company.”

“I… see. And the reason NCPD wasn’t informed of this?”

“Because you didn’t need to know and until very recently, this didn’t involve the NCPD.”

His gaze shifted to Maggie. “Did you know about this, Sawyer?”

Alex’s jaw clenched and she responded before Maggie could speak, trying and failing to rein in her protective instinct. “She did not. Maggie was only informed after the attack on L-Corp early this month.”

“And this? Between you?”

Alex narrowed her eyes. She could easily see where he was going with this. “Did not happen until after she had spoken to you and she had assured herself that my position here was on the up and up.”

He nodded thoughtfully and Alex jumped in with a question of her own. “Where’s your partner?” A flicker of something crossed his features and Alex felt a piece drop into place.

“He’s off duty today.”

“And you didn’t feel it necessary to wait until he was on duty to talk to Maggie? Interesting. Why don’t you want him with you?”

She sensed Maggie shift behind her and automatically reached over to cover one hand, resting on the desktop. She felt the hand tense briefly under hers and nearly yanked her own back, abruptly panicking internally. Before she could, Maggie’s hand relaxed and flipped, gripping hers gently. She watched Thomas’ gaze flicker briefly to their hands and she arched an eyebrow in challenge when he met hers again.

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face before he answered, seeming to come to some decision. “Because Detective Johnson seems aggressively determined to believe you are up to something nefarious, Agent Danvers.”

“I see. And you?”

He smiled faintly. “Jury is still out but you’ve made some compelling arguments.”

She nodded. “Fair enough.” She knew he would be checking the FBI story but was confident the cover story would hold up.

Thomas leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Will you keep me in the loop regarding your investigation?”

Alex studied him thoughtfully, catching the specificity of the pronoun. Not “us” but “me.” Interesting… She was getting the feeling Detective Thomas wasn’t all that certain of his own partner either. “To the best of my ability; so long as it doesn’t compromise my investigation.”

After a moment, he commented, “This explains why you were so certain she was innocent, huh, Maggie?”

Alex relaxed infinitesimally as he switched to Maggie’s first name rather than “Sawyer.”

Maggie seemed to pick up on it and squeezed Alex’s hand lightly as she responded. “Yes. I had just found out, actually.”

“And the photos?” Thomas redirected his gaze to Alex.

She smirked. “Oh that was me. A setup for the people after Ms. Luthor.”

“Did it work?” He looked intrigued.

She nodded.

He seemed to sense she wasn’t going to give any further details and asked instead, “Any leads on the fire?”

Alex shrugged. “Not that I’m aware of but it’s not our case last I checked. I’d be happy to run some tests for you if you’d like, though.”

He smiled a little at the response. “So you really are a scientist.”

Her smirk broadened. “Oh yes. I can send you my resume if you like.”

He studied her for a moment then chuckled and nodded, rising to his feet. “Well, I think that’s enough for now. I’ll be in touch with further questions.”

Alex held up a finger and pulled out her phone, gently disentangling her hand from Maggie’s so she could rapidly tap out a text. “Not so fast.”

He frowned, tensing. “Pardon?”

Alex flashed him a smug smile. “I’m afraid, like Maggie here, I have some paperwork I need you to sign first.” She looked over at Maggie. “Can I use your printer?”

“Of course.” Maggie rummaged around in her desk for a moment before handing over a card with the printer information on it.

“Thanks.” Only a few moments later Alex had a few forms in her hand, fresh off the printer in the corner and was handing them over to Detective Thomas.

He sighed but sat back down, taking the pen Maggie handed him and skimming the documents as he signed them. When he was finished, he looked back up. “You had to do this too, huh?”

“Oh yeah. You got the nicer version of it though.”

Thomas snorted as he handed the documents to Alex. “Good to know.”

Alex flipped through them rapidly, initialing where required then handing his copy back. “Thanks.”

He smiled politely and shook her hand. “Good talking with you, Agent Danvers.”

She nodded in response.

Maggie interjected, “I’ll walk you out, Victor. I’ll be right back, Alex.”

“I’ll be here.” Once they’d left the office, Alex flopped into a chair and let out a slow breath. “Well, that went better than expected,” she muttered. After a moment, she sat up and carefully put away the forms. She would drop them off at the DEO later. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and glanced up when Maggie reentered. “Hey.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow at her as she settled back in her chair. “Hey, yourself. So what was that?”

Alex grimaced, running a hand through her hair. “Yeah, sorry to spring that on you. I got a call right after I got here that he’d stopped by but without his partner. I didn’t want you taking heat for me.”

Maggie frowned, anger flashing in her eyes. “Don’t start this again. I can take care of myself, Danvers.”

“No, I know that.” Alex held out a hand placatingly before dropping it to her lap with a sigh. “Shit. Sorry. That came out wrong. Or… right but…”

“Alex?”

“Sorry.” She ran a hand through her hair again. “As you’ve pointed out before, I have pretty much full authority on how this op is run and who I can bring in or not. I made the decision to tell Detective Thomas that version because I believe it can be beneficial and not just because it helps take heat off of you for trusting me.”

“I see. And what about Johnson? I know you don’t trust him.”

Alex’s lips twisted. “No, no, I don’t. And neither do you. And neither, I think, does Thomas. At least not entirely. But it won’t hurt for him to know, assuming Thomas tells him. If he’s as untrustworthy as we all feel he might be, well, he likely already knows more than we’d like. And if not, maybe this will make him back down.”

Maggie nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense. You still think he might be Cadmus?”

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing else has popped—much less anything certain—but…” She shook her head slightly. “There’s something about him…”

Maggie gave her a wry smile. “Yeah. I know what you mean.” Her smile turned teasing. “And the ‘babe’?”

Alex felt herself blushing and cleared her throat. “It, uh, it seemed to fit.”

Maggie looked at her in amusement. “True. But why not tell Victor the truth if you’re letting him in on the FBI part?”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “Why Ms. Sawyer. One would almost think you don’t want people to think you’re dating me. I could be offended.” She smirked a little.

Maggie rolled her eyes but laughed. “Wow. Quite the ego there, Agent Danvers. Maybe pretending to date you could be negatively impacting my actual dating life. Ever think about that?”

Alex stiffened, all mirth fleeing. She definitely hadn’t and she really didn’t want to. “Oh, shit. I’m—uh, I’m sorry.”

Maggie cocked her head, watching Alex thoughtfully. “It was a joke, Danvers. I wouldn’t have implied that we were dating if I was dating someone else.”

“Oh. Right.” Alex relaxed slightly but couldn’t quite manage to drive out the twisting in her guts that had started at the thought of Maggie dating someone else. “Well, um, you know a cover story holds up better the less people that know it’s a cover.”

“Of course. I get it.”

“Right. Uh. Well, I should—I should go. To my lab.”

“Right.” Maggie was looking at her curiously even as she stood to walk Alex out. She paused outside the security offices. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah. Sure. You know where I’ll be.” With that, Alex practically fled, already mentally berating herself for acting like an idiot. They’d barely been doing this for a week and Alex knew she was already long past in too deep.

*     *     *

Alex frowned intently at the results in front of her. She was so close. Absently, she reached for the cup of coffee nearby and grimaced upon realizing it was stone cold. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence when Alex was caught up in her work, which she definitely had been the past couple days. She’d barely acknowledged Maggie when the other woman would stop by the lab. A fact that she felt vaguely guilty for but was too intent on her work for it to really register.

A sound at the door made her glance up, blinking at a sudden wave of exhaustion. Speak of the devil. She smiled tiredly at Maggie. “Maggie. Hey.”

Maggie didn’t return the smile. Instead she was frowning, nearly scowling. She stopped a few feet short of Alex and studied her intently, still not having returned Alex’s greeting.

Alex shifted nervously. Was Maggie upset that Alex hadn’t paid as much attention to her lately? Idiot. Can’t even keep a fake girlfriend happy. She cleared her throat and forced herself to ask, keeping her voice level, “Is something wrong?”

Finally, Maggie spoke, though she didn’t answer the question. “The security logs show you haven’t left the building since Tuesday morning.”

Alex blinked. That wasn’t even in the same galaxy of things she expected Maggie to say. “Uh, what?”

“You. Have been here for at least 48 hours. Is that correct?”

Alex frowned and tried to think. She’d felt exhaustion tugging at her for a while though she didn’t really know how long. It was why she had the coffee after all. “Um,” she stalled for time. “What time is it?”

Maggie’s frown deepened. “Four p.m. On Thursday.

“Oh.” Alex shuffled again. “Uh… then yes, that would be correct.”

“Alex!” She sounded exasperated but also… fond? It was definitely similar in tone to the one Kara or J’onn used when they wanted her to take better care of herself.

Alex was a little confused. “Uh… yes?”

Maggie sighed. Yep, definitely exasperated. “Pack up.”

Alex blinked again in confusion. “What?” She felt like a broken record. Her brain couldn’t seem to keep up with whatever was happening.

“Pack up. You have ten minutes. Put your stuff away. Lock it up. Whatever you need to do.”

“What? Why?” Despite the questions, Alex found herself doing what Maggie had said. She wondered if something had happened.

“Because you need sleep, Danvers!”

Alex paused, brow furrowing. “What?”

“Is that all you’re capable of saying right now? I know you aren’t the most chatty person ever but usually you’re a touch more vocal.” Maggie waved her hands, clearly indicating Alex should continue packing up.

Without really thinking about it, Alex resumed putting her things away. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you home.”

Alex paused again. “I’m sorry, what?”

Maggie sighed. “Damn, you are out of it. Home. To sleep.”

“But I have work to do.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “You need sleep. The work can wait.”

“But Cadmus—”

“Can wait for you to sleep.”

Alex whirled, forcing away the slight dizziness the action caused. “What if it can’t?”

Maggie sighed and stepped closer, grabbing one of Alex’s hands. “Alex. You’re not going to do anyone any good exhausted. You need sleep.”

“But I’m so close.”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed. “How close is close? Is it something you’re going to solve in the next couple hours? And are you at a spot where you can’t stop for a while?”

“I… well, no.”

“Then finish packing up. You have ten minutes unless you actually need more than that to clean up.”

Alex looked around. Her workstation was actually mostly clear at the moment. She’d stopped actively fiddling with the devices she was working on when her eyes started crossing in the hopes that the coffee would remedy the problem. Now that she wasn’t focusing intently, she could feel the headache that had probably been waiting for a while starting to come in full force. “Uh, right.” Operating nearly on autopilot, she finished cleaning her table. Locking up her work and shutting down the tablet, which she gathered up to take with her. “I guess I’m ready?”

“Bag in the storage room?” Maggie asked. Alex nodded. “Got it. Let’s go.” Maggie shooed her toward the door. She stopped long enough for Alex to retrieve her bag, making her leave her motorcycle helmet because “There’s no way I’m letting you drive a motorcycle in this condition, Danvers.”

Alex followed Maggie in bemused silence to her car. The further she got from the forced focus on her work, the more she could feel the tiredness setting in. By the time they reached her apartment, she barely felt focused. Automatically, she followed Maggie inside, fumbling with her keys when they reached her door and eliciting a fond eye roll from Maggie before Maggie simply took the keys and unlocked the door herself.

Once inside, Maggie took Alex’s bag and pushed her gently toward the bathroom. “Get changed. I’ll get you some water then you’re getting some sleep.”

“Yes, dear,” Alex mumbled absently, plodding tiredly toward the bathroom. She was too tired to be embarrassed at what she said. Now that she was here, she wanted nothing more than to face-plant into either the couch or bed. She wasn’t picky. But she had a feeling Maggie would object to her crashing on the couch, though Alex couldn’t quite fathom why. So she continued to the bathroom with the intention of making it to the bed proper before passing out. She could hear Maggie puttering in the kitchen as she closed the door to the bathroom and it brought a pleased, if sleepy, smile to her face.

*     *     *

Alex woke up in her bed in the dark. The stiffness in her muscles told her she hadn’t moved much in her sleep. Groaning, she rolled over to look at the clock. Nine p.m. She’d been asleep about four hours and felt like she could sleep another ten. She wasn’t sure what woke her up until her stomach growled. That definitely explained it. Dinner then more sleep it was. She heard what sounded like quiet motion from the living room and assumed it was Kara. Probably having come over to check on her.

Plan settled on, Alex rolled out of bed and padded toward the kitchen only to stop short at the sight of the figure in her living room. Definitely not Kara. “Maggie?”

Maggie jolted, looking up in surprise. Immediately a warm smile spread across her face and she set down the book she’d been reading. Standing, she turned to Alex. “Hey. Feeling better?”

“You’re still here,” Alex said dumbly.

“I uh… yeah. Is, um, is that ok?” The smile faded and she looked worried, twisting her fingers together.

“Of course!” Alex winced slightly at the vehemence in her voice. “Uh, yeah, that’s fine. I just hope you didn’t put yourself out or something. You didn’t need to stay.”

Maggie shrugged slightly, the worry leaving her face and a small smile coming back. “I wanted to make sure you were ok. What kind of terrible fake-girlfriend would I be if I ditched my girlfriend when she’s clearly exhausted?” Though the words were joking, the tone was soft and sincere.

