Martha stared moodily out of the window. As pleased as she was that Lionel
was coming with her to Metropolis, she still did not want to go and was
angry both at her father and Jonathan for making her leave. She couldn't
leave Jonathan, not at a time like this. She looked around the chopper. It
seemed larger than what she remembered flying to Metropolis in with Lionel
during the year. Her father was talking to Lionel. She returned to the
window. Martha thought and worried about Clark, and Chloe, and Lana. What
would Lana think, once she found that Martha had left? What would Chloe
write in her next article, and did Martha help stop her or only fuel her
hatred more? And where was Clark? She shivered to think of what they were
all going through. Unnoticed, Lionel came up behind her. He knew she was
thinking about Clark and Jonathan.
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." He told her. Inside, he wasn't so sure. But he knew the reason for this trip. In Lionel's mind, it was much simpler just to think of things in business terms. The purpose of this trip was to keep Martha's mind off things in Smallville, and to keep her and her father entertained in Metropolis. Martha turned and looked at him, and Lionel knew in an instant that thinking in business terms was never going to work with Martha Kent.
"I should not have left them all." She murmured as she turned to face him. "It was a selfish mistake."
"It was for the best. You know Jonathan would not force you into anything unless it was for your own good."
"He may have needed me to leave, but the others, they need me to stay more than anything. They need me Lionel." She said to him firmly.
"Relax, its what Jonathan wants. You have recuperated from the accident, now you need to recover. You are going to your father's flat for awhile." Martha groaned inwardly. Her father lived on the top floor of a ritzy apartment building. He had moved there after Martha had married Jonathan. " I know you don't like it. But I will come and visit you everyday. I'll even come over tonight and keep you company, and we can begin the quest to eat at every good place in Metropolis. She smiled at him slightly, and then looked embarrassed for smiling. "It's going to be fine Martha." He wished he were as sure as he sounded.
And the first night was. When Martha went with her father, she was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised to find that her room was an image of her childhood. 2 weeks ago, the fact would have annoyed her, but right now it was a great comfort. She walked over to her father and gave him a big hug.
"You like it?" he asked.
"Daddy, I love it. I know I'm being annoying about all this, but thank you." Her father smiled at her, and was truly pleased how happy she was, but in the back of his head, he could not help thinking of all the years of smiles and happy moments he had missed.
Lionel came over later that evening and took them out to dinner. Martha began to remember life in Metropolis. It had been awhile since she was used to city living, but the skills were coming back. They had a great time at dinner, and afterward, Lionel was invited back to their apartment for champagne. 3 hours later, Mr. Clark had gone to bed but his daughter and Lionel could not run out of things to talk about. Martha stared out the window to the busy city streets.
"Isn't Metropolis beautiful, in its own way?" he asked.
"It is. I had forgotten that." She replied. "You know, there was a time when I thought Lionel Luthor could find beauty in nothing besides money and his company. But I was wrong." Lionel shuddered. The statement had caused a flashback in his mind, to Lillian. Back to the cruise ship, when she was pregnant with Lex. Their private cruise had been on and off for 3 months, stopping at various exotic locations. They were talking one night, soon after Lillian had begun to show in her pregnancy. Lionel had been so pleased throughout the entire time. He was ecstatic that his wife was going to bring their first child into the world. So, when she started to show, it was another cause for celebration. Lillian was pleased too, but not to Lionel's extent.
"I don't see why you are so happy. I will only get fatter and crabbier. Soon you won't be able to stand me." She teased him lightly, peering down at him. She was seated on the bed and he on the floor with his head to her growing stomach.
"That will never happen. I love you with all my heart, and the baby does too."
"How do you know?" she asked him jokingly.
"The baby told me." He said, smiling up at her.
"I'm not surprised." She said dryly, "you spent half the day with your head on my stomach. What do people think, Lionel?"
"That I am very in love with my very wonderful, brilliant, loving, beautiful wife."
"Not too beautiful for long." She said as she grimaced at her stomach. Lionel looked at her reproachfully.
"Lily, you will always be the most beautiful women in the whole entire world. I love you, and the baby does too! Oh, baby's kicking, oh Lily, our baby is kicking, can you feel it? Oh how wonderful, feel this Lily!" He said pressing his ear closer to one part of her middle, and bringing her hand down and pressing it on the same part.
