13. Asking for Help

Kara woke up with the nagging feeling that she’d forgotten something important.

Her last semi-coherent memory was of coming home and collapsing on the couch, Lizzy asleep in her arms, and Lena dropping down beside her; all three of them completely exhausted, because their day hadn’t ended when they’d left the Zoo. First, Winn had talked everyone into dinner at the Rainforest  Cafe, and then they’d ended up back at Alex’s place for a drink and a few board games while Lizzy napped in Alex’s giant bed... and after that, it all got kind of blurry.

Kara suspected Maggie had spiked her drink with something extraterrestrial.

So she wasn’t exactly surprised, when she opened her eyes and didn’t immediately recognize her surroundings, though it only took a moment for her to realize that that thing that she’d forgotten?

Was to actually go to bed...

Kara couldn’t actually get a crick in her neck, but if she could have, she was pretty sure she’d have a terrible one right about now. She was on her back, twisted diagonally across the couch, with her head and shoulders propped up on the arm and her legs dropping off to the side. Her glasses had disappeared, her cardigan was tangled around her arms, and she thought she might be missing a shoe.

But she couldn’t be sure, because apparently Lena hadn’t remembered to go to bed either, and now she was draped on top of Kara, hands tucked neatly under her chin, and her cheek resting on Kara’s chest, fast asleep.

Okay, so that part was nice, more than nice, extremely distracting actually, but...if they were here, then where was Lizzy?

Wrapping an arm around Lena to keep her from falling off, Kara pushed herself up so that she could look around.

Oh. My. Rao...

Disaster didn’t begin to cover it.

“Mama!” Lizzy called happily from the dining area where she was balancing on a chair on her tip-toes, manoeuvring a giant bowl full of milk and cereal up onto the table. “Br’fast!”

Kara was surprised she had gotten any cereal in the bowl... because the rest of it was on the table, the chairs, the floor... Kara counted at least three boxes that had been pulled out and dumped... and there were probably more. Nearly every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen was ajar; their contents spilling out and scattered around. The fridge was standing open, one shelf half-pulled out, and vegetables lying discarded on the floor. A slowly spreading puddle of milk was taking over the dining area, the empty jug tipped over on its side under the table.

Small piles of books, both in the kitchen and the dining area puzzled Kara, until she realized that the handle of the fridge, most of the cupboards and all of the drawers, were all well out of Lizzy’s usual reach.

That little...

With one last push, Lizzy’s cereal was safely on top of the table, and she crawled up after it, shoving it more or less into the middle before picking up the sugar bowl and inspecting the lid. It only took her a moment to figure out how to get it open. Before Kara could say anything, she had dumped the entire contents on top of her cereal and tossed the dish aside.

Kara winced at the sharp clang as it hit the wall.

“Lizzy,” she tried. “You probably shouldn’t eat that...”

Lizzy clearly disagreed; grinning through the first mouthful as if she didn’t know darned well how much trouble she was going to be in later.

Ugh... on the one hand, soft, snuggly Lena, covering Kara like a warm blanket with newly interesting curves and the faint scent of Jasmine and cucumber, and something else she couldn’t place, but felt a near-hopeless urge to bury her face in. On the other... a willfully destructive toddler in imminent danger of a self-induced sugar coma.

This might actually be the hardest decision Kara had ever made.   

Okay... she was a hero, right? She had carried an alien prison ship into space with no hope of returning, she could do this too.

“Lena...” Kara shook the other woman gently by the shoulder. “You need to get up...”

Lena grumbled and tried to burrow deeper into her chest. “Five minutes.”

“I’m not sure this apartment is going to survive another five minutes...”

“Don’t care,” Lena mumbled against Kara’s shoulder.

“Lena...”

“Shh...” Lena freed a hand from between them and fumbled it over Kara’s mouth without opening her eyes. “No talking.”

Kara sighed against her pressing fingers. The Fort Rozz had been easy compared to this. “Come on,” she said, tugging Lena’s hand away.

