34. Trials

The next couple of weeks were fairly good.  Yes, Livewire escaped from prison, but after Kara’s arrangement with her, she wasn't even tripping Winn’s radar anymore, so she’d probably skipped town.  And yes, the DEO almost got blown up by white Martians, while Kara and company were out line dancing for Earth Birthday, but J’onn, M'gann, Vasquez, and Winn handled it just fine.  Kara even got to knot both Lena and Alex for a part of her birthday present! This alone made her positively gleeful! There was just something so primally satisfying in the act of knotting.  She loved when she got to do that! The night of Kara and Alex’s wedding anniversary was completely uninterrupted, and they had a blast playing paintball with Maggie and Lena, while the twins spent the night with their Uncle James and Aunt Lucy.

This week however, there was a shadow casting over their sunshine: Lillian Luthor's trial.  Lena was currently pacing the floor of her apartment, clearly overly frustrated with the person she was on the phone with.  When her call was over, Kara got up and hugged her.

“Take a breath, sweetheart,” she urged.

Lena didn't take a breath, so much as she just huffed and took another gulp of her wine.  "These guys were supposed to have finished this deal yesterday, so I didn't have to have any extra stress this weekend!”

“OK.  I'm sure it'll be fine,” she stroked the brunette’s cheeks.  “It’s only Friday. Now, breathe.”

This time, Lena actually took a real breath in and let it out slowly.

“Good girl.”  Kara soothed.

“Am I?” Lena worried.  “Can a good person do what I’m doing?  Trying to send my own mother to prison?”

“Yes!  You have to believe that.  You're as good as any human can be.  And so brave. It takes a lot of guts to do what you have to do.  Lillian is a criminal. A murderer. She needed to be stopped. I’m so proud of you, and so is everyone else that matters.  We know this is really hard on you, and I hope you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we will be there with you every step of the way.  You are not alone. You are so, so loved, and we will do anything to make sure you stay safe.”

Lena melted into Kara’s arms, and the Kryptonian just rocked her gently.  “I’m so nervous, Kara,” the CEO admitted.

“I know, sweetheart.  I know, I'm sorry. I wish there was more that I could do.”

“You’re doing what I need you to do right now,” Lena squeezed her.

“The kids are fast asleep.  We should run a nice hot bath and just relax until Alex and Maggie get back.”

Lena thought about it for a few seconds.  “Alright,” she finally said.

Kara took her by the hand, and they went to Lena’s ensuite bathroom to start the water running.  They added some lavender bubble bath, and when it was ready, they folded their night clothes neatly on the countertop and cuddled up in the tub.  The hot water was definitely doing the trick. She felt Lena relax in her arms for the first time that night. “I love you so much, Lena,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Kara,” the brunette leaned over and kissed her tenderly.  “Thank you for everything. Thank you for believing in me.”

“Always.”  They cuddled until Lena started to fall asleep, and Kara made her get up, though the blonde did all the drying and redressing.  They were just coming out to the living room when they heard Alex and Maggie giggling in the hallway. Kara could smell the alcohol and cigarettes wafting off of them before they even opened the door.

“Oh, Lord,” Lena chuckled when she saw the drunken state of her two other partners.  “What did you two do to yourselves?”

“Nothing!” Alex drawled.  She and Maggie leaned against each other as they aimed their feet toward the couch.  “We were just playing pool and having a few drinks at the alien bar, just like we said we would.”  They plopped down on the sofa.

“A few drinks?” Kara challenged.  These women could hold their alcohol.  They’d had to have had way more than just a few to come home this drunk!

“We... might’ve made a few bets,” Maggie admitted, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

“Uh-huh,” Lena shook her head and tisked.  “How about some waters?”

“I’m fine.”  “Nah.”

“I wasn’t asking,” Lena insisted.  She retrieved two water bottles from the kitchen and shoved them at the two drunks on the couch.  “Drink up.”

Alex and Maggie grumbled, but did as they were told.

“If you guys throw up in my bed, I’ll never forgive you,” Lena chided.

“It’ll be fine,” Alex assured her.  “I’m not that drunk, I swear.”

“I don’t throw up when I drink,” Maggie promised.

“You’d both better be telling the truth, or else I’ll have your heads.”

“It’s fine!” Maggie insisted.  “Come cuddle!” She threw her arms open in invitation.

“I’m sorry, but you guys stink to high heaven right now.  Maybe after you’ve showered and changed your clothes.”

The detective and the agent both pouted.

“Come on, move it,” Lena shooed them off to the bathroom, and they groused the whole way.

Kara pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.  She and Lena snuggled up in the bed together, while they waited for the other two to finish washing up.

“Are you really mad at us?” Maggie asked Lena worriedly when she and Alex came out of the shower.

“I'm not mad at you at all,” Lena answered.  “I just didn't want you stinking up my couch.”

“Then what's this scowl for?” the detective pointed at the CEO’s face.

“She's worried about the trial,” Kara informed her.  She kissed the brunette’s head several times. “Aren't you, baby?”

Lena nuzzled into her touch and nodded her head.

“Oh, you need a distraction, baby girl?” Maggie started kissing Lena’s neck.

