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littlewriterbabe2 · 2 years ago

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Alex Danvers Vs. The Universe

“One day…you will have all the things.”

That had been her sister’s pronouncement to her, when Alex had felt at her absolute lowest.

When her emotions were raw and she had been handed her ass by not one but TWO Worldkillers in as many days.

At a time when she was smarting from a whirlwind romance, arguably the most important of her young life.

A romance that ended in the most painful of manners.

Not with betrayal or sharp words.

Just quiet acceptance and tearful goodbyes.

On that night, in the rundown alien bar they had all come to love, Kara offered her sister a promise of better days ahead, and Alex had clung to that hope with a white-knuckled grip.

Were she to think back on it now, Alex would be unable to tell you if at the time she truly believed she would ever attain such contentment or if she had merely wished to be less miserable than she felt in that moment.

Nothing her shattered heart could have dared hope for then would ever hold a candle to her current reality: happily married to the woman of her dreams and raising the most adorable child.

Kelly and Esme were Alex’s entire world.

Their happiness and safety were constantly at the forefront of the former agent’s mind. Which was why she had declined returning to the resurrected DEO and hung up the mantle of Sentinel with barely an argument.

Being tossed around by a rogue alien didn’t hurt half as much as the devastation painted across the faces of her wife and daughter when they had feared she would never wake up.

“Come back to me, Alex,” Kelly had tearfully whispered, clutching their weeping child in her arms. “Come back to us.”

Even in her unconscious state, Alex vowed never to leave her family broken and to do everything in her power to come home to them possibly battered, usually bruised, but alive.

Kelly had endured the loss of her father at a far younger age than Alex had. She’d faced discrimination on all fronts even as she stood firm before enemy lines. And then her fiancée was cruelly snatched from her grasp when their life was just about to begin.

And Esme…

She had experienced everything from the loss of her family to betrayal from the very adults who had vowed to protect her, even discrimination at school due to her alien origins. Having never experienced stability in her young life, she especially needed Alex to be her rock, a steadfast source of support.

Alex vowed she would be.

She refused to be another heartache for either of them.

Refused to put her daughter through the emotional turmoil that she had experienced after Jeremiah’s original death and every iteration after.

Refused to force Kelly to once again bury a desired future together.

It had been the easiest decision she’d ever made when Lena approached her with a proposal for an alien clinic, a place where off-worlders could receive treatment without judgement. A place where Alex could put her years of scientific and medical expertise to use for good.

To finally fulfill the oath she fell just short of taking all those years ago.

Do no harm.

Alex was not foolish enough to believe that having done the opposite of that credo for the majority of her DEO career would never catch up to her; she simply hoped her wife and daughter would be spared the backlash.

But the universe…well it would be remiss if it didn’t take every opportunity to keep Alex Danvers humble, to remind her that maybe she couldn’t have all the things.

______________________________________________

Something was wrong.

Except…nothing was wrong. And it was driving Kelly crazy.

It was a Tuesday like any other since they had settled into a lovely life as a family of three. They’d awoken that morning at 7 o’clock sharp to tiny giggles on the other side of their bedroom door. Once Esme was summoned, the child had burst into the room with far too much energy for that time of morning, and after a flurry of hugs and good morning kisses, the trio began their daily routine.

It had taken them some time to get this point, where things were more sweet than sour and their daughter finally accepting that she wasn’t ever going to have to move again. But every morning that they woke up to Esme’s beaming face, dimples in full view, the two women knew it had all been worth it.

There were times, though, when Kelly felt guilty knowing her wife had stepped away from the DEO, from her lifelong mission of protecting her sister, in order to be safer for their growing family. Alex had made the decision to step down before she’d even asked, having dealt with her wife’s concerns about her safety more times than either wanted to count.

Kelly had worked hard to move past her insecurities regarding her mate’s safety, constantly reminding herself that Alex was not her former fiancée; that the agent-turned-vigilante was more than capable of taking care of herself. Still Kelly couldn’t deny her relief when, after her last brush with death as Sentinel, Alex had pulled the trigger, so to speak, and agreed to go all in with Lena to open their clinic.