“No.”

Okay. Fine. If she could lift a spaceship...

Ignoring Lena’s little squeak of surprise and indignation, Kara scooped her up and made flagrant use of her powers to float them both upright.

Suddenly very much awake, Lena scrabbled for a hold around her neck.  “Kara!”

“Yes, Lena?” Kara asked innocently, lowering them almost to the floor, but not quite touching down.

 “What are you doing?!”

“Getting up, and so are you.”

 “Put me down!”

“Okay.” Kara let go for a fraction of a second before catching her again, chuckling when Lena shrieked, her grip tightening on Kara’s shoulders.

“Mommy?” Lizzy queried from the table, sounding concerned. “Mommy fy w’is Mama?”

“No,” Lena answered emphatically. “Mommy does not fly with Mama.”

“’Izzy fy w’is Mama ‘n Mommy.” She stood up, reaching out her chubby little arms, only to wobble when she reached the edge of the table.

“Kara...” Lena warned. “If our daughter falls on her head because you’re being ridiculous...”

“Fine, fine.” Kara set Lena lightly down on the floor and swooped over to catch Lizzy, snatching her up into the air and tucking her to her chest for a quick little barrel roll. They were both laughing when she landed.

“’Gain!” Lizzy demanded once she had her giggles under control. “Up n ‘way!”

“Sorry, kiddo,” Kara said, putting her down. “One ride only. We need to talk about this mess...”

Lena was only just now looking around, her eyes narrowing at the chaos. “What happened in here?”

“Um, our daughter is an evil genius?”

“She’s an evil something,” Lena muttered, crossing her arms and fixing Lizzy with a truly impressive Mom glare. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Lizzy’s lower lip trembled, and she pressed herself back against Kara’s legs. “’Izzy Br’fast?”

“To be fair,” Kara interjected, clasping a tiny shoulder. “She did make herself breakfast. That’s pretty good for not quite two years old.”

The corner of Lena’s mouth twitched.

“’Izzy s'ry?”

Kara would swear those were real tears in the corners of her eyes. This kid was good.

Whether Lena would have stood firm and held Lizzy accountable for what was, in all truth, more their fault that hers, or given in to the amusement she was clearly trying to hide, would have to remain a mystery. Kara’s phone rang before she could decide either way, the distinctive ringtone somewhat muffled from somewhere inside the couch. “That’s Alex,” Kara said, fumbling through the cushions until she found it. “Sorry, it’s the DEO line, I have to take this...Alex?”

“Kara, where are you?”

“Home, why?” Kara asked, straightening her sweater and taking off her remaining shoe. She’d have to find the other one later.

“You were supposed to be here an hour ago, is everything okay?”

“Uhh...” Kara looked up at the clock in the kitchen. Oh no...  

Lena followed her gaze and broke the second family rule of the morning while Kara hastily pinned her phone between her ear and her shoulder so that she could use both hands to cover Lizzy’s ears until her Mommy had run out of swear words.

“Kara?”

“Everything’s fine,” Kara hastened to assure her, picking Lizzy up and waving Lena off to take the first shower. “We just slept in. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Slept in, huh?” Alex sounded skeptical, but she didn’t give Kara time to explain herself. “Make it ten,” she said. “We’re swamped, and there are more calls coming in. It looks like getting three pieces of whatever those things are off the streets has just made things worse. Even M’ghan has been having trouble at the bar.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Kara promised. “Alex needs me,” she called to Lena through the bathroom door after she had hung up and put on a little super speed to get Lizzy changed and both of them dressed (she’d found her glasses perched on the nose of Lizzy’s new stuffed tiger,) and set Lizzy down to watch cartoons for five minutes. “You can take Lizzy today, right?”

