Despite her mind in over drive, Maggie did manage to turn off the alarm without incident. After closing the sliding door, she relocked it from the inside and then tossed her keys and her wallet into a plastic bowl she had sitting on the one remaining end table. Turning on the rest of the lights she was greeted by her nearly vacant apartment and the blood scrawled hate speech. She really wished she had been able to stay home today and paint. Sure, she had spoken to the president but the rest of the day had been crap.

Turning the alarm to the mode that monitored the place in a way that indicated someone was inside, Maggie then made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She turned the water as hot as she could stand it and still she was wired. Following two days of very little sleep, dealing with both Kate and Alex made her short tempered and over sensitive.

Freshly showered and having thrown back on her shorts and Knights t-shirt, she climbed under the covers of her air mattress. Staring at the ceiling, almost able to make out the shape of the fan above because of the light casting through the window from the full moon, Maggie tried, but couldn't stop her mind from drifting.

It was nearly Thanksgiving break, which wasn't exactly an exciting prospect considering the family drama that followed every visit home. Had her sister not begged, Maggie would have just hung around campus where it would have been quiet and she could have gotten a jump on studying up for the end of her second to last semester. She had made a promise though, so instead she would be on her way to Nebraska in a few days with the upside, getting to enjoy her father's fantastic cooking.

In the meantime, she had decided she would lay low, sticking to classes and her apartment. That didn't last long however, after she met and immediately invited a woman, she met while shopping at the grocery store, to join her to watch the football game.

The campus and surrounding town were a complete disaster as every television had been tuned in to see Stanford's victory, in overtime, over Oregon. When the number thirteen-ranked team beats the number one seed it tends to make people go a little nuts. Everyone Maggie walked past was acting like they had won the lottery, when all they had done was sit in front of the TV screaming while Hogan, Ertz, and Williamson, along with the rest of the team, had been the ones doing all the real work.

She would have liked to think she was above it all but she had been screaming at the television like everyone else in the city until the game was over. At that point it was clear her grocery store pick up was way more interested in the bartender. So Maggie slipped out the back door to head back to her place just off campus.

First, she had to go and get her car, which was parked near the library.

Off campus living had its advantages and its disadvantages. The biggest advantage was freedom. The biggest disadvantage was when she was late to get somewhere near campus she often had to go out of her way to find parking.

It wasn't a bad walk back to her car. It was a crisp fall evening, which, having grown up in Nebraska, still felt nice to Maggie. When she headed back to see the family it would be at least fifteen degrees cooler on a night like this one, which reminded her, she had to remember to pack her heavy coat, something she never understood why she brought out west with her in the first place.

The parking lot next to the library was so empty that it was easy to find her blue 2003 Chevy among the nine other cars parked. If she were a betting person she would say three of the cars were from people who, like her, parked there and then headed into town. The others she guessed were the librarian, the security guard and maybe half dozen or so students who placed studying over Stanford football.

After climbing into the car, Maggie slid her key into the ignition and found it wouldn't turn over. First, the girl she brought out tonight had decided to look elsewhere for company and now her car wouldn't start. It was a crappy end to an otherwise decent day.

Getting back out of the car, she slammed the door shut and pulled her phone from her pocket. Maybe she would get lucky and the guy she knew from the local garage wasn't drunk and still celebrating the outcome of the game and could come help her out. He owed her after she gave him some free legal advice on a family issue.

"Car won't start?" Said a female voice of someone, that at first, Maggie couldn't get eyes on. When she finally did, she recognized her immediately. Walking closer, the long, slightly curly haired, brunette, in a black leather jacket with her arm's again full of books, smiled.

"No."

"Can I see your keys for a second?"

"Sure," Maggie said, with a raise of the eyebrow, before handing over the keys.

During the near collision in the science building the stranger had been the picture of understated studiousness and professionalism with just a hint of rebellion in the way she wore her hair down. Tonight, she still had her arms full of books but there was a much more casual air to her. Gone was the lab coat and pressed shirt, in its place a burgundy lightweight sweater, blue jeans, boots and a black leather jacket that hugged the woman's beautiful form. Her hair was still the long and curly look she had worn that day but it was more tousled like maybe she had been running her fingers through it while studying whatever was in those books in her arms.

"Here, hold this," the stranger said while dumping the books into Maggie's arms and then digging around in the bag she had on her shoulder.

Pulling a pencil from the bag, she then dropped the bag at her feet and started using the eraser on the key. Maggie was certain she was being punked.

"Give it a try," she said, handing the key back, as she tucked the pencil behind her ear. "Oh, sorry, let me take those back."

Maggie traded the books for the key, eyeing it and the women suspiciously, and then climbed back in her car. The key in the ignition, it turned over on the first try. "Wow."

