I don't own these characters. DC/the CW does.
3: Guns and Ships
Alex had a consistent stream of texts from Lena almost every day for two years, so she could tell when Lena was worried. Having the L-Corp drugs stolen, used in murders, and helping make dirty money selling organs illegally on the black market might have been too much for her. Now, instead of texting Alex about science, there were so many security questions.
Alex wanted to help, of course. She had more than a couple of suggestions, including some on how to fight instead of flee when the press tried to press Lena. Not that Lena would ever back down, but she could not let Lena take damage when it was not her fault. She had not stolen her own goods and used them for criminal enterprise.
Beyond the fact that Alex never wanted to work another case like the one she just did, she also wanted to ease Lena's mind. Lena felt a personal responsibility for what happened. That was just who she was. It was her company, so the things that happened were on her. She had not fired the man, had not given him access to the drugs, and had not watched him walk out of the door with a product she already junked. It was not her fault, but Lena was a "the buck stops here" type of boss and Alex respected that. So, she tried to answer everything she could, as fast as she could.
"Hey, put the phone down, so we can figure this out," Sawyer said from her stool pulled up to Alex's lab table.
Alex blinked and did as requested. She was done, anyway. She focused on Sawyer, leather jacket wrapped around her shoulders and badge hanging from around her neck, cradled by her breasts in a thin grey Henley t-shirt. She leaned her elbows on the table, as if trying to get a better look at Alex.
"Figure what out? You asked me to analyze samples for you," Alex replied. Sawyer had come in to take advantage of knowing a lab tech with her own lab, thus cheating and skipping the line of her own crime lab. This was not the first time she had done this. No, Alex had already lost count of them over the past couple of weeks. Sawyer was lucky that Alex was not busy each time she came and asked very nicely for this favor. It doesn't hurt that she flashes those dimples each time and I can't say no to them.
"But, since the case file is here." Sawyer leaned on the thick folder in front her and gave her a grin.
Alex groaned, but listened as Sawyer ran down what she had on the case. This was also not the first time for this. Sawyer picked her brain over cases, looking for help without actually saying that. Again, she could not say no. It was fun. Solving cases was fun. While that happened, her phone buzzed with more texts from Lena. She had to check, had to reply.
"Dude, who are you texting? Is it a hot chick?" Sawyer asked with a smirk as she leaned further over the table, possibly trying to sneak a peek at Alex's phone.
Alex yelped. "No!" While Lena was definitely hot, that was not what kept them in constant contact. It was nice to be able to carry on a conversation with someone beyond Kara and not be met with a blank smile. But, she did not need anyone to know she spent most of her free time texting with her sister-in-law.
Sawyer smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief. "That didn't sound like an honest answer. I didn't know you had it in you, Danvers." She wiggled her eyebrows.
Alex frowned, growling a little to make herself more menacing. "It's not like that." And it was not. Lena was her sister-in-law, but she did not mention that for some reason. There was no reason to leave it out, but there was no real reason to mention it either. She did not owe Sawyer her business.
"It's okay. I'm reliable with the ladies, too," Sawyer said, as if to out herself, so Alex could feel comfortable, but it did not matter.
"It's not like that," Alex replied, but felt her cheeks were on fire. That would only make Sawyer tease her more.
Sawyer snickered. "Then focus on me for a second. I'm trying to close this case." She held up her thumb and forefinger so close there was hardly any space in between.
Alex blew out a breath and pushed her cell phone away. She did not need Sawyer making any more comments about her texts. She also did not want to tempt Sawyer into trying to figure out who she was texting, as Sawyer was annoying enough and smart enough to get to the bottom of it and ruin way too much of Alex's rather bare life. She listened to Sawyer fill her in about the case. She also worked on the samples.
"Any ideas?" Sawyer asked once she was done.
"I think we should get some insight from the science to make sense of the rest of the evidence," Alex replied. They had a puzzle, but there were still too many pieces missing. They could not even tell what they were looking at yet.