Alex tried to ignore the pang at the word “fake” and opted to simply revel for a moment in the warm feeling that Maggie’s clear concern induced. “Have you eaten?” Maggie shook her head. “Well, then, in that vein, what kind of terrible girlfriend would I be if I didn’t feed you after you sat here for hours?” She looked over at her kitchen and frowned thoughtfully, mentally running through the ingredients she had available.

Maggie interrupted her thoughts. “Oh, you don’t have—”

“I know. But I want to.” Alex smiled softly over at Maggie. “I can do stir fry? It’s not fancy but it’s fast. I have some sauce already made up in the freezer.”

Maggie grinned and Alex thought she might detect a hint of a blush. The dim lighting made it nearly impossible to tell for certain, however. “Sounds great.”

“Good.” Alex padded to the kitchen and busied herself getting the food ready, trying not to feel self-conscious in her pajamas. Not that they were revealing or anything but still… they were pajamas. She couldn’t even remember the last person that saw her in her pajamas that wasn’t Kara. Fortunately, Maggie hadn’t said anything about them.

Alex nearly jumped out of her skin when Maggie’s voice sounded at her elbow. “Need any help?”

“Jesus… uh, no. I’m good. There’s a bottle of wine on the rack over there you can open if you want. And, um, you obviously found the glasses earlier if you want to get us some water?”

“Sure.” Maggie flashed a dimpled smile and turned toward the wine.

Alex released a slow breath, trying to get her heart rate back under control and also ignore what those dimples made her feel. As Maggie walked away, Alex noticed she was barefoot. Which made sense given she’d been hanging out for several hours and also explained how she snuck up on Alex. It also made it feel like this was where Maggie belonged. Just a casual late dinner at her girlfriend’s place. This was all just a little too domestic and Alex wasn’t really sure how to handle it. They weren’t dating for real but damn did it feel like it. She shook off the feeling for later dwelling on and focused on not burning the food.

Dinner was a quiet affair, a far cry from the last dinner they’d had together at the restaurant with everyone else. They talked quietly about the week, Alex apologizing for not focusing on Maggie when she came by the lab and Maggie waving it off with a “You have a job. I get it. I promise, I’m not offended.” Other than that, they mostly stayed away from the topics of work and Cadmus. Alex tried not to examine too closely just how right it all felt.

Finally, with dinner over, they moved to the couch. Maggie settled at the opposite end and gave Alex a speculative look. Alex tensed slightly, having a feeling that now the chastisement for the past couple of days would start.

Instead, Maggie asked quietly, “Why does this mean so much you to?”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “What?” She felt like they were back in the lab earlier when she couldn’t seem to form longer sentences.

Maggie waved a hand vaguely. “Cadmus. Stopping them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important and what needs to be done but… there’s more to it for you.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked warily.

Maggie smiled a little. “Come on, Alex. There’s something personal to this. The way you reacted to the phone call. Your reaction at dinner. Driving yourself to exhaustion to fix something. I get that you’re a very driven and dedicated person. It’s something I like and respect about you. But I can tell there’s more to it.”

Alex sighed. Maggie was right. And maybe Kara was right that she should tell Maggie everything. Or at least almost everything. Some things weren’t hers to tell after all. After a long pause, she stated, “They have my father.”

Maggie’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

Alex took a deep breath. “He was presumed dead over ten years ago. We found out recently that he’s not dead after all. And Cadmus has him. Or, I should say, has had him the whole time.”

“Alex, I…” Maggie trailed off. Her brown eyes shone with concern and she reached over to take one of Alex’s hands gently.

Alex looked down at their hands and very deliberately turned hers over so she could grasp Maggie’s. She shrugged a little, still studying their joined hands intently. “We were really close when he was… with us. I don’t know what he’s like now. How he’d react to… me. But I have to try and get him back. And hope there’s something of my dad left to save.”

“Alex… I don’t know what to say.”

Alex looked up through her eyelashes. “You’re not mad I didn’t tell you sooner?”

Maggie frowned and looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course not. Why would I be mad you didn’t tell me something this personal sooner?”

Alex shrugged a little and dropped her gaze back to their joined hands. “Anyone else I’ve ever dated has gotten mad that I don’t share enough.”

She watched as Maggie’s other hand came into her field of view and settled on top of hers, so that her hand was sandwiched between both of Maggie’s. Gently, Maggie squeezed her hand. “Well, I’m not them and they sound like they were idiots.” They were both silent for a few minutes then Maggie broke the silence to say quietly, “Thanks for telling me.”

Alex looked up again and gave her a tiny smile. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime, Danvers.” She squeezed Alex’s hand again then stood, pulling Alex with her. “Now, I think you probably should get some more sleep. And I swear, Danvers, if I see you in there at seven a.m. or something…”

Alex laughed. “I promise I will turn off my alarm and come in after I wake up naturally. Will that make you happy?”

Maggie looked at her with narrowed eyes and a smile tugging at her lips before she finally succumbed to the smile. “Yes. It will. Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Alex squeezed her hand before reluctantly dropping it. “Night, Maggie.”

“Night, Alex.” Maggie put on her shoes and gave Alex another smile before heading for the door.

Alex’s gaze dropped to the book Maggie had been reading. It was her copy of the original compilation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. “Oh, hey. Did you want to take this with you?”

Maggie turned and cocked her head. “You wouldn’t mind?”

Alex picked it up and moved closer, book outstretched. “Of course not. Just don’t spill coffee on it or whatever it is being a cop taught you to do with documents.” She winked and grinned.

Maggie rolled her eyes but laughed as she took the book. “You’re so hilarious, Danvers.”

Alex chuckled. “Well, it’s no jazz hands but…” She nodded at the book. “Enjoy.”

Maggie smiled. “I will. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

“Anytime. Uh, thanks for bringing me home. And taking care of me and all that.” Alex shuffled awkwardly.

Maggie’s smile grew even warmer and her voice was soft. “Anytime, Danvers. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

“You, too.” Alex let out a deep breath and locked the door behind Maggie after the other woman left. Gently, she banged her head against the door before grabbing another glass of water and finishing cleaning up. She was definitely falling more for Maggie the longer this went on and she didn’t have a clue how to stop it. Or at least how to protect herself when it all inevitably ended once the op was done. Alex sighed and headed back to bed. Maybe more sleep would help. Or at least it could be a problem for future-Alex.

Chapter Text

Alex tugged her phone out of her pocket as she stepped off the elevator, taking a final sip of her coffee as she did so. Maggie’s name flashed on the screen. With a tiny smile, Alex unlocked the phone and skimmed the text she’d received.

It simply read, “Where are you??”

Arching an eyebrow curiously, Alex typed out a quick response. “Just got to my lab. I brought you a coffee. Where are you?”

There wasn’t an immediate response and Alex shrugged slightly, tucked the phone away and focused on beginning work. Maggie hadn’t been in her office when Alex stopped by downstairs, but Alex figured one of the security people had told her that Alex was there. Figuring Maggie would either show up or text when she had the chance, Alex began pulling back out the samples and results she had stored away the day before.

Eventually, she glanced at her watch and cocked an eyebrow curiously at the fact that she hadn’t received a reply yet. Particularly given Maggie had been wondering where she was. Quirking a bemused smile, she pulled her phone back out and sent another quick text, “If you don’t come get this coffee soon, I’m just going to drink it myself.”

She was focused on carefully removing some samples from the refrigerator when she heard the door to the lab open. She laughed soundlessly to herself and commented before the intruder could speak, “I see how it is. I make sure to do as you told me and it’s the coffee threat that finally gets your attention.”

“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean but I’ll assume it’s a good thing. Not why I’m here, however.”

Alex’s head whipped around at the unexpected voice. She frowned and set the samples down so she could turn to face her guest completely. “Lois. What are you doing here? And how did you get in here?”

Lois didn’t answer immediately, glancing around the lab. Finally, she replied casually, “I… ‘borrowed’ Kara’s access card yesterday at lunch.” Then she nodded at the coffee cup Alex had set on the table by the door on the way into the lab. “You go there often?”

Alex sighed and set aside the issue of pick pocketing her sister for the moment then cocked her head, brow furrowed. Carefully, she replied, “I get coffee there sometimes, yes. It’s on my way to work.”

“This morning?”

Alex frowned. “What’s this about, Lois?”

Lois ignored her question. “When did you leave Compass?”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “Why?” She felt her phone buzz and held up a hand to forestall whatever response Lois was going to make. Probably wouldn’t answer it anyway. Damn reporter. She tugged her phone from her pocket and her frown deepened at the alert on her screen calling Supergirl to an address that was vaguely familiar. She had a feeling it had to do with whatever Lois was talking about. She pinned Lois with what Kara had dubbed her Scary Secret Agent Glare. “What’s happening?”

Lois hesitated and Alex hardened her gaze further. “Tell me what’s going on, Lois. Now.”

Lois sighed. “There’s been an explosion at that café.”

Alex froze, feeling a cold chill run down her spine. “When?”

“Maybe thirty minutes ago.”

Right after I left. “What else?” There was more. She could tell.

“I didn’t get much but I heard one of the cops say something about L-Corp tech. So I came straight here.”

“Clark?”

“He’s there.”

Alex nodded slightly. Her thoughts raced. “Did you see Maggie?”

“No.”

“Shit.” Alex immediately pulled up Maggie’s contact info and hit the call button. Maggie’s message suddenly seemed ominous. Maybe Maggie was asking where she was because she wasn’t in L-Corp… and something was wrong. She waited tensely as the phone rang, muttering, “Come on. Pick up.” Eventually it rang out to voicemail. She tried calling again. This time it went straight to voicemail. Cursing quietly, she quickly typed out a “call me ASAP” and sent it to Maggie. Ignoring Lois, she then called Kara.

Her sister answered almost immediately, sounding a bit breathless. “I saw the alert. I’m on my way. Kal’s already there. There was another alien attack. They’re in custody.”

“I know. I…” she paused, suddenly wondering if she was doing the right thing. Obviously Kara would do her best to save everyone. So would Clark. Did she really have the right to demand they look for her girlfriend—or whatever they even were—first?

“Alex?” Kara sounded concerned. “I’m almost there. Are you at the site? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not… uh.” She paused again then spoke rapidly, “I think Maggie was there though. She texted to ask where I was but now she’s not answering.”

“I’ll find her. I promise.” Kara’s response came immediately, strong and solid.

Alex let out a slow breath. Quietly, she replied, “Thanks, Kara.”

“Anytime. Gotta go.” Kara hung up.

Alex pulled the phone away from her ear and took a deep breath. This was a weird experience. She was used to worrying about Kara but… Kara was an invulnerable alien with superpowers. This was a whole different thing entirely.

“Alex?”

Lois’ voice pulled her from her reverie. “Yes. Sorry. You were saying?”

Lois ignored her question. “I’m sure she’ll be okay.” She gave Alex a reassuring look.

Alex glanced down and let out a breath. “I hope you’re right but…” She looked back up at Lois. “She’s not exactly like Kara and Clark.”

“If there’s any way they can protect her, you know they will.”

“I know. I just…” She trailed off and shrugged a little.

Lois gave her a wry look. “Weird feeling, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

“Falling for someone.”

Mutely, Alex nodded. She was so fucked. She’d tried to convince herself that that couldn’t be it. Because they were just pretending and eventually it would all go back to normal. Or something. But one thing had become abundantly clear the night before when Maggie took her home, then stuck around. Alex had fallen for her. And she had no clue what to do about it.

Lois arched an eyebrow but dropped the subject. “As I was saying, I overheard something about L-Corp tech. I was hoping maybe you would have an idea.”

Oh yeah. She definitely had an idea. Outwardly, she shook her head. “If it wasn’t from my lab, it’s not something I’d know much about or if it was taken or whatever. And, as you know, I’m a bioengineer. Not an explosives expert.” Nice lie, Danvers.

“No rumors or anything?”

Alex snorted. “You know me. You think I would know the rumors? You want rumors or gossip, ask Kara.”

“Worth a try.”

Alex nodded slightly and looked at her phone, hoping that maybe there would somehow be a message she had missed despite not having felt it vibrate. She wondered if she should go to the site. Except Lois didn’t know about the DEO and that might look suspicious. And the cops would definitely be suspicious. Especially if Detective Johnson was there as Alex suspected. The café was known to be pro-alien as well as a place where L-Corp employees frequented. She huffed an irritated sigh. She was worried and wanted to do something. Not sit here and… wait.

Lois spoke up, causing Alex to startle slightly. “Okay, stop with the moping. Tell me about Maggie.”

Alex blinked at her, slightly stunned. “Uh, what?”

“You need to be distracted. So tell me about your girlfriend. She used to be a cop, right?”

Alex nodded slowly. “Yes. Science Division.”

“How’d she end up here?” Alex narrowed her eyes slightly causing Lois to roll her own. “I’m asking as your friend and family. Not a reporter. Just tell me about your girlfriend so you don’t either begin to wear a hole in the floor or break your phone.”

