Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Alex held the base of the rocks glass and swirled the amber liquid before taking another drink and feeling the burn. She had been out each night since her sister had left ten days ago to Argo City, to her home, to her family. Alex took another sip of the whiskey and looked around the bar for someone to distract her from the hollowness in her stomach. There was a cute woman at the end of the bar who had been staring at her more than casually for the past ten minutes, waiting for Alex to make a move. Alex thought about her for a moment, she was pretty, obviously into women, and what more was she asking for really?

<S>

The next morning came too quickly and Alex begrudgingly threw on athletic pants and a jacket, shoving headphones into her ears and turning up a heavy rock playlist before heading out the door. Alex ran, harder than usual, trying to outrun the feelings that continued to find her every time she stopped moving. She ran faster, hoping if she couldn't breathe, she wouldn't be able to think and she would stop missing her sister, her family. She had lost her father, Maggie, and now Kara. The things that kept her tethered to reality were growing slim and strained. 

Alex made it home after an hour and shouted across the kitchen as she undressed for a shower. 

"Alexa, good morning."

"Good Morning." The generic voice rang out through the small studio. "It's a beautiful Saturday morning in National City. Today you can expect slightly cloudy skies with a high of 68 degrees and a low of 54. Your headlines for the day: Catco Magazine's Cat Grant wins top award for women in journalism, NCPD continues search for culprits in a string of thefts, and it's National Pet Day, so give your fur baby a snuggle and an extra cookie. You have nothing on your calendar for today." Alex found herself even more depressed at this, not only was her calendar empty, but there were reminders of Kara everywhere, AND she didn't even have a goldfish to feed, let alone a real companion, animal or human. Without Kara, her weekends were empty, her world seemed empty. She no longer had Kara's emotional forcefield to keep her compartmentalized feelings at bay. Kara was always putting things into her calendar for Alex like lunch dates or events coming up that she thought Alex might like, or adding things she knew Alex would hate, but would make her smile because Kara loved them. Empty. Alone. The words rang through her as she walked hollowly through her apartment. Alex made it into the shower and tried to let the hot water wash away her thoughts. Perhaps she would go to the DEO and see if there was anything she could work on. Maybe she would take her bike out for a ride. 

By the time she was out of the shower, going for a ride seemed the best idea. She grabbed her leather jacket and prepared to leave. 

As Alex reached for her keys, the Alexa voice rang out. 

"This is a reminder for Alex, you promised to check in on Lena. I miss you. Love, Kara."

Alex rolled her eyes. She had promised Kara that she would make sure Lena, James, and Winn were safe while she was away, but it wasn't like she was close to them like Kara. In fact, she had always thought they were closer to one another than her. They would find comfort in themselves. 

"Turn off reminder Alexa." Alex shouted as she clicked the door closed and locked up. 

The next three days, the alarm continued to go off. "Alex, you promised. Remember I miss you and love you."

The alarm would sound when Alex was getting up, when she got home, before bed, and once it even woke her up at three am, much to Alex's irritation. 

Alex had told Alexa to turn off the reminder every time it went off, and yet the reminders continued. Kara must have set them individually. The worst one came one week after they had started to go off and had interrupted Alex when she had overnight company. The woman had not taken well to Alexa's reminder to go see another woman from another woman's voice telling her she loved her. Alex tried to explain to the brunette that the message was from her sister to check in on a friend, but as she made it to the door way to watch the other woman escape down the hall, she registered she was standing in the hallway naked and decided to cut her losses. 

<S>

The next morning was once again Saturday and the reminder began before Alex was even prepared to get up. 

"Alex, it's been two weeks. I love you and I miss you, but I need you to keep your promise. Please go check on them."

Alex decided to forgo her run and meet her sister's infuriating demands. If this continued, maybe she would hate Kara enough that she would stop missing her. 

Alex had seen Winn at the DEO with some frequency and knew he was doing alright. he missed Kara too, but the novelty of his projects kept his mind busy and Alex envied him. Alex sent a message off to Lucy to check in on James. Alex knew that after James and Lena had broken up, James and Lucy had started seeing each other more than causally. Lucy had let it slip at Kara's going away party and Alex had observed the renewed familiarity in their interactions. 

