Chapter Text
Doctor Alex Danvers had just returned to the Doctor’s lounge after a long surgery and made herself a cup of coffee before the beep of her pager forced her to put the steaming mug down and return to the nurse’s station.
“Hey Ellie, I was paged.” Alex sighed, walking up to one of the nurses at the desk.
“Hey Alex, I think your mom wants to speak to you about this weekend. She’s in her office.” Ellie replied looking up briefly before continuing to rifle through the files on her desk.
Alex muttered her thanks and walked back along the corridor towards her mother’s office. She knocked on the door, glancing at the plaque that read ‘Eliza Danvers, Chief of Medicine’, and waited for a response. Opening the door Alex found the senior Dr Danvers sitting at her desk, filling out some paperwork. Alex couldn’t understand why her mother enjoyed doing such a tiresome job. “You paged me?” Alex asked, tucking a strand of her brunette hair behind her ear.
“Yes, I wanted to give you the boarding passes for your trip tomorrow and confirmations for the hotel and conference.” Eliza said, putting down her pen and pulling out a file from one of the drawers in her desk. She handed it to Alex. “I know you would rather not spend your weekend at the Paediatrics Conference, but everyone else was busy and I do believe it’s your turn to go anyway.”
“It’s fine, I was just going to spend some time with Kara. I would’ve been on call anyway so it’s not like I was giving up completely free time.” Alex shrugged and flicked through the papers. She kept her eyes focused on the boarding pass, tapping her foot impatiently.
“Well, you can see your sister anytime.” Eliza smiled.
“Was that all, Mom? I want to check on my patients before my shift is over.” Alex backed up to the door, not giving Eliza the chance to drag her into a conversation.
“Yes, that’s all, I will see you on Monday. Have a safe flight.” Eliza watched her daughter leave before picking up her pen and returning to her paperwork.
~~~
Alex returned to the Doctor’s lounge to her now lukewarm coffee. She downed it in three gulps and rinsed out the mug before making her way to the Paediatrics ward to do her rounds.
Walking up to the first bed Alex smiled at seeing the young boy awake. “Hey Charlie, my name’s Alex and I’m your doctor.” She drew the curtains around his bed to give him some privacy and sat down beside his bed. “How are you feeling?”
“My tummy’s numb.” Charlie murmured, clutching his teddy closer.
“That might be the effects of the anaesthetic,” Alex said, more to herself than to Charlie. “Can I have a look?”
Charlie nodded and Alex lifted up his shirt to examine the bandage across his stomach.
~~~
Detective Maggie Sawyer leaned back in her chair and stretched, waiting for that satisfying click as she worked out the kinks in her shoulders that came with the job. More specifically, she thought, that came with the paperwork of the job. Maggie rolled her neck and stretched the muscles, allowing her wavy brown hair to cover her face and letting out a satisfied moan as her muscles loosened up. Maggie sighed and looked at her cluttered desk, debating whether to tidy it up now or do it Monday morning. Glancing at the clock on her computer, she shrugged and decided that it was a job for Monday Maggie.
Standing up and stretching one last time, Maggie grabbed her black leather jacket off the back of her chair. “I’ll see you on Monday, Olsen.” She looked across at the man opposite her, still filling out his own paperwork.
Maggie’s partner, James Olsen, set his pen down and looked up at Maggie. He placed his hands behind his neck as he spoke. “Got any plans this weekend, Sawyer?”
Maggie pulled on her jacket and untucked her hair from the neck as she replied, “Yeah, it’s my sister’s birthday so Jamie and I are flying home for her party. They haven’t seen Jamie since Christmas so it should be nice to spend the weekend.” Maggie picked up her bag from underneath her desk and swung it onto her shoulder.
“Sounds fun. Give the kid a hug from me yeah?” James said to Maggie as she walked past the other desks on her way out of the bullpen.
~~~
Maggie fished around in her bag, looking for her keys as she approached her car. She would have thought that with the number of keychains she had on them, they would be easier to find, but when she was in a rush they seemed to vanish. “Aha!” Maggie exclaimed as she pulled out the jumble of keys, unlocked her car, and threw her bag onto the seat next to her as she climbed into the driver’s side.
Unlocking the door to her apartment Maggie heard giggling coming from the living room. Dropping her bag on the table by the door and hanging up her coat she, called out, “I’m home.”
“MOMMY!” there was a thumping of small feet on the wooden floor as Jamie became a tiny streak of purple running into Maggie’s waiting arms, before being lifted up so she was sitting on Maggie’s hip.
“Hey sweetie, how was your day?” Maggie asked pressing a kiss to the top of Jamie’s head and smoothing down the tufts of black hair.
“Meghan and me went to the park and we met a puppy and he was super fluffy. Can we get a dog Mommy?” Jamie rattled off as Maggie walked into the living room to see Meghan clearing toys away from the floor.
“Oh, maybe one day, darling, but not right now, you know mommy is busy at work.” Maggie replied before turning to Meghan “How was she?”
“She’s been good as gold. She had a nice long nap after we went to the park and only woke up about half an hour ago,” Meghan said as she stood up, chucking Jamie on the chin as she did. “She wouldn’t stop talking about seeing your family tomorrow either.”
“Will daddy be there?” Jamie asked looking up at her mom.
Maggie looked up at Meghan who just shrugged awkwardly and turned back to the toys on the floor.
“No sweetie, daddy won’t be there this weekend.” Maggie replied, sitting on her sofa and repositioning Jamie so she was sitting on her lap.
“Why not, Mommy?”
“Well, he wasn’t invited sweetie. Auntie Kate didn’t want him there. But he’s coming to your birthday party next month. He promised,” Maggie says, attempting to ward off the tears that had formed in the corner of Jamie’s eyes. “Hey, why don’t you say goodbye to Meghan and then go and pick what you want to wear for Auntie Kate so we can start packing.”
