A/N You're wondering why this is the 'new' chapter. No. Go to chapter 33 - I decided to do Relic, cause it's important. So 33 is the new chapter. Sorry!

Progress – Thirty-Seventh Chapter
She walked quickly through the mansion, her feet following the familiar corridors to the study.

It had been weeks since they'd kissed, and each time they were together Clark was there.

Both knew instinctively that before they told Clark anything they had to talk to one another, but it had been so hard to get away from Clark after what happened with Alicia…

But now, her mother had sent her on the produce run while Jonathan had already set Clark to work fencing one of the paddocks and she had saved him until last.

She reached the doors and stared at them for a full minute before drawing in a deep breath and opening just one, slipping inside.

He stood as he had, so many times, his back to her.

He held a glass containing some amber fluid as he stared into space, but she knew there was no chance he hadn't heard her.

"Hi."

The single word came out as almost a whisper, but she could see that he had heard it clearly; could see by the way he turned his head infinitesimally towards her voice.

"Hi."

She stepped forwards, and her footsteps made clear, brisk noises as she walked across the room towards him.

"Clark's not here."

"No."

There was more silence. Both of them knew exactly what they had to say; just not how to say it, or even how to begin saying it.

"Have you said anything to him?"

"No. Have you?"

"Every time I'm with him, you're there too."

She felt his breath catch, and then words were spilling out of him:

"And every time I see you, you're with him. And I can't so much as touch you, because you're with him. I can't talk to you so you can talk to him, because he's there, and we both know that this conversation has to be between us."

She looked at him, at the silhouette of his face – the sun was setting and its orange light shone through the stained glass windows, tinting his skin into a myriad of colours.

"The conversation we don't know how to have."

He laughed, a short, polite laugh that only acknowledged that her remark could have been funny.

"Well, how's this for starters," he said, turning to face her. "Two weeks and five days ago, you and I kissed. We agreed on that day that soon we would discuss that kiss.

Now, certain things we need to discuss; why did we kiss? Do we want that to happen again? What will we tell Clark? What will we tell your parents?"

"What will we tell the world?"

He reached out and ran his fingers over her cheek, so lightly she barely felt it. "Don't worry about them," he promised. "We will keep this secret from them."

"All right," she said soothingly. "Now, as to the other items on your agenda. I kissed you because I like you as more then a friend and I have for some time now. I most certainly want that to happen again. I will handle Clark and my parents."

He smiled, his hand not leaving her face.

"Your turn," she prompted.

"I also like you as 'more then a friend' and have for some time now," he replied softly. "I also want that to happen again."

She smiled sweetly and leant towards him, brushing her lips against his gently.

"I hate to sound even younger than I am," she said, "but does this mean we're going out now?"

"I suppose it does," he replied. "If my age isn't a problem for you."

"You're not that much older then me."

"Rory, you're, what, sixteen?"

"I'm almost seventeen, thank you."

"I'm twenty three. That makes me seven years older then you, not to mention that you're a minor and I'm not."

She reached out to him and brushed his lips with her fingers. "It doesn't matter to me if it doesn't matter to you," she said, and smiled.

He looked at her, really looked at her, noting the way the setting sun's light shone over her face, making her look like an angel. Do I really deserve you? he wondered.

He was just lucky she respected the privacy of other's minds.

Kent Farm, that night
Rory sat at the table, more nervous then she'd ever been in her life. Dinner had just finished and she had cleared the dishes already. Now, her family sat around her, just talking, as they normally did at night after eating.

"Rory, are you all right?"

She looked up to see Clark watching her in concern. Jonathan and Martha had also paused in their discourse to look at her.

"Um," she heard herself say, and immediately asserted control of her voice again. "There's something I have to tell all of you."

Jonathan and Martha immediately started to look concerned as well.

"It's nothing bad," she reassured them quickly. "In fact, it's good."

"If you tell me next that you're pregnant-" Clark started furiously before shaking his head, unable to finish his threat.

"Clark!" Rory said, scandalised. "Of course I'm not pregnant! Idiot!"

