Author: MitchPell
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Lex/Clark
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything that has to do with Smallville; it’s characters, DC comics, or the WB. I’m just using their stuff for a little bit of non-profitable fun.
Authors Notes: My thanks goes out to Adri for all the help! I had to through in all of the James. I reminds me so much of my family. My grandpa is named John, my dad is named John, and my brother is named John. Then I have an Uncle Mike and two cousins named Mike. LOL! Luckily everyone has nicknames! This is part of the Slash Advent Calendar Challenge situated at: http://www.kardasi.com/Advent. This is my first NC-17 story, so please rip it apart!
Summary: Most people assume that the Luthor Annual Christmas Party is a big company party. But what if it isn’t?
Email: mitchpell@yahoo.com
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A six-year-old Lex Luthor grudgingly followed his parents up the front steps of his Grandfather’s country home. As long as he could remember, which wasn’t very long, he had hated visiting his grandparents for Christmas. It wasn’t because he didn’t like his grandparents; in fact he was rather fond of them. Ok, so he was fond of his grandma. It was his other relatives that he hated. And they were all going to be crammed under one roof until late tomorrow morning.
With a loud sigh he pulled his black cap further down on his head then stuffed his hands deep inside his coat pockets. It was cold and Lex hated to be cold. He also hated snow and slush and… He let out a cry of surprise as a sheet of ice caused his legs to fly out from underneath him. His hands were jammed so deep in his pockets that he wasn’t able to get them out in time to catch himself, and he ended up landing hard on his butt. He flopped himself down onto the ground and glared up at the black sky. He wasn’t going to cry. He wasn’t going to cry. No matter how bad his tailbone hurt, he wasn’t going to cry.
He could hear the quick clip-clop of his mother’s heels as she rushed over to him. “Lex are you all right?” She asked, her voice laced with concern.
“If I say no, can we go back home?” He asked as he looked up at his mother who was crouching over him.
Lillian couldn’t help but smile at the almost desperate look on her son’s face. “I don’t think you’re hurt that bad.” She told him.
“Lex! Get up off the ground before you get soak and wet!” Lionel bellowed from the top of the steps.
Lex quickly scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off. He took his mother’s offered hand and carefully maneuvered around the ice. He then followed his parents into the house. As they entered the foyer, they were greeted by his grandparent’s housekeeper, Margaret. “Good evening, Mr. Luthor, Mrs. Lillian.” She said as she took their coats, scarves, and gloves. Lionel gave her a curt nod then proceeded on into the house.
“Hello, Margaret. How are you doing this evening?” Lillian asked.
“I’m fine thank you, Ma’am. How about yourself?”
“As well as can be expect.” Lillian replied.
“That’s good.” Margaret said before bending down to look at Lex. “And how are you, young man?” She asked.
Lex scowled up at the plump woman, as he attempted to smooth down his flaming red hair. It had picked up an enormous amount of static electricity from his hat and was sticking up all over the place. “Fine.” He spat at her.
Margaret reached down and pinched one of his freckled covered chubby cheeks. “You just get cuter and cuter.” She cooed.
Annoyed, Lex hauled off and kicked the poor woman as hard as he could in the shin. She immediately released her hold on his cheek, and he took off into the house. He heard his mother call out after him, but he ignored her as he raced towards the main living room. He ran down the hall and paused in the doorway just long enough to see that his grandma wasn’t there, before running off to the kitchen. He saw her sitting at the small kitchen table and jump up onto her lap.
“Now, Lex.” Emma Luthor scolded. “What did I tell you about running in the house?”
Lex grinned up at her as he wheezed on her lap. “I know. I just. Had to. Get away. From Margaret. She was. Attacking my. Cheeks.” He managed to squeeze out through his heaving breathing.
His grandma gave him a firm look, before smiling at him. “Well, I suppose you can make it up to me with a kiss.”
Lex smiled as he wrapped his pudgy little arms around her in big hug then kissed her cheek. He then turned and settled in her lap. He leaned his head back onto her chest and sat there for a minute, concentrating on catching his breath.
Emma frowned as she listened to her grandson’s breathing. “Where’s your inhaler?” She asked him.
Lex rolled his eyes as he started digging in his pants pockets. He hated using the stupid thing. Especially in front his relatives. It made him look weak. And he couldn’t be weak, especially not in front of his grandfather. The old man was worse than his dad. But if it would make his grandma happy, he’d use it.
He took two puffs of the medicated air before shoving it back into his pant’s pocket. “So, how’ve you’ve been, Grandma?” He asked as he titled his head up to look at her.
“Just fine, and how about yourself?”
“Pretty good. Well, I was feeling pretty good until I fell outside on a big sheet of ice! Seriously, Grandma, you should fire who ever is responsible for maintaining your sidewalk.” He told her, his face set in an expression of complete seriousness.
“Should I now?” She asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“Yes, you should. Because it is obvious that they are incompetent.” He replied.
Emma couldn’t help but laugh. But she immediately sobered up at the glare she received from her grandson. “Well, I’ll be sure to look into the matter, Lex.” She told him in mock seriousness.
