Chapter 1 – Invite The Girl

The sweltering heat lay across the Kansas plains like the layers of a thick, wool blanket, too heavy and uncomfortable for the season but born of necessity. The sky was a flat steel gray though the thickening of green-tinted clouds in the west heralded a coming storm. Hopefully it would break the heat wave, but it was doubtful.

The figure of a woman walked through the fields of the Kent farm, she stopped at a small grove of apple trees and began to sprinkle an oddly colored, liquid on the soil around the roots.

Short locks of ebony hair blew in the wind as an ivory hand swept them back out of her eyes. The woman's eyes were very strange. One eye contained all the shades of green from a sunlit forest while the other was the shade of a rich amber. She glanced around the area with these strange eyes, her sight easily reaching to the borders of the Kent property, which stretched over several hundred acres.

She turned back to her work and spoke, in a tongue not known by man, to the trees.

"Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha." She said kindly to the trees. In her language it meant, 'May the leaves of your life, tree, never turn brown.'

"Let your fruit stay till the harvest. May your taste be sweet to the tongue and quench the thirst of the mouth. In the name of the Father of Fathers, heal the sick and strengthen the weak."

She chanted in this mysterious language.

The wind blew stronger again, compelling her to finally tucked her hair behind a pointed ear, its shape matched the symbolic ears of elves.

The elf woman's name was Eleanor Hallowae, but those that knew her called her Elle. The story her old life entertained her mind as she dribbled the liquid onto the trees. Her tale was one of struggles and great sadness.

Long ago when she was but a child, barely able to remember her homeland. A powerful magic pulled her from her home and sent her to this dimension.

According to a family of witches, the Hallowae Clan, one of their own turned dark and began to dabble in black magic to fuel her wicked intentions.

Her name was Demona.

Her once pure dreams of making a place for their kind to live in peace were tainted and ceased when witches began to be hunted. Feared for their differences and strange powers. With the dark arts she swore to avenge their fallen sisters and to make the world where man would no longer be a threat.

It was in this moment she discovered a spell written by Merlin himself that could bring a being so powerful it could grant her any wish; a being from another world, this was the spell that forever altered the fate of the Hallowae Family.

Using the secrets of the Stonehenge as a gateway. Demona summoned the magic of her bloodline to bring her this being she could control and harness its powers to bring the world to its knees. Yet, the Hallowae family rose against her in a struggle to stop their corrupted sister.

Demona was defeated. However, they were too late. As the ritual had fulfilled its deed and from that realm of magic and mystery, a small girl with pointed ears was summoned.

With an immortal child under their wing, the coven devoted their lineage to raise her to be a grand witch. And so, through good times and bad, death and birth; the dwindling coven went ever onward to the west, raising the elfling as their own.

Now, she was here, at the beginning of the 21st century, 418 years of age and, to her knowledge, the sole survivor of the Hallowae legacy.

When she came to the new world some after the Americas was founded, to this time and place to be exact, she hadn't expected something like this to happen. Something she had not meaning to, discovered.

She found love.

In a better term, experienced 'love at first sight'. A dangerous thing for an elf to be in love, if it didn't end well the heart that was given to the lover would break and the elf would perish instantly. It was quite cliché but it was a part of her life.

What complicated the matter further was that she was a witch. The dreaded cause of her family's demise had been this kind of love. Whenever a witch had fallen for a human, and the human discovered the truth of their lover; it would not be long before the towns people showed up at a family's doorstep with torches and pitchforks.

Elle had forced herself to never be the cause of death, and therefore concealed her heart in her devotion to the arts and discovering her origins. And as the world changed with time, the humans became more and more advanced in their inventions and culture, her researches of her race became more and more possible.

As the new century begun, she was alone, no family to support her or comfort her, though quite capable of taking care of herself. The law knew her to be of the legal age of independence, and the falsified papers of her past were enough to convince them that she was who she said she was. She was passing through a city called Metropolis when she chanced to see him.

He was human but he might as well have been one of her kin. He possessed unearthly beauty, skin as fair as her own and with eyes that were like the rare blue metal of mithryl. What was strange about his appearance was the lack of hair, but she knew that it had to have been beautiful as well, perhaps a rich walnut brown or perhaps a vibrant red as the sunset. And she was completely and utterly in love.

