A/N: Hey guys! Here's the new update. Still pretty long, so let's just all assume chapters are gonna be long from here on out. We're about a third of the way through this fic already, yey! But there are still more to come too. I'll try to get the chapters to a reasonable length next time…
But for now here's chapter 11 featuring Lena's new ventures, Kara trying to navigate her friendship with Lena and what it's possible consequences, some mentions of the Cadmus raids, and Alex and Maggie's first date.
Kara found herself busier than ever. She's already been on edge thanks to a few mishaps at work – Snapper had just recently assigned her on two different stories after the news broke on L-Corps current venture, Kara volunteered to be a part of the story but Snapper thought it would be best to keep he rout of this one. There's a bit of controversy with it and Kara's position as Lena's friend may put the integrity of the publication if she was to be assigned to the piece. It didn't help that Kara went to see Lena anyways and talk about it, her own personal curiosity about Lena's interest in space and astronomy getting the best of her. The two of them ended up getting into an intense argument, with Lena's current project sounding more like a surveillance of any alien life form that.
It didn't help that the last few days felt like an adventure on its own, always keeping her on her toes. With the new intelligence on the ten Cadmus labs that Kate Kane had provided the DEO, plans of Cadmus raids have been instantly drawn.
Kryptonite, all forms, shapes, and sizes of it, were being shipped and dropped off in the DEO's own front steps, or balcony if you will. Just the other day a man in green and black threads and a mask did just that, carrying a lead-lined case of kryptonite using a green light that emerged from a ring he was wearing. "Stay away from this one." he had said when he turned to face Kara. He left soon enough asking her to send his regards to Superman who decided to help with the raids at the Russian labs with Mon-El and Alex.
Turns out that the case he delivered had black kryptonite, and from the videos of the Fort Rozz Kryptonian that they still had on file, it split the personality of a Kryptonian into two, the good and the bad.
So Kara most definitely heeded the advice.
Alex and Superman came back with a different kind of kryptonite, an experimental one that they called 'X-kryptonite', and while it wasn't particularly harmful for Kara and her cousin, it did grant powers to any sentient being exposed to it. Mon-El didn't find any kryptonite in the labs he raided with the help of Agent Vazquez. Instead they found something far more terrifying than what they would like to admit.
While Kara was thankful that action as being taken to immediately stop or at the very least cripple Cadmus a little, she couldn't help but find herself in the middle of a bigger, greater plot that she's been trying to grapple with and understand.
Mon-El handed the flash drive that contained the information Agent Vazquez downloaded from the pods labelled 'VII' and 'VIII'. Both looked like they were human but were in fact androids robotically engineered to mimic Superman's powers. Both also looked rather disfigured and with Winn's help in decoding the files they understood why.
The base was all mechanical but the supposedly human component were all derived from a variety of alien DNA – including Kryptonian DNA – that would not stabilize.
"This must be what gave birth to Project Cyborg Superman." Kate Kane then said thoughtfully snapping Kara's attention to the present. In her hand was her own flash drive. "From Nightwing and Batwoman's own raids." Kate explained as she handed it over to Winn.
And what Kara saw was by far more terrible than the inhuman projects that Cadmus had done on humans just to make their own Cyborg Superman, making Kal tense up even more.
"Where was this?" Kal asked.
"Gotham." Kate replied. Superman took a deep breath to calm himself as he studied the images with great detail.
Three pods labeled 'IV', 'V', and 'VI' all looked like humans. The 'IV' looked like it was supposed to be an adult male with sparse black hair, completely mutated and disfigured. The other two looked like they were adult males as well, brown hair with one of them having a streak of grey. The pod labeled 'VI' had the adult with the grey streak, lacerations on his torso revealed that parts of his body was replenished with metallic parts – this must have been the start of the whole cyborg project – while the hints of blue and orange skin patches suggested his DNA was mixed with a few different species. The pod labeled 'V' looked to be the most human, however the data Winn had pulled up revealed his organs had mutated and had started failing, not being able to sustain much of his life on his own.
"Who would do this? Who would have an idea to even…" Kara found herself saying. Earlier that day they were studying 'I', 'II', and 'III' after Kate provided them the information.
"A Luthor would." Kal replied with a low growl.
"You mean Lex would." Kate had corrected, her tone sharp. "And his mother."
"In other words, his family." Kal then countered.
"You can't over generalize like that." Kate replied keeping the edge on her tone and Kara didn't need to try to figure out why.
She was defending Lena without a hesitation.
"Kate's right." Kara then found herself saying, causing Kal to give her a look. She might be having some misunderstanding with the CEO right now, but Kara knew, at least a part of her did, Lena still had the best of intentions. "Kal, my uncle and my aunt wanted to unleash Myriad last year. When you visited just after that incident we went to the Fortress to do a preemptive strike of anything Kryptonian-related that might pose any kind of threat and we discovered that my father, your uncle, developed a virus that would wipe out any form of alien life other than Kryptonian. I mean, considering it was programmed to attack anything without Kryptonian physiology, I'm assuming it should also attack humans. The point is our own family has done its share of morally questionable things and we're still here trying to do what's good. It's not easy to realize that the people you look up to could be bad, but I don't think it would be easy to forget that little fact when we see other people dealing with the same thing and pass judgement on them. Lena isn't her brother or her mom. Leave her out of this."
"I know what you're trying to say, but someone has to be pulling the strings behind all this. Lillian Luthor is an easy answer, but can she do it alone?" Kal argued back.
"No, she can't. That much is true. Not with the vast resources that Cadmus seem to have, not to mention the wide reaches of their operation. Someone has to be taking charge and working alongside her." Kate replied, pointing out the obvious. "But it's not Lena."
"You say that as if it were a fact." Alex then pointed out and Kara couldn't help but feel the insufferable tension mounting even more.
"Winn, pull out the name Paul Westfield." Kate asked him and Winn wasted no time to do just that.
Except, he really didn't need to pull out the name, J'onn recognizing it immediately.
"Dr. Paul Westfield, you mean?" J'onn asked Kate and the redhead nodded. "He was in the military before, he was supposed to be a part of Project Cadmus when it was still a part of the DEO but due to some conflicts he backed out. Are you saying when Cadmus split…"
"…and when Lex acquired the project, he placed Westfield on the team? Yes. At least that's what I got from my sources."
"And are your sources as reliable as you think?" Alex then butted in.
