Title: Dear Mr. President

Rating: PG-13

Challenge: A singing contest by the Daily Planets sister radio station.

Notes: Thank you to my beta danceswithgary! Lyrics and title from song titled “Dear Mr. President” by Pink.

Summary: Lex’s world changes dramatically without his permission.

Dear Mr. President

April 2029

Lex Luthor sat at his desk near the windows feeling the sunlight heat his tense back and shoulders. It had to be the third worst day of his Presidential term. The first had been the day an intergalactic threat forced him to give the order to deploy what his scientists had named “The Golden Sweepers.” They were land and space missiles with their true potency contained in the gold kryptonite payload. The second worst day came directly after, the same day Superman made it known to the public that the protective measures had removed his superhuman powers. He was now just a regular being. The outrage and pandemonium, a large amount coming from within his own household, almost caused him to be impeached.

Lex tried to assure the public and his family that he had no knowledge that gold kryptonite would remove Superman’s powers, and he truly hadn’t known. Just as the dust seemed to be settling, a song that had gained popularity inside the No Man’s Land was filtering into the underground radio stations worldwide.

The song spoke against the current happenings in the United States. The song also seemed to be addressed to President Luthor himself, a letter of sorts. Some of his aides wanted to attach a gag order to the song and impose fines on any radio station that played it. Lex knew that he might have the power to accomplish such a task; however, that was not the kind of presidency he wanted to be remembered for. Other presidents had music and other art created in response to their presidential antics. Wars, policy change, even foreign affairs had tapped into the muses of many artists in the past. The fact that it spoke against the government but was not regulated was the American way. Lex knew he couldn’t be the first President to give into the annoyance and take drastic action.

“Mr. President, we must do something about this song. It has not only filtered through the underground style radio stations, now it has won some sort of award!”

“Award? Like a Grammy?”

Chris Tucker, Lex’s personal aide, just shook his strawberry blonde head. “No sir, thank God! The New York station WDIV, sir. They do an award ceremony every year. It’s listed under the category, “Music that could change the world.” It has been receiving the majority of the votes, especially after they broadcast who it was written by.” Tucker abruptly stopped speaking; he really hadn’t planned to be the one to break the news about the song’s author to Lex. Tucker was hoping the first lady would be taking on that task. If there was anyone in residence that had a chance of keeping the President from freaking out, it was she.

“I can’t believe this, change the world, what kind of cra... Wait, did you say they know the author? Who is it?” Lex looked up to see his normally calm assistant looking a little frightened. Tucker kept looking towards the side entrance to the Oval Office as if he was expecting the doors to come flying open at any moment. “Tucker, answer me! Who wrote this song?”

“Well, sir. You see, they started to play it because people were requesting it. Then when they found out it was written and performed by a person from Metropolis who was working in the Zone itself, it gained even more air time and popularity.” Tucker continued to glance at the outer door hoping for an interruption so he could escape as quickly as possible.

“Tucker! Stop looking at the door and tell me who wrote the damn song?.” Lex had calmed his voice and face and looked directly at Chris Tucker frightened eyes, “Please Tuck, I need to know for certain if the artist performing this song is the man I think it is.”

Tucker looked into the dismayed eyes of the President. He could see the warring of anger and sadness. “You know already don’t you, you’ve always known.”

“No, not with enough certainty to give his name to the Secret Service.”

“The author is being published as Clark Kent, sir.” Tucker hadn’t seen the President look this hurt since that day that Superman announced his real identity, and the reason for no longer needing to keep it secret.

“And the artist singing?”

“They haven’t published a name yet sir, but…” Tucker didn’t really know how to finish that sentence.

“Yes, I also recognize her. I am going to need a minute before my next meeting, Tucker. Please inform Addelay.” Lex didn’t hear Tucker's response or immediate exit. Yes, he recognized the voice. A father knows his daughter’s voice even when heard on a grainy, second-rate copy.

Lex leaned back into his chair trying to remember a time when he didn’t feel like a complete failure. It had been a while. Not that he’d allow any of his staff to realize this, of course. In public, he kept up his well-known Luthor façade. These days he needed to keep the façade up even while in his private residence. It wouldn’t do to allow Chloe, his wife of eighteen years, to see the crumbled lump of a man he actually was. She probably saw it anyway. No one knew him as well as she did. Well, at least not anymore.

Lex tried to think back to happier times, points in his life where the world wasn’t literally crumbling around his feet. His mind automatically brought up images of sun-drenched lakes and lemonade. Enjoying cold chicken picnics with farm-fresh smiles and bubbly laughter. He never knew that friendship was supposed to feel so freeing until he met Clark. Slowly but surely, Clark pulled him into his life and the lives of the others that orbited around him. Chloe, Lana, even Pete eventually called Lex friend. He thought back to the days where Clark’s secrets were never discussed aloud, only in passing glances between those closest to him. Lex never thought he would have that kind of friendship in his life, now he wished he could have been smart enough to know how to keep it.

Dear Mr. President

Come take a walk with me

Let’s pretend we’re just two people and

You’re not better than me

I’d like to ask you some questions

If we can speak honestly

February 2029

Chloe sat on the yellow butter suede sofa that she had requested moved from their home in Topeka to the White House residence, the week after Lex was elected. It was something she'd bought around the time of their ten-year anniversary because it reminded her of simpler times in Smallville. Being a senator’s wife was busy and trying emotionally, being the First Lady was exhausting. Before that first election, she never felt she was able to give their only child enough attention, she never felt she had the time to give her career enough attention.

When she and Lex had started dating, she was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. She didn’t work for the Planet, a childhood dream, but she had made something of herself in New York. She and Clark had maintained a close relationship; even though he was still partnered with her unethical, lead-stealing cousin. They set up very rigid boundaries about what they shared and what they didn’t. Usually, stuff about his work with Lois was a definite no-no, unless of course Clark was complaining about her unhealthy obsession with Superman. They continued to share personal stories, usually Chloe’s investigation of the month and the continuing saga that was Clark’s disaster of a love life. She could never understand why he never made it past a second date with any of the women she set him up with until her bachelorette party.

In a drunken confession, Clark told her all about his deep love for Lex, the man she was marrying. He explained how there was a time when he'd thought they were dating, only to find out in a very loud and explosive fashion, that he was not correct in that assumption. It seemed that her genius of a husband was shocked to discover how deep Clark’s feelings were for him. After waking up in his arms the next morning, Lex explained to Clark that they could never have love, or anything like it, between them. According to Lex, his career as a politician would be ruined, and Clark wasn’t worth it. Clark, always a gentleman, left quietly that morning and gave Lex the required space to adjust to the new roles they were to play. The relationship never completely healed from that fissure.

When Superman showed up two years later, Lex had another meltdown. Clark couldn’t forgive him for the hurtful words spoken between them that day and the friendship of legend dissolved, two months before her wedding. She was beside herself when Clark explained the entire sordid story that evening. Chloe always known that Lex had male lovers in his past, she had just never realized that one of them was her best friend. She thought that with time the two would eventually reconcile.

When Hannah was born, Clark came to the hospital bearing gifts along with flowers directly from Martha Kent’s garden. They weren’t as close as they once were, but they had kept in touch and celebrated the important things that happened in each other’s lives. When Clark won his first Pulitzer, she sent him a bottle of Dom Perignon and a space blanket so he could celebrate on the moon. It was an old joke from way back and she wasn’t surprised when he sent her a thank you note with an attached picture of himself sitting on the blanket, slugging the champagne upside down on the moon.