Now that Alex was working there full-time, she had a fairly set schedule and was able to drop both Esme and Kelly off in the morning before her shift several times a week. And since Tuesday’s were her admin days, she always made a point to pick her daughter up from school, so Esme could spend the afternoons visiting the clinic staff.

They had all taken a shine to the little girl, and she could be found anywhere from helping Lyra organize supplies to conducting experiments with Lena in her lab. It made both mothers smile each time they saw how loved their daughter was, how easily the child had become a part of their found family.

So, nothing was wrong.

Alex had picked up Esme from school, the pair Facetiming Kelly from the local ice cream parlor as the little girl recounted all the juicy gossip that a six-year-old could hold. And then they had made their way over to the clinic where there would be no shortage of people clamoring to spend time with the charming child.

Throughout the day, Alex had sent Kelly a series of mushy texts, filled with a Kara-like amount of emojis, and the social worker had responded in kind. Few who had known Alex when she lead the DEO would ever have believed the former agent possessed such a soft side.

A glance at the clock in the upper right hand of her computer screen alerted Kelly that it had been over an hour since Alex’s last text and also that her wife and daughter were…late.

Alex was never late; knowing how it triggered her wife’s anxiety, the former agent had become punctual to a fault.

Kelly tried to still her panic, breaths becoming short when…the phone beside her began to vibrate! She nearly knocked the device off her desk in her haste to answer but somehow managed to clutch it in trembling fingers. Her relief was short-lived as the name scrolling across her screen was not her wife’s.

“Lena?” She tried to keep her voice even though her heart seemed to have dropped into her stomach.

“Kelly, you need to come to the clinic…NOW.”

__________________________________________

Tuesdays were Alex Danvers favorite day.

Many might find it an odd choice; not quite mid-week, less abrasive than Monday but still nothing special.

For Alex, it was the one day a week that she got to fully immerse herself in the lives of her two favorite girls. Of course, they had family game nights and lazy weekends spent in bed watching Disney movies but their lives, the daily routines that shaped them, all happened during the week.

Which was why when Lena Luthor, tech genius, billionaire heiress and adopted little sister currently dating her actual sister, asked if she could make Tuesdays her admin day to fit into the Luthor’s jam-packed schedule, Alex had readily agreed.

Tuesdays were Kelly’s late start, mornings spent reviewing new social work cases dropped into her lap, a never-ending stream of children with no place to go and only the Guardian looking out for them. Alex had no doubt that Esme would not be the last displaced child to carry the Olsen-Danvers name.

There had been mention of a little boy recently, just-four-years old, with smooth tan skin and almond shaped eyes like Kelly’s. Alex simply listened intently as her wife gushed about the toddler, waiting patiently to be asked to meet him before hopefully and happily bringing another lost child into their home.

Until then, Alex would cook her girls breakfast every Tuesday morning, pack lunches for each and hustle them to their respective destinations in their practical family car. At least Kelly hadn’t balked when Alex insisted the vehicle be all black with a decent-sized engine. Whether or not she’d had Vazquez add some extra “safety” features (i.e. bulletproof glass, run-flat tires and armored coating) to the large Jeep, Kelly never asked and Alex would never tell.

A glance at the clock in the upper left-hand corner of her laptop alerted her that she had just about an hour to finish paperwork and find her wandering child before picking Kelly up from the office. She jabbed the enter button with a bit more force than necessary and began tidying up her desk in preparation for leaving.

Paperwork had never been something she prioritized at the DEO, too put off by the endless bureaucracy of it all. Even as Director, she had funneled as much of the offensive task to Lucy, her best friend much better at navigating the confusing legalese.

Pam would have an aneurysm if she knew that notorious paperwork creator and avoider Alex Danvers now completed all necessary documents with laser focus.