"Lionel, I can feel it, trust me. You forget sometimes the baby is in me! I can feel its every move." Lionel gave her a look that mixed between adoration of her and jealousy that she could feel the baby all the time and he could not.
"That's another reason I am always at your stomach. I want to feel every single movement our baby makes. I want you and me to spend every moment we can with our baby."
"Well, I have thought of a plus to me getting fat with this baby. Now you no longer need to run up to random people on the street and tell them I am pregnant."
"I do that because they look at us strangely, and I don't want anyone having bad thoughts about you or the baby."
"The reason they look at me oddly is because you insist on having your bodyguards carry me throughout the busy streets, because you always think I'm tired." She reminded him. He smiled at her.
"Lets do something together. You, me and the baby." He told her.
"Okay." She said, propping herself up on some pillows. "Continue."
"Lets think of names".
After a short debate they agreed upon Alexander for a boy and Alexandria for a girl.
"The are lovely names Lionel." Lillian told him.
"I thought so. Their namesake can be Alexander the Great, because this baby will inherit my company, just like Alexander inherited from his father.
"Oh Lionel, you and your obsession with conquerors." Lionel was momentarily preoccupied because he thought he heard the baby moving, but then responded.
"It's a good namesake. I want the best for the baby and it's mommy. I love you two with all my heart. You are beautiful." He said partially to her and partially to Alexander/dria.
"I love you too Lionel. And I hope there is never a time when you can only find beauty in money and your company." They kissed.
Lionel swiftly opened his eyes, and saw Martha's red hair, and for an instant thought that it was Lillian. He shivered. She turned.
"Are you alright?" Martha asked him."
"Yes, I just think I need to sit down." Martha led him to a seat.
"My god Lionel, your as cold as ice! What happened?"
"What, what you said, it made me remember," he was interrupted by the phone ringing. Being that it was one in the morning, Lionel and Martha exchanged a glance. She answered the phone anyway.
"Hello?" at first all she heard was static, but then a voice came through. Cold, sharp and serious, it said;
"Mrs. Kent?"
"Yes?"
"I called your house, but your husband said for me to try to reach you here. Are you all right? The area code is a Metropolis number." The voice was coming through clearer now.
"Yes, I am fine, thank you. I cannot hear you very well. Who is this?"
"Why, you do not recognize my voice? Martha Kent, the mother of my closet friend? The only friend my father ever made in Smallville, and the only person he did not manage to corrupt?" Martha gasped.
"Lex?"
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." He told her. Inside, he wasn't so sure. But he knew the reason for this trip. In Lionel's mind, it was much simpler just to think of things in business terms. The purpose of this trip was to keep Martha's mind off things in Smallville, and to keep her and her father entertained in Metropolis. Martha turned and looked at him, and Lionel knew in an instant that thinking in business terms was never going to work with Martha Kent.
"I should not have left them all." She murmured as she turned to face him. "It was a selfish mistake."
"It was for the best. You know Jonathan would not force you into anything unless it was for your own good."
"He may have needed me to leave, but the others, they need me to stay more than anything. They need me Lionel." She said to him firmly.
"Relax, its what Jonathan wants. You have recuperated from the accident, now you need to recover. You are going to your father's flat for awhile." Martha groaned inwardly. Her father lived on the top floor of a ritzy apartment building. He had moved there after Martha had married Jonathan. " I know you don't like it. But I will come and visit you everyday. I'll even come over tonight and keep you company, and we can begin the quest to eat at every good place in Metropolis. She smiled at him slightly, and then looked embarrassed for smiling. "It's going to be fine Martha." He wished he were as sure as he sounded.
And the first night was. When Martha went with her father, she was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised to find that her room was an image of her childhood. 2 weeks ago, the fact would have annoyed her, but right now it was a great comfort. She walked over to her father and gave him a big hug.
"You like it?" he asked.
"Daddy, I love it. I know I'm being annoying about all this, but thank you." Her father smiled at her, and was truly pleased how happy she was, but in the back of his head, he could not help thinking of all the years of smiles and happy moments he had missed.
