Acceptance
Pitch black. Brown eyes wide open. Alex flopped onto her side and then onto her back for the millionth time. Finally, she picked up a pillow and squished it into her face, screaming into it before throwing it across the room and getting out of bed.
The agent quickly freshened up and pulled on some clean clothes with her favorite boots. She slid her wallet into the zip pocket of her leather jacket and her Glock into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. Alex grabbed her helmet and keys on the way out the door and headed out to ride. Maybe it would help take her mind off the amazing kisses she'd shared with Kara and then not having a moment afterwards to talk with her.
Alex shifted into first gear and quickly into second as she accelerated smoothly away from her apartment building. It was a typically balmy night in National City and she lifted her visor slightly to enjoy the warm air. The roar and vibrations of the motorcycle's engine centered her and her movements were automatic as she piloted the bike along surface streets until she hit the highway. Then she really opened the machine up, quickly hitting eighty and holding it there.
She kept the motorcycle positioned in the lane to maximize control on turns and a small smile crept onto her face as she felt the speed challenge her skills. She pushed a little more, increasing the speed to almost ninety before throttling back and taking an exit on her right. The light at the bottom of it was red and she slowed to a stop, looking around absently as she waited for the green but her senses didn't fail her and she was suddenly aware of being approached by a couple of undesirable looking guys. She sighed and just waited to see what would happen.
Each of the men was holding a beer and, at two in the morning, Alex was sure it wasn't their first. "Hey Gorgeous," one of the men slurred. "Nice motorcycle."
The agent lifted her visor and an eyebrow. "Thanks."
"Can I have a ride?"
"No, Sir, you cannot." Alex planted her boots firmly to make sure she could balance the bike and free up her hands if necessary. The light stayed uncooperatively red.
The men moved closer. "Come on. What's the harm in taking us for a ride, Kitten. Just be friendly." One of the miscreants staggered even closer, trying to grab Alex's wrist but, before he even realized what was happening, her hand had been snapped away and he was staring down the barrel of a gun.
"I'm an FBI agent," Alex stated. "Back off."
High above her, Supergirl grinned as she watched Alex in action. She was ready to step in if needed, but she loved watching how skillful Alex was in both protecting herself and others. The man lifted his hands in surrender and stumbled backwards. "Jeez, I was just trying to be friendly."
Agent Danvers slowly lowered her weapon and just stared at the two men as they staggered away, holding each other up and still swallowing from the bottles in their hands. When they were a respectful distance away, she slid her weapon back into her waistband. She was just about to leave when Supergirl landed in front of her and sauntered towards her, hands on her hips. "Nice night for a ride," she commented as she pushed her hair back from her face.
Alex smiled at her and nodded, not at all surprised to see her. "Sure is. Why are you out so late?"
"Just thinking about… things," Kara shrugged. She folded her arms across her chest. "How about you?"
"Same," the older Danvers replied with a shrug of her own. "Hey, want to get a drink? I… think we should talk about… you know."
"Our kisses? Sure," Kara replied with a grin. She got onto the back of Alex's motorcycle and gathered up her cape, draping it over one arm as she wrapped them both around the agent's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. Then, to Alex's surprise, she left a gentle kiss on her neck. "Let's go."
Alex chuckled. "Hang on." They took off and moved quickly through the quiet streets. National City never really slept but there were few people out and soon, Alex was pulling up outside the bar. She parked her bike and hung her helmet off one handlebar as Kara got off and looked around.
"That was awesome," the hero grinned, bouncing excitedly. "I can see why you love riding."
Alex perched her hands on her hips and as she looked the hero up and down. "I'm starting to wonder if the suit is a good idea. Supergirl's never been seen in here before."
"I'll go in as Kara Danvers as usual," Kara replied. She disappeared behind a dumpster and reappeared in jeans and a button up shirt, glasses in place and hair in a ponytail.
"Good." Alex led them to the door and knocked. A hatch slid open and Alex spoke into it. "Dollywood."
The door opened and Alex indicated for Kara to precede her in. The hero walked ahead and headed for the bar. The inside of the establishment was sparsely decorated and dimly lit and Kara looked around, immediately noticing the differences in the patrons. But she stopped when she heard Alex suck in a breath and turned to follow her gaze.
Across the room, engaged in what could only be described as a passionate lip lock, was Detective Maggie Sawyer. The woman she was with had two pairs of arms whose hands were moving over several interesting places on the detective's body. Alex closed her eyes, quickly turning away. "Let's sit at the bar," she stated, moving to take a seat and leaning her forearms on the counter top.
