Chapter Text
The incessant buzzing of her alarm pulled Lena out of her slumber and she groaned as she felt around blindly for her phone, desperate to stop the harsh beeping that was currently piercing through the calm silence of the early morning.
She eventually found it underneath her bed, still blaring away as she grabbed it and hit the stop button. She hated when it fell from her bed during the night, she really ought to stop falling asleep with it in her hand.
Lena threw back her covers and regrettably slid out of the silky warmth that was her bed sheets, usually she’d snooze her alarm once or twice before getting up but today was a big day, and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
After grabbing a quick shower, Lena quickly dried and wrapped herself up in her favourite fluffy dressing gown before heading downstairs into the kitchen.
Her house was right on the edge of the city, close enough that she could easily get to and from L-Corp each day, but far enough away that they had privacy and enough space for a large backyard, where Lena wouldn’t have to worry about traffic or anything being an issue while they played.
Her body was on autopilot as she set the coffee machine up, already feeling more human from the smell alone. As she waited for her morning dose of caffeine, she pulled out some flour, milk, eggs and sugar and then set about making some pancake batter. She even dared to throw in some chocolate chips.
The meals eaten in Lena’s home were always extremely healthy and well planned out but today was a special occasion so she thought she’d make an exception, she knew someone who’d appreciate it.
She drank her coffee as she poured some batter into the pan, listening to the quiet sizzle and enjoying the feeling of life entering her body as the caffeine flowed through her veins.
The sun was just staring to rise as she finished up the last of the batter, setting the final pancake on top of the stack before switching the stove off and putting the used bowls and pan into the sink, thinking for maybe the billionth time how thankful she was for her cleaning lady.
She set the pancakes down on the island opposite the stove before grabbing a glass and two plates. A plain white ceramic one for herself, and a plastic pink glittery one with a matching swirly straw cup. She filled each of the cups with fresh orange juice from the refrigerator, they may be having pancakes for breakfast but Lena would be damned if they didn’t still get their five-a-day in, before heading back upstairs to her room.
She dressed quickly, opting for her plain black power suit paired with a respectable white blouse before heading into her en suite bathroom to deal with her hair and makeup. She tied her hair up into a tight all-business ponytail before she set about applying her makeup.
It was nearing 7:00am when she finished up in the bathroom and, after giving herself a quick once over in the mirror, she padded barefoot out into her room and down the hall before stopping at the half open door with the name “L E N I " written in large pink glitter letters at the top.
She opened it the rest of the way and smiled at the mess of dark curls poking out from the thick comforter that her daughter was completely buried underneath. She looked so tiny in the double bed that Lena had bought for her, at first she thought it may be a little silly to buy a double bed for a three year old, but it put Lena’s mind at ease during the night knowing there was a smaller chance of her rolling over and falling out onto the floor.
She padded over to the bed before sitting down on the edge and gently pulling the covers back. Leni was laying on her stomach, her cute little face smushed against the pillow, and Lena felt her heart soar. Her tiny little baby was starting preschool already, how had that happened?
She felt herself tearing up as she thought back over the last few years, gently tracing patterns on her back to wake her up.
It had been a little over three whole years since Leni was born, three birthdays, three Christmases, three Halloweens and Lena had done them all by herself.
She was only 24 when she’d found out that if she wanted to have a child of her own, then she had to do it as soon as possible or her chance would slip away. She went home that evening, after telling her doctor that she needed some time to think about it. She was the CEO of L-Corp, money wasn’t going to be an issue. Sure, she was young, but she wasn’t that young and it wasn’t like she was looking for a man. She always figured she’d discuss how to have kids with her future wife when the time came, but her time was running out. She decided to take the plunge. She spent a week pouring over anonymous sperm donors before finally settling on one and ten months later, her baby girl was in her arms.