They had just settled into a familiar joking rhythm when Lex returned to check on her after visiting Hannah at the nursery, the little girl wrapped in his arms. He stood stock-still upon entering the room and almost walked right back out. Clark had excused himself to leave, but Chloe wanted a picture of her child in Clark’s arms. It wasn’t out of any distant fantasy of marrying Clark. She just missed her best friend and thought that with the miracle of new life surrounding them that old friends could find a resolution to new problems. Lex half-heartedly gave the screaming child over to Clark. Hannah was born colicky and she had screamed her head off for the first few days of her life. As soon as Clark took her, she began to quiet down. After a minute, she was almost giggling. Twenty minutes later, she was fast asleep and Chloe decided right then and there that her child would need to know her Uncle Clark.

She wasn’t surprised to see that Clark had such a calming influence on Hannah. He was always able to talk her down from a coffee or research high, and he did wonders with Lex’s obsessive behavior for years. Lex was irritated but was loathe removing anything that had calmed and quieted his daughter. It seemed that he was willing to compromise by sharing the same room with Clark if it was for the good of Hannah. He later regretted admitting that to Chloe.

Clark was invited to and attended all of Hannah’s birthday and achievement celebrations. He never missed a thing. He was even present during the infamous recital that caused her to quite her job. She just couldn’t believe that neither she nor Lex had remembered. She was so embarrassed when she came home to a scowling Clark sitting on her couch, Hannah asleep in his lap still wearing her tutu. She sent her letter of resignation that night and had devoted her time and energy to her daughter and husband ever since.

Hannah, or Hannah Bear as Clark had coined her, was a willful child. It wasn’t surprising really. She took after both of her parents. She was a beautiful red-headed spitfire. Lex always said she reminded him of Chloe when he first met her, curious and full of happy, contagious energy. Chloe thought she took more after Lex, charming and smart as a whip. She also had a sweet-natured obsession for helping anyone around her. Lex often bristled that Clark’s influence was just too noticeable and that she shouldn’t spend so much time with him. Chloe thought that this attitude mostly stemmed from the fact that Hannah’s first word was Clark, or Cark. She would reach her hands toward the sun and call for him. It didn’t surprise either of them that most of the time he showed up minutes after she called. Lex thought it was invasive and completely uncalled for while Chloe thought it was reassuring. She felt safer knowing that her child had a personal super-powered guardian angel at her beck and call.

When Hannah spoke her second words, it was Christmas and the entire extended family, minus Lois, was sitting around a fire. Clark showed up late after purposely missing dinner, to bring Hannah her presents. She immediately tried to climb out of Lex’s lap to go to him. Lex tried his hardest to keep her with him. He hated that his child loved Clark and often seemed to prefer him to Lex. Lionel laughed under his breath and then in a full-out roar when the squirming child yelled out a frustrated “No, Daddy!” In Lex’s shock, he released her and watched her leap into Clark’s waiting arms. Chloe was never really certain if the emotions that crossed Lex’s face in that moment were because he had been rebuked by his daughter, or out of jealousy that she was allowed to show affection for Clark in ways he was not.

Admitting to oneself that your husband is in love with someone else is very difficult. At first, she denied even noticing how the two men always seemed to have such strong reactions to each other. Whether it was blinding smiles in the Talon when she and Clark were teenagers, or the lingering hugs all through college, or even the length of the stares Lex would focus on Clark when he was playing with Hannah, Chloe knew that the intensity of emotion that fueled her husband’s animosity couldn’t be rooted in only bruised pride or ego. It had to stem from something stronger, like love.

Lex had been upset and hurt that Clark withheld his ancestry from him for so long only to share it with the world and Lois Lane so freely. She had been worried that her knowledge of Clark’s heritage was going to drive a rift between them as well, so when she confessed to Lex his reaction was a complete shock. He just hugged her and told her that he always knew about Clark, since the second meteor shower anyway, and thanked her for her honesty.

Chloe was relieved that her confession hadn’t ruined their relationship. She truly loved Lex with all her heart. Now, looking back, his reaction should have had a little more heat, more anger behind it. Lex always over-reacted to the discovery of anyone he loved hiding things from him. She knew that Lex had strong feelings for her but the last few months had shown her that she wasn’t the love of his life. Now, with the world in turmoil and the hero of the people unmasked and lacking any super-human powers, she could only feel regret and heartbreak over the status of her family, a husband who was distant and using all of his energy to keep himself in power. Her only child was gone and angry enough to refuse to speak with her parents.

It hurt knowing that your child felt so unloved that they would leave and seek solace in another. Chloe had been relieved to know that Hannah went to Clark. She was certain he would talk her into coming back home. After the deployment of the Golden Sweepers, she feared for her child. Superman had been stripped of his powers and his secret identity had been made known to the world. Hannah had been seen in surveillance photos helping to rebuild No Man’s Land at Clark's side.

Chloe remembered receiving pictures of Clark handing Hannah a plain cupcake with a burning match sticking out of the top. It was her only child’s sixteenth birthday and she was celebrating it sitting amongst rubble and dirt, wearing worn clothes, with only a tiny unfrosted cupcake as celebration. It pained Chloe to see a smile that looked more content and genuinely happy than she had seen in years on Hannah’s dirt-smudged face. Amidst all the horrible and awful things Hannah was living in and enduring, she had found happiness. Chloe knew it was because Clark never asked her to change herself to suit his needs. He never wanted her to be or do anything that didn’t make her proud of herself. His easy acceptance and caring nature were the things that had drawn Chloe to him as a young woman and they seemed to be helping Hannah on her journey of self discovery.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

January 2029

“Mr. President, if we are going to deploy the Golden Sweepers, we have to do it now, sir.” Steven Caughy, Secretary of Defense and one of Lex’s most trusted advisors spoke. “I know you’re waiting to hear if Superman was able to enforce a treaty, sir, but if we wait and allow the aliens' first wave to get a foothold, I don’t think the effectiveness of the bombs will save us in the end.”

“I understand, General.” Lex looked over the view screens from the underground bunker where he and other heads of state were waiting to hear from Superman. The golden version of kryptonite had never been field-tested because of its lethal aftereffects. He knew that the destruction would be widespread and the initial drop zone would become uninhabitable. He was also concerned about the fact that he had never discussed the gold kryptonite with either Chloe or Clark. He had no idea how it would affect the only force on the planet that seemed to be able to keep the alien invasion at bay. He also knew that the bombs were Earth’s only defense system available to humans. “Lock target and deploy.” Lex turned from the view screen and hoped he had not just issued the order for the destruction of the human race.

Hearing her husband’s orders, Chloe could stay silent no longer. “Lex, what are the ‘Golden Sweepers’? Where did you come up with material that would be effective enough…oh, God? Lex, you’re not using a form of kryptonite, are you?”

Lex sidestepped her advance and began walking to a back room, knowing she would follow. He’d preferred not to receive a dressing down from the First Lady in front of his Cabinet.

“Lex! Are you even listening to me?” Chloe followed her husband into the small underground office and closed the door.

