Ok first thing first. SORRY! I know have not updated for oh several
months but I swear I did type one out. Then my computer got infected and
it was erased. So I started rewriting another one. Then my social life
went all crazy, got stuck in New York after hitting a deer. Volunteered
for some stuff and then was constantly working on my school newspaper.
Since my school year finally ended I am now able to actually type.
This is the final chapter hopefully you enjoy the ending.
Don't own Smallville else every episode Lex, Clark or Pete would be forced
to walk around shirtless for no rhyme or reason. Plus Pete wouldn't have
left and got more air time.
This Year Will Be Better Than the Last or Gabriel's Story
There is something about rain that makes me calm. Standing in the middle of Metropolis in the rain waiting for someone is another thing. It is all because of my father, which is strange since Lex has been dead for over a year.
I guess a normal child would still in some way be grieving the loss of their last parental figure, but I am not normal. I am a Luthor.
There maybe a little part of me that misses Lex.
Alright not really, Lex was a prick, but I have been told he wasn't always like this.
I know it is true too.
I have proof, of course it will never be seen by anyone other than me. I will probably watch it when it is late and I am trapped in the castle of my ancestors. I will watch it then when I am drunk, at night, storms; like some damn character from an Edgar Allen Poe tale.
When I wonder why I did it, my reasoning will be that I was drunk. Or I will probably just blackout completely; either way is good. Still I have the memories of what I just saw and will probably haunt me, much like the most predominant memories of my childhood.
The first one being Christmas and Lex came home for the holidays. It was Christmas Eve; Lex and my grandpa were talking. They were in the living room and Lex said that if my mother had not been killed and my sister decapitated, I would have died instead. One of the coroners had said that sometime after the last ultrasound my sister's umbilical cord was slowly wrapping around my neck and if my mother had gone through with the vaginal birth as she was planning, I would have been strangled. I would have died, but instead they did, I lived and heard this discussion. Lex asked my grandfather what he would have wanted to happen. I never found out what the answer was since I interrupted by asking for water.
The second memory is when I was six years old, my maternal grandfather Gabriel Sullivan put on my jacket and told me I was a Sullivan. I only remember him, what he said to me and nothing more.
He told me that anyone could tell I was Sullivan. I had the eyes. The same eyes as my mother and his father. He kissed me on my forehead and made sure I was ready for the storm outside. He took me over to Pete and Lana's house.
I sat in the backseat and was scared of the large rumblings of the storm outside. He told me the angel's were bowling. That meant my mother right then was having a good time with some coke and nachos.
At the Ross's, instead of saying see you later kiddo, he said good bye and asked if I remembered what he said. Even though he had dropped me off there he did not pick me up.
My father, Lex had that honor.
Lex came in like March. He was like a lamb when he arrived roaring like a lion when he left. Lex and Lana got into a fight. In the end, he grabbed me and we left the country house.
As soon as we got in the limo a strange man started talking to me while Lex got on his cell phone and barked orders into it. All I heard was; "Damn it! Where is that account? Your grandfather Gabriel has died. That sonofabitch did what? I'll kill that asshole!"
Get the picture? Being six years old I burst into tears. Lex, still barking into his cell phone tried wrapping his arm around me. He was not my grandpa, so I got out of his grip and tried to escape to as far away as possible; the drivers part of the limo. I looked up to see a woman who looked like my mother.
"Get your ass back there!"
That was definitely not my mother. When I sat down at the far end of the limo there was a handkerchief waiting for me.
I still don't know who gave it to me.
I did know at that moment that I was alone. I looked down the limo's long expanse and saw my father barking into a cell phone. The psychologist was also on his cell phone; the guy my father hired to help me through this difficult time didn't even want to comfort me.
I knew I would become my father. I may have been a Sullivan but I was a Luthor after all.
Later I rebelled like all good teenagers. I did things that my father's teen self would be shocked by. I became a Luthor in all terms; egotistical, greedy, a backstabber, and vindictive.
In other words I wasn't winning youth of the year awards. Lionel my paternal grandfather was proud I heard.
It wasn't until I was almost an adult did I get both a literal and mental kick in the ass.
The literal kick came the morning I received the package. I was walking out of my limo when someone ran into me. Saying I responded badly is an understatement. I actually left them in tears. Turns out six-years-olds run in packs, because next thing in know there is a sharp pain in my ass. I turned around to see some girl had kicked my ass.
She knew some colorful words that would make a sailor blush.
"Mia! Remember we can't afford any more assault and battery charges!"
The woman who spoke was a short woman with brown hair, hazel eyes and mocha skin. She looked at me, looked at the boy who was crying and the girl, who my driver was holding back with my brief case.
"What happened here?"
