249. Chapter 249

She texts her before she stares into the glass of bourbon she was about to down.

She texts her, because she needs her.

And aside from Kara, Alex never admits to needing anyone.

The text is simple.

I need you.

Maggie’s response is instant.

I’ll be right there.

And sure enough, she’s there within ten.

In those ten, Alex stares into the bottom of the glass, into the amber liquid, and she swirls it around and she relishes how it will feel burning down her throat.

She thinks of Maggie.

I need you.

She thinks of Maggie and she thinks of Kara – because of course she’s sent Kara the same text – and she screams, and she throws the glass across the room with all her force.

It shatters against the far wall, and she shatters with it.

Maggie opens the door with her gun drawn and her shoulders set.

“Alex.”

“Here, it’s fine, I’m not – it’s fine. Ow.”

Alex is crouching near the wall, cleaning up the glass with trembling fingers, and Maggie puts the safety on and slips her gun into her waistband immediately.

“Sweetie,” she whispers as she crosses the room, as she squats next to her gathers Alex into her arms, holding her head to her chest.

She glances at the different spills across the apartment, and she reaches her free hand down for Alex’s fingers.

“Sweetie, don’t use your hands to clean glass, I’ll do it later, it doesn’t matter right now.”

“It’ll stain – “

“I know a guy who can fix that. What happened, Ally?”

Alex shakes and she sobs and she lets Maggie pull her up and to a chair by the table, shushing her protests about being too big as she gathers her into her lap.

She says nothing as Alex talks. She says nothing as Alex’s voice gains strength, as she stands up from Maggie’s lap and starts to pace.

“Kara’s on her way,” she offers as explanation, and Maggie just nods quietly.

And she just listens while Kara gently, lovingly, worriedly, tells Alex that she thinks J’onn was right. She sits forward a bit, just a bit, because this is going to be a long night.

Hell, it’s going to be a long few days.

Because Alex is wrong when she takes Maggie’s silence this whole time to mean that she has been thinking what Kara thought.

“Ride or die,” she tells her, and god, does she mean it.

They’re up all night crafting a plan.

Figuring out which explosives are strong enough to blow wherever Cadmus is holing up to hell.

“You’ll need something to detonate on drop, babe, here, look at these schematics –”

“Ugh, Detective Sawyer, NCPD Science Division, I love it when you talk technical.”

“Keep it in your pants, Danvers, we’re working here.”

Figuring out their likeliest next victim.

“It would be Brian.”

“Of course it would be Brian.”

“It’s always Brian.”

Figuring out exactly how many seconds it will take to hack the information off their GPS.

“Yeah, but look, Winn taught me a trick, this’ll get it to work faster – “

“Well thank god he’s better at his job than he is at pool –”

Figuring out what lies Maggie is going to concoct for her captain, and figuring that “family emergency” is not, in fact, a lie.

“I mean, it’s not untrue.”

“Maggie, I – “

“I know, I know, we’re not really family – “

“That’s… that’s actually not at all what I was going to say.”

“Oh. So you… agree. That it’s not untrue?”

“We ride or die for family, right?”

“Take this,” Alex tells her as they finally get ready to head out.

Maggie splutters and stares and shakes her head.

“Alex, that’s your baby, I – “

“No. Well, yes. But also, you’re my baby, and your NCPD gun and very perfect aim – “

“Aww, Danvers, you noticed – “

“That my girlfriend’s a badass, of course I noticed – “

“Buuuut you’re about to insult my lowly local cop glock.”

“Yes. I am. Please take it, Maggie. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.”

“I’ll be with you, Alex. Of course I’ll be safe.”

“I feel the same.”

“Good. You should.”

“You ready to do this?”

Maggie slips Alex’s favorite gun into her waistband and kisses her like she’ll never kiss her again.

“Let’s go.”