I wasn't expecting to be stuck on bird duty, but gathering as much information on the virus was critical to the mission. I walked down to the lab where the birds that survived their fall from the sky were being monitored. I wasn't a big fan of birds to begin with and the dark lab wasn't helping. I used the code to open the door and was shocked to find the room completely silent. I moved in to survey the cages, only to be greeted with death. They hadn't survived the few hours since being brought in. I rushed to the monitors, hoping to find it was due to injuries from the fall opposed to the fast moving virus. But that wasn't the case. I read the results twice and called Alex immediately. She picked up on the second ring.

"Agent Danvers," she answered.

"Hey, it's me. I've got bad news. All the birds are dead. It appears their organs began to shut down simultaneously and ultimately massive organ failure killed them all."

"You're sure?" she asked, keeping a level voice.

"Yes. I'm still working on narrowing down the time line but based on their average size, it looks like they survived four hours, max. Not including the incubation period." I heard Alex sigh before answering.

"Okay, see if you can still figure out how it's being contracted. Then help Mon-el with the cure because these people have already been down three hours. Who knows how much longer they'll have."

"Got it. Be careful," I said, before hanging up the phone. I headed to the Legion ship to find Mon-el. He needed to know time was of the essence.

Walking into the Legion ship I found my cousin hooked up to the transfusion machine.

"Hey," I said, my eyes going to the new age technology.

"Hey. How's your mom?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

"She's okay. She was being poisoned by lead because she slipped down the stairs and didn't want me to worry," I said, rolling my eyes. I looked around the beautiful ship. "Why did you ever leave this ship?"

"Love," he smirked, half-heartedly.

"How's that going?" I asked, when I heard his tone.

"I'm not really sure at the moment," he said, squeezing his hand while the machine pumped out his blood.

"Just have to hang in there," I squeezed his shoulder while I looked at the transfusion machine. "If there's anything I've learned about love, it's that it's not something you can hide from. Once Charlie and I left Earth one, my plan was to hide in the Phantom Zone until I could figure out how to make it on my own. But being lonely, it's just as painful as having your heart broken. It's true what they say; it is better to have loved." He nodded in agreement and breathed out a sigh. "Anyways, I have an update."

Mon-el looked up to see my face, "not good, I presume."

"The birds are dead. Organ failure. We need this cure, or people are going to die," I said, as the machine beeped.

"It won't take Brainy long now," said Mon-el.

"Okay, I'm going to go back and try to figure out how it was contracted," I looked back at him from the door. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"From what Brainy says, we have no idea what's coming."

We walked back into the DEO with only the knowledge of how the virus was spreading but we weren't any closer to finding Pestilence. I headed up to Med Bay to find Rae, but she wasn't there.

"Rae is still in the lab on the bottom floor, she's been studying the virus," stated Brainy, without taking his eyes away from what he was working on.

"Thanks Brainy," I said, heading downstairs. I found Rae in the dark lab, huddled around a microscope.

"Hey," I said, walking up behind her. I saw her jump and touched her shoulders to reassure her. "Hey, it's just me. Sorry, I thought you would've heard me coming down."

"No. I didn't, I must not have been paying attention. I can't believe what I'm looking at. Look at this. The virus is multiplying at crazy speeds; it's so much more advanced than anything here on Earth. If I can figure out how to slow it down, maybe I can buy you guys some more time. What do you think?"

"Yeah, that would definitely help. We've figured Pestilence is injecting her victims through contact. We were able to narrow it down to a scratch all the victims had on their hands. We're scanning images and security video now to see who had the ability to come into contact with everyone."

"How are the victims from this morning?" Rae asked, pulling her eyes from the screen and turning to me.

"Not good. But Mon-el was bringing doses of the cure over to the hospital when we got back. So that should start to help," I said, brushing my fingers through my hair. I saw Rae smirk before returning to her computer.

"What?" I asked, trying to see her face.

"Nothing," she answered, still smirking.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked, catching myself smiling for the first time since I left her this morning. I turned her chair around so she could face me.

"Nothing, I just like when-"

"Guys!" shouted Winn, rushing through the door and interrupting Rae. "The woman we thought was Pestilence is dead. She's human and the latest victim."