As co-owner of the clinic and head physician, everything from supply orders to maintenance requests came across Alex’s desk for approval and the former-agent handled the onslaught with frightening efficiency if only to ensure she made it home for dinner most nights.

A knock on her door drew an exasperated groan from Alex, no doubt signaling an issue that only she was qualified to handle.

“Yeah?” She called out, hoping whoever was on the other side was coming with a simple request.

“Hey, Dr. D!” A slight snicker at her nickname followed the greeting as Reggie, one of the human interns from the surrounding neighborhood, poked his head into her office. “You’re needed in exam room 4 for a consult.”

“Dude, you know I have to pick up my wife in less than,” a quick glance at her watch confirmed her suspicions, “forty-five minutes.”

“I know, I know.” Reggie held up his hands in surrender. “But it’s a species no one else is familiar with and you seem to know like, all the species.”

Alex chuckled at the comment as she straightened her white oxford and reached for her stethoscope. “Ten minutes,” she warned as she followed him into the hall.

“In and out.” Reggie promised as he fell into step beside her. “Don’t wanna keep Mrs. Dr. D waiting. A woman that fine…” he finished with an exaggerated wink.

Alex shoved him lightly as they moved down the hall. “First of all, gross. And second, you know my wife’s a lesbian, right? Like, we’re married?”

Reggie merely shrugged as they reached the exam room, and he handed her the chart to review. She flipped open the file and immediately slammed it shut!

“Is this…is this right?” she asked, voice deathly low. Reggie eyed her cautiously, caught off guard by her reaction. “A Helgramite?”

“Yeah,” he drew the word out. “Lyra said you were familiar with them.”

“Course she did.” Alex made a mental note to give Winn’s ex a piece of her mind next time she was on shift.

“You good, Doc? I can go in with you.” Reggie was a burly kid, a brick wall on the NCU football field with a heart of gold. Even though he knew Alex had once worked in law enforcement, he still offered his protection whenever possible.

Alex gave him a grateful smile before clapping his shoulder lightly. “I’m good, just…I’m good,” she assured him. “But you could do me a solid and go find my wayward child so we can leave on time.”

Reggie’s smile lit up his face. “On it, Dr. D!”

After watching Reggie go, Alex stopped to take a few calming breaths before knocking on the door. When a voice called back to her, she entered quickly, nerves still prickling across her skin.

The last time she had been near a Helgramite was when Astra kidnapped her. The whole experience had been unpleasant, leaving her with a nasty scar on her left thigh that twinged when the weather changed. That she and Astra had shared their final confrontation just a few weeks later certainly didn’t help.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Olsen-Danvers. What brings you in today?”

“YOU!”

The angry exclamation made Alex whip her head up from where it was buried in the chart. She squinted at the man before her. The Helgramite that had been working with Astra was dead, she’d seen to that herself. Still the man looked familiar and he seemed to recognize her.

Deciding to play it cool until she had more information she answered him, hoping her voice sounded steady, keeping her expression neutral. “Yes, I’m the doctor as I said…have we met?”

The man scoffed loudly, sliding off the exam bed and stepping closer. “You DEO are all the same. Brutalize and oppress us and then you can’t be bothered to even remember our names.”

Alex bristled at the characterization but didn’t back down. “I’m sorry, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” She pretended to adjust the cuff of her shirt as she pressed the panic button on her watch. Hopefully, J’onn or Kara were nearby.

“Have I?” The man challenged, voice rising in anger. “You weren’t DEO? You weren’t on that ship when Cadmus tried to send me and 300 others to the far side of the universe?!”

“I tried to stop that ship,” Alex explained, all subterfuge abandoned. “I’m not DEO anymore. I started this clinic to help people, but if you don’t want my help, you’re welcome to leave.”

She knew the exact moment when the man decided to choose violence, tension rippling through the room. “LEAVE?!” he bellowed before charging her!

Alex saw the attack coming from a mile away, twisting her body to lessen the impact as the man tackled her into the door. The wood buckled beneath her and she clenched her teeth as her back pulsed with pain. A strong knee to his solarplexus had the man releasing her with a gasp as Alex whipped the door open and fled into the hallway. She had just enough time to pull the knife from her boot before he was on her again, face elongating and fangs on display!

