Russian-North Korean Border
Nikolai and Kara were in military uniform as they waited for the North Korean helicopter to land at the designated spot. "They're late," Kara said annoyed.
"What else is new?" Nikolai muttered.
The helicopter finally landed and a North Korea general came out with a squad of troops with him. He had a stern no-nonsense look. "I am the director's interpreter," Kara said to the North Korean general in Korean.
He nodded but gave Kara an odd look. "Your Supreme Leader will be meeting with President Trump for a summit in Hanoi. You will tell the Supreme Leader there will be no deal no matter how favorable the terms may be. That is Russia's position," Nikolai said to him.
Kara interpreted Nikolai into Korean. "You have little leverage with North Korea. We will not be taking orders from Moscow," the North Korea general replied.
Kara rolled her eyes and interpreted the general to Nikolai in Russian. "We have Supergirl. So don't fuck with us," Nikolai said to him.
The North Korean general gave Nikolai a doubtful look. "Show him," Nikolai ordered Kara.
Kara smirked and then powered-up to Prime incinerating her military uniform revealing her suit underneath. Kara then used her heat vision to destroy an entire row of trees. "She can drop into Pyongyang and nuke it with her body alone. We will, of course, deny everything," Nikolai said.
"Our nation is on the verge of fiscal collapse. Our people are starving. We need this deal," the North Korean general replied becoming serious.
"Your nukes are the only thing keeping you from being invaded by the Americans, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the South Koreans. Russia will not accept a unified Korea allied with the West," Nikolai told him.
"You're bluffing," the North Korean general doubted.
"How about Supergirl takes little Kim to the square and spanks him in front of his entire army?" Nikolai asked him.
"I'll do it too," Kara said seriously. "He can't hide from my vision."
The North Korean general looked pale. "I'll tell the Supreme Leader Russia's position," he relented and went back to his helicopter.
Nikolai gave Kara his coat to hide her Supergirl suit. "Go ahead to Vladivostok. Go shopping."
"Thanks, Dad," she said as she took his government Debit card.
Metropolis
Nia confronted Menagerie in a parking lot as she was following a rich lady. Nia powered-up her hands for a strike. Menagerie then turned to find Supergirl cutting her off. Menagerie unleashed her alien snake only to have Hank punch the snake in the face knocking it out. Hank then forced Menagerie up against a pillar.
"Where are the Elite?" Hank demanded.
"Like I would tell you," Menagerie refused.
"Tell us or eat this," Nia said with an energy orb in her hand.
"Take it easy," Mara scolded.
"Yeah, chill the fuck out," Hank agreed.
"Really?" Nia asked. "After everything you two have done?"
"This is getting really awkward for me," Menagerie said as they argued.
"The Elite can't run forever," Hank said to her. "Tell us where they are, and we may go easy on you," Hank lied.
"You hurt me, and Hat will use his hat to transport you to the fifth dimension," Menagerie said to him.
"Last chance, bitch," Hank said as his eyes glowed red.
Mara and Nia watched as Hank mind-raped Menagerie of all her information. "You know what this smells like? It smells of hypocrisy," Nia said to Mara as Menagerie began to scream in terror.
Washington DC
Vice President Pence came to the podium in DC while President Trump was gone in Hanoi. "Even though President Trump has repealed the Alien Amnesty Act by executive order, it is still tied up in the courts. Until the courts resolve this, I will chair the executive's alien-human relations task force," Pence announced.
A laser bolt blasted away Pence's podium and scattered the press corp. Pence remained standing, looking for the shooter. Hat continued to fire on Pence but all of his shots were absorbed into Pence's body. "What the fuck is he?" Hat wondered.
"I don't know, but he's about to get a taste from my little friend," Black said firing his own laser pistol.
Supergirl dropped in and deflected the blast with her cape. "Thank you, Supergirl, even if it was unnecessary," Pence said to her.
"Do you see where they're shooting at you?" Hank asked Pence.
"Right there," Pence pointed out.
Mara fired heat vision at Hat and Black but it was deflected by the cloaked Yautja. Hat then used his hat to teleport the three of them away before Mara and Hank could get to them.
At the DEO, Col. Haley came up to Lena who was working in the lab. "I hear you have refused human trials," Col. Haley said crossly.
