Author's Note: Hello my friends! Guess what I used NaNoWriMo to catch up on...I know this chapter is LONG overdue but I hope you'll forgive me! I've wanted to complete this story during my hiatus but just didn't have the creative bandwidth. However, I am committed to giving this story the full arc it deserves and as such want to get back on a monthly posting schedule. I know it's not as fast as some of you would like (I read all your messages and know how long some of you have already waited) but I promise to give this story the same love and attention as it's predecessor. Also, in MY universe...Lillian lives! Enjoy!
Lillian Luthor strode through the halls of her former empire with confidence and purpose. She nodded briefly at Jess, the young secretary scrambling to reach the intercom and warm Lena of the impending confrontation headed her way. Lena saw the panic button on her office phone light up just as her mother reached the door!
While not enough notice to save Lena from her mother's visit, it was enough time for the youngest Luthor to shut down her computer and collect herself. By the time Lillian strolled up to her daughters' desk, cashmere overcoat tossed elegantly over one arm and the latest Birkin bag tucked into the crook of her elbow, Lena was ready.
"Mother." Lena kept her tone clipped and her gaze steady. "Had I known you would be visiting; I would have bolstered security. To what do I owe this displeasure."
Lillian's lips curled into a cruel smile. "I've come to see about securing an introduction…with Rowan."
Every cell within Lena's body went rigid at the mention of the child they'd all come to know and love dripping from her mother's lips. Somehow, she managed to maintain her calm outer façade.
"I'm sorry, who?"
Lillian perched on the chair in front of Lena, primly draping her coat across her lap before plopping her purse atop the young woman's desk.
"Come dear. You were never a proficient liar, no matter how hard I tried to train you otherwise. I want to meet her." Lillian asserted, leaning further into her daughter's space. "I deserve to see the completion of the work Jeremiah and myself put into that pod. I know you've opened it and despite what Alexandra and her partner may assume, the contents of that pod do not belong to them."
"Contents?" Lena challenged back; all manner of pretense gone. "She is a living being, Mother, and she belongs to no one. Thankfully, whatever you were planning for that pod never came to fruition because she is a child, not a weapon! What she deserves is a family that loves her unconditionally, something of which you are incapable."
"IT isn't a child at all." Lillian spat back venomously. "It was designed to be a weapon by its own barbaric race. Why shouldn't we use it for the same?"
"Mother I swear if you touch one hair on her head…" Lena couldn't hide the tremble of anger in her voice nor did she try.
She couldn't stomach the notion of her mother harming the charming little one she had spent her mornings cuddling with beneath a cozy blanket, eating donuts and watching cartoons that she never had time for in her youth.
Lillian startled at her daughter's tone but quickly regained composure. "That is precisely your problem, dear. Always so emotional. You get that from your father's side. How do you plan on defeating this newest alien menace without my help? I assume you and Alexandra have been researching options, yet Reign still roams free."
"And what do you propose?" Lena challenged, one brow rising dangerously high.
"A bit of quid pro quo." Lillian leaned back languidly in her chair; smile Cheshire wide.
Rowan was far too precious to their little found family for Lena to allow her mother within 10 city blocks of the child but it wasn't her decision to make.
"I know you think that I have grand designs with world-domination in view but I did not come to the decision to use that pod lightly. It was for the greater good. What better way to deal with an enemy that powerful than to employ equal force?"
"The greater good?" Lena gaped at her mother, feeling the words wash over her; they sounded eerily familiar.
"Is that not what you and your mangy little friends are supposedly fighting for?"
"Congratulations, Mother," Lena sighed in resignation. "It seems you have rubbed off on me after all."
Lena had always thought herself so far removed from the Luthors and their ideals, yet the very reasoning she had used to defend her use of Kryptonite was now flowing like acid from Lillian's lips.
It burned far more than she cared to admit.
"What exactly are you offering, Mother?"