“Good.” He then reached out to steal a piece of turkey from the platter setting on the kitchen table. Only to get his hand slapped away by his Aunt Melinda, who was in the kitchen helping Marie, his grandma’s cook.
“You’ll wait for dinner, young man.” Melinda said sternly. “Or you’ll get no dessert.”
Lex rolled his eyes. He didn’t see what was so wrong about stealing one piece of turkey. It wasn’t like it would spoil his appetite. But he could wait. His Aunt Mel was a great chef, and there was no way he was missing out on whatever she had made for dessert.
His grandma set him down on his feet as she stood up. “Come on, let’s go join the rest of the family in the living room.”
The two walked through the large country home to the large sitting room. The room was beautifully decorated for the holiday season with a tall round soft-needled pine tree. There was a toy train running through a small town that was set up under the tree, and piles of elegantly wrapped presents. And above the fireplace there was a stocking for each of the grandkids.
A quick glance around showed that everyone was there. His mom and dad were sitting on one large couch across from his grandfather, Laurence. Also in the room were his Uncle James and his two kids James II and Lydia. His Aunt Megan and her husband Robert were there as well, along with their son William.
His mother caught sight of him as soon as he stepped foot in the room. “There you are!” She called out. “I want you to go and apologize to Margaret.”
Lex scoffed. “I’m not going to apologize to her. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You know exactly what you did wrong. And yes, you will go apologize.” Lillian said sternly.
“No!”
“Alexander Joseph Luthor, you will go apologize to Margaret right now!”
“Fine!” Lex spat, before going off in search of the maid. He could here his cousin James laughing at him as he left the room. He really hated his cousin James. James was always bulling him around and calling him names. It was annoying and frustrating. He tried to retaliate. But James was two years older than him, so he was bigger and stronger. Plus he didn’t have asthma, or allergies, or freckles, or stupid clown red hair. James was everything Lex wanted to be, but wasn’t. Though there was one advantage that Lex did have over James. Lex was the heir to the family company, and James wasn’t. But of course that alone came with it’s own set of problems, mostly in the form of his grandfather and father, who were constantly on his case.
After a good five-minute search, he finally found Margaret in the dinning room. She was setting the large table that the family would be eating on in a few minutes. Determined, Lex marched right up to her and said, “I’m sorry I kicked you in the shin, but you shouldn’t pinch my cheeks.” He then turned and stormed back to the living room, where he threw himself on the couch beside his mother.
All of his huffing and puffing had caused his chest to tighten a little. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his inhaler and took one puff, before quickly putting it back.
Laurence looked up from his conversation with Lionel. He frowned as he watched his grandson, and the future heir of LuthorCorp, sucking on an inhaler. While still watching Lex, he said to Lionel, “I thought he was supposed to grow out of that.”
“I’m sure he will, Laurence. But it’s not going to happen over night.” Lillian replied in a slightly annoyed tone.
“Well, he’d better. The boys too weak.” Laurence stated. “Not fit to take over the company.”
“Well, I would hope not! He’s only six!” Lillian replied hotly.
Laurence merely grunted in reply, before turning back to Lionel. “It’s all in his mind. You need to be firmer, stop babying him so much.”
“Believe me, father, I’m quiet firm with Lex.” Lionel told him. That seemed to satisfy Laurence for the time being, and the two went back to discussing various deals and contracts Lionel was working on.
Lex glanced over at his cousin James, who was making crying baby-faces at him. “Stop it, James!” He yelled.
“Make me, Freckle Face!” James shot back.
“Boys that’s enough!” Emma scolded. “There will be no more fighting. For once I’d like to have a nice peaceful Christmas, without you two going at each other’s throats.”
The two boys both mumbled a ‘sorry grandma,’ before sticking their tongues out at each other. Margaret entered the room a few minutes later to announce that dinner was ready. The family shuffled out of the living room and into the dinning room, where Melinda was waiting.
They all took their respective places at the table. Laurence and Emma sat at the heads of the table. Lionel and Lillian sat on either side of Laurence. Lex sat beside his father, his Aunt Megan sat next to him followed by his cousin James and his Uncle James. William sat beside Lillian, followed by Robert, Lydia and Melinda. Lex was just glad he didn’t have to sit beside his cousin James. William was much more tolerable as cousins go.
The dinner conversation took its usual turn. The well being of LuthorCorp and James’s Corporate Law Firm were discussed, as well as that state of Melinda’s restaurant. Megan shared what she could of some of the more outrageous cases she had preceded over, and Robert discussed some of the advances in neurological medicine. In short, the conversation was limited to that of their respective work places. Nothing of a personal matter was discussed.
Dinner passed rather quickly. And after which the adults moved back into the living room and the children were left to their own devices. It was then that Lex’s true torture began.
Lex, James, William, and Lydia all filed into one of the upstairs entertainment rooms. Lex gracelessly threw himself into an overstuffed leather chair and watched as his cousins sat on the couch. “Well, what are we going to do?” Lex asked.
“How about we play a board game?” James suggested.
