To Catch a Thief

Chapter 9 - Big Damn Heroes

The silence in the room has long since become uncomfortable. Still, neither sibling seems eager to break it. They're in uncharted territory, in a land where personal and professional have crossed over and interwoven into a mess neither one wants to pick apart.

"Are you sure?" Alex finally asks.

"I'm not sure of anything," Kara admits, heaving a heady sigh as she slumps back in her chair. "The profile fits, but that hardly means anything, but this file..." She slaps the police record Maggie left for her, the one meant to be a general lead that instead leads a little close to home. "Why wouldn't Lena mention this?"

"That sounds like a question for Lena." Sound advice from someone whose heart is bruised for entirely unrelated reasons. "How much do you like this woman?"

"It's early but... I really like her, Alex."

"Then talk to her. Be smarter than your older sibling, and be honest with her. Give her a chance to be honest in return."

"When did you get so wise?"

"You learn more from failure than success." Alex squeezes Kara's shoulder, a gentle comfort amid the emotional chaos. "Be smarter than me and learn from my mistakes instead of making your own."

"Be smarter than you?" Kara rises, wrapping her arms around Alex and holding them close. "That's asking a lot."

"I think you're up to the task." With a final squeeze, they pat their sister's back and step away. "Now, I'm going to go back to the apartment and make some coffee. I think the one you brought me is pretty cold by now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm always here for you, always. Never forget that." If there's one truth in the Danvers siblings' relationship, that would be it. They're stronger together.

Kara decides it's time for a second breakfast (or is it third?), so she joins Alex in the apartment. While Alex finishes off their first of many cups of coffee, Kara serves up eggs and bacon, a normal sized serving for the elder sibling and a double for Kara.

"That will always annoy me."

"What?" Kara asks around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"How much you can eat. Too bad you can't make a living doing that."

"I know. I'd be rich." Kara's smile has returned, easy and at the ready. "So, are you okay? I know you haven't seen Maggie for a while but—"

"Three years. She still looks good, don't you think?"

"Am I allowed to answer that?" Kara has strolled into a verbal trap like a lamb to the slaughter on one too many occasions. Her learning curve may not be steep, but it's not a bell curve. "I know you and Maggie haven't been together for a while, but is commenting allowed? What's the mourning period on this kind of breakup."

"It's fine, Kara. Seeing Maggie was... Actually, it was good. She's smart, funny, beautiful, and that smile." Kara still waits while Alex smiles wistfully, a faraway look in their eyes. It's probably a journey of time not distance. "Yeah, she looks good, but I'm glad she stopped by. It didn't hurt, not like it used to. It was a little sad, maybe, thinking about what could have been, but the sting is gone."

"I'm glad, Alex. Healing takes time." An entire piece of bacon disappears in two seconds. "In that case, she's cute. Those dimples are adorable. I always thought so."

"Hmmm. So, what about you? La Paz, huh? You want to talk about that?"

Kara shrugs as she chases a bit of scrambled eggs around with her fork. "Nothing I haven't said to you before. I felt it. I don't think I'll ever not feel it, not remember how awful it was, but I'm not that scared little girl anymore, and I'm not alone."