Notes to the summary: ...Everyone assumed Lena Luthor was kidnapped by her mother.

No one has heard from either of them in the last 10 months.

Kara Danvers never stopped looking for her friend, but as the trail went cold, life went on, and now she is trying to find equilibrium between her heroic persona, her day job and her relationship with her boyfriend, Mon-El.

Alex and Maggie just wish everybody would give them a break.

At the DEO, J'onn and Winn receive a message that could lead them to find out Lena Luthor's whereabouts.

And that's when everyone loses their shit.

(Originally posted on AO3)

CHAPTER 1: THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE

"Danvers, seriously? You beat up aliens from outer space for a living, yet you've been brought to your knees by cargo pants? You're pathetic."

Maggie's laughter echoed through the bedroom. A loud thud was heard as Alex Danvers stumbled upon the mattress unceremoniously, her pants halfway through her legs, her back to Maggie showing a black bra, shirt already on the floor, boots still on. Her face was buried in the quilt, voice muffled by the fabric.

"Oh gosh, you should know better, Sawyers! I'm just tired! And of course I'm pathetic. And horny! Just help me out already!"

Finally, Maggie took pity and quickly took off Alex's boots, followed by her pants. She rolled Alex over and climbed on top of her, the DEO agent gloriously exposed in only her underwear. Maggie was wearing dark green boxers and a loose fit t-shirt that read, in white letters upon black: I'm not a lesbian. My girlfriend is.

"I love how by day you're a killing machine but by night you become this cute uncoordinated mess." Maggie began kissing the crook of Alex's neck as she held her wrists in her hands.

"Shut up," Alex groaned softly as Maggie's lips sucked on her left earlobe. "Supergirl and I detained three Durlans today that were trying to invade Earth. They had a time-machine! Do you know how exhausting that can be? Fighting aliens with time-machines!? I deserve to be a little clumsy if I want to, after that…"

"Yes, you do. And you deserve a reward." Maggie inhaled Alex's perfume with her eyes closed and then whispered softly in her ear…

"Tonight, you're mine. No aliens, no superheroes, no worries. Just you, me, our tongues and my fingers."

Alex gasped in anticipation as Maggie's words sank in. She felt fingers marching confidently towards the center of her back and one second later her bra was skilfully unhooked with just one hand. Maggie's other hand was mischievously circling her breasts, brushing against them with the slightest of touches while she placed little kisses around her belly button.

"Oh, Mags…" Alex struggled for air as she lifted her chin to try and look into Maggie's eyes.

The detective rose her head and met Alex's gaze with what could only be called pure devotion, her playful tone now completely gone from her voice. Only tenderness danced now above a delicate whisper that was indeed like music to Alex's ears.

"Are you ready to forget the world outside these walls?"

Alex held her girlfriend's gaze for as long as she could without melting down.

"I already have," she answered nearly out of breath, just from mere anticipation.

Maggie poured all her appetite in a new kiss, silencing the moan that was beginning to form in Alex's mouth. Her hands moved to the agent's hips as tongues danced together and heartbeats began racing. They kissed for long minutes, hungrily, hands exploring each other's bodies, out of breath and out of their minds, they only were aware of one another. All the stress, all the exhaustion from another week of running, shooting and worrying just disappeared. Maggie slipped her hand into Alex's panties as she bit and sucked the skin around her shoulder. Alex trembled, knowing what was about to happen, and she let out a sigh of pure bliss. She was never a talker, but with Maggie everything was new.

"Maggie, plea–"

Knock, knock.

They both halted every action. They stopped even breathing. Like children caught red-handed, they stared at each other incredulously.

"Was that–" Maggie's question hanged in the air as she was interrupted by another knock on the front door, louder this time.

Alex began to pout immediately.

"No. No. Nononono."

Maggie sighed heavily and hanged her had down for a few seconds. Gathering strength she didn't know she had, she stepped away from Alex's warm body and tried to collect herself. Flush was spreading all over her face, her hair was a mess and her breathing was uneven. She really wouldn't fool anyone.

