Kara and J'onn finally return from Argo City with a surprise guest. Is it everything the Kryptonian truly wanted or a painful reminder of the past? And is Kara the only one filled with regrets?
A few hours after being forced into the med bay for treatment, Alex sat in the lab waiting on Lena, sporting a new set of bandages for her ribs and a slew of painkillers that she refused to take more than the minimum amount of. She needed a clear head to solve the problem at hand, though as she looked through the lab's window, the agent was sure she had overmedicated. There was no way the figure striding down the hall beside her sister, in the living, breathing flesh, could be real.
Alura Zor-El was dead.
The woman who had sent her young daughter alone, in a cramped and lonely pod, to a strange planet with orders to care for an even younger cousin.
The woman who, apparently, had survived the death of her planet but had not come searching for her child.
The woman who Alex had secretly hated since she was a child herself because of the overwhelming weight her little sister carried on her shoulders.
The woman who wore General Astra's face, a face that still haunted the agent's nightmares, despite her sibling's forgiveness.
The woman who should have been dead for over a decade yet somehow stood whole and unchanged before her.
"Alex!" The brooding redhead found herself engulfed in a grip of steel before she had time to finish weeding through her thoughts. Her arms automatically came up to return the embrace even though it hurt like hell.
"Hey, I missed you too." She managed before her sister pulled back suddenly. Alex could tell by the way her sister narrowed her eyes that she was being scanned for injury.
"Oh my gosh, Alex! Your ribs! And I hugged you so hard!" Kara began frantically running her hands over her sister searching for any more injuries.
"It's fine, Kara!" She exclaimed with a fond smile, grabbing her sister's hands to still them. "I'm just glad you're back."
"Me too." Kara hugged her sister again, gently. "And, um, there's someone I want you to meet..." She reached a hand out to the older woman and Alura stepped forward, shyly. "Alex, this is my mom, Alura Zor-El."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Alex responded automatically, trying not to sound irritated by the other woman's presence. Alura nodded her head politely in response eliciting a frown from Kara.
"Mom," She tilted her head towards her sibling. "This. Is. Alex." The elder sibling wondered why her sister was placing such emphasis on her name when Alura's face lit up with recognition!
"Oh! You're that Alex!" The woman exclaimed, before tugging the agent into another hug that was just this side of painful. Alura pushed back, holding her at arms length with a beaming smile. "You saved my daughter. I am forever grateful to you and your family."
Alex couldn't hide the blush that rose to her cheeks at the older woman's praise. "Um, well, it's really more like she saved us. She's still saving us. You should be very proud of the hero she's become."
"Do not be so modest." Alura chided her with a smile. "Kara has told me many tales of your bravery. I am so thankful she had you to guide her in this strange new world."
Before Alex had the chance to get even more embarrassed, Lena entered the lab with a startled expression!
"Oh my god!"
"Lee!" Kara all but squealed as she nearly tackled the young woman in a hug. Lena, like Alex, was well prepared for the force of an excited Kryptonian and hugged Kara back just as fiercely.
"I missed you too." Lena told her fondly as the pair released each other. "Perhaps you should introduce me?"
"Oh! Right!" Kara pushed Lena in front of her as she declared, "Mom, this is my Lena...uh, I mean Lena Luthor." The super stumbled and blushed. "She's like the smartest person I know, next to Alex, and she's the one whose been working on the cure."
"A pleasure." Alura replied as she shook Lena's hand awkwardly, still not understanding the Earth custom. "It will be my honor to help you in any manner I can. Kara tells me it is your friend who is ill?"
"Yes, Sam is the one infected by the parasite we call Reign. We're hoping that the mineral Kara brought back from Argo City will be able to help us synthesize a cure. I simply want to see her well so she can go home with her family. I know Alex and her daughter, Ruby, have been worried sick."
At Lena's statement, Alura's eyes slid over to Alex. "You and Samantha are bonded?"
"In a manner of speaking..." Alex answered honestly. "Courtships are... different here on Earth."
"So I've gathered." The elder Zor-El agreed with a small smile. "Though not entirely so. I can tell she means a great deal to you both and I will offer whatever assistance I can. Perhaps you could show me what you have accomplished thus far?"
"But, of course. This way." Lena led the elder Kryptonian to the other side of the lab, sensing the sister's need for privacy.
As soon as Alura disappeared into the lab with Lena, Alex pulled her sister down the hall into J'onn's office. Once the door was shut behind them, the elder sibling fixed her little sister with an inquisitive look.
"Well?"
"Well, what Alex?" Kara had no idea how to respond to her sister's question. The agent sighed loudly before clarifying.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good! I mean being back on Argo was great but I definitely missed all the benefits of a yellow sun! I don't think I've ever felt so heavy- " Kara rambled before Alex cut in.
