-1Truths 3
Pete point of view
The Saturday morning routine was thrown askew by Lex's hangover. The morning still managed to remain as domestically sickening as usual. Lex sat slumped at the table mumbling something about poisoned scotch and broken dicks. Clark sat beside him practically vibrating off the seat. Now that he was back in Lex's orbit, he was beaming. All signs of the brooding, depressed Clark vanished. Lex looks up from his coffee, catching Clark's smile; he smiles back. If I had a hangover and Clark was smiling at me like that, I'd banish him to a dark room. Lex reaches over and runs his finger through Clark's hair. Clark leans into the touch; his smile getting bigger, brighter. Mushiness yuck. I stack my plate full of French toast made from Martha Kent's secret recipe. Clark made them this morning while Lex was still out. His are almost as good as his mom's. It's Lex's favorite breakfast food. Actually it's the only breakfast food Lex eats. I grab a cup of oj and head for the living room. It's hard to eat and watch those two.
The idea of Lex and Clark use to make me cringe. Not because of the gay thing. It was the Lex factor that made me sick. Then I grew up. Lex is rich and crazy obsessed with Clark. He'll keep that stupid alien boy safe from everyone, even his sicko crazy dad. Once I figured out Lex really loved Clark, everything between us was cool. He's a decent person, he takes good care of Clark, let's Clark baby him when no one is looking and he lets me play with all his cool toy. We even started have conversations without Clark. Most of the conversations revolved around Clark and cars. We like to pretend that's all there is but the longer I know Lex the deeper the conversation get. You can't get to know Lex and not want to protect him. I mean someone has to watch his crazy ass while he's watching Clark's.
I was eating fast and flipping through stations looking for something sensible to watch. I'm chewing on the last bit of French toast when Lex seats himself on to the sofa next to me. Head tilted back, eyes close. He really doesn't look all that good. Lex doesn't let just anyone see him with his guard down. That's how I figured out when he started to trust me. He lets me see him look like shit with a hang over.
"Pete, keep Clark away from that crazy wrestling cartoon."
"It's your turn to distract him Lex. I did my part three weeks ago."
He turns his head and opens his eyes half way. "But I've had three week of districting him."
I smirk, "I'm sure you found ways to keep him busy."
He snorts and runs a hand over his face. Clark darted out from the kitchen to snatch up my plate and cup, and then disappears back into the kitchen. Saturday mornings Clark turns into Susie homemaker. Shutter.
"You don't look too hot Lex. Your hangovers never last this long."
He slides lower on the sofa curling into a ball.
"It's not the hangover… my stomach is making waves"
"And Luthors never blow chucks"
"Dame Right. Clark wants to call a doctor."
I roll my eyes. "When you breathe too hard Clark wants to call a doctor."
He snickers. "Don't make me laugh I'm in pain."
"Did he x-ray you?"
"From the spacey looks he's been giving me all morning I think he scanned me 80 times."
"He thinks the Swedes where working for your dad."
"He told me his theory."
"And"
"He may be right. I have to do a search of the apartment before I can say if they stole anything."
We sit and half watch cartoons until Clark bounces into the room. He sits in between Lex and me with Lex's feet in his lap.
Clark give Lex a serious look. "When are we going to search the apartment?"
"When am I going to search the apartment"
Clark's face fall "I could do it quicker than you. You're sick you should be resting"
Lex looks across the Clark space, our eyes meet; he gives me a weary smirk. We had many conversations about all the secrets he knows that he's not supposed to know; all the secrets he has that Clark can never know. For some reason Lex trusts me with all of this.
"Clark I want you to go to the store and get me some chocolate cookies or brownies… you know the really big ones that taste just like your mom's"
What he really meant are the really big ones that are your mom's but you can't tell me that you can get all the way to Smallville and back in the time it takes a normal person to go to the store. Their relationship is complicated. More so than it has to be. I roll over bury my face in the pillow to keep from laughing at Lex's arched brow. Clark gently putting Lex's feet down before bouncing off the sofa. He heads for the door.
"Clark"
"Yes Lex"
"Take your cell phone. Call your parents before they call me looking for you."
Clark smiles. "Mom's still going to call you Lex, she likes talking to you."
Lex rolls his eyes. He still doesn't believe that Mrs. Kent likes him. Clark bounces out the door. I sit up.
"Not the hangover."
He shook his head. He looks worst, if that was possible.