“Chloe, calm down. Yes, it is a form of kryptonite and before you even ask, no, I haven’t been able to ask Clark about it yet. There wasn’t time. The bombs were in a need-to-know phase. I didn’t expect to have to need them so soon.” He rested against the desk and brushed his hand over his hairless pate. “They’ll work Chloe. They have to.”

Chloe was beyond shocked. She'd never thought that Lex would conceal that kind of blatant misuse of technology from her. “Lex, how could you hide this? We don’t know what this will do to the planet, to Clark. What if you kill him and we need Superman to help get rid of any leftover alien resistance. They were only willing to speak with him. No one else on the planet! Lex, what have you done?”

Lex walked over to where his wife was wavering on her feet. He hated to see Chloe cry, something that he’d seen a lot of since Hannah left to live with Clark. He held her close and trailed a hand up and down her back in a comforting manor. She was crying silently, her tears soaking his shirt and undershirt.

Allowing her husband to comfort her fears she spoke her most selfish and dreaded fear into his chest. “Lex, what if he can’t protect Hannah? What if she’s left out there with no one she trusts?”

Lex couldn’t help his body's stiffening in reaction to the idea that Clark was the only being on the planet that could protect his daughter. He still hadn’t forgiven Clark this latest transgression. He wanted to be angry with his little girl but found himself saddened that she no longer trusted her father to love and protect her better than Clark. Hearing Chloe’s muffled pleas, he hoped that her fears were unwarranted, that the gold kryptonite had no effect on Clark’s ability to protect his little girl. Damn the world. If Hannah was kept safe then he would find a way to fix anything else the deployed arsenal brought upon Earth.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

June 2029

Clark returned to the small one-bedroom camper where he and Hannah lived. It only had a couple of soot-coated windows, that were never open, and a small pull-out sofa he’d learned to sleep on. No other luxuries could be afforded during their stay in No Man’s Land . He’d found the trailer upturned and abandoned a month or so into their stay, and had a couple of other workers help him turn it over. The tires were long gone and the inside needed a thorough scrubbing but Hannah had happily rolled up her sleeves and helped him make it livable for the two of them. He'd felt bad that he couldn’t keep her in the lifestyle she had been raised, but her constant smiles and good natured ribbing had helped ease his mind.

They had finished making it home the day before her sixteenth birthday, and he’d asked one of the supply team members to bring back a cupcake for her. They sat in front of the beaten-down trailer and celebrated in front of a bonfire. He sang to her and she made requests for him to play other songs that they could sing together. Mostly they talked.

He knew that she needed to find a way back to her parents but that it needed to be on her own terms. He remembered being her age and having responsibilities that you never wanted or dreamed of thrust into your life. He also knew how hard it was to be told who you were and weren’t allowed to love. Lex had tried to convince him of the need for propriety in sexual relationships. Clark couldn’t back the lesson that Lex was trying to teach Hannah about proper relationships, so he often found it difficult to answer Hannah’s questions without over-stepping his boundaries as honorary uncle and guardian.

“Hey, Clark. I warmed up some water if you want to wash up. I left it in the kitchen sink.”

“Thanks, Hannah Bear.” Clark gave her a one-armed squeeze, trying to keep the day’s dirt and soot from her freshly-washed clothes. He walked inside, leaving his shoes near the doorway and grabbed a washcloth. Ten minutes later, he emerged, cleaned up and wearing clothes Hannah had laid out for him, with his guitar in hand. Nights where they had found people buried under debris were the hardest on the young woman, and it usually took a few hours of talking and singing to settle her mind enough to sleep. Clark had heard through the grapevine that Hannah had pulled a few children out of some rubble earlier in the day, and had decided to preempt her usual quiet contemplation with some dinner music. He remembered what it was like to deal with the death of children. He’d seen many horrible things as Superman, but the death of lives barely lived always hurt the most. “I heard we were supposed to be getting some new food aid next week.”

“Yeah? Maybe a few steaks or cheesecakes!”

Clark laughed alongside her. Their long-standing joke about food always cheered him up. They had both always shared a healthy appetite and respect for rich, flavorful food. “I’d be happy with raisin bran and fresh milk.”

She cracked a small smile at him and sat down on the lawn chair, bumping his guitar with her foot. She didn’t want to come out and ask but listening to him sing always made her feel better. “Know anything from way back? Like hits of the eighties? My dad always loathed hits of the eighties.”

“You know, when I was your age I met your dad for the first time.” Clark noticed Hannah’s interest spike, she was very much like Chloe and Lex in the fact that any new information was always sought and relished. “He had a car accident and hit me with his car as he ran off a bridge.” Hannah snorted her response while sipping her chicken broth. “He actually died and I had to give him mouth to mouth to save him. It was our first kiss. He tried to give me a truck as a thank you but my father made me return it. It’s actually the reason we started being friends. He was so shocked that anyone would be so selfless that he was determined to discover what made me tick, what I was really after by befriending him. Your grandfather was a real SOB, sorry, a real jerk. He’d taught your dad that everyone wants something, especially if you’re a Luthor. It took me a few years to convince him that all I really wanted was to spend time with him, get to know him better.”

Hannah watched Clark take his trip down memory lane. Hearing Clark talk about the ‘first kiss’ made her think that they had shared others. She’d never point-blank asked Clark if he and her father had a relationship that was more than platonic, mostly because she was afraid of the answer. That fear proved to her that she was already aware of the answer and didn’t want to have to deal with the idea that her father not only had disowned her for her own sexual preferences, but that he’d shared similar feelings and still chastised her. Giggling at Clark’s attempt to not curse in her presence and rolling her eyes at the crap that her grandfather had tried to teach her father, Hannah poured the rest of the broth in Clark’s cup and settled herself back into the lawn chair. “Clark, were you and my dad...did you two ever...does Mom know about you and my dad?”

Clark blew across the steaming broth in his cup and thought of how to answer such a loaded question. “Yes, she knows how I feel about your dad. She knows a little about what happened between us, years ago, at least from my point of view anyway. I’m not sure how much your parents have talked about any of it actually. I’d assume that your mom settled for nothing less than full disclosure but your dad has a way of keeping things to himself and being honest about them at the same time. I can’t tell you all the details because they're not just mine, but I can tell you that I was deeply in love with your father for years and most of me still is.” Clark looked at Hannah over his cup and was glad to see an easy acceptance in her eyes. She always respected that Clark could only tell her so much about the years before her parents were married and he appreciated that.

“I really miss Sam. She and I were still kinda new and I wonder where she is now. What she’s doing, if she’s dating someone, what her parents said about the two of us together. I know they were made aware of our relationship when the Secret Service brought her home. Dad can be such a drama queen sometimes!” She smiled at Clark’s snort of agreement. “I still can’t believe he said those things about her, or me. It just doesn’t mix into the picture I have of my father, ya know? But I know it’s true because here I am, sitting in a lawn chair in a deserted city of rubble, waiting for my Uncle Clark to break out with the tunes so I can stop thinking and just enjoy the music.”

Clark looked over at her and saw the pain she was struggling to hide openly visible on her face. He really wanted to kick Lex’s ass over the horrible things he’d said to her about duty and familial obligation, especially now that it would be a fair fight. It would defiantly be worth serving some prison time for decking the president. Clark smiled and set his cup down on the ground. He picked up the old guitar and started strumming cords not really following any specific song. Soon he heard Hannah humming along and they both found their way to a song he’d written a few weeks into working in the zone. He wrote it in anger and he sometimes felt guilty for letting Hannah sing it with him but it seemed to allow her release, so he never told her not to.

