Once Upon National City

A/N: This drabble series officially turns 1 year old as of tomorrow. Whoo! Can you believe a year has come and gone already? In the spirit of the season (aka Halloween), I've decided to go with a spooky theme of sorts. Along with a bit of crack. You'll see what I mean.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.

Summary: Celebrating Halloween with Alex for the first time, Maggie was surely in for a treat. What she got instead was something else. "Babe," Maggie said. "That's a duck." "Not just any duck," Alex corrected her, proud grin and all. "It's a rubber duck." Alex & Maggie. Romance/Humor.

*** ~ Pumpkin Tactics ~ ***

Maggie ran. And ran. And ran.

What started off as an easy NCPD and DEO joint mission to capture a lone alien causing National City trouble quickly turned into a nightmare of untold proportions. Initial reports indicated their target was holed up in the warehouse district of the city, alone and unarmed. Yet when they arrived there to detain him, one alien suddenly multiplied into dozens, the NCPD and DEO instantly finding themselves outnumbered three to one.

It was madness.

"Alex!" Maggie shouted, her heaving breaths burning as she sprinted through the chaos in search of her fiancé. They had been side by side when they first got swarmed, but the moment Alex saw their original target trying to escape amongst everything, the DEO agent chased after him.

"Maggie."

Catching a glimpse of short, auburn hair, Maggie propelled herself in that direction, her stride never faltering, the gun grasped in her white knuckle grip at her side the entire time. Rounding the corner she thought she last saw Alex disappear around, Maggie immediately came to a sliding halt, a scream stuck in her throat. Not even fifteen feet away from her was Alex, the agent's eyes closed, her head lolled limply to the right. Flush against her fiancé's back, with an arm snaked around Alex's waist was the alien they were originally sent to capture, the abomination's fangs buried deep in the left side of the brunette's neck. Twin trails of crimson ran down Alex's neck as the alien feed off of her noisily, Maggie's whole world shattering in that instant.

"Sweetheart, wake up."

"LET HER GO!"

At her roar, eyes as black as night snapped open, the albino looking alien dropping Alex and hissing at Maggie. Acting purely on instinct, Maggie's gun came up in an arc, her trigger finger twitching twice before the abomination squealed horrendously, a bullet lodged in its throat and forehead. Ignoring the thud the alien's corpse made as it hit the ground, Maggie darted towards her unmoving fiancé, coming to sliding stop on her jean clad knees next to Alex. Hands trembled as she turned the DEO agent's body over, Maggie's eyes wet with tears as she pulled the brunette's upper body onto her lap.

"B-Babe," she stuttered, one hand pressed to the wound on Alex's neck, the other pulling the unresponsive woman that much closer to her. "Talk to me!"

Getting nothing, no cough, no twitching fingers, nothing, Maggie shook Alex as hard as she could bring herself to do, sobs bubbling in her throat.

"Alex, please!"

Trying to remember what she was supposed to do in a situation like this, Maggie fumbled to keep enough pressure on Alex's neck wound, at the same time trying to feel for a pulse.

"Don't you dare die on me, Danvers!" Maggie exclaimed, her vision almost complete distorted with tears at this point. "You're stronger than this! You grew up with Supergirl for Christ's sake! You even trained with her! So wake up!"

"Maggie."

Feeling a slight movement from the woman in her arms, Maggie held her breath, her watery gaze narrowing in on Alex's face. She started badly when a pale, cold hand grabbed at her shoulder, its grip nearly agonizing as it anchored itself to her as she looked at it. Chocking out a pained gasp, Maggie turned back to Alex's face again to find the brunette's eyes open, but to her horror, instead of meeting a familiar chocolate brown gaze, all she saw was black.

"A-Al-"

The body in her arms surged upwards, fangs bared, straight for her neck.

Maggie lurched backwards with a yell, arms and legs flailing as she hit the ground on her back, the breath knocked from her lungs.

"Maggie!"

Disoriented and completely terrified of the shadow looming over her, instincts took over once again, Maggie swinging her left leg out and sweeping her attacker off of their feet. The person barely thudded to the floor with an audible ompf before she was upon them, her knees straddling their waist, her left arm pressed up against their throat. With her right hand balled in the fist in the air ready to unleash hell, Maggie only froze when she found herself looking into wide open hazel coloured eyes. Eyes that were familiar and comforting. Eyes that were not black.

"A-Alex?"

"That sounds like one hell of a nightmare," Alex said, the two of them now hanging out in the kitchen of Alex's apartment.