The boy tried answering, but was crying too hard. You would think at six daddy would have already had the "Big boys do not cry" talk with him.
Instead the savage girl decided to answer.
"Al accidentally ran into him. He got all big bad wolfy and started yelling at Al..."
The girl then proceeded to show how good of a memory she had. If I were to quote myself word for word to what I said to a child, well, I would make my father seem like a saint.
"Are you lying to me, Mia?"
"No."
She turned to my driver.
"Could you watch the two of them for a moment please?"
I thought maybe she was going to ask for my forgiveness. She must of known because her next statements obviously said otherwise.
"I don't give a shit if you are a Luthor. Yes I know who the hell you are, but the fact is you just made a little kid cry. If you want to press charges, go ahead, I'm sure the judge would love to see you try to prosecute a six year old for kicking your narcissistic, spoiled ass."
With that, she walked away the two kids following her.
"Yeah, you jackass!"
That was the little girl.
It was a bit like having someone smack you upside the head with a two by four. You walk around dazed for a bit then when you realize what happened you get pissed. I got pissed and when I suddenly snapped on my father's lackey and almost snapped his neck, my father got involved.
He pulled me in his office and slammed me down into a very misleading plush leather chair.
"Do you want a drink?"
"Yeah."
I waited for him to get me one. He looked at me and cocked one of his eyebrows.
"Get off your ass and get one."
After getting acquainted with the bottle of Cognac my father finally talked to me.
"So why are you pissed off that you feel the need to assault one of my assistant's?"
"These evil kids pissed me off and their bitchy nanny didn't help matters."
For the first time in my life I saw my father laugh. Not the artificially thing he did, when he was cozying up to a bimbo or business deal. A true laugh. I was shocked and would have probably inquired why, but his next statement threw me off balance.
"Gabriel, you ran into a child then chewed the poor kid out. Then just because his sister decided to assault you and their aunt went into lioness role doesn't mean you should be seeking vengeance."
"Wait how did you..."
Of course he would know everything that happened. This was his building, his city and his son. So I decided to switch tactics.
"How do you know they are related?"
"The lowly woman who was so rude to you was Bruce Wayne's daughter and those wimpy and evil children were his grandchildren. She is currently brokering a deal with several of my competitors. I am trying to get on her good side and you may have destroyed it. Don't mess with them Gabriel. You will get burned."
"By who?"
"Either me or Wayne."
Leaving my father's office I went to my penthouse annoyed and confused. I found a package from Pete and Lana sitting on my doorstep. I opened it to find more than a dozen tapes, a VCR and a note.
Gabriel
Some how we got these, but you should have them. Hope you get some insights to life.
Pete, Lana, & Co.
Looking at these prehistoric tapes that had weird titles like; Hounds of Baskerville, My Name is Brian Too!, Shenanigans, and Homer? Cartoon or Philosopher. I wondered how I could find insight into life with strangely titled home movies.
So I put the first tape in titled "Another One Bites the Dust or Shaving Lessons", it was strangely enough my parents wedding and their wedding night/ honeymoon. I immediately sent that one to my father. The wedding was nice but the second part made me wish that my parents were virgins. I happened to watch it on accident, it was only for ten seconds; I am not Oedipus or anything. I could sympathize with the guy for ripping out his eyes.
Watching all these videos I saw my parents dating, talking and laughing, my mom getting bigger and bigger carrying me and my sister. These videos reinforced the idea of my mother, the image I always had of her. However they also showed mom as stubborn, sarcastic, and a bit of a bitch. But she needed to be from what I saw of my father. Occasionally some of what is left of my father today would peak out. Then the bitch in my mother would come out to put him in his place, but mainly in the videos he had how should I put it, feelings, he was emotional; a human. They balanced one another. When one is taken away everything falls apart. Coming to that realization I popped in the next video. All of the videos contained my parents, Lana and Pete, and some guy named Clark.
The last video "The Check-up" held a surprise of which I will forever remember. It was zoomed into something so much I could not tell what it was. Then I heard a voice I had not heard in 20 years.
"Here we are at Chloe Sullivan-Luthor's almost final check up."
My grandpa.
The camera zoomed out to show my mother lying on a table in a doctor's office. Her large stomach exposed.
"Get that camera off me, I look like a beached whale."
"Well I have to say I have never seen a whale with blonde hair. Maybe we should call some tabloid and say Lex Luthor is married to a whale."
"Dad."
"Nope, keeping the camera on."
The camera swung over to the sonogram screen showing my sister and me.
"There is Lillian Pamela Luthor and Alexander Gabriel Luthor."
"Dad, you know we want it to be Gabriel Alexander."
"No, he should be named after his father."
Background movement could be heard off camera. My father appeared in the shot. The camera was jostled for what I assume was a handshake and my father goes to my mother and kisses her without abandon.
