She's not sure how they all managed it, a day off from work and saving the world to go to the beach, but they somehow had.
Crime had significantly gone down since Myriad, but Alex knew that wouldn't last long. Once the shock of it all passed, criminals and trouble making aliens alike would be back up to their regular tricks again and it would return to being business as usual.
As much as Alex loved her job, a day off was a welcomed change of pace every now and again. It gave her time to catch up on some reading and whatever else usually fell by the wayside during her normally hectic and busy life. Plus it was nice to just be plain old Alex Danvers for a little while, where her biggest concern for the day was what kind of takeout she wanted to order for dinner that night.
So with their plans made, Kara, James, and Winn all piled into Alex's car and drove down to the beach, donning their beach attire as they intended to take advantage of the beautiful summer day.
The Danvers sisters were both dressed in a one piece bathing suit. Kara's was red with white polka dots, while Alex's was navy blue with a white rope-like stripe pattern running vertically down it. As for the boys, James wore black trunks with a red stripe down each side, and Winn wore a pair that displayed the Tardis from Doctor Who on it.
Once they arrived at their destination, Alex parked the car and the group started to file out of the vehicle. She then grabbed her bag off the seat, slipped it over her shoulder, and followed behind the other three as they excitedly headed towards the beach.
It was clear from the moment their toes touched the sand, that the young trio's first order of business was to hit the ocean. The older Danvers sister had other plans though.
"Hey, aren't any of you guys going to put on sunblock?" Alex asked, one hand on her hip while the other held the bottle of sunscreen she had pulled from her bag.
"Kryptonian skins cells, remember? I'm immune to sunburn." Kara pointed out cheerily. Another perk of being an alien.
"And you two?" The brunette asked, looking at and James.
"Already applied mine before we left." James confirmed with a nod.
Winn looked between his two friends beside him, and gave a slight pout. "Wait, I'm the only one without it? But I don't wanna wait 15 minutes to go in." He whined, glancing back at the ocean. "I'll just apply some later."
"With your pale skin? Ten dollars says you get sunburn." Alex chastised shaking her head.
"It'll be fine!" He reassured, brushing off any concern. "Jeez, relax Mom." He added jokingly.
Alex shot him an unamused look and he quickly retreated into the water to avoid her wrath as Kara and James attempted to stifle their laughter.
"You coming in?" Kara asked her sister before heading out.
Alex shook her head. "Maybe later. I'm going to do a bit of reading first."
Her sister frowned, a little disappointed, but nodded in understanding and gave a small wave before she joined the others out in the water.
Alex took in a deep breath of the salty sea air and started to scope out the area for a place to settle down.
It wasn't long before she found a spot that she liked; close enough to where she could still see the others, but far enough away from the other beach goers. Making her way to where she wanted, she sat her blanket down on the sand and proceeded to make herself comfortable as she applied her sunscreen. Once finished, she pulled out a water bottle and her book from the bag and placed them onto the blanket.
Before opening up her novel, she glanced over at where Kara, James and Winn were, watching them as they played around out in the water together. It was nice seeing them enjoy themselves after all that had happened recently. This day off seemed like a good thing for everyone. Content with what she was seeing, Alex then cracked open her book and dived into reading.
Not even 5 pages in, Alex suddenly found a shadow looming over her, blocking the light she was using to read. When it didn't appear to be going away, she let out a groan of annoyance and turned around to see what the culprit was.
It wound up being none other than Maxwell Lord of all people.
"Agent Danvers," Max greeted as he lowered his sunglasses and stared down at her with a smile. "Well isn't this a surprise? I thought that was you. Did the DEO finally give you a day off, or is there an super powered shark I should be aware of?"
She knew he was joking, but he had no idea how true that statement actually was about the super powered shark.
"A very rare vacation day." The brunette replied pointedly, hoping that he might take the hint that she wanted to be left alone.
Clearly he did not.
"Even heroes deserve a day off." He acknowledged, as he moved to stand in front of her so it was easier to talk.
She stared up at him and looked him over. Considering she had never seen Max in anything but a suit before, her eyes couldn't help but take in his appearance as he wore only grey swim trunks, which were designer brand of course. But it turned out that he had a pretty nice physique under all that business attire.
Though he did a good job at not making it obvious, it was clear he was checking her out as well. She recognized the way he was looking at her, it was the same look he had when she walked in wearing that black dress for their dinner date. Alex felt her cheeks warm slightly at the realization, and she shifted a bit on the blanket, not quite used to the attention.
It took Max a moment to regain his focus and continue the conversation. "Seems we had the same idea coming here and taking advantage of the nice weather." He gestured to their surroundings.
Alex placed her book down on her lap. "I would have thought you'd have your own private beach." She countered.
The tech billionaire chuckled. "I'm a man of the people Agent Danvers, I have no problem spending time among them."
The young woman gave a slight snort at his response. She highly doubted that. Though Max was ever the charmer when it came to social situations, she knew him will enough to know that he preferred his privacy.
Max then leaned forward to get a better look at what she was reading. "Ah, nice choice. It has quite the surprise ending." He commented, with a sly looking grin on his face.
Alex's eyes widened and she immediately knew where he was heading with this. "Don't you dare!" She threatened, not wanting him to give away the end.
Max let out an amused laugh at her reaction. "Well, I could be convinced to not spoil it, if you join me out for a swim." He offered smoothly.
