Lana hoped that Nell would stop asking questions, or at least stop giving her good advice. The simple fact was that she had no idea who was leaving the flowers and notes. It wasn't Whitney, and everybody at school knew that she and Whitney were an item. Besides, none of the guys she might have suspected had that sheepish, half-hopeful, half-guilty expression that said they were hoping she'd guess.

The flowers were pretty, wildflowers but picked with an eye for blending the colors, and the notes were, well, sweet, and even a bit sad. "I wish we were friends," was the first one. "I hope this makes you smile," the second, and the third said, "You're beautiful." Nell had muttered something about stalkers but she didn't get that vibe from them. On the other hand, her instincts weren't perfect. But since she didn't know who it was, she couldn't exactly tell him to stop. Somehow leaving a note on the doorstep seemed cruel. And if he was a stalker, wouldn't that just make him mad?

This new bouquet was a mix of daisies and a little, blue flower she wasn't sure of, but that grew along the highways. The note said, "Happy spring." She smiled and carried them inside.

***
Lionel Luthor hoped to wrap things up as quickly as possible. He'd witnessed enough of Lex's interactions with the various boards and staff in Metropolis--he'd taught him most of it--that he could carry it off confidently. Besides, any shows of uncertainty or anything uncharacteristic would be attributed to shock and inexperience. But here, he wasn't sure. He knew that Lex had spent disproportionate amounts of time trying to socialize. To be accepted. To be liked. He hadn't understood that fear and respect were the only worthwhile currencies of interactions. They could drive any level of self-interest, the strongest human urge.

Or rather, there was only one stronger. The urge for immortality. What could send a parent into a burning building to rescue his child. All those urges had to be satisfied vicariously, through offspring and their heritage. Until now. Until his opportunity.

He'd make his last appearance in Smallville, hand over the plant's operations to Sullivan, and see if there was anything else that had to be wrapped up.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement. Looks like Lex had been doing some unwrapping. He couldn't fault the boy's taste. The girl waving at him was a real beauty. He pulled the car to the side of the road and she came running up. Graceful as well as lovely. He'd see where this led. After all, heartless to go without a final kiss...or whatever else was on offer.

"Lex, hi." The rich brown eyes were warm with sympathy. "I'm so sorry...you lost your whole family. I can't imagine what that's like."

He gave her the appropriate half-smile and sad nod. "It was quite a shock."

"It must have been."

To his disappointment, it looked as though Lex hadn't taken advantage of this particular opportunity after all. She was tempting, but not quite enough to make him step into a situation where he wasn't sure what her role was. "Thanks."

She smiled sadly. "It's strange. Losing people like that. Your mind just doesn't want to let go, or maybe it's habit. You look around, and think you see them, disappearing around a corner."

He carefully kept his face in a polite smile. Was she hinting something? "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it was just me. When my parents died, it was strange, I'd find a resemblance in just about anybody. Even thought I saw them a few times. Aunt Nell got pretty sick of me running after strangers." She shook her head.

That's why the face was familiar. Nell Potter's niece. The aunt had all her pencils sharp, but the girl had struck him as being the perfect Pollyanna. The type who would hang over cars giving consolation rather than laying the preliminary steps of blackmail.

Then the girl went on. "I could have sworn that once or twice I saw Clark."

So was she one of Clark's old flames? He'd insisted that Clark not get anywhere near girls, not knowing what would happen, but apparently Clark hadn't been obedient. But her voice was closer to indifference than when she'd expressed her sugary sympathy.

Which, assuming she wasn't blackmailing him, and wasn't delusional, meant...possible trouble.

"I'd better go now. Got to finish things up at the plant." His smile widened. "Thanks--for everything."

A/N: Heading out of town for a week. Now that the muse has started throwing these bunnies at my head again, there'll be more when I'm back!