"Information, the most valuable currency of all." Lillian's smile spread impossibly wider. "If you and Alexandra had access to say, all the data Jeremiah and I compiled while altering the pod, well…I think even you might find a way to stop this menace."
Lena ignored the backhanded compliment, leveling her mother with an icy stare. "And if I refuse?"
Lillian shrugged before answering, rising to collect her purse, coat once more slung elegantly over her arm. "You and I both know there are weaknesses to the mansions defenses. I will give you forty-eight hours to discuss my offer amongst yourselves and then…" She paused with her chin held high. "Mother is coming home."
It had taken just under 48 hours for Reign to escape L-Corps underground lab and along with taking half of the buildings foundation she had left a path of destruction through National City. The murderous Kryptonian's trail had gone cold once she reached the desert, leaving a lingering uncertainty as a parting gift. Everyone was left on edge, Reign's threat against Ruby still ringing in their ears.
National City was no longer safe for the pre-teen or anyone close to her.
Fortunately, one of the Super Friends was a billionaire heiress whose evil genius brother had a heavily fortified invisible mansion in the most unexpected of locations.
It was a lot to process but Alex Danvers was nothing if not resilient and this was hardly the strangest situation she'd ever found herself in. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her fiancée and daughter, nor the second child now in their care.
Ruby was the main reason they had gone into hiding, since Reign had made it quite clear that she would either turn the girl to her side or kill her outright. Either option would be sure to destroy Sam and thus her last thread to humanity. They couldn't let that happen.
So instead, they had hastily packed a few bags, and fled to Lex Luthor's former mansion stronghold. Alex and Rowan had boarded Lena's private helicopter, while Maggie and Kara had taken Ruby by car to avoid drawing too much attention. None of them had known what to expect but when the hulking structure had shimmered into view, even Alex had to suppress a gasp. The Luthors may be evil geniuses but there was no doubting their ingenuity.
Hell, the lab she was currently working in had equipment that would easily rival anything the DEO had to offer.
Still, there was no denying the feeling of unease that followed her as she gathered her files and laptop before trudging through the eerie portraits lining the hallways in search of caffeine.
A small smile of satisfaction crossed her face as she passed a portrait of Lillian Luthor with hastily sketched devil horns and a mustache! Lena hadn't seemed too interested in discovering who defaced her mother's visage and it made Alex wonder if the youngest Luthor may just have done it herself.
Once she had secured a cup from Lena's overpriced cappuccino machine, Alex flopped down at the table meant for twelve and got to work, quickly losing track of the time.
When Lena entered the spacious kitchen at the mansion later that morning, she was surprised to find only one inhabitant. Alex offered her a stiff smile as she quietly sipped her coffee, eyes immediately returning to the laptop and files spread before her.
"Long night?" Lena asked in a soft voice, easily able to pick up on Alex's grouchiness, most likely caused by a cranky toddler or a cranky Kryptonian, maybe both. She winced internally at the thought that she was about to ruin the older woman's morning, too.
The agent sighed into her cup as Lena's question prompted memories of the previous night…
"You can't just expect her to forgive you if you're not willing to do the same. Both of you have valid points but you refuse to admit that. It's a dick move."
After having the same conversation every day (and night) for the past week, Alex had reached her limit and was no longer interested in sparing her sister's feelings. The sooner Kara accepted her advice, the sooner their small found family could focus on the task of eliminating Reign.
As expected, Kara recoiled from the blunt statement as if she'd been struck! Alex remained nonplussed as she leaned against the railing of the balcony beside her sister. The Kryptonian had dragged her sibling out of bed for the third night in a row to bemoan the distance between herself and Lena.
When Kara finally found her voice again, she glared at her sister. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what I said." Alex shrugged.
Two weeks had passed since the rift between the two younger women had begun and Alex was inexplicably trapped in the middle. She absentmindedly rubbed at the tender skin on her sternum. Though still sore, most of the bruising had faded leaving behind only a few areas of patchy yellow.
