Alex wasn't stupid. She had known there was a very good chance that the first egg implantation wouldn't work. Hell, it was more likely to be a failure than a success. Logically, this was going to take several tries, at the least. She knew that. But when the pregnancy test was negative, she was devastated.

Alex had so hoped that this would work first time. She knew that Maggie had gone through hell with her emotions with all the hormones prior to the egg harvesting. And she wanted to carry Maggie's baby, so much. So she plastered on a smile, told Maggie it didn't matter, that it would work soon, and she went to work.

Kate found her, three hours later, locked in a storage closet, her face raw and blotchy, her hair askew. She crouched down by her boss, and put a hand on her knee. "What do you need?" she asked, softly.

Alex shook her head, and regretted it as her head pounded.

"Maybe we should just start with some Motrin," Kate kept her voice quiet. She returned a few moments later, with two tablets and a bottle of water, which Alex took obediently.

Kate settled on the floor, next to Alex. She didn't want to harangue her with questions, or inane advice, but she didn't want to leave her either.

Alex took a few deep breaths. "Sorry," she muttered, eventually.

"No need," Kate said. "We all have bad days from time to time. And you were always there for me during mine."

Alex turned to look at her. She was a little younger than Alex, but her life experience had made her wise beyond her years. "I don't want Maggie to worry," she admitted. That had been her greatest concern. She already felt so bad for letting Maggie down, she didn't want to worry her into the bargain.

"So we don't tell her. So long as you swear that you'll talk to her if you need to," Kate's gaze was penetrating. "She doesn't have to know about every little meltdown, but if you start really struggling, she'll hate it if you hide it from her."

Alex nodded. "I swear."

Kate took a chance, and put one arm loosely around Alex's shoulders. She didn't want to overstep the mark with her boss, especially in the workplace, but Alex was family too. And Kara would want her to take care of her sister.

Alex tensed for a brief moment, and then she relaxed. She laid her head on Kate's shoulder. "Thanks, KC," her voice held more humor.

"Anytime, boss," Kate replied back, with a smile.

"Hey, you still on for this afternoon?" Alex was becoming more animated. She sat up, and checked her phone. "Kara's bringing Addie in at 1630hrs."

"Can't wait," Kate grinned. Alex had promised Addie that she would get Kate to give her some flying lessons in the flight simulator at the DEO, and Addie was beyond excited. She loved to fly, and she really wanted to learn to do it for herself.

Maggie had been worried to start with, but Alex promised her that she wouldn't let Addie at the controls of a real plane until she was at least 14, and already an expert. So Maggie had relented.

"Try and stop me," Kate's face lit up with pleasure. She loved Addie so much. She saw some of herself in the small child, and knew that she would have loved to have parents like Alex and Maggie, who were doing so much to alleviate the harm done in Addie's short life. And Addie was so full of enthusiasm, and joy.

"You've gotta be strict with her," Alex warned.

"I will. She's going to learn it all the right way," Kate promised.

Alex smiled. She rubbed her face with both hands. "I look like crap, right?" she faced Kate.

Kate grinned, and stood up. She held out a hand, and helped Alex to her feet. "Let's get you to your quarters. You can clean up in no time. Nobody will ever know."

"Not even Kara?" Alex wondered.

"Not if you don't want her to," Kate said, and Alex knew she would keep her word.

"That would be great. I'm okay. I really am," Alex said.

"Just a little sad."

Alex nodded. She touched Kate's arm. "Thanks," she said, again.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Maggie held Alex extra tight in bed that night. She knew nothing of her meltdown at the DEO, but she did know her wife well enough to know that she was taking it harder than she was admitting. "I love you," Maggie whispered into her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

"I really think you should include them," Sarah, Aoife's agent, was trying to persuade her to exhibit the pencil sketches of Ellie. "They're beautiful, Aoife."

Aoife was conflicted. She was proud of the work, she knew how good it was. But she was protective of her love. Ellie wanted her to go ahead and show the pictures, but she wasn't sure she wanted to show so much of herself to the world – and those pictures made it so clear where her heart lay. But she was married, she was changing her name. The world already knew she was in love. "One through nine," she compromised, her blood running cold as she realized she was committing herself. There were twelve pictures in all, but she wanted to keep the last three out of the public eye.

