Few things hurt more than the loss of a loved one. Alex vows to challenge this. Surely she can make the pain at least on par, with some creativity and no self-restraint.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
There's not enough saints on the planet to save the person who took Maggie.
Somewhere between Kara's second peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Winn's fourth complaint about lunch breaks not being long enough- the call comes through.
And if Alex's breath catches at the name on her screen, it comes with the job. And if Alex straightens in her chair, it's just for posture.
"Groth?" Maggie's partner's last name is spoken as her stomach tightens.
It's nothing. It's nothing. It's nothing.
But his voice says it all.
"You haven't seen Maggie around, have you?" It's a question, a valid question. But the sharpness in his voice keeps her stomach from untangling.
"Not since this morning. She had work with-"
"Me, yeah, I know. She," A sigh. "She's not here. I've tried calling but it-"
If the phone fumbles from her hand, well it's just a slippery phone. And if her heart starts pounding, it's just the coffee. Because if it wasn't, if something was wrong. If the knot in her stomach was because of Maggie, and the shake in her hand, and the worry in Groth's voice- If those are all for Maggie, then something has happened.
And nothing could happen. Nothing could be wrong.
It's nothing.
Kara's the one to catch her phone putting it on speaker quickly; Groth's worry and clues reverberate throughout the room as Alex's mantra keeps playing, plans forming in her mind.
"Have you tried tracking her phone?"
"I have, whoever they are they're good. There's no trace."
"What's the PD's plan?"
A pause.
"Groth, what's your plan?" Alex doesn't mean her voice to come out as sharp
"Chief says we have a strict 24-hour mark before we can do anything."
"We don't."
"Exactly."
"Come down to the station, I've booked a conference room."
"We'll be there soon." As the call clicks off the pressure in the room is the only thing left.
"What's the plan?"
If it were any other situation she'd smile at how whole heartedly the group stands ready to help Maggie.
"Kara and I will head to her place. You all go to the station, help Groth. We'll meet up there."
The apartment is bare. That's the first thing Kara notices.
A gasp leaving her body as she follows behind Alex's thunderous presence.
"What?" She asks, rushing into each room just to check if, just to hope, Maggie had come home after leaving her apartment that morning.
Hope is such painful thing.
"All her stuff is gone. Last time I was here there was a lot more-" She pauses quickly hoping the words had not registered to Alex
"We've been moving her stuff to mine. Do you see anything off?"
"No, nothing. Just the stuff." Kara gestures to the vacant room, "Let me check the bedroom you-do whatever it is you're doing…"
"It's called analyzing the area, Kara."
As Alex continues her hurried search through the main rooms, Kara rushes to Maggie's dresser, the second drawer way in the back. Her hand closes around the small velvet box, sighing with relief when it clicks open with the ring still in place.
Maggie will need this. Maggie is coming back. Maggie isn't leaving.
Maggie will need this.
Leaving the promise of the future in Maggie's drawer, Kara speeds back to Alex's side. Wrapping her arms around her sister's still, vacant form.
"We'll find her, Alex. It'll be okay."
"I can't do this without her."
If the tears sting their eyes, it's the dust of the newly moved furniture. If they hug a little too tightly, it's due to the broken AC unit.
Because if their eyes stung for real, and if they needed that comfort so tightly, then that would mean something was wrong. That would mean this was real. That would mean-
The police department is cluttered with people. Alex has to fight back a glare as she locks eyes with the Chief.
"What's all this?" The opening door brings files upon files of paper to shift in the wind. The conference room table is covered with piles, Winn and James already nose deep in their respective folders.
"Maggie's enemies."
"Wait. What?" Kara's the one to break Alex's racing thoughts.
Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong.
"Sawyer's a great cop. You tend to make more enemies that way."
"What's your plan?" Alex's voice takes on her cold agent voice, ready to fight each and every person listed at the table.
"I had surveillance go over to Sawyers -it's not breaking and entering if you have a key- found no signs of foul play. I'm sure you went and saw the same."
A nod.
"Next step is looking into her enemies. Anyone who would want to hurt her, has a grudge, someone she cut in line. Anyone is a possibility."
"Sawyer's a line-cutter?"
"No." The glare Winn receives from the room has him retreating.
Without Sawyer there someone had to make the jokes!
"I've pulled all the cases she was lead on or noted as an arresting officer."
Alex instantly pulls up a seat reaching for a large stack as she does.
Hours pass in near silence, Alex's brain focusing on the words while her heart fights the truth.
Nothing is wrong.
"Wait. No." Winn's voice cuts through the chilled air. "Did she really jump off a three-story building?"
The group look up, watching Maggie's partner shift under Alex's sharp gaze.
"She did what?"
"Happened a few years back. We were chasing a black market alien trafficker." The soft pride filling his eyes brings a smile to Kara's lips. "Not a scratch on her, but it sure shaved at least five years off my life watching that jump."
His smile turns into a worried frown as he fumbles with his own stack of folders.
"We'll get her back." James' voice is meant to be a comfort, a soft blanket, something to hold on to as they scoured the list of potential offenders.
"Yeah. We'll have to have her tell you all the story of our case in Arizona."
Swallowing hard at the promise, Alex looks back down to her new folder. Blinking her eyes quickly as the words blur with wetness.
Allergies.
Nothing is wrong.