NB: It's my birthday today so this happened.

Alex had never really celebrated her birthday that much. She'd had small dinners with Kara and her mother over the years, but because of the nature of her job she didn't actually have many friends. This year, Kara had insisted that they celebrate. Alex deserved a night of fun. Kara organised a big cake and party games (the karaoke was not very successful), and invited Winn, James and Hank around to their apartment for the night. Alex thought it would be silly at first, especially since Hank wasn't really a pin the tail on the donkey kind of person even after a few beers, but once the night arrived she realised that it was exactly what she'd wanted.

They'd just finished the cake and were gathered around the coffee table playing a board game when Alex heard a knock at the door above the hubbub of excited voices. Kara, her super hearing missing nothing, glanced questioningly at Alex. It was nearly midnight; who would be knocking on their door at midnight?

Alex shrugged and got up to answer it. She opened it and found Maxwell Lord standing on her doorstep.

'Max?' Alex exclaimed in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

'Happy birthday Agent Danvers,' Max said cheerfully.

'How did you know…?' She trailed off.

He shrugged. 'When someone throws me in a cell, I usually do my research on them.'

Alex rolled her eyes. She waited for him to continue, but he just stood there with a small smile tugging at his lips.

'Do you…do you want to come in?' She asked eventually, attempting to break the awkwardness.

'Judging by the noise,' he inclined his head towards the sound of Kara laughing, 'I'd guess you've got company and I don't think they would appreciate my intrusion.'

'Right,' Alex agreed.

'Actually, I just came to give you this.' He reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a small, square present wrapped in midnight blue paper. He stepped closer to Alex, pressing the present into her hand, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. 'Happy birthday Alex,' he whispered in her ear.

Alex managed to stammer a thank you as Max retreated to the landing, his eyes bright and his smile kind. He winked at her and walked away without another word, leaving Alex standing in her doorway unsure of what had just transpired.

Eventually she shut the door, turning to stare at the present in her hand, wondering if she should open it now or wait until later when she would be alone. She decided on the latter, shoving the little package into the pocket of her jeans, and returned to the others.

'Who was that?' Kara asked immediately.

'Just, um, the lady next door. Wants us to keep the noise down.' Kara raised an eyebrow at her sister. Alex knew that Kara would've been able to hear Max's voice as if he was sitting right next to her, but Alex didn't think Hank would take it very well if he found out that Max was visiting her at midnight. Kara nodded slightly, agreeing to keep silent on the matter for now.

The board games and laughter continued for another hour until James realised that Kara was practically falling asleep on his shoulder. He politely called it quits and he, Winn and Hank eventually left, leaving the Danvers sisters alone in the sudden quiet. They stretched out on the couch, too tired to bother with any cleaning up.

'Thanks Kara,' Alex mumbled sleepily, 'tonight was great.'

'Good,' Kara replied. 'Why was Max here?'

Alex sighed inwardly. She had been hoping to avoid telling Kara what had happened until she'd had a chance to open her present, but Kara didn't let things pass her by that easily. She was like a guard dog.

'He wanted to wish me happy birthday,' she replied.

'At midnight?' Kara asked sceptically.

'He…gave me a present.'

'What?! What was it?'

'I haven't opened it yet.'

Kara fell silent and Alex knew that her sister desperately wanted to know what Max had given her, but was trying to respect that it was Alex's present and not really any of her business.

'Alright, I'll open it now,' Alex laughed, seeing the strain on Kara's face as she held back her impatience. She pulled the little blue package out of her pocket and began delicately tearing off the paper, letting it fall to the floor. It was a dark blue jewellery case, about the size of her palm, and when she opened it she gasped. Inside was a stunning silver necklace, the pendant adorned with sparkling diamonds in the shape of a snowflake.

'Wow,' Kara whistled, leaning forward excitedly.

Alex could only nod. It was the most beautiful piece of jewellery she'd ever seen and it was certainly more expensive than anything she'd ever owned. She lifted it from its casing, letting the chain slide delicately through her fingers, and marvelled at the way the diamonds sparkled in the lamplight.

'Why would Max give you something like that?' Kara asked.

'I don't know,' Alex breathed, but she thought of the way he'd kissed her on the cheek and felt herself go red.

Kara pestered her with questions she couldn't answer until she finally managed to break away and go to bed. Max's face, that bright smile, swirled around in her head as she fell asleep. She woke late the next morning and she put the necklace on when she got dressed so that it was hidden under her sweater. Kara, with half amusement and half disgust, caught Alex resting her hand over the place where the pendant lay underneath her clothes numerous times throughout the day. She wondered whether Max had bugged the necklace since that was exactly the kind of thing he'd do, but Alex had this odd look on her face that held Kara back from saying anything. Maybe she'd bring it up with her sister another time.

Alex texted Max that afternoon to say thank you. His reply left her feeling…odd. She couldn't describe it. It wasn't a feeling she'd had for a very long time.

You're welcome, the message read, I'm glad you like it. One more thing – twist the centre diamond to the right if you're ever in trouble. Just in case.

She felt for the small, hard lump that rested just above her sternum again. Was there a tracker inside it? Was that what he meant? Somehow, the weight of it around her neck was comforting. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that she and Max had, but he wasn't trying to kill Kara anymore and that was something at least. She thought back to his expression as he'd walked away the night before and it took her a while to realise why he'd looked so strange. She'd never seen Maxwell Lord smile at anyone like that before. The thought made her heart flip and she immediately chided herself for it. All the same…maybe she'd keep the necklace on for now.