408. Chapter 408

“Danvers. A minute?” Maggie calls from across the bar, and Alex nods like it’s not her girlfriend, like it’s not the woman she loves, about to head back into battle, with nothing, nothing, nothing, except James to watch her back.

And James will, and she’ll watch his.

But this is war, and Alex is being made commander, and she doesn’t know how anyone can bear loving foot soldiers.

Especially when those foot soldiers? Would do such a better job than she can at this whole leadership thing.

“Yeah,” Alex breathes, touching her arm and bending her head, eager for Maggie’s closeness, for her warmth, for her body, unbroken beside her.

Safe beside her.

“You’re a badass, Danvers,” Maggie reminds her without preamble, and Alex’s heart trembles at the phrase. “You’re going to be amazing at this, do you hear me?”

Alex blinks as she realizes that Maggie isn’t asking for comfort at the prospect of going back into the streets to fight a war.

Maggie isn’t asking for comfort at all.

Maggie’s offering it.

Alex blinks, and she almost breaks.

Instead, she drags Maggie into the bar bathroom, and if the President, her sister, or Winn find this strange, none of them comment.

“But what if I’m not? What if she gives me an order I can’t… Maggie, she wants me to fire on those ships. Kill all those people. They can’t all be… I know it’s war, I know sometimes…”

But Astra’s body falling off of her sword swarms into her mind, and she flinches.

Rick Malverne’s nose breaks at her knuckles, and she knows she swore that she’d end him, but she’d been content with that single punch and having J’onn – J’onn, god, J’onn – wipe his memory.

She hasn’t changed enough – she’s still too fond of torture, but Maggie and James have her working on it – but she’s changed.

God, she’s changed.

And firing on all those people? Vaporizing them all?

With Lena on board? The woman her sister can’t admit that she loves?

She’ll never be able to look Kara in the face again.

Hell, she’ll never be able to look herself in the face again.

And Maggie knows. Maggie knows and she puts gentle, dirt-streaked fingers under her chin and she kisses her soft, kisses her slow, kisses her tender.

“Alex, J’onn wouldn’t rather have anyone in charge than you. And you know what? You’re gonna hold it down so good for him until he’s back on his feet. And he’s going to be back on his feet. Okay? You’re a genius, Danvers, and a badass, and you love so, so fiercely: that’s exactly what this planet needs right now, Alex. Someone who loves as intensely as you do, who fights for the people she loves as much as you do. You understand me, Alex? You can do this. I promise.”

Alex swallows tears and she swallows Maggie’s breath and she sobs into her lips and Maggie kisses her back, lets Alex back her into the door of a stall, both of their hands everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.

Alive.

Safe.

Until they’re not.

Until Alex might have to make a call – might make the wrong call – that will end all of their lives.

But not yet.

Not yet, not yet, because Maggie’s lips are soft and Alex’s breath is hot and their bodies are flush against each other and –

“Oh. Oh my. Well, Agent Danvers, it seems we’ve just entrusted the freedom of this planet to someone who loves women just about as much as your sister’s so-called boyfriend hates them. My my, the things I missed while I was away.”

Maggie smooths her hair down and Alex adjusts her belt buckle, and Cat Grant smirks.

“We couldn’t be in better hands, Alex,” she confides in a faux-whisper before she winks at Maggie and saunters out of the bathroom, in search of another that’s less… occupied.

“Well see that, babe? The Queen of All Media believes in you.”

Alex snorts. “She believes in my sister.”

Maggie takes her hand and kisses each knuckle, the laughter gone from her eyes now.

“And you and your sister are a dynamite team, Alex. You give the world a hell of a lot to believe in. Now you just keep yourself safe, do you hear me?”

“You too, Maggie. You too.”

They press their foreheads together and they press their lips together, and when both of them are sure they’ll break if they keep touching – are sure they’ll never let go if they keep kissing – they untangle their bodies and they head back into the world.

The world that they’re going to save.

Together.