Chapter Text
Eleven months into Alex and Maggie’s relationship, a ring was still burning a hole in Maggie’s pocket. She took the ring with her everywhere, afraid that somehow Alex was going to find it and know what was coming. All Maggie could picture most days was the look on Alex’s face when she proposed, when she suggest they spend their lives together forever. Their one year anniversary was the best
She had wanted to propose since talking with her mom. Alex was exactly who she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Alex was who she would spend the rest of her life with.
Complications just always arose at the worst time.
Prior to moving to National City and joining the NCPD, Maggie had applied to the FBI as well. She wanted out of Gotham. The crime and the corruption had taken its toll and no matter how many time Batman told her they were making a difference in the city, it stopped feeling that way. She got tired of getting bullet holes in her for the sake of goodness.
Maggie had heard from NCPD before anyone else replied. The alien presence drew her as well. It was different, challenging in a new way, and it was the best escape from the life she didn’t want anymore.
The FBI had been the big dream though. Maggie had pictured as a young cop pulling out that agent shield and joining the ranks of the elite. And when she didn’t hear back, she let that dream take a backseat. And she had entirely forgotten about the FBI after Alex came along. National City was home to her thanks to Alex. She had a job as a detective that she loved, she had a woman she loved, and a life she loved. There was no need for more than that.
And then the letter came. It had been an ordinary Thursday night. She and Alex brought dinner home after a long day. Alex had been the one to start sorting the mail. It was the usual pile of bills and credit card promotions when that single envelope had caught her attention.
“Maggie.” Alex said, her voice a little unsteady.
Turning from pulling paper plates from a cabinet, Maggie looked at her girlfriend a little alarmed, her first thought going to Alex discovering the ring. Instead, Alex stood with the white envelope in her hand and an eyebrow raised.
“It’s from the FBI.” She said, holding the letter out with a shaky hand.
Maggie frowned as she stepped forward to take it. She had really pushed it so far from her mind that she ever applied to the academy. Sticking her finger in the small gap, she tore across, roughly opening the envelope and pulling out the letter to read.
Congratulations and accepted stuck out as Maggie read the letter over several time, her mind going blank as she grappled with it. This had been her dream. The academy was in Virginia. She could be an FBI agent. Alex couldn’t just leave National City and the DEO behind.
“Maggie?” Alex asked, her voice shaking as she struggled to read her girlfriend’s expression.
“I got into the FBI Academy.” Maggie said, swallowing hard as she looked up at Alex. Surprise fluttered over her face only to quickly be replaced by excitement.
“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” Alex laughed and moved around the counter, wrapping her arms around Maggie and embracing her. Maggie struggled to return the enthusiasm.
“Yeah, I guess.” She lifted her arm and wrapped it around Alex’s waist, accepting the quick congratulations as she was already trying to push the acceptance out of her mind.
Pulling back, Alex looked at her concerned, her hands moving to cup Maggie’s cheeks. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you excited about this?”
“I just forgot I had even applied.” She said honestly as she pulled back, tossing the letter on the counter. Grabbing the plates, she maneuvered over to their dinner and began loading it onto the plates. “I applied back in Gotham and when I didn’t hear back, I took the NCPD job. It’s just, I don’t know.”
Alex frowned and looked at Maggie, trying to get what was going through her mind. When they first started spending endless nights together, talking into the early sunrise about all their hopes and dreams, Maggie had spoke of the FBI with such a reverence that this subdued and dismissive Maggie made no sense to her.
“You don’t know?” She laughed a little bit and picked the letter up, reading over it and feeling her own heart swell with a little bit of pride. “You told me when we first started dating that you were jealous of my agent status because you had always wanted to be a special agent with the FBI.”
Maggie finally cracked a small smile and nodded, recalling the night vividly. “Yeah and things change.” She lifted her head to look at Alex, the smile resting easily on her lips. Maggie knew she’d give up the entire world to just be here with Alex. There wasn’t a dream bigger than her anymore.
Alex tilted her head to the side, that look crossing her face that warned her girlfriend she strongly disagreed, Maggie lifted her surrender and shook her head.
“I am beyond happy here in National City with you. Don’t try and fight me on this. Come and eat before it gets cold.”
Alex narrowed her eyes, hesitating in engaging an argument but let it slide. For the moment.
There night played out the same most did. They worked on cases for a little bit at their kitchen table before moving to the couch to watch something until they both started dozing off and retired to their bedroom.
As they climbed into bed and shut the lights off, the moon shined bright through the crack in the shutters, bathing both of them in a silver right as they faced each other.
Alex lifted her hand to Maggie’s check, tracing her cheekbone with her index finger, studying all the features that she knew so well intently.
Maggie could almost see the thoughts racing in Alex’s mind.
“Say it.” She whispered, her fingers curling around Alex’s wrist and she shivered from the light touch.
“You have to go to the academy.” Alex replied in the same whisper.
“It’s five months apart. And then it’s wherever they assign me to the field office. I can’t ask you to give up the DEO and Kara.”
“So don’t ask. Let me offer.”
“Alex.”
“Maggie.”
Taking the silence, Maggie leaned forward and crushed her lips against Alex’s. A hand instantly tangled in her long hair as she slid on top of her girlfriend, her leg sliding between Alex’s. They could talk about it later.
***********
Alex didn’t let the subject die in the days that followed. It was a stalemate. Maggie refused to entertain the idea of Alex giving up her entire life for her. Alex refused to entertain Maggie giving up her dream for her.
It was Kara who finally solved things for them. Since she had broken up with Mon-El, she had thrown herself into fixing things and it included Alex.
