Chapter 3, yea!!!

And I just got word that my comp is fixed (does a happy dance). Of course, I still won't get it until I go home for Thanksgiving. Anywho….Enjoy the chapter, I plan for a surprise in the next one! Hehe….

Disclaimer: Do you really care?

A noise invaded her deep, quiet slumber. She rolled over to discover the source was her cell phone. Checking the screen she was relieved to see that the number was Lana's, having given the girl her number the night before.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Morning Abby, I'm sorry to wake you."

"No, no its alright. What's the matter?"

"One of the girls who was supposed to work today just came up to me and told me she couldn't make it, so I was wondering…"

"If I would help out tonight? Sure Lana, no prob."

"Thanks so much, eep! I gotta go, bell just rang I'm late for class, see ya at 4!"

The phone clicked off and Abby set it back down before rolling back over to sleep.

"So you've had that girl living here for a while now haven't you Lex?" Lionel Luthor asked as he sat by the desk. "She's heading back to Metropolis tomorrow. I kindly offered her a place to stay since Smallville seems lacking in hotels. Perhaps that should be my next venture," he thought.

"Son, no one in their right mind would come to visit Smallville except for those strange people with their extra-terrestrial mumbo-jumbo. Coming here just to check out the meteor sights and ask pointless questions," he laughed.

Lex smiled, though his father wouldn't know. A lot of strange people came here with their devices and theories as to what really happened and who was the cause of it.

"Mr. Luthor, your ride is here," a man announced from the doorway. Lionel stood up, gaining his bearings. "I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow Lex, don't fail me. This is an extremely important meeting," he reminded his son. "Nothing to fear, father, I'll be there."

The man helped Lionel Luthor out the room and to the waiting chopper. Lex would wait and drive in tomorrow with Abby, like promised. He glanced at his watch, 9:30, time to wake her up. Abby was less happy with the sound that greeted her. She knew it was Lex, he wanted to eat breakfast, and he was too polite to go ahead without her. "But not polite enough to wake me nicely apparently," she thought. "Are you up?"

"No! Now go away!"

The door opened, "What part of 'go away' didn't you understand?" she asked pulling the pillow over her head.

"I understood, I just chose to ignore it."

"You better get that smirk off your face."

She was beginning to know him too well. "Just get up, you'll be less cranky with food in you."

"What makes you think I'm cranky? You have yet to see cranky Luthor."

He smiled, "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. I suggest you be down there."

He left the room and Abby chucked the pillow at the closed door.

She stumbled into the dining room still dressed in her pajama's. "We're leaving at ten tomorrow if that's not too early for you," he told her. "Fine."

They ate in silence for the better part of the meal

"I'm sorry about last night."

Lex looked up to see Abby with her head down, ashamed to meet his eyes. "I shouldn't have taken it as seriously as I did, I don't know what came over me."

Abby looked up, "You were worried, I'm sorry I made you worry."

Lex didn't know how to answer that one, in truth he was worried, not that he was going to admit to it again. "Forget it happened. I don't want our ride together to be awkward, three hours in a car is a long time for a quiet ride."

She nodded.

"I'm working at the Talon again tonight, so you needn't wait for me to eat dinner. Lana's short handed, she called and asked me earlier."

Lex nodded, "I'll have the cook save you something."

That turned out to be the extent of conversation for the day. Lex had his work preparing for the upcoming meeting tomorrow with his father.

Lex always dreaded these days. He would sit there under his fathers scrutinizing gaze (blind or not) while he would criticize anything he said or did. The other members of the board, his fathers paid 'yes men' would nod in approval of anything he said. Lex's hard work to prove himself to his father would be shot down and made pointless as in the end it would become a war of words and morals. His fathers devious mind would turn around anything he would say into a weakness of character.

There was no way out of it, so he learned to deal with it. He accepted his father for who he was and knew he would never change. But that didn't mean he had to be like him.

It was three o' clock when Abby left the Luthor mansion. She turned down Lex's offer of a ride, deciding to walk to allow him more time to work. She found it odd that she used to avoid Lex so much and now here she was staying with him. She remembered having to go to meetings with her father now and then. All of the kids would be in one room, many running around having fun, playing with toys, things most kids do. Lex used to be like that, especially when he was much younger. She was a few years younger than him, barely able to speak, but the memory was there.

Then there was the meteor shower, she didn't see him for a while after that. Next time she saw him, he would sit in the corner, sometimes looking out the window or doing homework or reading. She remembered how the kids would taunt him, especially the younger ones who didn't understand or who were just following along. She tried talking to him, but he wouldn't listen, he didn't care to talk to anyone anymore. After that she refused to be near him, to have anything to do with him. It was hard, their fathers being in business with each other, but they still refused to speak to one another. As they grew older they would at least exchange pleasantries, but now things were different. It was as if all of that was behind them now.

She watched her breath mingle with the air, the cold was starting to get to her. Flurries were sparse, but they fell, creating a nice wintry scene. Christmas would come soon, "My first Christmas alone."

The Talon was just ahead, she was a good twenty minutes early but she knew Lana would appreciate it. The Talon was extremely busy, everyone coming in from the cold for a nice hot coffee or chocolate. School was out for the day, many of the customers looked like highschoolers to her. She laughed to herself, she was only a few years older than them, here she was saying how young they were. In truth she felt older than her years.

Lana rushed over to her, "Thank God!" she said grabbing her arm. "Things are crazy! Even with the three of us here, we can barely keep up, there're people standing, no more places to sit." Abby could hear the desperateness in her voice for help, yet she could hardly miss the excited look on her face at the amount of customers. "I'll get started, let's hope we don't run out of anything."

Abby couldn't remember the last time she felt this tired. It was already 8 o'clock and she hadn't sat down at all. She hadn't eaten since noon and she was starving. "Excuse me can I get a refill?" someone called out. "Coming!" she went to the counter and grabbed a pot searching for the table that had wanted more. The room spun and the pot felt extremely heavy, she felt it slipping from her hand before it clattered to the floor spilling its contents. "Abby!" Lana called from behind the counter. Abby never heard her as she crumpled to the floor. "Abby!"