That left Lena. Alex and Lena's relationship had struggled since the beginning and the professional tension was a constant companion. Alex had even taken to skipping the occasional game night if she knew Lena was going to be coming. Alex still couldn't understand Kara's love for the Luthor. Admiration, sure, Alex understood Lena to be brilliant and driven, but she had never known Kara to speak ill of anyone either. Whenever she had been in the same room with Lena, it was like all the words she knew needed to find somewhere else to be. Even from the beginning, Lena had kept her distance from Alex and Alex had reciprocated in kind. They never partnered during games and did not sit next to each other. Alex had felt Lena staring at her a few times, but had never caught her and so the tension continued unspoken. 

Alex decided the best course of action would be to bring a gift and then to make a quick exit. She would meet her obligation and then she would destroy her Alexa. 

Alex hopped on her bike and went to Noonan's bakery, picking up a small assortment of doughnuts and two coffees. The walk to Lena's office was a short one and Alex enjoyed the cool air as she made her way to the skyscraper. Alex checked in with security at the front and they paged Lena, notifying her of her company. Lena announced that she would come up from the lab and meet her guest in her office. Alex was scanned into the elevator and the attendant scanned his card again, sending Alex to the top floor before stepping out of the elevator for the doors to close. 

Alex emerged into an obscenely large office that looked sterile and hardly lived in, despite Kara telling Alex that Lena spent more time at L Corp that Alex did at the DEO. Alex took in the minimalist furniture, a white couch and a glass table with a unique looking chess board sat across the empty room from the isolated desk. Alex set the small white bag down on the glass table top and took in the game that Lena must have been playing against herself. Running the Sicilian defense, curious. Alex assumed Lena had gone over this defense a thousand times. She took in the placement of the other pieces on the board before realizing that Lena had set the board in such a way to make the Sicilian harder than it would be with any other opponent. Alex studied the placement of the pieces before being startled out of her thoughts by Lena Luthor emerging from her elevator, lab coat sliding from her shoulders. 

"Agent Danvers. To what do I own the surprise?" Lena probed without thawing her demeanor. Alex could feel that same friction that was always present with Lena and was counting down the minutes to make her escape. Her heart felt like it was racing, why did Lena always set off her fight or flight response?

Alex didn't quite know what to say, 'I'm here because my sister wanted me to check on her friends after she left them to reconnect with her family galaxies away?' Instead Alex decided that she would lead with the gift. "I brought doughnuts." Alex forced the words out as she reached for the white bag, she nearly spilled the coffee. "And coffee."

Lena changed direction and approached Alex rather than her desk. "Thank you." Lena said as she took the coffee hesitantly. "Is there something you need agent?"

Alex took an internal breath. "Alex, please. I'm not here for work. I came to say hi."

At this, Lena's look softened with curiosity. Alex could see she was still reserved and waiting for the whole story, but she was prepared to accept that Alex was not here to deceive her. 

Alex thought of Kara and forced the words out before she could stop herself or think better of them. "I miss Kara and I thought you might too and maybe this was a stupid idea and I interrupted your work and I'm sure you have things to get back to that are more interesting and I don't even know if you eat doughnuts or how you take your coffee and I will leave you to it." Alex took a breath and began to make her way to the door. Apparently she found all of her words but forgot how to breathe between them. 

"Do you play Agent Danvers?" Lena's voice rang through the room. 

Alex turned and saw Lena taking a seat on the couch and indicating the chess board. 

"A little" Alex said, standing in place.

"Care for a game?" Lena asked as she crossed her legs and leaned over the board for the coffee. 

Alex made her way back to the couch, felling slightly more comfortable. "Alex." Alex reminded Lena. 

"Alex." Lena repeated with a small smile as she reset the board. 

Alex took a drink of her own coffee. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got a few different options." Alex said as she looked at the white bag. 

Lena gave Alex a playful look that Alex almost dismissed, "I think Kara let you in on my secret love of doughnuts before she left." Lena pulled out one that had been dipped in chocolate and covered in rainbow sprinkles and let it slide down her index finger. 

Alex smiled at the interaction and filed this into the things about Lena that didn't make sense to her, right along side with Kara and Lena's close friendship, and Lena running the most successful corporation in National City at age 28. 