Alex frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. "For someone who claims not to be the bad guy, you sure like to play dirty."
The man before her grinned playfully and gave a small shrug. "Sometimes it's a bit more fun."
His comment made her realize something. She then looked him over with an analytical gaze, trying to read him.
"You're bluffing." She eventually determined after a moment. "I don't think you've even read the book."
"Am I?" He questioned enigmatically.
She nodded and looked him straight in the eye. "I think you are."
Max met her stare and after a moment, held his hands up in defeat. "Fine. You caught me. But for the record that book is on my to read list."
Alex smiled triumphantly at the victory.
"But do you really plan to stay land bound your entire time at the beach?" He inquired. "Not that it isn't a nice view." He added, though it was clear that he was not talking about the ocean. Alex was caught between the urge to roll her eyes and also possibly blush. She went with the eye roll.
"For now, I'm perfectly fine right here." She replied, picking up her book from her lap, hoping this time to finally make it past page 5.
Max then inclined his head slightly and arched a brow up. "Don't tell me Alex Danvers is afraid of a little water, now is she?"
Alex gave a dismissive laugh and shook her head. "Hardly. I'll have you know I'm a great swimmer. But I'm still not going out there. So if you don't mind, I have some reading to get back to."
Unable to convince her, the tech billionaire gave a disappointed sigh and shrugged his shoulders before turning to head into the ocean.
Alex tried to get back to reading, but she couldn't help peering over the top of her novel towards Max out in the water for some reason. 'Why is Maxwell Lord always such a distraction?' She wondered to herself, mildly frustrated.
It was then that a large wave suddenly rolled in, splashing over top of Max. But when it rolled back out, she didn't see him there anymore. She blinked and looked around, waiting for him to resurface, but nothing happened. Suddenly feeling a small sense of worry build up in her chest, she stood up and started to come closer to the water to investigate.
"Max?" She called out cautiously, but got no response.
"Max!" She called once more, this time a bit louder.
Still nothing.
Alex hastily started to make her way into the water, the sense of panic she felt increasing as more time went by and she still hadn't spotted him. As she looked around her, she suddenly felt something grab her waist and pull her under.
Quickly regaining her bearings, she pushed herself back up to the surface, air quickly refilling her lungs. She then spun around to find Max there, holding his sides with laughter and wearing a very smug grin on his face.
Alex narrowed her eyes at him as realized what happened. "You jackass!" She yelled, shoving him slightly in the chest. "I thought you drowned! You tricked me!"
He raised his hands up in front of him in a placating manner. "My apologies." He replied, though he was secretly pleased to have seen her level of concern for him. "But tricked is such a harsh word. I prefer to think of it as I presented the scenario, but it was you who came to that conclusion all on your own. " Max added with an impish smile.
She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning deeply as she glared at him. Leave it to Max to pull a stunt like this to get her out into the water.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Alex finally spoke again. "If you don't think I intend to get even for that, then you're sorely mistaken." She threatened, a hint of playfulness in her voice, as her lips turned up into a mischievous grin.
He smirked, rather pleased by her challenge. "Ah, is that so?" He inquired, leaning slightly closer. "And just how exactly do you plan to do that?"
She brought her hands forwards and splashed him in the face, then quickly dove under the water.
"Is that all you've got?" Max called out. "I expected more from you, Alex."
He looked around, trying to find where she went, when she suddenly popped up behind him and pressed down on his shoulders, pushing him under. He tried to make a grab for her, but she was to quick and when he resurfaced, she fired off another round of splashes in his direction.
Wiping the water from his eyes with the back of his hand, he then made another reach for her and was finally successful this time. Grabbing her by the waist, he hoisted her up into his arms and she let out a small shriek that transitioned into laughter as he tossed her back into the water. Alex came back up with a look of determination in her eyes to get even for that little number he just pulled.
Their underwater tussle lead them back near the shore, where Alex seized the advantage and pinned Max to the sand. Her hands held his wrists down and she situated herself on top of his chest, effectively rendering him unable to move.
"You were saying?" She grinned triumphantly, but slightly out of breath as Max chuckled underneath her.
"Alright. I concede defeat." He mumbled quietly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Can you repeat that?" She asked, cupping one hand around her ear and leaning closer.
Their faces were only inches apart now, and Alex was a bit surprised by how strong the temptation was to close the space between them. Max took his free hand and started to move it up to cup her cheek when-
"Ahem."
The sound of someone clearing there throat caused Alex and Max to look up in the direction of where the noise came from, only to find Winn standing there.
At being caught, Alex quickly rolled off him and Max brought himself up into a sitting position. She wasn't sure how much Winn had seen, but she desperately hoped that he wouldn't mention any of it to Kara, otherwise Alex would find herself getting quite the earful on the drive back.
"I came back for sunblock..." Winn explained awkwardly, looking anywhere but at the two people below him.
"Back there." The brunette quickly informed him, pointing in the direction of her things.
Winn nodded his thanks, then added, " You might want to use some yourself, your face is all red." He then fled the scene as quick as possible.
Alex flopped backwards onto the sand and covered her face up as she shook her head. She could hear Max chuckling a couple of feet away, so she slid her fingers further apart so that she could see between the spaces in order to look over at him.
"What?" She asked, mildly annoyed.
Max shook his head. "It's nothing, it's just that... You're cute when your flustered."
Alex let out an embarrassed groan which only made him laugh more.
"Cheer up Agent Danvers, red is a good color on you."