-8-8-8-8-
It took a couple of days for results of the samples, which was still quite fast compared to the police crime lab. The samples held the final piece to Sawyer's puzzle. She barely finished her explanation before she watched the light in Sawyer's eyes brighten. It was a wonderful sight and Alex's heart sped up a little each time she witnessed it.
"You're so brilliant! I owe you for this!" Sawyer said and she blew a kiss to Alex as she ran out of the lab.
Alex sighed as her heart thumped a little harder in her chest. She had heard that before. "You're much too old to be doing the pretty girl's homework." But, the pretty girl was pretty with dimples and rode a motorcycle and was kind of smart and did not blink in the face of danger. The face of danger has dimples!
Trying to put Sawyer out of her mind, Alex went back to her Lena problem, glancing at her phone. Dozens of text messages awaited her. She did not have any more advice for Lena, but that did not stop Lena from asking. Their text thread was just question after question after question. It was nice to know Lena respected her opinion and knowledge, but the well was dry and Alex did not want to admit that. She wanted to give Lena peace of mind. And then Kara called.
"Yes, Kara?" Alex asked as she moved over to her desk. There was paperwork to handle. Maybe I should get some coffee. It might make me feel a bit better.
"I'm sorry if Lena is pestering you about security," Kara replied.
Alex yelped. "Pestering me?" Does Kara know about our text thread? How? Alex's heart was in her throat, beating a mile-a-minute until she realized Kara was not upset. If Kara was not upset, she could not know about the text thread. She did not know Alex spent so much time talking to her wife.
"I told her to ask you about improving security, but I didn't think she'd badger you for days on end."
Alex sighed and made her way to her keruig, wishing she could have something stronger than coffee thanks to that scare. "It's fine. I'm really helping both of us with this."
Kara laughed. "You're right about. She feels so bad about that whole thing."
"I know she does." Lena could only feel bad that something she made was used to harm people. Lena was all about improving mankind. Lofty goals, but Alex could understand. She would like to improve mankind as well, removing those who would do harm from society.
Kara sniffled and her voice got quiet. "The press isn't taking it that way and I hate that I have to defend my wife to my coworkers as they run her name through the mud."
Alex had seen the articles, the reports, all questioning what L-Corp was up to with a drug used to steal organs. Some of the worst claimed Lena used this serial murderer as a test run for the drug. There were speculations Lena was producing far worse things and it seemed like every useless rag that called itself the news was coming up with something more outrageous than the last. Someone actually claimed Lena had the documents for Nikola Tesla's death ray and was building it. Of course, if anyone on Earth could do it, it would be Lena, but Lena would never.
"Kara, you don't need to defend her to me," Alex said.
Kara sighed. She could see Kara doing her face pinch and fixing her glasses. This was hard on Kara. "Sorry, it's becoming a habit now. I feel like I do it every minute in the office. But, thank you."
"It's not a problem. You know, I'm your big sister. I'm here for both of you." She would always be there for them. She owed Kara that much considering her own bad behavior.
"You're the best big sister!" Kara's grin was louder than her voice.
Alex did not feel great, but she was used to that. There was something rotten inside of her. What else could explain her claims of being such a good sister all the while having a continuous secret conversation with Lena? She was rotten for still having this affection for Lena. She rubbed the center of her chest with two fingers. Rotten.
"We should all hang out. It'll help Lena and it's been a while since we've all done anything together," Kara said.
Alex should decline, but she loved being around both of them way too much. "Pizza and movies?"
"Maybe. Lena might actually want real food in a restaurant to help her feel better."
"Tell her to spend that money on better PR." It was unfair to blame Lena for what happened, but she was the face of L-Corp and she was a Luthor.
"You're joking—"
"But, not really." Lena paid people to clean up her image, so people could see the real her. Those people obviously failed at their job if one crime, yes it was serial murder and organ stealing, but it should not be the end of Lena. It was not like she was the murderer. She needed a better firm to handle her image.
Kara blew out a long breath. "Which I know and agree with you. Unfortunately, she has the best PR firm in the city right now."
