〚 Summary - Alex ends up paying the price when she doesn't take preventative measures at work. At least she'll have maggie to look after her. 〛
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“Do you not think you should take a coat love? It’s meant to get a little chilly later on according to the weather.” Maggie called out as Alex finished making her to-go cup of coffee into her flask, “Pretty sure its gonna rain too by the look of those clouds.”
The agent shook her head and waved her off with a reassuring smile, “It’ll be fine, I’m on roll to do a clinic shift anyway so it’s not like I’m gonna be out in the field or anything like that. I’ll just end up carrying it if I take it.
That was true. The DEO had recently got wind of a small clinic on the east side of the city which was specially made to treat aliens and offer things like vaccines and just provide general care to those individuals which didn’t feel comfortable in a regular clinic. As such, when the DEO found out, J’onn offered to provide agents as a form of security there as well as to keep things in order. Alex liked her shifts at the clinic, after all, the waiting room chitchat often inadvertently provided inside knowledge to help with ongoing issues, not only that but the environment itself was warm and friendly and the people there seemed to trust her too – she’d even made some friends.
“Alright then, have a good day at work darling.” Her girlfriend smiled, giving Alex a small kiss before she left, “Don’t forget you’re on food pickup duty tonight too.” She added playfully before beginning to make her own coffee, “I’m thinking pizza?”
Alex smiled as she picked up her bag and turned to leave, “I won’t forget, don’t worry! Pizza sounds good, alright I’m gonna head off, see you later, have a good day at work babe.” She said before leaving the apartment and making her way out to her car.
It wasn’t a long drive, about 40 minutes or so. When she arrived, Alex stepped out of the car and involuntarily shivered at the icy chill of the air nipping at her arms, maybe she should’ve brought a coat after all she thought, shaking her head with an eye roll knowing her girlfriend was right. At least she’d be inside for her shift though. As Alex walked through the clinic doors, she immediately noticed the bustling atmosphere. Aliens of various shapes and sizes filled the waiting area, patiently waiting for their turn to be seen by the doctors. It was definitely a lot busier than usual.
As the agent made her way to the small security desk to clock in, she couldn’t help but inwardly groan at the sight of the other agent on shift. Agent Wilson was one of those guys who never failed to get on her nerves. Something about his cocky, nonchalant attitude always seemed to rub her the wrong way.
“Agent Danvers it’s always nice of you to show.” He turned around upon hearing her footsteps approach, “I suppose you’ve got the delight of my company, how lucky.” The agent smirked before rooting around in his side pocket before pulling out black surgical mask and putting it on.
"I'm here to do my job, just like you," Alex replied, choosing to ignore his sarcastic remark, "What’s with the mask?” Wearing a mask wasn’t required or was it advertised so she couldn’t help but question it especially considering no other agents had chosen to wear them in the past.
Agent Wilson chuckled condescendingly. "Precautions, Danvers," he said with a hint of mockery in his voice. "You know, to protect myself from any alien bugs. I don’t want my immune system being invaded by foreign bodies."
She raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of annoyance creep up within her. She was well aware of the potential risks of working in close proximity to sick aliens, but she had always trusted her strong immune system to keep her healthy. She prided herself on being cautious and responsible when it came to her work, but in this instance, she had overlooked the possibility of catching something.
"Well, that's your choice," Alex finally replied, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance. "But I'm not here to alienate anyone or treat them like threats. These beings are just seeking medical help, same as any human. And besides, I've been doing shifts here for months without any issues."
Shaking off her annoyance, Alex walked past him and made her way to the clinic's staff room to change into her uniform, the clinic preferred them to wear their own brand of gear, just as an extra precaution which was understandable.
As she made her way to one of the smaller lockers, she put down her bag and began changing. It was only then she noticed the slump attitudes of the attending staff. The ambiance of sniffles and coughing, like that of the reception, seemed to fill this room too and spotting one of the Doctors she was familiar with Alex decided to ask what was wrong.
"Morning," Alex greeted with a friendly smile. "Is everything alright? I couldn't help but notice that a lot of people seem to be under the weather today."
The doctor sighed tiredly and nodded, confirming Alex's observations. "Yes, unfortunately, it seems that there's a flu-like bug going around. We've been seeing an increase in patients with respiratory symptoms over the past couple of days. We're doing our best to provide care, but it's definitely keeping us busy."
Alex's concern grew as she processed the information. "Is it affecting the staff too? You don’t look too good yourself Doc.” While most of the staff were aliens themselves and did have a little bit more protective, there was still a good number of human employees.
Dr. Ramirez nodded again, a hint of weariness in their eyes. "Yeah, a few of our staff members have fallen ill as well. It's a bit of a challenge, this strain is appearing to be highly contagious, but we’ll get through it. We have some people on stand-by to cover if need be.”
Alex's eyes widened a little. The flu was bad news, especially in a clinic where a diverse range of alien species sought treatment. She couldn't help but wonder if Agent Wilson's decision to wear a mask was more justified than she had initially thought.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Alex asked, her determination to assist in any way she could shining through.
Dr. Ramirez's weary expression brightened a little at her offer. "Actually, there is something you could do," they replied gratefully. "Since we're short-staffed due to many doctors and nurses falling ill. If you could lend a hand with triaging patients and assisting in basic medical procedures, it would be a tremendous help."
Without hesitation, Alex nodded, her sense of duty and compassion driving her forward. "Of course, I'll do whatever I can. Just tell me what needs to be done."
For the remainder of the morning, she continued to help out where necessary, leaving security down to the other agent. It was definitely a lot faster paced but with her background in biochemistry she was well within her depth. By lunchtime it seems her efforts were paying off as the clinic seemed to slow down a little and she was given the go ahead to return back to her position.
As Alex made her way back to the security desk, she couldn't help but feel a wave of exhaustion wash over her. The adrenaline and determination that had fuelled her earlier were slowly waning, replaced by a growing fatigue. She attributed it to the increased workload and the emotional toll of seeing so many sick patients.
Agent Wilson looked up from his desk as Alex approached, his expression filled with surprise. "You're back already? I thought you'd be stuck over there forever, playing doctor."
Ignoring his snide remark, Alex mustered a weak smile. "It was a bit chaotic, but we managed to get things under control. The staff appreciated the help."
Wilson raised an eyebrow, a hint of grudging admiration in his voice. "Well, I guess you're not completely useless after all."
She huffed, shooting the agent a dirty look, “Look if you’ve got a problem with me, leave it at the door. Don’t bring that attitude into- wor- Hh'iishoo! Huh’tshoo!” She quickly bent to the side to catch her sneezes into cupped hands, sniffling at the feeling of subtle pressure rising in her sinuses.
“I don’t think that’s hygienic Danvers.” He shook his head, as the agent went to go grab some tissues from a nearby box.
She sighed, realising that Agent Wilson was somewhat right. Sneezing into her hands wasn't the best practice, especially considering the contagious nature of the flu-like bug going around. She quickly discarded the used tissues into a nearby bin and reached for a hand sanitiser bottle on the security desk, squeezing some onto her palms and rubbing them together.
"You're right, my bad," Alex admitted, her voice slightly muffled by her stuffed nose.
Agent Wilson's mocking wavered slightly as he observed Alex's tired appearance or maybe it was the fact that Alex Danvers actually apologised to him, "Wow, an apology from Danvers. You have a fever or something?”
“Just leave it.” Alex's voice was tinged with exhaustion and frustration. She didn't feel like entertaining Agent Wilson's sudden concern. The fatigue that had settled over her earlier was now accompanied by body aches and a growing headache. She had been so focused on helping at the clinic that she hadn't noticed her own symptoms creeping in.
As the day progressed, her energy waned, and she found herself struggling to focus. Her body felt heavy, and she was occasionally having to turn away to muffle raspy coughs into her elbow which only led to her throat becoming sore. But she tried to ignore it. She had blamed the AC at first, it was just turned up too high... yeah. That was it.
But with each passing hour, her condition deteriorated further. The fatigue intensified, making it difficult for her to stand upright. Her head throbbed with every movement, and the touch of a fever began to set in, leaving her feeling alternately hot and cold, as beads of sweat lined her brow all-while chills ran up her arms.
“Don’t you look healthy.” The male agent had commented snidely the next time Alex had learnt her head back against the wall.
Alex's patience was wearing thin, and she shot him a glare. "I'm not feeling well, okay? So can you please just lay off with the comments?" Her voice was tinged with irritation and exhaustion before giving in to the burning at the back of her throat as she gave a few chesty sounding coughs into her elbow.
