intohervagenda - Can you do a one shot on how Lexington finds out that Kara is supergirl?
Alright, so I've had several requests for this one, and I've had it planned out in my head for a while, but I finally got around to writing it this weekend.
Honestly, my head is still spinning from finale spoilers, so I hope it's at least decent! As always your comments are my life!
Also, this chapter delves a little bit more into Autistic Lexi, and even though I've known I'm autistic for a while, I'm still learning more everyday and I'm always excited to hear y'alls thoughts!
The day starts out like any other.
They have a routine down, one that makes things a little easier on everyone, especially Lexi.
They wake up without a fuss, to puppy kisses and sleep tousled hair. They eat breakfast, (oatmeal, because it's the only relatively healthy thing that both Kara and Lexi will eat in the mornings). They get dressed, Lena in her most intimidating power suit, because some of the board members seem to think she's gone soft since becoming a mother and that is simply not the case; and Kara and Lexi in almost matching oxford sweaters. Their braids are even matching today, and Lena forces them into a mini photoshoot that's quickly texted out to Alex and J'onn. Purses and a miniature Supergirl backpack are distributed and the dogs are put on leashes and then Luthor-Danvers clan is out the door.
The walk to school is always one of Lena's favorite parts of the day, with Lexi usually skipping along, stopping to ask questions occasionally about various objects - "Mama, what's in that building?", "What kind of tree is that?", "Why can Supergirl fly?"; she's heard mothers complain about their children asking constant questions, but it's taken so long for Lexi to feel comfortable enough to talk to them, that Lena isn't about to stop her now.
Today, however, is a silent day, with Kara holding Lexi as they walk so she can stare up at the skyscrapers without having to stumble along. At first Lena had tried to protest them carrying Lexi still, because all the parenting books had said things about 'impeding development' and 'coddling'; but Kara had insisted because "Lee, she's tiny, it's not like she's heavy! Besides, we're making up for all the cuddling she didn't get at the orphanage!" And who is Lena to argue with that? Because the thought of their little girl sitting at the orphanage all alone makes her tear up a little bit, even now; and the feeling of Lexi's warmth hugged tight makes her feel like she's being the mother she never had, (she can't remember Lillian ever holding her. So Lena doesn't do anything but smile when Kara catches the little girl up mid-stride, it's adorable, and it will make Lexi's day a little easier.
When they finally reach the school, Lexi heads into the classroom with two hugs and barely a word, leaving Lena with a worried feeling.
"You think she'll be okay?"
"The city is a little loud today." Kara offers, passing Lena's free hand through the crook of her elbow. "She's probably just a little overwhelmed. But the school is pretty soundproof."
Lena cocks her head, trying to listen.
Traffic is a little heavy, and if she strains, she can hear the sound of construction work in the distance. She wonders briefly what it must sound like to Lexi with her tendency to have sensory overload, or Kara, with her super hearing; but then the sound of a siren breaks through her thoughts.
Kara tenses up beside her, and she knows her wife is judging the situation.
"Go," she nudges softly, "Don't forget school lets out thirty minutes early today."
"I won't, I'll try to bring lunch by if Cat doesn't insist on completely changing layouts last minute again."
She starts to make some quip about how she hopes 'The Queen' is in a good mood today when soft lips press against hers and all hope of coherent thought is lost. Soft hands cup her cheeks and fingers loosely thread in her hair. It's quick, and chaste, but it still leaves her a little breathless as she opens her eyes to watch Kara power walk towards the nearest alley.
She stares until she sees the blur of color shoot towards the sky, ignoring the people bustling around her. She swells with pride, and tugs the dogs toward L-Corp.
If she were a whistler, she would definitely be whistling a happy tune today.
Her morning is full of meetings, one right after the other - spaced only by Jess' mini-briefings. It's a little overwhelming, and she desperately wishes for a few minutes to herself, but it's the only way she can make it home by six, and making it home by six is definitely worth it.
Her eleven o'clock appointment is a skeevy old man who reminds her of some of Lionel's old business partners - she makes a note to have Jess buy up his stock under an alias, the last thing she needs is to have her company associated with the likes of him. Once again, she's grateful for Mac's presence, people tended to stay in line with an intimidating looking Doberman snoring in the corner.