Jamie nodded and jumped off her mom’s lap before waving at Meghan and running down the corridor to her room. “Bye bye Meggy!”
Once Jamie had disappeared into her room, Maggie put her head in her hands and sighed. “I hate that she can’t see her father every day.”
Meghan sat on the sofa next to Maggie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “Maggie, it is not your fault. Jake chose to leave. He’s a crap father anyway. He cared more about his job than you and his own daughter.”
“It was a dick move, but at least he does come to visit when he can.” Maggie hated to admit it. “I mean, it’s not like we planned to have Jamie but he said he’d help.”
“Maggie, stop making excuses for him, he’s not worth the effort. Trust me I know his type. Plus, it takes two to make a baby.” Meghan said rubbing Maggie’s back. “Now do you want me to stay for a bit or shall I go? I have a bar shift tonight.”
“Go on get out of here. I’ll see you Monday.” Maggie said watching Meghan collect her bag and coat as she left. Maggie remained seated for a few moments before heading down the hall to help Jamie pack.
~~~
Alex strode down the cold, white terminal, her boots click-clacking on the polished floor and echoing around the practically-empty building. She dragged her carry-on along behind her and sipped from her coffee cup. It was half past 6 in the morning and Alex had dragged her sorry ass out of bed two hours previously, silently cursing her mom for booking the ridiculously early flight. While she was interested to hear the latest theories and treatments at the conference, she had marked this weekend as being sister time, well, sister and puppy time.
Sitting down on one of the padded seats Alex pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her sister before shutting it off and tossing it into her handbag. Reaching into her carry-on she pulled out a book. She hadn’t put much thought into her choice of book, it had just been the first one she’d picked up from her (admittedly very small) bookshelf. Flipping the book over to read the blurb, Alex sighed. A romance novel. Of course. It must be Kara’s, Alex would never knowingly buy a romance novel. She had always been more into crime or drama. Even so, she thought, there was nothing else to entertain her on the flight so Game of Tears would have to do.
“Flight 219 to Lincoln, Nebraska, is now accepting priority boarding. Priority boarding for 219, please make your way to gate 12,” A bored voice sounded over the speakers. Thankful that her mom sprang for priority, Alex returned the book to her bag, stood up from her seat and picked up her bags before joining the minimal queue that had pre-empted the announcement.
Stowing her case in the overhead compartment Alex took her seat by the window. She picked up her book as she waited for the rest of the passengers to arrive.
~~~
Maggie set her daughter down on a padded bench so that she could pull out their passports and boarding passes from her backpack. Noticing the goose bumps on her daughter’s arms, Maggie unzipped the bright blue case Jamie had chosen and pulled out her favourite panda sweatshirt. “Jamie, sweetie, put this on, it’ll be cold on the plane.” Maggie helped her daughter navigate her tiny arms through the sweatshirt.
“Mommy, where are we going?” Jamie asked once her head popped up through the neck of her sweatshirt.
“We’re going to see Nanny and your cousins’, sweetie, you know that.” Maggie replied, smoothing down Jamie’s hair.
“Why?”
“Because it’s your auntie’s birthday and they want to see how big you’re getting.”
“Auntie Kate?”
“Yes sweetie, Auntie Kate.” Maggie smiled as Jamie snuggled into her side.
“Flight 219 to Lincoln, Nebraska, is now accepting general boarding. General boarding for 219 please make your way to Gate 12.” The voice over the speakers sounded as tired as Maggie felt but it meant that Maggie and Jamie could now board their flight and hopefully get some sleep.
“Sweetie, that’s us. Do you want me to carry you or do you want to walk?” Maggie asked as she pulled her backpack onto her shoulders.
Jamie thought for a moment before holding her arms up, Maggie bent down so that Jamie could wrap her arms around her neck and twisted so that Jamie was sitting on her hips. Holding onto Jamie with one hand and pulling her suitcase along with the other Maggie joined the growing queue to board. Maggie bounced Jamie up and down on her hip, trying to keep her calm as they meandered down the gangway to the plane.
“Good morning, may I please see your boarding passes please?” Maggie smiled and handed over their boarding passes to the steward who examined them and directed them to their seats. “22D and E, halfway down the aisle on your right.”
Maggie thanked the steward and walked towards their seats, eyeing up the passengers, a pastime that came from being a cop. Approaching their seats Maggie noticed a redhead seated at the window, her cropped hair framed her face perfectly, hazel eyes scanning the few passengers making their way down the aisle to their seats. The redhead eyed Maggie and Maggie felt her cheeks burn as she bit her lip, wondering if she would have to make awkward conversation and hoping Jamie would behave.
~~~
Not to Alex’s surprise, her book wasn’t holding her attention at present and from her seat, she could see a steady stream of people approaching the plane. She spotted several men and women in suits, and wondered if they were headed to the same conference. A handful of couples with weekend cases followed behind and one petite brunette, her hands full with a toddler balanced on one hip with one hand and a bright blue suitcase trundling along behind.
The plane slowly filled up and eventually the brunette with the toddler came to sit in the seats next to Alex. Alex sighed, cursing the irony of being sat with a toddler on one day she wasn’t looking after them. The woman smiled at Alex, she had long brunette hair that cascaded in waves around her face, chocolate brown eyes mirroring the smile on her pale pink lips. Alex’s features softened as the woman sat her toddler down in the middle seat so she could put her case in the overhead compartment. She reappeared with a stuffed toy dog in her hand and passed it to the little girl.
“It’s not a long flight sweetie, but do you want to have a nap? You didn’t sleep much last night and Nanny won’t like it if you nap this afternoon,” The woman said as she fastened the seatbelt around the girl and pulled it tighter.
“But I’m not tired, Mommy.” the toddler protested.
Alex suppressed a giggle as the woman rolled her eyes at her. “Jamie, you didn’t have a lot of sleep last night and neither did I. If you don’t have a nap now you’ll be grumpy when we get to Nanny’s.”
