A/N

Lena was hoping to have a peaceful night at home, however the peaceful night was ruined by a unexpected visitor. I know Lilian is always seen as a villain but I wanted Lena to have someone in her corner.

Chapter Two

After her latest encounter with Kara Danvers, Lena spent the rest of the day thinking about the young blonde. She sat through three meetings, humming in agreement, and nodding every now and again. Staff meetings was one of the worst parts of her job, well after marking that was. She then had one class to get through before she could head home for the day. The class was usually pretty empty as it was the last lecture of the day for most of her students. She was rather exhausted by the time the start of class rolled around and sent the five students' home, she made up some story about having a migraine. She wasn't entirely sure if they believed her, but she didn't really care, nobody was going to argue with her, after all they probably wanted an early finish too. She packed up her desk, headed out of the lecture hall and towards the carpark. She climbed into her car and made the 30-minute journey home, she wasn't in the house five minutes before she let her hair down, kicked off her heels, unhooked her bra and changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt. She was halfway through layering her lasagne when the kitchen door came flying open and in bounced a very hyper little girl followed by her brother.

"Aunty Lena, I missed you today."

Lena leaned down and pulled her niece into her arms.

"I missed you too monkey. How was your afternoon with Syd?" she asked.

"It was good, we went to the park, for ice cream and then we went horse riding" Riley answered.

"Wow, that sounds like you had a busy day. Arlo, how was school?"

"Fine" he sighed.

"What's the matter?" She questioned.

"Nothing."

Arlo dropped his school bag on the table and stormed out of the kitchen. A few seconds later Riley followed him, and Lena was left alone and confused. She heard the front door open and close, she hurried out into the hallway to find someone she wasn't expecting.

"Lex, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Last time I checked I paid for this house and I've come to see my children. Arlo, Riley get down here and give your father a hug" he called.

"Lex, you've been gone 14 months, you can't just turn up now because you feel like it. I want you out of my house now" she ordered.

"Lena, I've gotten help and I want to come home to my family. I've missed so much of my children's lives and I want to make it up to them" he sighed.

Lena was trying her best to hold it together, she was trying to be strong, but he was still her brother and Riley's and Arlo's father after all.

"Lex, yes they are your children but the day you left them on my doorstep with not even a note, they became my responsibility. You can't just waltz back in and act as if nothing has happened. You went to prison for killing their mother, I have no idea why you aren't still there, but you can't just turn up."

"Money gives people power and I have a lot of it so therefore it makes me immensely powerful. They found Rebecca's real killer and I was acquitted" he scoffed.

Lena didn't believe for one second that someone else killed Rebecca, but she knew how persuasive her brother could be and he no doubt paid someone to confess.

"You can't come here and demand to see Arlo and Riley. Riley was a baby when you left, she doesn't even remember you. I'm the closest thing she has to a parent and I'm telling you that you aren't getting within two foot of those children" she snapped.

His hand was inches from her face when he heard four excited feet come jumping down the stairs.

"Daddy, your home, I've missed you."

Lex picked up Arlo, spun him around and placed him on the floor.

"Come here Princess."

Riley snuck behind Lena's leg, pulling them apart enough to peer at Lex.

"Aunty Lena, who's that?" she mumbled.

"Don't be stupid Riley, that's daddy" Arlo defended.

Riley yanked on Lena's leg and she knew her niece was feeling very overwhelmed. Lena pulled Riley up into her arms and Riley nestled her face into Lena's neck.

"Lex this is a lot, I think it's important to take things slowly."

Riley and Arlo had been through so much in their short lives and she didn't want to allow Lex to bulldoze into their lives and then leave again.

"Daddy, are you staying for dinner?" Arlo asked.

"No, your father is only popping in and then he's leaving again" Lena explained.

"Please stay Daddy, I've really missed you, please, please "Arlo begged.

Lex picked up Arlo, carried him into the kitchen and placed him on the counter. Lena took a few seconds to compose herself and then she followed with Riley.