"Excuse me, I believe that is my daughter."
"I know but she is also my wife," said my father.
"True, but I am still her father."
"Good point. Sorry for being late."
"Don't worry we were just discussing names," said my mother.
"It's still Gabriel Alexander and Lillian Pamela right?" said my father.
"Lex, I think it should be Alexander Gabriel," said my grandfather.
The debate continued on throughout the video even when the doctor walked in. Then they started discussing asking, the guy who was also in the videos, Clark Kent to be my godfather. My mother said she'd go talk to him in a few days then kicked both my grandfather and father out of the room as she got changed. Before he left though, my father kissed my mother.
"Love you."
Then to her stomach, "Love you two," he said.
The lens cap went on. My grandfather must have thought he turned off the camera and never meant to capture this next moment.
There was only black but I heard audio.
"Gabe were still naming him Gabriel Alexander."
"I know, I know, you two are too stubborn to oppose."
"Me and Chloe stubborn? I never heard such a thing. Gabe, I don't know. I am worried about being a dad. What if my children become like all Luthors?"
"What good business people?"
"What if I make the same mistakes as my own father?"
"I never made the same ones as my own father. I just made new ones and you will too."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am also waiting for waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Lex you need to be more optimistic, roll with the punches. Besides we're Sullivan's. We have the luck of the Irish on our side."
"I'm a Luthor."
"Bah humbug. You are a Sullivan. You married into us and since you decided to procreate with one of our women folk, you can never get rid of us."
My father's laughter broke the silence following that statement.
"I'll see you later Lex, take care of my daughter."
"I will."
There was a brief pause in which I heard quick movements, and then my grandfather spoke again.
"I'm trying to hug you; not grab ass with you Lex."
"Oh ok."
"We hug in this family. Like I said, when you mate with one of our woman folk you are a part of us forever. Love you son."
"Love you dad."
The last part was whispered and I had to rewind the tape several times to find out what exactly was said. That was the last video I watched and the last video in the collection Two days later my mother and sister would be dead. For the second time that day I felt like I had been hit by a two by four. I went for a walk and ended up in some coffee house in the artist part of town. I knew someone was talking to me, but I didn't look up until they sat down across from me.
It was the bitchy woman from earlier that day.
"Hey, my name is Consuelo."
"Gabriel."
I later realized she probably knew this but didn't say anything. We instead shook hands she apologized for going all mother hen on me. Somehow I just started talking and she didn't stop listening until last call at four in the morning. The next morning we woke up fully clothed, had coffee, Lucky Charms and she talked. We had a date later that evening and we both talked.
After three dates and Consuelo extending her stay for a week, the media caught a whiff and my father again called me into his office.
"Bruce Wayne called me today."
My father looked up at me, but never into my eyes.
"He told me that if my son hurts his daughter in any manner then he would take action. I told him that if she hurts you I would take action."
"Consuelo wouldn't hurt me."
"She reminds me a lot of someone I used to know and that type of girl could hurt you."
I didn't know if my father was trying to bait me or what. So for the first time in my life instead of assuming the worst and walking out in my normal passive aggressive manner I asked him.
"What do you mean by that type of girl?"
"I assumed you were more insightful after you got the package that Lana and Pete sent you. I'll see you later Gabriel."
The second private meeting with my father in two weeks and again I was leaving his office confused and annoyed. So I went back to the videos.
After one tape I knew what my father was referring to. Consuelo reminded him of my mother. My father knew something that day, which I did not even know, that if anything did happen to her, I could become him.
A day later I got a call from one of my contacts. It turned out the guy, Clark Kent, in all the home videos lived in Metropolis. He was a reporter for the Daily Planet and partner to my mother's closing living relative; Lois Lane. I groaned I am glad my father never encouraged me to seek out my mom's cousin or even allowed for my past to seep out. So to Lois Lane I was just another spoiled rich kid to report if I overdosed the night before.
In the end, Consuelo helped me. She said her dad and Clark Kent went back and were part of some league together. I think she said it was softball or basketball. She was talking really fast. So she set up a date where he was expecting to meet her, instead I showed up at the restaurant.
Looking at the guy he almost looked exactly the same as he did in the videos. Except he wore glasses. Sitting down in front of the guy I wondered if he was all there. Since the first few moments he just sputtered and looked everywhere but at me. Finally he found the words he was looking for.
"Why are you here?"
"You were friends with my parents and I just wanted to find out a little bit more about them."
"Like what?"
"How did you meet them and so forth."
For the next hour at lunch we discussed my parents how he meet them. I finally asked the one question I wanted the answer to.
"Why are you not friends with my father or Pete and Lana anymore?"