She adapted to the time and befriending few but sadly got absolutely no where. Leaving the city to the countryside, she was caught in a whirlwind of storms and chanced to see a young boy whom she had mistaken for her own kin. He was so different and obviously not human.

When he had found her again, he brought her to his home where she made a deal with the boy's family. If she worked on their farm and aided their finances, they would provide food and shelter.

The Kents were such a kind family. Similar in someways to her own. They were worried that she would reveal the secret of their son but when she confessed her own secrets they were more willing to watch over her as well.

A hot breeze jarred her from her memories and she looked at the empty vial and at the apple trees. Nodding in satisfaction of her work, she ran her fingers through the sweat drenched locks and grimaced at the amount of moisture that accumulated.

"Of all the years of scorching summers... this is in the top five." She murmured as she turned toward the house to clean her mess in the kitchen. Silence greeted her as she was alone on the farm. The Kents were in Metropolis, as an old classmate of Martha's was getting married and, after much deliberation, she'd decided to attend and make a weekend in Metropolis out of it. So Elle volunteered to look after the farm with Clark till they returned.

Clark was out of school for the summer, but Elle took most of the farm on herself to let the young teenager be with his friends.

Clark was at the moment with friends, so she was by herself for the most part, occasionally making a trip to the town but she preferred to stay at the farm, tending her orchard and the animals, as well as maintaining the home and practicing the arts.

Elle entered through the back and began tidying the kitchen, occasionally waving her hand this way and that; causing items out of place to magically fly in the air and return to their proper setting. She tied the sage herbs together, and hung them on one of the many hooks that held other herbs.

Elle grimaced when fat drops of sweat rolled down her back and she grumbled and yanked off her shirt. She did not like this heat. Whoever said summertime was the best part of a human's youth obviously hadn't lived as long as she nor had been to Smallville. Really she was a grand witch, surly just a simple weather spell wouldn't hurt!

But... she did promise the Kent elders not to use such grand magic for the simple comforts of life and a sudden rain storm over the farm would draw unwanted attention. So she did what any practical woman in her situation would do.

She marched outside in her bra and skirt to the barn, and grabbed the hose.

Slipping out of her skirt, she hung the garment on the railing and turned on the spout, she let it run until the water coming out of the hose was cool to the touch, then, bending over; she doused her head and neck, immediately feeling relief from the sweltering sun.

Straightening up, she shook her head to get the water out of her eyes, and then drank long and deep.

Once her parched throat was eased, she held the hose over her head after she was finished drinking, Elle simply let the water run down over her, washing away most of the dust and dirt she'd accumulated in the orchard and fields. Over the sound of the water, her elf-hearing picked up a low, throaty rumble and looked around the side of the barn to see a sleek gray sports car pull up in front of the house, one she recognized immediately.

"It looks like Lex is paying a call." She said to herself.

Grinning with hint of a blush, Elle turned off the water and raked her wet hair off her face. She ducked into the barn and pulled her skirt back on then swiped a discarded plaid shirt from a pile of tools and hastily put that on as well. Once relatively decent, she headed toward the house. Pausing before she cast a glamor on her features to make her appear more human.

"Hello!" she called, breaking into a trot, her wet bare feet leaving muddy imprints behind her in the dirt.

Lex had returned to Smallville the night before, having finished up his business in Metropolis earlier than anticipated. Not even to himself would he admit that he'd pushed the negotiations as much as possible because he missed seeing a certain magical girl whom he'd grown very fond of chatting with.

No other word could describe her better. It seemed that everything concerning Elle Hallowae was magical in some aspect. He was not one to believe in the hocus pocus, but he barely knew the woman and had less things in common with her at first glance, but the moment he first saw her, he knew it had to be love at first sight.

As he came to know her better, he'd discovered an amazingly astute mind behind those bi-colored eyes. She was very kind and considerate, she was observant with the smallest of details, and most of all mysterious. She had a way of making him not want to completely figure it out. She was the magic show that inspired many things and it seemed that if he knew her secrets, the magic would fade away.

He couldn't bring himself to do what he had done to Clark. She was the second person to treat him like she would anyone else. When he was with her, he never had to wonder what she was after; Elle spent time in his company because she enjoyed it, and the feeling was very mutual.

