Author's notes: I saw Man of Steel and squealed when I saw the LexCorp truck. Lex from Smallville showed up in my head raging at Superman's fight inside of Metropolis. 'That was *my* company's truck. Don't you know there are people on the ground? Morons! ... I bet this will be the reason I hate your guts in the Man of Steel universe. Insurance doesn't cover "Acts of Aliens".' I can't help snickering at him.
Many weeks later, Lex tapped his fingers against his presidential oak table, agitated, looking at the quartz-like cubes arranged in a row in a box on his desk. Barely registering the cool breeze coming through the open windows behind him, Lex scanned his eyes over the cubes.
The investigation of the Family Clinic hadn't gone so well. Half of the investigators had been discovered in separate towns with no recollection of where they'd been from the time they'd gone missing.
Despite that particular failure to find definitive proof, Lex wasn't disappointed. Each of the investigators had had a cube of refined meteor rock before they stepped foot on the property.
He was looking at the transparent quartz cubes now, carefully nestled in the lead-lined box.
Lex had already sent samples to his labs to analyze them, and the tests so far had revealed no trace of radiation. The cubes of meteor rock had been inexplicably purified.
It was clear to Lex that Dr. Vala Nukom had not come to grovel because Lex had a stockpile of green meteor rock. These cubes proved beyond a doubt that the technology existed to nullify his greatest weapon against Kryptonians.
No, this only proved she really did have some other agenda in mind, and it likely had to do with revealing their presence to Superman. That was the strongest evidence that more Kryptonians had survived their planet's destruction. However flimsy, he believed they really did exist and that their plans for Superman were not out of loyalty to the House of El.
Rubbing his scalp, he took a deep breath closing the box of meteor rock and placed the box into a drawer.
As for his errant quest for family, the lawyers had filed their paperwork as soon as Lara Kent had resumed school a week ago. Then, she promptly disappeared.
That was exactly three days ago. The media had trained their cameras on US Senator Jonathan Kent, who tersely warned that if this was an abduction that the perpetrators would be found and dealt with.
If she had disappeared because of Clark, Lex doubted that Senator Kent would have been so tense on-air.
Ever since he heard the news, the president suspected someone had learned about the paternity case, despite the gag order, and had picked Lara up with the intention of holding her ransom. So far, there had been no demands, which played out into several different scenarios in Lex's head, most of which did not have acceptable outcomes.
If she was harmed in any form, Lex would have his revenge in due course.
Hearing the door open and close rapidly with a telltale swish, President Luthor looked up expectantly. Instead of Superman or Conner, a very familiar girl sat in the chair across from his desk with her legs primly crossed and her hands folded properly in her lap.
So, she had inherited more than Clark's green eyes.
"May I do something for you, Miss Kent?"
"No, Mr. President. Just do what you do."
Immediately suspicious, Lex blinked slowly. She didn't appear to be strapped with explosives, but one could never tell these days. "Your grandparents are probably worried sick about you."
"It's okay. They'll know soon."
Picking up his phone receiver, Lex didn't hear his secretary on the other end. He tapped the disconnect button a few times before he looked up. Lara was holding the other end of the ethernet cable in front of him, grinning.
He frowned. "What exactly are you up to?" Obviously, if he tried texting anyone with his tablet, he feared the reliable machine would be destroyed.
Dropping the cord, she showed her teeth, swaying her body so her dress spun out.
That was not a smile. Dread tightened Lex's gut, reminded of Conner's early onset of psychosis before Clark's genes took over. Not needing an explanation from Lara, he knew Clark's moronic plan had begun to unfold and he'd become ensnared in his daughter's plot for revenge.
"My dad didn't come to my tenth birthday. I'm going to make him see me."
Unlike others who may have faced the threat of a little girl with laughter, Lex took it seriously. The only edge he had in this situation was that he had years more experience in villainy toils, which scientifically only accounted for an hour's gain if they'd been pitted against each other. Unfortunately, he had no idea what she had in mind, but imagined that the product of her scheming was somewhere between unpleasant and painful, but non-lethal.
