We arrived at L Corp just in time to see Supergirl shielding Sam's naked body from falling ashes. Alex deployed the team to clear the floor before moving towards them.
"Is everyone okay?" she asked, looking from Sam to Lena. Lena nodded her head and Sam was coming to. I took off my jacket and pulled a pair of extra scrub pants from my pack for Sam.
"We should get her back to Med Bay," I suggested to Alex, seeing Sam looking slightly out of it.
"I agree," said Alex, motioning to another Agent to bring in the stretcher. "You ride back with her. Double check Lena before you go and I'm going to get Ruby."
"Copy that," I answered, moving to Lena.
"Hey," I said, happy to see she was unharmed. "You did it!"
Lena smiled a modest smile and leaned back against the desk. "Well, it was only plan A."
"Sometimes you just have to stick to the original plan," I offered, knowing the frustration we felt trying plan after plan. "It was great to work with you, hopefully we can do it again."
"Likewise," she answered, holding out her hand. I shook it and noticed a large bruise on her wrist.
"You okay?" I asked, turning her wrist upside down.
"Yeah, it's nothing. Reign was trying to test me just before Supergirl showed up, that's all," she smiled, her attention turning to Supergirl as she walked up.
"Okay, I'll see you around?" I waved; giving them time to talk and noticed a softness come over Lena that I hadn't seen before.
"Actually, I'd like to be there to make sure Sam's cleared, if you don't mind?" she asked.
"Of course," I nodded, respecting Lena's medical opinion. "I'll see you guys over there."
I walked over to Sam to see how she was doing. "Ready to go?" I asked her, she looked like she could barely open her eyes. I took her pulse and realized that her heartbeat was unusually slow. Sam slowly nodded and I motioned to the team to move her out.
Back at the DEO, Sam's tests came back normal other than her being super dehydrated. We got her set up with an IV and fluids before Supergirl came in to check on her with Lena, who handed me a scan of Sam's DNA. I was looking it over when Alex and Ruby arrived.
"Mom?" I heard, as I looked up to see Ruby run towards her mother. Everyone watched as the two reunited and I glanced over at Alex. The tears in her eyes said everything.
"She's all clear," I said, walking to her side and handing her the chart.
"Mhmm," she mumbled, clearing her throat. "Uh, that's great."
"I'm going to have her stay in Med Bay for the night so we can monitor her levels and make sure she's one hundred percent before she leaves," I said.
"Sounds good," said Alex, glancing down before shooting me a half smile.
I knew this was hard for Alex, it was written all over her face.
"So, I was thinking," I said, bumping her shoulder. "I'm out of here in twenty minutes, pizza and beer at my place?"
Alex brushed at a tear that threatened to fall. "Yes, that sounds like exactly what I—"
"Hey! Sorry Rae," interrupted Supergirl. "Alex, we need to talk."
Alex looked at me not wanting to pick between us. "Rain cheque?" asked Alex, her arm being linked with Kara's.
"Absolutely," I answered, knowing the sisters hadn't seen each other while Supergirl was away. I watched them head out of Med Bay and glanced back at Sam and Ruby. With everyone safe and sound, I couldn't wait to get home to my family. I handed off Sam's case to the night medical team and headed home.
I finished drying Charlie's hair and hung up the towel. She giggled and ran from the bathroom to her bookshelf to pick out a book.
"Book?" she asked, handing me one of our favourites and taking my hand to lead me to the rocking chair. I sat down and lifted her onto my lap; she cuddled into me and pointed to the pictures as I read out loud. By the last page, Charlie was fast asleep. I cuddled her closer and realized how much I had missed this over the last few chaotic weeks. I reached for the blanket on the back of the chair and covered us both. Moments later, we were both asleep.
The knock on the door startled me awake. I looked down at the sleeping baby in my arms and gently rocked her as I stood and tucked her into bed. I turned on her monitor and closed the door before heading to see who was at the door.
"Was that the door?" I heard from my moms' door to her suite.
"I think so, I got it," I answered, watching her nod and head back downstairs.
I opened the door and was surprised to see Alex standing there.
"Hey," I said, happy to see her. Alex looked up, her hands still in her pockets and her sad, red eyes gave away that she had been crying. "What happened? Are you okay?" I pulled her inside and lifted her chin so she'd look at me.
