Thanks for the reviews and follows and favorites! To answer the guest reviewer (sadly I can't just respond directly to you or I would have): I've never actually see Grey's Anatomy. I named the tech after my cousin who's actually a marine and would find it hilarious that I named a lab tech who is scared of Agent Danvers after him. :)

Intellectually, Alex had known it was coming. Director Henshaw had certainly not hidden the fact that he was training her to be a soldier, not just a doctor. Intellectually, she had accepted it. But she still had never really understood. So here she was. Sitting in the empty locker room at the DEO, staring at her hands and trying not to hyperventilate.

Her hands were long since clean, one of the first things she had done as soon as medical had cleared her. She had changed out of her tactical gear and was dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweater, leather jacket waiting to be donned. She'd sat down to pull on her boots, intending to leave as soon as she was done. Head for home and the comfort of a drink that might help her forget. But still she sat, staring at hands that, until recently, had been covered in an alien's blood.

Do no harm… the words had flickered through her mind once it was over and settled, heavily, a mental weight she was positive she could physically feel. She couldn't shake it, couldn't convince herself to move on and go home. She had gone through the motions after, training taking over. But the months of training with Henshaw, the further months working in the DEO, becoming an expert shot, perfecting experiments and studies on alien physiology, even her first several field missions had not prepared her. She thought they had. Had convinced herself, when she was finally allowed in the field after a year of working for the DEO, that she was ready.

She wasn't.

Alex wasn't sure if it would have been better or worse had it happened differently. Maybe if it had been a gunshot from a distance, she wouldn't feel like she did now. But the greater part of her knew that wasn't true. At best it would have delayed the inevitable. Having to use the tactical knife made it so much worse for a first kill. But even if she'd had the benefit of distance the fact still would remain.

She'd killed another sentient being.

Do no harm.

Alex let her head drop, cradling it in her hands. God… what would her mom think if she knew? What would Kara think? Her baby sister that she had spent almost as much time now protecting as she'd had without knowing her. Kara who, despite her own demons, determinedly saw the good in everyone and everything. Whose cousin was freaking Superman, paragon of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

Not that she could tell them. And didn't that just make it ten times worse? Not that they would understand. Kara would try. But her mom? Alex could all but hear her mother's disgusted words. Is this what you're using your degrees for, Alexandra? You are a doctor! You swore to do no harm! How is this upholding that? I thought you decided on the dual degree so you could do medical research! Shit. Maybe her mom was right. All she seemed to do was fail.

"Agent Danvers."

Alex jumped, trained response having her reach for a gun that wasn't there, when a voice spoke nearby. After a second her brain processed the voice, recognizing it as Director Henshaw. She straightened. "Sir."

He frowned slightly and took a seat on the bench in front of the facing row of lockers. "Alex. Everything alright?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be? Everything's fine. Sir." She winced, knowing she'd spoken far too fast and far too much.

He sighed, leaning forward, hands clasped and forearms resting on his knees. They studied each other in silence for several long seconds. Alex wondered if he was about to tell her he'd made a mistake. That clearly she wasn't cut out for this and she should go get a job in an actual lab instead of wasting his time. That she—his voice cut off her spiraling thoughts. His words were not at all what Alex was expecting. "What happened?"

"I—what?" Alex was confused. Surely he had seen the reports, knew exactly what had happened. Knew she'd had to execute the second level of the same orders they always got before going into the field. The same orders she had always known she would almost certainly one day have to follow. And had now found her on the verge of a breakdown in the locker room. Shouldn't he be telling her he needed people who could do this job without having said breakdown afterward?

His voice was calm, no judgment tinging it at all. "In your words. What happened, Alex?"

"I… um…" She took a ragged breath.

"Take your time."

"Um… he surprised us. Johnson and I were bringing up the rear per Ross' orders. He knocked out Johnson immediately. And then, uh, he grabbed me. Around the throat." She waved vaguely at her neck where she knew bruises were starting to appear. She would have to make excuses not to see Kara for at least a little while.

"And then? He was telepathic right?" Alex nodded slightly. Henshaw's voice was gentler than she'd ever heard it. "What did he say to you, Alex?"

"He uh… he mentioned Alura. Said he could see in my mind how I was her daughter's sister. I couldn't… I couldn't not think about her. He said he was going to kill me. To get to her. To get revenge on Alura by making her daughter suffer." She stopped abruptly, knowing if she kept talking she wouldn't be able to keep holding back the tears.

Henshaw nodded as if he'd expected her words, though Alex wasn't sure how he could. Her report had only stated that the alien made it clear he was about to kill her. Self-defense. That's what her team leader, Agent Ross, had said.

Do no harm.

The words kept reverberating in her mind. Alex still wasn't sure she didn't just call it murder.

"Agent Danvers. Alex." Henshaw waited until she looked at him again. "What would have happened if you hadn't killed him?"

Alex flinched. "It… it doesn't matter. I'm a doctor!"

He tilted his head, curiously. "Why did you then?"

"To protect Kara." The response was unthinking. Nearly everything she did was to protect her sister.

Henshaw nodded. "And if she hadn't been threatened?"

"To protect his future victims."

He nodded. "A valid reason." He paused. "If it was just your life?"

"I… I don't know. Maybe…"

"What if you hadn't? What would have happened?"

"I should have been able to bring him in! That was the mission!"

Henshaw nodded, patiently. "But missions don't always go as planned, you know this, Alex. You couldn't bring him in alive. What would have happened if you hadn't killed him? Defended yourself?"

"I…" Alex sighed.

Henshaw stood, stepping to her side. "Your life is just as valuable, Alex. You are special."

She stared at her hands for a long moment. She'd done it because he'd threatened Kara. She'd done it to protect the people he might have killed, having already killed several. She didn't know what she'd do if it had just been her life in the balance. Finally, she responded. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

He squeezed her shoulder, voice warming. "Anytime, Alex. Get some rest."

She looked up at him, meeting his steady gaze for the first time since she'd started talking. She gave him a wan but grateful smile. "I will."

He nodded, giving her shoulder another, brief, squeeze, and left.

Do no harm.

Alex took a deep breath and stood, grabbing her jacket. Maybe sometimes you could prevent harm best by doing it yourself. For Kara. To protect others… yeah… maybe she could do that. Slinging her jacket on, Alex grabbed her helmet and keys from her locker, deciding to grab some ice cream on the way home.