Chapter Eleven

Clark sat on the sofa in the study. Normally he would go up to his loft and hide there or gaze up at the stars to sort his thoughts out. But he had no loft and strangely the study was the only place in the mansion he felt comfortable in. This was always the room where he met with Lex when he came over. But if he lived here all the time, how could that be? Wouldn't he feel more comfortable in his room? That space felt weird and unfamiliar.

But he had found proof that Lex was telling the truth.

When Jeff had mentioned 'walking through walls', Clark remembered there had been a small gang of thieves who had been able to do that using kryptonite tattoos. They had tried robbing the Smallville Savings and Loans but tripped an alarm inside the vault. The ink they were using was getting weaker, so during their escape, one of the thief's arms had remained inside the wall as he phased out. Clark had only been able to see it because of his Xray vision. There had been no reason to tell the cops, Lex, or anyone about what he found. Not to mention it would have raised too many questions if he had tried.

Today, though, when he scanned the building, the arm was gone. That meant there had been no meteorites lying around town for the robbers to turn into ink, which meant Luthor Corp had collected them all, which only would have happened if Lionel found him in the cornfield.

And adopted him as Julian Luthor.

"Hey," Lex said coming in and taking a seat opposite of him.

"Hi."

"How was your day?"

Clark tried to speak a few times before he was able to form a sentence. "I found it. The one thing you couldn't know about. It wasn't there so what you're saying must be true."

"So, you believe you're Julian? You believe you're my brother?"

"I guess." Clark started to feel tears forming again. Then he broke down. All his efforts to fight, to search out for a hidden enemy were at an end. He discovered the truth, and he was Julian Luthor, not Clark Kent of Smallville. He just knew that the love he had for his parents, the Kents, was real and they had not wanted him. He had no memories of his true adopted Father or Mother. Or any memories of his actual life.

"Please don't cry. It breaks my heart to see you cry." Lex switched sofas and pulled his younger brother in for a hug. "Tell me what to do to make it better."

"I want to go home."

Lex rubbed Clark's shoulder as his head rested against his chest. "Describe home."

The young Luthor paused. If Clark Kent had been asked that question, he would answer with "the farm", but the answer was deeper than just that. Home was where Clark Kent went to feel safe and loved. "I want my mom and dad."

"Go on."

"Home was where I knew I'd always be accepted. It was full of love. The people I cared for lived there." The boy smiled at a memory. "If ever I was feeling down, mom would make cookies."

"That I can do." Lex said triumphantly.

"What?"

"Julian, I will bake you a fresh batch of cookies. Come on."

Lex baking? The thought alone got the young man to dry his eyes and stop sniffling. "Are you serious?"

"Julian, I will do anything for you."

The two brothers went into the mansion's kitchen. He couldn't help himself comparing this kitchen to the Kent's. The farmhouse kitchen was full of natural light and warmth from the windows. Here, there were no windows, and everything was sterilized and stainless steel making it feel cold and empty.

"Have you even made cookies before?" He sat down on a stool in front of the kitchen island.

"Nope. Aha!" Lex had discovered an apron and chef hat. "But baking is just a form of chemistry. How hard can it be?"

Lex soon had his little brother in stitches. Lex adopted a thick French accent as he narrated his every movement, from gathering the bowls and spatulas to turning on the oven. Lex appeared competent in the kitchen and his only real mishap was when an egg fell on the floor.

The other incident came at the end when they had to add the chocolate chips. Lex didn't know where they were, and the alien assisted by using his vision.

"There's a candy cupboard."

Closer inspection showed no chocolate chips.

"How can we be this rich and not have chocolate chips? Well, why don't we add," Lex quickly rummaged through the cupboard, "gummy bears?"

"Licorice?" The two shared a mischievous grin. They raided the candy cupboard and pieces of gummy bears, licorice and various candy bars were dumped into the batter. As the cookies were put in the oven, the alien quickly cleaned the kitchen.

"Only fair. You baked." he said as Lex started to rinse off the dishes. "So, did our mom ever make us cookies?"

"If you mean actually mixing the batter, then no. Our mom showed her love through photography." Lex continued as he noticed his young sibling staring. "She would watch us play and take pictures of us. I never understood as a kid but looking back on them I'm able to see what she saw. She was supposed to study photography at a school; she never applied because she was helping Lionel with his business."

"I wish I remembered her."

"Maybe one day it'll all come back. In the meantime, we'll make some new memories."

The timer went off and Lex pulled out the first baking tray of their creation. The gummies had melted leaving small pools of blackened colored spots in the cookies and on the pan. They took a bite at the same time. Julian kept munching but Lex had to force himself to swallow.

"They're not that bad."

"Too sweet." Lex grimaced. "Also, I think I just got licorice."

"Get one with the gummy bears. It's different."

"I don't think the world is ready for this recipe just yet."

"Hey, will I have to wear a suit at the opera tomorrow?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Julian. You'll have to wear a tux."