Interpretation

Author: Ztastviz

Fandom: Smallville

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or any of the characters within this story.

Luthor stood before the panoramic window in his office atop LexCorp Tower and enjoyed the glorious Metropolis skyline as he sipped scotch from a glass. Snow fell from low, dark gray clouds onto the city below. Luthor owned half of what his eyes surveyed, and more people in Metropolis worked for him than didn't, whether they knew it or not, and it gave Luthor an immense sense of satisfaction, and yes, superiority.

She stood behind him; she had not spoken to him in five years. Of course there was little need to hear her words, Luthor knew what she would say if his subconscious let her speak. He thinks 'subconscious' because he refuses to believe he believed in ghosts with reproachful eyes that only manifest on Christmas Eve: He is not Ebenezer Scrooge and she is not The Ghost of Whatever.

"Why don't you ever see?" she asked.

Luthor was so surprised to hear her voice that he almost answered, "Why did you kill Julian, Mother dear?" Instead he ignored her and took another sip of scotch.

Her reflection appeared on the window just as a red and blue object streaked across the skyline Luthor had been admiring moments before—Luthor's skyline. His hand tightened around the glass in his hand. It was expensive and thick so it did not shatter in his grip.

"They called you Metropolis's Man of Steel once," she said. "You both have more in common than names, son."

Luthor's jaw clenched at the insinuation he had anything in common with that alien scum, but he prolonged his silence and waited for the visions to start, though she hadn't given him a vision in years. When no bright light appeared, Luthor was almost grateful; he was no fan of the imaginary life his dead mother inflicted upon him the year he lost his senatorial bid to Jonathon Kent. Time had callused him; the only emotion the visions could churn in him now is irritation—not sorrow, nor regret.

Luthor dropped his glass when Lillian's hand slid over his shoulder. The glass did not shatter when it hit the carpet, but the remaining scotch splashed on his shoes and the leg of his slacks. "Why don't you ever see?" she asked again.

Luthor could feel her lean against his back and curl her arms around him. He could even feel her warmth through his suit. He smelled the perfume she used to wear, the brand his father liked.

Luthor's mind was racing—what was happening to him? Was he having an episode of some kind? Was it an attack from one of his enemies? Was he being gassed with some kind of hallucinogenic? Was the attack psychic?

"Please, son," she said her voice full of sorrow, and then a bright light filled his vision.

Luthor stifled the moan that tried clawed its way up his throat when he saw Lana lying lifeless on the hospital bed, the Lana who died after giving birth to their daughter. Nothing has ever hurt him as much as this moment, real or imagined. Luthor watched his double bow next to his wife's body, the shade's hand clinging to her thin, still fingers as he sobbed incoherently.

"Don't—don't show me this," Luthor demanded in the strongest voice he could muster. Lillian hugged him tighter until his bones creaked. She forced him to watch an imaginary version of himself weep in the hospital room. And just when he thought he was near his breaking point, on the edge of screaming himself insane, light spilled into the room. Lillian relaxed her monstrous hold and Luthor all but stumbled away from her and the pathetic scene in front of him.

"Chloe?" Luthor said when he saw her holding the room's door open.

Chloe still had on the black cocktail dress she had worn to the Kent's Christmas party under her long tan coat. The light from the hallway made her hair shine and her tears glow like streams of silver on her pale face. Her lips trembled as she stared mournfully at Lana's body. When her gaze moved to Lex she took a hesitant step forward into the room then stopped. She opened her mouth then stopped again, the look in her eyes made Luthor want to strangle her for the pity he saw on her face.

"Get out!" he yelled, clenching his fists at his sides. For a moment Luthor thought she heard his command because she began backing out of the room. But then the weakling's wretched sobs started anew and Chloe rushed into the room. She dropped to the floor beside Lex and embraced him. Luthor turned away. The sight of the two made him uneasy.

"Do you see?" Lillian asked.

"Take me away from here," Luthor demanded.

"Do you see?"

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to see."

Luthor stalked up to the hallucination of his mother and pointed at the pair huddled on the floor. "You want me to see what? This feeble child you claim I was supposed to be?"

Lillian shook her head then waved her hand and the scene changed to the modest home Lex lived in with Lana and Alexander. The house was quiet and dark and Luthor thought he was alone until he heard a soft whine. Locking onto the sound, Luthor's eyes made out Lex sitting on the sofa in the living room. He cradled Lily in his arms. Lex shushed the fussy child and rocked her until she quieted.

"This is what you want me to see?" Luthor asked the darkness. "I have better things to do than watch—"

A light came on and Luthor turned around and saw Chloe standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was shorter than it had been at the hospital and was trimmed into a neat bob. She wore a gray Metropolis University sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

"Give her to me, Lex," Chloe whispered.

"She's fine," Lex whispered back. "We're fine."

"Alex wants you to go up and say goodnight."

When Lex gave no response, Chloe sighed and marched over to the sofa. When she reached for the baby Luthor was certain the other him would resist. But Lex let Chloe gather the girl into her arms without protest.

"Go say good night to your son," Chloe said, her words came out whispered, but carried a commanding tone.

The other him stood and walked to the stairs. He halted on the first step then he turned around and said, "Chloe, I—I want to thank—"

"Go upstairs, Lex. See your son then go to bed. I'll look after Lily so you can get some rest," Chloe said as she gently bounced Lily in her arms, her head bent down as she smiled adoringly at the baby. Lex paused a moment longer then started up the stairs.

When Lex was gone, Luthor watched Chloe with Lily. Chloe walked the baby back to the sofa and sat down. Luthor followed. He knew nothing he saw was real, but he was curious. He wanted to see how much the child looked like Lana in his imagination. Before Luthor could reach them, the house disappeared.

