Hi everyone. This is my first Supergirl fic so give me a little bit of time to get into it. Basically this takes place early in season 1 with some minor changes: Alex doesn't walk Kara through all her woes early on and Maggie, Lena, and Lucy will all be present in this. Everyone knows Hank is a Martian and Lucy works at the DEO right after the Red Tornado episode.

Alex is listening. Or at least she was five minutes ago when Hank circled Wick College on a map in the middle of Pennsylvania. But now Alex is starting to wonder whether or not she should've even stopped partying and half-assing it in college. Maybe she could've been a research assistant by now; maybe she could've even been working on her own genome studies. Instead, Hank is wailing on and on about the intricacies of Pennsylvania's liberal arts school systems and how Wick College actually has a great engineering program. Wailing may be an overstatement. Hank doesn't wail; he sort of speaks with a heavy lingering effect. It makes Alex sleepy most of the time but it's also comforting in a way that makes her think of her father.

"…which is why I'm only sending in one of you." Hank could be so dramatic sometimes. Alex swears he buys transparent whiteboards just so even the people not being briefed know that something big must be going down. Most of the guys surrounding her wouldn't bat an eyelash at an alien but going in on a mission alone was a big deal. Some guys were recruited from Special Forces; others could boast about their CIA missions overseas, but Alex has something else going for her: solitude didn't scare her one bit. In fact, besides Vasquez who Alex actually enjoyed working with, Alex did a lot of small missions alone. She as good under pressure.

She thrived on it.

"Now this is a simple mission. In and out, no big heroics okay. We need eyes on the Professor. Who he talks to, spends time with. If you can get eyes on the lab even better." Hank turned to his white board and tacked up a few photos. A fit looking man who couldn't be more than 45 stared back at the agents from the photo. "This is Harold Foreman. He's a chemistry professor at Wick but in his spare time he's building up anti-alien tech." Hank pointed to Foreman who, at least most of the time, could be trusted to ask the wrong questions at the wrong time.

"Why don't we just bring Foreman in? It seems like it would save us a lot of time." Foreman did have a point. It took a lot of time and energy to pull off a mission, even if someone was going at it alone. And outside of it being against the law, holding Foreman would be as simple as flying to Wick and flashing a badge. Possibly a gun.

"The issue with that Whitfield is that Harold Foreman is one of the most connected people outside of National City and Metropolis. He has businesspeople, politicians, and scientists in this back pocket. People like Maxwell Lord. People like the Luthors." Hank cleared his throat and nodded back at the photograph. "So we do this CBU style." Hank rarely brought up CBU or even called it by its name but CBU aka Code Black Unit was a small unit of only 8 agents including Alex. "Tomorrow at 0600 Alex will take a plane to Pittsburg where we'll arrange for a taxi to take you to a one bedroom about five minutes from the school. It's cozy." The way Hank said cozy let Alex know that it was certainly not going to be comfortable. She was used to these types of arrangements. Outside of Kara, it wasn't like Alex had to let anyone know that she was going to be leaving.

"What exactly will my cover be?" Alex questioned.

"Security." A few agents laughed around her and even Alex had to throw in a smile. "We wanted you to have some leeway and a gun." Hank clasped his hands together like a father who just finished telling his kids that they couldn't go to the park. "Alright, everyone else back to work. Alex…a word." Vasquez nudged Alex playfully as she returned to her post. Alex shrugged it off and stood, waiting for Hank to give her further details.

"Sir?"

"Can you handle this?" Alex nearly choked. She took a step closer to Hank and furrowed her brow. It was one thing to be asked to do a mission alone; it was another to be questioned on whether or not she could actually handle it.

"Of course." Alex remarked with unwavering certainty. "I'll be ready." Alex assured him. As she cracked her knuckles behind her back, Alex was still wondering if she actually was ready for this. She'd come a long way from getting tanked in tacky bars downtown but not that far. Training helped her get focused but sometimes she strayed. "I just need to tell Kara."

"Well…I'm sure Supergirl won't be too worried."