"Not physically, Kara! Though, yes, I'm glad you feel okay but I meant about her. Your mom is alive, Kara. That's huge! It's-"
"Everything I ever wanted..."Kara finished quietly, her earlier exuberance suddenly gone.
"Yeah." Alex whispered, pulling her sister into a gentle hug, which Kara returned tentatively. The barely-there embrace felt so much like those first few months after her sister had arrived, when she wasn't sure of her strength or even her place in the world. When uncertainty tainted their every interaction.
"I just..." Kara murmured against her sister's shoulder. "I don't know how to feel about it. I don't know how I should feel..."
Alex led her sister over to the couch, as she felt a shiver run through the younger girl knowing the conversation was emotionally charged. Kara laid her head on her big sister's shoulder, seeking the support only her sibling could provide.
"I want to be happy, you know?" Kara questioned, voice still soft, as if raising her volume would give her misgivings too much weight.
"I know." Alex agreed, voice equally soft. "But you're allowed to not be okay,Kara. And you're allowed to not be happy. If anyone knows how complicated mother/daughter relationships can be, it's me."
Alex tried to inject a little humor into the conversation and was rewarded with the tiniest of smiles from her sister. "You and Eliza are pretty complicated." Kara teased her lightly in return, earning an eye roll and a playful shove.
"Gee, thanks." Alex huffed but couldn't contain her smile. "But loving your mom and being okay with the things she did are two very different things. You know that, right?" She finished seeking her sister's eyes.
Kara nodded with a sigh of relief, glad that no matter what befell them, she could always confide in her sister.
"I know. But right now we need to focus on you and getting Sam better..."
"Kara..."
"Please, Alex. You're right about me needing to explore my feelings about my mom. It's just too much to unpack right now...let me help you and Sam first, okay?" Kara pleaded with her sister, knowing the conversation was far from over.
Alex pulled back to regard her skeptically. "We're not done talking about this." She warned, already aware that Kara would start pushing her feelings down in favor of her usual sunny disposition.
"I know."
"I'm serious, Kara. I love Sam. So much that it hurts sometimes. And I want her back... but, I love you too and I need you to remember that. Remember that I got you, always. Okay?"
"Okay?"
"And when this is over, we're gonna talk about this." Alex promised, eyes misting over as she held her sister's gaze. "All of it. We're gonna ugly-cry, and eat a ton of ice cream and talk about our feelings until we cant take it anymore! Deal?"
A few tears slipped down Kara's cheeks as she nodded in response. "You drive a hard bargain."
"Damn straight I do." Alex smirked as she thumbed her sister's tears away. A sharp knock on the door interrupted the otherwise quiet moment. Both sisters turned to find Maggie peeking around the frame with a sheepish look.
"Sorry to interrupt but-"
"Maggie!" Kara was off the couch and embracing the tiny Latina before she could react.
"Hey, Little Danvers." Maggie managed to wheeze out through the vice-grip of a hug.
Kara finally set her down and held her at arm's length. "I can't believe you're here! And you cut your hair! Wait, why are you here?" The super couldn't contain her excited rambling.
"She came to help." Alex supplied, noting Maggie was still recovering from the strength of Kara's hug.
"That's great!" Kara responded before pausing to regard both women. "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah, Little Danvers, we're good." Maggie assured her easily. "Right, Ally?"
"Right." Alex agreed with a small smile. "You were looking for us?"
"Lena sent me to find you, said your mom is due any minute now."
"We should head back to the lab then..." As Alex moved to stand she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and had it not been for her sister's alien reflexes, she would have probably hit the floor!
"Alex!" Both women exclaimed at the same time, moving to support her on either side.
"I'm fine," Alex lied through gritted teeth even though she felt weaker by the moment. "Just...just stood up too fast..."
"Alex, when was the last time you've slept?" Kara asked, concern evident in her tone. Maggie echoed her sentiment.
"Seriously, Ally. You're dead on your feet."
"I said I'm fine." Alex insisted, pulling away from Kara only to sag back into her once more.
"Yeah, not buying it." Maggie crossed her arms as she stared Alex down. She quickly came to a decision. "Kara, you go check in with your moms and Lena. I'll make sure this one makes it to her quarters and gets some sleep."
"Maggie..." Alex sighed but cut herself off when Kara fixed her with the saddest puppy-eyes she had ever seen.
"You promised when I left for Argo that you would take care of yourself."
"I know, Kara but-"
"No buts! You go with Maggie right now and get some rest or so help me I'll tell Eliza!"
Alex stared at her sister aghast. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me."