Lex walked into his bedroom and found Chloe packing a large suitcase. He' known the day was coming but still felt shocked that he hadn’t been able to save his marriage. It was the first one he'd actually wanted to last. “Chloe, what are you doing? Where are you going?”

Chloe continued to pack some things. “I’m just going to stay at Camp David for a little while. I think I need some space to breathe and think. Did you hear that song Lex? It’s Hannah. I know it. The station is advertising it as Clark Kent and an unknown singer from the zone, but I know that voice. I can hear my child’s pain, Lex. Hear it and can do nothing to alleviate it. I just need some time to myself.”

Lex couldn’t fault her for needing time to think. He often wished that he had more private time to himself to think things over. He was relieved to hear that this was a temporary trip, at least for now. It would give them both the space they needed to come up with a way to close the widening rift between them. He'd recognized Hannah’s voice as well. It hurt to know that your child felt the need to oppose you publicly. He knew that he’d hurt her, enough to send her running to Clark, but he couldn’t allow her to have a public relationship with another girl. It would kill his career and the press would crucify her. She just didn’t understand the importance of public opinion. He had fought for years to erase some of the stupid things he’d said and done in public as a teenager. Even Chloe had to fight hard to be recognized as an honest journalist because of her ‘Wall of Weird’ beginning to her career. Lex never actually wanted Hannah to leave. He never asked her to go. She chose it. He still remembered that hellish night, every word spoken had echoed through the residence for days afterward.

Lex knocked on his daughter’s door and walked right in. He could hear scrambling and started to grin. Hannah had been a perfect child compared to her parent’s misguided achievements at her age. When the door was fully open and the light from the hall spilled into the bedroom, Lex noticed the lack of clothing on his daughter and her close schoolmate. He spun himself around muttering apologies and quickly closing the door.

Lex rested against the bedroom door trying to catch his breath and convince himself that what he’d walked in on was not his daughter having sex with another girl in the presidential residence. He quickly tried to think back to who this Sam was and, more importantly, who her parents were. He tried to remember how long she and Hannah had been ‘hanging out,’ and what types of things Hannah had said about her at dinner time. Feeling more composed, Lex knocked and waited for Hannah to tell him to enter before opening the door. He quickly took note of the changes in the room since his earlier visit and couldn’t help but notice the lack of open school bags and the hastily thrown together outfits the girls were wearing. Hannah was even missing one sock. He walked over to the chair sitting in front of Hannah’s vanity, a gift from Martha Kent, and dragged it to the side of the bed. He wanted to make sure he was sitting in between the bed, where the girls were nervously sitting, and the door.

Lex started to talk to the girls who were staring wide-eyed at him from the bed. He started out stumbling through half-hearted introductions and quickly gained his bearings. “First off, I need to know that you have been practicing safe sex. I know that there isn’t a chance of pregnancy but that isn’t the only reason to take precautions. There are many sexually transmitted diseases out there and they don’t care how many partners you’ve had.” Both girls just stared at him and only looked away briefly to glance at each other nervously. He couldn’t believe he was about to have a discussion about proper use of latex gloves, lube, and dental dams. Hannah was barely sixteen and not the sixteen he'd experienced in boarding schools and night clubs or the sixteen that Chloe survived that involved alien best friends and mutant threats. She was a pampered and doted on fifteen and three-quarters. Lex couldn’t believe that he’d missed the signs. He knew he should probably ask Chloe to join them and start an open line of communication between parents and daughter, but damn it. How could she do this to him? “Hannah, I think you should tell Sam to have Frank drive her home. Please meet me in the living room in twelve minutes, no later. Am I understood, young lady?”

Hannah looked up at her father quickly. He’d only ever referred to her that way when she was in major trouble. “Yes sir.” She grabbed her shoes and walked with Sam to the security office, and asked Frank to drive Sam home.

Lex walked into the living room and saw Chloe sitting snuggled on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine sitting on the table in front of her. “Do you have any idea what Hannah was just doing in her bedroom?”

“Well considering your about to lose the top of your skull, I’m guessing it’s something I should be pissed about?”

“Chloe! I’m serious. Did you know about her and Sam?” Lex looked his wife in the eye and watched the telltale guilt settle. “Damn it, Chloe! How could you keep something like this from me? How could you allow this type of behavior to continue under our roof?”

Chloe settled herself deeper into the sofa. She knew this was going to be a long night and had obviously decided to make it as comfortable as possible. “Lex, what do you want me to say? I never asked her directly if she was dating Sam and she never came out and told me. It was just a feeling. I made sure she had all the information she would need about how to protect herself and how to talk to us about questions. You remember what it was like to discover your sexuality. It’s hard enough to process,s let alone talk to your parents about. I wonder if she’s talked to Clark about it?” She muttered the last line just loud enough for Lex to hear and then her face flashed regret immediately.

“Why the fuck would she talk to Clark about something like this, and not us? I would prefer that you dissuade her from asking Clark about proper sexuality and...”

“What do you mean ‘proper sexuality’?” Chloe stood up from the sofa and crossed the room, empty glass in hand, and poured herself another. “God, Lex, please tell me you’re freaking out because it’s Hannah's first relationship and not because it’s with a girl? You cannot be that big of a hypocrite, Lex!”

Lex sighed loudly and rubbed his palm across his scalp in frustration. “Chloe, this has nothing to do with your or my sexual experience. Neither of us had the obligations that Hannah does. Her behavior affects more than just herself. I know that it sucks and doesn’t seem fair, but that’s how it is. I can’t change the fact that I’m the President of the United States any more than she can change the fact that she's the First Daughter.”

“What does that have to do with anything relevant, Lex?” Chloe seemed considerably more confused than she had been earlier when Lex stormed into the living room.

“She can not have a relationship with another girl, period. I don’t care how discreet she promises to be, relationships are messy. Especially teenaged ones! It is a detriment to this family and to herself and I will NOT allow it!”

Hannah ran into the room crying. “That’s not fair, Daddy! You can’t tell me who to date and who not to!”

“Yes, actually I can. I am your father and that gives me the right to do just that.” Lex calmly sat down in the chair across from the sofa in hopes that his wife and daughter would take his lead and sit down as well. This was going to be a difficult discussion, he knew that staying calm and not allowing Hannah to bait him would go a long way to ending it quickly. “Hannah, I understand that you think you feel strongly for this young woman but...”

“Dad, I don’t think, I know!”

“Yes, I’m sure you feel that way.” Lex watched his daughter shake her head and bunch her fists in aggravation. “I know you aren’t going to agree that this is the best for you in the long run but I am only doing what is needed keep you safe. I’m not just talking about sexual transmitted diseases, and by the way I didn’t notice any protective measure in your bedroom so I hope there weren't any fluid transfers.”

“DAD! Seriously! Not that it’s any of your business...”

Chloe obviously couldn’t help but pipe in, “Actually Hannah, if you’re not being safe it is our job to make sure you are.”

“BUT,” Hannah continued showing her annoyance at being interrupted. “Sam and I decided we weren’t ready for anything that serious yet. We have only kissed and touched each other, no fluid transfers.” She pointedly ground out at her father.