"Dammit," I murmured. "Where is Supergirl now?"

"She's on her way back to search for another lead," answered Winn, typing onto his tablet.

Rae stood up, her smirk replaced with concern, "Winn. You're nose."

Winn looked up and touched his nose. His eyes grew big as he pulled his hand away and saw the blood.

"Supergirl?" I called, reaching for my earpiece. "You better get back here fast. It's Winn."

"What's happening?" asked Winn, suddenly unsteady on his feet.

Rae hurdled to his side and caught him as his legs gave out from under him. She lifted him up and looked at me.

"Let's get him up to Med Bay," I said, opening the door for them.

We hooked Winn up to the monitors and pushed meds to keep him comfortable. I couldn't believe how fast his condition had worsened in front of our eyes.

"I got it," said Alex, entering the Med Bay. She held up a vial of the cure she received from the Legion ship. "This should have you back on your feet in no time, according to Brainy."

"Oh, well, if Brainy says so," mocked Winn.

I looked over the scans that were coming back from Winn's blood test. The aggressive virus was infiltrating Winn's body at miraculous speeds. He was lucky we had the cure on hand; it was hard to say how much time he would have otherwise. Alex joined me at the computers, looking worried.

"He's going to be okay," I quietly reassured her.

"This virus is moving at lightning speed, we both know that. What if the cure doesn't work in time?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"You can't think like that. He's got the best people working on him," I said, nudging her shoulder. I saw her worry lighten for a brief moment. "I'm going to run back downstairs and see if I can work out that solution to slowing this thing down."

"Okay, I'll keep you posted on any changes," she said, taking over the monitors.

"Call me if you need anything," I said, squeezing her arm.

I headed back down to the lab; it felt even more dark and dreary down here after leaving with Winn in my arms. According to the monitors, the virus was getting more aggressive with every scan we took. But the more I understood about this virus, the deeper I understood how dismal Winn's future looked without that cure. Hours had passed when Mon-el and Brainy walked in.

"I thought that at least with having an agent down, it would turn into a positive lead with Winn being able to identify who scratched him," explained Brainy.

"Yeah, but the scratch isn't manifesting until symptoms do which is enough time for the world killer to infect as many people as she can and get out of there," said Mon-el. "How's it going down here?"

"Not well, I'm just getting more and more frustrated," I answered, pushing my keyboard away from me. "How can this virus be more complex than anything this world or our worlds have ever seen?" I asked, rhetorically. I was about to continue my rant when Brainy cut in.

"Hold on. Something is happening to Winn," he said, reading the data that was transmitting to him, I froze, terrified of what he would say next. "Ah, I see it. Because Pestilence is not technically the Blight, but the forbearer of it, the cure we have needs to be modified to fight her particular strand of the virus."

"So, how do we do that?" I asked, standing and looking at Brainy.

"The easiest way would be to get a piece of Pestilence's DNA," answered Mon-el.

"What happens if they can't find her? More people become infected and those already infected, die?" I asked.

"Yes, we need to find her as humanly, or non-humanly, as possible," said Mon-el.

"There's more," added Brainy.

"What more?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed and angry.

"It's Alex," he said. I looked at Mon-el and bolted out of the lab. I used my speed and ran up the stairs from the basement and bounded over the railing of the second floor balcony. Mon-el was right behind me. I ran to the door of Med Bay, only to see everyone huddled around Alex, lying motionless on the floor. I wanted to run to her. But seeing her lying there on the ground, I couldn't move. All my feelings for Alex that I had been trying to downplay were rushing to the surface. And now, the fear of losing her had me frozen in place.

"Take a deep breath," Mon-el whispered. "If anyone can help her right now, it's you." I watched as Supergirl picked Alex up and brought her to an empty bed beside Winn. "I've seen you work under far worse conditions. She needs you to stay calm, you can do this."

Collecting myself, I walked into Med Bay, everyone stepping aside to let me through. "What happened?" I asked, checking her vitals and listening to her chest.

"She just dropped like Winn, I think she hit her head. She has a bloody nose and scratch on her left hand," informed Supergirl, standing guard next to her sister.

