Chapter Text
While everyone scrambles to find a seat in front of the TV, Lena is more focused on her brother and mother walking outside. It worries her; she knows her mother wasn't entirely sold on Lex, but he is her brother and that made him family.
As Father Ted plays on the telly, Lena sees Angel wave her over from the doorway that leads to the bakery.
She gets up and navigates her way over half the neighborhood, finally reaching her friend, giggling. Angel’s wavy black hair spins around her as Angel grabs her hand, turning to lead them outside on the front steps.
They settle down, quiet laughter escaping them, as they sit down on the concrete steps that lead up to the bakery.
Even as they are seated, their fingers remained loosely intertwined, Lena using her free hand to fiddle with Angel’s. Now that it’s finally still, the boisterous laughter from the living room faraway, she can finally feel some calm after the day she’s had.
Lex had offered her everything she could ever dream of, everything her father ever wanted for her. And despite her father leaving, she knows he loved her, and she knows she still loves him.
“Are you okay there, Lee?” Angel asks, placing a hand over Lena’s fidgeting fingers.
Lena meets Angel’s dark eyes, feeling torn. “What if I told you I had to leave for a little while? Would we still be friends?”
She feels Angel’s hands hold on more tightly, a reassuring gesture that she knows means her friend is about to give an impassioned speech.
“How could you ever think otherwise, Lee? We’ll always be friends. No matter how far apart or how long you’re away.”
Her heart is beating rapidly against her chest as Angel brings herself closer and all Lena can see is her - dark skin glowing from the lamplight, fierce eyes, a serious look on her face.
To break that apart, Lena chuckles nervously and quickly waves Angel’s hands away to set them at her side. “I know, Angel.” she says, hoping to hide her sweaty palms. “I just wanted to be sure.”
Angel huffs, turning away, and staring at the stars. “Well, you wouldn’t be asking if you weren’t going somewhere.”
Astute observation. Lena sighs, “Lex isn’t just a family friend, Angel. He’s my brother, half-brother really, but he is asking me to come back with him to Metropolis.”
She hears a small gasp, but Angel says nothing, merely taking Lena’s hand in hers again. They turn to each other and she gives Angel a half-smile, hoping to reassure her friend. “But like you said, we’ll always be friends, right?”
Angel nods, returning Lena’s half-smile, with something much more hopeful and determined. “Of course. So, you’re going then? You’ve decided?”
“Yes, I think so. I want to try.”
When Lex had taken her by the sea, plopped her down on the quilt he borrowed from the inn and set down the chess set they bought at the local toy store, Lena knew she at least wanted to know more about her older brother.
One of the first things she learned about him was he wasn’t nearly as good at chess as their father had been. She’d beat him with a ruthless efficiency; she had something to prove.
However, as he tipped over his king in surrender, Lex had only laughed, something happy that resonated in Lena’s chest. She was happy that she had somehow made him happy.
“Lena, you’re aces.”
She had quirked her head in confusion and Lex laughed, explaining, “It means you’re the best, number one.”
A bright grin spread across her face in response. They finish setting up another game before Lex starts again, “You know, Ace.” Lena flushes with pride at the nickname. “Dad wrote in his will that I should come meet you.”
“Really?”
Lex nods slightly, continuing, “He had written that he wanted you to come to Metropolis. And I’m here visiting, because I wanted to know - would you like to come with me? Back to America?”
The shock washed over her that her fingers missed her chess piece entirely, knocking over several others in the process. “What?”
“Dad had planned to come back, I think. He wanted you to have the best education possible. He always knew you were bright.”
Lex helps her right her pieces into their original squares, waiting patiently for a response. “I’d leave Mum? Would I be able to come back?” Her voice comes out shakier than she’d hope.
At the sound of her fear, Lex moves himself closer and wraps his arms around her petite shoulders. “Lena,” he whispers into her hair, “You could always come back here. This is your home and your mom is your family. I’m just asking if you’d also let me join.”
On the walk home Lex had explained the possible options she had - start out with a trial year, university classes in Metropolis provided she passes some prerequisite exams, with a spot at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology waiting for her. Or wherever your heart desires, Lex adds.
During the dinner, her future had been the main thing she was mulling over in her head. It was really nice to finally voice her desire to go with Lex to someone.
“Then Lena, you should do it. I’ll be rooting for you, and you better come back and visit!” Angel says, embracing Lena tightly. She lets go of Lena and gives her a playful nudge, “I expect full reports during summer.”