"You're doing that high and mighty Kryptonian thing that everyone hates," Alex continued when Kara stubbornly refused to engage her. "I agree that Lena should have been more transparent about the whole situation but none of usare as honest as we should be. Least of all you."
"Hiding my identity is not the same thing!"
Alex lurched forward and clapped a hand over Kara's mouth after her outburst. "Will you keep it down, please?" She hissed. "Maggie and Ro are still sleeping. We shouldn't all be cranky in the morning because of your hypocrisy."
Kara proceeded to childishly lick her siblings palm to get her to let go and Alex shoved her away in disgust. It was clear that the blonde rocked with the push, mad at her sister but not willing to shatter the older girls' wrists.
"Sorry." Kara muttered, genuinely apologetic for almost waking her sister's little family. "But what am I supposed to do?"
"Apologize."
"I did that."
"Did you mean it?" Alex eyed her sibling skeptically. She knew Kara still believed she was justified in the way she behaved.
"Of course, I meant it. Lena means a lot to me and I would do anything to get her back."
"Even lie? Because that's literally what you just said. That you would tell Lena whatever she needed to hear to get back in her good graces. You do know that's not the same thing as being genuinely sorry, right?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it. I just don't know what to say to make things better."
Before Alex could respond, she felt a familiar tingling at the base of her skull. She sighed loudly right before the tiny voice asked sleepily, "Ieiu? Where you go?"
"Annnnddd you just woke Rowan up." Alex informed her sister with a scowl before pushing the super towards the edge of the balcony. "Get out of here before you wake Mags up too."
"But, Alex, you didn't answer my question!" Kara protested, again much too loudly for the agents liking.
"I did! You just didn't like my answer. Now go!" Alex insisted again. "I don't need Ro seeing her favorite hero pouting like a wounded puppy."
"Fine." Kara relented as she floated above the balcony. "But we're not done talking about this."
"Whatever," Alex muttered as she now heard her daughter calling out for her. "She's gonna wake Maggie. I gotta go."
The elder sibling didn't even wait for Kara to respond as she slipped back indoors to grab her toddler before they all ended up cranky in the morning!
Instead of filling the younger woman in on the previous night's drama, Alex merely offered a weak shrug in response and Lena took the opportunity to pour herself a cup of coffee before settling across from the agent.
"Rowan didn't sleep well." Alex finally offered as an explanation for her dour mood. "I just got her put down again as Maggie was heading out."
The new parents had agreed that Alex would lay low in the mansion assisting Lena with her research while Maggie would commute via Supergirl into the city each day. The official cover story was that Alex had taken their daughter to visit Eliza in Midvale, an attempt to keep their actual location secret.
J'onn, ever the protective Grandpa, had flown to Midvale several times disguising himself as Alex to keep up the ruse. He only impersonated Rowan once, as he found being propped on Eliza's hip when a nosey neighbor popped by, an experience he was not eager to repeat!
Lena nodded sympathetically at Alex's explanation, knowing how hard this whole situation had been on the newly formed trio. Just as they had begun settling into a routine, Reign had crashed back into their lives forcing the little family into hiding, with an extra child no less!
"Where's Ruby?"
"In her room," Alex replied with a sigh. "Ro's meltdown this morning was…a lot. And Ruby's attitude about it was nothelping. So, we decided she should do her school work from her room this morning."
"I'm sorry, Alex."
"For what?" the older woman asked with surprise. "Toddlers are cranky and teenagers get moody. Rubes is dealing with some heavy stuff and Ro is still so young that any change in routine is going to be difficult. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"I just wish I could figure out how to fix Sam so this whole thing could be over." Lena growled in frustration, her mother's offer lingering at the back of her mind. "It's not fair, to any of you."
