"You know…my mothers aren't going to be very happy with me if they find out I've skipped town to Metropolis rather than Opal City," Lena says as they comb through the LuthorCorp archives. "You still haven't told me what this has to do with Lex."
Lois thumbs through a document, smiling widely at the sight of its contents. "I've found it."
"Miss Lane," Lena's fingers curl around the folder and Lois looks up to see Lena looking at her with a serious expression. "Please tell me what the hell is going on, before I decide you've seen enough."
Lois regards the young woman. Only nineteen, yet there's power there in that gaze. Lois pushes the folder gently into Lena's grasp, nodding to it.
"That. Do you know the kind of things your father gets up to, Miss Luthor?"
"Miss Elliot, if you don't mind," Lena nods reluctantly, taking the folder and opening it. It takes a few pages before her brow furrows to the proper extent that Lois feels like it's time.
"That file pertains to Lex, Miss Elliot."
Lena immediately looks up with wide eyes. "But- but no, he's- they're not…I don't believe you. How- why would Lex want to be…"
Lois smiles gently, before taking back the file. "Ever had a friend with gender dysphoria before, Lena?"
"No, not- no. No, I don't think so." Lena shakes her head, allowing Lois the file. Tucking it into her handbag, Lois starts putting away the other boxes in the archives, knowing this was one of four paper copies of Lex's file in the entirety of the US. "Why are you taking it? The file, I mean."
"I'm a reporter, but even we know when info like this shouldn't be shared. Lex has already secured two other copies and the last one, well, that's up to you, actually." Lois looks to Lena, pitying her enough for a moment to pick up her coat, placing it on her shoulders. "Lex has been disallowed from Alex's study."
"Lionel's study," Lena corrects. Lois' lip twitches, knowing what Mr Luthor prefers to be called.
"Lex has been disallowed from Lionel's study, without Lionel present. You, however, do not have that restriction. Lex will be inviting you to see Lionel about his will, later this month. If you agree, Lex will hopefully create a significant-enough distraction that will remove both Lionel and Lex from the study. The fourth file is in the safe, under his desk."
"I have my own key code," Lena replies, still quite shocked. Lois takes her hand, leading her out of the archives. "Lex- Lex's was taken away, wasn't it? Deprogrammed from the safe."
"Right on the ticket," Lois squeezes her hand, nodding to the guard as they exit the store-room. "Enough of that though. Where are we going to have lunch, then? I'm thinking sushi."
"I'm allergic to shellfish."
"Not sushi, then," Lois hails a cab, leading Lena inside and directing the driver to go to Daily Planet HQ. "My friend, Jimmy – well, he's more my intern, but he's a brilliant photographer and I know he's going places, if I can convince Perry to get him a place – he'll be taking the file for us to a safe location."
"That safe location being…"
"His apartment. He's got this kid that he adopted when his mother was killed in a diner robbery and Marcus is just amazing, I have to say, very innovative and Marcus, he's got a panelled room and there's a compartment. It's like being spies, hiding things there," Lois grins a little, getting a twitch from Lena before squeezing her hand one last time and letting go, holding onto her handbag.
"How do you know Lex, then?" Lena questions hesitantly, "You must be…close, if he entrusted this to you."
"We're soulmates," Lois reveals in mutter, eyeing the driver. "By any chance, do you know Metropolis geography?"
"A little, why?"
Lois glances out the window. "The route to the Daily Planet involves some busy streets, but not busy enough that we'd have to make a detour and LuthorCorp is close enough that there aren't that many alternative routes in the first place. Stay calm and don't do anything rash, but, well…I do think we're being abducted."
"Holy shit," Lena breathes shakily, before reaching for her phone.
"Lena, whoever you're contacting-"
"Lex never found out, I think, but basically, the second woman I call mother isn't from this planet. Aliens are real and I've got four on speed-dial."
Lois…doesn't really know what to say to that, but doesn't question it when their taxi is abruptly stopped by a windswept police-officer who Lena certainly seems to recognise.
"That's not the Metropolis uniform," Lois mutters to Lena as the cop shows the driver her ID, getting him out of the car before letting a young black man knock him out squarely. Lois eyes him carefully as he tugs the man over his shoulder.
"Where do we put him, Mags?"
