I don't own these characters; DC/the CW does.

4: On Behalf

Alex dressed up for her date with Fatinah, deciding on a little black dress. It would discourage her from riding her motorcycle on the date. It seemed like she would be trying too hard if she rolled up on her bike. Fatinah already knew about her laying out an entire security team. She did not have to stamp her forehead with the word "alpha." That always seemed like an asshole thing to her, unless it was requested by a significant other to amp up her alpha-ness.

She met Fatinah at the movie theater. Fatinah was gorgeous as always, dressed in a white dress showing off her shoulders and forearms. Her hair fell in waves down her back. She smelled wonderful, hints of jasmine perfume wafting from her. None of this hit Alex in a way that would make it different from her seeing Vasquez dressed up.

"Hey, waiting long?" Alex asked as she stood by Fatinah at the main entrance.

Fatinah jumped and gasped as she turned to Alex. "Where did you come from?" It came out almost like a demand. Alex was not sure what to make of that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Alex said.

Fatinah breathed a sigh of relief, hand to her chest. "It's okay. I was busy looking for you, so I didn't realize you were right there."

Alex's brow furrowed. "Looking for me?"

"Yes, someone told me you ride a motorcycle. I was looking for one."

"I left the bike at home, so I could wear a dress and not worry." Alex motioned down to the dress, wanting to show off a little bit.

Fatinah looked her up and down. "You look nice." She did not sound quite impressed, just paying lip service.

Alex's stomach twisted a little and she decided to ask a tough question. "Are you interested in me because I can come across as butch?" People said it about her, but she rarely thought of herself in that manner. Hell, Maggie made sure she never thought of herself as butch. Not in a malicious way, just letting her know it was okay to be soft and let people see she was soft. It was slow to take, but the few who knew her intimately knew she was more than her agent persona.

Fatinah laughed. "Not hardly. I didn't even know about the bike until today. I will admit I'm intrigued that you can fight the way you do, ride a motorcycle, and you have a PhD."

"And a medical degree." Alex shrugged. She needed to sell herself a little bit, right? She wanted this to go well, even if a small part of her was scratching at her to just stop. She needed to do this to move on with her life. So, be good and get her to like you.

Fatinah's eyes went wide. "How are you not published more? This is insane."

Alex just shook her head, not wanting to try to lie her way around that right now. "Let's go inside."

Alex paid for the tickets, popcorn, and twizzlers that Fatinah wanted. She was used to this on dates now, but Maggie would have chewed her out for this obvious gendered behavior. Kelly would have teased her about and then bargained her way to paying for dinner. Fatinah just accepted it, which was funny as that was what Kara would have done, and Alex liked that.

Sometimes, Alex just wanted to do something nice for a girlfriend. There were times when she would tell Maggie that and Maggie would still get on her case. Even when she explained, this was just part of who she was thanks to taking care of Kara, Maggie would not let it go. Stop thinking about your ex and Kara while you're out with someone. Alex smiled at Fatinah to take her mind off of her other thoughts.

Fatinah picked the movie, which Alex went with because after years with Kara, Alex just learned to get along with not picking the entertainment. It was a period drama, which Alex was fine with as a genre, but she did not really want to see the movie. They sat down and Fatinah leaned against Alex. Alex stiffened, but did not say anything. She wanted this to go somewhere, so she could show Kara they were not bond mates and she could stop thinking about Lena.

Of course, as soon as she thought about them, Alex's brain went immediately to how she did not mind either of them touching her like she did with Fatinah. This was new. Fatinah was new. She just needed to get used to Fatinah, which would come with time. So, just calm down and hang out.

She was about to lean over and tell Fatinah that her sister would love this movie, but Fatinah looked on the verge of tears. Alex took her hand and held it. Fatinah looked at her and smiled. Alex smiled back, even though she did not feel anything during the exchange. Fatinah did not let go of her hand the whole time.

"That movie was so good," Fatinah said as the credits rolled and they stood up.