"Yes, they are." Kate replied adamantly. "Besides, I did a little digging of my own. Westfield's research and specialties, they fit well with the projects right before our eyes."
"So you think Westfield's pulling the strings?" J'onn asked to clarify what Kate meant.
Kate took a deep breath. "I don't know. He may be working with Lillian Luthor or they may be more people behind the scenes. Who knows? All I know is Cadmus must be stopped."
"I agree." Kal then said resolutely. "No news on Project 13 then?"
"About that…" Kate had started to say before excusing herself, Superman, and J'onn to talk privately.
Apparently she didn't want to raise any alarms that didn't need to be raised, the topic itself being very delicate.
So Kara resigned herself to her fate of not being included. Not that she was okay with it, she was very much annoyed with all the secret keeping. Besides, it's not like she would go rogue and unleash her wrath on Cadmus. She was really tempted to, but that's not her way.
Alex though, had other ideas.
One battle between puppy dog eyes and pouting later, Kara relented to Alex's idea – mostly because her curiosity was getting the best of her – and found herself at a comfortable distance where she could try to eavesdrop on Kate, J'onn, and Kal's conversation at a conference room.
With the help of Winn, whatever was keeping Kara from using her super-hearing was deactivated.
She should be feeling guilty about this. She's done it three times already in one week. But she needed answers.
Unfortunately, that's not what she got. Whatever it was they were talking about that was of sensitive information, it was over and done being discussed. They moved on to more of a casual conversation, if casual was a way to call it really.
"Just because I've grown fond of you, Martian Manhunter, doesn't mean I've forgotten about the DEO threatening to throw my father into jail or the fact that you made helping my sister recover more difficult than it should be – granted, I am thankful for the DEO for bringing her back to me, just not with the circumstance it's associated with." Kate replied under her breath.
"Covens acting up again? Is that why you returned to Gotham briefly?" her cousin asked.
"Yes, well, they want their high madam back. Thankfully she is currently on the redemption side of things and wants to get better, after the whole 'I want to kill you' phase. Mannheim came back to take charge of things. Don't worry, sent him back to where he belongs. The little cult and their friends won't get my sister back." Kate then replied and Kara couldn't help but sympathize with her. She was more complicated than she initially thought, only seeing the socialite aspect of her persona.
It made her feel a bit guilty really, especially with her behavior a few days ago during the interview. Mostly because it felt like she was trying to interrogate Kate from her part.
But then again she remembered Kate teasing her all throughout the said interview with her every single time Lena's name came up – Kate's knowing wide grin was still causing her to fidget and fumble and be all clumsy, because first of all, what on earth does she even know!? But that wasn't the point… – and somehow she starts to feel less guilty.
"I still think we can make one fine agent out of you." J'onn then replied. "And would you please stop calling me that?"
"I'm already happy with what I do, besides I have some issues with working with the government." Kate replied before giving an amused chuckle. "It's a cool name. It came out of your mouth too. Think about it. Embrace it."
"He is still insistent you join us." she then heard Kal say. "He's starting to think Supergirl's ready too. A certain Amazon too. I think she may be interested in training her a little."
"Well, I think she is ready." Kate then said, making Kara wonder about what it was they were talking about. "But on a different note, I spoke with my friend. He says that he's close for a more viable treatment with your condition, J'onn."
"Thank you." Kara heard J'onn say.
"Are you still keeping the White Martian locked up?" Kal then asked and judging from the heavy sigh that J'onn heaved as a reply Kara could tell this would lead to a different long argument.
She returned to meet Alex and Winn both waiting expectantly from some news. "Sorry, but whatever it was, they've stopped talking about it when I started listening in." Kara explained. Alex took in a deep breath before almost saying something about Kate – she's been complaining about her more and more – but Kara stopped her sister. "Stop wasting your time thinking about Kate and focus on more important things. You have a date tomorrow." she then said.
"You have a date tomorrow. Why haven't I heard about this?" Winn then asked amused. Alex turned to face her sister waving her hands at Winn and looking annoyed.
But Kara simply shrugged. She figured their even with the whole picture Alex had taken.
Still, she didn't want Alex to stress too much about it, especially since she hasn't exactly come out to anyone else other than Kara, and well, Maggie.
"So, who's the lucky…" Winn started to ask.
"None of your business, Winn." Kara quickly said, cutting off and Alex relaxed a little giving Kara an appreciative smile. "But, my sister has a date tomorrow night and I think we still need to plan your outfit, yeah?"
"Now?" Alex then asked.
"Might as well. You never know what tomorrow will bring." Kara then replied and the matter was settled.
Lena wasn't sure what she was doing. It was so easy to forget that she was supposed to be just a mere human being, living life the best she could, when she's been trusted upon such a precarious position.
She was the CEO of L-Corp entrusted with a task to clear up her company's name, move it to the direction that would actually help make the world a better place and right the wrongs her brother had done.
She was Lionel and Lillian Luthor's daughter. Adopted, true, but she was raised as one. Being taken in by the Luthors at such a young age, she could barely even remember a life other than being one of them.
It was hard to think that there could have been a life waiting for her where she wouldn't be where she stands now, that things could have been different.
A life where she could have been blissfully ignorant of what Cadmus was, where she could be happy somewhere else and content about her life.
Lena smiled to herself, it was rare that she'd let her melancholic thoughts get to her, but she couldn't help her mind wander. She was standing on the second floor terrace of L-Corp's soon to be astronomy facility just outside of National City, leaning on the railings and watching the few stars up in the night's sky through the glass covered ceiling.
She finally managed to pull her eyes away from the view once she heard footsteps making their way towards her. Kara looked quite uncertain as she made her way towards where Lena was. Lena found herself able to breathe again, Kara had come.
She was afraid she might have pushed her away with a finality after their argument that morning.
The timing was probably a little inappropriate with all the tension surrounding the alien registration act and movements for and against it being more vocal than ever. But Lena believed in what she was doing and pushed forward in the plans nonetheless.
Lena wanted to support research into space venture and more. To learn about alien life forms that exists and may still come and visit them. Aliens exists, that was pretty much proven true already and she wanted to know and understand even more. If only to provide help for them. Healthcare, job opportunities, understand their needs and their reasons for coming to earth and stop the misunderstanding that was breeding hatred and fear.
She most certainly does not want to do it in the way Cadmus defined learning aliens. Not the way her brother would have done.