Kara joined her there and waited as the agent ordered a beer and a glass of wine for them. "Alex… what's going on?"
"Nothing," the older Danvers replied with a slight shake of her head.
"Liar." The hero's tone was soft but she wasn't letting Alex away with it.
"I just wasn't expecting Maggie to be here tonight," Alex sighed.
Kara nodded and glanced over at the detective who was now laughing with her companion. "Have you two not spoken since you broke up?"
"Briefly." The agent leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "It's been all logistics though. Separating our lives."
"Alex, Kara." A new voice interrupted. "Hey."
Alex faked a smile as she turned to greet Maggie. "Maggie, hi. How are you?"
Kara smiled too. "Hi Maggie, good to see you."
"You too. I… um… well… I'll see you later." The detective turned and headed for the bathroom.
Kara frowned. "That could have gone better."
The dark-haired Danvers shook her head. "Yeah." She took a moment to breathe. "I'm sorry."
The hero sipped her wine. "There's no need to apologize. I know it's been hard for you and, Alex, you wouldn't have kissed me if you wanted to still be with her." She leaned in and pecked Alex on the lips. "I'm assuming you want to kiss me again?"
Alex swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I really do, but I just need to know that you're ok with it."
"Oh, I'm more than ok with it." Kara started on her second glass of wine. She was, oddly, feeling slightly buzzed and she squinted at the glass in her hand. "What is this?"
The bartender looked up from wiping down the counter and spoke softly. "It's Hylva wine. It's one of the few drinks we serve that can get Kryptonians drunk." Kara sucked in a shocked breath but the woman chuckled. "Don't worry. We're not in the business of outing anyone in here."
"Thanks," the hero replied with a smile. "Maybe we can get drunk together after all, Alex."
"It will sure be fun trying," the older Danvers grinned.
Xx
"Oh man, this was NOT a good idea," Alex muttered as Kara floated a few inches off the ground toward the motorcycle, her arms out and her body turning in a slow circle.
"It's so PREEETTTYYYY," the hero sing-songed as she pointed at the sky, a huge grin splitting her face. "The stars are like shiny argthons."
"I don't know what an argthon is, Kara," Alex chuckled. "How am I going to get you home? I can't drive and I can't call an Uber in case you break something! We didn't really think this through very well."
Supergirl wrapped her arms around her and lifted them right off the ground, kissing her on the lips for an extended period that left them both breathless. "I can fly us home," she finally stated.
"No, put us down," Alex hissed. "You're not properly dressed for this. Besides, you can't drink and fly any more than I can drink and drive."
"Oh, right," Kara giggled and set them back on the pavement. "We're going to have to walk."
"Stagger more like," Alex responded. The fresh air was beginning to sober her up and she was no longer seeing double. She also wasn't feeling so well. She turned the hero around and gave her a little push. "Come on. March."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Kara saluted. "Hey, did you hear that? I sounded like Vasquez just then." She sighed dramatically. "I miss Vasquez. We should go visit her at the DEOCave. Sucks for her having to manage all the scary aliens."
"And for Lucy too," Alex added. "She called me the other day. She's bored stupid looking after the fishbowls."
"Lucy's hot," Kara commented, almost giving Alex whiplash from the sudden change of subject. She poked the agent's chest, luckily only hard enough to cause minor bruising. "Don't you dare ask her out."
"Owww… stop… Kara, you know I'm not interested in her." Alex wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. "There's only one person I'm interested in."
"Who?" the hero asked teasingly. "Oh, you mean me?" She kissed Alex's cheek but then suddenly stopped walking and sat down on the pavement. "Alright, I think I'm sobering up. God, is this what a hangover feels like?" Kara pressed her hand to her forehead. "And I'm suddenly SUPER-thirsty."
"That was quick," Alex replied with a frown. "I think you're going to feel this in the morning." Almost on cue, the first rays of sunlight appeared over the top of the nearby sky scrapers. "Speaking of morning. Come on, my place is closer. Let's go."
They continued walking and, when Kara felt up to it, she changed into her suit and carried them the rest of the way to Alex's apartment. Landing just inside the living room window, the hero set Alex on her feet and hugged her gently. "I'm going to be honest about you and me, Alex. I love you and I think you're really freakin' hot but I'd like to take this slowly, ok? So, I'm gonna go." She walked backwards toward the window but Alex grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"I love you too and I agree. Slowly is better." Their eyes met and they were drawn to each other again. The kiss that followed was slow, deep and wet. Alex gasped and then moaned as Kara's hands rested on her ass and pulled their bodies even closer together.
