649. Chapter 649

Her house – her room – her bed – was Alex’s respite.

It was her break from responsibility, her vacation from grief, her sanctuary from angst.

At their sleepovers, Alex would feel things she couldn’t feel – wouldn’t acknowledge – elsewhere.

At school, Vicki was her constant companion.

If Kenny was Kara’s go-to in the cafeteria, Vicki was Alex’s go-to, everywhere.

“Alex,” was all she said before wrapping her in her arms when she heard Kenny’d been threatened. Because she knew what Alex had told no one else: that Kenny had been tutoring her. That Kenny was her friend.

“I’m fine. I mean, he’s fine. It’s fine, I’m fine – “

“Alex, you don’t have to be fine. You’re plenty tough,” she nudged her, and Alex felt herself blushing and had no idea why.

“You think so?” Alex stammered.

“I know so,” Vicki reassured her.

And when they’d found out about Josie, she’d gone with Alex to confront her. To see if she’s alright. To tell her it’s not her fault. To tell her that her feelings for him were real, but his violation of consent was also real. To tell her that they’d be there for her.

She’d been there with Alex when Josie had stormed out. When Alex had been left in the bathroom, shaking and trembling, because for the first time since Kara came, since her father died, she had something, someone, to fight for beyond her own grief and fear and resentment.

“Did we do the right thing?” she’d asked Vicki in tears, and Vicki had kicked at one of the stall doors and shrugged.

“Is there such a thing?” she’d responded, and Alex wondered if this is what she was supposed to feel for boys before pushing it down, down, down. Far, far down.

When everyone stopped talking to her – when she, Kenny, and Kara had exposed everyone’s favorite teacher for what he was, gotten their biggest football star suspended, everyone’s favorite neighborhood sheriff arrested – Vicki didn’t.

Vicki stayed.

She stayed and she held Alex’s hand under the lunch table, where she knew – because she knew Alex – that she would be worrying at her cuticles.

She stayed and she made Alex wonder if every girl feels this way about their best friend. This close, this warm, this… this.

She stayed and she gave Alex a new choker for no reason other than “I saw it and I thought of you” and she laughed at all her stupid jokes and she was nice to Kara and she was nice to Kenny and she was nice to cuddle up to in bed at their sleepovers.

She stayed, and even though years later – years after Alex had blown it to pieces, because Alex still lashes out when she’s terrified – she’s there, in the grocery store in Midvale, and the sight of her makes Alex’s stomach drop, after all these years.

“Babe, what – “ Maggie asks, but she sees Kara’s eyes fly wide, Eliza’s eyes fly wide, and she thinks she knows why.

“Vicki!” Alex confirms it, and Maggie bites on her lip to keep from grinning enormously. She glances at Kara and Eliza, and they look like they’re doing the same thing.

The woman Alex is approaching in the frozen food section nearly spills her purse, and Alex catches it easily, her reflexes smoother than her words.

“Alex. Alex Danvers,” Vicki says, and Maggie’s stomach somersaults when she hears her voice, because it’s low and it’s sexy and it’s lesbian catnip.

“Yeah, it’s me, uh… uh, hi! Hi, how – are you still living in Midvale? Not… not still, like to imply that you should have moved away or anything, I mean I just meant – “

“So you still ramble adorably when you’re nervous,” Vicki smiles and shakes her head, and Alex’s rambling sputters to a halt as Eliza, Maggie, and Kara all nearly choke with an effort to contain their laughter.

“She does,” Kara sweeps in to save her sister, and Vicki’s arms fly wide open when she sees her.

“Kara!”

Kara hugs her eagerly and holds her a little longer than she normally would, trying to give Alex as much time as she can to compose herself. Somewhat.

Eliza nudges her softly in the small of her back to help her along.

“Um, Vicki, I… we’re just here visiting my mom – “

“Hi Dr. Danvers.”

“Hello darling,” Eliza smiles, glancing at Maggie as though to prompt her eldest daughter as to how to be social.

“Oh, right, uh – Vicki, this um, this is Maggie, my fiancee.”

“Nice to meet you,” Maggie shakes hands warmly, but her stomach sinks again when she realizes that Alex is frowning, now.

“Wait, Vicki, you’re… you’re not surprised.”

“Um… by?”

Kara and Eliza nearly bury their faces in their palms.

“By… well… Maggie’s my… we’re engaged, she… we… I’m gay. A lesbian. I’m a lesbian, and I… you’re not surprised.”

Vicki squints and tilts her head, and Maggie decides she likes this woman.

“Alex, are you just… oh my god, did you not know? I thought… I thought you were just so out you never felt the need to say anything, that… that when I got a boyfriend and we started fighting over every little thing, you just… It’s not that I didn’t like you, by the way, I just… I wasn’t ready to be out as bi, but you… did you not know why you were so angry at me?”

“She didn’t,” Eliza grimaces with a smile, and Alex turns to her with her hands tossed into the air.

“Mom!”

“You didn’t, dear, not until recently.”

“I… it… did… did everyone know before I did?”

Vicki purses her lips. Eliza stares at the ground. Kara suddenly finds six different flavors of ice cream she just needs to have.

“I mean… babe. You do kind of… you are kinda obvious.”

“But you didn’t know!” Alex objects, pointing suddenly at Maggie like she’s the solution to a terribly difficult equation.

“I didn’t want to hope. There’s a difference, Danvers.”

“I… it… you… why… why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Vicki laughs. “If you’re in town for a while, maybe the three of us can grab dinner? You too, Kara, if you want? And we can all explain some things to you, Alex.”

“Wait,” Alex furrows her brow. “But you’re not… mad?”

“After all this time?” Vicki shrugs. “I missed you, Alex. Maybe now we can see if we still pass each other’s best friend exams.”

“You two had exams?” Maggie wants to know.

“Kara, dear, that’s more ice cream than can fit in the trunk,” Eliza chides gently, and Kara slums her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Little Danvers, I brought my car, too,” Maggie murmurs, and Kara brightens as Vicki laughs and leans into Alex.

“You picked a keeper, Alex,” she tells her, and Alex beams, because she knows.