"The purification hasn't reached above 99%, yet. And considering my last trial destroyed a few city blocks, I wasn't wanting to take any chances with liability," Lena said.
"There is no liability, Miss Luthor. We don't exist and our agents don't exist," Col. Haley told her.
"Well, okay then. Start bringing them in," Lena allowed.
Hank brought Menagerie into the DEO in handcuffs. As he did, the DEO agents clapped on his return. "Please come back; these women are crazy," an agent begged Hank.
"Don't I know it," Hank agreed.
"Thank you for your efforts, Mr. J'onzz," Col. Haley said diplomatically.
"No sweat," Hank smiled.
Mara then entered the DEO in a business suit. "An anti-alien rally is scheduled for later today. It is being orchestrated by Ben Lockwood from wherever he is based at."
"Let's not give him any attention," Col. Haley said.
"On the contrary, we need to form a pro-alien march. The two groups coming together will be the perfect bait for Black and his associates," Mara rebuked.
"Too easy," Hank said.
"Many peaceful protesters on both sides could be caught in the cross-fire," Col. Haley said concerned.
Mara and Hank gave her a blank look. "And...we will weep for them...in the press," Mara assured her.
"Human beings are not your pawns," Col. Haley told her.
"This is happening whether you like it or not. You can decide whether you want your agents on standby or not," Mara told her.
Alex then joined the group. "We must find Ben Lockwood. Your new assignment is to find his location using whatever means necessary," Col. Haley ordered her. "I suspect he is being used by a foreign adversary of the United States. If we can expose him, his movement will collapse."
"With pleasure," Alex agreed and went right to it.
"Will Supergirl be taking sides in this march?" Col. Haley asked Hank.
"Supergirl stands for the American way and both sides are undoubtedly American," Hank pointed out.
"So, not likely," Mara seconded.
Moscow
Kara took Ben out for coffee in downtown Moscow. He was wearing a white suit and looked around uncomfortably. "You'll feel better if you always assume they're watching," Kara told him.
"How can you stand it?" Ben asked her.
"You assume the CIA, NSA, FBI, and so forth aren't doing the same?" Kara scoffed.
"There is no moral equivalency between us," Ben said stubbornly.
"And you think you will make Russia a better place by pointing all your nukes, guns, and super-heroes at us? You think we will be less paranoid by adding more-and-more superheroes to your roster? You think you will gain our cooperation by having NATO at our borders, kicking us out of the WTO, and putting sanctions on us?" Kara asked.
"We don't have all the superheroes," Ben said lamely.
"You have Hal Jordan, a US Air Force pilot. Barry Allen, the fastest man on Earth, is an American. Diana Prince is from Greece, but she works in DC and London. Victor Stone, the greatest computer hacker the planet has ever seen, was an all-American college football player. Arthur Curry is King of the Oceans, but his home is in Maine. Superman explicitly states he stands for the American Way. I don't know who Batman is but that mother-fucker is definitely American," Kara listed off.
"Maybe, you would have more superheroes if you didn't treat your people like shit," Ben suggested. As they were talking, Federal Security Service agents dragged a man away and quickly put him in a van that promptly drove off.
"I hang out with Putin. I'm deep with the Russian intelligence agencies. I pal around with Russian generals. You create real and fundamental change from the inside, not from the outside," Kara told him.
Metropolis
Hank waved his hand in front of a sleeping Nia still in her costume. "Does it usually take this long?" Hank asked impatiently.
"It varies," Mara said.
"Have you told her she doesn't need to wear the suit in private?" Hank asked her.
"No," Mara said flatly. "It's just a phase. I use to wear the suit even in my sleep. Besides, the suit is cool," Mara said.
"Cool for the 50s," Hank mocked.
"What's wrong?" Mara asked seeing his expression.
"Manchester has brought out feelings I haven't felt in a long time. I don't like feeling pride and sympathy for him. It makes it difficult for me to want to kill his ass," Hank admitted.
"It's natural to see the humanity in everyone," Mara said. "Even if it isn't there."
At the DEO, Col. Haley called Brainiac 5 over. "Agent Barney."
"Yes, Ma'am," Brainiac 5 said walking over to her.
"A pro-alien march has been organized to counter his rally. Someone by the name of American Alien is at the center of this one. I need you to hack into the message board and see if any extremists will be showing up to stir the pot," Col. Haley said.
