Chapter 48 - Family

Lex was up late into the night, carrying a long-forgotten half-full shot glass. He knew he should go to bed, that they had limited time and he needed to be rested, as his father was regaining memories by the day—he remembered Julian now, although not what had happened to him—and it would be only a matter of days before they could expect their work to be sabotaged, especially if his father ever found out about the meteor rock research.

But Lex had other things on his mind. He didn't know where to start in looking for his half-brother—Lucas, Rachel had said. He supposed he could always ask his father, but his father had forbidden Rachel from having any contact with the boy long before where his memories left off. Lex doubted his father would be helpful.

It was around midnight when Pamela wandered into a study in her nightgown. "Still up?"

He smiled up at her. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"I could hear you pacing. What's on your mind?"

"I have a brother."

Pamela frowned. "You didn't know?"

Lex looked up at her. "You did?"

She sighed. "I need to stop assuming that your father tells you things."

"What don't I know?" He took a step closer to her.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Your father . . . well, he didn't remain faithful to your mother after she got sick."

"She became sick when I was 3 years old."

"I can't even imagine how many siblings you must have out there."

Lex blinked. "You think there are more?"

"I know you have a sister."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I'm her mother."

Dread and disgust pooled in the pit of Lex's stomach. "You . . . and my father . . ."

"It wasn't exactly my choice, but yes."

"How could you—" Lex turned away from her, setting the shot glass down on his desk. "You never thought to mention that?"

"Like I said, I assumed you knew."

"I'm growing tired of that excuse."

"So am I. But it's the truth."

Lex grimaced. "What now, then? Do I seek them out? Lucas, and . . ."

"Lutessa."

"I don't know how to even begin trying to find them."

"Maybe you shouldn't. You'd be dragging them into the Luthor world. Right now, they've managed to avoid all of that."

"They're my siblings. How could I abandon them?"

"You want to protect them."

"Of course."

"Bringing them into your life at this time is no way to do that. Someday, when things with your father have settled down, maybe you can have a relationship with them. For right now . . ."

"Okay." Lex turned back to Pamela. "Okay."

"You won't be able to get your mind off it, will you?" she asked.

"That obvious?"

"I know you." She gently took his arm. "Why don't you set up another family dinner? They seem to calm you down, let you focus."

"Not if Mr. Kent comes."

"I doubt he will."

Lex nodded. "You're right." He hesitated, then kissed Pamela on the cheek. "Thanks."

She beamed.

After Clark had talked to his parents about his encounter with Rachel Dunleavy, and received warning from his father to stay away from her, he asked if he could talk to his father alone.

The two of them went out to the barn to talk. When Clark was a kid, his dad sometimes used to take him out here to lecture him after he had messed up. It was uncomfortable to be back here for another serious conversation, especially since the roles were going to be a bit reversed.

"I wanted to talk to you about the last couple of family dinners," Clark said.

His father sighed. " Look, son, I know I've been avoiding them—"

"Yes, you have. You said that you would try to get along with him, but you haven't even tried."

"I know Lex is trying to be a good friend to you. it's just . . ."

"His father."

His dad frowned. " You know his reputation as well as anyone else."

Clark shook his head. " Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because . . . it just seems like . . . there's something personal there."

His dad rubbed the back of his neck and went to sit down on a hay bale, patting the spot beside himself. "Lionel and I have met before."

"Really?" Clark sat down beside his father.

"The day of the meteor shower. We had just found you beside your spaceship, and he ran up to your mother and I, saying his son was injured."

"Lex?"

"Yes. He had been knocked out, and Lionel was in a panic. He needed us to help him get Lex to a hospital."

"So you did?"

"Of course. We all drove there together, and he insisted that he wanted to pay us back."

"But you didn't let him."

"We were never going to. But then there was you."

"Me?"

"We found you in a field. There's not exactly a standard adoption procedure for those kinds of circumstances, son. We needed help from someone with more power within the system than we had."

"So, you saved Lex's life, and Mr. Luthor helped you adopt me."

"Yes. But that wasn't the end of it."

Clark looked up at his father.

"Lionel . . . wasn't the type who could stand to have been seen helpless. He used your adoption papers against us. Came to us asking for help getting his foothold in the community, asked me to put in a good word for him with the Rosses."

"Pete's family?"

"There's a reason Pete has a problem with them as well."

Clark shook his head. "I had no idea."

"I should have told you, but I'm still ashamed of that day. It's my fault they came to this town, my fault the Rosses were ruined, and my fault that Lex was here to find out your secret."

Clark let his breath out as the story sank in, but then he looked up at his father again. "What does this have to do with the family dinners?"

"Now you understand my suspicions."

"But . . ." Clark shifted his weight, and finally stood. "That's why you're still upset with Lex's dad, right?"

"It's why I don't trust the Luthors."

"That's why you don't trust Lionel."

His father frowned.

As much as he tried to deny it, Clark could feel anger stirring in his veins. "Seriously? This is why you've been treating Lex like this?"

"Do you really not think that's enough for me to be suspicious?"

"Suspicious is one thing. You've been horrible to him. You tried to hit him when I told you that he was my best friend."

"That was wrong. I'm sorry about that, and I've already apologized to him for it."

"I still don't understand, why can't you come to dinner with us?"

"Because you're right, son. He is trying to be someone else. And I'm not helping."

That still made no sense to Clark.

His father stood and took a step closer. "When I look at him, I see his father. I don't know how to stop that. But I know that if I try to spend time with him, I'm only going to hurt him, and that's going to hurt you. I'm only going to make it harder for him to break away from what everyone in this town expects him to be."

Clark knew he would get in trouble if you said what was on his mind, but right now, he didn't care. "Dad, that's a load of crap."

"Clark!"

"You see him as his father because you choose to. You haven't even tried to see anything else. If you even tried to give him a chance, you'd see that he's nothing like his father. He's done all these great things for this town, and he's saved my life."

"Son—"

"You know, everyone in this town sees you as this friendly, open-minded role model. You taught me to see the best in people, and not to look at the past, and everyone thinks that's what you do. But you're a hypocrite."

His father didn't say anything. Clark knew he was only digging his own grave deeper and deeper, but now that he had started, he didn't seem to be able to stop.

"Want to know how many times Lex has said bad things about you to me?"

"I'm sure he's—"

"None. Even after you say bad things about him. He sometimes asks how you and Mom are doing, though, and if there's any way he can help with the farm, but I always have to tell him not to offer help, because I know you'll just insult him, and reject him, and hurt him . . ."

"Okay."

Clark stopped short and gritted his teeth. He had definitely gone too far.

His father drew himself up to his full height, in a way that made Clark feel six inches tall, even though he was actually taller than his father. "That's enough, son. You've made your point. But I'm still your father, and I won't have you speaking to me that way."

Clark wanted to say oh, someone has to, but he knew he had already gone miles too far. "Dad—"

"I hear you, son. Give me some time to think about it. You've clearly had lots of time to think."

Clark didn't know about that, but he wasn't sure whether it had been not enough time or too little.

His father looked away, and he left the barn.