Book III: Gathering Storm

Tributes and Trials, Part 2 

Nov 16, Washington

Lex walked down to the Senate floor and looked around. His desk was already assigned.

“Sen. Luthor, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Lex looked over and saw a heavy-set balding man walking towards him from the well of the Senate. “You must be the Master of Arms.”

“Yes, Sir, I am. If you will follow me, I will give you a tour. If you don’t mind, where is your entourage?”

Lex smiled. “Getting my new offices ready. I am capable of doing things on my own.”

“Very well. For the record, you are eighty-ninth in seniority and the youngest Senator in ages. First I’ll show you the Cloakrooms and then other facilities such as the gym.”

Lex followed him, the anticipation growing in his spine. This was only a temporary stop on his road, his destiny, but for now he would make the most of it. “Glad to know I’m not last in seniority. Please, lead the way.”

New York

Clark walked into the auditorium and found a seat quickly. People murmured when they saw him and his hearing picked up many comments, some none-to-flattering. For Clark, it was his first appearance since the article and now he knew how Lex and Whitney felt. The stares at the back of his head were unnerving; even worse, the whispers could not be blocked out. Still he wanted to hear what Dr. Richards had to say about the global warming situation.

A man started toward the podium, and Clark heard the crowd scuffling to their seats.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce one of the foremost scientists on Earth, Dr. Reed Richards.”

A tall thin man, with short brown hair walked to the podium. Clark had seen him on television many times. This was the famed Dr. Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. He was responsible for several inventions and theories that were pushing the boundaries of human capability. ‘Even Lex thinks he is a genius.’

“Good afternoon, and thank you all for showing up.” Dr. Richards settled his micro computer on the podium and fiddled for a few seconds. “The last few months have had some interesting effects in the global warming phenomenon. Some areas are showing slowing in certain rates, and in the case of the Larson ice-shelf, have stabilized.”

Clark listened and tried not to smile. It was good to  know that his work was getting noticed even if he couldn’t take the credit.

“But, even with those changes, the overall picture remains bleak. Our best estimates now conclude that all non-arctic glaciers will disappear in the next four years. Global fresh water reserves are at the lowest ebb in forty years, and the highest levels of drought are being recorded in history. Now, the good news? Emission levels are at their lowest levels since the 1940’s. And thus the rate of increase in greenhouse gas build up has slowed, but the concentrations are still high.”

Clark tuned out Dr. Richards and focused his thoughts on the subject. ‘If we can find a way to help the atmosphere cleanse itself faster, then maybe some of the patterns will return to normal.’ Clark was brought back to the moment as the Question & Answer session rapidly began.

The NAI board meeting had broken down into chaos. No one knew how to stop the insurgents from calling a vote at the beginning of December and Whitney was now of a mind to let it happen. “Can we all calm down?” he waited for the animated conversations to stop. “We have no idea who is moving this agenda or why and that means we can’t combat it yet.”

The NAI President, Robert Burke, shook his head in disgust. “Mr. Fordman, you control the largest share of the company and if they aren’t listening to you, then what hope do we have?”

Whitney sat back and pondered for a few moments. “We wait and see. Nothing else can be done till then. The vote will be close and we can only hope that people see reason.”

Evening settled across New York and Clark led Whitney to the reception at Columbia University. It was a black tie event and that meant lots of small talk and hand-shaking.

Whit leaned over to kiss Clark before they exited the limo. “I thought this was an academic conference.”

Clark allowed his body man, Brian Nichols, to open the door, but he looked back at Whitney. “There are always these types events. If Dr. Richards was not attending, then we would not be here.”

Whitney nodded as he exited the car as well. “I’ll forgive you since it is saving me from having to meet with NAI idiots.”

Clark waited for Whit to exit and moved his arm around his shoulder. “So, that means you owe me instead of vice versa?”

Whitney chuckled. “We have reservations for later, don’t forget it, and tickets to tomorrow’s Capitols’ game.”

Clark led the way into the Science hall and the reception. The crowd parted for them as they walked into the main gathering. //This is fun.//

Whitney smiled at a small cluster and grabbed a passing glass of champagne. //I’ve already grown acclimated to this.// “So, Clark, where is the man of the hour?”

Clark laughed. “I’m sure he is around.” They began to circle the room, chatting to each other as many ignored them.

“Hello, Mr. Kent. And you must be Mr. Fordman.”

Both of them turned and saw the man they were searching for. Clark smiled broadly. “Dr. Richards, a pleasure.”

“I’ve read some of your work, Mr. Kent. You have some interesting ideas,” Richards said as he smiled. “Mr. Fordman, what do you think of the conference?”

“I'm afraid this is as much as I've seen. I was in board meetings all afternoon.”

Richards laughed. “Sounds stuffier than the conference. Would you both care to join my wife and me for lunch tomorrow? I’m interested in speaking to two of the wealthiest individuals on the planet.”

Clark eyes opened wide. “We would be delighted.”

“Tomorrow then.” Richards turned to talk to other guests.

Whitney knew how excited Clark was about having lunch. He pulled Clark towards the exit. “I guess we have lunch plans tomorrow then. Come, let’s go to dinner.”

Washington

Lex walked around the ornate hotel ballroom of the Radisson DC. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was hosting a gathering of the incoming Democratic majority for the Senate. He spotted Sen. Adam Chase, the returning Majority Leader, talking to a few other newcomers. A tap on his shoulder forced Lex to turn around.

“Mr. Luthor, a pleasure. I am Mary Alice Adkins and this is Andrew Price. Welcome to the United States Senate.”

Lex looked over the short regal woman and the elderly gentleman. “The pleasure is all mine.” Senator Adkins took Lex's arm and shepherded him towards a discreet corner. Another man was walking towards them.

“Sen. Luthor, may I introduce, Simon Trent of New York.”

Simon looked at both Mary Alice and Andrew before inclining his head. “Mr. Luthor, if I may be so bold, where do your loyalties lie?”

Lex was taken aback for a moment. “I will vote how I see fit on any given issue. Why do you ask?”

Sen. Price took his cue. “There are issues -- volatile issues --  coming up for debate in the next session. There are whispers that mutants were responsible for the Panama situation. Given that elections are going to be held there in two weeks, this President doesn’t want to commit troops.”

Sen. Adkins looked up at Lex. “We fear that many civil liberties may be sacrificed for the sake of security. We don’t think we could defeat the Registration Act if it was placed on the calendar, but we might have the votes to filibuster it.”

Lex looked over the gathering. “I will help stop that bill and the Genetics act as well.”

The three senior senators smiled and led Lex back to the main gathering. Mary Alice patted Lex on the arm. “I’m curious..., which of your partners are you going to bring to the retreat in December?”

Lex laughed. “I’m afraid, neither. However, I’m sure all of you will meet both of them in the course of time.”

“I’m a grandmother and would like to meet your children as well. As partisan as Washington as gotten, we do try to build a familial atmosphere in the Senate. Otherwise, nothing would ever get done," she said as she walked away.

Metropolis

The limo pulled up to Landry’s Aquarium in downtown Metropolis. Three members of the security team were already on site. Lionel got out first and then waited for his grandsons to exit the stretch Mercedes. He ushered them into a dark, dome-shaped fish-tank foyer that was like a bubble on the bottom of a coral reef. Marine-life shimmered in the blue depths and the boys reaction was immediate and satisfying.

"Wow..." "Cool..." "Awesome..." "My tie itches..."

Well, mostly satisfying.

“Mr. Luthor, welcome,” the hostess greeted them. “Your table is ready, sir. Your server, Charles, will be with you in a moment to escort you to your table.”

Lionel looked at Ben, who was fiddling with his tie. “Bennett. Stop fidgeting, please.” The other boys were looking at the tropical fish tank with awe. He wanted to laugh at Hamilton, whose eyes were following a large eel with amazement. 

Looking forlornly at his Grandpa, Ben pouted. “But it itches.”

Philip turned from looking at the coral exhibit to stare at Ben crossly. “Your tie can’t make you itch, it is not even touching you.”

Ben pouted more but stopped messing with his tie.

“Grandpa, I don’t like fish,” Wes stated.

Lionel heard him, but Charles had appeared to guide them to their table and Lionel had to pull his charges into line. The main dining salon was similarly underwater, so it took some doing to get the gawking youngsters to their table without leaving anyone behind. Two more security members were around, but Lionel was on his own for this adventure. Arriving at the table, Lionel made sure each boy was seated before he took his own chair. “Wes, what makes you think you don’t like fish?”

Wes made a face. “We had nasty fish sticks once, yuck!”

Hamilton and Ben laughed at Wes’ face. Philip frowned. “That was not real fish, Wes.”

"You like Miss Susan's halibut steak, don't you? You said so just last week," Lionel reminded him. "That's fish."

"Oh. Yeah." He frowned at the menu. "I don't see Halibut Steak, Grandpa."

"We'll find you something else. Perhaps something freshwater. Like trout."

"Daddy says we're too young for trout. Too many bones," Philip announced.

Hamilton was reading his menu. “Um, Grandpa? How can ocean fish be fresh when we are in the middle of the country?”

Ben laughed at that question, but Philip hushed him. Ben looked around; making sure no one was looking and then stuck his tongue out at Philip. Lionel shot Ben a warning glare. “Young man, behave. Hamilton, fish is flown in daily.”

“From Alaska?” Hamilton inquired.

"What's Mahi-mahi?" Wes asked.

At that moment the waiter returned. “How may I help you?”

"That's the Hawaiian name for what we used to call dolphin-fish," Lionel said without thinking, his focus split between four boys and the waiter.

"Dolphin!" Wes and Ben squeaked. "Dolphins are smarter than monkeys! Hamilton, we're eating dolphins!"

Hamilton had his own fish to fry, though. “Excuse me, sir... How fresh is your fish? Because we are in Kansas and it's 1239 miles as the crow flies to the nearest ocean, and that's the Atlantic Ocean. But your menu has Pacific Red Snapper and it's over 1500 miles to the Pacific. And that's assuming that the fish is caught immediately off the coast, which is highly unlikely. As for the Alaskan King Crab, it's over--"

"Hamilton!"

Philip looked forlornly at Lionel, as though the chaos was somehow his fault, then he addressed the stunned waiter. “Um, can I have a glass of iced tea?”

The waiter stared at Hamilton for another moment. “I’ll have to ask, but I think it's flown in daily. From somewhere.”

Hamilton nodded. “Okay, can I have tea also?”

"May I have tea," Lionel corrected them as the waiter moved on to Wes and Ben. "In this particular usage, the word 'can' asks if you are capable of having tea--which you clearly are--whereas the word 'may ' asks if it is possible for the restaurant to serve you tea. You must learn the difference."

Philip tugged on the tail of the waiter's jacket. "May my brother and I have tea, please?"

He frowned. "I got it, kid. Tea."

Lionel looked around the table to find Wes and Ben glaring at him, arms folded across their little chests, crumpling their suit coats and ties. Clearly the mahi-mahi answer had been a huge gaffe. How many times did he have to re-learn the lesson that with children, the simplest answer was often the best and that additional information could simply be too much. They ordered Cokes from the waiter, then continued glaring at their grandfather.

Lionel ignored them as he waited for the waiter. “Two more guests will be arriving soon. I want an Arnold Palmer."

"Appetizers?"

"Two orders of Calamari and one order of crab cakes.” The waiter departed and Lionel studied the boys. Following Philip's example, all four were unfurling their napkins and arranging the silverware as they had been taught. He was amazed; the boys behaved like young gentlemen but also like boys. They had the basics of etiquette down, but the execution was clumsy. “Philip? What are you going to order?”

“What would you recommend?” Philip asked proudly. But he was suddenly distracted by an elbow to his ribs. “Ben, stop it!” Philip hissed.

“What is this?” Ben pointed to the menu. “Jam-ba-LAY-a sounds fun.”

"I think it's pronounced jam-ba-LIE-uh," Philip whispered. "And there's no jam in it."

Ben's face fell.

It took everything Lionel had not to laugh. ‘If this had been Lex, I’d have had his head on a platter by now ,' he thought, and not without a bit of regret. They were children and they were learning lessons. He was nowhere near ready to present them to King Charles of England, but he wouldn't have been ashamed of them, either.

Movement caught Lionel's eye and he sighed thankfully. Standing, he moved to escort Martha and Anne to their seats. “Ladies.”

Martha nodded to Lionel and then greeted the boys. “I see you have yet to order. What's everyone having?”

Wes made a face as he handed the menu to Martha. “I don’t like fish.”

"My tie itches," Ben complained to Anne, who immediately unbuttoned his collar and loosened the tie. It wasn't the solution Lionel would have preferred, but he was so happy to see reinforcements that he didn't quibble.

“Wes, don’t you like shrimp?” Martha asked.

Wes perked up. “Yes!”

Another problem solved. Martha pointed Wes to the shrimp section of the menu. She saw Philip shaking his head in utter disgust. “Philip? Everything okay?”

Philip looked at Lionel and then Martha. “I’m okay. Grandpa was going to recommend something to order.”

Lionel patted Philip’s shoulder and then looked at Ben. “If you like spicy food, then Jambalaya is perfect, but…”

Anne winked at Lionel and then moved closer to Ben. “Why don’t you try the popcorn shrimp with French Fries?”

Ben’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”

Lionel smiled at Philip. “I think you might enjoy the stuffed crab and baked potato.”

Philip smiled for the first time. “Sounds excellent.”

Hamilton, who was invisible behind the huge menu, exclaimed, “Oh! I want the lobster! It says I get to pick the one I want!”

Martha responded first. “No, not tonight, Hamilton. You should save that experience for some night when your fathers take you out. Tonight let's avoid things that require brute force."

"What about baked lobster tail?" Anne suggested as a compromise.

Hamilton’s face fell but then he saw the appetizers he perked right up. “Can I have what Philip is having?”

Lionel nodded. “Now, what has Miss Rachel been teaching you boys recently?”

Lionel walked into the Metropolis Manor’s parlor, where Anne and Martha were talking to Tristan and Lisa. “They are settled and asleep.” He smiled at Lisa. “How was Elsa’s Girl Scout meeting?”

Lisa laughed. “A great deal less interesting than your dinner, from what I understand. I can totally see Hamilton asking about how fresh the fish was and then deciding on something else.”

Tristan laughed. “I can see Ben messing with his tie just like Jeff did when he was growing up. Are they fit for polite society, Lionel?”

Anne threw a pillow at her eldest son. “Your nephews behaved well enough, though Philip was mortified, poor boy.” She looked at Lionel. “He worships you and you need to help him loosen up. He’s going to have a heart attack by twenty at this rate.”

“He feels an obligation to lead his brothers. There is nothing I can do about it.” Lionel sighed.