As it turned out, Alex hadn't been willing to call her sister's bluff and even if she had, one look at the exhausted agent would have told her mother all she needed to know. Even if one ignored the bags under her eyes and the redhead's sluggishness, the rumpled hoodie and jeans no doubt pulled from a laundry hamper were a far cry from Alex's normally crisp appearance. Maggie had hustled Alex the short distance from J'onn's office to her quarters without incident, the agent too weary to put up much of a fight. They peeked in quickly at Ruby, to find the teen spread-eagle, sleeping blissfully across the entirety of the bed. Maggie deposited Alex on the couch and quickly pulled an extra pillow and a fuzzy, Supergirl blanket from the spare closet.
As soon as she sat down, the tired redhead leaned into her. She placed the pillow in her lap and easily guided Alex to lie down, covering her with the cozy blanket. Alex fought back weakly but soon found herself cuddled into her ex-fiancée's lap with Maggie's skilled fingers running through her hair.
"You won't let me sleep too long?"
"I'll wake you if anything happens." Maggie assured her.
"Promise?"
"Of course, Ally."
"Hey Mags?"
"Yeah?"
"I missed you." Alex whispered, so quietly the detective almost didn't catch it.
"I missed you too." Maggie stayed as quiet as possible as Alex finally succumbed to sleep.
She could tell by the dark circles under the other woman's eyes that it had been quite some time since the agent had allowed herself any rest. Maggie understood, of course she understood. She had gone a full 48 hours without sleep when Alex had been taken, driven by stress and adrenaline, hate and longing. From the way the agent had spoken of Sam over the past few months, their feelings for one another were just as strong.
She wondered if Alex had told Sam she loved her yet?
Knowing the impulsive agent, she had probably blurted it out one day catching Sam by surprise. That was one of the many things Maggie had loved about Alex, the thing that she still loved. While stubborn and impractical at times, there was no one who loved harder than Alex Danvers. When she loved someone, it was all encompassing and unconditional. Maggie could tell that Alex's love for Sam was all that had been keeping the agent on her feet. Leave it to Alex to survive on sheer stubborn will! She tried not to jump when the door next to her opened and Ruby slipped out.
"Hey kid. How ya feeling?" She asked in a soft voice with an even softer smile.
Ruby didn't answer right away, instead eyeing Maggie suspiciously as she continued to run her fingers through Alex's hair. It suddenly struck Maggie what this must look like! Here she was, her ex curled up beside her, head in her lap while Alex's girlfriend was fighting for her life.
"I'm just trying to get your..." The detective realized she had no idea what the girl called the agent. "Alex to rest a little before she goes back to saving your mom." Maggie assured the girl as she moved to get up but Ruby stopped her.
"Stay. If you move, you know she'll wake up and we won't get her to go back to sleep." The girl explained, twisting her hands nervously. "I know she hasn't been sleeping much, not since Mom got sick."
Maggie nodded, having come to the same conclusions herself. "She really loves you and your Mom, more than sleep apparently!" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I guess so..." Ruby replied with a shy smile. "I'm gonna go find Aunt Kara, see if she's hungry..."
"Knowing her, she will be. I think she's in the lab with Lena and Eliza." Maggie informed her.
"Nana's here?!" Ruby exclaimed, shushing herself at the last moment so as not to disturb Alex.
It took Maggie a moment to register what the girl had said and when it finally settled in, she felt the words slam into her like a gut punch! Ruby called Eliza "Nana", as in her Nana, as in the Arias women were officially part of the Danvers clan. It made sense, of course, that Alex would welcome them into her family just as she had Maggie. The detective had expected as much when she and Alex broke it off. But somehow the confirmation of it all hit Maggie harder than expected. She shook off her feelings of betrayal and offered the girl another smile.
"Yeah, kid, your Nana came to help with a cure. With her, Alex and Lena on the case, your mom will be fixed up in no time."
"I hope so..." The girl responded wistfully as she headed for the door. She stopped at the threshold. "Hey Maggie?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming to help and for taking care of my Mama." Maggie sucked a sharp breath as Ruby confirmed who Alex was to her. "She needs someone to take care of her too sometimes."
"That she does, kid. No thanks necessary. Go on," Maggie shooed her gently. "I'm sure your Nana can't wait to see you!"
Ruby beamed and raced out the door leaving Maggie alone with a slumbering Alex and a slew of confusing feelings. Was she wrong to have come back? She hadn't lied to Alex when she'd said she missed her too. As she watched Alex's face, finally relaxed in sleep, Maggie couldn't help but wonder if she should have fought a little harder for love. And if this sudden rush of regret wasn't bound to make this whole situation that much worse.