Jamie pouted and the brunette sighed “Okay, sweetie you don’t have to sleep but you do have to be quiet for me, okay? Some people may not want an excited three-year old jabbering in their ear.” Jamie nodded and hugged her toy close to her chest as the plane started to taxi to the runway.
Alex turned back to the window. She had never been a huge fan of flying but she had always liked to watch the view as the plane took off, watching as the ground got further and further away.
Alex read a couple of pages of her book before the flight attendants came down the aisle with the drinks and snacks trolley. She bought herself another coffee and a croissant but the brunette politely dismissed the stewards, saying she’d eaten in the airport.
Alex continued to read her book, pausing to eat her croissant and drink her coffee, all the while hearing a soft jibber jabber coming from the seat next to her as Jamie spoke to her toy.
“Mommy?” Alex heard Jamie whisper and, looking up, she saw the brunette fast asleep, Jamie lightly prodding her.
“I wouldn’t wake her up sweetie,” Alex said putting down her book, “Sounded to me like she could use some sleep.”
“Oh, okay.” Jamie sounded a little defeated as she sat back in her seat.
Alex thought for a moment before speaking again, “Is there anything I can do?”
“I want a drink,” Jamie replied sheepishly.
“Okay, do you want some water? Milk? Juice?”
“Milk, please”
“Good choice, it’ll make you big and strong.” Alex smiled as she called over one of the stewards.
“Can I get a carton of milk please, and a blanket,” Alex added looking at the sleeping woman.
The steward returned a moment later with some milk for Jamie and tucked a blanket over her mother.
“Thank you, kind lady.” Jamie said as she watched Alex punch the straw through the hole.
Alex chuckled softly. “Alex, my name is Alex.”
“Thank you, ‘lex.”
“You’re welcome, Jamie” Alex smiled, watching as the toddler sucked on the straw. “Where are you and your mommy going?”
“Auntie Kate’s party. It’s her birthday and mommy says they want to see how big I’ve gotten,” Jamie said proudly.
“You are a growing girl. How old are you Jamie?”
“Three, but I’m nearly four,” Jamie replied puffing out her chest.
Alex fell silent, not sure what to ask next. Her interactions with children were usually limited to ‘Where does it hurt?’ and ‘How much does it hurt?’ Alex found herself looking over at Jamie’s mother, wishing she would wake up. But then she really looked at the sleeping woman, the soft curl at the corner of her mouth as she smiled in her sleep, the strand of hair falling across her face, and the way her shoulders had relaxed once the blanket had covered them. Alex smiled and felt her heart warm as she squashed her selfish feelings, deciding to entertain Jamie for a few hours to let her mother sleep.
~~~
“Ma’am, do you want to wake your partner up before we start our descent? Or would you like me to do it?” One of the stewards leant over to speak to Alex, gesturing towards Jamie’s mom.
Alex felt her cheeks turn bright red. “Er, no it’s er, it’s okay, I’ll wake her.”
The steward moved away and Jamie looked up, confused. Alex looked back at her, as if asking for permission, before reaching past the toddler to tap the woman on the shoulder. “Sorry to wake you but we’ll be starting our descent soon.”
The woman blinked, blurry-eyed, and sat up straight, attempting to stretch out her limbs as best she could in the confined conditions. Cricking her neck she noticed her daughter looking slightly in awe up at the woman beside them. “Jamie have you been bothering this woman?” She didn’t wait for a reply from her daughter before she glanced at Alex “I am so sorry if she has disturbed you-”
“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. It was either that or she wake you up and it sounded to me like you needed some sleep,” Alex replied, before realising that her sentence admitted she had been eavesdropping earlier. “Sorry, I heard you talking earlier about not having much sleep and I myself have done travelling on little sleep before, and work, and I don’t recommend it so I just didn’t want her to wake you, sorry.” Alex babbled before taking a sip from her coffee cup and promptly spitting it out again, discovering that it had gone cold.
“Maggie.” The petite brunette reached over Jamie’s head to shake Alex’s hand.
“Alex,” she replied, shaking Maggie’s hand awkwardly in their seated positions and shuddering as she felt a shiver run down her spine. Alex’s brow furrowed, wondering why she suddenly felt cold. There had been no sudden temperature change, in fact she’d been cold most of the flight.
“Mommy can ‘lex come to the party? I like her.” Jamie piped up breaking the awkward silence that had fallen, yet making it even more awkward.
“Oh, no, Jamie, I’m sure Alex has things she needs to do.” Maggie looked up at Alex and raised an eyebrow in question.
Alex turned to the toddler and smiled sadly. “I would love to come Jamie, but unfortunately I have to do something for work.”
Jamie’s face fell and Maggie quickly tried to comfort her daughter. “But maybe Alex will let me buy her a coffee to say thank you for looking after you on this flight.” She gave Alex a significant glance over her daughter’s head and silently pleaded with her to say yes so Jamie wouldn’t burst into tears.
“That would be lovely, is that alright with you, Jamie?”
Jamie sniffled and thought for a moment before nodding enthusiastically. “Okay sweetie, let me check your seatbelt before we start our descent.” Maggie smiled in relief.
~~~
Once the plane had landed and the seatbelt sign was turned off, there was a bustle around the cabin as everyone tried to stand up at once and collect their luggage. “Jamie stay sitting for a minute, let some of the other passengers get their things first,” Maggie said, knowing that trying to disembark first was hard enough without having a toddler in your arms.
Alex nodded and sat patiently, smiling down at Jamie, who seemed enamoured with her new friend. Maggie herself couldn’t believe how nice Alex was, women she’d met in the past had not been interested in Jamie at all. Dates weren’t usually super happy with a kid being brought along, let alone mentioned in conversation. Looking up at Alex, Maggie wondered what was going on in her head, particularly, if Alex was feeling anything like herself.