"Might be someone from work." Maggie said finally, in an attempt to sound like she was a reasonable adult that would not ever suggest her girlfriend to hide until whoever was at the door just left.

"No, no, I don't believe this." Alex buried her face in a pillow, two seconds later she threw it at the bedroom door. "I'm gonna kill them, whoever they are. I'm gonna kill them, I swear."

Maggie sighed again. The moment was broken, Alex was pissed, and her momentum was now wasted. Her shoulders sank down a little, her body language showing they were defeated. She was about to open her mouth again to try and be the voice of reason, when an actual voice that wasn't hers filled the air with anxiety.

"Alex? You there? I really need to talk to you!"

Maggie finally found a reason to smile.

"Well then, seems like you're about to commit fratricide, babe."

Alex's expression changed instantly the moment she heard her sister's voice. She had told her earlier that morning that Maggie was coming over, and Kara herself had a date with Mon-El, so if she was here, maybe something was wrong… Aliens attacking the city? Lillian Luthor finally coming out of hiding and creating chaos? J'onn in danger? Kryptonite? A clue about her father's whereabouts? At this point in their lives, it could be literally anything.

"Kara? What the– She knows you're here tonight."

Maggie nodded, knowing what Alex was thinking.

"Then it must be important", the detective kissed Alex quickly on the lips, finally finding resolution. "Put on your pj's, I'll let her in." Maggie opened the bedroom door as Kara's voice insisted with an increased pitch.

"Aaaalex? I'm so, so sorry, ok? But I really, really need to talk."

"She does sound distressed," Alex said, her voice filled with worry.

Maggie smiled to herself seeing the change in Alex, from pure rage for the interruption to unconditional love, now she realized it was her sister knocking at her door.

For most people, Alex and Kara's strong devotion would be a source for conflict, that's how intimidating it could be. For Maggie, it was one of the reasons she was drawn to Alex; they were a force of nature, seeing them interact was… refreshing, in a way. Like a cure. A love so powerful, a bond so strong, could only inspire you to be better, inspire you to be worth of both the Danvers sisters' approval. Maggie craved to be a part of that, maybe because of her own family history… so different from the Danvers safe environment.

The bond between Alex and Kara reminded her of what she had missed as a teen, the exact opposite of her loneliness, and because of that, in a way, she had always understood. That's why Alex hadn't needed to tell her Kara was Supergirl. So while she knew better than to compete for Alex's love with Kara (there was no doubt about who would win that fight, in case she was fool enough to start it), Maggie never doubted even for just one second that Alex could handle them both in her life, that she could find equilibrium.

Though she did struggle, at first, but don't we all when we fall in love?

Maggie flinched. She thought it was better to find different phrasing for that, because love wasn't a word in the vocabulary of their relationship, yet. Sure, there were the I care about you, I miss you, I want you… But neither of them had dropped the L bomb yet despite dating for quite some time now. And well, she was not going to open that door right now because it was simply terrifying.

"Maggie!"

Alex's warning tone quickly pulled her out of her reverie. Maggie turned around and saw her girlfriend pointing at her legs with eyes wide open.

"Put your pants on!", the DEO Agent finally said when Maggie didn't seem to comprehend.

Maggie chuckled and reached for her yoga pants, ungracefully scattered on the bedroom floor.

"Aye, aye, Ma'am."

And there was Kara, again, impatient as a whining child.

"Aaaalex? Pleaaase? Pretty pleeease?"

"We heard you, Little Danvers! Just a sec!"

As Maggie put her pants on she could hear a sigh of relief adorned with a Thank Rao! coming from the other side of the door.