She was born Elena Elizabeth Luthor but Lena quickly fell into the habit of calling her Leni. Her pregnancy had thankfully been as straightforward as growing a whole other human being inside of you could be and while she was technically doing it alone, she had a ton of support from an unlikely friend that she’d gotten to know during her pregnancy. When they first started getting to know one another at work, Sam explained that she was also a single mom to her 9 year old daughter Ruby. They became fast friends and Sam was the first person through the door of her hospital room after she’d given birth, closely followed by Jess.
Lena continued to lightly scratch her back, whispering her name softly as she tried to wake her. Neither one of them were morning people but Lena swore her kid was way worse than she was. She watched as her face scrunched up before her eyes fluttered open. Lena would’ve been almost entirely convinced that she’d conceived her daughter all on her own had it not been for her eyes. Leni was her double, from her jet black hair to her cute little nose but her eyes, her eyes were a calm ocean blue that took Lena’s breath away every single time.
“Good morning baby.” she smiled as Leni reached out for her, still half asleep. “Time to get up.”
Lena took her fluffy slippers from the floor beside the bed and pulled them onto her little feet while she lay there, grumpy expression on her face.
She muttered something unintelligible into Lena’s neck as she scooped her up and carried her out into the hallway. Lena felt tiny hands toy sleepily with the ends of her ponytail as a head rested on her shoulder while they walked downstairs.
“Hey I have a surprise for your first day of preschool.” she smiled as Leni lifted her head curiously. “I made pancakes!”
“Chocolate chip?” Leni exclaimed excitedly, suddenly a lot more awake than she had been.
“Chocolate chip.” Lena confirmed, laughing as Leni wriggled in her arms. She set her down once they reached the bottom of the stairs and she continued to laugh as Leni sprinted towards the kitchen and clambered up into her seat.
She cut her pancakes into small pieces before handing her a fork and letting her dig in. Lena finished first and washed her hands before grabbing a hairbrush and a bow from the drawer. She sprayed a good amount of berry scented detangling spray into her hair before gently combing through the mess of jet black curls, tying the top half of her hair up and out of her face as Leni happily ate. She secured it with a light pink bow and brought a mirror over for Leni’s approval.
When she’d finished eating they headed back upstairs into Leni’s room to get her dressed. Lena told her to take her pyjamas off while she got the new dress they’d picked out together from her closet. It was light pink, to match her bow, and came with a beautiful little white cardigan. Lena knew it wouldn’t stay white for long but at least she looked cute for now.
Once she was dressed, Lena let her put her own socks on. They were cute little frilly white ones and she adored them. She carried her into the bathroom before setting her down onto the counter and brushing her teeth.
“Okay, spit.” Lena held her as she dramatically spat her toothpaste into the sink before accepting the glass of water from her mom to rinse her mouth.
Ten minutes later, they were standing in the hallway next to the door each putting on their shoes. Lena stepped into her shiny black Louboutin’s and she watched as Leni lined up the stickers Lena had put inside each of her shoes to help her work out which feet they go on, before successfully strapping on her brand new white sandals.
“Well done baby!” Lena smiled, bending down to give her a high five and a quick kiss on the top of her head.
“Mommy you’ll mess my hair!” Leni giggled as Lena grabbed her and planted kisses all over her face.
“Oh but.. look at this.. cute little.. face!” she cooed between kisses.
“Moooommy!” she wriggled in her grip, still giggling when Lena let go of her.
“Come on, I wanna take a photo of you before you go.”
Leni was standing in front of the garage door wearing her brand new pink backpack on her shoulders as she held a sign up that read:
LENI’S FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL
- 2018
Lena laughed at the size of the bag poking out from either side of her, it was almost bigger than her baby.
“Okay let’s get going.” she held a hand out once she’d taken enough photos to fill at least 17 photo albums.
She opened the door to her black range rover, making sure Leni was securely strapped in before getting into the front seat and taking off for school.
* * *
Lena could feel all eyes on them as she clicked her way down the hallway towards Leni’s classroom. She held her head high and smiled as Leni happily skipped along beside her, completely oblivious to what was going on.
“Is that Lena Luthor?!”