Lex grunted. “We always play board games. Let’s do something else.”
“I’ll play a board game.” William piped up.
“Yeah, let’s play Monopoly.” Lydia suggested.
“Alright, Monopoly it is.” James declared.
“I hate Monopoly.” Lex grumbled.
“You just hated it because you always lose.” James snickered.
“Only because you cheat, James.” Lex retorted. “You think I don’t notice you stealing money out of the bank?”
“Whatever, Lex. You’re just a sore loser.” James shot back.
“Fine. We’ll play Monopoly, but only if I’m the banker.”
“Fine. You’ll still lose, Freckle Face.”
“How much you want to bet I don’t?”
“I bet you Grandma’s Christmas present that I’ll still win.”
Lex hesitated for just a minute. Despite the fact that he was positive he could beat James, there was always a certain amount of chance in Monopoly. And his Grandma’s present was a lot to gamble. She gave the best gifts. It always seemed that she put a lot of time and thought into them. They were personal, unlike a lot of the impersonal things he usually got. But he didn’t want to seem like a coward, so he squared his shoulders and stuck out his hand. “Deal,” he said.
James reached out and shook Lex’s hand. “Alright, Golden Boy, let’s do this.”
A good hour later, Lex and James were still huddled over the Monopoly board. Lex was starting to panic. He was down to his last dollar, literally. He didn’t understand how it could be possible. He owned most of the properties, and he had hotels on everything he owned, but James kept missing them. He always seemed to hit that one square that he owned amongst all of Lex’s high priced lots. It was infuriating, and Lex swore that if he went to jail one more time he was going to throw something, preferably his shoe, right at James’s stupid fat head.
After a short little prayer to whoever might be listening, Lex rolled the dice. Double fives landed him on chance. He took a deep breath and looked at the card, House and Hotel repairs. Lex growled in frustration, it could not be possible. He had just paid for house repairs. How could he possibly have to pay for them again? He looked up at James’s smug face. “You rigged it!” He yelled.
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did! I just paid for house repairs, how could I possibly have to pay for them again, unless you rigged it?” Lex shouted.
“How could I have rigged it? You were watching me the whole time, you must have paid with Community Chest.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but I know you did. I specifically remember paying with Chance!”
“Yeah, well what can I say, Freckle Face, you must not be getting enough oxygen to your brain.”
Lex just snapped. He picked up his nearby shoe and chucked it as hard as he could at his cousin, and nailed him right in the forehead.
“Ow! You little shit!” James yelled and lounged himself across the game board. He successfully managed to tackle Lex to ground and punched right in the nose.
After recovering from his initial shock, Lex reached out and kneed James in the groin. James collapsed in heap on top of him, and Lex took the chance to squeeze out from underneath him. It didn’t take James long to recover and he was soon on his feet. As soon as Lex saw James start to get up he took off down the hallway, with James hot on his heels.
He didn’t make it very far before James caught up to him and shoved him up against the wall. “You little prick!” James shouted in his face. “I should kick the shit out of you!”
Lex could feel his chest tighten up from the exertion and slight panic. “James.” He wheezed, in an attempt to draw his cousin’s attention to the problem. “I can’t…”
“Oh shut it, Lex! I’m not going to fall for that again.” James snapped. “You can cry wolf all you want!”
Lex mentally cursed at himself. Stupid fables. He should have known better than to fake an asthma attack the last time James and him fought. Black dots started to play before his eyes, and he was afraid that he might pass out.
“James!” William called out from down the hall. “Let him go!”
“Why should I?” James shot back. “He hit me with his shoe!”
William ran up to them and looked at Lex. “I don’t think he’s faking it. I really don’t think he can breathe.”
“Well, it serves him right!”
“I told Lydia to get you’re parents.” William said, which caused James to immediately release Lex, who dropped to the floor.
“You little tattle tale! I can’t believe you did that.”
“Well I’m glad he did!” Melinda called as she and Lillian rushed up the stairs.
“What is the matter with you two?” Lillian demanded as she knelt beside Lex, who was sucking on his inhaler.
“He started it!” James started. “He threw a shoe at me!”
“He. Was. Cheating.” Lex wheezed.
“Oh whatever, Freckle Face!”
“Alright, that’s enough!” Melinda scolded. “I want both of you to go to your rooms. You’ve both caused enough trouble for one night”
Lex shot James a final scowl before his mother herded him off to his room. He stomped off down the hall and threw open the door to his bedroom. He marched over to the king size bed and threw himself down as dramatically as possible.
“Alright, drama queen, what happened this time?” Lillian asked.
“James was cheating at Monopoly again!”
Lillian sighed and sat down on the bed. “Lex, has it ever occurred to you that James is just better at the game than you are?”
“He’s not, Mom. He’s just cheating some how. I don’t know how, but he is. And I’m going to find out.”
“No you’re not. You are going to stay here, in your room, until tomorrow morning. Then you’re going to apologize to James for hitting him.”
“What about him? He punched me in the face! I’m probably going to have a black eye!” Lex exclaimed.