Lena smiles back, grateful for her best friend. “Absolutely.”
--
The arrangements are swift and everything feels something like a whirlwind. Lionel passes away on a sunny Monday in July, and Lex’s visit brings him to their seaside town two weeks later.
“I’ve asked for a couple more days away so we can have everything arranged and you can fly back with me.” Lex tells them over tea the next morning. “Fortunately, the time difference plays to our advantage.” he says with a grin.
And Lex’s assistant, or whoever, is scarily efficient, because in two days, all of her documentation has been expedited and prepared, her class schedule set up for the semester to start in three weeks.
Meanwhile, her last week in Ireland is spent on a rotation of neighbors’ homes - a quick parade of all of the gadgets and electronics she’d ever fixed, trinkets passed along to remind Lena of home.
For the last time she will see her best friend, Angel leaves her with a parting kiss on the cheek and tight embrace that causes Lena’s stomach to churn with nervous energy and her cheek to burn even after Angel closes the door and Lena’s walked home.
Her last day, however, is reserved for her mother. Most of her things, with her mother’s and Lex’s help, have been packed and squared away, leaving the apartment bare in comparison.
However, Lena is steadfast when they ask her if they should pack her father’s chess board. She shakes her head firmly. “I only use that set here.”
Lex merely shrugs, but her mother’s stormy gray eyes meet hers with something that looks a lot like understanding. Moving onto her books, Lex begins emptying the bookshelf while her mother bends down to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.
She feels herself get warm, with affection, never embarrassment, as her mother walks away to help Lex. She stares at them, it’d only ever been her and her mother, but now here was Lex.
When she’d expressed her desire to go with Metropolis, Lena’s mother had merely clasped their hands tightly together, smiled, and said, “I know.”
There was no resistance like Lena had feared, but neither was it a resigned acceptance like she had accepted. Her mother looked at her with all the pride and warmth that she always received unconditionally.
For their last night together for the next few months, her mother suggests taking a walk on the beach. “Bundle up, love. It’s summer, but it’s still chilly.” she advises, pulling a light jacket over Lena’s arms.
Lena has always known better (she grew up here after all) but decides to say nothing, taking a moment to bask in the motherly concern that will soon be thousands of kilometers away.
They’d had a final stroll to wave goodbye to the O’Keefes and have breakfast at the bakery, their afternoon chess game with their tea, and a hearty dinner that Lena was sure to miss when she begins to live with Lex.
They settle on a washed up log, Lena snuggling closer to her mother. The waves crash, the spray misting over them, the sound resonating in the silence. It’d been these nights that would put Lena to sleep when she was younger, comforted by the sounds of the ocean.
“Have you been to Metropolis before, Mum?” Lena asks quietly.
Her mother hums, loose fingers running through her straight brown locks. “Not yet, but I’ll come to visit soon, isn’t it?”
“Dad never took you?”
“No, and to be quite honest, chicken, I never had an interest in going. When we met, I’d lived in London, and for me, London might as well have been the center of the universe.”
It was a vague thought, the life her mother led before moving back to Ireland. “Why did you move back home if you had loved London so much?”
“I wanted you to have what I had growin’ up, love. A neighborhood of family, the security that comes with it, and most of all the love. You can’t forget that, darling. You come from love, were raised in it, and it’s your responsibility to share in it with others.”
Her mother’s fingers continue to gently weave through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp, in a rhythm that Lena can feel is putting her into sleep. But it’s the last thing she wants. She wants to remember this, all of it, her mother’s voice, the stories.
She yawns, “Is this why you told Lex that we’d look after each other?”
Maeve stares down at her daughter, Lena’s eyes drooping, her head beginning to lull onto Maeve’s shoulder. “Yes, love. That’s exactly why. Now, sleep.” her mother whispers.
Finally, Lena’s mind begins to drift to the sound of a soft-hummed lullaby accompanied by crashing waves.
--
When she arrives in Metropolis, all she can see are the towering skyscrapers, but the largest one of all is the LuthorCorp Headquarters.
“That’s Dad’s legacy, besides us, of course.” Lex tells her with a wink.
Lex’s apartment, conveniently, is within walking distance of LuthorCorp. Set in the penthouse level of the condominiums, Lena can see the vast expanse of Metropolis in front of her in every direction.
