After
Time
Author: Dynlubio 4 The
silver ball swung in a terse manner and precisely hit the ball next to it,
causing the one on the farthest end to swing in the same robot-like fashion. His
light gray eyes followed the routine again as the headmaster continued his
conversation on the phone. Lex felt
his back straining from its rod-straight posture—four inches away from the
comfort of the leather-lined back of the chair he was sitting on with his hands
on his knees and chin raised high. Nobody asked him to sit like this. It was
expected of him, so he did. He glanced at the grandfather clock to the left of
the headmaster. Forty minutes have never passed slower. A sudden
buzz interrupted the headmaster’s conversation and sent Lex’s heart jumping. “He’s
here, Headmaster Graham.” He’s
here, his mind
practically screamed. If forty minutes ago he was nervous—not of the headmaster
but of his father’s reaction to this latest jaunt—only dread crept through his
body now. His father has arrived—late but here. The
doors swung open and Lionel Luthor walked in as if he owned the entire school.
With his wavy hair always in a fashionable mess and impeccably dressed in a
well-designed suit, he stood just a few feet away from Graham’s desk and asked,
“How can we fix this?” That’s
his father’s way of dealing with things—always to the point, direct, fast. Not
asking what the problem was, just how to start fixing it. And all his life Lex
had been told he needed fixing… like a broken car that has to be repaired every
now and then because additional defects have been discovered. Graham
cleared his throat as beads of perspiration took shape on his forehead. “Mr.
Luthor, I would like to explain, first of all that everything happened so fast.
Mr. Caldwell hardly looked away before—“ Raising
his hands impatiently, Lionel interrupted his explanation by saying in an even
more impatient tone, “I did not put my board meeting on hold just to know what
Mr. Caldwell obviously failed to do.” “But the
boy—“ For the
first time since his father walked in, Lex found himself the object of his
attention. Inwardly, he cringed, as he always did. Still, he kept his back
straight. Lionel’s eyes drifted over his face, taking in the bruise under his
left eye and the cut on his lower lip. His eyes sparked when the rested on Lex’s
scraped knuckles. His father turned to look at Graham again. “You let my son sit
here for close to an hour without letting him see the nurse first?” “Only
because your secretary said—“ “I don’t
have time to listen to your excuses. I’m taking my son home and he won’t be
going back to this school until you are removed from your position. I’ll call
the board of directors as soon as I finish the meeting you interrupted.” Graham’s
face flustered even more. “Mr. Luthor—“ “Lex,
we’re leaving.” The boy
stood up and walked to his father. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Father
and son walked out of the room in silence. A
helicopter was waiting for his father to take him back to LuthorCorp while a
black limousine idled meters away. “Your
mother is waiting for you at home,” Lionel informed him before walking to the
helicopter. Lex
wanted to say something to him. He wasn’t sure what, but he didn’t.
Nevertheless, it was better that way, since his father usually didn’t want to
hear what he had to say. He walked to the car and slowly got in. He turned when
he thought he heard his father call out his name over the noisy engine of the
chopper. “Did it
feel good to finally hit somebody back?” Lex
nodded, remembering the thrill that raced through his body when he landed punch
after punch on the bully who made fun of him and his baldness. His
father didn’t say anything but as he got in the helicopter, Lex saw him smiling,
his face filled with pride. As the limousine drove him to the comfort of his
mother’s arms, Lex felt proud of himself, too. *dynlubio
7/3/2004
10:21 PM
Rating: PG (for now)
Summary: A/U Fic. Nell and Lana move to Metropolis after the meteor shower.
Beta: LI
Book One
“From Darkness to Gray”
The tear-stained face was now quiet and asleep. Its owner’s tiny chest heaved
gently, contrary to the way it did half an hour ago during the service. The
young woman, in her black veil and mourning clothes, reached out her trembling
hand to shift the lock of hair away from the beautiful sleeping face of her
three-year-old orphaned niece.
The truck rambled on the yet to be cleared road to Metropolis—the only
sanctuary she could think of for this tiny broken soul. She could feel the eyes
of the man beside her, watching, silently worrying. She sighed and forced a
smile on her tired lips and whispered, “Thank you so much for doing this,
Jonathan. I appreciate it.” She looked down at the sleeping head her bosom
cradled. “Lana and I appreciate it.”
