Disclaimer: all Superman and Smallville characters belong to DC Comics and Gough & Millar.
No Infringement's intended.
Author: lexie
e-mail: THE WOUNDED HERO "
CHAPTER1: THE WISH
EXCELSIOR ACADEMY -METROPOLIS
It was Friday afternoon and the school was almost deserted. Soon after lunchtime had started the parade of wealthy parents coming over to pick up their children for the Christmas holiday.
Lex was in his room, as usual, all by himself. Sitting up straight on his bed with his back to the door, he looked out of the window with a forlorn look in his eyes, wondering if Lionel would come to collect him this time. It was certainly possible he would be too tied up in a meeting and send the Luthorcorp limo with his personal chauffer to put off the awkward silences between father and son.
The bald boy was dressed in his perfectly ironed school uniform, his pair of patent-leather shoes polished to a fault- they never failed to reflect his own milky complexion whenever he lowered his head in response to one of his father's tirades. "We Luthors must set the example, son. Being well-groomed is a pre-requisite no self-respecting leader will ever neglect to fulfil. "Those words, like most of his father's lectures, would come to haunt him almost every minute of the day, except when he was in the school Chemistry Lab, his head busy with equations, molecules and chemical substances.
Lex was lost in his reverie holding tight his cherished St George's box- a birthday gift from his mum- when Mrs. Lewis, the school cook, tapped gently on the door and made her way in.
"Lex, Lex, honey, your father's chauffer has just arrived. Have you packed yet? " asked Mrs. Lewis softly.
The reserved boy had always been a favourite of hers, and it killed her just to see how much he suffered. Many a time- before the meteor shower had taken away his beautiful red hair and he was in bed nursing a severe asthma attack that had left him extremely weak- she would sneak up from the kitchen to bring him a special treat. A piece of her renowned apple pie with dollops of whipped cream or, his favourite, a glass of milk with a warm batch of ginger biscuits fresh from the oven would pave the way for him to open up and pour out what was eating him up. She treasured his trust because she knew how hard it was for him to let himself believe someone would actually care about him without having a secret agenda of his own. At the same time, Lex inwardly thanked his having a loving elderly woman as a confidante and foster grandmother. He had never met his father's
mother- she had died when Lionel was still an adolescent- and his mum's mother stopped talking to Lillian the moment she chose Lionel to be her lawfully wedded husband. Mrs. Lewis helped somehow fill the void in his heart that had resulted from his mother's death. He missed Lillian's warmth so much. Before her untimely death, she had fought tooth and nail Lionel's decision to send Lex away but it was all to no avail. His father was adamant. "It's final. A strict boarding-school is just what he needs. I'm sending him to Excelsior and he should count himself lucky I haven't enrolled him in a Swiss school. He can't hide behind you for ever, Lillian. He's not a wimp. He's a Luthor and the sooner he gets used to that idea the better. "
Lex turned his head to look at the cook and she could tell by his misty eyes that he was on the brink of tears. Lorna- that was her first name- rushed to his side and sitting on the bed next to him gave him a hug. It took him what felt like an eternity to wrap his arms around the tiny figure and, then, the dam broke down. "Damn Lionel Luthor and his incapacity to see how hungry his son was for a word of affection or a simple embrace. "
"It's OK, sweetie. You can cry to your heart's content. Never let them convince you that giving yourself to tears from time to time is a sign of weakness in a man. It shows you're human, you're still alive and feeling. "
Five minutes elapsed and, when his sobbing started to ebb away, Lorna produced a white cotton handkerchief from her pocket and gave it to Lex to blow his nose and dab his eyes. It smelled of lavender and it reminded him of his mother's cologne. It smelled like home, a home that no longer existed. The tears threatened to fall again but he managed to control himself.
"Now, are you ready for a present?, " asked Lorna taking a thin gift-wrapped packet from
underneath her apron.
Lex raised his eyes to her face and, with the young eagerness of a child, took the present and tore the paper to reveal the cover of a hard-to-get issue of "Warrior Angel". It featured the wounded hero lying in the arms of his beloved, a world of tenderness in her eyes as he looked at her, his deep most secret feelings out in the open for her and the world to see.
"Some day, Lex. Some day, " thought Lorna, " a woman we'll see in you what I've seen and she'll give her unconditional love to you. "