"Well what else am I supposed to think?" Clark asked defensively.

"Sweetheart, why don't you tell us what it really is," Martha suggested peacefully.

"First of all, are you all calm?" Rory asked edgily.

"Rory," Jonathan said warningly, "I thought you said this was good news."

"It is!" Rory responded. "It's just, you might not react so well to it."

"Rory, just spit it out already," Clark said casually.

"I have a new boyfriend," Rory said very fast.

"Rory, that's wonderful news!" Martha said excitedly. "Who is he?"

"Lex," Rory mumbled. Unfortunately for her, the room was so silent they could have heard a pin drop.

For a moment, the room remained in stunned silence. Martha's look of excitement had frozen on to her face – not because she was upset, but because she hated the thought of her husband's reaction.

"Lex Luthor?" Jonathan asked, already angry.

Several different responses came to mind, including, 'Do we know any other Lexs?' But Rory decided quickly that snarky was not the way to go right now.

"Yes?" she replied meekly.

"You mean to tell me that Lex Luthor is now your significant other?" Jonathan asked, his voice rising as he said it.

"Dad, listen." To Rory's surprise, it was Clark who spoke. "I know you don't like him. But Lex is a good guy, and he does like Rory. He'll take good care of her."

Jonathan debated. Rory was almost hopeless – hundreds and thousands of speeches about how wonderful Lex was hadn't failed to change Jonathan's mind about him. Why should this be any different?

"What about the fact that he's mentally ill?" Jonathan asked harshly.

"He's fine now, Dad," Rory said, hurt. "And I happen to like him a lot, and he happens to like me a lot, and I would've thought that beyond anything else you might actually have been happy that I found someone who really likes me!"

She stood up and was ready to storm out when Clark caught her wrist.

"Rory, wait. Dad," Clark appealed to Jonathan. "Look, if he does anything terrible ever again, Rory will break up with him." He looked up at her. "Won't you?"

"What kind of terrible?" Rory asked. "Cause if he does something bad as in trying to buy out something or keep ordinary secrets from us, then I'll convince him not to do that.

But if, say, he's investigating us or keeping secrets about something we should know about, then yes, I'll break up with him."

"Well I think that it's your decision to make," Martha said, smiling at her daughter.

Rory smiled back softly and said quietly, "Thank you Mom."

"I suppose," Jonathan grumbled, "if you promise not to let him do anything too terrible…"

Rory leant over and kissed him on the cheek, beaming. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he murmured back.

Lex's Mansion, next day
Clark threw open the doors to the study and stormed in, making as much noise as possible.

"Lex!" he yelled. "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" came the familiar drawl from over Clark's head. Lex came down the stairs set into the wall and walked towards him.

"About you and my sister," Clark said in the typical menacing, big-brother voice. Even though he didn't know if he was older than Rory or younger.

"How did your parents take it?" Lex asked.

"I'm asking the questions," Clark said angrily. "But, you know, Mom was happy as anything, Dad was… less than impressed."

"So what did you want to ask me?" Lex inquired.

"How long has this been going on?" Clark demanded.

Lex hesitated. "I don't know how much Rory has told you and how much she wants to tell you."

"When I asked her she said to ask you," Clark told him, his tone intimidating. "Does that tell you anything?"

"We kissed two weeks and six days ago. She was jealous of your relationship," Lex explained tactfully, making sure he didn't mention Alicia. "Since then, every time I've been near her, you've been there too."

Clark harrumphed.

"Yesterday, we finally got to talk about the kiss," Lex continued. "We decided that we would, in fact, like to be together. We talked about the fact that we wouldn't let the media in on our relationship. So she won't get hurt. I won't let her get hurt."

Clark waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I knew that. But the real reason I'm here is for the obligatory brother speech. I had to give it to Jared, you know. It was hardly intimidating for him though, he was taller than me then."

"All right," Lex allowed. "Give me your best shot."

Clark stepped right up until he stood very close to Lex, looking down on him threateningly.

