Chapter 35

Having escorted Martha Kent back home, Lionel wished her a good night and flew back to his office in Metropolis. The Dark Thursday benefit Lex had organized may have been over, but that did not mean there wasn't still work to be done. Still, he found that his mind involuntarily drifted back to the time he and Martha spent together at the benefit.

It seemed a great weight was lifted from his shoulders whenever she was around. This was a sensation foreign to him, one that he'd never expected to feel again after Lillian passed. However, Lionel knew the hard lessons of life, and realized that the chemistry between he and Martha was a precious gift. This gift, this bond, which was growing between them, was something he promised himself that he'd look out for…with as much tenacity as he directed towards protecting Clark.

Satisfied with his assessment and conclusion as to how to proceed with his relationship with Martha, Lionel returned his attention to the task before him. In the wake of the events of Dark Thursday, Martha's reputation in the state senate was spreading to the national stage.

While he knew Martha was a great asset to the people of Kansas, Lionel understood that she could have greater influence as a U.S. Senator in Washington. So, he had resolved to assemble a social function, with the moneybags of Metropolis as the keynote attendees, in order to raise capital to finance just such a bid.

Lionel entered through the double doors to his office to find Lucas waiting inside. However, unlike the last time he found him in his office, Lucas was seated in one of the guest chairs facing his desk, rather than in his chair behind it.

"Good evening, son, I thought you would be on your way back to Star City by now."

"Don't worry Dad, I am. Though we didn't get a chance to chat at the benefit, so I decided to make a detour on my way home."

"My, my, so what's on your mind son?"

"Mom, it's been a couple of years now since she passed away. I went by her grave to pay my respects while I was here."

"Listen, Lucas, I cared a great deal for your mother. I..."

"Of course you did, Dad, that's why you threw her into the Metropolis Sanitarium all those years ago. You know what hurts worse than that is that you didn't even tell me about it. I had to learn where my mom was from Lex, yet you knew where I was long before Lex."

"Lucas, I did what I thought was best for your mother. Metropolis Sanitarium was best suited to address your mother's condition at the time."

"Right, I guess I should be thanking you for not throwing her into Belle Reve, especially considering the horror stories I've heard about that place. Still, that doesn't excuse the fact that you never visited her once after admitting her."

"Lucas, I discussed that with the specialists on staff, and they advised me that my presence would only serve to exacerbate the mental anguish your mother was receiving treatment for."

"That's funny, when I finally got all of the paperwork approved to be able to see her, she'd always ask me about how you were. I guess an appreciable period of time must have past between the time you tried to see her and when I was able to, huh? I didn't even have all that much time before she passed away from the brain aneurysm. It also doesn't explain why you didn't show up for her funeral."

"Son, I may have been able to see her after she'd been there a while, but I didn't want to risk reopening wounds that were only starting to heal. I understand how you may think my actions were callous, but I thought the best course of action available to me to assist her was financially."

Lionel pauses to take a seat behind his desk. "I personally saw to it that funds were allocated to cover all of the medical costs incurred by her stay at the Metropolis Sanitarium. I also made sure additional funds were also directed to ensure every possible treatment was made available to her that would expedite her recovery process."

He then leaned forward and folded his hands together on the desk. "Then when your mother passed away, I… Well, I knew that you would be attending the service and just wasn't sure what to tell you. So, again, I helped out the only way I knew, I saw to it that every expense was handled accordingly…."

Lionel closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right hand. Lucas sat quietly, waiting to see if his father was going to continue; he did.

"You'll also remember that it had not been too long ago that we thought Lex had been killed when he left for his honeymoon with Dr. Helen Bryce. I suppose on some level, that even though I suspected Lex was alive; going through the motions of putting on a funeral for him took its toll. When I took stock of your mother's situation, and considered how long it had been since we'd interacted on any level, it just seemed more respectful, to me, to finance the requirements that ensured her final wishes were carried out."

The two Luthors sat quietly in Lionel's office for a few moments after that. Lucas shifted his hands, from the chair's armrests that he was seated in, leaned forward onto Lionel's desk, and folded them together.

"Yeah because throwing money at every situation that arises makes it go away. No Dad, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that money can help; but it's no substitute for investing yourself into a situation to get it resolved."

"All right Lucas, you've had your say. I've explained my actions to the best of my ability. What exactly do you want from me?"

Lucas relaxed, somewhat, and leaned back in his seat. "Simple Dad, what you seem to covet the way most people covet their savings; what you finally admitted to some extent here this evening…honesty."

Lionel sits back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face. This was hardly what he'd prepared himself for when he saw Lucas seated in his office.

"Despite your continual assertions to the contrary, I know you have cultivated a personal relationship with Martha Kent."

"Lucas…"

"No, let me finish, I want you to promise me that you won't repeat the mistakes you've made in the past with her. While I don't know her all that well personally, I know the respect people have for her. Don't squander the feelings, you obviously have for one another, away in some twisted coup d'état. The trust that she, and her son, have placed in you deserve better than that. You do that and you'll be well on your way to earning my respect."

For the first time that he could remember, Lionel gave Lucas a smile; an actual, genuine smile. He stood from his chair and extended his right hand out towards his son.

"Lucas, you have my word. I appreciate your being candid in your request, and beyond that I'm proud of you. It would seem my reckoning of your disposition was in error. I appreciate the opportunity to earn your trust, son."

Lucas stood and shook his father's outstretched hand. "Well, it's like I told a friend of mine Dad, I've done quite a bit of growing up since I left Smallville. There's a quote I ran across by John C. Maxwell that had, and continues to have, a big influence on my constitution. He said, 'A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.'"

"That's very true son, and the real test is applying that philosophy on a daily basis."

"Yes, and I can tell you that the application of those pays dividends that are truly priceless. I hope you'll commit to that as well Dad. Well, I'll be on my way but I'll be in touch…Star City isn't that far away."

"Goodnight, travel well, son."