Alex stayed near the doorway listening to the hustle and bustle of all activity going on. The medical team had arrived and despite some initial fears that Maggie got handled, it sounded like the aliens and humans were all willing to let the medical team help.
"Did you know there are three aliens here that are on our list?" J'onn, who was standing next to her asked.
"No," she said. "I just knew about Sh'ian and I doubt Maggie knew either as she has never been given full clearance for that information."
"So what do you want us to do about the aliens that are on our list?"
"Nothing," Alex said.
"Nothing? That doesn't sound like the Alex Danvers from even a year ago."
"A lot has changed," Alex said. "It was like Maggie was trying to tell me on the way here – there is always more to the story. Those aliens, the ones on our list, we don't always know the circumstances of what they did or why they did it. Not saying we should let dangerous aliens go free or anything or that we shouldn't trust the data we have."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that right now the only thing they are thinking about is their families," Alex said. "If they weren't, they wouldn't be here or be in what I can only imagine is not the greatest of facilities here. I mean what is that smell?"
J'onn chuckled. "I do not know."
"Maggie thinks Sh'ian would be willing to come in and get some testing done, tests that maybe will help us learn what happened to me," Alex said. "That is good enough for now. As for the others, well we can let them be for now, but if they step a toe out of line, then I won't hesitate."
"I don't doubt that," J'onn said. He paused a moment. "You and Maggie make a good team."
She smiled a bit.
"You did a good thing here Alex," J'onn said.
"Unfortunately, it's a band-aid at best to a bigger problem," Alex said. "Think about how many women are out there in a situation like this."
"True, the DEO can't become a health care service for them," J'onn said. "What they need is for some light to be shown on the issue and maybe that will motivate others to help. Maybe legitimate clinics and doctors would be able to see to them if people knew about it."
Alex gave that some thought and smiled, "I do know a reporter."
…
Alex walked carefully up to the restaurant, using the walking stick, and waved to Cass as she approached. They hugged once she got closer and Cass held the door open for her to enter.
Once seated, Cass smiled. "Nice glasses," she said.
The new glasses had blue-tinged crystals in them rather than regular glass. Alex could only imagine what people thought when they saw her out in public like this. The walking stick probably helped them realize that she had a sight problem, which is why she carried it with her when strictly speaking she would probably be fine without it.
It had been nearly a month since they had broken up, but since then they had still spoken weekly as friends. Alex had told her about the aliens and the pregnant women after Cass had called her when seeing the article Kara had written about it.
In addition, she had told her how she had limited vision back thanks to the DEO doctors, her mom, and some tech wizardry from Winn. They had found the correct spectrum of starlight that allowed her to see and were able to create these glasses which diffused the sunlight into a spectrum that allowed her to see. Although it wasn't a perfect sight which meant she was on desk duty for work. She couldn't make out colors well and after about 10 feet of distance, things began to get less in focus.
"Thanks," Alex said. "Hopefully, they are temporary as well, but at least they are better than being completely in the dark. The doctors are still working with Sh'ian on how his powers work with the idea that if they can find the exact way this happened they could maybe use his power to reverse it fully."
So far none of the experiments had involved Sh'ian using his powers directly on her, but the doctors had a theory that it might take a shot of his powers at a certain spectrum to return her sight fully, but they weren't ready to try it yet.
They continued to chat after getting their orders – talking mostly about how Kara's article was influencing real change as women's clinics were now opening themselves up to the off-world populations. They also spoke about Cass' work and the big trial coming up which Alex still planned on going for at least a few days to support Cass and see her in action.
"Well, we've made it through an entire meal without you once mentioning Maggie," Cass said as they finished up. "So, what's going on?"
Alex felt weird speaking to Cass about Maggie, but Cass had asked practically the same question a couple of weeks earlier and waved on any idea that she was uncomfortable about the topic. She told Alex that they were friends now and friends should be able to talk about others in their lives.
"Nothing is going on," Alex shrugged.
"What? We talked about this Alex," Cass said. "You need to make a move."
"Why are you so certain that Maggie even likes me like that when everything she has said is exactly the opposite?" Alex asked.
Cass smiled. "She is, just trust me on that."
"I'm the one who made the mistake of kissing her the first time and look where that got me," Alex said. "If she is interested, shouldn't she be the one making a move?"
"That is a good counterargument," Cass said.
"I have been hanging out with a pretty good attorney."
"Pretty good?" Cass raised her eyebrow.
"Pretty excellent? Amazingly excellent?" Alex countered.
"That's better," Cass said. "All I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt for you to maybe open up the conversation with Maggie again."
"I will think about it," Alex said.
"But you won't do it," Cass smiled.