Alex nodded slightly. “Right. Yeah. Um, I don’t know the exact details. She met Lena during a case. Lena offered her a job and Maggie took her up on it when she decided to leave the force.” Alex’s tone left it clear she had no intention of answering follow-up questions. For one, Maggie hadn’t actually told Alex about the case herself; it was gleaned from the reports Alex had read. For another, even if she had, Alex had guessed it was personal and there was no way she would share that.

“Right. What do you guys do for fun?”

Alex shrugged. “Go to the bar. Play pool.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a lab report, Alex. You can be excited.”

Alex favored her with a tiny smile. “I’ll be excited when I know my girlfriend isn’t dead or injured.”

Lois nodded. “Okay, that’s fair. Does she know about Kara?”

“No.”

“You gonna tell her?”

Alex hesitated. “I don’t know.” It was a good question. After all, Maggie knew about the DEO already. But… it wasn’t Alex’s secret to tell. She looked at her phone again. Still nothing. She desperately hoped that the lack of news from Kara also was good news.

As if on cue, the lab door opened. Alex hadn’t even heard the elevator, too engrossed in her thoughts. Alex’s head snapped up. “Maggie,” she breathed out, already striding toward the other woman, Lois forgotten. Instinctively, her hands came up to start checking Maggie for injuries.

Maggie smiled fondly and grabbed her hands. “Alex, hey. I’m fine.”

“Where were you? Were you at the explosion?”

Maggie shook her head. “I was across the street. I uh… I’d actually gone to get you some coffee as a surprise. But I guess you beat me to that.” She nodded a little at the abandoned coffee cup. “I hadn’t gotten there yet when the explosion went off. Then there was so much chaos I forgot to check my phone after I sent you the text.”

“But you’re okay?”

“Promise. I hung around trying to figure out if you were there and okay. I almost tried to grab Superman and make him check but… I couldn’t get close enough. Then suddenly Supergirl drops next to me, tells me you’re here and worried, and then hops into the madness.”

Alex smiled a little, making a mental note to thank her sister later. “I called her.”

Maggie looked a little shocked. “You called Supergirl to check on me?”

“I—” Alex froze, suddenly realizing how that looked. This woman had been a cop. No doubt she’d frown on this sort of use of resources like this. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—” She tried to drop her hands and started to step back.

“Whoa, Alex. Danvers. Shouldn’t what?” Maggie’s hands tightened on her own, refusing to let her go.

“Shouldn’t, uh, have used resources like that.”

Maggie gave her a fond smile. “No. It’s sweet. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same were the roles reversed but, you know, I don’t happen to have a superhero’s personal phone number. Like I said, I tried to grab Superman but he was a bit busy.”

“Oh.” Alex smiled, charmed. Quietly, she studied Maggie’s face, blushing slightly at the warmth in the other woman’s gaze. She found herself inching back toward Maggie, absently disentangling their hands so she could run them up the other woman’s arms to her shoulders. Part of her insisted that she was just confirming the lack of injuries; another part of her brain was well aware that checking for injuries had nothing to do with it. She felt the blush deepen as Maggie’s gaze flicked downward ever so briefly.

She wondered if it would be a huge mistake if she were to kiss the other woman right now. Would Maggie hate her forever for obliterating whatever was left of the line between pretending to date and maybe actually dating? Or, even more terrifying, would she kiss Alex back?

A sudden throat clearing had Alex jumping back and dropping her hands, turning a glare on Lois. Lois merely gave her an amused look. “Well, now that we can see Maggie is, in fact, safe, I’ll be going before you two decide to have sex on the lab table.”

Alex flushed and studiously avoided looking at Maggie. Awkwardly, she nodded. “Right.” Then she paused and held out a hand. “Ah, but I think I’ll be taking Kara’s badge back.”

Lois sighed and rolled her eyes but when Alex refused to move, she grumbled and dug the badge out of her bag, slapping it into Alex’s hand.

Alex merely smiled sweetly. “Thank you.”

Lois rolled her eyes again then looked over at Maggie. “Glad you’re okay.”

Maggie nodded and Alex could detect a blush coloring her cheeks despite her complexion. “Thanks, Lois. See you around.”

Lois nodded and headed for the door, waving idly at Alex as she exited. “Bye, Alex.”

“Bye, Lois.” Alex waited until Lois had entered the elevator and the doors closed behind her before glancing sidelong at Maggie. “So, uh.” She cleared her throat a little awkwardly. “What else do you know about the explosion?”

Maggie shrugged. “Not much. Is the explosion why Lois was here?”

Alex nodded and leaned against a lab table, facing Maggie fully once more. Though part of her was disappointed they were apparently going to ignore what had almost happened, she felt more comfortable now that they were talking the case. “Lois being, well, Lois, she got there not long after it happened. Overheard a cop say something about L-Corp technology and came here while Clark stayed put.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Impressive timing.”

Alex shrugged. “She has a weird knack for these things.” Not like she could say “she’s engaged to Superman so he drops her off nearby when there’s a problem.”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded, appearing to accept that explanation for the moment. She smiled softly. “I really was worried about you. I’m glad you weren’t there. I thought maybe you were the target.”

Alex smiled back. “I almost was. I had just left a few minutes before.” She considered the rest of Maggie’s words carefully before speaking slowly, “I may have been.”

Maggie frowned thoughtfully. “The target? Because of the tech. Guesses?”

Alex didn’t particularly want to get into specifics here but there weren’t a whole lot of options. She doubted Maggie would take kindly to being told to wait. And, frankly, she didn’t particularly want to tell her that. Glancing around, Alex grinned a little and grabbed Maggie’s hand, dragging her into the small blind spot.

Maggie cocked her head with an amused smile but didn’t pull away. “What are you up to, Danvers?”

Alex chuckled. “I’m sure you noticed this is a blind spot. We can’t stay in it for long or it’ll look suspicious but, well, for a few minutes I’m sure your team will just think we’re making out or something.”

Maggie’s eyebrows rose sharply. Alex ignored the blush that she could feel creeping back up her neck and plowed on. “My best bet is that they used at least some of the power sources in the explosion.” Maggie nodded and waited for her to continue. “As for being the target… I don’t think I was the primary goal. But a secondary? Yes. That could be.”

“To take you out of the equation?” Maggie looked both furious and concerned.

Alex shook her head. “No. To frame me. Make it look like I did it. I don’t think they necessarily counted on it working but… it would be a bonus.”

“If that’s the bonus then what’s the primary goal?”

Alex grimaced. “L-Corp and Lena.”

Maggie inhaled sharply. “Use L-Corp tech that was conveniently stored elsewhere at a café frequented by L-Corp employees. Some will think L-Corp, and by extension Lena, were responsible. Others will simply think it means being affiliated with L-Corp is too dangerous. Either way, it damages L-Corp and Lena.”

Alex nodded grimly. “There was another alien attack at the same time also. It pulled Supergirl away. I don’t think they planned on Superman being in town.”

“That is awfully convenient.” Maggie gave her a thoughtful look.

Alex forced her expression to stay neutral and shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to him. Maybe Supergirl called him because of the Cadmus situation.”

“Could be.” Maggie glanced around. “We should probably get out of the blind spot. Otherwise my employees might think we’re doing more than just making out.” She winked at Alex as she stepped past, back into camera range.

Alex swallowed and nodded. “Right. Yeah.” She took a deep breath then followed Maggie.

Maggie looked around at the scattered bits of her work. “Care to enlighten me on what you’re up to that was so pressing you stayed awake for forty-eight hours working on it?”

Alex smiled in delight. “I think I made a breakthrough.”

“On?”

“That weird metal.” Alex hurried back to her lab table and snagged her tablet, dragging it over to pull up the results. “It’s biomechanical. That’s why regular EMPs wouldn’t work.” She glanced over at Maggie who nodded encouragingly, giving her an interested look. With that permission, she launched into a more detailed explanation of what she had found and her theories for how to overcome it and build an EMP that would work.

*     *     *

The following morning found Maggie striding into L-Corp despite it being the weekend, having received a message that morning from the woman in charge of the weekend shift that the police were planning to come in and question people. Maggie would be damned if she wasn’t present while her people were questioned. She had more than a little knowledge about how other cops would treat some of her people, many of whom weren’t white and several of whom weren’t human.

She had just cleared the security checkpoint when the sound of her name caught her attention. She glanced up from where she was tucking her belongings back away and met the concerned gaze of Alex Danvers. Maggie blinked, a little surprised for a moment, not only by Alex’s presence but her attire. Maggie had seen her dressed casually before, out at the bar and at dinner, even in pajamas at her apartment, but for some reason seeing Alex Danvers in her jeans, sweater, and leather jacket here in the atrium of L-Corp threw her for a loop.

The concern on Alex’s face deepened. “Maggie? Are you okay?”

“Yeah—yes. I’m fine.”

Alex didn’t look completely convinced. “You’re sure? Were you hurt in the attack after all? Do I need to run some tests? X-rays?”

Maggie laughed a little, moving closer. “Danvers. Alex. I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt.” She couldn’t help but be amused—and more than a little touched—that whatever awkwardness Alex had at times seemed to melt away at the thought that Maggie might be injured.

Alex studied her for a moment longer before nodding. “How’s the hand?”

Maggie held it up, wiggling her fingers and smirking a little. “Never better, promise. See? Jazz hands!”

The corner of Alex’s mouth curled into an amused half-smile. “Wow. And there that is again.”

“Stick to what works, right?” She laughed at the eye roll she received in response.

Alex shook her head slightly, still smiling in amusement. “Keep telling yourself that, Sawyer.”

Maggie laughed. “I will, thanks.” She glanced around the atrium. “I take it you heard about our incoming visitors also?”

Alex frowned slightly. “I did. I—”

The rest of her sentence was cut off by someone else saying Maggie’s name. Maggie frowned and turned toward the voice, recognizing it. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted her old partner and his new one standing nearby. “Detective Thomas. How can I help you?” She had a sudden suspicion why Alex was here and not dressed for work.

He looked at her soberly. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the attack.”

Maggie nodded slowly, feeling Alex’s presence at her elbow and part of her wondering at how comforted that made her feel. “I did. That doesn’t explain why you’re here at L-Corp though. Was one of our employees involved?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Given it happened so close by, and we know several employees go there regularly, we just want to ask a few questions.”

“I see.” She studied him for a moment, ignoring his partner. “Well, I—”

“Director Sawyer. Doctor Danvers.”

Maggie huffed an annoyed sigh at being interrupted yet again and turned to face the newest interloper. Her eyebrows raised sharply at realizing said interruption was in the form of Lena Luthor who was giving the two detectives a coolly calculating look. “Ms. Luthor.”

Lena met her gaze and smiled very slightly. “Maggie.”

Maggie glanced at Alex, finding her watching impassively but with a slightly wicked glint in her eye that indicated she, at least, was unsurprised by Lena’s sudden appearance. “How can I help you, Ms. Luthor?”

Lena’s smile turned sharp. “It came to my attention that the police wish to talk to some of my employees. I could hardly let them do this without support. And of course, L-Corp’s legal counsel will be available.” She waved a casual hand and the group turned as one to see a small bevy of what were clearly attorneys making their way through security.

Maggie turned back to Thomas and Johnson just in time to see Johnson’s countenance darken considerably. Thomas mostly looked resigned but not upset. Johnson however… Johnson looked very displeased. Casually, Maggie nudged Alex’s arm and inclined her head ever so slightly toward Johnson when Alex gave her a questioning look.

Alex’s gaze flickered very briefly toward the detective before meeting Maggie’s again. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

Maggie merely arched an eyebrow blandly when both detectives turned back to her.

“Well, seems we’ll be having a party here this weekend then,” Thomas drawled. Maggie could detect the slight edge of amusement in his voice, a result of long years as his partner, though he hid it well. “Shall we begin then?”

“Of course. Who would you like to speak with first?”

Johnson interrupted before Thomas could respond. “Oh, I think we’d like to talk to Doctor Danvers first.”

Maggie turned to Alex. Alex’s lip curled in the slightest of smirks. Her gaze was intent and watchful, however. She inclined her head very slightly. “Of course. Happy to oblige.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes but turned back to Lena and the detectives. “How about we use my office? It’s private and quiet.”

Johnson seemed about to object but Thomas nodded immediately. “That sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Sawyer.”

Maggie smiled thinly and gestured for them to follow her. Alex fell in just to her left side and Maggie briefly entertained herself imagining the sight they must all make parading across the L-Corp lobby to the security office. Upon reaching the office, Maggie escorted the group inside with a tight smile, one that broadened and she had to smother as Alex very deliberately sat herself behind Maggie’s desk, one perfect eyebrow arched in challenge.

Alex spoke before the detectives could recover. “I would like an attorney present before I answer any questions.”

Maggie hid another smile and busied herself turning off the video feeds to the office. There was no need to allow the detectives to be able to see into every corner of L-Corp after all, even if it was the weekend. She snuck a look at Johnson who looked furious and exchanged a quick smirk with Alex.

Lena responded smoothly, “Of course, Doctor Danvers. One will be in momentarily.” She stepped out of the office, presumably to retrieve one of the L-Corp attorneys.