Cornering Maggie at NCPD one day, supposedly needing an interview about the uptick in criminal alien activity, she quickly turned things towards the stalemate.
“So you really aren’t going to go to the academy?” Kara asked in disbelief.
Frowning, Maggie shook her head. “Why am I not surprised Baby Danvers is getting involved?”
Kara rolled her eyes and set her pen down, completely forgetting about the so called interview. “You really don’t think you can handle five months apart?”
“It’s not the five months Kara.” Maggie said with a sigh, “I am not asking Alex to pack everything up and leave National City to follow me to Topeka or Omaha. This is her home. It’s my home too.”
A strange smile crossed Kara’s lips as a plan started formulating in her mind. “That’s it? The only thing stopping you is where you get assigned?”
Maggie nodded, slightly confused and afraid of the smile. “Yes.”
“So if there was a way to make sure you were in National City then you’d go?”
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing! Nothing. Gotta go. Thanks for the interview.”
******
For the next few days, both Maggie and Alex lived in anticipation of what Kara had done or was planning on doing. Alex had begged her not to get involved but it was a futile effort.
As Maggie mulled around the DEO one late afternoon, waiting on Alex so they could head home, she caught Kara out of the corner of her eye coming into full view, a grin stretching across her entire face.
“What did you do?” Maggie asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Alex had taken that moment to come from another corridor and spotted her sister and girlfriend, the smile on Kara also causing her concern.
“Oh no Kara, what did you do?” Alex asked as she joined Maggie’s side.
“Just trust me.” She whispered excitedly before stepping aside. J’onn came into full view, walking alongside President Marsdin and chatting away.
“Kara.” Alex whispered in a very pointed tone.
“Madam President, you know Agent Danvers of course. And this is Detective Sawyer.” J’onn said, genuinely smiling as he exchanged a quick look with Kara.
“Detective Sawyer, what a pleasure.” President Marsin said warmly, shaking Maggie’s hand.
“Madam President. It’s an honor.” Maggie replied, a little flushed.
“I hear you are doing quite an honor for this country and heading to Quantico for the FBI Academy.”
No one missed the smile and look the president gave to Kara.
“I’ve been considering it Ma'am. I’m just not sure if leaving for a field office outside of National City is what I want right now.” Maggie replied, casting a quick glare at Kara.
“Oh certainly. You’ve done some amazing work here with the DEO. You know, I’ve been wanting to foster stronger interagency cooperation. The presence of a strong field office here in National City would be very beneficial to this country. Would you be opposed to staying here as an agent Detective?”
A small rush of excitement exploded inside of Maggie. She should have known that Kara’s meddling would only result in something like this. She could feel Alex squeezing her wrist, that same excitement in her girlfriend.
“It would be a bigger honor Madam President.”
“Wonderful.” President Marsdin said with a grin, “Enjoy Quantico then Detective Sawyer. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Director J’onzz, see me off please?”
“Of course ma’am.”
Turning, the two walked off leaving the Danvers sisters and Maggie alone. Instantly, Alex had her arms wrapped around Maggie. Laughing, Maggie returned the embrace and had only a moment before Kara threw her arms around both of them.
“I gotta go check in with Winn about something real fast but we are going out for drinks to celebrate. My girlfriend is going to Quantico.” Alex said, busting with joy as she broke from Maggie. “I will be right back.”
Laughing, the smile stretching across her face, Maggie turned to Kara. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t proposed yet.” Kara said once Alex was out of earshot. Maggie’s mouth dropped a little in shock before Kara laughed. “X-ray vision remember? No excuses anymore. Just ask her.”
**********
Airports were the happiest and saddest place on Earth, at least to Maggie. She and Alex were right outside security, trying to savor every last moment they could have together. They’d skype every night and Alex was already planning to find some way out to Quantico for a visit, even if it wasn’t exactly allowed.
Checking her watch, Alex let out a sigh and stood, tugging Maggie up with her. “You’ve gotta go.” There was a strange pang to her tone. It wasn’t sadness or happiness, more as though longing was already overtaking her despite Maggie not being gone yet.
Standing, Maggie let out a deep breath and shook her head. “I can’t.” She said suddenly, dropping her bag to her feet.
“No, no, hey Maggie we talked about this. It’s five months. It’s not that long.” Alex said, trying to ease what she thought was second thoughts.
“Alex no I’m going to go.” Maggie said flustered, “I can’t go without doing something first.”
“What? What’s wrong? What do you need?”
Laughing, as Alex once more managed to just calm her down effortlessly, Maggie slide her hand into her back pocket and gripped the ring tightly.
“I need you to say yes to a question first.”
“Yes.”
Maggie laughed again and pressed her lips to Alex’s in a quick kiss. “Can I ask the question?”
Nervousness was welling up in Alex. The worst was flashing through her mind as she imagined Maggie asking for space for the next few months, for an extended break or something like that. Just thinking about it felt like vice crushing her heart.
“Marry me?”
Alex let out a gasp as Maggie produced the ring from behind her back. Looking from the jewelry to Maggie, realizing that this was really happening, Alex broke out into a smile and nodded her head.
“Yes. Yes! Of course!”
Leaning in, Alex pressed her lips to Maggie’s, oblivious to the outside world entirely. Maggie was equally wrapped up that it took a few moments for them to break.
Taking Alex’s hand, Maggie slide the ring onto her finger and let out a happy sigh. “Forget the flight. I’ll just have Kara drop me in a few hours.”
Laughing, the two were drawn back together, arms holding each other as their lips were lost in each other.
Eleven months in and the two proved they really could handle anything together.