"I was just so happy to finally be spending Valentine's Day with someone I loved, you know?" Alex says to Kara as she downs another shot of tequila. Even in her slightly inebriated state, she doesn't miss the sad, wistful look that passes over her sister's face. She mentally slaps herself. Of course Kara knows how she feels. At least with Maggie it had been her choice, even though it had been the hardest choice of her life. Kara had had absolutely no control over what happened with Mon-El. But still she was here, helping Alex pick up the pieces of her broken heart. The girl really was an angel.
Alex snuggled up close to Kara. "You're the best sister ever, Kara. I love you so, so much." "O-kay." Kara said, laughing. "I love you too. But I think it's time we take you home." Alex pouts. She doesn't want to go home; doesn't want to see the empty bed and empty rooms and picture frames lying face-down because she can't bear to look at them but can't bear to put them away either. But she still has work tomorrow. Valentine's Day doesn't stop the aliens from attacking. In fact, it encourages them, she thinks, looking back at Mxyzpytlik the year before. So she lets her sister escort her outside of the alien bar, to a cab that is waiting there for them.
When they get to her apartment, she has to reassure Kara twenty times that she really will be fine, until her sister finally leaves. As she walks in the door, she doesn't turn on the light, hoping that the darkness will obscure the emptiness. She briefly considers getting out a bottle of wine from the fridge to help her sleep, but decides against it. Her hangover will be bad enough as it is. So she quickly brushes her teeth, grateful that the darkness means she can't see her own face. Her eyes look so dull whenever she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror that she's put towels on most of the mirrors in her house. She can't blame Kara for worrying.
As she climbs into bed, she sees the numbers on her alarm clock switch from 23:59 to 00:00. She curses. Valentine's Day is here, and there's nothing she can do about it. She hates herself for feeling this way; hates that she's become like all the women on tv who spend Valentine's Day crying, watching bad tv and drinking cheap wine while they stuff their face with chocolates. But the hole in her chest, which had begun to heal at least on the edges, even though she hadn't noticed, feels like a fresh gaping wound once again. She lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. She's afraid to close her eyes, because every time she closes her eyes, there she is. Maggie. With a smile as radiant as the sun, and a kindness in her eyes which almost rivals Kara's. And the painful reminder that she chose to give that up, chose to give up the beautiful woman with a heart as good as gold.
She gets out of bed suddenly, unable to stand the thoughts that keep running through her head in the silence. She doesn't know what she's going to do, doesn't know any way to distract herself anymore. She stumbles to her fridge to get out the bottle of wine, trying to remember the last time she could forget Maggie for at least a moment and feel okay. Suddenly, a very attractive blonde comes to mind. Even though Alex had felt awful at first for what she'd done, Sara was actually the first person who made her feel as if she could be okay after Maggie. As if there was still a world out there that was actually worth looking at. She rushes to her sock drawer, a plan becoming clear in her mind. A plan that will allow her to forget about Maggie at least for that one cursed day in February. She grabs the tech-device she's looking for, quickly pushing the correct buttons. If she takes too long, if she stops to think about it, she knows that she will chicken out. Part of her thinks that would be better. But a bigger part of her yearns for the blondes company.
The yellow lights of the device start to blink then, and suddenly she can hear Sara's voice through the receiver. "This is Sara Lance, Captain of the Waverider. Is that you, Supergirl?" Alex is silent for a moment, hesitating. Hearing the blonde's voice makes her happier than she thought she could be right at that moment, but she's still not sure this is the right thing to do. "Hello?" Sara repeats, and Alex doesn't hesitate any longer. "Hey, Sara. It's Alex." Sara is quiet for a split second, but she quickly recovers from her surprise. "Everything okay?" She asks. "Do you need any help over in your universe?" Alex sighs. Of course this is the first thing Sara would think of. She's a hero first and foremost. "No, no emergency. Everything is fine here. I was actually wondering if I could come and visit you on the Waverider." She bites her tongue, waiting for a reply. Clearly, Sara is considering what Alex might mean by that. But she seems to decide that it doesn't matter.
"Of course, Alex. You're welcome here any time." She pauses for a second. "But do you know how to get here? I don't actually know how to travel between universes." "Yeah, I do. I, uh, borrowed one of Cisco's devices. You know, for special agent purposes." Alex can hear Sara laughing on the other side. "Sure, Danvers. Well, beam yourself up then."
Alex almost smiles at that. She throws a few clothes in a bag, remembering at the last minute that she only wore a t-shirt to bed. She quickly puts on some jeans, and then she punches in the coordinates of the Waverider on the device. She has no idea how it can get her both to a different universe and to a different time, but she's seen enough of Cisco's tech to know that it will work.
And truly, five seconds later she's standing on the bridge of the Waverider. Thankfully, Sara is the only one there. She doesn't really feel like explaining her late-night visit to the rest of the team.
