Of Knights and Aliens

Chapter 10

Maggie talks to Lucy for a little longer, enjoying her friend's presence. Alex stays silent and she keeps watching her out of the corner of her eye. Other than the initial surprised expression she makes at Maggie, Alex is pretty emotionless. Polite, but emotionless. She's not sure whether she should be impressed or intimidated by her blank expression as she listens to Maggie and Lucy talk.

"So how is Kara doing?" Lucy asks Alex once she and Maggie have caught up enough. Since they're both pretty stoic military type women, it doesn't take long. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay." Alex is quick to assure her. "Kara's nervous and excited. Do you have any idea how the people will react?"

Lucy purses her lips and shakes her head. "No I don't. Sorry, Alex. The people I have heard talking about her have all been in awe and afraid of Kara. Not enough to be alarmed about, but enough to be noticeable."

Alex sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Then that article is going to have to come out sooner rather than later. It's better for them to know the truth than to have a bunch of whispered theories. Hopefully her connection to Superman will reassure them."

Lucy nods thoughtfully. "I'm surprised he isn't here right now."

Alex scoffs quietly and rolls her eyes, assuming they wouldn't notice. After all, she is used to being the second favorite sister. But of course they do and Maggie speaks up about it.

"You don't like Superman?" She asks curiously.

It isn't in the tone she is used to when she accidentally lets slip that she doesn't like him or worship him as much as the public does. Maggie sounds genuinely interested in Alex's response.

Alex pauses and thinks of how to word it. "I respect what he does and why he does it. But as a person and as Kara's cousin, no I don't like him. He just dumped her here, abandoned her. He was her last living tie to Krypton and he left after a few days."

"Doesn't he visit?" Maggie asks.

"Sometimes, but not often. It sometimes feels like he only comes out of pity instead of actually wanting to see her. And..." She trails off for a moment, ready to let out the words she has been holding in since she was fourteen years old with a new alien sister. "He acts like she's this fragile thing. Like she needs to be protected from all the bad in the world by him."

"I forget how my brother-in-law is a terrible cousin sometimes." Lucy murmurs then speaks louder. "I don't understand why he acts like that, she's stronger than he is."

"Literally," Alex remarks.

Maggie blinks, taking in this new information. "Literally as in mentally or physically?"

"Both." Alex says confidently, smirking proudly at how impressed Maggie looks. "We've tested her strength against Superman's. She is stronger. Plus, she saw her entire planet die. Everything she knew and lived was ripped away from her yet she's..." Alex waves her hand vaguely, not sure how to word it.

"She's a puppy wrapped in a blanket of sunshine," Lucy provides.

Alex laughs at her friend's description.

"I don't know how she does it," Maggie says honestly, then squints up at the sky. "Hey, Danvers. Is that...?"

Alex looks up, following her new partner's line of vision. Her eyebrows raise as she recognizes the familiar sight of her sister flying around. She's doing it more freely than she used to. It is different seeing her like this than when she would have to fly in the dead of night so she would not be seen. Alex grins when she hears her sister whoop happily.