"Start looking for the best in the country then." A knock at the door caught her attention. She looked up to see Sawyer. Sawyer smiled and waved. Alex was not expecting her back, especially not so soon.
Sawyer stepped in. "You busy?" she mouthed and pantomimed being on the phone.
Alex shook her head. "My sister," she mouthed back. Sawyer nodded and stepped further inside.
"Alex, are you listening to me? Are you staring at a chemical reaction right now? Or a cell breaking down?" Kara asked and she could picture the pout on her sister's face.
Alex laughed. "No." Those were good ways to lose her attention, though.
"Well, I know you're not in a meeting. You wouldn't have answered," Kara said.
That was also true. "No, but I have to go. I'll call you back later and we can figure out how to hang out."
"Okay. Love you. Bye."
"Love you, too." Alex ended the call.
Sawyer's face twitched, but it was hard to tell if she was fighting down a frown or a smile. Her eyes had that twinkle in them, though. "Wow, that close to your sister, huh?"
Alex shrugged. "Aren't most people close to their siblings?" Even Lena had a loving relationship with Lex and he was a psychopath.
Sawyer shook her head. "I don't know about all of that."
Alex did not know what to make of that and was not sure where she and Sawyer stood to ask. Yes, Sawyer came to her with evidence to test and case files, but their interactions stopped there. "So, what can I do for you now, detective?"
Sawyer blinked. "Oh. So, I arrested the guy."
"You just left." That coffee that she put on was only just ready, yet when she retrieved it, she discovered it was cold. What? How? She was certain she had not spent that much time lost in her own thoughts. You probably did. You often do.
Sawyer scoffed and glanced over at the wall clock. "I left like three hours ago, Danvers. Did you get lost in your microscope or your phone?"
Alex's face scrunched up now. "My phone?"
Sawyer nodded. "Yeah, you're always texting. I find it hard to believe it's not a significant other. You tend to look way too happy. Eyes all sparkling and whatnot."
Damn, she's really observant. Alex did not know her face said anything as she texted Lena. Damn this feeling. When would it go away or at least transform into something more appropriate? She really wished she could just cut it out of her, cut out all of the rotten parts. But, how much of you would be left?
"Anyway. I was hoping I could buy you a drink as thanks for helping me with the case. I couldn't solve it without you." There were those damn dimples again. There was something else in her eyes, too, but Alex was not sure what. The glimmer was different.
Alex's brow wrinkled, almost certain something more was in play, but also highly doubtful. She was so bad at this, figuring out social shit. It was probably nothing. Don't overthink it. She was a pro at that, though. And to think, she actually considers you reliable with the ladies. Doesn't know you at all.
"You don't have to think of an excuse not to go so hard. You can just tell me no," Sawyer said with a laugh.
Alex shook her head, not realizing how long she had taken to answer. "No, it's not that. It's just you don't have to buy me a drink. I'm always happy to help get a murderer off the street."
"Yeah, but you went above and beyond today. Beyond being on your phone, you worked on my stuff exclusively. You didn't bother with your own work. It deserves a drink."
Why not? "Well, I won't twist your arm to reconsider."
Sawyer smiled. "Good to know."
Why was that good to know? "Let me just clean up here." She looked around her lab. There was not much to clean up, but it would give her time to figure out what the hell was going on.
"Take your time."
Alex cleaned as quickly as she could and tried to ignore Sawyer's eyes on her. Butterflies took up residency in her stomach. But, why? Drinks did not mean anything. Just a thanks. Maybe I'm nervous because this'll just give Sawyer more time to tease me. It seemed to be Sawyer's favorite pastime.
"Ready?" Alex asked as she grabbed her leather jacket from a small closet she had in the office/lab space.
"Waiting for you." Sawyer smiled once more.
Those dimples would be the death of Alex. They stopped her heart every time she saw them. As they exited the building, Alex caught eyes with Vasquez, who arched an eyebrow. Alex shrugged and Vasquez had the nerve to shoot her a thumbs up. She would have to explain things that were not like that.
"You rode your bike?" Sawyer asked as they hit the street.