“Mmm, I could be persuaded.”

Maggie kissed her way down between Lena’s legs and worked her magic.  Then Alex took a turn. By the time Kara was done with her, she was begging for mercy.  Before they went to sleep, the three of them spent a while telling Lena how amazing she was, how proud of her they were, and how much they loved her.  They promised her that everything would be OK, and that at least one of them would be by her side at all times for the trial. That seemed to do the trick, at least for now.  They were able to fall asleep relatively quickly, but Kara got woken up a few times by Lena whimpering in her sleep throughout the night. She just kissed and cuddled her until she quieted down and went back to sleep.

The goal of the weekend was roughly the same:  To keep Lena distracted and coddled. Everyone pitched in.  The twins played chess with her, Alex and Maggie kept her drinking just enough to keep her warm and fuzzy, and Kara made sure that they ate all of Lena’s favorite foods and watched her favorite movies.  Even Eliza took it upon herself to call and check up on the CEO, which really seemed to touch her.

They didn’t really go out in public much because the press was everywhere and Lena refused to let the kids get anywhere near them.  They made due indoors, though. Lena’s apartment was warm and spacious, and there was plenty of room for everyone to sprawl out, if they wanted.  Plus, there was a large balcony, when anyone needed some fresh air.

The twins were especially cuddly with Lena.  They were starting to catch hell at school just for knowing a Luthor, let alone deigning to befriend one, so it was a mutual comforting between them.  On the plus side, the kids hadn’t been fighting. On the down side, they had still come home crying the last couple of days. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, if Lillian’s trial weren’t so public, but every time they turned around, there was some news story somewhere about it.  They couldn’t avoid it if they tried. Every time the news came on, the twins gravitated back into the CEO’s arms, and she clung to them as if her life depended on it. Kara was so proud of her girls for being so good and so supportive, and she made sure to tell them that several times.

Monday was a federal holiday, so there was no school, which made the kids relieved, but there was also no court, which made Lena more stressed.  She didn’t want to wait anymore. She just wanted to get this whole thing over and done with. The dread was slowly killing her.

Finally, the day of Lena’s testimony arrived, and true to their word, all of her partners were there with her.  Kara watched with bated breath as the CEO took the stand. She was so proud of Lena for the way she held her head high and kept her composure.  The brunette was calm and concise in front of everyone, and Kara was surprised to find her hands shaking so badly when she came off the stand.

Lillian played innocent the whole time, of course.  She was just a victim in her mind, so it was no surprise to any of them that Lena’s adoptive mother wanted to speak to her afterward.  Maggie and the twins were dead set against it, but Kara felt exactly the opposite. She spent way too much time wishing she could talk to people who were no longer around, so she insisted that Lena go in and speak with her, just for the simple fact that she could.  Alex worried that it was some sort of set up, but she also could see Kara’s point of view, so she ended up siding with her wife.

Lena went ahead, on the condition that Kara come with her and wait outside.  Of course, the reporter obliged. On the ride home, Lena said nothing. When they got back to the penthouse, she went straight for the liquor cabinet, forgoing the wine altogether.  She poured herself a double shot of whiskey and downed it. She did this again before Kara could reach out to stop her. The Kryptonian didn’t let her do it a third time, though she was going for it.

“Whoa!  Lena! Hold on there!  What’s wrong, honey?”

The CEO closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, shaking her head.  “She’s up to something. I just know it.”

“How?”

Lena looked wryly back at her.  “She told me she loved me. She only does that when she wants something.”

“What does she want?” Kara wondered.

“I don’t know.  But there’s something else she told me tonight that you’re not going to believe.”

“What?”

Lena took a deep breath in before saying, “Apparently, my father Lionel is actually my real father.  He had an affair with my mother, and they paid her off when they found out she was pregnant. Then, when my mom died, they went ahead and 'adopted' me.”

Kara’s eyebrows tried to raise right off her head.  “Whoa!”

“So I’m a little shell-shocked right now.”

“No kidding!”

Lena poured herself another drink.

“Lena!”

“What?  I’m going to drink until I pass out.  I don’t want to deal with this. You should probably go home.”  She gulped the scotch she poured and wavered on her feet for a second.

“Lena, no.  I’m not leaving you, especially now.  You need to come home with me, or let everyone come over here, or something.  You need to be with your family right now, not laying alone in a drunken stupor.”  She wrestled the bottle of scotch from Lena’s grasp and put it back in the cabinet.  “Come on, sweetheart.” Kara pulled her into the living room, and tugged her onto the couch to snuggle.  “It’s gonna be OK.”

Lena burrowed into Kara’s arms and was quiet for a long time.  All of a sudden, she burst into tears. “Why didn’t they tell me before?” she sobbed.  “Why did they have to wait until now? Why couldn’t he tell me himself? I miss him so much!”  She cried big angry tears, and let Kara hold her until they ran dry. “You’re right. I should be with my real family.  Do you think it’s too late for Alex and Maggie to bring the girls over?”