Lionel came over later that evening and took them out to dinner. Martha began to remember life in Metropolis. It had been awhile since she was used to city living, but the skills were coming back. They had a great time at dinner, and afterward, Lionel was invited back to their apartment for champagne. 3 hours later, Mr. Clark had gone to bed but his daughter and Lionel could not run out of things to talk about. Martha stared out the window to the busy city streets.
"Isn't Metropolis beautiful, in its own way?" he asked.
"It is. I had forgotten that." She replied. "You know, there was a time when I thought Lionel Luthor could find beauty in nothing besides money and his company. But I was wrong." Lionel shuddered. The statement had caused a flashback in his mind, to Lillian. Back to the cruise ship, when she was pregnant with Lex. Their private cruise had been on and off for 3 months, stopping at various exotic locations. They were talking one night, soon after Lillian had begun to show in her pregnancy. Lionel had been so pleased throughout the entire time. He was ecstatic that his wife was going to bring their first child into the world. So, when she started to show, it was another cause for celebration. Lillian was pleased too, but not to Lionel's extent.
"I don't see why you are so happy. I will only get fatter and crabbier. Soon you won't be able to stand me." She teased him lightly, peering down at him. She was seated on the bed and he on the floor with his head to her growing stomach.
"That will never happen. I love you with all my heart, and the baby does too."
"How do you know?" she asked him jokingly.
"The baby told me." He said, smiling up at her.
"I'm not surprised." She said dryly, "you spent half the day with your head on my stomach. What do people think, Lionel?"
"That I am very in love with my very wonderful, brilliant, loving, beautiful wife."
"Not too beautiful for long." She said as she grimaced at her stomach. Lionel looked at her reproachfully.
"Lily, you will always be the most beautiful women in the whole entire world. I love you, and the baby does too! Oh, baby's kicking, oh Lily, our baby is kicking, can you feel it? Oh how wonderful, feel this Lily!" He said pressing his ear closer to one part of her middle, and bringing her hand down and pressing it on the same part.
"Lionel, I can feel it, trust me. You forget sometimes the baby is in me! I can feel its every move." Lionel gave her a look that mixed between adoration of her and jealousy that she could feel the baby all the time and he could not.
"That's another reason I am always at your stomach. I want to feel every single movement our baby makes. I want you and me to spend every moment we can with our baby."
"Well, I have thought of a plus to me getting fat with this baby. Now you no longer need to run up to random people on the street and tell them I am pregnant."
"I do that because they look at us strangely, and I don't want anyone having bad thoughts about you or the baby."
"The reason they look at me oddly is because you insist on having your bodyguards carry me throughout the busy streets, because you always think I'm tired." She reminded him. He smiled at her.
"Lets do something together. You, me and the baby." He told her.
"Okay." She said, propping herself up on some pillows. "Continue."
"Lets think of names".
After a short debate they agreed upon Alexander for a boy and Alexandria for a girl.
"The are lovely names Lionel." Lillian told him.
"I thought so. Their namesake can be Alexander the Great, because this baby will inherit my company, just like Alexander inherited from his father.
"Oh Lionel, you and your obsession with conquerors." Lionel was momentarily preoccupied because he thought he heard the baby moving, but then responded.
"It's a good namesake. I want the best for the baby and it's mommy. I love you two with all my heart. You are beautiful." He said partially to her and partially to Alexander/dria.
"I love you too Lionel. And I hope there is never a time when you can only find beauty in money and your company." They kissed.
Lionel swiftly opened his eyes, and saw Martha's red hair, and for an instant thought that it was Lillian. He shivered. She turned.
"Are you alright?" Martha asked him."
"Yes, I just think I need to sit down." Martha led him to a seat.
"My god Lionel, your as cold as ice! What happened?"
"What, what you said, it made me remember," he was interrupted by the phone ringing. Being that it was one in the morning, Lionel and Martha exchanged a glance. She answered the phone anyway.
"Hello?" at first all she heard was static, but then a voice came through. Cold, sharp and serious, it said;
"Mrs. Kent?"
"Yes?"
"I called your house, but your husband said for me to try to reach you here. Are you all right? The area code is a Metropolis number." The voice was coming through clearer now.
"Yes, I am fine, thank you. I cannot hear you very well. Who is this?"
"Why, you do not recognize my voice? Martha Kent, the mother of my closet friend? The only friend my father ever made in Smallville, and the only person he did not manage to corrupt?" Martha gasped.
"Lex?"