"It's something my sister would watch," Alex replied.

"Your sister dates Miss Luthor, right?"

"Yes." It should not bother her that people knew that, but it did because she hated people in her personal business. She hated that people talked about that around Fatinah, probably trying to discourage her from liking Alex.

Fatinah nodded. "Is that why Miss Luthor sometimes has lunch with you?"

Alex glanced at her. "They're just giving you all the dirt, huh?"

Fatinah shook her head. "I don't listen to their nonsense. I get they don't think highly of you, which I don't agree with. I only bring it up because she didn't seem happy to see me when I came to your lab. Is it because she doesn't think I'm good enough for you?"

Alex was not sure how to answer that. Lena was definitely odd around Fatinah, almost possessive of Alex. But, that could be because Lena supported the idea that Alex was Kara's bond mate. She did not want to think about that, so she definitely did not want to dig deeper, but a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Or she was just possessive of you in the sense that she wants you.

"You're going off the assumption that Lena cares about me at all," Alex replied as they stepped outside into the warm air. Stop telling yourself that lie or trying to make it seem like Lena hates you. You know that's not true and it seems like you're trying to make her look bad for no reason.

"Well, people have said she hired you as a favor to her girlfriend, but I think they're wrong. I'm also confused, though."

Alex arched an eyebrow. "Confused about what?"

"I thought at first you got your job because of your parents work and Lena understood your potential, but then hearing about what you did in the gym, I wondered if your position is a red herring and that's why you're in a tiny lab away from everyone else."

Alex chuckled. "No, I'm definitely a researcher and scientist, like every other lab monkey. I just also happen to be a former agent, who was trained to do other things. I've been a scientist since I was a little thing, though." One day, people would get that someone could be both a jock and a nerd.

Fatinah nodded. "I want to hear about your work at dinner."

"Okay. Let me walk you to your car."

"No problem. I'm down this way." She pointed in the parking lot.

They walked to Fatinah's car, a sporty coupe, which Alex did not expect. See, don't judge a book by the cover. There's layers here and you might like them if you just open yourself up to it. They agreed to meet at the restaurant, and then Fatinah was gone. Alex walked to her car and tried to ignore the utter lack of enthusiasm she felt over this date. She checked her phone as she settled into the front seat, hoping for an excuse to go home early. None came, not even a text from Kara checking on her, which was odd. To the restaurant then.

What is wrong with you? A smart, beautiful omega is interested in you and you're treating it like a chore to be with her. You keep thinking about Kara and Lena while you should be focused on her. You're doing the right thing, so commit to it before you do something you regret. That was enough to get her out of the car once she parked at the restaurant. Fatinah waited at the door.

They were seated right away at the restaurant and Fatinah handled most of the talking while Alex scanned the menu. She did not need to, knowing what she wanted, but it was a good way to collect her thoughts without being rude.

"So, I know it'll sound cliché, but do you come here often?" Fatinah asked.

"Not often, just enough to know the food won't kill you," Alex replied.

Fatinah chuckled. "Something to look forward to then. So, why haven't you published more? Do you have a lot of patents?"

Alex waved the question off, but answered. "I have a few. Hard to publish on the regular basis when running around with the FBI." She could have published more, but she just did not see the need to do so. She had her patents, had some things that helped field agents, and that was enough. Publishing seemed like bragging and a secret agent did not need to brag.

"So, you were an FBI agent. That rumor is going around, too."

"The rumor mill about me seems busy as ever." Months on a job where she barely talked to anyone yet they could not stop talking about her.

Fatinah nodded. "I was surprised to find out most people's attitude toward you and also how none of them bothered to really talk to you to find out what you're about."

Alex put down the menu to focus on Fatinah. "Yeah, it's been like that since I started at L-Corp. Doesn't bother me." What does bother me is that Fatinah seems genuinely sweet and I'm more curious about why Kara hasn't called me or anything. Is she in trouble? No, someone would have gotten in touch with her if that was the case.