“No, they’re probably just finishing up with their showers.”  Kara called Alex and asked her to bring the family over for the night.  They had been making a habit of spending the nights on the weekends, so the girls were getting used to sleeping over.  They had their own room across the hall and everything. Lena tried to give them each their own rooms, but they said sleeping in such a new place in such a big room, with such a big bed freaked them out, so they just shared a king bed in one room.  There was more than enough space for them to stretch out, if need be, without being in each other’s way. This would be the first school night they spent there, but Kara was unconcerned about that. Supporting Lena was more important, and the girls were a big part of her support system.

When the rest of the gang arrived, they all fussed over the CEO, giving her hugs and kisses and love and making her tell them how her visit with her mother went.  When she told them, they were all flabbergasted and speechless. She left out the part about breaking down when she came home, and Kara kept her mouth shut. They didn’t need to know that part.

The kids were sent to bed not long after.  Kara just wanted them to be able to cuddle Lena for a bit before they went to sleep.  It was barely past midnight when the Kryptonian could hear the girls sneaking into their room trying to find a spot in the bed.  They ended up on each end with Kara and Alex, who were used to it, of course, so they barely even noticed. When Maggie and Lena woke up the next morning squished together in the middle, they made a couple of comments about needing a bigger bed, but they didn't complain about the kids being there.

When Kara took the kids to school the next morning, she could feel the stares of everyone around them, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.  The girls were hesitant to get out of the car, and the reporter couldn’t blame them. She almost told them to just forget it, and she would take them to work with her, however she wanted the girls to at least try to get along at school.  There were always going to be nasty people around, wherever they might go. She wanted them to learn to cope with it sooner than later. She gave them her love, and they slowly climbed out of the car. It didn’t occur to her until now, but it probably didn’t help that they were driving Lena’s Maserati.  The car alone would attract plenty of attention.

With trepidation in her heart, she left the girls at school and headed to work.  She had to get as much done as she could before she took back off for Lillian’s trial.  Since she was already planning on being there, Snapper had assigned her to cover the trial for Catco.  It was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it was lucky that she was able to get the assignment, so she could be with Lena.  On the other hand, it was extremely hard for her to be unbiased against Lillian Luthor, and she really struggled with sticking to just the facts.

This was the day that John Corben would be put on the stand.  It was not as nerve wracking as the day before, when Lena had to testify, but it still made her anxious.  The man had tried to kill nearly everyone she loved, and it made her enraged inside. She hated him, and she hated his message.  Corben’s questioning did not go well, and right in the middle of everything, suddenly Metallo was blasting kryptonite beams all over the courtroom.  He took out all the guards and freed Lillian from her shackles.

Maggie got Lena the hell out of there quick, while Kara and Alex stayed back to watch where Lillian and Metallo went.  When she was sure no one could see her, Kara changed into her suit and chased after them. She almost had them outside, but Corben broke a huge construction crane, and she could either catch Lillian, or save a hundred people from being squashed.  Of course, she couldn't let anyone die, so she didn't really have a choice. By the time she lowered the scaffolding down to the ground, the bad guys were gone.

She met her partners back at L-Corp.  “I flew over the whole city twice, they're gone.  Lillian and Metallo have disappeared. I should've stopped them.”  She couldn’t kick herself any harder right now.

“What? Hey,” Alex stopped her pacing, “You saved everyone.  That was the right choice.”

Maggie’s phone rang, “Sawyer.”

“Look, we're gonna find Metallo and we're gonna get him back into custody,” Alex assured them.

“I know, I know.  It's just- I can't figure out where he got all that Kryptonite.  Clark was supposed to have taken all of it.”

“Where did he take it?” Lena wondered.

“I have no idea.  That was kinda the point.”

Maggie hung up the phone, looking grave.

“What's wrong?” Alex asked.

Maggie sighed.  “I had the jail check all of Corben's visitors to see how the Kryptonite might have gotten smuggled in, but he hasn't had any visitors since he's been there, and when they swept his cell yesterday there was nothing out of the ordinary.  Which means he must have gotten the Kryptonite last night.”

“That seems to narrow down the window,” Alex commented hopefully.  “Why do you look so concerned?”

“Because there was only one visitor to the jail last night, but it was to visit Lillian Luthor.”

They all looked at Lena in concern.

“You know I was at the jail to see my mother last night,” Lena answered.  “You're the one that told me to go.”

“I know.  It's just... People are losing it because of your mother's escape, and they’re looking for someone to blame.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Lena swore.

“We know, honey,” Alex grabbed a hold of her and held her.  “It’s OK. We’re gonna get through this.

Maggie got a text of a video from the station, and they all watched it together.  

“What the fuck?” Lena exclaimed.  “I don’t know what this is, but that is not me.  I’ve never even seen Kryptonite except for Corben’s, let alone held it in my hands.”

“Fuck!” Alex yelled loudly.  “I knew this was a setup! They must’ve gotten some look-a-like to pose as you, or maybe they made a weird cyborg copy, or maybe they’re blackmailing a shape-shifter like J’onn!  Arg! It could be anything! We have to find a way to prove Lena is innocent!”

Maggie suddenly burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” Lena worried.

The detective was not the crying type, and she was trying so hard to hold it all in that she couldn’t even talk.  She just handed her phone over.

Lena read the text message, and she started to tear up too.  “No,” she whispered in terror.

