Disclaimer: Not mine. Not sure who they belong to exactly, but definitely not me, mores the pity.
This story came upon me like a cross between a sledgehammer and a leech. It bashed me over the head, and then refused to let go until I had finished writing it. I had fun writing this somewhat AU story, and I hope you enjoy!
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: How far would Lionel go to extend his own life?
The sunlight from the stained glass window broke across the angles of the furniture and poured onto the warm wood of the floor. Lex sat between two pools of light, seeming almost to glow in their reflections.
"What brings you here, Dad?" he asked, never raising up his eyes from the papers on his desk.
"A desire to see my son isn't reason enough?"
"Not on this side of the family tree."
"Actually, I wanted to celebrate." Lionel set a bottle of champagne on the desk.
"And what, if I may ask, are you celebrating?" Now he looked up, gray eyes wary.
"My health."
"The tumor?"
"Benign. You won't be rid of me as soon as you might have supposed." He opened the cupboard and rustled around until reemerging with two champagne glasses. "I feel like I have a new lease on life."
"Congratulations," Lex replied very quietly. The room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature.
"Lex," Lionel tried to gather every bit of sincerity that he could into his voice. "Almost...dying," he paused, as though the words were hard to say. "I'm seeing things a little differently now, son. I wanted..." he looked away, as though ashamed. "I know I can never make up for any of my past mistakes. Can't we just start over? Completely. You and me. Begin anew." He carefully poured the champagne, surreptitiously studying his son's face. But it was blank, completely devoid of any expression.
He put one of the glasses on the desk in front of Lex and raised his own. "Please, Lex."
His son's eyes suddenly hardened and his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. "I'm getting very tired of these games Dad. Just tell me what it is you want."
"I want my son to be my son, and not my enemy." This was pathetic. It was so messy, needing the boy alive. But he was determined to get no one else involved. He would commit this murder by his own hand.
The silence stretched out between them.
"Lex...son...please. No more games. No more hatred. Just us, and a new beginning."
Slowly, one of those pale hands wrapped a few of the long, elegant fingers around the champagne flute and Lex raised his glass, his eyes focused silently on his father.
"To us," Lionel said and made as if to drink.
"To us," Lex repeated quietly, he paused, then downed the entire contents of the flute at what would have been an unhealthy rate anyway, but even more so because of a few of the additions Lionel had made to the champagne.
Lex suddenly dropped the glass as his hand spasmed and he fell across his desk gasping for breath. "What..."
"Shush, Lex. It'll pass soon enough. This truly is a new beginning."
"I always knew one of us would kill the other," Lex hissed painfully.
"You never knew anything of the sort. I never planned on killing you until the other night," Lionel replied conversationally.
His son laughed suddenly, a terrible choking sound. "So..." he gasped, "This is a spur of the moment murder?" He began to laugh again, and laughed and laughed until his body went limp and slid on the floor in a boneless lump.
Lionel opened his eyes. Well, really, Lionel opened Lex's eyes. "I take it the operation was a success?" Then he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Elaine?"
"I couldn't get your old body to wake up. I was too slow, and you weren't in very good shape, and it just...the machines couldn't...I couldn't..."
"Elaine, enough, it doesn't matter." It was strange to hear Lex's voice the way his son must have heard it. "It was going to die within half a year anyway." He sat up, amazed at the flexibility of this youthful body with none of the aches and pains he was used to. The knee that he had broken in a car accident at sixteen was no longer stiff; the customary aches in his neck had vanished. He reached up a hand and felt the top of his head. Perfectly smooth. That would take some getting used to, but oh the freedom! The strength! The exhilaration of it all!
Elaine interrupted his inner-monologue. "How do you feel?"
He smiled at her; Lex's smile. "I feel like a new man."
The End
Authors notes: I haven't actually read the comics, but I think I've heard that later on Lex ends up getting a brain-transplant with a much younger clone of his, so it made me think...what if this hadn't been the first time.