Agent Wilson seemed taken aback by her response, his mocking demeanour fading momentarily. "Oh... I didn't realise you were actually not feeling good." he mumbled, his tone softening, “Sorry.”
Unbeknownst to her, a kind-hearted doctor, Dr. K'ora, had been in earshot and had noticed the agents declining condition. She approached her with a warm smile, "Excuse me, Agent Danvers, may I borrow you for a moment?”
Alex nodded, looking over her shoulder to confirm it was okay with Wilson and he waved her off. She felt a sudden tickle in her nose, a telltale sign that a sneeze was imminent. She quickly turned away, covering her face with her elbow, and let out a series of forceful sneezes. "Huh'kshhoo! Huh-choo! Huh'tshoo!" she sneezed, her body shaking with the force of each.
Dr. K'ora gestured towards a nearby tissue box, concern evident in her eyes. "Goodness, bless you. I think it’d be a good idea to let me take a look at you, Agent Danvers. You don't look well at all." The doctor commented as she escorted the agent towards a small side room.
"Thank you," Alex said weakly, her voice hoarse and barely audible. "I didn't realise I was feeling this bad until now." She reached up to rub her temples, trying to alleviate the pounding headache that had settled in.
Dr. K'ora placed a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder, her touch comforting. "It's not uncommon for people to push through and ignore their own health when they're focused on helping others," she said kindly. "But it's important to take care of yourself too. Let me check your symptoms and see what's going on."
Alex nodded, grateful for the doctor's understanding. She sat back in the chair, allowing Dr. K'ora to examine her. The doctor felt her forehead, noting the warmth radiating from her skin, and listened to her lungs with a stethoscope. After a thorough examination, Dr. K'ora stepped back, a concerned expression on her face.
"I'm sorry to say, Agent Danvers, but it seems you've caught the flu that's been going around," Dr. K'ora explained gently. "Your symptoms—fatigue, headache, body aches, coughing, and sneezing—are all indicative of the flu. It's important that you take some time off and rest."
Alex's heart sank. She had hoped it was just a passing illness, but it seemed she was in for a rough few days. "I’m sorry, is this going to cause a problem with staffing? My shift isn’t due for end for a few hours yet.”
Dr. K'ora smiled kindly. "It happens to the best of us. I will inform your superiors and arrange for someone to pick you up. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable here."
As the doctor left to inform the necessary personnel, Alex settled into the small room, grateful for the opportunity to rest. She curled up on the examination table, wrapping herself in a blanket provided by the clinic. The fatigue weighed heavily on her, and her body felt achy and weak.
Time passed slowly as she lay there, her mind wandering through a haze of fever and discomfort. She thought about Maggie and how she would react when she found out. She hoped her girlfriend wouldn't worry too much, knowing that she had a habit of being overprotective.
As if on cue, a soft knock on the door interrupted Alex's thoughts. She weakly called out, giving permission for the person to enter. To her relief, it was a familiar face—Maggie. Alex's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her girlfriend, a mix of worry and tenderness evident on her face.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well, poor thing.” She soothed, letting her hand come to rest over the warm forehead of the agent as she came to sit beside her.
Alex leaned into Maggie's touch, finding solace in her presence. "Hey," she whispered hoarsely, a weak smile gracing her lips. "I didn't expect you to come all the way here."
Maggie brushed a strand of hair away from Alex's forehead gently. "Of course I would come," she replied softly. "You're not feeling well, and I wanted to be here for you. How are you holding up?"
Alex let out a weak chuckle, followed by a cough. "I've been better," she admitted.
"You always put others first, Alex. It's time to let someone take care of you now." Maggie’s voice was filled with concern and affection as she offered her arms out to her girlfriend, pulling her into a warm hug.
In that moment, Alex realised how lucky she was to have Maggie by her side. She buried her face in Maggie's shoulder, feeling a mix of gratitude and vulnerability wash over her. Maggie's presence provided comfort and reassurance, reminding Alex that she didn't have to face this illness alone.
As they sat there, wrapped in each other's embrace, Alex's fatigue started to catch up with her. The weight of her eyelids became heavier, and her body begged for rest. Maggie sensed her exhaustion and gently guided Alex to lie down on the examination table, adjusting the blanket to keep her warm.
"Should we get you home, hm?" Maggie whispered, her voice filled with tenderness. "We can stop on the way and pick up some soup from that takeout you like, that might help you feel better. Whatever you need I’m sure we can get it.”
Alex nodded weakly, her eyes fluttering closed. "That sounds... nice, but what about your pizza?" she murmured, already feeling the pull of sleep tugging at her, “’Mm tired Maggs.”
“Pizza can wait, what you need is something easy right now. I know you’re tired baby, you can go to sleep in the car alright?”
“Thanks.”
Maggie sat by her side, gently stroking Alex's hair, a soft smile on her face. "Always, love. Now, let’s get you home.”
“Okay, Gertrude.” Alex is down on one knee by the front door. “What you’re about to see might shock and amaze you. It might be overwhelming, or even a little bit scary. It’ll definitely be cold. Kind of like your nose, but even colder.”
Gertrude’s tail swished back and forth while she whined, sounding somewhat like a dog and somewhat like a seal, in true husky form. Her whole body was vibrating with the desire to go outside. But Alex had treats in her hand, and Gertrude knew that waiting was the best way to get them.
Also puppy eyes. Lots and lots of puppy eyes.
So she waited and she vocalized. She swished her tail even harder when she heard her second mama’s voice.
“Oh my God, Alex. She’s a puppy, not some lost soul on an episode of Black Mirror.” But Maggie knelt, too. “Isn’t that right, Gertrude? Aren’t you going to love snow so much? You’re going to lose your little mind with how much you love it, aren’t you?”
“Just because one of her moms is from a frozen land doesn’t mean her other mom is. So it’s a toss up, really,” Alex reasoned.
Gertrude whined louder. Alex and Maggie both laughed, and kissed. Gertrude yipped, tail at top speed now.
“Okay, come on, baby. Let’s meet our first snow.”
Alex tossed the door open. Gertrude stood but waited, waited, waited. Maggie and Alex met eyes. Alex nodded.
“Yes!” Maggie said, and Gertrude knew that was her cue to take off.
She started at a solid trot, but when she noticed the snow on her paws, she stopped. Shoved her muzzle into the ground. Got her muzzle wet with snow. Sneezed. Tried again. Sneezed again.
“What’s that, babygirl?” Maggie asked. “Is that snow?”
“I told you it might shock and amaze you!” Alex said. Maggie rolled her eyes directly at Alex’s phone - because of course she was filming.
“Yeah, that’s snow!” Alex said her puppy dog voice that she would deny existed in front of pretty much anyone else.
Gertrude yipped at the ground before deciding that the best next step would be to lick it. She yipped again, did a half-howl, and leaped onto Maggie, barreling her over backward into the snow.
“Delete that, Danvers!”
“Are you kidding? Lena will never forgive me if I delete this gold. You’re a good girl, Gertrude, it’s not your fault one of your mamas almost as short as you.”
Somehow, from beneath Gertrude’s wriggling mess of fur, Maggie unleashed a perfectly-formed snowball.
Right at her wife’s stomach.
In the ensuing blizzard that had nothing to do with whether it was actually snowing out, Alex wound up with more snow in her boots than out of them, and Maggie lost her gloves somewhere in the yard. “Hand heat gives better snowballs, and then I can defeat your mama more effectively,” she’d explained to Gertrude as she gave their pup her gloves, letting her sprint around the yard with them - right before Alex tackled Maggie and pinned her in the snow.
Alex tugged Maggie’s fuzzy hood up to pillow her head, an extra layer of protection on top of her beanie. Maggie reached up to wipe a streak of half-melted snow off Alex’s nose, and Alex blew on her fingers to warm them.
A yip across the yard made them both tilt their heads - Alex definitely had long since picked that up from Maggie - to watch Gertrude.
She’d discovered her own paw prints in the snow, and decided that she could and should roll around on each one, half barking and half yowling with each new leap and roll.
“She’s so happy,” Alex said.
“Yeah. And she’s not the only one, Danvers.” Her voice was low and full, the way it only got when she was staring at Alex like she was her entire universe.
Well, Alex and Gertrude, now.
Like she knew her parents were swooning over each other and over her, Gertrude came bounding over, shoving her muzzle in both her moms’ faces like she was telling them that she had unearthed something magical - snow, and family, and more snow.