“I’m sure Aunt Mel will make him apologize to you as well. But if not, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of being the better man.” She told him.
Lex snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “Yeah, right. Like that matters.”
“It does,” she said, “it matters to me.” She then leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight sweetie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that she got up and left the room.
Lex looked over at his nightstand. The clock there told him it was only 8:30, too early to go to bed. He let his eyes drift from his clock to the snow globe that sat beside it. It was the gift his grandmother had given him last year. Lex reached over, picked up the globe, and shook it. He watched in fascination as the fake snow fell upon the three little figures. There was a beautiful woman with long red hair, a tall man with dark hair, and a little boy. It was his family and safe beneath the glass of the globe they were happy.
With a sigh, Lex replaced the globe then jumped off the bed and went over to the bookshelf. His eyes scanned over the various children’s books, looking for something to do to pass the time. Deciding on some good old Dr. Seuss, he picked several volumes off the shelves and carried them back over the to bed. It was a few hours later that he fell asleep on the open pages of “Green Eggs and Ham.”
Lex slowly regained consciousness. A quick glance at the clock beside his bed told him that it was two am. With a groan sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. After stifling a yawn he slide off the bed. He took a minute to change into his pajamas then shuffled down the hall to the bathroom. After using the bathroom, he pattered down the stairs and into the kitchen to sneak a late night snack.
Despite the darkness he easily maneuvered through the large country house. When he reached the kitchen he flipped on the overhead light then headed towards the fridge. He scanned the fridge for a minute, but was unable to find anything he wanted. So he went over to the kitchen table and pulled a chair over to the fridge. He climbed up onto the chair and stood on his tippee-toes so he could look in the freezer. He his eyes widened and he licked his lips when he spotted the huge tub of vanilla ice cream. He reached into the cold freezer, but his little arms were an inch too short.
He jumped on the chair he was standing on and made a grabbed for the tub. After several attempts, he had only managed to push the tub further back into the freezer. He was about to make one last try when a voice called out to him.
“Are you trying to fall and back your leg, Lex?” Emma asked from her perch in the doorway. She had been watching him for the past two or three minutes.
“Haha, Grandma. I’m trying to reach the ice cream.”
Emma laughed. She walked over and removed the tub from the freezer. She then picked him up and placed him on the floor. “Put the chair back and I’ll get us some dishes.” She told him.
Lex quickly put the chair back by the table. “Can we have chocolate syrup too?” He asked eagerly.
“I suppose.” She responded, fanning annoyance.
Lex removed the chocolate syrup from the fridge then sat down at the kitchen table and watched his grandma scoop the ice cream. She then sat the two bowls in front of him, so he could add the topping. Lex popped the cap off the container and turned it over. Then with extreme concentration drew two smiley faces on the evenly scooped ice cream.
“So,” Emma asked. “What are you doing up so late?”
Lex shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I just woke up and wanted something to eat.”
The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute before Lex looked up at her and asked, “Grandma, do you think I’ll be a good businessman?”
Emma pursed her lips. “I think you can be a very good businessman, Lex.”
Lex frowned and looked down at his half eaten ice cream. “What if I don’t want to be a businessman? What if I want to do something else?”
His grandma sighed and leaned forward in her chair. “Well, Lex, sometimes we have to do things that we don’t want to. But, your father is counting on you to carry on with the family business. I know it might seem like a big responsibility, but he needs you Lex. Just like Grandpa needed him. And don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of time to do other things.”
“But why me? Why not James?” Lex asked her, his eyes showing his need to understand.
“Well, because you’re your dad’s oldest child. Just like you dad was grandpa’s oldest child. And like you’ll inherit LuthorCorp, James will inherit your Uncle James’s law firm. It’s just the way things are.” She watched as he stifled a yawn then reached over and took his tiny hand and smiled. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”
Lex followed his grandma back up to his room. He climbed back onto his bed and crawled under the covers. He watched as his grandma picked up some of the books that had haphazardly fallen on the floor and stacked them neatly. She then tucked the covers up under his chin and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Good night, Lex.”
“Good night, Grandma.” He watched her cross the room, shut off the light, and close the door. Once again alone in his room, Lex drifted off to a peaceful slumber.
The next morning the whole family gathered once again in the dining room for a large breakfast. Then they all filtered into the living room for a quick gift exchange. At his mother’s request Lex did apologize to James for hitting him, even though the gesture wasn’t reciprocated. He later heard James tell his Aunt Mel that he had apologized. However, his anger was quickly forgotten in replace of the huge stack of gifts in front of him.
He received a couple shirts and a few pairs of slacks, as well as a Rubik’s Cube and his first book by Nietzsche from his parents. His aunts and uncles also gave him a few books and a couple of toys. From his grandfather he received his first Armani suit. And from his grandmother he got the keys to a snazzy go-cart, which he grudgingly gave to his cousin James. He might have felt that he was cheated, but he wasn’t going to go back on his word.
