Her Father's Daughter
Chapter Three
"After breakfast that morning, I left Lex and Clark alone and went riding. I figured they would need some time alone to be able to come to terms with everything that would be happening later that afternoon when they went over to the Kents, and riding for me grants me some much needed peace away from the thoughts of others. I can simply exist without other people intruding and any thoughts that I do pick up are usually simple ones from my horse. Refreshed and admittedly feeling rather full of myself after reuniting Clark and Lex, I returned to the house to find that they had left for their "talk" with the Kents. Lex returned without Clark and at my inquiring glance, told me that the Kents needed to talk alone but that everything would be fine. He repeated the last several times, perhaps trying to convince me as well as himself. Perhaps you have already figured out that while the Luthors are rich and powerful, most of the family interactions are lacking in warmth. Actually that is a bit of an understatement. If there is a warmest point in the universe, most Luthors hearts are located at the farthest place from it. Lex was visibly relieved when Clark called him later that evening and in a moment of tenderness actually told Clark that he loved him before hanging up."
"The next couple of weeks passed fairly quickly with Clark spending what time he could with Lex, Clark and I attending school and Lex busing running the plant. A strong sense of comradery grew between the three of us and we spent most of our evenings together. Clark and Lex's relationship strengthened and I seemed to have gotten a handle on my power, no more vagrant thoughts flowing through me head and no more 'accidents'. It was a little more than a month after Clark are Lex got back together that our happy little world was invaded by a most unwelcome visitor, my father."
"Not surprisingly in retrospect, some of the servants in the house reported directly back to my father. It was his way of maintaining control over us. One of them reported that Clark had been spending a great deal of time at the mansion and that he and Lex were lovers. Needless to say, my father was not pleased to hear that his son was sleeping with another man. The fact that Clark was a local also fueled his anger. Lex was summoned back to Metropolis to face him. When he returned, he was sporting a blackened eye and from the way that he was careful in sitting, I could tell that he ws bruised in places that couldn't be seen. Lex remained his usual defiant and cocky self on the outside but I could tell that he was in a great deal of pain, both emotionally and physically. Lex told me that he and father had argued about his relationship with Clark and that things got out of hand when he refused to give Clark up. I had always known that Lionel Luthor had a temper but had never seen just how violent he could and would become, especially to his own child. Thankfully Clark didn't come over that night or the next, allowing Lex to heal some and to be able to cover up some of the damage with makeup. When Clark finally did see Lex, he wasn't fooled for a moment, Lex needn't have bothered. Clark is usually a calm and peaceful person but in the moment that he realized what had happened and who was resposible, I would not have wanted to be my father. Clark would have cheerfully beaten him to death and not regretted it at all. Clark and Lex went to Lex's room, leaving me alone downstairs. I picked up the phone when it rang, and was surprised to hear my father on the other end, demanding to talk to Lex. I lied and told him that Lex wasn't home, that he was in town and that I had no idea when he would be back. Something in my father's tone when he told me to have Lex call him triggered my own temper and with a voice as cold as ice, I asked why he wanted to talk to Lex, since I knew that he wasn't checking on his son's health. My father was silent for only a moment, perhaps he was a little shocked that I would dare to talk to him that way, perhaps he was only drawing breath for another rant. He sneered something me remembering my place and that it must be a sad state for Lex to require me to fight his battles for him. Furious at him, I slammed the phone down, and went to my room fuming."
"Lex was the only person in the family that had ever given me more than a second thought and had treated me with any true kindness. My father certainly hadn't, to him I was little more than an embarassing reminder of an affair he didn't care to remember. It was only his concern over his social position and what would happen if it were found out his bastard daughter was stuck in a foster home, that made him put on the pretense of caring. The next morning, I told Lex that father had called and that he wanted to talk to him. Lex stood there brooding for a few minutes until I called him back to himself. Lex excused himself and went to the study to make the call. There were tears in his eyes, when he finally returned. He told me that our father had told him to end the affair immediately or he would destroy the Kents. We both knew that this was no idle threat and that Lionel Luthor would enjoy doing it. For whatever sick and twisted reasons, our father enjoyed nothing so much in the world as controlling every aspect of the lives around him and would give no more thought to destroying the Kents than anyone else would to swatting a mosquito. I sat there holding Lex while he sobbed. It was just so damn unfair! Clark and Lex had been through so much and did not need this grief in their lives. Lex said that he would have to end it when Clark came over that night, it was the only way that he could keep him safe. He left me sitting there and went back to his room, the waves of sadness pouring from his defeated body. It was in that instant that in my heart I became an orphan. There was no way that I could call a monster like Lionel Luthor my father."
