Chloe entered the Luthor mansion, with Lana behind her. "Lana, I appreciate you coming with me," she said, "I really didn't want to come here alone."
"I'm not sure I want to be here," Lana said.
"Why are mansions always so dimly lit?" Chloe said.
"Where do you suppose everybody is?" Lana said.
"I don't know," Chloe said, "Maybe we should go."
"No, I'm sure it'll be fine," Lana said.
"Then why do I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach," Chloe said.
"Hey, you made it," Clark suddenly said, from behind them, causing both girls to jump.
"Clark, don't do that," Chloe said.
"Sorry," Clark laughed, "I didn't mean to scare you. Lana, I didn't know you were coming."
"Chloe invited me," Lana said.
"Well, good the more the merrier," Lex said, entering the room, "It's nice to see you ladies."
"Thank you," Lana said.
"This is quite a place you have," Chloe said, "I've never been here before."
"Then you'll have to remind me to give you the tour," Lex said.
"Yeah, it should only take a couple of days," Clark said.
"Where's Pete?" Chloe said.
"He's in the dining room with Alexandra," Clark said.
"Oh, the little sister I haven't met yet," Lana said.
"I haven't met her either," Chloe said.
"Let's go in the dining room and introduce you," Lex said.
"Alex, I don't feel right about being here," Pete said, to her as he paced the Luthor dining room, "This place gives me the creeps. Clark says if I relax I might enjoy myself, but I don't know. I've got some sort of bad feeling. If my parents knew I was here they would have a fit. Your brother, thinks Lex is just trying to be nice, but we're talking about the Luthors…."
"Pete," Clark said, entering the room, "If I can hear, Lex might be able to as well. Maybe you could keep your voice down."
"It's alright, Clark," Lex said, coming back into the room, "I understand why Pete may feel uncomfortable. Of course there's no need. Perhaps tonight I can change your perception of me."
"Is that your sister?" Chloe said.
"It is," Clark smiled. Alexandra became frightened when she saw two people she didn't know. She grabbed Clark's arm and a glass vase fell to the ground from the table. "That's great," Lex sighed.
"Alex, it's okay," Clark whispered, bending down to her, "Don't do that. Lana and Chloe are my friends, you don't have to be afraid."
"Lex, I'm sorry, that looked like a lovely vase," Lana said.
"Yes, it was," Clark said.
"But how did it fall?" Chloe said.
"Here she is, you wanted to meet her," Clark said, with Alexandra still clinging to his arm. "She's really shy," Clark said.
"That's okay," Lana smiled at her, "I used to be really shy too. I'm Lana, I am really happy to meet you and Clark did not tell me how pretty you are."
"Hi," Chloe said to her.
"Alex, this is Chloe," Clark said.
"It is so nice to meet you," Chloe said, "I can finally put a face to the little sister Clark's always talking about." Looking at Clark, Chloe smiled and said, "Clark, she really is adorable."
"Did you hear that?" Clark said, to Alexandra, "Chloe thinks you're really something."
As they all sat around a large dining room table, Lana said, "Lex, it was really nice of you to invite us, like this."
"What's the occasion anyway?" Chloe said.
"There isn't a special reason," Lex said, "I just wanted to have a friendly dinner."
"This is delicious," Pete said, enjoying his food.
"Yeah," Clark agreed, "What do you call it?"
"It's meatloaf," Lex said.
"No," Pete said, "I've had meatloaf before. This is much better."
"I'm glad you like it," Lex said, "Although I'm not sure Alexandra feels the same way."
She was hardly touching her food. "Aren't you hungry?" Clark said to her.
"I don't think she's too fond of what she has on her plate," Lana said.
"I'll have the cook bring out something else," Lex said.
"No," Clark said, "She has to learn to eat what she's given." Bending over to Alexandra he said, "Please at least try."
A butler entered the room and passed around filled wine glasses. "Oh, I uh…" Pete started, "I don't think we should…"
"Don't worry," Lex said, "I'm sure it will be to your liking."
"It's not that I'm not grateful," Pete said, "I just…"
"Pete, I'm sure it will be okay," Clark said.