"Alex! Don't try and hide from me." She wasn't exactly hiding. Just sticking her face inside her dresser so she could find an old tee she wanted to bring with her. Kara was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and a stern frown etched onto her face. If Kara wasn't so damn upset Alex would joke about how easily Kara had fallen into her signature Supergirl pose. "You can't just leave. Not when I'm just starting out here. What am I supposed to do if I get in trouble?" Alex pulled herself together and tossed a few black polos into her suitcase before she turned towards Kara.

"Look…I know this is tough. You're just starting off as Supergirl and suddenly I'm running off but you can't rely on me like that. I'm your sister first, always. But I'm an agent too. I wouldn't leave if I didn't think you could handle it." Kara relaxed her arms and walked further into the room. Her eyes scanned the suitcase and then she sat down on Alex's bed. "Sometimes I just need to feel useful."

"Alex…" Kara's tone made it so obvious that she shouldn't have said that. "You're essential. That's why I'm so scared of being here without you." Kara toyed with the zipper on Alex's suitcase. Sitting there idly made Kara look like a kid again. Back when Kara first arrived on Earth she would always just sort of sit there. Watching and listening to absolutely everything. It unnerved Alex. It made her feel watched. So much so that she pushed Kara away hoping that distanced would drive Kara's curiosity elsewhere.

Apparently things had shifted since then. Now Kara was the hyperactive one constantly moving from job to job trying to find herself. Cat Grant might have saved her but Alex was still on the fence about that woman. Alex had become quiet and reserved after she'd gone wild in college. She even lived in an apartment complex that was designed for older people just so she could get away from the noise. Silence suited her. "So what's the mission?" Kara asked curiously. "Oh wait." Kara sped to the kitchen and returned with a bag of chips. She was munching before Alex could even said wait for what.

"The mission? You're actually interested?" Alex assumed that since Kara decided to come and work for the DEO she'd only be invested in her own missions. Considering those were usually the big world saving ones. Alex wasn't quite sure yet but her mission seemed sort of small. Ineffectively even. Kara nodded with such enthusiasm that Alex decided to take a seat next to her and relax for a moment. "It's an undercover mission-." Kara started kicking her feet and squealing before Alex could even finished her sentence. "Don't get too excited, Kara. I'm just going undercover as a security guard at a college. In Pennsylvania." Kara's squeals deflated and morphed into laughter. "I leave tomorrow morning."

"I'll fly you." Kara said as she popped another chip into her mouth. "We could stop in Chicago!"

"No way. Hank would kill me if I didn't follow his schedule exactly." Alex didn't even want to think about the trouble she would be in if she messed this up. She would be on desk duty for at least two months and she would be in charge of training the new recruits. "He's very serious about details."

"Yeah I noticed that when he deducted points from training report when I made a 88 degree turn into of a 90." Kara waved it off. "So how long will you be gone?" Kara knew as well as anyone that Alex didn't actually have an answer for that. But Kara liked hope and certainty especially when it comes to people coming back.

"Hank didn't exactly say but it can't be more than a few weeks. We just need some info on the guy without sounding any alarms." Alex zipped up her suitcase. She looked to Kara who had finished her chips and was now using her x-ray vision to see what food she could devour next. "Wanna order too much food and finish watching that conspiracy theory documentary?" Kara's face lit up as Alex reached into her back pocket and started dialing.

Alex liked this. Small moments with Kara always made her happy. And even though things had been sort of rocky with this whole Supergirl thing Alex always knew she could turn to Kara for support. After five minutes with Kara, Alex became more confident.

Six am flights were awful. Not because everyone was yawning and stretching out their arms way too deep into Alex's personal bubble. Not even because Alex sat next to a talker with no filter. The thing about six am flights that Alex hated the most was that when she got to Pennsylvania to her cozy apartment five minutes from Wick College she would have a full day in front of her. And if it's one thing Alex doesn't know how to do its kill time.

Hanks stupid detailed schedule outlined getting to her apartment but not what to do for the next 24 hours. So while Gordon or Grant or whatever was talking her ear off about his basement brewing system Alex was busy running through all the things that she could do today. The fact that cleaning her gun made the list really told her all she needed to know about her boredom level before she even arrived.

