Disclaimer: Smallville, Clark, Lana, Lex and everyone else aren't owned by me. I make no money from this, nor do I really want to. Tollins/Robbins owns Smallville, while Jerry Sigel and Joel Schuster own Superman. And I guess technically everyone Tollins/Robbins own. It gets funky. Anyway, not mine, poor, the usual.
Aroma Therapy
He came in at 8:45, like every Wednesday night, ordered an espresso and sat down quietly at one of the back tables. He pulled out a copy of the days Wall Street Journal and skimmed over the stocks and the major news stories. She was fairly sure that he'd already memorized all the important stuff. He waved away the staff at 9:00 when they went to tell everyone else that it was closing time. After all, he owned the place, he was entitled to stay if he wanted. She locked the doors at 9:30, after everyone else had left. She spent another 15 minutes skimming over the log for the day, checking for anything major, but, like usual, there wasn't anything.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and got him one as well, with extra cream. For some reason she always thought it strange that he loved coffee, but would only ever order espressos and other such drinks when there were people around. Just another one of the mysteries that made up Lex Luthor. She sat down on one of the couches near him, and he rose and moved over to one of the chairs near the couch. He raised his coffee in a kind of salute slash thanks and took a sip while she pulled off her shoes and tucked her legs underneath her. Then she took a sip of her own coffee, gently letting the smell of the ground and hydrated beans fill her nostrils. As always, he let her set the pace.
"Today started out so good," she began after a bit. "Business was booming all day, Chloe and I managed to spend some quality time last night talking, and Nell called. All of that happened before ten." Pause. Another sniff, another sip. "He came in at my lunch break, offered to take me to lunch. I told him I only had a short break today because one of the staff had to call in sick. He said that the sandwiches were out in the truck. We had a kind of a picnic."
"Where?" Another reason she loved these talks. His voice was so melodious, like water tumbling down a sheet of rocks. She could definitely attest to his powers of seduction, even if he had never tried to seduce her. She'd asked him about that once. He'd said it was inappropriate, given the circumstances. She understood everything he hadn't said.
"Out in Cooper's Field. Not that far a drive, but still outside of town. We sat in the back of the truck and munched on ham and cheese sandwiches he'd made, and had some bottled water I'm sure he got from you."
"Probably," Lex replied, gently propping his feet up on the table. She wasn't the only one who'd had to work today, after all.
"It was a nice day, and we just sat and talked until he had to take me back. He asked me to come by his loft later tonight, so we could star gaze."
"What'd you say?" He probably hadn't needed to prod, but he knew how much his voice could sooth her. Almost as well as HIS could.
"I told him I'd try and make it. He smiled at me as I got out and watched me as I went back inside. I could feel his eyes on me the whole way."
"Sounds like a fairly good day, so far."
"He came in a couple hours later. Him and Pete and Chloe. They were talking and laughing, and part of me broke at the sight."
"Why?"
"It's just another part of him I'll never know."
"Your own fault."
"What?"
"He's practically thrown himself at you ever since halfway through your freshman year of high school," Lex smiled. That caring smile she envisioned a lion giving a gazelle seconds before the pounce. "It's not like you've never had the chance to join in on his life."
"Except that I couldn't do that to Chloe."
"Chloe?"
"Yeah. You know how she used to have feelings for Clark. I wouldn't want my dating him to come between the two of us."
"Chloe's over Clark. You know that. Besides, I thought you two had already worked through that little problem?"
"Well, you know. Saying it is one thing."
"Somehow I think Chloe'd be madder at Clark than she would be at you, assuming she'd be anything other than happy for two of her best friends. So, what's the real reason?"
"Well, we just, I mean…"
"Let me take a stab in the dark. You think he'll say no."
"Of course not!"
"Then why don't you go for it?"
"Maybe I don't feel worthy of him." Her voice was so soft, she barely heard herself. Of course, Lex had excellent hearing.
"Is that really your decision to make?"
"What do you mean?"