"Definitely their loss." Fatinah smiled. It was nice to have someone smile at her, but again, it did nothing for Alex. Relax. It's a first date.

And as far as first dates went, it was pretty good. Nothing embarrassing happened. Fatinah carried the conversation, but Alex answered with clear, coherent responses. She even got a kiss on the cheek before Fatinah got in her car. The problem was, nothing sparked. She might as well have been touched by the wind.

Adding on to the problem, Alex texted Kara on the way home to make sure she was all right. She was fine and in Paris with Lena. For some reason, Alex felt left behind, even though this was what she wanted. Then, why is my heart falling into a pit?

-8-8-8-8-

The weekend trip to Paris was just what Kara needed to reassure herself that Alex was also her bond mate. As much as she enjoyed her time with Lena, there had been something missing, an Alex shaped void. Of course, Alex would not have gone out with them to experience Paris, but it would have been nice to return to her waiting in the hotel. Kara did not say anything as she was certain Lena was tired of her "Alex problems." She was not crazy and needed to be patient, but she could not. So, here she was at L-Corp, before her lunch with Lena, ready to start trouble.

Alex was not in her lab, but Kara followed the sound of Alex's heartbeat to the main security office. Alex was in there with Vasquez and someone else. Kara knocked.

"One second," Alex called and took her time coming to the door. "Kara!"

Kara grinned. "Hey, got a minute?"

"Um, just a minute. What's up?" Alex stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Kara inspected Alex. "You were sparring again today, weren't you?" She could see it in Alex's bright eyes and flushed features. She smelled shower fresh, even though it was past noon. She'll spar with everybody except me. Kara would whine about this if she needed to.

"Yes, and now we're doing some analysis. So, what's up?" Alex studied her, as if concerned.

Kara threw her shoulders back. "I want to spar with you. You know better than anyone that I need the practice and you don't seem to be avoiding me anymore. Please, help me."

Alex sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You're right. You do need the practice. Okay, tonight?"

"Tonight's good if you're okay with the penthouse."

Alex blew out a long breath and her shoulders dropped. "I might as well. I'm not doing a great job at avoiding either of you, especially since you keep pointing it out."

Kara shamelessly shrugged. "Well, you shouldn't be so obvious about it and you know we enjoy your company."

"I suppose I should be flattered."

"Of course." Kara smiled. She fought down pointing out that Alex enjoyed their company as well. Alex knew that and just pointing it out would make her deny it more.

Alex folded her arms across her chest and there was a hint of a frown. "You enjoy my company so much, but neither of you said anything about going to Paris for the weekend."

"You wanted to come?" Kara practically chirped. That was nearly an admission to wanting to be with them. Kara's soul went light, ready to receive Alex. No, calm down. She's not ready yet. We have to wait.

Alex turned her nose up. "No! I just like to know where you are in case something happens."

Kara giggled. "So sweet."

Alex was not amused, scowling now and her eyes were hard, as hard as they got with Kara anyway. "Yeah, we'll see how sweet you think I am tonight after we have a training session."

Kara gulped, even though she already knew Alex would be tough on her. Their night out not too long ago led to a long scolding from Sentinel. Kara did not mind. She wanted to be at the top of her game and she also knew reprimands was one way Alex showed she cared.

"With that settled, I need to get back in there." Alex pointed to the door with her thumb. "See you later."

"See you later." Kara grabbed Alex into a hug. Alex did not hesitate to hug back. She was so warm and welcoming. Kara melted on the inside and had to consciously stop herself from floating as she made her way to Lena's office.

"You're looking particularly happy," Lena said as Kara closed the door behind her.

Kara giggled. "Alex hugged me, like we used to hug. She didn't hesitate or look around, just came right in when I opened my arms. It was nice."

Lena gave her a small smile. "I'm sure it was."

"She's upset we went to Paris without her." Kara should not feel smug about it, but she did. Just something else to prove her point.