Jonathan Kent cleared his throat and his face went red from embarrassment. He
wished Nell didn’t catch him watching her. “You are both welcome.” Silence
ruled over the two adults once again. Jonathan tried to concentrate on his
driving but couldn’t. “Nell—“
“Please don’t start,” the plea came softly. Two eyes tainted with grief
looked at him. “It hurts enough to know I’m doing this to Lana… taking her
away from the only home she ever knew…” Her voice broke and she was afraid
she’d start crying again, and probably rouse the child. She swallowed hard and
continued, “But it’s the only way I can think of to help her heal…help us
heal.”
Jonathan Kent knew it wasn’t his business that Nell had sold both her house
and beloved store, uprooted her niece and herself from Smallville and decided to
move to Metropolis. Besides, how could anyone blame her when her sister and her
husband just died, leaving Nell to take care of poor Lana?
“I guess it just won’t be the same… Martha and I wanted Clark and Lana to
be friends, you know, grow up close to each other…”
Nell smiled, whole-heartedly this time. “Clark is a lovely young boy. It’s a
shame that he came to you during this awful time. I didn’t even have time to
congratulate you and Martha.”
Jonathan nodded silently. “That’s alright. You’ve had a lot in your
mind.”
She sighed. “I didn’t know you two were thinking of adoption.”
“Yeah. Well… you know how it is in a small town, tell one person and it’ll
be all over the place. We both decided not to tell anyone.”
Nell stroked Lana’s dark hair lovingly. “Clark is lucky to have you and
Martha as parents.”
“You’ll be a good mother to Lana, Nell. Trust me.” He didn’t say
anything more. Twenty minutes later, he halted the truck in front of an
apartment building. Nell was already opening her side of the car and he had to
move fast, running up the passenger side. “I’ll take her,” he said,
enveloping the three-year-old with his arms.
Nell stepped out and took two suitcases with her. Jonathan took the last one and
they walked up the stairs and into the building. The elevator took them to the
seventh floor and the third door to the left was supposed to be Nell and
Lana’s new home.
Jonathan looked around, checked the place out and found it to be adequately
safe. “The guard is on duty 24 hours right?”
“Yes,” Nell answered form the bedroom where she was tucking Lana in. She
joined Jonathan in the living room area. “So, what do you think?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a farm house, that’s for sure.”
A dry chuckle escaped her throat and echoed throughout the semi-furnished
apartment.
Jonathan seemed pleased to see her smile for the first time in days. “You have
a lot to do with it before it starts becoming home, though.”
She nodded slowly. “Thank you, Jonathan. You better drive back before it gets
dark.” They walked to the door.
“If you need anything, like—I don’t know, putting in some locks, you know
who to call, right?”
“The locksmith?” she joked. “I’ll be—we’ll be fine, thanks. And
please tell Martha I’m so grateful she let me borrow you for a couple of
hours. Drive carefully.”
“Take care, Nell,” Jonathan Kent whispered before he left.
Nell walked slowly back to the bedroom. There, in her ecru-colored dress and
wrapped in a dark green blanket slept Lana. She sat beside her and touched the
pink cheeks. Suddenly tears stung her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, darling… so sorry…” she whispered. “I’ll take care
of you, such good care…”
Sobbing quietly, Nell cuddled her sleeping niece. It will pass, she knew, this
horrible pain in her chest. It will disappear… after a time. And maybe soon,
the awful darkness covering her and Lana will turn to gray… and eventually be
gone. It will all happen, in time.
*dynlubio 1/30/04 5:06 PM
**Author's Note: No beta***
2
The clatter made by the silverware against the delicate china was music to his
ears. Even though most people found silence during dinnertime awkward, for him,
it was anything but. He savored every silent second, longing for it to last
until the meal was finished. But like everything else in his life, it didn’t
go his way.
“I hope you’re feeling better now, Lex,” his father said with the lack of
concern he, Lex Luthor, was now used to—even at nine. “I called the
headmaster and we both agreed you would start school tomorrow.”
Panic crept into the boy’s face but was quickly disguised with indifference.
“Yes, dad.”
“The doctors said he needed at least two weeks to adjust—“ Lillian, his
mother, protested for him.
“Look at him, Lillian,” Lionel urged. “He’s perfectly fine. Luthors
adjust faster than most people.”
Lex looked down at his plate. “I’m finished. May I be excused?”
His father smiled. “You always are.”