The drive to her apartment was nice. Her driver's name was Philly and he was totally someone's crazy uncle. He told her that he never really took anyone but college students to River Crest, PA. He asked if she was taking classes and refused to believe that Alex was pushing thirty. It was a nice hint of flattery that Alex didn't realize she was craving until she found herself giving a 30 percent tip and complimenting his beige fedora before she grabbed her stuff and walked up to the second floor apartment.

Like she said before, cozy was pushing it but the apartment did have hardwood floors and it was situated right above a café that closed at 7 unless there were performances then it closed at 9. Alex didn't bother before she threw on her running clothes. Even though Hank would be livid Alex decided that she would go for a run around the campus. It's not like she was going to find Harold Foreman or anything, she wasn't that ballsy. Hank just liked knowing anything and everything that was happening.

What he didn't know probably wouldn't kill him. But she'll leave out her little rendezvous when she debriefs him later.

River Crest was a beautiful town. Three thousand students at the college and seventeen thousand in the town itself. Everything was sort of lumped together at the center of the town. Stores, cafes, weird craft stores, and restaurants made up the bulk of the downtown area. The college was just down the road with its own secluded road that led up to the Welcome center. Alex decided that if anyone asked, she would just give them her cover story like she practiced with Vasquez and then Kara yesterday.

Lying was easy, she thought. It's just that believing the lie and playing it just right was the hard part. "Can I grab one of these campus maps?" Alex asked the girl who was half studying her Chemistry textbook and half scrolling through Facebook on her phone. The girl looked up and slammed her book closed.

"Shit…I mean…shoot-…I um…" The girl scrambled to hand Alex a pamphlet. She leaned forward and whispered, "I'm not supposed to be studying at work." Alex took the pamphlet.

"Really? I used to study all the time at my job." Alex said realizing a second later that she should just stick to more general statements. "Is there a coffee place on campus?" The girl nodded and whipped out a pen circling a small building on the west end of campus marked with a 7.

"There coffee is really cheap there and they have the best seating. You could go to the Variety store that's just downstairs too if you want but they started doing Starbucks drinks there so it's wicked expensive." The girl smiled and eagerly sat back down. "You're not someone's mom, right?" The girl questioned.

"Me? No." Alex chuckled. "I'm actually starting a job here tomorrow. Security." The girl smiled at that.

"Thank god. We've been begging for a woman security guard. Shit!" The girl covered her mouth. "Sorry, I shouldn't assume someone's gender-."

"Don't worry." Alex assured her. "I identify as a woman. Now…if you don't mind. I sorta need my coffee." The girl nodded and waved as Alex exited the building and walked across campus. Tuesdays must be the slow days around there because very few students lounged on the lawns on even on benches. Alex caught a few kids trying to bet cigarettes on who would win some videogame but one of the kids made an executive decision to bet Reece's instead.

Alex finally made it to the café and ordered a black coffee and even though she said that she could just take the drink, the guy behind the register insisted that he bring it to her table. He did so rather quickly and after a brief chat he came out from behind the counter again with a cookie and welcoming her to the campus. Just as Alex was starting to munch on her cookie a woman walked into the café and was immediately bombarded by the guy behind the counter. "Oh my god! I thought I was going to have to wait until tomorrow to tell you." The guy started making her a drink before she even ordered and Alex assumed that she must have been a regular. "I watched like 15 YouTube videos of experiments just like Mailgrams."

"Isn't it pretty intense?" The woman sort of glanced around the café before her eyes barely grazed over Alex. Alex ducked her head and tried to focus on her cookie. Just when she'd finally tasted the coffee she felt eyes on her again. "Good, right?" Alex looked up at the woman the barista had been talking to only moments before. She was wearing black jeans and a white shirt that was cuffed with two buttons undone. Alex noted the notebook in her hand and the way her eyes glinted even though Alex had yet to actually respond yet.

"Very. It's my first time here." Alex said with a smile.

"Really? This place is like heaven. Second only to Cad4. You heard of that?' She asked. Alex watched as the woman peeled open creamer with her teeth and dumped the liquid into her cup, the thin paper still stuck between her teeth as she waited for Alex to answer.