Lena scoffed. "Or because we didn't tell her. She puts all her energy into keeping us safe, so maybe disappearing upset her."

"You tell it your way and I'll tell it mine." Kara flopped down on the sofa. "I think she's coming around."

"She went on a date Friday." Lena stated that way too hard for Kara's liking, but Kara would not be denied.

"And hasn't said a word to either of us about it," Kara replied. "If it was worth anything, she'd be silently bragging about how right she was. We would see it all in her face. I saw none of that when I just went to talk to her."

"Can't fault that logic."

"She's going to come over tonight to spar, but I'm going to try to get her to do dinner and watch some shows or something, just so she remembers how comfortable she can be with me, with us, in our home. You want in? I know you want to give us space, but you being there adds normalcy to our routine. Plus, you like cuddling her and she likes it, too."

Lena pursed her lips. "Let's play it by ear. I don't want to end up cuddled with you both on the sofa and then blast her with pheromones again. It was embarrassing enough that first time." She blushed, but it might just be from thinking about Alex rather than being embarrassed about the pheromone thing.

"Good idea." Kara could not wait. "Now, are you going to keep working or are you going to come over here and keep me company?"

Lena chuckled and finished up whatever she was typing on her laptop. They used lunch to plan for Alex's return to the penthouse and Kara felt herself fall more in love with Lena with each word. It was not just because Lena was willing to help Kara be with her first bond mate, but also because of how well Lena now knew Alex and cared about Alex. It was like when Alex showed care for Lena, first because Lena was important to Kara and now because Lena was important to Alex. How could Alex not see the obvious?

-8-8-8-8-

Lena was not sure how long she expected to play hostess, but definitely longer than the minute Alex allowed her at arrival. Lena answered the door and Alex stepped in. They exchanged awkward greetings and Lena had to consciously glance away from Alex in her workout gear. It was not particularly sexy, except it was because she was very aware of what Alex was capable of and what Alex's body looked like underneath those clothes. It took all of her willpower not to scent mark Alex. Where is this coming from?

"Do you need me to take anything?" Lena glanced at a duffle bag on Alex's shoulder.

"Nope. These are to whip Kara into shape." Alex tugged the bag strap.

Lena nodded. "Okay. She's in the gym, soaking in red sun rays and waiting."

Alex walked off without another word, knowing where to go. Lena had to resist the urge to follow. Instead, she busied herself with work. Anything to keep her from giving in to go see Kara and Alex sparring. Do not imagine them pressed together. Do NOT!

It was a good thing Lena had never seen Alex and Kara really spar, as she did not have the brain power to imagine such a glorious sight. But, that only tempted her more. No, stay. If you go see, you'll end up spraying pheromones all over the place and make Alex uncomfortable. Worse, she would definitely be turned on and want Kara to fuck her, possibly as soon as possible with Alex still around. She could not keep using Kara like that, even though Kara seemed fine with it. It always brought her back to the idea that Kara was not enough. Those people did not mean it how Lena was taking it now, but it still seemed true Kara was not enough. She wanted a dash of Alex. A side of Alex?

But, it should be all right. Kara wanted Alex as well, was bonded to Alex. Kara encouraged her attraction to Alex, so it should be fine, but now that she thought about it, it gnawed at the back of her brain. It was like this proved she needed to be with an alpha because she was an omega. That's just social norms bothering you, and you should know better than most it is bullshit.

By social standards, one, Lena should not be with Kara because she was an alien. Also, a beta, by human sexual categorization. A human omega should not want Kara and, yet, she did, despite Kara deceiving her for years. Even with that, most people would have told her to walk away from Kara, but she had never been happier than finally admitting her affections for Kara. Society could be damned before she gave up Kara.

And really isn't that it? You wouldn't give up Kara for anything, not even Alex. But, yes to having Alex with Kara. Stop thinking about it.

"Hey, Lena, you want food?" Kara asked, poking her head into the office. Her skin glistened, probably from sweat after sitting under hot, red sun lights for so long.