"Let's just say I didn't help your mother one time and they have never forgiven me."
"That really doesn't help. Why do my father and Pete hate you so much?"
"Wow, you really are like Chloe, just going for the jugular. It's just not the eyes."
"What?"
"Your eyes they are exactly like Chloe's. Did anyone ever tell you that?"
"Yeah, once."
"I can see why it would be so hard."
"What?"
"Nothing, listen I have to go. I have been gone longer than I told Lois I would be."
The man got up exited the restaurant leaving me with the bill and a million new questions.
Pete called me, congratulating me on the turn around in my life and donating the 20 million dollars in my mother's memory. He also said he was worried about my father getting into something else. I listened, agreed in the right places but was thinking; Oh more illegal activities what a shock!
Two days later my father was found dead from exposure to a gas made from Kryptonite.
My father's death was met with cheers, celebrations, children got their candy back, there were no more kitty drownings reported, drinks were on the house. Get the idea? I think the only people who were upset to see my father go were the investors who were worried that along with their money, the company would go under. With both my grandfather Lionel and father dead and my uncle Lucas down in Barbados drinking champagne from some bleached bimbo's navel, I was the great hope.
So the majority of my father's wake I spent reassuring investors that everything was under control. The only people at the funeral who were not linked to business were I, Consuelo, Pete, and Lana. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were there actually covering the damn thing.
I watched as Lana held back Pete from punching Clark while Clark had some lost little puppy dog look on his face. Clark left the wake after talking to me and Consuelo.
"Gabriel, I just don't understand why my father respects that guy so much. It seems like he fell off the idiot tree and hit all the branches the whole way down," said Consuelo.
"You have me smiling," I said.
"You better not, Lois Lane might see that. I can already see the headline, 'Luthor heir cracks smile at father's wake; proves he knocked his father off.'"
I started laughing.
"Now she'll really write that article," I said.
"Gabriel we need to talk," said a voice.
I turned around to see Lana standing there some how looking both perky and mournful at the same time. She led me to a private room in the back where she started fidgeting and looking pained. The only way to describe it is a deer that looked like it was constipated.
"I understand you went to see Clark awhile back."
"Yes."
"You wanted to know why we stopped talking right?"
"Yes. I tried asking Clark, but he shut up."
"That's surprising. Normally he likes getting up on his cross and talking about his martyrdom, but Lex and Pete would have also given you the propaganda version."
"What?"
"The reason Lex and Pete hate Clark is because he could have prevented your mother's death. Your mother, Gabriel, was an angel. She took me in, and she was my only family when I had none. One afternoon your mother went to go see Clark to ask him to be your godfather. He realized that he was losing her. So in a last ditch effort he told her that Lex never loved her and that he was an alien."
"Sure Lana."
"Gabriel believe me, Clark Kent is Superman. Well Chloe ran out of the barn and drove back to your house. On the way there he called your father and she told him. It was raining I was sleeping. Well that made her unable to see the drunk driver swerving towards her. The driver hit her head on... you know how it ends."
"What does this have to do with Clark?"
"He was following your mother and heard her tell Lex his secret. He saw the drunk driver and how it was going to his her. He could have stopped the driver but let the car hit her. He saw her go through the windshield and ran over in time to see you open your eyes and then he ran."
"How do you know this? You can't know this. Only if you were there could you have known that."
Lana went into her shirt and pulled out a necklace that had a single clear stone on it.
"This is Kryptonite, Gabriel, I wore this throughout my life hoping that maybe it would kill me like my parents. It didn't instead I found out that when a person dreams if someone could, a person could access every memory, desire, secret hidden in their mind. That a person before they die has a few minutes of brain activity left, where in a sense they are still alive."
The silence between us seemed to last an eternity while I let this sink in.
"Gabriel the reason I can't hate Clark is because I know Chloe would not. One way or another she forgave. That was one of the reason's why I don't think she was destined to stay on this earth for long."
I stood there for a few moments, Lana looked at me waiting for something. I instead walked away from Lana, not sure of what I was to do.
Now a year later, I stand outside in a storm, when I feel a hand go into mine. I look into my wife's eyes, the woman who chewed me out. I look at my wife's barely round stomach. I feel like I can see my child staring out at me with its eyes.
I walk into the Daily Planet building, I can do this, and I need to do this. I am a Luthor, but I am also a Sullivan.
This year will be better than the last.
It's done like OMG Becky! This took entirely too long and I am sorry. If you are confused by how Bruce Wayne has daughter named Consuelo well just accept it, I have a reason for naming her Consuelo but I can't remember why. So I will just say it was symbolic or something. Please review it helps me know what sucks and how to improve on my writing style. Please tell me! Thanks and have fun whatever you are doing!