As the crowd dispersed Maggie stood and pulled her case out of the overhead locker. Setting it down in the walkway, Maggie picked up Jamie and set her next to the case, manoeuvring Jamie’s arms into the straps on her backpack. “Let Alex get her bag, sweetie, and then we can get off the plane and get a drink.” Maggie stood aside so Alex could pull her own case down. When she was ready, Maggie turned back to her daughter. “Do you want me to carry you Jamie? Or do you want to walk?”
Jamie bit her lip and looked up at her mom, then at Alex and then back to her mom. “Can ‘lex carry me?”
Alex felt her cheeks flush but, as Maggie started making excuses to let her off, she interrupted, “If it’s okay with your mom.”
“You really don’t have to pander to her if you don’t want to. She’ll get over it,” Maggie said looking sympathetically at Alex who just shrugged.
“It’s fine honestly, I don’t mind.” Alex bent down to pick up Jamie and swing her onto her hip before hooking the straps of her bag over the handle on her case.
Maggie stood stunned, not quite believing that someone could be this kind, smiling a little. Until she realised that they were now the last ones on the plane, so she grabbed her own handbag and Jamie’s case before heading down the walkway to the exit.
“Thank you for flying with us and we hope to see you again soon.” The steward who had approached Alex earlier said as she waved them off the plane, before adding, “You make an adorable little family.”
Maggie muttered a hastened ‘thanks’ as she led the way down the gangway. When they were out of earshot of the plane Maggie turned to speak to Alex, her cheeks tinged red. “I’m sorry about that.”
Alex chuckled. “When you were sleeping that steward asked if I wanted to wake up my partner for the landing, so it’s not the first time today I’ve been mistaken for your partner.”
Maggie turned a deeper shade of red and was about to apologise again before she was interrupted, “Mommy, I’m hungry”
“Well then sweetie, let’s fix that, shall we?”
~~~
The trio continued down the pristine corridors, navigating their way to baggage claim. Standing at the carousel Maggie listened to Jamie babble to Alex about her favourite animals (otters); princesses (Mulan and Rapunzel); and movies (Mary Poppins and Aristocats).
“Mommy! Lex loves Mulan too!”
Maggie raised her eyebrows in surprise, trying to figure out if Alex really did love Mulan or if she was just playing along and being patient with Jamie, either way, Maggie was in awe.
“What? It’s a great movie! I am not ashamed to love the Saviour of China.”
“That’s my bag.” Maggie said, catching sight of her navy duffle making its way round to them. Pulling it off the carousel she slung it over her shoulder before turning back to face Alex, who had returned to nodding along with everything Jamie was saying.
“Do you have any preference over a coffee brand? You can continue your praise of Mulan.” Maggie asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
“Not at all, I practically mainline the stuff so I’ve learnt not to be picky.” Alex smiled, adjusting Jamie’s position on her hip.
“I’m the same. I think there’s a Starbucks before you get to the exit,” Maggie replied, leading the way towards the exit as Jamie continued to babble excitedly in Alex’s arms.
~~~
Alex rummaged in her bag searching for her phone as she waited to collect the coffees that Maggie had ordered. Maggie herself was currently perched at a small table with Jamie on her lap munching on half a croissant. Alex pulled her phone out triumphantly and turned it on before shoving it in her pocket. “Two black coffees for Maggie?” the barista called out.
“Right here, thanks.” Alex moved to the front of the small crowd and picked up two large cups.
Alex made her way over to Maggie and Jamie, placing one coffee in front of Maggie before sitting down opposite her and taking a sip from her own cup. Maggie smoothed down Jamie’s fly-away curls as she finished her croissant and turned her attention to a colouring book that Maggie had pulled from her bag.
“I’m sorry about earlier.” Maggie directed her words at Alex but spoke into Jamie’s soft curls.
“Sorry for what?” Alex asked, brow furrowed.
“Sorry the steward thought we were a couple, that we were a family.” Maggie replied, gesturing to the oblivious child sat on her lap.
“It’s fine honestly, it did take me by surprise a bit but it’s fine.” Alex shrugged, watching the toddler colour Mushu on the page in front of her.
Maggie tilted her head slightly as she watched Alex drink from her cup. “Surprise? Why?”
“I just never thought of myself as having a family, I don’t have a lot of time for dating, and I usually spend my time surrounded by children in pain with their own little families.” Alex noticed Maggie’s confused expression and quickly explained, “I’m a Paediatrician, so generally anyone I meet already has their own family, their own world.”
Maggie’s eyes were sad as she smiled half-heartedly, thinking of past pain. “Family is a special thing, some people don’t deserve one however. Not you of course. You seem really lovely and any man would be lucky to have you I just, I don’t know.” Maggie added hastily taking a huge gulp of her coffee to try and steady the nerves building in her, knowing the question that came next.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Alex reached a hand out to touch Maggie’s, soothing her nerves. “We just met and I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” she added with a reassuring smile. “What brings you to Nebraska?”
Maggie laughed at the question, “Family. It’s my sister’s birthday. Both her and my mom really wanted to see Jamie again. They haven’t seen her since Christmas as I don’t usually get a lot of time off of work but it’s my sister’s 25th so I thought it was worth a trip home. What about you?”
“Nothing quite so fun I’m afraid. I drew the short straw, so I’m out here for a medical conference. Did you grow up in Nebraska then?” Alex asked, taking a gulp of her rapidly cooling coffee.
“Yeah I did, me, mom, Kate and Jim. He’s our dog, but he’s a recent addition to the family. My dad isn’t in the picture anymore”
Alex could sense Maggie’s unease, and made a mental note to avoid the subject of fathers, a good thing for both it would seem. “My sister has a dog, well a puppy. Her girlfriend wasn’t too happy when she brought him home but she couldn’t say no to either of their puppy dog eyes.” Alex chuckled.
“No way, my friend’s girlfriend brought home a dog one day, no warning, she just came home and there was a puppy running across the floor.” Maggie thought for a moment, wondering just how common that was before speaking again “Your sister wouldn’t by any chance be Kara Danvers, would it?”
