Author's Notes: In about a week I will be preparing to move to Virginia and my Internet access is going to be sorely curtailed. Not only that but my computer will be in a box stored byt the movers courtesy of the US Navy. It may be a month or two before I update any fanfic, this included, due to holidays, travel and needing to find a house.

~ DebC

Part 2

(Christmas Vacation, 1999)

The cheerful sounds of Christmas carols wafted into the hallway as Lex Luthor opened the door to his dorm room. His college roommate of the last two years, John, was busy packing sweaters into his suitcase. His back was to the doorway, and he didn't notice Lex until the young Luthor pointedly switched off the CD player.

"Don we now our gay ap-par-ell..." John sang out in a warped voice that only sounded good in the communal showers, then stopped when he realized his background music was gone. He whirled around to find Lex smirking at him.

"Lex!" he exclaimed. "Back from your chem. final already?"

"Piece of cake," Lex told his friend. "Much easier than the one for corporate law."

"Oh, c'mon! You know you aced all of them, Lex! You're a genius!"

Lex shrugged. It was a running argument with them, albeit a friendly one. Lex always sweated over his business classes. He knew himself and his limitations well enough to know they were the hardest on him. He wasn't a businessman by nature--he was a scientist--but his mom needed him to be one. She couldn't run LuthorCorp by herself, this was becoming increasingly obvious. Instead of switching majors midstream, however--Lex loved his bio-chemistry classes with a passion--he'd made the decision to do a double major instead. And was actually pulling it off, much his own amazement and John's awe.

"Bruce called while you were out," John told him idly as he returned to his half-full suitcase. The college sophomore spoke as if a call from Bruce Wayne was an everyday occurrence.

"Oh?" inquired Lex, walking over to his own closet and pulling out a few boxes and bags. He didn't need to pack for the winter break, as he had more than enough clothes waiting for him at home. Instead, he'd hidden a few Christmas presents and other trinkets in his closet and intended to distribute them before he left.

"I think he wanted to congratulate you for scoring with Dean Prescott's daughter," John told him with a grin.

Lex laughed. That sounded like Bruce Wayne, all right. No doubt, his friend was proud of his corrupting influence on Lex's life. "He heard about that, did he?"

"Who hasn't?"

Lex's lip curled up into a knowing smile. "Mom, and I plan to keep it that way," he said as he sorted through the boxes and bags. Finally, he found the bag he was looking for and plopped it on the floor at John's feet. "Better make room for these," he told him.

"What's this?"

"Christmas presents for you and the rest of the gang. Since I won't be able to join you in Aspen this year, I'm counting on you to make sure they get to their rightful owners." Lex smiled, but couldn't help but feel a little bad when John's own smile faded into disappointment.

"Are you sure you can't come with us? It won't be the same without you, Lex."

"I know." The words were smug and self-aware--everything Lex Luthor was, in fact. "But I can't disappoint Mom, John, you know that." His mother meant the world to him. No... she *was* the world to him, and if she wanted him home for Christmas, he would be there.

*~*

The first thing Lex did when he arrived at the festive-yet- tastefully decorated town house was seek out his mother. He found her in the kitchen, a place where she almost never went. They had servants to deal with menial tasks like cooking and cleaning, after all.

The sight that met his eyes, however, was priceless. His usually immaculate mother in old clothes--sleeves rolled up haphazardly--and covered in flour on confectioner's sugar. She was... baking. Lex watched her for several minutes before he made his presence known. For a moment, he reminded of holidays in his long forgotten youth... before his father's death... when they used to bake sugar cookies together and decorate them. They would box them up for local churches to use in gift baskets for shut-ins and others less fortunate, but his mother always saved out a dozen or so of the best ones for him and his father.

It was, oddly, one of the few pleasant memories he had left of his dad. Lionel Luthor would always savor the biggest cookie on the platter with his morning coffee, and then they'd all adjourn to the family room to exchange gifts. Lex hardly remembered any of his childhood presents--except for maybe his first chemistry set--but he could never forget the cookie ritual.

Pulling himself away from the memory, he cleared his throat and made himself known to her.

Lex!" she exclaimed as she turned around, wiping flour from her face with the back of her hand. "When did you get home?"

"Just now. Cookies, Mom?"