But it was ok; he didn’t have anyplace to ride the go-cart in the city anyway. And he didn’t come out to farm that often. So, he wasn’t that upset about it, but he was. Therefore, it was with a heavy heart that Lex Luthor kissed his grandma goodbye, before walking down the front steps of her house and climbing into the car.
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Reluctantly, a nine-year-old Lex Luthor followed his parents up the front steps of his Grandfather’s country home. He really didn’t want to be there this year. So much had changed over the past two and a half months. And he was afraid of the reaction he would receive from his family. Sure, they had been informed of the accident, but they hadn’t seen him yet. He didn’t know if he would be able to take all the staring. And he knew there would be a lot of it. Hell, he even caught himself staring every time he came across a mirror.
He stopped at the bottom of the steps and gave a quick glance back at car, wishing he could just jump in and drive off. He caught the sight of his mother’s hand reaching out to him, and flinched away.
Lillian quickly drew her hand back from her son, not wanting to upset him anymore. “Lex,” she said tentatively, “it’ll be alright.” She felt her heart sink when he looked at her pleadingly, wanting to believe her. She gave him a little half smile. “Come on.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake.” Lionel muttered from the top of the steps. “It’s practically been three months already, Lex. It’s high time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself. Now let’s go inside before we freeze to death.” He then took Lillian’s hand and led them into the foyer, where they were greeted by Margaret.
“Good evening, Mr. Luthor, Mrs. Lillian.” Margaret said as she collected Lionel and Lillian’s coats and scarves. Lionel gave his usual curt nod before heading off to the living room.
“Hello, Margaret. How are you doing this evening?” Lillian asked.
“I’m fine, Ma’am. And how about yourself?”
Lillian gave her a small smile. “We’ve been better, but I think we’ll pull through.” She told her.
Margaret then turned to Lex who was standing just inside the doorway, still bundled up in his winter apparel. “Lex,” she greeted. “Can I take your coat for you?” Lex shrugged off his coat and unwrapped his scarf. He raised his hand and, after a moment’s hesitation, slowly slid his black hat off to reveal his now bald head. He then quickly handed his stuff to Margaret and walked off down the hall.
He made his way strait to the kitchen, where he knew he would find his grandmother, his Aunt Mel, and Marie. He walked into the large room and without saying a word sat down at the table and buried his head in his hands.
Emma Luthor frowned at the sight of her grandson. He looked…well he looked different. A lot thinner, that much was certain. He also seemed paler. And then of course there was the obvious baldness. He didn’t look terrible, she decided, different but not terrible. “What’s this, Lex? Don’t you know by now how to properly greet your grandmother?” She mock scolded.
Lex lifted his head and looked at her. “Sorry, Grandma.” He said while giving her a small smile.
Emma sighed. “Well, I suppose you can make it up to me with a kiss.” Lex got up and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, allowing only a minimal amount of contact. He then sat back down and starred at his hands. “So how’ve you been?” He asked her.
“Oh, I can’t complain too much. My knee’s been giving me a bit of trouble, but other than that I’m doing well.” She replied. “How about yourself?”
Lex shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been alright. It took a while to get over the radiation sickness. But I feel better now.” He said while absently picking at his fingernails.
“Well, that’s good to hear. What about school? Are you all caught back up?” She asked.
“Yeah,” Lex snorted. “Dad wouldn’t stop hounding me until I had finished all the assignments my instructors had sent home.”
“And what about any exams you missed, and mid-terms?” She asked.
“My instructors are letting me take the exams I missed after break.” Lex told her. He then reached out and snatched a piece of turkey off the platter setting on the kitchen table.
“Alexander, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?” His Aunt Mel scolded from across the room.
Lex rolled his eyes. “It’s one small piece of turkey, Aunt Mel! Why do you care so much about one fucking piece of turkey? It’s not like it’s going to spoil my appetite, or that anyone is going to care! No one is going to miss one fucking piece of turkey!” The room suddenly became extremely quiet. And Lex could feel three sets of eyes boring into him. Embarrassed, he slouched down in his chair. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Emma exchanged a look with Melinda, before reaching out to grasp Lex's hand. She watched as her grandson quickly slid his hands in his lap in order to avoid the contact. “It's alright, honey. Like you said, no one is going to miss a little piece of turkey.”
The room was once again filled with silence. Melinda and Maria returned to their work, while Emma watched Lex fidget in his chair. “Well,” she stated. “I think it's about time we left the chefs to their work and joined the rest of the family in the sitting room. Come along, Lex.”
With a sigh, Lex lifted himself out of his chair and followed his grandmother into the living room. The room was joyously decorated, as it was every year. And everyone was seated in his or her usual spots, talking amiably. No one seemed to notice them entering the room, so Lex ducked his head and went to sit beside his mother and father.
As soon as he sat down, his grandfather turned from his conversation with his father and looked critically at him. “And here I thought you were exaggerating when you said the boy was completely bald.” Laurence stated.
At that statement, all eyes in the room turned towards Lex. Feeling extremely self-conscience, Lex ran a hand over his smooth head.
“No,” Lionel said. “Unfortunately, I wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.”
Having never taken his eyes off Lex, Laurence asked, “Well, is it permanent or temporary?”