Kara was filled with dread as the phone was passed to her.  The text said, ‘Find and arrest Lena Luthor immediately!’ followed by a list of charges.  Kara’s heart sank, “Maggie, you can’t!” She could feel the tears rolling down her own cheeks, now.  The smell of her partners’ distress was overwhelming, and this was something she couldn’t stop.

Alex snatched the phone away, so she could see what everyone was talking about.  When she read the text, she screamed again, “Fuck! Why is there nothing to punch around here?!”

“I-if I don’t do it,” Maggie hiccupped, “They’ll send someone worse.  I don’t want anyone else touching you.”

“Call your lawyers now before you do anything else!” Alex instructed.  “And you might want to tell your secretary something.”

“Can you guys explain to Jess, while I’m on the phone, please?”

“What, you just want us to tell her the truth?” Maggie wondered.

“Sure, why not?  She’s been faithful to me so far.  I have no reason to believe she’s untrustworthy.”

“Alright.”  Kara opened the door and beckoned Jess Cheng into the office.  

The young girl immediately looked concerned when she saw the state of the group, all crying and splotchy.  “Oh my gosh! What’s happening?”

Alex seemed to be the one who could speak.  Presumably because she was more in a state of rage than of mourning.  She explained that Lena was being blamed for Corben and Lillian’s escape because of this fake video of her holding what appeared to be Kryptonite, and that Maggie had been charged with arresting her.

Miss Cheng joined them in shedding tears for her boss.  “That’s terrible! We have to do something!”

Kara nodded.  “Listen, find this ‘footage’ on the L-Corp security cameras, and send it to my friend Winn.  Maybe he can figure something out.” She gave Jess Winn’s number and email. “He might be able to find out if it was a hacker, or maybe we can find out if it was some shape-shifting alien, or something.  I mean, this is Cadmus we’re dealing with. Who knows what they’re capable of?”

“You've got it, Miss Danvers.”

“I think it’s safe to say you can use all of our first names by now,” Kara told her.

“Thanks, Kara.”  Lena’s assistant went to go look for the footage Kara requested.

Lena hung up the phone shortly afterward.  She took a deep breath and tried her best to look dignified.  Of course, Lena always looked dignified, but she didn’t know that.  “Now what?” she whispered. “You have to cuff me? Read me my rights?”

“I won’t be cuffing you, sweetheart.  We’re gonna walk outta here like the two friends that we are, and we’re just gonna go for a little drive in our normal car.  No uniforms, no formalities, just us. When we get to the police station, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I won’t leave you, I promise.  I love you so much. If anyone gives you any trouble, you just leave them to me, OK?”

Lena nodded, tear streaks staining her face.

“I love you so much, Lena!  Please forgive me!” Maggie grabbed her around the middle and squeezed.  Kara and Alex joined in on the sides and hugged them both.

“I love you too, Maggie!” Lena sobbed.  “I love you all so much!”

“We love you too,” Kara and Alex assured her.

They all took turns kissing her and telling her they loved her, and they headed out the door toward the elevators.  That’s when Alex’s phone rang.

“Danvers,” the redhead was all business until she heard what the person on the other end was saying.

“Hello, Miss Danvers, sorry to bother you, but we’ve got a little bit of a situation here at the school with your daughters.”

“What kind of a situation?”

“There was another fight.”  Kara’s heart dropped.

“God damn it!” Alex hissed.  “We’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and turned to tell Lena and Maggie, “We have to go down to the girls’ school.  As if we needed something else to be stressed about right now.”

They hopped on the elevator and clung to each other’s hands. They ignored everyone's stares and subtle glances.  Their focus was shielding Lena. The security of L-Corp had been tripled, but that did nothing to soothe them.

When they got outside, the clicks and clamoring of reporters could be heard all around them, but the guards had set up barriers to prevent them from getting too close.  It felt strange to be on this side of the media, and she hoped this didn't come back to bite her in the ass. They all piled into the limousine, where Andy was waiting, looking quite concerned.  

They kissed Lena like their lives depended on it, and the ride was not long enough for any of them.  They went back to Lena’s to switch cars, and Maggie took Lena in the Cadillac, while Alex and Kara took the Maserati.  (It was Kara’s favorite.) Kara’s heart was in her throat. Not only was she worried about Lena going to jail, but she was worried about her kids too.  Were they hurt? Were they the ones that started the fight? What would they tell them about Lena? This was going to destroy them! One thing was certain:  This whole school situation was going to change, one way or another! Her daughters were good, sweet kids who hardly ever fought with anyone, so she knew this had to be provoked.  She braced herself for whatever they might walk into.

Alex stomped inside, in full authority mode.  “Where are my kids?” she demanded as soon as she opened the office door.

The secretary jumped a little.  “Oh, um, Miss Danvers, they’re with the principal right now.”

They didn't need to be told where that was.  Alex just lead the way there quickly. She thrust opened the door, and when she saw the state of her children, she ran straight to them, “Oh, my God!  What the hell happened?” She rocked them in her arms.

The girls just cried, and Kara wrapped her arms around them too.  Jamie was holding an ice pack to the side of her head, and Jessie was holding one to her very bruised sweet, precious, little nose.  She could feel the tears of rage building simultaneously in both her and Alex’s eyes.

