When Alex woke up again, it was 10:24 in the morning. She felt completely rested and she smiled, remembering the previous night's events. She lay there, in her bed, grinning like the fool she was, for several minutes, remembering Maggie's words, her gentle touch, her soft kisses… She sighed happily and rolled over to grab her phone.
"A mother knows," her mom had replied. Alex smiled at that, noting that they would have to have a talk one of these days, about what it was, exactly, that mothers knew.
Another text was from Maggie. "How'd you sleep, beautiful?"
She blushed and responded. "I slept the sleep of the dead. It was amazing. How about you?"
Then, she sent Kara a quick text, indicating she should definitely call her.
Alex forced herself out of bed and headed to the washroom to use the facilities and then shower. Twenty minutes later, she emerged, damp hair hanging down around her face, wearing comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt. She headed to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. She glanced at the clock. It was only eleven in the morning. How on earth was she going to make it to seven?
The answer was keeping herself as busy as possible. Alex finished reviewing the abandoned briefings from the night before and, after a bite to eat, did some more detailed work from her laptop while sitting on the couch. She could just barely still smell Maggie's scent on the sofa's cushions, but every so often, she'd get a whiff of the other woman and she'd close her eyes and remember that last night had actually happened. That Maggie had come over and kissed her and then they'd kissed some more and they'd cuddled and there had been more kissing… She exhaled gently and opened her eyes. And she had a date for tonight. She checked the time and was disappointed it was only half-past one in the afternoon.
"I'm never gonna make it," she groaned. She shut her laptop and reached for her phone. She and Maggie had been texting, on and off, throughout the last couple of hours.
"I'm never gonna make it," she informed Maggie. "7 o'clock is way too far away."
"The best things in life are worth waiting for, Danvers," was the reply she got, a couple of minutes later.
Alex sighed. "But five and a half hours is soooooo long!" She idly hoped her impatience would translate properly in the text.
"Patience is a virtue," came the reply.
Alex rolled her eyes. "You know what else is a virtue? Chastity. And, based on last night, I'm pretty sure neither of us have too much interest in that." She sent the text triumphantly and, a moment later, her phone rang.
"Hel— Maggie? Are you laughing?" Alex asked.
"Yes," the other woman said, as best as she could, while still laughing.
She chuckled. "So do I win?"
"You win, you win," the other woman said, still snickering, before she managed to take a full breath. "Okay, Danvers, fine, how's six, instead of seven?" Maggie asked.
"Six would be perfect," Alex grinned.
"I'll pick you up at six on the dot," Maggie confirmed. There was a short pause. "I may have to shift a couple of things around for tonight, but I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing you for an extra hour."
"Me too," Alex beamed. "And thanks."
"Happy to, Danvers," she replied. "You know, you could have just asked me to pick you up at six instead of complaining about how far away seven is."
Alex found herself blushing. "I guess I could have," she admitted.
"I mean, I enjoyed teasing you and I definitely enjoyed the laugh," the other woman said, "but feel free to let me know if you ever want to change anything in the future, all right?"
"Okay," she said, nodding. "I mean… I didn't really expect you to change our plans at all. I was just…" She sighed. "I was missing you and I wanted you to know that I was eager to see you," she said.
"I'm eager to see you, too," Maggie said, gently. "That's why I'm changing our plans to pick you up at six."
"Six," Alex repeated. "Looking forward to it."
"All right. I've got a few things to organize, so I'll see you then, Danvers," Maggie said. "Bye."
Alex giggled. "Bye."
She hung up the phone, still smiling.
Kara still hadn't responded to her text from earlier in the morning, so she called her and was directed straight to voice mail. "So, uh, you should call me immediately because I have a DATE tonight. With Maggie. I'm going on a date. With Maggie." She giggled. "She's picking me up at six, so call me before then!" She hung up and smiled, knowing it would get a reaction from her sister.
She looked at the time, again. It wasn't even quarter to two.
"Maybe I should have pushed for five?" Alex pondered aloud.
In the end, six was just enough time to allow Alex a good, hour-long run and another period, almost as long, in which she tried on virtually every outfit she owned, debating whether she should wear a dress or slacks or a skirt or... the possibilities seemed endless. She also had a leftover slice of pizza that would tide her over until dinner, managed to take her second shower of the day, blow dried her hair and applied a bit of makeup. By 5:57, she was standing at her kitchen counter, dressed in nice, black dress slacks with a dark red, silk button up shirt, wondering if she should bring her gun with her to dinner. After a moment's hesitation, she elected to bring the gun, just in case, and had just placed it in her black purse when the knock came at the door.
Smiling, Alex swung the door open and was rewarded with the beautiful Maggie Sawyer standing there, holding out a lovely bouquet of orange, yellow and white lilies.
"You look amazing, Danvers," she said, easily, handing Alex the bouquet.