“Yeah, she is, and your friend would be Lena Luthor?” Alex shook her head in disbelief as Maggie nodded “What are the chances, must be a small world.”
“You clearly aren’t aware that all lesbians know each other, one way or another,” Maggie said matter-of-factly as she took a sip of her coffee, eyebrows raised.
Alex choked on her coffee, having taken a sip at exactly the wrong moment. “So, are you?” she asked, once her airway was clear, biting her lip as she looked down at her hands.
“A lesbian? Yes,” Maggie replied, watching Alex turn a deeper shade of red as she twiddled her thumbs.
Alex felt her phone buzz in her pocket as it picked up missed notifications and she reached into her pocket to check her messages, glad of the reprieve it allowed to get her head on straight. Maggie was gay. Maggie was interested in ladies. Maggie was sat opposite her, having just told Alex she was gay, and Alex was checking her phone like an idiot. A message popped up on her screen, notifying her that her driver was here. Inwardly Alex groaned, now it was going to look as if Alex was rushing off because of what Maggie had said. “Oh shoot I have to go.”
Maggie’s face fell as Alex spoke. “I’m sorry if I made it awkward, you don’t have to leave.”
“It’s not what you said honestly! My boss booked me a car and the driver is waiting for me, if I don’t go now he’ll charge extra.” Alex stood. “Thanks for the coffee. I hope you have a nice time at your sister’s party.”
Jamie started sniffling and burrowed herself into Maggie’s shoulder as Alex bent down to say goodbye. Maggie threw a sympathetic look at Alex as she stroked Jamie’s hair. “Jamie, sweetie, Alex has to go. But if you ask nicely she might give you her phone number so you can talk to her later.”
Jamie looked up from her mom’s shoulder and looked up at Alex. “Will you really?” Alex nodded and Jamie’s face lit up again. “Can I please have your number ‘lex?”
Alex chuckled and reached into her bag to pull out a business card. “I only give these to really special people, so make sure you look after it for me.” Jamie nodded vigorously and held the small piece of card tightly in one hand as she waved to Alex with the other.
Alex turned back when she neared the departure gate, wanting to retain the image of Maggie and Jamie and silently cursed herself for not getting Maggie’s number.
~~~
Maggie walked through the departure gate thinking about what Alex had said as she left, she had been trying to get a read on Alex since the flight started but she was very tough to read. She couldn’t work out whether the redhead was gay or if she was just very casual about being mistaken for being gay. They had left the plane together with a kid, what else was the steward meant to think. Maggie was busy clearing the notifications from her phone and listening to her thoughts when she felt Jamie let go of her hand. Panic filled her as her heart dropped into her stomach until, “NANNY!” Jamie squealed as she ran towards her grandmother, who bent down to pick her up.
“Hey Mom.” Maggie joined the pair and flung her arm around her mother, Vera. Pulling back, she turned and gave her daughter a stern look. “Jamie Marie Sawyer. What have I told you about running off like that?”
Jamie bit her lip as she realised what she had done. “Sorry mommy.”
“Just don’t do it again baby, okay?” Maggie smiled, ruffling her daughter’s hair as she turned to her own mother and gave her another hug. “Thanks for coming to pick us up, Jamie here didn’t sleep on the plane so she might want a nap in the car.”
“Come on I parked in F3,” Vera said, setting Jamie down and picking up Maggie’s duffle instead. “So love, how’s work going?” Vera asked as the three of them left the airport and walked out into the warm air of the parking lot.
Maggie groaned inwardly, bracing herself for the lecture she was sure to get once the car doors were shut. Just like every visit home.
~~~
Upon arrival at her mother’s house, Maggie extracted a sleeping Jamie from her car seat and followed Vera inside, having somehow managed to avoid a lecture on the journey home, she feared one was imminent as she walked through the door. “Maggie! You made it!” Maggie’s sister Kate shot up from the couch and bounded out of the living room, closely followed by a black labrador.
“Ssshhhhh.” Maggie gestured to the sleeping child bundled into her side. “Of course I made it. I wouldn’t miss my kid sister’s birthday. Let me put Jamie to bed then we can catch up.” Maggie carried Jamie upstairs to her old room and tucked her into her bed before collecting their bags from the hallway where her mom had left them.
Collapsing on the couch next to her sister Maggie pulled her into a hug. “So Kitty, how are you? How does it feel to be 25?”
“It feels exactly like being 24 only with my favourite niece and sister here,” Kate replied, her arms wrapped tightly around Maggie.
“Okay two things: first of all, I am your only sister, of course I am your favourite: and second, birthdays stop losing their impact at like 23 and then suddenly you look up and you’re 30.”
“Was that meant to be inspiring? Cus it was just super depressing,” Kate said elbowing Maggie in the side.
Maggie chuckled “I’m just saying, time flies. Now, who is coming to the party tomorrow?” leaning forward to rub Jim’s belly who had collapsed at her feet as soon as she had sat down.
Kate reeled off a list of names Maggie had never heard of while Vera brought in a cup of coffee for each of her daughters and sat down in the adjacent chair. “I don’t know half of these people,” Maggie said, shaking her head as she sipped at her coffee.
“Well maybe if you didn’t work so far away and in such a dangerous environment, you would know more of my friends,” Kate muttered, drinking from her own cup.
Maggie checked her watch, “Seven minutes, you’re slipping. At Christmas it was four,” throwing a displeasing look at her sister and mother who, in turn, were sharing looks of worry.
“Sweetie, you have a dangerous job. We worry about you,” Vera said moving to the edge of her chair to scratch behind Jim’s ears.
“I know mom. But I love being a cop. James watches my back in the field, on the rare occasions we get into trouble. I am very careful. I won’t leave Jamie without a mom.” Maggie got up to hug her still seated mom in an effort to reassure her. “This weekend isn’t about me, it’s about Kitty growing old so can we please drop it.”