“Well, that is helpful to know. However, you will still need to be tested tomorrow and every three months after that for the next two years. Also, I am going to tell Doctor Johnson to start you on birth control immediately. Better safe than sorry. This way when you decide to have a boyfriend, I’ll worry less.”

”Actually, Lex.” Chloe calmly interrupted his train of thought. “Hannah is already on birth control, to regulate her periods.”

Lex looked over to his sweet little girl who sat on the couch, angrier than he’d ever seen her, with a slight pinking to her cheeks at her mother’s admission. “Well, that makes things a little easier then.”

“Daddy, I’m not going to be dating any boys.” Hannah stated clearly and some what calmly.

“Hannah, sweetie, you think that right now. But after you and Sam have been apart for a little while you’ll both move on, and you’ll probably meet a boy whom you’re interested in.”

Hannah just shook her head and tears started to roll down her face. “No, I don’t want to stay away from Sam. You can’t make me.”

Chloe went to her daughter’s side. She hated to see such pain on her child’s face but knew that she wouldn’t be able to talk Lex out of this decision with Hannah still in the room. “Hannah, why don’t you go lay down while your father...”

“No, Chloe, this is final. My daughter will not be dating girls!”

“Lex, she’s not just your daughter, she’s mine too. This is something we should discuss together and then talk to her about later.”

“No. No discussion. I will not change my mind. She will not be dating girls. This interest will fade and she will grow out of it, there is no reason for me to change my mind. This seems harsh now but this decision will only be better for her in the long run.” Lex turned to Hannah and rested his hand on her trembling shoulder, “You’ll thank me for this one day. Just know I am doing this because I love you, not because I want to see you hurting.”

“Clark would never do this, Clark would understand!”

Lex was sick and tired of being compared to Clark in his daughter’s eyes. “Clark is not your father and I...”

“I wish he was!”

Silence filled the large furniture-filled room. Chloe looked between her husband and daughter.

“Well, I am glad you’ve finally told me how you feel. It doesn’t really hold any sway over the matter at hand however, because he is not your father, I am. I will tell you what is appropriate for you, I set the guidelines for your behavior, I set the guidelines for punishments for your misbehavior, and I am telling you now that this type of relationship will not be tolerated.”

Hannah started speaking over Lex when he started telling her about appropriate behavior. “It doesn’t actually matter what you think Dad, because I’m not breaking up with Sam. I love her and she loves me, so you can punish me all you want but that’s not going to change!

“Quiet, both of you! Hannah, take a seat on the sofa. Lex, sit down and stop looming over her, like that does any good. You two are not even bothering to listen to each other. No, wait, let me finish. Hannah, I understand your opinion and that because this is a situation where emotions come into play, you are not being the most reasonable you could possibly be, so please keep that in mind. Lex, this is not a dictatorship. You are her father, no one is refuting that, but you are not her warden.”

“Chloe, I’ve said my piece and I will stand by it. Hannah is to no longer see that girl and if I discover that she is still pursuing a relationship with her, I will have Hannah transferred to a different school immediately. Do you understand me, Hannah? No more girls. It’s not what’s best for you.” Lex stood to leave when he felt a waft of air pass by his ear and saw a glass of red wine shatter on the wall in front of him.

“No, Daddy! I’m not leaving my school and I’m not breaking up with Sam and there’s nothing you can really do about it!”

“Hannah, I promise you, that is not true.”

“Lex, don’t say anything you can’t take back.” Chloe quickly walked over to her husband’s side and gripped his arm trying desperately to turn his attention away from Hannah.

“You will do as I say.”

“Or what?” Hannah stuck her chin out proudly. Her tear-stained cheeks were the only clue that she was more heartbroken than angry.

“There is no ‘or’, Hannah. You will do as I say.”

“No, I won’t do this. I won’t let you ruin my life. I wish you weren’t my father!”

“Fine! I’m no longer your father!”

“Lex, no! Don’t do this, Lex!” Chloe pleaded.

“Fine! I hate you! I hate you both!” Hannah ran to her room and packed her backpack with whatever clothes she could stuff into it quickly. She grabbed a photo strip of her and Sam off her nightstand and shoved it in her pocket in case her dad took the backpack away before she get out of the residence.

Chloe sat hard on the sofa and wept. No words could describe her shock and pain.

Lex walked calmly to the window after grabbing a double scotch and watched his daughter run across the lawn to an apple tree with a lone swing, bag strapped to her back. He watched her wail into the night sky and moments later Clark landed and held her in his arms. He watched Clark comfort his child and watched Hannah take solace in his arms in a way that she hadn’t done with Lex in years. Clark looked directly in his eyes with a deep scowl, and then flew off with Hannah wrapped protectively in his cape.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

July 1, 2029

Lex couldn’t wait for Chloe to come home to the White House any longer. He tried to give her space by only e-mailing at first. He only lasted a couple of days before he was calling to check on her and listen to her prattle on about her daily activities and what books she was reading. Often, he woke to the sound of a dial tone in his ear. He’d become used to having Chloe’s warm body close to his every night. Before he’d married Chloe, Clark was the only other lover that he could stand to sleep with. Lex preferred not to think about Clark these days. Anger, sadness, and now guilt tarnished the beautiful memory that was their friendship. Having been away from his daughter and wife for a while now, Lex had many quiet nights to himself to contemplate how he had arrived at this point in his life. He was finally President of the United States. However, the first half of his term had been riddled with strife. Necessary tax increases, dealing with a Republican Senate, and then the invasion of the Daxelite which ended with the stripping of Superman’s powers. Lex had often thanked God that Clark had finished negotiating and signing the treaty with the invasion force before his powers were removed. Lex remembered Superman coming to the Oval Office, treaty in hand, only to rush off to the screams of the people suffering and dying in the No Man’s Land. Superman didn’t give Lex time to warn him of the weapons used. He only scowled meaningfully in Lex’s direction as he flew off to his own destruction.

The Justice League made many threatening visits in the weeks after Superman’s powers had been stripped. Lex had thought that Clark would retire from the hero business. He’d been working in the No Man’s Land trying to free people who’d been trapped by falling debris. For the most part, from the reports Lex received, the crews found bodies. Hundreds of bodies. In the first week, they had found some survivors. The next week the only survivors found had been irrevocably mutated by the kryptonite in the area and were oftentimes found to be homicidal. Most of these people were rounded up with the Justice League's help. Lex had reviewed all the footage his satellites could send him as well as the photos the Secret Service were taking to document who was working in the area. Lex had waited for Clark to realize that his powers were not going to return and to come back to civilization. He had actually begun to worry, as Hannah’s birthday was growing closer, that Clark would miss the very first celebration of Hannah’s life, ever. He knew it would devastate his daughter, as much as it pained him to admit. It was somewhat of a relief when he was given the photos of her and Clark’s meager celebration of her big day. He would never admit this aloud, but he actually cried when he flipped through her photos. He hadn’t seen his little girl that happy in months. It was good she had Clark to run to for solace. Lex remembered what it was like to have Clark to run to, to hide behind, that silent force holding you together, holding you upright. He missed that, and he was jealous that he no longer had it.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Lex grabbed his jacket and informed the Secret Service that he would be visiting his wife that afternoon. He walked towards the helipad in the backyard. Once the helicopter began its flight, Lex sat back and closed his eyes praying his wife didn’t toss him out on his ass. Lex arrived at Camp David some time later and he noticed the unease still hadn’t left the pit of his stomach. He walked to the sun room where he knew his wife would be lounging with a book. He saw her lying there, half awake, a subtle smile on her lips. Lex always thought Chloe was beautiful. Clark was stunning, but Chloe, Chloe was warm and inviting. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face at seeing her again after the weeks apart. He walked over to her side and bent down to gently kiss her forehead. Chloe’s eyes drifted open and she smiled up at him. Chloe reached her arms out to him and pulled him closer to her nuzzling their cheeks together.