Lena opened the game and took a big bite of her confection while waiting for Alex's response. "A queen's gambit? I'm afraid I must decline." Alex said as she made her own opening move. Lena beat her in all three games they played, but Alex found that she had enjoyed playing the games none the less and Lena knew how to win with a grace that Alex couldn't help but admire. 

By the time Alex looked at the clock, she realized it was nearly three in the afternoon and they had spent more time talking and playing than she had thought. "I should probably go." Alex said as she prepared to stand.

She looked at Lena and tried to file away all the things she had learned about Lena in the past few hours. Lena was a chess prodigy, a mathematical and engineering genius, playful, like Kara, a punk music lover, preferred sprinkle doughnuts, and so much more. Alex's mind was trying to file away all the new information and found that Lena no longer fit in the small compartment Alex had built for her in her mind. 

"Thank you for the games. It was a nice distraction. I miss her too." Lena said as she rose from the couch as well. 

It was time for Alex to go and they were finally talking about Kara, a topic both had avoided since Alex's original confession. 

Lena walked over to the side table with an array of expensive looking glass bottles and a set of glasses. Lena poured two glasses and walked back to the couch. She placed one where Alex had been sitting and resumed her seat. Alex read the invitation and decided that the offer was much nicer than her plan of heading to the bar for cheap whiskey and a cheap pick up. 

Alex nodded at Lena in appreciation for the drink as she took up her seat next to Lena. 

The two women talked about the whiskey for a short time and then some of the other exclusive bottles that Lena had in her office. After a couple more drinks, Alex found that the conversation between her and Lena hadn't changed that much. They continued talking naturally without the aid of the chess board to focus on. Alex noticed through the slight fog setting in that Lena's eyes were the same emerald color of the stone J'onn had given to her when he had first started recruiting her for the DEO and she found herself staring for far too long into Lena's eyes. Lena stared back and it made the agent uncomfortable, like she was unsure if it was a threat or a come on and it forced Alex to break eye contact. Alex found that her tactic of breaking eye contact to look down had been the wrong choice because she found herself noticing the smooth curve of Lena's leg as it emerged from the pencil line dress and folded up under her body into a sleek and strappy shoe. 

Alex decided that the alcohol must be getting to her and the past few nights of working late and not finding release had to have been building up. That was it. 

"Thank you for the drink, I really have to be going." Alex said as she set the drink down and motivated herself to find the door. 

"Thank you for stopping by." Lena said to Alex as she prepared to depart. 

The coldness of the room settled between them as if the entire afternoon hadn't happened and Alex was where she had been when she arrived, skeptical, obligated, and uncertain. Alex felt the narrative she had of Lena Luthor begin to crack and decided that she could only press her luck so far in one day. 

Alex departed and decided that whatever Lena gave her was likely stronger than what she was use to drinking at the bar and thought a walk would better suit her than getting on her bike. As Alex passed the alien bar on her way home, she thought she might try her luck at finding a distraction for the evening. She wasn't looking forward to going home alone. She'd kept her thoughts away all afternoon and was certain that they would fill the space of her empty apartment if there was nothing else to latch onto. When she took a seat at the bar and ordered, she discovered that she had been aroused and dismissed the thought at alcohol induced and related to a lack of physical interaction the past couple nights, obviously Lena was attractive, that was objectively true. 

Alex spent about twenty minutes at the bar before finding a dance partner. The raven haired woman had approached her and had been charming and direct. When The woman's tongue first passed through Alex's lips, Alex thought that Lena would have tasted better and took a step back. Why was she thinking about Lena? She must be still processing the events of the day. She dove back into kissing the woman in front of her before her partner could register her interruption, swaying to the music and focusing all her energy on the physical, pushing as much emotion away as she could. When she felt a thigh slip between her own, she ran her hand up the side of the woman's leg and was again startled when the curve she was expecting was not in the place she anticipated it being. Alex decided she was drunker than she must have thought and was just off her game. 

Waking up the next morning, Alex felt the warm body curled into her own and moved to kiss the soft slope of a shoulder that had been resting below her chin. She looked down and saw freckles. Alex wasn't sure why this started her so much, but it was almost like the woman in front of her was not who she was expecting to see. Alex detached herself from the woman and slipped out as the sun was rising. She left a note thanking the woman for a nice evening and set her coffee maker to brew. 