She had been talking with Kate with the possibilities of collaborating in some projects more along the lines of military defense. Sure there were good aliens, but there were also bad ones that may want to invade their world. She knew that the Hamiltons were already pushing forward projects that wanted to deal with criminal alien activity, and like Lena, develop devices that could aid law enforcement deal with alien tech. So that may have been one of the things that rubbed Kara the wrong way. It would be easy to be misinterpreted and really the technology could be a double edge sword, used by anti-alien sympathizers to hurt good and lawful agents.
Lena also wanted to further advance the study of other planets, if only to enhance biomedical and renewable energy research. The alien tech they've encountered so far seems to suggest the idea of more advanced scientific notions in terms of renewable energy. If anything, alien physiology and the advance technology they possess seem to suggest great potential advancement in treatment of incurable diseases and such.
But again, Lena knew, it may look bad on the outside, and she also understood the dangers of it. She wasn't planning to open aliens on a table, she was more leaning towards the side of space exploration, discovery of new planets, possibility of establishing beneficial relationships with them along the lines that science fiction may suggest with its popular movies and shows.
It was a world of possibilities ahead of them. She wanted to learn, to understand, to explore. More than that, to do it the right way.
But what is the right way? Lena wasn't sure. The only thing she knows is that hers might not be it in the eyes of others, what with Kara seemed to be on the defensive of things.
She wants to learn from it, if she truly is making mistakes, and find better ways to carry out her plans.
Kara had left her office with things up in the air between them and it didn't sit well with Lena, so she tried reaching out, wanting to show Kara the astronomy facility and give her a tour of it, prove to her that there were no secrets attached to it.
Because Lena could only guess where Kara's mind was going, what with Cadmus and their illegal research still going on. She wanted to be transparent to her. Not to Supergirl, not that persona, but to Kara Danvers, her friend.
"I have to admit that this looks like a pretty impressive facility." Kara then said leaning on the rails. Lena smiled nervously, she wasn't entirely sure what would happen next. When she called Kara earlier, she seemed to have been busy with her sister.
Really she was just relieved she still hasn't lost Kara, especially when Lena knew that she was keeping a few secrets that could most definitely push her away.
"Listen Kara, about earlier," Lena started before the two ended up chorusing on "I'm sorry."
"What? You shouldn't be Lena. I might have over reacted. I mean, I saw things on one side but didn't really consider where you're coming from. And…" Kara said as she started rambling on.
"No, I should apologize Kara." Lena said, cutting her off. "I think I may have taken you for granted, hoping you'd see things my way. The thing is, I do understand your reservations about the project. Good and bad, right or wrong, they seem to be two sides separated by one very thin line. I see how what I want to happen can be perceived by others and, well, I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing most days." she went on.
"I think that happens to the best of us." Kara replied. "It's just, what you're doing…"
"Feels like it's very much influenced by my brother?" Lena said, jumping in and finishing Kara's sentence. She gave Kara a weak sad smiled before going on, her fingers playing with the gold bracelet she was wearing. "In some ways it is. I want to right his wrongs despite seeing merits on some of his ideas. I don't know Kara. All I've ever understood and seen in my life, they were mostly influenced by the Luthors. It's hard to think that I almost wasn't one when it's a truth I grew up with. That's no excuse I know, but I want to know more, understand. I want to do good things but I don't know which step I should take first or how."
"That's kind of hard to believe, Lena." Kara replied. "I think you're doing fine, just, timing's all sorts of wrong."
"Really?" Lena asked amused. "If I remember correctly you were the one who originally wrote a very scathing article about my alien detection device."
"That my boss made me re-write and again, and I admit that it made me see where you were coming from. People are afraid of what they don't know, what they can't understand. And there are bad aliens out there who can hurt others." Kara then said in a good humored tone. "Not everyone is like Supergirl. I mean, for example."
"Yes, but your reaction got me thinking." Lena then replied, taking her eyes off of Kara's before looking up again in the sky, losing herself in her thoughts. The same thoughts that have been keeping her awake at night these days. Thoughts she never really has paid any attention to before when she had no care in the world other than upholding the Luthor name, the name she wore proudly like a badge on her chest. But those days were gone, and Lena was starting to wake up and perceive the world around her more and more.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she smiled and went on. "I've been thinking, what if one day human beings can land on some distant planet? Would I really want to be treated like I'm a second class citizen they needed to identify? Because in that situation I would be the alien. I would be the one they don't understand or know. And well, if human beings are any good example, we tend to fear what we don't know. Fear is a powerful weapon and the hysteria that an attack can cause, that misunderstanding breeds… what good would my device bring? It could help the police, for example, to find an alien who can hide themselves among humans if said alien did a crime. But people might not be ready for that. At least our society right now. Because what if things get out of hand, with the recent mercenary attacks, the presence of weapons that could hurt Supergirl, of all aliens… I think it's better to shelf the idea for now. I want to find better ways to help others." she went on, explaining her true concerns.
Besides, the memory of Kara on her knees, weakened by her enemy wielding a blade that could very much slice through her skin was still visiting Lena in her nightmares and she most definitely don't want to see a sight like that ever again.
Especially when Cadmus was still highly active.
She knew of course that Cadmus would have interest with her new project too, but they were at the beginning stages, and Lena playing her little game with her mom and now Paul Westfield could afford her ways to prevent them from corrupting her own work by their intentions. It would still take about a year or two before they actually do ground breaking work and Lena was hoping that by that time Cadmus would be out of the picture.
"Lena…" Kara found herself speechless after hearing all that Lena had said. "I…"
Lena turned her attention back to Kara and smiled. Somedays she still couldn't believe it herself, the perfectly human looking nerdy reporter, the one who rambles endlessly when she's nervous, and fidgets and fumbles whenever she'd play with her glasses or the pen she had in hand, the one who blushes easily and who smiles brightly, was an alien. Someone who literally fell from the sky.
One day, maybe Lena would hear the stories about how Kara landed on earth, why she was here.
But she'll be content in simply just learning more. Not just about aliens, or space, but on how she could use her position of power to leave a positive mark on the world.
It was a strange feeling, being honest and open for a change. Lena was so used to keeping her thoughts to herself, being guarded. But with Kara, it was just so easy to do so. She trusted her whole-heartedly, making it easier for her to speak her mind. Show her doubts and insecurities, admit that she's not as sure and confident as she would appear.
