PART 3
"Rise and shine, Lexy!"
The curtains were drawn apart, allowing bright rays of early morning sunshine into the room. Lex could feel the light penetrating him through his eyelids. He mumbled something and rolled over, covering his head with his quilt. He could hear a muffled 'tut, tut' and was momentarily blinded by sunlight as the covers were thrown off his bed.
"What are you doing?" he growled sleepily, shielding the light with his hand. He could make out a form standing at the foot of his bed.
"Come on, cutie," a chirpy feminine voice said. "Time to get up."
"Too early," he mumbled, groggily blinking away the dots before his eyes.
"Early? No such thing. Live life to the fullest, Lex, otherwise you'll miss all the fun." Willow plonked down on his bed, flashing him a bright smile. She'd left her hair out and with the sunlight creating a halo of gold around her head, she looked quite attractive.
Whoa, whoa. Attractive? No. Evil, insane woman. Not attractive.
"We have a very busy day ahead of us, Lex."
"We do?"
"Yep. You're going to show me what's around town today. And if you're a good boy, I might just let you in on a little secret."
"Oh, gee. Another secret." The sarcasm was heavy in Lex's drowsy tone. "Lucky me. What is it, I have a bastard older brother who promised his soul to the Devil, too?"
Willow grinned. "Maybe," she said coyly, laughing at the look of panic to pass over his face. "Now get up!"
When she left the room, Lex glanced at his bedside clock. Six-thirty in the friggin morning. Great. Of all the insane women to save his father's soul, he had to get the early riser.
Assuming she was telling the truth about the whole 'Hell' thing, of course. Lex didn't know what to think. The whole situation was so absurd, it could actually be real. Willow really seemed to believe it, and his father hadn't actually denied any of it. Otherwise, how else could some strange girl manage to seize control of a company belonging to the most ruthless business tycoon Metropolis had ever seen?
Unless of course, she blackmailed him.
He rolled out of bed and groaned. If Willow wasn't insane, then she'd definitely drive him there.
* * * * * * * * *
" . . . and that's pretty much all of Smallville," Lex finished off tiredly. He'd taken Willow around for a tour of the town, pointing out this and that at her request. She'd been fascinated by certain things, such as the peacefulness of the town. Apparently she'd never had much peace around her hometown.
"Hmm. Well, as far as saving souls, I could have done a lot worse. Could have wound up with Amish people." Willow grinned at the sour look to cross over Lex's face. "Geez, take a joke for a change. It's not like you like this place all that much. It's a nice little town. . . filled with farms."
They were on their way back to the castle. Willow insisted on being shown Metropolis the next day, saying there were things she had to tell him back at the castle.
They arrived around noon. Entering what was now 'their' home, Willow led him to the kitchen, shooing away the cook hovering nearby, telling him to take the rest of the day off. She motioned for Les to sit on a stool as she headed to one of the fridges.
"Feel like a sandwich, Lex?" she asked, rummaging through the compartments, allowing the heir a rather nice view of her behind.
"Sure," he answered warily as she dumped a load of ingredients on the counter. He planned on watching her make the sandwich. No way could he trust her with his meal. She could easily poison him.
"You don't trust me, do you?" she asked, pulling out several slices of bread. It was as if she'd read his mind.
"No."
She laughed. "Honesty. I like that. Been a while since I came across any." She began to wash the lettuce and tomatoes.
"What did you want to talk about, Willow?" Lex was getting impatient.
She looked up and him for a second before she continued tearing the lettuce leaves. "I know things are really . . .strange for you right now, what with me popping up and your father zooming off again. And I know you think I'm weird for telling you what I have so far."
"Weird doesn't seem to cover it."
She chuckled as she sliced a tomato. "I'm going to tell you a few more things, sweetie. Probably won't get you to think I'm any more sane, but it might convince you that I've been telling you the truth about where I've been."
"You and Lionel aren't close," she stated. "Despite the fact that you're his only son, he'd rather spend his time with his money than with you."
Lex snorted. "Not to shock you, Willow, but everybody knows that. My father is a cold-hearted, greedy son of a bitch. That's what he bases his business on."
"Ooh, I seem to have struck a nerve, haven't I, cutie? Sorry about that. Figured that being the strong manly man that you are, you wouldn't let a silly little girl like me push your buttons."
The Luthor heir glared at the redhead. "Get on with it."
She raised an eyebrow as the expression on her face turned cold. "I wouldn't give that attitude if I were you, Lex. You don't know what I might do with it."
"What can you do, Willow?" Lex sneered. "You don't even know me."
"Ahh, well that's where you're wrong, honey. I *do* know you. I don't know you better than you know yourself, but I do know you better than anyone else does."
She locked eyes with his and bore into them. "I know things about you, Lex. Things only you would know. Like what happened after your mother died. Lionel forbade you to cry in public, so you used to climb trees and hide in bushes so that no one could see you cry."
Lex blinked.
