Rowan experiences the not so awesome side of preschool while Maggie panics and Alex finds herself surprisingly cast as the level-headed parent. Also, Alex gets an unexpected call and the villains that have been lurking in the shadows surrounding our little family, will finally come into the light! And, does Lena know something the rest of them don't?
It was inevitable.
Only a matter of time, really.
And yet, Maggie had instantly become the "anxious" parent when the number to Rowan's daycare flashed across her phone screen. She answered before the second ring, voice strained with concern.
"Hello, Ms. Sawyer." The voice on the other end sounded far too pleasant to Maggie and she did her best to remain cordial.
"Ms. Martin, what can I do for you?"
"I was calling to see if either you or your fiancée might be available to pick Rowan up a little early today?"
Maggie glanced at the clock, noting she had dropped her daughter off less than three hours before. "Yes, of course I'll come get her. Is there any particular reason why?"
"Well we've had a bit of a flu bug going around and we think Rowan may have caught it. She wasn't herself this morning and our nurse informed me that she's running a slight fever."
"My poor baby." Maggie gasped, as she gathered up her purse and headed to her captain's office. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"Sounds good. I'll be sure she's ready to go."
"Thank you, Ms. Martin. See you in a bit."
Alex had been careful not to tease her fiancée about being overprotective when the tiny Latina had rushed into the DEO with their tinier, sicker Latina on her hip. She'd demanded Alex run every test, culture and examination to ensure their baby was suffering no more than a run of the mill variety of toddler germs.
The prudent agent did exactly as her mate requested though she was sure within a few minutes of checking her baby girl over that it was most likely a simple strain of flu. It was times such as these that Alex sorely wished her daughter's Kryptonian DNA would kick in.
Once the tests confirmed her suspicions, she'd informed Maggie of as much, the other woman doing all she could to soothe the fussy baby. She had fully intended to spend the next few days spoiling their daughter with cuddles, kisses and ice cream but the telltale shrill of her work phone banished all such thoughts.
A murder, of the alien variety had occurred, and while it didn't require the DEO's involvement, it did require hers. Luckily, J'onn, ever watchful of his adopted family, was more than happy to give Alex the next few days off to care for their daughter. Maggie had rushed off to work, heart aching at the tiny cries she left in her wake, and Alex had quickly hustled their grumpy baby home.
Now Alex sat, partially laid out on their living room couch, with a sleeping toddler drooling on her chest. The TV was muted, playing an old episode of Grey's Anatomy that Alex was only half watching. Ever so often, Rowan would shift in her sleep, tiny nose whistling with each congested breath. She hated seeing her sweet little girl wracked with chills and feeling so miserable. Rowan seemed so small, her footie Supergirl pajamas barely warding off the chills. Alex pulled the blanket tighter around them, pressing a gentle kiss to her daughter's warm forehead.
Her phone began buzzing beside her and she scooped it up without a glance, assuming it to be Maggie checking in. The name that greeted her instead was more than a little surprising.
"Ruby?"
"Alex? Alex, I need you!"
The urgency in the girl's voice had her on instant alert. She sat up as gently as she could, careful not to jostle Rowan with her movements. "Sweetie, what's going on? Where's your mom?"
"I don't know!" Came the shrill reply. "She picked me up early from school and took me ice skating. But when I went to get some hot chocolate she was gone! I called her a bunch of times. Jess said she wasn't at work, either. And Aunt Lena is still in Europe!"
Alex tried to take in as much information as she could, knowing the girl wouldn't have called unless she was truly in need. "Alright, Rubes, it's gonna be okay. We'll find your mom but first I'm gonna come get you okay?"
"Okay."
"Where are you?"
"The National City Hockey rink."
"I'll be there as soon as I can." Alex promised, even though she hated the idea of taking her sick daughter out. Still Ruby needed her and she had grown to love the girl as her own.
"Thanks, Alex." Ruby sniffed before the line went dead.
Alex laid Rowan down gently on the couch as she ran around the apartment in preparation to leave. She cast a disparaging glance downward at her washed out NCPD hoodie and leggings deciding it would simply have to do. Jamming her feet into old pair of converse, she shrugged on a leather jacket before moving back to the couch.
"Baby? Can you wake up for me?"
"Ieiu?" The toddler mumbled sleepily, as Alex sat her up.
