Alex let her eyes close as she breathed out in threes, her hand already hovering over her holster.

When she heard the buzzer, her eyes shot open as she laid rapid fire into the target ahead. Ten bullets straight to the head, none straying from a quarter-sized red dot that was her target.

Alex lowered her gun, still holding position until she heard the low rumbling whistle that alerted her of the end of the drill.

She pulled the ear muffs around her neck and wiped her forehead on her sleeve. The temperature had risen to an unbearable heat in under five minutes.

Alex knew what J'onn was doing, in another five it would be below fifty then back to above ninety. It was a game.

One they used for recruits and agents who had fallen behind.

She clenched her teeth, in aggravation as her gaze flicked up to the mirrored glass of the observation room at the top of the shooting range.

"Again, Agent Danvers." J'onn voice echoed over the intercom.

Alex rolled her eyes but unholstered her gun once again. She raised and angled the gun, subconsciously clicking the small button on the side allowing the clip to fall to the ground.

As it clattered at her feet, she reached to the side her hand grabbing one of the many readied clips laid out in front her.

She easily slammed the clip back into place, before pulling a bullet into the chamber.

Alex tilted her head quickly to the left, cracking her neck as she holstered the gun and got herself back in position for the same drill.

"New rules." J'onn's voice pierced through the speakers, "There is a clip belt in the box below. Ten slots, ten stations."

Lock and Load.

"You have five minutes to get through all of them. And I expect accuracy as well as precision on this one. You do it 'til you drop."

One hundred bullets, five minutes, with moving targets and borders in between.

It was damn impossible. And he knew that.

Another drill. Another game.

Alex walked to the far side of the range, lining herself up and preparing for the buzzer.

She closed her eyes, taking a long breath as she channeled all the pain, exhaustion, and anger she had built up during the day into one force within her.

Alex was off before the buzzer was able to stop ringing. She cleared the first and was moving on to the second as she ejected the magazine with her dominant hand while reaching behind her to grab another clip out of her belt. A bullet was in the chamber before she had to stop in front of the second.

By the time she reached the tenth, the buzzer had been going off for close to three minutes screaming at her to finish the drill. Her clothes drenched in sweat as she shivered against the low temperature.

She couldn't keep her hands steady as she hit the target but not the dot, Alex couldn't even differentiate if the shaking was caused by pure exhaustion or the cold.

She emptied her final clip dunking the room into silence; she didn't bother with protocol. Instead, she threw the gun by the metal barrier as she bent forward placing her hands on her knees, attempting to catch her breath.

J'onn hadn't pushed her this hard since he recruited her.

"We're done for today," J'onn said through the intercom, The leading lights shutting off as the air regulated.

"No," Alex gasped, raising herself to her full height with a shake of her head, "You want to do this, J'onn, *let's* do this."

The confusion Alex caused only lasted for a moment until he saw Alex wave her hand in a circle asking another round. She picked up her discarded gun, her limbs still burning in protest as she walked back to station one.

"Sir?" The agent in the booth asked, not sure who to take his orders from.

"She's done; shut it down," J'onn said, leaning forward he made sure Alex heard every word through the microphone, "Hit the showers, Agent Danvers."

Alex scoffed as she unclipped the belt and threw both it and the firearm in the bin. She didn't bother holding back her strength as she pulled the door open and let it slam back shut behind her.

She was livid, exhausted, and desperate to go home.

But she was stopped in her tracks when she rounded the corner to see her boss standing in the doorway of women's locker room.

*Great.*

"Not tonight, J'onn." Alex gritted, with a shake of her head.

"We need to talk."

"Really?" Alex inquired, stopping just in front of him. "Well, I'm a *little* tired."

"I wanted to make sure you were back."

"And you needed to assign me to a day of rigorous training to see that?" Alex let out a short laugh, of course, "Despite what you think of me, Director Henshaw, I'm still a Federal Agent of the DEO who was trained to be the best by no other than you." Alex said, "I might not trust you right now, but I know how to do my job."

"We need to get past this, Alex," J'onn said, his voiced laced with sincerity and concern.

"You should've thought about that before you blackmailed my wife and put my entire family in danger." Alex ground out.

"By not telling you, your father was a part of the DEO?" J'onn said incredulously.

"No." Alex breathed, raising a hand, "No, no. This is not about my father. I'm having trouble trusting you because you held relevant information about a rogue agent and didn't think to warn me of the truth. That's the problem, J'onn."

