WHAT: Lena wakes up to a ~magical~ memory update WHERE: L-Corp Penthouse WHEN: Valentine's Day morning WARNINGS: Small fires and some internal angsting STATUS: Complete
Lena knew that wouldn’t be the end of their stories but it felt like there was a sense of closure there - the final chapter of a book closed, perhaps preparing for a sequel that wouldn’t be until years from now. The truth about her mother - and subsequently, herself - was uncovered. The mother who raised her was dead. Lex was exiled to the Phantom Zone, and she wasn’t naive to think that it was an arrangement that would be permanent.
Maybe it’d give them a time of peace, for once.
There had been a funeral. A wedding came not far after that. Two beautiful brides and an adorable adopted child (one that she’d be a godmother to, wasn’t that some news) to complete the family. Friends that had left came to attend and it’d been a lovely evening. A beautiful evening, and she could recall partaking it with every cell of hers bursting with love. Her friends had become this family she had chosen for herself, and for once in her life Lena was confident in who she was and what she stood for. She was the only one to hold the Luthor name now - and she would work on revamping it into something better. It was a good feeling.
But it didn’t feel good to wake up from that when her eyes fluttered open, and she was worlds away from her version of Earth and National City. The king-sized bed, the soft sheets and the presence pushed against her were familiar. They were warm and home in a way that National City just wasn’t, and she’d woken up to a face that she would only wake up to here.
The wedding she witnessed was Alex’s. It was her and Kelly’s wedding, and they had a daughter they asked Lena to become a godmother to - and there was nothing for them there that would ever blossom. Alex wasn’t hers there. If she ever disappeared from Vallo she’d never remember Lena, or what they had or even Theo. She’d go back to another woman, and back to another child she’d call hers.
Reality was like an electric shock to her system. Lena shot up like she’d just woken up from a nightmare (but it wasn’t, it really wasn’t) and her breathing was erratic with panic. Her brain was still kind of - melding with the new upload of information, flashes of faces from home, the feeling of magic coursing through her veins.
It was an internal mess that began to take the form of a flicker of fire that began to light up their blanket.
“Oh - shit, Alex!”
Alex hadn’t slept deeply for a long time. Being a secret government agent for so many years meant being ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. She had to be ready, awake and aware, especially when she worked overnight shifts - like a firefighter, really. That didn’t mean she’d ever expected to be woken (from an admittedly deeper sleep than usual) by an actual flame.
Lena’s voice snapped her into consciousness quickly and she swung her legs out from beneath the blanket, surging forward to grab the glass of water she always kept beside her bed. She got to her feet and emptied the glass on the tiny, flickering fire. Thankfully, it was small enough to still be easily put out.
Her heart was racing, that burst of adrenaline making her hand shake as she raked it through her hair, trying to collect herself. Her eyes searched the room - as if a simple onceover might explain why she had woken up to fire in her bed, but of course there was nothing. No reason. Nothing seemed to have toppled onto the bed that might have been lit. She was fairly sure they hadn’t lit candles in here at all, actually.
So, she looked to Lena for an answer. “What the hell was that?”
Really, it ought to have been her goddamn responsibility to snuff that flame out herself since she knew she was the responsible party for that but Lena felt that sense of insecurity freeze her - the same kind that kept her stagnant back home in regards to this magic she came to. She did that. She did that.
“Um,” Lena swallowed thickly, pushing the pitch-black mess of hair back with a comb of her fingers. There was a singed hole in their comforter now, proof of what she’d done. “That was - that was me, I did that.”
Then her attention snapped to the view outside which was snow, so much snow. The penthouse has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the sight of the city and horizon during all hours of the day was absolutely breath-taking. Vallo had scattered weather but this snowfall was blizzard level, and slightly concerning. “It’s Valentine’s Day, right? Not Christmas?”
Alex’s eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Lena had done this? With what? When? Why? She had so many questions, but she was struggling to find the ability to do more than stare and regulate her breathing. The very nonchalant question about Valentine’s Day did nothing but frustrate her further. That was it? I did it without explaining any more?
