The End
Lena managed to destroy all of the plans, digital and physical, and pry pieces of metal apart until it was unrecognizable, even to her, but that was just the main prototype. The others required Maggie and Alex's assistance, as they were less explosive. Maggie seemed to enjoy firing shots into the devices, if the wide grin on her lips was any indication. Alex looked like she was having fun just watching Maggie, coming behind her to dismantle the machines a bit more.
"When she comes in, do you think she'll finally tell me she hates me? I know she does, she won't admit it." Lena asked suddenly, just before Maggie sets off another round of shots into the next device.
"Lee, I don't think Lillian really does hate you. Sure, she's a manipulative asshole who says what she needs to get by, but if she did, do think she'd be destroying to the word so that you'll run back to her?" Alex responded, and Lena's hands dropped to her sides. Lena's gaze fell to the security monitor, and the first thought that popped into her head was a string of curse words.
"It's a fucking loop. She's here, and she's hacked the goddamn government. Mother, you can come out now." Lena's laughed, one of both shock and amusement as her mother made her way into the center of the room.
"Hello, dear." Lillian smiled, that stone-cold smile that made Lena's stomach turn.
"I know what you want, and it's gone. Every version destroyed beyond repair with parts I designed myself, and no trace of any blueprints. You can shoot your gun at me, but it won't get you anywhere." Lena announced, walking up to meet her mother.
"My, my, how you've grown. I hear you have kids now, three with Kara, though she has two more, so I assume five, if you'd like to count them."
"What the hell do you want now, huh? My kids, my money, my friends? Oh, please, do tell. What am I going to give up because you couldn't manage to play nice?" Lena threw up her hands. "I've given up with you. Tell me, do you hate me, is that why we play this game?"
"Of course I don't hate you, Lena, stop acting like a child." Lillian's annoyed scoff was almost enough to send Lena's fists flying.
"Then, do you love me? Is that it? Tell me, Mother, I want to understand why I'm here again. I'm tired." Lena fought the tears, she wasn't going to break now. "I have kids who need me, a family to take care of, so, please. Just tell me."
"Lena, you're still just as immature as ever. Of course, I love you, why else do this dance? It's the only way I can get you to speak to me!" Lillian's voice sent an echo through the warehouse, and Maggie's finger tightened its grip on the trigger of her gun.
"That's all? Seriously, you do this because you think I'll love you back?" Lena almost collapsed. "You think that kidnapping my wife, torturing her, and putting three kids who did nothing but be loved by me through hell, will make me love you?"
"No. You will never love me, not after all I've done. But if you take comfort in me, even just for a second, even after I've tortured you, at least it's something."
"Mother, if you hadn't kidnapped my fucking wife, I would've come to see you. You were in prison, and I was thinking about it. I could've loved you, maybe even let you meet the kids after a few years. Then, Kara, then this, and I can never love you. I hate you for this." Lena felt something in her snap. This whole thing made her feel like a maniac, she was screaming, yelling at her calm mother, and she couldn't stop.
"Lena!" Maggie's voice rang through Lena's ears, and her head whipped around.
"You brought friends?" Lillian asked, an amused grin on her lips.
"Well, either you're dying or I'm going down with you, but either way, my kids are free of you. My wife is free of you. It's you or both of us, choose." Lena announced, but before Lillian could, a shot rang off and fired straight through her head. Lena's eyes widened when she realized the blood on her face wasn't her own, she was okay.
"She's gone." At first, it was a hushed announcement, then a wide grin spread across Lena's lips. "She's gone!" The second was excited, she was finally free. "She's really gone." And the third was shaky, almost unbelieving as she dropped to her knees and finally allowed the pent-up tears in her eyes to fall. Her head fell onto Lillian's unmoving stomach, and sobs shook her body. Tears soaked through her blouse, and Lena's newly free heart sunk to her stomach.
"Lena?" It was Alex. Lena allowed herself to be practically carried back into the control room. After a while, Lena couldn't cry anymore. She just sat, dazed, wrapped in Alex's arms as Maggie did one last sweep of the perimeter. When the door opened again and the tiny (Maggie would hate Lena for thinking that right then) brunette reentered the room.
"All clear," Maggie announced. Alex nodded and managed to stand from the concrete floor, pulling Lena with her.
"Alex?" Lena murmured, when they were finally back in the car and ready to head back to the airport.
