Scattered Sanity (Sanvers)

Trust.

Alex had no memories of Maggie Sawyer. She didn't remember meeting her before she was abducted, or working by her side on missions, or becoming extremely close, or falling in love. She didn't remember how Maggie changed her life, or how she finally made Alex accept herself, or every new experience that Maggie had guided her through. She didn't remember the pizza dinner, the fight, or the smile that she had given Maggie as she walked out the door and to the elevator that would condemn her to two years of suffering. She didn't remember any of it. Where there should be Maggie, there was nothing.

So why did she feel so connected to her? What was it about Maggie that made Alex pay attention to every word that she uttered? She knew that something had to be awry.

Maggie's story of the day that she and Alex had met was so vivid, almost tangible, and Alex nearly felt like she was in the memory with Maggie. She could see the crime scene, smell the acrid odor of burnt material, and feel her arms crossed over her chest and the scowl on her face. It was all so real.

But when Maggie stopped talking, it all dissolved around her. Alex wanted it to come back. She wanted to hear more about how she confronted her fear of interacting with aliens to save Maggie, and how that rescue seemed to bridge their differences. She wanted to go back into the world of Maggie's memory, to see her past and how she ended up as she was. Alex was strongly enthralled by Maggie, so much so that she barely remembered Ashton's dormant presence in the room. Maggie had been able to change the mood so effortlessly, and to Alex, the way Maggie held her felt remarkably natural, as if this had happened before. The familiarity was puzzling to Alex, but it further solidified a growing possibility that had been constantly gnawing at her: Maggie was telling the truth. Of course, she could be lying, though that likelihood decreased continually. Nevertheless, Alex trusted Maggie. It was a risky decision, considering her latest outcome with Ashton, but intuition told her that Maggie wasn't someone to be wary of. And, just like the feeling of Maggie's arms, Alex found that trusting Maggie came naturally.

* * * *

Upon being informed of the attempted assault of Alex, the DEO promptly removed Ashton from the agency. Alex was also granted two days to emotionally recover before returning to her job. She had proved herself to be acutely adept when it came to combat, and her mind was still sharp enough to quickly pick up the intellectual aspects of her former position as second-in-command. Therefore, her efficient progress allowed a period of time for recuperation.

If Alex and Kara already had little to no interest in Alex living alone, the prior incidence cemented that mindset. Kara was exceptionally reluctant to leave Alex on her own, and the sisters clung to each other like their lives depended on it. Alex often had nightmares in which she imagined that Rick was torturing her once more, and when she would bolt upwards in bed, coated in sweat, Kara was there for her.

On the day Alex had been reunited with her friends at the DEO, she had noticed that Kara and Maggie appeared to be good friends. They talked easily, and in those moments she had seen Maggie's rare smile. Maggie's grin also tugged at Alex's mind, grasping at straws to figure out what was going on, but she always came up empty-handed. It was infuriating to be so close to uncovering such a large part of her past life without being able to reach it. But, judging from how Kara and Maggie interacted, it might be plausible for someone else to relieve her of her confusion.

One evening, after Kara had returned from work, Alex's curiosity reached its tipping point. As casually as she could, she asked Kara, "Can you tell me about Maggie Sawyer?"

Panic flashed in Kara's blue irises, despite her obvious efforts to remain calm. "What do you want to know?"

"The truth." Alex stated plainly. "Why haven't you ever talked about her? Why does it feel like I already know her? What was her past, and why does she look at me so sadly?"

Kara swallowed harshly, adjusting her glasses, her eyes still clouded with worry. "Alex, there's so much to tell." She admitted. "But there's also so much that you've forgotten. With the recent events, I think that telling you would be really overwhelming. It's a lot to take in."

Alex's nerves remained of steel. "I can handle it." She insisted. "I have to know why everything seems so off."

Kara shook her head, but spoke. "Maggie Sawyer is a detective at the National City Police Department. She has an tremendous wealth of knowledge when it comes to aliens, whether it be classification, understanding, or disarming. She also works at the DEO, where she collaborates with me in the event of an alien disruption. We work really well together. We are also close friends, and we established this friendship after you went missing. You are very important to both of us, and we would search for you until we couldn't stand up anymore. Once we found you and brought you back home, we were immensely shocked that you didn't remember Maggie in the slightest. She was an enormous part of your life, so we were definitely rattled. Maggie, of course, was more upset than I was, and for a while she isolated herself. I've just started seeing her reemerge again, but she spends a lot of time pondering why she had to lose you." She averted her gaze and pressed her lips together in a tight line, clearly done.

Alex was on the edge of her seat, hanging on to every word. When Kara's story discontinued, her face fell, morphing into a disappointed expression. "Tell me more! Why is Maggie so familiar?"

Kara rested a hand on top of her sister's. "Alex, do you trust Maggie?"

"Yes." The answer sprung from Alex's mouth so reflexively, as if she was accustomed to using that response. She stopped to deliberate, consulting with herself to confirm that she did trust Maggie, and she found that her automatic reply was accurate.

The younger woman smiled gently. "Then, you should ask her. After all, it's her story to tell."