Disclaimer: No infringement intended. Made for entertainment purposes only.
Summary: Chloe and Lana have a coffee drinking contest in the Talon. Lex catches them.
Spoilers: Post-Crusade (S4 spoilers) hinted.
Rating: PG-13

The Touch
by Lissette aka RunLiLiRun

A burst of giggles echoed in the darkness of the Talon. They sat on high stools, side by side, listening to rock music on the stereo. The only remaining lights in the place were spotlights above their heads. Half concealed in shadow, the girls made a surreal sight.

It had begun two hours earlier and now a dozen cups were scattered in front of them. The obscene overdose of digested coffee spurned them in continuous laughter despite aching stomachs and numb facial muscles. In the after hours of the Talon, they took advantage of Lana's good standing with the owner and had begun a drinking contest. One of the quirks of living above a coffee shop was, of course, unrestricted access to the frappuccino, espresso and cappuccino machines.

They would have invited Lois, but she was off galloping around town with Clark on another bizarre investigation. Feeling like she had been replaced in her reporter role, Chloe had sought refugee in the coffee house where her ex-roommate now occupied.

Bent double in a spasm of giggles, her short jean skirt rose even higher and showed off golden legs; she had retained her Parisian tan well into the Fall. After the fourth cup of coffee, her hair up in a twist, Lana had begun to get hot. The heat Lana was feeling was entirely her own, for the blonde was perfectly fine in snug jeans and a fiery red shirt. The irony in wearing a shirt that had black Chinese symbols meaning fire, didn't slide past her. Upon complaining that manufactures should make air conditioners blast out colder air, Chloe suggested she take her shirt off if she was getting that hot.

It was meant as a joke but they were alone, Chloe had seen her in her bra before and they had lived together for over a year and half, so Lana figured, why not? On an impulsive mood-no doubt greatly aided by the caffeine that had most likely replaced the blood running through her veins-Lana had discarded her black dress shirt. She made sure to tie it around her waist. So far, only Jason had seen the tattoo and while it was easy enough to babble out any excuse to him, Chloe was a different matter. For one, Chloe might recognize the symbol and she wouldn't hesitate to ask questions and dig further. Hence, hiding the tattoo.

Abruptly, Lana slipped off her stool. Her bare feet smacked softly on the tile as she scurried to the nearest sink, a hand cupping the lower portion of her face. Reaching it just in time, she sputtered cappuccino juice from her mouth and nose. She was desperately trying not to choke on the liquid as she continued to laugh.

In the midst of a cackling fit, her palm slapping the counter in mirth, Chloe managed to get out a remark. "Eww! Ha ha ha. That's," she gasped, "Disgusting!"

Lana glared, giving Chloe her best if-looks-could-kill look. Coffee was still leaking out and Lana's facial expression fell short of threatening and landed on ridiculous. Chloe laugh even harder. The brunette groaned and turned on the tap to wash her face.

"Looks like you've reached your limit, Miss Lang," Chloe teased, triumph impending in her voice.

Lana turned off the running tap and flicked water droplets at Chloe. "Uhh, you're downright evil," she said and grabbed a handful of napkins to swab her face dry.

"But I'm evil with a hundred dollar bill in my hand," Chloe quipped, taking victory in winning their bet. She had set out to out drink Lana and she came, drank and conquered. She took a swing of her fourteenth cup of coffee, intent on rubbing her superior caffeine retention talent in Lana's face. The sensation of warm liquid sliding down her throat, however, did not come. Holding the cup out quizzically, she turned it upside down. A single drop of coffee fell onto the counter.

"All gone," Chloe said disappointedly. She shrugged and threw the cup over her shoulder. The sound of glass shattering and breaking made the girls squeal.

"Chloe!" Lana cried out, staring at her in shock. There was a pause in the after math, then Chloe stiffly turned to look. Her gaze went to the mess, then slowly went back to Lana, eyes wide and dumbfounded.

The brunette went around the counter and slowly approached the scene of the crime, being careful where she placed her bare feet. A glass table, Chloe's cup and the glass jug that had contained a set of white roses The Talon was full of lately, lay in pieces. Lana shook her head in disbelief. Maybe Lex would over look it on the monthly expenses list Mrs. Kent would write up. Yeah, and she was Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreau. Lex would add one and two together and get three. Or would that be one and one and get two? Or two and two and get four? Whatever!