Maggie finished what she was doing and straightened. She met Alex’s gaze briefly before turning to the detectives. “I’ll be in the outer office if you need me.” She ignored the grimace from Johnson and returned Alex’s slight smile before stepping out of the office herself, exchanging a nod with the attorney that was on the way in. After a second, she did a double-take as the identity of the other woman registered. She turned to the door but it was already closing.

Lena’s voice startled her, sounding amused, “Yes, that was Lucy Lane.”

Maggie turned and settled herself into one of the chairs in the outer office that was normally inhabited by her employees. Lena was settled at one of the desks across the way, tapping at her phone. “Did you call her or Alex? And why?”

Lena asked without looking up, “Why do you think they want Alex first?”

Maggie narrowed her eyes at the CEO. Slowly, she answered, watching Lena closely, “Well, I imagine it’s because they’re already suspicious of her.”

Lena nodded absently. “Yes, I think so, too. And I didn’t call her. I don’t even have her number actually. But I imagine Alex notified her immediately. She’s an attorney.” She paused then looked up, giving Maggie a curious look. “Did they tell you how many of our people they want to question?”

Maggie shook her head. “They didn’t but they did say they wanted to talk to regulars at the location. Which is a decent number of people but not substantial.”

Lena nodded slightly. “I see.”

“Do you plan to wait until done?” Maggie was intrigued. She’d pegged Lena for a caring boss despite the Luthor name but still, this was a bit different.

Lena nodded. “Of course. I may not be able to be in there with them but I want them to see I support them. Unless you think it would be too intimidating?” She looked worried.

Maggie considered the question. “Having you waiting out here might be a bit much for most of them, yes. Obviously, Alex doesn’t care but the rest? Could be concerning. Perhaps in your office? I intend to inform each of them of their right to have an attorney present anyway. I can make it clear that they have your full support and that you are present if they have questions for you directly.”

Lena nodded and rose gracefully. “I see your point. Please, let me know if you need anything.”

Maggie nodded in response and settled in to wait.

*     *     *

“Thank you for waiting,” the smooth voice made Alex flick a brief glance at Lucy as her friend entered the room.

She looked back at the detectives, not bothering to hide the curl of her lip into a smirk. Not that she couldn’t handle this alone, and Lucy knew it, but still… it didn’t hurt to have a highly trained attorney and fellow agent backing her up. Alex half-watched as Lucy took up position to her right, deftly snagging one of the two chairs situated in front of Maggie’s desk and dragging it around to the side Alex was on.

Johnson grimaced but didn’t say anything. Alex exchanged a glance with Lucy as the attorney settled next to her then turned back to the detectives as Lucy spoke again. “Now, gentlemen, shall we begin? I believe you had some questions for my client?”

Alex watched the detectives carefully and knew Lucy was doing the same. Thomas’ lips curled into the faintest of smile. “Let’s begin with formal introductions, shall we? I’m Detective Victor Thomas. This is my partner, Detective Chris Johnson.”

Lucy smiled blandly. “Lucy Lane. Doctor Danvers’ attorney.”

Alex smiled as well, equally blandly. “Doctor Alex Danvers. L-Corp scientist.”

Johnson looked annoyed, though Alex could tell he was trying to hide it. Thomas looked even more amused however.

Lucy spoke again. “Now that the pleasantries are over. You had questions?”

“Just a few. Doctor Danvers, had you ever been to Compass Café before?”

Alex was mildly surprised to see that Johnson let Thomas take the lead. Mentally, she revised her estimation of Johnson slightly. He was at least marginally smarter than she’d given him credit for. Blandly, she replied, “Yes.”

“Yesterday morning.”

“Along with hundreds of others, I’m sure.”

Johnson scowled at the flippant response but Alex was positive she caught a hint of a smile tugging at Thomas’ lips.

The rest of the questions went much the same way—with Alex giving carefully worded, and often borderline flippant, answers and Thomas and Johnson becoming more amused and annoyed respectively. Lucy occasionally stepped in to prevent her from answering something or insisting that it was beyond the scope of the questioning unless they were planning to charge her with something.

Finally, the detectives gave up and with a smile that was just shy of a smirk, Alex led the way back out of the office. She found Maggie lounging in the chair behind the security desk, feet propped on the desk and gazing absently at the monitors. When the door opened, she sat up immediately, feet hitting the floor with a muted “thunk!” Maggie arched an eyebrow, gaze fixed firmly on Alex as she asked, “Everything good?”

Alex felt her smile warm automatically, turning genuine. “Fine. You going to hang around down here?”

Maggie’s gaze flitted briefly to the others waiting behind Alex before meeting her eyes once more. “Yep.”

Alex nodded. “I’m going to head up to my lab then. I’ll see you later?”

Maggie nodded and rose with a smile. “Count on it. Dinner?” She stepped around the desk and squeezed Alex’s arm briefly.

Without thinking, Alex grinned and kissed her swiftly on the cheek. “Keep me posted.” Ignoring both the slight blush and what she knew was likely Lucy’s grinning face, she stepped back and turned toward the door. She nodded perfunctorily at the detectives as she strode passed them and turned briefly to flash another smile at Maggie. She found Maggie grinning warmly at her.

The other woman made a small shooing gesture. “Go. Do your science thing.”

Alex chuckled and waved back, smiling a little foolishly before ducking out of the security office followed by Lucy. She could hear Maggie beginning to talk to the detectives as the door swung shut behind them.

Lucy waited until they were in the foyer before grabbing Alex’s arm and pulling her to a stop. Alex arched an eyebrow curiously and waited for her to speak. Lucy grinned. “So…”

“So… what?”

Lucy just laughed. “You two are cute. I’m glad you figured it out, Alex. I am not, however, glad you didn’t tell me, you jerk.”

Alex shrugged a little awkwardly, still grinning a little and blushing. “Yeah, well…”

Lucy patted her arm gently. “I get it. Just had to give you a little bit of a hard time. I’m happy for you both. But now, I’m off to meet Vas. Keep me posted and let me know if you need me to come back.”

“Got it. Go enjoy your weekend.”

Lucy smiled. “I’d tell you to get out of here and do the same but… you actually like science so this probably is a fun time for you.”

Alex rolled her eyes and waved Lucy off, heading for the elevator. “See you later, Lucy.”

“Bye, Alex.” She could hear the laugh in Lucy’s voice.

*     *     *

Alex studied the alien through the glass. Kara stood next to her, clad in her Supergirl suit. Alex glanced over, noting the crinkle between Kara’s eyes. “What’s up?”

Kara looked over, brow still furrowed. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“He’s Syvillian. They’re peaceful. The planet is practically a utopia. It makes no sense he’d be aggressive like that.”

Alex looked back at the alien in question. He wasn’t in a holding cell. Instead, he was in a medical isolation ward, hooked up to the best life support the DEO could manage. He’d still been raging when Kara brought him in. That had eventually worn off. Or he was simply too sick now to do so. Alex wasn’t entirely sure which it was. What she did know was that it was the same pattern as the previous alien. Aggression then death. The cycle seemed to be going slower in this one, but Alex had a bad feeling the end result would be the same nonetheless.

“Has he spoken?” Alex asked.

Kara nodded. “Some. Only in his native language. If he knows English, he doesn’t seem inclined to speak in it. Or can’t remember it.”

“Can you understand him?”

Kara shook her head. “I can’t. Fortunately, J’onn can. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be saying much useful.”

Alex sighed. That’s what she was afraid of. She’d been able to determine that Cadmus was administering some sort of drug to aliens. It attacked the brain and turned them aggressive. Among other things. She wasn’t entirely sure if the slower death in this particular alien was intentional—or if they were trying to eliminate that side effect at all—or just a fluke. And she definitely didn’t know how to cure it. Or even if she could.

“Can J’onn talk to him? Get a name? Maybe permission for us to run tests?” Alex shot an anxious look at Kara.

Kara nodded, still studying the unconscious alien in the other room. “He said he would try today with you here.”

Alex nodded, turning her attention to the readouts she could see. “Good. Let's get to it then.”

Kara nodded once more then left Alex alone.

Alex sighed as she looked at the alien. The DEO wasn't perfect by any means but this? This was something they--she--would never do. Admittedly, this was never the DEO's mission anyway, that had always been Cadmus’ purpose even before they went rogue. But she also knew that, even if it had been, once J'onn had taken over he wouldn't have allowed it. Defending Earth and humans from hostile aliens was one thing. Experimenting on them like this? That was another. And now Cadmus had gone even further. She knew the purpose of this was to stir up anti-alien sentiment. Cadmus likely didn't know or care if they used traditionally peaceful races or not. All humans would see was an alien on a rampage. But if it got known that the race normally was peaceful? Well, so much the better for Cadmus’ goal.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the door to the observation room opening once more. She turned her head just enough to see J'onn and Kara step back up next to her.

J'onn inclined his head toward the alien. “Any change?”

Alex shook her head. “He's stable for now but… I don't know how much longer that will last. The virus they introduced is attacking his brain. It’s accomplishing their goal while killing him.”

“Also likely their goal.”

Alex shrugged a little. “Perhaps. I doubt it's a concern at least. But a living alien they can reuse or who would operate aggressively for longer would be more beneficial.”

J'onn nodded thoughtfully. “Very true. Shall we try speaking to him?”

“Yes. Hopefully we can at least get permission to draw some blood and run some tests.”

“And if we don't?”

Alex's lips tightened into a line. “Then we do it anyway. I'm not letting Cadmus win this.” She couldn't help but feel a twinge knowing Maggie would disapprove. But she would do what she needed to. More aliens would be saved if she could run tests and try for a cure than if she didn't.

J'onn nodded. “Agreed.” He took a last look through the window then led the way out the door so they could go into the room proper.

*     *     *

Maggie watched Alex quietly through the lab door for a few minutes. The scientist’s head was bent over a microscope and she periodically scribbled something on the pad of paper to her right. Maggie could see the tension in Alex’s shoulders and the slight furrow in her brow indicating both focus and stress. She wondered if she should be concerned about how deep she was in this “fake relationship” that she could pick up such signs from a woman as guarded as Alex Danvers. But despite a small voice that insisted she should be, she wasn’t. And she suspected Alex might be just as deep as she was, if that almost kiss the other day was any indication. Ever since, Maggie had been wondering what would’ve happened if Lois Lane hadn’t been there.

Maggie just wasn’t sure if it was something she needed to talk to the other woman about. Or if she should just let this all roll out. Because even though she thought Alex might feel the same… she wasn’t sure. And she wasn’t sure if she could handle rejection if she brought it up and it turned out Alex didn’t. Plus, given everything that was happening, she didn’t figure now was the best time to push the issue. Maybe when things had settled down a bit… If that ever actually happens, Sawyer. Rolling her eyes at herself, she entered the lab.

Alex glanced up as the door opened and flashed a smile before turning back to her microscope. She did throw out a “Hey, Sawyer” as she did so and Maggie smiled at the clearly conscious effort Alex was making to be more welcoming than the previous week when she’d gotten caught up in work. Not that it bothered Maggie in the slightest—Lord knew she was just as bad; ask any of her previous girlfriends—but she appreciated the effort.

“Hey. Whatcha doing? Same thing as last week?”

Alex shook her head. “No. The results from that are at… the lab… for further development and testing.”

Maggie nodded, understanding “the lab” to mean the DEO. “So, then what’s this?”

“You know that alien attack that was conveniently at the same time as the bomb?”

“Yeah?”

Alex sighed and waved a hand at her pad of paper, stepping slightly away from the microscope. “We found the same drug in his system as in the other one.”

Maggie frowned, remembering the ultimate state of the Khund. “Is this one dead, too?”

Alex took a deep breath, then nodded as she let it out slowly. “He lasted longer than the last but… yes. He died early this morning.”

“And you’re testing his blood?”

“Among other tests, yes. It appears to be a drug that causes essentially a prion disease… attacks the brain among other things. I think that’s what’s causing the aggression. And the deaths.”

Maggie frowned, turning over the information and wrestling with whether she wanted to know if Alex had gotten permission this time also. The problem was… even she couldn’t entirely fault Alex if the answer was “no.” They needed the information. It could save a lot of alien lives.  But there was also the part of her that insisted they had to do things right or they were no better than the bad guys.

Alex had begun scanning her notes again but looked back up at Maggie’s tiny, frustrated sound. She frowned in concern. “Maggie?”

“I—it’s nothing, Danvers.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. After a moment she spoke, voice quiet but not defensive. “You’re concerned about the ethics.”

Maggie sighed but nodded. “I can’t help it, Alex.”

Alex shrugged a little. “I know. I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

Maggie smiled involuntarily at the sentiment. She wanted to respond but stayed silent, letting Alex continue. There would be time later to address the whole situation of them.

“I just…” Alex turned back to the notes and pushed the papers around for a moment. “I wish I could say that yes, I got explicit permission again this time. But I can’t. Not really. He was pretty delirious. J’onn was able to talk to him a little in his own language. Got his name. It’s Toby, by the way. Or, well, it’s something almost completely unpronounceable in English but that’s the closest according to J’onn. Managed to get a little bit out of him about what happened. Something about a man that seemed nice… well, nicer than the others anyway. A couple details he could remember about where he was. They aren’t much, but Winn’s trying to see if they can help him figure out a location. And a ‘stop them.’” She shrugged again, mouth twisting. “We kinda took that as permission. But… I have to be honest. Even without that much, I’d have done it anyway. We have to stop Cadmus. And I need to find a cure.”