"Okay, I'm going to get her set up with fluids," I said, putting on my gloves. "Start running the same tests we ran on Winn," I instructed the other medical personnel. I inserted an intravenous line, while the tech took a swab inside Alex's cheek. "I want this rushed and brought directly back to me."

"This is different from Winn's," said Supergirl. "He didn't lose consciousness."

"He also didn't hit his head," I answered, feeling around Alex's head. I gently opened her eyelids and shone a light against her eyes. "Her pupils are dilated. She probably has a concussion. You need to find Pestilence. We need her DNA in order to modify the cure. Brainy has been searching security footage and thinks he might know."

"I can't leave her," said a teary eyed Supergirl. I knew how she was feeling but the only way Alex would get the help she needed was if we had the vaccine fit to fight the specific strand.

"You're her only hope Kara," I said, feeling my emotions getting the better of me. "Not only for her, but Winn and the world." Kara squeezed her sisters' hand and held back her tears. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll keep you updated on every detail."

Before either of us could say anymore, Alex stirred. I moved to check the monitors.

"Alex? Can you hear me?" asked J'onn, joining Supergirl on the other side of Alex's' bed.

"I'm okay, I should be helping," coughed Alex. She looked weak, the colour drained from her face.

"You need to rest," ordered J'onn.

"Yeah, we're on this. I promise," assured Supergirl, looking at me. I nodded and moved away to get the next location of the world killer from Brainy.

"Alex, whatever you have attacking you, you are stronger than it," said J'onn. "No one is more of a fighter than you. Keep holding on, okay?"

I looked up to see Alex nod and Supergirl leaned down to kiss her head before she left.

"I want to know the slightest change," said Supergirl, on her way out.

"Understood," I answered. I watched everyone clear out and Supergirl get her information from Brainy. I started opening the files I needed to begin manipulating the virus. Alex was going to need more time while we found another cure.

"Rae," I heard, quietly from behind me. I turned to see Alex, with tears in her eyes. The tough exterior she wore in front of J'onn and Kara was gone. I walked to her bedside.

"Hey," I whispered, trying not to make full eye contact and maintain some control over my emotions. I adjusted her pain meds and fiddled with her lines. I felt her hand on my arm and I finally looked at her.

"I'm scared," she said.

I took her hand in mine and sat beside her. "I know, but I got you."

"I know how bad it is, I can't shoot my way out of this one. If something happens, I need you to look out for Kara," she said, with tears streaming down her face. "Tell her I loved being her big sister and that I love her."

"Alex," I tried, wiping my own tears.

"Please tell her," she asked again, I nodded. "And I'm sorry Rae. I'm sorry we didn't get as much time together as we could have. I love being with you and I let my fears get in the way of what I truly felt."

"Alex, I am not going to let anything happen to you," I said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "We'll have all the time. And I want all the time with you." I leaned in and kissed her lips. "I got you."

I sat with her until she fell asleep. With her vitals stable, I leaned down kissed her cheek. "Please hold on."

Sitting with Alex gave me time to come up with a plan. I had worked with bio warfare in the past but the supplies I would need, the DEO didn't have. But I knew who would; I needed Lena Luther.

Hours had passed. The agent I sent to L Corp had returned with the supplies I needed. When I called Lena, I was expecting more of a fight from her, especially when I asked for certain drugs. But she had sounded more distracted than anything. Being the top pharmaceutical company in the country, I thought she would want to have a hand in coming up with the cure. However, it seemed like she was willing to hand over whatever I needed just to get off the phone with me. I was close to a treatment to slow the virus down when Mon-el flew in carrying Supergirl.

"What happened?" I asked, directing him to the empty bed.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," answered Supergirl.

"Pestilence infected her," said Mon-el, looking frustrated. "We almost had her, she was fading but Purity showed up and made her stronger." I turned on the sun lamps and grabbed a tray to clean out the scratch along Kara's cheek. I turned her cheek to me and swabbed it.

"How's Alex?" asked Kara, in a voice that sounded like she was almost too scared to ask.

"It's not good, but my treatment to slow down the progression is almost ready," I said, meeting her eyes. "Did you get a piece of the world killer's DNA?"

