"There for Each Other"
A Story by CoolNick44
Smallville belongs to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and the CW.
This story takes place at several different points in the Smallville timeline. I will indicate each different point at the beginning of each chapter.
Season 5, during "Fanatic":
Martha Kent was outside the Talon, taking out the trash. Running this place had been an adventure at first, but it was quickly turning into a chore. She needed to devote more time to Jonathan's campaign. She heard footsteps, and then an all-too familiar voice.
"It's obviously true what they say. Behind every great man is a great woman. The campaign must be taking up a lot of your time." Lionel Luthor strode out of the shadows, that trademark spark in his eye.
Martha needed to get back inside. With all the stresses of the last two months on her mind, she really didn't need another Luthor to exacerbate her problems. She nodded and spoke politely, but firmly. "Yes it is, but fortunately Jonathan and I have a lot of help."
Lionel made a half-smile, but it didn't fully cover the look of… that couldn't actually be concern… in his eyes. "Unfortunately, not enough to win. You know, Lex is entering the last stretch of this campaign with infinite resources, and I believe you are down financially to… nothing." He didn't punch out that last word with the typical Luthor fervor and arrogance. He just sort of let the statement hang there, awaiting a response.
He might not be acting it, but he's still only here to rub in his son's impending victory. "I'm glad to see you're finally behind your son, but I thought you knew me better than that, Lionel," She remembered with dismay when she worked as Lionel's personal assistant almost three and a half years ago. "I would never give up on my husband."
Lionel's expression denoted understanding, which was certainly an old trick of his. "You misunderstand me. Lex has deep pockets, and Jonathan needs at least the money to match that." With that, Lionel took an envelope out of his coat and held it out to Martha.
She couldn't believe this. She knew what was in the envelope before she opened it, but what game was Lionel playing? She tried not to let her jaw drop when she opened it, but it did a little anyway. "This is… more than money to match," she blinked twice, but then held the envelope back out to him. "We've run this campaign on his beliefs, and that's what's going to win him the election. Jonathan would never accept this."
Lionel nodded. He was standing a little closer to her now, a fact which should have alarmed her more than it did. "I know. I fully expected Jonathan to barrel his way through the campaign fueled by blind idealism, but I was hoping you would be more savvy." He paused twice in the middle of that sentence, almost as if he were apologetic for offering and had some true purpose he wanted her to understand.
Martha knew full well that what he was hoping for was that she was more morally compromised than Jonathan was. When he took the envelope, she crossed her arms defensively, but his demeanor made her feel like there wasn't really a need for that.
He walked over to the limo that had pulled up and opened the door. Before he got in, he said "Perhaps you have your own personal reasons for wanting Jonathan not to win." He didn't say that as a judgment. He got in, and the limo drove away. Martha was left standing there, befuddled. Of course she wanted her own husband to win. Of course she did. She was just temporarily confused as to why Lionel Luthor was acting different than normal. It was just a new tactic to make people indebted to him. She walked back into the Talon.
The Next Night:
The events of the shooting still fresh in her mind, but somehow even more disturbed by her talk with Lois earlier today, Martha waited outside the Talon as the limousine pulled up and the window rolled down, revealing Lionel Luthor in the back seat. He opened the door for her, his expression completely serious.
She had to maintain civility, no matter how much it killed her inside to be doing this. "Thank you for coming."
Lionel smiled slightly, but simply said "It's my pleasure," he waited a moment as she got in the car. "I'm always here for you, Martha."
Martha should've cringed at that statement. Instead she was distracted by how warm and bright it was in the limousine instead of cold and dark like she had assumed. It was only money, she told herself. If Lionel wants to give her money to spite his own son, an act which will help her husband… this wasn't going to completely destroy her. Lois had told her how bad the finances were, and this was the only way. She wouldn't allow this to become something he could lord over her. They drove away.
Three years ago:
It was midnight at the Kent Farm. Jonathan and Martha were in bed, but only Jonathan was asleep. Martha was lying in bed trying to fully wrap her head around the events of the previous day, when she and Lionel Luthor had been held hostage by a group of thieves in the Luthorcorp building. She remembered being so scared for her life, and that she naturally, instinctively, grasped onto Lionel in her fear. It was because she was afraid that the men were going to kill her if she so much as looked at them wrong, so she held onto the nearest person who didn't want to kill her. She remembered that she felt a little more safe than she might have when his hand was on her shoulder as they sat on the couch in Lionel's office. It was because humans naturally look to other humans for comfort in times of crisis. She remembered being deathly afraid that one of the men was going to kill Lionel. It was because if he died, what hope would she have had? She never wanted anything to do with him ever again, both because he kept her from her family on her anniversary, and because he had gotten her into that horrible situation in the first place. She couldn't stand the sight of him, and refused to let herself be lulled in by his seemingly benign nature again. She was still awake because she was still trying to make herself believe it. She wished she could.
I hope this first chapter suitably hooked you. Martha/Lionel was one of Smallville's greatest missed opportunities, and I love having a chance to sort of 'fill in the blanks' here and write for these two excellent characters.