"I'm sorry for just showing up like this," she shrugged and wiped at a tear.
"Don't be, I'm glad you're here. You should've called, I would've picked you up," I offered.
"After Kara left, I just needed to grab some air and before I realized it, I was here," she said, with a sad smile. I took her hand, leading her to the couch.
"What's going on?"
"She's leaving," answered Alex, almost in a whisper like she was afraid to say it out loud.
"I know it's hard but you'll still see Ruby, I'm sure she'll be over at your place all the time," I assured her, still holding hand.
Alex looked down shaking her head. "Kara," she said.
"What? Where is she going?"
"That meteor they went to, to find the harun-el, it was Argo," she explained.
"Argo? Like Krypton?" I asked, confused at how a planet that I knew to be demolished could be orbiting in space.
"Turns out the research her father had been working on saved them. He was able to form a dome around the city, protecting it." Alex seemed to have calmed a little. "Her Mom is alive."
"That's crazy," I said, the news blowing me away. "How long is she going for?"
Alex shook her head, "I don't know. I know I'm being selfish, but I don't know what I'll do without her."
I pulled her into me, wanting to comfort her. "Well, I'm sure you guys will figure it out. Plus, you always have us."
I woke up with my arms around Rae who was still sleeping. The sun was shining through and gave enough light to outline the rest of her body under the sheet. She was beautiful. Since Kara left, I had been spending most of my nights here with Rae and her family. I tried moving without waking her.
"No, five more minutes," she murmured against her pillow, sliding her fingers between mine and pulling my arm back around her. I wrapped myself around her, smiling against her shoulder.
"Good morning," I whispered behind her.
"It is a good morning whenever I can wake up with you," she said, rolling over to look up at me. She touched my face. "I love you."
She had never said that to me before and I felt myself stiffen. She smiled and pushed herself up to kiss me, her soft lips meeting mine. I kissed her back, my hand moving over her collarbone. And then she was gone. She was up and wrapping herself in the sheet and grinning as she walked to the bathroom, leaving me with nothing but my smile as I watched after her.
I threw on my sweats and made my way to Charlie's room. She was sitting up in her crib, reading a book that been left off to the side.
"Ay!" she smiled when she saw me.
"Good morning my girl!" I said, reaching in and picking her up. "Did you have a nice sleep?"
Charlie nodded and pointed to her book still in the crib. "Little light reading with breakfast?" I asked, picking it up. She took it and hugged it to her chest as we walked downstairs.
"Good morning girls!" greeted Rae's mom.
"Morning Mrs. Gand," I said, accepting the hot mug of coffee she poured for me. "How was your night?"
"Oh, it was lovely. I finished another book last night. It's been so nice having you and Rae home. I've had so much extra time to get my reading in," she said, taking her spot at the breakfast table once again. It felt so natural to hear her talk about Rae and I together, like we've been together forever and not just a couple months.
"Morning everyone," greeted Rae, swooping into the kitchen to get coffee.
"Good morning dear, you're awfully chipper in the mornings lately," teased Mrs. Gand. "When Rae was younger, she most definitely was not a morning person."
"I don't know what you're talking about," smiled Rae. She went about making Charlie her usual breakfast of waffles. "Run this morning?"
"Sure," I agreed, sipping my coffee. This had become our routine. Wake up, coffee and breakfast with Mrs. Gand and Charlie, a run and then I'd head home to get ready for work. Everything had been falling into place since we caught Reign and I couldn't be happier. We sat around the table listening to stories about Charlie or Daxam, occasionally sharing Rae and I's latest win at game night. And this morning, after Rae's confession, I couldn't help but feel life was perfect.
I ran next to Rae, finding it somewhat endearing that she would slow to my pace, knowing she could run circles around the city before I was done tying my laces. We slowed down when we got to the boardwalk and took a second to stretch.
"That was pretty good timing today Danvers, something put a little pep in your step today?" teased Rae.
"You could say that," I said, leaning against the rail to stretch my hamstring. Rae leaned next to me looking out over the water. I turned and joined her, watching as the warm sun pulled up out of the water. "You know, I think you're on to something. Everything seems brighter and more full of life when I wake up next to you." I said, bumping into her shoulder and staying there. "I love you too."