“Oh my god it is!!”
“I didn’t even know she had a kid!”
“I heard she had two!”
She ignored the gossiping around her as they entered the classroom and were met with the warm smile of Leni’s new teacher, Mrs Day. There were already a lot of kids in the classroom, playing with the large variety of toys available and Lena could feel Leni itching to go join them.
She had been extremely thorough with her research to make sure her daughter had the best of the best and nothing less. She’d been sure to attend PTA meetings previous to registering Leni here and was now one of the largest financial donors to the school. She was extremely happy with her choice of teacher and she felt confident enough to leave Leni with her. That was, until the principle entered the classroom.
“Oh Miss Luthor there you are! Do you have a second?” she asked with a smile, although Lena sensed a little hesitation.
“Of course. I’ll be right back, okay sweetie?” She crouched down in front of Leni, who flashed her a smile and nodded before skipping over to join a few of the kids at the sand box.
The principle, Ms. Grant as Lena had come to know her, lead her out of the classroom and down a different hallway from the one they’d just entered from.
They walked for a few moments and passed another classroom before stopping outside what appeared to be Ms. Grant’s office.
She flashed Lena another smile before unlocking the door and gesturing for her to come inside and sit down.
“Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Coffee?”
“Actually I’d prefer it if we just cut to whatever you’re trying to avoid telling me.” Lena stated, quickly slipping into ice bitch CEO mode the second she was out of Leni’s presence.
“Oh, right yes of course.” Ms Grant said, sitting down at her desk in front of Lena. “You see, Mrs Day’s class is completely full for the next year. We were under the impression that one of the children was going to be moving out of state but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.”
“So, what are you saying?” Lena asked sternly, with her most intimidating gaze.
“I’m saying that unfortunately, Elena won’t be able to join Mrs Day’s class this year.”
She felt frustration wash over her but Lena buried it deep beneath her cool exterior.
“So, now what? Am I supposed to wait an entire year for a space to free up? That hardly seems practical, I won’t have my daughter falling a year behind.” she stated.
“Well, there is another option.” Ms Grant told her. “We have one other class for Elena’s level that has space available.”
Lena remained silent, arms crossed and gaze burning into Ms Grant’s, willing her to continue.
“Miss Danvers’ class is right down the hall, we passed it on the way here-”
“Wait, hang on.” Lena cut her off. She recognized that name from her research. “Miss Danvers as in, the Miss Danvers who’s very first day teaching is today?”
“Miss Luthor, all of our employees go through extensive background checks and we hire only the best. Your daughter will be in very good hands I assure you.”
Lena was hesitant, but admitted defeat eventually. She wasn’t happy about leaving her daughter with someone inexperienced and unfamiliar to her but she also knew that she didn’t have any other choice.
Ms Grant walked them back through the building to collect Leni from Mrs Day's classroom before heading to Miss Danvers’. She showed them to the stack of cubby holes and Lena located the one with the name “Elena” on it and helped her put her lunch inside before moving to the classroom door.
* * *
Kara was seated on the colorful rug on the floor of her classroom , surrounded by kids that sat in a circle beside her. Some of them were chatting excitedly while others were a little more quiet, and a few were still a little teary eyed from saying goodbye to their parents.
She was just about to open their morning book, a new tradition she was hoping to start each morning with, when a knock sounded at the door.
“Okay, you guys sit tight I’ll just be a second.” she flashed them a smile before uncrossing her legs and walking over to the door.
“Miss Danvers, this is Elena and her mom Miss Luthor.” Ms Grant introduced the dark haired woman and her daughter before rushing off to deal with her own work.
“Oh, yes of course! I’ve been expecting you!” She smiled before extending a hand out to Elena and shaking it politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elena. I’m so happy you’ll be joining my class!”
“Leni.” the girl giggled as Kara let her hand go with a confused look.
“I call her Leni.” Lena said, with an unamused expression on her face.
Before Kara could reply, Lena had turned her back to her and crouched down onto her knees in front of Leni.
