They'd forced her out- again. For her own good- again. But it still stung having to walk away from the buzzing DEO only to return to her empty apartment and the lingering ghosts of what she'd given up in breaking her engagement.
Whatever she'd told Sarah before they'd separated, she was still considering reaching out to Maggie.
She'd reached for her motorcycle keys, having recklessly decided to risk parking her sleek and very stealable motorcycle outside of the more secured DEO lot when she heard it.
The muffled sniffs of another recently broken heart.
Still cradling her keys, Alex slows her steps, curious but wary, as she nears both her parked motorbike and whoever was causing those pain-filled hiccups.
"Just hang on, okay? Not much longer now then Alex will make you all better."
At this, Alex freezes in her tracks. A child's voice. So broken.
But a child who already knew her by name.
Hundreds of questions spun in her mind.
Who was this scared little girl? Who would be so heartless enough to walk away from her when she clearly needed help? How did she know Alex's name or where to find her? How long had the little one been huddled out here waiting in the cold to see her?
The child gasped in terrified surprise when, in her rapid-fire internal questioning, Alex dropped her keys loudly onto the more paved side of the darkening side parking lot.
"It's alright." The agent tries her best to soothe. "you're safe. I want to help. If I can." She summarizes.
Untrusting eyes rise to meet hers in the dimming light of afternoon. "Alex Danvers?"
Alex nods in confirmation at the asking. "I am." She agreed that something about the child's eyes was like a punch right to her heart, but why that was Alex couldn't help to understand in the haze of curiosity and worry clouding her senses? "I'm going to show you my work badge to prove it, alright?" she asks, already reaching for her DEO-issued credentials.
Her badge wasn't immediately returned after the hard scrutiny, but again, Alex didn't push her luck.
"We just wanted to hurt the red arrow man who took Mama away from us." The child defends once it seems clear to her that Alex is a trustworthy confidant. The girl's eyes swam with fresh tears. "but we got lost."
"Are you hurt?" Alex asks, remembering hearing something about needing her help. She inches a little closer to the shadowed child still huddled behind her motorcycle.
"My dog." The young girl answers, her voice breaking in pained remembrance as she hurried on in tearful explanation. "She got hurt when we fell through the big silver-blue thing that dropped us here. Wherever here is." The child says. "I didn't mean to land on her, but I did. I tried to patch her up, but I didn't have a needle, so I had to use tape."
Cautiously, Alex rounded to the child's side of her parked motorcycle. Her cell phone's dimmed light was her only real help in holding off the growing shadow of the darkening twilight around them.
"You can fix her, right?" the child pleaded, holding out the jacket-wrapped bundle Alex guessed to be the earlier mentioned dog.
The fact the bundle wasn't moving didn't ease Alex's growing unease.
"Let's get you both inside." Alex decides, holding out her hand in a cautious offering.
The child seemed human, but Alex knew well that sometimes looks were more than a little deceiving.
The child's eyes swim with grateful tears this time as she crashes with a tearful sob into Alex's middle, hugging her with a near Kara-like strength in gratitude.
"Mind if I pick you up?" Alex asks after feeling the sticky press of blood seeping from the child's legs as she snuggled so, trusting into Alex's gingerly offered hold.
"Okay." The child agrees. "My legs really hurt."
"Don't worry. I've got you." Alex promises, sweeping the child into her arms.
"Jamie." The girl whispers once she is gingerly settled, hugging Alex's side as the agent quickly jogs back into the shadow of the DEO's looming headquarters. "My name. It's Jamie." she whispers in a tired introduction. "and that is my dog. Gertrude." she adds gingerly, snuggling the still jacket-wrapped bundle cradling in her arms.