Lena blinked. "Food?"

"Yeah. It's been a couple of hours. We should eat dinner."

"Hours?" Lena glanced at the clock. It had been two hours since Alex arrived. Wow, I really zoned out. It was almost scary how these Danvers could distract her, even without being around.

"Yeah. We're ready to eat. Not gonna do it without you, though."

"And Alex doesn't mind me there?"

"No, which is why she's staying. She even brought a change of clothes and took a shower."

Lena's face was on fire. "You told her that her scent affects me?" Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt like she might sob. This was so embarrassing! Of course, Kara probably did not need to say anything. She had embarrassed herself more than enough as an omega around Alex.

"Of course not, but I think she knows. It's okay. Come eat." Kara waved her out.

Lena sighed. It was fine. Not like Alex would mention the attraction. She grabbed her notebook and left the room. Maybe Alex would be open to discussing the suppressant idea.

Alex was pulled up to the kitchen island, shoveling vegetable fried rice into a bowl. She had on a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Lena gulped and had to consciously stop herself from glancing down at Alex's waist. Don't you dare do another pheromone blast!

Kara chuckled and took Lena by the hand, guiding her to her usual seat at the countertop. Kara put a bowl in front of her. Black and green chopsticks laid across the bowl.

"I already made you a mix of pepper steak, broccoli, rice, and dumplings," Kara said with her shoulders squared, calling attention to herself. She was in even less than Alex, a red sports bra and blue mesh shorts. Well, now I want to touch her body. Lena had to chuckle and Kara grinned at her, very aware of what she was doing to her bond mate.

"Yum." Lena grabbed her chopsticks and dug in. "So good."

Kara giggled. "That's what Alex said."

Alex blushed. "About the food."

"Well, obviously about the food. What did you think I meant?" Kara wiggled her eyebrows at Alex.

Alex cleared her throat and turned her attention to Lena. "What were you working on, Lena?"

"Oh." Lena perked up and her heart calmed down. "I'm still very much trying to come up with suppressants that don't have a million side effects. Can you look over my notes?" Lena slid the leather bound notebook across to Alex.

"Stuff like this makes me happy to be a Kryptonian," Kara said, sitting next to Lena. She dived into her plate of food, which was more than both Lena's and Alex's meal combined.

Alex scoffed. "Yeah, it's just this."

"Babe, if you woke up human tomorrow with a human brain, you'd have to be committed," Lena remarked.

Kara did not deny it. Even when her powers were blown, her Kryptonian brain tended to process information faster and on a different level than any human brain. While Lena would never say it made Kara smarter, it definitely gave her a different perception than most, which was why it was hard for her to pretend to be human even now. She would not know what to do if that changed.

They ate in silence for a while. Alex got up and grabbed a pen, jotting down notes on Lena's book. Lena glanced at Kara, who smiled. This could be them every night.

"So, how was sparring?" Lena asked, almost done with her food. She sipped the green tea Kara had ordered for her.

"Great!" Kara grinned.

"Terrible." Alex shook her head. "She just wants to punch her way out of everything. So like Superman."

"Hey!" Kara's grin was now a pout.

"What?" Alex scoffed. "It's glaringly obvious without your powers that you rely on your powers. For someone with such a superior mind, you don't try any sort of strategy when you fight. You're also not very creative. It's just jab, jab, jab. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

"So, we're going to do this again?" Kara asked. She did a good job of controlling herself, but her eyes sparkled.

"We have to. We really have to or who knows what might happen to you," Alex answered. "I'll work out a schedule."

"Won't that be too much while you're also sparring with security teams?" Lena asked.

Alex shook her head. "No, since that won't be forever. In fact, I should be done with them this week. This is just to start an analysis and determine the best way to use security personnel."

"Okay, as long as you don't stretch yourself too thin," Lena said.

