The carol of Lex

By Chase Binder

Disclaimer: Smallville and Superman are not mine. My choice to alliterate their eventful lives is because Joe, Jerry, Alfred and Miles created something that inspired me.

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After his first Smallville Christmas, Lex had a different mindset of things to come. Sure his father is hopefully guaranteed to make attendance for this year due to his unplanned change of priorities, having been regrettably handicapped; still last year's Christmas echoed distinctly with Lex even until now. That, however, didn't stop him to continue his longing that he'd at least experience one Christmas eve with the Kent's.

So Lex was about to go through another Christmas in Smallville. After year accompanying Clark in near-brushes with the law and an ominous Mayor to grip on the neck, Lex felt this was a great opportunity to put his turbulences behind. This time he actually planned a slightly dissimilar occasion than how his normal celebrations used to be. Taking charge, he made sweeping instructions to his full-time staff in making arrangements for his father's turnout in this year's Christmas.

His personal cook was busy making plump poultry into a golden roasted dish that swam on furtive yet appetizing sauce. The other kitchen lackeys also worked as hard to provide and prepare the other quantities of meals that would make up the entire feast. A great tree was also put into place on the middle of the mansion. There it swelled with glistened golden bells, balls, candy canes, angels and an outsized star that crowned its top, while embraced with running lights throughout its better part. After that, he rewarded his workers by sending them back to their families just in time for the holidays.

With everything seemingly primed and prepared, the overall sensation of success his plans had bestowed on him had offset any distress Lex was to feel; that for the second time around, no invitation was extended to him. Even if it was sinful to think about, Lex would tell himself he felt enthusiastic on things to come for the evening.

***

Inside the mansion, Lex was protected by the harsh winter winds that found itself to breeze on its aggressive advances. Having had his entire body of energy drained on the preparations, he felt it was more than appropriate to doze off for a little while, just until his father comes home from a meeting on Metropolis. To add, his confidence on Lionel's certain arrival laid heavily on the fact that his father was accompanied by Martha in a charity function, and that Mrs. Kent only chose to be his escort for the evening through a guarantee that they can go back to Smallville just in time for their family dinners.

All snuggled inside his room, blanketed by a warmth of a nearby fireplace, Lex went to sleep. For the first time in his life, he thought that this was a rare slumber where surprisingly, nothing crossed his head.

***

Near midnight, where the night sky had a moon with a thumbnail glowing in rapture, and the winter air howled, sauntering every crevice inside the small town, Lex Luthor found himself still asleep. The nearby flames was running short of breath and it's cackles of fire gradually whispered into silence.

With no rational accounts to its occurrence, the antiquated window of the old mansion mysteriously opened, giving welcome to the cold breeze outside into Lex's room. A shudder enveloped Lex, reluctantly causing him stir and rise to close the window. He blinked his eyes open. At first a blurry haze made up most of his vision, and in seconds its quality augmented as he was able to again make out what was mostly inside the room.

However this was perhaps something he didn't need to happen. As he slowly rose to muster his energy after an eventful sleep, Lex saw something he didn't expect to see. At first he perceived it as Clark, making enigmatic appearances on Christmas Eve.

He rubbed his eyes with immediate ardency to hopefully distinguish in truth who was his nightly visitor. What he saw, he wasn't prepared for.

Ryan, of all people was there, standing and smiling, seemingly unaware that for a dead kid, his arrival would be something a person didn't need to wake up to at any given moment.

Lex swallowed his throat. The last cackle of fire faded into the night.

to be continued...