Her mother warned her that this was something she’d need to expect, living in a large city. “It just goes on forever, darling. You’ll love it.”
Her room is away from the floor to ceiling windows, down a short hallway. It has its own bathroom attached, a room filled to the brim with marble and reflective surfaces. While Lena carried on most of her possessions, her mother had organized a special box to be sent ahead and unpacked right away.
A small gasp escapes her when she steps inside. To Lena’s surprise, her new room is similar to her old one in a comforting way. Her spare sheets stretched across the bed, her childhood books put away on the shelf, and her last unfinished project lays across the desk next to her tools.
The finishing touches, Lena sees photographs of her and her mother framed on the nightstand and hung on the wall. Lex smiles down at her, nudging her forward.
“Your mom also wanted you to have this.” He hands her an envelope from his coat.
She gently pulls the card out; it’s of a simple design, but a photo on its cover that she certainly recognizes from their hometown.
Love, you are my little wonder, and it’s about time the rest of the world got to witness such a marvel.
Lena tucks the card away and holds it close to her chest.
Lex pulls her into a hug, feeling Lena’s hands wrap around his waist tightly. “I know you miss her, Ace, but you’ll have a great time here. I promise.”
And Lex tries to keep to his promise in spades. Despite the discouraging advice from his board, Lex brings Lena into LuthorCorp every day leading up to her first day of classes.
“Ms. Luthor,” a man greets her, dressed in a dark suit, his hair neatly combed. He gives her a slight bow, a sign of deference, she determines, when Lex and she walk outside that Monday.
“Lena, this is Marvin. He’ll be your attendant, taking you to and from classes, but also around if you ever need anything.”
Marvin is probably the same age as Lex, but looks infinitely more somber than Lex on a bad day. “It’s wonderful meeting you, Marvin.”
Marvin’s lip quirk into a small smile, shaking Lena’s extended hand. “It’s a pleasure.”
Despite his serious facade, Lena finds that Marvin is good company. He watches Lena with interest as opposed to passivity when Lex gives her full reign of one of the smaller unused labs in R&D.
“What are you building now, Ms. Luthor?”
Lena turns away from the circuit board. “Lex told me that there’s a battling robot competition at the university and I wanted to get a head start. I’ve never built a robot before.”
--
Lois Lane stands to shake Lex’s hand. “Thank you again for the interview on such short notice, Lex. It looks like LuthorCorp is doing some really big things.”
“We’re only as good as our brightest engineer.” Lex says, his smile belying some sort of secret.
Lois raises an eyebrow. “And you only hire the best.”
“You could say that.”
Lois narrows her eyes at him, thanking him one more time. They had some rapport (it was why Perry White had sent her) from previous articles about LuthorCorp, but she still hadn’t figured him out quite yet.
For now, it made the most sense to retreat and do more research about Lex’s more recent hires.
Lois strides out of the office, waiting for the elevator. However, when the elevator arrives and Lois moves to enter, a girl walks out, slightly startled that there would be someone on the other side of the door.
She makes brief eye contact with Lois, but turns her head downwards and shuffling quickly into Lex’s office without paying any mind to his secretary.
Out of the corner of Lois’s eyes, she sees the elevator shut, but she remains still, trying to recall all of the details about the girl. Tall enough to be on the older spectrum of children, but still with a baby face that has Lois set on the girl being around the ages of 10 to 12.
She reminded her a lot of Lucy.
Her curiosity getting the best of her, Lois walks over to Agatha, Lex’s secretary. “Hey, Agatha, who was that?”
A brief look of panic goes across Agatha’s face, who looks unprepared for the question. “Who?” Agatha replies, unsurely.
“That girl who walked into Lex’s office.”
Agatha’s eyes scan the room, a habit Lois knows that people have when they’re looking for an out. However, the out is granted when Lex exits his office, the girl in tow. He’s smiling something more sincere than Lois has seen in a while.
“Marvin is waiting with the car,” she hears the girl say, before she stops, seeing Lois.
Lois sees Lex’s subtle wink, but notices even more the slightly protective stance he takes, stepping in front of the girl. “Well, how wonderful that you’re still here, Ms. Lane! You can meet the newest addition to the LuthorCorp family!” he says with a grin.
“All of this is off the record.” Lex adds, more seriously. Lois rolls her eyes, having expected that. “This is Lena.”
“Lena…?” she extends, probing.
