It was cold.
It was so damn cold. She had forgotten how cold it gets in Midvale this time of year. She had just stepped out from the warmth of her car; slams the door and grabs her luggage from the back. Lena Luthor watches her breath come out in an icy fog, as she rubs her hands together and blows on them to get some semblance of warmth back to her fingertips. She hasn't been in this place in what feels like forever. The Manor looks imposing, set in the backdrop of slowly falling snow and the dark blue of night. It makes her feel small. As if she was 4-years old again and a tall man she'd only known for 3 hours is flying her and taking her to his home.
She feels small.
If only her fans can see her now. She thinks for a brief moment. She takes one last glance at the façade of the house, before taking a deep breath. She lets it all out in one exhale, shakes her hands, straightens her shoulders and grabs her luggage.
She takes a step.
The moment she pushes the heavy, wooden double-doors open, a giant tree filled with the most elegant golden baubles she has ever seen greets her with matching tinsel and amber lights wrapped around it. Lillian Luthor can never do simple could she? She's not surprised, really. Every year it has been like this. A huge tree sat in the middle, as if the piece-de-resistance in every one of the Luthor Gala's that Lillian had orchestrated down to a perfection; one that she had to attend every fucking year. And this year, it seems, is no different.
Lena stops there for a moment. She should be feeling something, right? She hasn't been in this house-for what? Almost a decade now? She should be feeling something. Isn't that how every fucking Christmas movie go? The workaholic comes into their hometown for the first time in years and feels home. But she doesn't feel that. No. All she feels is how goddamn empty the Manor feels.
She sighs.
The rest of the Manor was dim. Granted, she did come at 10 pm at night. What was she hoping to see? A welcome home banner? A greeting from her mother maybe?
Yeah, right.
She perks up though when she hears shuffling and a muffled voice coming from the left wing. The voice is a familiar one and she can't help the smile on her face as she follows the sound. Feet dragging softly through the carpet and luggage behind her, she makes for her father's old study.
"No, no. I specifically said to deliver the contract a day after Christmas. Not before. Jesus Christ. Who the fuck works on Christmas Eve?! Luthorcorp would be empty on the 24th! You know what? You know what? Fine, I don't give a shit, when you get it to me. Just make sure it gets to me. You have a Merry fucking Christmas too."
Lena suppresses a snort at her brother's theatrics. Lex has always been the dramatic one in the family. Which is ironic, since you're the one we see on the silver screen every goddamn month.
"Dear brother, I work on Christmas Eve, so what does that say about me?"
She watches Lex jump at her sudden intrusion. She sees his face slowly morph from surprise to joy as her brother finally realizes who dared speak to him while he's in the middle of a business call.
"You scared the shit out of me. What the fuck? What are you doing here?" Lex asks a mixture of disbelief and glee as he puts his phone down and shuffles around the mahogany desk, "You didn't tell me you were coming home. Come here," Lex continues as he opens his arms to take his little sister in.
Lena lets out a soft laugh and willingly steps into her brother's embrace. It makes her feel small. In a good way, small as if she was 4 years-old again and a young man she's only known for 3 hours offers her to play chess and tells her everything is going to be fine, because she's got a brother now.
She feels...something.
And for a moment all's right with the world.
"Did you see the look on her face when you showed up for breakfast this morning?" Lex turns to her, she grins and replies, "Goodness, yes. It was priceless."
"Only you, Lena Luthor, could pull that kind of shit off," Lex voices with pride.
See, since Lena had arrived late into the night, they've decided not to wake Lillian and inform her of her daughter's arrival. Instead, both of them had stayed up well past midnight, catching up and trading stories.
So, imagine her mother's surprise when one Lena Luthor shows up at breakfast.
"Lex, do we have company today? Why is there a third pla-" Lena didn't even let her finish her sentence before barging into the dining room.
Well, look at that, maybe it isn't just Lex who's dramatic in the family.
"Lena?" Her mother stares at her as if she's grown two heads. Lex suppresses his snickers beside her and fails spectacularly at it.
"Good morning, mother. Thought it might be a good idea to drop in for the holidays, don't you think?"
And that was how breakfast went that morning.
"I'm surprised nobody here has flocked our gates, I mean it isn't everyday that an Academy-Award Nominee is in their midst."
Lena rolls her eyes. She doesn't really like the reminder. She's sure that her phone is blowing up with notifications from her manager right now.
And Sam.
She hasn't told Sam that she was planning to get away from the circus that was Metropolis and fleeing to Midvale.
Sam knows she's a big girl, and that if she really was in trouble Sam knows that Lena would call her without a second's hesitation. Still, she can;t fight off the guilty feeling that she left her friend in the dark. Who could blame her though? After that scandal with Roulette...
God, no. I am not thinking about this, while I am in Midvale. Managers and career be damned. I fucking deserve this break.
"Oh, stop it, would you? I came here for a break Lex."
"And here I thought you came here for me."
"Why would I even come back for you? You're the reason I even left, in the first place."
They both know it's a lie. Lex had been her only reason to stay in Midvale actually. Well him and...
I wonder...is she still here?
