Chapter Text
Kara has had a terrible day. Terrible month, really. Ever since that message from space arrived, things had been going downhill. And the worst part was that this really should be a joyous occasion.
The message that had landed all those nights ago had brought her such immense happiness when Winn had finally managed to decrypt it. But that was when the trouble started.
“This is a message to Lena Luthor or Supergirl. Please ensure that one or both receive it” began the woman on the screen. She looked human, much like Kara, Kal-El and several other aliens in the universe. She had mousey brown hair and hazel eyes with a small smile that made her cheeks dimple pleasantly.
"Hello, Lena Luthor. Hello, Supergirl," she began in a calm, welcoming tone. "My name is Fay-En, a geneticist from Daxam. I'm currently aboard Queen Rhea's flagship, and I need to introduce you to someone."
The woman's gaze shifted as she fetched an 18-month-old baby from somewhere off-screen. The child had dark brown hair and striking blue eyes, with a lone lock of golden blonde at the peak of her brow, adding to her uniqueness. She happily chewed on a teething toy, seemingly oblivious to the significance of the moment.
"I haven't given her a name yet," Fay-En continued, "as that's a privilege reserved for her parents. Though, she enjoys being called 'little one' or 'sweet one.' Now, you might be wondering how this all relates to both of you, so let me explain."
“When Queen Rhea insisted that Lena Luthor produce the next heir to the throne with Prince Mon-El, I was instructed to take DNA to input into our birthing matrix. However, it was very clear that Lena Luthor did not want a child with Prince Mon-El. Unfortunately, I was still required to produce something to appease Queen Rhea.” The Daxamite paused to pick up the child’s teething ring which had dropped to the floor
“Knowing that Lena Luthor did not give her consent to this endeavour, I decided instead to use DNA that would be more palatable; I used Supergirl’s DNA”
At this revelation, chaos erupted at the DEO, and the heartwarming moment Kara had anticipated with Lena turned into a bewildering circus. Fear and doubt clouded the minds of those closest to Kara, and the child's existence raised a barrage of questions. Would Lena exploit the half-Kryptonian child? Could Supergirl's safety be compromised with this child in the world?
Even worse, the decision was made to exclude Lena from this situation entirely, believing she might use the child as a weapon. Only Winn seemed to share Kara's frustration with this decision, making Kara feel like the loneliest person in the world.
In short order, Superman arrived at the DEO, and they’d spent the last two-and-a-half weeks debating what to do about “the kid”
Kara became more incensed by the day, her jaw painfully tight from gritting her teeth, until Superman's suggestion to deal with the child's existence in an extreme manner triggered Kara's anger. With emotions reaching a boiling point, Kara finally snapped.
Driven by her intense rage and determination, Kara seized the message from Fay-En, along with additional information that the geneticist had shared, and flew straight to L-Corp.
Her anger increased further when she heard yelling from the conference room nearest Lena’s office, and her x-ray vision picked up a man standing halfway down the left side of the long table, his finger raised accusingly at Lena as he yelled about her being “just like her brother”
Kara landed heavily enough to crack the concrete of Lena’s balcony
Lena, for her part, appeared to be unconcerned with the yelling man, instead watching him with a raised eyebrow as he continued his tirade. The other people at the meeting looked bored or were rolling their eyes, and Kara could see Jess doodling a little stick figure of an angry man on her tablet as she stood behind Lena’s chair
Supergirl’s sudden interruption caused the meeting to come to a halt as Lena turned in her chair, a small smile on her lips as she rose to allow the hero entry. When Kara’s baleful gaze remained on the yelling man, Lena’s eyebrows knitted together in concern but softened when Kara turned to her
“Supergirl. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?” Lena asked, her Irish accent hanging on each R
“I require your assistance with a matter of National Security” Kara lied.
“And you trust me with this matter?” Lena asked, eyebrow raised playfully and a smirk on her face
“More than anyone else in the room” Kara responded, turning to glower at the yelling man again. He finally chose to sit down, looking thoroughly cowed
“You’re smarter than you look,” Kara said with clear distaste, and several other people chuckled. Lena’s eyebrows knitted together once more before she turned to face the room
“Well, gentleman, it appears we’ll have to cut this meeting short, I’m afraid. National Security and all. Jess will notify you all of the next meeting, though I’m not certain how long this project will require my input, so it may be some time. Jess, please ensure these gentlemen all find their way home” Lena says pointedly, and Jess smirks as she mutters a “yes, Miss Luthor” before corralling the businessmen out the door and closing it behind her.