Alex walked back to Noonan's, knowing her bike was still parked over there and she would like to get it home before it got ticketed or towed. On the drive, she wondered if she wasn't over Maggie. If she was expecting to see Maggie this morning or maybe last night and that's why she had been so off. Perhaps missing Kara had brought back those old memories. Losing Maggie wasn't just losing Maggie, it was losing her first attempt at love, the future she refused to grieve, and someone she was building a life around. Alex rode through the brisk morning and felt confident that she was missing Maggie and Kara and was confusing other losses and memories. She revved the gas a little harder and let the wind drown out her thoughts as the cold stung her cheeks and ears. 

<S>

"Hi Alex, I miss you and love you. Please go see Lena." Alex cursed the Alexa and shouted back, "I went and saw her. She's fine. She misses you too. I don't need another reminder." She should just throw the damn Alexa out the window, but like an idiot, she had added all the birthday reminders into the Alexa for her work friends and family and couldn't risk missing one. 

Alex would head to the DEO gym for the rest of the morning and see if she could be of any use there. he checked on Winn momentarily and he went on about something that Alex was not particularly interested in at the moment, about categorizing an ancient language from an extinct species, or something, but he seemed happy about it and Alex left him to it. She contemplated heading to the lab, but decided to stop by the gym first and work out some of this strange energy she'd been carrying first, so she could really focus. I

After a couple hours of sparing, she showered and prepared to go into the lab, planning to get lost in the minutia. She couldn't help a nagging feeling to look at her phone. When she finally did, there was a message from Lena. 

Lena: Thank you for stopping by. It was nice to play chess with someone other than myself

Alex: Thank you for entertaining me. I'm sure you could have beaten me much faster than you did, but I enjoyed the games none the less

Alex pocketed her phone and headed down to the lab. Before she finished setting up what she was going to work on, she pulled out her phone once again. 

Lena: You should give yourself more credit Agent Danvers

Alex didn't know what compelled her to say it, or type it in this case, but it was on her screen before she knew what she was thinking.

Alex: I am curious what other things you can teach me Ms. Luthor

Alex stared at the text for a few moments and waged an internal battle. She decided to send the text before panic set in. She dropped the volume and hide her phone in her bag. She turned to refocus on her slides, staring intently through the microscope, but seeing nothing. The not knowing was worse than knowing what Lena might have responded. She picked up her phone again and unlocked the back light to see her messages. 

There it stood, a message from Lena. Was Lena flirting with her? Was she flirting with Lena? What would Kara think?

Lena: I have a few tricks up my sleeve that you won't find in a chess handbook ;)

How could she respond to that? What was she doing? Before Alex could think too much on it, a lab assistant entered the lab and Alex went into professional mode. At the back of her mind, she ran over her time with Lena and the short text exchange and replayed the interactions over and over. 

Alex found herself flirting with Lena over text for the next two weeks. When they talked science, Lena called her Doctor Danvers, when they talked nonsense, Lena called her Alex, but late at night when the flirtiest messages came in, they were always for Agent Danvers. Neither she nor Lena had made any mention of meeting up or seeing one another, but they talked about their days and what they were working on. Alex was astounded by Lena's drive and creativity. The way she saw problems was so much like Kara. Nothing was incongruent if you were smart enough and creative enough to put the pieces together. Lena and Kara's friendship began to make more sense, and Alex's mental compartment for Lena continued to fracture at the seams, struggling to contain the image she held of Lena. Alex found herself reading Lena's messages and thinking of Lena's voice and intonation, trying to add the passion to the typed words that she was sure Lena had as she wrote them. The box continued to fracture. 

After two weeks of the constant Alexa reminders to see Lena, Alex caved and went to see Lena. She brought her coffee and doughnuts and they played chess for two hours before Alex got a call to head to the DEO urgently. 

The two women's texting relationship continued to grow, and Alex found herself waiting up at night for Lena's text that she left the office and made it home safely and would start to send messages when she knew Lena had been at work for ten or twelve or sixteen hours and needed to leave. Alex had also added a search parameter to her news headlines to include Lena Luthor and L Corp to Alexa's morning news report. Alex found Lena slipping more and more into her thoughts. Alex looked forward to the message she got from Lena each morning. It didn't usually come in until Alex had gotten to the DEO, but it was always playful, something she might have gotten from Kara if her sister were still here. 