They’re laying on the grass with their arms resting beneath their heads, staring up into the night sky, when Maggie asks the question. Nothing but silence has filled the air for a while; an hour, maybe two. Just quiet breathing, quiet wishing. Wishing for more, maybe, on Alex’s end.
“Alex?”
“Yeah, Mags?”
She averts her eyes away from the sky and turns her head, shooting Maggie an adoring smile when she finds her face staring back at her in the dark. It’s soft and pretty and Alex has to remember how to think, think, think.
Maggie takes a deep, hesitant breath before speaking, and when she does it comes out in a whisper.
“Does your mom know?”
“Know what?”
A pause.
“That you like girls.”
Alex’s eyes widen and alarm shoots through her system, running through her veins and stinging like poison. Is she that obvious? She doesn’t think so. She’s always careful with measuring exactly how long she stares into her friend’s eyes in order to deem appropriate, or how many long-winded compliments she gives her a day, or-
“Because I saw what’s inside your notebook,” Maggie adds, smiling slightly, seemingly oblivious to the shit storm exploding inside Alex’s mind.
Alex heaves a sigh and close her eyes tightly, trying to block out the overwhelming urge to pick up her blanket and run far, far away.
“I wasn’t, like, snooping or anything,” Maggie backpedals, after a moment of tense silence, taking in the panicked look she’s receiving. “I wouldnever do that. It was just open on your bed and I saw-“
“It was stupid.” Alex’s voice is cold and firm and as solid as she can possibly make it right now because she can’t let Maggie know. If she knows, she’ll leave her and then she’ll have nothing. Nothing but Kara and her superpowers and a mother that doesn’t love her the right way.
Her body is rigid and un-moving as she waits. Waits for Maggie’s disgust, for Maggie’s ridicule. Because she wrote things in that notebook. Things about Maggie and her smooth skin. And the way her head tilts when she talks and the way Alex melts every time it does. The way she finds her home in Maggie’s laughter, the way she finds safety in her scrawly handwriting. She wrote about the things that buoy her when she feels herself floating out to sea. She wrote about the things that make her feel whole after a life of doing things in fragments.
So, she’s waiting for the inevitable to hit and crush her hard. Crush her completely. She’s waiting, and she’s not breathing, and she feels as if the ground beneath her is crumbling.
She’s still waiting as she hears Maggie take a sharp breath, as she feels her fingers glide lightly across her arm. The touch is gentle, soft opposed to the way Alex’s heart is beating inside her chest, fast and hard and terrified.
“I feel the same way about them, you know," she admits, hair hanging loose around her face, forming a halo on the grass beneath her.
Alex raises her eyebrows in complete and utter shock and turns on her side to face Maggie.
“Really?” She chokes the word out, disbelieving and terrified and elated, all at once.
A small laugh bubbles from Maggie’s lips and floats straight into Alex’s soul, staying there, burrowing itself there.
“Yeah. About one, in particular.”
“Who?” Alex shuts her eyes again, because the way Maggie’s staring at her- it’s everything. It’s absolutely everything. It makes her feel small, but also makes her feel like the biggest person in the world just because it’s Maggie ’s eyes studying her, gazing at her with an intensity like nothing she’s ever known before.
“The girl I’m about to kiss, if she wants me to.”
Alex can only breathe, can only nod, can only whimper because Maggie’s face is growing closer, closer to hers and her hands are splayed across her cheeks and their lips are melding together and it’s electric. It's absolutely electric, and Alex's eyes are still open for a second before she lets herself relax into the kiss. Her head is spinning but her smile, it's unattainable, and she hears Maggie giggle into her mouth. They part when they run out of air, gasping and trembling and reaching out for each other.
"I really like you, Maggie," Alex says, reveling in the moments after, their hands clasped together so tightly in between them she feels like it's the only thing anchoring her to the ground. "You make me feel safe and happy and, like, I'm a real person."
Maggie grins, the tears in her eyes mirroring Alex's. She's smiling that smile that looks as if she can break the world in half with just the sheer force behind it.
"Well, Danvers. You're very real. Your feelings are very real."
"Well, you make me feel them."
Maggie does the head tilt thing and Alex swears the butterflies in her stomach turn into full-fledged birds, flapping their wings as they take flight inside her body.
"All the things you wrote about me," Maggie murmurs, after ten minutes of quiet breathing, quiet thinking. Quiet happiness. “Are they true?"
"Yeah, all of them," Alex replies softly, and bites her lip. "Is that okay?"
“Yes, Alex. Yes, that’s completely okay.”
”Good,” Alex says. She lays there, next to this wonderful human being, smiling up at the sky. She wonders, for a moment, if her happiness has become a physical entity. If it’s spilling out of her body and onto the floor, just because she knows she can’t hold it all in.
Kara squealed with delight as Maggie’s arms crumpled under her and she fell on top of Alex, taking them both down in the process, making her the winner of Twister. Lena giggled as Maggie kissed Alex while Kara looked away, protesting playfully.
“What do we want to play next?” Alex asked, disentangling herself from underneath Maggie.
Kara turned to Alex, a smirk that was as close as the little ray of Kryptonian sunshine could get to demonic covering her face.
“Should we show them the,” Kara started to say, before Alex cut her off.
“No. Nope. No way, don’t you even dare, you evil… you evil… you evil person!”
“Aww, you can’t even get close to being mean to Kara, my girlfriend’s such a softie.” Maggie crooned at Alex.
“I’m not a softie, I’m tough,” Alex pouted through a smile, “but I am your girlfriend.”
In a second, Kara was up and back with a large book with Alex’s Baby Pictures written in pink glittery letters on the front.
“Aww Kar, c’mon, that’s so embarrassing.”
“No, there cute.”
“No, Kar, don’t.”
But it was too late. Maggie and Lena had already gathered on either side of Kara and were cooing over pictures of baby Alex wrapped in a bunny blanket, Alex with cake smeared on her face, and Alex in the tub. Alex groaned, and Maggie pulled her into her lap and peppered her face with kisses.
“Aww, look at how cute you look in the bunny blanket.”
“In the tub too, look, you made yourself a beard of the bubbles!”
Alex started to squirm in embarrassment, and leaned over to bury her head in Maggie’s neck.
Kara looked over, just a quick glance to make sure Alex was fine with this, and saw her smile peeking out.
“Her little overalls!” Lena squealed.
“Ohh, pass it here,” Maggie grinned, and Alex smiled.
“Yeah, even I know that I looked great in overalls.”
Many baby pictures and empty cups of lemonade later, the 4 girls lay in a heap at the end of Alex’s bed.
Alex groaned.
“Whasitbae?” Maggie mumbled through the grasps of sleep.
“Huh Mags? I’m gonna need you to repeat that, babe.”
“What is it? Your groan, I mean.”
“Oh, I just remembered that I have that biology paper due on Monday. It’s fine, we still have all of tomorrow. Right now, I just want to snuggle.”
“Snuggle.” Kara murmured from underneath Lena’s sleeping form.
“Ok Kar, c’mere. Let’s forget High School for a minute and just cuddle.”
•••
Years later…
“And then I punched that guy and he just flew backward! It was like he wasn’t even trying.”
“Kar, he just wanted to get away, I mean, you’re Supergirl, you’re pretty intimidating,” Lena said, “and also pretty.”
“Hey, do you guys remember that weekend in High School when we looked through all of those baby pictures of me?”
“Yeah, Al, you were so embarrassed, it was kinda cute.”
“Yeah, I just remember thinking how happy I was to be friends with you all, and I’m glad we’re still friends.”
A chorus of “me too” came from the women piled on the couch, and they lay there and cuddled, like they had that weekend in High School. Happy.
Hey, sorry this one is a little short, and not very high-school-y, school is a bummer. Anyway, I home you enjoy, please leave a comment, thanks for reading.
you can also read over on ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/13108377
Christmas was Alex Danvers favorite holiday when she was younger. The day after Thanksgiving, her parents started the decorating process. They put up all their outside decorations. The next day, they spent putting up their artificial tree and decorating it while dancing around to Christmas music. In the beginning of Eliza and Jeremiah’s relationship, they always got a real spruce tree. One year, however, a dry needle ended up underneath Jeremiah’s toenail, the next year they purchased an artificial tree and never looked back.