"Call Dr. Bright I need my blood cleaned."
"It's Saturday. You're not due for another cleaning till Monday."
"There was something in my drink again. I think it would be wise to just give up drinking."
He scoots to the edge of the sofa so I could help him stand. "Or you should learn to drink from closed bottles."
"I was in my house."
"It was in your house last time."
"Last time I was in my father's house."
"What do you want me to check the house for?"
"Meteor rocks…check the safe first. I was working on some two nights ago. I should have taken them back to the lab. If my dad has been keeping track of me, which he is, he'll know that I took some out."
I nod helping him sit at the kitchen counter.
"He'll also know it is easier to steal it from here rather than from the lab." He reaches for the phone, his hand is shaking so bad he can barely hold it. He presses his lips into a thin line to keep from swearing. I take the phone from him and dial. He leans forward, resting his head on top folded arms. The phone rings four times before Dr. Bright picks up.
"Mr. Luthor?"
"Hi Dr. Bright this is Pete. Lex was wondering if you could do a blood cleaning for him sometime in the next hour."
"I could do it right now. Bring him down."
No questions asked Lex pays good money to keep it that way.
"We'll be down in a few minutes."
I hang up. Lex knew Dr. Bright in college; one of the few women he respected enough not to sleep with. She can be trusted; to the extent that anyone in his world can be trusted. Clark knows about the poisoned drink but doesn't know about the effects or the blood cleanings Lex has to undergo. I found out by accident; botched kidnapping and as usual, Clark playing hero. He left me behind to get Lex home while he caught the bad guys. Lex was 20 minutes overdue for a blood cleaning. When I got him to the mansion, he filled me in. I've kept his secret. It wouldn't do for the world to know his weakness. It wouldn't do for Clark to know. He'd tail Lex everyday, all day, forever.
"Lex we need to get a move on."
"Something is setting off the poison in my system."
"Yeah Lex I figured that out. Come on stand up."
He stands and I wrap an arm around his waist to keep him up. We move slowly towards the elevator. Dr. Bright lives four floors down. Best to keep her as close as possible. She's waiting for us at the door with a worried look on her face. Sometimes I think she might actually care about Lex. I help him get set up on the lab table.
"Pete will you go check the safe before Clark gets back."
"I'll go do it now if you're okay."
"I'm fine. Go."
He looks tired, eyes almost shut. He won't fall asleep, he'll fight it for hours till Clark drags him off to bed for a nap.
"I'll be back in 20 minutes. Will that be enough time?"
Dr. Bright shakes her head. "30 to 40 minutes. I've got to do a full body drain and some scans. His blood is reacting to something. There shouldn't be this much copper in his blood. It's as if someone made the poison in his system react faster than normal. If you hadn't gotten him here in another hour he would have been terminal."
"What could speed up the poison like that?"
"I'm not sure. The original poison was rare… it's hard to say what aggravating it. My guess would be more toxins."
More poison. I wouldn't put it past his dad. He poisoned Lex the first time he would do it again if it got him what he wanted.
"I'll be back in 20 minuets. We'll talk then."
She nods and turns all her attention back to the machine. Sometimes I really think she genuinely cares, like now, when she looks at Lex like she wants nothing more than to wrap him in a blanket and ship him somewhere warm, safe and happy. Martha Kent looks at him like that at latest four times every time she see's him and he still doesn't get that she loves him. Lex can be dense when it comes to women.
I find the safe. It's locked which is a good sign. I open it. It's not empty but there's a problem. All of Lex's notes are still there but the three green meteor rocks and the red one he was studying are gone. I'm half way to the elevator when the house phone rings. It's a little after 12 so it's probably Mrs. Kent.
"Hello"
"Pete?"
"Yeah Martha, it's me."
"Clark told me the only reason he left was because you were staying with Lex."
"I figured as much. Is Clark still at the farm?"
"Yes. The brownies are almost done. He should be back before one. Is Lex there?"
"He's asleep. I'll make him call you when he gets up."
"That's kind of you Mr. Ross."
"It's not a problem Mrs. Kent."
She laughs. "I'm glad you and Lex get along so well now. It's good to know he has someone besides Clark."
"Me too Mrs. Kent."
"I'll let you go now. I'm sending a piece of chocolate cake for you with Clark."
"Thanks Mrs. K, bye."
I hang up and head for the elevator. As I step into Dr. Bright's apartment, my phone rings; the x-files ring tone tells me it's Chloe.