Sticking her hand into the freezer momentarily, Maggie pulled out a bag of frozen peas before she made her way over to her fiancé on the other side of the floating island. Alex currently sat on one of the bar stools, nursing a bump on the back of her head.

"You're telling me," Maggie said, gently pressing the bag to the said bump. She frowned at the minute wince her fiancé was unable to hide.

"Babe, I-"

"Maggie, I'm fine," Alex interrupted, reaching up to cover Maggie's hand, the one holding the makeshift icepack to her head. "It's just a bump on the head. Nothing serious."

"But-"

"Maggie."

Maggie's eyes immediately dropped to the floor, her lips trembling. Only when two hands, one warm and one cold, took the frozen bag of vegetables from her to set it down on the counter top did she raise her gaze, Maggie allowing Alex to gently pull her in for a hug.

"I'm alright, Maggie," the DEO agent murmured in her ear. "And so are you."

Not trusting her voice with the overwhelming emotions bubbling within her, Maggie sank into Alex's embrace, burying her face in her fiancé's shoulder. To think that she almost lost this, twice now (because yes, even though it wasn't real, Maggie was no less terrified of losing Alex in her dream than in reality), it was just… Maggie couldn't even fathom what would happen to her if Alex died.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here," Alex said softly, a soothing hand rubbing circles on her back. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Closing her eyes to gather herself back up again, Maggie allowed herself to be held for just a bit longer before she pulled away, brushing away unshed tears.

"Sorry," she said, sniffling as discreetly as she could.

"For what?" Alex asked, head tilted to the side in genuine curiosity. That was such a Kara thing to do, Maggie chuckling to herself as she now realized where the Kryptonian had picked up that mannerism from.

"For this," Maggie explained, reaching out to put a hand on Alex's head, covering the bump. This time the DEO agent didn't even flinch, Maggie leaning in to kiss the injury.

"It's not your fault," Alex said.

Maggie gave her a look.

"Okay," the brunette said. "Let me rephrase that. You didn't mean to do it. You were having a nightmare and trying to defend yourself from a vampire. I should have known better than to encroach on your space like that, especially given your opponent."

"A vampire?" Maggie echoed, her eyebrows rising in surprise. She wrapped her arms around the back of Alex's shoulders. "Like those things you see in the movies? Aren't those just made up? How do you even know that's what a real vampire looks like?"

Alex merely chuckled.

"One," the DEO agent began. "We fight aliens on a daily basis. Is it really so surprising to learn vampires are real too? Just look at me. I'm sisters with Supergirl."

"A fair point," Maggie conceded, her thumbs tracing patterns on the brunette's shirt. "You still haven't told me how you know what vampires look like in the first place."

"Well," Alex said, Maggie not missing the way the agent's hand came up to the left side of her neck, covering it. "Let's just say I speak from personal experience."

Leaning backwards a bit, Maggie reached for Alex's hand before pulling it away from her neck.

"Is that where you got these from?" she asked, referring to the two small, mostly faded scars on the side of fiancé's neck. Maggie had noticed them a long time ago, but given their line of work, they could have been from any number of things. So Maggie never asked about them.

Until now.

"A long story for another time," Alex said, the DEO agent rising to her feet before taking Maggie into her arms again. "For now, how about you and me just relax and enjoy the rest of the day off? You've had a long week, Maggie. You need a break."

Maggie leaned into Alex's embrace, a soft laugh escaping her lips as the two of them swayed side to side to some unheard rhythm.

"Says the woman who works just as hard, if not harder than I do," Maggie retorted. Taking the hint that Alex wasn't quite ready to speak about that experience yet, Maggie made a mental note to bring up that tidbit at a later time.

Alex hummed, resting her head against Maggie's.

"Maybe," the brunette said in response to her previous statement.

Maggie smiled.

"Even so," the elder Danvers continued, Alex pulling back a bit to look at Maggie. "How about you and me take it easy today? You know, this being our first Halloween and all. Maybe we could do some of those cheesy coupley stuff people do on days like this."

"Cheesy coupley stuff?" Maggie repeated, laughing.

"Yeah," Alex said, absolutely beaming.

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know," the DEO agent said, a smirk stretching across her face. "Gorge on candy? Carve some pumpkins? Watch those awful horror movies the kids are into nowadays?"

Maggie almost snorted at those suggestions, especially because between the two of them, Alex was the one with the sweet tooth. Don't even get her started on her fiancé's more nerdy attributes.

"Carving pumpkins sounds like fun," Maggie said.