Mr. Conner is in the middle of a rant about why he thinks L-Corp should invest in petroleum energy versus solar energy when the door to her office opens. She half expects it to be Kara, coming to rescue her from this horrible meeting, but instead it's Jess, a concerned look on her face.
"Mrs. Luthor-Danvers, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Lexington's school is on the phone. They insist that they need to speak with you right away."
The urge to sigh with relief over having an excuse to end this meeting early is outweighed by the sudden panic rising in her throat. She turns to her guest.
"I'm apologize for cutting our meeting short, but I have to take this."
Mr. Conner looks like he's about to say something derogatory when Mac lets out a soft growl. She swears that dog has a sixth sense for these things.
"Very well, I trust that you'll take what we've spoken about into consideration."
It's only years of training that enables her to keep a tight lipped smile.
"Of course." She nods politely, waiting for him to leave the office before reaching for the phone on her desk.
"This is Lena Luthor-Danvers speaking."
"Mrs. Luthor-Danvers, there's a bit of a problem."
"What kind of problem?" She asks tersely, and she can hear the phone creak under her grip.
"Lexington has disappeared."
Her heart catches in her throat.
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
"There was a short blackout, and when the power was restored, Lexington was unaccounted for."
Every alarm bell in her head goes off, just as she looks up to see several intruders in black tactical gear and masks enter the room behind Jess. One of them slams a gun into her secretary's head, sending her sprawling and another one steps toward Lena.
"Hang up the phone."
She hesitates.
"Now, now," A low voice threatens. "If you don't want anything to happen to your daughter, you'll come without a fight."
The whole thing has Lillian Luthor written all over it, and she feels a swell of hate towards her adoptive mother.
Of course things had been going too smoothly.
"I'll come willingly, just promise you won't hurt her." she reasons, dropping the handset back into its cradle.
The intruder laughs.
"This is too easy, Lillian was right about the kid. "
Her heart clenches at the mention of Lexi, and she wants nothing more than to lash out at these idiots, but she swallows down her fury, knowing it will get her nowhere. She debates hitting the hidden panic switch on her bracelet but thinks better of it. If Kara shows up then she'll take the kidnappers out, sure, but then they'll have no link to Lexi.
Her captors step forward and she extends her hands slowly, bracing for the cuffs. Really she's been kidnapped so many times that at this point she almost has a routine.
Only this time it's different.
This time they have Lexi.
This time there's more at stake than just her life, or even Kara's life. Kara is practically invulnerable, Kara is a superhero, a savior; but Lexi. . .
Her mind flashes back a few hours to when Lexi was staring at her latest Supergirl book over breakfast, sleep-cowlicked hair sticking straight up - oatmeal dribbling onto her pajamas.
She remembers the wonder on Lexi's face as she gazed up at National City's skyscrapers, chin bouncing against Kara's shoulder as they walked along.
She remembers the fierce hug, the tiny arms tight around her neck as Lexi bid her goodbye at school.
"I love you, Mama."
"I love you too, Ma Chroi, be good."
She never thought the day would end up like this, and she'll be damned if something bad happens to Lexi because of her family name. She feels the adrenaline pound in her chest, and she feels like she could rip apart mountains if protecting Lexi called for it.
Only there are no mountains, and now is not the the time.
So instead she forces herself to remember all the important things that Alex has taught her over the years.
Deep breaths, steady hands, look at everything, remember everything - you never know when it might be important.
The zip-tie cuffs are too tight around her wrists, digging painfully into her skin, but she has little time to focus on that because there's the sound of a helicopter outside her window and she's being pushed towards the balcony door. She's pulled up inside the chopper, and she feels a wave of relief when they drop a dark bag over her head. It's a good sign, hopefully one that means they don't intend to kill her or they wouldn't care if she saw where she was going or not.
It's still suffocating and claustrophobic though, and she feels a wave of nausea wash over her. She fights it down, trying to focus on what will happen once they get where they're going.
Lexi could already be dead.
The thought slams into her from out of nowhere, and she feels the panic rise anew.
There's no real reason for Lillian to keep her daughter alive, to her, Lexington is no doubt even more expendable than Lena.
But there's also no reason for Lillian to kill her, and surely she must realize that killing Lena and Kara's daughter will only serve to bring down the wrath of the entire DEO - something she surely does not want.