“Wait, what?” Lena opened the door in nothing but a towel, releasing a wave of vanilla-scented steam, and robbing Kara of anything resembling rational thought. “I have meetings today, Kara, including an investor from Japan that I really can’t miss. I’m already late, and I can’t ask Jess to watch her again. I like Jess, and last time Lizzy hid her cell phone in her coffee cup. Her full coffee cup. What about Winn?”

“Um...We like Winn, too?” Kara answered automatically, stepping aside so that Lena could find something to wear, and trying to wrestle her higher brain functions back under control. “And hello, spears? Biting? The cell?”

“Good point. James?”

“On a business trip. When is your first meeting?”

“Noon,” Lena said, pulling a skirt suit out of the closet and tossing it on the bed before dropping her towel.

Kara whirled around to face the wall, ears burning. “Okay...” she said, half-strangled. “What If I pick her up just before noon? I can take her to Catco with me after that.”

“Are you sure? This is important Kara...”

“I promise.”

“Fine,” Lena said, as she passed Kara on her way out of the bedroom, a smug little smirk on the corner of her lips letting Kara know her blush hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Just don’t be late.”

*****

Kara was absolutely going to be late.

It wasn’t her fault. The Ballyrosh had been heading for a preschool, and Alex’s team already had their hands full. Kara had no idea how all of these dangerous aliens had even heard about the talisman, much less figured out where to look for it. Apparently Maggie and M’gann were working on that, but all they knew so far was that in spite of the general unrest, most of the aliens in the city wanted nothing to do with it, or anyone looking for it. This habit of Mxy’s people, turning wishes into tricks, was well known throughout the universe and even those that might have been curious were quickly dissuaded as soon as they heard Supergirl was involved.

So, whoever was behind this, they probably weren’t local.

Kara ducked as a car flew at her head, swooping underneath it and spinning around to catch the bumper before it could crash into the crowded sidewalk and hurling it back at the giant rock-like monster of an alien. It connected with a satisfying crunch, but the Ballyrosh didn’t seem all that bothered, hunching its craggy shoulders against the impact and wrenching a lamp post out of the ground to swing at her.     

“Seriously?” Kara dodged, trying to stay out of reach, but close enough to keep the alien in one place until back-up arrived. “Can’t we talk about this?”

The Ballyrosh just roared, its tiny eyes squinting as it tried to follow her darting flight.

“I guess that’s a no...”

 The lamppost whistled through the air only a few inches away, and Kara shot up, looping around to slam into the back of the alien’s head and knock it off balance before launching herself away again.

“Alex,” she said into her communicator, circling back. “This guy is getting kind of cranky.”

“We’re on the way,” Alex assured her. “Just keep it busy. J’onn has a plan.”

“Right...” Kara banked and turned, flying in close enough that the alien had to rock back on its heels to get room to swing its make-shift club. “Just keep the walking mountain busy... I can do that.”

Maybe freeze breath might slow it down. Kara went lower, skimming the asphalt, shooting between what passed for its ankles and spinning around the right foot, exhaling ice and frost until it was frozen to the ground. The lamppost slammed down as she was flying clear, catching the edge of her cape and jerking her out of the air. Kara hit the ground with enough force to plough a shallow trench, but she was lucky enough to roll just out of reach. The Ballyrosh roared again as it swung wildly at her, but it was stuck fast. Enraged, the alien began smashing the lamppost into the ice around its foot, sending jagged chunks and dagger-like shards flying.

“Ugh...” Kara picked herself up, wincing. That was going to hurt for a few hours. She threw herself back into the air, unwilling to stay still long enough for a direct hit once that thing got loose.  Her communicator hissed with garbled words and static, jarred loose by the fall, and she gave it a little shake to clear it before tucking it back into place, expecting Alex.

 “Where are you?”

“Where are you?” Lena’s voice was a little broken up, but unmistakeable. “It’s after twelve!”

“Umm... a little busy?” Kara flipped up the edge of her cape against a shower of ice chips. “How did you get this line?”