"Well, I've only just graduated cop school, so, yeah, I don't know. I suppose we could call Metropolis PD…"
"Ask for Officer Bell," Lois interjects as she and Lena exit the vehicle. "Say Lois Lane nearly got abducted again and he'll be here quick as a flash."
"Good," 'Mags' nods, before looking to Lena as she gets out the taxi. "Lena."
"Hi," Lena comes over, more nervous than Lois would have guessed, considering they seem to know each other. "It's- it's nice to hear your voice, Maggie."
"Yeah, it is."
There's an odd silence, before the man coughs politely, "Excuse me, but what do I do with the unconscious person? I can't exactly fly him to the nearest station."
"Uh, yeah, right," Maggie gets out a cell, Lois giving her the number for the MPD. Within half an hour, Lois is at the Daily Planet, giving Jimmy the file with Lena and the man – who goes by the name of 'Kal-El' – at her shoulder.
"I'll tell Lex," she says firmly, "You just get this home." She pauses as she sees him staring over her shoulder at Kal-El, who seems rather confused at the attention. "Jimmy. Olsen. James Olsen, what is the matter with you?" She waves her hand in front of his eyes, causing him to jolt.
"Uh, oh, sorry, Miss Lane, it's just…"
"Oh my," Lena mutters, before hitting Kal-El lightly. "This is where being an alien does not help in the slightest." Kal-El gives her a slightly confused look before Jimmy coughs, holding out his hand awkwardly.
"Alien, wow, uh, that explains some things? Sorry, I'm Jimmy, Jimmy Olsen-" Kal-El shakes his hand, still confused, before Jimmy continues on "-and I'm your soulmate?"
Lois raises her eyebrows, watching the alien man blink and blink before finally letting out a shaky, "Oh."
"Not to interrupt," Lois breathes in deep, knowing for certain that she was interrupting something special, "but Lex's safety is on the line and I'd prefer it if Jimmy got that file out of the way."
"Good idea," Lena says, before tugging Kal-El away. "You have to get Maggie back to National City and you have to pretend you never saw me, got it?"
Kal-El frowns adorably, nodding slowly at the Elliot. "Okay…why?"
"It doesn't matter. But if they ask, I'm in Opal City, not Metropolis, got it?" Lena glares and Kal-El immediately puts up his hands.
"Fine, got it, you're in Opal City with Adam and Jack."
"No, not with Adam and Jack, with my friend Emily," Lena purses her lips, glancing over to where MPD are talking with Officer Sawyer. Lois watches the interaction with brief amusement before looking to Jimmy pointedly. He nods quickly, disappearing into the crowd after one last, long look at Kal-El.
"You certainly have interesting friends," Lois draws Lena's attention back to her as Kal-El goes over to Maggie, ignoring how Lena looks like she wants to go over with him. "Would you like to see Lex?"
Lena pauses, "He's here? In Metropolis?"
"Well, he isn't in National City, that's for certain. Lionel is in NYC, so it should be okay to go visit him. He is at Luthor Manor, however. Is that okay for you?" Lois eyes Lena, who hesitates again before nodding. "Good. Let's go."
The taxi they take to Luthor Manor isn't driven by someone about to abduct them – Lois will be finding out which of her enemies had hired the one that tried – but it is severely silent. Lena's nerves are palpable and even Lois feels jittery by the time she steps foot on the freshly-polished floors of the Manor.
"Lois? Who's that with you?" Lex questions from the shadows, clearly there but hard to see. "Is that…"
"Lex," Lena waves awkwardly to her brother. "H-hello."
"It's been a while since you two have seen each other, yes?" Lois questions.
"Yes, several years, in fact. Lena was…fifteen. She came to stay with father and I for the holidays. She went back home to her mothers after crying her heart out over how we'd refurbished her room as a guest bedroom."
"If you refurbished my room, I would cry," Lois points out, getting a shrug from Lex before she steps out of the shadows. By Lena's loud gasp, the differences have registered.
Lois remembers when she first met Lex – he'd been tall, lean and predominantly arrogant, head shaved to match his fathers, the broad shoulders of his suit making him look as if he were dressing in his fathers clothes. Now, Lex looks as she should. Hair a moderate length – short, but curled and styled in a clearly feminine way – and her nails and makeup sublime, she looks feminine, even in the male clothes her father forces her to buy.
