Just as a refresher:

Title: The Impossible Journey

Spoilers: Up to season 7 "Persona". About part way through that episode I'm going to veer away from canon and then the world is my oyster! (In case you need a season 7 refresher, check here - Season 7 Episode Summaries: - http : / smallville. wikia. com/ wiki/ Season_7 (remove spaces))

Story contains: Angst, adult themes, pregnancy, talk of abortion, and some dark themes.

Disclaimer: Smallville and all its characters are owned by people who are not me. No profit is made and no infringement is intended.

Chapter One

Lionel walked into the study in his son's Smallville home. He'd been surprised when Lex had called, asking to meet with him, but he'd cleared his schedule and come immediately, intent on continuing the tentative truce that had begun during the illness that ultimately led to Julian's death.

Although the man he'd seen as his son despite his origins had rejected his "brother", Lex had done everything possible, used every resource at his disposal to try to save him. It had meant more to Lionel than he would have thought, both for the aid that had been rendered and because it showed him a side of his eldest son that he was afraid no longer existed; a side that he'd thought destroyed by his pathetic attempts at fatherhood.

And that small glimmer of hope had spurred Lionel to do what he'd never done before when it came to his son – change.

More and more, recently, he had been helping Clark, hoping to find some sliver of redemption, to atone in some small part for the things he had done in his life. But none of those things had been worse than what he'd done to his family…to his son.

So he'd scaled back the time spent with the Kents and, more than that, he'd stopped taunting Lex with comparisons between him and his former friend. He'd been doing all that he could to make himself a part of Clark's life for various reason, but rediscovering what he had thought was lost to him had convinced him that any amends he had to make were to his own flesh and blood.

Seeing his son sitting on the large, leather couch, drink in hand as he studied a file of some sort, Lionel crossed the room to join him. Taking a seat opposite, he was surprised to see a glass of what he assumed to be whiskey, on the table next to his chair.

"The red carpet treatment," Lionel commented. "Ah, to be grateful or concerned?"

Lex looked up from the folder on his lap and the small smile on his lips was ambiguous at best, leaving Lionel further in the dark as to the reason behind their meeting.

"I guess that depends on how you take the news," Lex told him, setting his drink aside.

"And what news would that be?"

"Chloe Sullivan is pregnant."

While the information was a surprise given the woman in question's dedication to building her career, Lionel could only think of two reasons why Lex would request his presence to deliver such news.

"Should I be congratulating you, or is this an accusation," he asked.

He watched as Lex pulled a paper from the file he'd been reading and slid it across the table. Picking it up, he was hit with a wave of shock far greater than the revelation of Chloe's pregnancy had initially caused. For there, in full color, was a picture of the young blond partially clothed, in what was clearly a moment of passion with his son, Julian, in the man's office at the Daily Planet.

He looked up in shock, his voice urgent as he asked, "Are you saying–"

"It's Julian's," he confirmed.

"How can you be sure," Lionel asked, surprised at how desperately he wanted it to be true.

"A minimal amount of investigation revealed that Chloe had broken up with the young photographer she'd been seeing approximately six weeks before that incident, and there's no evidence of any meaningful communication between them" he explained as he laid out the evidence to his father. "She was also reportedly overheard telling her cousin that the baby was not Mr. Olsen's."

"Leaving aside the fact that Chloe has never struck me as a random fling type of woman," Lionel countered, "there is the fact that Julian was in a relationship with her cousin at the time. I think we both know that if there's one word that she embodies it's loyalty. She's far too intelligent to make the same mistake she made with me ever again."

"True," Lex acknowledged. "However, I have reason to believe that they were under the influence of something as yet unknown, as neither of them seemed fond of the other, this was their only interaction outside of work, and their odd behavior ended soon after the incident which they apparently never addressed again, seemingly by mutual and most likely silent agreement."

"So," Lionel asked. "What are you planning to do?"

And he knew, without doubt, that Lex was planning something. His son had wanted a family so badly and for so long, that to not only be offered one by a bizarre twist of fate, but to have a piece of his beloved brother? He knew that Lex would never be able to let it go. The proof of that could be clearly seen in the lengths that he went to give Julian back the life that had been taken from him.