"Yeah. I actually live right above that place." Alex was happy to know that at least if everything went to shit she could probably count on a good cup of coffee before Hank dragged her ass back to National City.

"God, that's the dream. What brings you to this little place?"

"A job. Security." Alex started. "I thought I might as well check the place out before I start tomorrow." The woman tugged the plastic out of her teeth and tossed it in the garbage can a few feet behind her. A moment later she returned to the spot near Alex's table.

"You haven't visited. Damn, usually they do like twenty interviews for all the newbies. They must have loved you." Alex liked the sound of that. Being likable. "It's not like we get a lot of officers anyway. You'll see. Frank's been here for what?" The woman stuck her finger on her chin and tapped her foot while she thought. "Like 42 years. Don't stick around for that long, the students make you crazy."

"I take it you've been here for a bit then?" Alex questioned.

"Only a year and a half." The woman looked around for a moment before she took a seat across from Alex. "I'm Maggie." Alex debated reaching across the table and shaking Maggie's hand. She decided against it when she saw the smile spread across Maggie's lips, deciding that maybe formalities would be a pain to this woman.

"Alex." And then mostly by habit, "Danvers."

"Short for Alexandra?" Alex's mouth tightened. That name was the worst. It was always taunting. Always spoken by bullies in middle school. Always whispered by drunk men at bars. But coming from Maggie, it wasn't so awful. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend." Maggie raised her hands defensively but Alex's face had already relaxed into, what she hoped, a playful smile. "I don't usually scare off the newbies until at least a week in. Perks of this being my turf and all."

"Your turf?" Alex sighed and leaned back in her seat. "We'll see about that." Alex took another sip of her coffee. She looked across the café realizing that the guy that served her a drink was watching Alex and Maggie. His face read curiosity more than anything. "And I wasn't scared."

"Really? My students always tell me that I'm scary." Alex arched a brow at that. So, a professor? Alex was intrigued now. When she first saw the woman she read her as someone from Admissions. She sort of had that type of show-offy attitude about her.

"What subject? English?" Alex set her mug down. "History?"

"Psychology." Maggie said with a smirk. Alex tried her best to seem indifferent but the truth was psychologist of any kind intimidated her. Hank always made the agents go to one after each mission just to make sure they were sound. More times than one, Alex had to bribe a psychologist to make them tell Hank that she was okay.

She always had to be okay.

"I should probably get going." Alex rushed out. Maggie's face fell and she opened her mouth to say something. Like she was hanging onto their back and forth. Alex sensed discomfort and immediately cleaned up her stuff. "I'll catch you around." Alex didn't need a response to know that she'd come off as flaky. Alex should have just stayed at her new apartment.

A moment after Alex had started jogging again she received a call from Hank. She quickly answered. "Danvers." Hank was long winded about the small stuff as always. Telling her about how Harold had apparently been making a few calls to Cat Grant recently. He had Kara on a little mission of her own but Alex knew that Kara would probably give too much away too soon. Cat Grant had that effect on people, Alex had met the woman before for Christ's sake.

Then Hank started to inquire about how Alex was feeling. Asking about her about if she liked her new apartment. Asking if she went for a run that day. Or if she'd relaxed and watched a movie. It got to the point of ridiculousness when he began asking about what she'd eaten for breakfast. "Hank. What's going on?" Alex questioned.

"Nothing, Agent Danvers. Just looking out for you." Alex sensed something more and lingered in radio silence for a while before Hank continued. "Vasquez said something about your last mission." Hank started. "I know that pressure can be tough-."

"I did what I had to do." Alex quipped. She gritted her teeth knowing that a reaction like that would only make things worse. "I get it, Hank. But when Kara's involved things change."

"Just remember the mission." Hank said in his most diplomatic voice. "I didn't say it back at the DEO but this mission is CBU for a reason." Hank cleared his throat. "You must do what I say when I say it, Alex. If we can't stop Foreman in time…" Hank didn't need to say it. He practically explained the mission before it even started. He wanted her in security so she could have a gun at all times. So she could kill at any time.

Alex was a first and last resort. If a kill order came, Alex would be lethal.