“Doc, look out!” Reggie yelled from the end of the hallway, Esme thankfully not with him.

She spared a quick glance in his direction. “Get everybody out of this hallw—” A strong hand around her windpipe cut her off but Reggie got the message, sparing her a worried look before directing panicked patients away from the area.

Alex slashed out with the knife, cutting deep into the forearm blocking her airflow. The Helgramite’s hand dropped away from her throat just as her vision began to darken. With no time to recover, she stabbed the small knife into the man’s thigh, scrambling back towards her office. If she could just get to her blaster, tucked safely beneath the strong oak desk, she could end this without more injuries to herself or the innocents scattered throughout the hospital.

Multiple spikes embedded themselves in the floor as she was pursued. She remembered distinctly how those protrusions felt when buried in tender skin and muscle. He caught up to her just as she rounded the corner to her office, tackling her straight through the dry wall!

“Mommy!” Esme’s blurry form came into view, standing on the side of her desk, a terrified look on her face as she clutched her stuffed animal tighter.

“Mommy, huh?”

Alex froze as the alien put two and two together, knowing he would switch his tactics now that it was obvious how much Alex had to lose. There was no way in hell she was going to let this bastard anywhere near her little girl. Before she could place herself between the child and her assailant, Esme threw her animal on the ground and her little palms lit up like torches.

“You leave my mommy alone!”

Alex quickly struggled to her feet, wondering idly where the hell Esme picked up that particular ability. The man tried to advance on Esme but Alex slammed a chair across his back before he had a chance to move, vaulting over him and the desk to reach her daughter.

“Esme, get back!” One hand pushed her daughter behind her while the other scrambled to unclip her gun from beneath the desk before their attacker recovered.

The Helgramite was on his feet again, face contorted, fangs on display. He let out a terrifying roar as he launched into the air, only to be sent back through the wall by a blast from Alex’s gun!

“Baby, stay here,” she ordered and guided Esme to crouch beneath the desk before she limped after the man. She found him writhing in the hallway, screaming obscentities at her and promising that he would soon pay her daughter another visit.

Alex snarled at the threat, notching the guns settings up before firing six more shots into the vengeful alien until he finally stopped moving. She limped a bit closer and could just make out the alien’s chest rising. Satisfied the situation was contained, Alex slumped against the wall, the alien blaster still buzzing faintly in her hand.

Her whole body ached but there was a distinctly sharper pain emanating from her abdomen. Despite her blurry vision, she could very clearly make out one of the Helgramite’s spikes protruding from her left side.

“Shit…” she mumbled right before two distinct figures came careening around the corner.

“Mommy!” Esme charged towards her at a breakneck pace, skidding to a stop when she took in her mother’s battered visage.

Lena had been just a few steps behind and quickly made her way over. “Oh my God, Alex!”

Alex tried to push the hands away as Lena moved to steady her. “M’fine, Lee…” She could feel the Helgramite’s toxin coursing through her veins and knew it wouldn’t be long before she succumbed. “Es? Where’s—”

“I’m right here, Mommy…” The little girl moved closer even though she could tell something was very wrong with her mother. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, baby I’m okay,” Alex lied through gritted teeth. “Just…just some uh, scratches…” The hallway had begun to spin around her, and she was sure that if she didn’t pass out, she would definitely throw up.

Before she could communicate any of that to Lena, her knees buckled, and the floor rushed up to meet her.

______________________________________________

Alex remembered very little after her collapse in the clinic hallway…

There had been chaos and movement; her body being hoisted from one place to the next, limbs uncooperative. The heat of fever prickled along her skin as her immune system fought valiantly against the alien toxin.

At some point the fog began to lift and Alex felt every indignity her body had just suffered with stark clarity. The pitiful groan that escaped her must have alerted Kelly because the familiar scent of her wife surrounded her as a soft hand cupped her cheek.