<S> 

It had been another week and the Alexa reminders that Kara had set continued to go off. Sometimes they would mention James or Winn, but she seemed particularly set on Alex going to see Lena. Alex had not talked to Lena since their time together two weekends ago and was not sure Lena even wanted her company in person. Sure Lena texted with her, but she didn't invite Alex to over or to meet, or to do anything more than text. Alex did however comply and check in on Winn and James. They both missed Kara, of course, but they seemed to be doing well and had things that made them happy. 

"This reminder is for Alex - from Kara, 'happy Saturday Alex, there is a Ren Faire in town tomorrow. You should ask Lena to go. I love you, have fun."

Alex sat on her couch drinking coffee and thought about the Ren Faire's that she and Kara had gone to as kids. Kara had hated earth history in class and so Eliza had Alex take Kara to a Ren Faire to show her how fun history could be. Kara made comments the entire time about how 'medieval' humas were. Alex was resentful at having shared the Ren Faire with Kara just to have something she liked be made fun of for an entire day. The experience added to the resentfulness she felt toward Kara. The next day, Alex awoke to a renaissance dress splayed out on her bed. She eyed it and passed it up in favor of the bathroom and breakfast. 

Alex made it to the kitchen table in her sleeping shorts and tee shirt to find Kara in a paige's outfit and ready to go. 

"You're not going to wear that today are you?" Kara asked Alex genuinely. 

"Why are you dressed like that?" Alex asked as she sat for waffles. 

"Today is the jousting competition and axe throwing, and the all you can eat turkey legs, and the lady at the market said she would teach me how to write on 'ye olde English' if I came back today." Kara said eagerly while stuffing a syrup covered waffle into her mouth. 

"I thought your hated it, you made fun of it all day yesterday." Alex said with anger and confusion. 

"The man with the rats that did tricks said it was all in good fun. Was it not supposed to be funny?"

Alex huffed and looked desperately at her mother. 

"Kara rented a dress for you from the market. I thought you might like to show her how the games are played today." Eliza encouraged her daughter. 

"Fine." Alex had resigned and went to get ready. 

Alex and Kara had attended the Ren Faire every year until Alex went to college, and even then, Kara had come out one weekend to visit and drag Alex off to a Ren Fair in a near by town. They had only stopped going together a couple years ago when Kara had come out at Supergirl. They still talked about going and Alex had fond memories of their time together. 

Alex thought of asking Lena. She could just text her and see if she was interested, but she thought it would be better to read Lena's response in person. Maybe she could drop hints and see if it was something Lena would be interested in before asking her. 

Alex got on her bike and headed over to Noonan's. She picked up one of every doughnut with sprinkles and two black coffees and walked to Lena's office from the cafe. To her surprise, the guard stood to greet her this time and escorted her to the elevator without checking her name or calling Lena. The guard from the previous week ran the same routine, scanning his badge to open the elevator and scanning again to hit the top floor's button before stepping out and allowing the doors to close. 

Alex recognized that her breathing had become shallower and the coffee in her hand felt slightly heavier. She wasn't scared of heights or small spaces, why did her body react this way. She took a deep breath just as the elevator doors began to part. She took in the light that filled the room and withing a moment located Lena rising from behind her desk. 

"Alex. What a nice surprise." Lena greeted as she moved out from behind the white desk barrier and walked closer to Alex. 

"I thought I might bother you for another game." Alex said as she held out the white bag to Lena and a coffee marked with Lena's name and a heart in sharpie. Alex watched Lena's eyes take notice of the heart and decline to remark on it, so Alex offered no explanation. 

"That sounds like just what I need right now." Lena said taking the coffee and ushering Alex towards the couch. Lena opened the bag to find it full of sprinkle doughnuts and Alex watched as this time she chose one with a lavender glaze rather than the chocolate. "Did you get all sprinkle doughnuts?" Lena asked.

"I noticed they were your first choice last time." Alex said as she helped move the pieces about the board. She chanced a glance up at Lena who was staring right back at her. Alex went back to moving the pieces and when they were set, she picked up her own choice of doughnut. 