She beamed. "Thanks," she said, blushing lightly. "You look great, too," she said, after having shyly given the other woman a quick once-over. She was wearing stylish, yet practical, black boots, black slacks, much like her own, a crisp, white button down shirt, complete with a slim, black tie, and a four-button grey vest, topped off with what Alex recognized as Maggie's favourite black leather jacket, her hair loose, cascading down on to her shoulders. "Come on in," she said, backing up to allow Maggie entrance.
Alex closed the door after Maggie walked in and then turned to face her.
"Hi," she said, smiling.
"Hi," Maggie replied, also smiling.
Suddenly shy and unsure of how to greet the detective, Alex decided to lean in and kiss Maggie's cheek, softly. "Thank you," she said, hefting the bouquet, as she headed towards the kitchen to fetch a vase. "They're beautiful."
"So are you," Maggie answered.
Alex blushed again. "Thank you," she murmured, placing the flowers on the counter and filling the vase with water.
"Just telling the truth, Danvers," she said.
The taller woman flicked her eyes towards the other woman, almost in disbelief.
"What is it?" Maggie asked, noticing the look.
"Uh, nothing, it's, I'm, it's fine," Alex stammered, her hands slightly shaking as she trimmed the stems of the flowers.
The shorter woman came up to her and covered her hands in her own, carefully placing the scissors on the counter. She gently turned the taller woman to face her. "Alex, it's me. It's okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me. If you want to cancel, that's fine."
"What? No, I don't want to cancel!" Alex exclaimed.
Maggie smiled. "It would be fine if you did."
She inhaled. "I don't," she repeated, softly.
"So what is it?" the detective asked, tilting her head in a familiar fashion.
Alex exhaled, shakily. "I just…" She swallowed. "I just don't know that I was prepared for all of this."
"I warned you I was going to sweep you off your feet, Danvers. What, you didn't believe me?" teased Maggie.
She chuckled. "No, I mean… All this attention. From…" She sighed. "From someone I like."
"Mmm," Maggie hummed, understanding. "Kind of like the nervous feeling you had on your very first date, but times ten?"
"Times a million," Alex confessed.
Maggie reached out and pulled Alex to her, slowly, allowing her to pull away if she wanted to, which she didn't. Alex let herself be held close by the other woman and slipped her arms around Maggie's neck.
"Just relax," Maggie said, softly. "Your pace, remember?"
Alex nodded.
"I'd like to take you out tonight, if that's okay."
She smiled and pulled back. "It's okay," she said, quietly. "I'm sorry, I just… wasn't prepared for how… overwhelming, I guess, it feels?"
Maggie caught one of Alex's hands and gently kissed the back of it. "Nothing to be sorry for," she assured her. She paused and considered, as Alex continued cutting the flower stems. "Did you, uh… did you talk to anyone about tonight? Your sister?"
She shook her head and put the arrangement into the vase. "No, I haven't had a chance to talk to Kara yet today."
"So you haven't, like, talked to anyone?"
Alex looked over at her. "Not really, no." She laughed. "I did text my mom, who, I swear to God, knew that you liked me."
She looked confused. "Your mother knew? What?"
Alex shook her head. "Long story. Something about mothers knowing stuff, I don't even know," she grinned. "But no, I didn't tell her that we were going out tonight."
The shorter woman nodded. "You know that I'm more of the drinking and losing my cool type of person, but…" She shrugged. "Maybe talking about this stuff with someone could be helpful." She shrugged again. "Just a suggestion."
Alex nodded. "But I have you, right?"
"Yeah, of course you do, but what, you're going to gush to me about how nice the flowers I got you were? How hot I looked?" she teased. "It's important to have people to talk to, Alex. That's why I wanted you to come out, at least to your family. You should be able to talk to people who know, who understand, who will listen."
She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "So who do you talk to?"
The detective laughed. "Got me there, Danvers. I have a couple of friends, some people at work, but, you're right, I don't have a lot of people to talk to. Then again, this…" She paused, waving her right index finger at the space between them. "This isn't my first rodeo."
"Point taken," Alex smiled.
"So," Maggie said. "Are we ready? Honestly, if you want to cancel, that's okay, too."
The taller woman grabbed her purse. "I'm ready to be swept off of my feet."
"Good," she said, eyes twinkling and dimples showing.
They left the apartment and Alex tentatively slid her arm around Maggie's waist as they walked towards the stairwell. She frowned, stopping. "Maggie, is that your gun in your waistband?"
Maggie laughed. "I'm a cop, Danvers, of course it is. Sorry, I'll leave it in the car if it bothers you."
Alex sheepishly opened her purse and showed Maggie the contents, causing the detective to laugh even harder.