“He's very excited about baseball, so that will help,” Martha quipped. “Other than that, he will have to learn to relax in his own time.”

“Too true, but I will be having a word with Rachel about the boys practical education. They need to be exposed to more etiquette in formal settings. They may be young, but the earlier they know how to navigate the social waters, the easier it will be.”

Tristan laughed. “Perhaps, but Lex might have plenty to say about that.”

“Lex always has plenty to say about everything .” Lionel commented.

Nov 17, New York

Clark and Whitney arrived for their lunch appointment with Dr. Richards and his wife. They were still in Manhattan, but in the shadows of the Lower East side.  It was early and the lunch crowd had not begun to arrive. Clark and Whitney greeted the Richards. Clark smiled as he sat down. “Thank you both for meeting with us early, we are due in Washington by 2.”

Susan Richards, a beautiful blond who looked to be in her early thirties, but wasn’t, smiled at them. “Not a problem. It is a pleasure to sit and talk to you.”

Reed leaned over the table. “I am very interested in your ideas, Clark. You wrote that you thought that weather control was not only possible, but desirable.”

Clark blushed. “Well, I can only envision certain parts of the technology at this stage, but it is not weather control as science-fiction portrays it, but merely the ability to moderate extreme weather cycles.”

Reed smiled and looked at Whitney. “And does Minerva have anything in the works to examine this hypothesis?”

Whitney laughed but waited until the waiter had taken their orders to answer, “I only sit on the Board, I have no idea what R&D actually has in the works. Why do you ask?”

Susan laughed. “Reed likes to poke and prod to see if he can gather additional data. You make a handsome couple.”

Boy of the guys blushed at the unexpected compliment. Clark smiled at her through his long lashes. “Thank you, but I’d say our better third is missing.” The food arrived and they all sat back to have a leisurely meal.

Reed and Susan shared a quick look. She then pulled a photo out. “We have a child, thankfully only the one. This is Franklin.”

Clark and Whitney each looked at the photo and smiled. “How old is he?”

Reed smiled. “Almost eight. I can’t imagine having four boys.”

Whitney laughed and nodded. “Trust me, they are great, but a handful. Several. Like getting them ready to stay with their grandparents... One of our sons wanted to pack the dogs.”

Susan's smile was strained when she replied. “Sounds like something Franklin would do.” The couple exchanged another glance, then Sue leaned forward, sudden quite serious. “We are concerned because Franklin is…well…he is a mutant, but very young.”

Clark sighed. “We don’t know yet with ours, but the concern is strong enough for Lex to oppose even the idea of a Registration Act. The National Database scares him as well.”

Reed nodded and whispered. “I heard from one of my Avenger friends that a new type of soldier was involved in the Panamanian situation. He said if not for a powerful new superhero, they would not have escaped. I fear events such as the environment are about to be overshadowed by more sinister occurrences.”

Clark grabbed the bill before the waiter had a chance to even ask. He looked at the Richards. “Please. It’s on us. It's been such an honor." He glanced at his watch. “Sorry to eat and run, but we have a plane to catch.”

Handshakes were exchanged and Whitney and Clark departed. Whitney got in the limo and waited for Clark to get settled. “Something was odd about that.”

Clark looked at him with disbelief coloring his eyes. “What?”

“Not sure, but it was like we were being probed, no deception, just a measuring of some sort.”

Reed and Sue watched as they departed. She looked up at her husband. “Well?”

“Franklin is rarely wrong and I believe him when he says that they are important, but I don’t know how.”

Sue slipped her hand into his. “Well, let’s hope Franklin is right and sees more as the time approaches.”

Metropolis

Quelling a sudden, irrational bout of nerves, Rachel adjusted her shoulder bag and forced herself not to fidget as she waited at the bottom of the Manor stairs for the armored SUVs that would take her and the boys to the famed Metropolis Zoo. She was glad that Chris had decided to oversee all of the security arrangements personally. It made her feel much more secure, which was a true testament to the regard she had for him. Trust wasn't always easy for Rachel, but Chris made her feel safe.

They had lucked out, weather-wise; a cold front was expected to dump the first serious snow of the season on the plains states on Friday, but the next few days would be unseasonably mild, with day-time highs in the upper 50's. Nippy, but not unacceptable outdoor weather for the boys. Chris particularly liked the timing -- a weekday visit to the zoo in its off-season would guarantee a light crowd. He was already at the zoo with a small advance team.

Voices behind her drew her attention to the head of the stairs. Three body men, four boys, and one very large teddy bear were coming down the stairs.

"Oh, I don't think so, Bennett," Rachel called out to him.

Ben stopped as his brothers continued down the stairs. "But Miss Rachel, Teddy wants to see the zoo, too!"

She shook her head. "No. Teddy stays here. You can tell him all about your adventure when you get back."

With a heavy sigh, Ben trudged back into the Manor. Rachel felt a tug on the tail of her coat. "Yes, Wes?"

"Teddy is only a stuffed toy, Miss Rachel," Wes informed her gravely.

Rachel grinned. "I know that and you know that, but I'm not sure we could convince your brother."

The SUVs arrived and the boys took their respective places. Rachel waited for Ben to come straggling up, then climbed into the lead SUV with the youngest set of twins.

"So tell me, boys, how did you enjoy your evening out with your Grandfather?" Rachel asked. Lionel had already discussed the  boys’ exploits at the restaurant with her, but she wanted their perspective. She had no problems with Lionel’s comments on practical social instruction. ‘I think bi-weekly formal settings will be good for the boys. We can vary the type of setting and also expose them to more environments. They’ll love that.’

Pleased to have Miss Rachel all to themselves for a change, Wes and Ben launched into vivid descriptions of the aquarium and reef life and their general dislike of ties and fish sticks.

The Metropolis Zoo was accessed through an enormous domed rotunda that acted as a holographic map of the facility. Philip and Hamilton made the most of the map, and within minutes were ready to lead the way, but Rachel called for them to hold up until Wes and Ben came out of the restroom.

“Didn’t they go before we left the manor?” Hamilton asked.

Philip rolled his eyes. “They always have to go.”

Shepherding the youngest twins, Rachel smiled at Chris and the older boys as they joined forces in the middle of the rotunda.

"Cool! A map!" Ben exclaimed, and both Philip and Hamilton rolled their eyes. "Let's see where the elephants are, Wes!"

"Not elephants, alligators!" Hamilton whined. The older boys looked up at Chris with beseeching eyes, but Chris just shook his head. “Don't look at me, guys. Miss Rachel is the boss today. You know the rules,” Chris chided them.

"Let's let them look for a minute, okay? And we're going to have to be patient and make compromises," Rachel reminded them mildly. "It won't take them long to decide what they want to see." She looked at Chris and saw that he was taking stock of his team. There were six security personnel who would fan out around the boys, plus the two drivers who were with the vehicles. Their coats concealed their weapons, and their communication devices were virtually invisible state-of-the-art, flesh-colored patches worn on the neck just behind their earlobes, but anyone who looked twice would almost certainly recognize them as security personnel.

Wes and Ben rejoined them at the center of the rotunda. “Mr. Chris? Can we go to the lions first?”

Chris looked down at the adorable Wes. “Ask Miss Rachel, okay?”

He looked at her imploringly and she suggested to everyone, "How about the Jungle Cats first?"

Ben and Wes shouted "YAY!" Hamilton and Philip sighed deeply as they exchanged resigned glances. "Yipee," they chorused with complete indifference.

"This could be a long day," Rachel murmured to Chris.

"Don't forget, it was your idea," Chris whispered back, giving the "All Clear" signal as they moved out.

“The last time I took more than two children to the zoo at one time, I was much, much younger. I never imagined they could sustain that much energy for so long,” Rachel commented to Chris as they moved away from the Reptile House, the final stop on their tour. It had been a haphazard exploration, but the only way to appease the majority. Only Philip was annoyed that there was no order to the habitats they visited. She’d made a point to tell him that the Natural History Museum would be logical -- assuming her feet could recover at lunch. "Wes, slow down! Stay with us," she called out for the umpteenth time. The admonition was the same, only the names changed.

"I'm thirsty!" he shouted over his shoulder and Rachel saw that he was making a beeline for a water fountain.

"Me, too!" Ben exclaimed, darting after his brother.

"I've got them," Chris said, following.

Hamilton was right at her side, and Rachel absently brushed his deep auburn hair. "Let's get a drink, too, shall we, Hamilton? Philip?" She looked around, and her heart slammed into her ribcage when she realized that Philip was not with her. And he wasn't with Chris.

She caught Chris’ eye and used the 'PANIC' hand sign, then indicated that with another motion that only three of the boys were accounted for.

The team's practiced protocol went instantly into effect, with Wes and Ben's body men smoothly closing in on the younger twins even before Chris activated his COM link to break communications silence. “Lock down one, People. Does anyone see Philip?” he asked calmly, making a complete 360 degree turn. He started toward Rachel as soon as he was certain Wes and Ben were covered. He could see the terror in her eyes and it was making his heart rate accelerate.

“I'm on him, Chris," Mike Boozer said over the comm line. "Ten o'clock from your position."

Chris turned again and spotted Philip's body man, but not the boy. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. He's at the ATM."

“Right. Please escort him back over once he is done.” Chris signaled 'All Clear' and deactivated his comm so he could reassure Rachel softly, "He's fine. Mike's bringing him back now." He gestured behind her, where Philip was walking jauntily beside his body man, a short, athletic thirty-something who looked like he might have been a pitbull in a prior life.

Rachel sagged with relief as Chris pulled out his phone and dialed one of the drivers. “Warm them up and meet us up front in ten.”

Rachel watched as Philip marched up with a smile on his face. Her panic was subsiding, but now anger was replacing it. “Where were you young man?”

Philip lost his smile at her tone. “I went to get some money. I wanted to buy something at the gift shop, but Mr. Mike told me to come back here.”

Rachel took a deep breath but she was quaking inside. “I might have expected that behavior from Ben or Wes, but not you, Philip. You know you're not to leave the area without telling me or Chris!”

There was little that hurt Philip more than knowing he'd disappointed someone he respected, but that didn't stop him from mounting a defense. "But Mr. Mike is--"

"Mr. Mike is not in charge. I am," Rachel snapped. She caught Chris looking at her, and could tell he didn't approve. She didn’t care about that, but she did care about Philip’s response.

"Yes, Ma'am." His voice was so small that it broke Rachel's heart and softened her panic.

Drawing the tail of her coat in, she squatted in front of the boy, taking his hands lightly in hers. "I'm sorry, Philip. I didn't mean to be so cross, but you scared me."

"I didn't mean to."

"Of course you didn't. This is our first big outing together and we'll just have to be patient with each other as we learn the rules. And my number one rule?"

"Don't leave an area without telling you."

"Exactly."

"I'm sorry," he said again, then startled Rachel by throwing his arms around her neck and hugging her hard.

Rachel drank in the sweet, little boy smell of him and hugged him back.

"Me, too!" Ben yelled, barreling toward Rachel like a mad kamikaze, and before she knew it she had two sets of twins battling to see who could hug her the hardest.

"Thank you, thank you," she said laughing, finally managing to extricate herself.

Chris's hand found hers, steadying her as she rose. "They adore you," he murmured in her ear. "And I understand why."

She looked into his warm brown eyes and by some miracle managed not to blush. "It's entirely mutual." She turned briskly before she had the chance to give in to the totally inappropriate desire to kiss him until they were both senseless. "All right, boys. We're leaving now. Next stop--"

"Miss Rachel, please," Phillip interrupted. “May I go to the gift shop first? I really would like to buy that Order of Primates poster we saw. I think there are pieces of it that can be incorporated into my report on Charles Darwin.”

Four expectant faces were nodding up at her eagerly. She looked at Philip drolly, as if to say, 'See what you started.’

He rolled his eyes before he could stop himself and muttered, “They have their own money. I'm not buying.”

Washington

“I don’t care Whitney! You know what happens when only two of us have sex,” Clark told Whit sternly.

Laughing, Whitney gently cupped Clark. “Then why were you the one who kept mentioning how horny you were on the flight AND stuck his ass right in front of me?”

Clark blushed. “We are here.” He removed Whit’s hand from his crotch, but leaned close to his ear. “But tonight we will all be together.”

Whitney smirked as the door opened and he climbed out into a courtyard of a dilapidated seven story building. He looked back and saw Lex’s car pulling into the courtyard as well. He felt Clark’s arms encircle his waist. Leaning back, he sighed. “THIS is the place?”

The look of dismay on Lex's face told them both that he agreed. “Whit, I think your brother has finally gone off the deep end.” He kissed Whit and then Clark.

Clark nodded his agreement and they all three turned as the front door of the building opened with a rusty screech worthy of a horror movie. Jeff emerged with Mike Ross following, and laughed as he took in their skeptical expressions. “I can already tell you hate it.”

The triad craned their necks up to study the courtyard facade. Architecturally it wasn't a horror, nor was it terribly old, but it had an odd unfinished look. The property took up a full city block and was five minutes from the Capitol. However, it was not in the best part of DC. The main building was seven stories, with two smaller ancillary buildings at the east and west corners like castle sentries. Many of the first floor rooms opened out onto walled palazzos and gardens, buffering the building from the street. With the entire block walled off, completely encircling the building, security would be easy.

“This was going to be a hotel, but it never got completed," Jeff explained. "Then it was in the middle of being turned into an office building, but that fell through as well. It is exactly what we are looking for --close to the Capitol, plenty of space, structurally sound and easy to secure. There's even a helipad on the roof.”

Clark looked around. “Can we see the inside?”

Mike walked over and patted Clark on the back. “Follow me. The other thing is, that three story building across the street is for sale, as well. It has a three level garage sub-basement and we can get permits to build either a skywalk or an underground tunnel connection.”

Lex looked at Jeff. “You're sold on this place aren’t you?”

“Lex, in six months this place will be perfect. The boys can come and visit; there will be a pool and plenty of space for the Family and Staff.”

The trio exchanged a look before Lex responded. “Okay, show us your vision and please tell me you already have conceptual art and a model ready.”

Mike laughed. “Of course, Senator. Of course.”

Metropolis

“My feet hurt.” “I’m tired.” “Can we go play?” The litany of complaints were wearing on Rachel's nerves. She was more than ready to call it a day, despite the fact that she hadn't completed her planned lessons here at the Museum of Natural History. The boys had had enough, though. The only one not complaining was Philip. He had complained enough at the Zoo.

Chris leaned over and whispered, “I’m tired and my feet hurt.”

“Not you too!” Rachel mocked.

“No, just echoing the boys,” Chris said with a smile.