Chloe jumped off the stool and drew nearer. "I am so sorry, she apologized, genuinely contrite. I thought it was Styrofoam," she sheepishly admitted.

Lanas expression was incredulous. "Styrofoam," she repeated. A smile flickered on her lips but she shook her head, schooling her expression. This was serious. Broken glass meant money coming out of Lexs pocket and that wouldnt leave her in a good position. He was most likely going to ask her to pay for it, that was to be expected but she was looking forward to spewing out another hundred.

"See-through Styrofoam?" Chloe tried.

They stared at each other. Chloe bite her lip at Lana's raised eyebrows. It was serious but it was funny. Even more funny than it would normally be with the coffee theyd ingested. The urge they were fighting overtook them simultaneously-they fell into fits of laughter once more. Above their ruckus, Chloe managed to hear a rustle at the front entrance. A dark silhouette could be seen through the glass. The black coat was recognizable.

"Oh my god!" Chloe gasped out, a hand coming to her chest.

Lana opened her eyes and wiped away the tears that were trickling out. "What?"

"Lex!

"Oh he isnt going to care," she reassured her friend, taking in a lungful of air and stretching her arms. Lex cut her a lot of slack and accidents in the Talon weren't unusual.

"No! I don't mean Lex, what will we do about Lex. I mean, Lex is here!"

Her arms dropped to her side and she titled her head to the right, where Chloe was frantically pointing. His dark figure was at the door and there was a jiggle as he began to turn the key in the lock. It was hardly surprising to see that he was up at two in the morning. If shed discovered one thing about Lex in the last four years, it was that the man hardly slept. In all this time she had not once managed to call him and caught him asleep. Perhaps they had been a little too loud and he heard the music booming through the speakers as he drove by.

Chloe flipped into strategy mode. "Okay, Ill stall him. Keep in mind I can only ramble for three minutes straight per tangent so I'm afraid that'll have to be enough time for clean up, she whispered, her hands jittering from the caffeine pumping through her. There was only so many topics that one could distract Lex Luthor with and she was having trouble deciding which one. The Wall of Weird? The economical boom and bust cycle? The Wall Street Journal? Luthorcorp's latest exploit? She wasn't quite sure the last one was entirely appropriate and she was certain that offending a millionaire was on the list of things not to do before-

"Chloe, wait," Lana called, not bothering to lower her voice. "I'm sure Lex will understand this was just an accident."

Walking back to her, Chloe put her hands on her upper arms and stared. "Lana," she slowly said, enunciating the name like she was humoring a four year old. "Unless you're having an affair that I don't know about, then I hardly doubt you always receive Lex like that." She pointedly looked at Lana's black bra and jean mini skirt.

Lana's eyes widened, understanding dawning her. Stalling him would be great! she peeped out, spinning on her heel and running into the kitchen. During her flight, her hands went to her hips to snatch her shirt up but there wasn't any shirt to snatch up. Lana came to a skidding stop, her bare feet squeaking over the floor. Uh, wheres my shirt? she hands patted her waistline and she twirled in a circle to look on the ground.

At the front entrance, Chloe began chattering up a storm and Lana thanked her lucky stars that on that much caffeine, Chloe could break her own record and talk for six minutes straight. With a distraction in place, Lana desperately scampered about the Talon, in search of the missing shirt. She deftly avoided shattered glass and realized that she was also missing her shoes. Getting shards of glass in her feet was the last thing she needed right now. She looked under tables and chairs, behind couches, curtains and the counter-but they were nowhere to be found. It was possible she could have left her shoes upstairs and come down barefoot, but her shirt was definitely down here.

"Okay, I guess Im calling it a night!" she heard Chloe say really loudly. Apparently, hyper Chloe hadn't broken her record and had sputtered and run out of steam at three minutes! The front door chiming opened and chiming closed was of Chloe most definitely abandoning Lana.