Maggie drove them to the restaurant in her car and had insisted on opening the car door for Alex and shutting it for her once she'd gotten settled. She'd had boys perform these so-called chivalrous gestures for her in the past and had, as a rule, hated them. She had smiled as Maggie had closed the door, realizing that maybe chivalry was okay, under certain conditions. Like when a beautiful woman wanted to treat you as if you were something special.
They got to the restaurant, a small but classy Italian place, and the maître'd, a portly older Italian man, immediately burst into a smile.
"Ahhh, la signorina Margherita!" he exclaimed, coming around from behind his podium to hug Maggie and kiss her cheeks not once, not twice, but three times.
"Hey, Raymondo," she said, smiling. "Good to see you too."
"It has been too long," he chided her, gently. He looked over at Alex. "And who is this lovely vision?" he asked, taking Alex's hand in his and kissing the back of it lightly.
"Raymondo, this is Alex Danvers. Alex, this is Raymondo Sparacello."
"Cara mia," Raymondo said, returning Alex's hand. "Any friend of Maggie's is a friend of ours here."
She looked at Maggie. "Come here often?"
The detective laughed. "You could say that."
"It is our tiramisù," he said in a stage-whisper. "She cannot resist! It is her grand weakness."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really? Tiramisù is your weakness?" she giggled.
"Wait 'till you try it," Maggie grinned.
Raymondo gathered up two menus. "Per favore, ladies, follow me."
He led them through the small dining room, which was already crowded, to a somewhat secluded table for two, set in the back-right corner. Two votive candles in coloured glass holders gave a bit of extra ambiance and light to the table. Maggie sat down while Raymondo held out Alex's chair for her. She chuckled and sat down, letting him push the chair in. "Thanks," she said.
"Fernando will be your waiter this evening," Raymondo said. "Such a pleasure, as always, Margherita," he said, handing them both their menus.
"Thanks, Raymondo," Maggie said.
Alex looked at Maggie. "So you're on a first-name basis with the staff here? Is the tiramisù really that good?"
She laughed. "Yes, it is. But I've been coming here for years. It's a family-owned restaurant. The Sparacellos came to the United States in the 1970s and started the restaurant pretty much as soon as they arrived. Francesco, well, he insists on Frank or Frankie, is the son of the head chef, Ricardo, and he's on the force. He was one of my first friends in National City. Before he realized I was gay, he brought me here on a date." She grinned. "I might have broken his heart at this very table."
Alex snorted. "Bet he took that really well."
"He did, actually, once he stopped banging his head on the table…" she mused. "But the real problem was that he'd made the mistake of telling his whole family that he liked me and that he was bringing me here, so his dad came to the table, his uncle Raymondo, his brother, Fernando, his cousins, his cousin's kids… his whole family was basically here, including his mother, Maria-Luisa."
"Oh boy."
"So the whole night, they kept coming by. It was certainly interesting," she smiled. "But they're good people, it's good food and they are totally okay with my being gay. They still tease Frankie about me."
Alex smiled. "So why do they call you Margherita?"
Maggie looked up at Alex, confused. "Because that's my name?"
She frowned. "Your name is Margherita?"
"No, that's the Italian version of Margaret."
"Your name is Margaret?"
"What the hell did you think my name was, Danvers?" Maggie asked, laughing.
She blinked. "Uh, Maggie?"
"Maggie's a nickname for Margaret," she said, still chuckling. "You know, like Alex is short for Alexandra?"
"I thought Marge was short for Margaret!" Alex was blushing.
"Margaret has a lot of nicknames. There's Maggie, Marge, Meg, Peggy, Midge, Greta…" she listed. "I just like Maggie best. But, officially, my name is Margaret Ellen Sawyer," the detective confessed, making a face. "And if you ever call me by my full name, just know I'm going to flash back to being a kid with my mom yelling at me."
Alex smiled. "I promise not to." She nodded. "Margaret," she said, testing out how it fit. "It's nice."
"It's awful, Danvers, you can say it." She shrugged. "I was named for my great-grandmother. It's definitely an old-fashioned name."
She laughed. "It's not. It's just…" She considered. "It's just that I think of you as Maggie," she said. "I haven't even called you Sawyer in ages."
Maggie nodded. "That's true, you haven't." She thought about it. "Do you mind that I still call you Danvers?"
She shook her head. "I like it," she said, shyly. "It's different from being called that at work. It's… you say it softer."
"I'm glad you like it, because I like calling you Danvers," Maggie said, quietly. "But, just so we're even, what's your middle name?"
Alex shook her head. "Nope."
"What do you mean, nope? Alexandra Nope Danvers?" she kidded.
"I mean, no, no way, no one gets my middle name. Ever."
"That's not fair," remarked Maggie.
"I never use it. It's not on anything except my birth certificate," Alex maintained.
The detective considered. "The DMV must have it."
Alex snorted. "My driver's license is one of two pieces of identification that says Alexandra, like my passport. And neither have my middle name."