“At first the doctors told us that it was probably only temporary.” Lillian said. “But, they also expected it to start growing back almost a month ago. So, now they're not sure.”
Laurence scoffed. “So, it's permanent then.”
“Well, I can't say that I'm confident in the capabilities of these so called doctors.” Lionel told him. “So, I'm going to...”
“No.” Lillian interjected. “We've discussed this already, Lionel. No more doctors, no more specialists. It's time we all accepted what's happened and move on. I think it will be the best for all of us.” She said, before glancing over at Lex, who was gave her a small smile of thanks.
“Well, I can't say that I agree with that.” Laurence said. “However, I suppose it isn't my decision to make.”
“No, it isn't.” Lillian told him. “And I think we've discussed the topic enough for the evening.” She said pointedly.
“Of course.” Laurence said, before turning back to his conversation with Lionel.
Lex silently thanked god for mothers, because he really didn't know what he would do without his. She was irreplaceable, in every conceivable way. He knew that she looked at him a little differently now. And at first that fact had devastated him. But he soon learned that this new look wasn't one of disgust or loathing like his father. That it wasn't lacking in love. It was just different. And given his new appearance and his improved health, this new way in which his mother saw him was understandable.
Though no longer the center of attention, Lex still felt as if he was being looked at. And he had a pretty good idea who was staring. Lex glared across the room at his cousin James, who was starring pointedly at him while repeatedly running a hand through his hair. Lex could feel his cheeks redden with anger. And he was just about to flip his cousin off when Margaret entered to announce that dinner was ready.
Dinner passed without event. The meal was accompanied by its usual business conversation. And shortly after the adults headed back to the sitting room, Lex, James, William, and Lydia made their way to the upstairs entertainment room. Once inside, Lex threw himself into the over stuffed leather chair. He watched as William and Lydia piled onto the couch, and James left the room with the promise of a quick return.
Lex sighed and sunk further into his chair. He contemplated just going off to his room and burying himself in a book. But habit had brought him here, and he knew that if he left now his cousins would make a fuss.
Speaking of cousins, Lex noticed how William and Lydia's eyes hadn't left him since they had entered the room. “Would you guys please stop starring at me?” He said in a voice that was both pleading and annoyed at the same time.
William at least had the good grace to look embarrassed. He turned his head to look at the blank TV and muttered a “sorry.”
Lydia however, just kept staring. “Can I touch it?” She asked.
Lex scoffed. “No, you can't touch it.”
“Why not?” She asked.
“Because.” Lex said.
“Because why?” Lydia countered.
“Because, it's my head and I said so. That's why.”
“Fine! Jerk.” Lydia said, before going into a full-fledged pout.
It was then that James returned with a box underneath his harm. “Alright,” he said. “Let's go.”
“What's that?” Lex asked.
James grinned and showed Lex the cover of the Monopoly box.
“Where did you get that?” Lex demanded. “I thought our moms threw it out after what happened last Christmas!”
“They did.” James told him. “But that night I went and dug it out of the trash.”
Lydia looked appalled. “You went rooting around in the garbage for a board game?”
“Yeah, so?” James asked.
“I cannot believe you are my brother.” She said. “I mean that's just gross.”
James rolled his eyes at her then turned back to Lex. “Well, are we going to play or not?”
“You know I hate that game.” Lex told him.
“Oh, shut up, Lex.” William said. “You say that every year and every year you still play. So let's just get started already and get it over with.”
James grinned and clapped William on the shoulder. “I couldn't have said it better myself, William. Let's play.”
With a sigh Lex extracted himself from his chair and sat on the floor where the four of them usually played. He slipped his shoes off and handed them to Lydia, who shoved them under the couch. Ever since the shoe incident three years ago, he was no longer allowed to have them within reach. He then began to make himself comfortable while formulating his game plan. He was sure he was going to win this year. He just had that feeling.
Two hours later, Lex found himself beyond frustrated. In fact, he was so far past it he wanted to pull his hair out, and he went to do just that. He ran both hands along his head in the familiar motion, only his fingers found nothing to grab onto. Embarrassed by his error, Lex ducked his head to hide his pink cheeks. It was then that her heard his cousin James laughing at him.
“Man, your whole head just turned beet red!” James said through his laughter.
Lex’s blush quickly turned from one of embarrassment to one of anger. He lifted his head and sent his cousin a look that could kill. “You better knock it the fuck off, James.” Lex warned. James, however, was too busy laughing to take heed.
William noticed that Lex looked like he was about to pummel James to the ground. So he tentatively reached out and touched Lex’s shoulder. He hated to see his two cousins fight all the time. And he wanted to distract Lex from James’s taunting, to try to convince him that James wasn’t worth the effort.
Lex was too busy seething at James to notice William reaching out for him and avoid the contact. The slight touch startled him so much that he literally jumped. “Don’t touch me!” He shouted, before getting up and quickly leaving the room, shutting the doors behind him.
