Title: Recovery 5/8

Author: Amanda

E-mail: ficklemuse02@yahoo.com

Summary: Set in the summer between Season 2 and Season 3 - looks at what our favorite Smallville residents have been up to in the three months since 'Exodus'.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody. (But oh, what a glorious notion... owning Luthors....*sigh*) Smallville belongs to Millar/Gough etc.

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L.A

Lex spent the day after his vampire attack going through several websites Cordelia recommended. As a potential victim the information he was finding horrified him, but the scientific part of his brain was too busy processing all the new information to care. Demons, ghouls, ghosts, vampires, werewolves. Everything parents told their children didn't exist when the lights were out scrolled past him on the 'Demons Demons Demons' database.

It was enough to make Lex almost miss Smallville and its all too human albeit seriously fucked up mutants.

Cordelia on the other hand spent the entire day sleeping in one of David's dozen guest rooms. When she did finally emerge she'd shed the dominatrix wear of the previous evening for a pair of sweat pants and a worn t-shirt that read 'Sunnydale Swim Team 1998' "Coffee?"

"Are you sure you're not a vampire? It's seven."

Cordelia arched one eyebrow. "No. A vampire would notice that you've *had* your coffee, slit your throat and fill their cup with your blood and get their caffeine THAT way. But I can adapt if you'd like."

Lifting the warm pot in his hands, Lex asked. "Cream and sugar?"

"Yes please." Cordelia glanced at the laptop screen. "You've been doing homework."

"I like information." Lex answered with a negligible shrug before passing her a cup of coffee.

Cordelia lifted a handful of print outs from the coffee table. "And you want to make sure your investigator isn't a nutjob." She skimmed the contents of Lex's research on her.

"Anything in there you'd like to address?" Lex asked archly. "There are a few gaps."

"Yes, I can see that you're not very thorough. You missed my election as May Queen and a speeding ticket I got in Reseda two weeks ago." She tossed the papers back onto the table.

"What? No indignation? No grand speeches about trust?"

"Eh. I did a little digging into your past too Lex. Compared to you I'm a choir girl and I don't even sing." A speculative look settled over Cordelia's features. "Speaking of singing… how are your pipes?"

"I don't sing."

"There might be a shortcut to finding your sister. But it would mean singing for a friend of mine. Don't worry if you stink, *trust* me he's heard worse. So long as you don't sing any Manilow or Whitney Houston I'm sure you'll be fine."

"What are you talking about?"

"We're going out."

** ** **

Penthouse:

Lionel lifted the first of the morning's selection of papers from his breakfast table and studied the front page critically. It was one of the better pictures the tabloid had run of him. He made note to purchase several copies for his personal archives.

The phone at his elbow rang and he finished his first cup of coffee before answering. Only one of two people would be calling him on his private line and he had a feeling who it might be. "Yes?"

"Dad, do you mind telling me what the *fuck* you are doing with Chloe Sullivan?"

"Good morning Lex. Tell me, how's Gotham?"

"A little off the point Dad."

"Oh?" Lionel cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he proceeded to tap lightly at the shell of a perfectly done three minute egg. "What was the point again Lex? My innocent meeting with Chloe Sullivan? That's hardly worthy of such a vehement reaction. You know how the press love to invent stories where there are none."

"And what I'm telling you is that there had better not be a story or I'll load Gabe Sullivan's shot gun for him."

"Alexander. Would I ever do anything to bring shame to the Luthor family?"

"Does that question require a pie chart? An essay answer? Or a simple true or false?"

Clark emerged from the guest room prompting Lionel to end the phone call.

"Enjoy your time in Gotham Lex. Give Bruce my regards."

Clark scowled as Lionel hung up the telephone. "You didn't tell him I said 'Hi'."

** ** **

Wolfram and Hart's Entertainment Facility: Karaoke Division:

"Wait a minute. I'm not going in there until you tell me exactly what this place is and how karaoke is going to help me find my sister." Lex dug in his heels outside the door.

"This place is an evil law firm. Well, more evil that usual. My friend Lorne works here. He's a demon and he can read people- their futures, their auras whatever, but he can only do it when they sing for him. At least that's what he says… I have a sneaking suspicion he knows more than he's telling, but anyway if you sing for him he might see something about your sister."

"You realize that there's more than one thing wrong with what you just said right?"

"You don't know the half of it. Come on." Cordelia stepped through the official looking doorway and into a smoky elegant club. "Just remember Dorothy, you're not in Kansas any more."