Hopefully, Superman wouldn't fall for it. Unfortunately, Lex knew better than to press his luck. The universe had from the start conspired to make him a cynic.
"I see." Leaning forward on his elbows, Lex calmly threaded his fingers together. "I don't know why you're giving him such a hard time, since I've never gone to your birthday."
Lara hopped back onto the chair, looking rebellious. "That's different. You didn't know about me when I fixed you and that's Dad's fault 'cause he doesn't tell you anything. I overheard my grandparents talk about a lawsuit. How'd you find out?" She demanded in an accusatory tone.
"Did you come here to ask me that or is there something else you want to tell me?" Lex raised an eyebrow.
She smiled again, her eyes no longer angry, and then looked behind him. "You'll see."
That was the briefest warning before a very loud whoosh threatened to pop Lex's ears. The president found himself bodily lifted from the front of his very expensive three piece suit and slammed against the top of his desk. It was a good thing he was a tidy person, or that might have hurt more than it already did.
"Luthor!" Superman was pissed, leaning into the hold.
Breath knocked out of him, it took until Superman let up for a moment for Lex to recover. "Why, hello Superman." Lex groaned out, "You couldn't wait another five minutes to swoop in?"
"With this stupid stunt of yours, everyone will know how foul their elected president is. You'll rot in jail, again!"
"Yes, it was very stupid. So stupid, in fact, that a ten-year-old devised it."
Superman stopped pinning Lex to the desk one-handed. Then he stepped back and crossed his arms to stare at him for some explanation.
Still on the desk, Lex took in a lungful of air. "I'm just as surprised as you are that my newly discovered daughter went out of her way to do this."
"Lara Kent…?" He turned slowly and noticed Lara grinning impishly behind him.
She stood up on the chair, crossing her arms to mimic Superman's pose. "Yeah, I did it. I ran away and sent the ransom letter, too!"
"Why?" The cold, disapproving tone could have snapped steel in half.
Lex had to admit it was something to see the young girl stand up to the look that came with that voice.
"Because I wanted to!" She yelled at him.
Feeling a paternal obligation to intercept Superman's incoming wrath, Lex painfully rolled off the desk and stood to adjust his suit. "Before you barged in, Superman, Miss Kent was in the process of explaining that to me," Lex said, quickly putting his desk to rights before someone peeked in to hear what all the commotion was about. He re-plugged his phone and was happy to see he hadn't missed any messages.
"It was my tenth birthday. And you missed it!" She declared crossly.
"Lara—" Superman began.
"You didn't come to my birthday, and there wasn't anything stopping you. I checked! You told me I couldn't live with you, and then you didn't come to my birthday when even Granny and Grandpa made it, and they're super busy!"
"Lara, I told you—" Clark's softer, pleading tone came next, which had Lex jerking his head to look at him.
Lara suddenly burst into tears. "NOOOOOOO!" Their daughter screeched and jumped off the chair to cling to Clark. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"
Security burst in, guns unholstered, only to see Superman raise his hands while a girl clung to him whining rowdily.
Many presidential staffers peered at the scene behind the perplexed Secret Service when Lara suddenly let go to drop to the ground and threw the mother of all tantrums. As she screamed and kicked, Superman encouraged it by hovering over her and shushing her frantically, looking completely out of his element.
Moving in, President Luthor raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture towards his guards. "Stand down. Superman is dealing with a girl who ran away home. Her name is Lara Kent. Please notify Senator Kent and other relevant authorities," Lex stated as Brad waved the crowd out. Once his head of security had pulled the door shut as he left, Lex turned to Superman. "Get out of here, Superman. I'll make sure she gets home."
Clark's uncertainty peeked through the façade of superhero, and then he jerked a quick nod.
"Nooooo!" Lara shouted and practically flew off the floor aiming for a bright blue thigh.