This time, Alex almost won one of the games and she thought Lena might have been going easy on her. She was learning by watching Lena play and was astounded at Lena's foresight and ability to read how Alex would react to certain moves. It was the most interesting game she had eve played, despite still not having won a single round. 

This time it was Lena who looked at the clock first and remarked on the time. "I have a call I need to take in twenty minutes."

"Of course." Alex said as she gathered her things. Alex couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment or rejection. She had hoped that their coffee may transition into whiskey as it had the time before, but no such luck.

This time when Alex found herself taking note of how Lena's neck curved into the fabric of her blouse or fixating on Lena's red lip stain for too long, she could not blame it on a buzz. She couldn't hide her sudden interest in the way Lena's belt wrapped itself around Lena's waist like Alex's hands could. And Alex could not dismiss the fact that she was interested, it was not substance induced. She could however continue to pass it off as grief from losing Kara and would hold on to that justification. This was Kara's best friend, Alex couldn't take her home and never talk to her again. It would crush Kara. A thought fleeted through her mind that it might crush her to do that, but Alex wasn't ready for that thought yet. 

"Are you busy tomorrow?" Lena asked before Alex had gotten more than a few feet away. 

Alex turned and looked at Lena, she didn't want the time to end either. "I was thinking of going to the Ren Faire. Do you want to come?" Alex asked. 

"That sounds lovely." Lena replied. 

Alex was embarrassed by the force of the smile that plastered itself across her face.  

"Pick you up at noon?" Alex asked. She felt confident and wanted to leave before she made a fool of herself. 

"Can we make it two, just in case?" Lena asked. 

"See you then." Alex said with her heart pounding in her chest as she let the elevator doors closed. 

<S>

Alex packed her costume in a backpack, hoping to change if Lena was into it, but she didn't want to be that person who came in costume when her date was in modern clothes. Date was a fine word, right, friends went on coffee dates, lunch date, day dates. There was nothing strange about that except she and Lena weren't friends. She wasn't sure they were rivals or acquaintances anymore, but friends didn't seem quite right either. 

This time before Alex shut the door, she prompted Alexa to set the alarms and Alexa responded, "This reminder is for Alex - from Kara, 'have fun on your date."

Alex hesitated in the door way. How did Kara know? Alex dismissed it and slung her bag strap over her jacket covered shoulders and shut the door. As she rode towards Lena, her thoughts wondered what kind of player Lena would be. Would she opt for something simple? Would she opt for an eccentric gown? Would she disguise herself? Alex arrived at the address Lena had texted her a few minutes early and found she didn't remember most of the ride, all she could remember was the mental image of Lena in a corset or with her hair pinned up in curls. Alex reminded herself once again, this is Kara's best friend. We are keeping each other busy while she's gone. We're both just lonely and she's pretty, that's all. 

Alex waited only another minute before she spotted Lena emerging from the building. She was in jeans and a tee shirt and Alex was relieved she chose to wear casual clothes. Lena looked amazing in her jeans and Alex couldn't help but notice as Lena approached the bike. 

"Hi." Lena greeted.

Alex swallowed heavily and Lena laid a hand on her hip and swung her leg over the bike. She pressed up next to Alex and Alex could feel the curves of Lena's body pressing against her back. 

"Hello." Alex finally got back out as she handed Lena a helmet to wear. 

Lena's hands snaked around Alex's stomach in an action that Alex felt was too intimate for warm acquaintances. Alex was probably just lost in the moment and revved the engine. 

"Hold on" Alex said as she began up the street and started gaining speed. Alex appreciated the way Lena's fingers fell lightly against her torso and moved with every bounce of the bike. Most of all, Alex appreciated the vibration of the bike and the gravity that brought Lena's hips closer to her own. The ride was over too quickly as Alex puled into the dirt parking lot and found a place pretty close to the entrance to park. The two women dismounted and headed towards the entrance. 

"I hope you don't mind, I put a costume on reserve. I wanted to get the full experience." Lena said with a shyness to her voice that had Alex forgetting her inhibitions. 

"I um, mine is in my bag." Alex confessed. 

"Oh, great!' Lena expressed with delight. "I'll uh, I'll meet you outside the changing rooms in ten?"

"Sounds good." Alex responded. 