“Boys, we will leave here and head to the Manor in ten minutes. When we get there all of you are to clean up and get ready for dinner. Your grandmothers are cooking tonight.” A chorus of ’YAYs’ answered her and they started winding their way toward the first level exit.

There were gift shop kiosks scattered throughout the cavernous main lobby like islands of treasures, and Rachel gave the boys ten minutes to shop. More comfortable with the security teams after hours of practice, she gestured to the body men that the boys were about to split up, and the four darted off in different directions, each drawn to a different kiosk that appeared to cater to their favorite exhibits.

Rachel stayed near the center of the lobby, circling and watching.

"Very good," Chris complimented. "I'll make a security agent out of you yet."

"Thanks. You're a very good teacher," she replied, drifting toward the Galapagos kiosk that had drawn Philip like a magnet. "I wouldn't mind having a little more formal training, though. I've had some rudimentary self-defense, but--oops! Excuse me," she said, dashing off to corral Wes and Ben who were dancing across the foyer in a spirited sword fight.

“I’m sorry, kid, but I can’t let you use a debit card here. You aren't old enough.”

Chris, who had remained on station near the Galapagos booth that had attracted Philip, turned to find a supercilious clerk talking down to Philip impatiently.

"Uh-oh." He moved to intercept as Philip argued, “Your sign says that ATM cards are accepted and I have one, in my name. I also have my passport with me to prove who I am.” 

"Yeah, right," the clerk laughed, which was a mistake. Philip pulled out his passport indignantly and pushed it and his ATM card across the counter as far as his height and arm reach would allow.

"Please don't laugh at me, sir. I know when I'm right. My name is--"

"Philip! That's enough," Chris said quietly as the Clerk exclaimed, "Oh, crap!" when he saw the name on the passport. "You are a…oh! I am SO sorry, sir.”

Chris smoothly retracted the identification and handed it back to Philip. “You should keep these on you, son," he said quietly, then handed the clerk an LFK Purchase Card. “Please place his purchases on this card, Mr....” Chris paused and read the plaque over the cash register that said, Thomas Quinn, Owner, Museum Sales License #879. 'Damn. Not an employee. An independent merchandising contractor.  "Mr. Quinn.'

Chris then handed him a business card, white linen with only one name and one number. The name read: Jack King. “That is a family attorney who will be in contact with you should we read ANY version of this shopping trip in the media.” Chris noted that the clerk was practically shaking as he handed a Galapagos Encounters shopping bag to Philip.

Philip smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Quinn.” He walked away, searching for his brothers, and Chris followed.

The clerk called back. “That’s my father.”

He gave the trouble signal and the team began rounding up their charges. Concerned and confused, Rachel ushered the boys out to the waiting vehicles. Chris was next to her as she got Ben and Wes settled, but she turned to him before climbing inside herself. "What happened?" she whispered.

“We lost anonymity. I have to go talk to security and see if I can get hold of their surveillance tapes."

"I thought you cleared--"

"I did. The head of security knows who we are, but not the staff." He explained the encounter with the shop owner. "I don't want any visual record of that exchange," Chris said. "I'll catch a cab back to the Manor. You go on ahead."

Billings

Emma Frost did not want to be out in the middle of nowhere, but this was where Pierce’s information had led her, so here she was. Lois Lane had visited one Jessica Worthy, who had apparently worked in Smallville recently. That was the extent of the public knowledge available on the woman. Pierce had been unable to do much more than supply a name and the fact that Lane had driven to Montana and back to interview the woman. That alone was enough to bring Emma all the way from Boston, albeit by jet, not auto. With her aide behind the wheel of a rented SUV, they pulled up to Worthy's residence. Emma studied the house as she waited for the aide to open the door. There as an aura of death hanging over the house.

'In and out. This will have to be fast,' she thought as she mounted the porch. Her aide slipped in front of her, knocked, and Emma walked in without an invitation as soon as the door opened. She turned to the old woman and knew she was coming to the end. “Are you Jessica Worthy?”

“Yes, who are you?”

Emma smiled and placed a hand on Jessica’s head. “Sit.”

Obeying the command, Jessica sat. Wasting no time, Emma sat next to her and summoned her power. The older woman's memories came rushing at Emma, fragments and fractured images. She saw the Palace and four boys. Memories colored by a vast array of emotions. Emma withdrew from Jessica’s mind in a rush and stared at the panting woman. “Someone has already been in your mind!”

“What are you talking about?” Jessica asked as she sucked on her oxygen.

Emma did not answer, but grounded and centered her being. She then ran threw a few mental exercises to clear her own mind. She had approached her first attempt cavalierly, not prepared for the fractured nature of the psyche or the presence of mental defenses. Slower this time, Emma crept inside Jessica’s mind, feeling her way through the halls of memory, seeing that some areas were still blocked off, and other sections laid in crumbled heaps. Using her prior search as a guide, she went to the closest markers she could recall.

Noting the fragility of both Jessica and her mind, Emma tread carefully. She went to what she sensed to be the largest blocked area. Summoning enough power to break the seals, she also used her vast mental powers to stabilize Jessica’s mind. She let the memories flow to her from the opened area. She saw strange technology, the layout of the palace, her old security code, access corridors. She saw another door hidden deeper inside this area, but as she probed she realized that opening it would destroy the woman's mind. As much as Emma needed the information stored there, she could not risk the woman dying while still connected to her. She shifted and searched other areas. Minor details came out: staff members' names, a few phone numbers. Finally, Emma withdrew and noted that almost two hours had passed.

“Jessica Worthy, you have proved to be a treasure trove of information.” Emma smiled at the exhausted, confused woman. “I am the White Queen of the Inner Circle, and I give you the gift of peace.” With that, Emma mentally stopped Jessica’s heart. There would be no deathbed interviews with Lois Lane.

Emma motioned to her aide. “Let’s go.” 

Washington

Whitney walked out of the shower, feeling refreshed after the day’s activities. In the bedroom of their hotel suite, Clark was sprawled on the bed and Lex was still at his laptop. Whit moved to the bed and lay down next to Clark, kissing his cheek.

Clark nuzzled back. “You smell great!” he shifted to pull a naked and still slightly wet Whitney on top of him. He moved his hands along Whitney’s sculpted abs and chest. “Are you trying to tempt me?”

“If I recall correctly, you were the one who claimed to be horny this afternoon,” Whit responded before leaning down to kiss Clark, slowly, but full of love and desire.

Lex turned and looked at them. One completely naked, the other with a t-shirt and sweats on. Lex put his laptop away and strolled to the bed. He lifted his sweatshirt off and unbuttoned his jeans, then crawled over to Whitney and rubbed his glistening back. Slowly spreading himself across the bed, he slid up next to Clark. Reaching up, he kissed Whitney fully and deeply. “I’ve missed you both as well.”

Clark shifted to look into Lex’s eyes and also to allow Whit to straddle him. He ran a hand along Lex’s smooth, lean torso. “We missed you too.” Clark moved slightly to lift his shirt off and Whitney helped him remove his sweats and boxers. “Much better.”

Lex moved over and kissed Clark. “What’s this about you being horny earlier?”

Whitney laughed while moving his hands along Lex’s shoulders and upper back. “Clark is always horny.” He dropped a hand to caress Clark’s half-hard cock. He winked at Clark as he felt him harden.

Lex moved to straddle Clark’s face, placing his cock within mouth’s reach. He felt his tongue swipe the tip of his cock, forcing Lex to move closer, allowing Clark to take Lex’s cock fully into his mouth.

After slicking Clark’s cock, Whitney shifted his hips and slowly guided the thick head inside him. He waited a moment and then signaled and felt Clark thrust up. “Oh, yeah!”

Clark established a slow rhythm with Whit but was working Lex’s dick over. He was having trouble  concentrating on both at once, but noticed that Whitney was doing most of the work for him now in that department. Moving his head back, he let part of Lex’s cock slip out, concentrating on the sensitive glans. He swiped his tongue along the underside of the slit, tasting the first drops of pre-cum. He bobbed his head, sucking on the top part, getting a low moan from Lex for his efforts.

Lex pulled out of Clark’s mouth and turned around, placing his ass right above Clark’s face. He leaned forward and kissed Whitney, tongue locked and deep, swallowing the moans of his blond lover. Then he felt Clark’s tongue lick him intimately. He could feel one of those thick graceful fingers move across his opening. Lex shivered as Clark’s tongue began to bathe him there. Soon Lex was moaning into Whitney’s mouth.

Whitney shifted and lifted off of Clark’s cock, groaning as it slipped free. He kissed Lex and pulled him off Clark as well. “It’s his turn.”

Lex nodded and forced Clark to roll on his stomach. Lex began to rub Clark’s firm built ass. He quickly lubed his cock and pushed into Clark. He moaned and heard his dark haired lover moan as well. Lex held his position as he felt Whit enter him. Lex sobbed at the overwhelming feeling. Clark was wiggling on his dick and Whitney was wiggling in his ass.

Whitney established a steady pace, fucking Lex and allowing Lex to fully fuck Clark. He opened his mind and let all the sensations flood him and his lovers. Love and passion soared and roared, the feeling of oneness penetrating them all. Before he could stop it, it was coming in Lex’s ass. He pulled out and fell sated onto the bed. In moments Lex was draped across him, kissing him. Whit looked at Clark, knowing he’d gotten off as well, but that grin made Whitney laugh. “Yes?”

Clark smiled at them. “That was fun.” He moved and pulled them up close, all of them in a sweaty heap. “It’s been awhile since we could just lounge after sex.”

Lex chuckled. “True, but I miss them.” His sentiments were echoed by the other two.

Clark looked at them both and tightened his hug. “The Keeper said that the dream sharing for the twins is to be expected. That Ben and Wes will start to share dreams soon, as well.”

Whitney nuzzled next to Clark and gripped Lex’s hand. “They want to know why they're different. What do we tell them?”

Lex looked at them both. “The truth."

"All of it?" Clark asked.

"Well...as much as they can handle," he conceded.

"How will we know that?"

"They'll tell us that," Whit replied. "If they've given it enough thought to have formed questions about something, we have to give them answers. The simpler the better."

"But the truth," Lex added.

The bond between them hummed with agreement.

"So. How about Friday we give the staff the night and weekend off, and we spend all our time with the boys?" Lex suggested. "It’s been a long time since we had a movie night.”

Clark kissed him. “Excellent. No business at all, only us.”

Whitney nodded and kissed both his lovers. “Okay, sleepy now.” The guys rearranged themselves on the bed and tried to get comfortable. “You know, for a king sized bed, this is awfully small.” He got chuckles for his response.

Nov 19, Metropolis

Lois could not believe what she had in front of her. She was back at her desk at the Planet with a perfect image of Philip Luthor-Fordman-Kent pointing to a passport and holding what looked like a credit card. Todd Quinn, the son of the owner of a kiosk at the Museum of Natural Science had called the paper this afternoon claiming to have seen the mysterious Luthor kids and captured pictures of one of them. Lois raided her Paid Informant Fund and was at the Museum in 15 minutes, where she discovered that four children, a woman, and a team of security personnel had spent the better part of the afternoon touring. Quinn contended that one of those four boys had become rude and abusive when he wasn't allowed to use an ATM card for his purchase. To back up his story, Quinn produced a series of digital photos from his kiosk's private security camera. He swore that the name on the passport and card was Philip Luthor-Fordman-Kent.

Lois grilled Quinn and a couple of the other museum shop owners who vaguely remembered kids and some security types hanging around the lobby, then departing quickly. Museum security was less cooperative, refusing to comment and reminding her that the museum was private property and suggesting that perhaps she should leave. But Lois had tenaciously pursued her investigation until she finally found someone willing to admit off the record that a man with a British accent and a Minerva Inc security badge had made arrangements for the museum's security tapes never to see the light of day.

That was enough to convince Lois to pay $150 for Quinn's pictures, but there were parts of his story that were red-flagging her reporter's instincts. Her inquiry with the store's credit card clearing house did show a purchase that coincided with the timestamp on the digital pictures, but it was a corporate card, not an individual's ATM card. Lois knew better than to ask what corporation had issued the card used.

According to Quinn, the kiosk's security camera recorded images in 20 second intervals, and he'd provided Lois with three pictures from the encounter. The first was of the tall, serious little boy and his passport. The next two images showed a tall, athletic man with a handsome, narrow face and prominent nose.  In one, he was handing the passport and credit card back to the dark-haired child. In the second, he appeared to be proffering a business card. Quinn had showed Lois the card, claiming that a threat of bodily harm had accompanied it if he repeated his story to the press.

'What story?' Lois had wondered at the time, and was still wondering. At worst, this was a rich kid who got snotty with a sales clerk. Not exactly hold-the-presses-front-page-news. And given that the kid was only 7 years old, not something he should be pistol-whipped in the media for; not even Lois was that hard-hearted. What Lois had was a depleted Informant Fund, a non-story, and a picture of a kid she probably couldn't use.

Unless the real story was the Minerva Security strong-arm tactics and the way they'd squelched those museum tapes. Now that was an angle. Lois smiled. ‘That family thinks it can run everything! Maybe it's time someone showed them they're wrong!’  

Jimmy plopped down in Lois's interview chair and tossed a file folder onto her desk. “Sorry, Ace. These images are the best we can get.” He glanced at the prints. “Holy shit! Is that who I think it is?”

Lois glared at him. “Will you shut up? And don't call me ‘Ace'.” She looked around the room to make sure no one was paying attention, then whispered, “Yes, it is. Apparently the Luthor brats were at the museum yesterday, but the story the clerk told doesn't quite jive with what I see here. The clerk said the boy was obnoxious and demanded service, but the clerk looked pretty stoned, and the kid... He doesn't look particularly belligerent." She tapped the picture of Philip and the passport. "Any way you can enhance that passport or the card and maybe get the name?"

Jimmy squinted at the picture. "Uh, maybe. You got the original image?"

Lois handed him the data disk Quinn had given her, then tapped one of the other pictures. "And I need everything we've got on Minerva Security personnel. I want to know this guy's name and where he is in the company pecking order."

Jimmy looked up and saw a man striding towards Lois’ desk. He was handsome and well dressed, but the two men flanking him radiated menace. “Lois, behind you.”

Lois turned in time to catch the tall, fair-haired man glancing around. She stifled an involuntary shudder when his eyes lit on her and he continued his march. Instinct told her to tell Jimmy to "Ditch the pictures, Kid."

Jimmy surreptitiously slid the three museum photos into the clutter of files and notes on her desk.

“Lois Lane?” the blond man asked.

Lois stood. “Yes.”

“I’m Jack King, a personal attorney for the Luthor-Fordman-Kent household.” Jack raised a hand to silence her before she could get a word in. “It has come to our attention that you are in possession of pictures taken at a privately-owned and -operated merchandising booth at the privately-funded Museum of Natural History. In as much as the parents do not grant the Daily Planet the authority to print any photographs of the young Master, I have been instructed to and have obtained an Order to Cease and Desist."