"I went for a drive trying to collect my thoughts and trying to figure out any way out of this situation. I saw the limo at the front of the house when I got back and got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Lionel had shown up to make sure that Lex followed through, not trusting his eldest child to give up his heart's desire. I could hear them in the study arguing when I entered the house. I ran into the room when I heard a heavy thud and found Lex slumped against one of the walls, Lionel standing over him demanding he get back up so that he could beat Lex down again. Lionel spun, snarling at me when I entered, screaming at me to leave immediately or I would receive the same 'discipline' that Lex was getting. Time seemed to slow, as I took in the scene before me. There was no way that Lex would be getting up anytime soon, the wood paneling behind his head was cracked from the force of his hitting it and there was a small smear of blood trailing down to where he lay. In that endless moment, I did the only thing I could think of, I screamed for Clark in my mind, hoping against hope that he would hear me and be able to save Lex. I found out later that Clark had been working with his father in the barn when he screamed Lex's name and doubled over, clutching his head. We live on the other side of town from the Kents, but Clark covered the distance in less than thirty seconds. One moment Lionel is standing over a bloody and beaten Lex and the next Clark is standing there grabbing Lionel by the throat and looking like the Wrath of God. Clarks eyes were a sullen, angry red, nearly glowing in his rage. I ran to Clark and began pulling at his arm, pleading with him to let Lionel go. It was only when I was screaming that Lex could be dying and that he needed Clark, that sanity returned to his eyes. He dropped Lionel and carefully gathered Lex into his arms, cradling him against his chest and then they were gone, leaving Lionel clutching at his throat and me standing there dumstruck. When the old man was finally able to regain the ability to breathe and then to talk, he gasped something about Clark being some sort of freak and that he and his whole family would pay for this. He managed to pull himself to his feet and made for the phone, leaving me there forgotten. I could hear his thoughts clearly as he grabbed for the phone. He would destroy the Kents and Lex as well. His anger was so great that he was actually plotting to have his own son killed. There was no hint of mercy in his mind, everyone who had betrayed him would pay. He started dialing a number when I grabbed the phone away from him and pulled it from the wall. Whatever else he had been thinking vanished from his mind at that. I think it was his look of shock that finally gave me the strength I knew I was going to need. I looked up into his eyes and told him 'I won't let you hurt anyone ever again.' His familiar sneer crossed his face, as if to say 'what do you think you can do to stop me, little girl?' I grabbed his hand in that moment reaching out with my gift. I was nearly overwhelmed by his outrage, but knew that if I didn't hold on, he would carry through with his threats. I ripped through his mind, tearing every thought and image that I could find. I became this horrible beast whose sole desire was to rend and destroy everything in my path. I could hear him screaming but shut it out, mercy at this point would only serve to get everyone killed. It takes more time to tell than to happen. I ransacked every dirty little thought, scheme and plan in his mind, wiping away everything. I came back to myself as he collapsed to the floor, the echoes of his screams fading. I stod over him, felling unclean but resigned. In a voice too faint for anyone else to hear, I whispered to a man forever more beyond caring, 'Clark isn't the only freak in Smallville, daddy.'"
"The servants found us like that and called for an ambulance. I rode with them to the hospital, more to find out how Lex was than for any caring about Lionel. The doctors examining Lionel came to the conclusion that he must have had some sort of aneurysm, and told me that they could keep his body alive but everything that had made him Lionel Luthor was gone. I could have cared less at that time. Lex was the only important thing on my mind then. I found Clark in the surgery waiting room. He told me that Lex was in surgery and that the doctors were not overly optimistic about his chances for survival. He held each other close and began our vigil. The Kents came and joined us after awhile, until the surgeon came out to tell us that Lex had survived the operation but the next twenty four hours would be critical. He should be able to make a full recovery if he survived until then. Clark looked like a balloon that had been popped, deflating into a chair. We stayed like that together, all of us praying for Lex's recovery, even Mr. Kent, who had no time for Lex but finally could understand the importance he had in Clark's life. Somehow Lex managed to pull through and we were all in tears when the doctor came to tell us he was awake and asking for Clark. Mrs. Kent and I were hugging each other and Clark only hesitated for a moment, looking at his father who simply nodded at him. A small, selfish part of me was a little hurt that Lex hadn't asked for me as well, but I really couldn't begrudge Clark this. They had been through so much and Lex's recovery would depend on Clark being there for him. I finally got to see Lex later that afternoon and whispered to him that everything would be alright from now on, that noone would ever separate the two of them ever again. I left the room as quietly as I could and met Clark in the hallway. I could tell by the look on his face that he wondered what had happened at the mansion that left Lionel in such a state. The lie of trying to pass things off as an aneurysm died on my lips. I looked up at Clark, bit my lip and nodded at him, acknowledging that it was indeed my doing. Clark stood there silently for a moment then hugged me closely. He asked his parents to take me home and told them that he would be staying at the hospital with Lex. Mr. Kent looked as if he was about to protest, but Mrs. Kent simply put her hand over his lips and said someting very quietly into his ear. The Kents drove me home after asking if I wanted to stay with them. I reassured them that I would be fine and that there were the servants there if I needed anything. I collapsed in my bed, exhausted beyond anything I could remember before."