“Winn showed me how to patch into DEO communications,” Lena said, as if it was nothing. “I needed you here half an hour ago!”

“Is that Lena?” Alex cut in, incredulous. “This line is supposed to be secure!”

“Uh...” Winn sheepishly joined the conversation. “I might have taught her how to bypass security. For emergencies!” he added hastily.

“Winn!” Alex was furious. “Do you have any idea how many protocols you broke?”

“Three?”

“I don’t care about your precious protocols right now, Agent Danvers,” Lena interrupted. “I have a very important client waiting, and I need Kara -”

“Well, so do I. You’re going to have to reschedule.”

“I can’t reschedule. My client is flying back to Japan in two hours, and I’ve been waiting six months for this meeting.”

“Fine, I’ll just tell the rampaging alien to take a break and come back tomorrow, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Alex-” Kara tried, and then “Lena-” but neither of them were listening to her. “Guess I’ll just go back to wrestling with the walking mountain,” she muttered under her breath.

“Good call,” Winn agreed, switching channels so that the argument faded into the background. “J’onn says to try heat vision. Apparently these guys have a really low melting point. You should be able to disable it.”

“It’s worth a try.”

The ballyrosh finally succeeded in freeing its foot with a final deafening smash, and Kara dove back in for round two.

“Let’s melt some rocks...”

*****

In the end, Kara was more than an hour late, though she saved five minutes by flying straight in through the balcony door instead of taking the subtler civilian entrance.

“I’m here- Oh!“ She skidded to a stop, both literally and figuratively. “Hi, Jess!”  Kara made a hasty attempt at her signature hands-on-hips superhero pose, and nearly got tangled in her own cape. “I’m um... here to consult with Ms. Luthor on a... an important alien matter.”

“Hello, Ms. Danvers,” Jess replied, not lifting her eyes from her tablet and continuing her conversation with Lena as if Kara’s arrival, alleged secret identity, and complete inability to lie were nothing more than a passing interruption. “Mr. Murakami is very sorry, Ms. Luthor, but he was unable to wait any longer. He sends his regards, and hopes that you will be able to make time for him when he returns to the United States in three months. Your one-o-clock is here however. Should I send her in now, or would you like a few minutes?” Now she looked at Kara, a critical once over that made no secret of who she blamed for the missed meeting.

Kara tried to appear penitent.

“Five minutes, please,” Lena said smoothly, nothing in her voice or expression betraying either surprise at Jess’ discovery, or disappointment about Mr. Murakami. “Could you order a car for Ms. Danvers and Lizzy in the meantime? They’ll be leaving through the front door,” she added, with a slight emphasis on the word front.

“Of course.” Jess took the dismissal with practiced ease, leaving them alone.

“I’m so sorry-” Kara tried to apologize, but Lena stopped her with a look.

“Don’t,” she said tightly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But Lena, I-“

“I said, don’t.” Lena didn’t raise her voice, but she didn’t have to. It was all in the tone. “Please, just take Lizzy and go, so that I can get on with my day.”

Kara gave up. She recognized that edge to Lena’s jaw, and the set of her shoulders. Anything she said now was just going to make it worse.“Okay,” she said. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“No.” The single word was clipped, short. “But thank you,” Lena added, thawing slightly. “I’ll be working late, so don’t expect me home for dinner, but please make sure Lizzy eats something healthy, and I’ll speak to Jess about...” she gestured to the suit.

“Thank you,” Kara said, collecting Lizzy from her play-area with only a minor protest. Lizzy, it seemed, was also well aware that her mommy needed a little space right now. Kara made a slight detour to the bathroom in the hallway to take the cape off, reappearing in khakis and a sweater.

“Ms. Danvers,” Jess hailed her from her desk outside of Lena’s office. “A word?”

“Sure.” Kara hitched Lizzy up on her hip and came over, not without some trepidation. “How did you...?”

“Please.” Jess was all disdain. “No one is that fast. But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Okay...” Kara was just going to let that go. “Is this about Lena?”