A glance to the counter top behind Alex.

"Though it seems you've already beaten me to it. Was that what you were doing when I passed out on the couch earlier?"

Turning her head to follow Maggie's line of sight, Alex smiled. On the floating island counter top was a couple of pages of newspapers spread out, pumpkin pieces and seeds neatly piled on one end of the counter, with a what Maggie assumed to be the pumpkin itself on the other end, hidden under a kitchen towel. Maggie first spotted that mess when she went for the substitute ice pack, but it wasn't until now that she really had a good look at things.

Alex smirked.

"It was either that or finish up some reports," the DEO agent said, turning them both towards the messy counter top. "And as much as I love what I do…"

"Reports suck," Maggie finished for her soon-to-be wife.

"Exactly."

Leaning in, Alex gave Maggie a peck on the cheek.

"I love you so much, you know that?"

Maggie couldn't hide the smile on her face even if she tried.

"Love you too, Danvers."

Grabbing the back of Alex's neck and pulling her in to steal another, albeit deeper kiss, soon they were separating again, all smiles, Maggie reluctantly turning back to the mess on the counter top to pick up a pumpkin piece.

"Can I see it?"

Examining the piece in her hand like the good detective she was, Maggie's brow furled when she couldn't make out any discernible shape from it.

"It's not finished yet," Alex said, interrupting Maggie's examination. "And I don't usually show anyone it until it's finished."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Alex said bashfully, the agent rubbing the back of her neck. "It's kind of a tradition between Kara and I since we were kids. We'd each carve out our own scary pumpkin, and whoever's pumpkin was scarier, got half of the other's candy that year. It's silly."

"It's not silly," Maggie said, taking Alex's fidgeting hands and holding it between her own. "I think it's cute."

"Really?" Alex asked, hesitant. "You don't think it's stupid?"

"Alex," Maggie chided softly. She tucked a lock of hair around the brunette's ear. "I think it's great you and Kara share something like this. It's special."

"You're special too you know," Alex said, pulling up their joined hands to kiss the back of Maggie's. That action had a faint blush rising to her cheeks, Maggie still in awe at how weak in the knees the DEO agent made her feel with simple gestures like that.

"Which is why you're going to be the first person to see it, even though it's not done yet," Alex murmured close to her ear before dropping another quick peck on the cheek.

Maggie laughed. "You going soft on me, Danvers?"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, Alex smiled as she rested her head against Maggie's.

"Only for you," the brunette said. "You ready?"

Maggie nodded, excitement thrumming in her veins. While neither of them were artists, in the artsy sort of way, both of them were perfectionists, Alex more so. Couple that determination with the agent's uncanny knife throwing abilities and her various medical degrees, Maggie knew to expect something truly fantastic from her fiancé. Because really, that's just how Alex was. Nothing short of fantastic.

Sneaking in one more kiss because that was the sap she was, Alex reached out and pulled off the kitchen towel in one fluid motion, revealing the masterpiece beneath.

"So what do you think?" Alex asked, barely repressed excitement in her tone.

"It's…" Maggie began. Turning to look at her fiancé, she found the woman looking at her so earnestly, making her bite her lip in hesitation.

Lines were smooth and flawless, shapes cut out with exact precision. Multilayered and carved with care, Maggie had never seen something so masterfully done before, to a pumpkin or anything else. For the bits still unfinished, permanent marker lined those parts like a detailed schematic, a scalpel (amongst other cutting implements) laying in wait on the counter next to the orange fruit.

It was a work of art.

Truly.

Yet one thing was bothering Maggie.

"Babe," she said. "That's a duck."

"Not just any duck," Alex corrected her, proud grin and all. "It's a rubber duck."

"I see that." Maggie replied, her shocked gaze roaming the half carved pumpkin in front of her. Had it not been for the subject matter, she would have convinced Alex to enter her pumpkin in a pumpkin carving contest, if not show everyone at the DEO just how talented she was. But this… this was-

"You like?" Alex asked, looking at Maggie adoringly.

Oh boy. This was going to be interesting conversation.

"Can I ask you something, Danvers?" Maggie asked, stalling. How could she put this in a nice way without hurting Alex's feelings?

Alex nodded, still smiling at her.

"Why a duck?" Maggie said in the end, deciding to bite the bullet and just go for it. "I know you've got some serious carving skills, what with you being a badass secret agent and all, but how is that supposed to be scary?"