“I’ll see you in a few hours okay baby? I want you to have so much fun!” she tickled her ribs lightly and Leni let out a squeal of laughter. “I love you.”
“Love you too mommy!” She said happily, leaning in to give her a kiss before turning around and heading into the classroom, making a show of blowing Lena a kiss, who then pretended to catch it mid air and stick it in her pocket as Leni laughed.
Once she was out of earshot, Lena stood up and turned to Kara once more.
“I expect a full copy of the curriculum for this year , any trips or other things that I should know about I’d like to be notified at least a month in advance and I trust you’ll keep me updated on any changes.” It was more of a statement than a question and Kara gulped at the sudden switch in Lena’s disposition.
“I-.. Yes, yes of course Miss Luthor- That- Yes. I can do that.”
She felt Lena’s eyes give her a once over before turning to walk away. Despite her still being a few inches taller than Lena in her Louboutin’s, she suddenly felt very insecure in her khakis and pastel pink cardigan.
“Oh and Miss Danvers?” Lena turned around to look over her shoulder. “I trust that my daughter won’t be returning home today with a stutter.” She snarked before walking off.
Kara let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in and tried not to let the comment bother her too much. Miss Luthor was clearly another obsessive mom that only wanted the best for her child, Kara just had to prove that she was the best.
When she stepped back into the classroom, Leni was standing just inside the door.
“Hey sweetie you okay?” Kara asked her with a smile.
“I forgot my bag.” Leni gestured to the oversized backpack that was still slung across her shoulders.
“Oh, come on then. Let’s go find your hook.”
They walked along the wall until Kara located the hook with the name tag “Elena” and a photo of a cartoon giraffe above it.
“Here we are.” she helped her out of the bag before handing it to her to put on her hook.
* * *
Lena had finished up work early so that she’d be able to pick Leni up from her first day of school. She promised herself when she became a mom that her work would always come second to her child. She wouldn’t be able to pick her up every day, some of her international conference calls just couldn’t be rescheduled but she made sure all of the work that could be done at home, was done in the evening once Leni was in bed for the night.
She made her way to the classroom she’d dropped Leni off at earlier and her heart threatened to burst when she saw the classroom door swing open and Leni came running out towards her. Her hair was a wild mess of curls and she had a deep purple stain on her cardigan, presumably from the juice box she’d had with lunch.
She threw herself into Lena’s arms and Lena excitedly picked her up.
“I missed you! How was your first day baby?” she kissed her cheek before squeezing her a little tighter and setting her down.
“So good!” she hopped excitedly. “I drew this for you!” she handed Lena a crayon drawing of what she assumed was the two of them, complete with a rainbow and a unicorn in the background.
“You drew this for me?!” Leni nodded excitedly. “It’s beautiful! I have a very special spot right in the middle of the refrigerator for this one!” she beamed. “How about we go get some ice cream to celebrate your first day?”
Leni gasped before excitedly nodding her head and hugging her mom’s leg.
She lead Lena to her hook to collect her bag and Lena immediately noticed that the name tag had been switched from “Elena” to “Leni”.
“Oh, don’t forget your lunchbox!” a voice came from behind them and Lena turned to see Miss Danvers rushing up with Leni’s lunchbox in her hand.
“Thank you.” she took it from her immediately before zipping it into Leni’s bag. “For the name tag too.”
“No problem.” Kara shrugged. “And you’ll be glad to know that she doesn’t have a stutter either.” she said before hurriedly walking off, not wanting to stay and give Leni’s mom the opportunity to find more things to complain about.
Lena watched her walk off for a moment before Leni tugged on her arm and she looked down at her.
“Can we get ice cream now mommy?” she’d long perfected the puppy dog stare that weakened Lena’s hard exterior every single time.
“Of course we can.”
They walked hand in hand out of the building, Leni skipping along happily as Lena carried her bright pink backpack on her own shoulder.
Her baby girl’s first day of preschool? Check.