“This is about you,” Jess corrected her. “And what exactly you think you’re doing here.”

“Jess, I...” Kara groped for understanding. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? I may have been Ms. Luthor’s secretary for less than a year, but I am very good at my job, Ms. Danvers. I know her better than I know myself. Do you really think I wouldn’t notice the sudden addition of a wife and child?”

“Oh...” Kara had literally no idea what to do with that information. “I can ex-“

“No need.” Jess forestalled her with a raised hand. “Just stop messing it up!”

“What?”

“I don’t care how it happened, or why,” Jess said. “All I know is, aside from today’s blunder on your part, she’s actually happy, for the first time since she hired me. And keeping Ms. Luthor happy is the most important part of my job, so, since I’m assuming this isn’t some nefarious plot on your part...?”

Kara shook her head, a little dazed.

“Good. Now, go away and let her calm down, and then come back and fix it. Understood?”

“Um... yes?”

“Excellent.” Apparently satisfied, Jess went back to her tablet, typing madly. “You may go,” she said, when Kara didn’t immediately walk away. “Your car is waiting out front.”

“Right...Thank you.” Kara shouldered Lizzy’s diaper bag, nearly missing Jess’ formal you’re welcome, as she headed for the exit, mind whirling.

*****

Lena set down her third cup of coffee, wincing at the sharp clink of ceramic on glass, and tried to refocus on the papers in front of her, but the words were refusing to lie still against the page.  She rubbed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose and willed her head to stop pounding.  Her neck, back and shoulders were already aching a dull counterpoint. Spending the night on the couch after a day on her feet had, in hindsight, been a bad idea.

Add in back-to-back meetings, minus the one she’d missed, several hours of paperwork, a to-do pile that was still bigger than the done pile and right all Lena wanted was a hot bath and a glass of wine.

Well, not all, she was too damned tired to pretend she hadn’t entertained a brief fantasy about massage oils and a certain pair of super-strong hands, but why wish for the impossible?.

Jess had given up on her at seven; early by Lena’s usual standards, but late enough for alternate-reality Lena that the secretary had been making a point of checking on her every twenty minutes, as if she could subtly nag her into leaving the office. Lena had eventually ordered her to go home, wishing she could follow.

But it wasn’t just the mountain of unfinished work keeping her at work long after the sun had slipped under the horizon.

The papers on her desk fluttered, rustling in a sudden breeze from the open balcony door. Lena dropped her hand and looked up, a tired smile catching the corner of her lips as Kara hovered, literally this time, on the threshold. The light from Lena’s desk fell short, leaving the hero in shadow, but Lena knew her well enough by now to read the hesitation in the way she hadn’t quite landed, one hand on the doorframe, but the toes of her boots touching only air, as if she wasn’t entirely sure of her welcome.

“You can come in,” Lena said softly. Her earlier frustration was long gone; drowned in several doses of bitterly strong coffee and an uncomfortable amount of self reflection. “I’m not going to bite.”

Kara didn’t make a sound when she settled onto the floor, cape falling heavily around her as she stepped inside and out of the wind. “I’m sorry.”

“Forget about it,” Lena said, getting up from behind her desk. “I was out of line.”

“You weren’t,” Kara protested. “You shouldn’t have to-“

“It’s okay,” Lena insisted, picking up a pile of papers and leaning back against the edge of the desk. “I wasn’t actually mad at you.”

Kara looked confused. “You weren’t?”

“No,” Lena admitted.

“Then why...?”

Lena sighed. “I had expectations that were unrealistic. You have your own job, and an entire city to protect. I had no right to ask you to put that aside or to blame you when you couldn’t, but I did, because that’s the way I was raised. Luthors don’t make excuses and we definitely don’t accept them.” She rubbed at her brow, the headache intensifying.