Once all of their decorations were up, the real fun began: Christmas light search rides. Alex loved the lights that lit up her entire street from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Every year, starting in the second weekend in December, The Danvers clan would drive through different neighborhoods in Midvale to search for the houses that were decorated in the prettiest, brightest, most colorful, most classy, tackiest way. Each member would point out their favorite parts, and they would judge the houses on a scale of 1 to 10 in each category.
Every night when they arrived home from their hunt for Christmas lights, Alex sat squished between her mom and dad, drinking hot Chocolate and watching that night’s holiday special on ABC. Her favorites were Rudolph, and Santa Claus is Comin' to town. On the nights when one of her parents had to work late or later when she had too much homework, they would take a break from everyday responsibilities and play games. Alex loved how much time she got to spend playing games with her parents, a fire roaring next to them, and laughter filling the air. Her parents were always attentive and present when she needed them most, but during the holidays, it always seemed like they were around more often.
Her favorite day of the holiday season, however, was Christmas Eve. She and her parents always went to the Christmas Eve service before dinner. When they got back, Alex was given two presents. The first were her special Christmas eve pajamas. The second was a gift sent by her paternal grandpa. After she changed into her PJ’s and called her grandpa to thank him, she climbed into bed for her favorite part of the night. Her mom settled on one side of her and gently rubbed her face and pushed her hair back helping the excited child relax. Her father got settled on her other side with “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” in his hands. She loved how her father dropped his voice even lower when reading Santa’s lines from “‘ Twas the Night Before Christmas;” the sound of his voice, rhythm, and timber the only reason a little Alex Danvers calms down enough to sleep.
When she woke up Christmas morning, she would always open her door to find that Santa left a stocking on the outside of her door. Every year it had coloring books and crayons, a movie or two, and a mind puzzle. The presents in this stocking always made the time from when she woke up, 5:30 or 6 am, and the agreed upon time she could get her parents up, 8:30, go by much faster. Every year, however, she could help sneaking downstairs to see if Santa had left presents for her and her family.
At 8:30 on the dot, Alex Danvers could be found running down the hall, throwing open her parents’ room, and lunging onto the bed. She would scramble to her feet and start jumping up and down shouting, “It’s Christmas,” over and over again. The shouting quickly became squeals of delight and excitement when Eliza and Jeremiah grabbed her, pulled her down onto the bed, and tickled her relentlessly.
Eventually, they stopped the tickle fight to catch their breath, and Alex would remember that presents were waiting for her downstairs. Alex sat on the floor in front of the couch where her Eliza sat. Jeremiah made his way to the tree and began passing out presents to his daughter and wife. Every so often He opened a present himself at Alex’s insistence. Once all the presents were opened, the Danvers family spent the rest of the day playing with the toys and games they opened, watching movies, and enjoying time as a family. The day ended with ham and turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and apple pie.
The traditions stayed the same throughout the years even after Kara came to live with them. Everything stayed the same except they had another person to buy presents for and share their traditions. The holidays were, in fact, one of the first times Kara and Alex got along with each other before Jeremiah died.
Nothing changed for the Danvers family during the holidays until Jeremiah left and never came back, presumed dead. After that devastating realization, nothing was ever the same. Alex had no desire to participate in the holiday season. She hid in her room until Eliza forced her to come out and be a part of the family. The year after she and Kara bonded through the tragedy of Kenny’s death and finding his killer, though, Alex decided to try a little to get into the holiday spirit. As more years went by, Alex started participating just slightly more than the year before. But this year, this year Alex Danvers dove head first into the Christmas spirit and it was all because of a certain National City Police Detective, from the science division, who stole her crime scene.
Maggie Sawyer fell in love with Christmas at an incredibly young age. In Blue Springs, Nebraska, Christmas brought snow to play in, presents to open Christmas morning, and time spent with her parents filled with laughter. Other Holidays were great. Sure, Thanksgiving had good food, and her mom sewed her the best costumes for Halloween. Before her fourteenth year, she partook in the cheesy Valentine’s Day festivities, giving and receiving chocolates from her friends and parents. Easter brought with it new life outside and baskets from the Easter Bunny. The important of Easter was not lost on young Maggie Sawyer. Her parents made sure that she knew the importance of the Son of God’s sacrifice on Good Friday, Christ’s crucifixion washing away the sins giving new life to his those who followed the Christian faith. Her parents made sure she knew what that sacrifice meant for Maggie’s future, and Maggie took that lesson to heart.
So, Maggie loved Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Easter for different reasons. But, Christmas was the penultimate holiday in Maggie’s eyes. It was a joke in her household that she was born loving Christmas. Everything about the season was her favorite. One of her favorite activities was going and picking out a tree the first weekend in December and watching her dad cut it down. Once they got home, they spent the day drinking hot chocolate, eating their hearts out on homemade comfort food and decorating the tree.
Every year the Sawyer family would go to a craft show and buy handcrafted, personalized ornaments. Her parents always joked that by the time she was graduating from college, they would have enough of those ornaments to fill two trees. She loved watching her mother meticulously place the bulb ornaments inside the tree to that every hole was covered. Her favorite part of decorating the tree though was when her dad lifted her in the air to put the Angle on top.
The night after decorating the tree, the Sawyer family sat snuggled on the couch watching Frosty the Snowman and Dr. Seuss’: How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Maggie always fell asleep before the second movie ended and was carried up to her bed by her dad.
Through the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, the family of three would watch a movie or Christmas themed episode of T.V. after dinner and then go to sleep. For the first fourteen years of her life, her entire family gathered on Christmas Eve. Just after dinner, Maggie’s father would read ‘”Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Then, they all went to Midnight Mass. They would head home once Midnight Mass ended, Maggie carried into the house by her Papi after she fell asleep in the car on the way home. She’d wake up early in the morning, running into her parents’ room, launching herself onto her parents’ bed squealing with excitement. Waking her parents’ up with shouts of, “it’s Christmas” and “Let’s open presents” and “come on mommy-come on papi-I want to see if Santa came.” Barely able to contain her excitement, Maggie still knew the rules, she wasn’t allowed downstairs until her parents told her otherwise. She would run circles around her parents’ room and down the hallway, but she never set one foot on the stairs. Then eventually, Maggie’s dog-tired, loving father would go downstairs first, while she and her exhausted, loving mother would come down a few seconds later hand in hand. They would sit and open presents painstakingly slow in young Maggie’s opinion. That night, her family would gather again. The adults ate in one room, the children in another. Then they would sing Christmas Carols and open family presents. The children would have a sleepover at grandma and grandpa’s; parents would come gather their tireless children the next morning. The next week would be spent blissfully ignoring all the bad in the world, instead focusing on the good and on family.
The holiday became bitter for Maggie after her parents kicked her out on her 14th Valentine’s Day. For the next few years, she spent the holidays mostly alone. This changed when she was a rookie police officer in Gotham. When her training officer, Mike, learned that she and her family were estranged, he and his wife insisted that she spend them with their family. The first couple years she was in National City for the holiday season, she spent it alone in her apartment. This year though was possibly Maggie’s favorite Christmas to date. It was the first of many Christmas’s spent with a certain agent of the non-existent DEO who couldn’t understand that it was her crime scene.
It wasn’t their very first Christmas as a couple, but it was Maggie’s first Christmas as part of the Danvers sisters made-from-love-not-just-blood family.
Their first Christmas together, their relationship was still new. They were wrapped in a bubble of happiness. They were still learning the big things about each other. Which side of the bed did they prefer? How do they take their coffee? Which gun is their favorite? They were still learning the little things too. Like how Alex loses the ability to think, briefly, when Maggie brushes her lips lightly against the nape of her neck. Or how Maggie almost undetectably blushes when she finds the handmade notes Alex left for her in her overnight bag.
So, their first Christmas together they celebrated it a few days early on December 23rd. They set a price limit, no more than $20 on a gift. Coincidentally, they gave each other the same thing, and it was much less than $20. After their dinner date at one of the fancier restaurants in National City, they made their way to the park that leads to Maggie’s apartment. Walking hand in hand, meandering slowly towards their destination, they both fiddled with the long thin wrapped box in their respective pockets.
Once they reached Maggie’s apartment, Alex waited for Maggie to unlock the door. Confusion contorted her face when Maggie turned away from the door and to her instead. Maggie’s hand clasped around the box for a second before she extended it to Alex. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered.
“Maggie, you could have waited until we were in the apartment,” Alex whispered back.
“Just open it.” Maggie chuckled.
