Chapter 2
The interrogation room was not unfamiliar to Lexa.
It’s dark grey walls and ugly LED lighting was actually a comforting sight- the room was one of the only things left exactly the way it had been. Her Aunt Alex had taught her how to interrogate in the same room- how to get into the mind of a perp and make them tell her what they knew. Intimidation tactics, friendly tactics, and the signature shining-the-light-directly-in-the-perp’s-face-so-that-they-suddenly-spill-their-guts move that was peppered into every detective movie she’d ever seen. Lexa let herself smile a little- remembering her first interrogation, and how absolutely awful she had been at it.
But this time, it was her under the bright table lamp- her mother and aunt watching her suspiciously. They looked at her as if she was a bomb, seconds away from exploding. She had never seen them look at her like that before. Of course, she’d been interrogated before- her mother bringing her into the DEO once when she had raided the cookie jar at five years old. But even then Alex had struggled to keep from laughing the entire time. This time was different- this time she was a stranger in her own home.
“So…” Alex began. She had just finished explaining everything to them- how they had sent Mon-El back to stop the Blight, but how he must have changed something so that her parents never got together. So that Lexa had never been born. “You’re saying that in an alternate timeline, you’re Kara’s daughter and we can’t remember you because the past just… suddenly changed?” she asked, clearly not believing a word she’d just said.
“Because Mon-El changed it,” Lexa nodded, “when we sent him back to stop the blight he must have done something that made mom fall in love with…. Someone else.” When she’d retold her story to her mother and aunt, she had left some things out. It didn’t hurt this timeline to talk about the old one- to tell her mother about their house or stories from her childhood. There was nothing they could do to alter what had already passed. But… she had still left certain key details out- like who her mother was. There had been no mention of her- Kara completely confused as to who she could have possibly had a child with.
Lexa was… afraid. Scared that her mother was gone, lost to some tragic alternate timeline without the family that loved and cared for her. She knew that before them Lena had been alone- and that the Luthors were not the best family to be left with. She could be no one, she could be living a perfectly fine life with a completely different family- she could be evil. Mentioning her mother was an inevitable event- but she found herself trying to hold off on knowing until she had to, trying to hold on to the timeline where Lena Luthor was a loving wife and an even better mother.
“Why would he do that?” Kara asked, her eyes having never left Lexa since they’d met. Lexa knew that if anyone was going to remember her now it would be her mom- listening intently to her story and watching her with a soft expression. She had to know that something about this was true- and her actions only reflected the small hope that Lexa was holding on to. “We aren’t even together in this timeline.”
Her expression turned sour, knowing exactly why the daxamite would do what he did. “Jealousy,” she grumbled, “that’s why he hasn’t come back yet- he’s trying to stay there until he can get a timeline where you end up with him!” Lexa found herself shouting by the end of her sentence, rage bubbling up in her chest. She clenched her fists atop the table, “he’s always been after you, mom- he never forgave you for marrying-” she caught herself, trying to wind down from the small temper tantrum, “-someone else.”
Alex squinted at her curiously, and Lexa knew she’d caught on. Maybe not to who her mom really was, but it was obvious to both women that Lexa was hiding it. Kara, however, remained focused on the other details- still baffled by the idea of the girl in front of her being her daughter.
“That sounds like Mon-El,” Alex admitted, sighing as she wrote something down on the piece of paper in front of her. She had been taking notes throughout the entire interrogation- probably waiting for Lexa to slip up. This was a tactic Alex had taught her as well- remembering what the bad guy said so that if he contradicted himself later they’d know he was lying. “I have to admit- this is a pretty good show you’re putting on here,” she clicked her pen on the tabletop, watching Lexa with a trained eye. “But- there’s something I can’t get over.”
Lexa grinned, leaning forward and raising her brows- welcoming the challenge from her aunt. “Shoot,” she encouraged.
“You want me to believe that Kara Danvers named her only daughter Lexa- the girl version of her and Clark’s number one enemy?” she asked, almost chuckling- reminding Lexa of the aunt she knew before. “My sister named her kid after Lex Luthor?”