"I always do," Alex replied. One of the best things about living in Southern California was the weather was almost always good for a bike ride.
"Then we can ride together. It'll be fun."
And it was. If Alex knew where they were going, she would have raced Sawyer, especially since Sawyer revved her engine a couple of times in challenge. They pulled up to a bar that did not seem like a cop bar. A rainbow flag hung above the door, which was framed with dark wood. Large, inviting windows showed off the inside. There were more flags of inclusion around the booths and tables along with pictures of famous LGBTQA people. Sawyer got the door and a chime went off.
"I assume you don't come here with coworkers," Alex said as she stepped into the establishment. It had a sweet smell to it, not like a lot of bars.
Sawyer laughed as the door closed behind her. "Not many."
Alex sat at a bar with Sawyer next to her. Did Sawyer know this would become a tradition for them? Because it did. Very quickly, too.
-8-8-8-8-
Alex curled up in the opposite end of Kara and Lena's large, black leather sectional. Kara and Lena were cuddled together at the other end. A movie played on the television, but Alex was not sure what it was. She spent her time watching Kara hold Lena. They were so cute.
Despite the poisonous affection rotting her core, Alex did not doubt she made the right decision when she introduced Kara to Lena. Kara was so happily married, she should be on a billboard to advertise the institution. With that being said, Alex still delighted in being able to share space with Lena. Whenever they arranged these moments, she could not wait, but there was always that rotten feel. Lena glancing at her, calling her attention, did not help.
"Hey, you okay over there?" Kara asked. She was in comfortable sweats and a Stanford college tee, which definitely was not hers. But, then again, Lena wore Kara's college shirt, so at least there was an excuse for it. Of course, the shirt Lena had on was a sweatshirt, but Alex knew better than to argue the issue with either of the shirt-thieves.
"I'm fine." Alex waved the question off and tucked her legs underneath her a little tighter. Her behavior was not normal, but she was a little too raw right now to go lean on them. She did not trust herself. A near-stranger was able to see her affections for Lena in some text messaging. Who knew what Kara might be able to see if she was too close to Lena. She could not chance it. "I'm surprised we actually did pizza and a movie."
"Hey, I arranged the menu, the venue, the seating." Kara grinned as she motioned around them. This was just like her, something cozy, almost intimate. "I like to think I crushed it." She nodded to the containers before them.
There were two empty pizza boxes on the coffee table with an empty box of wings. Their wine glasses were refilled, though. Before Lena, wine with pizza would have seemed decedent, but now it only made sense. Kara had actually spent a great deal of time at the beginning of their evening trying to figure out what wine would pair well with her hot wings.
"I was sold on cuddles, but I feel ripped off," Lena said, hands covered by the sleeves of her shirt. Her feet were bare and her legs clad in green leggings that left very little to the imagination.
Kara nodded and kissed the top of Lena's head, which was tucked under her chin. "Yeah. I feel ripped off, too." She gave Alex a pointed look. "You're messing up the seating portion of the evening."
Alex snorted. "You're such a brat. You ate the last slice of pizza—"
Kara cut in. "You gave it to me."
That was true, as it was often the case. "Now, you're going to tell me where to sit."
"Come here." Kara held her arms open, even though she would end up curled against Alex if history was anything to go by.
Alex rolled her eyes, but moved closer to the couple. There was some shuffling, but as predicted, Kara ended up resting against Alex's side with her head on Alex's shoulder. Lena rested in Kara's lap. As soon as they settled, Alex's phone buzzed and they all felt it vibrate. Alex ignored it at first, but it happened several times in close succession. Lena turned to Alex with a teasing smile, but there was something more in her eyes, like a question she dare not ask.
"Someone is certainly popular," Lena said.
"It's nothing." Alex glanced at her phone.
Kara grinned and jabbed her with her pointy elbow. "Is it that the detective?"
"It's nothing!" Alex laughed. It was Sawyer, but they were discussing motorcycle parts. It was nothing.
Kara leaned down to stage whisper into Lena's ear. "She's got the hots for the detective." Lena's eyes went wide.
