This fic is inspired by an incident at the cinema yesterday when I went to watch beauty and the beast. Hope you enjoy:)
Ever since the movie had come out, Kara had been begging Alex and Maggie to go watch it with her.
"They've made LeFou gay!" Kara exclaimed excitedly, as if that would make them say yes. Alex wasn't bothered about watching the movie and Maggie didn't even know who LeFou was.
"Come on guys, we have to show up for this...people have already started boycotting it. A theatre in Alabama isn't showing it because of its 'gay agenda'," she ranted, exasperated.
And obviously Alex and Maggie relented- they would have anyway with one pout from Kara but they also saw the validity of her impassioned argument.
The next day, all three of them walked to the theatre a few blocks down from Kara's apartment. It was just after four on a Wednesday and the theatre was about half full with parents with their children and young couples.
Alex, Maggie and Kara took their seats right at the back of the theatre where Kara could flail as much as she wanted without embarrassing Alex.
Maggie took her preferred seat at the end of the row of seats, by the stairs and Alex was seated in the middle between them.
Seated in the row in front of them was a mother with a baby and, about half way through the movie, the baby started crying. They were seated directly in front of Maggie but Maggie didn't mind much, feeling sorry for the poor mum who was desperately trying to quieten down the child. Kara was completely engrossed in the film and easily ignored the noise and so did Alex, not minding if she missed some of the film.
The mum was wearing a headscarf and her baby must have been only a few months old. There was another girl who looked about five years old seated with them, engrossed in the movie.
After a minute of the mother trying and failing to get the baby to drink its milk from the bottle, a woman from the other side of the theatre came up to the mum. She was stood directly in front of Maggie.
The woman looked in her mid-thirties and was clearly not happy.
"Excuse me," she said in a cold clipped voice, leaning down to point her finger at the woman, and Maggie immediately felt herself shift into protective mode as she saw the mum look up at her, flustered. She looked even younger than Kara and was clearly embarrassed.
"Could you please take your child out. I don't know if you've noticed but my children are trying to watch the movie and its incredibly rude for you to be sitting here disturbing everyone," the lady spat out loud enough for people a few rows down to notice. Maggie clenched her fists in anger and Alex and Kara sat up in their seats ready to pounce at the woman's vicious tone.
Maggie saw that the poor mother looked visibly scared as she fumbled out an apology, getting ready to stand up with her baby still crying in her arms.
But the woman wasn't done. "I don't know what it's like where you come from but that's not how we do it here." And that was it for Maggie.
"Excuse me ma'am," Maggie spoke up and Alex and Kara immediately looked at her. Alex knew Maggie wasn't one to let such things slide in her presence and her heart fluttered at Maggie's goodness. Kara had been ready to say something too but she settled down, knowing that Maggie was more than capable of dealing with the woman.
"That is no way to speak to someone," Maggie said in a controlled low voice, hiding the ferocity of her anger.
The lady looked at her in shock. "She was disturbing the whole theatre," she exclaimed.
"All you had to do was kindly ask her to leave, she's a mother with a baby, not some rowdy teenager you can belittle." Maggie kept calm but felt her anger boiling up at the look on the woman's face.
"How dare you, I am a paying customer-"
And Maggie cut her off straight away not wanting to escalate the argument and create a bigger scene.
"Listen lady I haven't even got to the racist comment you just made so I strongly suggest you take a seat before I personally make sure you're not allowed back in this theatre."
And something about the look in her eyes and the authoritative way Maggie spoke her words caused the woman to relent. She huffed, muttering something under her breath as she made her way back over to her children.
All the while, the mother had just been standing there silent, with her head down. Her baby had stopped crying. Maggie turned to her, leaning forward, in cop mode. "You can report that lady if you wish to ma'am. I'm a cop, I could help you with it," she spoke softly, hoping she would give her consent. But she saw the flustered look on the girl's face. It was another painful reminder that not everyone was capable of defending themselves so easily and it broke Maggie's heart.
The young mum just shook her head in embarrassment, looking like she just wanted to leave. "That's okay," she spoke in a low voice with an accent, "Thank you- very much," she nodded at Maggie before leaving with the baby and the girl.
Maggie just nodded back, feeling shame and anger when she saw the little girl resisting leaving. She was angry that that woman had felt like she had any right to speak like that. She was angry that the young mum had to deal with such comments. She was angry that she couldn't do more than what she had.
The whole incident had lasted not even a few minutes but Maggie felt the need to apologise for the scene.
She turned to the young couple closest to her who had heard all of it. "Sorry'" she whispered and the girl just smiled at her wide.
"No, that was awesome," she whispered back loud and Maggie just chuckled mutedly, shrugging off the praise.
She turned back to apologise to Alex and Kara too.
"Don't be sorry for that," Kara said strongly. Kara knew how Maggie was feeling, she was same in that she couldn't handle seeing any type of injustice. "I was ready to fling her into space myself, you handled it way better," she added, drawing another chuckle from Maggie. She could hear the rapid beating of Maggie's heart still and felt her heart hurt for her, she just wanted to hug her tight.
And Alex could see that Maggie was still tense from the confrontation and just leaned over to place a kiss against her cheek, taking her hand into her lap and caressing her thumb against her palm soothingly, feeling so proud of her girl. Maggie leaned into her, needing to feel Alex's warmth.
They got back to watching the movie, it coming to the end of the Beast's pining solo. Kara turned slightly to look at Alex and nudged her shoulder, giving her a knowing glance. Alex smiled shyly at the look. The look that told her that Kara thought Maggie was so right for Alex, that Maggie fit perfectly with all of them. That she was one of them.
During the final scene, Kara whooped loud when LeFou danced with the other guy, causing a few people in the theatre to laugh at her silliness, and others to tut in chastisement. Maggie and Alex laughed at her, completely endeared by her exuberance.
When the movie finished, they all got up to leave, Alex still holding Maggie's hand.
They saw the woman get up too and she glanced down at their hands with a disgusted look on her face.
Maggie was used to that so she just let it go but Alex was ready to kick her ass. And she would have if her two young children hadn't been with her. She felt sorry for the innocent kids, having to grow up with such a bigoted mother.
They made it out of theatre, Kara turning to both of them.
"So, what did you think!" she beamed. "Wasn't it amazing!"
"It was alright," Alex conceded.
"It was good," Maggie smiled good naturedly. If she was being honest, she hadn't paid complete attention towards the end, having been lost in her own thoughts.
Kara could tell that Maggie was still feeling down from before. As they got to Kara's apartment where Alex and Maggie were going to leave, Kara took Maggie in a big long hug, swaying her from side to side, causing Maggie to chuckle softly at its intensity.
Alex just watched them, her heart fluttering at the sight.
"You're a hero Maggie," Kara whispered earnestly into her ear and Maggie just ducked her head, feeling undeserving of the comment. "And heroes can't always fix it all." And Maggie's heart broke at the sadness in Kara's voice, at the wisdom in her words. She nodded in understanding, trying to hold back her tears, her heart overflowing with adoration for the strong girl who was trying to console her.
Kara moved to give Alex a hug goodbye, sensing Maggie felt too vulnerable for any more comforting.
"Come on hero, let's get you home," Alex whispered to Maggie once Kara had made her way inside the building.
Maggie laughed at Alex's love-filled words, taking her outstretched hand, managing to keep her tears at bay.
"Let's go home."
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what did you think guys? I really enjoy writing Kara and Maggie, I wish the show did a better job with them. there's sooooo much potential for something beautiful. im still holding out hope though:)