"No, it's not," Alex agreed, voice soft and expression even softer. "But none of that is on you. Every free minute I have is devoted to reviewing your notes from the lab and running simulations. And every free minute you have, which is like, none, is devoted to strengthening our containment options once we catch Reign again and synthesizing possible cures. Plus, my mom is working other angles out in Midvale. You don't have to do this alone, Lena. We're all in this together."
"I know, I know…" Lena agreed with a heavy sigh. "I just feel as if I should be doing more."
"More?" Alex raised an accusatory brow. "More than getting us all out of the city safely? More than setting us up in the super-secret invisible Luthor mansion? More than stopping by every day for the past week to check on us even though it means you have to get your office at the crack of dawn? Yeah, Lee, you're a terrible friend." Alex dismissed the statement with a snort.
"Some people think so…" Lena muttered into the rim of her coffee cup, trying to hide her grimace.
Alex sighed as she observed Lena, obviously feeling the effects of the separation as acutely as Kara. She knew how badly betrayal could hurt, how deep those wounds could run. Clearly, Lena wanted to get back to whatever relationship she and Kara had been building before this whole fiasco began. But it was also clear that the youngest Luthor could never just move past a betrayal of that magnitude.
Especially, not from someone she loved.
Whether she knew it or not, Alex could easily see the love Lena held for her sister. Could see the overflowing devotion the woman showed to Kara and the longing that was anything but platonic.
"You're allowed to feel hurt Lena." Alex offered, meeting the issue at hand head on. "Your feelings are valid and even if there's part of your relationship with Kara that you miss, you're allowed to decide if you want that back…or not."
"Who said I was talking about Kara?" Lena snapped, though it sounded weak even to her own ears.
Alex rolled her eyes as she took a sip from her own cup. "When are you not talking about Kara, Little Luthor?"
"You know I hate that name…" Lena muttered, voice losing what little heat it had retained.
"Yep." Alex popped the 'p' as she grinned at her. "But Maggie's nicknames always have a way of sticking so…not much I can do I'm afraid."
"I appreciate the effort." Lena scoffed before turning serious. "I can't…I can't forgive her Alex. Not yet."
Alex stood and carried her mug to the sink before acknowledging Lena's statement. "If that's how you feel, I'll support you."
"What?"
"What, what?" Alex repeated staring at her with wide eyes.
"You said you support me not forgiving Kara."
"Yeah. And?"
Lena couldn't believe her ears! She wouldn't be the one person who tore the Danvers sisters apart.
"I was…I am, hurt by Kara's behavior," Lena explained quickly. "But I won't come between the two of you!"
Alex smiled softly as she returned to the table, gently grabbed Lena's hand and waited for the young Luthor to meet her eyes. "Kara and I are sisters. We disagree all the time but it doesn't mean we don't love each other. I'm not taking sides here, Lena. I just want you both to be happy."
"I want that too…I just don't know how we'll get there…" Lena admitted, swiping away a tear that managed to escape.
"I don't either." Alex admitted quietly. "But you and Kara are two of the most caring people I know and if you care about each other half as much as I think you do, you'll find a way to work it out."
Lena was about to respond when she noticed the faraway expression Alex was suddenly wearing, one they had all come to recognize. Her suspicions were confirmed when the agent sighed and moved towards the stairway leading to the bedrooms.
"Ro's awake," Alex explained wearily. "Let me just go get her settled and we'll finish this up, okay?"
Lena rose quickly from her seat, eager for an opportunity to avoid telling Alex about her mother's offer. "Don't be silly! You're exhausted and I haven't seen my sweet girl yet. I'll go grab her, you stay here and enjoy your donuts."
Alex hadn't even noticed the bright pink box on the counter fatigued as she was but was quick to investigate its contents. She had a sprinkled donut halfway to her mouth before she second-guessed herself. "You sure you got her?"
"Positive. I'll be back in a flash."
Lena entered the darkened room, flicking on the light before she edged toward the large bed and its tiny occupant. Rowan lay in the middle of a tangle of blankets, hair wild and Supergirl pajamas askew. When she heard the door open, her little head popped up obviously expecting Alex but delighted when she realized who it was instead.