That calms her, because Lillian is evil, but she is a calculating sort of evil and she doubts the repercussions of killing Supergirl's daughter are worth the gain.
It's a short ride, and she supposes there's no need for them to fly around in circles to throw her off, because she has no idea where they're headed anyway. It's too loud and the turbulence is too shaky, and she finds herself wondering if they took Lexi in a helicopter as well, and if so, how the little girl fared.
She finds herself being dragged, stumbling out of the chopper and onto steady ground, her legs still wobbly from the flight. The darkness covering her eyes does nothing to calm her, but she forces herself to focus her other senses. She smells salt, and rotten fish past the stale of the bag, and she thinks they must be at the docks, or at least the west side of town. She runs through all of the DEO camera access points, wondering if Winn can see her right now. She wonders if anyone even knows she's missing, and she hopes desperately that they won't rush into anything if they do - at least for Lexi's sake.
There's the sound of metal clanging and creaking and she can feel the air change as she shoved along. They're inside now, probably a shipping container or an office building - the ground feels solid, so she doesn't think it's a ship; although she can be certain since she doesn't really have her land legs back.
Her captors are silent, only the stern hand on her shoulder guiding her along. Eventually they come to a stop, and the bag is yanked roughly from her head; leaving her blinking into the sudden light.
Lexi is the first thing she notices and she stifles a sob at the sight of the little girl sitting in a folding chair. She doesn't look any the worse for wear, from what Lena can tell- chewing nervously on one of the stim keychains Winn had made for her, fingers flitting over the Supergirl book in front of her. She's grateful that Lexi seems completely absorbed, she doesn't want this to be any more traumatic than it has to be. Everything inside of her screams at her to move closer, but her wrists are still bond, and she doesn't want to risk Lillian's wrath.
"Now, now, what kind of family reunion is this if she's all tied up, I thought I told you to release her cuffs when you got here. She's not going anywhere, she's too much a sap to leave without this one." Lillian's hand flicks towards Lexi and Lena fights the urge to say something sharp and biting because this is about more than just her now.
There's a moment of fumbling and wrists are yanked tight before there's a low pop and she's free, blood rushing painfully back to her fingertips.
"Speaking of my granddaughter . . ." Lillian glides over to where Lexi is sitting, brushing a hand over her hair.
"She's not your granddaughter."
Lillian just laughs, and the sound sends a tremor down Lena's spine.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"If you hurt her . . ." She can't bring herself to finish the sentence, because she does't know exactly what she'll do if Lexi is hurt, doesn't really want to think about it.
"Oh, don't worry, you and . . . Lexington? Is it? Are just bait. You'll be released just as soon as I get what I want."
Lena grits her teeth.
"Which is?"
Lillian smirks in that awful way she always had when Lena just wasn't quite good enough to live up to her standards.
"Really, haven't we been over this before? I thought even you would realize that I will not rest until I have rid this planet of it's Kryptonian menace."
"Oh I'm well aware, I just would have thought you might have moved on to more achievable goals." Lena tilts her chin in defiance.
"Things are different now, this time . . . " Lillian trails off, fingers reaching out for Lexi's braid.
"Don't touch her." Her voice is low and threatening, and even Lillian must hear it, because she backs away.
"Nevertheless. It will all be over soon."
"She doesn't even know where I am." She's fishing, digging, and Lena hopes desperately it pays off.
"A bottom layer of inter-connected shipping containers, lead-lined, of course, so no pesky Super heroes can see inside. No on notices that these containers never leave the dock, and those who are easily coerced into looking the other way, it's amazing what money can do, really."
"Then let me call her, you know she'll come."
"Ohh, and risk you two having some sort of secret code? You may not be Lex, but surely even your smart enough to think of that?"
She steps closer and Lena makes a a conscious effort to stay put, even as Lillian reaches out for her hand. Slowly, her wrist is pulled up to eye level as Lillian studies her bracelet.
"Now, where . . . is it?" Lillian's fingers trail along her wrist, and she feels the hair on the back of her neck prickle. "Ah, this should do it."
There's no sound, nothing changes, but Lena knows without a doubt that Kara and the entire DEO know her exact location. Lillian drops her wrist and steps past her to the door.
"All that's left now is to wait. Hopefully it won't take long, and you can still make it home for dinner."
Bile rises in Lena's throat and her only hope is that Alex is able to hold Kara back from rushing in head first. Not a good chance, all things considered.