Please review! Click that little button come on everyone is doing it. Don't you want to?
And now I am off to the next story that both muses are picking at me for. BTW this was dedicated to my beta who has probably suffered the most when it came to this story. Thank you Yo-yo, I will give you my first born.
Now go review! Thanks!
PeepsRfun2eat
This Year Will Be Better Than the Last or Gabriel's Story
There is something about rain that makes me calm. Standing in the middle of Metropolis in the rain waiting for someone is another thing. It is all because of my father, which is strange since Lex has been dead for over a year.
I guess a normal child would still in some way be grieving the loss of their last parental figure, but I am not normal. I am a Luthor.
There maybe a little part of me that misses Lex.
Alright not really, Lex was a prick, but I have been told he wasn't always like this.
I know it is true too.
I have proof, of course it will never be seen by anyone other than me. I will probably watch it when it is late and I am trapped in the castle of my ancestors. I will watch it then when I am drunk, at night, storms; like some damn character from an Edgar Allen Poe tale.
When I wonder why I did it, my reasoning will be that I was drunk. Or I will probably just blackout completely; either way is good. Still I have the memories of what I just saw and will probably haunt me, much like the most predominant memories of my childhood.
The first one being Christmas and Lex came home for the holidays. It was Christmas Eve; Lex and my grandpa were talking. They were in the living room and Lex said that if my mother had not been killed and my sister decapitated, I would have died instead. One of the coroners had said that sometime after the last ultrasound my sister's umbilical cord was slowly wrapping around my neck and if my mother had gone through with the vaginal birth as she was planning, I would have been strangled. I would have died, but instead they did, I lived and heard this discussion. Lex asked my grandfather what he would have wanted to happen. I never found out what the answer was since I interrupted by asking for water.
The second memory is when I was six years old, my maternal grandfather Gabriel Sullivan put on my jacket and told me I was a Sullivan. I only remember him, what he said to me and nothing more.
He told me that anyone could tell I was Sullivan. I had the eyes. The same eyes as my mother and his father. He kissed me on my forehead and made sure I was ready for the storm outside. He took me over to Pete and Lana's house.
I sat in the backseat and was scared of the large rumblings of the storm outside. He told me the angel's were bowling. That meant my mother right then was having a good time with some coke and nachos.
At the Ross's, instead of saying see you later kiddo, he said good bye and asked if I remembered what he said. Even though he had dropped me off there he did not pick me up.
My father, Lex had that honor.
Lex came in like March. He was like a lamb when he arrived roaring like a lion when he left. Lex and Lana got into a fight. In the end, he grabbed me and we left the country house.
As soon as we got in the limo a strange man started talking to me while Lex got on his cell phone and barked orders into it. All I heard was; "Damn it! Where is that account? Your grandfather Gabriel has died. That sonofabitch did what? I'll kill that asshole!"
Get the picture? Being six years old I burst into tears. Lex, still barking into his cell phone tried wrapping his arm around me. He was not my grandpa, so I got out of his grip and tried to escape to as far away as possible; the drivers part of the limo. I looked up to see a woman who looked like my mother.
"Get your ass back there!"
That was definitely not my mother. When I sat down at the far end of the limo there was a handkerchief waiting for me.
I still don't know who gave it to me.
I did know at that moment that I was alone. I looked down the limo's long expanse and saw my father barking into a cell phone. The psychologist was also on his cell phone; the guy my father hired to help me through this difficult time didn't even want to comfort me.
I knew I would become my father. I may have been a Sullivan but I was a Luthor after all.
Later I rebelled like all good teenagers. I did things that my father's teen self would be shocked by. I became a Luthor in all terms; egotistical, greedy, a backstabber, and vindictive.
In other words I wasn't winning youth of the year awards. Lionel my paternal grandfather was proud I heard.
It wasn't until I was almost an adult did I get both a literal and mental kick in the ass.
The literal kick came the morning I received the package. I was walking out of my limo when someone ran into me. Saying I responded badly is an understatement. I actually left them in tears. Turns out six-years-olds run in packs, because next thing in know there is a sharp pain in my ass. I turned around to see some girl had kicked my ass.
She knew some colorful words that would make a sailor blush.
"Mia! Remember we can't afford any more assault and battery charges!"
The woman who spoke was a short woman with brown hair, hazel eyes and mocha skin. She looked at me, looked at the boy who was crying and the girl, who my driver was holding back with my brief case.
"What happened here?"
The boy tried answering, but was crying too hard. You would think at six daddy would have already had the "Big boys do not cry" talk with him.
Instead the savage girl decided to answer.
"Al accidentally ran into him. He got all big bad wolfy and started yelling at Al..."
