Alex heads back to the apartment to talk things out with maggie but it doesn't go at all how she'd expected. Sam gets a surprise visitor at L-Corp and is left with a big decision concerning our favorite red-headed badass!
Alex made her way into the apartment with trepidation. She was still wearing her outfit from the game, having come straight from the field. Ruby had been understandably disappointed when the agent told her she wouldn't be going to the celebratory lunch with the team. It just didn't seem like a good idea when she and Sam had yet to hash things out and Maggie was home in their apartment probably livid that she had indeed gone to the game. Alex promised the teen she would make it up to her soon. She sighed as she closed the door behind her knowing she had quite a few fences to mend.
"Mags? Babe, are you home?" She called out when she didn't spot the other woman immediately. The sliding class door opened suddenly and Maggie stepped in, coffee cup in hand. "Hey. There you are."
"Here I am." Maggie agreed, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. "How was the game?"
"So good!" Alex gushed before she could stop herself. "Ruby played so strong and she even made the winning goal!"
"Yeah I know." Maggie admitted guiltily noting the shock on Alex's face.
"I don't understand..."
"I followed you to the game." Maggie confessed, finally looking up. "I felt terrible about how I acted at breakfast and I wanted to apologize but...then I saw you...with them..."
"Maggie..." Alex stepped forward to hug her but the tiny Latina shrugged away from her.
"You know, when we first met, I never pegged you for a 'soccer mom'." Maggie laughed mirthlessly. "But today, there you were, cheering from the sidelines and you probably yell at the refs when they make bad calls. I saw you with Ruby and you looked so happy...you looked like you were home."
"Mags, I ... yeah, being with Rubes makes me happy but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with you." Alex tried to explain. "Things between us could definitely be better but..."
"But I haven't been fair." Maggie concluded with a sigh. "You are always so supportive of my dreams, pushing me to follow my heart and meanwhile you're stuck waiting...Your biggest dream is to have a family and I keep telling you soon but Alex...looking out onto that field today, I think you've already made that dream a reality."
"Maggie, no!" Alex sprang forward to wrap her in her arms. "I could never replace you...it's just..."
"You love being with Sam and Ruby." Maggie told her with a small smile. "And babe, they love you; both of them. Sam was ready to take my head off the other day in the lab to protect you. I've never even heard Sam raise her voice before and I know I could take her in a fight but she didn't back down. That's more than friendship."
"I...I don't know what you want me to say..." Alex sputtered as Maggie pulled back to look her in the eye.
"You don't have to say anything. Just listen, okay?" Maggie waited until Alex nodded her agreement. " I love you, more than I ever thought I could but...sometimes when you love someone, you have to do what's best for them. God, this all sounds so cliché... What I'm trying to say is you have given me so much happiness and I can't help but to feel like I'm keeping you from yours. I don't ever want to lose you but I won't keep you in this relationship if you're not getting everything you need."
"Maggie, this feels a lot like you're saying you wanna break up..."
"Tell me something," Maggie asked ignoring her statement. "When you think back over the last few months, to those moments when you were truly happy, how many of them included me?"
She could see the confusion in Alex's face as her words began to sink in, then the agent's face turn thoughtful while she ran through the last few months in her head. Maggie could see the moment Alex came to a conclusion she was hesitant to share.
"How many, Ally?" she asked her quietly.
"Um, a few...I don't see how that matters..."
"It matters because you've managed to make an amazing life for yourself, Ally..." Maggie swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears. "Without me. And it's okay, it really is. I wouldn't trade the time we've had but it seems like we're going in different directions... have been for some time now."
"Maggie..."
"You're ready for a family now. The soccer games, PTO meetings and weeknights helping with homework...You have that, Ally, right in front of your face and all I can offer you is someday."
"And I agreed to that." Alex asserted, taking her face lovingly between her hands. "I'm willing to wait for you."
"But I'm not willing to make you wait." Maggie told her with a sad smile. "I don't know if you and Sam are the real thing but I know you deserve the chance to find out. You deserve to see if you can make this happiness last and I'm just standing in your way."
Alex didn't say anything, couldn't say anything, as the tears streamed down her face. She wanted to tell Maggie that she was wrong; that there could never be anyone else for her but deep down they both knew it was a lie. Somewhere along the way the pair had grown apart and each had found ways to fill that void; Maggie with her work in Metropolis and Alex with the Arias women.
"I'm sorry." Alex whimpered as Maggie hugged her closer.
"No, babe, no. You have nothing to be sorry for. You gave me a family, a life I never thought I could have and I'll be forever grateful for that. Now it's my turn, to give you something...to give you a chance to find all the happiness you deserve. It's never goodbye, Ally, not for us."
"What am I gonna do without you?" Alex asked tearfully, finally meeting Maggie's eyes.