She wasn't perfect but she didn't need to be around Kara because she was never expecting perfection from her.
She was just expecting Lena to be, well, Lena herself.
"You don't have to do that you know? If there's anyone who could make sure that technology like what your company has won't fall into the wrong hands, it would be you." Kara then said. "I know things are complicated, because why on earth would things ever be easy, right? But, I don't know. The more I move forward the more I understand that nobody's ever perfect and even the best intentions fall apart. I wish there was a way to help others, save the world our own little ways, because you know, it's not like we're superheroes or anything, but, just a way without being too naïve or prejudiced. To understand that it's not easy. Again, I'm sorry about earlier. I've just been having a long day and people around me keep on butting heads over whose approach is the right way in solving a problem, or how one should act with regards to a certain problem, or whose sources are the right sources. I guess everyday I'm still learning too as well as other people around me. You don't have to shelf plans just because one person won't agree with you."
"I know, Kara. But then again, I asked Kate to try the device and it said she was an alien, failing the skin test that morning I introduced her to you." Lena said with a chuckle. "It took me six months to get the prototype right but it seems like it's broken now. Maybe it was never fully functioning in the first place."
"Wait, did you say you made the device. Like built it from scratch and all?" Kara then asked staring at her in a mix of disbelief and awe. If Lena wasn't imagining things, she could also see a hint of guilt in those impossibly blue eyes of her.
Somehow Lena couldn't help but think that Kara had something to do with her device failing, it did give a false result on her as well.
Lena simply smiled upon this realization more than Kara's reaction. "Well, yes, I did. But I can always just work on it again in the near future. I've been busy with other things lately." she replied. "Now, Kara, would like a tour of the facility?"
Kara nodded, taking a brief peak of the stars above them. "I would love to." she replied with a smile.
Lena offered her a hand and Kara gladly took it. She couldn't help but smiling as she showed the reporter the way around.
Some days she just felt so lost, wishing things could have gone differently. It was good to know that there was someone who can ground her and remind her where she was.
Alex stood uneasily right next to Kate Kane. She still wasn't quite sure how to regard the redhead next to her. The alliance, at least her alliance with the once upon a time DEO agent, was still on shaky grounds. Mostly it's because she could tell that Kate was hiding a few things of her own, and depending on what those secrets are, Alex felt that she might very well jeopardize the whole mission.
She kept it mostly to herself though, despite the ragtag team they have assembled in their control room consisting of Winn, Kara, and James – now fully welcomed as Guardian – noticing her not so subtle glares at the porcelain skinned heiress.
A part of Alex she was very much just tempted to lock the redhead up and interrogate her, figure out what her play is, why she's even involved in this. After all, her motivations are still unclear.
But that won't do them any good, especially at a time when they need all the help they could get. The temporary solution to J'onn's condition was waning out, the green Martian was once again out of commission, if only to help control his transformations. It didn't help that upsetting him only made things worse, especially with his recent arguments with Superman regarding their locked up White Martian who, as Kara's cousin argued, may actually be an asset to the team if they let her help. She seemed to be genuine in her intentions and both Kara and Clark agreed on that.
Alex was already worried sick about him, although J'onn kept reassuring that he'll be okay for as long as he sticks to resting. Thus, the weight now fell on Alex's shoulders. It was time for her to take charge.
While the city was relatively quiet and the planned raids were still on going, and going on successfully, there really wasn't much to do.
But then Kate Kane had to come strolling in again with an update on two more locations of Cadmus Labs. A run down factory outside of Hub City and beneath the old science complex at state university in Blue Valley. Alex was a little disappointed with the news – granted it was good news since they were making great progress in cracking down on Cadmus – but that meant that she had to make plans and form teams to send there, take charge of the raids.
And by extension, that meant that she might have to cancel on Maggie on their first date.
"I've got a friend who can help us in Hub City. Nightwing's also on his way to help out. The Teen Titans are on their way to Blue Valley now too. All we really need to send is back up." Kate then said before Alex could even do anything, and while Alex was thankful for the assist, she wasn't exactly ecstatic either that it came from Kate Kane.
"Well, Superman's currently busy with his own problems at Metropolis, some guy named Mxyzptlk was apparently causing some mischief, but I can zoom in to one of the cities for help." Kara spoke up.
"Thanks Supergirl but the based on the intel, we're pretty much only expecting a few shipments of kryptonite. The spaces are small based on the blue prints and no alien activity was noted in any of them. The notes we've recovered also point in the direction of experiments with Kryptonite, possibly testing effects on the cadavers deposited around the area. At least gathering from surveillance footage that Oracle managed to record. If anything, they might actually try combining or mixing different types. I advise you stay away for this one."
Alex then sighed. "She's right, Supergirl." Alex found herself saying. "Besides, with the raids we've been doing, Cadmus might just want to retaliate soon enough."
"Wow Agent Danvers, I can't believe we finally agreed on something. Is this the beginnings of a beautiful friendship?" Kate then retorted with a smirk.
Alex simply rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt it." she replied. "But we're down on agents and we'll need all the help we can get."
"Right, well don't worry much about it Agent Danvers. I've got it covered." Kate then said.
To which Alex immediately replied, "I think we're good. Besides, I'm the one J'onn left in charge."
"I know." Kate replied simply. "But don't you have a hot date?" she teased and Alex couldn't help but be off guard by the comment, opening her mouth to try and say something only to find out that no words would come out.
She knew she and Maggie were still friends, but still, she didn't quite expect her to know anything.
Kate then laughed a little, turning around as she walked away. "Don't worry Agent Danvers, I heard from a mutual friend." Kate explained. "And don't worry, I won't go taking control of your territory. I'll help the best I can, but not from here. I'm sure Agent Vazquez over there has it covered with the basics," she went on, pointing at a non-suspecting Vazquez who looked up just in time, "and Supergirl, Guardian, and your hacker here will keep the city safe tonight."
"R-right." Kara then said, jumping in to show her support for her sister.
Kate smiled at Kara and gave Alex a wave goodbye. "I'm sure Batwoman would gladly help too." Kate then said before leaving. "So enjoy your night off, Agent Danvers."
"It's that guy Grayson, isn't it? The one James and I saw playing with you and Detective Sawyer" Winn then asked, trying to tease Alex who simply rolls her eyes and huffs.