Maggie looked at Alex carefully. "Kara must know. She likes potstickers, I think you said, right? I bet if I feed her enough potstickers, she'll tell me," she said, confidently.
"There aren't enough potstickers in the world," promised Alex, smiling.
They were perusing their menus, with Maggie giving Alex her own recommendations, when a tall, handsome man showed up at their table, notepad in hand.
"Maggie, how are you doing?" he asked.
"Fernando," she smiled. "Good, thanks, good. You?"
"Can't complain," he said. "Adriana is starting preschool next week, so Sara and I are excited."
"Oh, that's amazing. You'll have to send me pictures. I can't believe she's old enough for preschool already!" Maggie beamed.
"I know, it's like she was just born yesterday." He shook his head.
Maggie smiled. "So this is Alex," she said, indicating Alex with an outstretched hand. "Alex, this is Fernando. He's Frankie's younger brother."
"A pleasure," he nodded to Alex.
"Likewise," she said.
"Are we ready to order or do you ladies need a few more minutes?"
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Alex?"
"I'm ready. Are you ready?"
Fernando laughed. "Maggie probably has the menu memorized at this point."
Maggie gave him a good-natured dirty look. "You still haven't fixed the typo on page three."
"God," he muttered, "you try explaining to Pop that our forty-some menus all have a typo."
"Don't think I won't!" she mock-threatened, causing him to laugh. "Anyway, Alex, go for it," she smiled.
She smiled a thank you. "I think I'll have the small caesar salad to start, then the linguini al pesto, if you please."
"Great, the caesar and then the linguini al pesto," he said, scribbling it down. "Got it." He took her menu. "Maggie?"
"A small house salad, with the house Italian dressing, of course, followed by the pasta primavera," she said, "but—"
"Not the capellini," he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know. You want spaghettini?"
"You know me well," she smiled, handing her menu to him. "Thanks."
"Of course," he replied, making a note on his pad. "Something to drink?"
Maggie looked up at Alex. "Wine?"
"Sure," she said.
"You like white? I think a nice Sicilian white would go well with both of our meals."
"Sounds good," Alex nodded.
"A half-litre of… I don't remember the name of it. The one I had last year, the one you recommended to me?" she asked.
"I know just the one," he nodded, making a final note on his pad. "I'll be right back with some water and some bread."
"Thanks, Fernando," Maggie replied. "And say hi to Ricardo for me."
He smiled. "Please, he saw your reservation. He'll be out here himself at some point to say hi. You know Pop."
"Oh God," she laughed. "Thanks for the warning."
"Anytime," he said, heading back towards the kitchen.
Alex was smiling at Maggie.
"What?"
"Nothing," she said, softly. "It was just a fun interaction to observe."
"How's that?"
Alex smiled again. "Well, you know the whole family pretty well, it looks like. You know and care about his kid. He knows your preferred order. You know there's a typo on page three of the menu." She reached out and took Maggie's hands in her own, enjoying the feel of the soft skin beneath her fingertips. "I just… I've never really seen this side of you before. I like it."
Maggie blushed lightly. "I've known them for years," she said, by way of explanation. "And Frankie is always talking about them. All the time. Like, try being on a stakeout with him for eight hours. You're gonna spend six hours talking about his family members and their drama, one hour talking about the case, if you're lucky, and the other hour talking about what he's going to eat at the restaurant after his shift." She smiled.
"I'm going to enjoy getting to know you and your family and your friends, Maggie Sawyer," Alex said, squeezing her hands gently.
They took their time eating, chatting and laughing. At one point, Maggie even twirled a forkful of her spaghettini for Alex, speared a piece of broccoli with the fork and offered it to Alex across the table. It was a stark contrast to the last time that had happened, Alex remarked to herself, as she opened her mouth and allowed Maggie to feed her the mouthful of pasta. She closed her eyes in delight. Not only was the food remarkably good, unlike the snail eggs a certain jackass had insisted she try, but she found she really enjoyed that Maggie had thought nothing of offering her the mouthful on her own fork. It was… intimate, Alex decided. And that was something she hadn't wanted at all with Max. But it was something she absolutely wanted with Maggie. It was a new feeling, this desire for intimacy, and it was wonderful.
Fernando came back to clear their plates and to offer them the dessert menu. Well, he offered Alex a dessert menu.
"Where's mine?" Maggie demanded.
The waiter laughed. "You're having the Maggie Sawyer-sized tiramisù."
"So, a tiny piece of tiramisù?" Alex deadpanned.
"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed, while Fernando laughed again.
"Oh, that was clever," he commented. He turned to Maggie. "I like her." He turned back and winked at Alex.
Alex blushed and quickly skimmed over the menu while Fernando cleared their plates and left to return them to the kitchen. "It all looks so good," she commented.