Lena didn't want him here, but she knew Arlo would see her as the villain if she denied Lex access to him. Lena popped Riley onto the counter next to her brother.

"Fine, he can stay for dinner and then he has to go" she breathed.

Dinner, bath and a bedtime story please" Arlo pleaded.

"Fine" she sighed.

"Thank you. It will be nice to have a family meal just the four of us."

The tap of high heels sounded on the kitchen floor.

"I think you mean the five of us."

Lena spun around and was greeted by her mother.

"Mother, you didn't tell me you were coming to visit."

Lillian closed the gap between them, embraced Lena and kissed her cheek.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

Lena gently nodded, kissed Lillian's cheek and broke the embrace.

"Arlo, Riley come and give your grandmother a hug and then by the stairs you will find a bag of presents for each of you. How about you take them upstairs and open them while us adults talk."

Riley and Arlo jumped off the counter, ran over to Lillian and gave her a short hug before running out to the hallway to retrieve their presents.

"Mother I wasn't expecting you to be here" Lex snapped.

"I wasn't expecting you either son, who did you pay off to break you out of prison?"

"Didn't you hear mother I've been acquitted. I told you I was innocent "he boasted.

In their mothers' eyes Lex was always the golden child, Lillian insisted she loved her children equally, however Lena knew that wasn't true. Her mother wasn't a particular cold woman, but she was far from maternal. From the moment Arlo was born everything about Lillian changed, she quickly became a doting grandmother and her and Lena's relationship did a full 360. She was there for her daughter whenever she needed her and when Lex dropped the children on her doorstep, Lillian even moved in to help her out for the first few months.

"We are all adults Lex, we know exactly how you treated Rebecca, you are far from innocent."

"Well, the courts say differently mother" he gloated.

Lillian walked past her son, grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and popped the cork.

"Lena?"

"I'm okay, thank you mother" she replied.

Lena really could do with a large glass of wine, but she didn't want to give Lex the satisfaction of saying she shouldn't be drinking when looking after his children. Lena knew he didn't have any right to tell her how to raise Arlo and Riley, but she also knew her brother and he always needed to put her down. To any normal person it would be seen as one glass of wine to unwind after a long day, but to Lex one glass of wine meant Lena was a raging alcoholic and incapable of looking after his children.

Lillian poured herself a glass of wine, pushed the cork back into the top of the bottle and placed it back on the counter.

"Thank you, mother, I didn't want a glass."

Before Lillian had a chance to reply, Lex's phone began to ring. He turned his back to his mother and sister and began whispering.

"Right, okay, no, tell him no, bye."

"Anything important?" Lillian questioned.

"Nothing that concerns you. Lena tell Arlo I couldn't stay, and I will see him soon."

Lena knew it was too good to be true, Lex had no intention of staying and getting to know his children.

"You realise you have two children" Lena spat.

"I'm well aware I have two children Lena; I will be by to see them on Saturday, and I expect the visit to be without hostility" he hissed.

Lex placed his phone in his jacket pocket and left the kitchen without uttering so much as a goodbye to his children.

"Well, that was interesting."

Lena wasn't sure how she was going to explain Lex's disappearance to Arlo and Riley, she knew Arlo wouldn't take it well but as for Riley she was too young to understand what was going on.

"Lena, why don't you head upstairs, run a bath and have an early night" Lillian proposed.

"As nice as that sounds mother, I need to cook the kids their dinner, get them in the bath and pack their bags for tomorrow" she sighed.

She didn't regret taking in Arlo and Riley but some nights she could do with going to bed without all the responsibility of having two children.

"Lena, I'm your mother so let me help you. I will stay the night and sort the kids out. They will love having me here and hopefully it will help them forget about your brother.

Lena kissed her mother's cheek, grabbed her phone, and headed upstairs. She was too exhausted to run a bath, she pulled off her yoga pants and slipped under the covers. Lena set her alarm, placed her phone on charge and settled back into her pillow and closed her eyes.