Lex closed his eyes and leaned back against the closed doors of the entertainment room. He took a few deep breaths, willing back the tears that threatened to fall. He wasn’t going to cry. It was just a little bit of teasing. James did it all the time, and he never reacted this way before. But it was different now. He didn’t know why, but for some reason it was. It was the same jest, James playing off his insecurities like he had always done in the past.
The only difference now was that these were new insecurities. He could handle being the slightly overweight, redheaded asthmatic that was sick all the time. But he hadn’t yet become accustomed to being the skinny baldheaded boy who was sure to be looked at like a freak. That is if his family’s reaction was any indication how the rest of the world would see him. Well, he couldn’t very well say his whole family. After all, his mother didn’t look at him like that. William and his grandma seemed to at least be making an effort. But his father and grandfather weren’t, and neither were James or Lydia. He wasn't sure about his aunts and uncles, because they practically avoided looking at him all together. Still, they were his family. They were supposed to love him no matter what. So if they couldn’t accept him then how could anyone else?
Lex could here William and James arguing on the other side of the door. He figured that he should be grateful that William was defending him. But the fact that his younger cousin was fighting his battles only served to make Lex feel that much less of himself. With a sigh he wiped the small bit of moisture from his eyes then pushed off the set of double doors and headed down the hall to his bedroom. He just wanted to be alone, to escape from reality for a little while.
Lex slipped into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only nine, too early to go bed. He walked over to his dresser and pealed off his dress shirt and slacks and exchanged them for a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He then padded over to his bookshelf and retrieved The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, from the shelf. He had started reading the series while he was stuck at home and he had called to ask his grandma to buy him a copy for her house. He preferred to have a copy of every book he owned at every house he stayed in. That way he always had access to them, plus it prevented them from getting damaged during travel. He sat down on his bed, crawling under the blankets, and sat back against his pillows before bring his knees up to his chest. It took him a while to find his place, but he did eventually. And soon he was lost in the mystical world created by J.R.R Tolkein.
An hour later, he was startled out of his reading by a knock at the door. “Come in.” He called out.
Lillian quietly entered her only son’s room then walked over and sat down on the bed. “Hey, how you doing?” She asked him.
He placed a finger between the pages of his book to keep his place then shrugged his shoulders. “I’m fine.” He answered quietly.
“You sure?” She asked.
“Yeah, mom, I’m fine.” He replied.
“Ok.” Lillian gave him small smile then slowly reached out and took the book out of his hand, being careful not to lose his place. “Looks like you’re almost finished with this one. You’re going to have the whole series read pretty soon.” She said.
Lex shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a good story.”
“Lex,” she started then hesitated a minute, “you know you can talk to me about what’s bothering you right?”
“Mom, I’m fine. I swear.” Lex told her, hoping she would just drop it.
“I’m just worried about you, Sweetheart. You’ve closed yourself off so much that it scares me.”
“I haven’t closed myself off.” He denied.
“Honey, you spend most of your time either in your room reading or doing school work. You won’t let anyone touch you. Just tell me what’s wrong.” Lillian practically pleaded.
“Mom, I’ve been doing school work because I missed almost two whole months of class. I needed to catch up. And I let people touch me; I’m just growing up. I’m not six anymore. I’m sorry if I don’t want to be all touchy feely.” Lex said in an annoyed tone. “Besides isn’t that what dad says, that I’m too clingy?”
Lillian sighed. “Lex, you’re father has good intentions…for the most part. But he isn’t always right, especially in this case. You’re only nine-years old, human contact is a very good and even healthy thing.” She told him.
Lex made a show of rolling his eyes. He took his book back and set it on his nightstand. “I know, Mom.” He replied dryly.
“Alright, Sweetheart.” She knew he was lying, but she couldn’t force anything out of him. She could only hope that he would come to her when he was ready. “But you have to understand, I’m a mother. It’s my job to worry.”
Lex gave her his best fake smile. “I know, Mom. And don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He noticed his slight slip there at the end, but luckily she didn’t call him on it. He watched as she leaned forward and forced himself not to flinch away.
Lillian reached out and caressed his pale cheeks with her hands, before pulling him close and kissing his smooth forehead. “I love you, Lex. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Lex let himself melt into her embrace. He wrapped his thin hairless arms around her and buried his head in the crook of her neck. “I know, Mom. I love you too.” He whispered. He allowed her to hold him close for a while, wanting to stay there in her arms forever, where he felt safe. But he knew he couldn’t. After letting out a big sigh, he pulled back.
She kissed him one more time then stood up. “Goodnight, Lex.”
“Night, Mom.” Lex replied then watched as she left the room and closed the door behind her. He borrowed further under the blankets then shut off his bedside lamp. He closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep.
Lex bolted up in his bed, gasping for air. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them before dropping his head to his knees. He just sat there taking deep breaths, letting the tension ease from his body. He’d had another nightmare. It was always the same. He’d be in the cornfield when a large tremor would ripple threw the ground. He’d turn around and see the huge smoke cloud hurtling towards him and he would run. He would run and run as fast as he could, but it always felt as if he were going so slow. And the cornstalks would grab at his arms and legs, holding him, not letting him escape. And he could hear the cloud coming and the boy on the cross laughing at him. Then it would hit him, crushing him, suffocating him. He’d try to scream, but his voice was always stolen by the crushing force of the cloud. And he could feel it, ripping him apart, tearing out his hair, changing him. Then he would wake up, breathless.
