114. Chapter 114

She’s upstate training new recruits for the LGBT Task Force she seeded out of the NCPD, and she’s gone for the whole week.

She’s left James with explicit instructions to monitor how much Alex is drinking -- she figures he can take Alex smacking him around more easily than poor Winn can -- and she’s left Winn with explicit instructions to make sure Alex is eating, because the closer they get to rescuing Jeremiah, the more Alex is forgetting.

So James is stealing bottles out of Alex’s freezer and giving Alex very pointed looks that she eventually surrenders to, and Winn is sharing his lunch every day, and Alex is mopey but she’s holding up alright.

What Maggie didn’t do was leave behind instructions for how to care for Kara in her absence, because no one -- not even Kara -- expected the younger Danvers sister to be that impacted by the sudden lack of being called Little Danvers, the sudden lack of easy laughter at the pool table, the sudden lack of intense debates between James, Maggie, and Winn as to which Final Fantasy character could kick Cyborg Superman’s ass easiest.

But, as it turns out, Alex isn’t the only Danvers sister who’s drooping in Maggie’s short absence.

“She okay?” Winn asks J’onn when he walks into the DEO to find Kara idly chewing on the inside of her cheek and sighing, loudly and obviously, every few seconds.

“I think she misses her sister’s girlfriend,” J’onn diagnoses, and Winn nearly squeals.

“Oh, that’s the cutest.”

He snaps a picture of Kara, mid-sigh, and he pulls up Maggie’s number on his phone.

Hey, Sawyer. Hope you’re having fun whipping all those recruits into queer-friendly shape. Check out this pic: turns out Alex isn’t the only Danvers sister pining away in your absence.

He’s surprised when his phone buzzes just a moment later.

Awww, thanks Schott. Seriously, Little Danvers misses me?

Oh come on, Sawyer, we all do. We’ve gotten used to your rapier wit around here.

He grins as Kara’s phone buzzes across the room, as her face lights up, as she presses something on the screen and holds it out like a mirror in front of her.

“Hi Maggie!” She waves at the screen and Winn smiles, because Maggie must have facetimed her.

“Little Danvers! Hey! Listen, I don’t have a lot of time -- there’s a couple recruits that I wanna take to lunch, I think they’re gay and I want to treat them -- but I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

Kara practically swoons, and even J’onn grins watching her.

“Awww, Maggie!” she squeaks. “You’re so sweet! I miss you! Is that weird?”

“Course not, kid, I miss you, too. You know if you wanna fly up here for dinner tonight, I can move a few things around and make it happen.”

Kara nearly drops her phone in excitement and Winn surges forward to catch it. By the time Alex walks in, Kara’s constant sighing has ceased, replaced by a fervent, eager energy and bright, shiny buzz around her.

“Did you give her extra donuts or something?” Alex wants to know, and Winn just chuckles.

“Your girlfriend’s a keeper, you know, Danvers. A real keeper.”

“Where’d that come from?”

“The bottom of my heart -- ow! No, I’m serious!”

“Well. You do have a point. She really is.”