The boy got up, kissed his mother’s cheek and walked fast to his room. When he
got there, he locked the door behind him. His eyes burned with tears he didn’t
want to cry. Luthors don’t cry, his father said that day.
That day. That horrible day.
Barely a week ago Lex had woken up in the hospital suite, surrounded by a team
of doctors. They were discussing something he couldn’t quite understand. He
tried to say something but all that came out of his lips was a groan.
His mother, hidden by the doctors, heard it and immediately, flew to his side.
“Lex! You’re awake…” She wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him
with her comforting scent. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then, she looked at
her child’s face, her eyes tired from lack of sleep but shining with
happiness. “Are you feeling fine?”
He nodded. Then he felt something strange… like something was wrong. The
doctors have now stopped talking and they’re looking at him… wrong. Looking,
not staring at his head. Did he crack it open in that cornfield? Was he
bleeding? Slowly he raised his hands to his head. He touched the smooth skin of
his scalp. He had no hair.
“Mother, did they operate on me?” he asked, his voice still hoarse.
Lillian closed her eyes, almost as if she was afraid of what he’d see in her
eyes when she answered, “No.”
“Then why did they shave my hair off?”
Something got caught in Lillian’s throat and for a second, he thought she was
going to cry. “It was a meteor shower, sweetie.”
His eyes widened. “A real meteor shower?” he was there. It was history and
he was there!
“Your father found you in the cornfield. He was so happy to find you alive…
but your hair—“
So, that was it. He felt a little proud. He lost his hair in the meteor shower,
kind of like a war wound. “How long will it take to grow back?”
His mother’s eyes looked at him, lovingly and gently replied, “It’s not
going to grow back, Lex.”
His eyes snapped up to meet his mother’s gaze. She looked serious and sad.
“What do you mean, it’s not going to grow back?”
“Something happened to you during the meteor shower. Your asthma cleared up,
you’re healthier than ever—“
Lex’s shoulders dropped, pride left him. “But I’m bald,” he said in a
soft voice.
She couldn’t admit it even to herself so she just nodded her head.
Tears fell from his eyes like fat raindrops. His mother embraced him once more,
murmuring comforting words.
Lionel Luthor walked in. “That’s enough. Luthors don’t cry.”
Now, standing in front of the mirror, watching the tears fall, Lex heard his
father’s words reverberate in his head. He slowly wiped the tears with his
hands.
Tears are caused by emotions. Emotions reflect weakness. Luthors are never weak.
Right then and there he vowed never to show weakness, to never cry again.
He would be wrong.
3
Lana Lang awoke with a start. For a few seconds, she couldn’t tell where she
was. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Inside, her heart felt
like she’d ran—ran so fast, so far—to Smallville, her home with her
parents.
The new bedroom was beautiful. She liked the pink and chocolate brown walls, the
thin curtains and the new toys. Everything was new, different… strange. It
didn’t look like her room at all. It was pretty, but not hers. Sometimes, she
found herself waiting for another little girl to walk in and tell her to get out
because this was her room, not Lana’s. Sometimes, she waited for her parents
to walk in, take her in their arms and drive off. The truth was even though
she’s been sleeping in this room for almost a month, it still felt like
someone else’s, she felt like someone else.
And Aunt Nell wasn’t herself, too. She wasn’t Aunt Nell anymore… she
was… almost like a mother. And sometimes she was happy, too happy… other
times, she wasn’t.
Lana understood completely. Maybe her Aunt Nell missed the flower shop, too.
Maybe she, just like Lana, felt strange in this new house. Or maybe, she missed
Lana’s parents, like Lana did.
Her eyes went to find the only familiar thing in her new room—a framed picture
of her with her parents. She picked it up and looked at the happy family
depicted there.
Aunt Nell said her parents were in heaven and that they’re looking after her
like guardian angels. Lana liked that. Most girls had only one guardian angels;
she had two. She smiled and kissed the picture, her lips leaving a thin film of
imprint on her parents’ faces.
“I miss you, mommy, daddy… I hope it’s nice in there in heaven. I don’t
like it here but I’ll try to. Aunt Nell works hard and she misses you, too.
Please look after me very well, make sure I’m always good. I love you,
goodnight.”
And that’s when little Lana Lang started talking to her parents, a habit she
never could outgrow and a secret she couldn’t keep from the only person who
understood why she did it.
*dynlubio 2/29/04 8:09 PM