565. Chapter 565
When Alex takes a bullet for Kara, Maggie rages in between relieved, tearful kisses.
About how her sister is bulletproof, how Alex is not, how she can’t just put herself at risk like that.
How she can’t lose her. She can’t.
But then there’s the final take down of Cadmus, the mission that was supposed to save Alex’s father once and for all – if he wasn’t yet beyond saving.
The mission that was supposed to keep the alien population of National City so, so much safer from the xenophobia that funded and fueled Cadmus.
And it’s Maggie, this time, that dives in front of Kara.
Maggie who needs emergency surgery.
James and Winn, both needing to forcibly hold Alex back from trying to be the one to operate, because no one else is good enough, and she can’t lose Maggie. She can’t.
J’onn talks her down. Vasquez and Kara talk her down.
She nearly wears a path into the DEO’s cement floors pacing while she waits for Maggie to get out of surgery. For her to be in the clear.
“How’s Kara?” Maggie croaks when her eyes finally peak open. “My team? Yours?”
“All safe, all fine. Thanks to you.”
“You weren’t so bad yourself, Danvers,” Maggie murmurs, and Alex shudders.
“What were you thinking?” she asks, taking the bite out of her words with soft eyes, gentle hands, and even gentler kisses.
“Knew you were gonna ask me that,” Maggie chuckles weakly, and shes tries to sit up.
Alex “easy”s her, and they both smile wetly at the memory of when the roles were reversed. When Alex first said she loved her.
“They weren’t regular bullets, Danvers. They were meant to be lethal to Kara. You know that.”
“Yes, and I also know that that makes them potentially even more lethal for humans – “
“But they weren’t, were they?” Maggie glances around the med bay heavily. “And as easy as it would be to believe that heaven is waking up in your arms, in my heaven you would never be this sad.”
A tear leaks out of Alex’s eyes as she scoffs and shakes her head. Maggie winces slightly. “And there would be more pain meds.”
Another tear from Alex. Maggie wipes it away with heavy, trembling fingers. “My point is, I didn’t go anywhere. I’m alive, I’m safe, I’m here. With you. And so is Kara. It’s okay.”
Alex’s entire body tenses like she’s about to stand up and rage, but she’s supporting Maggie as she sits up, so she keeps her hands where they are.
“It’s not okay, Maggie. It’s the opposite of okay! You’re always telling me that I’m human and Kara’s bulletproof, well: you’re human! And Kara’s bulletproof! So I’m gonna ask you again, babe: what were you thinking?”
“Really Alex? You even need to ask?”
“Maggie – “
“I was thinking that if Kara died, and I lived, I would never be able to forgive myself. Because there would never be that light in your eyes again. I was thinking that I love you too much to let you lose the most important person in the world to you. I was thinking that, when I survived – because I wasn’t planning on leaving you, Danvers – I wanted to be able to look you in the eyes. Because they’d laced their bullets with kryptonite, babe, you know that. And I can’t watch you lose Kara. I love you too much for that.”
It’s a long, long, long while before Alex can speak.
It’s a long, long, long while before Alex can remember how to breathe.
When she does, there are only five words she needs. Only five words she’ll ever need.
“I love you, Maggie Sawyer,” she murmurs once, twice, over, and over, and over again.
Until Kara walks in on their gentle but passionate, soft but tangled, making out and swears to Rao that one of these days she’s going to install a warning system on the two of them.