"Yes Mrs. Sullivan."
"Are you with the great domestic romance."
"Yes how did you guess?"
"You and farm boy are both absent from your dorm rooms"
"Well you're a clever little reporter."
"Clark's not picking up his cell."
"Because he knows it's you."
"Is he busy?"
She stretches the last word. I can sense her nasty thoughts through the phone line.
"No... he's at the store. Lex is sick and wanted some brownies."
"Lex is never sick unless someone poisoned him."
"He's sick."
"Fine, keep his secrets It's what you do best."
"Chloe."
"I'm fine. Just tell farm boy to call me and tell Lex I hope he feels better."
"Chloe."
"Bye Pete."
Dial tone. It sucks, the whole Chloe situation. I wish people would just start talking to the people they love…and leave me out the middle.
When I get back to the room Lex is still hooked up to the machines, he's wide awake. Dr. Bright is running test.
"Pete?"
Lex can put a lot in just your name. I pull up a seat and sit where he can see my face.
"The safe still has your notes in it, Mrs. Kent wants you to call her, she thinks your taking a nap, Chloe is on to us, Clark is still at the store and I get the chocolate cake."
He smirks." You're giving me half."
"For half your brownies."
"Deal."
His eyes drop close. I'm not foolish enough to think he's gone to sleep. We sit and wait. Dr. Bright hums a song, Lex fakes sleep, possible planning ways to take over the world. I study him. He looks better, still not up to standard but well enough to fake it. Dr. Bright shuts off the machine than unplugging Lex from it. It takes longer to unplug him than it did when he had the implant plugs in his chest. Metal plugs in your chest are kind of hard to hide from your lover so he had them taken out.
"So good doctor, what did your scans find?"
She turns her full attention to Lex. "Nothing and that bothers me. Many new poisons disappear from the blood stream after a few hours. I didn't expect to find any trace of actually poison. Nevertheless, all poison leave behind some kind of effect. I couldn't find anything beyond what the first poison introduced into your system. I'm not even sure the new drug is out of your system. It could be hiding or inactive. If you start feeling weak or sick you call me right away."
"That will not be a problem. Thank you for your help. I have a few things to deal with. I will call you later for a full copy of my scan."
He gives her a pleasant smile. She nods and walks us out the apartment. We don't talk till we're in Lex's study.
"Someone took the rocks but left the notes."
"Basically."
"We have a big problem on our hands. They took the rocks left the notes? Why leaves the notes even if they don't care about the study it's still information. They where acting under strict orders. They where not ordered to take the notes so they left them behind. Alternatively, they where ordered to leave the notes but made copies. We should do a scan of the notes there might be prints."
He's pacing moving across the room in fast paced steps, pent up energy only just kept under wraps, hands shoved in his pants pocket. I expect him to start gnawing at his lip any second now.
"You have to tell Clark about the missing rock."
He stops in front his desk head tilted to the side a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Wow Pete your observation amazes me."
I shove him and he topples into his chair. He still not up to speed.
"Watch your mouth Luthor."
"How do I explain the present of meteor rocks in the penthouse?"
"The truth is always a good option."
"He won't understand."
"You don't give Clark enough credit when it comes to things like this."
"I should go lie down since Mrs. Kent probably told Clark I was taking a nap."
"Way to worm your way out of a conversation Luthor."
"Thank you."
He stand and walks towards the door. He pause and turns back to give me a look. "call Mercy and Hope tell them there on trailing duty tonight. Don't tell them about the new medical situation."
"What do you want me to tell them."
"Just to follow. Clark's around they know the rules."
I nod and watch him go. He's moving better maybe the drug is gone. Mercy and Hope another secret Clark doesn't know about. I can't really say much about them. They've only been around for a year. Lex disappeared for 3 months a year ago and came back with the two of them. How he explained his disappearing to Clark I have no idea he didn't bother to explain it to me. I trust them with Lex's safety they know a lot. Not everything, not as much as I know, barely nothing about Clark. But they know about the blood cleaning and the Lionel Luthor situation. They love Lex in their own distorted angry way and I guess that's enough.
I call Hope she's easier to talk to than Mercy who mostly just glares unless she's giving you searching looks that leave you feeling naked. Hope is more.. pleasant. Our conversation is brief. I return to the living room to bond with the TV. Maybe a few hours of thinking time will help Lex figure this all out.