"The same things you've been doing...Save the world, sister's nights with Kara...get the girl." She finished quietly. "Just promise me that if Arias isn't good to you, you'll let Little Danvers fling her into space, yeah?"
"Yeah," Alex agreed with a wet laugh. "Straight to the moon."
"That's my girl." Maggie smiled softly. "I, um, I got one more day in town and I'd love to spend it with the 'Super-fam'...to let them know..."
"Yeah." Alex agreed quietly. "We should probably do that... I gotta say...this is probably the most progressive breakup I've ever had."
"Me too." Maggie agreed, dimples finally peeking through. "You just gotta be good at everything don't ya Danvers?"
"You are the mature one, but I do try..."
"Hey! I'm barely two years older than you!" Maggie exclaimed pushing Alex away playfully.
"Age before beauty I suppose." The agent responded cheekily before pulling Maggie back in. "I love you, Mags. Forever."
"You too, Danvers. You too."
The weekend passed uneventfully for Sam. Ruby ended up spending the night with one of her teammates after the game Saturday and Sunday was spent eating pancakes and finishing last minute chores. By Monday morning, Sam was torn between giving Alex her space and reaching out for what seemed to be the hundredth time. So focused was she on her dilemma, the young CFO thought she might have been hallucinating when her receptionist voice broke the silence in her office.
"Ms. Arias?" Jess' voice came through the intercom on Sam's desk. "There's a Detective Sawyer here to see you, ma'am."
Sam stared at the phone in shock. She hadn't seen of heard from Alex since the game and now her fiancée was outside Sam's office? A feeling of dread washed over her and the CFO seriously contemplated just having security escort Maggie out.
"Ms. Arias?" Jess' voice asked again and Sam punched the button to reply before she could overthink it.
"Send her in please."
The large door swung open and Maggie sauntered in, worn duffle thrown over her shoulder. Even though she towered over Maggie, power suit buttoned up like armor, Sam found herself intimidated by the petite Latina. Maggie dropped her duffle on the floor with a thud before crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Sam.
"I'm gonna make this quick," she began, voice tight and expression dark. "Alex and I broke up."
Of all the things Sam had imagined Maggie saying in that moment, she certainly would not have guessed that.
"I'm sorry...I, um..." Sam sputtered but Maggie cut her off.
"No, you're not." She stated flatly before her expression softened. "And you don't have to be. I mean, yeah, I'm still pissed that you kissed Alex but...this has been coming for awhile, we just didn't want to admit it."
"Even so." Sam spoke quietly. "I'm still sorry that it's over and for kissing Alex. I should have respected your relationship."
"Yeah, you should have." Maggie agreed. "But to be fair, it hasn't been much of a relationship lately..." The detective sighed as she sat heavily on Sam's couch. "I, um, I actually wanted to...thank you."
"I'm pretty sure that's not what you're supposed to say to the person who wrecked your relationship." Sam told her with a confused scowl, causing Maggie to laugh lightly.
"I guess not." She replied with a sad smile. "But you didn't wreck it, I did. I know what it's like to fall for Alex Danvers. You can't stop it, can't fight it. Even when it killed you, when she was pining for me, you were there for Alex...so...thank you."
"I didn't really do it for you..." Sam admitted quietly, avoiding Maggie's gaze.
"I know." Maggie acknowledged with a small smirk. "But you were still there for her. That says a lot about you Arias. Just promise me something?"
"Okay..." Sam answered slowly; worried the other shoe was about to drop.
"Keep looking out for her? Even if you end up not being each other's forever, I need to know you'll still be there for her." Maggie sounded so sincere, voice breaking at the end that Sam couldn't help but readily agree.
"I will, I promise. I can never repay Alex for all she has done for Ruby and I but I want to."
"Good." Maggie nodded before rising to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I, uh, guess I better get out of your hair. The CFO must have more important things to do than gab with a lowly cop such as myself."
Sam frowned at the self-deprecation in the detective's tone. "No, I'd say this is massively more important than annual budget reports. I mean, you're giving me a chance to be with someone I really care about...that's huge, Maggie. And I'm so thankful."
"Don't go getting soft on me, Arias. I didn't do it for you."
"I know. But I appreciate it all the same. Alex is lucky to have you."
"Yeah, well, you better make sure she feels that way with you or I'll be in a less amicable mood next time you see me." Maggie challenged with a stern voice.
"Dually noted." Sam agreed as she walked Maggie to the door. "If you're headed to the airport, I can have one of our cars take you?" Sam offered earning a smirk from the smaller woman.
"Just can't wait to get rid of me can you, Arias?" She let out a small laugh as she opened the massive door. "I'm good thanks, I'm riding my bike back. Your receptionist wasn't too happy about me leaving my jacket and helmet on her desk."
Sure enough, as soon as the women cleared the door, Jess was all but shoving Maggie's things back into her hands, scowl firmly in place. "Thanks." Maggie told her as she shrugged her jacket on before securing her bag once more and tucking her helmet under her arm.
