Bullets flew through the Danvers Midvale home.

They're prepared for this.

A cry pierced the air.

Alex was not going to let anyone hurt her, her child, or anyone else that she loved. A bundled child on her hip with the best ear protection they had, Alex had her weapon out and ready. She wasn't alone, but everyone else was someplace else in the house. Suddenly, she spotted a shooter. Alex pressed herself against the wall for a moment, taking in a breath, pushing out the best comforting words she could think of, and then went for it. Arm extended, her finger squeezing the trigger, and a string of bullets out the nearest window.

It wasn't just her.

It wasn't just one shooter.

It was a full on assault.

They'd come prepared, but they obviously didn't know who they were dealing with. They weren't just dealing with Alex Danvers, they were dealing with agents of the DEO. There might be few of them, but they were there and they were trained...and they were fierce.

When the air grew silent, Alex heard her name shouted.

Sucking in a breath, she turned to see her mother at the bedroom doorway. She blinked and looked around. This room had been her and Kara's bedroom growing up. There were so many memories there, like looking down at Kara from the window she'd just shot out when she'd first come to live with them. This place that was their sanctuary...a safe harbor for memories that Alex cherished...it was all shot to hell.

"Alex!" her mother exclaimed and moved to her, cupping her face. "Are you okay?" Before Alex could say anything, though, her mother started to unbundle Alex's hip. "Oh, Sweetheart!" her mother breathed and took the child from Alex's hip and just hugged her.

"What?" Charlie said loudly as she pulled the ear protection away from her ear.

"We're fine," Alex said and swung her head to see Lara and Alice standing in the doorway, looking relieved to see Charlie in Eliza's arms. "You okay?" They nodded.

"I don't think it's really safe here any longer," Benanti stated. "Also, I think maybe...Eliza should pack a bag too and we should call someone about all the bullet holes...and broken glass...and general destruction." Lara crossed the room and took Charlie from Eliza. "I'm not saying we're giving up, I'm just thinking that maybe it's time to go back to National City again."

"Do you really think it's going to be safer for Alex there?" Eliza questioned.

"Hell no," Alice bluttered out. "But the DEO will be safer… They're going to have to go through a lot more agents to get to her."

"I can't just stay in the DEO forever," Alex pointed out. Her hands moved down to her stomach. "This baby cannot live confined within the walls of the DEO for their entire life."

"I still can't believe you didn't find out the gender," her mother complained.

Alex glared at her mother for a moment. It had been a long nearly twenty weeks of her mother complaining about that. "You're going to find out soon enough…"

"I know you were shot at when you were in the field when you weren't showing, but this is so much different, Alex…" her mother said.

And Alex knew that.

"Pack your bags and call Lucy," Alex instructed.

"You might also want to put in a call to your sister," Adler said. "Also, maybe mention that you really want to see the boss…"

"Kara hasn't seen him-"

"Really? Okay...we can pretend like it's not obvious."

Alex just glared after Adler as she left the room with Benanti and Charlie before turning to her mother. "Do you know anything about Kara having contact with J'onn?"

"Let me help you pack a bag, Sweetie," Eliza said instead of answering the question.

Rolling her eyes, Alex moved to reload her gun...just in case.


It came slowly.

It was like something nagging her, almost like a dull ache, no...it was something more. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of it as her feet hit the ground inside of the DEO parking garage. Alex straightened and looked around, it was like her brain knew that there was something pulling her somewhere else. Then it hit her-

J'onn.

J'onn?

Her eyes searched for him, but then it was her mind that was calling for him. J'onn? It was like she knew that that was what she felt all of the sudden. She didn't even care why she could suddenly sense him, she was just suddenly excited to see J'onn again face to face. It had been too long. So long. He'd been in hiding, trying to keep her safe as himself.

Then it came, quietly at first in her head. Alex?

When she finally saw him, she just stood there staring at him. It was like she didn't believe it. It had been so many months. She'd sworn she'd seen him at the DEO before when she'd been working there with Lucy...and then there had been times when there had been glimpses thought to be seen of J'onn in Midvale… Now, she was wondering if he'd actually been there.

"J'onn," she whispered and finally moved. Her feet didn't seem to move fast enough to cross the distance in the parking garage to get to him. A smile spread wide across her face and she didn't know if she could feel more relief. Their embrace was tight, well as tight as they could. "I missed you so much…"

His fingers combed through her hair and he let out a heavy breath as he held her. "I missed you."

When they finally separated a bit, she just stared into his eyes and she hadn't felt so much relief until she'd been able to touch him. Irritation crossed her a moment later, though, and she smacked his shoulder. "It's been months!"

He just beamed at her reaction. "I haven't been far."

"You could have come and seen me," Alex scolded lightly. "You've seen Kara…"

"I didn't want to endanger you anymore than I already had…"

"They decided that it didn't matter if you were in Midvale or not," Alex explained.