"And when you were twelve," she went on, "you were at a boarding school and the other boys made fun of your hair. Sorry, lack of hair. Then one boy, Billy Jackson made you so mad that in the middle of the night you dragged him out of bed and shaved his hair and eyebrows off. No one ever made fun of you after that."
Lex swallowed. He'd never told anyone about that.
Willow's hands continued to put together the sandwich as her eyes continued to hold his, her green depths unreadable.
"Then there was the first girl you ever kissed. Jessica Taylor. When her parents found out about you, she wasn't allowed near you again, all because you were a Luthor. Do you want me to continue, Lex? I've got plenty more stories to go through, lots involving your sex li-"
"Stop!" He croaked. "Just stop. How? How do you know all this? I never told anyone."
"Believe me, neither did Jessica, Billy or anyone who ever saw you cry," Willow replied in a softer tone. "I know, Lex, because I saw it happen. No one had to tell me because I saw it all."
"How? How the hell could you see it happen?"
The redhead stared at him. "Do you ever wonder what goes on down there?"
"Down where?" Lex was confused. Then it dawned on him. "Oh. You mean down *down* there? As in -"
"That's right. As in Hell. You'd be surprised how much pain can be caused when all you do is live off the pain of others who are still living, knowing that there's nothing you can do. That's one of the main components of Hell."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I don't expect you to believe it," she answered. "But I know you do. Because you know that's the only way I would know about any of this. Your father is a complete idiot and you haven't told a soul, dead or alive."
Lex clenched his jaw. She was right. "So what else goes on in Hell? Other than spying on people's lives and private moments."
Willow gave him a small smile. "Interested now, are we? Sorry cutie, but as much as I'd love to tell you, I don't think you're ready for that answer yet."
She pushed a plate with the sandwich on it towards him. "Eat up. I've got to head off to a meeting to introduce myself to your Daddy's minions. I'm thinking about firing someone, just to make an impression."
"But -"
"Eat." She lifted up the sandwich and shoved it into his mouth. Eyes widening with indignation, Lex tore the sandwich out of his mouth and glared at Willow as she smirked and walked out of the room.
He growled and savagely took a bite out of his lunch. As he chewed, he went over some of the things she'd said. He still thought she was as loony as a deranged monkey, but her story actually had some validation to it. What if his father had sold his soul? That would mean that Willow had been in Hell. . .
And that the Luthor legacy was a complete sham.
Lex sighed and finished off the last of the sandwich before heading upstairs to his office. This was all too much to take.
He did realise one thing, though. While Willow may be as cuckoo as a clock, she could make a pretty tasty sandwich.
"Rise and shine, Lexy!"
The curtains were drawn apart, allowing bright rays of early morning sunshine into the room. Lex could feel the light penetrating him through his eyelids. He mumbled something and rolled over, covering his head with his quilt. He could hear a muffled 'tut, tut' and was momentarily blinded by sunlight as the covers were thrown off his bed.
"What are you doing?" he growled sleepily, shielding the light with his hand. He could make out a form standing at the foot of his bed.
"Come on, cutie," a chirpy feminine voice said. "Time to get up."
"Too early," he mumbled, groggily blinking away the dots before his eyes.
"Early? No such thing. Live life to the fullest, Lex, otherwise you'll miss all the fun." Willow plonked down on his bed, flashing him a bright smile. She'd left her hair out and with the sunlight creating a halo of gold around her head, she looked quite attractive.
Whoa, whoa. Attractive? No. Evil, insane woman. Not attractive.
"We have a very busy day ahead of us, Lex."
"We do?"
"Yep. You're going to show me what's around town today. And if you're a good boy, I might just let you in on a little secret."
"Oh, gee. Another secret." The sarcasm was heavy in Lex's drowsy tone. "Lucky me. What is it, I have a bastard older brother who promised his soul to the Devil, too?"
Willow grinned. "Maybe," she said coyly, laughing at the look of panic to pass over his face. "Now get up!"
When she left the room, Lex glanced at his bedside clock. Six-thirty in the friggin morning. Great. Of all the insane women to save his father's soul, he had to get the early riser.
Assuming she was telling the truth about the whole 'Hell' thing, of course. Lex didn't know what to think. The whole situation was so absurd, it could actually be real. Willow really seemed to believe it, and his father hadn't actually denied any of it. Otherwise, how else could some strange girl manage to seize control of a company belonging to the most ruthless business tycoon Metropolis had ever seen?
Unless of course, she blackmailed him.
He rolled out of bed and groaned. If Willow wasn't insane, then she'd definitely drive him there.
* * * * * * * * *
" . . . and that's pretty much all of Smallville," Lex finished off tiredly. He'd taken Willow around for a tour of the town, pointing out this and that at her request. She'd been fascinated by certain things, such as the peacefulness of the town. Apparently she'd never had much peace around her hometown.
"Hmm. Well, as far as saving souls, I could have done a lot worse. Could have wound up with Amish people." Willow grinned at the sour look to cross over Lex's face. "Geez, take a joke for a change. It's not like you like this place all that much. It's a nice little town. . . filled with farms."