"See you around, Arias." She took the woman's hand firmly with a faint smile.
"See you around, Sawyer." Sam replied, watching Maggie go with a confused smile before turning to her assistant. "Jess, hold all my calls and cancel any meetings I have for the afternoon. I'm taking the rest of the day off."
"Of course, Ms. Arias. Is everything alright ma'am?" The young woman inquired quietly, unconsciously glancing towards the direction Maggie had gone.
"I hope so..." Sam muttered as she hastened into her office to grab her purse and keys. She had to see Alex, now; she just prayed the agent was in a receptive mood.
Sam knocked on Alex's door again, listening with one ear for sounds inside, the other pressed to her phone as she tried to call Alex...again. Maggie had told her that the agent was off for the next few days and she hated thinking that Alex was now intentionally avoiding her, especially after Maggie had given the pair her blessing. As she was descending the stairs, Sam was struck with a thought and her footsteps hastened.
She raced across the parking lot to the building's unattached garages promising herself that if this thing between them worked out, she would buy Alex a place to truly clean and store her bike. Hell, she would buy the agent her own mechanic if that's what it took to make the redhead happy. Sam could hear the heavy metal music Alex favored from her youth echoing through the area as she neared her destination. She couldn't help but smile at the ridiculousness of Alex living in a place that didn't even have a bedroom yet paying an extra $150 a month simply so she would have a place to store and work on her bike.
The redhead was hunched over her Ducati, oil staining her face and clothes, System Of The Down blaring from the Bluetooth speaker perched precariously on a nearby toolbox. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as the sunlight filtered through her auburn curls and Sam thought she had never seen anyone more beautiful.
"Alex?" she called out, announcing herself in an effort not to startle the agent.
She knew Alex had heard her by the way the other woman's shoulders tensed and she reached over to slowly turn the blaring radio down. Alex wiped her hands on a nearby rag before standing to face Sam. She didn't meet the brunettes' eyes as she cleared her throat to speak.
"Hey, Sam...What, uh, what are you doing here?" Alex rubbed the back of her neck nervously, still avoiding making eye contact.
"I know you said you needed space but Maggie came to see me..." Sam trailed off when Alex's head shot up at the mention of her now ex.
"You saw Maggie? What happened?" Alex asked, eyes wide with concern.
"She came by my office to tell me that you guys uh...that you guys broke up." Sam explained honestly. "I know that you're trying to sort through things and the breakup is still fresh but, I just needed to come by and let you know that when you're ready to try, whenever that may be, I'll be waiting."
"Sam..."
"It's okay." Sam insisted, reaching out to thread her fingers with Alex's. "I don't want to pressure you, Alex. But you have become a part of my family. For so long it was just Ruby and I and then we met you and suddenly it was like you had always been there. I've never felt that comfortable...with anyone. Not even Ruby's dad. I want to explore this, figure out what it means. But only if you want to."
"I do." Alex whispered. She cleared her throat then spoke again, her voice stronger. "I want to try Sam...I just...I need to take things slow."
"Of course, of course." Sam agreed, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Just, you know, Ruby has really been missing you lately..."
"Just Ruby?" Alex asked, lips curling ever so slightly. She gently played with Sam's fingers as a blush crept onto her face.
"I, uh, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss sharing the couch with you and Rubes on movie night...or watching the two of you practicing your soccer moves...it feels like home when you're around Alex and I would really, really like to kiss you now." Sam finished as she inched closer to her goal.
In her heels she towered over Alex and saw the way the agent's eyes unconsciously flicker to her lips. Before she could close the distance, Alex grabbed her by the lapels of her suit coat and crashed their lips together! Sam's surprise quickly morphed into pleasure and she smiled into the kiss before pulling back slightly to run a tongue over Alex's upper lip. The move seemed to spur the agent on and soon the kiss grew passionate once more. This is what their first kiss should have been, slow yet passionate. Sam still felt badly about the way she'd initiated that first kiss but the feeling of Alex's soft lips moving over hers was quickly banishing her guilt.
"Sorry..." Alex gasped when they finally pulled apart. "I just needed our first 'real' kiss to be something we both wanted."
"You'll get no complaints here." Sam replied with a dopey smile. She brought her forehead down to rest against Alex's, pulling the redhead closer to her by the hips. She glanced down at the front of her jacket, noting the greasy handprints on the lapels. "Though I may send you my dry-cleaning bill."
"Oh, shit!" Alex moved to pull back. "Sam I am so sorry!"
Sam chuckled gamely as she pulled the other woman back towards her. "For a kiss like that, I'll ruin every suit coat I own."
"Yeah?" Alex smiled shyly up at her.
"Absolutely." Sam assured her with a toothy grin having never been happier to ruin a good suit.