Alex found a changing room and disrobed before putting on her own outfit. Her white tunic was a masculine cut, but the leather vest that went over it was a feminine cut that showed off her athletic build and that she had the curves of a woman. She strapped the leather across her stomach and fastened a couple belts. She pulled up her pants and fixed her hair in a more feminine arrangement. She admired her look in the changing room mirror and thought herself tough but also clearly a woman. She would be able to compete in a number of the activities this way and be comfortable all day. She was also surprised at her fixation with portraying her femininity in the outfit and had a striking revelation that she wanted Lena to find her attractive. Was Lena even into women? Why did Alex care? It was never going to happen. She shoved her clothes into her bag and checked her bag into a locker. 

When she turned around, she found Lena in a black hooded cape with the hood up and flowing waves coming out from the shadows. Alex was certain her heart had stopped. Lena's eyes remained focused on Alex's as she approached and Alex took in the sway of the fabric around Lena's body and the way her eyes pierced Alex's soul, but she could not move her eyes away from the luxuriousness of Lena's lips. Alex found herself growing uncomfortable in her pants and cursed her inability to separate a beautiful woman and her sister's best friend. 

"Wow, you look amazing." Alex said to Lena as she exaggeratedly took in Lena's appearance. 

Lena pulled back the hood and opened the cape to reveal the whole outfit to Alex. Lena's dress was cut with a heat stopping low v neck that put a pair of the most amazing breasts Alex had ever admired on display. The dress flowed into a gold corset and had beautiful patterns of gold all throughout. Lena's choice of jewelry played perfectly with the outfit and the dangling ear rings and head band did nothing but compliment Lena's undeniable beauty. 

"You like it?" Lena asked. "I didn't want to do too much."

Alex bowed, getting into character a little, "you put the sun to shame." Alex assured. 

Lena wrapped her arm through Alex's own and laid her hand on Alex's forearm. "Is ceol mo chroí thú." Lena said to Alex. 

"What does that mean?"

"You look very nice." Lena said though Alex noted the slight blush that rose upon Lena's cheeks and knew Lena had not spoken the truth of the statement. Alex would have to look it up later. 

"What would you like to do first?" 

Alex and Lena toured the craft booths and watched one of the small comedies that was being performed before heading to the sporting section of the faire grounds. Alex and Lena took turns throwing knives, axes, and shooting bows. Alex was impressed with Lena's ability to do everything with grace and precision and found herself staring more and more in awe of the woman next to her. Alex had felt a bit like showing off at these skills since she knew she could do well and was impressed when Lena entered them BOTH in the knife throwing and archery competition. Alex took first place in the knife throwing and Lena took first in archery. She was a natural Robin Hood. Lena confessed that she had fencing and archery lessons growing up and had an advantage going in. Alex was still impressed. Having direction and mastering a craft were light years apart and Lena was a master. 

The two women made a stop a the fortune teller's tent on their way to lunch. 

The fortune teller had the pair seated on soft pillows and with their cards laid out on the table before they had said a word. The woman made cryptic predictions and tossed runes and read the pair's palms. The two left in a fit of giggles as the woman had told them of their extensive relationship history and how they had danced around each other their entire lives. It had been easy for the scientists to dismiss the ramblings of the woman and still to pay her handsomely. 

Alex and Lena had enjoyed full glasses of port and enjoyed picking at the gigantic portions served at the lunch carts. The two women took in the joust before heading to the last show of the day, the comedy. The performer was very active and pulled the audience in at every opportunity. It appeared the jester had a particular interest in Lena and Alex felt a pang of protectiveness and jealousy whenever he would look over at her for too long or throw out flirtatious compliment to her. 

For his final game, he requested all the beautiful maidens of the land stand at center stage and challenged the remaining part of the crowd to woo the women from him in using only the most beautiful of arts: poetry. He explained that he would do his best to court the women through words and any challenger may approach to woo the lady. The winner would be identified by a kiss gifted from the lady to her chosen. 

Alex had stayed in her seat and crossed her arms in a huff at such a stupid and antiquated game. How patronizing. She was sure that Lena, a fellow scientist wouldn't consider participating in such ridiculousness. She turned to ask Lena if she wanted to depart early, but she found Lena staring right at her as she rose. Alex rose in response, that familiar tension crackling between them once again. Rather than turning to the back of the tent to exit, Alex watched Lena turn toward the stage and make her way forward. As Lena found her place at the end of the line on stage, Alex dropped back heavily into her seat.  