“Hey! I am not getting old!” Kate exclaimed jumping up to chase Maggie around the room. Vera laughed from her chair, even more so when Jim bounded after them, barking happily.
~~~
Alex sat on the hotel room bed, flicking aimlessly through the TV channels. Sighing Alex switched the TV off and picked up the book she hadn’t touched since the flight that morning. Reading about Rebecca O’Neill, the computer Science expert falling in love with Miles Adams the hard-hitting lawyer who brings her in to assist on a case.
Miles sat on the edge of Rebecca’s desk, watching the way her auburn hair fell across her face, hiding her bright green eyes from the view of his grey ones. Rebecca bit her lip trying to regain her train of thought as she flicked through her case file to find the information she’d found before Miles came and sat on the edge of her desk, looming over her.
“The defendant had this, this spyware installed on his computer. If, if we can find who installed it, we might find a way to exonerate him.” Rebecca trailed off towards the end of her sentence as Miles got to his feet and slowly pulled her up with him. “I, I need access to his computer to-” Rebecca didn’t get a chance to finish before Miles’ lips were crushing her own in a passionate kiss.
Alex brushed brunette hair out of Maggie’s face and tucked strands behind her ears as she pulled her closer. Close enough to see Maggie’s eyes darting from Alex’s lips to her eyes. Alex closed the distance, capturing Maggie’s lips with her own, teasing her tongue against the entrance to her mouth eliciting a moan-
Alex shook herself out of her daze as she heard her phone and decided to come back to why she had been fantasising about kissing Maggie after she answered her phone. “Hey Kara. How’s things?”
“Hey Alex, why do you sound out of breath?” Alex’s sister asked, confusion laced in her voice.
“Oh, er, no reason. What’s up?” Alex cursed under her breath trying to steady her breathing, not realising it had been faster than normal.
“Whatever. How was the first day of the conference?” Kara asked, out of routine rather than interest.
“I know you don’t really care, but it was interesting. There’s talk of this new anaesthesia for children that will reduce the disturbed sleep patterns of children after an operation-”
“Yeah, you’re right I don’t care,” Kara interrupted Alex, making both of them chuckle. “I taught Syrup a new trick today. He can now stand on his back legs and dance. He looks so cute. I’ll send you a video.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Alex waited a moment before continuing, “Hey, Kara, can I ask you something?”
“Anything Alex, you know that. What’s up?”
“How did you know you liked girls? How did you know you liked Lena as more than a friend?” Alex bit her lip waiting for a response. What she got was a piercing squeal from the other end of the phone, making her hold the phone at arm’s length. “It’s just a question Kara.”
“What’s her name? What’s she like? Tell me everything.” There was a commotion from the other end of the line.
“About time you realised Alex, Kara owes me $20.” Lena’s velvety voice sounded from Alex’s speaker as she commandeered Kara’s phone. “Now tell us everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I was just thinking. Well I was reading actually, one of those stupid romance books that Kara keeps leaving at my place-”
“Ooo, which one?” Kara butted in.
“Game of Tears but-”
“That’s a good one.”
“Kara! Can I please finish?” Alex sighed, and took Kara’s silence as a sign to continue. “Anyway, I was reading the book and I’d just got to the part where Miles and Rebecca kiss, when suddenly I wasn’t seeing them anymore, I was seeing… someone else. A female someone else.” Alex held her phone at arm’s length again as, this time, both Kara and Lena squealed. “Guys please. Calm down.”
“I’m sorry Alex. Who is she? Why have you never mentioned her before? Are you going to see her again? Do you know if she likes you? What’s her name? Does she live in Chicago?” Kara asked, jumping up and down on the other end of the phone.
“Her name is Maggie, but it’s complicated.”
“How?”
“I just met her… this morning… she was on my flight. Plus, she has a daughter.”
“Wait, are you talking about Maggie Sawyer?” Lena asked, “Small brunette, cute dimples, daughter named Jamie who looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth?”
“Yeah that’s her.”
“Did you get her number?” Kara added eagerly.
“No but I gave her mine, well I gave it to Jamie because I didn’t want to seem too forward.”
Lena and Kara collectively sighed exasperatedly. “Okay, well when you get back to Chicago, I will give you her number. We can go on a double date.” Lena suggested, sounding far too eager for Alex’s liking.
“You’ve been a great help guys, thanks so much. I’m hanging up now,” Alex said sarcastically, ignoring Kara and Lena’s pleas as she hung up the phone.
Alex lent back against her headboard and sighed. She liked Maggie. She liked Maggie. Maggie had a kid. A beautiful, innocent kid who didn’t deserve to get mixed up as Alex tried to make sense of what was going on in her head. She had never done anything like this before, sure she had dated, but never someone with a kid. Let alone a woman. But she had enjoyed being seen as part of a little family, she hadn’t felt that way in a long time. It felt good. Alex groaned and slid down the bed, burying her head in a pillow.
~~~
It was Sunday afternoon and Maggie stood on the porch of her mom’s house, watching Jamie and Kate chase after Jim, both of them laughing like hyenas. Kate scooped up Jamie and gave her a piggyback, making Jamie laugh even more as Kate continued to chase Jim with a bouncing toddler on her back. Maggie heard a camera shutter and turned to find her mom standing just behind her, camera in hand snapping away at her daughter and granddaughter laughing manically.
“Can’t you stay a little longer? You know I hate to see you two leave.”
“I’d love to Mom, but I have to get back. I have work in the morning.” Vera opened her mouth to start speaking but Maggie didn’t give her a chance “Please don’t Mom. I don’t need another lecture. Can you keep an eye on Jamie? I need to finish packing.”
The truth was Maggie would love to stay a few more days, but it scared her. Seeing her mom and sister worry hurt her more than she could say. She knew it came from a place of love but it hurt that they didn’t trust her to be careful. That they didn’t trust her to look after Jamie. Sitting on the edge of her bed Maggie looked at the small pile of clothes sitting on her duffle.