"Its three years later now, and I am finally putting all my thoughts regarding everything that happened down so that I can go on with my life. Lex made a full recovery, thanks in part to Clark and to a healthy dose of Luthor will power. Clark is attending school in Metropolis and he is living here with Lex and I. Lex has taken control of Luthor Corp. and is running the business much better and far more humanely than Lionel ever did. The Kents are back in Smallville still working their farm, Clark and Lex head back to visit about once a month. Clark and I finally told Lex the truth about our gifts and he took it surprisingly well, he jokingly refers to us as Superman and Supergirl. I think the fact of his nearly dying made him truly relize how precious life and love really are and he is not about to lose either of us to fear over what we can do. As for the rest of it, I am starting classes at Metropolis U, in about a month, I am going to major in psychology. I still can hear people's thoughts and its kept me out of trouble more times than its proven to be a hassle, so I think it is all working out to the good. We got the news today that Lionel had died, his body had deteriorated to the the point that nothing could keep him alive any longer and he went peacefully in his sleep. Clark and Lex were worried about how I would take the news but they really needn't have. Yes, it bothers me that I tore apart Lionel's mind, but I would do it again if necessary to protect those I love. One thing that Lionel had told me sticks with me to this day. He said that there is nothing more dangerous than a Luthor. I know that he really was referring to himself but in retrospect, he was more right than he could ever know because in that if nothing more, I am my father's daughter.
Chapter Three
"After breakfast that morning, I left Lex and Clark alone and went riding. I figured they would need some time alone to be able to come to terms with everything that would be happening later that afternoon when they went over to the Kents, and riding for me grants me some much needed peace away from the thoughts of others. I can simply exist without other people intruding and any thoughts that I do pick up are usually simple ones from my horse. Refreshed and admittedly feeling rather full of myself after reuniting Clark and Lex, I returned to the house to find that they had left for their "talk" with the Kents. Lex returned without Clark and at my inquiring glance, told me that the Kents needed to talk alone but that everything would be fine. He repeated the last several times, perhaps trying to convince me as well as himself. Perhaps you have already figured out that while the Luthors are rich and powerful, most of the family interactions are lacking in warmth. Actually that is a bit of an understatement. If there is a warmest point in the universe, most Luthors hearts are located at the farthest place from it. Lex was visibly relieved when Clark called him later that evening and in a moment of tenderness actually told Clark that he loved him before hanging up."
"The next couple of weeks passed fairly quickly with Clark spending what time he could with Lex, Clark and I attending school and Lex busing running the plant. A strong sense of comradery grew between the three of us and we spent most of our evenings together. Clark and Lex's relationship strengthened and I seemed to have gotten a handle on my power, no more vagrant thoughts flowing through me head and no more 'accidents'. It was a little more than a month after Clark are Lex got back together that our happy little world was invaded by a most unwelcome visitor, my father."
