Lex, drink in hand, walked over to his office. He turned the handle and
stepped into the spacious room. He leaned back in his chair and grabbed a
folder that rested on his desk, leafing through its contents.
"Farm boy gone?" Lisette asked. Lex looked up to find her standing in the entrance; arms folded neatly across her chest and a smirk-the same half- grin and trademark that he possessed-gracing her face.
"Don't you knock?" Lex inquired in a rude tone. "And, yes," he scribbled something on a notepad, "Clark has left the building."
"Ha, ha. You're funny," she stated sarcastically.
"I've worked hard to become so," he answered in an equally mocking voice.
"Yeah.that's what I thought," she smiled and sat on the edge of his desk.
"Can I help you?" He placed his pen down and laced his fingers together.
"Nope," she giggled menacingly. Seeing the displeasing look that he was giving her, Lisette hopped off the desk. "Actually Cousin Alexander you can help me."
"Don't call me that," he ordered. No one but Lex's mother had ever used that name and he'd be damned this little brat would torture him with it.
"Alright," she said, knowing that it probably wasn't a good idea to get Lex Luthor too angry.
"Out with it," he spat.
"Temper, temper," she warned.
"Lisette, I really don't have time for this. I have business to take care of. Important business," he held up the folder as if to prove its significance.
"Hmm.important Luthor Corp business." she said slowly.
"Yes." Lex picked up his pen and resumed with his notes.
"We're a lot alike, you and I." Lisette ran her finger along the side of a book.
"Are we?" he questioned.
"Uncle Lionel just assumes I'm here on bad behavior. That the dear old nanny couldn't handle me anymore. Let alone my own mother or father."
"And that's not the case?" Lex was intrigued.
"Well of course it's the case. Why else would Mother send me to Smallville? For kicks?" she almost shouted. Or perhaps she did shout, her last sentence seemed to echo in the tiny room.
"Lisette, you're confusing me."
"I'm also here for the same reasons you are," the corners of her mouth turned up into a mischievous grin.
"And those would be?" Lex asked her. "Because I am here on bad behavior," again he let a twisted smile play upon his lips.
"I wasn't wanted." Lex feigned a look of shock, which Lisette caught. "Oh come off your high horse Lex. You mean to tell me that your beloved father actually loves you? He's letting you run Luthor Corp in Smallville as a cover up. Maybe it was something that you did in your past. Something that caused embarrassment to the family name, who knows? But you're just cast aside like the rest of us."
"I don't need to be told my life story Lisette, I know exactly how it goes."
"Oh do you?" she questioned in a cocky tone. "I haven't even gotten to the part where dear old Uncle Lionel screws you over."
"You are on thin ice kid," he cautioned.
"And that's exactly why I'm here Lex. I'm on thin ice," her sea blue eyes filled with tears. Lisette swiped them away quickly. As a child she was taught to be ashamed of tears, they were a sign of weakness. Her mother had drilled that into her head quite nicely. "I guess we aren't so alike after all," she said as she stormed out the door.
"Lisette!" Lex called after her.
He ran up the stairs and to her room. He found her there, sitting on the bed hugging a pillow. Slowly her eyes rose to meet his. He stared at her tearstained face and red nose.
"You okay?" Lex tentatively sat beside her. Lisette shrugged in answer to his question, he wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek. Then to his surprise Lisette wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and buried her head in his broad shoulder. They sat that way in silence, both marveled at how close they could be without actually knowing each other. "My mother loved me," he stroked her hair. This was very different for him, Lex wasn't supposed to care for anybody but himself. That was the way it had always been, and suddenly in less than 24 hours a teenager was dumped in his lap.him with open arms.
"Really? Must have been nice," she sniffled. "I don't think my mother knows I'm alive, unless I'm in trouble. And my father, he's always on business trips to everywhere!"
"Trust me, I know the feeling," he assured her.
"I keep getting bounced from boarding school to boarding school, so I guess she just got fed up." She rubbed her nose.
"Oh, don't do that," Lex laughed and handed her a tissue.
"Thanks," she sniffled again and blew her nose. "I'm usually not like this.emotional I mean. I'm tough, no one gets to me."
"I guess we do have things in common Lisette. Just-" Before Lex could finish his sentence Lisette had curled up in a tiny ball at the corner of her bed. Lex pulled the comforter up to her chin, yanked off her ridiculously high heels and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead. "Sleep tight," he whispered.