"Yeah, it's just one glass, right?" Chloe said.
"But.." Pete said.
"I think you should try it," Lex said.
"Clark, your sister even has one," Pete said.
Clark took a sip and then said, "Oh, Pete you have to try this."
"I can't," Pete said, "If I go home and my parents find out I had this, they will flip."
"What do your parents have against Gingerale?" Chloe said, after taking a sip.
"What?" Pete said.
"It's Gingerale Pete," Clark said.
"I wouldn't serve liquor to minors," Lex said.
"I would hope not," Lex's father said entering the room, "A dinner party and I wasn't invited?"
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Lex said, "I thought you were going to the convention in Metropolis."
"I went," Lionel said, "But now I'm back. I have more pressing things to attend to."
"What a shame you can't stay," Lex dryly said.
When Alexandra saw Lionel, she slipped out of her chair and stood as close as she could to Clark, grabbing his hand.
"What is it?" Clark said, "It's okay, it's only Lex's Dad."
"We've met," Lionel said.
"You have?" Clark said.
"Before she came to the farm, I had her here for a few days," Lex said.
"A few days?" Lionel said, "It was more like…"
"It was a few days," Lex said.
Lionel paused before he said, "Of course. I do believe she's grown since I last saw her." As he took a step towards her, she pressed herself closer to Clark, increasing her hold on his hand.
"Alex, it's alright," Clark said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Dad, perhaps it would be best if you leave," Lex said.
"You never told me you were going to have a birthday party," Lionel said, "I thought you were not in to celebrating."
"Lex it's your birthday?" Clark smiled, "Why didn't you say something?"
"Because it's not that big of a deal," Lex said.
"You never really did want to celebrate much when you were younger," Lionel said, "I recall a few parties, but they never lasted very long. Until the one year you invited this girl – that time you wanted to celebrate. If I recall correctly I found the two of you…"
"Thank you for the touching walk down memory lane," Lex said, "However, we are tying to enjoy our dinner."
"Lex, could I see you privately for a moment?" Lionel said.
Sighing, Lex stood up, "Excuse me, I won't be long." Following his father out, Lex said, "What is so pressing? I have guests."
Laughing, Lionel said, "Guests? Lex, what you have is a room full of high school students."
"Do you always have to classify people?" Lex said, "They happen to be my friends."
"You have nothing in common with any of them," Lionel said, "If I had known you wanted to celebrate, I could have arranged something a little more…"
"More what?" Lex said.
"Grown-up," Lionel said.
"I have to get back in there," Lex said.
"If you would rather spend the evening with a bunch of teenagers," Lionel said, "I would have bought you a gift, but I see you got yourself one."
"Am I supposed to understand that?" Lex said.
"You understand," Lionel said, "What is she doing back here?"
"Alexandra, came with Clark and she is having dinner with us," Lex said.
"Lex this is not good," Lionel said, "You got rid of that girl, and now you're continuing to have a relationship with her?"
"I don't ever want to hear you talk like that about her again," Lex said, "She's important to me."
"That's just my point," Lionel said, "She belongs to another family, she shouldn't be important to you. You shouldn't be having anything to do with her. No good can come from this. I gave you a viable option of what you could do for her, but you decided to give her to the Kents. Why you did that I'll never understand."
"You want to know why I did that?" Lex said, "To keep her away from you."
"Are you implying that I would hurt her," Lionel said.
"You already have," Lex said.
"I have never laid a finger on any child, especially not that girl," Lionel said.
"There are other ways to hurt people," Lex said, "You know very well what she saw and how she hasn't spoken a word since."
"I think you're forgetting what she did to me," Lionel said.
"Dad, that was an accident and you know it was," Lex said.
"There are no accidents Lex," Lionel said.
"I know you never cared much for her," Lex said, "That doesn't mean I can't."
"Son, you have to stop this," Lionel said, "Leave well enough alone. It's not good for you."
"I'll decide what's best for me," Lex said, "Now excuse me I need to get back to my dinner guests."
As Lex walked away, Lionel said, to himself, "I know you'll decide what's best for you, but perhaps I should be the one who decides what's best for this family. All of us."