Kara tries to get Winn to back off, Winn asking "What? He's apparently a detective at the Bludhaven Police Department and quite the ladies' man." he explained. "I can't get much info about him, other than the tragedy with his parents and that he was adopted by Bruce Wayne of all people. Point is, I don't care if he's a pretty face, I want to make sure he's worthy of going on a date with your sister."
Alex finds herself a little bit caught off guard by the sincerity of Winn's little speech, reminding her by just how much her family has grown over the years. Winn gave her a boyish grin before James shook his head and told Winn how wrong he was.
"I know Dick. I've met him once too. He's a bit of a dog but there is a girl who he keeps going back to. Besides, while Alex is quite the catch, he also has a thing for redheads." James then added. "But do tell us, Alex, who's the lucky guy?"
Alex bit her lip tentatively before smiling weakly, turning to look at Kara with an uncertainty. Kara smiles back at her as she places a hand on her sister's shoulder, a silent conversation going on between them.
Kara was there for her, she always will no matter what happens. It didn't matter if they didn't share blood, much less human physiology, but they were sisters through and through. They were family.
Alex knew, Kara would never push her or pressure her to tell the truth. She'll always hear her out, be there when she needed her just like she would for her, and she was thankful for that. She was given the space to simply be her, live her truth, and give her the space she needed.
But she also knew that if she wanted to live her truth she needed to tell the people who mattered the most to her that said truth. If they loved her, if they were her really her family, they would accept her no matter what. And if they don't, well, she'll always have Kara.
And Maggie. Hopefully Maggie.
Somehow Kara's presence made her feel braver, not that she wasn't but life had different battlefields. While Alex was a great agent on the field and a brilliant asset for the DEO, while she would undoubtedly give her life for her sister in a heartbeat, she understood that sometimes, simply telling the truth and accepting a part of who you were that you struggled with or didn't even realize takes so much courage to do so. That sometimes the simplest of things required the greatest amounts of bravery.
Because the very act of living your life every day to its fullest and getting up in the morning to face the uncertainties the day will throw your way is courage and valor in its simplest and purest of forms.
She wanted to give Winn and James a chance to know the truth. I she trusted them with Kara, she can trust them with her most vulnerable self too.
Alex bit her lip again and took a deep breath. "Well, who's the guy we need to intimidate to treat you right?" Winn then asked all smug that Kara couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well, there's a better place to talk about it than here for starters." Alex started, giving a shaky laugh and immediately asking Agent Vazquez to take over and to alert Supergirl at the first sign of danger.
"We've got it Agent Danvers." Agent Vazquez then said watching their little group curiously as they made their way out.
"W-wait, Alex, where are we going?" Winn then asked.
"My place." Alex simply replied.
"Why? Is this guy someone we won't like? Would we need to sit down for this? Please, God, Alex, tell me it's not Maxwell Lord." Winn started to say overreacting to the news already.
"See, the thing is there is no guy." Alex then replied.
Winn looked at her curiously but James beat him to the punch with the obvious question. "What do you mean?"
"I meant, it's not a… well… not a guy I'm g-going out with." Alex managed to say, taking deep slow breaths to calm her down a little, her face flushing furiously red.
"O-oh." Winn then said exchanging looks with James as they realized what it meant.
Kara made a quick stop by for a few beers and pizza while the rest of them made their way back to Alex's apartment.
She did need to get ready for the date. Maggie told her not to stress about dressing up, just that Alex bring her usual adorably nerdy self for the date, the rest would be a surprise. But that didn't mean that she wasn't stressing on what to wear.
Alex only grabbed a beer before she started to get ready, using that time to open up to James and Winn. Again, they were a team, a family, and if she wanted to have Maggie be a part of that then Alex knew she couldn't hide that aspect of herself to her friends.
In the very first place, she shouldn't.
James seem to be taking things pretty well, especially when she started talking about Maggie to them. The photojournalist looked up and smiled at her with a look of understanding when she ended up rambling on and on about how great Maggie was.
Winn had the same look on his face, although he most definitely did not miss any opportunity to tease Alex about the detective. "I should have seen the signs! God, can't believe I missed it! You could never stop talking about Detective Sawyer, much less stare dreamily into space and think of her." he said with a wide grin.
"I do not stare dreamily off into space!" Alex argued, a hand quickly covering her face not wanting her friends to notice how much she was blushing. Kara simply chortled, fifth pizza in hand. Alex couldn't help but notice how much silent she's been the whole time, looking a bit pensive ever now and then. She made a mental note of probing what her sister was thinking later. "But uh, well, since you're all here, what do you guys think?" Alex asked, adjusting the leather jacket she was wearing just a little.
"Perfectly Alex." Kara then said, smiling proudly at her sister.
James then turned and pointed at Kara, "Stole the words right out of my mouth, Kara." James seconded.
"Although on that note, just how many pairs of leather jackets do you have? You've changed in like 8 pairs already." Winn noted before Alex mumbled something along the lines of 'none of your business'. "What? I'm just saying, you're gonna slay the detective with your charming good looks."
Alex chuckled and shook her head. "You're all a bunch of nerds." before she heard a knock on her door. Sure enough, Alex felt her heart jump out of her chest, the date she's been trying to not think about else she gets to flustered too function was now literally on her doorsteps. Alex chanced a glanced at Kara who undoubtedly used her X-ray vision because she was beaming up at Alex as she nodded in agreement to the silent question she had wanted to ask.
She took a deep breath, James, Winn, and Kara all smiling brightly at her and really, Alex was starting to think that her rash decision of inviting them over before the date might have been a good idea. She was nervous and excited, but at least she wasn't a tangled mess of nerves.
Kara beat her to the door, advantages of being a super. James and Winn were already setting down their plates and drinks, standing up in anticipation of meeting Maggie Sawyer, the girl who was capable of taking the most composed of DEO agents and reducing her into a teenager in love.
"Hi." Kara said as she opened the door.
"Hey, is your sister there?" Maggie asked, flashing Kara a bright smile before looking behind her to see Alex herself, and of course the other two people in her apartment. "Having a party without me, Danvers?" she then asked her.
"W-what? No, ignore them." Alex replied.
"Ready to go?" Maggie asked.
"Y-yeah." Alex said, before grabbing her phone and her keys. She turned just in time to see Winn and James make their way over to Kara and give Maggie a smile back.
"You guys okay?" Maggie asked at the three who were now blocking the door, Kara in the lead, her arm outstretched so that she was barricading the door form one side of the frame to another.