She turned to me, hearing those words, she had the biggest smile I've seen her wear. "What?" I asked, wondering what she thinking? "I wanted to say it back this morning, but you left right after our kiss."
"I might've had some school girl nerves that you weren't going to say it back," she smirked, turning to face me.
"How could you ever doubt it?" I asked, moving closer to her. "I've felt your love for ages. I love the way you love me. Your looks, your touches, I love you."
She leaned up and kissed me, smiling against my lips. "That's a lot of love," she said against my lips.
"It is a lot of love, isn't it?" I asked, hearing the cheesiness after I said it. I could have stayed like that all morning, even though the idea of PDA wasn't my thing, but my ringing phone said otherwise. "Agent Danvers."
I listened as J'onn explained he needed to see me at his place before work. I agreed and hung up.
"Everything okay?" asked Rae.
"Yeah, J'onn just wants my opinion on something before work. So I'm going to stop there quick, I'll meet you at work?"
"Sounds good," she answered, giving me one more kiss before heading back down the path we came.
"Hey!" I called after her and she turned around. "Love you."
I saw her smile, "love you too."
When I got to work, Sam and Ruby we're outside waiting.
"Hey guys, I didn't realize you'd be here or I would've grabbed extra coffee and hot chocolate," I said, looking at Ruby.
"Rae, my Mom is still sick," blurted Ruby.
Sam tried to real her in and explain more calmly. "I don't know what's happening to me. After you discharged me, I felt fine and I have since. But lately, I just keep feeling different."
"Okay, well let's not jump to any conclusions. Let's head inside and see what we can find," I said, holding the door for both of them. I sent Alex a text to give her a heads up. I'd need her and Lena in on this to make sure we didn't miss anything.
Once inside, I got a hold of Lena. She gave me a list of tests to start while she made her way over. Alex and Lena arrived at the same time.
"Hey Ruby," said Alex, as Ruby ran to her and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Lena came straight to me and I handed her the results hoping that what I had interpreted was wrong. She looked at me without saying anything and I knew that wasn't the case. We looked over at Alex who was testing Sam's neurological reflexes; this news wasn't going to go over well.
"Sam your blood cells have mutated. Before they presented as human but now they are transforming back to their natural state, which is Kryptonian," explained Lena.
"Like Supergirl?" asked Ruby. "Isn't that good?"
"I don't feel stronger, I've never felt weaker," said Sam.
"That's because your blood cells are oxygen deprived. In fact, they look like they're becoming dormant," continued Lena, regrettably.
"We need to fix this," said Sam.
"If she's like Supergirl, wouldn't the yellow sun fix her?" asked Ruby.
"She's right," said Alex looking at me. "We can super charge her."
"Okay, let's get her upstairs," I said, getting Sam ready for transport. "Let's monitor the sun lamps and keep an eye on her oxygen levels."
I watched as our team moved Sam upstairs and Ruby went with them. Alex was gathering up tools and notes we'd need to continue testing Sam up in Med Bay.
"Hey," I said, walking over to her. "Everything okay with J'onn and M'rynn?"
"M'rynn thinks it's his time. He wants to preform something called the reach, which will transfer all his memories to J'onn before he dies. J'onn looked devastated. I feel horrible," said Alex, reaching for my hand.
"Why don't you go back and be with them? I can handle the test here and keep you updated," I offered.
"I can't. J'onn put me in charge. He said this was something he had to do on his own," she said, looking torn.
"I'm sure knowing you're handling things here is just as comforting for him," I assured her.
"How can such a good morning turn to this?" she asked, leaning her hip against the desk.
I smiled, "cause we left the bubble of our bed."
"I want to go back there."
Before I could reply, the whole building shook. The alarm sounded and we knew there had been a breach.
"Let's go," said Alex, running to the chaos. We ran downstairs to the control desk and stopped as we saw three dark Kryptonians. They were attacking and there was no time to think. Agents were being thrown as they tried to stop them.
"We were drawn by the blood of our fallen Worldkillers. Hand it over and we won't spill yours," demanded the one in the middle.
I heard Alex whisper to Demos to run to the lab and destroy the blood. Then she turned to me and signalled.
"Didn't they teach you how to knock on Krypton?" she asked, walking out of the shadows and aiming her weapon on them. She fired an electric net at them, pushing them to the floor and trapping them.
"Go secure Sam and Ruby and I'll head to the armoury," ordered Alex.