Alex slipped the bow tied around the box and took the top off. When her eyes fell on the item inside the box, it took everything she had not to burst out laughing.
At Alex’s reaction, Maggie exclaimed disgruntledly, “Why are you laughing? It’s not supposed to be funny!”
“I’m sorry-Maggie I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not a funny gift. It’s actually an amazing gift.”
“Then why did it look like you were holding back a laugh?”
Instead of answering with words, Alex pulled a box similar in size and shape and held it out for Maggie to take. “Merry Christmas,” Alex repeated the words Maggie spoke earlier.
“Alex, come on, I don’t want that right now. Just tell me what’s so funny about the gift.”
“Just open it, Maggie.”
Maggie sighed, opening the box slightly less gently as Alex. When she so what was in the box, she closed her eyes a smile playing on her lips, her shin hitting her chest.
“I was almost, basically, laughing, Maggie Sawyer, because I got you the exact same gift. Well, not the exact same gift because I gave you a key to my apartment and I’m assuming that you gave me a key to your apartment. But the idea and sentiment are exactly the same, so it’s basically the same exact pres-“
Alex was cut off by Maggie’s lips crashing into hers. They pulled apart when breathing became a necessity, pressing their foreheads breathing in the other’s essence. “Sorry, but it didn’t look like you were going to stop talking anytime soon and I really just want to say thank you, unlock the door, and do more of the kissing. So, after you Alex.” Maggie stepped back, bowing and sweeping her right arm in front of her inviting Alex to use her newly gifted key to let them into the apartment.
That was their first Christmas together as a couple. Their next Christmas though, they spend together in entirety. They spent it together as family. They spent it together as the soon to be Danvers family? The soon to be Sawyer family? The soon to be Danvers-Sawyer family? The soon to be Sawyer-Danvers family? They were still deciding, arguing really, about what their Last name should be. But the important thing is that they were together, happy, soon to be married, and in love with each other and life.
This year though, they didn’t focus much on the past that was bad. Their focus was on the present. Their focus was on the people that surrounded them as they all sat in the townhouse that Alex and Maggie bought just after Halloween once both of their leases ended.
They moved in the second week of November; with both of their precision skills, the entire house was unpacked and livable in one weekend. It was weird for the couple to come home every night knowing that they would leave work and go to the place that, together, they are turning into a home. The first major holiday that rolled around after they moved in was Thanksgiving. The couple wasn’t ready to host their family just yet so they all headed to Kara’s as per usual. This year, however, Eliza had someone in the Kitchen helping her, Maggie Sawyer. Both women enjoyed cooking with someone that knew their way around a kitchen and learning tricks of the trade from the other. Thanksgiving was a great time for the family of misfits.
The best part for Alex and Maggie was the feeling that one can only feel when surrounded by loved ones. It was a feeling of hope, contentment, happiness, love, and excitement. For the first time in over a decade, both women were so incredibly excited for the upcoming holiday. They couldn’t wait to make their own traditions together. They were so impatient, in fact, that they started their traditions Thanksgiving night.
Arriving back at their home at 11 pm, Alex and Maggie changed into their pajamas and went to sleep. Four hours later, a blaring, repetitive, annoying sound broke through their deep slumber. It was a sound they were used to hearing and most days it was a sound they hated more than the mountain of paperwork they have to fill out every time they get caught making out in a supply closet at their respective places of work.
Slowly but determinedly, they climb out of bed and put on clothes appropriate for public viewing. Between the two of them, they had most everything they needed for their new home but they still needed a few things, and the Black Friday deals were too good to ignore.
The first store they waited in line for was Target. The doors opened at 6, and in order to stay warm they traded places in line and sitting in the car with the heat blasting. They headed to the kitchenware first. They were in desperate need of new pots and pans; Maggie’s were worn from almost constant use and Alex’s were ruined from the many cooking mishaps they endured. Once they secured their cookware, they slowly traveled through the store. They gathered movies and books and games they thought their friends would enjoy and made mental notes of things the other mentioned for ideas later when they were alone.
The other reason they were at Target was to get a multitude of different toys, games, and knickknacks they planned to donate to toy drives around the city. They both figured that they made enough to live comfortably and then some, so it only made sense to spread the holiday cheer.
Maggie brought up the idea when they were looking through the black Friday adds the previous Sunday. It was something she’d done since she started making a little more money. She knew what it was like waking up with little to nothing under the tree. It was sad no matter what age a person was. She knew that the holiday wasn’t about gifts, it was about family and showing people you love them. For some, though, that love was shown and felt through the power of presents. Maggie wanted to make sure that all kids, no matter how old, knew and felt that people in the world cared for them even if they’ve never met. It was one of the biggest reasons Maggie became a cop in the first place. When Maggie suggested she and Alex do this, Alex was 100% on board. She couldn’t wait.
When they reached the toy section of the store, they found total chaos. Parents were nearly tackling other parents for this year’s hottest gifts. Both women had seen this before, hell, Maggie had worked black Friday before. Knowing what it would be like, they entered the store with a game plan. Maggie being the smaller of the two, would go down each aisle and grab what they had chosen in the ad and bring it back to Alex who was waiting in the main aisle with the cart. By the time they checked out, it was almost 9:30 am, and their DEO borrowed SUV was packed to its maximum capacity. One thing was for sure, though, they had just started their first-holiday tradition. Next year, however, they planned on starting to gather the toys, movies, books, and games earlier than Black Friday.
The Next place they went to was Macy’s for a new mattress. They loved both of their old mattresses because of the amazing memories they’d created on them. But both mattresses were in pretty rough shape. So, they decided as an early wedding gift; they would pick out and buy a new mattress. Finally, they arrived home exhausted and satisfied by 12:30 pm.
The first weekend of December marked their second future tradition. This one came from Maggie’s memories. Alex woke Maggie early in the morning and ushered her into her car. Maggie sat confusedly as Alex drove, trying to figure out what was going on. After a quick breakfast and coffee, they made their way to a cut down your own tree farm. When Maggie realized where they were, she could barely wait for Alex to park before crashing their lips together in excitement. It took a few hours to find the perfect tree, but there was no question once they did. They picked a beautiful, full, 7 and ½ foot tree. They got to work with the battery-operated chainsaw they brought and had a tree ready to be transported in what seemed like no time at all. They took it home and set it outside so it could dry out for the required amount of time. The rest of the day, they sat in their living room in lounging clothes watching all of their favorite holiday movies.
A few days later, they moved the tree into the house and invited all their friends over to help decorate it and host their first ever game night in their new place. They drank hot chocolate, sang Christmas Carols, and decorated one of the most beautifully decorated trees any one of them had ever seen. The night ended with everyone taking turns singing their favorite Christmas songs karaoke-style in-between decorating the rest of the townhouse with homemade and store-bought decorations.
The next night they both had off ended up being Alex and Maggie’s favorite night of the season so far. They decided that it was the perfect night to drive around National city to look at all the decorated houses. They spent hours driving around and admiring the twinkling lights and blow-ups.
Alex’s favorite house was one of the brightest houses wither woman had ever seen. There were blue LED lights on every other tree in the front yard. On the bushes in the front laid multi-colored strands of lights that zig-zagged their way up the lamppost that sat in front of the house back towards the garage. In front of the bushes was a tree that had two geese sitting on either side. The lamppost had a flag that read “SANTA STOP HERE” in flashing green white and red lights respectively. On the left side of the house sat a lighted Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends. Clarice, Hermie, Bumble, Cornelius, Rudolph, the polka-dotted elephant, and a blow-up Santa could be seen. Near the front door, on the other side of a brick wall sat a blow-up flamingo and dachshund. On the other side of the front door, a small tree and Santa were found sitting on top of an old school desk that could only be recognized in the daylight. Above that, greenery with lights began outlining the entire front of the house including the garage. On the right side of the house, a wire tree with green lights wrapped entirely around it sat behind a light-up penguin and snowman. The couple passed this house slowly a couple times because it took a while to see everything.
Maggie’s favorite house wasn’t quite as bright but just as magical. On the lower roof sat a light-up sleigh with reindeer. Below that on the ground were candy cane lights that changed color. In front of the candy canes, sat two lighted deer. One’s head moved up and down, while the other’s moved side to side. A pang of nostalgia pulled at Maggie’s heartstrings as she remembered helping her mother set up similar lighted reindeer when she was little. On the other side of the house was a decoration that once was a headless horseman Halloween decoration. The people that lived they're turned the horseman into Santa riding a reindeer with a bag of presents on its back. That was Maggie’s all-time favorite Christmas decoration so far. There was a tree that partially obscured the front door that had snowflakes and giant lighted bulbs hanging from it. This house didn’t have as many decorations up as the other, but it was just as beautiful.