"Not surprisingly in retrospect, some of the servants in the house reported directly back to my father. It was his way of maintaining control over us. One of them reported that Clark had been spending a great deal of time at the mansion and that he and Lex were lovers. Needless to say, my father was not pleased to hear that his son was sleeping with another man. The fact that Clark was a local also fueled his anger. Lex was summoned back to Metropolis to face him. When he returned, he was sporting a blackened eye and from the way that he was careful in sitting, I could tell that he ws bruised in places that couldn't be seen. Lex remained his usual defiant and cocky self on the outside but I could tell that he was in a great deal of pain, both emotionally and physically. Lex told me that he and father had argued about his relationship with Clark and that things got out of hand when he refused to give Clark up. I had always known that Lionel Luthor had a temper but had never seen just how violent he could and would become, especially to his own child. Thankfully Clark didn't come over that night or the next, allowing Lex to heal some and to be able to cover up some of the damage with makeup. When Clark finally did see Lex, he wasn't fooled for a moment, Lex needn't have bothered. Clark is usually a calm and peaceful person but in the moment that he realized what had happened and who was resposible, I would not have wanted to be my father. Clark would have cheerfully beaten him to death and not regretted it at all. Clark and Lex went to Lex's room, leaving me alone downstairs. I picked up the phone when it rang, and was surprised to hear my father on the other end, demanding to talk to Lex. I lied and told him that Lex wasn't home, that he was in town and that I had no idea when he would be back. Something in my father's tone when he told me to have Lex call him triggered my own temper and with a voice as cold as ice, I asked why he wanted to talk to Lex, since I knew that he wasn't checking on his son's health. My father was silent for only a moment, perhaps he was a little shocked that I would dare to talk to him that way, perhaps he was only drawing breath for another rant. He sneered something me remembering my place and that it must be a sad state for Lex to require me to fight his battles for him. Furious at him, I slammed the phone down, and went to my room fuming."
"Lex was the only person in the family that had ever given me more than a second thought and had treated me with any true kindness. My father certainly hadn't, to him I was little more than an embarassing reminder of an affair he didn't care to remember. It was only his concern over his social position and what would happen if it were found out his bastard daughter was stuck in a foster home, that made him put on the pretense of caring. The next morning, I told Lex that father had called and that he wanted to talk to him. Lex stood there brooding for a few minutes until I called him back to himself. Lex excused himself and went to the study to make the call. There were tears in his eyes, when he finally returned. He told me that our father had told him to end the affair immediately or he would destroy the Kents. We both knew that this was no idle threat and that Lionel Luthor would enjoy doing it. For whatever sick and twisted reasons, our father enjoyed nothing so much in the world as controlling every aspect of the lives around him and would give no more thought to destroying the Kents than anyone else would to swatting a mosquito. I sat there holding Lex while he sobbed. It was just so damn unfair! Clark and Lex had been through so much and did not need this grief in their lives. Lex said that he would have to end it when Clark came over that night, it was the only way that he could keep him safe. He left me sitting there and went back to his room, the waves of sadness pouring from his defeated body. It was in that instant that in my heart I became an orphan. There was no way that I could call a monster like Lionel Luthor my father."
"I went for a drive trying to collect my thoughts and trying to figure out any way out of this situation. I saw the limo at the front of the house when I got back and got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Lionel had shown up to make sure that Lex followed through, not trusting his eldest child to give up his heart's desire. I could hear them in the study arguing when I entered the house. I ran into the room when I heard a heavy thud and found Lex slumped against one of the walls, Lionel standing over him demanding he get back up so that he could beat Lex down again. Lionel spun, snarling at me when I entered, screaming at me to leave immediately or I would receive the same 'discipline' that Lex was getting. Time seemed to slow, as I took in the scene before me. There was no way that Lex would be getting up anytime soon, the wood paneling behind his head was cracked from the force of his hitting it and there was a small smear of blood trailing down to where he lay. In that endless moment, I did the only thing I could think of, I screamed for Clark in my mind, hoping against hope that he would hear me and be able to save Lex. I found out later that Clark had been working with his father in the barn when he screamed Lex's name and doubled over, clutching his head. We live on the other side of town from the Kents, but Clark covered the distance in less than thirty seconds. One moment Lionel is standing over a bloody and beaten Lex and the next Clark is standing there grabbing Lionel by the throat and looking like the Wrath of God. Clarks eyes were a sullen, angry red, nearly glowing in his rage. I ran to Clark and began pulling at his arm, pleading with him to let Lionel go. It was only when I was screaming that Lex could be dying and that he needed Clark, that sanity returned to his eyes. He dropped Lionel and carefully gathered Lex into his arms, cradling him against his chest and then they were gone, leaving Lionel clutching at his throat and me standing there dumstruck. When the old man was finally able to regain the ability to breathe and then to talk, he gasped something about Clark being some sort of freak and that he and his whole family would pay for this. He managed to pull himself to his feet and made for the phone, leaving me there forgotten. I could hear his thoughts clearly as he grabbed for the phone. He would destroy the Kents and Lex as well. His anger was so great that he was actually plotting to have his own son killed. There was no hint of mercy in his mind, everyone who had betrayed him would pay. He started dialing a number when I grabbed the phone away from him and pulled it from the wall. Whatever else he had been thinking vanished from his mind at that. I think it was his look of shock that finally gave me the strength I knew I was going to need. I looked up into his eyes and told him 'I won't let you hurt anyone ever again.' His familiar sneer crossed his face, as if to say 'what do you think you can do to stop me, little girl?' I grabbed his hand in that moment reaching out with my gift. I was nearly overwhelmed by his outrage, but knew that if I didn't hold on, he would carry through with his threats. I ripped through his mind, tearing every thought and image that I could find. I became this horrible beast whose sole desire was to rend and destroy everything in my path. I could hear him screaming but shut it out, mercy at this point would only serve to get everyone killed. It takes more time to tell than to happen. I ransacked every dirty little thought, scheme and plan in his mind, wiping away everything. I came back to myself as he collapsed to the floor, the echoes of his screams fading. I stod over him, felling unclean but resigned. In a voice too faint for anyone else to hear, I whispered to a man forever more beyond caring, 'Clark isn't the only freak in Smallville, daddy.'"