“Babe?” Kelly kept her voice soft so as not to awaken the injured woman too harshly. “Alex, can you open your eyes for me?”

“No…” Alex mumbled in reply, and it pulled a tiny, surprised laugh from Kelly as the response was just so…Alex!

“No, you can’t or no, you don’t want to?”

This time, the only response Alex could offer was another pained groan as she turned her head towards Kelly, cheek pressing harder against the warm hand cupping her face. A few moments passed, and Alex cracked her eyes open, wincing at the harsh fluorescent lights above her.

“Hi.” Kelly felt tears pooling in her eyes but refused to let them fall.

“Hi,” Alex croaked in response, eyes nearly sliding back closed. “Where are we?”

“Still at the clinic, I’m afraid,” Kelly took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “Someone got themselves into trouble again,” she finished, trying to inject some humor into her voice.

Alex’s eyes slipped closed and she was quiet for so long that Kelly thought she may have fallen asleep again until she spoke up. “This room is nice…” Alex commented sleepily before she stiffened suddenly! “Esme—”

Kelly had her wife pressed back into the bed before Alex even had a chance to test her limited strength. “She’s fine, love. Worried about you, but fine.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, babe.” Kelly assured her as she dropped tiredly into her chair. She gently took Alex’s hand in her own before meeting her eyes. “What happened today?”

Alex squeezed her eyes shut, the patented Danvers crinkle evident on her brow as she prepared to tell her wife that it was her fault; she had put Esme in danger. Kelly pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and it made the truth hurt even more.

“I messed up…”

“You—Alex, I don’t understand.” Kelly sighed, trying to keep her frustration at bay. She had hoped the days of her wife blaming herself for just about everything had passed but it seemed now that she was wrong. “How could this possiblybe your fault?”

Alex pulled her hand from her wife to scrub roughly at her face, tears gathering quickly. “That guy…he knew me…from The Exodus…”

Kelly took a moment to process the information, having heard her wife mention Cadmus’ mass deportation incident only a handful of times. Before she could ask for clarification, a shrill and familiar voice cut through the room.

“Mommy!” Esme charged into the room, Lovey tucked under her arm as she made a beeline for Alex’s bed.

“Hey, peanut!” Alex managed to inject some enthusiasm into her voice as the little one neared her.

“You woke up! I borrowed Aunt Kara’s super-hearing, so I would know when you did.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart cookie?” Kelly chuckled, distracting their daughter as Alex hastily wiped her tears.

“Mama, cookies can’t be smart. You eat them!” the little girl exclaimed, hands on her hips in a miniature Supergirl pose.

“My mistake…” Kelly rolled her eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to the child’s hair as she lifted their daughter onto her lap. When she caught Alex’s eye, she simply mouthed we’ll talk about this later.

Her wife had the good sense to look sheepish before turning her attention back to Esme. “When are we going home?” the little one wondered in the overly bored tone of a child.

“We have to wait for Mommy to get the ‘all clear’,” Kelly explained patiently. “She got a lot of owies today.”

“From the bad man?” Esme whispered clutching her stuffed animal tighter.

“Yeah, baby.” Alex interjected, pushing herself up in the bed a bit. “But you don’t have to worry about him ever again.”

“He won’t come back?”

“No, baby, but, even if he did,” Alex reached out to tug her daughter’s chin up until their eyes met, “I would never let anything happen to you or your Mama. And if I wasn’t there, you have Mama and Aunt Kara and all the rest of our family to watch out for you.”

“Even Aunt Lena?”

“Especially, Aunt Lena!” Alex confirmed with a wink knowing how deeply the youngest Luthor cared for their daughter.

But Esme wasn’t done listing their extended family. “And Papa J’onn? And Nana ‘Liza? And Uncle Brainy and–“

“Yes, sweet pea.” Kelly cut the child off before she listed every member of their friends and family. “All of them would protect you if Mommy and I couldn’t. You don’t have to worry.”

