IX. Bright Hair and Blue Eyes
He may have lived as a Luthor for years. Yet Lucas never forgot all the true education that he learned on the streets. He flipped open his brown leather wallet and slipped a metal card out. He strode casually to the door of Chloe's hotel room.
Not even the technology of LuthorCorp's Metropolis hotel could bring him down. Lucas gained satisfaction that in this regard he was still way above his father. Lionel Luthor may control all the assets that Lex left him. Lionel may have taken the choice away from him and given him the one thing he never wanted from his brother. But Lionel would never limit his movement, his access anywhere.
Lucas deftly maneuvered the card into the security lock. The door swung open. He stepped in and closed the door behind him.
The room was small, sparse and pedestrian. Lucas considered the facilities inside and almost shook his head. This was the room of common travelers. In the years he knew Chloe, she had always lived in the best, sat on the plushest, ate the finest. She had the greatest, and this was not it.
Lucas heard the television, and figured that she must have left the television on. He went into the living area and stopped in his tracks.
He had almost forgotten. Lucas swallowed deeply as he regarded the bright haired pig-tailed child that sat on the carpet, intently staring at the animal life show on the tv screen. He looked around and found no trace of Chloe except for her shoes discarded by couch.
He walked closer. The toddler must have heard him, because she turned her head and regarded him quietly. Lucas straightened, as the child looked him up and down. The little girl then broke into a vibrant toothy smile that tugged at his heartstrings. Lex's heart raced in his chest. His brother's daughter with the woman they loved.
"Hi," the girl piped. "I'm hungry."
"Well you probably are," Lucas responded. "I'll get you a bottle."
He turned the counter and searched for everything he would need. When he was a kid, his foster parents told him never to talk to strangers, least of all take food or drink they offered. Things probably changed, or Chloe raised her child in some type of rural farm where her neighbors were normal, genuine people. Lucas didn't discount, of course, the fact that he was actually inside what the girl considered as her house.
"I drink from glass."
Lucas almost jumped when he heard the voice coming from beside him. He looked down and saw the girl standing beside him, close to his thigh. "A glass, huh?" He knelt down to look at the girl closely. Lucas made an interesting discovery. She had Lex's eyes. That was one thing they had in common. "Are you sure? You're a little young for that. How old are you?"
She held up three little fingers. Lucas frowned. Lex had been dead for just over three years. The baby should be closer to two. Or did he have it all wrong?
"Well I'm sorry. You're a young lady. Let me get you your drink."
"Thank you."
He stood and grinned. Who would have thought that the young woman who used to spat at the face of high school authority and made a potential president wear her underwear once to a political dinner would teach her daughter to be so courteous? He spotted no can of powdered milk anywhere, nor white sugar. Lucas went to the refrigerator and saw a couple of containers with milk. He took one and poured the contents in a small casserole to heat.
After a short warming, Lucas poured the milk in a light mug and handed it carefully to the girl. "Where's your mom?"
"In the room."
Lucas walked with the girl back to the living room. He saw her settle on the carpet again and focus on a documentary about robots. Lucas walked over to the bedroom and saw Chloe sleeping on the bed, a wad of tissues clutched in her right hand. He stopped beside her and reached for the hotel blanket and threw it over her.
Chloe moaned in her sleep and smiled.
~~
Lucas undid the top two buttons of his shirt. He sat down on one of the chairs in the dining section, watching the girl flip through the channels before turning the television off.
The girl approached him. Lucas smiled. The blonde child cocked her head to the side as she stared at Lucas. "My mom has a picture of you." She asked somberly, "Are you my dad?"
He picked her up and set her on his knee. Lucas' breath caught in his throat when she touched the ugly scar on his chest. "I wish I were," he answered honestly. "But I'm not. I'm sorry."
"Coz it's okay. Coz you were hurt." She poked a bit at the scar. "I won't be mad."
"Did you know my dad?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes. He loved your mom very much."
"I love my mom!"
"And I love your mom too."
Lucas looked up at the doorway to the bedroom to find Chloe standing there, teary-eyed, red-nosed. "You want to have dinner?" she whispered. "I have some take out we can heat. Alice needs something solid."
He set Alice on her feet and walked over to Chloe, trying to read her expression. Her eyes drifted to the scar that he quickly tried to cover up. She met his gaze.
"Are you angry?"
She tapped his cheek with her cold hand. "You need a shave."
~~
"You still haven't asked the maid to draw the drapes?"
The older man walked into the dark room, feeling his way through the tables, the chairs, the blankets thrown on the floor.
"You know the light hurts my eyes," came the impassive reply from the bed.
"That is ridiculous," Lionel Luthor responded. "You have to get over this, Lex. You were given another chance to live. You have the potential!"
"You should have let go when you found out, dad."
Lionel sat at the end of the bed and patted his son's leg. "She wanted you to fulfill your dreams. Your brother told me so, Lex. Before the explosion, she told him she wanted you to be president. Are you saying you would rather not honor that wish?"
Lex remained quiet. His fingers searched for the button at the headboard of his bed. The room was briefly flooded by the outside light when the door opened. "I would rather that you leave, dad."
"All right, Alexander. If you wish." Lionel pulled himself up. "But remember, your namesake conquered most of the world. You do not let one defeat cripple you. Stand up, Lex. Live your life. For your family," he finished with flair. Lionel shut the door behind him.