"Leelee!" The toddler threw her arms out in invitation and Lena quickly moved to scoop the child up. She could tell the little one had been crying and she gently pulled the child close.
"What's the matter, mo chroi?" Lena asked, smiling to herself at the nickname her own mother had once used when she was the child's age. "Did you not sleep well?
Rowan shook her head pitifully, putting on her strongest pout as she wiped her nose against Lena's shoulder! Just a few months before Lena might have recoiled in horror at the desecration of a finely spun silk blouse but now, she found her only concern was cheering up the morose toddler.
"Well that simply won't do." Lena informed the child with a bright smile as she adjusted the child in her arms. "How about we go find your Ieiu and have some donuts and snuggles?"
"Wif sprimkles?" Rowan lifted her head from Lena's shoulder to ask the all-important question, making her aunt beam in return.
"Of course, love! What's a donut without sprinkles?" She replied tickling the little girl's plump belly, giggles echoing through the ornate hallway, as the pair wandered off in search of carbs and a quick wardrobe change for the young CEO.
So engrossed was she in cheering up the grumpy toddler, Lena nearly bowled over her eldest niece as she came down the stairs!
"Ruby!" She exclaimed, pulling up short just in time to avoid a collision. "I thought you were in your room, dear?"
"I was but then I got hungry and Alex said I could have some donuts so…" Ruby shrugged, eyes to the ground. Lena placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything okay? Besides…well, everything." The young CEO had never been adept with emotions so she wasn't quite sure how to comfort the girl. All Rowan needed was carbs and cuddles but Ruby's problems were far more complicated.
Ruby sighed again as she plopped down on the stairs, hands worrying the too long sleeves of her hoodie. As Lena moved to sit beside her, Rowan still clutching to her neck she noticed the logo across the front. NCU. National City University.
The knowledge that Ruby was wearing her mother's shirt, clinging to what few pieces of Sam she still had, twisted a knife already buried deep in Lena's heart. Rowan shifting on her lap to reach for the older girl reminded her that she had a duty to two families, a duty she had no idea how to fulfill.
Rowan interrupted her dour mood by settling herself on Ruby's lap with an exaggerated frown only a toddler could pull off.
"Ruby cwy?" She asked framing her adopted cousin's face in her pudgy little hands. "Why Ruby cwying?"
"I'm fine, munchkin." Ruby tried to assure the toddler with a watery smile as she hugged her close.
Rowan remained unconvinced, shaking her head with determination causing Lena and Ruby to smile at the Danvers signature stubbornness. "Ruby no cwy! Cuddles!" The little one declared before throwing her arms around the older girl's neck in a near chokehold!
"Well, I guess that settles that." Lena mused with a playful bump of her shoulder against Ruby's as the elder girl eagerly hugged the toddler back.
She couldn't help but smile at the relationship the two young girls had, the age difference of no consequence. It reminded her of Lex in a bittersweet way; the eldest Luthor sibling had gone above and beyond in those early years to make Lena feel welcome and despite everything that had happened since, she was still grateful to that version of her brother.
A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before Lena decided to gently prod, "Would you like to talk about it, love?"
Ruby shrugged again, eyes watery and shoulders hunched. Rowan had busied herself playing with the strings of Ruby's hoodie, convinced she had solved the problem.
"I guess," Ruby began in a small voice. "I just really miss my mom. And Alex has been so nice to me but I was super mean to her and munchkin this morning. And I know it's not her fault, that's she just trying to make me feel better but it makes me miss mom more!"
Lena pulled the distraught girl closer, Rowan wiggling between them in protest at being squished.
"Alex understands this is a lot for you, love. I'm sure she's not angry, she just wants to help your mom, like we all do."
"But what if you can't? What then?" Ruby's voice was small.