“Okay,” Esme agreed but an air of worry still seemed to hang over the child. “But who protects you, Mommy?”

“Me?” Alex was both touched and confused by her daughter’s question. “I don’t know what you mean, sweet pea.”

Esme pouted, the Danvers crinkle evident on her brow as she struggled to make her mother understand. “You said our family protects me and Mama, but you need someone to protect you, too.”

“Did you have someone in mind, baby?” Kelly asked gently, guessing where this conversation was headed.

“Me and Lovey!” Esme declared, little chest puffed out with pride.

Alex did her best not to laugh as her daughter adapted her most serious superhero pose, complete with a long stare into the distance! Kelly ducked her head to hide her growing smile, knowing the tiny hero would notappreciate being mocked.

“That’s a pretty big job, love…” The former agent tried to reason with the little girl.

“I can do it!” Esme retorted. “Because it makes me and mommy sad when you get hurt, so I’ll protect you.”

“We’ll protect you.” Kelly added with quiet devotion.

“Come ‘ere,” Alex gingerly patted the bed beside her hip, just managing to hide the wince that accompanied the movement. “I need cuddles from my favorite girls.”

Kelly met her wife’s eyes, disarmed by the familiar lopsided smile when a tiny voice stopped her from rising from her chair. “Won’t it hurt you?”

Esme’s whispered concern broke her mother’s heart and Alex was quick to reassure their daughter, the sassy smile turning tender.

“Will it hurt for you and Mama to cuddle with me?” she repeated the little one’s question in her softest voice. “To be honest with you sweet pea…everything hurts right now!” A small giggle escaped the girl as Alex gestured dramatically, earning a playful swat on her leg from Kelly. “But…cuddles from my favorite girls would make it hurt a lot less.”

“And Lovey too!” Esme declared, smile lighting up the room as she scrambled from Kelly’s lap to get onto the narrow bed, stuffed zebra clutched tight.

Kelly stood then, moving to the other side of the bed to help Alex scoot closer to one side and lifted the covers so Esme could tuck herself and Lovey against Alex’s chest. Once her two girls were settled, Kelly finally kicked off her boots and slipped in behind their daughter, tangling her legs with Alex’s, head resting on the redhead’s shoulder.

“You sure this is okay?” Kelly whispered, trying hard not to burst their little bubble of comfort. She gently traced the bandages wound around her wife’s forearm before sliding her hand down to fiddle with Alex’s wedding band.

“More than okay…” Alex hummed sleepily, already starting to drift with the comforting weight of her family beside her. Kelly continued to stroke her wife’s arm gently as she drifted off, Esme not far behind, lulled to sleep by her mother’s familiar heartbeat and the strong arms holding her close.

When Lena and Kara peeked in sometime later to let Alex know she was being released, they were met with the most adorable of sights! The Olsen-Danvers trio all snuggled up in the tiny medical bed, fast asleep. Lena had the presence of mind to slap her hand over Kara’s mouth before the super released a squeal sure to wake the little family.

She quickly pushed her girlfriend back out the door, gingerly flexing her hand from having slapped the equivalent of a brick wall but knowing it was worth it.

_____________________________________________

A timer beeped in the distance as the bathroom door creaked open and Kelly peeked around it. Exactly ten minutes had passed since she’d gently lowered Alex into an ice bath, hoping to calm the litany of bruises and abrasions covering the redhead’s body at the moment.

When they’d first returned home, the trio had shared a quick pizza dinner, Kelly not in the mood to cook after the day they’d all had. Despite her wife’s protests, Alex had put on a brave face and dutifully carried out their daughter’s bedtime routine. The redhead was still shockingly pale and her every move was stilted, a grimace painted across her face whenever the little girl wasn’t looking. After no less than three bedtime stories, complete with voices though Alex’s delivery lacked its usual enthusiasm, Esme had finally succumbed to sleep and Kelly had ushered her wife off to their room.