Superman was apparently faster than his daughter, who stumbled when she met only air resistance. Her hands clutched at emptiness. "NOOO! COME BACK!" She sobbed out.
Lex's head was pounding from the shrill screaming. He retook his leather seat and slid the tablet over so he could see what he missed. He quickly read the apologetic text message Senator Kent sent in response to a message from one of his staffers and then he glanced at the time. Senator Kent would be here shortly.
"COME BACK! SUPERMAAAAAN!" When Superman didn't, Lara plopped on the dark blue carpet despondently, crying.
"That's it? You're going to sit on the floor and cry when your plan didn't pan out?" Lex snapped at her, irritated.
"Shut up! You don't know anything!" She balled up her fists, tears streaming down her face and then frantically wiped her face with an arm. "He was supposed to take me home!"
"I gathered as much from you earlier."
Suddenly, she was livid. "I hate BOTH of you!" She yelled at the president. "You're all STUPID!" She grabbed the chair she'd claimed as her own and threw it a single, measly bounce away. Strength she lacked, which was just as well since Lex wasn't sure how he would have adequately explained why a chair had pierced through the wall of the Oval Office.
She breathed heavily in once.
"Are you done?"
"No!" She glared as only a spoiled child could, heated without any kind of real bite.
Lex snorted quietly at her mood swing, remembering Conner's volatile tantrums. "If you expected him to react in any other way, then you don't know him as well as you thought."
In the blink of an eye, she grabbed a paperweight off his desk and threw it at the wall. It left a white scar where the wallpaper had torn.
Lex looked at it calmly and then at her expectant face. He shook his head so Brad wouldn't interfere.
Oblivious to Brad, Lara kicked the desk, which shook slightly. "He was supposed to rescue me and take me back home. You. Ruined. Everything."
"I can't say I feel sorry for you, considering you tried to land me in jail on false charges." Brad's head disappeared from the doorway, and the door slid shut again.
She sulked. "That wouldn't happen."
"You're not sorry at all, are you?" Lex asked with a cutting tone.
"He said that I can't live with him anymore because it's not safe."
"What you did in response was irresponsible and risky. You'll be lucky that I don't press charges."
She huffed in disbelief. "You wouldn't!"
"I will if you don't start to show some respect. This is not how a model citizen behaves."
Sulking again, she stared at her feet. "I'm sorry," she mumbled insincerely, "for siccing Daddy on you."
Lex took a deep breath so he didn't strangle his newly discovered daughter. He had to remind himself that this fiasco had happened as a direct result of Clark's callous actions. Lara Kent felt hurt and betrayed, just as Lex had predicted, and had done this to get the attention she craved. If Lex didn't stop the emotional hemorrhaging, Lara might end up as twisted as he was.
He decided to divert Lara's attention before she decided to do something truly dangerous and end up a juvenile delinquent. "So you heard about the lawsuit. What do you think?"
She squinted her eyes at him, scowling. "You hate kids," she stated defiantly. "I thought it was to get back at Daddy for hiding me."
He couldn't argue with her on his general feeling about kids, but her deduction as to the motive behind the lawsuit was wrong. "It's the thoughtless actions of a child, like the one you just pulled, that I have a problem with."
"I said I was sorry!"
"It's hard to take an apology seriously when you don't look sorry."
Lara glowered, fumbling with the ring on her thumb. "I knew he wouldn't really hurt you, and if he tried you would have stopped him."
At her naivety, Lex snorted derisively. "Don't assume. It just makes an ass out of you and me."
Shocked by the profanity, she giggled once and then looked considerably cowed. She sat down heavily kicking her feet. "He would have hurt you?"
"Could have," Lex lied, not bothering to mention the cracked rib he suspected he sustained. "When he gets overcome with emotion, it's hard for him to hold back on his aggression."
"I'm sorry," her voice whispered out, tremulously.
Lex looked up to see her head bowed, fumbling with the silver ring on her thumb.