“Kara, get them out of here,” Alex told her with an eerie quietness to her voice.

The reporter shuffled the kids out of the room before they could see Alex lose her shit.

Two seconds after they left the room, Kara could hear the venom in her wife’s voice as she spoke to the principal,  “Speak now, before I start screaming.”

The principal was quick to try to appease her.  “Please, Miss Danvers, there’s no need for that.  I assure you, we’re doing everything we can to rectify this situation.  The boy that attacked your girls has been expelled, and so has the person who videotaped it.”

“Videotaped?!  I want to see this video.”

“Both your daughters have a copy of it, and I can email it to you too.  It might be a good idea to file a police report.”

“I will do that.  I assure you. My best friend is a detective at the NCPD, not to mention, I work for the goddamned FBI!  Now, what else are you doing to prevent this from happening again?”

The principal stammered, “Well, like I said, we expelled the two kids who were involved…”

“That’s not enough!  You need to install some anti-bullying practices around here!”

“I’ll look into it right away!” he assured her.  Kara could only imagine the looks Alex was giving him.  The poor guy was already terrified of her from previous bully encounters over the last year and a half.  He knew he didn’t want to get on her bad side.

“You’d better!  Now, I think it would be in everyone’s best interest, if you excused the girls from school for the rest of the week.  They’ve been through enough, and the worst of it isn’t even over.”

“Uh- Of course, Miss Danvers, I’ll have their homework collected, and you can pick it up at your convenience.

“Anything else you wanna tell me?” Alex challenged.

“N-no, Ma’am,” the principal assured.

The agent stormed out of the office and back to the car.  Their first stop would be to Urgent Care. The girls were strong, but they were still mostly human strength, and they did get the occasional bumps and bruises along the way.  Alex and Kara decided to keep quiet about Lena until after their kids’ doctor visit. They didn’t want the girls crying anymore than they already were. They just held the girls as they waited to be seen.  Other than the occasional stray tear here and hiccup there, the girls were fairly quiet while the nurses and doctors looked them over. Neither of them had a concussion, and Jessie’s nose wasn’t broken, so that left them all a bit of relief.  

When they got home, Alex pulled out her phone and pulled up the video that the middle school principal had sent her.  It showed a blonde-haired boy walking up behind the twins and shoving Jamie headfirst into a locker.

“Luthor Lover!” the boy spat.

“Hey!” Jessie screamed.  “You stupid bastard!”

The boy walked straight up to her without a word and punched her square in the nose.  Jessie stumbled back a step, but she didn’t go down. Instead, she scream at ear-shattering levels and started hitting him over and over again, but her little girlie slaps to his chest did nothing but further anger him.

“You think you can just be friends with Luthors and people will let you get away with it?” the boy challenged, shoving Jessie hard enough to knock her on her ass.  “Just you wait.”

That’s where the video ended.

“This is definitely going to the cops,” Kara confirmed.  “Nobody threatens my kids and gets away with it!

“You’re damn right,” said Alex.

They just sat there for a while, holding the kids, who still hadn’t said much of anything beyond telling the doctor the barest details of the fight at the clinic.

“You wanna talk to mommy?” Alex nuzzled Jessie’s head.

“How much trouble are we in now?” the younger twin asked.

“Not much, to be honest,” Alex assured her.  “I’m not really happy you said what you said, but I’ll let it slide just this once due to extenuating circumstances.  How’s your nose?” She kissed the girl’s head.

“OK, I guess.”

“Jamie, how you holdin’ up, baby?”

“OK,” she said sadly.

“You guys want some ice cream?” Kara offered.

The kids shook their heads and stayed put in their parents’ arms.  That worried her. The twins always wanted ice cream.

“Are you hungry?”

They each sort of half-shrugged.

Kara exchanged a concerned gaze with her wife.  They didn’t dare move a muscle, lest they disturb the delicate atmosphere of the room.  They just cuddled their daughters, hoping that they would come out of this funk soon. After a while, the girls started to drift off, so Kara and Alex picked them up and put them in the big bed, and they all laid down together for a while.  The parents didn’t sleep, but they needed to hold their babies after seeing them hurt.

The Kryptonian’s heart ached, and she knew that Alex was feeling the same way.  Dread filled her heart again when she thought about having to tell the girls about Lena.  They were going to freak out. She thought about either not telling them, or lying to them, but then she was afraid they might learn the truth from the news, and that would be worse.  When the twins woke up, Kara knew she had to bite the bullet and tell them the bad news. They let them wake up a little and have a snack, then sat them down on the couch.

“Girls, I’m really sorry, but we have to tell you some more bad news,” Kara tried to brace them.  

The girls looked back at her with dread.  “What now?” Jessie complained.

Kara took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before telling them, “Well, today, Lillian Luthor and John Corben escaped from the trial-”  The twins both gasped in horror. Oops. That was bad news enough, and now she still had to add to it. “And Lena is being accused of helping them escape.”

“Lena would never do that!” Jessie screamed angrily.

“We know that!” Kara tried to assure her.  “And we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that she’s proven innocent!”