After both Alex and Maggie had their fill of holiday lights, they went home with a magic that only comes from sharing moments like these with loved ones’ coursing through their veins. They snuggled up on the couch and watched Rudolph and Alex’s urging followed by Frosty and Maggie’s.
Between their night exploring the city for Christmas lights and Christmas Eve, both women barely had a minute to breath let alone relax. On Christmas Eve, Alex, Maggie, Kara, Lena, Eliza, James, Winn, J’onn, Lucy, Clark, and Lois could be found somewhere in Alex and Maggie’s living room. They arrived back at the house after an 11 o’clock Christmas Eve service at the church they were going to get married. They were all dressed in matching or similar pajamas, red and black plaid pants and a shirt that read we believe with Santa’s face in the middle. Maggie picked them out, to surprise Alex, on-line and surprised everyone when they showed up on December 24th. It was just after midnight, a huge pile of presents could be found under the tree, and a majority of the people were starting to yawn more and more frequently.
Alex scanned the room quickly before she quietly got up and walked over to a bookshelf. She grabbed a book and made her way to J’onn. Without saying a word, she held the book out to J’onn who took it slightly puzzled. “When I was growing up, my dad always read this to me. I know it’s childish and probably stupid, but I miss hearing the story. I was hoping someone would read it to us-all of us- tonight.” Alex glanced down and then back up quickly, “I was hoping you’d read it to us. You’ve kinda become a father figure to a lot of us here tonight, hell you saved my life, literally, before it could spiral anymore out of control. So, anyway, would you mind reading us the story.” She ended catching the eyes of the man she couldn’t wait to have to walk her down the aisle in a few short months.
“I’d be honored, Alex.”
Alex walked back to Maggie settling in behind her. As she walked, she pointed a look around the room landing on one person in particular. “If any of you mention a word of this to anyone ever, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Winn gulped as he kept eye contact with Alex the entire time she walked back to her spot.
J’onn waited until everyone was settled and ready before he began. “’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…” He read in a voice that could soothe even the crankiest of babies, or badass DEO agents and NCPD detectives, as the case may be. He finished the story and the large family of misfits talked and laughed for another hour or so. It got to the point where everyone was yawning and fighting their bodies need for sleep.
Eliza, ever the mother, began ushering all of her children off to bed. Alex and Maggie went to their room and fell asleep almost instantly wrapped in the other’s arms. They tried to insist that others take their bed, but everyone refused. Instead, they piled air mattresses, and cot’s in one of the spare bedrooms, living room, and basement. Once everyone including J’onn was asleep, Eliza set to work. She set stockings for everyone outside of the rooms they were sleeping. She also brought out a bunch of presents that were waiting in her car. There were several presents for everyone. She had heard so much about Lena and Lucy, the two newest additions to the family, from Kara, Alex, Maggie, and even Clark that she felt she already knew them like a mother should. Every present that she brought in had a tag that read from Santa. No one was too old to receive a gift from Santa. Eliza finished her task and made her way to the second spare bedroom that everyone left for her.
The only years that Alex wasn’t up early on Christmas morning were the first few years after her father “died.” This year, however, may have been the worst one yet. She woke up four hours after they went to bed ready to start the day. She rolled over expecting to find a still sleeping Maggie. Instead, she found empty cold sheets.
“Maggie?” She whispered sitting up and searching the room for her fiancé. What she found made the biggest smile she thinks she’s ever produced cross her face. Maggie’s face popped up looking at Alex with wide, shocked eyes. A slightly guilty look flitted across her face before she relaxed and half smiled at her groggy fiancé.
“Hey, sorry, did I wake you?” Alex shook her head in the negative. “I woke up, and I was really thirsty, so I went to get a glass of water. When I opened the door, I saw two stockings hanging on the door. One of them had my name, and I got excited. It’s been so long since I’ve had a stocking with my name on it. And I just-I felt like a kid again, and I needed to open it. There’s some real throwback stuff in here.” Maggie said as she held up Jax, pick-up sticks, and a bunch of candy one after another. “There’s one for you too.” Maggie jerked her head toward their bedroom door.
Alex squealed and shot towards the door as fast as she could. She got tangled in the sheets in her haste and almost ended up falling flat on her face. If she didn’t have the reflexes, she did she would have. Alex straightened up and shot a playful glare at Maggie who was doing her best to stifle her laughs. Finally, Alex made her way to their door stepped into the hallway for a nanosecond and then made her way to where Maggie was sitting on the floor.
Alex started digging through the stocking when she found a note. As she read she started to laugh uncontrollably. This laugh was Maggie’s favorite. It was the laugh that Alex only let slip when she was completely comfortable in her surroundings or for when she “totally and completely exhausted. Alex caught her breath and finally realized that Maggie was staring at her quizzically. “Mom and dad always left stocking outside my room when I was little, and mom continued the tradition when Kara and I were teenagers. I was always up before dawn, and this is how they kept me entertained until I was allowed to get them up,” Alex explained as she held out the note in her hand.
Alex,
I’m so happy that you are finally loving Christmas like you did as a little girl again. And I can’t express enough how amazing Maggie is. You two are lucky that you found each other. I hope that you enjoy sharing this Christmas tradition with your fiancé. You know the rules though, no waking me up until at least 8:30. I love you, sweetheart.
To the moon and back,
Mom
Maggie finished the note and smiled at Alex as she saw the time on her phone. “We still have three hours ya know!”
“I know.”
“How would you like to pass the time?”
“Ya know, I’m not 100% sure. We do have several fantastic games to play here.”
“We do.”
“I was always pretty good at pick-up-sticks when I was a kid.”
“Pick-up sticks is definitely a fun game.” Maggie slowly moved toward Alex, her eyes flitting between Alex’s eyes and lips.
"Of course there are always other things that we can do to pass the time too."
"Hu-huh."
Alex and Maggie both closed their eyes relishing the still mind-blowing feeling that was kissing the woman that they loved. “This….is….definitely………a better…way….to..pass….the…..time” Alex mumbled between kisses.
“Mhmm, that’s what I thought!” Maggie responded pushing Alex onto her back. Maggie’s hand finds its way under Alex’s shirt. Slowly, Maggie moves her hands up Alex’s stomach, all the while she and Alex were still kissing. She smirked into the kiss as Alex squirmed underneath her. Her hands moved up until they brushed against Alex’s breasts. Alex’s back arched up, trying to create more contact but Maggie pulled away slightly.
Finally, hearing Alex’s whine, Maggie gave in, taking both of Alex’s breasts in her hands, massaging them gently at first. Every time Alex moaned or squirmed, Maggie applied more and more pressure. After a few minutes, she took Alex’s nipples into her hands, squeezing and twisting them between her thumbs and index fingers.
When Maggie felt she had paid ample attention Alex’s breasts, she let her hands travel back down Alex’s abdomen. Alex was growing impatient, and her need was becoming unbearable. Alex reached up, tugging on Maggie's shirt. Maggie, paused her actions momentarily to let Alex remove her shirt. Alex stared hungrily at the sight of her topless fiancé.
Still staring, Alex moved into a sitting position to connect their lips again. Maggie shifted so that her legs were bent on either side of Alex’s waist.
Maggie's hands mimicked Alex’s from a few moments ago, pulling her shirt up and over her head. Alex grabs Maggie's face connecting their lips again. Her tongue sweeps over Maggie's bottom lip, quickly gaining access to Maggie's open mouth. Alex’s hands slide down Maggie's neck and chest stopping at her breasts. Alex paid similar attention to Maggie's breasts as Maggie had to Alex's.
Maggie’s head fell back, breaking the kiss, as she leaned into Alex's hands. Slowly regaining her composure, Maggie placed her hands on the waistband of Alex's pajama pants. Pausing quickly to ask permission she met Alex's eyes and smiled. Alex nodded her head almost imperceptibly and started to lean back again so she could lie down. Maggie slid Alex's pants and underwear down, Alex raising her hips to help. Maggie quickly removed her pants and underwear as well, hoping to minimize any further interruptions.
When Maggie made her way back on top of Alex, she moved so that one of her legs rested between Alex's, just far enough from Alex's center that no relief would come just yet.