"Yeah?" Alex's voice was gentle, as if she could break Lena by just speaking.
"I think...when I can feel things again, I'm going to be very scared of the person I might be." Lena's voice was too stable for someone who just lost her second mother.
"I know you'll be just fine, and I'll be there the whole time." Alex offered a gentle smile in response, which was actually more for herself than Lena.
"You promise?" Lena asked.
"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When they got home, Kara was out of the hospital, and everyone was at the house. Sam, Eliza, James, Lucy, Winn, Lyra, Barry, Iris, Oliver, Felicity, Sara, Ava, even Clark, and Lois. Of course, almost everyone had kids now, which meant the house was overrun with noise. Barry and Iris' Nora and Oliver and Felicity's Mia had become best friends and were playing with Lyla and Lori. James and Lucy's daughter, Sierra, along with Winn and Lyra's son, Jacob seemed to enjoy Kayla's toys, and Sara and Ava's triplets, Emily, Cloe, and Amelia, being a bit closer to Lexa's age, looked happy talking about school and boys and girls, which made Kara beam when Lexa mentioned a girl named Clarke. It was a trainwreck, yes, but after a long plane ride that included a shower and a hot meal, Lena felt more ready for it than before. Unsurprisingly, Eliza was the first up to check her over for bumps and bruises, then wrap her in an unnecessarily tight hug.
Next was Kara, doing her own survey of Lena's appearance and running her fingers over her skin just to be sure, then she pulled Lena into a long kiss.
"You idiot, I was worried sick!" Kara scolded her, and Lena could hear the sadness in her voice.
"I'm here." Lena breathed out, sighing happily when Kara pulled her in for a hug. "I know."
"Moms, can it stop now?" Lexa asked, her nose scrunched up in disgust. Lena chuckled, her smile widening when the rest of her kids realized she was home.
"Mama!" Kayla squealed, her sisters (and cousin, knowing this meant her moms were home, too) following her as she ran to practically tackle her mother.
"Hey, babies!" Lena chuckled, scooping up Kayla just as Lori attached herself to her mother's hips, her head just reaching high enough to rest against Lena's stomach. "I told you it would be fast! I'm back already." Lena sighed.
"We still missed you, though. We always miss you when you leave." Kayla muttered against Lena's neck, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I missed you, too, babies." Lena giggled, setting Kayla down when she began to squirm. Lexa was next in line, she didn't fit into the hug with her sisters.
"Mom told me you went on a stupid mission," Lexa mumbled.
"It was not stupid!" Lena insisted.
"No, but you were." Lexa's unimpressed frown was almost hilarious, but Lena knew she probably shouldn't laugh.
"That's fair. Come here." Lexa sighed, wrapping her oldest daughter into the longest hug. "Oh, I missed my girls." Kara wrapped her arms around the pair, smiling widely.
"Alright, that's enough of you guys being gross." Lexa pulled away, scrunching up her nose when her mothers almost automatically ended up wrapped up in each other again. Kara turned around to face Alex and Maggie, who just setting Lyra down to go play again.
"Idiots," Kara grumbled, wrapping Alex into a hug. "All three of you."
"Hey, Maggs saved Lena's ass," Alex argued.
"And Lena's ass needed saving because she was an idiot. And so were you for going with her." Kara replied, moving on to hug Maggie. "Making me worry."
"I'm right here now, love." Lene murmured, running a gentle hand through Kara's hair. The blonde melted, still grumbling about safehouses sucking and how she was going crazy when Lena pulled her in for a kiss.
"She's gone, Kar," Lena whispered, resting her forehead against her wife's. "Lillian is dead."
"What? How?" Kara's eyes widened, shock written all over her face.
"She was never leaving the warehouse. I was going to be the one to kill her. No prison could hold her, she was just going to break out and wreck my life all over again, but I told her it was her or both of us, and Maggs shot her in the head before she could decide to take me out with her." Lena shrugged.
"Lena Luthor-Danvers, stop sacrificing yourself! I'm not losing you, so stop trying to force me to." Kara groaned.
"Sorry, but I've technically already died and at least I know Mamai is waiting. She'll have fun with all the people she's killed." Lena teased.
"Alright, everyone wants a turn, Kara!" Felicity called, obviously tired of waiting.
"Yeah, yeah," Kara grumbled, allowing everyone to take their turns hugging her wife. Lena was home, and she was safe. Finally.