"You want to stop the march?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"No, but with Lockwood exciting his base, this whole event could be a powder-keg," Col. Haley said concernedly.
"Well, his profile is superbly protected. Whoever it is must be an expert," Brainiac 5 complimented.
"It's you...isn't it?" Col. Haley realized.
"Your skills of deduction continue to surprise me, Colonel," Brainiac 5 smirked.
"You need to shut this down," Col. Haley said seriously.
"This is our best chance to catch Black, and I will remind you who truly runs this place," Brainiac 5 said to her.
Nia suddenly woke up. "They're in the fortress," she told them. "Or will be soon."
"I'll contact Supergirl. Get yourselves over there," Mara said to Hank and Nia.
At the fortress, the door was open allowing Black, Hat, and the Yautja to enter. "We should rescue Menagerie," Hat stressed.
"We do that and we'll be falling into their trap. No, fuck that," Black said. "Once we have defeated Supergirl, then we can assault the DEO."
"This is the belly of the beast. It's bound to hold the seeds of her destruction somewhere," Black said looking around.
"This is a hologram emitter," Hat said looking over a device.
"Supergirl has X-ray vision and J'onn can sense minds. We have to do better," Black said dismissively.
"Fighting Supergirl and the Martian Manhunter directly is suicidal," Hat told him.
"If we can't beat them physically, we can beat them emotionally. We find their weakness," Black said to him.
"I'm going to steal some cool shit and then I'm leaving with or without you before they show up here," Hat said to him.
"What happened to you, Hat?" Black asked dumbfounded. "Come on, vagina lips. We lost this one," Black said to the Yautja.
"Fuck you, man," Hat said and then teleported away.
Black collected a shield belt as he strolled around the fortress. "Manchester!" Hank shouted at him as he saw him. Black immediately took off with Hank in pursuit. Black fired at Hank only to have the bolt go through him. "That's new," Black frowned.
"So is this," Hank said punching Black to the floor. "This ends right now," Hank said with killer intent.
"You got that right," Black said and then opened a door. A tentacle monster grabbed him and closed the door.
"Well...shit," Hank realized.
The Yautja remained cloaked as he confronted Supergirl. With his plasma cannon, he blasted Mara to the floor. Mara quickly got up and blew frost breath on him freezing him in place and making him visible. "Yield or die," Nia said to the Yautja.
"Whoa, Nia, take it down a little," Mara scolded.
"Okay, yield or else," Nia rephrased.
Mara rolled her eyes. The Yautja broke free of the ice and leaped away. Nia blasted the Yautja with an energy beam sending him back to the floor. Mara then took a knee and punched the Yautja hard to the face knocking him out.
At the DEO, the Yautja was put in a cage by an armed escort. "What is the headcount for the march?" Col. Haley asked Brainiac 5.
"Over a thousand so far," Brainiac 5 answered.
"We need agents on the ground there," Col. Haley said seriously.
"Could we think of this march like the women's march? What if Federal agents were there to intimidate protesting women?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"You're fucking with me, right? You don't give a damn about anything or anyone but your research. That makes you dangerous to trust," Col. Haley said to Brainiac 5. "If anything goes wrong, it's on us."
"We're a secret organization that doesn't exist and is accountable to no one but the president," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"Some of us want what is best for the common good," Col. Haley told him. "I am requesting that you lead a team inside the march."
"I don't need a team. I will go alone," Brainiac 5 told her.
Hank, Supergirl, and Nia hung out at his PI office. "I still can't believe it. He ran straight into that room," Hank said dismayed.
"What was in there?" Nia asked.
"A baby sun eater. It feeds on the chemical composition of small stars. Basically, a living bomb," Mara said.
"Why the fuck would you have something like that?" Nia wondered.
"It's an endangered species," Mara excused.
"Could he have survived?" Nia asked ignorantly.
"Oh, no, he's dead as fuck," Hank said confidently.
"How are you feeling, J'onn?" Mara asked sympathetically.
"Disappointed I didn't get to kill him myself but also relieved," Hank said honestly.
"Sometimes, we don't know the impact people have on us until they're gone," Nia said reflectively.
Mara got up and walked off. "Sorry, did I trigger her?" Nia asked.
"Probably," Hank nodded. "I'm going to go look for Hat. He's still out there."
Nia went over to Mara who was staring out the window. "I'm sorry if I touched a nerve."