"I do not! We're just friends. She's customizing her bike and we're talking about different parts and what she could do," Alex said.
Lena laughed. "You just know how to smooth talk all the girls, huh?"
Alex could feel heat rush to her cheeks. It was not like that. They were friends. Sure, Sawyer flirted sometimes, but she learned quickly that was Sawyer's personality. It was nothing, even if her heart did weird things around Sawyer on occasion.
Kara smiled. "It's okay, Alex. You should go for it."
Lena stared at her, as if she wanted to say something, but she had nothing. Alex did not know what to say. It was not like she owed Lena anything. Lena was married. Alex had a right to find someone, not that Sawyer was that someone. Although, she did not like the way Sawyer's mind worked. No, don't go down that road.
"She doesn't like me like that. We're just coworkers," Alex replied.
"Oh, now you're coworkers. That was a quick downgrade," Lena said.
Alex shrugged. "You guys are making it more than it is. Let's just watch the movie." She motioned to the giant television on the wall.
"Maybe you need to make more of a thing out of it," Kara said.
Lena grinned and poked her. "You are every girl's dream."
Alex rolled her eyes. She was an awkward nerd at best and she knew that before she knew she liked girls. Even when she had been the girl every girl wanted, she needed alcohol to pick women up. When they got to know the nerd underneath the party girl, they lost interest fast, not willing to try to keep up with her hobbies and rarely able to hold a conversation with her. The only woman who seemed to like her for her and could keep up with her was Lena. No one else was too impressed with her and that was fine. She was content. Kara and Lena and her career were enough. I'm satisfied with this.
-8-8-8-8-
Alex was back out with Sawyer at the bar. They were there at least three times a week now. Sometimes, it was to celebrate closing a case and other times it was to just unwind. Alex wanted to invite Vasquez a couple of times, as she would like the little bar, but that did not seem right. She did not have the right to share Sawyer's bar.
"You know you were right about the part," Sawyer said, bringing Alex out of her thoughts and back to their conversation.
Alex scoffed and sipped her drink. "I told you."
"And you're not smug about it at all." Sawyer smirked.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Like you aren't when you're right."
Sawyer laughed. "You still got that bruise?"
"Shut up." Alex glared at her.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed."
Alex groaned. "Why do I hang out with you?"
"I know where to get the good whiskey." Sawyer winked.
Alex glanced at her glass. "You sure as hell do."
"You doing anything tomorrow? I gotta do my weapon's qualification and I figure I could whip your ass at targets while I'm at it."
Alex looked at her like she was crazy. "Oh, you sure you want to try? I don't want to embarrass you around colleagues."
Sawyer pursed her lips. "Ah, so no trying to kick me off my crime scene this time."
"It was my crime scene."
"I got there first, so I beg to differ."
Alex scoffed. "A crime scene is not first come first serve. Not only am I senior agent—"
Sawyer cut in. "You were also late."
"I wasn't late either. I got the case on the way to the office."
"So you claim." Sawyer glanced at the television over the bar and frowned.
Alex looked, too. L-Corp was in the news again. There were still investigations into the stolen drugs. People refused to let it go, even though it was now two months ago, L-Corp had new security measures, and the thief-murderer was in jail awaiting trial. But, ten people were dead and carved up. That was hard to get over.
"I can't believe people are still blaming L-Corp over this. If someone steals a gun and shoots someone with it, do we blame the person they stole the gun from," Sawyer said.
"Sometimes people do. Besides, you know how people feel about the Luthor name," Alex replied. She understood why people were still going on about this, but that did not make it any less annoying. Lena was doing her best to make sure nothing like this could ever happen again and no one seemed to be giving her credit for that. They just dragged her through the mud.
"Yeah, but Lex is the bad one. I mean, talk about an amoral loser. Who experiments on people and thinks it's okay? So, yeah, fine to drag him, but he's not there anymore. L-Corp is headed by the hot sister now."