"The tiramisù is the best thing on there," Maggie said. "I basically tried everything else on the dessert menu before I had it. The tiramisù is where it's at. I could eat it all day, every day."
Fernando soon returned. "Has she convinced you that the tiramisù is the only logical choice yet?"
Alex laughed. "I think she has, yes."
"Two servings of tiramisù," he said, smiling. "Coffee? Tea?"
"I'll have an espresso," Maggie said. "As usual."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Am I going to be able to sleep if I have one?"
Fernando nodded. "We're actual Italians who know how to make an espresso. Not like Starbucks or whoever," he scoffed.
She chuckled. "I'll have an espresso too, then, please."
"Coming right up!"
As he left for the kitchen, an older man approached them, wearing an apron, wiping his hands on a dishtowel he then rested on his shoulder. He was stocky with a full head of dark grey hair and he was smiling at Maggie.
"Cara Margherita!" he bellowed, arms outstretched.
"Ricardo," she said, standing up, allowing herself to be squeezed tightly.
He smiled. "As always, we are so happy to have you here," he said.
"Thanks, Ricardo, it's always nice to come by," she replied, sitting back down. "Ricardo, this is Alex Danvers. Alex, this is Ricardo Sparacello, the head chef and owner."
"Bellissima!" he said, taking Alex's hand and kissing the back of it, much like his brother had done previously.
"Hi," she said, shyly. "The pesto was amazing," she said.
"Ah, is an old family recipe," he said, jovially. "From Genoa. The secret is in the way the basil is crushed!" he confided.
"Whatever it is, keep it up, it was great," Alex smiled.
"Grazie," he said to her, before turning to Maggie. "Margherita, why you no like my capellini, eh?"
She laughed. "Ricardo, we have this conversation any time I ask for the spaghettini. You know I don't like how thin the angel hair is!"
"For anyone else, I would say no, no, let them have something else!" He laughed. "But for you, cara mia, anything."
"Thanks, Ricardo," she said. "How's Frankie doing? I don't see much of him now that I'm in the science division."
"Bene, he is good. You know he and Laura are getting married in the spring?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm so happy for him! What's she like?"
"Ah, she is quite lovely," he said, "but not as lovely as you!" He winked.
She laughed. "Now, now, Ricardo," she chided him, "you're not being respectful of my date."
He chuckled. "Scusami, scusami, Alessandra," he apologized, addressing Alex. "You are a very lucky girl to have this one," he said.
"Oh God," Maggie said, flushing bright red, instantly.
Alex just beamed. "I know," she replied.
After another hug, this time both of them receiving one, Ricardo headed back to the kitchen, while Fernando arrived with the dessert and coffee. The two servings of tiramisù were enormous.
"Oh my God, I am never going to be able to finish this!" Alex exclaimed.
"Don't worry," Fernando assured her, "Maggie will finish it for you," he grinned.
Maggie took the opportunity to smack him lightly on the arm with the back of her hand. "Jerk," she muttered.
"It's the truth!" he laughed.
"You can go now, Fernando," she chuckled.
"I once saw her eat two of those!" he called as he walked away.
"Oh God, I'm going to kill him," Maggie muttered, as Alex laughed.
They spent another forty-five minutes at the restaurant. Alex almost managed to finish all of her tiramisù and, true to Fernando's claims, Maggie did eat the last couple of bites.
When Fernando brought the check, Alex tried to grab it before Maggie had a chance and Fernando just laughed.
"Nice try," he said, "but I'm under strict orders from this one to never, ever, ever hand the bill to anyone but her."
Alex narrowed her eyes at the detective who didn't even look at the total and just handed over her credit card.
"And the usual tip, of course," she said.
"That would be why I listen to her," Fernando said, by way of apology, as he headed back towards the register.
"Thank you," Alex said, softly. "You didn't have to do that."
Maggie finished what remained in her water glass. "No, but I wanted to. Besides," she said, "standard lesbian rules."
Alex laughed. "Which state what?"
"Well, you know how when straight people date, it's usually the guy who pays?"
She nodded.
"Lesbian rules state that whoever asks the other lady out is the one who pays. So if you want to pay next time, just ask me out before I ask you."
"Maggie, will—"
"Ah, no, nice try, Danvers, but you gotta wait until this date is over," she grinned.
Alex made a mental note to ask Maggie out the instant this date was over. Not that she wanted it to be over, of course. It was already almost nine o'clock and she found she wasn't at all looking forward to saying goodnight to the detective. She said as much as they left the restaurant, having said goodbye to Fernando and Raymondo on their way.
Maggie just grabbed her hand in hers as they walked towards the car. "Good thing that the date's not over yet."
The taller woman raised an eyebrow. "Hey, if you think you're gonna get lucky because you paid for dinner…" she joked.
The detective stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Alex. "That is not at all what I think," she said, seriously.
"Maggie, I was kidding," Alex said.