“Hey you, I thought I heard the copter landing.” Chloe murmured sleepily into Lex’s wind-cooled cheek.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your thinking space but I needed to see you and make sure you’re alright.” Lex kept holding Chloe close and drawing comforting circles on her back just the way she’d always liked.

Chloe pulled back from Lex’s neck to look him in the eye. “I’m glad you came today. I was planning on calling you and asking if you thought you could get some time away. We need to talk some things through and I’d prefer to do it here.”

Lex nodded saying, “Neutral territory.”

Chloe couldn’t help the un-ladylike snort that came out in response. “Sure we can call it that.” She gave Lex one last kiss on the lips and then moved to sit up on the sofa. She didn’t want to move too far from him and give him the wrong idea so she made sure to keep some physical contact. “Lex, we need to be extremely honest with each other. I love you, always have, but this marriage is not working.” Chloe wasn’t surprised when he didn’t argue, just rested the side of his head on her shoulder and picked up her left hand. “I think we both tried very hard to force something that wasn’t really meant to be. Maybe it was in the beginning, but I think we have pushed this too far. We are great friends and companions, the sex is always hot, but we are not in love with each other the way...the way you and Clark are.”

Lex immediately sat up and slightly away from Chloe. He didn’t want to lose all contact with her and break this amicable attitude but he was not going to discuss anything about Clark. He had nothing to do with the problems that his family was having, except for the fact that Hannah was currently living with him. “Chloe, I don’t see why you have to bring Clark into this. He has nothing to do with the problems in our marriage.”

Chloe sat up straighter and took hold of Lex’s hand. “Lex, are you happy? I mean not just proud that you're President or a father, I mean bone-deep happy?”

“Maybe not this month but it has been a difficult one. I have been though, with you and Hannah.”

“You don’t smile like you used to. I was watching some old home videos this week and I caught a few from when I was in high-school and college. Before you separated yourself from Clark, you looked and sounded truly happy. As I watched those videos and then some from when we were first married and after Hannah was born, I realized that I hadn’t seen you truly smile since you and Clark decided not to be friends anymore. I’m sorry I didn’t see it, Lex. I feel like a failure. I failed my child, I failed my husband, and I failed myself.”

“Chloe, you are anything but a failure. If this marriage hasn’t worked it’s because of me, I’m not good with relationships. At least those that have any real meaning. It’s actually something Clark used to comment on. He used to ask me why I pushed him so hard when he could tell I didn’t really want him to go. I’m sorry I did this to you, Chloe. When I asked you to marry me, I really thought I could give you everything you deserved, and make you happy. I didn’t intend to allow anything like this to happen.”

Chloe smiled gently at Lex and stroked her palm over his head. “I know, Lex. This marriage isn’t over because you failed me. It’s over because we were never meant to push it this far. I think we both felt strongly for each other in the beginning. Maybe we were drawn together because we were the keepers of the greatest secret on Earth, I don’t really know. I know that you never meant to hurt me and although I don’t think it’s necessary, I’m going to say this so you understand. I forgive you, love you, and want you to be happy but I think the only way that’s going to happen is if you forgive Clark. You need to forgive him and allow yourself to feel everything you do for him, without pushing it away. You’re the President, Lex, and you’re miserable. Maybe this dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Lex looked up at her and gave her a grateful grin. It really was a shame he couldn’t be head over heels for this woman. Chloe was right. He was forcing it. Not because he didn’t care for her but because his heart belonged to another since before they were married. It wasn’t really fair that he’d promised her something that wasn’t his to give.

“Lex you’re over-thinking again. No blaming yourself for this one. We both are a part of this. We both decided to keep going when things weren’t right. I love you and you love me, but Clark...Clark is your destiny, Lex. I think we should take a play out of Hannah’s book and simplify. Have you seen how happy she is in those photos, Lex? That is a horrible place and she looks so content. She’s being honest with herself and us. We need to be honest with her and ourselves. It’s the only way to fix this family.”

“I agree. We need to talk to Hannah. Let her know everything we’ve discussed and let her know that just because we are getting a divorce doesn’t mean we don’t still love each other or her. And this is definitely not her fault. Her leaving may have forced us to take a good look at what we were doing with our lives but it isn’t her fault. I’m sorry my pride and selfishness caused Hannah to leave, Chloe. You know she would have never left you otherwise.”

Chloe couldn’t hold the back the tears. She missed her daughter terribly and was afraid for her life every day. She had moved past being angry at Lex for causing their daughter to run and had found acceptance.

Lex wanted to beg for forgiveness and promise to move mountains if needed to return their daughter to her mother. But before he could vocalize any of the thoughts running through his mind, the world came to a halt for the fourth time in his life. The windows blew out and he and Chloe were tossed across the room, fortunately landing on some of the couch cushions near the cherry paneled walls. He wrapped his arms around his wife instinctively, looked to the gaping hole that was once a bullet-proof glass wall in the sun room, and saw a troop of Daxalite solders walking towards them. Lex tried to gather himself and Chloe up off the floor but his legs were still jelly from the shock and Chloe seemed to be frozen as well. During the last invasion, he and Chloe had spent the entire time in underground bunkers. This was the first time they had seen a Daxalite up close. They really did look like a large, upright, horned lizard.

They had broad shoulders and long uniform-covered legs. Their tails brushed the ground as they walked and were covered in spines. Their heads were large and had a crown of brown horns at the top. Some had reddish horns instead, but they all had black pupil-less eyes that were set far apart. The coloration of their skin didn’t allow any visible delineation for nose or mouth, but when they began to speak you could see the serpent-like tongue curling in the air.

“Luthor, you are now ours,” were the only words spoken before he and Chloe were grabbed up and dragged kicking and screaming off to the land cruiser that had landed on the lawn, causing the explosion of the house. Lex felt a prick at his neck and then everything went black. His last thought was how sorry he was that he’d never brought Hannah back to Chloe.

Clark heard the cruisers long before he saw them glide through the smog and filth that was the air in No Man's Land. He immediately dropped the reclaimed bricks he was stacking and ran towards the water filtration center where Hannah was working that day. He tried to dodge debris and people working as best he could but others had noticed the ships and were trying to take cover. Clark kept yelling for Hannah to come to him and even though only five hundred yards or so separated them, it felt like miles. Just as he was about to reach her, the dilapidated building next to him began to crumble with the added ground vibrations of the bombs and ships landing. The next thing Clark knew, he was lying on his back and his legs were screaming in pain. He couldn’t feel his left arm and all he could see was a film of red. He tried to breathe but it also hurt.

Hannah felt Clark struggling for breath and immediately sat up, her tear and soot-stained face showing some shock to see him breathing. “Clark, they came back! Oh God! Clark, I can’t leave you out here but we have to move soon. They're going to find us. Can you move at all? You have rock all over you and I’m trying to move it but...”