He may have lived as a Luthor for years. Yet Lucas never forgot all the true education that he learned on the streets. He flipped open his brown leather wallet and slipped a metal card out. He strode casually to the door of Chloe's hotel room.
Not even the technology of LuthorCorp's Metropolis hotel could bring him down. Lucas gained satisfaction that in this regard he was still way above his father. Lionel Luthor may control all the assets that Lex left him. Lionel may have taken the choice away from him and given him the one thing he never wanted from his brother. But Lionel would never limit his movement, his access anywhere.
Lucas deftly maneuvered the card into the security lock. The door swung open. He stepped in and closed the door behind him.
The room was small, sparse and pedestrian. Lucas considered the facilities inside and almost shook his head. This was the room of common travelers. In the years he knew Chloe, she had always lived in the best, sat on the plushest, ate the finest. She had the greatest, and this was not it.
Lucas heard the television, and figured that she must have left the television on. He went into the living area and stopped in his tracks.
He had almost forgotten. Lucas swallowed deeply as he regarded the bright haired pig-tailed child that sat on the carpet, intently staring at the animal life show on the tv screen. He looked around and found no trace of Chloe except for her shoes discarded by couch.
He walked closer. The toddler must have heard him, because she turned her head and regarded him quietly. Lucas straightened, as the child looked him up and down. The little girl then broke into a vibrant toothy smile that tugged at his heartstrings. Lex's heart raced in his chest. His brother's daughter with the woman they loved.
"Hi," the girl piped. "I'm hungry."
"Well you probably are," Lucas responded. "I'll get you a bottle."
He turned the counter and searched for everything he would need. When he was a kid, his foster parents told him never to talk to strangers, least of all take food or drink they offered. Things probably changed, or Chloe raised her child in some type of rural farm where her neighbors were normal, genuine people. Lucas didn't discount, of course, the fact that he was actually inside what the girl considered as her house.
"I drink from glass."
Lucas almost jumped when he heard the voice coming from beside him. He looked down and saw the girl standing beside him, close to his thigh. "A glass, huh?" He knelt down to look at the girl closely. Lucas made an interesting discovery. She had Lex's eyes. That was one thing they had in common. "Are you sure? You're a little young for that. How old are you?"
She held up three little fingers. Lucas frowned. Lex had been dead for just over three years. The baby should be closer to two. Or did he have it all wrong?
"Well I'm sorry. You're a young lady. Let me get you your drink."
"Thank you."
He stood and grinned. Who would have thought that the young woman who used to spat at the face of high school authority and made a potential president wear her underwear once to a political dinner would teach her daughter to be so courteous? He spotted no can of powdered milk anywhere, nor white sugar. Lucas went to the refrigerator and saw a couple of containers with milk. He took one and poured the contents in a small casserole to heat.
After a short warming, Lucas poured the milk in a light mug and handed it carefully to the girl. "Where's your mom?"
"In the room."
Lucas walked with the girl back to the living room. He saw her settle on the carpet again and focus on a documentary about robots. Lucas walked over to the bedroom and saw Chloe sleeping on the bed, a wad of tissues clutched in her right hand. He stopped beside her and reached for the hotel blanket and threw it over her.
Chloe moaned in her sleep and smiled.
~~
Lucas undid the top two buttons of his shirt. He sat down on one of the chairs in the dining section, watching the girl flip through the channels before turning the television off.
The girl approached him. Lucas smiled. The blonde child cocked her head to the side as she stared at Lucas. "My mom has a picture of you." She asked somberly, "Are you my dad?"
He picked her up and set her on his knee. Lucas' breath caught in his throat when she touched the ugly scar on his chest. "I wish I were," he answered honestly. "But I'm not. I'm sorry."
"Coz it's okay. Coz you were hurt." She poked a bit at the scar. "I won't be mad."
"Did you know my dad?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes. He loved your mom very much."
"I love my mom!"
"And I love your mom too."
Lucas looked up at the doorway to the bedroom to find Chloe standing there, teary-eyed, red-nosed. "You want to have dinner?" she whispered. "I have some take out we can heat. Alice needs something solid."
He set Alice on her feet and walked over to Chloe, trying to read her expression. Her eyes drifted to the scar that he quickly tried to cover up. She met his gaze.
"Are you angry?"
She tapped his cheek with her cold hand. "You need a shave."
~~
"You still haven't asked the maid to draw the drapes?"
The older man walked into the dark room, feeling his way through the tables, the chairs, the blankets thrown on the floor.
"You know the light hurts my eyes," came the impassive reply from the bed.
"That is ridiculous," Lionel Luthor responded. "You have to get over this, Lex. You were given another chance to live. You have the potential!"
"You should have let go when you found out, dad."
Lionel sat at the end of the bed and patted his son's leg. "She wanted you to fulfill your dreams. Your brother told me so, Lex. Before the explosion, she told him she wanted you to be president. Are you saying you would rather not honor that wish?"
Lex remained quiet. His fingers searched for the button at the headboard of his bed. The room was briefly flooded by the outside light when the door opened. "I would rather that you leave, dad."
"All right, Alexander. If you wish." Lionel pulled himself up. "But remember, your namesake conquered most of the world. You do not let one defeat cripple you. Stand up, Lex. Live your life. For your family," he finished with flair. Lionel shut the door behind him.