Alex frowned. Sawyer was not wrong, but she did not want to hear anyone, especially Sawyer, objectifying Lena. Lena worked too hard and was too smart for anyone to reduce her to just a pretty face.
"You okay?" Sawyer asked.
"Lena Luthor is more than just hot. She's amazing. She has more degrees than I have fingers. She's been fighting for that damn company for years, doing all sorts of good and whenever she sneezes the press act like she's turning into the new evil Luthor and about to destroy the world. And she stands her ground, even when it looks like her company is bleeding and the press is trying to force her to retreat. She shows true leadership," Alex said.
Sawyer blinked. "Damn. You're right. You're cheerleading for her like you put her on a science nerd pedestal, gushing about her elegance and eloquence like you're her girlfriend." She gave Alex a shove.
Alex froze at the girlfriend remark and almost tipped over. You idiot! Why can't you just be normal? She wanted the floor to swallow her whole, but that was not about to happen. She had to get out of here, cool off, and maybe find a proper therapist.
"Um… I've got to go. I'll pay you back for the drink later." Alex rushed off of her bar stool. She almost fell on her face.
"Danvers, wait!" Sawyer reached out and grabbed Alex by the hand. It was like lightning went through them, but turned like a warm spread in less than a second. Alex could hardly recall words for a long moment. It was fine. Sawyer did the talking. "Sorry. I was just teasing. It's cool if you're a fan. In fact, it's a little cute."
Alex glared. "I am not cute."
"You being a Luthor fan girl is adorable. Come on, sit down. I promise to save the teasing for another time." She held up her free hand in surrender.
Alex wanted to keep storming out, but Sawyer still had her hand. There was still such warmth. It was alien, invading, but Alex never wanted it to leave. She sat back down, hoping to never lose the hand holding.
"So, you'll come to the range with me?" Sawyer smiled and there were those damn dimples. Warm hand on hers, dimples flashing, Sawyer could have asked her for national secrets and she would have spilled them all. I am helpless.
-8-8-8-8-
The issues with L-Corp kept coming up and spilled into Alex's life in a way no one needed, text messages from Lena, questions from reporters about the investigation, which she could not answer, and other annoying things that she wished to avoid, especially when she was at home. Then Lena called her. That was weird. Lena never called her and she was supposed to be at a banquet tonight.
"Lena, what's wrong?" Alex asked.
"Alex! Hospital! Kara!" Lena screamed and then hiccuped.
Alex was up in moving already. "Lena, calm down! What happened to Kara?" Where are my keys? Wallet? Same place she always kept them, bowl on the end table by the door. What else do you need? Probably shoes. It was dangerous to ride her bike in her fuzzy socks.
"Shot! Kara! Shot!"
Alex's heart leaped in her throat. Kara was shot, hurt, in the hospital. Alex was tempted to try to ride her bike in her socks, but it would not do anyone any good if she wiped out. She put on actual socks and shoved her feet in her boots as she grabbed her wallet and keys. She yanked her jacket off the hook and left, thankful her door locked automatically when closed.
Of course the ride to the hospital took forever. She focused to push away the unimaginable. Kara would be fine. Kara had to be fine. Stay alive.
Lena kept calling Alex, wanting to know where she was and how long it would take her to get there, so that did not help. It did help her keep away the unimaginable. Stay alive.
Somehow, she did not crash her motorcycle and managed to legally park it when she got to the hospital. Lena bordered on hysterical, even when Alex found her in the emergency room waiting area. Lena paced, high heels on her feet and dressed like she was at a gala like she was supposed to be, and then she locked eyes with Alex. Lena flung herself into Alex's arms and let loose a wail that almost broke reality. She then wept on Alex. Alex held her tight, wanting to keep her from crumbling.
"What happened?" Alex asked.
Lena could not find the words, mumbling nonsense into Alex's shoulder. Alex's heart was set to explode, but then a doctor came to fill them in. Kara was shot. She was fine. The bullet was through and through. Kara was in bed, asking for ice cream.