"I'm planning to ensure that Julian's child is raised as he should be – as a Luthor."

And Lionel could see that it was that simple to him. Not that he believed that Lex didn't understand the complexities of such an undertaking; but his resolve had been set and so he would accept no other outcome.

A part of him wanted to ask if Lex planned to take the child away from Chloe, since there was little doubt as to her resistance to any unnecessary involvement with his family. But Lionel had learned his lesson about jumping to conclusions after the accusations he had made to Lex about his kidnapping, which had created an almost permanent chasm between them.

"And how do you plan to convince Chloe to go along with that?"

Lex retrieved his glass, looking into the deep amber depths. He knew that this was the moment that would decide things between him and his father, once and for all. There was no force on Earth that would cause him to change his course of action, and those standing against him would become his enemy.

The only exception to that would be Chloe. Her ferocious protectiveness of everyone she cared for was one of the many reasons that he found himself quite satisfied that it was she who was carrying his brother's child. Although he would allow nothing to prevent the baby coming into the world as a Luthor, he not only expected Chloe to resist him, he would be extremely disappointed if she didn't.

While it was true that he loved his mother, he understood that she was ill equipped to handle the burden of motherhood in the Luthor family dynamic. She loved his brother enough to want to save him, but she wasn't strong enough to do so in a way that wasn't tragic and meaningless. Lex wanted more for Julian's child than the curse that seemed to be the current Luthor legacy, and that meant having a mother fierce enough to ensure that it escaped that fate by thriving in life instead of escaping in death.

His father's help would make things much easier but, in the end, it wasn't necessary. It was, however, essential to know what stand the man would take, and so he gave him the unvarnished truth.

"By not giving her another choice."

Seeing neither surprise nor condemnation of his father's face, he continued. "Chloe has made no move to obtain an abortion and, according to her credit card records, has bought a number of books concerning pregnancy. The most likely conclusion being that she's planning to keep the baby; a fact that certainly simplifies things."

And Lionel knew exactly what his son meant. The wound of Julian's loss had been violently torn open, and he had little doubt that Lex was capable of almost anything to ease the pain. He also knew that Chloe would respond very poorly to brute force. Whatever manipulations Lex had planned we're going to be hard enough to manage against such a worthy opponent without adding to her rage with some type of confinement, no matter how temporary it might be.

"Besides," Lex said, "once Chloe is informed of the unique circumstances surrounding Julian, I won't need to compel her to cooperate; she'll voluntarily place herself in my hands."

"You don't think that will only increase her determination to stay away," Lionel questioned.

"I think that Chloe is smart enough to eventually realize that she's in a position in which, in order to see to the welfare of her child, she will need a great deal of information. Information that she won't be able to acquire from any other source. It will not only guarantee her cooperation, but also her silence."

"Yes," Lionel nodded as he began to see the elegant simplicity in his son's plan. "It would be impossible for her to reveal what she learns because her child would become a medical curiosity; always in danger of falling prey to any number of people and organizations who would hardly have its best interests at heart."

Pausing as a thought occurred to him, he asked, "But what's to stop her from exposing the entire project if something were to happen to the baby? A likely scenario given Julian's fate."

He saw Lex wince and was unhappy to have had to broach the subject, both because he didn't want to dwell on their recent loss, and because he was oddly reluctant to admit that this piece of Julian was most likely not to be long for this world, either.

"While there's no way to make any kind of definitive prediction, the scientists who have been developing the cloning technology believe that the instability that was experienced was due to the accelerated rate of growth that was necessary given the foreign environment needed for the genetic reconstruction. They believe that the combination of Chloe's non-manipulated DNA and the in utero development should stabilize any issues with Julian's DNA.

"Either way," he continued, "the potential benefit is worth the possible risk."

The unshakable belief in Lex's voice was reassuring, and Lionel couldn't help but let himself hope that his words proved true. But that still left one unanswered question.

"Don't misunderstand me, son," he began. "I'm very grateful that you've decided to share this with me, but I have to ask why."