Looking back at the very detailed yet half carved rubber duck pumpkin staring at her from the kitchen counter, Maggie couldn't but wonder what she was missing in all of this. She was a detective for freaks sake and even she was drawing a blank here.

"Oh Maggie," Alex said chuckling, taking Maggie's reaction better than expected. In fact, the DEO agent didn't even seem the least bit insulted or angry about the question, Alex instead giving Maggie a playful squeeze on the shoulder.

"Just because you aren't afraid of rubber ducks doesn't mean other people aren't."

Maggie truly snorted this time.

"Who the hell would ever be afraid of those?"

"You'd be surprised," was Maggie's response, Alex smiling at her knowingly.

"Seriously?"

A shrug.

"Some things are just that scary."

Before Maggie could even counter the absurdity of this whole thing, a knock echoed through the apartment, interrupting the conversation. A knock on the glass balcony doors.

"Supergirl?" Maggie said in confusion, after realizing who it was.

The said superhero smiled and waved, what looked to be a freshly baked Tiramasu held up in her left hand, a white grocery bag hanging from her left elbow.

"Special delivery for Maggie Sawyer!" Kara chirped as she walked into Alex's apartment, fully clad in her Supergirl gear.

Maggie turned to Alex.

"I called Kara earlier and asked her to pick up a few things when you were napping," the DEO agent explained. Taking the dessert from her sister, Alex rested it on the kitchen counter top next to her pumpkin, the Kryptonian's attention immediately diverting to the grocery bag hanging from her arm while Alex did that.

"I figured with the week that you had, you could use a treat."

"Aww babe," Maggie said, feeling all sentimental. "You guys didn't have to do that."

"I know," Alex said, pulling Maggie in for another warm hug. "But we wanted to."

"Thank you," Maggie said, feeling a bit choked up. "Both of you."

Maybe it was just because of the week she had, the stresses finally getting to her, or maybe it was because she was truly a softie inside, whatever it was, Maggie swallowed back the lump in her throat, blinking back tears as she nuzzled into her fiancé's hold, squeezing her tightly.

"You don't have to thank us," Kara said, beaming brighter than the sun. "You deserve it after all the hard working you've been doing. Which is why I picked up your favorites."

Reaching inside the white bag and holding up the items for Maggie's inspection, Kara turned back to her cheerily. "Vegan ice cream, a bottle of scotch, and tiramisu from the baker down on 5th Ave- Eek!"

Maggie had barely enough time to process the terrified squeak which came from the superhero before there was the buzz of Heat Vision zipping past her and an explosion of epic proportions. In almost slow motion, Maggie watched as twin beams of super hot blue struck Alex's half carved, rubber ducky themed pumpkin for a split second before the winter squash literally detonated, a mushroom cloud of orange showering everything within a five foot radius with half vaporized pumpkin bits, guts and all.

Shell shocked and complete flabbergasted at what just happened, Maggie could only stare at her unusually calm fiancé in wonder, bits of exploded pumpkin – seeds and everything – covering the both of them, on top of half of the kitchen and apartment entryway. Surprisingly, the tiramisu was left completely unscathed, Maggie uncertain if that was just luck or a foreshadowing of something even more awful yet to come. A pale faced Supergirl stood just out of pumpkin gore blast range looking at the mess in horror.

"Like I said before," Alex said, as cool as a cucumber. "There are some things that are just that terrifying."

Silence.

"Who wants some dessert?"

A/N: I truly believe Maggie is a total softie on the inside, despite her strong and fierce exterior. That was really evident with the whole saving Alex debacle, when they said 'I love yous' for the first time. I kind of wanted to explore that a bit more here. And write some fluff. Don't forget the fluff. XD

As for Kara's unusual fear of rubber duckies, I can totally imagine Alex playing so many (harmless, mostly) pranks on Kara when there were kids, just at the start when she didn't know if she liked/accepted Kara yet. And Kara, not knowing of Earth's culture and what not, didn't know any better and hence suffered through them all. Then, once Alex accepted her new sister, at that point, Kara finally understood the concept of pranks and got Alex back. Somewhere in between, due to an early childhood prank/trauma that was pretty hilarious to everyone but Kara at the time, that's when she developed her fear of rubber ducks. XD

Given it's practically the one year anniversary of this series, I couldn't resist referencing my first drabble in this one.

This drabble was based on the Halloween prompt: "Look, I know you've got some skills in pumpkin carving but why carve a duck out of all things?"

On a random note, pumpkins (commonly referred to as winter squash) are actually fruits. Who knew? XD

Happy Halloween everyone!