“Where is she?  I want to see her!” Jamie cried.

“I’m sorry, but she’s in jail right now.”

“What?!”  “No!” Both the twins started crying hysterically.

Kara and Alex did their best to soothe them, but the girls wouldn’t be consoled.  Alex called Eliza and begged her to come into town for backup. Her mother agreed to be there in a few hours.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Maggie held Lena’s hand on the whole drive to the precinct.  She didn’t want to let go for even a second.

“Are you gonna put me in cuffs when we go inside?” Lena asked meekly.

“Hell no,” Maggie answered.  Her heart clenched at the thought.  “We’re just gonna go in there and sit at my desk like it’s no big deal.  

Lena scoffed.  “Yeah, no big deal.  I’m a Luthor, darling, people are going to stop and stare.”

“Well, I’ll tell them to go fuck off,” the detective griped.

“Maggie,” Lena tisked.

“I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Lena.  I won’t leave the precinct while you’re here. How long do you think your lawyers can get you outta here?”

“As soon as the bond is posted.”

“Let’s get all that nasty paperwork outta the way, then, hmm?”  They got out of the car, and it took all of Maggie’s considerable willpower to keep her from holding Lena’s hand again, as they walked side-by-side into the police station.  True to Lena’s word, everyone stopped and stared at them. Maggie scowled at each of them, “Mind your own beeswax.”

Lena raised her eyebrows at the detective’s ferocity.  Maggie had been told multiple times that it was something akin to watching a panther crawl out of a scraggly alley cat’s body.  Now that Lena had seen it, she hoped her partner wasn’t too freaked out. They made it to Maggie’s desk with relative ease, sped through the paperwork, the fingerprints, the mug shots.  Maggie was the only one allowed to go near Lena through the whole process. She refused to let anyone speak to her, let alone touch her. The detective also made sure Lena got a cell to herself, so no one bothered her.  Every fifteen minutes, she got up to check on her. When Lena was cold, she got her a long-sleeved shirt and another blanket, and even snuck her a couple of cups of the good coffee out of the break lounge.

After too many hours, Maggie finally got the notice about Lena’s bail.  It was denied. Shit. No bail? What the hell were they supposed to do now?  She texted Alex and Kara and let them know. Of course, they responded about as well as she could have expected, which was to say, they freaked out quite a bit more.  Alex’s response was just a paragraph of swear words.

Maggie begged them to bring her some food.  She hadn’t eaten anything all day. Lena had been given a sandwich and stuff for lunch, but she was too paranoid about leaving her girlfriend alone in this place to go get something for herself.  She could hear the twins in the background of the phone begging to be allowed to come to the precinct to visit Lena. Unfortunately, there weren’t any visiting hours that day, and she couldn’t let them in yet.  The girls just cried some more, and it broke the detective’s heart. She had to hang up quickly before they started making her cry again too. Alex brought her food and coffee in a few minutes, and then showed her the video of the attack on the twins.  It infuriated her.

“You need to make a police report for this before you walk out of here,” she told her redheaded partner through clenched teeth.  “Don’t leave it to the school to take care of it. They’ll sweep everything under the rug just to keep their reputation clean. That kid needs some serious repercussions.”

“No kidding!”  Alex headed back up front to file a report, leaving Maggie with her lunch.

She tried to work on some of her other cases here and there, but she just couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Lena.  At some point, she dozed off at her desk, and when she woke up, nearly two hours had passed. She freaked out. She had been checking on Lena every fifteen minutes.  She hoped the CEO didn’t think she’d been abandoned. She rushed toward the holding cells, and when she got there, she felt a deep relief. Lena was just lying there, sleeping peacefully.  It made Maggie wonder if she and Lena had a kind of connection like Kara and Alex had. Some Rao-given gift of subconscious connection. Sensing someone there, the brunette shifted her head to look, when she saw Maggie, she got the sweetest smile on her face, and the detective just wanted to fling the cell open and kiss her senseless.  Instead, she spoke softly, “Hi, baby girl. You OK?”

“Yeah, just ungodly bored, so I figured I’d take a little nap.  Any news on my mother?” She sat up and stretched.

“No, unfortunately,” Maggie sighed.  “Sorry.”

The CEO pouted a little.

“I'm sorry, but I have more bad news,” Maggie grimaced.  The dread that filled Lena’s face almost made her keep quiet, but she knew Lena was going to find out anyway, and it might as well be now.  “The kids were attacked at school.”

“No!” Lena pleaded.  “No, please, no.” She started sobbing.

Maggie reached through the bars and held her the best she could.

“What happened to them?”

Maggie told her.

“This is my worst nightmare come true,” Lena wailed.

“I know, baby,” she stroked brunette hair, and shushed her softly.  “It’s going to be OK. I know it is. I just know it. Supergirl is gonna find you a way out of here.”

“Not that!  I meant, the kids getting dragged into Luthor drama!  I can handle whatever anyone throws at me, but Jessie and Jamie are just little girls.  They don’t deserve all this. They don’t deserve to be hurt because of me!”

“Alex filed a police report, and now we just have to wait it out.”

“There shouldn’t have been an incident to report!  I should have been more careful!”