She smiled at Maggie once more with her best 'if you ever hurt my sister' look and said, "Just bring her home by midnight."
"And behave yourself, 'cause we've got eyes everywhere detective." Winn added trying to be as intimidating as he possibly can be.
But James seemed to have more success in that department. "What he's saying is that we know people." he simply said with a knowing smile and a shrug.
Maggie simply nodded and chuckled. "Don't worry, she's in safe hands." she said reassuringly just before Alex cleared her throat behind them.
"Can you guys actually let me go now before I have an aneurysm with your antics?" she asked and they parted ways.
Kara gave her a quick hug just before she passed her by. "Enjoy. We've got this." she said reassuringly.
Alex nodded, and released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, along with ten thousand butterflies fluttering about.
She turned around and saw Maggie waiting for her and Alex knew this night would be one of the best nights of her life.
"Is that their version of a shovel talk?" Maggie immediately asked as they made it out of Alex's building, thankfully in one piece. She couldn't help bet let out a chuckle as she saw blush a little and smiled, crinkling her nose in that adorable way that she does. "Also, wow, Alex. I'm guessing they know."
"Y-yeah. Yeah they do." Alex replied with a grin. "Maggie, I… well," Alex started to say smiling shyly at her, "I know this is technically our first, you know, date, but I… I don't want to have to hide you like a dirty little secret form the people I care about. I care a lot about you too." she said with all honesty.
It's one of the things Maggie just loved about her. She was tough and cool, all-business sometimes but then it's just the two of them and Alex is just goofy, and relaxed, and very expressive. She was open and true to herself at all times. No secrets, no games, just Alex. "But can we please just forget that embarrassing moment up there?" she then asked Maggie.
"I'm just saying, I know people too." Maggie replied with a smirk. "They're not a bunch of heroes but they are very capable vigilantes."
"Is this your way of delivering their version of the talk with me?" Alex asked with feign indignation that Maggie couldn't help but laugh this time. "I'm sure if Kate Kane has a problem…"
"Oh God, Alex, we are not talking about exes, not tonight." Maggie quickly replied. "Besides, I stick with adamantly saying we're just friends."
"Really, because she seems to know about the date and you seem to tell her everything. I thought…"
"I didn't tell her anything." Maggie responded before Alex could even finish. "She knows I like you, and with all honesty, she's given a pretty solid advice of following your heart. But the person I told was a friend from Gotham, her name's Barbara, different redhead. She's the daughter of the commissioner back in Gotham and is sort of on and off dating Grayson."
"So you're telling me she told Kate?" Alex asked.
"Possibly." Maggie replied and shrugged. "But tonight's about just us, Alex. No work, no past chasing after us or anything."
Alex smiled and nodded, agreeing to what Maggie said. She seemed to relax a little before turning to point at Maggie's motorcycle, changing the topic. "So, where are we going? I believe you asked me out to dinner the last time."
"You mean while we were dealing with Deathstroke's mercenaries? Danvers, I asked you out. I haven't forgotten." Maggie playfully replied all smug. She's not known to be the gushy romantic type, no. But she does know how to woo a lady.
"So then, where are you taking me?" Alex asked as Maggie handed over a spare helmet to Alex.
Maggie simply smiled. "You just have to trust me, Danvers."
She wasn't exactly a big fan of fancy restaurants on first dates or anything of that sort. She wasn't a fan of over the top romantic gestures, although those are very much appreciated from time to time. But Maggie liked to keep it simple. After all, sometimes the simplest things in life are sometimes the most beautiful.
Truth be told, the only real reason she ended up telling Barbara about the date when she saw her the other day was because, well, Maggie was nervous.
Alex, she does things to her. Makes her feel things she's never felt in a long while, or ever really. When she's near, she feels the strong pull, drawing her closer and closer to Alex. Like a wave was crashing down on her each time. And when they kissed, God it felt like a lightning was coursing through her very veins.
So yes, Maggie was nervous. She took the plunge, got caught into the moment, and threw caution to the wind when she asked Alex out. She doesn't regret it, no, but it had to go off without a hitch.
No alien attack, no Cadmus, no anything is what Maggie wanted. With everything that's been happening around them, they never seem to have time to just be.
And Maggie wanted that. Just be. With Alex, especially.
She ended up running some ideas with Barbara before finally settling on the one she had planned for tonight.
They reached the park a few minutes before the start of the movie. National City Park held a monthly 'Midnight Movie' showing some classic films. Maggie gave Alex a shrug, "Nice spin on a movie first date." Alex then commented as she handed the spare helmet back to Maggie.
"I thought it would be a nice set-up from our pool matches." Maggie then replied.
Maggie reached out grabbing Alex's hand, fingers interlacing with each other. Alex looked down and smiled, just like she did during their infiltration of the illegal alien fight club. The two made a quick pit stop at a food stall on their way, Maggie grabbing a prepacked picnic basket she had asked her neighbor, the woman running the food stall.
She rarely does it, but Maggie does cook. Her parents taught had taught her.
Everything seemed to be going well. The two of them settling in a comfortable conversation about pretty much everything they could think about. Once in a while they would remember that they were in the park, with other people, supposedly watching a movie not gazing into each other's eyes and getting lost in them.
But Maggie found that it was incredibly easy to forget about the world around them and incredibly hard to take her eyes of Alex Danvers.
That is until both their phones started ringing endlessly and it was pretty much clear that they were not going to get the night off they deserved.
The two exchanged looks, "Bank robbery on West Avenue and a human murdered an alien, yours?"
"An alien brawl at alley near Schuster Avenue. The same with the murder. Oh, and the DEO's been alerted with an illegal trade of alien tech going down tonight with humans by the docks. Something about an Intergang, have you heard of them?"
"Yes, and they're not nice." Maggie replied.
Looks like the date had to be put on pause.
Alex thought she had a good idea of what a date would be like. After all, she's been on one too many times already.
But nothing compared to what Maggie seemed to have planned for them.
It was different. And different in a good way.
There was no awkwardness, no pressure of anything, no expectations. Just them.
Sure, it was simple and relaxed and nothing too over the top. But it was nice. Perfect. Because it didn't feel like they needed to step up and fit some kind of expectation from the other.
And damn can Maggie cook.
But then of course, trouble arises and if the DEO pinged Alex despite Supergirl's carefully crafted instructions of not disturbing Alex that night then it was probably serious trouble.