I nodded, taking off and running towards the lab. I got there at the same time as one of the Kryptonians. I ran at her, trying to take her down and she flung me across the hall with her heat vision. From the ground, I could see Ruby and Sam disappear behind Lena's refractive scatter field. I smirked, thinking Alex had rubbed off on Ruby already. Getting my breath back, I stood and saw Demos trying to sneak into the back of the lab to grab the blood. A noise grabbed the invaders attention and I saw Demos grab the blood and leave, but not without giving himself away. I ran at the hooded figure and tackled her to the ground. We grappled for a moment before I picked her up and threw her across the room.
"I see you found the blood of our sisters," I heard behind me. I turned around to the leader of these three walking towards Demos and I.
"Yeah, well I found kryptonite bullets," said Alex, shooting her with one and saving us from certain heat vision. Before we had a second to catch our breath, the second Kryptonian was back. She took out Alex and hit me again with her heat vision. I was sent backwards over the desk. Alex had more kryptonite and was using it to keep her at bay. I got up and grabbed her by her cloak and spun her around, we both fell once I let go of her. They both stood up at once and threw the kryptonite to the side, smirking but Alex was on them. She shot them both at once, weakening them once again before she ran at them knocking them both over the railing and to the bottom floor. Alex landed hard on the desk and was still. I ran to her.
"Alex," I called, almost sliding up next to her. She looked up at me from her back with a small smile. "That was pretty badass."
I reached out a hand and helped her up. "I've always wanted to do that," she said, dusting the broken glass off her. We heard a commotion coming from downstairs and ran to the railing. We made it in time to see the Kryptonians disappear and Demos was lying facedown, not moving. I jumped over the railing and ran to him. Gently, I rolled him over and checked for his pulse. I couldn't find it. I started chest compressions and Alex arrived beside me with a stretcher. Everyone watched on as we tried our best to bring our colleague back. Alex was handing me everything I needed before I could even ask for it and the commotion around us faded. All I could see was the patient in front of me. It brought me back to the war, seeing injured beings just lying lifeless, one after another. I pushed the thought away and focused back on Demos. Alex handed me the paddles and charged it.
"Clear," I called; making sure everyone was out of the way. I held the paddles to his chest and shocked him. The result came back negative. "Charge again." The power to the paddles hummed and everyone stepped back. "Clear."
Demos' body lifted slightly off the floor and gasped could be heard from the crowd around us. Still, nothing had changed. "Charge again."
"Agent Gand?" questioned an agent from Med Bay.
"Charge again," I repeated, challenging the junior agent to question me again. Once again, the hum buzzed through the paddles and I shocked him. His body responded and fell flat. And then a beep on the monitor signalled his return. "Got something, let's get him up to Med Bay stat."
"Nice one Agent Gand," said Alex, pushing the stretcher by me to the elevator.
I nodded and found the sheepish gaze of the agent who had questioned me. I wanted to make it clear that when a fellow soldier was in need you don't give up. But, judging by the look in his eye, he already recognized his mistake. I pulled my gloves off and headed upstairs to Demos.
Once the dust settled, I went to check on Ruby and Sam. Rae had mentioned that Ruby had hid them behind the scatter field but I wanted to be sure they were safe.
"Hey," I said, walking into Med Bay. The look on Ruby's face said it all, her fear, her worry and her sadness. I wished I could take it all away. "We're secure here for now. We're going to come up with a plan and we're going to keep you safe. I promise."
"How?" asked Ruby, holding her moms hand.
"I have the best people working on it right now. We'll come up with something. I'll keep you updated," I assured her, squeezing her shoulder before heading back downstairs.
At the command desk, Winn, Rae, Supergirl, Supergirl's mother and Mon-el had gathered and were trying to track down the heat signatures of the Kryptonians.
"What do we have?" I asked, wanting to know the progress.
"Nothing, as of yet. They're protected by magic," announced Alura.
"I will find them," said Winn, determined to avenge Demos injuries.
"Do you think we should call J'onn?" asked Supergirl.
"No, he's with M'yrnn. I'll reach him if the situation becomes dire," I said, knowing that what they were going through was also important.
"You guys," interrupted Lena. "I think I know what's happening to Sam."
"Sam, you should be in bed," said Supergirl, seeing the weak woman leaning against Lena.