"Some times the contacts get dirty and just need to be cleaned."

"Where did you learn that?"

"Science."

"Useful. Thanks."

"You're welcome," the woman said. "Have it checked out though, just in case. If it's more than just the contacts, the eraser trick will only work so many times. Here, take the pencil and toss it in your glove box, just in case."

"Nice of you to part with your pencil."

"I've got a few more," the woman said, with a smile Maggie hoped she was reading as being on the flirtatious side.

"I'm Maggie Sawyer." She said taking the pencil and smiling back.

"Alex Danvers. You know I was about to go grab food. Since I managed to get your car started, I think you should buy me dinner."

Things were looking up. "You do?"

"I do."

"Okay, Alexandra Danvers. I'm always up for meeting new people."

The beautiful science nerd picked up her bag from the ground and moved to the passenger side of the car, tossed her stuff in the backseat, and climbed in.

"Where do you want to go?" Maggie asked. Many of the girls on campus didn't eat meat or drink dairy or took issue with nature's greatest invention, bread, so it was easier to get that out of the way before picking a place.

"Lately, what little time I spend off campus is spent asleep at my apartment. Who makes the best burger in town?"

Maggie had the perfect place in mind but only if her new friend was up for a little adventure. "Do you have anywhere you have to be?"

"Not really," Alex said with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Up for a little road trip?"

Alex hesitated. "Sure. Yeah, why not?"

Maggie shut her car door and started to back out of her parking spot. "Then I'm going to get you the best burger around."

After 40 minutes they had discussed their taste in music and in sports. Alex wasn't much of a football fan, it seemed baseball was more her game, which was why she had been spending the night working at the library.

They had shared their fields of study. Alex was working on genetic engineering research while Maggie enlightened her about her interest in the criminal justice system and her dream of working for a well-respected firm that was a leader in civil justice. They had only briefly touched upon family, as both of them had seemed to want to avoid that topic.

When they pulled into the parking lot of a cafe, Alex burst out laughing. Maggie turned off the engine and turned to face the sexy but strange girl who had used a pencil eraser to get her car to start. "What?"

"If I told you that you just made my week, would you believe me?"

"Umm, sure. Why?"

"This is my favorite place to runaway to when I can't take school."

"Santa Cruz?"

"Well, yeah," Alex nodded. "I guess, technically, Santa Cruz but more specifically this cafe."

"Now you're just screwing with me."

"No. I'm not. I throw my surfboard on my car. Come down here before dawn, get some surfing in, and grab a late breakfast, then back to school by lunch time."

"Alexandra Danvers, you are full of surprises." Maggie said opening her car door. "Let's get you that burger."

While eating greasy food and getting to know one another better eventually, Maggie found she was opening up and sharing stories of her life growing up in Nebraska and Alex had opened up about what it was like having a younger sister who was adopted and could do no wrong.

"She can't be all bad for you to spend so much time with her now." Maggie said as she pulled the check towards her to assess the damage.

"She's not. I know it's all about me but it's not always easy to remember that. Are you and your siblings close?"

"My sister and I are. Night and day but still thick as thieves."

"And your brother?"

"We don't speak." Maggie said pulling out twenty-five dollars and placing it with the check.

"I'm sorry." Alex said with a tone of compassion that made it clear she meant it.

"It's okay. I got over it a long time ago."

"So you didn't tell me what you were up to that afternoon we nearly took each other out in the Science Building," Alex asked. "By the way, I'm sorry about how I bolted through. I was running late."

Maggie couldn't help but smile. "No major injuries."

"For a criminal justice major there aren't exactly many reasons for you being there."

"True," Maggie admitted.

Alex stared for a moment like she was sliding puzzles pieces around. "So you were either working on a project tied to forensics or you are Dr. Elliot's latest student 'friend'."

Maggie smiled even though it wasn't exactly discrete to do so. "I was friendly with Dr Elliot."

"Not anymore?"

"Not as of that very afternoon. I thought it was probably best we go our separate ways."

"That was probably a very good call. Rumor around the building is she typically has one student 'friend' per semester and it hasn't always ended on good terms."

"That was becoming abundantly clear," Maggie said, moving to put her jacket back on. "Should we head back?"

"Probably," Alex replied as she put her jacket back on as well. "I can't believe we've never cross paths here before."

Maggie started moving to the door and out to the parking lot, while Alex followed. "I tend to stop on my way back from a long ride. Must be a timing thing. I've been told I have terrible timing."

"I would say you have perfect timing," Alex offered up as she tossed her bag back into the car.

"I don't know about that."

Alex suddenly looked serious. "Otherwise all this would seem coincidental and there is no such thing as coincidence."

