"How was your day, Julian?" Lex asked. It was suppertime and the two brothers were in the dining room. The table was long, so the two sat opposite of each other at the end closest to the door leading to the kitchen.

"It was good. I hung out with Chloe for a bit. Her dad had a heart attack last year."

"I heard about that. How's he doing?"

"Healing's slow. Would it be possible," Lex noticed Clark hesitating, "since he was a Luthor Corp employee, couldn't Luthor Corp pay his medical bills?"

"It's not that simple, Julian. Mr. Sullivan is no longer employed at Luthor Corp. Even if he was, full medical coverage is not something the company could do. It would open the company up to lawsuits from other employees, or ex-employees, who felt entitled to the same treatment."

"But it wasn't his fault he lost his job. You closed the plant." Clark heard what he said and looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. But why did you close it?"

Lex sighed and reached out for Clark's hand. "Because I still was still getting used to leading the main Luthor Corp office after Lionel died. Mr. Sullivan had been running the plant here, but after you got injured and Gabe had his heart attack, I wasn't able to find a suitable replacement and closing it was easier. That was a mistake on my part and many people have paid the price for it. I failed this town."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Clark tried to console him.

"Luthors are in positions of privilege." How many times had Lex heard Lionel say those words? "Our mistakes impact more people. And they are people. Humans of flesh and blood, not pawns or rooks or bishops. People with families. Who they eat dinner with every night."

"Probably at smaller tables, though."

"Are you saying you don't like this room?"

"I don't mind the room. It's just a really big table for two people."

Lex found himself nodding in agreement. The table could easily fit two dozen people. Even with his mother, sitting around this table always made him feel lonely. It was a reminder of how few people loved him in his life. "We should get rid of it. Replace it with something smaller.

"But back to paying for Mr. Sullivan's medical bills. As I said, Luthor Corp can't do it. However, if there is a certain neutral third party who happens to be in this room and decides to use part of his trust fund playing the good Samaritan, well, I think that would be permissible."

"Really?" Lex smiled at the huge grin on Clark's face.

"Of course. I'll have Marci help you with it tomorrow."

"What's a trust fund?"

"It's what rich fathers leave their sons. Actually, that brings up some things I want to discuss with you. I know it's too late to get you enrolled in school, so I'll be hiring some tutors to test you, see where you're at and what you need to catch up on for next year. Can't have you falling behind. I'll be sure to hire someone who can give you a few lessons in economics. I heard about your little spree at the Beanery."

"Oh." Clark winced. "I'm sorry. Did I spend too much?"

"You did nothing wrong. Believe me, when I was your age, I was spending much more on shall we say less noble things than other people's coffee orders and hospital bills. But I think it won't hurt to have someone create a budget with you." Clark was so used to his family worrying over every nickel and dime, having access to unlimited funds must be a shock. Even though Lex was intent on giving Clark his heart's desire, he still wanted his new brother to be financially savvy. Giving him free reign of money without any guidance could be problematic. "You know, I think I'll assign myself that job. It'll give us something to do together besides family meals. How does that sound?"

"Sure."

"I also want to bring up the idea of you joining me in Metropolis." Lex could see Clark blanche at the idea. "It would just be for a week, and it doesn't have to be right away. Just so I can go into the office and let people see my face; have a few meetings I've been putting off. But this way, you could see the penthouse. It just got finished. We can go to operas. Museums. There's a planetarium in the city. We'll have fun."

"Can't I stay here?"

"I want you with me."

"Well," Clark looked around before leaning closer to Lex, "won't there be more people around in the city? I'm finding it hard as it to get in some exercise. I have to drive everywhere. It's so slow. There's security cameras in the yard. It's hard to find an open field where no one's around where I won't damage anything."

"I promise I thought of that. It's part of a surprise for you at the penthouse. In the meantime, if you're so desperate for exercise," Lex got up from the table, "follow me."

Lex led Clark to the study. From one of the cabinets Lex brought out two fencing suits and two foils. He drilled Clark for the next two hours over some basic moves. There was a small sense of pride at how well Clark seemed to catch up on.

"What'd you think?"

"It's different," Clark took off the fencing helmet. "I don't know, but in football, it's all about…"

"Force?"

"Yeah. Needing to go as fast as you can. Throw it as hard as you can. This is…slower, but still a workout."

"Fencing is about control. Control over your body and focusing power at a precise point. I think you might benefit greatly from something like this. I can hire you a fencing tutor if you're interested."

"Sure."

Lex relished in Clark's smile as his cellphone buzzed. "I got to take this. Be back in a minute." He stepped outside the side door and was about to accept the call when he heard Clark talking with someone. His caller was from Marci, and he declined it, peering through the crack in the door. Clark was talking to Jeff.

"I come in peace," Jeff joked, pointing to the sword.

"Lex gave me a lesson."

"Is he still here?"

"He's on the phone. What's up?"

"I just overheard Dominic this morning talking about how he thinks you're a different person. Just thought you'd want to know since you seem to still be investigating your accident."

Lex clenched his fists and felt his teeth grind. So, Clark hadn't fully accepted he was Julian after all. He knew Clark wasn't comfortable yet in his new surroundings, but he had hoped Clark stopped searching for answers. Lex took in controlled breaths. He had expected this.

Lex had planned for this.

"I'll talk with him. I don't know when that could be. Dominic has the evening off and I'm going to the jail tomorrow; talk with Kyle."

"Thought you'd do it right away. You seem so eager to be Clark Kent again."

"Well, it's not like either of us are going anywhere. But, thanks, Jeff. I really appreciate it."

Lex listened a few minutes more, to ensure the conversation had turned to trivial matters of school and the town. He redialed his phone as he thought of ways to ensure Dominic stayed away from Clark until he knew exactly how to proceed.

No, not Clark. Lex reminded himself. Julian.