"But this one," Sarah lifted the tenth picture. "It's so perfect. So tender," she held out the picture, which showed just Aoife's left hand cupping Ellie's pierced breast. There were no faces, nothing to identify them. "It says so much about who you are."

Aoife looked at it, trying to be objective. Her heart quickened at the sight of Ellie's breast, and she couldn't hide a small smile. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But that one is not for sale. I don't care how much."

Sarah grinned, triumphantly. She had already worked out in her mind which pictures would be displayed where on the walls of the small gallery, and she knew that one would be perfect for the exhibition. "You won't regret it," she told Aoife.

"I'm regretting it already," Aoife muttered. She picked up her phone. "Excuse me; I've got to tell her."

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Kara waved and smiled as Addie came running out of school toward her.

"Kara!" Addie had a beaming smile on her face. "Mama said you'd come get me today, 'cos she's busy doing something real clever."

"She's recalibrating the gas spectrometer," Kara told her. She let out a hoot of laughter. "I have no idea what that means either. But she said to bring you back to the DEO, she's going to let us borrow Kate for an hour, so you can have another flying lesson!"

Addie squealed with delight, and hugged Kara's legs tight. She let Kara buckle her into the car. As Kara was about to shut the door, Addie yelled out, "Bye, Robert," and waved madly at a six-year-old boy who was holding his mother's hand.

Robert smiled and waved back. His mother turned to Kara. "Are you Addie's mom?" she asked.

Kara laughed. "No. I'm her aunt. Her moms are at work right now. Kara Danvers," she held out her hand.

"Maura Isles," the woman shook it warmly. "Robert has been talking about Addie so much. It seems like they have a lot of fun together. Maybe we can fix a playdate some time."

"I'm sure she'd love that," Kara smiled. "I'll get my sister, or sister-in-law to call you. Do you have a number?"

Maura passed her a card. "All my numbers and emails are on there. Robert goes bowling on Thursdays with my wife and her friends, and sometimes they go to the batting cages on a Sunday, but the rest of the time he's mostly free."

"I'll get Alex to call," Kara promised.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Ellie lifted her arm in the mirror, so she could get a better view of the underside. This was the third time that Aoife had worked on her tattoo, and she just loved it. The skin was still red and tender, but she couldn't believe the intricacy of her wife's work. "I love it," she said, her voice full of awe. "You are so talented. You should include pictures in your portfolio," she was only half teasing.

"No," Aoife was adamant. "This," she touched the skin reverently. "This is just for us. And there are parts of this tattoo that nobody will ever see, nobody but you and me," she touched the as-yet unmarked underside of Ellie's breast.

"You should be working on your exhibition. There are only three months to go," Ellie reminded her.

"It's nearly finished. I just want to complete that sculpture," she was working on a sculpture of a battered suitcase with a hand holding the part-broken handle. It was her reaction to the global refugee crisis. "I should get that done in a week, ten days tops."

"I can't wait to see it all on show," Ellie admired her talent so much. Aoife was only 20 years old, but already her work was commanding interest from the higher echelons of the art world. Yes, she had had a step up with her mother's reputation, but that had only gotten her through the door. Raw talent was propelling her forward, at a sometimes dizzying speed. Ellie knew that all the best opportunities would come from New York, and she had already steeled herself to the idea of moving there at some point in the future.

"We're not moving from National City," Aoife said quietly. "Not ever."

"We might have to," Ellie's voice was gentle. "There are some things you can't turn down."

"I'll visit when I have to," Aoife said. "But there are also some things that I can't expect you to sacrifice. Hell, I don't want to sacrifice either. They're my family now too, Eleanor. I don't want Addie to have changed every time I see her. I want to watch her changing. And if Maggie and Alex have more babies, you need to be there with them. So do I. So I'll travel a little. It'll be worth it."

"We'll travel together," Ellie tried to blink back tears.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

The second time the implantation failed, Alex managed to hold it together. And the third, though that was harder. But the fourth time, she cracked. Maggie woke up one night to an empty bed. She found a note in the kitchen. "Just gone out for some air. Don't worry about me, just need to think. Love you both. A. xxx"

Kara and Kate came round to sit, in case Addie awoke, while Maggie got onto her bike. She guessed where Alex was.

Alex was sitting by 'their' table at the alien bar, a bottle of whiskey half empty in front of her. Her eyes were glazed. She sloshed another shot into the glass, and knocked it back in one. When she looked up, she saw the worried, loving eyes of her wife.

Maggie lowered herself into the chair opposite Alex. She held out her hand, relieved when Alex took it. She brought it to her lips, and kissed the fingers. "How are you doing?" she asked softly.

Alex shrugged. "Kinda drunk," she admitted, her words sounding deliberate, as if she were struggling to form them.

Maggie nodded. "I can see that," there was no hint of censure in her voice.

"You want one?" Alex held out the bottle.

"I'd love one, but I've got the bike. Maybe next time," Maggie kept her voice conversational. She knew that Alex was struggling.

"Addie!" Alex suddenly remembered.

"Kate and Kara are there. She'll be fine. She won't even wake. And if she does, her favorite aunts are there. Addie's fine."

"I shouldn't get drunk. I'm a mother now," Alex said, and then snorted as she remembered why she was drunk. "Well, I'm..."

"You're a mother," Maggie's voice was firm. "A wonderful mother. Nobody can ever take that away from you."

"If we … never … it'll be okay. I mean. She's enough. Truly. She's amazing," Alex's eyes filled with tears. "I love that little girl so much."

"And she adores you right back," Maggie reminded her.

"Both of us," Alex's voice held a hint of wonder.

Maggie nodded.

"Sorry," Alex pushed the bottle away. "This is selfish of me. You're hurting too. And now I'm hurting you. And Addie."

"You haven't hurt either of us. You never could. And if you want a drink, that's okay, Alex. I can't remember how many times I've sat right there, doing exactly what you're doing right now."

Alex blinked and stared at her. "I've never seen you doing that."

Maggie gave a warm smile. "That's because I haven't had to, since you came along."

Alex took a moment to let that sink in. Maggie was happy now. Because of her. She was happy too, happier than she had ever imagined. This was temporary. They would get through it together. And they would have a baby at the end of it. Or they wouldn't. But they would still have each other. And Addie. She struggled to her feet and reached for her leather jacket. "Take me home?"

Maggie helped her into her jacket, and zipped it up for her. Alex was drunker than she had realized. "Will you be safe on the back of the bike? We can get a cab."

"'m'okay," Alex said, and took a deep breath.

Maggie felt Alex hold on tight to her as they rode. She could feel Alex reacting to the movements of the bike, anticipating corners. Alex was a natural rider herself, she could probably have ridden home herself and been completely safe, not that she would ever have considered such a thing. Not since J'onn had hauled her ass out of that jail had she ever been drunk in charge of any vehicle.

Kara and Kate kept tactfully out of the way as Maggie guided Alex up the stairs. Once she had gotten her settled, she came back down to thank them. Kara pulled her into a tight hug. "She'll be okay," Kara whispered. "She has you. She's going to be fine."

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

The exhibition was a huge success, and attracted favorable coverage from all the journalists who came. Aoife had been astounded and slightly scared to see several of the country's major critics there, but the praise was universal. By the end of the third day, all the pieces on sale had been sold to serious collectors, and she had made a small fortune.

Aoife looked up, to see Alex and Maggie entering the gallery. She ran over to hug them. "I didn't know you were coming!"

Maggie grinned. "Couldn't keep away," she drawled, laconically. "Addie's pissed, she wanted to come too, but we told her she couldn't take time out of school. We're only here overnight."

"I hope you got a good hotel," Aoife teased.

It was Alex's turn to smile. They had decided to take one cycle off from the implantation process, and were spoiling themselves with a night in a five-star hotel just off Broadway. They had originally thought that maybe they'd go see a show, but when they saw their luxurious room, and felt the soft towels and the enormous bed, they had decided that they could make their own entertainment for the night.

Alex was so tired, and she wanted to remind herself what it was like to be alone with Maggie, and not worrying about temperatures, and hormones, and unromantic checking of calendars. She just wanted to be with Maggie, in every sense. And she had seen by the look in Maggie's eye that she wanted the same thing.

They knew they had to go to the gallery – apart from anything, they wanted to see Aoife's face when Ellie arrived. She was not expecting her until the weekend, but she had managed to change her shifts, and was due in just under an hour at the gallery.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

"You're breathtaking," Maggie said, as she snuggled, exhausted, into Alex's arms. It was after 3am, and they had made love for hours.

"Yeah?" Alex teased, running her hand through Maggie's soft hair. "You're no slouch yourself, detective," she said, softly.

Maggie forced herself up on to her elbows, so she could see Alex's face. She looked relaxed, at last, which she hadn't for the last few months. "If you want to stop now, I'm okay with that," she touched Alex's face lovingly. "Truly. I have all I really need already. Another baby would just be gravy."

Alex caught her hand, and kissed it. "But I like gravy," she said in a quiet voice.

"I know, babe, but...," Maggie started.

"It's okay," Alex reassured her. "We'll try for a year, huh? And then we'll talk again."

"I'm here," Maggie reminded her. Any time you need me."

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

"You see here?" Alex moved away from the microscope so that Kate could see the image of the slide under the lens. "If I drop some of this," she released a small drop from a pipette onto the glass, "then it starts to … oh God," she paled, and swayed. She swallowed convulsively, and all color left her face. She just made it to the sink in time as her stomach erupted. She could feel Kate's hand on her back, and was grateful for her support as spots danced in front of her eyes as she heaved.

After what seemed like a lifetime, but in reality was under five minutes, Kate guided her to a chair. She grabbed her own leather jacket from the back of her chair and draped it over Alex's shoulders. Alex was barely aware of Kate phoning Maggie. "Alex doesn't feel so good," she said.

In under two minutes, Maggie was crouched at her side. Alex was taking deep breaths, and sipping gingerly at a bottle of water. Her color started to return. She felt Maggie's hand on her brow. "No fever," Maggie was saying.

And then it hit her, and she couldn't suppress a smile. She turned to Maggie. "Maggie, I think … I mean, it could be, right? We didn't do a test yet. And," she lowered her voice, "my boobs have been kinda sore for the last couple days."

Maggie couldn't keep the smile from her face. "You need to do a test NOW," she demanded.

Alex shook her head. "I don't have any here," she realized.

"Dr Hamilton will. And I need to know. Because if this isn't that, she's going to have to do a full work-up on you," Maggie was firm.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

"I won't tell Kara," Kate was trying to hide her smile.

Alex shook her head. "You can't hide this from her. I can't ask you to lie to your girlfriend. Anyways, as soon as there's a heartbeat, she's going to realize. She knew Cathy was pregnant before she did!" Alex was elated. She was nearly three weeks pregnant. It was still very early days, but she didn't want to hide it from her sister – especially as her sister's live-in girlfriend already knew.

"What about Addie?" Maggie wondered.

"Let's just see," Alex said. "If I get sick again, and she starts to worry, then we'll tell her. We'll just see how it goes. She's got a playdate with Robert tonight, though, right? She won't be back until later."

Maggie nodded. "Maura and Jane are taking them to the movie theater, to see that new movie, that animated thing."

"Thank God," Alex grinned. "I really did not want to see that. Robert's a great kid, isn't he?"

"Addie thinks he's wonderful. They are going to get into such trouble together," Maggie laughed. Addie and Robert were like two peas in a pod – they both loved cars, and bikes, and machines of all types. And their moms were not that different to Maggie and Alex. Maura was the new chief medical examiner, though she was currently coming to the end of her maternity leave, with the nearly six-month-old baby Michael, and Jane was a cop like Maggie, though she worked in homicide. So they all knew that they couldn't talk too openly about their jobs.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Alex looked at her phone. "It's J'onn," she just realized that she would have to talk to him. "You wanna come?"

Maggie smiled. "Ride or die, Danvers," she teased. That had become their motto. It was a fun thing to say, but Maggie wanted Alex to know that she would be at her side at all times. This pregnancy was something that was happening to them both, though Alex would have to cope with the physical travails that came along with it.

J'onn looked up. He quirked a smile. "You know!" Alex said accusingly, and then slumped into a chair.

"I was trying not to," he said. "I didn't want to invade your privacy. But your mind is just about yelling the news," he couldn't stop smiling. "Congratulations, both of you."

Alex gave a shy smile. "It's very early days."

He nodded. "I'll keep it quiet. We'll find an excuse to keep you in the building."

"But...," Alex started to protest, just as Maggie said "thank you," in a quiet voice.