Taking another drink, Lex let the silence hang. He wasn't rethinking his decision to share his plans with his father, but it was difficult to overcome the need to adhere to a policy of secrecy when it came to interactions with him. And even greater than that was the ingrained drive, cultivated by the very man before him, to never expose a vulnerability, the greatest of which were emotions.

However, he was embarking on an endeavor that was more important to him than anything he'd ever undertaken, and he needed to minimize any obstacles that he possibly could beforehand. And no matter how hard he tried to resist the pull, the idea that this chance to have a family could extend to more than just Julian's child was an opportunity he found he couldn't let go; especially given the current state of affairs in the Luthor family.

"I'm sure you're aware that, despite the difficulty of the circumstances, Julian's death seems to have led us to a crossroads. This may be our final chance to build any kind of relationship."

"But that's not all of it," Lionel prompted.

"No," Lex acknowledged. "The fact is that I won't let anything stand in my way in this matter. But it would certainly simplify things if we aren't working at cross purposes."

Lionel didn't say anything at first. He understood that Lex was extending an olive branch; a ceasing of the hostilities into which their relationship had dissolved. And though he wanted to immediately consent to the change, he knew that his son would think less of an instant agreement. The offer deserved to be given at least a minimal amount of consideration regardless of the fact that he knew what his decision would be.

Although he was still open to helping Clark when the situation called for it, he'd stopped giving the boy's problems the priority he had in the past. It was time to curtail his attempts to try to play father to another man's son, and focus his efforts where they had been sorely lacking for far too long; on his own.

Now he was being offered the opportunity to begin to repair what he had broken; a second chance to have the family he'd so foolishly thrown away. And, unlike the situation with the young Kryptonian, regaining his real family would require no major shift in his makeup, no radical change from the man he'd grown into. It was simply a refinement of all he'd ever believed. He would once again fight without mercy to protect his family, but now he understood how not to be their greatest foe.

In addition to that, Lionel didn't even have to try to rationalize the taking of a child from his mother. And while a part of him knew that it was very likely that he would have been able to do so, he found himself profoundly grateful that Lex had no intention of separating Chloe from her baby. Not only because it proved that Lex was not beyond reach, that he could still care for people outside of himself, but also because it was painfully clear that there needed to be a presence in the child's life to soften and protect them from the harsh, and sometimes cruel, realities that came with being a Luthor. While Lilian had tried to do that for Lex early on in his life, ultimately she had proven too weak to shield their son. Lionel had no doubt that the same would not prove true of Chloe Sullivan. If there was anyone who could hold their own with his family, it was her; a fact that she'd demonstrated again and again.

"Well you can rest assured, son," Lionel declared, "Our interests are very much the same in this matter."

Lex raised his glass in silent acknowledgement of their new accord. He was one step closer to his goal. But even as one obstacle was removed, he knew that the most difficult was still to come.

oooooooo

Chloe took a deep breath as she entered the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. Since the news had become public that the Daily Planet had been purchased by Lex Luthor, she knew that there was little chance that he would leave her completely at peace. So it had been no surprise when her editor had called and informed her that their new boss required her presence in his office.

A small frown crossed her face as she recalled the man's astonishment as he gave her the message. It was yet another sign of the decline in the quality of the paper that a person who worked in journalism wouldn't know why this particular owner would want to see this particular basement worker. Even though her immediate supervisor was relatively new to the Planet, the trial had been huge news in Metropolis and ten seconds of googling her name and "Luthor" would have laid the entire story out before him. Still, she supposed, the more that the matter faded from memory, the better things would be. It was simply the principle of it all that made the hardcore journalist in her bristle.

Of course, Lex requesting to meet with her certainly wasn't going to aid in putting that period of her life to rest. Not that she'd bring it up to him; she had no illusions where she and her erstwhile protector stood these days – on opposite sides of a line that she didn't think Lex even realized existed, much less was aware that he'd more than crossed it. She knew that it would be best for her, in the long run, to let Lex do whatever gloating he felt necessary as he taunted her with the power he now had over her career, and then simply do her job and keep her head down until he got tired of his newest toy.