"No, you didn't and that's the problem. I spent years in the dream world reflecting and letting the pain fade away. Now, I feel nothing," Mara told her.
Brainiac 5 then entered the office and gave Nia and Mara an odd look. "I got nothing. He must be hiding in the fifth dimension making him untraceable," Hank said coming down the stairs.
"Or perhaps your abilities have weakened, J'onn," Brainiac 5 considered.
"Fuck you, Barney," Hank said scornfully.
"Will you be joining the march?" Brainiac 5 asked them all.
"I am one of the leaders," Hank said. Nia also nodded.
"I'm busy," Mara said vaguely.
"Why? You're the most powerful alien on the planet. Your presence would be...," Nia said.
"Distracting," Mara finished for her. "My reputation is still in the gutter for my acts as Reign."
"You explained yourself," Nia pointed out.
"It's not enough. I'm a lightning rod for the other side. I would only do the march harm," Mara said.
"I agree," Brainiac 5 took Mara's side.
"What will you be doing?" Nia asked Brainiac 5.
"I'll be watching both sides for any extremist elements," Brainiac 5 smiled.
"Our side isn't extremist," Nia rolled her eyes.
"Your naivety is adorable," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly. "As the organizer of the march, I now have critical information on all the participants."
"You are one scary mother-fucker," Hank remarked.
"Thank you, J'onn," Brainiac 5 said appreciatively. Brainiac 5 then turned to Mara. "You have a chance to make real change."
"I'm not marching," Mara told him.
"I know," Brainiac 5 said knowingly.
Businessmen, lobbyists, and political insiders attended a meeting in the Edge Industries conference room. As they all sat down, the chairman addressed Mara. "Thank you for hosting us this month, Miss Jade," the chairman said appreciatively.
"Of course," Mara replied politely.
Bruce Wayne then noticed his watch beep. He turned it on and looked at a video screen of Alfred. "Damien has stolen the car again."
"I'll be right there," Bruce said turning his watch off. He then stood up and addressed the gathering. "Apologies, but I have to deal with my bastard. Fatherhood can be a little unpredictable as you all know," Bruce said sheepishly.
"We would never hold it against you, Mr. Wayne," the chairman allowed.
As Bruce left the room, the chairman turned to the rest. "The Mueller report has already been leaked to us. Basically, it's a nothing-burger."
"Ha! In your face," the presidential adviser crowed to the Democratic National Committee Chairman.
"We will be running our own congressional investigation into the president independent of the executive," the DNC chairman replied instantly.
"And we will be running our own investigation into how this corrupt and preposterous investigation got started in the first place," the presidential adviser said smugly.
"That sounds like obstruction of justice. We may have to start an investigation into your investigation of our investigation," the DNC chairman shot back.
"Gentlemen. This distraction is preventing us from making lots of money. You want an infrastructure bill," the chairman pointed to the presidential adviser. "And you want a new health care bill," the chairman pointed to the DNC chairman. "Both of which will make us all hundreds of billions of dollars."
"Can we put partisan differences aside to make lots of money at taxpayer expense?" the chairman asked them.
The presidential adviser stood up and opened his palms in a gesture of reconciliation. The DNC chairman did the same. The chairman then brought them together and the two embraced with a genuine hug. The three then sat back down. "On to other business...," the chairman said.
"Miss Jade needs to give up her hold on the politicians. She has them all in her pocket," Daggot interjected.
"I believe you are out of order," Mara said dismissively.
"Indeed," the chairman said bored.
"You traffic drugs and weapons into America. If I shared my politicians with the likes of you, they wouldn't be friends with me for very long," Mara pointed out.
"You are kind of a scumbag, Mr. Daggot," the chairman agreed.
"How am I supposed to get my retard son into West Point without congressional support?" Daggot asked rhetorically.
"I don't like drugs and weapons in our children's schools. At least, not in my kid's private school," a business leader agreed with Mara.
The chairman sighed as he made his decision. "The drug and weapon trade shall be restricted, but Miss Jade must share some of her politicians," he ruled.
"Fine, whatever," Mara agreed.
"This alien situation has got out of hand in recent months. There are a protest and counter-protest going on in the streets as we speak," the chairman opened the discussion.