"If Clark really wants to be with you, don't you think it's a tad presumptuous to make that kind of decision for him?"
Silence. More sips, and more inhaling.
"Henry came in today."
"How is he?"
"He's doing good. His wife was with him. She wanted to meet me."
"How'd that go?"
"Pretty good. She's pretty nice."
"Married to Henry Small? She's probably a Saint."
She couldn't help but laugh at that.
"He's not that bad."
"Sometimes he is."
"He mentioned you."
"Oh?"
"He grudgingly mentioned what a good job your teams were doing with the caves."
"Huh. Well, tell him I said thanks."
"I will. I think he's finally gotten past your exterior."
"You mean my father."
"Yeah."
More silence. She moved to get up, out of coffee. He took the cup from her hand and rose. He came back a moment later, both their cups refilled.
"How's your dad?"
"He's doing alright. Mrs. Kent is managing to turn him into something that closely resembles a human being, and she's doing it on his terms, so he can't even fight her on it. He actually apologized to her a few days ago. Something about Clark's adoption and the plant."
"What about?"
He shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I wasn't technically in the room, so I didn't hear everything."
"Maybe I'll mention it to Clark."
"Just don't mention that I was eavesdropping on his mom."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
More silence. A glance at the clock puts the time around 10:30.
"I love him."
"Clark?"
"Of course. Who else?"
"What about Whitney?"
"Why?"
"Well, sources have informed me that he's your current excuse."
"Clark?"
"Actually, Chloe. I guess Clark mentioned it to her during their weekly meeting."
"What?"
"Same day and time as ours, Lana. And before you say anything, it's not like you have any room to complain."
"You mean because I'm meeting with you?"
"I mean because he's not yours. Not yet, anyway."
"I know."
"So, I have to know. Why haven't you ever said anything?"
"I have."
"Why haven't you ever said anything when you weren't under the drug-like control of an extinct plant?"
"Well, at first I was with Whitney."
"Yeah. Great guy. You make a new friend, so Clark get's stripped to his boxers and tied up like a scarecrow."
"I never said he was perfect."
"Right. You aren't with him now. You weren't with him for a short while there, either."
"The first time, I was just realizing what it was I was feeling."
"You didn't recognize it?"
"I'd never been in love before."
"What about Whitney?"
"Whitney was…safe."
"Safe?"
"Star quarterback, good grades, sickeningly normal."
"Interesting description."
"I like Whitney a lot, but he had this horrible tendency to treat me like I was made of glass."
"I think knowing that your parents died in front of your eyes in a flaming ball of death from the sky when you were three will make people do that."
"Exactly. Everyone does it. It's infuriating. No one will accept that I might be someone else."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone but you."
"What about Clark?"
"If anything, he's even worse. He's doing it for a good reason."
"He loves you."
"Yeah."
"You don't want him to love you?"
"I want him
to love me, just not worship me. He
keeps fighting off his feelings for me, or vanishing when I want him here, with
me."
"Except, he's stopped doing
that. If anything, he's following you
around like a dog."
"I know. It's different now."
"How so?"
"I'm being such a hypocrite right now with him."
"Care to elaborate on that one?"
"I keep telling Clark that we can't be together, because he won't trust me, because he keeps secrets from me."
"Has it ever occurred to you that he might start telling you once you're together?"
"Of course it has."
"Then…"
"Then why haven't I just taken the risks that I keep telling Clark he should take?"
"Yeah."
"I'm a hypocrite."
"How so?"
"I've been keeping secrets from him, and I'm not sure how much I'll tell him even if we get together."
"I don't know, talking to your dead parents once a week sounds fairly odd, but he embraced that before you were even really friends."
"He doesn't trust me, but I'm not sure if I trust him."
"Trust him with what?"
"Huh?"
"Trust him with what? Your heart? Your body? You've already entrusted those to him. All friends do. Your soul? It's Clark. He'd protect it with his life. Your secrets? This is Clark. He can keep anything secret if he has to. Fort Knox."
"I know."
"So, again, what can't you trust him with?"