The girl then proceeded to show how good of a memory she had. If I were to quote myself word for word to what I said to a child, well, I would make my father seem like a saint.
"Are you lying to me, Mia?"
"No."
She turned to my driver.
"Could you watch the two of them for a moment please?"
I thought maybe she was going to ask for my forgiveness. She must of known because her next statements obviously said otherwise.
"I don't give a shit if you are a Luthor. Yes I know who the hell you are, but the fact is you just made a little kid cry. If you want to press charges, go ahead, I'm sure the judge would love to see you try to prosecute a six year old for kicking your narcissistic, spoiled ass."
With that, she walked away the two kids following her.
"Yeah, you jackass!"
That was the little girl.
It was a bit like having someone smack you upside the head with a two by four. You walk around dazed for a bit then when you realize what happened you get pissed. I got pissed and when I suddenly snapped on my father's lackey and almost snapped his neck, my father got involved.
He pulled me in his office and slammed me down into a very misleading plush leather chair.
"Do you want a drink?"
"Yeah."
I waited for him to get me one. He looked at me and cocked one of his eyebrows.
"Get off your ass and get one."
After getting acquainted with the bottle of Cognac my father finally talked to me.
"So why are you pissed off that you feel the need to assault one of my assistant's?"
"These evil kids pissed me off and their bitchy nanny didn't help matters."
For the first time in my life I saw my father laugh. Not the artificially thing he did, when he was cozying up to a bimbo or business deal. A true laugh. I was shocked and would have probably inquired why, but his next statement threw me off balance.
"Gabriel, you ran into a child then chewed the poor kid out. Then just because his sister decided to assault you and their aunt went into lioness role doesn't mean you should be seeking vengeance."
"Wait how did you..."
Of course he would know everything that happened. This was his building, his city and his son. So I decided to switch tactics.
"How do you know they are related?"
"The lowly woman who was so rude to you was Bruce Wayne's daughter and those wimpy and evil children were his grandchildren. She is currently brokering a deal with several of my competitors. I am trying to get on her good side and you may have destroyed it. Don't mess with them Gabriel. You will get burned."
"By who?"
"Either me or Wayne."
Leaving my father's office I went to my penthouse annoyed and confused. I found a package from Pete and Lana sitting on my doorstep. I opened it to find more than a dozen tapes, a VCR and a note.
Gabriel
Some how we got these, but you should have them. Hope you get some insights to life.
Pete, Lana, & Co.
Looking at these prehistoric tapes that had weird titles like; Hounds of Baskerville, My Name is Brian Too!, Shenanigans, and Homer? Cartoon or Philosopher. I wondered how I could find insight into life with strangely titled home movies.
So I put the first tape in titled "Another One Bites the Dust or Shaving Lessons", it was strangely enough my parents wedding and their wedding night/ honeymoon. I immediately sent that one to my father. The wedding was nice but the second part made me wish that my parents were virgins. I happened to watch it on accident, it was only for ten seconds; I am not Oedipus or anything. I could sympathize with the guy for ripping out his eyes.
Watching all these videos I saw my parents dating, talking and laughing, my mom getting bigger and bigger carrying me and my sister. These videos reinforced the idea of my mother, the image I always had of her. However they also showed mom as stubborn, sarcastic, and a bit of a bitch. But she needed to be from what I saw of my father. Occasionally some of what is left of my father today would peak out. Then the bitch in my mother would come out to put him in his place, but mainly in the videos he had how should I put it, feelings, he was emotional; a human. They balanced one another. When one is taken away everything falls apart. Coming to that realization I popped in the next video. All of the videos contained my parents, Lana and Pete, and some guy named Clark.
The last video "The Check-up" held a surprise of which I will forever remember. It was zoomed into something so much I could not tell what it was. Then I heard a voice I had not heard in 20 years.
"Here we are at Chloe Sullivan-Luthor's almost final check up."
My grandpa.
The camera zoomed out to show my mother lying on a table in a doctor's office. Her large stomach exposed.
"Get that camera off me, I look like a beached whale."
"Well I have to say I have never seen a whale with blonde hair. Maybe we should call some tabloid and say Lex Luthor is married to a whale."
"Dad."
"Nope, keeping the camera on."
The camera swung over to the sonogram screen showing my sister and me.
"There is Lillian Pamela Luthor and Alexander Gabriel Luthor."
"Dad, you know we want it to be Gabriel Alexander."
"No, he should be named after his father."
Background movement could be heard off camera. My father appeared in the shot. The camera was jostled for what I assume was a handshake and my father goes to my mother and kisses her without abandon.
"Excuse me, I believe that is my daughter."
"I know but she is also my wife," said my father.
"True, but I am still her father."
"Good point. Sorry for being late."
"Don't worry we were just discussing names," said my mother.