A part of her cringed at that plan. She wasn't one to back away from confrontations with the Luthors, if for no other reason than, like any predator, they smelled fear and devoured the weak. But now she had something greater than herself to protect, more important than Clark to shield; she had a child to think of, and she was quickly learning that fact changed everything.

When she'd first learned she was pregnant, she hadn't been sure what she was going to do. Shocked and overwhelmed by the consequences of an interlude neither party had wanted or, ultimately, been responsible for, Chloe's first reaction had been a deluge of conflicting emotions.

It wasn't simply that she was carrying the child of a man that she pretty much hated; it was also the man with whom her cousin was in a serious, albeit secret, relationship. And though her own personal investigation into her one sexual encounter with Grant Gabriel had revealed a trail that led back to an exposure to red kryptonite, she still felt a smothering sense of betrayal that was magnified by the now tangible proof of that unintentional indiscretion.

That evening in the hospital, sitting there with Lois at her side, strong and comforting, one of her first thoughts had been ending the pregnancy. Chloe strongly believed in a woman's right to choose the best course of actions in these matters. And a young college student with an extremely low paying job having the child of a man who had been seeing her cousin before up and leaving town wasn't just a "not ideal" situation, it was a collision of bad timing and unfortunate circumstances that were doubled when one delved into the specifics of her life. After all, best friends with an alien, perpetually on the Luthor hit list, part time assistant to Oliver and his band of merry men were hardly the makings of an idyllic childhood.

And yet in the end, she'd decided that, for better or worse, she was going to keep her child. Looking at the facts objectively, she knew that it made little sense, but there were two things that overrode all else.

First was the situation with her own mother. Although she finally had all of the pieces to the puzzle of her mom's disappearance from her life when she was young, that knowledge didn't completely erase the feelings and beliefs that were shaped in the years that she spent desperately trying to make sense of the perceived desertion.

The first year that followed her mother's leaving, Chloe had believed that the problem was with her and that if she was good enough, tried harder, did better, then her mom would come back. But as that failed to yield results, her anger towards the woman who was supposed to love her above all else grew. And though a part of Chloe feared that she would be the same kind of mother, had already decided that motherhood might best be avoided, another part of her swore over and over that if she did have children, she'd love them without reservation from the very first.

And so, despite the fact that the timing was terrible and the circumstances worse, that promise, shaped by the crushing sadness of a lonely little girl, had roared to life at the news of her pending parenthood and left her awash with emotions she'd never felt before for another person, and forged the beginnings of a bond that she wasn't sure she could sever. Nor was she entirely certain that she wanted to.

Added to that was the very real possibility that she actually didn't have a choice. Not because she believed that ending her pregnancy would be wrong, but because she wasn't sure that it was possible.

The meteor power that Tobias had sensed in her had turned out to be far better and far worse than she'd imagined. The fact that it was an ability that did no harm to anyone other than herself was something that she gave thanks for daily. But to have the power to cheat death was a responsibility that she found overwhelming and felt unworthy to wield. It was a constant source of confusion and, in the absence of any real understanding of the long term effects of kryptonite infection, unrelenting fear. It created a shadow of the unknown that fell over every facet of her life, and this new one proved no exception; for even if Chloe had chosen to opt for an abortion, she was no longer sure that her body would allow the procedure to be successfully completed.

Although she'd be eternally grateful that her ability had manifested in time to save Lois, her use of it had been completely unintentional. Because of that, she had to face the reality that she might not have control over it in situations where her emotions were involved. And her pregnancy, however unplanned, certainly qualified. Even if she decided that it would be the most reasonable course of action, that logic could be easily overridden by the feeling of connectedness that was growing every day.

Both continuing the pregnancy and the termination of it seemed like dangerous choices as far as the risk of exposure was concerned. But the idea of being on a table, in the middle of a procedure, while a bright light began to pour from between her legs due to the activation of her meteor power seemed far more likely to gain attention as opposed to some irregularity in blood tests during a prenatal exam.