She leaned down kissing Alex for the umpteenth time that morning. She pulled back pecking Alex as she did and moved her lips to her neck. She sucked on the skin over her pulse point. After several seconds Maggie bit the skin beneath her mouth, immediately soothing the pleasurable sting with her tongue. Maggie made her way down to the top of Alex’s breast, sucking and biting and soothing the skin there in the way she had learned drove Alex insane early in their relationship. She moved down Alex’s stomach repeating the process over and over again stopping at Alex’s hip bone and making her way back up on the other side of Alex’s body.
By the time Maggie made it back to Alex’s neck, Alex could barely control the desire she felt, the only thing she could focus on was the throbbing between her legs. “Mags, please?’
“Please what baby?”
“I n-need you. Please” Alex stuttered as Maggie ever so slightly ground her hips down causing her thigh to rub against Alex’s clit while her own rubbed against Alex’s bent thigh. Alex bent her thigh so that Maggie had something to grind down on helping her relieve some of her own built up tension.
“Where do you need me, Al?” Alex moaned in response feeling Maggie’s thigh applying pressure again. “Come on Alex, be a good girl and use your words for me.”
“Inside-pl-please. An-and pressure. Please, Maggie please.” Deciding that she’d tortured Alex enough, Maggie put her right hand on the bundle of nerves that was currently driving Alex insane. She circled her middle and ring fingers around Alex’s opening collecting her juices before moving up to her clit, rubbing slowly at first. Every so often, Maggie continued to grind down onto Alex’s leg, using her own hips to apply more pressure on Alex’s clit.
As Maggie sped up her ministrations, Alex bucked her hips trying to increase the pressure as much as possible. Maggie knew the second Alex couldn’t handle anymore slow teasing. Alex was panting, struggling to speak, and trying to beg all at the same time. At that moment, Maggie lowered her hand again. This time, however, she slid two fingers roughly into Alex. She pumped her fingers in and out a few times before adding a third. She sped up her movements, and in seconds Alex was on the edge of orgasm. One more thrust in, Maggie curled her fingers at just the right moment, sending Alex over the edge. Maggie soon followed her fiancé over the edge, throwing her head back in ecstasy, as she ground down onto Alex’s thigh one more time. Maggie continued pumping her hand in and out of Alex helping her ride out the orgasm for as long as possible.
When Alex had relaxed, Maggie slid her hand out of Alex and wiped her hand on her pants that were still lying next to the pair. Maggie then shifted so that she was lying on the ground next to Alex, both women panting, trying to catch their breath.
A few seconds passed before Maggie said, “Merry Christmas!” the same time that Alex uttered, “Best gift ever!” Alex and Maggie both started laughing hysterically, seeing once again how alike yet different they were.
A sudden knock on their door startled both of them and they scrambled to find their clothes, most of which had been haphazardly thrown around the room. Before they could completely redress kara’s voice called out, “When you two are-finished-come down to the basement. We’re all going through the stocking’s Eliza left for us.”
Alex shot a horrified look to Maggie, turning bright red. “We’ll be right there Kara. We’re just waking up.”
“Alex, you may be a DEO agent, but you are still a horrible liar,” Kara responded before making her way back to the basement.
Ten minutes later, Alex and Maggie walked into the basement finding their friends sitting in a circle, a game of pick-up-sticks currently being played. Winn’s tongue was sticking out slightly in concentration as he tried to flip a single stick out of the messy pile. Alex and Maggie took the spots that were left open for them between Kara and James.
At 9:00, Eliza and J’onn found their children sitting in the same circle, this time playing Jenga. J’onn cleared his throat startling Winn as he moved a piece from the middle of the tower causing him to knock down the entire stack.
Since the game was over, they collectively decided to move to the living room to open the waiting presents. Gathered in the giant group that made up the best family any of them had ever had, Alex and Maggie’s eyes met. Neither said a word, but they knew they were both thinking the same thing. It didn’t matter what was in the wrapped packages under the tree. What mattered was the love they felt for the people surrounding them and the love those same people felt for Alex and Maggie.
They smiled at each other, quickly kissed, and turned back to the presents and family waiting for them.
“Alex,” the room went quiet as Eliza’s voice raised. “What’s that on your neck?”
“Alex’s eyes widened in embarrassment as her hand went to cover her neck. “Nothing,” she denied glancing glaringly towards Maggie.
“Uh-huh! Whatever you say, dear. But just so you know, there’s one on the other side as well.
Alex put her arms on her bent knees and dropped her head onto her arms.
“I love you, Alex,” Maggie spoke.
“I hate you” Alex mumbled.
“No, you don’t.”
“No...I don’t.” Alex agreed, lifting her head and kissing Maggie again. She lingered near her ear whispering, “Paybacks are hell.”
“Can’t wait!”
After two hours, all of the presents had been opened, smiles adorned the faces of all in the room, and it had already been deemed the best Christmas yet by the misfit family.
Confusion crossed Maggie’s face as an unfamiliar text message tone went off in her back pocket while she sat at her desk trying to complete the mountain of paperwork she’d be assigned. As she reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone that felt very different to the touch, she quickly brought it around to examine it.
Yup. Just as she suspected. The phone wasn’t hers, but her girlfriend of almost 7 months’.
The phone was covered with a case that read “Be with you, may the force” with Yoda’s signature ears coming into view at the very bottom. (A birthday present from Winn and Alex had loved.)
She pressed the home button on the iPhone and looked at the message on the screen over the picture of Maggie and Alex laying together on their couch both looking up at the camera with large smiles. (What? It could be important!)
From Lucy :) :) (9:44 am): I’m coming to see your ass. It’s been too long. Hope you missed me a lot ;)
Maggie’s eyebrows furrowed and she immediately felt a flood of jealousy down her spine.
Who the fuck was Lucy? And what was she doing sending Maggie’s girlfriend winky faces?
Maggie had to text back. It was for science, right? She had to find out what the X was in the equation.
To Lucy :) (9:45 am): And why would I miss you?
Maggie knew that Alex liked to give attitude through all forms of communication, except when her and Maggie were alone and Alex was the sweetest, most gentle human Maggie had ever met, but that was strictly reserved for Maggie and sometimes Kara.
Another message came quickly after that, startling Maggie slightly.
From Lucy :) (9:45 am): Oh, come on. You miss me and you can’t even deny it. You’re probably excited to see me, but I know you and you like to be a grumpus. Let me know where you’ll be at noon. Can’t wait to see you ;)
Another fucking winky face. Maggie was seething.
She stood quickly and pulled her jacket on.
“Where are you going? Cap wants these papers done by Friday.” Her partner McConnell asked.
“I’ve got some business to take care of.” Maggie growled. “Let Cap I’m headed to the DEO on official business.”
“Want me to come? You know I dig a good fight.” The man smirked.
Maggie wanted to slap it off of his pale ass face. “No. This is business I can handle on my own.”
She made her way out of the precinct and to her squad car quickly, her anger fueling her tiny body to walk faster than usual.
It only took her 20 minutes to get to the DEO where she parked her car in the huge lot with all the Agents’. As she made her way into the large building, she tried to get her thoughts in order.
Was Alex really cheating on her?
Maggie felt her heart ache at the thought. She had fallen for Alex harder than she had ever fallen for anyone. How could she not? Alex was smart, beautiful, caring, loving, understanding, strong, and so much more. She made it a point to tell Maggie how much she loved her every single day. And when she wasn’t telling Maggie, she was showing her. Through kisses, small touches, drawn baths, food ready when Maggie got to their apartment, and many other ways.
If this was all true, Maggie would be ruined.
Tears pricked her eyes as she flashed her badge of clearance, the Alex had begged Pam to give to Maggie, to the guards watching the front. She pushed them back once cleared and headed straight the elevator.
15th floor.
There she found Kara, J’onn, Winn, and Alex all around the center panel going over something on Winn’s iPad.
Winn was the first to see her and his face lit up like a kid on his birthday. She knew that Winn thought she was one of the coolest people he’d ever met. Besides Alex of course.
“Hey, Maggie!”
Alex’s head shot up at the name the biggest smile spread across her face. If Maggie hadn’t been angry, her heart would have leapt into her throat at the sight.
(Who was she kidding? Her heart was going crazy at the sight of the woman she loved.)
“Hey, Mags. What are you doin’ here? I thought you were caught up with paperwork all day?” Alex asked, the smile never leaving her face.
But Maggie really wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
“Can I talk to you?” Maggie asked, the emotion heavy in her voice. She glanced at Kara, J’onn and Winn who were all watching on with pointed looks. “Alone.”