Suddenly it was brighter and Luthor flinched reflexively. When his eyes grew accustomed to the brightness, he saw a little girl wearing a yellow dress and yellow shoes waddle across a lawn of green grass. Standing several feet away, the other him watched the toddler from behind a camcorder. Crouched on the ground in front of Lily was a young boy with auburn hair and a big smile on his face. Alexander had changed so much. He was taller, and his baby fat had melted away and it was easy to picture what he would look like as a young man. Lily stumbled into Alex's thin arms and he scooped her up.

The children laughed as they embraced and Lex filmed them with a gentle smile on his face. When Clark Kent emerged from the house behind them Luthor reached into his jacket and pulled out the kryptonite ring he always carried and shoved it at Kent. When Kent did not collapse to the ground Luthor remembered what he witnessed was only a figment of his imagination.

"Enough!" Luthor shouted. "I will not tolerate this farce one second longer!" But the hallucination persisted and Luthor could only fume as Kent stood next to Lex.

Kent was wearing a tan jacket, a blue tee shirt, beige slacks, and a pair of brown boots. Lex wore a blue sweater, blue jeans, and white trainers. The pair looked completely at ease with one another as they watched the children play in the grass. Their display of camaraderie infuriated Luthor. And Kent's unassuming guise bitterly reminded Luthor the alien had been hiding under his nose for years, making a fool out of him.

"Wow, I can't believe Lily's walking already," Kent said.

"Yeah. It's sounds cliché, but they really do grow up so fast."

"Tell me about it. Alex is taller than I was at his age," Kent said.

Lex smiled. "He gets that from Lana's side of the family."

For a few moments nether man spoke until Kent said, "I miss her."

"So do I, every day."

A troubled expression took hold on Kent's face. "Lex—I talked to Chloe yesterday."

Lex lowered the camera from his face, but kept his gaze on the children. "Did you? What did she say?"

"She feels the same way."

Lex let out a small snort. "But?"

Kent crossed his arms over his chest. Luthor was still familiar enough with Kent to know it was a defensive posture. "Chloe—she said she loved Lana like sister but," Kent looked down at his boots, "she didn't stop competing with Lana all those years ago just to compete with her ghost now."

"It's not like that, Clark," Lex said.

"I know. I know. Chloe knows it, too."

"I wonder. If you'd seen her when I told her how I felt, Clark, the look she gave me—it reminded me of the bad old days. She didn't believe a word I said."

Luthor stared at the two men in confusion. Their conversation seemed to have spun wildly off topic. Luthor replayed their conversation in his mind and tried to piece together what they were talking about. It was clear Chloe Sullivan had become the object of the conversation and it almost sounded like—no. Luthor rejected the notion that the weak, foolish version of him had developed feelings for that woman.

"Do you see now?" Lillian asked after she materialized beside Luthor.

"Are you serious? You would have me believe I was supposed to—what? Fall in love with Chloe Sullivan?"

His mother waved her hand and the scene changed again. Luthor did not recognize where he was this time. It was an apartment, tastefully decorated, with a balcony view overlooking Metro Park. Chloe sat at a table near the balcony doors, she was typing on a slim black laptop, her fingers dancing non-stop over the keys.

She wore a blue terry cloth robe and blue slippers; beneath the robe she had on white pajamas that looked several sizes to big on her small frame. Her hair was long again and pinned in a messy bun on top of her head. When there was a knock at her door she reluctantly got up from the table, tossing longing glances back at the laptop as she made her way to the door.

She rose on her tiptoes and looked through the peephole. After a moment Chloe lowered her heels then opened the door. "Lex, it's three in the morning," she said.

"I love Lana, I always will," Lex said without preamble and Chloe's face shut down, but not before Luthor saw how grievously Lex's words had hurt her.

Chloe let out a breath, lifted her chin and she said, "I never—"

"And what I loved most about her," Lex went on to say, " is that she helped me know love. Really know it—" Lex stepped into the apartment and brought his hands up under Chloe's jaw line, his fingers barely touching her skin. "And she taught me to see it when it was right in front of me.

"And I see you, Chloe."

Chloe reached up and moved Lex's hands away from her face. "Well, if you say it then it must be true," she said, her voice was full of steel but her eyes betrayed her—she wanted to believe Lex's proclamation.

"I know you don't believe me, god knows I haven't given you a single reason to, but I'll wait. Forever, if I have to, until you do."

Chloe's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. When tears rolled down her face Chloe closed her eyes and hid her face from Lex. "Clark told you to say that," she said. "He must have."

"Clark didn't tell me to say anything, except get my head out of my ass," Lex said, and then he moved in closer to Chloe and slid his hands over her hips.

Luthor was certain Chloe would shove his doppelganger out the door and slam it in his face. But she didn't push Lex out of her apartment; instead she stepped deeper into his embrace. Just before their lips touched light blinded Luthor—when he could see again he was back in his office atop LexCorp Tower.

"And they lived happily ever after," Luthor spat.

Lillian appeared next to him. "It was always her. She would have brought—"

Luthor whirled on her, his entire body shaking with rage. "Shut up, you stupid cow!" he roared at her. "Even death hasn't put an end to your insane prattle!"

Lillian fell silent and looked at Luthor with those sad, sad eyes. Then she vanished. After a few moments of silent meditation Luthor regained control of his mind and body. He returned his gaze to Metropolis's skyline and began methodically burying the vision Lillian had shown him.

What a ridiculous waste of time. Even if what his "mother" showed him was true and Chloe Sullivan was his one true love, what did it matter now? She was dead, murdered by an insane clown. And Luthor might have lamented Chloe Sullivan's death had it not so nearly broken Superman.