"So what would you call tonight then?"

"You ended up outside the library just as I was leaving tonight. You ended up in the science building as I was running late for class. What would you call it?"

Maggie didn't dare say what she was thinking as she didn't want to come off too forward. Typically being forward was exactly how she always was with women but there were alarms going off telling her to slow down and she didn't dare pay attention to how hard her heart was slamming in her chest. She really liked this woman.

"Want to take a walk down to the pier?" Alex asked, pulling Maggie from her thoughts.

"It's a little dark out there."

"Moon is full. There's enough light to get out there safely. The sky is totally worth seeing from on that pier."

"Lead on, Alexandra."

She laughed the tiniest of laughs as they started toward the wooden pier that stretched a good many football field lengths out over the water.

Maggie really liked the sound of that laugh. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, you have to tell me."

"My mother is the only one who ever calls me that."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Usually, no," Alex said, honestly. "Usually it means I've disappointed her in some way, let her down, broken a rule."

"Sorry."

"Don't. I like it when you say it," Alex said as she reached over and took Maggie's hand in hers, her thumb beginning to slowly rub the back of it.

Maggie was glad it was dark enough for the smile on her face to remain masked. She gave it a little while and then matched the caress with her thumb.

They walked a good long distance this way until the café neon signs were merely tiny lights in the distance. Alex stopped, turned in Maggie's direction, and stared.

Maggie didn't dare speak, didn't dare move. Moonlight lit just enough of the strange but incredibly beautiful woman before. Their eyes were glued to one another as Alex moved in and captured Maggie's lips. The hands they had been holding dropped to pull one another close. Maggie's other hand moved thru the long curly hair as their mouths opened and tongues explored. She thought she heard Alex moan against the contact as the water crashed against the pier below them.

As their breathing quickened and their hands started roaming and exploring more intimate places, Alex pulled away, breathless. "Sorry about that."

Maggie grinned. "No need to apologize."

"I don't normally, umm,"

"Pick up women in library parking lots, motivate them to kidnap you by driving an hour for hamburgers, where you then kiss them like the world is ending. I assure you, I'm not complaining."

Alex took Maggie's hand again. "I'm glad."

"So am I."

Maggie flipped over on the air mattress frustrated. Her brain trapped in the past. She had to be up in a few hours to pretend to be annoyed about being assigned to the Presidential protective detail and all she could focus on was how good things had been.

"Damn it, Alex," she said to the darkness.

"Sawyer!" Her boss yelled into the phone in Maggie's hand. "Conference room."

It was time to put on a show. Pulling away from her desk, Maggie picked up her coffee mug, which was currently holding her fourth cup in an attempt to stay awake. She headed where her superior asked her to go. It was time to put on a show.

Opening the door, she was surprised to only see Director Henshaw standing with her Captain, who gestured to an empty chair. "Have a seat, Sawyer."

"Yes, sir. Is everything okay, sir?"

"More than okay, Sawyer. This is Agent Hank Henshaw. He's here by order of the President."

"The president, sir?" Maggie questioned, suspiciously.

"Yes, Sawyer, the President."

Henshaw unfolded his arms and extended his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Detective Sawyer."

Maggie politely accepted his hand and shook it.

"The White House asked me to speak to NCPD about additional assist for the President's visit at the end of the week."

"That is standard for a visit of such magnitude. I worked a visit back when I was still on the beat in Gotham."

Her Captain nodded. "Which is one of the reasons why you've been special requested."

"I don't understand," Maggie said, playing dumb.

Hank moved to where Maggie was sitting, pulled out another chair and took a seat. He stayed professional but the casual touch was a good move. "There are some unique things at play for this visit due to the nature of the speech."

"Rights for all people."

"Exactly. And since you've worked this detail at the local level before..."

"...And since I work Meta cases."

Hank nodded. "We are borrowing you from NCPD for the remainder of the week."

"Captain," Maggie stood. "I'm flattered, I am, but I've got a work load on my desk that three weeks of overtime couldn't get me through."

"And that inbox will be waiting for you when the week is over. Not negotiable, Sawyer. You'll grab your stuff and head out with Agent Henshaw immediately."

"But sir…" Maggie tired to argue.

"It's done, Sawyer."

Maggie nodded, while making sure she played up the defeat.

"Car is waiting downstairs to take us for our briefing," Hank stood up and moved back to her Captain. "Thank you again for loaning us one of your best. The secret service liaison will be by first thing tomorrow to go over things with the officers assigned to crowd control and perimeter detail."

"Anything to help, Agent."

The two men shook hands and Hank and Maggie made their way out of the conference room together, clear to investigate things without NCPD the wiser. If only Maggie could keep her mind focused only on the work.