"Hi sleepy girl." Alex smiled softly as she gently pulled a hoodie on over the girl's pajamas. "I know you don't feel well but we have to go out for just a few minutes okay?"
The whiny grumbles that Rowan gave her in response signified that it was most certainly not okay. Nevertheless, she settled back into a fitful sleep against Alex's shoulder before the pair had even reached the parking garage.
"Pearson?" the agent in question hastened to her side as she exited the elevator. "I need to step out for a moment."
"Yes, ma'am." Pearson quickly tapped his earpiece, informing his partner that he was following Alex out and to remain watchful of the apartment. "I'll maintain a respectful distance."
As much as Alex hated the idea of a security detail, they still had no way of knowing what Lillian's true intentions for their daughter were and while Reign had not been spotted for a few weeks, the threat was still very real. As she made her way through the garage towards a large black SUV with paper plates, the agent was suddenly very grateful she and Maggie had finally decided on a family vehicle the week before.
Maggie had been impressed with the plethora of safety features the Cadillac offered whereas Alex had loved the sleek look, plush leather seats, and large engine. The vehicle also boasted an impressive three rows of seats, perfect for the "Super Friends" annual summer road trip to Midvale. Alex couldn't wait to introduce her daughter to the wonders of surfing and sandcastles. She quickly deposited her daughter in the bright Supergirl booster in the back, tucking Ice Cream into her arms before she hopped in the driver's seat and headed out. She knew that Pearson would be following in an unmarked vehicle, ever intent in his mission to keep his fellow agent and her family safe.
"Rubes?" The girl in question looked up from her spot by the rink. She had been sitting there for who knows how long, the rink's security guard offering little comfort.
Ruby knew that Alex and Maggie had adopted a little girl but she was still shocked by the image moving towards her: Alex, casually dressed with messy hair, pushing her way through the crowd with the cutest, grumpiest toddler Ruby had ever seen.
Before Ruby could run to the older woman, the guard decided to butt in.
"Are you the girl's mother?" He asked, voice gruff as he placed himself between Alex and Ruby.
Alex's face set into a frown as she thrust her badge at the guard, all while managing to balance the little girl gently on her hip. "Agent Danvers. I'm a family friend, the person Ruby just called less than twenty minutes ago."
The guard gave Alex a once over, sneering at her attire as well as the small child she was currently bouncing. "You don't look like much of an agent."
"Look, buddy," Alex growled, placing a soothing hand on her daughters back when the child whimpered at her tone. "I had to bring my sick kid out to a freezing hockey rink because Ruby needed me here. Now I'm going to take her home and you are gonna get the hell out of my way. Got it?"
The man visibly flinched back from the vitriol in Alex's voice and Ruby took the chance to slip by him. She wrapped her arms around the taller woman's waist, trying not to be too offended by the daggers the little girl was glaring at her. Ruby followed Alex out to the parking garage, shocked to see the woman heading for a very suburban looking vehicle.
Sure, her mom drove an SUV, perfectly suited for carpools and all the teen's sports equipment. But her mom had always been, well a mom, so the girl hadn't thought much of it. Alex, on the other hand...
The agent had always seemed so cool, with her leather jackets and her undercut and her motorcycle. She had even found another badass woman to marry! Nothing about Alex had ever screamed "mom" to Ruby and now here she was: with the cranky baby and the sensible car, a "Baby On Board" sticker affixed to the back window! Granted, the sticker was kind of cool, a tiny skull and crossbones with a pink bow beneath the words, but still. Ruby was not sure what to make of this new version of her hero.
Once the trio reached the car, Alex made introductions.
"Rubes, this is my daughter Rowan. And Ro-Ro," she tickled the baby's tummy gently, earning the tiniest of smiles. "This is Ruby. She's a good friend of Mama and Ieiu's. Her Mama is lost and we're gonna help find her."
Rowan looked mildly intrigued by the bit about the girl's mother but was still unwilling to play ball. She whined and pouted as she was buckled in, all but ignoring Ruby. Alex seemed mildly embarrassed by her daughter's cold demeanor.
"Sorry, Rubes. She's usually a lot friendlier but she caught a bug at school and had just lain down when I got your call. I promise she'll be your best friend once she's feeling more herself."
"It's okay." Ruby assured her as Alex hopped into the driver's seat. "I still can't believe you're a Mama!"
"Ieiu."
"What?"