"I'm fine." Alex waved the matter off. "Regardless, Kara needs help. I'd have to stop the security thing if everything gets too much before I stop with Kara. That's how bad she is." She winked at Kara.

"You're so mean!" Kara pouted and then shoved some food in her mouth.

They all laughed a bit, even though Lena did not doubt Alex was serious. Dinner was done and they retreated to the couch. Alex passed Lena back her notebook while Kara put on a television show. They sat with Kara against Alex and Lena against Kara. Lena read through Alex's notes on her notes. They would have to sit down and discuss this eventually, but for now this worked with Alex.

For a long moment, they just existed like this and it was really nice. Somehow, this felt right. It was not so much that when it was just her and Kara things were wrong or incomplete, but it felt like this would work fine. She glanced over at Kara and Alex. They were serene, at peace, like this was how it was supposed to be. Lena had seen Kara like this before, but not Alex. How can she not admit the effect Kara has on her?

A phone buzzing made them have to shift as Alex needed to get to her pocket. She glanced at her phone, her top lip twitched in almost a grimace, and she typed a quick reply. She grunted and put the phone away. Kara and Lena glanced at each other, but pretended not to notice.

Everything was fine for a few minutes, but then the phone buzzed again. Instead of answering, Alex looked over at them. She peeled Kara's arm away from where it was slung across her abdomen. Kara whined.

"It's getting late. I should head out," Alex said, climbing to her feet.

"What? No! We didn't even finish an episode!" Kara leaned forward, taking Alex by the hand.

"We can do that later. I really need to go," Alex replied.

"Why?" Kara whined.

"Because it's late. See you tomorrow." Alex leaned down and kissed Kara's forehead and gave Lena a quick hug. Lena squeaked in surprise, but the embrace was done before she even finished the noise. Then, Alex was gone.

Kara let out a pretend cry. "But, this was so nice."

"Who was the text from?" Lena asked, suspecting that was why Alex ran off. Hopefully it was nothing serious.

Kara sighed. "Fatinah. She's got a rose emoji next to her name in Alex's phone."

"She probably did that herself." Alex did not do nicknames or anything special to names in her phone. Even Kara was in there as "Kara Danvers" until Kara changed it to something cute. Alex always changed it back.

"Yeah, but that means she was close enough to Alex to use her phone for an extended period of time. Fatinah's her girlfriend."

Lena shook her head. "It's too early to tell. They just met. You're not losing Alex." Not after tonight. There was no way Alex could not recognize how amazing tonight was in terms of simply existing. They could have some sort of domestic bliss and Alex was very aware she was sexually compatible with Kara and Lena. Something had to give, right?

Kara blew out a breath, puffing out her cheeks. "She was so content here with us. Her heart beat calmed down and then it spiked when she got the text. She wasn't nervous, just panicked, like she was doing something wrong."

Lena gave a sad smile. "She realized she was relaxing with us like before." Alex did recognize what they had and maybe that just scared her. Lena knew how that could be, too. It was frightening to recognize and understand the love someone could have for someone who felt they did not deserve that love.

"Yeah."

"Be patient, sweetheart. Again, she has to come to the conclusion on her own in order to accept it." Lena looked at Alex's notes and chuckled. "Funny how such a brilliant woman could be so dense, but I get it. I've been there."

"She's just a fighter. But, you're right. History has proven Alex reacts to personal change slowly, on her own terms, and in her own time. It's just so hard waiting, especially since she really deserves all this and I know she doesn't think she does."

Lena gave Kara a tight hug. "Don't forget, I'm here for you and with you."

Kara returned her embrace with a warm hug of her own. "I could never forget that." She kissed the top of Lena's head. "I'm always grateful for you."

Lena melted into Kara and they enjoyed the rest of the show. Kara texted Alex once, just to make sure she got home all right. Once that was confirmed, Kara put the phone down for the night. She was learning.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Alex makes it official with Fatinah, but agrees to hang out with Lena upon Kara's request.

A/N: if you like my work, check out my patron page.