"It's just…" She sniffled. "I know it's no excuse, but Daddy just decided this on his own, and I was so mad. I couldn't think of anything else. And then I got even madder when Granny and Grandpa made excuses for him because I know he missed my birthday on purpose. Even a six-year old could figure it out." She scrubbed at her face as tears streamed down her face, but she never took her eyes off the ring.
This was how Clark Kent normally operated when someone grew too close to his secrets, but to do it with his own flesh and blood… to his own daughter who he'd raised himself was beyond harsh. It was downright cruel. What the hell had compelled Clark to think this was a good idea? "And you wanted revenge?"
She nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"Miss Kent, this leads neatly into my next point. Contrary to your belief, I did not go to the courts to get revenge. I want to be your father. I should have asked if you were interested before I started the process. So, are you?"
Hope blossomed in her wide, green eyes.
It made Lex's heart constrict in ways that would have worried him if he hadn't already dealt with it around Conner.
Then her eyes grew hooded and she frowned. "What's the catch?"
"You can't throw a tantrum every time something doesn't go your way. Self-discipline is the only way to succeed in life."
Scowling, she crossed her arms.
"Miss Kent," Lex warned.
"Did you force Daddy to stop visiting me?"
Feeling put upon, Lex pressed fingers to massage his temple. "I had no part in his decision," he ground out.
Her face scrunched up again, but she didn't cry. "Then, why? Why would he…?"
Lex sighed and, for the benefit of everyone involved, chose not to divert her vengeful anger onto the Batman. "You'll have to ask him yourself."
She frowned and fiddled with the ring.
When several moments passed and an awkward silence descended, Lex cut through it, "Is there something else that's bothering you?"
"You really want someone like me as your daughter?" She asked quietly, sounding as if she expected that the answer would be no.
Dropping his hands, the president looked at the contrite, guilt-ridden expression on his daughter's face. "Of course. Why wouldn't I want to raise my daughter?" He asked rhetorically, but saw that she considered the question seriously. "Come here."
Lara walked tentatively around his desk.
From his chair, Lex leaned forward offering his hands palm up.
She blinked at them and then at him before cautiously placing her small hands into his.
He clasped them gently. "You're the only family I have left, Lara."
Sensing something in his voice, she looked up at him doubtfully. "No other kids out of wedlock?"
Surprised that she'd read him, Lex pulled a hand away from hers and lightly cuffed her ear. "Brat. You're quick to judge."
Not to be dissuaded, Lara covered her ears and stepped back. "Am I really your only child?"
"No," Lex said as she crowed at being correct. "You have a brother. His name is Conner," Lex said wryly.
"Daddy told me you lie to get your way and make promises you don't keep."
"Is that so…?" Lex looked at the deep wariness in his daughter's eyes, and then amended his assumption that this was the first time Clark had tried to manipulate her. "I do have a habit of telling people what they want to hear, but I always keep my promises."
"Then promise… promise that you'll let me go see Granny and Grandpa. And that I get to see my brother. And that if Daddy wants to see me, you'll let him." Lara fiddled with the ring on her thumb.
Lex extended his hand. "Shake on it?"
She solemnly shook hands with him. "It's a promise."
Lex nodded, just as someone knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Lex called out.
A graying Senator Kent appeared in the doorway. ""Excuse me, Mr. President." His harsh gaze turned to his granddaughter, who quickly stole back her hand. "Lara Abigail Kent!" He didn't quite roar.
She flinched and then looked petulantly at Lex, seeking an ally.
"You had better go without a fight, Lara Abigail Kent," Lex stated nonchalantly.
Lara huffed angrily and whirled away from him. Her grandfather stared at the president for a long moment.
"Good day, Senator Kent." There was no need to wheedle an already distraught grandfather about the upcoming court date.
It was a sign that Jonathan Kent was so irate that he only nodded his head, instead of offering a gruff parting of respect for the office of presidency.
TBC.