"When I hit her, Mon-el was able to tangle her in his cape and we think we found a piece of her hair, but we're not sure," said Supergirl, looking at Alex and Winn.

"Okay, well that's a better chance than what we're running with now. I think I was able to narrow the virus down to its most simple form and slow down the mutation sequence. When it's ready, I'll give that to Alex and Winn. That will give Brainy a chance to test the hair and prepare doses of the modified treatment. He's on the Legion ship," I said to Mon-el. "When you return, I'll need you to drop the rest of the doses of the hindrance to the hospital," I asked, walking him out of Med Bay. "I might have bought us some time, but not a lot. Please, hurry."

Mon-el nodded his understanding and took off towards the ship. Just as I finished setting Supergirl up, the remedy to slow down the virus beeped, signalling its completion. Holding my breath, I leaked it into both lines of Winn and Alex and returned to my desk to measure out doses. My concentration was failing; all I wanted to do was be with Alex. Everything inside me wished it had been me instead of her. But knowing the lives of hundreds of people were on the line drove me to complete the mission before my own needs.

I could hear voices murmuring before I opened my eyes. I could see Rae behind her desk, talking on the phone while she scoured through files open on the computer. I lay still, knowing she would drop everything the moment I was awake. I watched her, taking in her confidence, her brilliance, just her. I was feeling a little better until the stirring in the bed next to me caught my attention.

"Oh, my god," I said, trying to sit up when I realized it was Kara. "Are you okay?"

She sat up right away and stammered. "Yes, I'm fine, just a little weak. Are you okay?"

"I'm alive," I answered, finally having it hit me, just how close I had come.

"Hey, nice to see you both up," said J'onn, joining them with a smile. "You had us a little worried there."

"Wait a minute, where's Winn?" I asked, noticing the third bed was empty.

"Against my better judgment, he's back at work," answered J'onn.

"Oh, what a suck-up," I mumbled, half joking, I wished I had been helping during this whole thing. J'onn smiled and stepped closer.

"You know selfishly, I'm really glad you're okay. I don't know how I would've made it through the next couple of months without you."

"You know I'd never let you go through something like alone," I said, returning his hug.

"I'll see you downstairs when you're ready," he said, excusing himself. "Rae, excellent work today," he called to her. She smiled her thanks, still busy on the phone.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you healthy again," said Kara, moving in for a hug. "You know, I think you may have made a good choice with that one," she said, looking over at Rae. "She hasn't left this bay, or your side, since you fell sick. She's worked non-stop to find a cure and before that, she started on an antidote that basically paused the virus from mutating. I think she saved a lot of lives today, including yours."

I felt her hug get tighter as she finished her last sentence. My eyes finally meeting Rae's, she hung up the phone and made her way over.

"I'll see you downstairs," said Supergirl, I nodded and watched her hug Rae, thanking her again.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" asked Rae, sitting on the edge of my bed and taking my wrist in her hand to check my pulse.

"Fine, thanks to you I hear," I held her hand once she was done.

"It was your sister and Mon-el who did all the heavy lifting," she smiled, looking at our hands. "I'm just glad you're okay, you scared me for a second."

"Scared myself," I admitted. "Thank you, for being there last night. I just didn't want Kara to see me like that and have her be distracted."

"Always," answered Rae, standing. "Well, I should get back, the hospital wants a break down of the treatments."

"Wait," I said, still holding her hand. I pulled her back to me and kissed her lips. "I'm glad I get to do this again."

Rae smiled against my lips and kissed me back, she sat back down on the bed and held me close. Her kisses were slow and deliberate, like she was trying to memorize my lips.

"Hey! I got a lead! Oh! My bad," interrupted Winn, unsure whether to leave or not. I rested my head against Rae's shoulder.

"What's the lead Winn?" I mumbled into her shirt.

"Okay, we're tracking Purity and her frequency has popped up," he said, checking his tablet. "It looks like they're heading for L Corp."

"L Corp?" I questioned.

"Oh my god, Lena," said Rae, standing up. "I called her for the drugs we used in the treatments. Could that make her a target?"

"Anything could make her a target. Get Supergirl, J'onn and Mon-el. Get there as fast as you can. I'll meet you there with a strike team."

