Disclaimer: all Superman and Smallville characters belong to their rightful owners. No Infringement's intended. The dialogue at Club Zero is actual verbatim from " Zero " and belongs to Gough and Millar.
Spoilers: Zero.
CHAPTER 4: Farewell
Lex and Amanda's tête-a- tête at the theatre was the first of many encounters. Once a week, they would meet at a small Italian café away from crowds and the city centre to talk over a cup of coffee and cinnamon rolls. At the beginning, Mandy felt uncomfortable with the idea of lying to Jude, and afraid of what Lionel might do if he found out about their rendezvous, but Lex assured her he had taken care of that and she trusted him enough to know he'd keept her out of harm's way.
Their meetings were bittersweet for both. Lex was aware that if he said the correct words, Mandy would choose him over Royce but he felt she deserved better than either of them. Amanda was waiting for him to say what she knew was in his heart and, at the same time, dreading that moment for she doubted whether she was mature enough to enter an adult relationship with someone so complex as Lex.
Six months after their reunion, Jude proposed to her and Amanda accepted his engagement ring. Lex hid his feelings behind a charming smile and wished her all the best. However, being his father's son, Lex didn't let the matter rest. He hired a private detective to tail Royce and dig into his past to make sure Jude wasn't up to his old tricks.
For Mandy's sake he had hoped to be wrong about Jude but the private detective proved his suspicions right. Lex didn't know how to broach the subject to Mandy without sounding jealous but this information wasn't something a true friend would keep to himself. He reached for the phone with a heavy heart and dialled her mobile phone number. " Good afternoon, Mandy. It's Lex. Are you free tonight ? "
It didn't take him much to convince her to go out with him that night. She said Jude was out of town on a business trip and she wasn't looking forward to spending Saturday night alone in her dorm room. She told him she'd be delighted to join him and asked him if she needed to wear something fancy because her wardrobe was rather limited, " A student's budget, you know. " Lex told her not to worry. " Be your usual charming self. Casual clothes will do fine, Mandy. "
" Zero Consequences ", that was Club Zero's motto. Nothing was further from the truth.
" Can I see some I.D.? " asked a bouncer at the door.
"You must be new here, " answered Lex.
" It's okay. Let him through, " added another bouncer.
" Thanks, Kasitch, " said Lex handing him a tip.
"No problem. She's cute, " stated the bouncer.
" She's engaged," responded Lex. " What do you think? " he asked Amanda.
" It's loud, " she said making a face.
" How's the V.I.P. room tonight? " asked Lex to Kasitch.
" I think we can make some room for you, " said Kasitch accepting another hundred-dollar note from Lex.
" I hope you don't feel obligated to entertain me. Jude's only gone for a couple days, " said Amanda as they climbed up the stairs.
"I don't believe in obligations. Besides, your fiancé did me a favour. I wasn't looking forward to a night out on my own. "
" Something tells me you wouldn't have been alone for very long," she noted with a smile.
" Two apple martinis, " ordered Lex from the bartender.
" Zero consequences. That's quite a promise, " stated Mandy picking up a matchbook with the club's motto printed on it.
" Only if it's kept... To my good friend Amanda on her engagement, " said Lex proposing a toast.
" Cheers, " toasted Amanda.
It was at that very moment, when they clinked glasses and Amanda took her first sip that something called her attention. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.
There was Jude sitting between two young flashy women drinking and laughing loudly. She left Lex's side and walked to her fiancé's table.
" Amanda... ," shouted Jude caught by surprise.
"You said you had to go away on business. "
" I can explain, okay? " he pleaded as she took off her ring and threw it at him. " Amanda, wait a second. I can explain, Amanda, just wait. Amanda! " he called out as she walked away. " You son of a b. You did this on purpose, " he shouted at Lex.
" You did it to yourself. Amanda deserves better, " responded the young Luthor.
True to his violent nature, one Lex was familiar with from their old days together at Exelsior Academy, Jude followed them to the ground floor. Once there, he grabbed Lex and they got into a fist fight until Kasitch separated them. However, the fight was far from over for Jude pulled out a switchblade and reaching past the bouncer stabbed Lex in his left shoulder. Spotting the flash of the blade, Kasitch pulled out his gun to protect Lex but was knocked down by a man dancing nearby. Royce saw the opportunity to attack Lex again and grabbed it, unaware that Amanda had picked up Kasitch's gun. Holding the firearm with a steady hand, she aimed at Jude's heart and pulled the trigger. Lex heard the gunshot and turned around to see her still holding the gun in her hand. She looked at him in the eyes and, dropping the firearm, collapsed to the floor.
Lex's mind was in a whirl but he knew that if he wanted to save Amanda from a fate she didn't deserve, he had to act quickly. For the second time in his life, he took the blame for a murder he hadn't committed. He picked up the gun and when Detective Phelan- a policeman on his father's payroll- arrived, he confessed to the murder. Phelan took care of the cover up and Lionel's money paid for Kasitch's silence.
Amanda was still on the floor kneeling next to Jude's body crying. Her mind was in a daze. She looked down at her hands and then lifted her head to meet Lex's eyes. He was alive and that was what really mattered. She wasn't afraid of what might happen to her. She knew he would have done the same in her shoes. Then, she saw Phelan and overheard everything would be taken care of. She drifted her eyes back to Lex and saw his get misty. She could feel all the emotions and feelings he was experiencing by just looking at him, and she realised that this was goodbye.
CONCLUSION: Meltdown
Smallville-Three years later
Lex was sitting alone in the darkness of his study, a glass of bourbon in his left hand. Booze seemed to be the easiest way to numb such a deep feeling of impotence. This morning, while he was fighting for his life hanging upside down from a rafter, he'd heard from Amanda's own brother a piece of news that had rocked the very foundations of his soul, if he still had one. Mandy had been dead a year now. Worse still, she had taken her own life.
Mandy's brother had kidnapped Lex to force the truth out of him and had accused him of ruining his sister's life. Lex thought Rothman was right, he was to blame. If he hadn't left the box at the theatre to confront her, they wouldn't have resumed their friendship, and Mandy would have never set foot in Zero Club. His selfishness had doomed her. His cocky recklessness had tainted her. She had soiled her innocence by shooting the gun to save him. He wished it had been his finger on the trigger instead of hers. Did every woman in his life have to pay for his sins ? Would this suffering ever end ?
Lex stretched out on the sofa and drank to oblivion.