And suddenly, Lex's voice is a million miles away and Lena is plunged to picture after picture of blonde hair, blue eyes, bleachers and-
"-this Wednesday!" She only manages to hear the last two words. Lex looks at her in annoyance, "Were you even listening?"
She shakes herself out of the memory and fights the urge to ask Lex about her.
She tries to tune back in to the conversation, "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"
"I said you should be ready for this Wednesday."
"And what's this Wednesday?"
"Your party of course!"
"No. Lex. No. Lex, absolutely not. I came here to get away, not to attract a crowd. I am not going to be part of whatever Gatsby impression you're trying to make."
"Oh come on! If you want to let loose then what other way to do it than with a party?"
"We have two different definitions of 'let loose', Lex."
"Would you agree if I made it, 'intimate acquaintances' only?"
"Lex, I have not been here ever since high school graduation, I do not have intimate acquaintances here."
"Oh come on, you were close with the Danvers right? Well, newsflash Mom and I still collaborate with Dr. Danvers now and then," Lex pauses and then as if something dawns on him "—and do you know Alex also got a Biochem degree now? So I work with her too."
She suddenly becomes torn between the urge to make Lex shut the fuck up or scream at him to tell her details about the only Danvers she cares about.
"Lex, no. Drop it. I do not want a party. And besides we already have the Luthor Gala on the 24th."
Lex visibly slumps at that. He was the only good thing during those galas, to be honest. Lex sits on the edge of her bed letting out a sigh.
"We both know that the Luthor Gala is no fun," Lex states and yes, she does know. I know all too well, she thinks bitterly.
"So please, please just let me throw you a party? Promise no paparazzi, no cameras, no fans. I will monitor the perimeters myself if I have to,"
Lex swears and really, Lena should've known that she would never win against Lex.
"Fine."
Lex lets out an enthusiastic whoop, rushes to plaster a sloppy kiss on her cheek before bounding out of her bedroom with an, "I promise you'll have fun!"
And just like that, Lena was all alone in her four-poster bed. Pretentious. The word enters her mind, as she melts into the mattress. Yes, everything in here was pretentious.
Like the latest model of iPhone currently mocking her from her vanity.
The phone that she knows once she opens would be bursting with a thousand notifications, she wants nothing to do with.
She should probably call Sam now. She's put it off long enough.
"Well glad to know you're fucking alive."
-Is what greets her.
"You kiss your daughter with that mouth?"
"Oh, no no. You don't get to lecture me about language when you disappear off to fuck knows where and you leave me to fend for the sharks alone. Location. Now, Lena."
"Midvale."
"Jesus Christ."
"His birthday's coming up, did you know?"
"Mercy is..." Sam pauses and then,"-you know I've only realized how ironic her name is, because right now, she is so fucking merciless I wanna kill myself just saying her name—anyway, Mercy has been harassing me." Sam rambles, "Please grow up, be a professional and tell your manager where you are."
"Uhm how about? No." Lena lilts, "Sam, look I'm so sorry that she's been harassing you, but could you just do me this one favor. I just need at least three days," she bargains and she hears Sam sigh on the other line.
"Just three days without this whole shitshow looping on my mind and I promise I'll tell Mercy Graves myself."
"I hate that I love you."
Lena sighs a breath of relief.
"Fine. But you better keep me posted," Sam grumbles at her.
"I love you too. And you know I will."
"Whatever, Luthor. Where the fuck are you even staying anyway?"
Sam is probably imagining her in some fancy hotel right now.
"I'm staying at my parent's house."
"Oh well, that's always fun." Sam drips with sarcasm and Lena could perfectly see in her mind how Sam would look at her right now. Sam knows Lillian. And well, anybody who knows Lillian would be making the same face as well.
"Lex is already dragging me to a party."
Sam snorts.
"I'm still surprised you get along, you know. You've been there for what? Less than 24 hours and—"
"And he's dragging me to a party, yes."
"I suggest you get out of there now."
"And where pray tell would I go? Midvale's the only thing the press hasn't touched. You know that."
Yes, Sam does know that. But Sam does not know why Midvale had always been left untouched. With Lena always dodging questions about her hometown in every goddamn interview, or how Lena's made sure the internet and her ravenous fans doesn't get that piece of information as well. That last trick, she needed the best of her brother's tech team to make sure it was done right.
So yes, Sam knows. Midvale is left untouched.
Because of her.
"I do. You know I care about you, right? And I know it's a shitty situation this past few weeks." Shitty is an understatement and they both know it.
"But you're Lena Luthor and I support you dramatically running away, but do know that I just.." Sam pauses and her voice turns soft "—want you happy, Lena."
"I will be, Sam."
"I know you, Lena. No boxes okay?"
"No boxes, I promise."
God, she sure regrets telling Sam that. She's never really been one for healthy coping mechanisms.
"Good. Now, I have to head into the studio and face Mercy's wrath. Wish me luck. Stay safe. I love you."
"Love you too and Sam, thank you again for covering for me."
"I better get the best fucking Christmas gift for this." Sam jests and the she turns serious, "Oh, and Lena careful, I know who's in Midvale, remember?
Sam says before she hangs up.
Well, fuck.