I jumped off the balcony of the DEO and was following closely behind the others, jumping roof to roof. I should've known better than to involve a civilian and leave them unprotected. I jumped higher and landed beside the others on Lena's office balcony. We followed Supergirl further into the building.

"What do we think we're going to find here?" asked Mon-el.

"Hopefully just Lena, hard at work," answered Supergirl, listening for Lena's voice. We followed her down a couple more halls before she opened a door for us. It led to a secret lab.

"Lena, the world killers are on their way here. We need to get you somewhere safe," explained Supergirl. Everyone took a breath when we saw Lena at her desk. The moment, however, was short lived when we all saw her patient next to her. "Lena, what's going on here?"

"I was going to tell you," started Lena, standing up.

"Tell me what?"

But before anyone could answer, the two world killers burst through a door on the other side of the lab. Supergirl moved first but Purity blew us all away with her frequency. I felt myself being thrown across the floor along with shattered glass and furniture. I looked up to see Lena land against the shelf next to me and fall to the floor. I moved to her side to shield her from the chaos. The next few moments were a blur. It felt like a force field was holding us back until they finally took off and vanished into the sky.

"Lena? Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling beside her and holding her head and neck.

"I think so," she mumbled, brushing the debris from her face. I noticed a sizeable laceration on her arm.

"Hey, you've got a fairly big cut on your arm," I said, holding her bloody arm. I reached for a gauze kit from my pack. "We need to clean this out and stitch it up. Is there somewhere we can go?" I asked her, hoping to get out of the wreckage.

"We can head to my offic-"

"She doesn't leave our sight, until we figure out what's happening here," ordered J'onn.

"Yes sir, just need a clean environment to dress these wounds. Is everyone else okay?" I asked, looking everyone over before helping Lena up.

"Yeah, all good here," said Mon-el.

Stepping out into the hall, Alex rushed towards me seeing my bloody hands.

"Are you okay? What happened?" she asked, motioning the strike team to continue into the lab.

"Yeah, we're fine. We were thrown by the world killers and Lena obtained an arm lac, but a couple stitches and she'll be okay," I assured her. Alex looked at Lena, who was staring at the floor, and then back to me. I nodded towards the lab. Alex followed and headed into the lab.

"Lena?" I asked, trying to get her attention. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I was so close," she said, not breaking her stare. "I can still see it. I need a pen and paper."

We rushed into her office and she began scribbling down notes, leaving a bloody trail on her desk. "If I can just remember the steps I took to get to my last results, I can hopefully figure everything else out as well."

While she wrote, I tended to her arm. I administered local anaesthetic so it would set in before I started the stitches. Although, I was pulling out shards of glass and it wasn't even fazing her.

"Why hide what you were doing? I called and spoke with you, you could've mentioned something?" I asked.

"You had a task at hand, equally important. I figured if you could do one, I could do the other and we'd be ahead," she said, still writing. "Plus, if I came to the FBI with information that was incomplete, what good would that do?" She paused and looked at me for a second. "Why lie about working for the DEO?" I met her eyes when she named the department. "Oh please, my mother is wanted criminal number one. Of course I know about the DEO," she smirked.

"Ms. Luthor," interrupted J'onn and Alex. "I assume there is no concern about you trying to flee the country tonight?"

"No, I won't be going anywhere tonight," she answered dryly, going back to her notes.

"Right, then you're to report to the DEO tomorrow for questioning," he said.

"Assuming I have no other choice, I'll see you then," she said, without looking at him.

"I'll see you two downstairs when you're finished," J'onn said, as he left the office.

Alex watched me work, handing me the odd tool but still armed. "Where's Ruby?"

Lena looked at Alex for the first time since she entered the room. "She's safe."

Alex leaned over the desk, "how can you be certain?"

"Because not a lot of people know about where she is and the less that do, the safer she will be," argued Lena. "I promise you, her safety is just as important to me as it is you."

I finished dressing Lena's arm and gathered up my equipment. I knew Alex was getting frustrated with the situation, and with us all being friends, I didn't want her to say something she would regret.