"No, this involves me," she stated.
Lena held up a tablet, "these are Sam's blood cells, and these are Reign's. Sam's blood cells are getting weaker, while Reign's are getting stronger. They share a symbiotic, non-local entanglement. Reign and Sam are still connected. Reign is back and getting stronger by the minute."
"But I destroyed the Worldkiller's blood," offered Supergirl, unsure how this was possible.
"I don't know how, but they have it," argued Lena.
"Well, if Reign is getting stronger, couldn't the opposite be true? If Sam gets stronger, than Reign would get weaker," questioned Mon-el.
"My thoughts exactly," said Lena.
"But how?" I asked. "Nothing we have tried has worked."
Just then Alura brought up the Fountains of Lilith. She explained how vengeance had been spoken about on Fort Rozz back when she sentenced those to the prison. She spoke of two fountains; one that gave strength and the other that brought weakness. She had heard of the story of a woman who had been born in the ashes with the power of destruction. From here, between Supergirl and Sam, we were able to resurrect the rest of the story and formulate a plan. It was risky and it included Sam going back to the Dark Valley.
"It's too risky," I said. "Sam is too weak. We can't put this on her."
"Alex is right," agreed Lena.
But Sam was not letting up. She was determined to end Reign today, for Ruby. I had to admit, I admired her for fighting for Ruby. I wanted to have that kind of motivation behind the choices I made. I fought for the good of the world but I wanted to have someone that I could fight for. Then Rae caught my eye and while I could hear all the points that Sam was bringing up, I knew I had reasons to fight. I had people that relied on me and that I wanted to protect with everything I was. When I understood that, I knew Sam would be okay. I could sense that she would be able to do anything because of the purpose she had.
I was waiting outside Med Bay with Rae, watching Lena hook Sam up. I had already tried to get Ruby to leave her mom while she underwent the shock but she wouldn't leave her mothers side.
"She's persistent, that's for sure," said Rae, watching over Ruby.
"Yeah, she is. That's a good quality for her to have," I said, hoping she'd always stand up for herself and what she believed.
"Alex?" said Supergirl, from behind me. Rae and I turned to see Supergirl and her mom. "This is my mom. Mom, this is Alex."
Alura gasped and grabbed me in a hug. "You and your family rescued my daughter. I am indebted to you."
"Well, sometimes, I think she's the one that rescued us" I said, smiling at Kara, who I had missed after all this time. I turned to Rae. "Mrs. Zor-el, this is Agent Rae Gand, my girlfriend."
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Zor-el," said Rae, as Kara squealed at hearing the news.
"You guys made it official! I want all the details," she beamed.
"Sam's ready," interrupted Lena.
"Well, I guess those will have to wait," I said, watching everyone file in on stand by in case things went sideways. Ruby came to stand next to me while Lena began. She was scared and I hugged her, hoping that would ease even the slightest of her worries. We had barely begun the process when the building began to shake once again. This time, however, was different.
"Go!" shouted Lena, holding her hand out to Ruby, "we have this."
"Ruby, stay with Lena," I instructed her, as I headed out to be briefed on what was happening.
I found Winn. He was downloading the facts as they were coming, we stood on the balcony that overlooked the city and watched as destruction and chaos took over.
"It's starting," said Supergirl, referring to the terraforming.
"Eight point oh earthquake, tornados and super storms over Madagascar?" questioned Winn. "Tsunami's. We got a hundred percent chance of, you guessed it, Reign."
Mon-el was explaining an event that Brainy had mentioned to him, a genesis that had happened on the planet Zunn when J'onn and M'yrnn appeared. I felt horrible that they had been interrupted but at the same time, I was relieved to see them. The next couple of hours were going to be horrendous. We geared up and headed out.
"Rae," I said, stopping her from putting on her vest. "Maybe you should head home and make sure your mom and Charlie are okay?"
Rae smiled at me, "they're in the safe room. It was supposed to be a bonus room, but I guess it's coming in pretty handy." She reached out to touch my cheek. "Plus, we're better as a team right?"
I nodded; wanting nothing more than to keep her safe and have her at home in the safe room as well. But, at the same time, I was thankful to have someone I could count on by my side to ease my fears.