"I'm not willing to accept that and neither should you." Lena stated with determination. She scooped Rowan from the teens arms and set the little one on her feet. "Rowan, Alex is just around the corner, why don't you go get her?" She addressed the toddler directly.
Naturally, Rowan stayed rooted to her spot, not yet old enough to recognize that Alex and her Ieiu were one in the same. There had been an amusing week or two where she had taken to calling Alex "Babe", having heard Maggie say it so often! Lena quickly realized her mistake and amended her statement.
"Ieiu is right through there, sweet pea." She pointed the child in the right direction and she was off like a shot. Moments later Alex exclaimed, "Hey babygirl! Where's the fire?"
Satisfied that at least one niece was settled for the moment, Lena shifted her attention back to Ruby, pulling the girl close once more.
"When Sam and I met, it was like…like the universe pushed us together," Lena began slowly, trying to convey how deeply she cared for her friend to the woman's daughter. "She was struggling to work and take care of you all while staying at the top of her class in grad school. And I was…well a Luthor. It didn't matter how smart or nice I was, all people saw was that name and no one wanted anything to do with me."
Lena paused a moment to compose herself as Ruby squeezed closer to her. "But your mom, she didn't care who my family was, she was the first person to see past my last name. She was my first true friend and then you both became my family. I swear to you Ruby, I will never give up on Sam."
"But…" Ruby paused; eyes still watery. "What if Reign still wins? What happens to me?"
"No matter what happens, love, you will never be alone." Lena vowed; eyes locked with the girls. "We may have started out with just the three of us, but we've gained a whole new family and though we may not always agree," she swallowed harshly thinking of Kara, "they will always protect us."
"Thank you, Aunt Lena. I love you." Ruby mumbled against Lena's now ruined blouse, firmly ensconced in her aunt's arms.
"I love you too, dear. More than you know." Lena replied, pressing soft kiss to the girl's hair.
"I guess I need to go apologize to Alex." Ruby concluded, swiping roughly at her wet cheeks with the sleeves of Sam's sweatshirt.
"I'm sure she would appreciate that, love." Lena wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders as they rose and headed into the kitchen where Alex and Rowan were.
Predictably, the pair were still at the donut box, Rowan seated upon the counter cheeks covered in chocolate as Alex tried to wipe her face while the little one reached for another treat. When Lena and Ruby entered, Alex looked up, slightly confused by the sad expression the girl wore.
Lena swooped in and scooped Rowan off the counter, all hope of salvaging her blouse lost as she moved towards the hallway. "I'll just get this little one cleaned up while you two talk."
Ruby shuffled a bit closer as Lena dipped into the hallway. Alex leaned her elbows back on the counter, trying to appear casual and non-threatening as Ruby gathered her thoughts.
"I'm sorry I was so mean to you and munchkin this morning," Ruby mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with the redhead. "I guess I just really miss my mom and I got so angry and I let it out on the wrong people."
"Apology accepted." Alex stated simply, pushing off the counter and moving to kneel before the girl. "You're going through a lot right now, Rubes and when I was in a similar position at your age, I didn't handle it well either. I appreciate the apology but we're okay. And if things get to be too much, next time talk to me, okay?"
"Okay." Ruby agreed as she threw herself into the agents open arms, relieved that she had been forgiven so easily.
Alex leaned back so she could look Ruby directly in the eyes. "I promise we are doing everything we can to get Sam back. All we need is a bit more data and I'm sure your Aunt Lena and I can find a cure."
"About that," Lena piped up from the doorway, a slightly cleaner toddler on her hip and her ruined blouse discarded in favor of a simple camisole. "I may have a way to get that data…but you're not going to like it."
"Abso-fucking-lutely not."
Surprisingly, it was Maggie, not Alex who blew up at the notion of Lillian meeting their daughter. The tiny detective kept her voice low as the daughter in question slumbered against her Papa J'onn's chest.
"I share your trepidation, Maggie," Lena began softly. "But Alex and I have exhausted all avenues of research at our disposal. We're dead in the water, so to speak. That data could be the one piece we are missing."