She looked up at her. "I want you to know I'm serious about this being your timeline. What you want. When you want. Even if you want." She reached up and brushed Alex's hair from her face. "No pressure, okay?"
She smiled, feeling warm and safe. "Okay."
"Okay." Satisfied, Maggie grasped Alex's hand again, which delighted the taller woman, and they went back to Maggie's car, where Maggie, once again, opened the door for her.
They drove along for several minutes, chatting about various things, ranging from Maggie's apparent love of bonsai trees, which Alex still wasn't completely sure was serious, to Kara, which led to another ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Maggie to extract Alex's middle name from her.
"If you want to signify that I'm in trouble," Alex explained, "just call me Alexandra." She shuddered. "Talk about your flashbacks to being yelled at by your mother," she muttered.
"I'll keep that in mind, Danvers," Maggie said, "but I'm not letting the middle name thing go entirely. One day, when you least suspect it, I'll wheedle it out of you."
"Good luck," Alex laughed. "I can pass a lie-detector test, I've been threatened, beat up… I'm impervious to pretty much all methods of intelligence extraction."
"I have my ways," she grinned.
"Can't wait to see what you've got," she replied, deciding to flirt a little.
Alex could see Maggie's smile, even in the poor light. "Patience, Danvers, patience."
They arrived at their destination and Maggie insisted on opening Alex's door for her as she got out of the car, too. "Thank you," she said, taking Maggie's proffered arm.
Together, they walked up to the front door of the planetarium, which was clearly closed to the public. It was dark inside but at the front door, there was a blonde woman waiting.
"Hey Maggie," the woman said, greeting her with a hug.
"Hey," she said, squeezing the other woman for a moment, before pulling back. "Alex, this is Stef Dalton. Stef, this is Alex Danvers."
"Pleased to meet you," Stef said, shaking Alex's hand more firmly than Alex had expected.
"Likewise," Alex said, smiling, but wondering who this attractive blonde was who had just hugged her girlfr— her date.
"Well, come on in." Stef looked at the time. "I can give you until ten. That okay?"
"Should be fine," Maggie said, taking Alex's hand in hers. "All set up?"
"Of course," Stef said. "Have fun."
"Thanks, lady. I owe you," the detective said, leading Alex away.
"Bye!" Alex called.
Stef waved, smiling.
"What was that all about?" she asked as they walked down a series of corridors.
"You'll see," Maggie said, mysteriously.
Alex let it drop, deciding she'd like to be surprised. She trusted Maggie. So when Maggie asked her to wait outside a room for a moment, she did so. And when Maggie came back out and asked her to keep her eyes closed, she did as the other woman requested, trusting Maggie to lead her into the room. And when Maggie told her she could open her eyes, she did.
She gasped. The room's domed ceiling was filled with stars, but at one end of the room, greenish lights danced. "The Northern Lights," she whispered.
Maggie smiled. "Or a reasonable facsimile." She took Alex's hand and led her to where a blanket lay spread out over the carpet. A bottle of champagne rested nearby in an ice bucket and two champagne flutes were nearby. They sat down and Maggie poured them each a serving.
"To beautiful sights," Maggie said, holding her flute aloft, looking directly into Alex's eyes.
She blushed lightly. "To beautiful sights," she repeated, clinking her glass against Maggie's as the two of them continued to gaze deeply into each other's eyes before taking a sip from their respective drinks.
Maggie smiled at her and turned to face the recreation of the Northern Lights. "When I was a kid," she said, softly, "I used to love to go outside at night and just stare into infinity. Stare into the darkness, dotted with tiny lights. See the rest of the galaxy, the rest of infinity." She took a sip of her champagne. "It was always easy. The stars were almost always there. None of the same light pollution that we have here in the city." She scoffed, softly. "That took me some getting used to," she admitted. "When I first came to National City, I nearly cried because all but the brightest stars and planets were hidden. I couldn't even see Orion, which was always my favourite."
Alex smiled at that, being a small-town girl herself. "I grew up with the stars in the sky, too," she said. "Kara and I used to point them out to one another. I taught her all the constellations I knew." It was true. Kara had been to other planets, seen far more distant stars, but none of the stars visible from Earth seemed familiar to her. Even if she'd been able to see something like the North Star from Krypton, it would have been from a completely different vantage point.
"Big sister Danvers," Maggie smiled.
"Guilty as charged, Detective Sawyer," Alex agreed, sipping her champagne. "I love the way the lights move," she said, quietly.
"Me too," agreed Maggie. "One night, back when I was a kid, back in Nebraska, I couldn't sleep. It was late. I should have been in bed. But I had this feeling that I should go outside. And, when I got outside, in the backyard, I looked up and there they were. The Northern Lights." She smiled. "They were a lot fainter than they are here, of course," she said, "but that was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen."