"Farm boy gone?" Lisette asked. Lex looked up to find her standing in the entrance; arms folded neatly across her chest and a smirk-the same half- grin and trademark that he possessed-gracing her face.
"Don't you knock?" Lex inquired in a rude tone. "And, yes," he scribbled something on a notepad, "Clark has left the building."
"Ha, ha. You're funny," she stated sarcastically.
"I've worked hard to become so," he answered in an equally mocking voice.
"Yeah.that's what I thought," she smiled and sat on the edge of his desk.
"Can I help you?" He placed his pen down and laced his fingers together.
"Nope," she giggled menacingly. Seeing the displeasing look that he was giving her, Lisette hopped off the desk. "Actually Cousin Alexander you can help me."
"Don't call me that," he ordered. No one but Lex's mother had ever used that name and he'd be damned this little brat would torture him with it.
"Alright," she said, knowing that it probably wasn't a good idea to get Lex Luthor too angry.
"Out with it," he spat.
"Temper, temper," she warned.
"Lisette, I really don't have time for this. I have business to take care of. Important business," he held up the folder as if to prove its significance.
"Hmm.important Luthor Corp business." she said slowly.
"Yes." Lex picked up his pen and resumed with his notes.
"We're a lot alike, you and I." Lisette ran her finger along the side of a book.
"Are we?" he questioned.
"Uncle Lionel just assumes I'm here on bad behavior. That the dear old nanny couldn't handle me anymore. Let alone my own mother or father."
"And that's not the case?" Lex was intrigued.
"Well of course it's the case. Why else would Mother send me to Smallville? For kicks?" she almost shouted. Or perhaps she did shout, her last sentence seemed to echo in the tiny room.
"Lisette, you're confusing me."
"I'm also here for the same reasons you are," the corners of her mouth turned up into a mischievous grin.
"And those would be?" Lex asked her. "Because I am here on bad behavior," again he let a twisted smile play upon his lips.
"I wasn't wanted." Lex feigned a look of shock, which Lisette caught. "Oh come off your high horse Lex. You mean to tell me that your beloved father actually loves you? He's letting you run Luthor Corp in Smallville as a cover up. Maybe it was something that you did in your past. Something that caused embarrassment to the family name, who knows? But you're just cast aside like the rest of us."
"I don't need to be told my life story Lisette, I know exactly how it goes."
"Oh do you?" she questioned in a cocky tone. "I haven't even gotten to the part where dear old Uncle Lionel screws you over."
"You are on thin ice kid," he cautioned.
"And that's exactly why I'm here Lex. I'm on thin ice," her sea blue eyes filled with tears. Lisette swiped them away quickly. As a child she was taught to be ashamed of tears, they were a sign of weakness. Her mother had drilled that into her head quite nicely. "I guess we aren't so alike after all," she said as she stormed out the door.
"Lisette!" Lex called after her.
He ran up the stairs and to her room. He found her there, sitting on the bed hugging a pillow. Slowly her eyes rose to meet his. He stared at her tearstained face and red nose.
"You okay?" Lex tentatively sat beside her. Lisette shrugged in answer to his question, he wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek. Then to his surprise Lisette wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and buried her head in his broad shoulder. They sat that way in silence, both marveled at how close they could be without actually knowing each other. "My mother loved me," he stroked her hair. This was very different for him, Lex wasn't supposed to care for anybody but himself. That was the way it had always been, and suddenly in less than 24 hours a teenager was dumped in his lap.him with open arms.
"Really? Must have been nice," she sniffled. "I don't think my mother knows I'm alive, unless I'm in trouble. And my father, he's always on business trips to everywhere!"
"Trust me, I know the feeling," he assured her.
"I keep getting bounced from boarding school to boarding school, so I guess she just got fed up." She rubbed her nose.
"Oh, don't do that," Lex laughed and handed her a tissue.
"Thanks," she sniffled again and blew her nose. "I'm usually not like this.emotional I mean. I'm tough, no one gets to me."
"I guess we do have things in common Lisette. Just-" Before Lex could finish his sentence Lisette had curled up in a tiny ball at the corner of her bed. Lex pulled the comforter up to her chin, yanked off her ridiculously high heels and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead. "Sleep tight," he whispered.