How he met her was supernatural in itself. It had been a regular business day in Metropolis when he first saw her, dressed in brightly colored bohemian clothes that made her stand out in the dismal gray crowd. She was heading for the train station and without knowing it he had followed her, surprised to learn that she was working there. He then had made it a priority to take the train whenever his schedule allowed it, and sometimes when it didn't. He made sure to only buy tickets from her booth, but he never lingered to talk as his nerves never gave him the proper words to say. Not that he wasn't good with accosting women, he had a reputation of being quite the player, however there was something about her that made his voice catch in his throat and render him speechless. Such an action was very un-Luthor like. However fate had a way to deal with his hesitance.

The day she responded was the day he fell on the tracks. A group of muggers had attacked him trying to rob him of any valuables on his person, and succeeded in shoving him onto the tracks. His head had connected with the hard surface of the rails and he blacked out. Yet woke long enough to see her, his guardian angel before the darkness. When he had woken up for good he was in the hospital and his angel was asleep by his side.

Before he could get her name, his father had burst into the room practically scaring the raven beauty away. He had returned to the mansion with a headache and a passion to see the girl again. When he had returned to the station he was saddened to find that she had been fired, the reason was leaving the booth unattended and taking care of him instead.

His poor staff suffered his moodiness as the girl seemed to vanish off the face of the earth, he had even gone to the trouble of threatening a lawsuit to the public transportation services if they didn't give him her information, mentioning that His safety was the reason for her absence. However, the information had ever so conveniently disappeared, he had suspected his father's hand in the matter.

And then the tornado hit Smallville. After that natural disaster, and the fact that his father was nearly killed, but the surgery was successful... unfortunately. And after that, more shit happened with Nixon and Clark's secret, right before Jonathan went missing.

He hated his life sometimes. But then, one week later that he was on his annual coffee break at the Talon when he saw her again, still dressed in the gypsy styled clothing, standing next to none other than Clark Kent, who appeared to be introducing her to his friends. Her surprise and flustered attitude had emerged when she saw him there, and as Clark introduced the two of them, she gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

Without a doubt, he knew that what he felt before was in fact love at first sight.

Now, he'd been able to hold out until early afternoon, but as soon as he'd finished lunch, Lex had found himself in his car on his way to the Kent farm. Only he'd never anticipated something like this. As he'd pulled up, he'd been treated to the sight of Elle in a bikini, or maybe that was her underwear, standing in the yard with water gushing over her, looking like every man's erotic fantasy. Swallowing hard and praying his pants didn't show anything, Lex smiled in return and got out of the car.

"Hello, Elle." He replied and glanced around, noticing that the Kents' truck was missing. "Have the Kents gone to town?"

"They're in Metropolis." Elle informed. "They had something going on and somebody had to stay here to mind the farm, Clark is in town., but he should be back this evening."

"I see. Well, then, if you have some time on your hands, would you like to come back to my place? I can offer you a pool, air conditioning, and a good dinner. I'm sure we can figure out some way to pass the time." He ruthlessly clamped down on the mental images leaping to his mind of how he'd like to pass the time with Elle and told himself over and over again that inviting her to his place was not creepy in the slightest.

Elle smiled casually. "Hmm, sounds tempting." she looked at Lex, who was dressed fashionably as always, his clothes not at all wrinkled from the drive over, then at his car. She thought over the invitation, Clark could handle the farm for that time. "Alright, I accept. Just let me get cleaned up. Don't want to leave a wet spot on your leather. Why don't you come in and I'll change. Would you like something to drink?"

She was babbling, feeling oddly nervous around him, and she didn't know why, she never acted like this, ever. But the way Lex had looked at her when he was getting out of the car... it made her stomach clench and not in a way that was unpleasant. She remembered the wise words of her grandmother.

Love is a deeper magic that stretches beyond our powers. It cannot be effected by our magic, nor replicated. Truly, it is the most powerful thing this world will ever know. Do you understand, my child?

'Well it certainly has casts its spell on me, though the side effects are making me act like an idiot!' She thought to herself as she led the man inside.

Lex had to swallow a few times before he could manage to speak. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind something wet." He turned toward the house easily, heading for the kitchen and trying not to think about a naked Elle getting changed upstairs while he waited.

"Lemonade okay?" At Lex's nod, Elle pulled the pitcher out of the fridge and poured a glass, handing it to Lex before getting herself one. As she drank it she grabbed a platter of cookies from the counter and sat it on the island next to Lex.