"Discrimination against aliens is bad for business. Many of them come to this planet with special skills and rare resources. We're losing them to the European Union. Hell, even Russia is getting a fair share of them and that's a shit-hole," one business leader said.
"An alien terrorist attack could hurt US markets. Remember what happened to the markets after 9/11," another business leader said.
"The president believes the democrats want to bring in a large pool of low-skilled alien refugees to this country to gain their votes even if it undermines our national security and cultural identity," the presidential adviser said.
"Is this true?" the chairman asked the DNC chairman.
"Yeah," he admitted. "But the president has genuine xenophobic racists advising him," the DNC chairman accused.
"Is this true?" the chairman asked the presidential adviser.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"Discrimination will be opposed but the flow of alien refugees into the US will be lowered," the chairman ruled.
"That could be difficult, but we'll hold congressional hearings to make it look like we are doing something," the DNC chairman agreed.
"Lastly, another vote is called to formally invite Lena Luthor," the chairman said without enthusiasm.
Half the room voted in favor and half the room voted against. "It's premature to invite her while her brother still has a cloud of suspicion over him," Mara pointed out.
The pro-Luthor side then reluctantly lowered their hands. "So, the invitation to Lena Luthor shall be tabled this month," the chairman ruled.
At an anti-alien rally, a large video screen of Ben Lockwood was displayed. "The aliens are here to march against our march, to quiet us. To silence you. I didn't know they had the right to do that? But hey, we're all learning. We're slow but we're learning. We're learning you apparently don't need a permit to do a protest march if you're an alien. It is us or them. Us or them," Ben said to them.
"Amnesty is not empathy. Allowing these aliens to come to our world is not an act of kindness. It is an act of sabotage. We can never allow the amnesty act to become law again," Ben added.
The rally chanted "Us or them" repeatedly. Ben then disappeared off the screen.
In Moscow, Alina motioned to cut the video feed to Ben. She then turned to Ben. "Good," Alina complimented him as he sat behind a desk with an American flag behind him.
"I'm having mixed feelings about this," Ben admitted.
"Oh really?" Alina smiled and then gave Ben the worst pain of his life as the water pressure in his bones slightly went up.
"Holy shit," Ben said stunned from the pain as he fell out of his chair.
"Cooperate with us or we'll do the same to your wife and child," Alina said to him. She then eyed the American flag. "Take that shit down," she said disgusted with it.
Back in Metropolis, Hank led an alien counter-protest march. Brainiac 5 was with Nia in the march. "This is tactically dangerous. Protest marches can become messy quickly," he said to her.
"I don't care. I'm going to be a part of this if you like it or not," Nia said determinedly.
The alien counter-protest march then collided with the anti-alien rally. MPD officers came in between them to stop either group from directly contacting the other. At the DEO, Alex worked on determining where Ben's video feed was coming from.
"It's been redirected through a number of false leads. This is beyond us," an analyst told Alex.
"Barney, we need you here," Alex radioed to him.
"Busy at the moment," Brainiac 5 said unconcernedly as he kept an eye on Nia.
"Keep working on it," Alex told her analyst.
Mara watched the protests from her building. The alien counter-protest wrapped around the city block dwarfing the anti-alien rally. "They think the size of their march gives them power," the chairman said amused as he saw the protest with her.
"Yes," Mara agreed sympathetically.
"How do you feel about it?" the chairman asked curiously.
"Pity," Mara replied.
A dozen Manchester Black duplicates entered the protest and addressed both crowds. "I say, find the nearest alien hater and kill them," all of them said at once. He had tricked Hank into thinking he had entered the baby star-eater room with his hologram emitter.
"Well...shit," Hank realized as both crowds went crazy.
"The revolution has started. Take your power back," Black said to the crowd.
"What the fuck is going on? I only sense one of him," Hank asked Brainiac 5.
"He's using advanced hologram technology," Brainiac 5 said simply and didn't even flinch as a hologram of Black went straight through him.
"Where's the real Manchester?" Hank asked.
"He must be close. The broadcast signal's range can't be beyond a city block," Brainiac 5 figured.
"Leave Manchester to me," Hank said dangerously and then took off.
Mara watched the news on her smartphone. "I've assessed the situation, and I'm leaving," she said to the chairman. "Talk to my secretary if you need anything."
"Of course, thank you," the chairman said to her as she left.