"It was personal for you Alex." J'onn growled, "I didn't tell you because I didn't think you would examine the evidence conclusively."

Alex raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I saw the evidence. And I know I would've believed it even if emotions were clouding my judgment. Because that's what you were worried about, right? Me not see clearly."

J'onn dropped his head, feeling each word as the dagger they were. "I'm sorry, I am. You know you're like a daughter to me, Alex, I was only trying to protect you."

Alex's eyes softened the tiniest bit. Taking a deep breath, Alex laid a gentle hand on his folded arms, "See you tomorrow, J'onn."


By the time, Alex got home it was already closing in on eleven. She could feel the drag of her muscles even after the long hot shower she took at the DEO.

Her first thought was to check on Kara. It had been a couple of weeks since the incident at the park, but Alex was still wary of Kara holding her feelings secret.

If she had known about the nightmares earlier, she would have been able to talk Kara down, instead of questioning her into a panic.

With quiet steps, she cracked Kara's door, seeing that the girl was asleep she walked further into the bedroom.

As she bent down, she glided some hair off of Kara's face and placed a kiss on her forehead. Alex paused, giving herself a minute to focus on Kara's steady breathing and calm expression.

She was okay.

"Sleep well, Kara." Alex murmured, before standing up and exiting the room.

Alex easily moved throughout the dark apartment, grabbing a bottle of water and a couple of ibuprofen before going to meet Maggie in their room.

When her eyes landed on the bed, she was a little shocked to see Maggie not only awake but also working.

Files were strewn about, photos from what looked to be a gruesome crime scene in different stacks, and a detective placated in the middle lost in her thoughts.

"Tough case?"

Maggie's eyes shot up at the sudden sound of Alex's voice, her hand going to the nightstand for her firearm.

"Hey, hey." Alex whispered, softly, her hands low, but out in front, "It's just me."

"Sorry." Maggie muttered, running her hands over her face as if to clear thoughts, "Sorry, you just scared me."

"No, I'm sorry. I thought you heard me when I walked in." Alex soothed, closing the distance between them. "What's going on, Maggie?"

"This case is just getting to me." Maggie shrugged, her eyes rolling over the files on the bed.

Alex hummed as she sat down, "Want a second opinion?"

Maggie shook her head no and started to gather everything back into one pile. But Alex stilled Maggie's movements.

"How bad is it?" She all about whispered.

Maggie closed her eyes, giving Alex her answer. The detective tried to hold herself together, but all she did was encourage an invasion of images from the crime scene to the forefront of her mind. A shaky breath escaped her lips as Alex's hand brushed away a stray tear. She hadn't even realized she was crying.

"Hey," Alex whispered, gently take Maggie's chin between her fingers. "Let me help you."

"I can't," Maggie whispered, choking on her words. Her mind screaming in protest at even the thought of Alex anywhere near it. "Please, Alex just let me do this one on my own."

"Never." Alex breathed, "There's no way I'm letting you do this on your own, it's undoubtedly getting to you. And even though I appreciate the attempt, the sooner you let me help you, the sooner it's in the past."

Maggie shook her head even as she said, "It's bad, Alex. I haven't seen a case this brutal in years."

"I want to help."

Maggie nodded, resigning herself to the fact that Alex was going to help her no matter what she wanted, but she could at least put it off until the morning.

"Tomorrow." Maggie sighed. "Tonight, I just need to be as close to you as possible."

Alex's eyes softened, as she leaned forward to press a kiss on Maggie's forehead.

They worked together to quickly rid the bed of photos and stray sheets before slipping within the covers.

Alex turned on her side, wrapping her arm around Maggie's middle and pulling her towards her. Maggie caught on, a small, grateful smile gracing her lips as she shifted until her back was pressed up against Alex's front their legs tangled below.

Alex nuzzled her nose into Maggie's neck, her arm sliding in between her wife's making them impossible closer. Maggie let out a content hum, as she let her eyes fall closed. The warmth of Alex's body, encompassing her in a never ending feeling of affection.

"How I'd get so lucky meeting you?" Maggie breathed, breaking the craved silence.

Maggie prepared for a snarky comment to be whispered in her ear, as she thought of all the times she didn't think her relationship with Alex would work out when she feared that she was just a place holder until the next girl came along in Alex's life; a better girl.

But Alex proved all of her apprehensions wrong. And Maggie had never been so relieved not to be right.

"You just happened to step on the wrong crime scene that day, my love; mine."