The movie, that truth be told Alex had pretty much already forgotten about, was nearing its end. The two packed up as fast as they could, Maggie dropping off the basket she asked her neighbor to keep for her back to her stall. Duty calls and a picnic basket wasn't exactly the best of weapons to bring along.
The two talked about which crime scene to check out first as Maggie once again handed her helmet to Alex when their phones rang once more.
Guardian took care of the bank robbery.
Supergirl took care of the alien brawl.
Nightwing took care of the murder.
And Batwoman has led a small army of DEO agents to deal with Intergang's transactions. Supergirl on her way to assist along with Nightwing while Guardian – and undoubtedly Winn – went on patrol.
As Kara promised, everything will be taken care of.
"So…" Alex started to say. "I guess we're not needed tonight?"
"Yeah." Maggie said, surprised. "I have to say, I'm a little surprised that we're not missed but I think we should just be thankful things are simple enough for all of them to handle things on their own." Maggie then said with a chuckle.
"So, where to?" Alex then asked with the realization that their night had freed up once more.
Maggie grinned right back at Alex, "Well, I do have some ideas."
The two of them soon found themselves going around National City, Alex getting to know it more and more and in ways she never knew before. Alex was the one who has been living in the city far longer than Maggie has been but she was pleasantly surprised at how the detective seemed to know it better than she did. They stopped by at a small yogurt place near a hole-in-the wall kind of bar that Alex never realized existed. It was apparently frequented by college kids. Somehow it made sense to Alex why she's never heard of it.
She did enjoy their dessert, and Maggie was right when she said that it was the best place in the city for yogurt.
A few blocks away they stopped for a drink or two at what was called the Barcade. It wasn't much of a surprise that it lived up to its name of being a bar and an arcade. They finally managed to find a game where Maggie could actually beat Alex, outscoring Alex in every pinball game they tried to play.
They soon left and found themselves strolling along the baywalk where Alex remembered her initial talk with Kara. She couldn't help but think about how things have changed since then, once again looking down at their interlaced hands, talking about pretty much everything they could talk about from Alex's childhood back in Midvale and Maggie's brief move to Star City, Metropolis, Gotham, and finally National City.
"So you've been around then, huh?" Alex commented.
"Well, when you lived in pretty much in the middle of nowhere, you would very much like to see the world as much as you can." Maggie then said. "If I never left, I don't think I would have found myself here and I feel like I would've very much regretted missing out on the chance of getting to know you."
Alex chuckled, finding herself rambling something incoherent when Maggie called her out on being an adorable nerd when Maggie got another call of trouble downtown and Alex getting a call of a chase with some Intergang members around the local area. Alex sighed, knowing that this time their date was finally at its end. But barely a minute after being alerted, Maggie and Alex both got updates saying that whatever trouble was caused was now under control.
The two of them looked up from their phones and exchanged nervous smiles, Alex shaking her head. Kara was definitely adamant in making sure her sister had the best first date with Maggie. She got another message from Winn saying look up.
She did, Maggie curious to see what she was looking at when they both saw Supergirl do a flyby, dropping a bouquet of orchids into Alex's hand with the note attached to it.
I've got the bad guys, go get the girl. Alex couldn't help but chuckle as Supergirl flew away.
"I'm guessing she knows too." Maggie asked, highly amused, and Alex nodded.
"You really can't keep anything a secret with Supergirl." she said knowingly, handing Maggie the flowers.
"We better get you home then. It's almost midnight and I wouldn't want Supergirl to be chasing after me like I'm the bad guy." Maggie commented, giving Alex a kiss on the cheek that made her face all the more flushed than it already was.
The whole night – more like every second she was with Maggie, really – she could feel her heart going on a frenzy, like it was fluttering about in her chest. How she manages not to have a heart attack is beyond her. But that's just what Maggie does to her.
And the night couldn't have gotten any better.
That is, until Maggie dropped her off outside her apartment. Alex found herself wishing that Kara was still being kept busy and that none of their friends were back inside her apartment because she would really like to have the privacy of the moment with Maggie. The detective found herself leaning in, closing the gap between them and Alex could feel her heartrate pick up, beating impossibly faster than it did before. "So, t-tonight was fun. It was great, absolutely perfect. I had fun, did you have fun?" Alex started to say, rambling on.
She was supposed to be a trained operative, prepared for anything life would throw at her, but here she was outside her apartment, reduced into a rambling geeky mess of a girl. This never happened to her before. She was usually the one making any guy who asked her out nervous, not the other way around. Maggie Sawyer, she just had that effect on her.
Maggie simply smiles and shakes her head. "You're not going to go crazy on me, are you?" she asked and Alex managed to squeak out a maybe before Maggie finally kisses her.
It was short, simple, sweet. The perfect end really, at least for the night.
And when Maggie pulled away, it felt like she was taking the very breath from her lungs. Alex feeling too incredibly happy.
It started with a kiss, one that had her so scared that she might just lose Maggie if she doesn't embrace her feelings.
It had a messy middle, true.
But here they were, not the end of everything, but a new beginning, and Alex still found herself still trying to figure out how to keep herself able to think whenever Maggie kisses.
"Are you okay, Alex?" the detective asked.
"Mhmm." Alex managed to say in response before pulling Maggie into another kiss.
She kept her brief. "Next time, it's my turn to take you out." Alex managed to say with a shaky, breaking the kiss, pressing her forehead down on Maggie's.
"I would like that very much." Maggie replied.
Kara slumped down one of the chairs in the DEO control room right next to Winn, placing down a box of pizza she picked up along the way after responding to an incident that broke off the whole thing with Intergang. Batwoman and Nightwing showed up for help, taking care of the incident for the most part.
"More pizza? Did you stop a robbery at a pizza parlor along the way or something?" Winn asked with a chuckle, reaching out for the box and grabbing a slice for himself.
"I'm not complaining." James then said, showing up and doing just the same. Agent Vazquez turned around, shaking her head just before Kara grabbed the box and offered her a slice.
She thankfully declined and Kara simply shrugged. "What? A hero's work is never done, and sometimes that leaves you starving." she replied with a mouthful of pizza.
"Oh, you really did drop by a pizza place in your Supergirl outfit to stop a robbery in progress." Winn then commented, pulling up a file from a street cam somewhere. "And wait a minute, you got two boxes as thanks. Did you devour a whole box by yourself on your way here? I'm hurt Kara." Winn then said.