"The servants found us like that and called for an ambulance. I rode with them to the hospital, more to find out how Lex was than for any caring about Lionel. The doctors examining Lionel came to the conclusion that he must have had some sort of aneurysm, and told me that they could keep his body alive but everything that had made him Lionel Luthor was gone. I could have cared less at that time. Lex was the only important thing on my mind then. I found Clark in the surgery waiting room. He told me that Lex was in surgery and that the doctors were not overly optimistic about his chances for survival. He held each other close and began our vigil. The Kents came and joined us after awhile, until the surgeon came out to tell us that Lex had survived the operation but the next twenty four hours would be critical. He should be able to make a full recovery if he survived until then. Clark looked like a balloon that had been popped, deflating into a chair. We stayed like that together, all of us praying for Lex's recovery, even Mr. Kent, who had no time for Lex but finally could understand the importance he had in Clark's life. Somehow Lex managed to pull through and we were all in tears when the doctor came to tell us he was awake and asking for Clark. Mrs. Kent and I were hugging each other and Clark only hesitated for a moment, looking at his father who simply nodded at him. A small, selfish part of me was a little hurt that Lex hadn't asked for me as well, but I really couldn't begrudge Clark this. They had been through so much and Lex's recovery would depend on Clark being there for him. I finally got to see Lex later that afternoon and whispered to him that everything would be alright from now on, that noone would ever separate the two of them ever again. I left the room as quietly as I could and met Clark in the hallway. I could tell by the look on his face that he wondered what had happened at the mansion that left Lionel in such a state. The lie of trying to pass things off as an aneurysm died on my lips. I looked up at Clark, bit my lip and nodded at him, acknowledging that it was indeed my doing. Clark stood there silently for a moment then hugged me closely. He asked his parents to take me home and told them that he would be staying at the hospital with Lex. Mr. Kent looked as if he was about to protest, but Mrs. Kent simply put her hand over his lips and said someting very quietly into his ear. The Kents drove me home after asking if I wanted to stay with them. I reassured them that I would be fine and that there were the servants there if I needed anything. I collapsed in my bed, exhausted beyond anything I could remember before."
"Its three years later now, and I am finally putting all my thoughts regarding everything that happened down so that I can go on with my life. Lex made a full recovery, thanks in part to Clark and to a healthy dose of Luthor will power. Clark is attending school in Metropolis and he is living here with Lex and I. Lex has taken control of Luthor Corp. and is running the business much better and far more humanely than Lionel ever did. The Kents are back in Smallville still working their farm, Clark and Lex head back to visit about once a month. Clark and I finally told Lex the truth about our gifts and he took it surprisingly well, he jokingly refers to us as Superman and Supergirl. I think the fact of his nearly dying made him truly relize how precious life and love really are and he is not about to lose either of us to fear over what we can do. As for the rest of it, I am starting classes at Metropolis U, in about a month, I am going to major in psychology. I still can hear people's thoughts and its kept me out of trouble more times than its proven to be a hassle, so I think it is all working out to the good. We got the news today that Lionel had died, his body had deteriorated to the the point that nothing could keep him alive any longer and he went peacefully in his sleep. Clark and Lex were worried about how I would take the news but they really needn't have. Yes, it bothers me that I tore apart Lionel's mind, but I would do it again if necessary to protect those I love. One thing that Lionel had told me sticks with me to this day. He said that there is nothing more dangerous than a Luthor. I know that he really was referring to himself but in retrospect, he was more right than he could ever know because in that if nothing more, I am my father's daughter.