"I saw the house-"

"It doesn't matter right now," Alex waved off. Later, she was certain that she'd have a different opinion, but right now...it didn't matter. "Everyone's safe...that's the only thing that really matters." Her fingers trailed down his arms and she found that she'd really missed having a physical connection to him. "I'm just not looking forward to being locked down in the DEO."

"You don't have to worry about them taking you...or our child," J'onn told her gently.

Alex realized that he was looking her over. Even if he'd been watching her...watching them in Midvale, it had been several months since they'd been this close...since they'd touched. The child she carried was his and there had been so much heartbreak in his past when it came to children. She didn't want this to be heartbreaking. Alex pulled his hands to her stomach and just allowed him to be there with her, to experience this part of the pregnancy...he'd missed so much.

"I heard you," he whispered. "In my head…"

"I heard you too...and felt you," Alex said slowly and a bit unsure.

"I think it's because of this little one," J'onn said. "I still don't understand why you don't want to know the gender…"

Kara.

Alex just smiled and shook her head. "I didn't want to know...not without you. I kept hoping that you'd come back-"

"Project Cadmus is still out there…"

"Oh," Alex said with a sigh. "I know…"

"Ma'am! Sir!"

Adler's voice brought them both out of their reunion and Alex found herself being hauled in the direction of the control room. She blinked for a moment, not understanding what the hurry was. "Adler, what the-"

"We're possibly going to be under attack," Adler explained as she pulled her along. "I'd rather you be somewhere a little more fortified."

"I'll second that," she heard J'onn say as they stepped foot into the control room.

It had been a couple of months, but things looked just the same...and yet different. Alex didn't know if the lighting looked different or if it were maybe just different people on shift…something was different though. Vasquez was at the controls and Lucy was already moving towards them as they approached. She looked pissed and confident at the same time. "I would like you to be looked over Agent Danvers, just to be certain that everything's okay with you and the little one."

"I'm fine," Alex brushed off.

"Yeah, it's an order...not a suggestion," Lucy said gently. "But it can wait until I catch you up." She turned and pointed towards the monitors. "It looks like my father is working with Project Cadmus."

"We had an idea that he was before," Alex reminded.

Lucy just seemed more frustrated. "The army working with Cadmus, though...that means that we're going to have to either comply or go rogue." Alex just stared at Lucy, already knowing where this was going. "We're not supposed to have to take sides… We're supposed to operate outside of everything else...but at the same time work alongside them when needed…"

"We could go away from here," J'onn spoke up.

"Alex is going to need medical attention when that little one decides it's time to come into the world," Lucy said matter of factly. "They're not getting in here...and they're not going to harm anyone under my protection." In all these months, Lucy Lane had become a fierce DEO director and good friend.

"Ma'am, Supergirl is on her way in," Vasquez spoke up.

"Alert her to our current status," Lucy instructed Vasquez. "Adler, make sure that she gets in without there being any kind of breach."

No one questioned Lucy's orders and complied without a second thought. "Is there anything we can do?" Alex questioned and realized that her mother was standing off the side with Charlie Benanti at her side. Lara was likely already doing something that needed to be done. Even though Adler and Benanti (and Charlie) had been in Midvale with them...they hadn't been on vacation, they'd been working as a protection detail the entire time. This was really where they all belonged though.

"Ma'am, we've got another player," Vasquez said as she motioned to the screen. Suddenly the first dot on the screen took on a tiny House of El emblem, which was closing the distance quickly. The other dot though was unknown.

"Jets? Missiles?" Lucy rattled off.

"Negative, they appear to be about the same size as Supergirl."

Alex looked over to J'onn, who she realized at that moment was holding her hand. He was the only other person that was normally out there and flying...unless it was another Kryptonian, but there would be no reason for them to be out there right now. Alex had been keeping up with Kara and the news, she knew that it wasn't like the DEO was currently on constant odds with one. "Cadmus," she whispered in realization a moment later. "What if they're mind controlling-"

But then an image was finally captured of the flying creature. It looked human, but it wasn't. It was clearly a cyborg, human but also made partially of machine. It flew through the sky just like Kara or J'onn would. When they got a clearer picture, Alex nearly fell over and heard her mother gasp all at the same time.

"Jeremiah," J'onn stated for everyone.

Jeremiah Danvers was alive.

Or at least a small part of him.

"No," Alex whispered as tears filled her eyes. As far as she'd known, her father had died saving her. He'd done things to her...in Cadmus...but in the end, he'd been her father and had gotten her to safety. This wasn't right. Cadmus had destroyed him a hundred times over, but not this…

J'onn was holding her, but it wasn't enough with what came next...as they watched in horror as the monstrous cyborg form of Jeremiah Danvers fired on Supergirl...and she fell.


TBC…