"Maggie is Mama," Alex clarified with a proud smile. "I'm Ieiu."
"Is that another language or something?" Ruby asked.
"It's actually the Kryptonian word for mother," Alex replied, glancing in her rearview mirror to note her daughter was once again fast asleep. "Supergirl taught it to her. I think Rowan is almost as big a fan as you!"
"We'll see about that!" Ruby teased back, though her mood quickly grew somber as she fingered the Supergirl crest around her neck. Her mother had given it to her just a few months before and she had yet to take it off. The memory made her miss her mother even more.
As if sensing the change in mood, Alex spoke up. "I'm gonna do everything in my power to find your mom and we'll figure out was going on with her. You guys are part of our family now and we won't let anything bad happen to you or your mom."
"She was fine this morning. She was just, just mom, you know?" Ruby mumbled as tears threatened to fall. "I know she wouldn't just leave me, she would never do that."
Alex reached a hand across the car and laced it with Ruby's before pulling their joined hands to her for a soft kiss. "Your mom is the best and she loves you very much. Don't lose hope okay?"
"Okay..."
The uncertainty of what was to come hung heavily in the air, the only sounds permeating the silence being Rowan's adorable little snores from the back. Alex kept her hand in Ruby's all the way back to the apartment, offering quiet support until which time she could offer some true answers.
Maggie approached the door to her family's home exhausted and worried, not just about their little girl but also the spunky teen who had become part of their extended family. Alex had called her not long after they'd returned to apartment, apologetic for taking Rowan out sick but staunch in her belief that the other child needed her protection as well. Maggie often wondered if she could ever love Alex more, then the agent would go and do something so warm and selfless that her heart would swell once again.
Nodding to Pearson once again stationed at the door, she quietly slipped inside surprised to find the two girls cuddled on the couch. Rowan sat comfortably in the older girl's lap snuggling Ice Cream while Moana played on their flat screen. Alex had mentioned their daughter being standoffish initially but having warmed to Ruby once the teen showed her Supergirl's crest around her neck. Now the pair seemed thick as thieves.
"Mama!" the little girl squealed when she noticed her, voice still congested.
Maggie smiled as she moved towards the couch. She lifted her baby from Ruby's lap and pressed a gentle to kiss to her forehead, still feeling the warmth of fever. At least the little one was smiling even if she wasn't quite feeling her best yet.
"Hi Babygirl! Are you feeling better?" Rowan's face dropped a little as she contemplated the question.
"Feels icky, Mama." She concluded with a pout, nuzzling under her mother's chin.
"Oh I know, Mija," the Detective cooed, running a hand up and down the baby's back. "Has Ieiu been taking good care of you?"
Maggie heard a snort coming from the direction of their kitchen and knew Alex could hear her question. There was no doubt in her mind that her mate was doing everything in her power to help their daughter feel better. She just wanted to give the agent a hard time.
"I has s'gettios and juice and we's watching Moana!" Rowan informed her, clearly excited about her lunch. Spagehettios had quickly become the little ones favorite meal besides pizza and potstickers.
"Well it sounds like Ieiu knows what she's doing." Maggie concluded, setting her daughter back on the couch.
Rowan immediately scrambled back into the older girls lap, uncaring if she might be contagious or not. Maggie just hoped the other girl wouldn't get sick. The kid had more than enough to worry about right now.
Ruby looked up at her with a shy smile as Rowan situated herself once more. "Hi, Maggie."
"Hey, kiddo." She reached out and squeezed the girl's shoulder softly. "Heard you had a rough day. You know we're doing everything we can, right?"
"I know." Ruby agreed sincerely. "Alex said the same thing."
"Course she did." Maggie gave the girl one more soft smile before she moved into the kitchen where she could hear Alex puttering around.
"Hey, babe." Alex immediately melted into Maggie's arms as soon as she was near. "Any leads on your end?" She asked when she pulled back.
"Her cellphone pinged at the hockey rink and her car was still there. No activity on her credit cards either." Maggie sighed wishing she had better news.
The NCPD had also been to Sam and Ruby's home looking for clues though they already knew the mother wasn't there. On their way back from the hockey rink, Alex had taken the girl home to pick up clothes for the next few days as well as her laptop and soccer equipment. No one knew where Sam was or how long she would be gone so it was obvious the girl would be with them for the next few days.