They were on their way back to the castle. Willow insisted on being shown Metropolis the next day, saying there were things she had to tell him back at the castle.
They arrived around noon. Entering what was now 'their' home, Willow led him to the kitchen, shooing away the cook hovering nearby, telling him to take the rest of the day off. She motioned for Les to sit on a stool as she headed to one of the fridges.
"Feel like a sandwich, Lex?" she asked, rummaging through the compartments, allowing the heir a rather nice view of her behind.
"Sure," he answered warily as she dumped a load of ingredients on the counter. He planned on watching her make the sandwich. No way could he trust her with his meal. She could easily poison him.
"You don't trust me, do you?" she asked, pulling out several slices of bread. It was as if she'd read his mind.
"No."
She laughed. "Honesty. I like that. Been a while since I came across any." She began to wash the lettuce and tomatoes.
"What did you want to talk about, Willow?" Lex was getting impatient.
She looked up and him for a second before she continued tearing the lettuce leaves. "I know things are really . . .strange for you right now, what with me popping up and your father zooming off again. And I know you think I'm weird for telling you what I have so far."
"Weird doesn't seem to cover it."
She chuckled as she sliced a tomato. "I'm going to tell you a few more things, sweetie. Probably won't get you to think I'm any more sane, but it might convince you that I've been telling you the truth about where I've been."
"You and Lionel aren't close," she stated. "Despite the fact that you're his only son, he'd rather spend his time with his money than with you."
Lex snorted. "Not to shock you, Willow, but everybody knows that. My father is a cold-hearted, greedy son of a bitch. That's what he bases his business on."
"Ooh, I seem to have struck a nerve, haven't I, cutie? Sorry about that. Figured that being the strong manly man that you are, you wouldn't let a silly little girl like me push your buttons."
The Luthor heir glared at the redhead. "Get on with it."
She raised an eyebrow as the expression on her face turned cold. "I wouldn't give that attitude if I were you, Lex. You don't know what I might do with it."
"What can you do, Willow?" Lex sneered. "You don't even know me."
"Ahh, well that's where you're wrong, honey. I *do* know you. I don't know you better than you know yourself, but I do know you better than anyone else does."
She locked eyes with his and bore into them. "I know things about you, Lex. Things only you would know. Like what happened after your mother died. Lionel forbade you to cry in public, so you used to climb trees and hide in bushes so that no one could see you cry."
Lex blinked.
"And when you were twelve," she went on, "you were at a boarding school and the other boys made fun of your hair. Sorry, lack of hair. Then one boy, Billy Jackson made you so mad that in the middle of the night you dragged him out of bed and shaved his hair and eyebrows off. No one ever made fun of you after that."
Lex swallowed. He'd never told anyone about that.
Willow's hands continued to put together the sandwich as her eyes continued to hold his, her green depths unreadable.
"Then there was the first girl you ever kissed. Jessica Taylor. When her parents found out about you, she wasn't allowed near you again, all because you were a Luthor. Do you want me to continue, Lex? I've got plenty more stories to go through, lots involving your sex li-"
"Stop!" He croaked. "Just stop. How? How do you know all this? I never told anyone."
"Believe me, neither did Jessica, Billy or anyone who ever saw you cry," Willow replied in a softer tone. "I know, Lex, because I saw it happen. No one had to tell me because I saw it all."
"How? How the hell could you see it happen?"
The redhead stared at him. "Do you ever wonder what goes on down there?"
"Down where?" Lex was confused. Then it dawned on him. "Oh. You mean down *down* there? As in -"
"That's right. As in Hell. You'd be surprised how much pain can be caused when all you do is live off the pain of others who are still living, knowing that there's nothing you can do. That's one of the main components of Hell."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I don't expect you to believe it," she answered. "But I know you do. Because you know that's the only way I would know about any of this. Your father is a complete idiot and you haven't told a soul, dead or alive."
Lex clenched his jaw. She was right. "So what else goes on in Hell? Other than spying on people's lives and private moments."
Willow gave him a small smile. "Interested now, are we? Sorry cutie, but as much as I'd love to tell you, I don't think you're ready for that answer yet."
She pushed a plate with the sandwich on it towards him. "Eat up. I've got to head off to a meeting to introduce myself to your Daddy's minions. I'm thinking about firing someone, just to make an impression."
"But -"
"Eat." She lifted up the sandwich and shoved it into his mouth. Eyes widening with indignation, Lex tore the sandwich out of his mouth and glared at Willow as she smirked and walked out of the room.
He growled and savagely took a bite out of his lunch. As he chewed, he went over some of the things she'd said. He still thought she was as loony as a deranged monkey, but her story actually had some validation to it. What if his father had sold his soul? That would mean that Willow had been in Hell. . .
And that the Luthor legacy was a complete sham.
Lex sighed and finished off the last of the sandwich before heading upstairs to his office. This was all too much to take.
He did realise one thing, though. While Willow may be as cuckoo as a clock, she could make a pretty tasty sandwich.