The jester paraded in front of the women, thrilled that his game has so many volunteers. He stopped in front of one of the women in a lovely lavender colored dress with a simple leather belt. He took her hand and took to a knee. 

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date."

Alex rolled her eyes at the unoriginality of the choice. The woman's husband, a middle aged but strong looking man who Alex suspected worked construction judging by his tan  lines and work jeans, stepped up to her and took her hand, pushing the jester out of place and spoke his attempted words of devotion. 

"What, a light through wonder's window breaks
It is facing East and you are my sun"

Alex winced at the butchering of the sonnet, but she watched the woman's face light up as she swooned and fell into her husband's arms. She kissed him with over flowing love and he picked her up and carried her away from the stage, both looking incredibly happy. Alex envied their joy for a moment. He may not have read poetry since high school but was able to recall at least something. She felt herself soften her judgement toward the man who knew how to win a woman's heart even when words failed him. 

The jester made a playful comment about having been bested but vowing to persevere. He stated his intent to leave with at least one fine lady on his arm this evening and winked at Lena before he stopped in front of a young girl, maybe 19 years old. Her boyfriend looked flabbergasted at the competition and Alex suspected he was here for her and had no idea where he was going to pull a poem from. 

"Come, my Celia, let us prove
While we may, the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever;"

The young boy replaced the jester on his knees and looked pleadingly at the woman in front of him. 

"Roses are red
Violets are blue
That jester is stupid
but I love you"

The woman laughed as the jester feigned insult and shooed them both off the stage for foul play. "More of your conversation would infect my brain, be gone."

The jester pranced in front of the remaining four women and one by one, challenged their counterparts to recite sweet words to their lovely ladies. It took another few minutes for him to finally arrive in front of Lena. He had saved her for last, all the other contestants choosing their matches from the audience. He knelt at Lena's feet and kissed the back of her hand before beginning his recitation. 

"Passions are liken'd best to floods and streams:
The shallow murmur, but the deep are dumb;
So, when affection yields discourse, it seems
The bottom is but shallow whence they come.
They that are rich in words, in words discover
That they are poor in that which makes a lover."

The jester stood facing the crowd and opened his arms in boastful challenge, "Who shall challenge me for her heart?"

Alex hated him. 

She rose to her feet and began to approach Lena, who stood still on the stage. Alex met Lena's eyes and began her own verse"

"It lies not in our power to love or hate,
For in us overruled by fate.
When two are stripped, long ere the course begin,
We wish that one should love, the other win;
And especially do we affect
Of two gold ingots, like in respect:
The reason no man knows; let it suffice
What we behold is censured by our eyes.
Where both deliberate, the love is slight:
Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?"

By the time Alex had finished the botched verse, she was stopped two feet in front of Lena and wondering where the words had come from, it's not like she had studied literature. She supposed everyone had read the big names at least. 

The Jester grabbed her shoulder and turned her from Lena. "A worthy opponent, yet I shall be remiss should I forsake my vow and leave but this place of merriment and festivity without my heartiest effort." The jester turned back to Lena and found his way once again between Alex and Lena. 

What feeling was bigger than hate? That is what she felt creeping up on her. 

"Come live with me and be my love, 
And we will all the pleasures prove, 
That valleys, groves, hills and fields, 
woods or steepy mountains yields."

Alex rolled her eyes and took her turn. 

"Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
Watching, with eternal lids apart,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

The jester stepped up once again, pretending to roll up his sleeves for battle before moving to the center of Lena's attention and took a knee, reaching up a hand out to her in offering, while the other lay across his pathetic heart that was full of himself and his pretentious performance that should have no one considering him as a romantic partner as far as Alex was concerned. There was no way Lena would be into this. A couple rehearsed lines from a third rate actor, why was Lena still even standing here? 

Alex looked up at Lena as she watched the jester and did not see her judgements reflected in Lena's eyes. Lena was humored? Alex was fuming, seething, felt like she was going to explode, and she had no idea why. What was happening to her?

"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night."

Alex was done with this game. 

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken; attempted
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd."