"Thanks, M'gann." Alex smiles when a fresh drink was set in front of her.
"Something on your mind?" the co-bar owner probes with a playfully teasing smile as she taps a finger to her own forehead. "or is it someone?"
Alex brings the beer to her lips for a slow sip before setting it back down once more without answering. She knew M'gann wasn't above reading her mind for the answer, but she also knew her dear friend would have already asked upfront before doing so.
Although given how J'onn always teased her about having loud thoughts when it came to matters of the heart Alex was also sure that she was all but shouting the answer M'gann wanted at that very moment.
Cole, Cole's absolutely heroic service dog Clyde, and….
Maggie.
Just the thought of the tough, strong, and oh so beautiful detective had Alex's heart-pounding quicker against her ribs. So loud was the blood in her own ears that the plain-clothed vigilante didn't notice when the heavy door to the Dollywood bar opened allowing another patron into the lazy mid-afternoon crowd the bar was currently hosting.
Alex had decided to stop in for a visit after another stop-off at the clinic the recovering pup had been taken to. Considering the depth of a few of the stitched-up bite marks it was a true wonder the dog hadn't bled out immediately. Another burning shot of alcohol chases away the reminder as the currently plain-clothed hero reminded herself the dog was firmly on the road to recovery.
She'd also run into Cole one more time as the child and her after-school sitter made their own trip to visit the recovering dog.
Alex uses the cover of being the girlfriend to one of the clinic's volunteers as to why she too always seemed to be around whenever the younger girl notices her wandering the halls close to Clyde's room.
The ruse seeming to appease the curious child for the most part as Alex keeps Cole as up-to-date as possible on her pet's condition.
Alex's honest veterinary studying friend and fake girlfriend even goes so far as to stop and give Alex's cheek a few soft kisses every other time the three were in the same room to keep up appearances.
Only when Alex's unfocused eyes catch the way M'gann's greeting smile changes into a conspirator's grin as the bartender's eyes flicker first to her own owlish gaze then over Alex's shoulder to meet those of the new arrival that Alex also realizes she'd unintentionally spilled half her beer over the bar top in her daze.
"Didn't think I'd see you in here so soon." M'gann's tone was even but the wording did catch Alex's attention as she hastily attempts to clean up her own spilled drink as she tries her hardest not to listen in on the newly started conversation. "Dar isn't working tonight so you're safe to stay a while." she adds in a motherly way that has Alex's pressing the side of her beer bottle to her lower lip in a vain attempt to hold in a low giggle as M'gann rounds the end of the bar. Her arms were already held out in quiet want of a hug.
"Sorry, Mama Bear." Alex's fingers curled around the edge of the bar as her heart flips in her chest at just the sound of that distinct voice coming from behind her. "but I'm not here for her so makes no difference if she were working tonight or not." The cop she knew to be Maggie Sawyer adds conversationally.
"Oh?" M'gann asks for both herself and for a curious Alex.
"I am here to look for a woman, but not one who's already broken not just my heart but also my little girl's."
Alex can already feel her own heart ripping apart at the very idea of anyone hurting that sweet young girl the cop of a mother was talking about. Even in the short time she and Cole had been around one another Alex could tell she was one heck of a firecracker.
"Oh, don't worry about her, whatever you wanna say to me you can say in front of her." M'gann was promising as she coaxes Alex's newfound crush over towards the bar. A fact that was not lost on Alex herself but what was momentarily lost was her realizing M'gann was talking about her.
Alex hates the playful tease of 'Bambi gay' in her head as she hides her blushing face behind her hair under Maggie's appraising gaze. Kelly's playfully given nickname for whenever she'd get to flustered to even meet her ex's eyes when they'd first attempted a relationship.
"I don't know what else to do but I need a line on Sentinel." Maggie finally says as she drops onto the open bar stool to Alex's right with a defeated sigh effortlessly bringing Alex out of her musings with a new nervous edge to her movements. "and short of starting something to maybe draw her out it doesn't seem like I'll run into her anytime soon." Maggie goes on now using her short, trimmed fingernails to pick at the edge of the label of the bottle M'gann had just put in front of her. "Though I'd get lucky considering the whispers she comes in from time to time for a drink."
"What's worth all this fuss?" M'gann probes her eyes flickering over to catch Alex's quietly signaling the other woman to release the breath she'd been unintentionally holding.
Maggie pulls an unassuming envelope from the inside pocket of her jacket. "I promised Cole I'd pass this along." The mother says her eyes on the oh so carefully written name of her daughter's new favored costumed hero in Cole's own handwriting. "but I've been holding it for three days now and I mean I guess Supergirl might pass it along given she and Sentinel seem close…."
Alex sits up a little straighter at the hint of jealously underlying the grumpy comment. But no. she must have just been hearing things. No way was Maggie the jealous kind.
"Jealous, Sawyer?" M'gann asks that amused grin back in place as she sends Alex a teasing wink.
"How can I be? To be jealous would mean I have something other than a working relationship with one of our cities many costumed heros." Maggie asks after taking a larger sip of her drink. Alex now eyes the alcohol strength of the serving M'gann had given the motherly cop. Not a drop of liquor. It was only soda.
"With who?" Alex wonders aloud drawing both other woman's attention to her presence so close to them.
"Her super girlfriend." M'gann jokes earning a pretzel stick tossed at her that she easily swats away from Maggie.
"Not my girlfriend. No matter how much I wish she were." Maggie argues draining another mouth full of soda from the bottle she'd been absently batting between her hands like a cat with a ball of yarn.
Alex immediately slumps against the barstool her short nails scraping even harder at the edge of her own bottle label in defeat. Of course, her crush would fall for her sister.
"Come on, Sawyer. You said yourself the vet said she'd insisted on paying for Clyde's med bill. If that's not girlfriend material I don't know what is." M'gann comments as if in correction for Alex's spiraling thoughts.
"Just because she has a soft spot for animals, nothing to do with me hack not even to do with Cole either." Maggie argues still munching on the end of a pretzel stick. Its only the buzz of her phone that keeps her from noticing Alex's completely shocked expression as she listened to the sulking confessions.
"I'll pass this along for you." M'gann says swiping the card from the bar before Maggie could glance away from the incoming text. "Go see your girl, Mags."
Alex was still staring slack-jawed after the retreating cop well after the door had closed behind her.
"Seems you got yourself some fan mail Senty." M'gann jokes her voice low as she hands over the card.
Alex's hands tremble as she carefully opens it at takes out the card inside.
A printed out color page that had been carefully folded to resemble a card.
An otter wearing a dark pair of sunglasses with the body having been colored to resemble that it was wearing clothes matching Alex's more heroic color scheme of light blue and back all the while the pictured otter was holding a sign. "Thanks, an Otter Lot"