Maggie always found Kara's vocal range to be both creepy and fascinating. She could impersonate the most tiresome, whining little girl, mastering pouts and emotional blackmail through high-pitched whimpers and yet, somehow, she managed to be bearable. The detective called it "the Little Danvers routine". Kara just did it because she loved being indulged by her big sis– she couldn't blame her. Yet, when she changed into her Supergirl persona, this confident, proud being, managed to inspire citizens or scare villains with low tones, husky warnings and assertive statements.

It was… unsettling. And awfully sexy. That, she could admit to. And not that she didn't see Kara as anything but the little sister she never had, but she did get why every lesbian bar in National City had dozens of Supergirl posters hanging in their walls…

She was chuckling to herself as she reached the front door and finally opened it. Kara Danvers, in full Super suit, stepped inside as if the hallway was filled with Kryptonite. Out of instinct, Maggie peeked out just to see if someone was chasing her or something. But no, no Super stalkers were in sight.

Right in time, Alex stepped out of the bedroom, dressed in her cute grey pijamas with bears and tiny hearts all over them. Maggie melted. And a second later she remembered Alex's little sister was in the room and it was no time to be melting. Yet.

"Kara, what's going on? Are you hurt? What happened?", Alex asked while she approached her visibly upset sister.

Maggie just closed the door while Kara– well, Supergirl, finally let herself fall on the couch. Alex yelped a little in fear that Kara's carelessness might break it in half, but luckily she only moved it a few inches.

"Mon-El!", the superhero bursted out, with no further explanation.

Maggie and Alex exchanged confused glances as Kara hid her face between her hands.

"Ooookay", Alex said while she approached her sister carefully.

Kara was still hiding her face and little sobs were muffled against her hands. Maggie and Alex could only make out a few words.

"It's just… sometimes… everything… it's too much…"

Alex hurried to her sister's side, sat down beside her and took her hands in hers. Kara looked at her sheepishly and sobbed a little louder. Her big sister just embraced her and Kara accepted the warmth of arms she trusted with her own life.

"Hey, hey, Kara. It's ok. You're here. We're here."

Maggie had carefully approached them but now she realized this was a rather intimate moment, and Kara might feel uncomfortable with her presence, so she opened her mouth to excuse herself.

"You guys need some privacy, so I'm gonna tak–"

"No, Maggie, STAY!"

It sounded like an order and it didn't come from Alex.

Supergirl just reached out, grabbed her by her long t-shirt and pulled her close so she stumbled on the couch. Kara patted her on the cheek as if she was some kind of puppy and then grabbed her arm, obviously looking for some sisterly comfort on Maggie's part too. Alex just smiled, saying nothing. So now, Alex was holding Kara and kissing the top of her head, while Kara held Maggie's arm and Maggie just sat there, frozen, caught in this tangled mess of Danvers love. It was quite a picture.

After a minute or two passed (it felt like a year to Maggie), Alex released Kara and handed her a tissue from the coffee table.

"Ok. Blow your nose. Then, explain." Alex said in a gentle yet firm tone that reminded Kara of Eliza.

Kara complied and then she sighed heavily.

"Ah, it's really stupid… Maybe it's just all these months finally taking their toll on me, I don't know…"

Alex could tell her sister was beating around the bush just to try and get out of telling her what the real problem was. She took her chin in her hand, gently, and forced her to look into her eyes.

"Kara. Please, tell us."

Kara smiled, nervously, then shook her head.

"It's very silly, guys, now I'm kind of embarrassed that I came all the way here for this. I ruined your night, I'm so sorry."

Alex was not buying it, and she was not giving up.

"Kara."

The superhero looked between Alex and Maggie and knew she was doomed. There was no turning back now. She raised her hands in surrender and rolled her eyes.

"Ok. Don't say I didn't warn you. You're my witness, Maggie."

Maggie nodded.

"We're listening, Little Danvers."

Kara breathed in deeply and gathered some courage.

"Ok, so… so I had planned a romantic evening, you know, just us, at home, enjoying ourselves. I cooked dinner, I lit candles, I bought roses, a bottle of the best alien wine I could find… And everything was just fine. We talked, we laughed, we made out–"

Alex quickly raised her hand and Maggie stopped herself before muttering a Thank God.