"Make yourself at home." is Lillian's parting jab, and then she's gone, dragging her goons with her.
She's alone with Lexi now, and she rushes over, kneeling down beside Lexi's chair.
"Are you alright?" Lena whispers softly, trying not to startle her.
Lexi looks up at her slowly, eyes red-rimmed and and her face blotchy from crying.
"Hey, come here, do you want a hug?" Touching usually isn't an issue, but it's best to ask, especially after the drama of the day
Lexi nods carefully before sliding off the chair and into Lena's lap. She isn't sure how long they stay like that before she realizes that her own cheeks are wet and Lexi has finally stopped shaking in her arms. She presses a kiss to Lexi's temple and holds her back to look her over.
"Are you hurt?"
Lexi shakes her head before throwing herself back into Lena's arms.
"Jus' loud."
"Aww, I know, Ma Chroi, it's alright. It's alright." She stands up as carefully as she can, Lexi still clinging to her - though the sniffles have stopped.
A quick observation of the room tells her exactly what she was afraid of, no windows, and only one door.
There's no way out except the way they came in.
She stares at the walls, thinking longingly of all the prototypes sitting in her R&D lab that would be so useful right now. But instead she has nothing, no weapons, no tech, hell she doesn't even have any bobby pins. The room itself is practically empty - a table, some chairs, a few water bottles - nothing of any use. Lexi's backpack is on the table but she know there's nothing in it besides its bulletproof lining, a pack of peanut butter crackers, a few books, and a GPS transponder.
She grits her teeth. There has to be a way out of this.
The sound of the door opening behind her makes her jump, and Lexi shifts to look with her. It's one of Lillian's lackeys and she feels her stomach set on edge when he motions her forward.
"Follow me."
"Why should I?"
"Do you have a choice?"
He has a point, and she reaches for Lexi's backpack before motioning towards the hallway.
"Lead the way."
He doesn't much, well anything really, as he leads her down a deserted corridor, taking several twists and turns before they come to a stop. They haven't seen a single soul and she feels a gnawing feeling in her gut.
"Your brother says hello." He says, reaching back his fist, and she braces for impact only to have him slam it in the wall. A door pops open, and sunlight floods in, washing the dingy shipping container in a warm yellow glow.
She stares confusedly.
"Lex sent-"
"There's really no time Ms. Luthor, I suggest you and your daughter get to safety. This whole place is rigged to blow in about forty seconds."
She doesn't ask how he knows that - couldn't even if she wanted to, because he disappears as soon he finishes his sentence. Instead, she readjusts Lexi as best she can and takes off, running clumsily towards the end of the row of containers. The sunlight is beating down, glancing off the pavement and straight into her eyes and she can't even see what she's running towards. There's a blur of people, and she desperately hopes they're dock workers and not Lillian's people.
"Lena!"
It's a voice that makes her want to fall to her knees in relief, but she can't stop running because 'rigged to blow' can mean any number of things, and she isn't sure what the blast radius is because she doesn't know if they used C-4, or dynamite, or gasoline. She can feel the explosion as it begins shaking the ground behind her and she stumbles, only to have strong arms catch her up and Kara's cape wrap around them.
She feels the shockwaves as they ripple through Kara's body and she clutches Lexi tightly to her chest. The heat of the flames likes the air around them and she's grateful first hand for the heat proofing work she and Winn had put into the latest version of the suit.
She doesn't realize that Kara is moving them until her feet touch back down on the ground. She's shaking like a leaf, and Kara gently pries Lexi from her arms, settling the little girl on one shoulder and pulling Lena into the other.
"Hey, you're safe, you're safe."
Agents and police bustle around them but they stay still until Lena's heart rate is back to normal and her legs aren't shaking. She pulls back slowly, taking in the worry in Kara's eyes and the way Lexi's fists are clenched in a death grip on Supergirl's cape.
Not the ideal way to meet one's hero to be sure.
And she's sure Kara is glad to be here, but she can see that she wants to be here as Lexi's mother and not just the resident Superhero, and there is still a shipping container on fire behind them.
She reaches out a hand to Lexi's back.
"Come here, Ma Chroi, Supergirl has more people to save."
Kara makes to to hand the little girl over to Lena but Lexi only clutches her tighter.