But, as if summoned by the words Valentine’s Day, the alarm on Alex’s phone and watch began to beep simultaneously. She crossed over to her beside table to pick up her watch, setting the emptied water glass in its place before she strapped it on around her left wrist.
She had been planning to get up early, insist Lena sleep in, and make breakfast for them both in bed. It was their first Valentine’s Day as a couple, and she wanted to make sure she did something appropriate for them in the romance department. But that peaceful day she’d planned - complete with Lena taking the day off work, at her insistence - had started off with a bang instead. And not the kind Alex would have preferred.
“Lena,” she said patiently, hands on her hips as she eyed her girlfriend. “What do you mean you did that?”
With a pose like that, hands on her hips as she awaited a response, Lena had no choice but to resume focus back to her girlfriend. Alex, who was hers, and not married to someone else with an adopted child that wasn’t Theo.
It still felt like a dream. That’s why she had this daze to her, like she was trying to separate the realities in her head - and the feelings in her heart from a Lena who was happy for Alex and a Lena who was, admittedly, heartbroken about it.
“I had, ah…” she started, working to wipe beneath her eyes as she felt them start to water. Keep it together. Tiny boxes. “It was a memory dump. From home. There was a lot. I’m a witch?” Lena kept wiping beneath her eyes, then let out this laugh that was mirthless and a little broken. “That was weird to say. Sorry. I’m trying to make sense of it when it doesn’t feel like there’s rhyme or reason.”
Alex couldn’t hold onto any of that simmering annoyance when she realized Lena was crying. Her heart lurched in her chest instead, annoyance replaced with concern. She padded over to Lena’s side of the bed, shoving back the singed and now very wet blanket, and sat beside her, wrapping her arms around her.
She’d dealt with a memory update before. She knew what a jolt it was, how difficult it could be to process. It had been just the one so far - ending with Kara back from the Phantom Zone but nothing more. She had been drinking then and handled the uncertainty of what that future held, the uncertainty of how Kara was, by drowning in alcohol. She tried her hardest not to do that anymore.
She could only assume that whatever Lena had seen was also not the greatest. She focused on that first, but she would definitely be circling back to the whole I’m a witch revelation.
“Honey, what happened?” she asked softly, lifting one hand to brush away her girlfriend’s falling tears. “Is it bad? Are you okay?”
Alex wrapped around her should bring a wave of comfort but it was a mixed bag at best. It wasn’t unwanted by any means. It was simply - complicated. “It’s really not that bad,” Lena laughed again, trying to cling to the silver lining of what she remembered so she could stop these damn tears. Time to tap into that steely Luthor demeanor to keep herself contained.
It was beginning to work.
“Things got hectic and dangerous like they always do but things ended up fine,” she assured, sniffling and offering her a watery smile. “Kara’s fine. I promise, she’s going to be okay. Cat Grant bought CatCo from Andrea, and she’s putting Kara as the editor in chief and the only thing that may cause concern is that she…” Oh, this was not going to make Alex happy. Lena was bracing herself for it. “Outed herself. As Supergirl. To the whole world.”
Oh yeah, that was never going to go over well. Alex tensed but just momentarily before she made herself soften again - for Lena’s sake. It wasn’t her fault this had happened, she was sure of that already. They’d gone through some hard times over Kara keeping her secret, but she knew they were past that. She knew Lena had come around and understood.
“Well, that’s my little sister,” she sighed, brushing a kiss against Lena’s temple. “She always finds a way to get what she wants in the end, doesn’t she?”
She was proud of her, of course, and would support nearly any choice she made, even the kind of dumb ones. This one was beyond dumb, and she figured she had to have said as much back home, too. But Kara would do what Kara would do, and Alex would always have her back regardless of differing opinions.
Anyway, not the point right now. “These don’t seem like tears from someone who’s fine, though,” she pointed out, fingers brushing a lock of dark hair behind Lena’s ear. “Tell me what’s going on? Please?”
There was too much going on, that’s the problem. But that could work in her favor too, because as Alex tenderly touched her hair and begged her to fess up - she knew she couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not about Kelly, or Esme. Not yet.