“How?  By not letting the kids take your pictures?  That wouldn’t have gone over well, and it probably wouldn’t have worked either.  They still would have taken pictures, but they’d be crappy under-the-table quality things, and who wants that?”

Lena gave Maggie a wry look.  “Be serious.”

“Lena, I promise you, everything will be OK.  We’ll figure this thing out.” She snuck a kiss through the bars.  “I love you so much! WE love you so much.  Just hold onto that, OK?  Hold onto our love for you.  By Rao, we are gonna fix this!”

Maggie stayed at the precinct all day and into the night, waiting for Kara and the gang to come up with something.  Her ass hurt. Her back hurt, and she was grumpy as fuck from lack of progress. It was passed midnight when Maggie decided to check on Lena again.  It had been an hour or so, since last time because Lena just wanted to sleep. That wasn’t going to stop her from walking by. Two ass hats in uniforms that were passing by made jokes about Lena losing her hair like her brother.  How stupid. She glared and jumped at them, and they ran off. Pussies.

Suddenly, the guys that had run off around the corner were yelling like maniacs.  Maggie turned around to see what the hell was going on but all she could see was a bright green light flickering on and off.  She started to walk back down the hall to see what was happening, but she was saved the trouble when John Corben stomped around the corner.  She pulled her gun out and emptied her magazine at him. It did nothing. The next thing she knew was pain.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena was awoken from a fitful sleep by two guys giggling to each other about whether or not she’d lose her hair like Lex.  How stupid. She ignored them until she heard them yelling down the hall. She got up to see Maggie outside her cell. The detective was walking towards the yelling, but Lena couldn’t see that far down the hall.  Suddenly Maggie stopped her feet and pulled out her gun.

“Stop right there, Corben!”  

Lena could hear the heavy footfalls of boots on the tiled floor, indicating that Corben wasn’t stopping.  The next thing she new, her ears were ringing with the sound of Maggie’s gun going off. She covered her ears and ducked down until the shots stopped.  Then, she screamed when she saw Maggie flying into the wall from a Kryptonite blast. “Maggie! Maggie! Oh, God, please be OK, Maggie!” She backed away from the bars as Corben rounded on her, ripping the door from its hinges and snatching her up.

“Your mother is waiting for you, Miss Luthor,” he grabbed her so tightly around the wrist, she thought it might break.  “No sense in struggling, or I’ll kill your little friend there.” He indicated the detective who still wasn’t moving. Lena couldn’t tell from her position, if she was even breathing, but if Corben said she was still alive…  She went peacefully, praying to Rao that he would watch over her beloved partner. She didn’t dare jeopardize Maggie’s life.

Just as Corben had said, there was a black van outside waiting for them, and as soon as she climbed into the back, she saw her mother and the ‘Cyborg Superman’ as he called himself.  

Her mother handed her a coat, “Cover yourself, would you?  You look like a common criminal for crying out loud.”

Lena obeyed only because she was freezing cold in her jail clothes.  They drove for what felt like hours, but in the back of the van, it was hard to tell.  Her mother tried to talk to her, tried to reason with her, even said she loved her again, but all Lena could hear was anti-alien fanaticism, and considering those who held her heart the dearest, she didn’t want to hear it.

Finally, they arrived at their destination - a loading dock in the middle of nowhere.  Though according to her mother, it was much more than that. It was one of Lex’s old bunkers, filled with rations, weapons, and all kinds of things.  That’s when Lillian revealed her true intentions. There was a biometric lock on one of the vaults that only opened for those with Luthor blood. Lena tried to refuse, but Cyborg Superman forced her hand onto the panel.  It stabbed her in about fifteen different places in her hand, and it hurt, damn it! The vault came dramatically out of the floor, and Lillian informed her it was ‘Everything we need to rid this planet of Kryptonians and every other alien invader, once and for all.’

Supergirl arrived, not even two minutes later, crashing through the ceiling of the vault.

“Supergirl!” Lena shouted.  “Get out of here! It’s not safe for you!”

Lillian beamed.  “Supergirl! You’re  just in time. I’ve been wondering if these worked.”  She threw a small device at the girl of steel, and the hero caught it, then fell to her knees in some sort of pain.

“Stop!” Lena demanded.

“Well, that was easy,” Lillian smirked.  “You want to try more of these toys?” she asked her minions.

“Don't hurt her!” Lena yelled.

“Sorry,” Lillian answered not looking very sorry at all.  “She's gotta pay for what her cousin did to your brother.”  She looked quite smug, as Kara groaned in pain. “Lock Supergirl in the vault.”

Lena felt a blow to the back of the head, and it knocked her to the floor.  She blacked out for a few seconds, and when she came to, she was too dizzy to stand.  Her head and her shoulder were killing her. She could hear Supergirl pleading with Corben to let her help him for some reason.  She tried to make her mind focus, but her head hurt too badly. She tried to force herself to stand, but ended up throwing up instead.  “Kara,” she whispered. “I can’t get up.”

“I’m coming, Lena!” the hero shouted, but Lena could hear her still struggling to get away from Corben.  She had no idea where her mother and Cyborg Superman went, and she couldn’t help, so she just had to lay there and wait.