“Luthor,” the girl answers, meeting Lois’s stare, with something determined. Lex looks at her fondly. “I’m Lex’s sister.”
Lois bites back the since when that’s creeping up her throat, having known about Lex since they were teenagers and Lois was only a school reporter in Smallville and Lex had used the Kansas town as an escape.
Lex nods in confirmation when he sees Lois’s disbelief. “Lena’s here to attend university classes at MU, and R&D is more a less a playground.” he jokes.
“You can’t be serious. You’re looking after a what? Ten-year-old?”
“I’m twelve!”
Lois brings a hand to her forehead, trying to wrap her mind around this. Clark literally just brought Kara, his cousin, to the Danvers only a month ago, and here was Lex adopting some girl?
“Are you equipped to raise a twelve-year-old ?”
Lex leans over his tall frame to Lena, whispering. Whatever he’s instructed doesn’t make Lena pleased as she glares at Lois. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Lane.”
She stalks back into the office, her small footsteps weighing heavy with defiance. Yep, Lois thought, Lena Luthor definitely reminds of Lucy.
When the door closes, Lex merely shrugs. “She’s a kid. Sorry if she was a little rude.”
“I don’t think that’s the issue here, Lex.”
There’s a heavy tension that weighs on them now that Lena is absent. However, instead of replying to Lois, he turns to Agatha, cowering at her desk who’s trying to avoid watching, dismissing her. “Agatha, you’re free to leave for the day. Thank you for your hard work.” he tells her with a charming smile as if they weren’t just about to argue.
“Thank you, Mr. Luthor.” Agatha says, relieved, packing her belongings with a panicked swiftness and heading into the elevator once it arrives.
“She’s a child. Don’t you think it’s irresponsible to be raising a child while running a company that’s just getting back on its feet? And you’re sending her to college?”
He sighs deeply, leaning back against Agatha’s desk. “I’m not so disillusioned, Ms. Lane, to think I’m so equipped , as you said. She has family available for whatever emergencies or instances I find that I’m lacking. She’s not alone.
“She’s merely here to find a little more about herself, who she is, and go to school. She’s fucking brilliant , mind you.” Lex calls for the elevator, gesturing when the door opens.
Lois knows the end to a conversation when she sees it, and during the elevator ride down, she can only think of the parallels between Clark and Lex.
He may not have said anything specific about Lena’s parentage, but Lois was fully aware of Lionel Luthor’s indiscretions. She just had no idea that there was a child borne out of any of them.
Yet, a sudden relative appears on both of their doorsteps, and it’s Superman that chooses not to take her in.
When Lois returns to her apartment, she finds Clark setting out tonight’s takeout. Clark had told her about Kara, of course, but kept the story brief.
“My cousin landed in a pod outside of Midvale. I took her to that couple, the Danvers, that we’d worked with on the martians. They seem like a good fit and I think she’ll be happy there.” he’d told her over dinner one night.
Lois had been expecting a lot more - relief that he wasn’t the last of his kind, the excitement that he had family, or at least fear of discovery - and instead she saw apathy.
As they’re eating, Lois speaks up, “Did you know that Lex Luthor has a younger sister?” The disbelief she sees behind Clark’s glasses speaks for itself.
“I’m pretty sure she’s Lionel Luthor’s lovechild. But Lex has decided to take her in, apparently. I met her today. She had an Irish accent.”
She watches as Clark swallows slowly. “Well, that’s, um, good for him. A little surprising, sure."
“She’s twelve. Almost the same age as Kara.”
Clark’s free hand tenses into a fist and Lois knows she’s finally hit home. “Lois,” he warns. “I’ve already made my decision.”
She sets her food down, shaking her head vehemently. “Clark, can’t you at least reconsider it? That girl, she needed--”
“A family, and that’s not something I can give her right now.” he says firmly. “The Danvers family can do that.”
“You’re the only one she has, Clark. The last member of her family. The last of Krypton--”
“I’m here in Metropolis between two full-time jobs and there’s us, and there isn’t room for a thirteen-year-old girl in an apartment that’s barely meant for one.”
For someone who doesn’t need a lot of oxygen to breathe, Clark takes heavy breaths at the end, and Lois puts a placating hand on his arm. “Okay.”
“Just promise me that you’ll try and visit often? She really needs you, Clark,” she says to him seriously.
Clark nods, “Alright.”