Alex smiled while shaking her head. "I'm just not good at putting myself out there. I never have been. If you recall, you asked me out, not the other way around."
"I asked you out because I don't hesitate when I see something I want," she said.
"And you also know how to flirt, I do not, clearly," Alex said.
"Yes, but you are cute because you don't," Cass laughed. "Come on, Alex, Maggie likes you in that way. I assure you she does. Take some of that confidence you have in your professional life and apply it to your personal life."
….
Maggie stood to the side as she watched Kara interviewing the clinic director about the changes that were made to accommodate the growing number of cross-species births. She felt proud that she was able to play a small part in it.
She thought back to first meeting Alex and learning she was with the DEO and how she first brought Alex to the bar. She wanted Alex to see that there was more to the off-worlders than aliens who needed to be hunted down.
She wasn't so naïve to believe that all the off-worlders were good people, but they weren't all bad either.
And there were bad ones out there.
J'onn had gotten her higher DEO clearance and with that came the files on Fort Rozz so she had a better understanding now of who some of these prisoners were and why the DEO was hellbent on capturing them.
Still, she didn't take everything at face value.
For instance, when she first read what the DEO had on Sh'ian, she knew he was on Fort Rozz for kidnapping and killing a child on his homeworld and then killing three inmates at a prison before being sentenced to the Phantom Zone. Not exactly a rap sheet that gave her much confidence that he was a good guy.
After the birth of his child, Maggie had gone to check on the new family, and she took the opportunity to ask him about his crime.
"You said the alien hunters weren't coming for me," he said when she asked.
"They aren't," Maggie said. "They know where you are, if they wanted to bring you in they could. But Alex is giving you a chance Sh'ian, not just a chance to help in possibly helping her, but she is giving you a second chance to be a contributing member of this planet, which means you can't step out of line. I'm asking because I need to know that I went out on a limb for you and it was the right call."
He seemed to think about this.
"On my planet, the eldest child is given certain rights over a younger sibling if one's parents are no longer alive or capable of caring for the children. I had five siblings and when my parents died, three of us were still not of age so our oldest brother was given domain over us. He was um … how do you say on this planet …"
He paused as he tried to think of the word.
"Fan a tick?"
"Fanatic?" she offered.
"Yes, a fanatic for a religious sect on our planet. They believed that only the gods should determine a person's health among other things. Our youngest sister became ill and he refused to take her for treatment because of this religion. I argued with him that it must be the gods' will to allow treatments otherwise the gods would not allow doctors in the first place, but he was resolute. I came of age and I petitioned the government to give me domain of our sister so I could get her help, but I was refused. I was desperate so one night I went to my brother's home and I took my sister. I brought her to a doctor, but her illness had progressed past the point of anything he could do. She died two days later and my brother asked the authorities to have me charged because he said if I hadn't interfered there was still a chance the gods would have healed her. I was imprisoned for that. As I told you before, when I thought I had killed your friend Alex it meant I should have killed myself to restore honor. But to kill a child on my world, there is no restoration of honor for that. You must live with the shame, but I felt no shame just heartbreak that my sister could have lived if my brother had only let her be treated."
"And the three inmates you killed?"
"It was two inmates."
"Your file says three."
"I know, but one death was not my doing, but no one wanted to listen. I was in prison with the highest levels of offenders. Not everyone there was bad though. Yes, I committed a crime according to our government which is why I was there, but others like me were driven by circumstances to do the things they did. Others didn't need reasons, they enjoyed doing the things they did. There was this one prisoner – Kek'la – who I became friends with in there. I think he thought that being friends with me would help because as a child killer, I had a reputation that kept me from being harmed by others if you get my meaning."
"Yes, the prisons here have such hierarchies. Kek'la was looking for your protection," she said.
"Exactly. I was happy to give it. Kek'la was just a kid who made some stupid choices that landed him in there, but he wasn't a killer or anything. He only was serving time for a year. For a year, he and I hung out every day and people didn't mess with him because I was there. Then a few days before his release, two inmates ambushed him and they were beating him when I came upon them. One of them was holding him up while the other repeatedly hit him. When they saw me, the one dropped Kek'la and all I saw was this bloody mess on the floor that was my friend. I wish I could say I didn't know what came over me, but I knew. I felt the rage, I felt hatred, and most of all I felt like with my sister I had failed someone I cared about and so I beat those two men until they too were bloody on the floor. Only then did I kneel next to Kek'la and pulled him up into my arms and told him I was sorry. That is how the guards found me. They did not want to listen to the truth."
He cried as he said this and Maggie knew he was telling her the truth. He wiped away the tears and looked at her.