"It's still Gabriel Alexander and Lillian Pamela right?" said my father.
"Lex, I think it should be Alexander Gabriel," said my grandfather.
The debate continued on throughout the video even when the doctor walked in. Then they started discussing asking, the guy who was also in the videos, Clark Kent to be my godfather. My mother said she'd go talk to him in a few days then kicked both my grandfather and father out of the room as she got changed. Before he left though, my father kissed my mother.
"Love you."
Then to her stomach, "Love you two," he said.
The lens cap went on. My grandfather must have thought he turned off the camera and never meant to capture this next moment.
There was only black but I heard audio.
"Gabe were still naming him Gabriel Alexander."
"I know, I know, you two are too stubborn to oppose."
"Me and Chloe stubborn? I never heard such a thing. Gabe, I don't know. I am worried about being a dad. What if my children become like all Luthors?"
"What good business people?"
"What if I make the same mistakes as my own father?"
"I never made the same ones as my own father. I just made new ones and you will too."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am also waiting for waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Lex you need to be more optimistic, roll with the punches. Besides we're Sullivan's. We have the luck of the Irish on our side."
"I'm a Luthor."
"Bah humbug. You are a Sullivan. You married into us and since you decided to procreate with one of our women folk, you can never get rid of us."
My father's laughter broke the silence following that statement.
"I'll see you later Lex, take care of my daughter."
"I will."
There was a brief pause in which I heard quick movements, and then my grandfather spoke again.
"I'm trying to hug you; not grab ass with you Lex."
"Oh ok."
"We hug in this family. Like I said, when you mate with one of our woman folk you are a part of us forever. Love you son."
"Love you dad."
The last part was whispered and I had to rewind the tape several times to find out what exactly was said. That was the last video I watched and the last video in the collection Two days later my mother and sister would be dead. For the second time that day I felt like I had been hit by a two by four. I went for a walk and ended up in some coffee house in the artist part of town. I knew someone was talking to me, but I didn't look up until they sat down across from me.
It was the bitchy woman from earlier that day.
"Hey, my name is Consuelo."
"Gabriel."
I later realized she probably knew this but didn't say anything. We instead shook hands she apologized for going all mother hen on me. Somehow I just started talking and she didn't stop listening until last call at four in the morning. The next morning we woke up fully clothed, had coffee, Lucky Charms and she talked. We had a date later that evening and we both talked.
After three dates and Consuelo extending her stay for a week, the media caught a whiff and my father again called me into his office.
"Bruce Wayne called me today."
My father looked up at me, but never into my eyes.
"He told me that if my son hurts his daughter in any manner then he would take action. I told him that if she hurts you I would take action."
"Consuelo wouldn't hurt me."
"She reminds me a lot of someone I used to know and that type of girl could hurt you."
I didn't know if my father was trying to bait me or what. So for the first time in my life instead of assuming the worst and walking out in my normal passive aggressive manner I asked him.
"What do you mean by that type of girl?"
"I assumed you were more insightful after you got the package that Lana and Pete sent you. I'll see you later Gabriel."
The second private meeting with my father in two weeks and again I was leaving his office confused and annoyed. So I went back to the videos.
After one tape I knew what my father was referring to. Consuelo reminded him of my mother. My father knew something that day, which I did not even know, that if anything did happen to her, I could become him.
A day later I got a call from one of my contacts. It turned out the guy, Clark Kent, in all the home videos lived in Metropolis. He was a reporter for the Daily Planet and partner to my mother's closing living relative; Lois Lane. I groaned I am glad my father never encouraged me to seek out my mom's cousin or even allowed for my past to seep out. So to Lois Lane I was just another spoiled rich kid to report if I overdosed the night before.
In the end, Consuelo helped me. She said her dad and Clark Kent went back and were part of some league together. I think she said it was softball or basketball. She was talking really fast. So she set up a date where he was expecting to meet her, instead I showed up at the restaurant.
Looking at the guy he almost looked exactly the same as he did in the videos. Except he wore glasses. Sitting down in front of the guy I wondered if he was all there. Since the first few moments he just sputtered and looked everywhere but at me. Finally he found the words he was looking for.
"Why are you here?"
"You were friends with my parents and I just wanted to find out a little bit more about them."
"Like what?"
"How did you meet them and so forth."
For the next hour at lunch we discussed my parents how he meet them. I finally asked the one question I wanted the answer to.
"Why are you not friends with my father or Pete and Lana anymore?"
"Let's just say I didn't help your mother one time and they have never forgiven me."
"That really doesn't help. Why do my father and Pete hate you so much?"
"Wow, you really are like Chloe, just going for the jugular. It's just not the eyes."
"What?"
"Your eyes they are exactly like Chloe's. Did anyone ever tell you that?"