Was she sparing her for the moment, or was she just being selfish? Maybe both. Either way, the guilt didn’t allow Lena to lean in for the kiss she sorely wanted to give her.
Instead, she pulled away and slipped out from the bed. “It is fine,” she insisted - and she wasn’t even sure if that was a lie? Lena tried to tell herself it wasn’t. “Lillian died, and I found out some truths about my mother and in the end Lex was banished into the Phantom Zone with a fifth dimensional imp that he fell in love with after he time-traveled to the thirty first century and it was…” She inhaled deeply, smoothed out her hair again, and look at Alex with a smile that was gaining confidence. Lena was good at faking those. “Everything turned out fine in the end.”
Except for William who had died to protect Alex’s daughter.
Alex wanted to believe her. If Lena said everything turned out fine, it must have, right? But she knew their lives, and everything that spilled out of Lena’s mouth told her that, even if things had ended up fine, they hadn’t been fine for a while leading up to it. And even that smile — Alex liked to think she knew Lena well enough to know when she was really working to put herself together. This felt like one of those times.
But she also knew Lena well enough to know when to let things go. They could come back around to whatever had clearly upset her at another time if that was what she wanted. She had given them plenty to discuss right now.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” she said, standing and crossing over to kiss Lena’s cheek. She knew there wasn’t much lost love between Lillian and Lena, but losing the only mother she’d ever really known still had to be hard. “Come talk to me while I make breakfast? You can tell me all about Lex and the imp, and how you’re a witch?”
Breakfast, right. It was the morning. Her stomach should be making noises to indicate hunger but instead it was twisted up in these knots, and this fluttery feeling creeping up her chest wasn’t the good kind. A mesh of anxiety and guilt at best, spiking up when Alex pressed her lips to her cheek.
“We can do that,” Lena acquiesced, making the effort to hold her hand. Squeezing, lacing their fingers into an interlock. Mermista was already in the kitchen by the time they emerged from their bedroom, making this offended mreooow sound at having not been fed yet. Clearly, a crime. “I’m - not sure how to feel about it right now even if I’ve apparently embraced that heritage there...”
She should want to, shouldn’t she? Magic was her mother’s legacy - it set her apart from every scientific footstep she’d taken as a Luthor. But it was still a shock, and while she had come to terms with the fact that magic was a thing separate from science she hadn’t expected to actually dabble in it.
Alex reached out to scratch behind Mermista’s ears while she yowled impatiently. She flicked at one of those black ears with a roll of her eyes before going to refill her food and water bowl at the other end of the counter. That cat was nothing if not demanding, but she’d adjusted to life as an only cat quickly and easily. Now she was treated as the princess she was clearly meant to be.
“Honey, it’s a different life,” she told Lena, reaching above them both to take down a couple of skillets she’d need to prepare breakfast. “You’ve only just found out about it here. And magic, that’s - it’s a really big thing. You can take your time figuring it out.” She reached out to give Lena’s hands a squeeze before starting to collect what she’d need to make pancakes.
“Is it something you got from your mom?” she asked. She figured it had to be; she doubted Lionel Luthor had been magical or she was sure he’d have used it to his advantage a long time ago.
Was it a different life? If she were torn away from Vallo she’d plop right back to the time she just remembered with no recollection of this place, of what she had with Alex. Theo’s presence had suggested a long-term life for them here but differing timelines existed and, technically, there was chaos theory and nothing was guaranteed and what if she created an algorithm to gauge the chances of -
Oh. Lena was spiraling. She caught herself doing that because, one; several seconds had passed since Alex asked her that question and, two; the bowl of fruits on the kitchen counter went up into flames. “Oh no, damnit, um -” It’s fine, she had this, totally under control. Fresh memories on how to control this worked in her favor and when she clenched her fist, the fire dwindled into nothing. “Yes, it’s from my mother - I did some family searching after we rescued Kara from the Phantom Zone and discovered some, um. Things. Like she was in a coven and lost control of her powers once and killed someone with them and I’m going to be worried about that if I keep setting things on fire.”