Lois wanted to laugh when she heard the word ‘Master’ come out of King's mouth, but it died when she saw just how serious he was. The fact that Perry White was coming out of his office to see what was up didn't help. ‘FUCK!’

Lois eyed the court order, wondering if there was anything she could do to convince him to put it back in his breast pocket before Perry arrived. "You couldn't have just asked nicely?" she wondered aloud. "Those are divine dimples you got there--a smile and a dry martini at Giovanni's might have done the trick."

The aforementioned dimples deepened, but King didn't actually smile. “Normally, more casual measures would have been our first course of action, but knowing the Planet’s…history with the Luthor family and your vendetta in particular, it seemed wisest to go straight for the jugular."

"Vendetta?" Lois bristled. "I resent that characterization. Alexander Luthor is a prominent public figure--an elected official--"

"But his children are not," King said, cutting her off. "Unfortunately, the Planet seems to have no compunction about exploiting four small boys to sell newspapers." One of King's wingmen touched him on the arm and Jack turned to find Perry White approaching. “Mr. White? Jack King.”

Perry came to a halt and glared at the stylishly garbed young man and his two henchmen. “Who are you and what do you want with Lane here?”

Lois tried to wave off Perry, but he ignored her. ‘Shit, so much for keeping this under the radar.’

Jack offered Perry a half-smile and the legal document he'd been waving in front of Lois. “I was informing Ms. Lane that I am a personal attorney for the Luthor-Fordman-Kent household. That is a Court Order prohibiting you from printing, reproducing, or distributing photographs of Master Philip Luthor-Fordman-Kent. All digital copies of the images are to be destroyed, and any prints that may have been made should be sent to this address along with the original digital media card provided to Ms. Lane." Jack produced a card and handed it to Perry. “Philip Luthor-Fordman-Kent is a minor, seven years of age and not a public figure. Moreover, he was on private property at the time those images were taken. Publish those pictures and the Luthor-Fordman-Kents will own the Daily Planet. I will be in contact."

Jack turned and headed to the elevator bank, but stopped abruptly and turned back. "Ms. Lane, you might be interested to know that Mr. Quinn tried to peddle his photographs to the National Inquisitioner and was turned away. Even the lowest rag in the country recognizes grounds for a lawsuit when they see them." He turned briskly and departed with his henchmen on his heels.

Perry's heated glare followed them until they disappeared into the elevator, then fell on Lois. “You do this on purpose, don't you? Dig a hole and see how deep you can make it before it falls in and buries you alive. You're sort of a low-rent thrill seeker, aren't you?"

Lois resented the characterization, but was prudent enough not to challenge the metaphor. When she didn't rise to the bait, Perry waved the court order in her face and told her, "I am going up to Legal with this. When I get back, you will be in my office with everything King asked for plus an explanation of what the HELL is going on!”

Lois watched as Perry stormed off. She looked at Jimmy who was still sitting on her desk. “You have to admire how quickly that family gets information.”

He held up the data disk. "Want this back?"

She glared at him. "Have you made a copy of the pictures and enhanced them like I asked?"

"No."

She bent toward him, hands planted on the desk as she growled, "Then fuck no, I don't want it back. Get back to your hidey-hole and do whatever it is you do down there."

Jimmy sighed heavily and stood.

"And Olsen." She shoved a card at him. "Send the enhancements to my home computer."

Lois was sitting in Perry’s office when he came storming in.

“LANE! I have half a mind to fire you and another to just kill you! Now, what the HELL was a private attorney for the Luthor family doing here IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

Lois didn’t think the walls of his office would hold up if he kept shouting like that at her. The whole floor was probably listening, if not the whole building. “I was following a story and that information fell into my lap.”

“FELL! INTO! YOUR! LAP!?” Perry paused to gather his breath. “LANE! Hand me the items in questions and I want to know EXACTLY what you were pursuing…NOW!”

Lois had never seen Perry this enraged before, thoughts about her job safety were now crossing her mind. She handed him two chips and three printouts. “LOOK, the whole angle with the kid is a dead end. I know that. The real story is how that family throws its weight around, frightening and bullying people. They threatened that kid at the Museum! It‘s a damn miracle he actually opened his mouth even if he went to some Rag first. It is the arrogance of power, not the kids! And they just marched in and pulled that shit AGAIN!”

Perry heard the jab but rolled with it. “Lane, you are lucky I don’t bust your ass down to the mailroom.” He paused. “I am telling you now, cover your ass and be careful. I’m not going to do anything other that warn you about crossing legal lines. Upstairs does not want to deal with that family, they have resources that could equal the government’s and don’t forget it!”

Lois smiled and leaned back. “Did you notice how quickly they found out that I had those photos? They have fingers everywhere. They OWN this city and we are the only voice that ever says anything!”

Perry opened his credenza and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Scotch. He poured some for them both. “Well Lane, I got my ass chewed out for not knowing what you are up to and I’m supposed to chew yours. Promise me that you won’t pursue the kids…the Senator will have us hanging by a public gallows so fucking fast.”

Lois didn’t need such a vivid reminder. The mere idea of that picture going public attached to a story had brought down a hammer that Thor might be proud of. “Perry, as long as the story doesn’t warrant it…I promise, but it was THEIR security that crossed the line.”

“Lane, get out of my office.” He handed her twenty bucks. “Go buy Jimmy a drink, you owe him plenty for all the work he does for you.” He watched as her mouth fell open. “And be nicer to him, he works cheap and does excellent work. If you chase him off, then I’ll make you beg him to come back.”

Lois groaned as she downed her drink. She walked out, head held high and saw the gossip. ‘That is why I will get a Pulitzer, I actually defy convention.’ She found a note for her from Jimmy. ‘Sent your request to the proper place. One came out perfect.’ She went to his cubicle and pulled on his shirt. “Come on, Olsen, it’s your lucky night.”

Jimmy looked up, eyebrows arched.

“Not that lucky, I’m buying you a round.”

“Okay.”

Smallville

It was a late afternoon; an intense snowstorm was anticipated for the evening, which made the day gray and dreary. If she'd been with the boys, Rachel wouldn't have noticed or cared, but they were spending time with their parents and Rachel was in Villa at loose ends. It was times like this she regretted never marrying, never having children of her own, or even a home of her own. Just a kitchen of her own would be an improvement, she thought grimly as the tea kettle in the communal kitchen whistled a merry counterpoint to her mood. She snatched it off the stove and poured.

"Are you trying to steep that teabag or drown it?" Chris asked, catching her off guard. It was something he did with amazing regularity, which only added to her agitation, as though her lack of privacy only proved the grim point she'd been making. The fact that seeing Christian Smith had become one of the highlights of her life somehow didn't factor into the equation today.

Rachel stopped poking the poor bag with her spoon. "Drowning is too good for it. I'm contemplating a higher form of punishment."

Chris laughed and circled the huge cooking island to get to the restaurant-style stove, which Rachel  promptly vacated to make her way the refrigerator. In the process, Chris got a good look at her face. "Ooh, that look is grayer than those storm clouds bearing down on us. What's wrong?"

She found a carton of cream. "Nothing."

"Liar."

Hand on one shapely hip, she regarded Chris sternly through lowered brows. "You'll find, Mr. Smith, that calling a lady a liar is hardly the shortest way to her heart."

Undaunted by her scowl, Chris smoothly gathered her into his arms. "How about if I call your bluff instead?"

It took everything Rachel had to resist melting against him. She couldn't quite remain playfully aloof, either, though. "I beg your pardon?"

"Tonight is our monthly card game. I'm inviting you to join us.”

"Us?"

"Senior staff."

Rachel regarded him skeptically. “I’ve been here for almost four months and have never seen a card game. Are you sure this isn't a variation of the old `wanna come up and see my etchings' ploy just to get me into your quarters?"
 
"You've already seen my etchings, Ms. Amstead. And my quarters," Chris reminded her softly, his voice a seductive whisper that sent a shiver down Rachel's spine.

"Well, you can never see too many etchings, Mr. Smith."

"Keep looking at me like that and we're going to miss the poker game."

Rachel chuckled wickedly. "Oh, I could make a very naughty joke out of that, Mr. Smith, but it's beneath my dignity."

"Well, let's discuss what else we can get beneath you later, and go play cards now."

Rachel laughed outright, her sour mood forgotten as Chris led her to join the rest of the staff.

Whitney was in the small kitchen on the second floor, just off the Family room. Across the island, Philip was pouring the last of the popcorn into a bowl. “You got it, buddy?”

Philip looked at Whitney with a half smile. “Of course I do, Daddy.” Carrying the bowl carefully, he walked out and headed to the couches that had been set up for movie night. Normally they would have held movie night in the Screening room on the Third Floor of the main building, but that room was set up in theatre style seating not the intimate atmosphere that the trio wanted for the night. The Family room was in the interior of the house, the windows looking down on the den having been closed and sealed to add to the intimate atmosphere. Everyone was dressed warmly, heavy blankets had been broken out, and Whitney was finishing the first batch of hot chocolate.

He followed Philip into the room with a tray of seven mugs and extra marshmallows. He’d left the kitchen ready for multiple servings, should they be requested. He placed the mugs on end tables and on the sofa table behind the largest couch. Chef Susan had made a few batches of chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies. They were a favorite of the boys. Clark was sitting there with Ben, and Philip was making that his home, as well. On the love seat perpendicular to the large couch, Lex had Wes snuggled against him and a second love seat waited for Whitney directly across from Lex. The entire furniture set could be made into a single U-shaped piece, but for now it was broken up to provide head rests. Whit sat on his loveseat, pulled his quilt close, and let Hamilton settle next to him. The lights on the opposite side of the room where out and only minimal lighting was set up around their encampment.

Lex looked over the scene and smiled. Ben had his Teddy at his feet and Wes had his big stuffed Panda at his. Duchess and Mohiam were curled in front of one of the fireplaces, and the cats were off patrolling. Lex leaned down to kiss Wes on top of his head. “Comfy?”

Wes beamed at Lex. “Yes, Papa, thank you.”

Clark kissed Philip's cheek and ruffled Ben’s hair. “So, what do you boys want to see?”

Philip leaned back to hug his Poppy. “Aliens!”

Whitney tried to intervene, but the boys all became animated about seeing the old Sci-Fi flick. “Okay, but if you get scared, it’s your own fault.”

Ben shifted to get comfortable and to hug Clark. “We won’t, Poppy.”

Philip leaned over and tapped Hamilton’s hand. He waited for his twin to look at him. “I think they should go away more often.”

Clark heard that and looked at his oldest son quizzically. “Why do you say that, Philip?”

Philip put on his best pout. “Because we have not had a movie night in ages and we like nights where it’s just us.”

Lex tickled Wes a little. “Do you agree?”

Wes nodded and then kissed Lex. “We get you all to ourselves.”

Whitney smiled at his partners. It was easy to forget that they had an agenda tonight. The older boys had questions and their fathers had promised answers. Tonight. Clark was looking at Whit, the question clear in his mind: //Now?//

//No. Later. We can always hope they've forgotten.// Whitney messed up Hamilton’s hair. “Okay, more time with the boys and more movie nights, got it. Ready for Aliens?”

The huge flat panel TV opposite their position suddenly came to life. Whitney scrolled the menu and all the boys snuggled up close to their fathers, munching merrily on popcorn as the eerie blackness of space overtook the huge TV screen. Hamilton looked up at Whit. “Daddy, are you ever going to tell us about our dreams?”

So much for forgetting. Whitney leaned over to grab a handful of Hamilton’s popcorn. “After the movie.”

Hamilton nodded and did he best to get engrossed in the Eighties hit.

Two bathroom breaks, a second round of hot chocolate, and one more tub of popcorn later, the movie ended. About mid-way through, Isis and Thoth had returned from patrol and glared imperiously at the dogs until they reluctantly rose and trotted out to take their turn at guard duty. When the lights came up, the cats were lying like matching Sphinxes in front of the fireplace, alert to the tension in the room, but not alarmed. Clark was holding Ben close and Lex had an arm full of Wes plastered against him. Hamilton and Philip had moved to the floor between Whitney and Clark, curled up with each other and Ben’s Teddy. Clark wanted to laugh but instead lightly brushed Ben’s hair. “I thought you said you wouldn't get scared.”

Ben looked at Clark with his eyes wide and a streak of fear showing in them. Clark pulled him close and hugged him tight. “It’s just a movie, nothing to be afraid of.”

Hamilton, who'd been especially restless during the movie, looked up at Whitney. The expectant expression said it all. “Well, Daddy?”

Whitney ruffled his hair and kissed his brow. "Has anyone ever told you that you're remarkably single-minded?" he asked lightly.

Too young to recognize a rhetorical question when he heard one, Hamilton frowned thoughtfully. "Grandpa Lionel says I have a one-track mind, but that it leads to a futuristic metro station."

All three fathers laughed and Whitney turned up the lighting around their area. The TV was switched off. “Okay, boys. It’s like this…”

Philip started tapping on Clark’s foot. “Poppy?”

Whitney paused so Clark could answer Philip. “Yes, sir?”

“Do we have a mommy? Because we see everyone else has a mommy, but we have three daddies.”

"PHILIP!" Hamilton exclaimed. "We agreed! Only one question at a time! I want to know about the dreams!"

"But you wanted to know about our Mommy, too!" Philip shot back.

"We all do!" Ben said, telescoping Wes's "Yeah!"

"Boys, boys, that's enough. Settle down," Clark warned them. "We'll answer all of your questions, I promise, but it's going to take a little time. Come on, let's get more comfortable. Who needs the bathroom?"

Ben and Wes both scrambled, followed shortly by their older siblings, while the triad rearranged the sectional sofa to its true configuration. Two ottomans were placed close to allow legs to be stretched. Teddy and the panda were placed on the outside, allowing more room and all the blankets were rearranged.

The boys got back and settled in between their fathers, getting comfy with blankets and pillows. Lex kissed Philip’s head, then nodded to Clark.

Clark had been practicing this for more than a week, considering what foundation had to be laid in order to soften what was going to be a jolt. A very big jolt. He felt his lovers' support, and wasn't sure he could have started without it.

"Boys, in order to answer your questions, I need to tell you something about me first. Do you know what 'adopted' means?"

Ben raised his hand, waving it enthusiastically. "I know! I know! Miss Rachel gave us a story to read about a little girl who was adopted. It's Mommies and Daddies choosing their kids instead of having them through fertilization and gestation."

"That's right," Clark praised him.

"Are we adopted?" Wes asked, frowning.