Hank went through the walls as he chased after Black. James continued taking pictures of the pandemonium. Hat handed out batons to random people as he walked into the chaos. "Hello, Hat. We meet again," Brainiac 5 said calmly.
Brainiac 5 went for his hat to take it from him. Hat quickly put on his hat and engaged Brainiac 5 in hand-to-hand combat. Brainiac 5 wrapped cables around Hat's body pinning his arms to his side. He then took off Hat's hat and put it on his own head.
"Give it back," Hat said as he struggled against the cables.
"You won't be needing it," Brainiac 5 said to him and then shot Hat in the head killing him.
"Okay, I'm ready for action," Nia said in her Dreamer costume. She then saw Hat dead on the floor. "Damn," she realized.
"Save that guy," Brainiac 5 pointed out a man being assaulted.
"Oh, you care now?" Nia scoffed.
"He's a reporter," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"Oh," Nia realized and then fired a beam at a Liberty thug saving the reporter.
"Thanks," the reporter said gratefully.
"It's...Dreamer," Nia told him.
Brainiac 5 smirked at Nia. "What?" Nia asked.
"Dreamer," Brainiac 5 mocked.
Hank hunted Black down inside the building. Black turned around and fired a laser bolt at Hank. It simply went through him. "Do you think my soul is worth saving, J'onn?" Black antagonize as he continued to fire.
"Why do I get the impression you're glad Fiona is gone?" Hank asked.
"Say what?" Black wondered.
"With her gone, it gives you an excuse to do all this," Hank pointed out.
"Well, when you're right, you're right," Black smiled insanely. "But you have the same excuse: Your wife and your daughter."
Hank smacked the laser pistol out of his hands and pushed Black back. A shield activated around Black protecting him. Hank then punched at Black knocking him back despite the energy shield. "I don't have time for this shit," Hank said tapping Black's forehead. Black fell unconscious and the hologram disappeared revealing a Liberty thug.
"Well...shit," Hank sighed.
James continued taking pictures of protesters fighting and helping each other. "Make sure you get a good shot," Supergirl said to him.
"Oh, I will," James said expertly.
Mara then got into view and allowed James to take pictures of her as she held up an Asian child in her arms. Mara then handed the kid over to an alien Asian woman as James took pictures. "Did you get that?" Mara asked James.
"Yep," James confirmed.
Police in riot gear and tear gas came to the rally site. "I would leave if I were you," Mara warned James.
James took a few more pictures and then took off as tear gas flowed into the room. Mara watched unaffected by the tear gas as the police started beating the shit out of both sides with batons.
Mara, James, and Lena walked together in Catco. "As the police began beating people, I felt both sides were united in their pain and suffering. It was beautiful," Mara remarked.
"Fortunately, neither of you were hurt. I would hate to have you both off the job on some bullshit disability claim," Lena said.
"Yes, we were both fine," James rolled his eyes.
Lena then saw James' photo of Supergirl carrying a crying Asian child. "Changing hearts and minds already," Mara said pleased.
"Be careful, James. She's still dangerous," Lena warned James and then walked off.
"She's going to be so pissed when she finds out," James said to Mara.
"When and if," Mara replied.
"Can I get an exclusive on your side-kick?" James asked Mara.
"Give me the questions, and I'll give you the answers," Mara allowed.
"Look at this," Asian reporter Takanawa said to James and Mara.
The three of them looked at the news. "In light of recent events in Metropolis, we will be holding congressional hearings on the alien question," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said to the press.
"Power of the press," Takanawa said naively.
"Power of the people," James added just as naive.
At the DEO, Alex continued to work on Ben Lockwood's video feed. "I think I found the location," her analyst finally determined. "It's Moscow."
"Fuck me," Alex realized stunned.
"It's far from conclusive," Brainiac 5 said argumentatively.
Alex turned to Brainiac 5 with a false smile. "Want to share anything with the class, asshole?" she asked him.
"Do not let your bias against Russia affect your judgment, director," Brainiac 5 said to her and walked off.
That night, Alex heard a knock on her door. She took out her pistol and opened the door slightly revealing Maggie Sawyer. "Oh, hi," Alex said opening the door for her.
"You were right about the kid's thing. I don't want to go through life alone and with nothing to show for it. Can we start again?" Maggie asked.
Alex felt mixed feelings of pain and joy. "Sure, let's give it another try," she embraced Maggie.