Lexa knew that her name would be the first thing to be questioned. It was something people had asked her about her entire life- Supergirl's daughter named after her sworn enemy. It was also one of the only things the siblings in front of her could call her out on. She looked just like Kara- the house of Zor-El’s bright blue eyes and the same strong features. Her blood ran Kryptonian, she had gladly submitted to a blood test that she knew had told them she was 50% Kara Danvers. It was the little things she knew she’d have to explain. She had the Danvers credentials- but the other half of her heritage still remained prominent in her personality. Everyone had always told her that when it came to her core, she was more Lena than anyone else.
“A nickname,” she explained, smiling fondly. Her name had been one of the many examples of how she was a perfect mix of her two backgrounds- a name that carried both Danvers and Luthor meanings. “Short for Alexandra Alura L. Danvers,” she grinned knowingly at Alex, “I was named after my aunt- and my uzheiu, of course.”
A small smile crossed Alex’s face- it did sound like something Kara would do, naming her child after her sister. Kara looked at her daughter in amazement, smiling at the use of her old language. “I taught you kryptonese?”
“Mom insisted,” Lexa smiled, remembering her early childhood and growing up in a house with an interesting mix of two different languages. “She never really learned it for herself- she tried, but it didn’t work out for her.” Lexa began to laugh, her memory getting the better of her, “When I was little, you accidentally taught me how to swear-” she let out a loud, unfiltered giggle, “-mom was so mad at you.” She recalled Lena, arms folded and glaring sternly at a sheepish Kara, who only held her hands up in surrender and tried not to laugh at her nine year old cursing up a storm in their native language.
Kara stared at her as if she were an alien. Lexa’s face had turned red from laughing, just like Alex used to when they were younger. She watched as the young girl sitting across from her laughed with her whole body, making a distant memory light up in Kara that she couldn’t shake- there was something familiar in her, if only she could remember what it was.
Lexa caught herself, realizing what she’d done once it was too late. She recognized the look in her mother’s eyes- the face she made when she was focusing on something intensely. She knew that Kara could remember Lena- that somewhere in there she knew what was missing. Her laughter subsided, and a quiet enveloped the room.
“Mom?” Kara asked, a puzzled look on her face. She seemed to be struggling to put two and two together- which would have been a funnier sight to Lexa if not for the circumstances. Her mother was often praised for her ability to sense things- to be able to “read the room” wherever she went. “I thought I was your mom?”
It was Alex that gave it away in the end.
Alex, who had always bragged about how she’d known the whole time. Had seen the long and agonizing looks between her sister and the CEO- had known what was in her sister’s heart before Kara herself knew it. The woman who had made a bet with Maggie over it and had won a whopping 20 dollars when the women had finally confessed. Alex, who had realized it back then and was realizing it now.
Lexa had caught the eyes of her aunt right before she was about to speak- ready to admit that she was the daughter of the impossible. Not only the child of two women (which hadn’t happened in science before her) but also the child of the two most notorious enemies. But, the look on Alex’s face stopped her dead in her tracks.
It was scary. Her aunt’s entire demeanor had changed, her suspicious and careful gaze replaced with a quiet and ominous one. The oldest agent swallowed thickly, “you’re really telling the truth?” she asked sincerely, as if before this had been some kind of funny game they had been playing. Her tone was hushed, much more serious than before. “Are they really your parents?”
Lexa straightened, nodding her head. “Yes,” she answered, her voice cracking and filled with nervousness. She had been told stories about how everyone had reacted to her moms dating- the shock, the insisting that everything would fall apart. But this- this seemed different. Alex was almost...fearful- holding back the last piece of Lexa’s puzzle.
“Wait,” Kara shook her head, completely perplexed, “I’m confused- Alex what is she talking about?” She too had recognized the look of realization on Alex’s face- always the first one to put the pieces together.
“Lexa…” Alex began, chewing on her lip and avoiding her eyes. Lexa could feel her heart pounding in her ears- a quick glance from her mother told her that she could hear it too. The older woman’s super hearing allowing her to hear the panic coming over her daughter in waves. Alex reached across the table, laying a hand on her niece's arm- shocking the two other women in the room. Alex Danvers was rarely affectionate. “If you’re messing with us, you need to tell me right now,” she commanded, a slight edge to her voice that Lexa had never heard before.