Heading out, things were nothing but chaotic. Glass was falling, people were running everywhere and the earth was breaking. We all moved out and began helping as many people as we could. J'onn ordered Rae to set up a triage in the park and to start taking in the seriously injured right away. My new gadgets from Winn really came in handy and I made a mental note to thank him. It felt like hours had passed and everything was getting worse, to our surprise, the Legion had returned and stopped a massive tsunami from wiping out the city. Winn was constantly calling out new threats that needed to be neutralized and we were running all over the city to keep it safe. Fire, flooding and fear plagued the streets and agents were going above and beyond their comfort zones. As I brought a group of survivors to the triage area, I saw Rae running from patient to patient helping as many as she could. I had never felt a greater sense of pride than I did seeing my coworkers, risking their lives to save others. Some looked exhausted but never once did I see them slow down. The terror was all around us without an end in sight, and just like that, it seemed to stop in an instant. We all looked around wondering if had actually been stopped or if it was coming back. But the loud, cheering and applause signalled the end. Finding our group, we help gather up the few injured still in need and headed back to the DEO. I had a feeling this was far from over.
When we got back to the DEO, we learned that it had been because of M'yrnn that the terraforming had ceased. But in the process, he had given his life to save us. We were devastated for J'onn. I went to him.
"I'm so sorry J'onn," I said, hugging him.
"He saved us," said J'onn.
We regrouped at the command desk and went over the facts. We still had no idea where Reign was and Sam still hadn't woken up from the Dark Valley. We really didn't have any more leads to go on.
"I'm going to go check on Sam," said Rae, excusing herself. I watched her hurry up the steps to Med Bay, before listening to what would happen next. We needed to find Reign and until Winn could locate her heat signature, there was nothing to do but wait. So I followed Rae up the stairs to check on Ruby.
"How's she doing?" I asked, seeing Rae by Sam's side and Lena checking on things.
"No changes, but she's strong," said Lena.
"I know, she's a warrior for Ruby," I said, heading into the lab, seeing Ruby asleep on the bed next to her mom.
"You know, you're really wonderful with Ruby," said Lena, following me. "You're going to make a natural mother."
"Yeah, and yet I haven't made any steps to, uh, make that a reality," I said, finally having a second to think of myself. "I never thought I'd find someone after Maggie. But I did and am I just supposed to drop a truth bomb on Rae and say 'hey, I know you have a kid and we just started officially dating, but lets have another baby together?'"
"Well, have you spoken to Rae about that?" asked Lena, following my eyes to Rae, who was checking on Sam and covering a sleeping Ruby with a blanket.
"No," I admitted. "We just started dating. I can't bring up the fact that I want a kid now. Or what if I'm being to pushy by implying that I would love to step up and be another mother to Charlie? What if that scares her off?"
"You know, she would have had those same thoughts when she realized she had feelings for you. But she obviously took the chance that you would accept Charlie and everything she wants when she fell for you," said Lena, bringing up a very good point. I had never thought of it in a way that Rae had enough respect for me to be completely open and vulnerable with her life and that I should have the same respect for her to be just as open.
"You're right," I said. "So when do I tell her?"
"Well, you've identified what you want, and that's half the battle. People like you and me; we do whatever it takes to get what we want. And when we defeat Reign, I have no doubt you'll figure it out."
I thanked Lena and headed back downstairs. I walked up on a heated discussion.
"No, I don't kill. Not even her," argued Supergirl. "There has to be another way."
"Sometimes, the thing we thought we'd never do, the thing that goes against our very core, is the one thing that we must do," said Alura.
"If, all else fails and we have no other recourse, I agree," said J'onn. "We do what we must."
I could see the struggle on Supergirl's face. This was going against everything she knew and was.
"Okay, send Mon-el and the Legion the coordinates to my ship. We'll meet them there," ordered J'onn. We had a location and were moving out and J'onn stopped me.
"Alex, I need you to stay here. I'm pulling everyone that can protect him or her under the yellow sun, which includes Rae. So, I'll need you to run point from here and take over Med Bay and Sam upstairs," said J'onn, laying out the orders.
"J'onn, I'm sure the agents upstairs can handle it, I'll be more help out in the field than I will sitting here," I argued, not liking the fact that my team would be out there without me.
"Alex, we both can't go out there. I need to know that the DEO will be taken care of with a proper second in command should something happen out there," said J'onn, holding me by my shoulders. "You're the only person I trust to keep this place running as it should."