Alex rolled her head towards the door with a groan, freezing from the cold but dreading the task of removing herself from it. She offered her wife a weak smile, made more difficult by the dull throb pulsing through her left cheek. If asked, Alex would be unable to recall exactly how she sustained that particular injury; she supposed you could injure a lot when thrown through a wall or two.

“How you feeling, tough guy?” Kelly kept her voice soft as she laid warm towels on the sink and prepared to help Alex climb out the tub, knowing the other woman would be too sore to lift herself.

“Like I should start wearing my Sentinel suit at the clinic from now on.” Alex groused as she began slowly pushing up and out of the freezing ice bath.

“Not a bad idea,” Kelly agreed trying to keep the conversation light. “I do love how you look in that suit.”

Alex playfully slapped one of Kelly’s hands away. “Not now, woman, I’m wounded.”

The statement elicited a small smile as Kelly tried not to fuss even though the bruises covering her lover’s torso made her queasy. It had been so long since she’d seen the former agent in this condition; the whole situation brought back feelings she’d hoped to leave behind.

Alex settled gingerly onto the closed toilet lid, leaning back with a sigh as Kelly gently dried her legs and slipped on her softest pair of boxers. The moment was quiet and intimate, the pair comfortable enough with one another to be vulnerable.

“You’re wounded…” Kelly echoed quietly as she gently dried the area around Alex’s abdomen. Some medical wizardry, from a race she couldn’t pronounce, had ensured the wound was closed yet the skin remained red and raw.

She pressed a tender kiss to the battered flesh before resting her forehead against Alex’s cool abs in an attempt to center herself.

Alex is here, she reminded herself. She’s here, and she’s going to be fine.

Sure, the former agent would leave this ordeal with more scars, but Kelly secretly loved those. Loved how rakish and tough they made Alex seem: larger than life. She loved pressing barely-there kisses to puckered skin…until she had a front row seat to how Alex got those scars. Watching her love shot, stabbed or beaten took away any amorous feelings about the reminders left behind.

Tears fell before she could stop them, heated against the cool skin beneath her. Alex threaded gentle fingers through Kelly’s hair, trying to will her own tears away.

“I’m sorry, babe,” she whispered, voice cracking on the syllables. “I’m sorry to put you through this again.”

Kelly’s head whipped up at the apology, a look of fury on her face! “No! Don’t you ever be sorry for protecting our daughter, for protecting this family.”

“But…that guy, he came for me and—”

“And it was just dumb luck.” Kelly insisted, rising to wipe her wife’s tears. “Just a stupid series of coincidences that brought him to your clinic, during your shift.”

“Esme…”

“Was there with her mother, like she is every Tuesday afternoon. There’s nothing you could have changed Alex…today or on The Exodus.”

Alex stiffened at the mention of her father’s ill-fated mass deportation that nearly took her with it. What Kelly didn’t know, what no one but J’onn knew, was the agonizing hours she spent on The Exodus after Kara stopped the launch.

While her sister was sent back to the DEO to recuperate under the sun lamps, Alex waited in orbit for NASA to push the ship back towards Earth. Waited in a tin box with over 300 aliens her father had terrorized and tortured in the name of Cadmus; with aliens terrorized and categorized by the DEO.

Aliens who were scared and angry. And when her status as an agent had been revealed, when the connection between her name and their captor’s came to light…

That anger suddenly had a place to go, a target.

Once rescued, she would attribute the injuries to her fight with Cadmus, avoid the guilty looks of those who stood idly by and ignore the hatred-filled glares from her attackers. J’onn had threatened to mind-wipe the lot of them, but Alex held him back.

Deep down there was a part of her that had felt she deserved it…the sins of the father and whatnot. She must have stayed silent too long because Kelly’s hand was gently stroking her cheek, the brunette’s lovely features painted in concern.

“Baby…what happened on The Exodus?”

Alex’s answering flinch was all the confirmation Kelly needed. She drew Alex tightly against her, shivering at the cold water that still clung to her wife seeping through her thin night shirt. Alex gripped back so tightly it hurt, needing the pain to ground herself.