Lillian Luthor looked down at the mess she'd made, smiling self- consciously. "I thought maybe just this once, for old time sake." She laughed a little. "Silly of me, I know, but..."

"Not silly, Mom. Not silly at all." Lex grinned as he hugged her. "Let me help with this... mess," he said, chuckling softly.

"That's sweet of you, dear, and probably a good idea. We have dinner reservations at eight."

*~*

Christmas Eve in the Luthor household meant dinner at their favorite restaurant. It was tradition, one that Lillian had started after Lionel's death, to help ease Lex's pain over losing his father. It had been a break from the cookies and coffee that young Lex had associated with his father and the holiday. Lex loved it because it was all their own.

They would sit and eat in a quiet corner of the restaurant reserved just for them and speak softly of Lex's year at school. Finals, friends and all the little things were the topic du jour.

"People have been saying things about you again this year," Lillian told him after they were seated.

"People?" Lex's eyebrow shot up. Tabloids, she meant. She wouldn't say it out loud, not that way. She didn't even read them, but Lex knew there were plenty of people in her sphere of 'friends' who did. People who wouldn't hesitate to speculate about her freak of a son in front of her.

"I trust it's all just ugly rumors," she continued, reaching out to pat his hand. "You weren't doing anything wild, were you?"

"No, Mom. Just having some..." Lex gave her his most charming smile. "...good, clean fun with some friends." Lillian nodded, smiling in a doting fashion and they settled down to their dinner.

*~*

"Mrs. Luthor!"

"Mrs. Luth--!"

" Lex! Over here!"

Their pleasant evening was suddenly short to hell as reporters and paparazzi swarmed the outside of the restaurant. Lex, who had just taken his mother's arm to escort her out, now shielded her from flashing cameras and wildly waving microphones. Their bodyguards and limo driver, whom Lillian insisted wait outside for them, pushed through the crowd to their side.

But not soon enough.

One of the vultures--or so Lex thought of tabloid reporters--made it to Lillian's side. "Mrs. Luthor!" he shouted in her face. "Do you have any comments about your son's nocturnal activities at college this year?"

"Nocturnal activities?" Lillian echoed, turning confused eyes to her son. "Lex?"

"Get out of here!" Lex told the man, shoving him even as he reached out to grab Lillian's arm.

"You don't know? That's priceless! Keeping your mom in the dark, Lex?" he sneered. "How very chivalrous of you. I'm sure Dean Prescott would commend you for--"

Anger welled up inside Lex. Deep, hateful feelings he'd been holding back for a while now. Lashing out, Lex struck the reporter-- fist connecting with the side of his head. The man stumbled, and when he did, Lex hit him again, pummeling him repeatedly until the bodyguards managed to pull them apart.

The police were there, as well, though Lex wasn't sure quite when they'd arrived. He was led away to the sounds of his mother's sobs and threats shouted by the man he'd attacked.

*~*

"I'm sorry, Mom," Lex told his mother as they faced each on opposite sides of his holding cell bars.

"I know, honey."

"I didn't mean to ruin your Christmas."

"I know." She sounded sad. Lex hated it when she was sad.

"It's just--" he stopped when he felt the anger welling up again. "They're always there, always getting in the way...saying things...writing things. I can't stand them."

"They're just doing their jobs, Lex, honey. You know that."

Yes, Lex knew that the reporters and photographers who hounded them were just doing their jobs, but it did not mean he had to like it. "I just wish they'd leave us alone. We can't even get peace and quiet at Christmas anymore."

"It will be worse now, you know," she told him softly. He hung his head, silently admitting she was right again. "The man you hit dropped the assault charges, so the police are letting you come home. There's a bigger crowd outside now than there was at the restaurant. I want you to behave. And I want you to apologize to that man. His name is Nixon."

"Mom, I--"

"No, Lex. I need you to do this for me. It's Christmas, Lex. We can't have hate in our hearts tonight."

"Yes, ma'am." Lex told her. He'd apologize for her, and only for her. An apology, however, would never dull his feelings for the media. They hounded him, haunted his shadow and waited for things they could capture on film. When they couldn't find him doing anything fun of his own accord, they made things up. And this man, Nixon, he'd crossed the line. He'd threatened to expose Lex's mother to their lies. That would never happen again; Lex would make sure of it.