“Knock knock.” Kate stuck her head round the door but waited for Maggie to invite her in before getting closer “Mom is looking after Jamie. And I thought you might like to have a little chat. You’ve been quiet this weekend, even for you. What’s up?”
“I’ve just been thinking.” Maggie took a deep breath “For a while now I’ve felt there was something missing from my life. There was this woman on my flight, and she was so sweet on Jamie it just made me think. Jamie has this whole support network, with my friends from work and her babysitter, everyone loves her. And I have no doubt in their ability to love and care for her if anything happened to me. But who do I have?”
“Maggie, you have us! You will always have us!” Kate said bringing Maggie into a hug.
“It’s not the same, I want someone I can go home to. Someone who will always be there when I get home after a long day. Someone who loves Jamie as much as me. Someone who loves me. Sitting on that plane, I think it’s possible now, I just have to play it cool, this woman, I think I spooked her. When I told her I was gay she ran.”
Kate said nothing at first, just holding her sister and stroking her hair. “Sweetie, if you want to date there is absolutely nothing stopping you. There are so many apps for online dating now, you don’t even have to leave your home to meet someone. So, if this woman from the plane bolted at the idea of you being gay, screw her. Not literally. Obviously. But get back out there and do something about it.” Maggie chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. “Now we are leaving in an hour so unless you are extending your stay you should probably finish packing.” Kate suggested, looking at the mess on the floor.
~~~
Sunday evening found Alex sitting on her plane home, watching the ebb and flow of passengers getting on the plane from her window seat. After the long weekend, she was looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane before getting home. Her shift started early the next day and it was destined to be a long one, Monday’s always were.
Alex put her book away as the last passengers joined the plane, she only had it out to peruse while the plane filled up, hoping to sleep the flight itself away.
“Jamie, sweetie, I need you to sit still. Leave your seatbelt alone.” Alex recognised that voice. Sitting up straight in her seat Alex looked towards the front of the plane and caught sight of the familiar brunette curls that belonged to Maggie. Hearing faint whimpers from Jamie as her mother bent over her seat. Alex could see the stewards at the front of the plane looking uneasy as Maggie tried and failed to calm down a tired Jamie.
“I am not sitting next to a toddler. I’ve barely slept all weekend and I have an early conference call with Beijing. I’m not going to lose out on this contract because some mother can’t control her kid.” An angry voice sounded from the same row as Maggie.
Alex had a brainwave and picked up her handbag, undid her seatbelt, excusing herself to the man sat at the end of the aisle as she got up and walked up the plane to where Maggie was stood. “Hey. Is everything okay here?”
Maggie stood up, her face tinged pink as she brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Oh, hey, Jamie’s just a little tired, she’s been excited all weekend and I think it’s just catching up with her.”
As if to prove her mother’s point Jamie started wriggling again and rubbed at her eyes, looking up at her mother. “’Lex.” Jamie squealed, raising her arms up as if requesting a hug.
“Jamie, please. I need you to sit still for the flight, you can see Alex once we’ve landed. If Alex wants,” Maggie sighed, ruffling her daughter’s soft brown curls.
“Actually, I thought I might offer some help.” Alex said to Maggie before turning to the man sat in the window seat looking extremely angry about the seating arrangements. “Sir, if you would rather not sit next to a toddler you may have my seat, I’m in 24 F and there is no child in that immediate area.”
The man looked unconvinced so Alex took a stab in the dark. “Look, the airline couldn’t seat me and my girlfriend together and I would appreciate it if you could be a decent human being for five minutes. I am offering you a child-free flight and I would appreciate it if you left us alone for the rest of the flight, because I can assure you that your mother would have been in a situation just like that one and perhaps if someone had offered her some help you wouldn’t have grown into such a jerk.”
Maggie caught her breath, not sure if Alex had managed to subdue the misogynist or if punches were about to start flying. To her relief the man seemed more tired than annoyed as his face paled looking around at the other irritated passengers and stewards before standing up, mumbling something incoherent to himself before moving along the aisle of the plane to Alex’s old seat.
Alex bit her lip as she turned to face Maggie, “Sorry if I overstepped, but I could see everyone getting annoyed, it’s a late flight on a Sunday and I thought I could speed things along.”
Maggie smiled softly and shrugged as she moved aside so that Alex could take the window seat. “I’ve been dreading having an interaction like that on a flight. So far I’d been lucky, I guess it was only a matter of time.”
Jamie immediately started babbling excitedly about her weekend, telling Alex about everything while the plane taxied along the runway and began its climb into the clouds. “Jim came and slept on the bed with mommy and me. I want a dog at home but mommy said no.”
“Sweetie, you know I’m too busy at work to take care of a dog, when you’re older I promise we can get a dog. Now why don’t you try and get some sleep, you had a long exciting weekend.” Maggie could see Jamie’s bottom lip quiver as she looked up at Alex. “Alex will still be here when you wake up, I promise.”
Jamie looked back up at Alex who nodded. “Okay mommy I’ll try.” Jamie clutched her toy close to her chest and laid her head down on the arm rest.
“So, you had a good weekend then?” Alex asked Maggie as both women watched Jamie’s chest rise and fall as she drifted asleep.
“Other than my mom and sister continuing to question my career choice every chance they got, yes it was good to see everyone again. How was yours?” Maggie asked, quickly changing the subject and stifling a yawn.
Alex smiled as Maggie tried and failed to look interested. “How about you get some sleep and I’ll tell you when you wake up? I doubt you got much sleep at the weekend if Jamie didn’t either.”
Maggie looked down at her sleeping daughter and bit her lip. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you,” she replied before turning to her side and closing her eyes.
Alex smiled at the sleeping pair before shrugging off her jacket and draping it over Jamie’s shivering form before closing her eyes herself.