"No. All four of you are our sons," Clark reassured them. "But I'm adopted."

Wes considered the implications and drew conclusions. "Then Grandpa Jon and Granna aren't our grandma and grandpa?"

Clark looked at Whitney for help. They were only getting started and already they were off track, headed for a total derailment if the look of desolation on Wes's face was any indication.

Whitney came to the rescue. "Of course they're your grandma and grandpa," he said patiently. "Do they love you and teach you things and keep you safe when Poppy and Papa and I aren't around?"

All four boys nodded vigorously.

"Do you love them?"

Bigger nods.

"Then there's your answer. You're their grandsons, just like Clark is their son. They couldn't love any of you more --or less -- no matter what."

Wes crawled unceremoniously over Ben to give Clark an enormous hug and a kiss. "Did you come from an orphanage, Poppy? Like the little girl in the story?" he asked.

"No."

"Then where are your biological parents?" Philip asked, a sharp edge in his voice.

Whitney sensed a wariness in Philip and had the feeling that their oldest genius might be at least one step ahead of his brothers.

"My parents died when I was very young. Younger than Ben and Wes," Clark told them. "You see, where they lived, there was a terrible natural disaster that destroyed everything. My parents realized what was happening and sent me away, to Ea-- to Kansas, where I'd be safe."

"With Grandpa Jon and Granna?"

"Yes."

"Was it an earthquake?" Hamilton asked.

"No--"

"A Tsunami?"

"No--"

"A drought? A plague?"

"No, Hamilton."

"Then what?" Hamilton pressed.

Lex captured Clark's attention and nodded. "Go on. Tell them."

Clark nodded and looked at each of the boys in turn before he told them, "The gravity fields of the planet's red sun became unstable and the star exploded."

Eyes as large as saucers, Hamilton and Philip locked started gazes. "Planet?" they chorused in unison.

"Yes. A planet called Krypton."

Hamilton swallowed hard. "So you're, like..., an alien?"

"Yes." Clark saw that Ben and Wes had suddenly turn pale and he stifled a laugh as he pulled them into a hug. On reflection, their choice of movie might have been ill-advised. “Not that kind of an alien, boys. I’m a good alien." He smiled at his partners, then his sons. "At least I try to be. And what makes me special also makes you special, as well.” The younger twins hugged him for all they were worth.

Hamilton looked up at his parents. “What do you mean special?”

Whitney looked at his inquisitive son. “The physiology of Kryptonians is a little different than ours here on earth--and no, please don't ask how, Hamilton--" he interjected, stopping that train before it left the station. "We want you to be completely grounded in human physiology, biology and all earth sciences before you even think about how things might be on other planets. It's very important that all of you understand how this world works in all aspects, because this is where you live. Krypton is gone."

"But we have Kryptonian traits," Philip pointed out. "Like sharing our dreams."

Lex nodded. "Yes."

"But we don't have a mommy," Wes said, struggling to put it all together.

Whitney smiled. "Poppy was sort of like your mommy. You all know the basics of biology..." Four heads nodded and Whitney continued, "Well, your Poppy's Kryptonian biology took a piece of my DNA and a piece of your Papa's DNA, and combined them to make all of you. You have three parents - making you very, very special."

Philip looked at Hamilton and then at Ben and Wes. “And we're all related? Really?" he asked. "I know Hamilton and I are twins and I know Ben and Wes are twins…but we really are totally brothers?”

Lex moved closer to Philip. “I know it's hard to comprehend, Philip."

Philip worried his lip and looked down. “None of us look the same…I mean, our hair and eyes are all different.”

Whitney chuckled. “Oh, but we see the similarities. We see the pieces of us in you and how much alike all of you are. Believe me, you four are definitely brothers.” He was relieved when they all four seemed to relax at that reassurance.

Ben looked up at Clark. “Poppy, do we have acid for blood?”

Clark ruffled Ben’s hair, “No, you don’t. We don’t know what you can do yet, but we have plenty of time concerning that.”

Philip and Hamilton did their twin communication thing with a look. Hamilton looked at them. “Daddy, the dreams.”

“Ah, yes. The dreams. Papa, Poppy, and I share dreams and can talk to each other telepathically. We think you will be able to do the same.” Whitney looked at Ben and Wes, still cuddled up with Clark. “You two will be able to do it as you get older. Because you are twins, we think the bond you share will be very strong and will probably be stronger than any of us.”

Hamilton said, "Cool!" but Philip wasn't as easily impressed. "Did other people from Krypton escape to Earth?" the oldest twin asked gravely.

"No," Clark said sadly. "I'm the only one."

"And no one knows about you, do they?" Philip asked. "Only just us and the family?"

God, the kid was sharp. "That's right," Whitney answered.

"This is a secret, isn't it? A big secret," he said seriously.

The fathers nodded. Lex answered, "Yes, Philip. That's very perceptive of you. Only the family knows how special your Poppy and the four of you are. The staff doesn't know."

"Not even Miss Rachel?" Hamilton asked.

"Not even Miss Rachel. At least not right now," Clark told the boys. "We want you to come to us any time you have questions about yourselves or Krypton, or you see in your sleep, but you shouldn't talk about it to anyone but the three of us or your grandparents."

Ben leaned over to Wes and whispered gleefully, "We have a secret with our Dads!"

"I know," Wes whispered back, grinning from ear to ear.

//They can make lemonade out of anything.// Clark observed, grinning.

In fact, all the boys were smiling now, even Philip. Ben kissed Clark. “Can we sleep with you tonight?”

Clark kissed Ben back. “Of course. Shall we watch another movie first?”

Lex looked at the boys. “Something less scary this time, perhaps?”

All the boys looked at each and chorused. “Order of the Phoenix!”

The Staff settled in the sunken den, the fireplace roaring, and the winds howling outside. Enrique walked into the room and saw that it was all set. “Rachel, very glad you are joining us.”

"I appreciate the invitation."

Enrique walked down and started a pitcher of martinis as Alan Owen and Jesse Reeves placed snacks within reach on the end tables. The senior member of the personal security detail and the Head gardener enjoyed munchies while playing Poker. Kelly Ling, a young lawyer who acted as a combination assistant, scheduling secretary, and legal advisor to the family, joined the group.  Susan Els, the House Chef, came down laughing with the programmer, Aaron Boone, a few moments later. This was most of the Smallville Senior staff, the rest were sleeping or getting caught up on personal items. They might drift in over the course of the night; all who lived in the Villa were welcome, but with the senatorial campaign it had been several months since they'd made the effort.

“So Chris, are you dealing?” Enrique settled back with a martini.

Chris got comfortable and started shuffling. “I think we are set.”

Rachel watched as the cards were passed around. Picking up her hand, she tried to remember what she learned of the game back in London. “This is nice, except for the freezing weather outside.”

Jesse placed two cards on the table and waited for his replacements. “Rarely do we get to really relax.”

Enrique sipped his drink and smiled at Rachel. “So Ms. Amstead, how do you like working for the Family?”

Rachel glanced at her cards and placed one on the table before commenting. “I must admit I am very impressed. The children are amazing.”

Aaron requested three cards and looked at Rachel. “They are fun, particularly if you don't have to rein them in. They didn't get along too well with any of their other nannies.”

Rachel had notes from her predecessors, so she wasn't at all surprised, but she wasn't about to discourage anyone from telling her more. “Really?” she prompted, looking expectantly around the table.

Chris smiled and laid his hand on the table. “Full House, pay up.” Groans greeted his hand and he pulled the bet chips towards him. “Yes, you have lasted the longest so far with no signs of rebellion.”

Rachel sipped her drink. “I'm flattered. They are such an amazing group of kids. How long have you worked for the Family, Enrique?”

Enrique looked at his hand and then Rachel. “A good portion of my life--in one fashion or another. My mother’s family was in the service of Mr. Luthor’s mother’s family for a number of years. She acted as Private Secretary to Lord Michael Weston, Viscount Summerset. My father was a Spanish Naval Officer. When Lex came to England to attend Eton, Lord Michael used to send me up to London to keep a discrete eye on his very young and curious nephew.”

Several people in the room laughed at that statement. Rachel was puzzled. “Did I miss something?”

Enrique folded and watched as Susan won that hand. “I don't imagine you've been here long enough to have heard many of the stories. Lionel enjoys regaling his in-laws on the 'senior circuit' with tales of Lex's escapades when he was younger. It is common knowledge that Lionel has wished on Lex that the boys drive him as crazy as Lex drove him.”

Chris laughed and handed Rachel the deck to cut. “Lex was a wild child, but I doubt the boys will be to his level. Their support system is far stronger than his.”

Rachel looked at her cards and pondered the things that were being said. “So, how did you come to work for Lex, Enrique?”

Enrique smiled. “Lord Weston’s barristers placed Lex in contact with me. I’ve lived in many places around the world and know how to run a household. It comes from both sides of my family.” Enrique looked at Aaron. “Why don’t you tell Rachel how you joined our merry little family?”

The programmer tossed his cards in with disgust. “I met Lex while he was a freshman at Met U. I got in some trouble, hacked the wrong database, and he cleaned it up. Sent me to work for a company of his out in Silicon Valley. A few years later, he called and asked if I wanted to actually build a network from the ground up and here I am. My partner is the resident hacker, Max. He’s out at some technology conference right now.”

Rachel laughed. “Why would you need a hacker?”

Alan smiled at Rachel and the fact that he won that round. “We’ll explain everything, Jesse?”

Jesse dealt the next hand while looking at Rachel. “I am the Head Gardener, but like most of the people here, I have a secondary and very important function…I’m also part of the Security detail.”

Rachel looked around the room and saw the whole room was nodding. She looked at Chris with a quizzical expression. “Really?”

Chris and Enrique shared a conversation with a glance before Chris replied. “Yes. Most of the staff are also security members. A few are only security, but most here have dual roles. Mr. Luthor believes in maximizing talent and this allows for most of us to do so.”

Rachel anted up as the cards were dealt. “You too, Susan?"

"Yes."

"Which do you prefer? Being a chef or Jane Bond?”

Susan's laugh dissolved as she looked at her cards. “The cooking, I think. Although security detail has its rewards. Mrs. Fordman and Mrs. Kent cook on Sunday mornings, usually, and Mr. Whitney likes to cook at least once a week. I help monitor the nutrition level of the family and we all make sure they get exercise. The whole family gets a weekly self-defense refresher course, which I occasionally teach.”

Chris added. “You know we teach the boys gymnastics and karate--it's part of their real-world self-defense training, but they don’t need to know that yet.”

Enrique smiled at Kelly and then spoke to Rachel. “Now Kelly here is not a Security member. She and her counterpart in Metropolis, Jack King, are legal combatants.”

Kelly laughed and smiled very broadly. “Read ‘em and weep. Inside straight.” Groans echoed in the room while Kelly gathered her chips. “Jack and I work very closely with Jeff on legal matters, but we also fill in for a number of things. Almost all conversations we have with the Family fall under attorney-client privilege. Jack and I trade ever few months, I’ll take Metropolis duty and he’ll come here.”

Chris kissed Rachel on the cheek. “All of the Senior Staff in Metropolis have a room here as well.”

Enrique saw the question in Rachel’s eyes so he responded before she could voice them. “Half of the staff is in Metropolis to support the Family there, Tristan and his family, the doctors Fordman, Nick, and when some of the ‘Senior Circuit’ are there as well, it helps.”

Rachel giggled. “So Nick is member of the Family?”

Chris folded his hand and smiled at her. “Yes, he is Jeff’s companion. They have been together almost as long as Tristan and Lisa have been together.”

“Well, who would know. Jeff and Nick danced around each other for awhile, still keep their relationship hidden for the most part,” Susan chimed in as she dealt the next round.

“Jeff and Nick are interesting, but they love each other. Anne thinks of Nick as a son-in-law.” Enrique added as he placed his chips in the pile.

Rachel folded, not a single thing matched in her hand. “So, have all of you worked for the Family for long?”

Enrique smiled, a brilliant genuine smile. “Rachel, there is no other place most of us would rather be. The perks are wonderful and these people are amazing employers.”

Drinks were replenished more than once and plenty of money exchanged hands before Rachel felt adventurous enough to ask, “So, what is some of the dirt around here?”

Enrique looked around and then chuckled. “Well, mind you that we aren’t supposed to know anything, but nothing is what it seems to be.”

Alan chimed in. “When Ben and Wes were born, it took the Seniors by total surprise.”

Jesse laughed as well. “I heard Lionel ask Jonathan if the 'three’ thought they were rabbits.”

Rachel was stunned. “What?”

Chris smiled. “It is not something that EVER leaves this room, but there is far more to Clark that meets the eye.”

Alan nodded. “More than one of us has seen him fly.”

Enrique nodded. “And, the Estate no longer uses Kansas Power. There is a power source deep below the surface.”

Rachel was trying to catch-up. “But what was that about the Ben and Wes?”

Chris glanced around. “Dr. Fordman is the personal physician for all the boys. She is not a pediatrician. Have you looked at the boys, Rachel. I mean really looked?”

Rachel took another sip of her drink. “I see them daily. Of course I have.”

Chris held one of her hands and gave a gentle squeeze. “Look at them again sometime and see if you can spot the resemblance to their fathers.”

Rachel felt like she’d been hit on the head with a hammer. In passing, she’d noticed that Philip had Lionel’s eyes and Clark’s hair. He also had Lex’s cheekbones and Whitney’s chin. Suddenly all her observations came back to her. “I have noticed, they all have traits of their fathers, but that's a coincidence. Isn't it? Children have two parents--one male, one female. They can't have three fathers!”

Enrique handed her another drink and exchanged a look with Chris. Rachel caught his subtle nod before Enrique told her, “We never discuss this, Rachel, and we wouldn't be telling this to you if we didn't know how completely devoted you are to those boys. This family is special. In more ways than you can imagine."

Rachel looked at Chris for confirmation. He nodded. "We don’t know if the boys were genetically engineered, dropped off by a space ship from Mars, or found under a cabbage leaf, but we do know without any question that they are Luthor-Fordman-Kents legally, emotionally, and physically.”

“This is amazing…” Rachel was too stunned to continue.

Chris smiled at her. “We’ve had far longer to get used to the idea.”

"Are they mutants?" Rachel asked, stunned, still trying to take in the implications.

"Would it bother you if they were?" Chris asked cautiously.

"Of course it would bother me! Terribly!" she snapped back. "Given the growing anti-mutant sentiment in this country, in 5 years the persecution of mutants could be government sanctioned. What kind of a life is that going to mean for those precious boys?"

Chris put a warm, calming hand on hers. "We don't think that mutation has anything to do with what's happening here, but even if it is, Senator Luthor isn't going to let anything happen to those boys."