"If you hurt my sister," he said, his voice deep and menacing, "if you hurt her at all, or she gets hurt by this relationship, our friendship will no longer mean anything, and I will happily rip you to pieces, then burn the pieces, then bring you back just so you can suffer the pain of being a hundred tiny little burnt pieces of flesh."

Clark stood over him for a few more seconds before relaxing and stepping back. "I'm done," he said cheerfully.

"Wow," Lex said appreciatively. "I didn't know you could be so imaginatively cruel."

Clark shrugged. "Where Rory is concerned, I tend to get a little protective."

Lex grinned. "First, biggest understatement of all time. Second, I know you do. Third, I will take good care of her."

Clark smiled at his best friend.

"I know you will," he said trustingly.

One week and two days later
Rory walked into the Talon and grinned at Lana behind the counter.

"Hey Lana," she said cheerfully.

"Hey Rory," Lana greeted her. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed and giggled. "I feel so trendy. I actually know the server and I have a 'usual'."

"I get the feeling that's not really why you're so happy," Lana smiled at her, preparing her drink. "You're meeting him, aren't you?"

Rory had told only her closest friends about her relationship with Lex; Lana, Chloe and Pete. Lana had taken it the best, while Chloe and Pete weren't happy with the idea at all.

"Got it in one," Rory said happily, accepting her drink.

"Hey," said the familiar voice from behind her, and she turned to see Lex standing close by.

"Missed you," he whispered, coming closer.

Rory grinned and said, "Why don't we move this conversation to your place?"

Lex smiled and took her hand, pulling her out. Rory waved to Lana, who just laughed at her lovestruck friends.

Outside, it was raining heavily. Lex grabbed his umbrella from the door and held it mostly over Rory's head, ignoring the fact that his expensive clothes were getting ruined.

He opened the door of his latest car for her, accompanying her in with the umbrella, before going around to the driver's side and getting in himself.

"Who said chivalry's dead?" Rory teased him.

Lex grinned as he started the car and said airily, "I've dedicated myself to bringing it back, just for you."

"Aren't I lucky," she said, still smiling hugely.

Lex's Mansion
"No peeking," Lex warned quietly in her ear.

"Lex," she laughed, reaching up to hold his wrists, "your hands are over my eyes. I couldn't peek if I wanted to."

"Aren't I smart?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he propelled her through some doors. "Wait here, no peeking."

Rory kept her eyes squeezed shut as Lex walked away for a moment, returning quickly.

"And… open," he breathed into her ear.

Rory opened her eyes eagerly and couldn't think of a response for a long time.

A soft red picnic blanket was spread smoothly over the hard floor. Pillows in all different hot colours lay all around it. Several baskets were scattered around it and perfect white plates were set on it.

On those plates were different selections of food; one for fruit, one with cheese and biscuits, one with small sausage-like meats and bits of salami, one with a whole chicken on it…

"I was going to put this outside," Lex was telling her as she took it in. "In the gardens, it's beautiful there. But then of course it started raining, so I had to set it up inside."

"Lex it's beautiful," Rory gasped. "Did you do all of this?"

He shrugged. "I had the kitchen staff help me, of course. But I picked out the blankets and pillows myself," he offered.

Rory laughed, walking towards it slowly. Suddenly, she spun on her heel to face him, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I know why you did this," she smirked. "It's our one month anniversary."

"Well, that's debatable," Lex said thoughtfully, walking towards her. "It's the one month anniversary of our first kiss. Our real one month anniversary isn't for another two weeks and five days."

Rory laughed and shrieked quietly in surprise as he grabbed her by the waist and lowered her into an ever-so-romantic pose.

As he kissed her gently, she thought that she had never had such a happy time.

Why ruin it by thinking of her recurring dreams of another man?

A/N So, important things there! Believe it or not, even the fluff at the end is important. I won't say why, but it is. And it's not just the last line. :o)

Questions from the last one, seeing as I'm posting these together. Plus, any theories as to what's going to happen soon?

Merry Christmas!

PS I think there are laws in America against minor/adult relationships? All I know is that in Australia you're not legally allowed to have sex unless you're 16 or over. Is it the same in America?