Maggie felt a laugh escape her, surrendering to the fact that they would always have this debate.

But even as a retort formed on her lips, she couldn't fight the deep pull of sleep that slowly took her under.


Kara and Lena were lost in conversation as their feet tread from gray concrete to lively green grass. They had just gotten out of their last class of the day and were in an animated conversation about what their plans were for Christmas.

The holiday was two weeks away; their only hurdle was exam week.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Kara said, as she pulled on the straps of her bag causing it to rise higher up her back. "I've never had exams like this before and from what our teachers are saying you have to be so prepared and I'm not that kind of person. Like, I absorb information and keep the important stuff, but for the most part, it just disappears from my memory after a while. /You/ on the other hand..." Kara trailed off her finger accusing Lena of the very thing she wished beyond reason to have.

"Have it all filed away in the depths of my mind?" Lena asked, finishing Kara's thought. They had had this conversation once or twice.

"Yes!" Kara said enthusiastically, her head bouncing in agreement.

"Kara," Lena laughed, "Everyone is different when it comes to their education, and I pray you figure that out soon because I'm so tired of talking about this!"

"Hey!" Kara joked, bumping her shoulder (lightly) into Lena. "I thought you liked my rambling."

"Oh, I do." Lena smiled, not missing the implications of that statement, "But that's the fourth time we circled to that topic today."

"Fine." Kara conceded, her voice shifting in a way that let Lena know she was only messing around.

"Okay," Lena said, placing her hand on Kara's arm to stop their movements, "How about we have a study weekend?"

Kara tilted her head a bright smile spreading across her lips, as Lena placed herself, so she was standing in front of Kara.

"That would be so much fun!" Kara exclaimed suddenly, catching Lena off guard, her eyebrow rising in amusement. "I have to tell Alex and Maggie! Wait! Or do you want to do it at your house? I don't care where as long as it happens!"

"No," Lena said, pushing down the notion of even imaging Kara stepping a foot into her mother's house. "Your's is better, plus your moms could always help us if we have questions."

"Good point!" Kara said, pulling her phone from her back pocket so she could send a text to Maggie and Alex in their group message.

Lena let out a barely audible breath, her whole body relaxing at the fact that she would get a weekend away and Kara wasn't pushing her for answers.

"Hey," Kara said, her voice laced in concern, "What's wrong?"

Too soon?

"Nothing," Lena shrugged as she started walking off, hoping Kara would follow but drop the interrogation.

"No, no," Kara said, her finger tips touching Lena's arm before she grabbed her hand to stop her from going away. Kara's could hear Lena's breathing hitch at contact. "What happened back there? You were fine, and we were talking about which place we were going to stay at and..."

Kara's voice trailed off realizing where the conversation went off the figurative road.

Lena's house.

"You don't want me there, do you?"

Kara asked, her voice weak and hurt, Lena felt her stomach flip.

"God no! Kara." Lena let out a puff of air trying to gather her thoughts, "I mean yes, I don't want you going there but not because I don't want you there."

Lena closed her eyes at the phrasing but when she opened them to search Kara's she saw nothing but understanding.

"You sound like me," Kara smiled, letting Lena off the hook. She would bring the topic up again later, "You know? The rambling, jumbled mess."

Lena felt her lips tugging up at the corners, "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

"Must be," Kara quipped, just as her phone chirped from her pocket. She gave an apologetic smile, which Lena automatically waved off as Kara pulled out the device reading the messages on the lock screen. "Okay, so it looks like..." Kara trailed off once more as she scrolled through the last of the words, "my moms are cool with it! They even want to take us to get cool study stuff!"

"I'm guessing Alex said that?" Lena cracked.

"Yeah," Kara smiled. "They're going to pick us up in an hour."

"What should we do in the mean time?" Lena asked.

"I don't know, do you think James and Winn are still here? They're probably in the union."

"They might be..." Lena said as she dropped one of the straps to her book sack so she could pull out her phone. "Let's see."

She sent off a couple of texts, and a second later her phone vibrated.

"Yeah, they're here," Lena said, before barking out a laugh. Kara crossed her arms, smiling in amusement, "Sorry, but look." She said placing her phone in Kara's hands.

Kara took a moment before letting out her own laugh. It was a video of Winn attempting his luck at basketball but missing the basket by a long shot, the ball falling short of the goal. He had the height down, but without distance, he would never make a shot.

"I think something is going on with James," Lena said randomly, her thoughts going to her friend.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but he's been acting different these last couple of days. Haven't you noticed?" Lena asked.