"Anything from Winn or that weird blue guy?"
Alex couldn't help but laugh at Maggie's description of Brainiac. "Same as you I'm afraid. We couldn't even find her on a traffic cam! People don't just vanish Mags, not for any good reason. Though I do think The Legion knows more than their letting on..."
"Probably." Maggie groused, knowing the travelers from the future wouldn't reveal anything unless they deemed it necessary. "We'll just have to keep looking. Does Lena know?"
"Yeah, I got in touch with her earlier. She's headed back on her jet, convinced Kara not to come get her in lieu of keeping up the search here."
"Wow. Your sister's really whipped isn't she?"
"You have no idea!" Alex agreed with a wink.
In the past three months since Rowan had come into their lives, "Little Luthor" and "Little Danvers", as Maggie liked to call them, had begun spending even more time together. The tiny detective was sure the pair were dating, something both women vehemently denied!
Alex, on the other hand, chose not to push the issue knowing how difficult it had been for her to come to terms with having feelings for a woman. Still the agent secretly hoped it was true.
There was something about the youngest Luthor that brought out a light in Kara, a light that Alex had noticed dimming in recent years. Lena made her sister happy and that was enough for Alex, whether the pair defined their relationship or not.
Her thoughts turned back to Sam and the agent sighed deeply. Despite the circumstances, she was glad to have Ruby under her roof, knowing the girl was safer with them than anywhere else. She disentangled herself from Maggie and leaned over the kitchen counter. "Hey Rubes?"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't you get started on homework before dinner? It's been a long day so we should all probably turn in early okay?"
"Okay." Ruby agreed with a sigh, setting a grumpy Rowan down on the couch as she went to grab her backpack. "I'll be back in a bit." She assured Rowan as she shouldered her bag and trudged down the hall towards the guest room.
"Mama!" Maggie rolled her eyes with a soft smile, knowing exactly what her little one was demanding.
"Yes baby?"
"I misses you." Rowan whined, though she could have easily gotten off the couch and come to the kitchen where her parents were.
"Why don't I send Ieiu to come watch the movie with you while I finish dinner? I'm sure she could use a break."
"Yay! Come on Ieiu, come watches it!" Rowan exclaimed before dissolving into a coughing fit.
Alex gave Maggie a quick kiss as she grabbed the bottle of children's Tylenol and a juice box, then headed into the living room. Maggie watched Alex convince their daughter to take the medicine, promising a juice box and snuggles if the little one complied. Soon the pair were happily snuggled on the couch and both parents knew Rowan would be asleep in a matter of minutes.
Alex looked up and mouthed "Dinner?"
But Maggie shook her head with a smile. "I got it." She whispered back as Rowan's eyes began to droop.
Alex gave her a grateful smile in return as she settled back, rocking their daughter gently to sleep. The sight was one that never failed to warm her heart yet the detective couldn't shake the feeling that their family's luck was about to run out.
"Dammit." Maggie muttered as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, eyes never leaving the glass window outside the medbay. It sill boggled her mind how they had ended up here...
Maggie had just finished up dinner when Pearson informed her there was a visitor requesting entry who wasn't on the pre-approved list. When he'd said the name "Samantha Arias", Maggie had all but yanked the door open, startling the agent! She and Sam didn't know each other well but seeing the woman whole and seemingly unharmed, Maggie couldn't help but hug her.
"Jesus, Sam! Where have you been? We were all worried sick!"
"I...um..." Sam wrinkled her brow as she tried to retrace her steps from the last few hours. "I was at L-Corp?"
Maggie frowned at the other woman's questioning tone. Something was wrong, very wrong.
She pulled Sam gently inside, calling for Alex who had just taken Rowan into her room. The agent trundled down the hallway, thinking her fiancée was announcing dinner. She was wholly unprepared to find Sam sitting on her couch, glancing around the room in confusion.
"Sam?" She rushed to embrace the woman as her fiancée had. "Holy shit, Sam! What happened to you?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Sam demanded, tone icy. Alex was taken aback by her tone and Maggie was shocked by the woman's change in demeanor.
"Hey, Sam...I just...we were just worried." Alex tried to explain, even as she placed herself between Sam and Maggie.
"Well, don't." Sam retorted, rising quickly from the couch. "I just came to get Ruby."
Alex and Maggie exchanged a concerned look before the agent spoke up again. "I think you should get checked out first Sam. You're not yourself."