Chloe also knew that she had that she had a good chance of finding a doctor who could deal with her meteor infection, hopefully without knowing all of the specifics, thanks to Oliver's willingness to help people like Tobias and her mother. Although a part of her felt that disclosing the particulars of her ability might be beneficial, a larger part of her acknowledged that the longer she could make it appear that no specific power had developed, the longer that both she and her child would be safe from Lex and his scientists.

To that end, she had arranged to meet with Oliver the following day. Intellectually, she knew that he would understand, would never judge her, but her own internalized fear and shame that she just couldn't conquer made her dread the coming meeting far more than she knew that she should.

Of course, her concerns about seeing Oliver had faded into the background as soon as she learned that she'd be meeting with Lex. And as she stepped off of the elevator, she squared her shoulders and prepared herself for the hopefully brief unpleasantness to come.

"Chloe Sullivan," she said to the predictably picture perfect secretary at the large desk outside of Lex's office.

"Go right in. Mr. Luthor is expecting you."

Obviously, Chloe thought. Who would voluntarily enter Satan's lair unless they'd been summoned?

"Chloe," Lex said with a nod as she entered. "Please, have a seat."

The pleasant tone and small, yet seemingly genuine, smile made Chloe feel far more uncomfortable than a smug or condescending demeanor ever would have. The recent predictability of Lex's evil was comforting in a strange, Smallvillian way.

"Why am I here, Lex," she asked as she took a seat in front of the imposing desk.

Without a word, Lex reached across the desk and set down a single photograph.

With no small amount of trepidation, Chloe picked up the photo. Her heart sank as she immediately recognized the moment it captured. There she was, in far too much detail, half dressed and locked in a nauseatingly passionate embrace with her former boss.

"You got me," Chloe said with a tight smile as she set the photo back down. "I had an unfortunate encounter with an employee that doesn't even work here anymore."

"Grant Gabriel didn't leave his job," Lex informed her. "He died."

A wave of emotions crashed over Chloe. It was true that she'd never like the man, but that hardly meant that she wanted him dead. And even though, given the unusual health considerations of her pregnancy, she was doubtful that she would have informed him of his part in it, the fact that her child would never have the chance to know their father filled her with a sharp sense of sadness.

But despite the onslaught of confusing feelings, she forced herself to focus, knowing that Luthors never did anything without a reason, and that discovering Lex's angle in this matter was best done as quickly as possible.

"Why are you telling me this Lex," she asked. "In fact, why do you even care enough to know about the fate of some random LuthorCorp employee when even the people who worked with him don't?"

Lex looked at Chloe closely, carefully monitoring her reactions. He had planned their meeting at work to catch her off guard and gain an advantage that one could never assume in any confrontation with this particular woman. But as much as he wanted to unsettle her and win the upper hand, he was all too aware that she was carrying his brother's child and that, while some stress was unavoidable to reach his goal, he didn't want to place more strain on her than was absolutely necessary. Satisfied for the moment that she was taking his revelations with enviable composure, he continued.

"Grant was more than simply a random LuthorCorp employee. He was my brother."

He saw her eyes widen slightly with shock and her muscles tense as she took in the newest, although far from last, shock, but was both pleased and impressed to see the way that she rallied; keeping her expression neutral as she forced herself to relax.

"Another brother," she asked, derision clear in her tone. "Just how many indiscretions did Lionel have?"

"Just the one that I've had the misfortune to be aware of," he assured her.

"You're saying Grant was Lucas," Chloe asked in disbelief.

"No," he dismissed her conclusion. "I'm saying Grant was Julian."

No matter how many times Chloe had told herself to always expect the unexpected where the Luthors were concerned, she was fairly certain that there was no way to have seen that one coming.

"Julian? I thought that Julian died as a baby."

She watched as a haunted look flashed across his face before it was gone and he nodded.

"He did."

"What the hell is going on here, Lex," she demanded as anger swept through her at whatever game she was sure he was playing with her.

"Lana's clone wasn't the only one created."

Chloe shook her head, rejecting the blunt words and the overwhelming consequences they would have were they true.

"What kind of sick trick is this," she asked, trying to keep the growing fear out of her voice. Watching as he placed a thick file down as he had with the photograph, she considered fleeing the office before whatever he was trying to accomplish came to fruition. But concern for her child and the gut feeling that Lex might very well be telling the truth forced her to pick up the file.