Lana panicked and sprinted towards the counter, looking for the fastest exit or the closest hiding spot. Steady foot steps rounded a pillar. There was nothing else to do but-she immediately ducked down and crouched low. She quickly waddled forward, intent on making a get away through the swinging kitchen doors. A familiar black mound in front of the door rose her spirits. It was her shirt! Her arm stretched out and her fingers reached for the material.

But it was too far. Shed have to come out into view and she didn't want to do that. Twisting around, she crouch ran in the other direction.

Lana, Lex called out. Her arm momentarily shot out near the kitchen doors and he curiously watched the top of her head comically move down the counter. He wondered what she was up to. Lana was a little too old to play hide and seek, or in this case, hide and run. It might have worked if he hadn't seen her.

Lexs voice sounded close by, which meant he was close by and that was entirely too close for comfort. She stopped and slowly opened the drawer above her. The hand snaked up to grab a handful of green Talon aprons to wrap around her waist to conceal her lower back. Lex bought the property that the Kawatche caves were located on and had investigated the symbols on the walls. Or so his website said. Lana knew he wouldn't fail to notice the uncanny similarities between her tattoo and the Kawatche language. It wasn't that she wanted to hide anything from Lex for she was generally hiding her tattoo from everyone. But she wanted to decipher the meaning on her own, without having to involve anyone. After all, she couldn't tell all her secrets. Where the mystery be in that?

Once the apron was secure, she again crouch ran towards the hallway to the bathrooms. Half way to her destination, the stereo was suddenly shut off. The control panel for the sound system was under the cash register to the right of the counter, which meant that Lex-

"Is this what you're looking for?" He asked, the amusement in his charming voice evident.

Lana grimaced. Damn! She thought. At least Ive covered the important parts. She cautiously looked over her shoulder. He was bent by the control panel, one finger still lingering on the stop button and his other hand holding her crumpled shirt. Lex shook the thing out and inspected it with a raised eyebrow. Lana, is there something going on between you and Chloe that Im not aware of?

Embarrassed, Lana gave her back to him and put a hand to her forehead. Her face was aflame as she held out her arm, the action silently requesting her shirt. The material was pushed into her outstretched hand and she hastily slid into her dress shirt as she climbed to her feet. She failed to take in Lexs cheeky smile. Lex, she chucked nervously, buttoning up as quickly as she could. This, this isnt what it looks like, she said and finally swiveled around to face him.

Lex straightened. No? he asked, not looking very convinced. He watched her untie the aprons wrapped around her waist and throw them onto the counter. She was fidgeting and she was shifting her weight from foot to foot. It was obvious she was just waiting for the right opportunity to dash off. However, he wanted an explanation and he was already intrigued as to how Lana was going to explain her way out of this.

"You see, it was the coffee. It made me hot." The instant she said it she inwardly cringed at the way it came out. "Not that kind of hot! I mean-" His grin was obvious now. "Okay, stop," she scolded with a laugh. "You know I don't swing that way."

He knew, but it was fun to tease her. "I hope there's at least some coffee left in stock," he remarked dryly, noting the nearly two dozen empty coffee cups left around. It looked like the aftermath of an intense coffee drinking contest.

"About that," Lana started, holding up her forefinger. "Ill pay for-"

Lex shrugged and shook his head faintly, the gesture cutting her off. "Don't worry about it." Now that she was off the hook, she visibly relaxed. Any other time, he might have made her pay for it but Lex didn't have want to reprimand her for this one. Catching Lana in a black, satin bra was entirely worth the money for the damage. Recalling the image made him smile again and he couldn't help a glance at her chest.

The look was fleeting, but Lana noticed. It wasn't routine for Lex to check her out. In fact, Lex wasn't supposed to know what she looked like without a shirt let alone admire her assets. Speaking of assets-her train of thought naturally drifted towards how he would look like without his shirt and his assets. All too strangely, she was very much aware of Lex in a way she hadn't been before; sexually. Lex was no longer friend-and-ex-business-partner Lex. Lex was now how-would-he-look-like-naked Lex. Would he be bigger than Jas-

Scandalized at where that query was headed, Lana blushed scarlet. And here she thought after seeing all she had in Paris, that she was a worldly kind of girl, able to handle any assets a man had. But this was Lex. And Lex-she just wasn't supposed to think about him that way.