Lexi's voice is muffled in Kara's shoulder, and Lena's ears are ringing from the explosion.
She almost doesn't catch it.
"No! Mommy, don't go!"
She's sure the look of shock on Kara's face matches her own.
Kara tugs Lexi back gently, pain filling her eyes as she takes in Lexi's tear streaked face.
"Nothing gets past you, huh, little one?"
Lexi shakes her head, fingers reaching down to trace the House of El crest.
"This has to be our little secret, okay? You can't tell anyone."
"Not even Aunt Alex?"
Lena cant help but laugh through her tears, of course Lexi's first concern is sharing with her favorite aunt.
"Nah, kiddo, I know all the good secrets already." A voice sounds behind them and Lexi turns, the most excited she's seemed all day.
"Aunt Alex!"
"Hey, kiddo, let's let your mom go put out this fire while we go play with some cool scanners, okay?"
Lexi thinks about it for a moment before turning back to Kara.
"Promise you'll come back?"
"Faster than a speeding bullet." Kara promises solemnly, and that seems to satisfy Lexi because she leans into Alex's arms.
"Come on, Brainiac, you need to get checked out too." Alex insists, leading her towards one of the DEO ambulances as Kara shoots off.
Alex has barely gotten started with her scans when Lena catches sight of Kara speed walking up in the clothes she had been wearing that morning, press badge dangling from her neck.
She catches Lena up in a tight hug before leaning over Alex to press a kiss to Lexi's forehead. Once they're satisfied that Lexi is more than happy to help Alex with her checkup, Kara pulls her off to the side.
"So what was that, exactly? I got a call from Lexi's school saying she had disappeared and then not five minutes later your alarm signal goes off? And then we track you here and you're running from an explosion?"
"Lillian. She captured us to get to you; only Lex let us out, and I'm assuming he was behind the explosion."
"Lex?" Kara's eyes dart around the dock, "Is he here?"
"No, I don't think so, it was one of his soldiers."
"How do you know?"
"He broke us out and led me to the outside and said 'You're brother says hello'."
"What do you think it means?"
"I don't know." Lena shakes her head. "But to be fair, my brain is a little fried."
"Well, you're safe now, that's all that matter, we can figure out the rest later."
"Is Lillian . . . " She gestures towards the smoldering pile of rubble where Lillian's outpost had once been.
"I couldn't tell, there was too much debris, it'll probably be a few days before we can sort everything out."
Lena shivers, and Kara's arm wraps around her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Honestly? I don't know. I was scared, for Lexi, and whatever trap they were setting for you. . . "
"You know what will make you feel better?"
"What?"
"Finding Nemo and hot chocolate."
"Yeah?"
"Oh yeah, proven cure for all bad days." Kara says confidently and Lena can't help but laugh, tugging her wife around the ambulance just in time to see Lexi talking Alex in a Lollipop AND a sticker.
"Everything checks out," Alex reassures them, setting Lexi down on the ground and waving Lena up. "You're next!"
"I'm fine!"
"Lee!" Kara starts and she immediately acquiesces because she knows that tone; it's one she's used a hundred different times on Kara after battles.
She sits back and lets Alex poke and prod her until she's satisfied there's no permanent damage.
"Do you want a sticker, or a lollipop?"
"So she gets both and I have to pick?"
Kara and Lexi giggle at that, and Alex groans before passing Lena a lollipop and pressing a brightly colored smiley face onto her shoulder.
"Happy?"
"Ecstatic!" She winks at Lexi and clambers out of the ambulance, groaning as she takes in the sight of dozens of reporters lingering around the police perimeter.
"Maureen should be here any minute with the car." Kara reassures her, "And Jess already arranged for James come and pick up the dogs and take them home."
"Jess!" She suddenly remembers the sight of her unconscious assistant.
"Is fine, a minor concussion and a nasty bruise."
She feels some of the tension ease from her shoulders, making a mental note to give Jess another raise.
Tomorrow, there will be questions from reporters and phone calls from worried investors, and a long talk with Lexi about Supergirl; not to mention the hours spent tinkering with security systems; but for now, she's alive and Lexi's alive, Kara's safe.
For tonight, that's enough.
And if she drinks two cups of hot chocolate and cries when Marlin finds Nemo?
Well, no one but Kara is awake to notice anyway.