"What about Ro's pod? You can't just scan that?" Maggie entreated, concerned eyes turning towards her mate who seemed eerily calm.
"Ro's pod was badly damaged when Cadmus found it and by the time, we discovered it most of the major systems were compromised due to lack of a power source. Hamilton and I saved all the data we could from it, but frankly, it was too fried to give us much." Alex explained with a sigh.
"So what?" Maggie threw her arms up exasperated. "We just set our daughter up on a playdate with Lillian Luthor? You know this is probably a trap, right?"
"Oh, it is most certainly a trap." Lena agreed with a bitter laugh. "I grew up with the Luthor's and nothing they do is without ulterior motive. But that doesn't mean we can't still benefit in some way by allowing the meeting."
"Not just yet." Kara piped up, having just arrived back at the mansion. "Lillian gave us forty-eight hours before she comes knocking. Let me go to fortress, maybe Kalex will know something we can use to stop Reign?"
"It's worth a try." Alex agreed. "If Reign really is a weapon, there must be a kill-switch or at least a way to control her. Check it out Kar, we'll stay here and figure out what to do about Lillian in the meantime."
Kara seemed torn between staying to protect her family and going off in search of answers. Fortunately, J'onn picked up on her unease and spoke up, Rowan still tucked securely against his chest.
"I'll stay here and stand watch, Kara. If Lillian does decide to show up before her deadline, I'll be ready. No one else can get what we need from the fortress."
"Thanks, J'onn." Kara quickly pressed a gentle kiss against her niece's forehead she hugged J'onn then moved on to her sister. "I'll be quick." She promised as she held Alex tightly.
"I know you will." The elder sibling replied with a tight smile. "Just be careful, yeah? Reign is still out there somewhere and I don't want you trying to face her without backup."
"I promise. To the fortress and back." The Kryptonian vowed, moving towards the door when she heard another voice call to her. She turned to find Lena had followed her into the hallway.
"Kara, I…" Lena paused, emerald eyes locking with ice blue. "Can we talk, please, when you get back?"
"Oh? Yeah, Lee." Kara responded, a hopeful lilt to her voice. "I, um, I would really like that."
Lena nodded quickly, returning the small smile. "Be safe."
"You too, Lee."
Kara watched Lena slip back into the room with her family, all the while unable to wipe the smile of her face. All she knew was that Lena wanted to talk, but she couldn't stop the hope that things might possibly be heading in the right direction.
Lena reentered the large living room to find J'onn missing, most likely having gone up to finally put the youngest Danvers to bed while Maggie and Alex were arguing in hushed tones.
"Is everything alright?" Lena asked timidly, worried she had interrupted a private moment.
"All good, Little Luthor." Maggie assured her with a strained smile. "Just trying to convince Danvers here that she could use a good night's rest."
"I still have a few tests to run." Alex protested weakly, once again slumped on the couch.
"It's fine, Alex, really." Lena insisted. "I can finish up."
"No," Maggie cut in, "You can't. Both you science nerds need to rest. There's like a hundred bedrooms in this place so pick one Little Luthor and hit the hay."
"Maggie, I assure you, I'm f—" Lena was cut off once more by the piercing glare and single finger pointed her way by the tiny Latina.
"Little Luthor, I say this with love," Maggie gripped the younger woman tightly by the shoulders. "If you don't get that pale, Irish ass up those stairs right this instant and go to sleep, I swear I will let our daughter play dress up in that very, very expensive closet of yours."
Lena gasped; somewhat sure Maggie was joking but unwilling to take the risk. With a pout nearly as strong as Kara's the young CEO delicately removed Maggie's hands from her shoulders and headed towards the stairway leading to the bedrooms.
"You drive a hard, bargain. Goodnight, Maggie." She addressed the grinning detective with a slightly clipped tone. "And, Alex…good luck."