“Han...”, Clark tried to clear his throat and get his voice to work. “Hannah, I need you to go to the trailer and get the green cigar box from under the sink.”

“Clark, no! I’m not leaving you here. I don’t care about money, I’m not leaving you!”

“No, not money. Signal. League signal, get it and go to the fence line as carefully as possible. You need to be able to get a frequency. Only by the fence line.” Clark felt some more skin tear away as Hannah continued to attempt to extricate him from under the rubble. He didn’t want to scare her but couldn’t help the scream of pain.

Hearing Clark actually scream stopped Hannah cold. She set the rock in her hands gently down away from him and tried to wipe more tears from her eyes. “You want me to go get your League communicator and send a signal from the fence line. Clark, that could take hours. I can’t leave you here alone like this. Please, if they find you they’ll kill you for sure. Please Clark, please don’t leave me.” Hannah couldn’t help the desperate plea that squeaked out of her throat. She was so afraid to be left completely alone on the planet. Clark was all she had left.

“Hannah, please. I need you to be strong. Do this for me. GO to the fence and press the blue button. It will send a distress signal. Stay there to make sure they caught the signal and then come back to me. They will come for us.”

Hannah wiped more tears on her cheeks and spread more soot across her face. She knew she had to be strong for Clark. If this worked, the League would come for them and save Clark. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to walk away from Clark. She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead with a promise to return.

Clark watched, as best he could, Hannah walking away. She was stiff, and he could tell she was fighting the urge to run back to him. He watched the direction she walked away in, listening for any signs that she had been discovered. He’d hoped the fact that they were in a desolate place meant that the ground forces the Daxalite had sent down wouldn’t be bothering to round up any slaves here yet. He continued to try to hear anything until the pain in his body became too much and he passed out.

Hannah had been waiting at the fence line inside an abandoned and burnt-out car for over two hours before she heard the hum of a high-powered engine landing. It didn’t sound similar to the gliders the Daxalite usually traveled in, but she stayed silent and still just to be sure. A couple of minutes later she saw the dusty black cape out of the corner of her eye and decided to get out of her hiding spot and take a better look. Just as she stood up, a large man grasped her shoulders and covered her mouth. She looked up into the serious eyes behind the telltale mask and waited to hear an explanation for the strange behavior. A minute later, a Daxalite glider flew overhead and she received her answer.

“Hannah? You sent Superman’s signal? Where is Clark?”

Batman released her and she pointed in the direction to where she’d left Clark. “He’s back that way. I couldn’t move him. He’s under so much rock. He told me to come, send the signal, and wait until you arrived to come back for him. We have to hurry, he was hurt pretty bad.”

Batman just nodded and walked back to his cloaked plane to gather some medical supplies. He hoped Clark didn’t need a stretcher because he didn’t think he and Hannah could carry one over the rocky terrain. After gathering what he could, he walked in the direction Hannah had pointed and followed the trail she’d created on her way to the fence line. Ten minutes later, they arrived at Clark’s location and Batman was shocked to see his longtime friend so battered and bloodied. Even in the worst firefights, Clark always looked strong and unbroken. Today he looked small and human. It was disconcerting and challenged too many of his beliefs for comfort. Batman crouched next to Clark and tried to rouse him. When Clark started to moan in discomfort, he took it as a good sign. “Hannah. I need you to keep using the smelling salts while I start moving some of this rock. We’ll get him out of here and to the League. It’s the best medical care I can think of right now.”

Hannah nodded in agreement, took the small vial from Batman, and copied his waving motion in front of Clark’s nose. She also took one of the moistened towelettes in the kit and started to wipe some of the soot and blood from his face. He had a large gash over his left eye and the blood was sticky and dark. She didn’t know how badly Clark was hurt but his unconsciousness was making her cry again. She decided to talk to Clark, she remembered that it supposedly helped coma patients wake sooner. She figured unconscious was close enough. “Clark, come on Clark. We need you to wake up. Batman’s here and he brought an invisible plane. It’s really cool. I know you’ve probably seen it a hundred times but I want you to see it with me. Come on Clark, open your eyes. Please, Clark. Please. You promised you’d never leave me and I’m holding you to that. Clark, please.”

Hannah and Batman both froze at the yelp that sounded from Clark. It was pained and eerie in the still dark air. Batman immediately went back to the task of moving the rubble pinning Clark to the ground.

Clark woke feeling even worse than before. He could feel his feet again and they were screaming right along with the entire left side of his body. He knew he had many broken and crushed bones. He opened his eyes and saw Hannah’s tear-filled face hovering close. “Han…, Hannah? You were supposed to stay there until help came.”

“I’m here, Clark.” Batman leaned over so Clark could see his face and then went back to work. “I got here as soon as I could. The League is trying to open communications with the Daxalite leaders again, but it seems that they are aware of your power loss and are refusing to abide by the treaty you convinced them to sign the last time they visited Earth.”

Clark could hear the sarcastic frustration in Batman’s voice. He’d wanted Clark to blast them out of the galaxy during their last visit because he didn’t trust them not to return. Clark stood firm that they needed to attempt a peaceful solution first and utilize force later. Clark was also concerned with informing the world that he, or the Fortress to be more specific, had weaponry that could disintegrate a threat from space. He knew Lex would freak when he found out that Clark not only had access to such a powerful weapon but also that he hadn’t shared the technology with Earth. Lex was still obsessed with the possibility of an alien takeover. “Just get me to the Fortress and we can take care of the Daxalites. I warned them that I would take no prisoners if they ever threatened Earth again. The Fortress should also be able to heal my wounds. Do you think you can fly us there, Br...Batman?”

Hannah noticed the stuttered name that Clark had used and ignored it completely. She was so excited about the fact that Clark was going to be healed she didn’t mind him keeping another secret from her. She knew he never kept the really important stuff secret anyway. “Clark, are you sure it can make you better?”

He nodded slightly and continued to grit his teeth against the pain removing the rock was causing.

The Daxalites continued to bombard Earth with troops. They had rounded up all the major political leaders of the planet and were holding them in the White House. Lex had been interrogated more than once about the whereabouts of Superman. It seemed that the Daxalites wanted to show the planet how they had defeated the Kryptonian. Lex also felt that they were concerned that he might return full-powered if they didn’t retrieve him soon. Lex knew Clark’s Fortress was more powerful than anything on Earth and had repeatedly rebuked Clark for not sharing its technology with the planet. Right now, he was hoping that the Fortress really was able to return Clark’s powers as the Daxalite’s feared.

The Daxalite general pointed in Lex’s direction once more and told the guard to bring him forward. “It is time for you to make a public statement President Luthor. You are to tell your people to cooperate with our demands. It is really a waste to kill so many slaves before they have a chance to build our cities.” The general smiled wide, his glossy black teeth dripped acidic salvia on Lex’s shoulder. Watching Lex clench his jaw in pain, the general smiled wider.

Lex found himself sitting in his office chair leaning heavily on his desk. They had given him a glass of water to clear his throat for his speech. He wished he’d been able to save some for Chloe. The Daxalites had the White House crew start the broadcast and Lex looked into the camera hoping that Hannah was somewhere she could hear and understand.