"I've never had the chance," Alex admitted. "Midvale is too far south." She chuckled. "Remember I flew to Norway for the DEO a few weeks ago? I was there for something like three hours and did I get to see the Northern Lights? Nope," she laughed.
"Well, then, I'm glad we get to see them together," Maggie said, "even if it's just here."
She smiled back. "It's nice." She sighed, happily. "This is nice." She glanced over at Maggie and saw that the other woman was looking at her. "What?" she asked, blushing.
"This is nice. But you're beautiful." Maggie put her champagne down. "So beautiful." She reached out and cupped Alex's cheek in her left hand and lightly dragged her thumb across Alex's lips.
"Maggie," Alex breathed, gazing at the other woman, eyes tearing up.
"So beautiful." She leaned in and pressed her lips against Alex's. In Alex's mind, it didn't last nearly long enough, but it was sweet, fueled by emotion rather than lust, although there was certainly a tinge of that, as well. Alex felt Maggie pull away and reluctantly pulled back herself.
"Wow," she whispered, eyes still closed.
Maggie just smiled and nuzzled Alex's cheek lightly before sitting up. "Tell me what your favourite constellation is."
She sighed happily and leaned against Maggie as she started talking about Corvus. From Earth's perspective, Kara's home sun of Rao was a part of the Corvus constellation, Clark had once explained to them, on one of his rare visits to the Danvers home. He'd said that if Krypton had still existed, one could probably have seen it with a telescope. Instantly, Corvus had become Alex and Kara's favourite constellation. Every time Kara saw it, she said, she felt a little closer to home.
"That's not a typical choice, Danvers," Maggie commented, wrapping her left arm around Alex's shoulders.
"I'm not a typical person," she replied, smiling.
Maggie chuckled. "No, you most certainly are not," she agreed. "So where is Corvus? Can you point it out?
She smiled, explaining it wasn't often seen in the northern hemisphere, typically only becoming visible between March and July. "Like you can't even see it here," she said, pointing to the simulated sky. "You can't even see Virgo and Virgo is further north than Corvus."
"I think this is supposed to be what's in the sky tonight," Maggie said. "Do you want me to see if I can change it?"
"Would that mean you would have to move?" Alex asked.
"Probably," she answered.
"Then no," Alex replied. "This is perfect." She sighed happily. "So Orion's your favourite?"
"Yeah," Maggie said. "Always made me feel… I don't know… safe, maybe? Whenever I saw it." She looked at the horizon. "You can see it's almost up," she said.
"Mmm, I see it," Alex murmured, spotting the tell-tale three stars that formed Orion's belt. She scanned the sky. "This is amazing," she said, softly.
"I used to come here a lot after I first moved to the city," Maggie admitted. "I missed the big sky too much."
"Ahhh, so that's how you know Stef?"
Maggie nodded. "She's the director of the planetarium." She chuckled. "I was coming here three, four times a week for a few weeks before she introduced herself and offered me a season pass for a lot less money."
Alex nuzzled Maggie's neck, gently. "That was nice of her."
"It was."
She paused, wondering how to phrase the question that was on the tip of her tongue.
"And no, Danvers, we didn't date. She's straight. Like, actually straight," Maggie teased. "We've been friends ever since. When I called her to set up tonight, she gave me hell for not returning her texts for the last few weeks. I explained I had been otherwise occupied."
Alex laughed. "Sorry."
"No need to be sorry. I've really liked hanging out with you," Maggie said.
"Even when I got awkward and weird about you thinking I was gay?" Alex asked.
"Even then."
"Even when I kissed you?"
Maggie laughed. "Even then."
"Even when I told you we weren't friends?" she asked.
Maggie turned her head and kissed the top of Alex's head. "Even then."
"Really? Then?"
"You were hurting," she said. "And that was because of me. And I should have been more considerate of you and your feelings," Maggie said, gently.
"I'm glad you tracked me down at Kara's."
Maggie chuckled. "At that point, I was just glad to find you. I tried your place, the bar, the DEO… Kara's was my last hope."
Alex smiled. "I didn't realize you'd been running around the city looking for me."
"Well, I didn't know if you were going to answer a call or even read a text," she said. "I figured it would be harder to tell me to fuck off in person," she joked.
"Maggie, when someone tells you that they can't imagine their life without you, your first instinct, no matter how hurt and angry you are, is not necessarily to tell them to fuck off."
"Good to know, Danvers, thanks for the tip," Maggie smiled. She paused for a moment. "So that was the key to getting you to let me back in?"
Alex nodded. "I'd been open and honest with you. You showed you could be open and honest with me when you told me that."
"I was scared," she admitted. "I didn't want to lose you. I also didn't want to hurt you."
"Well, I think the last week or so has gone pretty well," Alex declared.
"Danvers, I got shot," the detective deadpanned.