“Are you alright?” Lena asks, turning to rest her hand on Kara’s bicep, and the blonde nearly breaks into tears. Lena always knew when something was wrong
“No. No, I’m not. I think you, of all people, will understand when I say: family . I’m not really in the mood to talk about it, though” she intones, and Lena nods sagely
“Yes, yes I understand. I’m happy to listen if that changes, but let’s see if we can’t at least distract you with this National Security issue”
“It, uh, it’s not actually a National Security thing” Kara blurts out, sighing
“Supergirl, did you just lie to my board members?” Lena asks, smirking as she crosses her arms over her chest
“I didn’t like the way that guy was talking to you,” Kara says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and Lena chuckles
“Well, thank you, Supergirl. Always coming to my rescue. Is there actually a project, then? Or are you just attending to your Superly duties?”
“There is, actually. It’s a personal matter, though”
“I’ll print an NDA” Lena says, already turning to find the file on her laptop
“You won’t need that. I trust you” If Lena was surprised, it didn’t show
“If you’re sure. Well then, do I finally get to save Supergirl?” Lena asks playfully, and Kara smiles for what feels like the first time in a month
“A part of me. A part of you, too” she says cryptically as she hands Lena the drive with the message from Fay-En. Lena tilts her head in curiosity as she takes the drive and plugs it into her laptop
“Watch the video first, and then we can go through the other files together” Kara instructs. Lena nods, sitting in the plush executive chair, then opens the video.
The video itself only lasts about 2 minutes (Kara knew this for certain, as she’d watched it multiple times to see her daughter's adorably chubby little cheeks) but the silence thereafter stretches on for a concerning amount of time. Kara chances a glance at Lena’s face and sees a whirlwind of emotion there.
Her eyes are slightly glassy as they dart back and forth in the way Kara knows to mean that the genius has already figured out at least a dozen solutions, maybe more, and is trying to discern which would be the best course of action.
Suddenly, the woman stands, breathing in deeply as she turns to face Supergirl
“Do you trust my judgement on this?” she asks, and Kara nods
“Good” Lena nods once and turns to the intercom system near her laptop “Jess, I will need Martin, Ava, Tommy and Bryce in here immediately. Clear their schedules for the day, this may take some time. Oh, and Jess, I’d like you in here with them” Kara hears the hurried “Yes, Miss Luthor” crackle through the speaker, and Lena begins pacing behind the head of the table. Kara takes the seat to the right of where Lena would sit and watches her best friend's contemplative strides.
Soon enough, the group Lena had requested arrives, and they settle themselves around the table.
Martin is a tall man with glasses and a well-shaped jawline. He wears a lab coat and looks the part of a scientist, but Kara thinks he’d look like a completely different person when he’s not wearing it.
Ava is small and mousey, holding a large notepad to her chest as she shuffles in behind Martin.
Tommy looks every bit like the kind of guy who lives in his mother’s basement and harasses women in online forums, but he seems quite polite and pleasant when he greets Supergirl
Bryce is wearing a blue button-down (Kara’s quite certain she owns the same one) and dress slacks, and gives off very strong gay best-friend vibes from the moment he waltzes into the room
Jess sits across from Kara, giving the Kryptonian a worried look as Lena makes a few more turns before stopping, resting her hands on the table and sighing deeply. She turns her head to Supergirl
“You’re absolutely sure you trust me on this? Because I’m going to tell them everything” she asks, and Kara nods. With another deep breath, Lena stands to her full height and begins
“You would all remember when Queen Rhea and the Daxamites invaded Earth, not all that long ago?” Lena asked the table, and everyone nodded
“Well, it appears that they took something with them, something we want back. Queen Rhea commissioned a geneticist to help her create the next heir to the throne of Daxam, using my DNA” She paused when the gathered team gasped and looked at each other in shock. Kara noticed Jess’ fingers fly into action, already dancing across her tablet before Lena had fully finished her sentence
“Thankfully, the geneticist has a rather strong moral compass, and couldn’t bring herself to mix my DNA with that of someone I couldn’t stand. So she made a decision”
“She used my DNA instead” Kara picked up, watching all eyes at the table go wide. Suddenly, there was a flurry of movement and speech as everyone at the table began writing notes, sketching things and chattering away with one another
“I’ve cleared everyone’s schedules for the foreseeable future. What do we know about the little one? Will she have any allergies to nappies, formula, or anything at all?” Jess says, asking Supergirl directly about the child’s needs
“Honestly, I’m not sure. She’s half human, half Kryptonian. I feel like she’s either going to be allergic to everything, or more indestructible than me” Kara chuckled
"I'll err on the side of caution, then," Jess says, her fingers flying across her tablet as she takes notes and schedules appointments. "Cloth diapers, organic, plant-based formula, hypoallergenic materials and toys… I know a place that can cater to most of it."