"No, but it's not like we're super close." Kara said, "Don't get me wrong I love the guy, but we just haven't connected yet."

Lena nodded, "He's more present if that makes any sense like he's hanging onto every word and moment he has with us..."

Lena ran a hand through her long dark hair, her mind going a mile a minute. She knew this feeling, and she knew this behavior, but she just couldn't place it.

And then something clicked. Lena's eyes widened as she let out a breathy, "Oh my god."

"What?" Kara asked quickly, picking up on her friend's anxiety.

"His family's military, he was supposed to be able to finish out middle and high school here but what if his dad got a promotion." Lena semi-asked, her eyes threatening to fill with tears, "I need to talk to him."

"Lena, wait!" Kara said, running to catch up with her friend, "I understand wanting to talk with him but don't you think we should wait until he feels he can tell us."

"Kara, I can't -"

"Let him process this, Lena. Trust me." Kara said with such conviction that she stopped Lena in her tracks. "He has to come to his own terms with it before he can even think about telling us, and as his friends, we should let him."

"You don't know him like I do…" Lena whispered, her facade falling to shambles around her.

"No, I don't." Kara agreed, "But I know what he's feeling, we both do. So let's give him some space, okay?"

Lena gave a reluctant nod but agreed with Kara.

No matter how hard it would be, Lena would let James come to her, and they would figure it out as they always do.


9 hours earlier...

Alex woke up to cold covers where Maggie was the night before. Letting out a restless grunt, she pulled herself up on her elbows and looked to her right for the time.

She never slept well when Maggie wasn't there.

5:30 a.m.

And as her eyes traveled over to Maggie's nightstand, she saw her wife's case file missing from the place she put it last night.

Pulling back the layers of warm blankets she crossed her arms against her as she got out of bed. Extracting one of Maggie's flannels that were laying around, she put it on in a futile attempt to fight the cold air that hit her arms.

Alex wandered out of her bedroom while buttoning up her wife's shirt with quick fingers having done it many times before. She only paused when she saw Maggie sitting at the island, her back towards her.

Not wanting to scare her again, Alex took the long route before coming to the side of Maggie.

"Hey, love," Alex whispered, her hand rubbing up and down Maggie's back as she placed a light kiss on the top of her head. She could feel the tense muscles underneath her finger tips slowly start to loosen.

"Hey. There's coffee in the pot if you're interested."

Alex nodded, rounding the island, she grabbed her favorite mug off the shelf above the sink and fixed herself a cup. Turning back to face Maggie, she placed her mug down and scanned over all the files for the first time.

"Break it down for me?" Alex asked.

"Alex, you don't have to..."

"Maggie." Alex sighed, "I want to help; please let me."

A curt nod later, Maggie was delving into the case. Telling Alex all the details about the victims, locations, and the profile she came up with for their unsub's victimology.

"Okay," Alex said, as she rounded the table, so she was leaning against the edge near Maggie. Taking a sip of her coffee, "So our unsub's attacking these refugee families because they are... happy, successful? Maybe he's an Alien, too. Envious of all the victims? They all had expensive homes and belongings... It's not a long shot."

"See, I don't think so," Maggie retorted, pointing at the photos, "Look at the signature. It's too specific for this to be just a random spree of envy. No. He's been doing this for a while."

"Have you looked through any similar cold cases?"

"No, I haven't," Maggie said, a relieved smile appearing on her face, "God, you're a genius! I need make a few calls, but I think I have the right contacts to get us some help. You want to come with me to the precinct?"

"You go," Alex smiled, glad to see Maggie acting like her regular spunky self, "I need to drop Kara off at school and then I'll meet you."

"Okay," Maggie breathed, as she stood up from the stool, "Thank you, Alex, for talking it through with me."

"Anytime, I mean it." Alex said as she wrapped her arms around Maggie's waist, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Maggie whispered, before leaning forward to place a kiss on Alex's lips. "I'm going to go tell Kara that she won't hear me when she wakes up. She's starting to rely on that power a lot more."

"I've noticed," Alex responded with a sigh, "And I've been meaning to talk you... I want to start working with her at the DEO. She's so fearful of her powers that I think her brain is shutting most of them off; maybe if she see's they're not all downright dangerous, she'll allow herself some freedom with them."

"I agree, and I think it's a good idea, but I do have one rule."

"Hit me."

"We still lay out what you want to do but no explanations, no emotions. I don't want to force Kara into to doing something just because she wants to keep us happy."