"Yeah, once."
"I can see why it would be so hard."
"What?"
"Nothing, listen I have to go. I have been gone longer than I told Lois I would be."
The man got up exited the restaurant leaving me with the bill and a million new questions.
Pete called me, congratulating me on the turn around in my life and donating the 20 million dollars in my mother's memory. He also said he was worried about my father getting into something else. I listened, agreed in the right places but was thinking; Oh more illegal activities what a shock!
Two days later my father was found dead from exposure to a gas made from Kryptonite.
My father's death was met with cheers, celebrations, children got their candy back, there were no more kitty drownings reported, drinks were on the house. Get the idea? I think the only people who were upset to see my father go were the investors who were worried that along with their money, the company would go under. With both my grandfather Lionel and father dead and my uncle Lucas down in Barbados drinking champagne from some bleached bimbo's navel, I was the great hope.
So the majority of my father's wake I spent reassuring investors that everything was under control. The only people at the funeral who were not linked to business were I, Consuelo, Pete, and Lana. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were there actually covering the damn thing.
I watched as Lana held back Pete from punching Clark while Clark had some lost little puppy dog look on his face. Clark left the wake after talking to me and Consuelo.
"Gabriel, I just don't understand why my father respects that guy so much. It seems like he fell off the idiot tree and hit all the branches the whole way down," said Consuelo.
"You have me smiling," I said.
"You better not, Lois Lane might see that. I can already see the headline, 'Luthor heir cracks smile at father's wake; proves he knocked his father off.'"
I started laughing.
"Now she'll really write that article," I said.
"Gabriel we need to talk," said a voice.
I turned around to see Lana standing there some how looking both perky and mournful at the same time. She led me to a private room in the back where she started fidgeting and looking pained. The only way to describe it is a deer that looked like it was constipated.
"I understand you went to see Clark awhile back."
"Yes."
"You wanted to know why we stopped talking right?"
"Yes. I tried asking Clark, but he shut up."
"That's surprising. Normally he likes getting up on his cross and talking about his martyrdom, but Lex and Pete would have also given you the propaganda version."
"What?"
"The reason Lex and Pete hate Clark is because he could have prevented your mother's death. Your mother, Gabriel, was an angel. She took me in, and she was my only family when I had none. One afternoon your mother went to go see Clark to ask him to be your godfather. He realized that he was losing her. So in a last ditch effort he told her that Lex never loved her and that he was an alien."
"Sure Lana."
"Gabriel believe me, Clark Kent is Superman. Well Chloe ran out of the barn and drove back to your house. On the way there he called your father and she told him. It was raining I was sleeping. Well that made her unable to see the drunk driver swerving towards her. The driver hit her head on... you know how it ends."
"What does this have to do with Clark?"
"He was following your mother and heard her tell Lex his secret. He saw the drunk driver and how it was going to his her. He could have stopped the driver but let the car hit her. He saw her go through the windshield and ran over in time to see you open your eyes and then he ran."
"How do you know this? You can't know this. Only if you were there could you have known that."
Lana went into her shirt and pulled out a necklace that had a single clear stone on it.
"This is Kryptonite, Gabriel, I wore this throughout my life hoping that maybe it would kill me like my parents. It didn't instead I found out that when a person dreams if someone could, a person could access every memory, desire, secret hidden in their mind. That a person before they die has a few minutes of brain activity left, where in a sense they are still alive."
The silence between us seemed to last an eternity while I let this sink in.
"Gabriel the reason I can't hate Clark is because I know Chloe would not. One way or another she forgave. That was one of the reason's why I don't think she was destined to stay on this earth for long."
I stood there for a few moments, Lana looked at me waiting for something. I instead walked away from Lana, not sure of what I was to do.
Now a year later, I stand outside in a storm, when I feel a hand go into mine. I look into my wife's eyes, the woman who chewed me out. I look at my wife's barely round stomach. I feel like I can see my child staring out at me with its eyes.
I walk into the Daily Planet building, I can do this, and I need to do this. I am a Luthor, but I am also a Sullivan.
This year will be better than the last.
It's done like OMG Becky! This took entirely too long and I am sorry. If you are confused by how Bruce Wayne has daughter named Consuelo well just accept it, I have a reason for naming her Consuelo but I can't remember why. So I will just say it was symbolic or something. Please review it helps me know what sucks and how to improve on my writing style. Please tell me! Thanks and have fun whatever you are doing!
Please review! Click that little button come on everyone is doing it. Don't you want to?
And now I am off to the next story that both muses are picking at me for. BTW this was dedicated to my beta who has probably suffered the most when it came to this story. Thank you Yo-yo, I will give you my first born.
Now go review! Thanks!
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