"Did I deserve to be sentenced to the Phantom Zone, yes, I did for killing those two men. I should have been able to control myself," Shi'an said. "Do I deserve to be standing here free now and having Melinda's love and having a son? I don't know, but I promise you Maggie Sawyer that I will live up to the second chance that has been given to me. I will help to restore Alex's sight if I can."
Everyone's story was different. That was something Maggie learned a long time ago. It made her a good cop because she was open to listening to all sides.
As she stood there watching the bustle around this clinic and the off-worlders and their families being accepted made her hopeful.
Kara finished her interview and came over to her.
"You look happy," Kara said.
"I am," Maggie responded. "Your article opened up people's eyes to what was happening to an underrepresented portion of society. Look around you, you did this and you didn't even need a cape to do it."
"This happened because of you," Kara said. "If you hadn't forced me to not barge in here before as Supergirl we wouldn't have known about these pregnant women. You were the one that found them and got Alex to not round up everyone and toss them into a DEO cell. So don't sell yourself short."
"Where is Alex, I thought she would be here for this?"
"She had lunch with Cass. She said she would swing by depending on how long lunch went. I guess it went longer than she expected."
"Glad those two can remain friends," Maggie said. "That is all it is, right?"
"Yes," Kara said. "But if you don't slide in there soon, I can't guarantee that my sister will continue to be single."
"Hey, Alex has been the super busy one lately," Maggie said. "She is at the DEO all the time whether for work or for her eyes. I'm trying to give her the space she needs for herself right now."
"You are going to run out of excuses sooner or later."
Maggie sighed. "It's not an excuse. I'm not a bad person for wanting Alex to be in a good place before I broach the subject with her. Look what happened the last time. It wasn't good timing, I think even Alex would agree with that. She got hurt and we didn't speak to each other. Then when I came back into her life, she was the one in a relationship – a relationship that recently ended – all while she was dealing with being blind. I just … I want it to be perfect."
"Nothing is ever perfect," Kara said. "Stop leaving my sister in limbo or I will revoke my approval for dating her and reconsider launching you into the sun."
With that, Kara walked away and Maggie was left amazed at how that shiny, pleasant personality that Kara exuded could turn dark quickly.
Maggie walked out of her car and saw Alex getting out of an Uber.
"Did I miss it?" Alex asked as she walked over to her.
"Yes, but Kara is still in there holding any baby that someone will hand over to her," Maggie said.
"Of course, she is," Alex said.
There was a moment when both women stood there not saying anything.
"I should probably get in there," Alex said. "If nothing else, to make sure Kara doesn't leave me behind. This getting rides from people is getting old quickly."
"I bet," Maggie said. "Tell you what, how about tomorrow, I pick you up after work and we go out?"
"Like to the bar for some pool? Sure, but I should warn you that even with this eyesight, I can still beat you."
"Um, no not the bar. I wanted to see if you wanted to go out with me, as in a date?"
"Oh," Alex said her eyes wide behind the glasses.
"Hey, if it's too soon I get it," Maggie said.
"No, no, it's not soon," Alex quickly recovered. "I would like to go on a date with you."
"Good," Maggie smiled. "I'll text the details later."
"Ok," Alex said and as Maggie got into her car, she hurried to find her sister.
She looked around as soon as she got inside – her new vision was not as good as before, but she kept reminding herself it was better than not seeing at all. Finally, she located Kara near the back where she was reluctantly giving back a child to one of the moms.
"Maggie asked me out on a date," she said without preamble.
"What!"
"She asked me out on a date for tomorrow night just now in the parking lot," Alex said. "At first I thought she was asking to hang out at the bar, but then she clarified and said she was asking me on a date."
"I assume you said yes."
"Of course," Alex said smiling. "I can't believe this. I was just talking with Cass about Maggie and she was convinced that Maggie did have feelings for me and was trying to talk me into broaching it with Maggie again. I wasn't sure though."
"Maggie was worried that the timing was wrong, which is why she hadn't said anything," Kara said.
"What? How do you … have you been talking to Maggie about this?"
"Sorry. Don't be mad," Kara said. "She made me swear not to say anything. But I also told her not 10 minutes ago, she needed to go for it and she listened to me."
"I'm not mad, but really, you couldn't have given me a hint or something."
"I have!" Kara insisted. "I have told you that I thought she had feelings for you. I have been pushing you and her to do something about it."
"Ok, ok," Alex said, not needing Kara to go into full-on pout mode while they were there. "All I'm saying is be more direct next time, like hey Maggie likes you because she told me. You're my sister, not hers so I outrank her in the who you tell secrets to department."
"Fair," Kara said. "Now what are you going to wear?"
Alex paused. "I have no idea. We didn't specify what we are going to do on the date. She said she would text me details later."