"You know, I've said you can use my things."
"Father would throw them out," Lex sniffs, eyeing her pencil skirt and blazer, "and I am not certain we share the same fashion sense. I am far more interest in wearing trousers, for one. You don't own a single pair of jeans."
"Untrue," Lois argues, knowing there were a pair in…Lex's drawers. "He threw them out, didn't he?"
"To be more accurate, Marian threw them out, on his orders," Lex walks forwards, straightening her shirt as much as she can without dislodging the buttons. "I don't know why he won't let me at least get properly fitted oxford shirts, however – with breasts, wearing men's shirts is downright absurd."
"Why is he doing this to you?" Lena's stricken voice echoes through the entrance hall, before she basically flings herself at Lex, wrapping both her arms round her. Lex, not expecting the comfort, stays absolutely still. Lois watches in amusement for about two seconds, then sees the patch of blood on the bottom of Lex's shirt and stalks forwards.
"Lena, get off her, she's burst a stitch." Lena moves back as if burned, arms up in the air as Lois untucks Lex's shirt properly – oh, I should have noticed immediately, she's such a fusspot, she would have never let it stay half-tucked normally – revealing the weeping scars from her surgeries, stitches indeed burst. "Has your father barred your doctor entry?"
"No, thankfully. I'm waiting for her, actually. I didn't expect you to come."
"We got the file," Lena adds, voice trembling, "Jimmy-"
"Don't say anything inside this house about that again," Lex cuts her off, eyes blazing. "Father makes it difficult enough. Don't give him ammunition."
"I'm sorry," Lena lowers her hands finally, hugging herself lightly. "You could have come to us."
"And be cut out of father's will? There's a reason that I'm arranging a meeting later this month – your part in it is just a bonus, if you decide to attend. Father thinks I'm not worthy, now. You'll be inheriting more than just the Elliot's money."
"I don't care about the money," Lena reaches over, taking Lex's hand as Lois drops Lex's shirt again, holding her hand over the open wounds, blood immediately soaking into the shirt. "Had you always felt…dysphoric?"
"Yes, though I didn't understand it when I was younger. I've been seeing a private psychiatrist and a therapist, also. Each have helped me in their own ways and quickly, I came to the conclusion that I am not male. Do you understand that, Lena?"
"You're my sister," Lena replies, before straightening her back. "You're my sister, Lex."
Lex eyes her for a short while, looking to Lois afterwards. "What is your impression of her?"
"I think you shouldn't be so rude to your sister, Lexanne."
"Lexanne?" Lena questions.
Lex inclines her head. "My legal name change, from Lionel Alexander. Lexanne Lori Luthor. Lex, however, is still my preferred alias. Lois just calls me Lexanne to make her point clear."
"Mmm…" Lena locks her fingers with Lex's, just as the doorbell rings. "I'll get that."
As Lena goes to the door, Lois looks up at Lex, murmuring, "I think you should go with her, to stay with Lillian and Lara."
"What? That's absurd, living with- with them. Lillian didn't fight for me. I'm not going to crawl for her for help."
"You don't have to crawl, you just have to say hello and ask for a place to stay. She's your mother. What could go wrong?"
"Never say that," Lex mutters, before Lena returns with the doctor, who immediately hurries them to the nearest chaise lounge. As Lex begins to be checked over and stitched up once more, Lois steps back, looking to Lena.
"If I knocked her out, would you abduct her to your mother's house?"
Lena glances at Lois, frowning. "Does he- she. Does she need to be abducted?"
"If you don't abduct me, I'm not coming," Lex replies for Lois, who sends her soulmate a fond look, to which Lex rolls her eyes. Lena lets out a small chuckle, before shaking her head.
"I'll call Kal-El again, he can take Lex to the Alien Ranch."
"Alien Ranch?" Lex scoffs, even as Lois raises an eyebrow. "Why do you call it that?"
"That's for us to know and you to find out," Lois can't help but tease, before looking to Lena again. "Am I invited too?"
"If you can find us," Lena flashes a grin that reminds Lois so much of Lex.
Lois thinks made the right decision, trusting this one.