I should start cleaning up, she said abruptly, trying to distract herself. She turned around and walked a few meters to the end of the counter. Once there, she squatted and reached for the broom and dust pan tucked in-between the cappuccino machine and the china cabinet. Lana was oblivious to the fact that her shirt had risen up and exposed her tattoo. Her fingers wrapped around the desired objects and she stood up.

Twisting about, she made to start tiding up when she spotted Lexs expression. His eyes were frozen green, staring at her in shock. For the first time in a long time, he looked flabbergasted and it sort of unsettled her. "Lex, what is it?" she asked, concerned.

He wouldn't have ever expected to see a Kawatche symbol on a person and not a wall. And to have a symbol on Lana, of all people, left him grasping for words. "When did um," he blinked and pointed to her waist. "You get a tattoo?"

Suddenly, Lana's concerned expression morphed into a blank mask, imitating the blankness in her mind. For a few seconds she could only look at him as excuses she had used for Jason were forgotten and she only felt extremely exposed. He blinked again and she snapped out of it. "Wha-what?" she asked, feigning ignorance or deafness.

Lex took a step forward. Lana took a step back.

Move on to half truths, she told herself. "In Paris," she revealed quickly. "It was a dare-a spur of the moment kind of thing. The tattoo artist picked it out for me." The spontaneous explanation was lame, but there was no way he would believe her if she told him the truth. Getting it emblazed into her flesh after touching an ancient tomb in a monastery was something that happened to crazy people. She wasn't crazy, but he would probably think she was.

Lexs eyes were dilated. His curiosity wasn't satiated. He took two more steps. "Do you know why they chose that particular symbol?" he prodded, his vision of Lana changing the nearer he got to her. She became crystal clear then blurry. The individual strands of hair that rested on her neck would become sharply visible then blend into the background of her body. It was as if something was urging him onward and he found himself crossing the distance between them.

"Oh, who knows," she said carelessly. "Its not important." Her words faded. He was standing directly behind her now. Her head turned to the side, her gaze rested on his shoulder and her breathing got faster. "What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed undertone.

"Can I take a look?" He whispered, his breath tickling her neck. The question was less a request for permission than it was a polite point to say before doing it. His fingers grasped the bottom of her dress shirt and lifted up, and up and didn't stop until he could fully see the tattoo. Lex stared at it in fascination, his palm hovering over the symbol etched into her skin. It didn't look like any normal tattoo he had ever seen. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes," she confessed, for the first time to herself or to anyone. The blinding light had felt like it had electrocuted every nerve in her body. She had felt like she was going to explode as energy had rushed into her, over her, surrounded her. It had been frightening, overwhelming and yes it had hurt. But in those few seconds, Lana had never felt so much power.

Lexs warm fingers spread out, lowered-

"I don't-" she started.

-and touched the symbol. Information bombarded them simultaneously.

Emotions; rage, hatred, pity, regret, doubt, horror, love, betrayal, pride, guilt and pain.

Fleeting sensations; the feel of a punch and a kiss, the smell of rain and wine, the sight of blood and people dying, the taste of sex and chocolate.

Fragmented thoughts; lying to me again, sweet girl, wont allow it to happen, not worthy, stronger than he thinks, kill him, everyone leaves, isn't it enough, I dare you, not again, hate this, don't leave me, damn bastard, save me.

Snap shots of memories and data that went by too rapidly to make sense of. And each felt a different presence within themselves. One was welcoming, light, with eternal benevolence, persistent endurance and stanch devotion-consuming him, overwhelming him. The other was foreign, dark, with infinite patience, unbendable will and unfaltering determination-consuming her, overwhelming her.

He breathed raggedly. She breathed raggedly. All that he was, connected to her, and all that she was, connected to him. They both shuddered.

Through it all she grasped one clear awareness; sickness, impurity. Something in the blood wasn't right. The impulse to help, cleanse, purify, weighed down on her conscious. As if thinking it could make it so, a powerful surge swept through her, stiffening limbs and causing head to be thrown back.

She did not feel her skull fall back against a chest. She did not hear her own cry. She only felt energy gather in intense concentration in her back. There was a hum, a deep vibration and then a silent, explosive release.

- September 27th, 2004