Chapter Text
Winn tried to keep it secret, knowing Alex wouldn't approve of what he was doing. He practically whispered through the intercom; but as soon as Alex stormed into the DEO, he knew he was done for. The brunette's eyes narrowed as she approached, her arms folding as she stopped directly behind him. Choosing not to look up, he started typing inconspicuously. That is, until Alex leaned down, her lips only an inch from his ear as her voice sounded, much louder than necessary.
"Where's Kara?!"
He shuddered, trying to remain as calm as he replied. "Kara who?"
Not a second later, Alex grabbed the back of his chair, forcefully turning it around and invading his personal space. "You have two seconds to tell me where she is."
"Sh-she made me promise not to tell you," he said, shrinking back. He let out a shriek as Alex grabbed the collar of his shirt, using it to hoist him out of his seat. She started to say something, but a loud noise sounded through the intercom, cutting her off. Her eyes narrowed as a guilty expression formed on Winn’s face. The intercom fired up again, and this time the noise was crystal clear: Kara’s voice.
Winn? Are you there?
"I am going to kill you-"
There was a loud crash from the other line, and Kara's voice sounded again. They both heard the panic in her tone.
Winn? There's something wrong! He isn't backing down!
He looked to Alex, who begrudgingly released him, watching as he scrambled back to the computers. His eyes widened as the screen flashed.
"Supergirl, his energy is at a dangerous level. You need to get out of there!"
No! There might still be civilians that need my help.
"Listen to me! Bio-Clock's gun is generating radiation levels that are off the chart. It's not quite Kryptonite, but I'm not getting a clear reading."
Alex pushed him aside, grabbing the microphone. "Kara, I swear if you pull another stunt like you did with Metallo, I will kill you!"
Al-
A loud, high-pitched sound drowned her out, and then everything went silent.
"Did you find her? Is she safe? What about Bio-Clock?"
"Alex, just slow down. J'onn and Guardian found her, but she's only just woken up,” Maggie explained, giving her girlfriend a hesitant smile. “Winn's with her now. She… She's fine."
Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "What aren't you telling me?"
Maggie bit her lip, refusing to meet her gaze. It only made Alex more concerned.
"Where. Is. My. Sister?"
Silence met her question. Turning, Alex stormed down the corridor, checking every room and ignoring Maggie as she followed. At the sound of distant voices, she sped up, desperate to find Kara. As she entered the last room, she could hear laughter, giggling, and something else that was foreign to her.
Bursting through the door, she stopped at the sight in front of her – the sight of Winn spinning around in his chair, shouting “Woo!” repeatedly while grinning down at the small person sitting in his lap. Alex stared at the child in Winn’s lap, puzzled. The girl was young, with blonde ringlets falling midway down her back and the softest blue eyes Alex had ever seen. She smiled up at Winn so brightly, her tiny hands flapping around excitedly.
Alex frowned, confused. There’s never been a child at the DEO before. Her eyebrows shot up momentarily as she heard an all-too-familiar giggle, but she shrugged it off, determined to figure out exactly what was happening – a task that would have been easier if the duo had noticed her presence. With an annoyed huff, she cleared her throat, folding her arms over her chest and doing her best unimpressed mom expression.
Winn stopped mid-woo, slowly swivelling his chair around to face the agent. His face paled, his eyes widening as he met Alex’s stare. “Oh.” Shifting, he maneuvered the small child onto the edge of the desk before turning back to greet the brunette. “Hi, Alex.”
Alex heard the tremble in his voice, and it only made her more suspicious. "Would you like to tell me what's going on?"
"What? Why would you think anything’s going on?"
Her gaze cut into him as she edged closer, her irritation evident as her tone deepened nearly to a growl. "I know you know something, so spill! Who is this?" she asked, gesturing to the child, who was busy fidgeting with Winn’s R2-D2 pencil sharpener.
Winn’s eyes darted back and forth, and then he stuttered out a response. "Wh-what? Who's this?" He laughed, scratching his head and trying to sound as natural as possible. "This...is...my baby cousin... Tara."
"Winn, you had better explain,” Alex warned, stepping closer as the tech edged backward. “Or I will personally confiscate your nerf gun."
His eyebrows knit together, the line of his mouth turning down in a small frown and his chest puffing out in protest. "Rude!"
Alex rolled her eyes, raising a finger threateningly. "Where is Kara?"
Gulping, Winn laughed nervously and shakily adjusted his shirt collar. "Funny story... You're gonna laugh."
"We’ll see about that,” Alex huffed, folding her arms again and giving him an impatient look. Winn was kind of concerned at how quickly he caved.
"Okay! So there was an alert, and we decided to check it out. And by “we”, I mean Kara... Kara decided to do it, and I totally did not encourage her at all-" Winn was cut off as he felt something tugged at his elbow. Turning, he was met by a pout as the tiny blonde pulled on the sleeve of his cardigan, shaking her head furiously.