"Okay, I think we're done here," I said, lifting my pack onto my shoulder. "We should find J'onn and the team." Alex was still staring at Lena, who also hadn't looked away. "We'll see you in the morning Lena," I said, trying to subtly guide Alex to the door.

"Thanks for your help Rae," Lena called to me as we left. I waved and turned to Alex, once I shut the door behind me.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

Alex put her hands on her head and paced back and forth.

"Hey, she said Ruby is safe. She's your friend, you have no reason to doubt her," I tried.

"Except the huge electrical cage she had Sam locked up in Rae!" she exclaimed.

"Okay," I said, ushering her into the elevator before Lena heard her. "I've been reading her research on multiple studies and she's thorough. She's brilliant when it comes to planning these things out. She knows every detail. Ruby is a big detail. If she says she's safe, we need to believe her for now," I said, taking her face in my hands. "If you still feel uneasy in the morning, we'll ask her for the location and we'll go get Ruby ourselves." Alex lifted her eyes to me and finally nodded in agreement. "You know, you should be in bed. You just got over a deadly virus," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"When is the last time you've eaten or slept?" she countered, holding my cheek. I looked at her, not completely sure of either. "Maybe it's time someone takes care of you."

I leaned up and kissed her, "that sounds perfect."

We jumped into the DEO tactical vehicle and rode with the team back to the department. Once inside, we gathered at the command desk to hear our orders.

"Okay, right now we have agents scanning for Purity's frequency and monitoring any disturbances in the city. We need to be on high alert but until we learn more, you all need rest. Good work in the last forty-eight hours. We will get these guys," said J'onn, dismissing us.

"I'm just going to make a call to check in at home. Then grab a quick shower and I'll meet you back here?" I asked Alex.

"Yeah, sounds good," she said, heading in the direction of her office.

I stood under the hot water once I spoke to my mom. I should've known she would be awake waiting for my call. After finding out how her shoulder was and how Charlie was doing, I let her know I was okay and that I'd see her in the morning. Feeling the heat run off my shoulders and down my back, I took my first deep breath in the last two days. I hadn't realized how tense I had been. But now, knowing Charlie was safe, my mom was okay and that Alex was healthy; it felt like I could breath deeply again. I finished up and turned the water off. I headed back to my locker, wrapped in a towel. I found some clean track pants I was planning to work out in and grabbed another DEO long sleeve. I sat down on the bench to tie up my sneakers and took a second to take another deep breath. I heard someone walk in behind me and I stood.

"Hey," smiled Alex, standing between the rows of lockers.

"Hey," I said.

"Everything okay at home?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks. Charlie was asleep and my mom is feeling much better. She said to thank you again," I said, packing up my stuff.

"And you?" she asked, reaching out to take my bag.

"Me? I'm good," I said, putting on a bit of a front. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm just checking in, a lot has happened lately," Alex wiped a drip of water from my cheek, before kissing me. "Ready?"

I leaned back against my locker and bit my lip to try keep myself together, before catching up to her.

We walked into my apartment and left our bags by the door. "I can't believe the last forty eight hours," I said, heading to the kitchen.

"Is that all it's been? It's felt like a week," said Rae, leaning against the island. I pulled down two glasses and the bottle of Scotch. Rae accepted the glass and held it up to mine.

"To your full recovery," she toasted.

"I owe it all to you, so, thank you," I said, clinking her glass. We both downed the shots and refilled the glasses. "So, I might have ordered a pizza."

"Ugh! This why you're my favourite," Rae grinned, sauntering over to the couch and sitting down, rubbing her shoulder. "I didn't think I was overly tired, but now that I know everyone is safe, I think it's hitting me."

"Well, pizza shouldn't be long," said I, reaching for some plates.

"You really should be resting," said Rae, coming back into the kitchen. "May I?" she asked, holding up her watch and reaching for my wrist. She took my pulse. "It's a little fast. How are you feeling?" She felt my forehead for a temperature and I couldn't help but smile. "What?"

"Nothing," I said, sliding my hands up the arms that were trying to check my lymph nodes. "It's just that, my heartbeat always seems to speed up when you're around."

The knock at the door interrupted her exam and her response. But her lingering touch said enough. I pulled away and went to the door. By the time I handled the pizza guy, Rae had us set up on the couch. We sat back with our plates and watched a late show. When Rae was finished she put her plate on the table and stretched out her shoulder.