Alex’s face showed confusion for a minute and Kara heard her heart rate pick up and J’onn heard her mind begin racing through what could possibly be wrong.
“Uh, sure. Let’s go to my office.” Alex stated with a shaky voice.
As they walked away, Kara turned to J’onn with questioning eyes. He sighed back. “This isn’t going to be a pretty conversation.”
Maggie and Alex reached Alex’s private office a couple minutes later. The office was small, but nice. It was the size of an average bedroom and was furnished with a desk, a couch, a small television on the wall, and a twin sized bed.
It was where Maggie found herself napping while Alex was finishing work in her lab and Maggie didn’t want to be alone in their apartment. Alex would often finish in the lab and press kisses all over Maggie’s face to wake her up and take her home.
So many amazing memories.
Tears pricked at Maggie’s eyes again.
Alex sat on the bed and Maggie opted to stand with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. There was a few moments of silence as Maggie tried to get her emotions together in order to begin the conversation.
Sensing the emotions on her perfect girlfriend’s face, Alex decided to start the conversation. “Baby, whatever it is, you can talk to me.” She stated softly. The fear in her voice was evident.
Maggie took a deep breath. “I’m only going to ask you this one time, and you better not fucking lie to me.”
“Okay.” Alex nodded.
“…Are you cheating on me?” Maggie whimpered out, her eyes filling with tears as she got it out.
Alex’s eyes widened at the question and she immediately shot up from the bed. “What?! No!”
Maggie pulled out the phone to show to Alex with the message still on the screen. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Alex! Who the fuck is Lucy? And why is she asking if you miss her? And why is she coming to see you?”
Alex’s eyes quickly read the message on the screen. “Wait Lucy? Like Major Lucy Lane?” Alex cocked her head to the side. “Babe, Lucy is my boss. Her dad is the General. She oversees the desert base of the DEO and handles all of the affairs we have with The White House in D.C.”
Oh.
“W-What?”
Alex’s face immediately softened. “Lucy was one of my best friends.”
Maggie felt so so stupid.
“Oh.” Maggie swallowed.
“Yeah. And I never mentioned her because we had a bit of a falling out before she left and I really haven’t had the time to think about it, you know, with dealing with aliens trying to kill me every day.” She chuckled.
Maggie looked down at the ground and bit her lower lip. She felt so guilty for accusing Alex of cheating. Alex had never been anything but amazing to her, and she might have just ruined it all.
“Hey,” Alex softly stated, stepping forward to lift Maggie’s head to meet her eyes, “it’s okay. I understand.”
Maggie let tears fill her eyes again, but this time in remorse. A few fell before she got out a strangled, “I’m so sorry, Alex.”
“Maggie, it really is okay.” Alex smiled at her girlfriend, reaching up to wipe the tears away with her thumbs. “I mean, I get why you got so upset. If I had read a message like that with a winky face from a girl in your phone that I didn’t know, I would be pissed too.”
“But I just assumed. I didn’t even give you time to explain.”
“Again, I probably would have done the same thing. We can’t help our emotions.”
Yet again, Maggie was shown how amazing her girlfriend was and she was falling in love with her all over again.
“How did I get so lucky?” Maggie asked herself out loud while she reached up to cup Alex’s face.
“Eh. I’m not all that.”
“No. You’re everything. I love you so much.” Maggie whispered.
“I love you, too.” Alex leaned down to place a sweet kiss on Maggie’s lips. “Now, can we just freak out a little because Lucy is coming?! She’s always the life of the party, and to be honest, you’re probably going to love her.”
“I bet I will.” Maggie laughed. “But she isn’t allowed to send you winky faces.”
Maggie pretty much had a patent on that and it was enough to set Alex’s body aflame.
“Good luck with that. That woman is a flirt.” Alex chuckled.
Jealousy flared up in Maggie’s abdomen again. “If she flirts with you, she’s gonna go from Major to Minor in about 20 seconds.”
“Calm down, Ms. Jealous pants.” Alex joked, poking Maggie in the stomach. “I only have eyes for you.”
“You better.” Maggie joked back.
There was a pause and Alex gasped. “That makes so much sense! Of course I had your phone. I was really confused as to why Lena was thanking me about the ‘tips’ I’d given her.”
Maggie couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her mouth at the sight of Alex’s grimace. “Sounds about right.”
“Gross!”
Bonus:
It took one look at Lucy Lane to have Maggie draped all over Alex all night. The woman was beautiful. Actually, beautiful was an understatement.
Hell, if Maggie was single, she’d be all in.
And Alex was right. Lucy was a flirt. And Maggie was pissed.
Maggie decided at that moment that she most definitely did not like Lucy Lane.
For Ray! (Happy Birthday, @comebackbehere23)
(Below is how I imagined Maggie’s face when she was pissed. Smol angry marshmallow ;)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
This is the first of a series of fics about the superfriends (well, let’s be honest, mainly sanvers). It’s about Alex always being proud to show off her scars until Maggie gives her a hickey and she gets shy.
Alex Danvers had always had some form of scars or bruises, ever since she was a little kid. From minor scrapes as a child falling off of her bike to major flesh wounds from battling it out in the field against whatever new defenses Cadmus had up, Alex’s body always seemed to be an ever-changing tapestry of wounds, but she didn’t mind. She had always liked her scars. They made her feel proud, made her feel important. The way she saw it, every wound told a story, every cut, every scrape, every bruise, had a cause for being there. Every injury meant that she had done something, tried something, that was worth talking about. So, when it came to other people seeing them, she didn’t mind, and when Maggie saw the full scale of her scars and bruises that she had accumulated over the years, she didn’t bat an eyelash, because she knew how they made Alex feel accomplished. Alex had never cared about others seeing her flaws. That is, until the first time Maggie gave her a hickey. The night before, things got pretty heated up at Maggie’s place, and when Alex walked into work the next morning, she could tell something was off. J’onn was staring at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing” J’onn exclaimed, seemingly flustered, caught off guard.
“What is it? Is it something about Cadmus?” she demanded.
“No, it’s just…”
“Alex, is that a hickey?” asked Winn.
“What? No, of course not!” responded Alex, even while her hand shot up to conceal the purple mark on her neck. She kept her voice level, the way she had learned to from her years of interrogation training, but she couldn’t help the red blush creeping up her cheeks, making her entire face hot.
“Bow chicka bow wow. Looks like someone got it on last night” taunted Winn, narrowly dodging a smack to the head from Alex.
“Shut up, Winn” she growled.
That night, when Alex got home from work, Maggie met her at the door with a kiss as usual, but when the kiss turned into something more, Maggie could feel that Alex wasn’t completely into it, and being the spectacular girlfriend that she was, Maggie immediately pulled back.
“You good, Danvers?” Maggie inquired, “We can stop if you need”.
“No, I’m fine,” Alex insisted, and went back in for a kiss, but Maggie could tell she was hesitating.
“Ally, come on, you know I’m here for you. You can tell me anything. What’s on your mind?”
“Well… it’s nothing, really, it’s just that I’ve never really been intimate with anyone before you. I mean, I have, just… not in the same way, and… last night, you gave me a hickey without my noticing, and, I don’t know, I guess I’ve never really had a scar before without a story behind it, without a meaning behind it that I couldn’t explain, and this morning, Winn asked about it, and I didn’t really know how to respond, so of course I hit him, or at least I tried, and now I realise that I’m rambling, and I should probably stop now” Alex bit the inside of her cheek, and tried to figure out the meaning behind Maggie’s wicked grin. Had she said something funny, or stupid? She couldn’t decipher the meaning, and waited with bated breath for Maggie to respond. However, when Maggie spoke, it wasn’t what Alex had expected her to say.
“Alex, you’re the most amazing woman in the world, you know that? Every time I think I’ve gotten you figured out, you do something that makes me fall even deeper for you. I honestly can’t even believe that you’re with me. I mean, someone like you… I just can’t believe what I could have possibly done to deserve you. So, when I need to know that I do have you, that you are mine, that hickey is there to remind me. That’s what it means to me, and I can stop if you want, but that hickey is a reminder of my love for you. That’s what it means to me.” As Maggie finishes up her rant, they both realize what she just said, and Alex looks at her with wet eyes.
“So, you’re saying that you love me? That’s- that’s what I got,”
Maggie’s face lit up with the brightest grin “Of course, you’re not gonna go crazy on me, are you?”