Tension ruled Alex's body until that bright smile hit her as they stepped into Kara's room. Kara was definitely fine, even though her arm was in a sling. The bullet had passed through her shoulder. Lena fell on Kara, crying on her. Kara embraced her with her good arm.
"Darling, that was supremely reckless!" Lena through her sobs. Her face was a mess, makeup smeared, tear streaks, and puffy. It did not matter, though, because there was such relief in her emerald eyes.
Kara laughed and then winced a little. "I'm fine."
"What happened?" Alex asked, standing next to the bed. She studied Kara's face. She looked all right, lines under her eyes and a bit pale, but that was understandable. She had just gotten out of surgery after being shot, after all. They did not have to live with the unimaginable.
"Kara jumped in front of a bullet for me!" Lena replied.
That sounded like Kara. "Well, I couldn't let you get shot," Kara said. Sounded reasonable, too.
Lena managed to glare at Kara through her tears. "That's why I have bodyguards."
"They weren't fast enough!"
Alex dropped into a nearby chain and breathed easy. Kara was alive and well. Kara and Lena were arguing over Kara literally jumping in front of a bullet for the love of life. It would be adorable if Kara was not in a hospital bed and there was not some crazy person out to kill Lena.
Police came in not too much later, having some questions for Lena and Kara. Alex stuck around, wanting to make sure her sisters were treated fairly by NCPD and the officers were competent. The assassination attempt came because "Luthors are dangerous," according to the would-be killer. The gunman had been caught. Witnesses identified him. There was video.
"It's very likely he was working alone, but we can leave an officer here just in case," the lead detective said.
"It's fine. I have bodyguards," Lena said. Not to mention an FBI agent standing right there, but no need to play that card.
The police were gone and that was about the end of that. Alex sat back down in her chair while Lena crawled in bed with Kara, resting her head against Kara's good shoulder. Kara looked content, even though she did not get her ice cream. Alex wanted to crawl out of her skin. Someone tried to kill Lena. Someone shot her sister and she had not been there. There was nothing she could do. Rotten.
-8-8-8-8-
It was a few days later, when Kara was home and Lena was taking care of her. Alex had nothing to do. Kara had been shot and did not need her. Lena could have been assassinated and did not need her. She could have lost her two favorite people and they did not need her.
Alex ended up at the bar she hung out with Sawyer. Sawyer happened to text her while she was lost in thought and her glass was empty. Sawyer showed up at Alex's request. Sawyer was there and that was good. Maybe Sawyer could need her.
It seemed like forever and no time at all for that smile and those dimples to arrive. Sawyer saddled up to her and sat down, patting Alex's thigh. Alex could have floated away. Yeah, maybe Sawyer could need her.
"Looks like you got a big head start on me," Sawyer said, nodding toward her empty glass.
Alex grinned. "Let's catch you up." She waved the bartender over. She was not sure how many Sawyer needed to catch up, but one was a great place to start.
Sawyer put her hand on the small of Alex's back and there was that warmth again. "No, let's help sober you up. I know a good coffee shop. Come on."
"Oh, a coffee shop date."
Sawyer laughed, but helped Alex off of the bar stool, taking Alex's hand as she did so. Alex was not sure how, but she managed to stay on her feet, but the world seemed to be on a slight tilt. They stepped out into the warm night. Wait, was it warm or was it Sawyer's hand around her own? Alex stopped walking. She needed to know.
"Sawyer," Alex said.
Sawyer gave her hand a little tug. "Come on. The coffee shop's just on the next street. You'll love it. The coffee is amazing."
Alex bet it was. Everything Sawyer shared with her was amazing, especially in such a heavy world. She just wanted to feel light again. She wanted to feel… to feel… She did not even know. But, she did know. She knew she needed Sawyer. So, she stepped forward and kissed Sawyer. She could have sworn Sawyer kissed back for a second before Sawyer stepped back. Alex could see it in her eyes before Sawyer even said anything. And the world turned upside down.
She was wrong. Sawyer did not need her, did not want her. Alex could probably write a book on how to ruin her own life.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: things get worse for Alex on the Sawyer and Lena fronts.