The pages within were filled with scientific jargon and medical terms, and yet the pictures that accompanied them along with the progress reports that were clearly intended for Lex and, as such, written in much plainer language, seemed to confirm what he had just told her.

Of course, they could have been faked. Both the photographs and reports would be a simple matter for Lex to have fabricated. With no real way to judge the authenticity of the records, Chloe knew that her best chance at even beginning to discern the truth would be to discover the motive that was driving Lex.

Slamming the file down on the desk, Chloe stood, feeling slightly better even knowing that the advantage in doing so was only an illusion.

"Look, we both know that the vaunted Luthor sense of self-preservation would hardly let you just hand over the story of the century to a reporter, especially me. So I'll ask you again – what kind of trick are you pulling here?"

Lex gathered up the file, and she watched as he placed it in a drawer in his desk.

"You understand that, for obvious reasons, I can't let you leave with that," he told her. "I assure you that the information that it contains is very much true and, as you pointed out, would certainly form the basis of a story that would not be in my best interest to have made public…nor in yours."

Chloe merely raised a brow and waited, knowing there was little use trying to rush a Luthor to the point.

"Sadly, the attempt to give my brother back the life that had been taken from him was a failure," he said, before his gaze slid pointedly down to her abdomen. "Almost."

"No," she whispered. She didn't know how he'd found out about the baby, but it was clear that there was no point in denials. "No! Absolutely not. You cloned your dead brother, you sick bastard. There's no way that I'm letting you anywhere near my baby."

Lex fought to keep the satisfaction from his expression at the implication that she planned to go through with the pregnancy. Of course, he would have made sure that she did, but he was glad that it appeared that he wouldn't have to. The situation would be more than enough for her to deal with, without adding further complications.

"Chloe, I understand your concern," he said calmly, knowing that nothing he told her would alleviate her fears, but offering the truth so she could examine it when the shock receded. "But you have to know that if my intention was to use your child for some nefarious purpose, then I could have had you taken as easily as setting up this meeting."

"You're wrong. Clark–"

"Clark, even in the worst of times between us, has been treated as a former friend, sometimes as a rival, but never as an enemy," he said. "To preserve my family, I'm willing to change that. Should the situation between he and I deteriorate, you'd be wise to not to take Clark's success, or safety, for granted."

"You're a monster," Chloe said, backing up until she hit the door.

Lex watched as she blindly groped for the handle before pulling the door open and fleeing the office. He understood that she was shaken and horrified, but he also believed that things had gone as well as possible given the bizarre nature of the circumstances. And though he had men watching her, he felt there was little to fear of either an attempt to end her pregnancy or to run to Clark.

Chloe could be emotional, but in the end, she probably thought things out better than any of them. She tended to learn from her mistakes, and the one she'd made with Lionel had been spectacular. Lex had no doubt that she would wait to calm down before taking action. He also had faith that when she did it would involve three things.

The first was that she wouldn't allow a Luthor to dictate what she did with her body or her baby. That applied to all the options open to her in that regard. Whatever choice she'd made previously, he was certain she'd stand by it. He didn't even think the truth about Julian would change that. Chloe had made clear what she thought of the 33.1 project; someone who championed the rights of the meteor infected, who was one herself, was unlikely to base her decisions on abnormal genetics.

Second, whatever she finally chose to tell Clark about all of this – and she would tell him something – would be shaped so as to minimize the danger to her best friend. Chloe was intelligent and she had a history with the Luthor family; she would be all too aware that his threat to escalate hostilities was not an empty one. She'd take even greater care once she realized that his father, her one possible ally, had already decided his loyalties in this affair.

And lastly, he knew that their next meeting would be at her instigation. Once she had time to consider all of the ramifications of what she'd learned, she would understand that the only way to get the information and care that her child would need would be through him and she'd search him out. Of course, she'd just demand all of the data outright, but she wouldn't actually be expecting it. At that point the negotiations would begin, and as much as he respected Chloe's intellect, strength, and tenacity, he had little doubt as to who would emerge the victor when the dust settled.