Chapter 10 - Family Talk

"He still visits the mansion in the evenings, yes?"

"In the afternoons, yes."

"Good. I'm going to have something sent to you. It's a white powder, and you'll want to wear gloves and a mask when you handle it. I need you to put it into Lex's scotch."

"Sir?"

"It's tasteless and odorless. He won't suspect anything."

They sat around the empty coffee table. Martha sat beside Lex, and Clark across from him, on the floor. Jonathan sat in the rocking chair.

Calling the family together like this went against everything Lex had ever known and been taught. His first instinct upon receiving the tip from Perry White had been to embark on an investigation alone. Actually, his first inclination was to accept the position Lionel had offered him at LuthorCorp in order to keep a closer eye on him, but he couldn't just run off to Metropolis. He had a family to think about.

"I found out something about Lionel," Lex said.

"What'd you find out, son?" Jonathan asked.

"I'd rather not say. The less you know, the less danger you'll be in. He already knows I consider you family."

Clark frowned. "Is that bad?"

"Very bad." Lex winced, not sure how much to say. "Clark, you of all people know . . . I spend a lot of time fighting my father. Protecting LexCorp and my employees from him is a full time job, on top of the one I already have."

"Why does he care if you hang out with us, though? We're not gonna interfere with your work."

"He doesn't like for me to involve myself in anything that might . . . weaken me." Lex realized how ironic that was. In many ways, he felt stronger now than he ever had. "Suffice it to say, the more he knows about you, the greater ability he has to threaten you, if it might give him an advantage over me. And the more you know about him, the more reason he has to threaten you."

Clark's brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"I'll tell you this. If I can confirm what I've heard, I can get him locked away for life, and he'll never be able to hurt anyone again."

"Great!" Clark said.

"I'm sensing a but," Jonathan said.

"Lionel is going to do everything in his power to keep me from taking him down. It would be better if I could keep a closer eye on him."

"What did you have in mind, sweetie?" Martha asked.

Lex swallowed hard. "My best bet would be to take the job he's offered me."

Jonathan scoffed. "Not a chance."

"I figured as much. The next best would be to get another surveillance team in there . . . but I remember what happened the last time." He also remembered the lecture he'd received afterwards. The worst he'd had from Jonathan, to date. "I'm hard pressed to come up with other ideas."

Clark cleared his throat. "Uh . . . can I help you?"

"I would never ask you to get involved in this, Clark."

"But I could plant the bugs."

Lex blinked. "You're sixteen."

"So?"

"So how are you going to break into LuthorCorp and plant bugs when a team of professionals couldn't do it without getting caught?"

"You trust me, right? You know I wouldn't lie to you."

"Uh . . . yes, but—"

"I can do it. I won't get caught."

Lex breathed in to tell Clark he wasn't going to take that chance, no matter how confident Clark felt, but Jonathan beat him to it: "You'll do no such thing."

"Dad, you know I can."

"I don't care. You're not getting involved in this investigation."

"You didn't tell Lex he couldn't!"

"Lex is older than you. He has a lot more experience."

"With what? I investigate meteor rock mutants all the time!"

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "I haven't decided yet whether I'm allowing Lex to investigate this. I didn't stop you from looking into your biological father, either."

Lex held his breath—he wasn't sure if he should be in the room for this part of the conversation—but Jonathan didn't say any more. Clark looked from Jonathan to Lex. "How many times has your dad hit you?"

"Uh . . ." Lex's face felt hot. "I haven't really counted." I've lost count.

"In the last year?"

Four. "I'm not sure."

"Well, how old were you when he first hit you?"

Five. "It's . . . hard to remember."

"Okay, but—"

"I don't want to talk about it, Clark."

Clark turned back to his dad. "Mr. Luthor should be in prison. You know he should."

Lex's cheeks burned even warmer. "I'm not going to go after him for child abuse or assault."

"I don't care what you go after him for. He deserves to be locked up. So he can't hurt you again."

Jonathan sighed. "Clark—"

"He hurt my brother. Let me do this." Clark's eyes shone, and he looked over at Lex. "Let me help you."

Lex was overcome by a sudden urge to hug his little brother. Instead, he looked over at his adoptive father. "Dad . . . this is dangerous. Please don't let Clark get involved."

Jonathan looked past Lex to Martha, who in turn took Lex's hand. "Lex, you want to fight Lionel, and you don't want the rest of us to get involved. Is that right?"

"Yes."

Clark's breath caught. "Then what was the point of telling us?"

Jonathan gave Clark a hard stare. "Lex did the right thing, by being open and honest." He looked at Lex. "We're proud of you."

Lex might have smiled if Clark's face hadn't turned red.

Martha squeezed his hand. "You're not looking for help. You're looking for our support."

"Do I have it?"

"Son, we wouldn't support you in endangering yourself for any less worthy a cause," Jonathan said. "But this one . . . I'm not sure you can win this one."

Lex didn't say anything. He didn't know, either. He knew he could very well die trying; he absolutely wouldn't be the first to do so. Lex still felt it was worth the effort, but he didn't necessarily expect his adoptive parents to feel the same way; they loved him too much.

"So." Martha looked him in the eyes. "We're going to give you a choice."

" . . . Okay."

"Forget what you've learned and leave this alone. Stay away from Lionel, as much as you can. Don't fight him unless he threatens you or attacks LexCorp directly."

"What's the other option?"

"Fight this," Martha said, "but let your brother help you."

Lex gasped, and he glanced at Clark, whose eyes were wide. "How can you expect me to put him in danger?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you, Mom, but—"

"Then trust me now."

Lex's jaw pulsed. "You know our deal is only for six months, right?"

Jonathan's eyes pierced his. "When that time is over, we'll decide as a family whether you're ready for us to parent you like you're an adult rather than a teenager. Like it or not, we're your parents for life."

Lex had never felt such a powerful combination of frustration and comfort.

"Let this go, or let Clark help you," Martha said. "Those are your options."

"And Clark," Jonathan said, "I expect you to respect your brother's decision about this."

"Yes, sir," Clark said, but his eyes were on Lex.

Lex shook his head in disbelief. He hated everything about this. He hated that they were forcing him to see the double standard in his thinking: he believed his life, and not Clark's, was worth risking to stop Lionel, but from their parents' perspective, they'd lose a son either way. But Lex also hated that they were making this point by insisting that they both endanger themselves, if either did.

Taking down Lionel was worth two lives, if it came to that, and Lex knew it; Lionel would kill many more innocent people in his life if he wasn't stopped. But Clark . . . Lex would have done anything to protect Clark.

"Oh, for God's sake. You're NOT actually thinking of backing down!?"

Lex didn't want to listen to his inner darkness, but it always seemed to have a point, when it came to Lionel.

"Fine. Clark, let's talk tomorrow. At the mansion, if it's okay with you, Mom and Dad. I'd rather not work on this here."

"That's okay," Jonathan said. "But call if you won't be home for dinner."

"We will," Lex said, and looked over at his little brother.

Clark just kept grinning.