"No, don't be silly." Kara simply said and shrugged.
"Then what happened to the other box?" James asked and Kara simply shrugs, trying to fight the blush slowly creeping on her cheeks.
On her way back and forth to different places, stopping incidents and saving the day as Supergirl, she kept doing a flyby at L-Corp.
And of course, who does she find but Lena Luthor, burning the midnight oil, working all by herself in her office.
So maybe Kara decided to flyby on her last run before heading back to the DEO and drop the box of pizza on the CEO's balcony. Make sure she's eaten dinner at the least. She would have wanted to drop in as Kara herself but in case duty calls for the nth time that night, she figured going back to the base would be smarter.
Time, after all, seemed to always fly fast when she spent it with Lena and she tends to forget about pretty much everything else.
Lena had heard her landing on her balcony and Kara hurried to zoom away after the delivery, not trusting herself to make any sense if the CEO decided to strike up a conversation. She did see Lena shaking her head, laughing a little as she saw the box of pizza, picked it up, and grabbed a slice.
"Earth to our favorite Kryptonian, care to explain what happened to the other box?" Winn then asked, still pressing on the subject matter.
Kara simply shrugged, grabbed another slice and made her way to the balcony area. Her friends would never let her hear the end of it if she said anything.
"What did happen to the box of pizza?" James then asked, following her there and Kara simply shook her head. "You know what? I wouldn't even mind if you actually ate it all. We've been busy tonight." He said with a smile.
Kara looked over at James with a bit of pride. "I couldn't have done it without you tonight." she said with a smile. Sure, she was still partially upset with the whole 'James is Guardian' thing but the look on his face made Kara let that anger go.
She had that look on her face too when she started being Supergirl, and somehow things clicked in her head the way that they didn't before. "I still think you need to get better and train, but I am proud of what you're trying to do James. And, I am proud to be your friend."
"Just a friend, huh? Things really changed then?" James asked with a hopeful smile. "Look Kara, I'm not going to force anything that's passed, I want you to be happy. Somehow I think that missing box has something to do with it."
"Wh-what? Pft, no… I…"
"You won't stop blushing." James then said, interrupting the rambling mess that was Kara. "You like someone?"
"I-I wouldn't say that I…"
"Look, I know it's probably weird to talk about it but if you need someone to talk things through, if you can't tell Alex something or anything, I'm here." James said. "Whatever happens Kara, I'm here."
Kara took a deep breath and sighed. "Thanks, James, that… that means a lot, actually."
"But seriously, what happened to the pizza box?" James then asked, trying to sound like an interrogator.
Kara chuckled. 'Just dropped it off to hardworking friend."
"Friend? Really?" James then asked with a chuckle trying to tease Kara
"Yes, friend." Kara then replied just before agent Vazquez came coming to get them. The city may sleep but trouble never seems to run out.
Alex was still afloat from the night before, smiling while trying to patch Kara's little cut on her fingers. The strike teams were all coming back, all missions a success despite still not figuring out the location of Project 13. While things were still tense between J'onn and Clark regarding asking M'gann's help with all of this, the two did manage to talk in a civil manner about bringing in J'onn's most trusted members of the DEO into the loop of what Project 13 was.
"This is between you and Lex Luthor, so if you think it's okay then I will." she overheard J'onn saying.
"We'd have to. The longer it takes to find it, the more Cadmus could…" Clark started to say before shaking his head. He was incredibly upset with it.
But Alex never did get to hear the end of that conversation. Kara managed to run into a case of blue kryptonite, noting how it doesn't make her feel weak like the green. "So what does this one do?" she asked one of the agents taking it to a safe somewhere as she grabbed one small piece of the blue rock.
Only to find that it can actually hurt her, the sharp edges cutting her fingers just before dropping it back to the case.
Alex was about to give her a long lecture but Kara was quick to apologize claiming she should be more careful of the potential effects and stop snooping around potentially lethal items.
"That should do it." Alex said, watching as the slow healing wound disappeared once she managed to remove a small piece of the blue kryptonite embedded in Kara's skin. "So it really didn't make you feel weak or anything?"
"No." Kara replied. "That's why I thought it was safe to touch. Sorry for making you worry."
"Just be more careful the next time, okay?" Alex then said with a smile. She felt like she can handle anything that life throws her way that morning.
Including the case of shipment of kryptonite from Blue Valley as delivered by a young man in a red and black costume calling himself Red Robin. "Ms. Kane wanted me to hand this box to you personally, Agent Danvers." he then said just before leaving. "It's for your Martian friend."
"Thank you." Alex said, uncertain of what it was in the box until she opened it to find a vial of what looked like a possible cure for J'onn's condition a long with a list of digital instructions regarding the dosages.
Alex had dropped it off in the medical bay, wanting to run some tests on a small amount of the sample to make sure that it was safe for J'onn to use when a loud crash was heard somewhere near where the kryptonite cases where being taken to.
There was a sea of pink and purple glow just outside the room they were using for kryptonite safe keeping, the two types they were carrying spilling all over the floor.
One agent kept spewing out apologies and Alex noted him to be one of the agents in the science and engineering department. There seemed to be a small explosion from the new invention he was carrying over to the labs when he ran into some of the agents depositing the newly delivered kryptonite.
The explosion had knocked both Kara and Clark off to the side although they both seemed to be shaking it off at the moment.
"What happened?" James asked running to the site of the disaster along with Winn. "Oh, oh no." he then said seeing the kryptonite that spilled everywhere.
The two types that were inadvertently exposed to both Supergirl and Superman.
And Alex couldn't help but worry about their possible effects to the two powerful Kryptonians in the room.
So much for being able to face whatever the coming day threw her way.
A/N Pt 2: Some notes, blue kryptonite (depending on the source material) has slightly different effects. In Smallville, it suppresses Kryptonians' powers and removes sensitivity to green kryptonite. In the comics, depending on when in their awesome reboot-filled timeline, it is the analogue of green kryptonite to Bizarro and may have healing effects to Kryptonians. I think recently it's said to kill spirit of a Kryptonian. I've hijacked those three and made my own for this fic. Taking a bit of this and that.
UPNEXT: Some more Multi-colored Kryptonite Capers; Some shenanigans (and flashbacks with James); Winn, Alex, and some brother-sister-like bonding; Plus, Maggie and Alex and Kate having an interesting talk about Kara. Let's see if I can upload that by Christmas day?