She was here, she was safe and she was so, so loved.

“You can tell me when you’re ready,” Kelly assured, gently stroking her back. “Or not.”

“I…” Alex swallowed harshly, burying her face in her wife’s chest. “I want to…just not yet.”

“Whatever you need love, you know that.”

“I do.”

“Good.” Kelly concluded with a quick kiss before retrieving one of the towels she had set on the sink. “Now let’s get you dry so I can clean these cuts and get you back to a warm bed.”

“Doctor’s orders?” Alex voice was still strained though she managed a small smile.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she gently finished drying Alex’s upper body. “You know I’m not that kind of doctor.”

At her wife’s behest, Alex slipped one arm over Kelly’s shoulders and the two made the short but unsteady trip from the bathroom to their bed. Kelly set her wife down gently then went about gathering all the first aid supplies she would need. She also quickly shrugged out of her wet nightshirt, tossing it into the bathroom to be dealt with later, before she pulled out two well-worn hoodies for Alex and herself.

Once dressed, Kelly went to work applying ointment and laying bandages. Alex laid back and watched her wife work through half-lidded eyes, nearly dozing off under Kelly’s gentle ministrations. A shiver ran through her and Kelly hastened her pace, grabbing the other hoodie from the end of the bed.

“Don’t drift off just yet, babe. I’m almost done. Let’s just finish getting you dressed.” She maneuvered the shirt up Alex’s arms and over her head before settling her wife gently back against the pillows. “Better?”

Alex could only manage a sleepy nod as her wife tucked her under the thick comforter before moving about the room shutting off lights and plugging in their phones. Finally, Kelly lifted the covers and crawled into bed, gently drawing Alex into her arms.

“Love you…” Alex murmured, warm breath washing over Kelly’s collarbone as she settled in.

“I love you too.” Kelly assured, running her hands softly along her wife’s back, careful to avoid any bruising there.

Tiny feet shuffling along the carpet announced their daughter’s arrival long before the bedroom door creaked open. Kelly propped herself up on an elbow, careful not to jostle Alex too much as she was on the verge of falling asleep.

“Hey sweetie, can’t sleep?”

Esme shook her head fiercely before making her way over the to the bed, her stuffed zebra her ever-present companion. Kelly couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face at the sight of her daughter’s Supergirl pajamas complete with tiny cape.

“Get in here, munchkin.” Alex flapped one hand out towards the little girl beckoning her closer.

“But you still have owies! It’ll hurt.” Esme, ever the considerate child, hovered near the edge of the bed.

Alex cracked an eye open before answering her daughter. “Only when I don’t have both my girls. Scoot over, Mama!” She pretended to playfully push Kelly to the other side of the bed.

“Mommy!” Esme squealed in delight. “It’s not nice to push!”

“At least somebody cares about my feelings…” Kelly groused as she slid to make room for their daughter. She pulled Alex closer to her chest, trying to offer some protection from the sharp knees and elbows that would surely fly throughout the night.

To her credit, Esme moved onto the bed with caution, even going so far as placing Lovey between her and her injured mother as a buffer. A quick glance at Alex confirmed she, too, had noticed the child’s thoughtful gesture and the soft smile she wore showed her appreciation.

With a swoop of the blanket ensuring all parties were sufficiently covered, Kelly turned the light on her bedstand to nightlight mode, something the bed’s littlest occupant appreciated, and pulled her family closer.

It didn’t take long for the trio to drift off, all emotionally drained from the harrowing day but thankful to still have one another. It was only Esme who noticed the window curtains being pushed aside right before wind tossed, golden curls peeked through. She caught her aunt’s eye with a sleepy smile.

Kara’s face split in a wide grin as she wished a hushed good night to her niece before securing the window again and rising to hover over the small home’s roof. She squinted once more to check on the home’s inhabitants, brick and mortar no match for x-ray vision.

“All the things…” Kara whispered to herself, a gentle smile gracing her face as she took to the clear night sky.

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