Lex wiped the thin sheen of sweat off his head then tossed his covers off. He glanced over at the clock. It was 1:30 in the morning. He was tired, but he didn’t want to have another nightmare. So he crawled out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. He flipped on the light before heading over the refrigerator. After searching the fridge for a minute he spotted a jar of Marie’s homemade applesauce. He pulled out the jar then moved to get a bowl out of the cupboards.
“You know, Lex, if you ate more during dinner these late night snacks wouldn’t be necessary.” Emma Luthor said as she entered the room.
Startled, Lex turned and smiled at her. “Trust me, Grandma, I really don’t want to be up right now. But I don’t much have a choice. Do you want some applesauce?” He asked her.
“I suppose.” She said, before sitting at the table. Lex soon joined her with two bowls full of the crushed fruit. “So, what are you doing up this late?” She asked.
Lex shrugged his shoulders. He waited a minute then answered her quietly. “Nightmares.”
“You’re going to have to speak up, Lex. I’m old, I can’t hear too well anymore.” She told him.
Lex sighed and rubbed a hand over his head. “I have nightmares.” He said rather loudly.
“I see.” Emma said.
The two sat in silence for a minute eating, before Lex looked up at her. “It’s not just my head you know. My whole body is hairless. Dad even had to have a plastic surgeon implant eyebrows and eyelashes to help protect my eyes.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” Emma replied.
“Grandma?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Do I look like a freak?”
Emma Luthor looked hard at her grandson. “No, Alexander. You do not look like a freak.”
“Are you sure?” He asked as he ran a hand over his smooth head.
“Yes. But I will tell you one thing, Lex. You’d better stop making your mother worry so much.” She watched as Lex rolled his eyes and sighed. “Don’t you roll your eyes at me young man. You’re mother is so worried about you she’s making herself sick. She says that all you do is read and study. She says you won’t let anyone touch you, that you don’t eat, or sleep, and that you won’t tell her what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Lex told her. He then looked back down at his almost empty bowl, to avoid his grandma’s stern look. After a few minutes, her gaze didn’t let up and he sighed. “It’s just that, I’m afraid of how people are going to look at me. I don’t want to be a freak, and that’s what I feel like. And I don’t like people touching me because I don’t like how it feels. Everything feels different.”
“I suppose these nightmares are keeping you up at night?” Emma asked and Lex nodded his head in agreement. “Well, if I were you, Lex, I wouldn’t worry about what anyone else thinks. People are going to form their opinions, no matter what you do. So, the best thing for you to do is ignore them. Besides, anyone worth knowing isn’t going to base his or her opinion of you on your appearance.”
“Yeah, but that’s the thing, Grandma. There isn’t anyone left to judge me for me.” Lex said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I was a bully in school. I would make fun of and tease people, constantly, me and a small group of friends of mine. But, I’m afraid that once they see me like this that they’re going to turn on me. And I’m going to be alone.” He told her.
Emma sighed. “Well, Lex, we all have to deal with the consequences of our actions. If you chose to torment those kids then you can’t expect them not to seek retribution. And as for those so-called friends of yours, well, it doesn’t sound as if they are people you should be associating with in the first place.”
Lex frowned and fiddled with his spoon. “I suppose you have a point. But it still doesn’t make it any easier.” He muttered.
“No one said it was going to be easy, most things worth achieving or overcoming rarely are.”
“I know.”
“Good. Now, lets get you back to bed.” Emma said.
Lex smiled at her. “I’m nine-years old, Grandma. I don’t need you to tuck me in.” Lex told her wirily.
“I know,” she told him. “But I’m old, and you’re going to indulge in your old grandma.”
“Ok.” Lex said, unable to wipe the grin off his face.
Lex followed her back up the stairs to his room and climbed into bed. Emma pulled the blankets up tight around him. “Try to get some sleep, Lex. The nightmares won’t last forever.” With that she kissed on the cheek then left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Lex watched his grandma leave the room. He reached over to shut off the lamp on his nightstand when his eye caught site of his snow globe. He picked up the small toy, inverted it then placed it back in its place. He watched the white flakes fall over the little model of his family, allowing the calmness of the globe to lure him to what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep.
The next morning flew by. After breakfast the family gathered in the living room to exchange gifts. Lex received the same things he did every year, suits, cloths, books, and a few toys. His grandma gave him a box full of all different kinds of hats. Some of them were new, and a few had belonged to his grandfather. She had told him that since he was now bald he’d need to keep his head covered more in the colder weather.
But probably the best gift that he received was one of emotional well-being. And for that he had to thank his mother and his grandmother. Therefore, it was in a slightly better piece of mind that Lex Luthor kissed his grandma goodbye, before walking down the front steps of her house and climbing into the car.
TBC...
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