I nodded, disagreeing with his orders but having the respect to not argue with a commanding officer. He nodded and headed out to meet with the rest of the team.
Upstairs, I explained to Lena what was happening and we stood by waiting for Sam to wake up. I had my earpiece in my ear so I could hear every part of the action out in the field. I was happy to have Lena there to monitor Sam because majority of my attention was on listening to the multiple voices in my head. They found Reign and the fight was on. I could hear groaning and grunting as they fought against the Worldkillers and Reign. At times I couldn't tell which side was winning. I fired up the new technology that Winn had developed, which allowed for Med Bay to monitor everyone's vitals from the lab. Along with this feature, the improved suits had the capacity to deliver electric shock to restart the heart, as well as, sensors to detect several other issues and administer fast acting drugs if needed. On the screen, I had files open for all the agents that were out there fighting, including Rae. Her heartbeat was racing but no different from anyone else's. All stats were reading normal and I left the screen open so they could be constantly monitored.
"Alex!" called Lena, I turned seeing Sam awake and levitating. We all watched in shock as Sam floated back down to the bed.
"It worked," said Lena, unable to hide her surprise.
"Mom, you're super," said Ruby, her eyes wide.
"Where are they?" asked Sam, pulling off all the wires and stickers attached to her body.
"They went after Reign and the witches," I said, still not certain how Sam was able to do it. We watched her run off with super speed from Med Bay. We brought our attention back to the screens where everyone's stats were still stable. Until Supergirl's alarm began to sound, her file indicated suffocation, which meant something was interfering with her airway. It was difficult to put together what was happening from hearing the noises in my earpiece to what was on the monitor. Suddenly, Supergirl was coming back around but all the other alarms, one by one, started to sound. First, Alura's stats faltered and then flat lined.
"Supergirl's mom was hit!" I said, moving to the controls to administer the in-suit defibrillator. "It didn't work."
"Mon-el's stats are falling. His suit isn't registering any movement," said Lena, trying the same thing on his. "The suit got him back, but his pulse is thready. Rae isn't moving either!"
"Rae, do you copy?" I called, panic setting in. "What's happening over there? Rae!"
The only response I got was a flat line signal from Rae's vest.
"N-no," I said, punching the button to shock her vest. "Rae! Rae, answer me." I stepped back to see whose vitals were still active, maybe it was a malfunction in the new suit technology. But deep in my stomach, I knew the situation wasn't good. Only J'onn and Supergirl's vitals were active and stable.
"J'onn? Supergirl? What's happening?" I called, fearing the worst. Winn came up to inspect the technology to double check for defects.
"Alex?" called Supergirl.
"Supergirl, are you okay? Where is everyone?" I asked, moving communication over the speakers in the lab.
"I screwed up, I need you to find me a disruption," said Supergirl.
"A disruption?" I asked, not understanding.
"I need to go back in time, like the Legion," explained Supergirl.
"You can't breath in space," said Winn.
"I'm wearing Mon-el's ring. I can breath with it on," said Kara. "If I can go back in time, I can use the electricity in the Harun-el to get us to the Fountain of Lilith."
"Okay but the pressure alone is going to crush you," argued Winn.
"Just find me a disruption now," demanded Supergirl.
I couldn't think and if Supergirl had a plan to save everyone who hadn't made it through the battle than I was willing to try. I heard her take off and watched as her vitals spiked and red lined.
Before my eyes, the monitors all powered back up and I was listening to Supergirl's voice once again. I heard Mon-el's voice, then J'onn, then Rae.
Finally, I heard Supergirl. "We did it," she said. "Let's get back."
Moments later, I heard the distinct whoosh of everyone landing on the balcony. The other agents gathered around with applause and cheers to welcome them in. I took my first deep breath knowing they were all safe. Ruby went running to her mom and crashed against her. It was finally over. Lena joined me on the floor and we watched as everyone made his or her way in. Ruby ran over to us next and gave us a hug that matched the one her mom got.
"We came over to say thank you, but I think Ruby did that for the both of us," said Sam.
"You made me feel safe when everything was horrible, and you made me have faith that my mom would get better. I don't know what I would've done without you," said Ruby.