"These are almond cookies dipped in milk chocolate. They are called 'Harvest Moons'. Baked fresh this morning. I hope you're not allergic." she said, offering Lex the platter.

Lex shook his head, indicating that he didn't have a nut allergy, and took a cookie. It smelled as good as it looked, with the chocolate coating one side in a moon-shape pattern with sliced almonds sprinkled on the chocolate. He took one bite and was suddenly on cloud 9. The treat melted in his mouth, it was so soft and the balance of the nuts and spices where harmonious with the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar. He nodded in satisfaction. "These are amazing."

Elle beamed. "Why thank you. An old family recipe. Always cooking up something." Draining her glass she placed it in the sink and started to head upstairs. "I'll be down in a minute, feel free to have some more!" she called over her shoulder.

Once upstairs, Elle stripped out of her shoes and draped the damp clothes over the shower rod before wrapping up in a towel once she was relatively dry.

She pulled on the yellow sun dress she kept from the 1950s and smoothed down the flower embroidered hem then adorned a blessed garnet pendant to give her an increase in her self-esteem if she was to spend any amount of time with the human she loved. Once her hair was combed and styled, she put a dab of lip-butter on her lips, and grabbed a pair of sandals, then trotting down the stairs till she recalled Lex had mentioned the pool.

"Forgot a swimsuit, be right back!" she shouted, turning and heading back upstairs.

"Please don't bother on my account," Lex muttered into the cookie, knowing that there was no way Elle could possibly hear him.

What the hell was wrong with him? Usually he had more self-control than this, but ever since he'd arrived to the vision of a half-naked Elle, his hormones had been raging. He shifted uncomfortably; his pants much tighter than they should be, and took a long swallow of the homemade lemonade, and then tried to busy his mind by looking around the kitchen. He frowned at the small pot that looked suspiciously like a cauldron and the strange herbs and ingredients lying on the counters.

He noted the vials fill with different colored liquid. What the... Are those... potions? Shaking his head, he took a sip of his drink, and then took notice of the large book that lay closed on the counter. Curiosity getting the better of him, he pushed himself off the stool and made his way over to the book. It looked very old and used, even the pages were aged. He flipped the book open to a random page and blinked what he saw.

Elf hearing picked that up. "Don't bother?" Elle paused as she dug through her dresser, looking for her swimsuit she knew she'd bought not too long ago. "Huh." Wondering if maybe they weren't going swimming, she shrugged. She couldn't bring the subject up, not when there was not a normal way she could have heard Lex, so it had to be ignored.

Putting her swimsuit and a towel in a knapsack, Elle came down the stairs once again, though a bit more calmly and less rushed. "Think I've got everything this time..." Her voice trailed off when she saw him peeking through her old recipe book. She almost had to breathe a sigh of relief, thank goodness it wasn't her book of shadows. She glided over to him and smiled, when he turned to her in question. "I see you've found my cookbook."

Lex felt sheepish for a moment, and not just for being caught snooping. He cleared his throat and gestured to the book. "Interesting cook book. It looks old, almost like an antique." he touched the aged page, running his finger under the foreign language. "Chike Endored?"

"Its a poultry dish; battered pieces of chicken, stuck with skewers. Its quite delicious." she explained.

Lex nodded in understanding, looking over the words and then asked her. "Did you grow up in Europe? The recipe is in German."

Elle nodded casually, and answered. "Yes, I did actually. But that was ages ago, a magical time... but now, here I am." she said vaguely, then turned. "I need to close the west windows in case it rains. I doubt the Kents would their own indoor pool."

Lex watched her leave with a curious gaze. She definitely was a mystery, but he enjoyed that. Draining his glass, then carrying it over to the sink to rinse it, remembering the expression on Jonathan Kent's face one time when he'd left a used dish on the table.

Closing the window and locking it into place, she picked up a notepad from the coffee table and scribbled a note to Clark for when he got home.

"All shut." She said, coming back in the kitchen and setting the notepad on the counter. "There is a storm is coming fast, so we'd better hurry or we're gonna get soaked."

Lex swallowed hard at that mental image and made a note to himself to start buying pants a size larger for when he planned to spend any time around this girl. "I'm ready whenever you are." In more ways than one.