"Sis, don't go into details unless you really have to, please?"

Kara bit her lip and renewed tears appeared in her eyes. Maggie understood right then, but Alex wasn't that quick to follow.

"But that's the point, and that's why I warned you…"

Sensing frustration and confusion could impair the interaction, Maggie intervened. She took Kara's hand in hers, surprising everyone in the room, herself mostly. Then, a nod to Alex, letting her know she should trust her.

"It's ok, Kara. It's ok, really, we won't judge. Keep going." Maggie said with a soft smile.

The detective's kindness worked like a charm on both the Danvers sisters. Alex relaxed a little against the couch, listening attentively, and Kara nodded, breathing in again and letting go of Maggie's hand with a quick affective squeeze.

"Ok, to summarized the whole thing and to spare you the details you sure don't wanna know, the thing is today was our eight-month anniversary. He forgot. As usual. And I'm not even mad because in a way I knew it would happen, I know him, that's what he does, I was just happy to have a night just for us and just be… together."

Kara hanged her head down and look at the floor for long seconds. Alex put a hand on her back, encouraging her to keep going.

"So, if that's not what's bothering you, what is it?" Her big sister asked, carefully.

Kara sighed heavily again and laughed. A hurt laugh.

"We were– Rao, Alex, I'm so sorry– we were making love, well, having sex, ugh, whatever you want to call it, and, uh…"

Kara kept laughing nervously as tears welled up in her eyes. It was obvious she was in pain. Alex was speechless after that last piece of information, so Maggie took over.

"It's ok, sweetie. Just say it."

The detective joined Alex's hand as they both traced small circles on Kara's back, for encouragement. Alex found Maggie's gaze above her sister's head and mouthed a silent thank you.

"Well, lately we always do the same stuff…" Kara began again, as if each word was a punch to the stomach. "It's like watching the same movie over and over again and I kind of lost interest at some point, I guess. So he asked me what was wrong and I, I just told him. Uh… you know, I tried to use the right words. I tried to be gentle and not make a fuss."

"Oh, God." Maggie couldn't help herself. She knew people, she knew men, despite never being involved with one. She knew what was coming.

"And then… I swear, guys, he just– he just went mad!"

Kara burst into tears she'd been holding on for the entire conversation. She just let them flow and Maggie and Alex could only listen and look at her in sympathy.

"He was like… so offended!" Kara shook her head as if reviving the moment. "He said he was trying to be generous with me, that he was being gentle and considerate and… and that he even did things he did not like just to please me!" Kara choked a little on the words, but she kept going, nevertheless. "That he never did those things with girls in Daxam because he didn't have to. That I was being unfair. And selfish."

The superhero covered her face with her hands again and her big sister embraced her in a bear hug. Kara just sobbed for a while and no one dared to speak.

Moments later, it was Maggie who broke the silence, slowly, her voice low, though she couldn't hide her anger.

"He told you he does things in bed with you that he doesn't like?"

Kara wiped her tears and looked at the detective, nodding, never leaving Alex's arms. Her voice was still trembling, but she was calmer this time.

"He said he– he does not enjoy oral sex. He likes… receiving it, I mean, but not the other way around." Kara closed her eyes for a second in a gesture of pure embarrassment. She was glad she was in her sister's arms so she couldn't see her face. Alex just remained still, but Kara could feel her heart had skipped a beat or two. She just kept going, she needed to take it out of her system. "He said he didn't mind doing it– um… to… to me. But he said it was gross and I should be considerate enough to be grateful that he was doing it anyway. Because he loves me. That's what he said, anyway."

Maggie looked at Kara with a heartbreaking smile.

"Oh, Little Danvers, I'm so sorry. But that's not love." Maggie said, struggling with her cracking voice. "Love's never an excuse."