By the time the hero had flown away, Alex really needed a cold shower.
Xx
"Unnnggggg… I'm never drinking again," Kara groaned to herself, rolling a freezing ice cream carton across her forehead a few times. "Alex didn't tell me hangovers were this bad."
She was lying on her couch watching TV, having just woken up. The volume was down to almost nothing since her alien ears didn't seem to have any volume control right at that moment and everything, including that crazy-making bathroom faucet drip, sounded as loud as a police siren.
Her cell rang and she closed her eyes as she fished in her pocket and pulled it out, swiping quickly at the screen until the ringing stopped. "YES! Um… hello?"
"Kara, where are you? You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago," J'Onn boomed.
"Jeez, not so loud," the hero replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well and I fell asleep on the couch. I'll be there in fifteen."
"Ok," J'Onn replied and, as he hung up, Kara was certain she could hear his frown. She dialed Alex's cell. It rang for a long time before the older Danvers answered. "Alex get up. We're late for the op."
"Shit," Alex replied. "Alright, I'll see you there."
Xx
Supergirl made gentle landing on the DEO balcony and walked slowly down the steps to where J'Onn was waiting. "I'm sorry. Please don't yell at me. I have my first hangover."
"Hangover?!" J'Onn boomed.
"I said don't yell!" Kara hissed. "My head hurts really badly."
"Mine too," Alex added as she arrived. "Supergirl here turned twenty-one again last night. We found a wine that can get Kryptonians drunk."
"Huge mistake," Kara muttered, pushing her hair back from her face and sagging against the command console.
J'Onn chuckled. "I understand, but we need to press forward with the mission."
Kara straightened and smiled gratefully at an agent who handed her a large bottle of water with a wink. She drank the whole bottle down and then sighed happily as she drifted toward Alex and leaned against her. "Ok, what's the job, Boss?"
By the time J'Onn had briefed the team on the mission, Kara was feeling much better. Her headache was almost completely gone and she felt much more in control of herself. Alex still looked rough though. "For time number one thousand, I so envy your healing abilities," she huffed as Kara walked her to her SUV. "I'll see you there."
The hero grinned and laced their fingers together for a brief moment. "See you there." She bent her knees and shot into the sky.
Xx
Detective Sawyer sighed as she pulled up next to Alex's SUV. Of course, Kara was here too. She got out of her car and strolled toward the two women, hanging her badge on her belt. Kara watched and barely managed to school her face as she saw Alex's throat move convulsively in a deep swallow. She gave the agent a little nudge with her elbow and indicated the smaller woman with her eyes. Alex frowned back at her but cleared her throat and started to walk toward the detective.
"You called, Danvers?" Maggie greeted as she pulled on some latex gloves.
"Detective Sawyer," Alex replied efficiently.
Kara lifted her hand in a wave.
"So, what have we got?" The detective moved past Alex to where a body, covered by a sheet, lay on the ground. "Hello, Supergirl."
Kara stepped closer. "Detective Sawyer. We tried to capture a Fort Rozz escapee but he did this and then just disappeared.
Maggie crouched and pulled back the sheet, wincing slightly at the faceless, burned body. "Disappeared?" she repeated, looking between Kara and Alex with her eyebrow raised. She leaned her forearms on her thighs and chuckled. "Supergirl… with superior eye sight, hearing and speed, lost your escapee, Danvers?" she teased.
Kara shrugged and crossed her arms, straightening to her full height. "I was kinda busy protecting the agents from the acid spewing from his mouth."
"I see." Maggie replied. She looked at Alex then. "Do we know who this guy is?"
"Not yet. My team is going to take the body back to the DEO and get started on an analysis."
"Ok then." Detective Sawyer stood and pulled off her gloves. "Let me know what you find." She turned to walk away but Alex reached out and stopped her.
"Maggie…"
Kara cleared her throat. "I've gotta go. I'll… see you later."
Maggie watched as Supergirl flew away. "I guess your girlfriend doesn't stick around for lunch."
Alex frowned and tilted her head. "My girlfriend? What?"
"I saw you two kissing at the bar last night. I guess our breakup makes a lot more sense now."
The agent shook her head. "Our breakup had nothing to do with Kara, Maggie. You know why we broke up."
The detective lifted an eyebrow. "Really? I'm not sure I believe that. Not that it matters anymore. I'm going back to Gotham so you won't have to see me around anymore." She turned and walked away, her head held defiantly high. Alex just shook her head and sighed.