Maggie considered the information, then nodded slowly, pursing her lips.

Quietly, Alex asked, “Are you upset again? I won’t apologize for it… I can’t. But…”

Quickly, Maggie shook her head. “No, Alex. I’m not upset.” She sighed. “I get it. I don’t like it. I doubt I ever will. But I get it. Sometimes the greater good can’t be served by following the rules strictly.”

Alex nodded. “If it’s any comfort, we do try to when we can.”

Maggie smiled. “It is.” She looked over at the notes. “So, can you give me the layman’s version of whatever you’ve got going on here?”

Alex grinned. “Of course.” Then she was off, explaining her research in easy to understand terms while Maggie listened with interest and a fond smile.

*     *     *

Alex stepped into the bar and glanced around, automatically cataloguing the other patrons even as she scanned the room for Maggie. She’d been working heavily in her lab the past couple days trying to narrow down what, exactly, the drug Cadmus was using was doing. But she’d made a conscious effort to make time for Maggie and they’d agreed on meeting tonight after work. Finding her target, she smiled and started making her way over to where Maggie was racking pool balls, having clearly just finished a game against herself. Deftly, Alex dodged other patrons and a waiter before stepping up behind Maggie. “So… did you win?”

Maggie jumped and spun. “Damnit, Danvers! Don’t do that!” She was laughing even as she protested.

Alex grinned. “Why not?”

Maggie rolled her eyes but returned the grin. “Damn spooks.” She half-turned and waved a hand at the table. “Join me for a game?”

“You’re already ready to lose?”

“I’ve been practicing. Maybe I’ll give you a run for your money!”

Alex snorted. “Yeah, sure, Sawyer. I’m going to grab a beer first. You want one? You’ll need it for the losing.”

Maggie reached over and shoved her shoulder lightly. “You’re buying.”

“Why me?”

“First of all, you offered. Second, it’s the least you could do in recompense for all this boasting.”

Alex laughed lightly. “Fine. First round’s on me.” She headed for the bar and ordered a pair of their usual beers and a basket of chicken wings and fries. She snagged the beers from the counter and headed back to Maggie with assurances from the bartender that the food would be delivered shortly. Depositing Maggie’s beer in front of her, she commented, “I ordered food, too. In case you’re hungry.”

Maggie flashed her a brilliant smile, dimples deep. “Perfect.”

Alex took a sip of her beer. “So, you want to break?”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Why me?”

Alex grinned wickedly. “I figured it would be nice to give you at least one turn.”

Maggie rolled her eyes with a sarcastic laugh. “You’re hilarious, Danvers.” She took a sip of her own beer before doing as Alex had offered.

“I know.”

Maggie’s break was credible and she managed to sink a solid. She even managed to sink a second before whiffing completely on a third.

Alex grinned and chalked her cue, studying the layout of the pool table.

Maggie leaned a hip against the table and watched her. After a moment, she asked, “So, I’m curious about something.”

“Shoot.” Alex leaned over and smoothly struck the cue ball, knocking a stripe into a pocket and setting herself up for another shot.

“How’d you end up in your job anyway? As opposed to a lab full time, I mean.” There was something in Maggie’s voice that Alex couldn’t quite place. Curiosity for sure. But also… concern? Alex wasn’t sure. She was sure that despite their conversations about the DEO, Maggie was far from completely on board with what she did.

Alex considered how much she wanted to say about that answer as she stepped around the table for another shot. “Well… long story short… I had some issues in grad school. J’onn helped me out and gave me a direction. I got my act together, worked with J’onn while finishing my degrees, then went full time when I finished school.” She took her shot. “How’d you end up as a cop?”

“I wanted to help people. My dad’s a cop. It’s what I always wanted to do.”

Alex nodded. “I get that.”

“What did you always want to do?”

Alex pondered that, smoothly taking a third shot. Finally, she replied quietly, “I’m not entirely sure. I thought I wanted to be a doctor. The medical type. Or do research. But… I like what I do. It suits me better than those would have, I think. Though I didn’t know it at the time.” She looked up at Maggie as she finished answering.

“Do you ever get tired of lying about what you do?” Maggie watched her closely, head cocked in curiosity.

Alex felt her jaw tighten slightly. She ignored the question for a moment to pocket another ball. Finally, she responded coolly. “It’s what I have to do.”

Maggie nodded and waited for her to pocket another. After a brief eye roll at Alex’s fourth ball in a row, she stated. “That’s not what I asked you.”

Alex sighed and straightened, keeping her gaze fixed on the pool table. She didn’t want to know what kind of disgust or pity might be in Maggie’s gaze if she met it. “I—sometimes, yes. It wasn’t so bad before but more recently… yes, it got a little exhausting.”

“Got? So it’s not anymore?”

Alex chanced a look up. She found Maggie gazing at her, as expected. But none of the disgust or pity she’d feared were in the other woman’s gaze. Just a quiet understanding and sort of sadness. Alex took a chance. “I’m not close to a lot of people so normally it doesn’t bother me. But… it was not fun hiding it all from you.”

“Ah.” Maggie nodded slightly but didn’t push, as if she could sense Alex’s reluctance. Or maybe it was just that she, too, wasn’t quite ready to open the can of worms a full answer to the question of “why” would unleash. After a few moments of silence, she dropped her gaze and nodded at the pool table. “You going to keep going or do I get a chance?”

Alex chuckled, dropping her gaze to the table as well. “Why? It’ll just be my turn again in five seconds.” She grinned at Maggie’s outraged noise and bent over to resume play. She had just pulled the cue back when she frowned and straightened again, feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket. Holding up a finger at Maggie’s curious look, Alex’s frown deepened seeing the DEO number on the screen. “Danvers.”

“Alex, it’s J’onn.” His voice sounded concerned.

“J’onn? What’s going on?” She flicked a glance at Maggie who had stepped closer. The earlier amusement was gone and she was looking at Alex in concern.

“It’s…” He paused then took a deep breath.

Alex felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in foreboding. “J’onn? Just tell me. Is it Kara?”

“No. Kara’s fine. It’s… we found Jeremiah.”

Alex felt the breath leave her in a rush. She couldn’t find the words to speak. Her hand tightened on the phone.

J’onn continued. “Wolf and Blitz are already en route with Lucy. Get to the DEO when you can. We’ll need you here.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied automatically, in a daze. Slowly, she lowered the phone.

“Alex? Danvers? Alex!”

She jolted at the sudden sharpness in Maggie’s voice. When she finally looked over, Maggie was watching her in alarm. Alex blinked and only then realized Maggie was gripping her upper arm. “I… Maggie?”

Maggie frowned. “You’re pale as a sheet. I thought you were about to pass out. What’s wrong?”

“They… uh… they found my dad.”

Chapter Text

Alex didn’t remember leaving the bar. Or getting in the car. Or driving to the DEO. Yet somehow she found herself standing in the DEO waiting, Maggie’s hand resting lightly on her back. The next thing she could say for sure she remembered was seeing her father being escorted into the DEO atrium.

She rushed over, exchanging a heartfelt smile with Kara, currently dressed in her Supergirl outfit. “They told me but I didn’t believe it!”

“Alex. My Alex. Ow.” He wrapped one arm around her, the other hanging uselessly.

Alex clung to him tightly for several seconds before pulling away slightly. Wrapping an arm around him, she helped move him further into the DEO. She smiled as the assembled agents began clapping. Kara hung back a little, letting them move forward together.

Alex glanced over to where Maggie was still waiting, unsure what she should do. Part of her said she should tell the other woman to just go home—that she’d call her later. But the rest of her—the larger part—desperately wanted her to stay. Needed the support even if just in the form of Maggie’s presence somewhere in the DEO.

Maggie gave her a supportive smile, waving a hand slightly in the direction Alex had been heading. Her expression clearly said she’d be waiting.

Alex gave her a grateful smile and steered her father toward the medical bay. Kara trailed behind. Dimly, Alex wondered if she was going to need to have that conversation with Maggie in the near future. But the more pressing issue was determining what—if anything—was wrong with her father.

Once she had her father settled on a bed to begin checking him out, Alex turned to her sister. Escorting her to the door, she started quietly, “Can you—?”

“Get Eliza? On it.” Kara’s voice was equally low.

Alex smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Kara. And, uh, can you make sure… um…”

Kara smiled at her gently. “Want me to make sure Maggie sticks around?”

“Well, no. I mean—yes… no. Just…” Alex huffed out an annoyed breath. “Make sure she knows she doesn’t have to stay. But, if she wants to, make sure she’s comfortable?”

Kara grinned a little. “I’ll tell her but I’m pretty sure she isn’t going anywhere. I’ll be back soon.” With a quick hug, Kara left the medical bay.

Almost immediately, she was replaced by J’onn. He had clearly been waiting outside to give them some privacy. As he stepped in he asked, “I take it Kara is going to retrieve your mother?”

Alex nodded, grabbing a pair of gloves and snapping them on as she turned back to her father. Her dad was giving her a curious look with a small smile. “Everything okay?”

Alex gave him a tiny smile in response. “It’s fine. Kara’s gone to get mom. Let’s get started. I’d like to draw some blood, then, while that’s running, get a full body MRI.” Her dad nodded in agreement and Alex smiled again as she reached for the syringe.

J’onn stood on the opposite side of the bed, watching quietly. As Alex began to draw blood, he asked, “What can you tell us, Jeremiah?”

He looked over at J’onn. “Not a whole lot really. They kept me pretty isolated. I don’t even know where I was. Uh, I can tell you we drove at least a few hours to get to the warehouse that you found me leaving. But that wasn’t their main base. Mostly I was kept somewhere else. I don’t know where.”

J’onn nodded thoughtfully. Alex watched him out of the corner of her eye as she went about collecting a few vials of blood and taking her father’s vitals. It wasn’t the most useful information but it was about what she had expected. Quietly, she interjected, “Your vitals look good. Let’s get you into the MRI.”

Her dad nodded and looked at J’onn questioningly.

J’onn smiled slightly. “We can talk more later. I’m fairly sure your daughter will kill me if I don’t let her run her tests.”

Alex arched an eyebrow at J’onn but her dad just chuckled. “Sounds like my Alex. Lead on, Doctor Danvers.”

Alex couldn’t stop the small but pleased smile at the title. Or deny the pride at hearing her father use it. It had been one of her dreams, for so long just a fantasy given her father was “dead” and now… finally a reality. “Right this way.” She helped him settle into a wheelchair, ignoring his protests that he could walk, and started pushing him out of the medical bay.

Her dad looked around interestedly as they walked toward the MRI, eventually commenting, “This place is certainly nicer than the cave in the desert they had me working out of back in the day.”

Alex grunted a little. “It definitely is.”

He craned his neck to look at her. “You’ve been there?”

She weighed how much to say. He was her father and everything in her wanted to trust him. But she was also a trained agent and all of her training was telling her not to do so until they were certain. Finally, she settled on a simple “yes” given she wasn’t giving him information he didn’t already know.

He didn’t seem to find anything odd about the short answer, still studying his surroundings. “I’m glad they’ve given you good facilities to work in. You deserve them.”

She smiled a little as she steered him into the small suite of rooms containing the x-ray and MRI machines. “Thanks, Dad.”

Settling her father onto a bed for x-rays with the help of a couple of DEO medical personnel, she left them with instructions to bring her father and the results back to the medbay ASAP. Reentering her own lab, she flashed a look at J’onn as he immediately moved to her side. She began methodically pulling up the test results that had started to come in on her father’s blood, sparing a moment to be thankful for the DEO’s in house facilities. Not all of them would be ready today but she could at least start to get a handle on the basic results.

Eventually, she looked over at J’onn with a sigh. He gave her a gentle smile, resting a hand on her shoulder. “How does it look, Agent Danvers?”

She nodded at the screens. “Basic tests look fairly normal. Some nutrient levels are low but nothing that can’t be fixed easily. I’ll know more tomorrow when the more extensive results are in but nothing abnormal is popping so far. The x-rays and MRI will tell us more also.”

He nodded. “We can start the mental and psychological tests tomorrow as well.”

Alex nodded. She was reluctant but it was standard protocol for an agent that had been captured and recovered. And given the length of time… well, those tests were just even more crucial. Her father would understand. At least… the father she’d known would. She hoped desperately the same man was the one currently inside the DEO now.

The hand tightened on her shoulder reassuringly and J’onn’s voice gentled. “How are you holding up, Alex?”

She looked up at him. “Truthfully?”

His eyes glinted with momentary humor. “That is preferable, yes.”

She let out a half-laugh. “I don’t know, J’onn. I can’t… I haven’t even begun to process this. One minute I’m out at the bar with Maggie and the next…”

He nodded. “I can’t imagine what I would feel like if someone told me they’d found My’ria’h. But, you don’t have to do this alone.”

She gave him a small smile and reached up to grip his hand. “I know. Thanks, J’onn.”