"What happened to your shoulder?" I asked, having seen her touch it a couple times.

"I think I just landed on it weird, when we were blown back in the lab," she said, trying to massage it. "It feels better now, just a little stiff."

"Let me look," I said, moving closer to her. She pulled her shirt up and pulled her arm out, revealing her sports bra and a lightly coloured bruise that covered her shoulder and triceps. "Looks like it's healing up already." She put her arm back in her shirt and I rubbed her shoulders for her. After a couple minutes of massaging her back, Rae leaned back and pulled my arms around her.

"This feels good," she said, as we both sank into the couch.

"Yeah, it does," I agreed, pulling a blanket over us.

The sun streaming into the room woke me. I slowly opened my eyes and slid my hand up from Alex's hip to her stomach.

"Good morning," mumbled Alex, stretching.

"Morning," I answered, smiling.

"You know, we could've slept in my bed," said Alex, running a hand through my hair.

"Sorry, I don't even remember falling asleep, I must've been pretty comfy," I answered.

"It's nice waking up with you," she said, lifting my chin to her and kissed my lips. "I'll make us some coffee." She slipped out from under me and I watched her walk into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling today, about the whole Lena thing?" I asked, sitting up and wrapping the blanket around my legs.

"Less angry, I think," Alex grabbed two coffee mugs from the cupboard. "Lena is brilliant, I know that. But the fact that she kept Sam from us, that's still not sitting well with me."

"Thanks," I said, taking the hot coffee. Alex sat back down on the couch and draped her legs over mine.

"And not knowing where Ruby is, or how she is doing, is driving me insane. What if something happened to Lena, we'd never be able to find her," she said, blowing into her mug.

"You wouldn't stop until you found her," I said, knowing how protective Alex was of Ruby. "But I understand, I wouldn't be able to focus either, if I didn't know who was taking care of Charlie or where she was."

"So what should I do?" she asked.

"Find her. It won't only bring Ruby more protection by having you there, but it'll give you peace of mind so that you can think clearly," I offered. Alex nodded.

"Speaking of a clear mind, I'm going to meet you at the DEO. I want to stop by the house this morning for some baby cuddles," I said, taking another sip of coffee and flipping the blanket on to Alex. I poured out the rest of my coffee and put my cup away. "Can I borrow this?" I asked, holding up her sweater.

"Sure," she smiled.

"I'll see you at work?" I asked, hovering at the door.

"Yeah, I'll see you soon," I heard as began to close the door. "You look good in my shirt."

I was laughing to myself as I headed to the elevator. I pressed the button and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. The elevator arrived and the doors opened. I almost ran into the person stepping out.

"Oh! Rae, good morning," grinned Kara, grabbing my shoulders to steady us.

"Morning Kara, sorry my head's in the clouds this morning," I said, switching spots with her and trying to hide my goofy grin.

"That's not a problem, I'll see you soon?" she asked.

"Yes, just stopping at home before work. See you in a bit," I answered, as the doors closed.

I was still lying on the couch when the knock on the door came and Kara walked in.

"Well, good morning!" smirked Kara. "And how was your night?"

I laughed and pulled the blanket over my head, so my sister couldn't see the ridiculous smile I had.

"I couldn't help notice Rae was wearing that same smile when I saw her on the elevator," she teased, pulling the blanket off me and sitting at my feet.

"We just fell asleep after dinner," I said. "Nothing happened."

"That smile you're beaming is saying otherwise," said Kara, taking bite of her muffin and handing me one.

"I know I said after Maggie, I wanted to keep things casual and not rush into anything. But with Rae, things just seem different. Even though, I feel like the cause of my outlook stems from recent events, its like those just come as a reminder that life is short," I shrugged, looking at the face Kara was sporting. "What?"

"Isn't that the exact same thing I've been telling you since you met Rae!" she exclaimed, throwing a pillow at me. "I know you were worried that you couldn't trust your feelings but I think, in this case, things are pretty clear."

I smiled into my cup and looked at Kara.

"Also, those smiles are so Rom Com central, I'm not sure how you can deny it."