~~~
Maggie woke up when a steward tapped her shoulder. “Sorry Ma’am we’re about to start our descent, your daughter needs to be in her own seat but she doesn’t need to be awake.” Maggie nodded and the steward continued to move along the plane doing her checks. Stretching out her back Maggie looked towards the window and found Jamie curled up on Alex’s lap, Alex’s hand clasped around Jamie’s tiny one. Maggie’s heart melted as she pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of the sleeping pair, smiling at how peaceful Alex looked with a soft smile on her face.
Maggie leant over the empty seat and gently shook Alex’s shoulder “Alex. Wake up. We’re about to start our descent. The steward said Jamie can stay sleeping but she needs to be in her own seat.” Alex nodded sleepily before realising what Maggie had said, looking down Alex could see that Jamie had crawled onto her lap at some point during the flight and fallen back to sleep. Alex extracted Jamie from her lap and placed her back in her own seat, doing up the seat belt but leaving Jamie’s hand clutched in her own, just in case she woke mid-descent.
Jamie whimpered slightly as the plane started to dip but remained asleep. Once the plane had docked Maggie let the passengers around her leave first. She wanted to allow Jamie as much sleep as she could before she had to be moved. “I can’t believe she’s still sleeping.”
“I guess she managed to tire herself out after all.” Alex smiled.
“After the steward woke me up I took a photo of you two. I hope you don’t mind. I can delete it if you want but it was just too cute,” she added, fishing out her phone from her pocket to show Alex the photo. On the screen Alex could see Jamie bundled up in her arms, a smile just visible on the toddler’s lips, mirroring the faint smile on Alex’s.
“No, er don’t delete it,” Alex muttered turning away slightly trying to hide her blushing face before continuing. “We should probably move, I imagine it would be easier to go through the airport with a sleeping child rather than the alternative. I just have to get my cabin bag from the overhead locker.”
Alex picked her jacket up from the floor where it had fallen when Jamie had moved before pulling it on and undoing her seatbelt, standing up and walking past Maggie, who was getting her own bag out of the locker, and back to her original seat.
Once her bag was in her hand Alex moved back to where Maggie was wrestling with the position of her backpack, handbag, and suitcase. “Would you like a hand?” Alex said, fully intending to take the suitcase from Maggie before she replied.
“Actually, that would be very helpful, would you mind carrying Jamie?” Maggie asked. “I’m trying to pre-empt a tantrum, she’s less likely to throw one if she wakes up in your arms. She adores you. Wouldn’t stop talking about you all weekend.”
Alex blushed but nodded. She bent down to pick Jamie up before situating her on her hip, smiling as Jamie tucked her head into the crook in her neck. The pair manoeuvred their bags to the exit with Jamie still sleeping in Alex’s arms.
They managed to make it through the departure gate without Jamie waking up but as Maggie moved to take Jamie from Alex’s arms she started whimpering. “I don’t want to risk waking her.” Maggie bit her lip. “I’m not parked too far away. Would you mind carrying her to my car? I can drop you home as a thank you, unless you drove yourself anyway, but it saves you walking back to get a taxi if you didn’t drive. If that’s alright with you?”
Alex looked back down at Jamie’s sleeping figure and nodded. She pulled her case along behind her as she followed Maggie through the rows of cars until she stopped at a black Mini Cooper. Unlocking the trunk Maggie threw her duffle in, closely followed by her blue carry on and Jamie’s backpack. Maggie looked down at Alex’s case before Alex nodded and collapsed the handle so that it too could go in the trunk.
Alex noticed a car seat in the backseat of the Mini and moved around the side of the car to open the door, it was a bit tricky with Jamie still clinging sleepily to her but she nudged the door further open with her hip before untangling Jamie from her jacket and depositing her in the car seat. Alex fumbled with the straps, until Maggie relieved her, doing them up quickly. Standing up and smiling Maggie walked round to the driver’s side and climbed in, and Alex settled into the passenger seat a moment later.
“So, where can I take you?” Maggie asked as she turned the car on and pulled out of the parking space.
“Hyde Park? If it’s too far out for you I can grab a taxi if you drop me off anywhere,” Alex replied, fiddling with her seat belt as Maggie left the parking lot.
“Hyde Park is fine, just up from me actually. I’m in Avalon. It’s a bit far from the precinct but Jamie is registered for a Kindergarten that’s only a block over so it’s worth the extra drive to work.”
“Precinct? You’re a cop?” Alex asked intrigued.
“Detective Sawyer at your service.” Maggie chuckled.
The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes before Alex spoke again. “I can’t imagine being a cop is very family friendly, what with work hours and such. Does your partner help out a lot?”
“What? Oh no. Jamie’s father and I never married. We weren’t even dating. Just a drunk fumble at a Christmas party. Believe it or not, it was that night that convinced me I was gay. Before that I thought I might be bi.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” Alex felt her cheeks burn as she returned to fiddling with her seatbelt.
“No, it’s fine, whatever. Jake, Jamie’s father, he moved away when she was a few months old, got a promotion and left for New York.” Maggie’s voice was full of resentment but as she continued her voice became happier. “But thankfully I have some amazing friends and colleagues who have been far too kind to us. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
Alex was about to say something before she realised that the car had stopped, right outside her apartment block. “This is me,” she said, unclicking her seatbelt but not getting out of the car. “I know that we only met a couple of days ago but if you ever want to give your colleagues or friends a rest, I’d be happy to look after Jamie, she seems to like me.” Alex chuckled shaking her head a little. “I gave Jamie my card but just in case she lost it, I’d like you to have one too. If you need it.” Alex added, fishing another business card out of her bag and handing it to Maggie. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll get my case out, don’t worry about it.” Alex smiled one last time before opening the door, she hesitated for a moment before turning back “If you’re ever in the neighbourhood of Mercy Grace maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
Alex smiled softly before getting out of the car, retrieving her case and walking up the steps to her building.