He smiled back. “Is Detective Sawyer still here? I noticed she came with you.”

“I…” She dropped her gaze, feeling a blush creep up her neck. “I think so.”

“She seems like a good… friend.”

Alex looked back up at the pause, eyes narrowing slightly. Were they actually going to have this conversation now? Not that she didn’t want to tell him. And, well, now probably was as good a time as any while they waited for the x-rays and MRI to finish and her mother to arrive. But… “She… is.” Alex took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and looked away again.

J’onn’s voice was somehow even gentler than before. “You only have to talk when you’re ready, Alex.”

“It’s not that. Or… it is. I just…” She looked at him again. “I’m not entirely sure what we are.”

“Ah.” He seemed to consider that for a moment. “Well, I have no doubt that the two of you will figure it out. And Alex?”

“Hm?”

“I’m proud of you.”

She smiled, fighting back tears. Her voice was barely above a whisper as he pulled her into a warm hug. “Thanks.”

After several minutes, he pulled back. “Your father should be out of the testing soon.”

She nodded, dashing away the few tears that had still managed to leak out. “Right.” Alex looked at her watch. “Kara should be back with mom soon also.”

The pair made their way back to the medbay and Alex busied herself pulling up the results, noting that the x-rays appeared to be done but no MRI results. She frowned and called the room where she’d left her father. The tech who answered the phone sounded relieved. “Agent Danvers.”

“Why are there no MRI results?”

“Uh, ma’am… I believe you’ll want to look at the x-ray results first. We tried to call the medbay but there was no answer.”

She nodded. “You didn’t try my lab?”

“We did, ma’am. No answer there either.”

She sighed. Clearly her timing left something to be desired. “Got it. I’ll look at the results now.”

She pulled up the x-rays and methodically began going through them. J’onn was watching her curiously from far enough away to not hover. As she started reviewing the scans of her father’s arms, she frowned. “J’onn?”

He was at her side immediately. “What’s wrong?” She pointed at the screen wordlessly. There was a short pause then “What the hell is that?”

“Nothing human,” she replied grimly.

Her father’s right arm was clearly no longer flesh and blood. It wasn’t like anything she’d seen before. Some form of hybrid machinery—both alien and human. She didn’t take her eyes off the screen as she reached for the DEO communication system. “Winn? Get to medbay one ASAP.”

Next she called back down to the radiology lab. “Bring my father back to medbay one immediately.”

She barely waited for an acknowledgement before hanging up. She reviewed the rest of the x-rays quickly. She would take a closer look later but her goal for the moment was simply to see if anything else jumped out at her like the arm. There were some other pins and plates—likely from repairing injuries—but nothing extensive. Not like… that.

Winn arrived in the medbay just before her father did, looking confused. Alex gave him a brief shake of her head and he snapped his mouth shut on the question he was about to ask and took up a spot next to J’onn. Her father also shot her a look when he was wheeled in but, unlike Winn’s, he was definitely not confused.

Once he was settled and the techs had left, Alex stepped over to his side. She could feel J’onn’s comforting presence nearby and Winn took up post nearby, still looking confused but also determined.

Alex arched an eyebrow at her father. “So, dad, were you going to tell us about the arm before or after we stuck you in the giant magnet?”

“Ah. That.”

“Yes. That. Care to explain?”

He sighed. “I lost my arm not long after Cadmus ‘rescued’ me in the jungle. There was a lab accident. But they wanted me to help them and eventually I convinced them I couldn’t do that as effectively with only one arm. Part of what we—they were working on was ways to create cyborgs. Fusing alien technology and our own to make better cybernetics and replacement limbs. I started out with a prototype and over time upgraded it to this. Functions as well as a normal limb.

They disable it when I’m not in the lab. I don’t even have the access codes to turn it on myself. You can check. It’s essentially dead and useless.”

Alex looked over at Winn. “Winn?”

“Right.” He pulled out his tablet and began typing then moved over to one of the tables to pick up a scanner, studying the results on his tablet as he ran it over her dad’s arm. “Well, it does look dead. I can’t detect any power to it at all.” He met Alex’s gaze. “I’d want to run more tests to be certain.”

She nodded. “You will.” She turned her gaze on her father, lips pursed. “You need to stay here a few days while we run all our tests for returned agents. Plus, obviously, a few others.”

He nodded seriously. “Of course. Alex, I’m not going to do anything. Or run. Do all the tests you have to.”

She sighed a little. “Mom should be here soon.” A sound at the door made them all turn.

Kara gave Alex a little smile. “Mom is here now.”

For her part, her mom was staring at her dad, one hand over her mouth and eyes wide. Alex could make out tears welling.

Carefully, Alex moved closer. “Hey, mom.” Her mom’s gaze flickered to hers for a moment and Alex smiled softly. “He’s real.” Gently she led her mother to her father’s bedside then stepped back and watched as, after a moment’s hesitation, he mom practically fell on to her dad’s good side to hug him. She was crying now and Alex turned away to give them some privacy, exchanging smiles with Kara.

Winn coughed and shuffled out of the lab, murmuring about being available whenever Alex wanted him to run those test before vanishing into the rest of the DEO. He gripped Kara’s arm briefly as he passed.

Alex practically fell into Kara’s arms for a hug as they watched their parents for a moment. Finally, she murmured, “Thanks.”

“Of course. Eliza’s my mom, too.” Kara squeezed her a little. She lowered her voice even further. “I saw Maggie also.”

Alex looked up at her. “She’s uh… she’s still here?”

Kara smiled. “Yeah. She’s out in command. I think she’s afraid if she leaves the command center they’ll lock her out.”

Alex blinked. “Oh shoot. Uh…”

J’onn interjected quietly. “Authorize a level three badge with the M, O2, and X designations.”

Alex gave him a grateful smile, already typing up the authorization on her tablet. “Done.” She hesitated. She didn’t want to leave her parents just yet but she wanted to make sure the badge was delivered to Maggie as soon as possible.

J’onn patted her shoulder. “I’ll go tell her. You stay with your parents.”

Alex nodded then grabbed his arm briefly. “Tell her she can wait in my office if she wants to.” He nodded then left. Alex studiously ignored the amused grin on Kara’s face. She looked up as her mom walked up and wordlessly handed over the tablet, test results already pulled up, before her mother could ask.

Her mom gave her a grateful smile then focused on flipping through the screens. Kara squeezed her again briefly before leaving to go talk to their dad.

Alex watched the scene quietly, arms crossed. She felt suddenly exhausted as the emotions and weight of what was happening started to hit her. Sighing, she dragged a hand across her face. She just wanted to… well, really, she wanted to see Maggie. She was slightly confused by her feelings. While she’d accepted that she was gay and definitely had a crush on Maggie, she’d never really had this desire to be with someone. To want them around just for their presence. Hell, to find someone’s presence other than her sister’s or, sometimes, J’onn’s, comforting at all. Yet… here she was, wishing she could just go hide in her office for a bit with her not-really-girlfriend.

Her mom’s voice pulled her from her reverie. “So… the arm.”

Alex pursed her lips. She responded quietly, gaze fixed on where her dad and sister were talking. “He didn’t even tell us about it before the x-ray. We almost put him into an MRI with that thing.”

Her mom sighed and followed her line of sight. “I assume the DEO has a protocol for this sort of situation.”

Alex nodded. “We do. We’ve already started some of it. The rest of his bloodwork is running right now and should be available in the morning. He’ll start the mental and psychological testing tomorrow as well.” She paused, then added. “He’s not allowed outside this room unescorted until he’s cleared and J’onn authorizes a reissuance of a clearance.”

Her mom nodded. “Of course. I understand. And agree.”

Alex let out a slow breath and relaxed, loosening tension in her shoulders she hadn’t even realized was there. Things between them had definitely gotten better but there was still a part of her waiting for her mom to disagree with her assessment outright.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out curiously. Her brow furrowed briefly then smoothed out as she smiled a little when she read the text from Maggie. It contained simply a photograph of the shelves behind her desk with a short message saying “You really are a nerd.” Only a moment later a second text came through. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

For the second time, her mom’s voice pulled her back to the medbay. “Alex?”

“Oh, uh.” She looked up at her mom and desperately hoped she wasn’t blushing. “I need to go take care of something in my office. I’ll be back shortly. J’onn should be back in a moment.” Her mom gave her a confused look but nodded and Alex hurried from the medbay.

Alex opened the door to her office slowly. Sure, it was hers, but she didn’t think it would be very polite to simply burst in on Maggie either. She found Maggie studying the bookshelves in the corner of her office intently. For a moment, she leaned in the doorframe and studied the other woman, a smile tugging at her lips. It seemed so natural to have her here, in Alex’s office. To have had her be the one that was with her when she found out about her father.

She wondered if Maggie felt the same. If, maybe, Maggie, too, was hoping that this fake relationship wasn’t so fake.

After a moment, she knocked lightly on the doorframe and entered the room properly. Maggie turned around and Alex gave her a grateful smile. “Hey.”

Maggie smiled warmly. “Hey.” She gestured at the bookshelves behind her. “I should’ve taken a picture of these to call you a nerd. I’m not even sure half of this is English.”

Alex laughed softly as she closed the door behind her. “Yes, well. I’m glad you were able to find it.”

“Oh yeah. Once I had my shiny new badge from your boss—thanks for that, by the way—the baby agents were more than happy to show me how to get here.” Maggie glanced around. “Nice office.”

Alex laughed again at Maggie’s description. “You’re welcome but, really, you should thank J’onn. He authorized it.”

Maggie cocked her head slightly, watching Alex. “I already did.”

Alex nodded, feeling suddenly nervous though she didn’t know way. “You um, you don’t have to stay. Not that I don’t appreciate you doing so!” she hurried to add.

Maggie smiled softly. “I know I don’t. But I want to. Okay?”

Alex nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

Maggie glanced around. “Though, I was thinking, now that I do have this shiny badge that keeps me from being locked out, maybe I’d go grab some food? We didn’t get a chance to eat at the bar.”

“Oh shit.” Alex sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, Alex. No. Don’t apologize. This was way more important. I already texted my friend who works there that we had an emergency. She boxed it up for us. I’ll just go pick it up; it’s no big deal.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

Alex nodded. “Thanks.”

Maggie smiled again, moving closer. She seemed to hesitate then reached out to rest a hand on Alex’s arm. “How’s your dad?”

Alex sighed, scrubbing a hand through her hair as she contemplated how much to say. “We don’t know completely. Initial bloodwork looks pretty good. There’s obviously plenty more protocols to go through. He… he used to be an agent. At the DEO. It’s part of why I joined.”

She met Maggie’s gaze briefly, finding it full of a gentle warmth as she watched Alex. Glancing down again, Alex continued, “He’s been a… captive… I think… of Cadmus for over ten years. We don’t know everything yet. Whether he’s himself or…” She trailed off, trying to choke back tears at the thought.

Maggie’s hand stroked her arm soothingly. “Hey. You’ll figure it out. I have no doubt. And then we’ll catch Cadmus and stop them for good.”

“Thanks.” She looked down at the other woman, abruptly realized just how close they were. Nervously, she wet her lips and watched Maggie’s gaze drop briefly. “Maggie, I…”

“Yeah?”

It would be so easy to just lean in. She had just resolved to do so when there was a knock then the sound of the door opening. Alex jolted backward, spinning to face the intruder with what was nearly a snarl. Upon seeing her mother standing there she froze. “Uh, mom.”

Her mom glanced between her and Maggie. First with confusion then a dawning understanding. Alex braced herself. For what, she didn’t really know. But surely this was not on her mother’s perfect plan for her. After an awkward pause, her mother simply asked. “Who’s this?”

Alex cleared her throat. “Uh, mom, this is Maggie Sawyer, Director of Security at L-Corp and… my girlfriend. Maggie, my mother, Eliza Danvers.”

If her mom was surprised at the “girlfriend” title, she didn’t show it. Instead she smiled warmly and held out a hand to Maggie. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

Alex looked over at Maggie and she seemed to hesitate before smiling, though still seeming a bit hesitant, and shaking Eliza’s hand. “Likewise.” She turned to Alex. “I’m going to go get the food. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.” Alex smiled though she was hyperaware of her mom’s eyes on her. Maggie seemed to be as well, but she still leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Alex’s cheek. Alex watched her go, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if the kiss was just because Maggie wanted to or because she thought she should given the presence of Alex’s mom. Either way, Alex hoped she did it a lot more times.

Finally, after Maggie had been gone for several seconds, she managed to speak though she still didn’t look at her mom. “I uh… I suppose I should… um…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, her voice shaking. Slowly, she made herself look at her mom. She still half-expected to find disappointment in her mom’s eyes. Or even anger. What she found instead was… sadness. But it didn’t seem directed at her. Hesitantly, she asked, “Mom?”

“I wondered. You’ve mentioned Maggie frequently the few times we’ve spoken lately. So has Kara when I’ve asked about you.”

“Yeah, I… uh…” Alex looked away, only looking back when she felt her mom rest a gentle hand on her arm.

“Oh, my beautiful Alexandra, why is it so hard for you to tell me?”

“I feel like I’m, uh, I’m letting you down… somehow.” She couldn’t completely keep the shake out of her voice.