As he strode toward the door, he glanced casually back over his shoulder. "When are the Kents due back, tonight? If so when do I need to get you home by, Cinderella?" he asked, holding the door open for her.

Slipping into a pair of sandals, she grabbed her bag and stepped out. "They're staying over in Metropolis, a mini-vacation and Clark can manage the farm till I return." She replied.

"Ah. Well, you're perfectly welcome to spend the night, take advantage of the air-conditioning and all. I'm sure the homestead will be fine for a few hours without you."

Lex very determinedly did not think about Elle spending the night in his bed, instead sliding into the car and behind the wheel, waiting till Elle was in and buckled up before starting the engine.

Elle glanced back at the house as she climbed into the car, her expression conflicted. If she went, things were going to change. Her intuition told her that it would, though how, she did not know. "As long as I come back before Mr. and Mrs. Kent come home." she said, locking her seatbelt and glancing at Lex, her decision made.

Shuddering ostentatiously at the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn, Lex agreed. "Just tell me that they're not coming back early in the morning?" he begged, unconsciously speeding slightly as he drove Elle back to his home. He could feel the unusual tension between them, and although he wasn't sure what was causing it, he realized that the slight electricity was only making him want Elle more.

"Not until after lunch." Elle had to laugh aloud at the sudden relief visible in Lex's expression. "There's a brunch or something tomorrow morning that they were going to." She paused. "If it's a problem, I don't mind walking, or I can come back tonight..."

"No, that's fine," Lex instantly replied in a slightly rougher than usual tone. "You might as well sleep comfortably. I have plenty of room." He pulled into the garage at the Luthor castle with relief, glad not to have to keep his attention on his driving any longer when all he wanted to concentrate on was Elle.

"I'll take you up to the room you can use first so you can put your stuff away," not mentioning that it was the connecting suite to Lex's own room, "then we can have that swim and cool off."

"I'm looking forward to it." Elle followed Lex into the house, admiring the splendor of the manor. "Oh, I didn't bring anything to sleep in." She frowned but had to bite her bottom lip to prevent her from bursting out in laughter at the sight of Lex's face when he heard that.

Lex thought he was going to burst through his pants. This was ridiculous! He glanced back at Elle. But damn, she was gorgeous! If she only knew what her innocent remarks were doing to him.

"Here it is." Lex gestured Elle inside the room, not entering himself. "I'll give you a few minutes to change, while I go back to my room and do the same." And jerk off so I don't embarrass myself! "I'll be right back."

Elle practically fell over her feet when Lex all but pushed her into the bedroom. "Well, alright... Want me to wait for you here or come over to your room when I'm done?"

Eyes widening into an expression of near horror, Lex hastily replied, "No, no, make yourself at home. I'll come back for you as soon as I change." Hastily bolting from the room, Lex fled the few feet down the hall to his own door and nearly fell inside. The door was barely closed behind him when his pants were down as he pushed himself for release, he found himself moaning rather loudly her name.

Panting, he slumped against the door, stunned by the heat of his lust for that girl. He sighed and scooped up his pants, tossing them into the small hamper, and headed into his bathroom for a quick shower. Elle would just have to wait an extra minute or two while he cleaned up.

Both stunned and aroused because once she'd tuned into Lex, she couldn't stop hearing him and everything he was doing and saying. Elle blinked. She wasn't naïve to the mating rituals that other races commenced in, but this...

Lex had commenced! And was... callingmyname!

She breathed out a sharp breath, her usual calm demeanor was replaced with that of a flustered virgin. She stripped from her clothes and hastily pulled on her swimsuit then began pacing around the room.

"Do I wish pursue this?"

"Mating is meant to be sacred to my kin." She shook her head. "I must be careful of how I am to go at this. Lines must be drawn- Oh, Should I even give him my heart?"

She stopped and placed a hand on her chest. No... that's right. She already did. When she had first laid eyes on him. A horrifying thought entered her mind.

"What if he breaks my heart?"

She put a hand to her lips as a feeling of terror prickled its way through her body, using her spine as a main road.

"Then I will die."

She shivered and began to pace again. "Oh I wish I had dried sage." No sooner had she said those words that a bundle of sage from her kitchen was suddenly on the bed by her bag. She shook her head, chastising herself for the lack of control, but grabbed the bunched herbs. She found a lighter in her bag and then opened a window. She lit the sage and waved it around herself, to cleanse her body.