Memoria Part 1

Recap:

Flashback to when Lex is a young boy at Excelsior. Lionel Luthor has been called because Lex is on a balcony, cradling a blanket he's calling Julian. Lana snaps Lex out of the vision to the present where he's screaming on a balcony in the Luthor Mansion.

Opening theme song…

At the Smallville Medical Center…

Johnathan Kent hated being fussed over. He was currently lying down on a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors who were hooking him up to machines and taking all sorts of tests.

"Dad, how are you feeling?" Clark asked. His son stood in a corner, holding on tight to his girlfriend. Martha stood next to them, observing the doctors.

"Like being prepped for Thanksgiving dinner and I'm the turkey."

"You'll have a good scar to brag about," Clark quipped and managed to get Johnathan to smile.

"Dad, I want you to know…"

"I do know, Clark." Johnathan reached out and Clark took his hand. "I love you too. Clark, can you give us a moment?" Clark left with Alicia, leaving him and Martha alone. His wife came closer to his side, now that the doctors had left.

"Martha, you and I both know that things can go south in there."

"Don't say that." Martha, his rock, held his hand in a tight grip.

"There's no doubt in my mind that you and Clark can take good care of each other. But you have to remember our promise. When he's ready, you have to let him go."

"When that day comes, you'll be standing right beside me."

Martha leaned forward to kiss her husband. When she pulled away, the doctor was standing in the doorway.

"We're ready," he announced.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Lana entered the hospital waiting room. She gulped when she saw Clark sitting in a chair, leaning forward, his face pale and looking scared. Alicia sat beside him, rubbing his back. Lana thought back to the first memorable encounter she had with Clark Kent:

Lana was a child in the third grade. It was recess during the winter season, and their class came across a dead bird. The frail, lifeless body was frozen in the snow. No one else cared. Lana alone was the one who came to a standstill to shed tears. She knelt in the snow next to the dead animal, mourning that it would never fly again. That somewhere there was a nest that would now be empty.

"Are you okay?"

Lana recognized the boy who was speaking. It was Clark Kent; the boy in her class who was soft spoken. He was her neighbor, but Lana didn't know much else about him.

"What if it had babies?"

Clark Kent knelt beside her; he didn't mock her tears.

"We can bury it, if you want."

Lana managed to nod her consent. Clark dug a small grave with his bare hands and laid the bird to rest.

"May your spirit fly forevermore." Clark said solemnly. She and the neighbor boy shared a solemn moment.

"Come on, Lana," Dawn Stiles shouted from across the field. A group had started a game of touch football. "Join us!"

"I better go," Lana excused herself to join in the game.

Clark didn't make an objection. Lana sneaked a peek out of the corner of her eye as she went to join the others. The Kent boy made a crucifix out of twigs and pulled bark, marking the grave they had both dug.

Lana was brought back to the present. She made her way to where Clark was sitting.

"Hi, Clark. Alicia."

"Hi." Lana was grateful to see Clark grin at her. Alicia frowned and tightened her grip around Clark's shoulders.

"I know you got a lot on your mind, but can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure." Clark followed her into the hallway. He tried to leave his girlfriend behind, but Alicia stayed glued to his side.

"I think there's something wrong with Lex," Lana admitted. "I was dropping off the Talon payroll and I found him out on a ledge screaming for someone name 'Julian'."

"Julian was the name of Lex's baby brother." Clark shared. "He died when Lex was a kid. Did he give you any kind of explanation?"

"No. He shrugged it off as a bad dream."

"The last time Lex had a break down, I found him in my barn singing a lullaby to a blanket he thought was Julian." Clark said thoughtfully.

"You're saying he's had a relapse?"

"Whatever it is, you need to stay away from Lex for a while."

"Clark, he's my friend," Lana protested.

"And the last time you got trampled by a horse!"

"He didn't mean to hurt me."

"But he did. And I promised myself I wouldn't let that happen again."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Clark glanced in the direction of the operating room. "I'll talk with him."

"Why don't I handle it, baby?" Alicia said. "That way you can stay here."

"Thanks." Clark kissed Alicia's forehead.

At the Summerholt Institute…

Alicia didn't want to leave Clark's side. He was beside himself with worry over his father's operation. But Lana left her no choice after bringing her concern about Lex to Clark. As always, her boyfriend wanted to be the hero.

That brat. Can't she handle her own problems? Alicia thought as she teleported to the Luthor mansion. Lex was nowhere to be seen, so she took the liberty of going through his planner. The name Dr. Garner was circled on the current date. From her time with Lionel, Alicia knew he worked at the Summerholt Institute. A quick online search provided a photo of the building so she could teleport herself to the location. From then on, it was just a matter of envisioning the area in front of her.

"These nightmares are becoming more frequent." Alicia heard Lex say from behind a partially closed door. She leaned in closer to hear the conversation better.

"They're not nightmares; they're spontaneous memories."

"Whatever you call them, they're starting to impact my waking life."

"I told you there would be side effects. The electroshock therapy atrophied this part of your brain. These memories are the equivalent of a muscle spasm. They indicate the treatment is working."

"Dr. Garner, I didn't come to relive childhood traumas. I came to get back seven weeks of missing memory."

"We can stop at any time, Lex. Choice is yours."

Alicia managed to see a spot in the room she could hide herself. She teleported herself to a hiding place behind a supply cabinet and proceeded to watch as Lex stripped down. He sat in a chair where other assistants hooked him up to glowing green tubes. There was a chair nearby, holding the body of Sarah Conroy. Dr. Garner took a spot in front of several monitors.

"Close your eyes, Lex. Think about your father. Take us back to where we left off. Where are you now?"

"My twelfth birthday party." Lex spoke as if he were in a trance. Dr. Garner proceeded to survey the screens monitoring Lex's brain activity. Meanwhile, Lex muttered words of "St. George" and "alone" and "daddy".

"That was a good session. We're making progress, Lex."

This is not good. Alicia grit her teeth. She remembered Clark telling her how Lex witnessed him using his powers prior to shock therapy. If Lex was successful in recovering those memories, he would remember about Clark.

Don't worry, Clark. I'll protect you.