The tall brunette scoffed in response, seeming to tower over the other two women. "You think you know me?" Sam's eyes suddenly glowed red as she grabbed the agent by the front of her hoodie and lifted her off the ground!
"Alex!" Maggie was afraid to get too close, afraid Sam would hurt Alex if she felt threatened. She quickly reached into her pocket and pressed the panic button on her phone, knowing it would alert both Kara and the agents outside.
"Sam!" Alex gasped, hands clutching the woman's wrist to no avail. "This isn't you!"
"You're right." The brunette sneered, dropping the agent roughly. "Samantha is gone... and I will Reign."
"Shit!" Alex exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.
"Bring me Samantha's offspring and the child you claim to be your own. They will rule beside me. You cannot hope to fulfill their destinies, human."
Maggie's eyes widened in horror at the the thought of Reign taking both children for her violent crusade. Alex glanced over her shoulder and mouthed "Go!", spurning the detective into action! She sprinted down the hallway to grab the girls, knowing Alex would do everything in her power to hold Sam off until help arrived.
Of course, Alex had done her best to distract Sam until Kara got there, Pearson and Anderson joining the fray but also unable to stop the rogue Kryptonian. Kara had arrived with Lena in tow, shocked to discover her new friend was actually her nemesis. Lena, on the other hand, had not only appeared unsurprised but also came prepared for such a threat.
Once she knew that Alex would be okay, Maggie was sure to ask Lena how long she had suspected Sam's alter ego. The fact that Sam was currently in a lab beneath L-Corp, in a cell specifically designed to contain a Kryptonian, led Maggie to believe that Lena had suspected the cause of Sam's blackouts for some time.
Ruby was understandably upset, having exited the bedroom despite Maggie's protests, to find her mother practically standing on Alex's chest, eyes glowing a fiery red! Now the teen lay sleeping in Alex's DEO quarters, a vigilant Kara stationed just outside.
When her daughter had burst into the living room, Sam had been distracted for the moment, giving Kara just the window she needed to subdue the other woman. J'onn shoved through the door not a minute later, scooping Alex up and rushing her to the DEO, ignoring her insistence that she was "Fine."
Maggie turned her attention back to the window. On the other side of the glass wall, Alex was arguing with Hamilton about whether or not a cracked sternum and bruised trachea required an overnight stay at the DEO. Both Maggie and the doctor agreed that it most certainly did, but Alex would not be Alex if she weren't inclined to disagree. The two continued to debate in hushed voices, Rowan tucked against her mother's side fast asleep. Maggie sighed before heading back inside to intervene.
"We are not leaving the DEO, Danvers." Maggie stated, keeping her voice low too.
"Mags..."
"No, don't even try it Alex. The DEO is the safest place for all of us right now but especially you, since you keep breaking bones I didn't even know you could break!"
"It's not broken," Alex pouted, "just cracked."
"And you think that sounds better?" Maggie scoffed, arms crossed over her chest. "You literally had a super powered being standing on your chest less than four hours ago! The same alien who almost killed you a few months before that. An alien that is apparently some dormant Kryptonian code embedded in our friend who wants our daughter to help her take over the world!"
Maggie couldn't help the rising panic she was currently feeling. She knew she had to be strong right now: for Alex, Kara, Ruby and most importantly their daughter. But the thought that their happy, domestic bubble had finally burst in such a spectacular manner, shook the detective to her core. Truthfully, she was sure it would have been Lillian who would come and destroy everything, Sam had never even entered into her mind.
"Babe," Alex, reached out for Maggie sensing her distress. She struggled to sit up with the tight bandages wound around her torso and their daughter pressed against her side.
"Hey, no, don't do that." Maggie chastised her gently, pressing the agent back into bed. "I'm okay, I just need you to be okay."
"I'm okay, I promise." Alex assured her, voice slightly raspy due to her bruised throat. "The worst part is the giant hematoma on my a-s-s."
"Did you just spell out 'ass', Danvers?" Maggie asked with a giggle.
"Well yeah," Alex huffed back, displeased with Maggie's response. "Little ears are always listening." She concluded, gesturing to their sleeping daughter.
"God, you're such a nerd."
"Your nerd." Alex asserted, craning her neck up to kiss Maggie.
"Yeah," she laughed as they parted. "Lucky me."