"Good plan," Alex said, stealing another kiss, "Now go get ready, you've got work to do."

Maggie let out a laugh, before stepping out of the embrace to get ready.


It was a little after four when Alex and Maggie pulled up to Kara's school. Instead of Alex's SUV, they were in Maggie's unmarked, so it took a little longer for the girls to realize it was them.

Maggie observed how Lena and Kara were interacting, how Lena would seize any chance to laugh or touch Kara. It was sweet and made Maggie's heart swell, but she also felt an inkling of dread that history was repeating itself.

Both Alex and Maggie had fallen for their friends when they were young and naive, not old enough to understand their feelings.

And right before her eyes, she was seeing Lena doing the same for Kara.

"Don't you dare," Alex said, a hint of humor in her voice.

Maggie furrowed her brow looking to her right to see Alex staring at her, "You let them figure it out on their own. No interfering!"

"I wasn't going to - but I mean - come on!" Maggie exclaimed, her finger point at the scene in front of them. "They would make such a cute couple."

"Oh my god, Maggie!" Alex laughed. "They're fourteen!"

"Easy, mama bear." Maggie joked, knowing it would irritate Alex, "You, at least, have to admit that it would be pretty awesome though, right? I mean, we love Lena!"

Alex shook her head at her wife's antics but didn't deny anything. She was smiling ear to ear.

"They're only fourteen," Alex repeated seeming stuck on that point, while attempting to keep a straight face, "They've got an abundant amount of time to figure everything out. And you are going to let them!"

"Fine! I surrender, yield! But you never denied loving Lena and Kara together, so HA!"

Alex just rolled her eyes and sent a quick text off to Kara letting them know they were here.

A second later, Maggie saw Kara scanning the parking lot before doing a little hop when she saw Maggie's car. It didn't take long for Lena and Kara to crawl into the back seat.

"Hey kids," Alex said, seeing that Lena looked a little down, "How was your day?"

"It was good," Kara explained before stealing a glance at Lena who had her eyes down cast. "We're worried James' dad is being relocated sooner than expected, he's in the military."

"Awe man," Maggie mumbled, thinking of all the times her cousins went through the same thing, "I'm so sorry, I know it's tough when that kind of situation happens."

"He hasn't told us yet," Lena whispered, only feeling slightly better when Kara wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "But there are just too many parallels from all the other times for it not to be happening again."

"I'm so sorry, Lena," Alex said gently.

Lena shook her head, as she leaned forward hands raking through her hands as she let out an aggravated growl, "I wish he would tell me."

Kara moved her hand so she could run it up and down Lena's back, trying anything to ease her friend's distress.

"He'll tell us when he's ready, Lena. Come on," Kara said, squeezing her shoulder with her fingers, "have trust in him."

"It's not that," Lena said through her hands, looking up she continued, "I just want to be there for him through this."

"And you will be." Maggie said, no doubts, "You, caring like you are now, that's going to be enough for him. But I agree with Kara, let him come to you. He'll tell you when he's ready."

"I hope all of you are right." Lena sighed, while she sat back.

"How about we go get some ice cream to cheer you up, hm?" Alex suggested, knowing all four of them would enjoy it.

"Oh no," Lena said, not wanting their pity, "You don't have to do that."

"We want to." Maggie said, "And by the way Kara is bouncing in the seat beside you, she wants to too."

Lena looked to her friend beside her, a bubbly laugh escaped her, and she agreed that ice cream would be fantastic.

And that's how the group spent their evening. Stopping to get ice cream before running to the store to get (very) colorful study materials.

After all of that, Maggie, Alex, and Kara were able to convince Lena to watch the very enjoyable classic Disney film, The Lion King.

When it was finally time to go to bed, they broke off in their designated pairs and went to their rooms preparing for the next day of studying and case breaking.


A/N:I have to apologize once again! I didn't mean to wait this long to update, I just hit a wall with this chapter and had to reconstruct everything, but the good part is I have the last chapter of this part planned out, and I'm all set up for the next section! So I hope you are still all with me!

And (only if you want) check out my new story Legacy of Our Own! It's Lena and Kara centric, and I'm super excited for it as well!

And one last thing! With the school year starting back up for most of you, I'm going to set up a plan for which day I post a new chapter. I think right now, Monday's for this one and Tuesday's for my other but I have to have a little grace period and see if I can pull it off haha.

Thanks for reading my ramblings,
Iza

I do not own Supergirl or any of the characters.