Suddenly, the Luthor for Senate election made perfect sense. "That's why he ran for office."

Enrique handed out another round of drinks. The card game had stopped. He glanced up and saw that it was a half hour to midnight. There was plenty of time to continue the conversation. “Not to pile on the information, but you have become a very prized member of the Senior Staff.”

Rachel looked over and saw that Susan and Jesse were sharing a blanket on a couch, and Kelly and Alan looked cozy as well. “No one minds the staff keeping company?”

Chris kissed her. “No, no one minds at all.”

Rachel returned the kiss. “So…are you seeing someone, Enrique?”

Enrique blushed slightly but Kelly laughed and patted him on the shoulder. She said, “Now, now…there are no secrets here, you know that.”

Enrique looked over and saw the smirks and half smiles adorning all the faces except the confused expression on Rachel’s. “Yes,” he said. “I am seeing someone. Jack King and I have been going out for a few months.”

Alan chuckled at Enrique. “Was that so hard?” He looked at Rachel. “He prides himself on being the ‘information source.’ Nice to see that we can rattle him a little.”

Chris looked at Rachel again. “Seriously though, remember I told you that the amount of money controlled from here was staggering?”

Rachel nodded. “Yes, the walk in the garden, when I found out just how monitored areas are around here.”

Enrique sipped his martini. “That does take some getting used to. We think more than a trillion dollars is held here.” Enrique watched as Rachel’s face fell. “Yes, a single family worth that much money, all destined for the four boys you are guiding. A little heady isn’t it?”

Alan leaned back. “It is that vast wealth that forces them to operate differently than a ’normal’ wealthy family might.”

Enrique picked it up again. “My title is ‘Majordomo’ and thus we operate like a royal house, but it also is structured in a corporate way as well. Jeff is considered the ‘Chief of Staff’ and takes care of everything in a business sense. I support him, but so does April Ross.”

Chris leaned over and kissed her again. “The hacker, the security, all of it is designed to be a step ahead of the game. We had a nasty incident here…a year before Kelly and Jack joined us.”

Alan shuddered. “The Palace was attacked. Caught us totally flatfooted. If not for our military training and having some excellent people, many people might have died. Clark’s prom was being held here that night. We don’t take any chances anymore, I’ve heard the Seniors say that the future is here and you’ll find that we agree.”

Rachel blinked and decided to change subjects. “Okay, those ‘cats,’ what are they?”

Laughter echoed through the den. Jesse calmed first. “Ask Tom Dale, the stable master, sometime. He’ll give you a diatribe on the cats. He swears they can talk to the horses.”

Alan finally calmed. “I remember once walking by the Nursery and finding Hamilton’s head inside, Isis’ mouth. She had her mouth wide open and he was counting her teeth. She was calm as could be and Thoth was being used as a pillow by Ben. I forget who the nanny was at the time, but she FREAKED. Philip walked up to her and said it was okay because Isis said Hamilton could.”

Rachel refreshed her drink, knowing she was drinking too much, too quickly, but she was hearing so much. “The cats told the boys it was okay?”

Chris shrugged. “Philip does not lie and those cats -- we have a tape of them taking down a bull that was mutated. They never found the source of the mutation, but those cats are lightning quick and far stronger than they appear. They obey the trio instantly. They are guard cats and they guard the boys, as best as I can see. Clark said they were a genetic experiment, but…”

Enrique smiled. “We might not ever know. There is a third sub-basement level that none have access to except the trio. Not the Family, not the Staff, NO ONE. Lex’s lab is on the second sub-basement level as are the medical facilities, we have no clue what is down there.”

Rachel was tipsy. “Is there a vault here?”

Susan and Kelly giggled and looked at Alan. He sighed. “Yes, first sub-basement level, opposite side of the gym, which is on both the basement and sub-basement floors. It’s a pretty big vault. Don’t know what is in there but rumor has it that there is some gold there.” The rumor comment had been leveled at Enrique.

Enrique sipped another martini and smiled. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” He looked around shiftily. “Okay. Yes, there is gold in there. I think Lex said that one tenth of the House’s reserves are here. Along with some cash and other assortments.”

Susan and Kelly started laughing again, so hard they were grabbing their sides. Finally, Alan asked. “What?”

“The only thing not in the vault is the family jewels,” Kelly said still laughing. "Three sets of them!"

Rachel started to giggle and was soon howling along with Kelly and Susan. Enrique was trying not to laugh, but soon joined them. Chris rolled his eyes and Alan did as well. Chris looked around and saw that Jesse and Aaron were both laughing their asses off. “Alan, next time, less alcohol.”

Clark settled back on the bed and helped get the sleepy boys get settled as well. It was far past their bed times, but they had wanted to finish the movie and Clark had enjoyed the quiet of a nice family night.

“Poppy, I love you,” Hamilton said as he hugged Clark and climbed in bed. Lex was carrying Wes, who was already asleep.

Whitney dimmed the lights. He changed and climbed into bed and soon had an arm full of Philip. Whitney was surprised; Philip never cuddled. “Hey buddy, sweet dreams.”

Philip squeezed Whitney. “Love you, Daddy, night,” and fell asleep.

Lex got in bed and saw that all the boys were snoozing. As he got comfortable, Ben curled up next to him. //I guess tonight went better than expected.//

Clark yawned and got comfortable. //They want more attention from us though.//

Whitney shifted slightly, but did not disturb Philip. //They miss us as much as we miss them, if not more so.//

Lex sighed. //We'll have to make more time for them. We'd be fools to think that they won't have more questions and we need to be here to answer them.//

//We, Senator Soon-To-Be-Leaving-For-Washington?// Whitney's smirk projected as clearly as his thoughts.

//You know what I mean.//

//Yes, I do, love. And I agree.//

//It is time to start teaching them about baseball.// Clark commented, sleepiness coloring his mental voice.

Lex yawned as well. //We’ll talk about it in the morning. Night.// He felt the responses and drifted off to sleep.

////

“The Great Civil War started with the failure of the Ruling House. A feud between two brothers ended with both there deaths and thus a pure line of decedents was unavailable. The House of El held the strong claim to the Throne. Princess Royal Kara was married to the Head of House El and thus her children held the highest royal rank.”

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. Asleep but somehow aware, Philip and Hamilton looked at each other and shrugged. They were walking in each other's dreams again, their brothers lay sound asleep beside them.

“They can not yet hear me. They are not strong enough yet. I am the Guardian of Knowledge.”

////

The cliffs behind him continued to crumble, blocking the path from any hope of retreat. Lex realized he could only go forward now. The path was bleak, filled with smoke and haze, nothing standing out clearly. As he walked, corpses came into view on either side of the path. Panic began to rise; the path was hidden and broken in places.

Lex woke, realizing that it was the middle of the night. Ben was sleeping peacefully next to him. Neither Clark nor Whitney were up. Neither had been in his dream. He took a few moments to calm his breathing and thought about the dream. It was similar to the ones he had prior to the election. He hoped that it not a sign that things were getting worse.

Nov 20, Sydney

Damien could not believe he was in Australia. His hotel looked over the beautiful harbor, with all the vessels moving, the famous Opera House not far away. A knock on his door broke his contemplation. He moved to open the door and in walked Victoria and Vitaly.

Vitaly looked Damien up and down. “Cuba was good for you. You appear rested.”

Damien sighed and walked to the table. “I’m here, what do you want?”

Vitaly sat down across from Damien. “I want what all men want - more power. You are the key to such.”

Damien looked at Victoria, who was lounging on the couch. “And I get what?”

“Your ’friends’ have not been very helpful with your goals have they? I can change that. A quid pro quo if you will.”

Damien was intrigued, hell he’d flown half way around the world, of course he was intrigued. “How are you going to help me?”

Vitaly smiled. “Not here. Come with us - we have something to show you.”

Smallville

Clark looked at his watch. It was early, but normally, the boys were up already, using TV time for Saturday Morning Cartoons. He floated up and slipped out of bed so not to disturb the boys. He took a quick shower, dressed in the walk in closet, and when he came out he saw Whitney and Lex were slowly getting out of bed. The boys shifted in their sleep, rolling into the warm spots left by their fathers and curling around each other like a litter of puppies in a basket.

The analogy made Clark smile as he headed downstairs to get breakfast started. He decided that pancakes and bacon would be good with some fresh fruit and milk. Confident no one was around to witness, he used a little super-speed to set the table and prepare their breakfast, but there was nothing he could do to speed the cooking process. He slowed to real time once the bacon hit the pan and the first set of pancakes were on the griddle. A kiss on the cheek distracted him for a second.

“Good morning,” Lex said as he moved on to the coffeemaker Clark had just set to brewing.

"Morning." Clark turned the flapjacks, then walked over and hugged Lex from behind. “Last night was wonderful. We need more of them.”

“Only if we can get more sleep,” Whitney said as he walked in. “The boys are missing their cartoons.”

Lex chuckled as he poured a cup of not-quite-ready coffee. “I think you look forward to them as much as they do.”

Clark kissed Lex and went back to the stove. “If Whitney won’t admit it, I will. I like cartoons.” Clark had everything under control, so Lex and Whit divided the morning paper, reading and exchanging comments as breakfast for seven gradually piled up on the table. With impeccable timing, four bleary-eyed children stumbled in.

“Good morning, sleepyheads,” Clark greeted them as all four made a circuit of the table giving kisses and hugs.

Whitney picked up Wes and placed him on his lap. “Did you brush your teeth and wash your face?”

Wes leaned his head on Whitney’s shoulder and half hugged his father. “Yes, Daddy. Philip told us to.”

Whitney looked at Philip who was trying to pour a glass of juice with an assist from Clark. Philip seemed more relaxed today, which was nothing short of a miracle. “Well, he is your older brother and it’s good you listen.” Whitney placed Wes back on the ground and watched him climb into his seat. All the boys were now seated and had plates placed in front of them. Whit helped serve the two closest to him some pancakes and bacon.

Clark sat down and looked over the boys merrily munching. Their mood and energy levels had picked up considerably in the past ten minutes. He turned when he felt a tug on his arm. “Hello, Hamilton. What can I do for you?”

Hamilton smiled and then looked at Philip. They shared a look and then Hamilton glanced up at Clark. “Um, Poppy? Who is the Guardian of Knowledge?”

Clark heard a fork drop and saw that it was Lex’s. //Oh my goodness! They must be dreaming about Krypton's history!// “Hamilton, sometimes when you dream…it’s like learning also. Like having a Miss Rachel, but while you sleep.” He heard groans.

Philip looked at Lex. “We learned about some Civil War and a marriage of some princess to some other guy.”

Whitney noticed that Clark had paled. //Clark?//

Hamilton was oblivious to the adults’ panic. “And we saw Wes and Ben were asleep. The Guardian guy said they weren’t strong enough to hear him yet.”

Ben looked at his twin. “I’m confused.”

Wes shrugged. "Don't ask me. If it's just going to be more boring lessons, I don't want to hear."

//I am going to talk to the Keeper later. I think I have a headache.// Clark said while rubbing his temples.

Lex looked over the table. “Well, it appears that the interesting evening kept just going and going.”

Wes took that the wrong way. “Cool! What movie are we going to watch tonight?”

Whitney chuckled. “Why don’t we wait until tonight to think about it, okay?” He saw smiles all around.

Clark snuck away while the boys took afternoon naps. He’d told them they could sleep for up to an hour, but that was it; he wanted them in bed at their regular time tonight. Lex and Whitney decided to have a nap at the same time. It was still snowing, but no longer under blizzard conditions. He went down to the third sub-basement level and opened the Keeper’s chamber. He walked to the transporter but did not want to go to Antarctica.

//May I be of some service, my Lord?//

Clark glared at the holographic image. “Why are Philip and Hamilton already dreaming of Krypton’s past?”

//They are on course as a normal Kryptonian child would be, except they are far more dependent on dream knowledge than they would be on Krypton.//

“They are too young to be exposed - there are consequences to them having too much knowledge!”

//You were woefully behind in your learning, Kal-El, and part of you still resists with your heritage. That is why you struggle so with your mental gifts. The boys come from two very different cultures. They need to begin integrating them now.//

Clark sighed and leaned back against a wall. “I have long accepted that I am not human.”

//But the patterns of your thoughts are human. You have issues, conflicts, deep below, in your sub-conscience. In order to avoid these conflicts in the psyche of the boys, they must be allowed the opportunity to understand their dual heritage. The boys are on schedule.//

“I want to know what the normal order of learning is. Their teacher is going to be more than suspicious if they move into advanced theoretical mathematics and she is only covering advanced Algebra!"

//Their teacher should not be a concern, my Lord. I have handled the restraint of damaging knowledge before.//

Clark gaped at the hologram. "I beg your pardon?"

//The nanny. Jessica Worthy. She was afraid of the children and resentful of her dismissal. It was clear to me that she would not honor the legal document she signed. I removed all memories of her employment.//

"You tampered with the mind of a human?" Clark said incredulously. This was unbelievable. Incomprehensible. "What gave you that right?"

//My right as the Keeper of Knowledge and Anointed Champion of the Royal House of El, its prince, his consorts, and their heirs.//

"No! That's not good enough! I want you to undo whatever you did to that woman!"

//That is not possible, my Lord.//

"Why not? We'll take our chances with what she might reveal."

//I cannot undo the memory blocks because she is dead.//

It was good that Clark didn't require oxygen to exist because he suddenly forgot how to breathe. "Good God, how much damage did you do to her?" Clark's voice was barely more than a whisper. A very angry whisper.

//The damage was not mine, my Lord. My scans of her at the time of her dismissal indicated that she was afflicted with the disease called cancer. My removal of her memories in no way contributed to her death.//

"But you stole nearly a year of her life from her."

//A time she found particularly unpleasant, even frightening. Why would she wish to recall unhappy memories in her last months on Earth?//

It seemed the Keeper had an answer to everything, but Clark wasn't reassured by his logic. "When did she die?"

//I sensed some weeks ago that her life-force had been extinguished.//

Clark stepped as close to the hologram as the projection field would permit. "You will NEVER interfere with the life force of any human being again, do you understand me?"

The Keeper frowned. //She was a threat to the heirs,// the Keeper said without any hint of remorse, or even any awareness that he had done anything wrong. //I find it difficult to imagine that you would have done any less, had you the power. I had the power. I took the necessary action.//

"Never. Again," Clark ground out. "If you perceive a danger to this family, then make it known to me! You will never again take an action like this without consulting me first. Is that understood?

The holographic image bowed its head. //Of course.//

Clark wasn't reassured. The Keeper had been charged with the protection and continued survival of the House of El. He had been created with a level of autonomy that bordered on Free Will. If push came to shove, Clark wondered just how much influence his own orders would have over the Keeper's personal judgment.