She nodded, her eyes wide and lip trembling, “where’s my mom, Alex?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She had known something was wrong as soon as she’d seen the L Corp. building - her mother’s famous insignia missing from the tower’s roof. She stood up, not being able to stay still as the anxiety overcame her (another trait inherited from the CEO, she was told). “Auntie where is she?”
Kara stood with her, worry evident on her face. “Alexandra, you need to calm down-” she started towards her, arms outstretched as if she was ready to comfort the younger girl.The use of her full name was familiar to Lexa, her mother using it throughout her childhood when she was in trouble or when things got serious. Lexa looked at her- she had seemingly caught up then, finally realizing that she wasn’t Lexa’s only mother.
“I want to see my mom!” Lexa felt tears begin to stain her face, her voice louder than she’d meant it to be. This day had wreaked havoc on her, tearing everything she’d ever known to shreds. So, she let her mother finally do something she remembered. She let Kara pull her in, holding her daughter to her chest tightly. Lexa felt relief wash over her- the all too natural warmth enveloping her as her mother hugged her. She smelled the same- laundry detergent and printer paper. She briefly wondered if her mom still worked at Catco- if she was still a reporter when she wasn’t saving the world like she was in Lexa’s timeline.
Kara smoothed back her hair, letting her motherly instincts take over. Lexa wasn’t sure where she would have gotten the instincts from, her not being a mother in this timeline and all- but she appreciated them all the same. “We’ll find her, Lexa,” she promised, taking a deep breath and letting it fall, “I don’t remember everything- but I….” she struggled for a second before continuing. “I know that I know you- I know something’s missing. We’re gonna figure it out- you and me. I promise.”
She knew her mother meant well. That was what Supergirl did- what Kara Danvers did. She saved people, even if she didn’t know them. Her entire life Kara had told her that everyone deserved at least a chance- that was how her parents had come together in the first place, because Kara gave her mom a chance. When nobody else believed in Lena, Kara was there- and now, when nobody else remembered Lexa, Kara would be there for her too.
“Lexa…” Lexa practically jumped when she felt Alex’s hand on her back, her aunt having stood from the table and come to stand in front of them. The affection was meant to be comforting, but it scared Lexa more than anything. Her aunt was only ever affectionate when something was wrong. She met Alex’s eyes- waiting for the news that her mom was halfway across the world or rotting in a jail cell somewhere. “I want to help you- really, I do- but…..” she sighed, shaking her head, “I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Lexa asked, swallowing nervously.
“We can’t?” Kara repeated, looking at her sister with confusion. “Alex, I’m sure whoever she is we can find her- yes, it’s confusing but we at least have to try.” There she was again, being everyone’s hero. Lexa let herself smile a little- some things about her mother could never change, no matter the timeline. She briefly remembered all the times her mother promised she’d be there for her, no matter what kind of trouble they were in.
And Kara Danvers always kept a promise.
Alex smiled sadly at the two- her sister and supposed daughter both staring at her with the same blue eyes. “Kara,” she sighed, nodding her head towards Lexa, “it’s not…..” She paused, as if searching for the right words. Lexa knew then that wherever her mother was- it wasn’t good. “It’s not possible.”
That seemed to strike a chord in Kara, her body tensing immediately. She looked at her daughter- studying her features intensely. She held her hands up to Lexa’s face, turning her head this way and that before letting out a final sigh. “I know you,” she said after minutes of silence, her eyes beginning to water. “I knew I recognized you, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until now.” She smiled sadly, tucking a stray hair behind Lexa’s ear. “You look just like her, you know.”
Lexa nodded, letting a small chuckle escape her lips, “I know,” she admitted, “you tell me all the time.” She saw the familiar sadness in her mom’s eyes- the one she had when she was saving an innocent. “Is she okay, mom?”
Kara’s smile faltered, biting her lip. She moved to hug Lexa again, squeezing her tightly. “No, kiddo- she’s-” she let a tear roll down her cheek, staining the perfect kryptonian complexion. “I’m so sorry- it’s my fault.”
“Kara, it’s not your fault,” Alex began, shaking her head.
But, Kara cut her off, trying to comfort her daughter as much as she could before she had to break the young girl’s heart. “Lexa, in this timeline….” she took a deep breath.
“Lena Luthor died ten years ago.”