"Don't look at her!” Alex snapped, startling Winn. “Look at me.” When his eyes were finally trained back on her, she continued. “You need to tell me where my sister is right now, because I am this close,” she motioned with her hand, “to smacking you.”
Winn swallowed, shrinking back against the desk as Alex glared at him. The insistent tugging on his sleeve never stopped as he quirked his head toward the girl.
Alex looked between them, her eyes frantically darting back and forth as realization sank in. Rubbing her temple, she struggled to compose herself. “You’re telling me that’s Kara?”
“Surprise…?" Winn tried to joke, immediately regretting it when Alex smacked his shoulder.
"This isn't funny, Winn! What the hell were you idiots thinking, going in without backup?"
She turned to the now four-year-old Kara, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. Her lips twitched as Kara blinked up at her with wide, innocent blue eyes. But then she remembered why she was mad.
"Kara Zor-El Danvers, don't give me that look." Kara's smile immediately vanished and her gaze dropped to the floor, her little legs kicking back and forth and her tiny hands toying with the hem of her blue sweater. Alex noted that her sister’s clothes seemed to have shrunk with her. “You know you’re supposed to wait for me or J’onn! You reckless, irresponsible, stupid, thoughtless alien! I am so mad at you right now!"
She clenched her jaw, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. It wasn’t until she heard a soft sniffle that she realized how loud her voice had gotten and how close to Kara she had moved. Her eyes opened to see Kara's tiny lip trembling, her hands wringing together as Winn watched in horror. There was a pause, and then the child was wailing, tears streaming down her overly-red face. Winn leaped into action, desperately trying to shush the girl; but Kara’s cries only got louder.
Unsure of what to do, Alex ran her fingers through her hair as she stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of her. She started to back away, only to collide with another body. She relaxed, though, as she recognized the scent of her girlfriend’s perfume.
“Whoa!” Maggie reached up to grip the agent’s shoulders, turning her. She looked concerned as she stared at her shaken girlfriend. "What's going on in here?"
Alex vaguely gestured behind her, and Maggie leaned around her to look, her smile turning sympathetic as she straightened up again. "Alex, did you make your sister cry?"
"Well, I-" Maggie smirked and Alex fired back defensively, "She went in without backup, Maggie! I have a right to be angry!"
"She's a four-year-old. You just yelled at a four-year-old and made her cry."
Alex cursed under her breath, a ball of guilt forming in her chest as she glanced at her sister – her very tiny, fragile four-year-old sister who was sniffling and hiccupping into Winn’s chest. Turning back to her girlfriend, she rolled her eyes as Maggie looked back expectantly.
Sighing, she slowly approached Kara and Winn, ignoring the warning glare she received from the tech as she crouched down beside them.
“Kara,” she said, her voice gentle. Kara stilled, but didn’t make any move to acknowledge her sister. Sighing, Alex tried again. “Please, Kara, look at me. I just want to talk.”
She visibly relaxed when Kara peeped out from her hiding spot. The girl’s face was red and blotchy, her cheeks streaked with tear stains, and she looked scared as she peered up at her big sister. Her small pout was even harder to resist now, Alex noted.
“Please.”
Kara looked at Alex for a moment, her nose crinkling before she spoke. “Pr-promise not to yell?” she asked, her voice soft, as if she were afraid to speak any louder.
"I promise."
Kara whispered a barely audible "Okay", and Alex leaned forward, brushing a stray tear from Kara’s face.
"I'm sorry I shouted. I get mad when I'm scared, and you going in alone is scary for me." She paused to collect herself before continuing. “You aren’t allowed to do anything like that again. Do you understand?” Kara nodded, and Alex smiled in response. “Good.” Slowly, she opened her arms in invitation. “Come here, you.”
There was a moment of hesitation; but then Kara came forward, launching herself into Alex's arms. Alex fell back slightly at the force of which she was hit, somewhat surprised that such a young child still possessed such strength. She heard Maggie chuckle behind her, and with one hand still wrapped around Kara’s body, she flipped the detective the bird before leaning down to kiss her sister’s head. Kara’s hands fisted her uniform, and she wrapped her legs around Alex’s waist as she clung to the DEO agent. Smiling, Alex secured Kara in her arms and stood up, Kara burrowing into her neck as the woman navigated her way out of the room. Alex smiled in spite of herself, silently revelling in the warmth radiating from the little girl’s body. It felt weird for her to be holding her tiny sister; but even she couldn’t deny how adorable little Kara was.
She knew J'onn would want to speak to her. More likely, he would want to yell at her for abducting Kara before they could do tests. But she couldn't bring herself to care. She'd deal with his questions tomorrow.