It's a wonderful life, Luthor

Life at the Luthors

As the clouds parted a massive and luxurious mansion came into view and a tall slender woman with light hair and a stoic face stepped out of the car that pulled up.

"Who is that? Is she the queen or something?"

Michael looked at Clarence and sighed lightly, smiling softly he shook his head.

"That is Lillian Luthor, she is going to be very integral to Lena's story, after all that is going to be her new mother, now lets watch we don't have much time."

The woman was inside with a boy, they were playing chess and the woman was praising him for his strategy, a man with a long beige coat walked into the room with Lena. she was clutching her teddy and looked scared. Lillian spotted them and raised her brow.

"We discussed this Lionel, there were other options, how could you bring her here, bring her to our home, where our son lives?"

"Not Now Lillian"

The boy smiled at Lena and called her over, inviting her to play and introducing himself as Lex. Lena smiled and joined him, she was a quick study and soon was able to defeat her brother, another thing that made Lillian mad at her. The day that she defeated Lex on her own a month after her arrival, Lillian looked at her, her boy was the genius not this bastard child from her husband's affair, she took the Teddy away from Lena and tearing it in two as she placed it into the trash.

Lena tried to settle in the house, but there were constant arguments between Lillian and Lionel, and mostly about her, she couldn't help but hear the hatred for her that Lillian felt, she wanted nothing more than to have her out of the house. Even though Lionel showed her little attention he would alway insist that she stayed, she couldn't understand the reasons behind it, all it seemed to do was cause her adoptive father to drink more and Lillian would be harsher for days after a fight. She didn't belong here, the only person that made her feel that she did was Lex.

"If you are bright enough to defeat my son at chest then you are to old for toys like this, lets see just how much potential you have Lena"

From that day on Lena was placed in direct competition with Lex always judged harshly by lillian torn down and degraded. Lex for years he stayed true to the kind and loving brother that he started as. Finding ways to play, to make her laugh, to make her feel part of the family. Lionel, when he was there and not drinking, he tried to be a father, but it wasn't his natural position, he was a cruel man at heart made worse by his drinking. Lena kept trying, kept hoping that showing kindness to the family that had taken her in would eventually mean that they loved and approved of her.

Clarence watched and listened as every attempt was rebuffed and the insults to Lena continued.

"You really need to put childish things away Lena, act like a Luthor, you have a lot of potential but this constant need for praise is ridiculous"

"Goodness Lena, more new clothes needed, if you keep eating at this rate I will have no choice but send you to a fat camp for over indulged children"