"Do you want me to talk to her and find out?"
"No!" Alex said.
…
Maggie usually found she would get a little nervous on a first date – not necessarily a bad nervousness, but just as she walked to Alex's door she felt none of those nerves. Maybe it was because she knew Alex so there wasn't going to be a lot of getting-to-know-you first-date conversations.
She knocked on the door and waited as Alex answered the door, wearing casual clothes as Maggie had instructed. She hadn't told Alex what she had planned beyond wearing casual clothes and that they would be needing to take Alex's motorcycle.
"Hi," Maggie said. "You ready to go?"
"Yes," Alex said, and she held out the keys to the motorcycle. "Although I feel like you only want to take my bike for a ride because I won't sell it to you any longer."
"Again, you offered to give it to me, there was no talk of buying," Maggie smiled. "Besides, I'm good with you keeping it if it means you get to drive it yourself one day."
"That's the goal," Alex said, as she stepped out of the apartment and locked the door.
This time, there was no guiding Alex as her sight was good enough that she no longer needed it, and Maggie found she kind of missed having contact with Alex so she asked if would be ok to hold her hand. Alex smiled and nodded yes.
They got down to the garage and Maggie pulled the motorcycle out first then Alex put on the helmet and got on it, wrapping her arms around Maggie, and Maggie felt like this time, Alex wasn't just holding on to her for safety.
Maggie drove them out of the garage and through the city until they reached the outskirts and she figured at this point Alex knew where they were going.
She pulled up to the top of the bluff, parked, and waited for Alex to get off the bike.
"What's all this?" Alex asked, after pulling off the helmet.
She saw there was a picnic blanket laid out with dishes and containers of food and a screen and a projector set up at the edge of the bluff.
"Somehow an ordinary dinner and a movie didn't seem appropriate," Maggie said. "Not for our first date."
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, but I appreciate it," Alex said.
"It wasn't that much trouble. I had your sister set this all up while I was picking you up," Maggie said. "Shall we?"
They took seats and Maggie dished out the food.
They talked over the meal about a range of topics and once it was done, Maggie went over to the projector.
"What are we watching?" Alex asked.
"A classic," Maggie smiled as she pressed play.
After the movie
Alex and Maggie sat on the edge of the bluff.
"I can't believe your idea of a classic is Galaxy Quest," Alex said.
"Hey, you laughed just as much as I did. I can't believe you have never seen it," Maggie said.
"Well, it was funny," Alex said.
"Confession?"
"Sure."
"I was a little worried about the movie, not that I didn't think you would like it or anything, but with your eyes, I wasn't sure if there would be any issues," Maggie said.
"I won't say that everything was 100 percent clear, but it was better than trying to watch some pirated film that someone recorded in a theater on an old cellphone," Alex replied. "It was fine really."
"I know the sight has gotten but how are you handling it all?"
"Better than I was," Alex said. "I have hope that my sight will one day be fully restored. But if it isn't, I can live with this. It will just mean some life adjustments like not being able to go out in the field any longer. I won't like that, but I know that the alternative of being completely blind was worse for me so this is doable for me."
"Even completely blind, I think you would have been ok," Maggie said. "I mean you did deliver two alien-human hybrid babies blind."
"An experience I hope never to repeat blind or otherwise. There is a reason I never went into practical medicine," Alex said.
"I'm happy that you have gotten to a better place with your eyes, not just the restoration of some of your sight, but your acceptance of it," Maggie said.
"You helped with that, so thank you, and thanks for all of this. It was a great first date."
"Does that mean I qualify for a second date?"
"Yes, under one condition."
"And what's that?"
"Stop involving Kara with any date prep or discussions of our relationship," Alex smiled. "I still can't believe you told my sister you had feelings for me and she kept it a secret from me."
"Deal," Maggie said. "But I should warn you, Kara has made some not-so-veiled threats about launching me into the sun, so if cut her off completely and I disappear mysteriously, look to her as your number one suspect."
Alex laughed. "She would never do that."
"I hope not, but she pulls off the threat really well for someone who looks innocent. I think it is the casual way she says it."
"I will make sure she knows not to throw you into the sun if that makes you feel better."
"It would actually," Maggie said. "She literally has the power to do it."
"Consider it done," Alex said.
"Thanks," Maggie said.
"You know I'm really bad at flirting, right?" Alex said.
Maggie laughed. "So you say."
"I guess subtlety isn't my strong suit," she said. "I prefer direct action, so if I may be direct, do you mind if I kiss you?"
Maggie nodded and met Alex partway for the kiss.
They were both smiling once the kiss concluded.
"I think we may have finally gotten our timing right," Maggie said, kissing her again.
The End