There was an extraordinary crash, and Lena heard Corben saying something about a Martian, but she couldn’t see.  Finally, she could feel those familiar Kryptonian arms around her, and they were flying through the air. It made her sick a few times, but thanks to Kara’s superfast reflexes, neither of them got dirty.

“Just close your eyes, and hold onto me, sweetheart,” Kara soothed her.  “I’ve got you now. I love you so much. I’m so sorry you had to go through this.  We’re gonna get you back to the DEO, and Alex is gonna look you over, OK?”

“What’s the DEO?” Lena asked.

“You’re about to find out,” another voice answered.  It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it right away.  Finally, the person/alien revealed themselves by switching to Kara’s other side as they flew.  It was a large green man with a black and red uniform. He must have been the Martian. “Don’t worry.  I’m your friend J’onn. We’ll have to explain some things when we get back. But first, we’re gonna make sure you’re OK.”

“Maggie!” Lena whimpered.  “What happened to Maggie?”

“Maggie’s gonna be OK,” Kara assured her.  “She’s a little banged up, but Alex patched her up, and she’s gonna be fine.”

Lena burst into tears.  “She got hurt because of me.  And not just her! The kids!”

“No!” Kara said firmly.  “None of this is your fault!  Do you hear me? None of it! This was all Cadmus!  No one blames you, Lena. Especially not now. We found proof of your innocence when Winn was looking through the video files.  You’re a victim here too.”

Lena’s heart clenched in relief.  “Remind me to buy Winn a car,” she sniffled.

Kara giggled.  “I’m sure he would love that.”

They flew to the DEO, where Alex rushed at them as soon as they landed.

“Ohmygod, are you guys OK?” she ran around the three of them looking for injuries.

“Lena’s got a concussion,” Kara informed her.  “Other than that we’re fine.”

“My shoulder hurts from falling on it,” Lena added.

“OK, come on, baby, let’s get you to the med bay.”

Kara carried her to the infirmary where Maggie was laying sleeping.

“I’ll wake her up, if she’s not up by the time we’re finished looking you over, OK?” Alex promised.  “She needs to rest a little. I had to drug her to stop her from freaking the hell out about you being missing.  She was going to tear her stitches.”

Lena’s heart ached.  She wanted to hold Maggie and tell her it was going to be OK, like the detective did for her earlier.  But she listened to Alex because she knew she had to be examined, and that wasn’t exactly conducive to cuddling.  It didn’t take much time for Alex to look her over. The Department of Extranormal Operations had some incredible technology.  When they were done, Alex woke Maggie as promised. They cried as they held each other, with Alex and Kara holding onto them too, and they all shared their ‘I love yous’ over and over.

It was nearly dawn when Lena got the medical and legal clearance to go home.  The first thing they did was go back to the Danvers’ place where Douglas, Eliza and the twins were.  According to the Kryptonian, Douglas was asleep on the couch, and Eliza and the twins were piled into the big bed, so she couldn’t be tempted to go lay down and fall asleep.  She wasn’t allowed to do that yet. They tiptoed quietly into the apartment and sat down at the kitchen table. Kara made some coffee, and they all snuggled and kissed each other while they waited for everyone else to wake up.  

Douglas was up first.  He must have heard them in the kitchen, even though they were trying to be quiet.  He greeted them with a wave and snagged some coffee. “Glad to see everyone is alive and well.”

“Thanks, Douglas,” Lena smiled gratefully at him, and they spent a bit of time telling him about what happened.

Finally, the twins and Eliza woke up.  When the girls saw Lena, they were over the moon.  “Lena!” they screeched, running and hugging her as hard as they could.

“Oof!” she said as the breath was squeezed out of her.  “Hi, girls! Oh, I missed you so much!” Poor Jessie had a dark bruise across the bridge of her nose and under her eyes.  It broke Lena’s heart, but she tried not to cry. She didn’t want the girls to get upset. “I love you girls so much!” she said, kissing their foreheads.

“We love you too, Lena!” the girls kissed her on her cheeks a few times.

“I’m so sorry you got hurt because of me.  I tried so hard to keep you out of the media, for this exact reason, and it still didn’t do me any good.  I’m so sorry!”

“It’s not your fault, Lena!” the girls insisted.  “We know that. Don’t be silly.” Jessie added.

“Thank you,” she sniffled.

Eliza hugged her as well, and they took the time to explain to her and the twins what had happened over the course of the last twenty-four hours.  

“So Cadmus is still out there?” Jamie worried.

“Well, they’re down one cyborg freak, so that’s something,” Maggie commented.

“But will they try to kidnap Lena again?” Jessie fretted.

“They’d better not!” Alex snipped.  “If they know what’s good for them!”

They all had breakfast and let Douglas go home, then they decided to all go to Lena’s where there was room for everyone, and where she and Maggie could get some rest.  Eliza stayed for the day, but wouldn’t be convinced that she wasn’t in the way after that. She headed out in the evening after dinner. It was a nice, peaceful, restful day.  It wasn’t until late that Lena realized it was only quiet because her phone was still at the police precinct. Oh, well. She would get it tomorrow.