He hurried upstairs and found his partners awake and waiting for him. His outrage had awakened them and they were there to comfort him. He explained what the Keeper had done. And why.

"I'd say this puts us on the horns of a dilemma," Lex said placidly.

Clark stopped pacing at the foot of the bed long enough to ask, "What do you mean?" He wasn't sure how Lex could be so calm about this.

"If the Keeper is acting autonomously, I'm not sure what we can do about it. The security of this palace is almost completely fueled by the AI, and a good portion of our wealth is built on technology supplied by the Keeper. We've accepted his bounty...."

"So we're supposed to accept it if he's killing people?"

"He didn't kill anyone," Lex argued, coming to his feet and taking Clark's hands, stilling his pacing.

"And we've done a lot of good with that technology," Whit reminded them from the bed. "I agree that what the Keeper did was very wrong, but he did have a point when he asked how far we'd be willing to go to protect the boys."

"There had to be another way. She wasn't standing over them with a hatchet. This was an indirect threat at best." Clark looked from one to the other. "I want to know how Jessica Worthy died. If it was really cancer, or a car wreck, a brain tumor, suicide... I have to know that we... that I..."

Whitney nodded. "I'll put Chris on it right away," he promised.

Lex pulled Clark into his arms. "This isn't your fault, love."

"I have to know."

"Of course."

Whitney watched his partners kiss tenderly. "Open the pod bay door, Hal," he murmured under his breath.

Lex and Clark broke the kiss and looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Can I have a piece of that hug?"

Boston

Emma finished running through her meditation cycles. She needed to be calm and clear to process everything she had learned from the now-deceased Jessica Worthy. ‘The Palace has an interesting layout, tighter security than I saw at that Gala. No doubt these passcodes have long since been purged. She was not privy to much but the children are fascinating.’ Emma shifted her thoughts away from that direction. She was after power and there was no better way to find her and her cohorts dead than to deal with the Luthor children. ‘To many blanks to fill in - I can’t get a full feel of the house.’ She dropped out of her trance and rubbed her temples. Taking a moment to compose herself, she rose and walked downstairs to find Pierce, whom she had recalled for the weekend.

“Ms. Frost, you called at a bad time,” Pierce told her as she walked into the room. “Lane found something and she is pursuing. I saw her drinking with a photographer from the Planet. I am going to ‘talk’ to him, see what he has to say.”

Emma stared at him. “There has been a slight change of plan.” She walked up and placed both of her hands on his head. She concentrated and let him see parts of the information she had obtained. “If you see those people you are to interrogate them.”

Pierce shook his head in an effort to clear it. “That hurt!” He saw the hardened expression. “I’ll start digging and also see what Lane has going.”

Emma watched him leave. ‘Now if that fool Armitage can deal them a blow, we can keep them off balance.’

Nov 21, Smallville

The hangar doors opened, allowing for the descent of the first of two shuttles coming in from Metropolis. A caravan from the city was bringing the luggage and Staff, but the Family arrived by air. Jonathan led the way for the group in the first shuttle, Tristan for the group in the second. They were all surprised to see Enrique waiting at the gates.

“Welcome home.” Enrique saw their expressions and quickly reassured them, “Nothing to worry about. Simply letting you know that everyone is in the family room. The caravan will be here within the hour. Another snowstorm is approaching so the storm shields will come down over the windows soon.”

Lionel chuckled at Enrique's typical thoroughness. “You forgot to include the dinner menu," he teased and earned a laugh from the whole contingent. 

Enrique graced him with a smile. “A Tex-Mex fiesta.” He nodded to the still-chuckling Lionel as the family filed into the Palace. 

Dinner had been exciting. The random seating arrangement created numerous conversations around the dinner table. The raging storm was excepted to dump another eight inches of snow overnight. The boys and Elsa asked to be excused and were allowed to go to the Play room and hang out.

Clark looked around and saw most of the family was chatting more than eating. A quick scan of the surrounding rooms told him they were clear; the servants had the evening off and the kids were playing games in the Play room. He tapped his margarita glass to get the attention of the room. “Sorry to interrupt everyone, but we have an announcement we need to make."

"Oh, God," Lionel moaned. "More grandchildren! I thought you said you couldn't get... pregnant again."

"Lionel!" Anne scolded as Martha came to her feet.

"Honey, that's wonderful!" Martha exclaimed, starting toward her son. "Is there a chance it could be girls this--"

"Hold it! Hold it!" Clark waved his arms for silence and glaring at his laughing spouses, who were clearly enjoying the mix-up. Martha stopped in her tracks as Clark continued, "I'm not pregnant. Lionel is right, my childbearing years are over. Thank God."

"Then what--?" Martha stuttered, clearly disappointed.

Clark came round the table and escorted her back to her seat. "It's nothing dire, Mom. We just thought we should make you all aware that the boys know the truth about me now - and themselves to an extent.”

Whitney felt the concern and uncertainty of his family as looks were exchanged across the room. Slight eye contact with partners, simple nods; it was somewhat disconcerting.

Lionel looked up and held Jonathan’s gaze for a moment. A quick nod passed between them. Lionel cleared his throat. “I can’t say that this is unexpected, but why so young?”

Clark looked over at the graying elegant man. “We’ve told you that the three of us share dreams? Well, we discovered this weekend that Philip and Hamilton are sharing dreams now, as well. According to the Keeper, Wes and Ben will, too, once they are old enough."

"There wasn't a simpler answer to their questions than 'Well, kids, it's because you have alien DNA'?" Jonathan asked.

Lex told him, "They also asked where their mother was, and they are far too smart to ever lie to.”

Stephanie chuckled. When her somber companions swiveled their heads to look at her, she explained, “They are so intelligent.., I expected them to ask about this long ago.”

Anne leaned forward, frowning. “So they know the truth now?”

Whitney looked at his mother, puzzled. “In general terms, yes," he replied, then went on to recount exactly what information the boys had been given -- by their fathers and by the Guardian. "As for the specifics, we told them they would know everything when the time was right.” He paused for a moment, studying his mother. “You seem upset.”

Anne leaned back and sipped her drink. “They are so young to be burdened, it seems like a loss of innocence.”

Martha nodded and chimed in, “They are isolated, have tight security, and don’t get to interact with kids their own ages...”

When she paused for a second Jonathan picked up the thread. “It just seems to me the timing couldn't be worse. They're starting Little League in the spring. That was supposed to socialize them, let them interact with kids their own ages, give them experience with life outside these walls. You've got four kids who are being raised like hothouse flowers, but right on the brink of letting them find out what it means to be normal you tell them they're not normal. That they'll never be normal."

Anne was nodding in agreement. "What is this going to do to them? Knowing they are different, being forced to keep secrets. Oh, good heavens! The secrets!” she exclaimed as the full ramifications hit her. "Have you impressed upon them how important it is that they keep this quiet? The mutant hysteria sweeping the country is bad enough! What would people do if they knew there were aliens among us?"

"Mom, please... Calm down," Whitney said softly.

"She has a point, Whitney," Lionel argued mildly. "Have we properly instilled the importance of family loyalty, confidentiality, and secrecy in those boys? Do they understand that what happens within the walls of this fortress must stay within these walls?"

"Oh, good grief, Lionel. They're babies!" Martha exclaimed. "Are you suggesting we teach them to be liars? Should we have Rachel add Deception and Duplicity to their curriculum?"

"Mom!"

Lex stood up. "Please, everyone. I know this is a complicated issue, but we have to keep it in perspective. The boys aren't normal, and frankly, those upcoming little league games are going to illustrate this to them quite graphically. At least now they'll have a chance of understanding why."

"What are you talking about?" Anne asked.

Stephanie supplied an answer. "The boys are easily two years ahead of their peers in physical strength and motor skills. They're taller, more coordinated--"

"I know that," Anne snapped, clearly frustrated.

"Not to mention their intellectual prowess and astonishing verbal skills," Lionel added.

"To which Philip and Hamilton can now add mental telepathy," Martha chimed in.

"My grandsons are not freaks!" Anne exclaimed, coming to her feet and fighting back tears.

Whitney rose and hurried to her. "It's okay, Mom. No one is saying that," he crooned, pulling her into his arms.

Tears brimmed in Anne's eyes as she raised her face to look in her son's compassionate blue eyes. Her anguish nearly broke Whitney's heart when she said, "They're stoning mutants, Whitney. When that vile Senator gets his way and mandatory testing becomes the law, how do we say, ‘No, no, you don't understand. These four precious boys aren't mutants, they're only alien hybrids, so there's no reason to take them away and dice them up for--'"

"Mom, stop it!" Whitney commanded. "Just stop. That's not going to happen. No one is ever going to take the boys from us. No one will ever hurt them."

"You can't promise that," Anne said tearfully.

"I can," Clark said in a voice that had a conviction and authority few of them had ever heard before.

"But the government--"

"I'll protect them, Anne," Clark said again, his voice cold and hard. Yesterday, he'd been outraged by the Keeper's brand of "protection," but this was different.   "There's not a government on earth that can take my sons from me, and God help the one that tries."

He looked from Lex to Whitney and knew without question he had their complete agreement. They would protect their sons from anyone. At any cost.

It was Lex who finally broke the tangible web of understanding that ran between them. “Perhaps we should table this discussion until everyone has had a chance to reflect on it. Why don’t we adjourn to the Family room?”

One by one, the family members edged back from the table, and gradually, as the relocation progressed, tensions ebbed away and conversations returned to less volatile matters. While Lex checked in on the kids, Clark and Whitney cleared the table, rinsed the dishes, and straightened the Dining room. They walked hand in hand into the room and took seats flanking Lex.

"And how long have you two been together now? Seven years?" Martha was asking Nick and Jeff. The teasing light in her eye was a dead giveaway that the obscure couple were in the hot seat.

"Yes. Seven years," Jeff replied.

"Did one of you break a mirror or something?" Jonathan teased.

Stephanie frowned. "A mirror?"

"Seven years bad luck," Jonathan explained.

Jeff was looking a little like a thundercloud about to erupt, but Nick only chuckled. "No mirrors. And it's hardly felt like punishment. I'd say we're very lucky."

Martha pounced. "Then why don't I see any rings?"

"Aha!" Lionel sprang to his feet and headed toward the bar. "A woman's answer to everything! A wedding."

"Oh, hush. How would you know?" Anne chided him, laughing.

"Thank you, Mother," Jeff said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

Anne smiled sweetly. "Martha's right. Why haven't you exchanged rings?"

Jeff groaned and joined Lionel at the bar, leaving a blushing Nick to reply, “We never really discussed it, Anne. I mean we are together, but…” his voice trailed off lamely.

“The ladies do have a point," Lionel conceded, leaning conspiratorially to Jeff. "Everyone else here has a wedding band, your mother and I included--we wear them in memory. Just a thought. Something to consider. But far be it from us to interfere if the two of you want to hide your relationship....” Lionel regarded him slyly over his glass.

Jeff sighed and looked at his partner. “Would you like to get a set of rings?” Nick nodded. “Excellent, we will get a set next week. Is everyone happy now?”

"How romantic," Lionel said dryly. "Anyone got tissue?"

Everyone laughed and Nick decided to change the subject while he had the chance. “So I hear Philip is using an ATM card now?”

Lex's laughter died abruptly as he shot Lionel a hard glare. “Yes, it was his grandfather’s idea.”

Jonathan laughed. “Well, the boy is meticulous and from what I hear, manages his mini-market very well.”

Lionel nodded. “Yes, Philip is the only one with an ATM card. It was decided that Hamilton's..." he paused, searching for the right word, "ingenuity outweighed his fiscal responsibility."

"Oh brother," Jeff groaned. "What was our little Einstein wanting to buy?"

Clark had started laughing as soon as the subject came up, and it took a few seconds for him to regain his composure. “Let's see now... He wanted  to buy that new holographic war game so he could hack the code and use it to design his own version."

"And he has a lightsabre fixation that has yet to go away," Lex chimed in.

"And don't forget about the robot he wanted to build to do his chores for him," Whitney reminded them.

Lex smiled. “For these reasons and many others, Hamilton must wait until he is at least eight before he can have an ATM card.”

Tristan looked over the room. “Hey, Laugh if you want to, but I looked at their market numbers and year-to-date, Wes has the most gains. Philip still holds the overall value lead, but Elsa and Hamilton are doing fine. Ben...”

Jeff sighed. “I keep telling Ben, ‘just because you like something a company does or manufactures, that doesn't mean that they are valuable'.”

Tristan chuckled. “Tell that to Wes. He has an unbalanced portfolio because so much of his stock holdings are in Sony Corp.”

Stephanie shook her head. “He is obsessed with the new PS 6 coming out.”

Anne looked across the room at Lex. “So who will be here for Thanksgiving?”

“The Rosses, Chloe and her boyfriend, Lana will be here with Pete, and I think that is it.”

Martha smiled and then gave Clark a look. “Susan will be baking the desserts on Wednesday. Anne and I will start then as well. Clark, no having any dessert on Wednesday.”

Clark looked aghast. “MOM! I had a slice of Mud pie last year.”

“And so did everyone else after they saw what you were eating,” she smirked.

Nov 23, Metropolis

Lois was looking over her notes and began planning how she was going to attack the current story. Jimmy was obtaining a list of known Minerva security personnel. Jimmy had a perfect shot of the man that had been with Philip at the museum. ‘So I wonder who you are?’ She looked over her own file of people who had knowledge of Minerva, people who had been sources for information in the past. She knew that Armitage was out of the picture, he was no longer on the Board. The holiday season was in full swing and she hoped that she would be able to use the relaxed atmosphere to her advantage. Still browsing her old files, she was looking for other incidents that would help her prove that the Luthor security had a habit of intimidation.

“Lois, here is a list of some of the people, names and id numbers. But Minerva employs over one hundred security personnel in Metropolis alone and that list only has thirty listed.”

Lois looked up at a sweaty Jimmy. Taking a deep breath, Lois exhaled to calm her nerves. “Okay, it’s better that nothing. Good job.”

Donald Pierce was a shrewd young man. He came from a privileged background and was highly intelligent as well. He was keeping track of Lane’s movements, but the conversation he spied on with her co-worker had proved invaluable. It appeared that Jimmy went places and did things that Lois could not. He was her proxy and Pierce followed where Jimmy went. He had also learned that the Luthor family was no longer in residence in Metropolis. It was a fact that Lane had been very happy to share with Jimmy after their fifth round of drinks. She knew that both the Penthouse and Manor closed down over Thanksgiving week and during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday.

It would be the perfect opportunity for Pierce to look around and see if anything resembled what Emma was after. 