“Why would your being gay ever let me down?” Her mom’s voice was gentle.

“You always wanted me to have a regular life.”

“Alex, look at the life our family has led. Look at me; look at your sister. I don’t think you believe I ever expected you to have a regular life. You were always gonna be different, Alex. Because you were always exceptional. And I love you, however you are. Come here.” She pulled Alex into a tight hug.

Alex clung to her mom for several minutes, sniffling and feeling tears trail down her face. She’d hoped. Hoped her mom would be okay with it. But even after the evidence in the form of her sister dating Lena… she’d still been afraid. Afraid that it would be different for her. The eldest. The one who was supposed to set the example. And she was so relieved to find out Kara had been right.

Eventually, they separated and Alex wiped her eyes. Then her brow furrowed and she looked at her mom in confusion. “Wait, was there something you needed?”

“Oh, yes. Your father was asking where you had gone.”

Alex felt guilty. Her father. Who had been in captivity… or something… for years was back and here she was, running off to her office to see a woman she wasn’t even technically dating just because, why? Maggie made her feel better? Stupid.

Her mother must have caught the guilt on her face because she immediately reached out to squeeze Alex’s arm. “Do not feel guilty for taking some time for yourself, Alex. I’m glad you found someone that makes you happy.”

Alex couldn’t stop the smile. “She uh… she really does, Mom.”

Her mom smiled. “You’ll have to tell me more about her. She seems lovely. Did you meet her through Lena?”

Alex shook her head, then nodded, then laughed a little and shrugged. “Sort of. She started at L-Corp a few months ago and Lena brought her to my lab during a tour. Then she started coming by… thought I seemed suspicious.” Alex gave her mom a wry smile. “Eventually, she found out the truth and… well… we, uh… we really hit it off.”

“I’m happy for you, Alex.”

Alex hesitated. “Do you… what will dad think?”

“Your father will be proud of you, too. He loves you, Alex. And if not…” She trailed off but her tone of voice left no room for confusion.

Alex smiled at the warm feeling that spread through her at the fierceness in her mom’s voice. Her voice was quiet when she spoke, but warm. “Thanks, Mom.” She sighed and glanced at the door. “We should get back down there.”

Surprisingly, her mother shook her head. “No. You stay here and eat with your girlfriend. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. You can come back down later.”

“But what about you?” Alex protested.

Her mom waved a hand dismissively. “Kara can grab us food. Your father will survive a little bit longer without you.”

“But…”

Her mom pinned her with a look. “Alexandra Danvers. I will not have you running yourself into the ground. Eat with Maggie. Then you can come back down.” She moved for the door then stopped, hand on the doorknob. “Oh, and Alex. We will be having a family dinner once your father is released so do make sure Maggie comes as well.”

“Yes, mom.” Alex wasn’t sure whether to be put out about the family dinner or just happy that her mom was so accepting. She opted to settle on the latter.

Her mom smiled and opened the door then stopped short at finding Maggie on the other side.

Maggie smiled sheepishly and held up the bag of food. “Uh, hi.”

Alex stepped up behind her mom, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Hey. That was fast.”

Maggie shrugged a little. “Uh… M’gann decided to just bring it to me so… but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Alex’s mom simply smiled. “Perfect timing. You two eat your dinner. It was lovely to meet you, Maggie. Alex, I’ll see you later.” With that, she strode off, not giving either of them a chance to react.

Alex chuckled nervously, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Well, uh… come on back in.”

Maggie stepped inside, giving Alex a cautious look as she passed. “Everything okay?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine. Apparently my dad was asking where I went so—”

“Do you need to go back downstairs? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Maggie, it’s fine.” Alex held out a hand with a small smile. “My mom actually insisted I stay here and eat with you first.”

“Oh.” Maggie paused in the act of setting the food on Alex’s desk. “I have to say, I wasn’t really expecting that.”

Alex shrugged and moved to help get the food out. “Neither was I, honestly. But… here we are.”

Maggie flashed a dimpled smile at her. “Here we are.”

Alex gave her a sidelong look, smirking a little. “Don’t look too happy. I’ve been told to make sure you come to family dinner once my father is released.”

Maggie shot her a disbelieving look.

Alex just laughed and resumed unloading the bag of food. “I’ll let you know the details when I know them.”

Maggie sighed and grabbed one of the containers of chicken wings and fries. Settling on the small couch Alex had in her office, she pointed at Alex with a French fry. “You know, I have already been to more family dinners with you than my last several girlfriends combined.”

Alex just shrugged and tried not to react at the way that sentence made it sound like she was actually the current girlfriend. “Sorry.”

Maggie laughed. “No, you’re not. But it’s fine. Certainly could be worse.”

Alex chuckled and joined her with her own food. “It could be but, then again, you haven’t seen my family on anything but their best behavior yet.”

Maggie snorted. “If that was the Lanes on their best behavior then I’m scared to think what isn’t.”

Alex nodded solemnly. “You should be.”

Maggie looked over at her and laughed. “You’re an odd one, Alex Danvers.”

Alex smiled a little. “Am I?”

Maggie grinned, gaze warm and… something… dancing in her eyes. “Yeah. Works for you though.”

Maggie stared idly into space, absently fiddling with a pen. Her gaze was aimed toward the clock in her office but her mind was elsewhere. She hadn’t been able to focus all day; the looming dinner occupying her mind despite her best efforts. Combined with recent events, she figured she could be forgiven for being a bit distracted. Or a lot distracted.

The past few days had been a whirlwind. Ever since Alex got that call about her father, she’d been stressed. Maggie had done what she could but… in the weird spot between dating and not-dating that they were in, she wasn’t sure what her role was. Or how much help or comfort would be welcomed. Or what kind of comfort would be welcomed. Not that Alex seemed angry to see her. Or had told her to stay away. But Maggie was still cautious. She knew they likely needed to talk about their relationship but this was just as obviously not the time. So she did what she could without invading Alex’s space too much and hoped it helped.

Alex had kept her mostly in the loop, though. Which Maggie had to admit she was a little surprised at. Maggie could tell Alex was not the most trusting of people, especially in regards to her personal life. Despite that, Alex had kept her apprised of the basics of what was happening. Her father had shown up with some sort of crazy metal arm that Winn had tested extensively and determined to be inert—at least for now. Alex had also mentioned something about mental testing and other protocols. She was, understandably, relatively reticent on the specifics but Maggie had gathered that her father had passed initial testing well enough for potential reinstatement at least at a low level. Maggie just hoped this didn’t somehow come back to bite Alex. She didn’t know much about Alex’s relationship with her father but what she did know… she never wanted to see Alex have to suffer from this not being what she hoped.

And didn’t that just explain so much about one Doctor Doctor Alexandra Danvers? Her father having been a DEO agent in the past and dying for it to save the man that was now the director… who had then gone on to help out Alex? Well, a lot of things made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to see Alex for any length of time. The woman had been mainly at the DEO and Maggie had been taking advantage of her new badge to stop by and make sure she did things like eat. Which seemed to have the bonus of garnering her good girlfriend points with Alex’s mom based on the approving smile she got every time she caught a glimpse of Doctor Eliza Danvers. The name still weirded her out a little but the positive reaction helped create distance between Maggie’s past and present.

She had spotted Detective Johnson a couple times on her trips to the DEO but when she’d mentioned it to Alex, she’d just gotten a mysterious smile and a “It’s taken care of” in response. She had thought about pressing the issue but ultimately decided she probably didn’t want to know. And had a suspicion that Alex wouldn’t tell her, anyway, no matter how close they’d gotten.

Maggie dropped her gaze absently to the report in front of her. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Alex about it yet but it had revealed what they’d both feared and suspected. Some of the stolen L-Corp power supplies had been used in the explosion at the coffee shop. Though they’d been reported stolen and thus couldn’t really be used to claim L-Corp or Lena were behind the attack… that didn’t necessarily matter much to a lot of people. She sighed, gaze drifting back toward the clock once again.

Alex.

The reason she was so distracted.

Family dinner number two. This time with Alex’s parents. The Doctors Danvers.

Maggie hadn’t been lying when she told Alex this was already more family dinners than her last several girlfriends combined. And with the addition of family dinner number two? More than any girlfriend since Emily.

She grimaced and pushed that comparison away then startled when her door suddenly opened. Looking over with a scowl, she was already opening her mouth to tell off whoever had interrupted without knocking. The words died unsaid as she took in the sight of Lena standing in the doorway with a bemused smile. Maggie looked back at the clock, frowning as she realized it did, in fact, say it was after five p.m. Despite all her staring, she hadn’t really processed what time was on the clock.

“Ready to go?”

Maggie sighed and nodded at Lena’s question. “As I’ll ever be.”

Lena stepped into the office, letting the door shut behind her. At Maggie’s puzzled glance, she stated quietly. “There’s no need to be nervous. I understand it. But Eliza is… well, really quite nice. I can’t speak to Jeremiah but I don’t imagine the father of Alex and Kara Danvers to be anything different.”

Maggie sighed a little and fiddled with her pen. “Alex and her mom seem to have… maybe not the same relationship as Kara and her mom.” Not that Maggie knew the details. Not really. But… she couldn’t help but worry. The few times Eliza Danvers had come up, Alex had seemed anything but happy with her relationship with her mother. And she had definitely been nervous when Eliza surprised them in Alex’s office.

Lena nodded. “I know. Well… I don’t know but Kara’s talked about it a bit. Alex has been… unsurprisingly reticent on, well, most topics.” They both chuckled a bit then Lena continued, with a thoughtful look, “I have to admit. I was surprised she actually took to you so quickly.”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Quickly?”

Lena shot her a little grin. “I did tell you it took months before she stopped interrogating me, right? Alex is very guarded. For a lot of reasons, some of which I know and some of which I don’t. You probably know all the reasons I do and, it seems, several I don’t.”

“What are you saying?”

Lena shrugged. “Nothing really. Just observing. But if I can observe that… I’m sure her parents can too.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Observe what?” She was pretty sure she knew what Lena was driving at but she wanted it in words.

Lena smiled. “She likes you, Maggie. A lot. And I highly doubt Doctor Agent Alex Danvers would put up with anyone, even her parents, not liking you.” Lena looked at the clock. “We should go. Wouldn’t do to make a bad impression on the parents, would it?”

Maggie sighed but stood, muttering, “No, certainly not.”  She grabbed the gift she had stashed earlier and trailed Lena out of the office, absently waving to her employees and wishing them a good weekend. Mentally, she berated herself for not having her own car and putting herself in this predicament. As she settled in the car next to Lena, she let her mind drift back to the events of the night before that had led to this situation in the first place.

She’d been poking through her fridge, wondering if she had the ingredients to make a decent meal when a knock had pulled her away. It was only after she’d looked through the peephole and realized that the knock—which sounded again—was coming from her window rather than her door. Grabbing her gun (not that it was likely a criminal would knock or be at her fifth floor window but it was better to be safe than sorry), she edged toward the window only to find Supergirl waiting for her.

Blinking, she stepped back awkwardly as the hero blithely flew inside, already smiling brightly. “Director Sawyer!”

“Uh, Supergirl.”

“I understand congratulations are in order.”

Maggie blinked again, thoroughly confused. “Congratulations about what?”

“You and Agent Danvers!”

“Ah. Uh, thank you?”

“Of course!” Supergirl’s smile seemed to somehow get even brighter. “Agent Danvers is… like family. I’m happy that she’s happy.”

“Right.” Maggie filed that tidbit away for later. “What, um, can I do for you?”

“Oh, right. So, I imagine Agent Danvers already told you that her father is being released today. I’m here to take you over to her place to celebrate.”

Maggie frowned. “Celebrate? Isn’t dinner tomorrow?”

Supergirl rolled her eyes. “Not the family stuff. Just you. And her. Oh! And her sister and Lena Luthor of course.”

Maggie was flummoxed. Why on Earth was Supergirl so concerned about taking her over to celebrate with Alex? “Uh, that seems like a good idea but—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish—much less suggest she would get her bike and head to Alex’s—before she’d found herself in the hero’s arms and already flying through the city. She clung tightly to the superhero, refusing to look down and silently resolving never to use this method of travel again.

Alex had looked a cross between annoyed and thankful when they arrived, though Maggie was grateful to see the annoyance seemed directed at the superhero. For her part, Supergirl seemed blithely unaware, simply depositing Maggie and vanishing back through Alex’s balcony doors.

Maggie turned to Alex, ready to apologize but the other woman beat her to it. “Sorry about her.” Alex smiled wryly.

Maggie shook her head with a smile. “It’s fine. How did she know anyway?”

“Ah. Kara.”

“As in your sister?” Maggie’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Alex nodded. “They’re friendly. Kara was supposed to be meeting her earlier for an interview. She probably mentioned this idea and well… one thing led to another.”

“Ah.” Maggie nodded slowly. It made sense. Even if it was still a bit… odd. “Well, I uh… appreciate the lift. I think.”

Alex chuckled and turned toward the island. “Sounds like you could use a drink.”

“Definitely. When will Kara and Lena be here?”

