(The Alex/Sara hookup was disgusting. Like excuse me, that scene had more intimacy than ANY Sanvers scene EVER. What the hell?)
Maggie had the afternoon off, and, in an attempt to cure her boredom, she decided to drop by Kara's apartment. She knew that it was better to be in good company than to sulk alone.
What she did encounter was the last possible sight she could have imagined.
She had made it to Kara's door, and raised her hand to knock, but a muffled cry of agony caused her to stop. Her stomach twisted itself into a knot as bile crawled up her throat, a sickling feeling taking over her entire body. Maggie listened closely, and when she heard another sob, she didn't waste another moment, fishing the emergency keys she owned out of her purse. Plunging the keys into the lock, she marched agitatedly into the apartment. She deposited her purse on the table before hurrying to Kara's room, where the noise appeared to be coming from.
Maggie's blood ran cold at the scene in front of her, and every muscle in her body contracted. Ashton Hughes was on top of Alex, who was the source of the whimpers. Alex's pants were in a heap on the floor, and Ashton was caressing the exposed skin, while Alex writhed desperately. Tears glistened on Alex's face.
The chills pulsing in her veins dramatically shifted to a boil. Without thinking, she unleashed her fury. "Get away from her, you bitch!" She screamed, throwing her fist into Ashton's head. Her knuckles flared with pain upon contact and a jolt rippled up her arm, but the rage coursing through her was enough of a distraction, and she only gritted her teeth in response. The hit felt good, solid at least, and she hoped it was enough to deter Ashton.
Ashton did release a shout, grasping at the sore area on the side of her head. She turned to see the vigilante, and her features crumpled disgustedly at the sight of Maggie, who was poised to strike again. "Get the hell out, Sawyer." Ashton snapped. "She doesn't love you anymore, don't you see? You need to get over yourself, seriously. Have some dignity." She scoffed, then moving to resume her crude activities.
With lightning-quick reflexes, Maggie seized a handful of Ashton's dark hair and yanked her back, away from Alex, who was cowering in fear. "It doesn't matter that she doesn't remember me. That doesn't give you an excuse to take advantage of her." She snarled. "Do you even know what she went through when she was gone? You've unearthed some scarring memories for her, Ashton."
"I don't care." Ashton shrugged. "She's mine now, so I can do whatever I want."
That sentence further enhanced Maggie's livid nature. Without hesitation, she delivered a mighty blow to Ashton's face, following with another to her temple. And just like that, Ashton's eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Maggie could feel her veins throbbing, and her body with alive with anger, muscles tense and ready to retaliate at the slightest opposition. She almost forgot about Alex until she heard the ragged breaths coming from the bed. She instantaneously redirected her attention to the other woman, and her heart cracked upon seeing her.
Alex was curled into a ball, her bare legs tucked up to her chest and her arms holding her together in a defensive position. Her hazel eyes were wide, with terror evident in her gaze. She quaked intensely, the lingering fear making her vibrate, portraying the bundles of anxious energy hidden under her surface. Her chest swelled and collapsed at an alarmingly rapid tempo, and sweat glistened on her skin. Tears continued to drip down her face, mournful additions to the rest of her appearance. She look so vulnerable and broken, trapped in her own world of chaos, unable to find freedom. Her chapped lips moved to form words that she murmured under her breath, almost impossible to detect.
"Rick..." She whispered. "He's here...he's here...he's going to hurt me...he'll take me back...he'll be so mad..." She dug her nails into her legs.
Maggie didn't know what to do. On one hand, she wanted to rush over, scoop Alex up, and sooth her, but on the other, she didn't want to amplify Alex's grief. She longed to be a source of comfort to the redhead, but still she hesitated.
Alex continued muttering choppy phrases to herself, rocking back and forth. "He'll beat me...starve me...tie me up...he'll laugh...he'll never let me go...I don't want to go back...I don't want to..."
Each mumble tugged at Maggie a little harder. Finally, she gave in to her instincts and sat down next to Alex, embracing her with warm arms. "Shh." She hushed Alex gently, prying Alex's fingers from where she was clawing at her legs. "You're safe now. Rick isn't here. You're okay."