Smallville

Chris and Alan walked into the Wild Coyote during the no-man's-land between happy hour and Golden Time, before things really started heating up. The bar wasn't crowded yet, but was noisy enough to force both men to speak up to be heard. They had not briefed anyone from the family yet about the young man they were visiting; they needed to know more first. They’d checked earlier to make sure that Justin was working so that it was not a wild goose chase.

“You know neither of our girlfriends was very happy that we were heading out tonight,” Alan said as they settled at the bar.

Chris lit a cigarette as Justin came toward them. “Yeah, well, duty calls.”  The actual bar area was pretty empty, most of the patrons gathered around tables. A lot of them looked like college students home for the Holidays.

“What can I get you guys?”

Alan held up two fingers. “Two drafts.”

One of the taps was close by and Chris smiled at him at him as he poured their drinks. From Alan's point of view it appeared that Chris suddenly looked a little...drunk. “You new here kid?" Chris asked, frowning as though searching his memory. "I don't remember you before."

Justin shrugged. “Been here a few months. It's nothing special.”

Alan saw a quick sign flash from Chris and followed up. “Where you from? I don't recognize your accent."

The young bartender frowned. "Didn't know I had one. I've traveled quite a bit."

"Oh yeah?" Chris said with a derisive snort. "What brings you to Smallville?" he asked as though he thought it was a less-than-desirable place to be.

The kid grew wary at the questioning. Foam sloshed down the sides of the glasses as he plopped them in front of his patrons. "Everybody's got to be someplace."

Chris held up both hands. "Hey, no offense! Didn't mean to be nosey."

"No offense taken. I'll run a tab," he said and moved off to the barmaid's station to fill a drink order.

Alan leaned toward Chris. "So we're doing good cop, drunk cop tonight?"

Chris nodded and drained three-quarters of his beer. "Yeah. He was cruising the Palace--that probably means he knows about his uncle's connection to Lionel. I want to give him some bait and see if he takes it."

"Gotcha."

Chris finished his beer and Justin brought him another. Two more quick beers later and Chris notched up the volume of his conversation with Alan. "I don't give a rats’ ass what the old man says! That twerp from Minerva Security can shove his damned Modulated Frequency Sensors up his ass! The Palace is my turf. End of story!"

"Okay, okay! I agree," Alan replied in a humor-the-drunk voice. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Justin look up from the pitcher of marguerites he was putting on a tray for the barmaid. 'Oh, yeah. The kid was interested in the Palace all right.' The bait had been set and was dangling in front of their fish. Time to set the hook. "But Luthor Senior is going to be plenty pissed if those sensors aren't installed in the family wing by Monday."

"Piss on Lionel Luthor! Speaking of which... 'Right back." Chris slid off the barstool and headed toward the bathroom.

Alan held up two fingers to Justin. The young man came over. "You sure?" Justin asked. "Your friend must have started drinking early."

"Tough day."

"You work at the Palace?"

"Yeah."

"I would have thought that was a real cushy job," he commented mildly, doing a pretty good job of feigning disinterest.

Alan laughed. "Not on days like today."

Justin served up the beers on fresh coasters and took the old mugs. "What do you guys do out there?"

"He's head of security. I do what he tells me."

"Yeah?" We get Palace employees in here from time to time, but the big guns don't usually hang out here. Tell me, what would a guy have to do to get a job out there?"

Alan eyed him speculatively, as though sizing him up. "You looking for a career change?"

"Looking for a career, period."

"We haven't got much call for bartenders on a daily basis," Alan said with a friendly grin.

"I was thinking, maybe, security? I used to be in the Army. Had some Special Forces training," he admitted vaguely. "I can handle myself pretty good."

"Yeah?" Alan reached across the bar for a napkin and put it in front of Justin. "Write down your name and number. Next time there's an opening, I'll have Chris call you up for an interview."

"Thanks." He scrawled the info and thrust it back at Alan.

"Always glad to help out a vet."

Chris came out of the bathroom, moving with the careful gait of a man determined not to appear drunk. Alan gave him a sign that they had what they needed. Chris didn't bother to take his stool at the bar.

"Come on. I got a school marm waiting to cook dinner for me," he said, tossing bills onto the bar without looking at Justin.

"Okay, boss." Alan waggled the napkin at Daniels and pocketed it as he followed Chris toward the door.

"Did he bite?" Chris asked quietly.

"Hook, line, and sinker."

"Good." They moved outside into the crisp night air and Chris's meticulous drunk-walk vanished. "I'll talk to Lionel after the holidays. The kid's not going anywhere."

"No. He's here for answers."

"Huh," Chris grunted. "Wish we had some for him."

"Boss..."

"Yeah?"

"What the fuck is a Modulated Frequency Sensor?"

Nov 24, Sydney  

Damien walked around, looking at the facilities just outside Sydney. “This is amazing. How many clones have you created here?”

Vitaly was looking over the facility as well. “We have had limited success so far. We tried cloning mutants, but their DNA does not take the replication process very well. They are too unstable. We’ve nine clones that are around eight years old.”

Damien nodded. Many of his own project’s failures had been dealing with ’X’ factor issues. “It can be a pain in the ass.”

“So how did you overcome the issue?”

Damien wagged his finger at Vitaly. “Who said we did?”

“You created an army for your Latin friends. How many did you get right?”

“Enough to field said army. But Corbeau is the key. He found a way to keep the structure stable. I have no idea how really. But he did.”

Vitaly placed a hand on Damien’s shoulder. “Yes, but think of the possibilities. An army in the Americas and one in Eastern Europe. Think of all that can be gained.”

Damien smiled at the thought. “What of my ’friends’ in America?”

Vitaly led them back to the surface. “That will come soon. You’ve been patient, Continue to be so.”  

Metropolis

Pierce decided that breaking into the Penthouse would be harder than getting into the Manor. He was able to confirm that no one was in residence at the Manor and decided to wait until after sunset; people would be traveling and thus it might be the easiest time to get in and out. He was able to detect some kind of alarm system but had no idea what type it was. ‘Given they are so wealthy, it might be something I’ve never seen before.’

He pulled out one of this detection devices and ran another frequency scan and still could not get a clear reading. The gates were closed, but he climbed over a wall in the rear of the property. Lobbing a small gas canister into the thicket ahead of him, he learned that the lasers that acted as motion sensors. He pulled out a pair of high frequency binoculars and saw numerous other laser fences up around the Manor.

“Okay…I don’t think I can break in. Well, not without getting caught.” He leapt over the fence again and headed back. ‘I think I’ll let Lane do all my footwork for me.’ 

Thanksgiving

The formal Dining room on the main floor was rarely in use, but on occasion it was needed. Lex walked downstairs and saw most of the guests getting seated. Even with the use of the Formal setting, it was a not a formal dinner. Lex liked to have friends and family over for the Holidays, his upbringing had precluded such events, but he was heartened to see that his father enjoyed this style as well. Chloe was chatting with Philip and Lana, while her boyfriend was taking in the Palace.

“This place is HUGE! I mean, Chloe told me that this place dwarfed imagination, but I can imagine a lot.”

Clark placed an arm over Bobby’s shoulder. “Well, it’s your first visit. Tell you what, after dinner I’ll give you a tour.”

Bobby Drake nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love one. I went to school in an old style mansion but this place - 'wow' does not cover it.”

Clark escorted Bobby around, introducing him to the family and their friends.

Whitney walked up to Lex and gestured toward their spouse and Chloe's boyfriend. “Is Clark going to hurt him?”

Lex laughed and leaned down to give Elsa the hug she suddenly demanded. “No, I think he is making sure he feels comfortable. Philip loves talking to his ‘Aunt’ Chloe and ‘Aunt’ Lana.” 

They turned as Tristan, Sebastian, and Jeff all walked in carrying large platters of food. They were followed by Anne, Jonathan, and Martha, all doing the same. Most of the staff had been given the holiday off; the preparation of the Thanksgiving feast was strictly a family affair.

Whitney hurried to help with the food and Lex moved to take a seat, a signal for all to do so as well, but he was stopped by a friendly, booming voice. 

“So how is the newest Senator from Kansas doing?”

Lex turned to Pete and his dad, Bill Ross. He greeted them both with handshakes. “I am doing well. It's a fascinating new world--not to mention a busy one. Still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I am a United States Senator. How is Duke?” he asked Pete

“Man, law school is boring. Lana keeps telling me to hang, but watching her have fun decorating and designing - I miss fun.”

Bill looked at his youngest with a jaundiced eye. “Who are you and where is my son? The Pete I know never had trouble finding fun. He had issues staying away from it.”

Lex tried to stop his laugh. Pete sighed, “Dad, I have not seen fun since the summer.”

Lex motioned them into the room and as was usual in these settings, couples did not sit together. By random luck, Lex saw that Pete was sitting between Bobby Drake and Nick. ‘That should keep him entertained.’ Lex waited for the rest of the family to be seated. He waved to a few people and once everyone was seated, rose. “Friends, we gather again to give thanks for the love and fellowship with which we have been blessed. Much has changed since we last assembled, and we have a new guest this year.” Lex lifted his glass. “You are always welcome here, Mr. Drake. So, a toast for all we have and all that is required of us. May the coming year be better still for us, and for all.” A murmur of assent went round the table as everyone drank to the toast. Lex invited everyone to enjoy the buffet, and the feasting began.

From his vantage point near the center of the table, with his mother on his left, Whitney watched proudly as Philip handled his knife with precision. Conversations were going all over the place, impossible for Whitney to follow, but the emotions were all warm and friendly--except, perhaps, for Bobby Drake, who was feeling a little overwhelmed.  Philip, on his right, was asking his Aunt Stephanie about her research. ‘Too old before his age.’ Whitney relaxed and followed conversations as he could.

Tristan tapped his wine glass to quiet the conversations in the room. “Excuse me, but I have an announcement. Lex was right how blessed we've been this past year. Lisa and I are expecting an addition to the family.”

Lisa smiled at the applause and murmurs of delight that ran round the room. “I’m due in five months. We were keeping everything as a surprise until I moved into the second trimester.”

Hamilton looked for Elsa and smiled. “You will like having a younger brother or sister. Just make sure they don’t take your stuff.”

Clark laughed. “Congratulations are in order.”

Lisa and Tristan smiled and regular conversation started again. Chloe saw Pete and laughed. “So Pete, when are you and Lana getting married and starting a family?”

Lana heard the question and laughed. “Pete thinks marriage is an overrated institution. I think he is scared.” She gave her boyfriend a wink.

Chloe laughed. “Well, I’m sure it will happen.”

The Family room was overrun by football fanatics on one side and most of the ladies on the other. Coffee and desserts were now available but most of them were too full to actually eat another bite.

“So, Lex, the Praetorians going to the Super Bowl?” Pete asked while he munched on a slice of pumpkin pie.

Whitney leaned forward and eyed Pete carefully. “And you have a bet on whom?”

Pete tried to act upset but most of the guys followed Whitney’s lead. “Fine! I’m going for the Panthers. Hey I’m at Duke right now.”

Bobby jumped into the fray. “I’m at Columbia but still cheer for the Patriots.”

Pete sneered at Bobby. “So you caught Chloe. I never thought I’d see the day that Chloe dated…a…a…”

Clark placed a hand on Pete’s shoulder. “The phrase you are looking for is ‘Nice Guy’. Oh and a future accountant.”

Bobby looked at both of them. “Oh, wait, I missed the part where it was haze the new guy.”

Lionel sighed and Jonathan chuckled. Lionel leaned back, swirling his cocktail. “Mr. Drake, no one takes Peter seriously and Clark, well, Clark is Clark. His sense of humor leaves much to be desired.”

Jonathan nodded in agreement. “Clark tells the worst jokes and comic timing is not one of his better attributes.”

Clark looked over the chuckling crowd, all of them trying to contain their laughter. “What? I am too funny.”

Lex looked at Clark with a sad smile. “No, my love, you are very much unfunny.”

Whitney walked over and hugged Clark for a moment. “Sorry, but I have to agree. You are many things, but funny is not one of them. So, does any one need anything while I am up?”

He got a chorus of requests and Nick volunteered to help.

Clark looked at Lex. “I know where you sleep. Just wait. I am going to bore you to death with my jokes.”

The boys and Elsa waited until all the adults were in the Family room before sneaking out of the playroom. They moved quietly, trying to pass the Family room so they could get a slice or two of pie. They were right outside the kitchen when they heard a throat clear behind them.

“And just what are you five up to?”

They all turned and saw Whitney and Nick staring at them. Wes began shuffling his feet and then answered for the group. “We wanted to see if there was more pie.”

Whitney looked at them and then sighed. “Follow me, and next time ask. We know when you are being sneaky.”

Philip elbowed Hamilton in the ribs. “I told you so! They always know what we are doing.”

Whitney laughed at his sons. “Yes, we do and don’t forget it.”

                                                                                                      Part 3

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Cast - Photo Gallery

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Tributes & Trials
Mary-Alice Adkins
Bryan Armitage
Holly Jones
Patrick Kennedy
Jackson King
Kelly Ling
April Ross
Winston R.Trask
Simon Trent

Leaders, Legends & Lore
Bennett Andrew LFK
Weston Graham LFK
Ivan Acevedo
Rachel Amstead
Aaron Boone
Adam Chase
Valerie Cooper
Justin Daniels
Raven Darkholm
Bobby Drake
Nigel Eason
Emma Frost
Richard Grayson
Vitaly Kirov
Lois Lane
Eric Lensherr
Jimmy Olsen
Donald Pierce
Oliver Queen
Michael Ross
Sebastian Shaw
Maxwell Smith
Anthony Stark
Janet VanDyne
Perry White
Warren Worthington III
Jason Wyngard

Raids, Assaults, Revels
Philip Jonathan LFK
Hamilton Ian LFK
Dr. Stephanie Fordman

Pursuits & Milestones
Brian Corbeau

Reflections & Mirrors
Chet Desmond
Lisa Fordman
Gabriel Vance

Destinies & Darkness
Dimitri Kartov
Alan Owen

Knights, Bishops & Rooks
Enrique DeSantos
Henry Gyrich
Senator Robert Kelly

Shadows in Spring
Christian Smith

Echoes of the Past
General Sam Thames
Shern Phipps

Scores & Solutions
Stephen Hamiltion
Nathan Daniels

Battlements & Barricades
Tristan Fordman
Nick Brady
Damien Parker
Dominic Haynes (Senatori)

Repercussions&Achievements
Lionel Luthor
Anne Fordman
David Fordman
Sebastian Fordman
Jeff Fordman
Bruce Wayne

Plans, Detours, Goals:
Chloe Sullivan
Lana Lang
Clark Kent
Whitney Fordman
Lex Luthor
Jonathan Kent
Martha Kent
Pete Ross
Victoria Hardwick