Alex was still holding Kara and she was refusing to meet Maggie's eyes. The detective knew she had to be trying so hard to collect herself and not break down for the sake of her sister. Still, she said nothing.

"The thing is, now I think about it and the things he said… maybe they weren't that bad, but in the moment I just–" Kara stopped herself to get rid of Alex's arms so she could look her in the eye.

Alex's eyes were red, but dry. Kara spoke again as if she was trying to apologize to her big sister, for no reason at all.

"I snapped, Alex, I told him to get out and I just put on the suit and just flew and flew and… And I couldn't stop crying. I don't know. I told you it was silly."

Maggie held her breath, waiting for Alex's reaction whose face was a little pale and in a shock-like expression. Finally, she found strength to speak, rather calmly, and Maggie felt so proud.

"No, no, it's not silly, Kara. I'm glad you came. You had every right to react the way you did. And I'll always be here for you, whatever happens. Always."

Maggie watched as they melted in a hug, once more, and she smiled to herself: there it was, that unstoppable force, that blinding light of faith in one another. She was lost in those thoughts when a strong hand pulled her to the side and she found herself embracing both Kara and Alex. Her mouth ended up on top of Alex's head, her arms around Kara's back and Alex's waist. It was totally uncomfortable and awkward, but it was also great to be part of this pile of beautiful chaos and unconditional love that were the Danvers sisters.

"You're our fifth Beatle, Maggie." Kara said, weak laughter breaking through her sadness despite herself.

"We're all Ringo." Alex pointed out, smiling through silent tears of her own.

Kara raised her head from the pile of love, frowning.

"Wouldn't she be more like our Chandler? I mean, her jokes do suck."

Alex shook her head, laughing. Maggie kept quiet, looking between them disapprovingly. These two are unbelievable, she thought to herself.

"I thought Winn was Chandler." Alex stated matter-of-factly.

Maggie was about to protest and put an end to the nonsense when Alex spoke again, excited as if she just had won game night.

"I think it fits better if you're Luke Skywalker, I'm Leia and she's my Han Solo?"

Kara's eyes went wide with enthusiasm. Maggie had to stop it, this could have literally no end…

"Ok, that's it, guys!" The detective said while she jumped from the couch. She stood in front of the Danvers sisters, raising an accusative finger at Alex. "You want me to be Solo, seriously? You do remember what happened to him in The Force Awakens, right?"

Her girlfriend looked at her innocently and Maggie didn't like it one bit.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember, I was busy looking at Daisy Ridley's perfect face." Alex burst into laughter and Kara giggled and maniacally nodded with her head. "Did I say face? I meant ass, of course." Alex added with a wink to her sister.

The Danvers joined in uncontrollable laughter and Maggie was so done with them.

"John Boyega! I mean, damn!" The youngest Danvers added enthusiastically and Maggie wondered how a perfectly planned night with her girlfriend had turned into a nightmare of babysitting these two dorks.

"Ok, that's enough, YOU LITTLE PERVS!"

Not even the commanding voice of Detective Maggie Sawyer could stop a silly moment of spontaneous laughter from the Danvers sisters. Maggie accepted defeat by ignoring them and going to the fridge to grab a beer. She waited the storm out sitting at the kitchen counter and drinking small sips. She kept an stoic look on her face for the sake of drama, but deep down she really was enjoying seeing Alex and Kara relax, finally.

The laughter subsided slowly until there were only sighs of relief.

"Rao, I needed that!" Kara gave her sister a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Anytime, Supergirl…" Alex smiled warmly.

The three of them shared comfortable silence for a while. Maggie enjoyed her beer while Alex grabbed a blanket and covered Kara and herself with it. After a few minutes Kara chuckled softly to herself, as if remembering something funny. She smiled, but the sadness, the faint regret was back in her tone.

"I was so upset I just flew with no direction.. The top of the Burj-Khalifa is a great place to think." Kara looked at her sister searching for sympathy. Alex squeezed her hand and smiled softly back at her.