Alex poured a glass of scotch then handed it over. “Soon. In theory. Kara was wrapping something up at work then stopping by L-Corp to pick up Lena.”

Maggie flashed a brief smile as she sipped her drink. “Thanks.” She looked around the apartment. “Got it. So… how is your dad? We didn’t get a chance to talk much earlier.”

“Good. He’s… good. The DEO put him up in the same hotel Mom is at. They were going to get some dinner tonight I think. Just the two of them.”

Maggie nodded and looked back at Alex with a soft smile. “I’m glad.”

Alex smiled in return. “Me too. It’s… it’s weird but…” She sighed. “I don’t know. I hope it all works out like I want but…”

Maggie moved closer and rested a hand on her arm. “Hey. Whatever happens; I’m here for you. Okay?”

Alex gave her another smile. “Okay. Thanks, Maggie.”

Lena and Kara had shown up shortly thereafter and the rest of the evening was spent with pizza and watching some of Alex and Kara’s favorite movies. Movie night had turned into a sleepover and Maggie catching a ride to L-Corp in the morning after borrowing a clean shirt from Alex.

Maggie was startled from her reverie by a tap on her shoulder. She flashed a look at Lena who simply smiled.

“We’re here.”

Maggie looked out the window, finally recognizing that they were in front of what she assumed was Kara’s building. Taking a deep breath, she exited the car. She politely waited for Lena to do the same before gesturing for the other woman to precede her.

Maggie let Lena enter the apartment first, watching her interactions with the Danverses carefully. She couldn’t stop the warm feeling as Alex greeted Lena perfunctorily then honed in on Maggie, hovering in the background. Alex made a beeline for Maggie, hesitating briefly before gently taking Maggie’s shoulders and kissing her on the cheek with a smile. Quietly, Alex stated, “I’m glad you came.”

Maggie smiled, gripping Alex’s elbow reassuringly. “Wouldn’t miss it, Danvers.”

Then Eliza was suddenly behind Alex, giving Maggie a warm smile and reaching out for a hug. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Uh, hello, Doctor Danvers. It’s great to see you again.”

“Call me Eliza. It’s lovely to have you here.”

Eliza stepped back and Maggie found herself face to face with Jeremiah Danvers. One of his arms was in a sling and he wore a curious smile as he looked from her to his wife and daughter. “Who do we have here?”

Alex answered. Her hands cupped Maggie’s shoulder almost possessively but Maggie was grateful for the comfort the grip provided. “Dad, this is my girlfriend, Maggie.”

Jeremiah smiled and held out a hand. “I always said no one would be good enough for my Alex. From what I’ve heard about you from her… I’m happy to be wrong.”

“Oh, flattery.” Maggie laughed, a little nervously still, as she reached out to shake his hand. “Alex deserves the best.”

He nodded, still smiling. “She does.”

Maggie felt Alex’s hands squeeze her shoulder then one trailed down her back lightly in a reassuring motion. Without conscious thought, Maggie pressed into the hand on her back subtly even as she held out the bag in her hand. “Thank you for having me.”

Jeremiah took the bag and peered inside. “What have we here? Oh, tequila!” He grinned at her and Alex. “Well, that’s it. She’s family.” He chuckled and looked over at Eliza. “Shall we show the kids how margaritas are done?” Maggie let out a slow breath as Eliza and Jeremiah headed to the kitchen and took the chance to shoot Alex a small smile.

Alex returned it with a reassuring one of her own and gently pushed her forward. “Go join Lena. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Maggie nodded and reached over to pat Alex’s side lightly as she walked forward. She heard Kara and Alex speaking quietly behind her but didn’t linger to try and hear them. Instead, she took the opportunity to take in Kara’s apartment. It was a far cry from Alex’s as was expected given the strikingly different personalities of the sisters. Still a studio but brighter and airier with bright colors and light woods splashed everywhere.

She hadn’t even realized she’d paused on the edge of the living area until she felt a soft hand on her back and heard Alex’s quiet voice. “Everything okay?”

Maggie looked over with a smile. “Yeah. Just taking in how different Kara’s place is from yours.”

Alex chuckled and glanced around. “It used to be mine actually.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that Alex’s hand hadn’t moved and was still resting warmly on the small of her back, a comfortable weight. “Oh really?”

Alex nodded. “Just after I moved to National City. Not for very long, really. I ended up moving to my place fairly quickly to be closer to work and this place was more Kara’s speed anyway. So I signed the lease over to her.”

Maggie nodded understandingly. “Makes sense. Your place fits you better anyway.” She grinned. “Much more dark and broody,” she teased gently.

Alex gave her a glare that lasted barely seconds before dissolving into a rueful laugh. “Okay, okay. Touché.”

Kara appeared on the other side of Alex. “Alex! Maggie! Come sit with us!”

Maggie exchanged an amused glance with Alex before they both gave into Kara’s tugging and joined the other couple in the living area. Sinking into the comfortable couch, Maggie couldn’t help but press closer to Alex, one hand resting on Alex’s knee. She felt Alex’s arm drape across the back of the couch, pressing against her shoulders lightly. She smiled to herself even as she made a mental note that they really needed to have that conversation soon.

Setting that aside for now, she relaxed into the couch and Alex’s side and tuned back into the conversation. Kara was telling some story about an intern that had made the mistake of answering Cat Grant’s phone call to the editor of the Tribune earlier and didn’t realize who it was until after hanging up. Laughing along with the group, Maggie surreptitiously glanced over at the couple in the kitchen. She found Eliza watching them with a fond smile and saw Jeremiah glance up briefly with a smile at a particularly loud laugh from Kara before returning his attention to the drinks.

Maggie returned her attention to the group and settled into the chatter until Jeremiah called them over for drinks. The door opened as they moved toward the kitchen and Maggie watched with an affectionate smile as Alex’s expression brightened at the sight of her boss entering the apartment.

“J’onn! Glad you could make it!” Jeremiah stepped over to welcome the newcomer with a broad grin.

“Same here. Sorry I’m late.”

Jeremiah scoffed. “Not at all. We were just getting drinks.” He glanced over at the waiting group of women. “I presume you know my daughters’ girlfriends already?”

J’onn nodded and sent a warm smile toward Maggie and Lena. “Yes. They’re both wonderful.”

Jeremiah nodded, moving back toward the island and waiting drinks. “I couldn’t agree more.” He turned back to J’onn while the group took drinks. “Oh hey! I forgot to do something earlier.” Jeremiah pulled J’onn into a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my life again. Thank you for keeping your promise to watch over my girls.”

J’onn glanced at Alex and Kara then back to Jeremiah with a smile. “It was an honor.”

Kara interjected, smiling. “A toast. To coming home.”

Maggie smiled, joining the toast as she watched the happy expression on Alex’s face. “To coming home.”

Everyone drank, bright smiles adorning their faces. Alex, in particular, looked somewhere between happy and stunned, as if she couldn’t quite believe this was happening. Maggie squeezed her forearm gently and was treated to a warm smile.

Jeremiah began speaking again. “Now, obviously this is going to be a time of adjustment. But I hope you’ll all be patient with me. I’ve seen and done things that I wish I hadn’t.” He looked over at Alex briefly before looking down at the surface of the island.

Alex interjected, “Dad, don’t.”

“No, sweetie. If I’m going to move forward, I can’t ignore my past. Cadmus… changed me. They tried to break me. But in the process, they made me dangerous. And I’m here to work with all of you to make our planet safer. So if you’ll have me, Director, now that I’ve been cleared… I’d like to come back. To the DEO. Formally.”

Maggie watched quietly as J’onn exchanged a look with Alex and nodded slowly. “Yes… we thought you might. And we agree but,” he held up a hand, “probationary status only for now. Desk duty. And of course pending the results of the full psych evaluation and physical assessment. You know the drill.”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed as she caught a flash of what looked like annoyance in Jeremiah’s eyes before the amiable look was back and he was speaking, voice warm. “Of course. I would expect nothing else, Director.”

Maggie looked over at Alex to see if she’d caught the same but Alex just looked relieved and happy. Maggie filed the information away to dwell on, and maybe discuss with Alex, later. For now, she resolved to be present and support Alex during this family dinner. The conversation moved on to lighter topics and, shortly thereafter, the group made their way to the table for dinner. Maggie had to admit, Jeremiah was charming and he seemed genuinely supportive of his daughters’ sexualities even though she knew he hadn’t been aware until very recently. Points to him for that. But despite that, she was hesitant. Every so often she caught an odd expression on his face. Almost calculating… but not quite. As if he was making mental notes but didn’t completely have a purpose in mind.

After dinner, the group migrated to the living area to catch up. Eventually, Maggie found herself standing off to one side talking quietly with Alex. Given the events of the previous evening, Maggie still didn’t have her own ride home. And it turned out Alex didn’t either because her parents had insisted on giving her a ride. Maggie sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Alex was supposed to be her ride.

“Maggie? Maggie, I’m sorry.”

Maggie shook her head and gave Alex a reassuring smile. “It’s not your fault, Danvers. I’ll just get an Uber or something. It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Is everything alright, girls?” Eliza was standing there, giving them a concerned look.

“Everything’s fine, Doc—Eliza. Just working out logistics for getting home.” Maggie answered with a reassuring smile.

“Oh, you’ll both fit in the back seat of the rental. It’s not a problem.”

Alex gave a forced smile and Maggie had to bite back a chuckle. It was obvious Eliza assumed they were going to the same place. “We’re going to different places, Mom.”

“Yeah and my place is kind of out of the way. But it’s no problem. I can just get an Uber,” Maggie added.

“Nonsense,” Eliza scoffed. “We’ll give you both a ride. I insist.”

“I—thanks.”

Eliza gave a firm nod, clearly considering the subject closed. “We’ll be ready to leave shortly then.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Alex smiled and waited for her mom to leave before turning back to Maggie with a slightly concerned look. “You’re sure you’re okay with this? I know hanging out with my family so much wasn’t really what you signed up for.”

Maggie smiled, endeared. She reached out unthinkingly and squeezed Alex’s hands. “It’s fine, Danvers. I promise. Besides, I like your family. Even if some of them are a bit nuts.” She gave Alex a significant look.

Alex laughed, flipping her hands so their fingers could tangle together and squeezing back. “I’m glad.”

Before Maggie could become self-conscious about holding Alex’s hands, Eliza’s voice interrupted again. “Girls? We’re ready to leave.”

Dropping their hands, they turned as one to say goodbye to the group and follow Alex’s parents out the door. The car ride was fairly quiet other than Maggie giving directions which Maggie was grateful for. She suspected it was Alex’s doing based on the significant look Alex had given her parents as they all piled into the car. But regardless, she was thankful not to have to sit through a grilling from her sort-of-girlfriend’s parents on the drive.

As they stopped in front of Maggie’s building, Maggie turned to Eliza and Jeremiah. “Thank you so much for the ride.”

Eliza half-turned in the passenger seat with a warm smile. “It was our pleasure. Thank you for joining us for dinner. I hope we get to spend more time with you in the future.”

Maggie smiled and nodded a little awkwardly. “I’d like that. Good night. Thanks again.” She opened the door and out of the corner of her eye caught Eliza giving Alex a significant look much to Maggie’s amusement.

Alex abruptly spoke up. “I’ll uh, walk you to the door.”

Maggie waited for Alex to follow her out of the car and they paced quietly next to each other up to the building door. Once they’d reached the building, Maggie turned to Alex with a smile. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner. Even if it was your mom’s idea.”

Alex laughed a little, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for coming. I’m sure it wasn’t really how you wanted to spend your Friday but…”

“Hey, no, Alex.” Maggie reached out to rest a hand on Alex’s forearm. “I was happy to. Honestly. I… I like spending time with you, okay?”

“Okay.” Alex gave her a sweet smile. She glanced over at the car where her parents were waiting. “I… um… they…”

Maggie was suddenly aware of just how close they were standing. Again. And this time… there really wasn’t any reason to stop. In fact, quite the opposite. She smiled up at Alex, voice quiet as she spoke. “It’s okay.”

Alex sighed and shifted closer though Maggie wasn’t sure she was even conscious of the movement. Gently, Alex reached up to play with a lock of Maggie’s hair that had fallen forward. “I don’t want it to be just because you think you have to for them.”

Maggie smiled softly. “It’s not.” She searched Alex’s eyes for any sign of hesitation before leaning up and—finally—pressing her lips against Alex’s. The kiss was short and soft. Maggie let her eyes flutter closed briefly before pulling away. It may have been short and relatively chaste but Maggie felt the warmth all the way through her. The feelings she’d tried to suppress in the past for this woman would no longer be denied.

She opened them to find Alex doing the same with a slightly surprised but happy smile. “Wow.” Alex’s voice was soft, almost awed.

Maggie gave her a charmed smile. “Yeah. We’ll uh… we’ll talk about this later?”

Alex nodded, still looking adorably bemused. “Yes. For sure. Night, Maggie.”

“Night, Alex.”

Alex’s smile widened briefly before she turned and headed back to the car. Once she reached the car door, she turned and waved a little. Maggie waved back then slipped inside the apartment building. Yeah… they definitely needed to have that talk. But… at least she had hopes that it would go well.