“There is no budget for this, Jess. Spend however much you need. Same for the rest of you” Lena assures
“Lena, we’ve got that NASA craft mostly done, do you think we can push that contract back and repurpose the craft to bring your little one home?” Martin asks as Ava sits next to him, intently sketching something
“I’ve already drafted a letter to Dr Wells stating that Supergirl has requested use of the vessel for a matter of National Security, I’ll just need Lena to sign it” Jess says, not even looking up from the screen as she types furiously.
“Send it to me when it’s ready, I’ll sign straight away. Whatever you need for the craft, Martin, order it. Order double just in case.”
“Supergirl, are there any environmental factors we need to be aware of for the baby?” asks Tommy, hand hovering over his notepad awaiting any input
“Well, if she ends up having powers everything will need to be Super-proof” Kara begins
“Um, uh, sorry, but if everything’s Super-proof then you’ll be affected too?” Ava spoke quietly
“We’ll be out of range of your sun, anyway, so I’ll likely be completely powerless by the time we reach the Daxamite ship” Kara responded, her mouth twisting as she considered the ramifications of that. Ava’s eyes widened slightly and she turned to a new page in her notebook, scribbling fervently
Bryce hums as he puts the finishing touch on whatever he is doing and smiles to himself.
“Jess, could you also clear Lena’s schedule as much as possible? She’ll be with me for flight training while the ship is being fitted out. I’ve sent you my lesson plan, and I’d like to start as soon as possible and with as much intensity as possible” he asks, leaning forward to see past Tommy, who is hunched over his notebook and writing out various equations and annotations
“Got it. She’ll be with you for every lesson” Jess responds, her fingers still moving rapidly
“We’re also going to need a flight suit,” Bryce continued. “Something that can withstand space, possible battle, and a little baby Super” he tilts his head thoughtfully
“I can take care of that, actually,” Kara responds. “I’ve got a guy,” she says, standing from the table to face Lena
“Would you mind if I grabbed him, now?” she asks, and Lena nods. Kara speeds away, her heart feeling warm and full as she thinks about how quickly Lena’s team has put together a plan to collect their child. No questions, no concerns, no Super vs Luthor. Just uniting parents with their child. She listens to the continued scratching of pen on paper and occasional clipped words and conversations as she flies to her destination
Winn appears grumpy as he sorts clothes in his flat. Kara knocks gently on his window and waves when he looks over.
“Kara! Are you alright? I’m so sorry about what’s happening! I can’t believe they’re being so callous about this! That’s your baby out there!” he starts to ramble angrily upon opening the window for her, gesturing wildly with his hands as he does so
“Calm down, Winn. I’m alright, just mad and disappointed. I do need your help with something, though” Kara says, gently capturing one of Winn’s flailing hands
“Anything, Kar, just name it”
“Come with me,” she says, grabbing him around the waist and lifting off. He only squeals for a short while as they land back on Lena’s balcony
“Mr Schott, a pleasure to see you again,” Lena says politely, holding her hand out to be shaken
“Does she know?” Winn whispers to Kara
“About our baby? Yes, Winn, she knows” Kara responds, and Winn faces Lena fully
“With all due respect, Miss Luthor; absolutely not,” he says, gently batting Lena’s hand away and instead stepping forward to wrap her in a hug, surprising both her and Kara. When he steps away, his eyes are slightly glassy
“I’m so sorry about what’s happening here, guys,” he says, rubbing his eyes.
“It’s fine, Winn. We’re gonna go get her” Kara smiles down at him, and his face lights up with glee.
“Really?! Yes! That’s great news! How can I help?” he turns to face Lena, practically bouncing in his excitement
“Well, apparently I’m going to need a flight suit” She shrugs, and Winn nods emphatically
"Oh, I've so got you! I'm gonna need your measurements. Do you have any skin irritations from materials? How do you feel about blue? No, no, not blue. Green. You like green? I'm thinking charcoal grey with green accents," he begins to ramble at a rapid speed, and Lena smiles indulgently at him as she takes his elbow and leads him to the table, sitting him next to Bryce so the two can work on the design.