"But he will come back...hurt me...take me away..." Alex reiterated.
Maggie rubbed Alex's shoulder comfortingly, stroking her hair and doing her best to help her recollect. "He won't be doing anything as long as I'm around. If i saw his face, I'd kick him so hard that he wouldn't be able to sit down for years." She caught a glimpse of a faint smile from Alex. "He can't hurt you anymore. You'll never have to see him again, I promise. If I could, I would make sure that no one ever laid a finger on you." Maggie felt the other woman relaxing. "You're safe now." She repeated. "You're okay."
Alex uncurled gradually, gazing at Maggie with watery eyes, her rich hazel irises cloaked in tears. In a sudden movement, Alex latched her arms around Maggie's torso, burying her face into the other's shoulder, presumably seeking reassurance.
Maggie, who was caught off guard, stiffened at the unexpected contact. However, she regained her senses and instead smiled, affection drawing up the corners of her mouth. Her arms wrapped Alex up fondly, one hand moving in slow circles on her back. The other hand combed through Alex's hair, the soft red waves swathing her fingers.
Alex clutched Maggie's leather jacket, her heartbeat prominent. "Why does this happen to me?" She questioned, her voice distorted as she spoke into Maggie's shirt.
Sighing, Maggie looked down at the woman she loved. "I don't know." She admitted. "It's not fair for you to have to deal with all of this. You don't deserve it. Regardless of the fact that you are the strongest woman I've ever known, this much hardship is enough to make Superman falter."
"You really believe that I'm strong?" Alex's tone was dejected. "How can you think that when I'm powerless to everything around me?"
Maggie nodded earnestly. "Absolutely. I thought you were tough from the moment I met you. When we were both at the crime scene after the President had been attacked, and you-" She stopped abruptly upon recalling that Alex still had no memory of her, and therefore had no idea what she was talking about.
Alex straightened up, attentive. "No, keep going. I want to hear it."
"But you don't have the memories anymore." Maggie objected.
"Well, I'm smart enough to recognize that there's no way you could be making this up." Alex reasoned, her eyes reflecting curiosity.
Maggie chewed on her lip in deliberation for a few seconds, then, with a large inhale, she resumed. "The President had just been attacked by an unidentified alien, and I, being a detective, was examining the crime scene. I was carefully inspecting some evidence, when all of the sudden, a very professional-looking woman marched up to me, an irritated look on her face." She grinned at Alex as she said this.
"You asked what the hell I was doing on your crime scene, and I instantly thought that you were insufferable." Maggie laughed. "We showed each other our official IDs, which is how I learned that your name was Alex Danvers. We butted heads for a little while more, and eventually, you forced me to exit the area. I was so intrigued by you and your demeanor.
"Later on, I brought you to my favorite place to hang out, an alien dive bar. You were super freaked out, considering that your job was focused around apprehending aliens.
"Then, we both attended the President's speech, during which she was going to sign a bill to grant all human rights to aliens. This is when the second attack happened. You were blasted pretty hard with a ball of fire, but you took the hit like it was nothing. I actually managed to get the rogue alien at gunpoint, but she burned my hand and I dropped my pistol. She grabbed me and ran off under the cover of the plumes of smoke and fire.
"She tied me up, holding me as a hostage back at her lair. But I wasn't stuck for long, because you and Kara came to rescue me. The mission was a success after I knocked the alien out with a metal bar. That's when I decided that you were much more badass than insufferable, and I admired your bravery. I even learned that you had slammed a guy's face into the bar and pinned him with a barstool, commanding him to give you information so that you could find and retrieve me. You went to such great lengths to save a woman you barely knew. To me, that was raw strength and courage." She finished.
Alex bit her lip, nodding in a state of contemplation. "Maggie?"
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"Thank you for saving me. And," Alex peered at Maggie, her eyes radiating a keen concentration. "I'm glad that I met you. Both then, and when I came back."