Xx
Alex pushed Kara hard against the door and kissed her way down her neck to bite down on her collar bone. The hero gasped and tightened her fingers in the smaller woman's hair, tugging her closer and moaning. "God…" Alex groaned out, letting her hands roam over soft curves and hard muscle. "Kara…"
"ALEX!" Jerking awake, Agent Danvers sprang forward, hand reaching for her Glock on the coffee table. "Easy easy!" Kara called out. "It's just me. I'm bulletproof but you don't need to be explaining gunshots to your neighbors."
Alex huffed out a breath and ran a hand through her hair, letting her pounding heart settle. "Jesus, Kara. What are you DOING here?" She lifted her phone to check the time. "It's not even dawn yet."
"Firstly…" Kara grinned. "Just so you know, you were moaning my name in your sleep and secondly…" The hero bounced from foot to foot in an adorably adolescent move that made her cape swing and Alex smile. "Cat called me."
The agent's back protested from sleeping all night on her couch but she swung her legs out into a sitting position and then stood to stretch. "Firstly, I know. It was a REALLY hot dream you woke me from. Secondly, that's cool. What did she say?"
Kara jumped up and down again. "She's coming for a visit to National City and wants me to have dinner with her." She brought her fists to her mouth in an attempt to not squeal. It reminded Alex of the night Kara had saved her plane and come out as Supergirl.
"That's great!" Alex replied. "I know how much you miss her."
The hero's face gentled then and she took a seat on the couch as Alex headed for the bathroom. "I don't think anyone really knows how much I miss her," she murmured to herself.
"Actually," Alex said, knowing Kara would hear and making her smile again. "I'm not sure I really do know how much you miss her but I know she was a great mentor." The agent knew her so well.
Xx
"I'm sorry to just drop by." Kara smiled, reaching up to fix her glasses. "But I wanted to talk to you about the violence against aliens that's becoming more prevalent recently."
Detective Sawyer took another bite of her hot dog and crossed her booted feet on top of her desk. "Is that why you're really here?" she asked curiously, pinning Kara with a look that was supposed to be intimidating. Luckily, Kara knew Maggie well and rolled with it.
"I don't understand the question," the blonde said with a frown. "Why else would I be here?"
Maggie chuckled and tossed her hot dog wrapper into the trash can beside her desk. "Ok, what can I do for you, Kara?"
"I'm almost finished my story," Kara went on. "And to be honest, I was hoping for a quote from you."
"A quote from me?" Maggie was surprised and pulled her feet down off the desk to sit in her chair and lean forward.
"You're the lead detective in this case and one of the best detectives in the whole city. Why would I not want a quote from you?"
The smaller woman chuckled. "I thought Alex would have told you. I'm leaving for Gotham in a few days. Today is my last day at NCPD."
Kara's face fell and she shook her head. "No, I… she didn't tell me. But I haven't seen her since yesterday."
Maggie was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed. "Here's your quote." She waited for Kara to turn on her iPhone's voice recorder. "It's been difficult for some humans to accept that aliens are now being afforded rights as citizens that they weren't before. But that is no excuse for the violence being committed against aliens and alien supporters. Those perpetrating the violence are breaking the law and will be prosecuted to its fullest extent."
Kara grinned and turned off her voice recorder. "Thank you, Detective," she said with a smile as she stood up. "I really appreciate your time."
"No problem," the detective nodded. "Glad I could help."
Kara turned to leave but then she stopped and turned back to the smaller woman. "Maggie… Alex and I are… um…"
Maggie nodded. "I know." She stood up and patted the hero's shoulder. "I can't say that I'm not hurt but I know it's nothing to do with me. I hope you're happy together."
Kara nodded slowly and then pulled the petite woman in for a hug. "Thank you. And I hope you find happiness in Gotham too."
Xx
It was just after seven when Kara opened her apartment door and pulled Alex into her arms for a long, deep kiss. "Hi, I love you," she breathed as they parted slightly.
"Hi," Alex replied with a smile. "I love you too."
"So…" Kara rested her hands on Alex's chest. "Did you say goodbye to Maggie?"
The agent nodded and stepped around her to go to the couch and sit down. She patted her lap and Kara deposited herself there, wrapping her arms around Alex's neck. "I did. It was hard. We argued a little first but we parted as friends."
The hero tutted sympathetically and kissed Alex's forehead. "I'm sorry, Honey."
"I'll always remember her," the agent whispered. "Always."
"I know," Kara replied. "You always remember your first love."
"Who do you remember?" Alex asked quietly, her forehead pressed against the hero's.
"You," Kara replied softly. "I loved Mon-El… but you'll always be first in my heart, Alex."
"And you in mine," Alex replied, sealing the promise with another kiss.