“Lena—”

“Please, just let me finish?” Lena waited until Kara nodded, and then continued. “I was mad at myself for continuing to buy into that bullshit, when I know its utter crap. Here...” She handed the stack of papers to Kara. “I’ve been looking at resumes.”

Kara took them, brow furrowing as she looked them over. “You’re hiring a new secretary?”

“I’m promoting Jess,” Lena explained. “This last week has shown me that while I’m still dedicated to Lcorp, it’s not enough for me anymore. When this is over, I want a family. A real family,” she clarified when Kara’s eyes widened in surprise. “And I want to do things differently. I want to be there for them the way mine wasn’t there for me, so I’m going to learn how to delegate, and besides,” she added wryly. “Jess is wasted as a secretary.”

“She really is,” Kara agreed feelingly. “You’re sure about this?”

Lena nodded. “I am.”

“Then... that’s great!” Kara’s grin was as wide as ever, but it was missing its usual sparkle. “You’re going to be amazing.”

“Well I’m certainly getting enough practice.” Lena said. “Speaking of which... where’s Lizzy?”

“In good hands,” Kara assured her. “Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Are you finished for the night? I could um... take you home?” she looked hopeful, but there was also a hint of sadness there, and it was the latter that made Lena swallow her immediate refusal.

“You do know I can drive, right?”

“You’re exhausted,” Kara countered. “And it’s late. I can have you home in five minutes.”

“Hmm...” Lena couldn’t quite believe she was actually considering it.

“Please?” Kara said. “I- It would mean a lot to me...”

As if Lena could resist that... “All right,” she found herself agreeing. “Just let me get my purse.”

Kara waited on the balcony while Lena gathered her things and shut off the lights, locking the glass doors behind her. Her stomach was doing nervous flip flops as she turned and stepped closer, both at the thought of flying, and at the thought of flying with Kara. “How do we do this?”

“May I?” Kara asked, holding out her arms.

Lena nodded, gulping when Kara scooped her up, cradling her close to her chest.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s the easiest way...”

“It’s fine,” Lena said, tentatively winding her arms around Kara’s neck and forcing herself to relax. And it was. It was even... nice. Though she nearly swallowed her tongue when Kara took off. Clinging tighter, she closed her eyes and focused on breathing instead of the rush of wind through her hair.

“So,” she said, trying to take her mind off the thousands of feet of empty air below them. “Who’s watching Lizzy?”

“Eliza,” Kara said. “My foster mother.”

Lena’s eyes flew open again. “You called you mother?”

Kara snorted. “No. Alex did. Apparently, she thought we needed the help.”

“Huh...” Lena thought it over. “She’s not wrong. Though I’m not sure I’m ready to meet the parents just yet.”

Kara chuckled, the sound warm and soft against Lena’s ear. “I wasn’t sure I was ready for that either... but... you were right.”

“About?”

“Putting family first,” Kara said. “And figuring out what you want.”

Lena waited, but when Kara didn’t elaborate she asked, “And what is that for you?”

“This,” Kara said simply, raising Lena’s hopes only to dash them as she stuttered her way through an amendment. “I mean... something like this. A family. Being Supergirl is always going to be a big part of my life, so if I’m going to do this right, I have to learn to ask for help. Just like you. Back on Krypton, my familiy’s motto was El Mayarah, Stronger Together. I forget that sometimes here on Earth, but I remembered it today, so I asked Eliza if she’d be willing to stay in National City and help out with Lizzy until we get this all sorted out. ”

Huh... Lena thought, letting that idea sink in. “I think I would have liked Krypton,” she said softly.

“Me too,” Kara agreed. “I wish you could have seen it.”

They flew silently for a few minutes, Lena’s fear ebbing as she soaked up Kara’s warmth and breathed in the fading scent of sunshine from Kara’s skin. Her eyes fluttered closed.

“Almost there,” Kara said, cradling her impossibly closer.

“Take your time,” Lena whispered. She wasn’t ready for it to be over yet.