Feed back and reviews are fun!
This story came upon me like a cross between a sledgehammer and a leech. It bashed me over the head, and then refused to let go until I had finished writing it. I had fun writing this somewhat AU story, and I hope you enjoy!
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: How far would Lionel go to extend his own life?
The sunlight from the stained glass window broke across the angles of the furniture and poured onto the warm wood of the floor. Lex sat between two pools of light, seeming almost to glow in their reflections.
"What brings you here, Dad?" he asked, never raising up his eyes from the papers on his desk.
"A desire to see my son isn't reason enough?"
"Not on this side of the family tree."
"Actually, I wanted to celebrate." Lionel set a bottle of champagne on the desk.
"And what, if I may ask, are you celebrating?" Now he looked up, gray eyes wary.
"My health."
"The tumor?"
"Benign. You won't be rid of me as soon as you might have supposed." He opened the cupboard and rustled around until reemerging with two champagne glasses. "I feel like I have a new lease on life."
"Congratulations," Lex replied very quietly. The room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature.
"Lex," Lionel tried to gather every bit of sincerity that he could into his voice. "Almost...dying," he paused, as though the words were hard to say. "I'm seeing things a little differently now, son. I wanted..." he looked away, as though ashamed. "I know I can never make up for any of my past mistakes. Can't we just start over? Completely. You and me. Begin anew." He carefully poured the champagne, surreptitiously studying his son's face. But it was blank, completely devoid of any expression.
He put one of the glasses on the desk in front of Lex and raised his own. "Please, Lex."
His son's eyes suddenly hardened and his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. "I'm getting very tired of these games Dad. Just tell me what it is you want."
"I want my son to be my son, and not my enemy." This was pathetic. It was so messy, needing the boy alive. But he was determined to get no one else involved. He would commit this murder by his own hand.
The silence stretched out between them.
"Lex...son...please. No more games. No more hatred. Just us, and a new beginning."
Slowly, one of those pale hands wrapped a few of the long, elegant fingers around the champagne flute and Lex raised his glass, his eyes focused silently on his father.
"To us," Lionel said and made as if to drink.
"To us," Lex repeated quietly, he paused, then downed the entire contents of the flute at what would have been an unhealthy rate anyway, but even more so because of a few of the additions Lionel had made to the champagne.
Lex suddenly dropped the glass as his hand spasmed and he fell across his desk gasping for breath. "What..."
"Shush, Lex. It'll pass soon enough. This truly is a new beginning."
"I always knew one of us would kill the other," Lex hissed painfully.
"You never knew anything of the sort. I never planned on killing you until the other night," Lionel replied conversationally.
His son laughed suddenly, a terrible choking sound. "So..." he gasped, "This is a spur of the moment murder?" He began to laugh again, and laughed and laughed until his body went limp and slid on the floor in a boneless lump.
Lionel opened his eyes. Well, really, Lionel opened Lex's eyes. "I take it the operation was a success?" Then he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Elaine?"
"I couldn't get your old body to wake up. I was too slow, and you weren't in very good shape, and it just...the machines couldn't...I couldn't..."
"Elaine, enough, it doesn't matter." It was strange to hear Lex's voice the way his son must have heard it. "It was going to die within half a year anyway." He sat up, amazed at the flexibility of this youthful body with none of the aches and pains he was used to. The knee that he had broken in a car accident at sixteen was no longer stiff; the customary aches in his neck had vanished. He reached up a hand and felt the top of his head. Perfectly smooth. That would take some getting used to, but oh the freedom! The strength! The exhilaration of it all!
Elaine interrupted his inner-monologue. "How do you feel?"
He smiled at her; Lex's smile. "I feel like a new man."
The End
Authors notes: I haven't actually read the comics, but I think I've heard that later on Lex ends up getting a brain-transplant with a much younger clone of his, so it made me think...what if this hadn't been the first time.
Feed back and reviews are fun!