"I…I don't know."
"Mind if I make a few suppositions here?"
"Go ahead."
"Your worried that you won't last."
"What?"
"You dated Whitney because you KNEW you didn't love him. But, he was who people expected you to date, being you. So, you dutifully did as you were expected, and fell into a kind of rut. Then Clark came along, or more accurately, I came along and he grew a backbone through some prodding. You began to have feelings again, for the first time in a while, but your sense of duty to everyone around you overrode your own instincts for a while and you stuck with Whitney. Then you broke up, and you started to grow closer to Clark, only to have him turn you back towards Whitney when he found out about Whitney's father. When his dad died, and Whitney left, you found yourself free for the first time in years, only to discover that everyone expected you to still be with and support Whitney while he was away. You also began to discover that Clark held a lot of deep secrets and you weren't sure if it was worth it anymore."
"I don't see…"
"I'm not done yet. During this whole time, Nell's hovering over you with a kind of disdain for Clark because she used to date his dad. Never mind that Clark's adopted, she's convinced that if you fall for him, you'll end up heartbroken like she was. Part of you took that message to heart and began to believe that high school crushes are doomed to failure, so you won't allow yourself to fall in love with Clark until later, in hopes that then you'll be able to last."
She nods, unable to say anything.
"So, how'd you feel about Clark and Chloe?"
"Huh?"
"How did you feel about Clark and Chloe being together?"
"It…kind of hurt. Even though he wasn't, isn't, mine, even though I was still technically with Whitney, it still hurt to see them together, even if it was only for a short time."
"And how do you feel whenever you're around Clark."
"Like I'm flying. Free."
"Then the question you have to ask yourself is, which feeling would you rather have? Because I can guarantee you, if I leave here tonight with you telling me that you're just going to lead Clark on for the next year until you graduate, I'm going to push him towards other women. Maybe Chloe, maybe someone else. But not you."
"Lex…"
"Lana, you're my friend. Aside from Clark, you're the only person in this town who I feel I can be totally honest with. But I owe Clark my life. Several times. And, besides that, he's like a brother to me. My loyalty to him comes before whatever kind of bond you and I have formed."
"I understand, believe me. It's just…what if we don't last?"
"What if you do? Lana, take my advice. Life is short. There is no overall plan, just moments. If you and Clark last until the end of time, I'll be the first one cheering my head off. If you only last a year or so, at least you had that year. You have a remarkable friendship with him, Lana. It'd take almost nothing for it to become a relationship. Take your own advice. Go for it."
"How do I know if I'm doing the right thing?" He stands, placing his cup on the table. She'll deal with it before she goes home, like her own.
"You don't. It's a leap of faith. But, personally? I'd put most of my fortune on you two working out."
She nodes, slipping her shoes on and standing, taking both cups to the sink and rinsing them out, placing them with the others and double checking to make sure everything is turned off. She follows him to the door and locks up after him.
"Do you want a ride home?"
She considers it, and then notices a tall young man in blue and red leaning against a red pickup truck.
"Never mind," he laughs.
He gently leans down and kisses her cheek, whispering into her ear.
"He's a wonderful guy, Lana. Go for it or let him go. Please, don't leave him hanging."
He straightens, then heads for his car.
"Hello, Clark," he smiles as he passes.
"Lex," is the reply. There's an underlying question, but the bald billionaire ignores it.
"Goodnight, Lana," he calls before getting into his car and driving off.
It's going to be different from here on, she realizes as HE comes towards her. Every time, regardless of who's around, Lex always left with, "Same time next week?". Not this time. Lana slowly realizes that he's said all he has to say. He's leaving it all in her hands now.
"Chloe told me you were working late tonight," Clark begins, shuffling his feet and looking her in the eyes. He's so unlike Whitney was.
"Yeah, Lex and I had to discuss some things." Like you, she mentally added.
"Well, I…ah…were you still…"
"Clark." A gentle hand laid on his arm, calming him, or at least quieting him. "Why don't we head up to your loft? We need to talk."
END