“Good afternoon. I have been asked by the Daxalite general to make a statement regarding human procedure. I would first like to take this opportunity to apologize to all humans for my own personal failure. I tried to eradicate the Daxalite threat by using kryptonite war heads and only succeeded in delaying the threat and destroying Superman. You will never know how truly sorry I am.” Lex wasn’t surprised that the Daxalite’s hadn’t cut the feed immediately. He was publicizing his own defeat and their win. “I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize personally to my wife and daughter for everything I have put them through. Chloe, I’m sorry I wasn’t the man you needed me to be. Hannah, my sweet little girl, I will always love you. No matter what! Nothing you could do or say will ever change that. I know I panicked a few months ago and drove you away. I wish I could hold you in my arms again and tell this to you face to face. I am sorry. I love you. I would also like to apologize to my longtime friend Clark Kent. We have not seen eye to eye for many years and that is mostly because I wasn’t willing to be honest to myself about how I felt about you. It makes little difference now, but I love you and I always have. I’m sorry I didn’t have the guts to admit that sooner.”

The Daxalite general was irritated with the length of it was taking Lex to issue his statement and decided to hurry things up by backhanding him across the room. He lifted Lex up by the collar of his shirt and hissed into his ear, “This is taking too long! Tell them to submit and I will spare some lives.” Lex stayed silent angering him further. “Would you use another ‘Golden Sweeper’ to get rid of our invasion wave? It only delayed the inevitable. The amount of destruction you caused your own planet. If I told you how much kryptonite was needed to rid your planet of our ships would you use it? Knowing, of course, that 75% of Earth’s population would also die?”

Lex hung his head and tears dripped from his cheeks. “God help me…, I would.”

The general shoved him back down on the floor in disgust. He turned to face the camera that had filmed the entire conversation and stood proudly. “Humans of Earth. You will submit to our demands or you will begin dying. I will start with a demonstration.” He motioned for the hall guard to come forward. The guard held Chloe still while she whimpered from the claws digging into her biceps. “This one will die first. I will continue to kill another until I am satisfied that our demands are being complied with.” He turned to Chloe and reached out a clawed hand. The blood-red claws grew in length. He reached back and swung down aiming for her throat, and screamed in agony while pulling back a bloodied stump.

Lex looked up from the floor when he heard the painful yell. He felt like he was back on the riverside embankment again. He saw Clark standing, proudly wearing his house colors, incinerating any and all Daxalites in the room while holding Chloe closely to his chest. The Daxalites fled to their ships on the White House lawn. Clark looked over the room and saw Lex still on his knees. He walked closer and picked him up effortlessly. Holding both Chloe and Lex in his arms, he turned to Chris Tucker. “Can you free any other prisoners yourself or do you need me to help?”

Tucker could only shake his head in response. He saw Superman waiting for a verbal confirmation while cradling the President and First Lady close. “No, no, sir. We can handle the people here.” After a nod of understanding, Superman flew out the shattered window of the Oval office.

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

Clark landed in his fortress and released Lex and Chloe slowly. They were both a little shaky from the flight and in shock. Chloe kept stroking her fingers over her throat. At the small sniffing sound coming from in front of them, they both looked up and saw Hannah standing rigid and holding back tears.

Lex opened his arms and was thrilled to see Hannah run towards him and fling herself at him desperately. Chloe also wrapped her arms around Hannah, and the three of them stood there murmuring about love and apologies while sniffling and crying. Lex couldn’t believe he was alive and seeing his daughter again. He was also shocked that she seemed truly happy to see him as well.

Chloe noticed Clark standing off to the side, giving them their space. She looked up into his Superman-blue eyes and smiled at him. She released her family and gave Clark the tightest hug she could. She felt him wrap his arms around her and shush her tears of thankfulness. She knew Clark would never expect or accept a thank you for protecting Hannah and saving her family again but she couldn’t help voicing how she was feeling. Gratitude was topping that list. “Clark, I don’t know how you did it but I will never be able to thank you enough for protecting Hannah all this time and coming to my rescue again. You saved my family and me. You saved the world, Clark. Thank you.”

“I haven’t saved the world yet, Chloe, but you're welcome. We actually owe our thanks to Hannah Bear. She held it together long enough to contact the League and get us to the Fortress so I could allow the AI to heal me from my injuries and the kryptonite poison the original warheads exposed me to.” Clark winked at Hannah, still ensconced in Lex’s arms. She looked happy and proud. He hated to let Chloe go but he knew there were still people out there fighting for their lives. Batman had returned to the command central the League had set up. All of the superheroes were fighting against the Daxalite scourge. Clark gave Chloe one last squeeze and walked toward the center console. “AI, can you locate the Daxalite flag ship?”

A crisp male voice reverberated off the crystalline walls in response to Clark’s question. “Yes.”

Clark continued knowing that Lex had returned Chloe to his side and was holding his family close, listening to everything Clark was saying and watching what he was doing. Clark continued to move and replace crystals as he asked his questions. “If that ship is destroyed, will it take out all others including the ground forces on the planet?”

“Yes, Kal-El.”

“Good. Power up the Fortress laser and lock target on the flagship.” Clark turned to Lex and waved him forward. “Would you like to save the planet?”

Lex walked forward, releasing his hold on Chloe and Hannah. “Are you serious, Clark? We can do this from here? What effect will it have on the rest of the human life on the planet?” Lex jumped at the immediate response from the walls surrounding him.

“There is a 0.0001% chance of any ill-effect on planet Earth or to the human inhabitants.”

Clark smiled at Lex and motioned for him to step up to the crystal console. He pointed to the center crystal that had begun glowing and was now pulsing brightly. “Just push that as hard as you can, Lex. It will activate the laser cannons of the Fortress and destroy all Daxalite ships and solders in the galaxy.”

Lex looked up at Clark in awe. He had always respected Clark for never misusing his powers or the power available to him. Lex couldn’t help thinking how Clark was the epitome of the word 'hero.' Lex couldn’t help the goofy love-sick smile he sent Clark’s way before reaching and pushing the crystal into the console. Lex stepped back to watch the pulsing light flow downward and then out into the walls around them. It seemed to create a glow that infused the entire structure, lighting it up and showing how vast the place actually was. The light pulsed one last time before a large cracking sound was heard overhead and small pieces of ice began to rain down around them.

Lex and Clark walked over to Hannah and Chloe. The women were huddled close in the chilled Fortress air. Clark removed his cape and wrapped it around their shoulders.

“Did you really mean it, Daddy?”

Lex looked into Chloe’s and than Hannah’s eyes, “Yes, Hannah. I meant every word.” Lex turned to Clark and put a hand on his shoulder while trying to summon up the words he knew were needed to help Clark understand. He was shocked to feel a soft, gentle pressure on his lips. He saw Clark’s face slowly move back and noticed the bashful look in Clark’s green eyes.

Clark looked down at Lex and reached out to intertwine their fingers together. “We have time to talk, Lex. Let’s just enjoy this win for a little while.

Lex allowed Clark to draw him close and settled himself against the broad chest while looking over at Chloe and Hannah. He saw acceptance and love. He finally felt content.

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You'd never take a walk with me
Would you?

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters herein. The characters of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent as well as any supporting characters are the property of their creators and DC comics. Gough/Millar Inc. and the WB Network TV own Smallville. Any deviations (or deviant behavior) from the originals, however, are mine.

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