That was the thing about magic, wasn’t it. It was intuitive and tied to feelings and sometimes just happened and now that she was aware of her bloodline, it was just - there. Simmering, and a little chaotic, and lacking the precision and discipline all of her scientific pursuits ever required.
It. Was. Annoying.
Alex intuitively took a few steps back when the bowl of fruits went up in flames and stood there shocked for a moment. Just as she started to move to find a fire extinguisher or even grab a water bottle out of the fridge for dousing purposes, Lena put it out. Both her eyebrows raised, and she was visibly impressed. For a girl who was all science just the night before, she seemed to have quite a grasp on putting out magic fires after having a bunch of memories freshly uploaded into her head.
Thankfully, although magic and Kryptonian powers were not quite the same thing, they were similar enough for Alex to know how to help. “Breathe,” she instructed Lena, stepping closer again and offering out her hands, palms up, to be held. “Until you get the hang of it all again, you just have to try to stay calm. I know that’s easier said than done, but I’ve got you. You’re not gonna kill anyone. Just stay focused on me.”
She smiled encouragingly, then turned her head to peer at the fruits in the bowl. “I think we’re gonna have to toss those, by the way,” she noted.
It felt so stupid to endure this again, let alone redundant. Lena had battled her insecurities and how these newfound abilities could be a danger to the ones she loved - to innocent people. She remembered enduring it. Triumphing until she finally found her place and felt confident in her identity. But here, she was floundering again. The feeling was awful.
Yet here comes Alex, offering unconditional support while Lena shoves down the truth of a future she could have if she weren’t here. She had to come clean. Some day. Now might not be the best time, though she didn’t think she had it in her to contemplate whether or not that was a truth or a lie.
Lena took her hands to bring her close. Then she let them go, only to wrap her arms around Alex to hold her tight, hiding her face into the crook of her neck. “Thank you,” she sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut. “I love you. I’ll try not to commit magical arson on our first Valentine’s Day together.”
Alex didn’t waste time wrapping her arms around Lena, too, an odd wave of relief washing over her. She was doing her best to act unconcerned and be the stoic, solid support system Lena needed, but of course she was worried. She knew Lena could handle this - apparently had once before, back home - but that didn’t mean it wasn’t very big and a little nerve wracking.
“I love you too, baby. We’re gonna figure this out together, I promise.” Lena had seen her at her absolute worst, and if this was the lowest Lena would go, they were still in pretty good shape. She had helped a Kryptonian learn how to control her powers without having any herself; she knew she could do the same for Lena’s magic.
“You could magically light up the fireplace, if you want. Get some practice in,” she joked. “I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere with how hard that snow’s coming down.”
Lena may have held her tighter. Those words were comforting, yes - and right now she could believe them, but she wasn’t sure if they would hold any truth whenever she chose to fess up. It all seemed so delicate right now, and she wondered how long Alex could go before finally asking: so what happens to me?
“I’ll do my best to refrain from any magic until these memories finally settle,” she chuckled wetly. Her brain felt like goop right now, like things were being rearranged - pieces trying to find a perfect fit so she could be whole again. When she pulled back it was just enough to cradle Alex’s face in her hands, pushing a little bit of short hair from her eyes. “But I’m okay with staying in if you are? I don’t need anything fancy for this holiday. Only you.”
“That was my plan, anyway,” Alex revealed, leaning in to press a kiss to Lena’s lips. “I had hoped to get you to stay in bed so I could bring breakfast to you, but that obviously didn’t work out.” She still had every intention of making breakfast, but they’d probably sit down at the table, watching the snow fall, which was still suitably romantic.
For now, despite all the questions still swirling through her brain (and there were plenty; she had noticed Lena hadn’t specifically mentioned what was going on with her), she would let it go and focus on the day. Valentine’s Day was kind of a big deal for her. She hadn’t expected such a fiery wake-up call, but she wasn’t going to let that stop all of her plans from coming to fruition.
“You make breakfast and I’ll get the coffee?” Lena suggested, kissing her back one last time - a linger of lips that seemed a touch desperate - before pulling away. Really, she had the urge to empty a bottle of scotch right into her mouth for breakfast but that solved nothing, and she wasn’t going to tease alcohol in front of Alex in a way that was clearly meant to cope with something.
