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Title: Reckless Heart

Chapter Completed: January 22, 2003

Anna rushed to the door only to see the sports car speed down the road. And see it skid to barely miss the on coming car. She dragged her hand through her hair, an undying urge to scream out. Or just throw herself off this damned castle. Her nervous attention was grabbed by that other car as it pulled up.

The blonde from the coffee shop stepped out, "Was that Lex?"

Clark emerged from the other side, looking back at the road in confusion.

"Clark," Anna was happy to see someone she knew, someone she trusted and ran over to him.

"Anna?" Clark was surprised to see the young woman so frantic. Her appearance was also starling; instead of the classic wool suit she had a man's dress shirt barely covering her, a crumpled skirt and as Clark and Chloe looked down, no shoes, "What's going on?"

"It's Lex. He saw…what you saw," she said cryptically, her eyes were pleading. Not the same way as before, this time she was much more urgent, much more pained. "Please, Clark…I'm really worried," she clasped on to his arm again.

From experience with the millionaire, Clark knew that anytime he took off like that there was cause for worry. He nodded. Wanting desperately for a distraction so he could run after, break off and save a friend. Fulfil his role as hero.

As if out of the mere will of the soon to be superhero, there was movement at the front door. Lionel appeared at the threshold, the devil himself coming to see the anarchy he had created after Lex's witness. Anna went ridged, turning away from the teens she covered herself defensively, pulling the shirt closer around her. What almost sounded like a growl escaped her throat.

Chloe observed this with curiosity, which was all Clark needed to take off in a blur of colours.

The almost-stand off ended uneventfully, the beast returning to its cage and her free to relax. The girls turned back to where Clark had been, which was now an empty, open car door.

Anna looked at the other girl for explanation, to question.

She shook her head, "He does that all the time," shrugging a little, "stopped asking," she smiled at her own frustration.

The older girl smiled supportively at her counter-part, then felt self-conscious of the way she looked. She straightened the shirt and skirt, wiping her mouth with the sleeve. A smear of blood and saliva.

"You alright?" Chloe tilted her head in inquiry. She wasn't jealous of her now, not that she ever was, and even against all her reporter nature she was more concerned for her then curious.

Anna shrugged, she didn't want to pile anything else on these kids right now, it was weird enough, all of this was weird enough as it was. "I will be when I get to Lex," was the only reply she'd give, through a laugh-hidden sob. She looked over the car and the girl, "Can you go after them?"

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The coloured blur stopped in front of the speeding car. One moment the road was clear – Lex's mind reeling in thoughts and images imprinted on his brain. He kept thinking about Victoria…and his father. He cared for her so much and his father took that away. He felt sick – the next Clark stood in the way. Lex slammed on the breaks and frantically turned the car, swerving into a ditch. The tire squealing filled the empty road. The dust settled and Lex stepped out.

"Clark! What the hell?!" he stood at the side of his car, marvelling at how the boy was fine, perfectly fine. Not even shaken. The millionaire on the other hand had to grip the door.

"Lex," he jogged up, "You alright?" his eyes wide and concerned. It took a moment for the realisation to hit the other that it wasn't the near accident Clark ment.

He leaned against the car and gave an uncommitted shrug, but his face in a scowl.

Clark leaned next to him, "She sort of told me."

Lex huffed out his nose in a laugh. He slid down, landing in the car seat in a heap. His legs dangling out to rest his elbows and head on, "Well did Anna tell you I fell for her, made me fall for her hard. While she was carrying on with my father." His tone was vicious and snide and pained.

"I knew that too," Clark looked up from his feet, shifting them nervously as Lex groaned. "But do you know why, the reasons I mean?"

Lex glared up at him.

"It's just that I don't think it's what it looks like," he used the same words Anna had. He received another sharp glare from the fallen man. "I…I just mean it didn't seem…" he stuttered, "it was creepy."

Lex ran his hand over his head as Clark offered the next statement, "like it was forced," and fell silent and still. Images and words flashed through the man's mind; Anna crying in the study, in the hall and her broken spirit, a stolen five million dollars, a father's cryptic comments and hers "You don't know it all." A whirlwind of information and suggestions twirled around him, the mental visions of it making him dizzy. He slumped lower.

"ah…Lex," Clark was worried about the quiet anguish.

He glanced up again- wishing he didn't have an audience, that he could be left alone for this, -questioning what he wanted.

Clark wanted to ask what he ment when he said he had fallen hard, wanted to know that clearly something was what it seemed, wanted to know what his friend was suffering through, but his open mouth produced no sound. He just closed his mouth and gave a little smile, unsure of anything he could say or do or anything really. Just trying to be there for a friend…which seemed to be the hardest heroic act for him.

The other car slowed to a stop just ahead of the ditched sports car. Anna rushed out the moment she could and over to Lex. She slowed the closer she got, stopping in front of him. As she got closer he looked up, his eyes sad but stern.

She opened her mouth, taking a deep breath like she was about to take a deep plunge, "Lex," she said without sound escaping.

He reached around her waist, pulling her to him and burying his face on her stomach. His shoulders started to shake in a sob as silent as her words.

Clark took this opportunity to sneak away to Chloe's car, "We should go," he whispered even though the pair was oblivious to their existence.

She turned to him as he rounded the car, "You have some big blanks to fill in Clark Kent." She slipped into the car.

Anna stroked his head, then fell to her knees at his feet. She lifted his face, wanting to stare deep into those blue eyes, telling him how sorry she was, she wanted to explain it all. And since paradise had fallen down around them, she found a voice, found the human voice that being with him gave her, "My father stole five million from LuthorCorp to cure an illness…"

Lex shook his head, he didn't want her to continue, didn't want to hear it, he had pieced it together.

She hushed him, she needed to tell him, "…Your father wanted it paid back, by any means…" she trailed off, feeling dirty and low for what she had done, what she had been apart of. And cried. Her human side returned.

He stroked her hair now, soothing her, and running his hand down her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her, sealing them with their lips. He pulled back, leaning his forehead on hers, "Just don't say it was business." It was a sad, joking tone.

She hugged him with force, leaning back to catch his eyes again, "THIS is so much more then that…so much more." She caressed his cheek, planting the lightest, purest kiss on his waiting lips.

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