"Well, I mean, you're a pretty great roomie," I smiled, turning to Lena. "So, want to give the good news?"
Lena turned to the two of them with a big smile. "Sam, all your blood tests came back and they are normal. There is no trace of any Kryptonian DNA."
Sam looked beyond relieved, as did Ruby. "You are one hundred percent human." Sam hugged Ruby close and thanked us once again, we all came together and I held onto Ruby for a second longer. She was the closest I had come to taking the steps towards what I wanted for myself and it felt like I was about to lose that. I saw Rae over Ruby's shoulder and I couldn't wait to see her. I was getting tired of losing the things that meant most to me. Having put some thought into it in Med Bay, I needed to talk with J'onn. It was time I started taking control. We said the rest of our goodbyes and I started to make my way over to Rae.
"Alex?" called J'onn from upstairs. I looked up to see him motion for me to join him. I looked back at Rae.
"I'll wait in your office," she smiled, pulling a hand from her pocket and catching mine. I went to her and kissed her soft lips, when I pulled back I knew she could sense my fear from earlier. "I knew you had everything under control," she smiled. "Listen before you go, when I was out in the field earlier, there was a moment where everything became very clear to me as to what's important. And that's you and Charlie and our families. And if you're feeling like that's not one hundred percent complete for you yet, I want you to know that I support every decision you make. If you want to have a baby, I support you. I'll stand by you every step of the way, if you'll have me. I see how you are with Charlie and it means everything to have you by my side raising her. I don't want there to be anything that stands in your way of having everything you want."
I held her face in my hands and kissed her again. Rae discussing everything I wanted to talk to her about before I even brought it up confirmed everything I felt about her. "Thank you," I said, resting my head against hers before kissing her lips once more. "I love you, I'll be right back."
"I'll be here," she said, heading to my office. I ran upstairs, knowing what I had to tell J'onn. This job had meant everything to me at one point but now, it felt like it was standing in the way of everything I wanted. If I was going to take Rae up on her offer to have a family with her, I couldn't have the dangers and uncertainty of this job hovering over us.
I walked into the training room and saw J'onn waiting for me. I took a seat across from him.
"Good job today Alex," he said. "You're always up for the challenge of learning something new, the new technology in our suits should add that extra element of safety we were missing."
Not being able to wait, I got right to the point. "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this J'onn. I put my life on the life every day. And every day, I run the risk of losing it. And I feel like I haven't even had the chance to really live it yet. I've been hiding behind this job, saying it's too dangerous to go after what I really want because of it. Then I was hiding behind my fear of losing Rae, losing her when I told her that I wanted to have more kids, losing her when I wanted to tell her that I want to be a mother to Charlie, than I actually lost her today. If Supergirl hadn't been able to go back in time, I would've lost the one person who totally understands me, in every way because I was scared. And I don't want to be that person anymore, I want to tell Rae that I am completely open to every possibility with her. Now, the only thing I'm afraid of is if I don't make this move soon, if I don't reach out and take a hold of my future, of what my heart wants, than I'm never really going to be happy. So, with that said, I want to give notice. So that I can find my new beginning and I can have a family of my own."
J'onn smiled. "You're a hero. It's in your blood. You can't resign because I want to promote you. This year, I have been given the most priceless gift. I found my father. I lived with him, I learned from him and he reminded me that the Martian way is to live among the people and to help them. Not hiding behind these walls, but with helping hands and compassion."
"You're stepping down?" I asked, not believing that J'onn would ever leave the DEO.
"I am," he confirmed. "But I'm not leaving you, I would never leave my family."
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe it. He took my hands in his.
"Alex, I want you to run this place. Be the Director. With you in charge, I feel the DEO will stay on the right path to protecting this planet and helping those that cannot help themselves. And with being in charge, you won't have to be in the field all day. You don't have to deny any part of yourself to be complete. You can have a family and you can be a mother, all on your own terms." He stood and offered me a hand. "Congratulations, Director."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "That's not how I saw this going," I said, stunned. I was ready to give up everything I knew and now I was being told I could have it all. I never thought it would be like this.
"Go, celebrate. Tell Rae everything you want to tell her, be fearless," said J'onn, hugging me. "I know you'll continue to make me proud, Alex."
"Thank you, J'onn," I said, still speechless. We left the training room and I went to find Rae. Things were definitely going to be different from now.