She might with Margo, or maybe Ostyia. They’d be good options to hit up for some therapeutic drinking and to freak out about magic a little.
None of the appliance purchases were skimped on. Everything was state-of-the-art, bought with a very pretty penny and that includes their espresso machine that was blindingly shiny with its stainless steel. It was efficient and elegant, and not some clunking monstrosity that took up a horrendous amount of counter space. Lena went to work preparing them each a cup. “I do owe you gossip about Lex’s love life. I'm still shuddering about it.”
Alex didn’t argue with that plan. The espresso machine was Lena’s baby, anyhow; it seemed to like her far more than it liked Alex, but then, Lena handled it with a far more delicate touch. In the meantime, she got to work on her specialty: Danvers blueberry pancakes, poached eggs, and bacon.
She’d been doing her best to learn how to cook more during her time in Vallo, especially since dropping down from active defense to reserves. It was a skill she’d needed to hone for a long time. She couldn’t live on microwaving and takeout for the rest of her life; it wasn’t healthy, and she wouldn’t stand for that - not just for herself but for Lena, too. And Theo, whenever he came along.
“Tell me all about it,” she encouraged her girlfriend. “You said it was an imp, right? Was it Mxyzptlk?” She’d only ever seen the imp presenting as male, but she didn’t know how strictly the Fifth Dimension adhered to binary human gender standards (something that was loosening on Earth but slowly).
“I really didn’t think Lex was—” She hesitated, trying to phrase this carefully. Lex may be nuts, but he was still Lena’s brother. “He never struck me as the romance type, I guess.”
“Nyxlygsptlnz,” Lena corrected and god, what a mouthful of names for these imps. “Also known as Nyxly, also known as princess. His behavior was strange but, you know - Lex.” She gestured with her hand before picking up the mugs by their handle. It only took a handful of seconds for the machine to heat up and brew the perfected caffeinated pours. “I’m not convinced that he still isn’t a narcissistic asshole only capable of loving himself.”
No need to approach the situation with gloves. She was well-aware of the piece of shit she was related to, and maybe once she thought there was a little bit of good that could be dug out of him. There wasn’t. Lex Luthor was a sociopath.
After sliding Alex’s coffee towards her, Lena hoisted herself up on the counter. Her hair was still frazzled from waking up, and she was wearing her Serendipity Hills souvenir - the sweatshirt Alex allowed her to borrow at the inn. “They’re together in the Phantom Zone now. I hope they focus on killing each other there.”
A princess imp. Alright, that was unexpected. She would assume Nyxly must be one of those princesses that wasn’t all goodness and light in the way fairy tales liked to depict them. Lena wasn’t exactly giving her a play-by-play, but Alex couldn’t see Lex showing any interest unless there was something darker going on there. Something that he could use, most likely.
“I’ll have my fingers crossed,” Alex chuckled. If Lena’s brother was anyone other than Lex, she’d be concerned over that sentiment. But Lex Luthor was a scourge. He had done nothing but wreak havoc on their Earth and cause problems - even transplanting himself into the Most Awesome Man in the World during the creation of the new multiverse. Lena had succeeded in getting rid of him once, but Alex truly doubted he’d ever be gone for good. Maybe the Phantom Zone would hold him long enough for them to find a way to handle him.
“So, do you wanna help or are you just gonna keep sitting there looking all tempting in my clothes?” she teased, quirking a brow at her girlfriend as she perched on the counter. “Because the pound of bacon in the fridge could use some cooking.”
Lena licked her lips after a sip of her coffee, and squinting as the gears of her mind turned and turned. “I’m trying to somehow make a sexual pound joke that’s not related to weight,” she admitted. “But I can’t. So I suppose the least I could do is fetch the bacon and contemplate cooking it.”
Immersing herself in the mundane motions of the day could only help, right? Lena could distract herself from the memories still molding into the Vallo-existent brain of hers, and she could try to enjoy this milestone with Alex to the best of her abilities.
Even if, deep down, she felt like the wrong woman in the picture.