Alex grinned. "But I got to stitch you up. And you're fine. And I got to help you get undressed…"
Maggie laughed.
"And then you had time to realize that life is too short and we should kiss the girls we wanna kiss, so, really, you getting shot worked out pretty well for me," Alex asserted.
"For both of us," Maggie agreed, bending down and kissing Alex gently again.
"How's your shoulder, anyways?" Alex asked, after Maggie had pulled away once more.
"It's good," she said. "A bit stiff and sore, but a lot better than it was."
"And you're still taking your antibiotics?" she asked.
"Yes, Dr. Danvers," she smiled.
"Good," she smiled back.
They sat quietly, stealing the occasional kiss, pointing out the odd star or planet, for the next little while, as they drank a little bit more champagne, before Stef knocked on the door to let them know it was ten. With great reluctance, they got up and left the auditorium. They bid goodnight to Stef, Maggie telling her she owed her big time, once again, and headed out to Maggie's car. Maggie opened the door for Alex again, who was starting to get used to this kind of treatment, since she knew it came out of Maggie caring for her, not out of some need to impress her.
They drove back to Alex's apartment building, chatting quietly, holding hands over the center console of the car. All too soon, they pulled up to Alex's building.
"Well, thank you," Maggie said, "for a truly wonderful evening."
Alex smiled back. "It's me who should be thanking you. That was the best date I've ever been on, for sure."
Maggie smiled and leaned in, kissing Alex gently.
She whimpered as Maggie pulled away too soon. "Do you want to come up for a bit?" she asked, eyes still closed, still able to feel the ghost of Maggie's lips on hers. She opened her eyes. "Not for… you know… just…"
Maggie smiled. "I know. And, really, I would love to, Alex, but let's take it slow, yeah?"
Alex saw the real regret on Maggie's face. She sighed. "I guess." She laughed. "When do we get to make out in the car like a couple of teenagers?" she asked, grinning.
"Not on our first date," Maggie replied, dimples showing.
"Rats."
She chuckled. "Danvers… Alex… we've got time. We've got time to do this right. You're going to want to talk to Kara about this, you're going to want to process this, you're going to want to think about stuff."
"I guess," she repeated. "But right now, I just want to kiss you again."
"I think that can be arranged," Maggie replied, leaning forward again. They kissed more firmly this time, Alex's hands tangled in Maggie's hair while Maggie's hands cupped her face so gently. When Maggie swiped her tongue along Alex's lower lip, Alex groaned softly and leaned into the kiss.
It was Alex who pulled back after a couple of minutes, sitting back against the seat, hard, breathing heavily. "Okay, so I'm gonna go or I'm never going to get out of this car," she grinned.
Maggie laughed. "Goodnight, Danvers."
Alex looked at her, beaming, then leaned over for one more quick peck. "Text me when you get home?"
"Will do."
She smiled again, opened the door and got out, pushing the door shut. She waved to Maggie as she entered the building. The detective had obviously stayed to ensure she got in okay. Alex appreciated the gesture, even though it wasn't remotely necessary.
Alex got upstairs to her apartment, shut the door behind her and leaned against it, sighing happily.
"So that's what a real date is like," she muttered to herself. Then, she remembered. She dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed Maggie's number.
"Miss me already, Danvers?" Maggie asked in a tone that allowed Alex to practically see the grin on the other woman's face.
Alex laughed. "Yes, but I'm actually calling to ask you out on a date."
"Oh, you sneak," Maggie grumbled.
"How's Wednesday night?" she asked, moving into her apartment and taking off her jacket, putting her purse on the counter.
"Wednesday is good. What are we doing?" the detective asked.
"That… is yet to be determined," grinned Alex. "I just wanted to book you and make it quite clear that our second date is my treat."
Maggie laughed. "All right, all right. Consider me booked," she agreed.
"Good," Alex grinned. "Thanks again for a wonderful evening, Maggie."
"You're very welcome," she replied.
"Okay. I'm going to get ready for bed and stuff. Don't forget to—"
"Text you when I get home, I know," Maggie replied. "It won't be long, Danvers."
"Okay," she smiled. "Drive safely."
"I will. Bye," Maggie said.
"Bye," she said, then hung up the phone. She was beaming and felt like she was floating and… why on earth hadn't Kara called her back yet? Maggie had been right. She definitely needed to enthuse to someone who wasn't Maggie about Maggie. She hoped Kara was okay, then snorted. "She's literally invulnerable, Alex," she muttered to herself. "Of course she's fine."
Later, when Alex was in bed, having texted briefly with Maggie to say goodnight, she sent her sister a text. "Hope you're okay. Text or call or even drop by when you get this, all right? The balcony door will be unlocked. Love you."
Alex put the phone down on her bedside table and rolled over in bed, curling up with one of her spare pillows. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, dreaming of watching the Northern Lights dance, Maggie by her side.