Alex looked at Maggie. She nodded. "You're right," she admitted. "Thanks, J'onn."

"I'm starting a new intelligence program for recruits," he said. "Undercover skills, code breaking, assuming new identities, all the rest of it. You're now the new head of the program. It'll keep you out of the field for, I guess, at least eight to nine months," he grinned.

Maggie grinned back. "That should about do it," she said.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Maura Isles sat back in her chair. They had just endured 90 minutes of the worst movie she had ever seen, but they had had fun. Robert's friend Addie had been a delight to have with them – polite, fun and enthusiastic. "You think maybe she'll marry Robert in 20 years?" she joked to her wife Jane.

Jane looked up from her newspaper. "Unlikely," she laughed. "She told me that when she's older, her wife's gonna have all the babies, and she's gonna work as a police officer. So I wouldn't hold your breath on that one."

Maura laughed. "I like her moms," she mused. "She's adopted, apparently."

Jane looked over the glasses she had only just started wearing. "You're kidding. She looks so much like the taller one, what's her name?"

"Alex," Maura supplied.

"Well, she could easily be her biological child. And she dresses just like her, too. She's a sweet kid. I wonder what happened to her?"

"She was orphaned, I don't know the details," Maura replied.

"Poor kid," Jane looked over at the baby suckling at her wife's breast. She was a sucker for children with hard-luck stories. "Hey Mikey," she stroked his soft head. "You gonna come to your Ma for a cuddle once you've finished your dinner?"

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

After the third morning of horrific morning sickness, which had started around 3am and lasted to past 5am, Alex and Maggie decided to tell Addie the truth. She knew that she had heard them on the last morning, and it was better for her to be kept in the loop, even if in the worst-case scenario the pregnancy didn't hold.

By mid-morning on the Saturday, Alex was feeling much better, and was sitting on the couch sipping gingerly at some mint tea. "You gotta minute, Bug?" she called, trying to sound light-hearted. Addie scampered to her side. She knew something was up, and she wanted to avoid causing any stress to her mothers. "Come, sit," Alex patted the couch, her heart filling with joy as Addie cuddled into her. Maggie sat down on the other side of Addie, so she was sandwiched between them.

"Are you sick, Mama?" Addie's eyes were big and anxious.

"No, baby girl. I'm not."

"But I heard you. And yesterday," Addie insisted.

"I did get sick," Alex admitted. "But I'm not actually sick. What it is, Bug, your Mommy and I, we're having a baby," she smiled widely. "We're trying not to get too excited, as it sometimes doesn't work, and the baby doesn't happen," she was avoiding the word 'miscarriage', "especially in the first couple of months. But we're hoping this one is going to work. We just have to wait and see."

Addie was wide-eyed.

"That's why your Mama has been feeling kinda bad," Maggie explained. "A lot of moms, when they are expecting babies, they get sick and feel bad for a while. But it's nothing serious. It's just not real nice for Mama. It should stop after the first few months, though it doesn't always. But it doesn't mean anything's wrong."

"Some people say it's a good sign," Alex grimaced. "Cos it means your body's getting used to somebody else sharing it."

"But it makes you feel icky, Mama?"

Alex nodded ruefully. "Yeah. It does sometimes."

"And your Mama gets real tired too," Maggie told her. "So we have to take care of her, make sure that she doesn't do too much."

Addie nodded solemnly. Then a smile spread across her face. "Does this mean I'm going to be a big sister?"

"We hope so," Alex said. "If it all works." She rested her hand on her flat stomach. "This is the world's luckiest baby, it gets to have the best sister ever."

"Can I hug you? Will it hurt the baby?" Addie wanted to know.

"The baby loves hugs. Almost as much as I do," Alex said, firmly, and drew Addie to her.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Alex whistled for the dog. "Gertie, it's time for our evening walk." She loved walking the dog, and the fresh, late November air cleared her mind. She looked up to see Addie, dressed in her jeans with her leather flying jacket all zipped up.

"I'm going to hold Gertie's leash for you Mama. So you don't get tired."

Addie often came on the early evening walk, which Alex loved. It was a good time for the two of them to connect and chat, while Maggie had a half hour to herself in the house. Alex blinked away tears. Her hormones had sent her emotions haywire. "You're a good kid," she said, her voice cracking, as she handed over the leash.