"That's the tallest building in the world." Maggie said, and Kara just nodded. The detective was about to take another sip of her beer when she stopped herself and frowned. "Wait a minute. It's in Dubai. You ended up in Dubai?"

Kara blushed a little and just smiled innocently.

"When I'm upset I just fly. I think I might have circled the globe a couple of times."

"Impressive." Maggie raised her bottle towards Kara and smiled.

Alex cleared her throat in a clear sign she was about to get serious and break the moment for all of them. It was time.

"Kara…" The DEO Agent began, choosing her words carefully. "You need to talk things through with Mon-El, no matter how much it hurts. He said harmful things. You have to call him out on that."

Kara shook her head again, frustration taking over her.

"But I've tried, Alex! And it's always the same, we're great together for a few weeks and then he goes back to his old ways and… I'm just tired!"

"I can tell." Alex stroke the hero's back, trying to soothe her.

Kara stared vacantly in front of her, voicing something that had been in her mind for quite some time.

"I don't feel like I have a relationship with an adult, I feel like I'm the legal guardian of this, this…"

Kara couldn't bring herself to voice some of the things she had been burying deep within her, even in moments like this, with pain overwhelming her. Maggie knew a lot of words that could help Kara define Mon-El (dudebro, fuckboy, dickhead, man-child, asshole…) but she remained silent. Alex searched for her gaze, as if looking for advice, but Maggie just shook her head when Kara wasn't looking, as if telling Alex: let her talk, let her let it all out…

"I'd rather not finish that sentence, I don't wanna be unfair." Kara took a deep breath and tried to get herself together. Again. "Sometimes I think it's my fault because I just can't enjoy things the way I used to, I'm sad all the time…"

"Kara, that's not–" The blonde didn't let her sister finish.

"And lonely." Kara added, admitting this to herself for the first time. "I have him and I have you guys and J'onn and… But still, I remember her and I just can't help but feel so sad. It's killing me, not knowing it's… I failed her, Alex. I failed her."

"Lena." Alex whispered, knowingly.

Kara nodded and buried her head in the blanket around her legs.

"I miss her, Alex, I…" The softest of sobs interrupted Kara's speech. She kept going despite the burning pain in her chest. "I just can't bear the thought that she's gone. That she could be– dead, because of me. And me trying to have a normal life, a relationship, even just enjoying myself… it makes me feel so guilty. I should be looking for her out there."

Alex shook her head and took her sister's face in her hands, so she could look her in the eye.

"You kind of literally swept the face of the Earth looking for her, Kara. Don't you remember those first few weeks? You weren't yourself. You weren't getting any sleep, you became erratic… you put yourself in danger far too many times, mostly for leads that turned out to be hoaxes in the end. You almost got yourself killed trying to find her."

Kara jerked from her sister's touch and self-doubt and anxiety filled her voice, once again.

"Well, maybe I should do it again! Maybe I should've never stopped."

Alex jumped from the couch and kneeled in front of Kara, so she couldn't avoid her gaze. This was not the first time they had discussed this and she was not about to let her sister fall down again.

"No, no, Kara, we've been through this. You're not to blame for what happened to Lena." Alex swallowed hard and briefly looked at Maggie, who had a haunted look on her face. They were both thinking the same. "On the contrary, you were the only one that believed in her," Alex said softly. "You proved she was innocent, you cleaned her name and you did everything, literally everything you could to find her. It's not your fault, Kara."

Kara finally raised her head and looked at her sister, her eyes lost in the midst of guilt and regret. Alex had never seen her like this. Not after the Red Kryptonite. Not even after Astra. The pain Kara was in right now didn't come from something that had happened to her. It was something surfacing from the inside, something buried deep in her soul that her sister could not quite figure out.

"Then, why does it hurt so much?" Kara asked in a thin voice, as if she had swallowed liquid Kryptonite, shutting down her vocal cords and burning her chest.

Alex could only hold her.