"Hi, Sara." She says, slightly awkwardly. "Hello, Alex." Sara replies. Her voice is much more confident than Alex's, but it's clear in her eyes that she's wondering what the special agent is doing there. "So you just decided to drop by for a visit?" Alex casts her eyes downward. Even though there is only curiosity in the blonde's voice, she still feels slightly judged. Of course this was a bad idea. Why on earth would Sara want to see her? "Come on, Danvers. I didn't mean it like that." She comes closer to Alex, and puts her arms around her shoulder. She seems to understand what Alex needs more than Alex does herself at that moment. "Let's get ourselves a bottle of scotch, and then you can tell me what's really going on." Alex can only nod as she lets herself be steered towards the break room.
Armed with a bottle of scotch produced by the food fabricator, they make their way towards Sara's quarters. "Make yourself comfortable." Sara says, gesturing towards her room. Alex blushes as she looks at the unmade bed. Sara raises her eyebrows, not at all missing the expression. Curse these trained assassins. "So this is an interdimensional booty call?" She says, laughing. Alex groans, putting her face in her hands. "Yes. No. Maybe? I don't know." Sara laughs even more at the flustered agent.
"Okay, let's sit down. On the couch. And then we can talk. You know, for an assassin, I'm a really good listener." Alex nods gratefully, and manages to say "And so humble, too." Sara just smiles, glad Alex is feeling good enough to be cracking jokes.
They situate themselves on the couch, sitting opposite each other with their legs between them. Alex doesn't particularly feel like having a heart-to-heart just yet, so she gestures for Sara to pass the bottle of Scotch. She takes a big swig, and then another. Sara, unlike Kara, doesn't stop her. She just lets her drink. After a while, though, when it becomes clear that Alex isn't going to say anything of her own accord, she tries to start the conversation. "So, I can't help but notice that it's Valentine's Day." Alex looks up sharply. "You know, even though I'm on a time ship, I still know what day it is. That have anything to do with why you're here?" Alex sighs, realizing that the blonde is not about to let it go. She nods, looking down at her feet. "I just couldn't bear being alone. Without Maggie." Sara puts a comforting hand on her leg. "You're welcome here anytime." "What about you?" Alex says, eager to get the conversation away from herself. "You mentioned there was a woman as well." "Nyssa?" Sara says, laughing. "She wasn't much for celebrating Valentine's Day. Daughter of the head of the league of assassins, and all that." Alex smiles. Sara really does seem to be okay without this Nyssa. She hopes that one day she'll be able to speak this jokingly about Maggie. But not yet, she realizes as her smile falters again. Sara sees it, and offers her the bottle of scotch again. At least she's not alone now, Alex realizes. She takes another swig of Scotch. It burns pleasantly down her throat. "Oh, shit." She suddenly exclaims. Sara looks at her worriedly. "What is it?" "Well, I still have work tomorrow. I can't show up all hungover." Sara grins, her previous worry disappearing. "We're on a timeship, remember? You can stay here as long as you like, and then we'll get you back. It'll be as if you never left." Alex breathes out a sigh of relief. "Can you put me back after Valentine's Day is over though? I really don't feel like experiencing this day twice." Sara nods understandingly. "Of course. Maybe send a message to your sister though, or I have a feeling that is going to be one unlucky universe." Of course! Alex slaps herself mentally. After all the times she's chastised Kara for going away without leaving a message, she's not about to make the same mistake. She quickly types out a message on Cisco's device. When she looks up, Sara has a contemplative look on her face. "How about tomorrow, we go for a fun Valentine's Day with the whole team? Everybody's single, so that works out perfectly. We can visit any Valentine's Day in any time, and just have a good time." Alex raises her eyebrows. She didn't think Sara was into fun group activities. "What?" Sara says, seeing the look on her face. "It'll be a good teambuilding activity." "I don't know…" Alex said hesitantly. "I'm not sure I'm in the mood for spending the whole day looking at happy couples having fun." "Well, sitting around wallowing and drinking scotch is definitely not going to help." She says pointedly. "Fine." Alex says, giving in. The blonde grins, and Alex is pretty sure this excited, party-planning Sara is a side of her she's never seen before. "Now, let's get you to bed." Sara says, getting up off the couch. At Alex's look, she clarifies "No, not like that. You know that that's not really going to help you." Alex only nods, but she's reassured by the fact that Sara clearly has some difficulty refusing her. At least there's nothing wrong with herself, Alex thinks.
So they go to bed, both dressed in full-length pyjamas. Alex stares at the ceiling for a while, and she can tell by her breathing that Sara hasn't fallen asleep yet either. After a while, she whispers "Hold me? I can't fall asleep." She thinks the blonde hasn't heard her, until suddenly two strong, muscled arms wrap themselves around her. And Alex lets the warmth of the other woman's embrace comfort her, until finally she falls asleep.