Lex almost protested the insinuation that he was naïve but walking through the doors he realized that she was right. Less than half of the patrons of the club had human forms. Some of them had more than one head. A green skinned demon with horns and a silk smoking jacket approached.

"Cordelia. Muffin! Glad you could make it!"

"Lorne."

Lex watched the by play between the two curiously until two red eyes focused on him intently.

"And who's this handsome stranger?"

"Lorne, this is Lex. Lex is a client."

"You know I never really believed the hype before… but honey you've made me a believer! Bald *IS* beautiful!"

"That's it. I'm out of here." Lex started to back away.

"But if you leave you'll never find out what you want to know." Lorne observed. "All those nagging little questions. Well, I can't answer all of them but you'd be surprised."

"Sorry. After the last experience I had with someone who could see the future I think I would rather not know." Lex answered. He could still see the look of horror on Cassandra's face right before she'd died in front of him.

Lorne nodded knowingly. "Cassandra. How appropriately named. You know you didn't kill her don't you cupcake? She was an old woman and old women die. It's one of those things you can't change."

"How…?"

"It's what I do. Now normally I don't play favorites, but you are a friend of her royal highness- so I can squeeze you in before Deevak the bentback starts with his Beach Boys medley."

Lex looked to Cordelia who simply smirked. "Come on slick. If it doesn't work what have you got to lose?"

"Judging by the crowd a limb." Lex replied dryly.

"Hey it's your call but remember before last night you didn't believe in vampires either. Now that you've got your mind around that one- everything else will be easier."

"As far as reassurance goes- that's not."

"Do I look like your nanny? Suck it up and go let the nice demon rummage through your subconscious. I'm gonna sit at the bar and have a drink." Cordelia made a shooing motion.

** ** **

Luthor Corp Towers:

Lionel studied the contracts and made several notations on a legal pad before turning them back over to Clark. "Excellent work my boy. Excellent work. Though, I must confess I am *deeply* curious about how you managed to accomplish it."

Clark accepted the contracts with a smirk. "You don't need to know how Lionel. And you can send as my of your guards to follow me as you want but you're never going to catch me." He propped his feet up on the edge of Lionel's desk. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you get incriminating pictures of me?" He rolled his eyes expressively. "Just cause I lived in Smallville doesn't mean I'm automatically an idiot Lionel."

"No. I can see that it doesn't. But you can't blame a man for wondering."

"You just keep your mind on your business and leave the rest to me." Clark held out his hand. "And about my fee. I think we're going to have to renegotiate."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Cause see I read the contracts before I brought them here and I know what this kind of information *really* goes for on the open market. All of a sudden- five thousand doesn't seem like enough. Course if you don't wanna pay it, I can always upload it to the internet." Clark grinned. "By the way, thanks for the donation of the computers to Smallville High. If it weren't for them I wouldn't know how to do things like that."

Lionel inclined his head ruefully. "Oh I can well believe that. I've become a strong believer in a Smallville education."

"Then you'll pay me another five grand?"

"Yes. But only because you've done such an exceptional job. But don't think you can simply 'shake me down' every time you have a whim young man. I will pay you $10,000 for every document you acquire that is relevant and useful to me. $5,000 before you acquire it and $5,000 once you've returned it."

"I can live with that."

The intercom on Lionel's desk beeped. "Miss Sullivan is here to see you Mr. Luthor."

"Just one moment Harriet." Lionel gestured for Clark to leave by the elevator in the adjoining office. The boy gave him a long, considering look before finally unfolding himself from the chair and crossing the room with languid grace. The door to the inner office shut and Lionel allowed himself a small sigh of relief. It would certainly be a challenge to keep all the balls in motion over the summer. "Send Miss Sullivan in please. And bring in a tea tray." He buttoned his jacket and rose from behind his desk. "Miss Sullivan this is an unexpected delight. Please, come in."

"Mr. Luthor do you have any idea what kind of position you've put me in?" Chloe demanded tossing her purse down on the leather sofa as she stalked into the room. "My father never gets upset and he nearly had a coronary on the phone with me this morning. I asked the lifestyle editor why there were so many photographers at the opera last night and he told me that *YOUR* people called them."

"Of course they did. My Public Relations team always notifies the press when I'll be attending the opera. It's very difficult to stay in the public eye when one's merely a businessman. We have to compete for coverage with the likes of actors and musicians." Lionel took a seat on the sofa and watched as Chloe began to slowly pace the open expanse of his office. She was the diametric opposite of young Mr. Kent. Where he was dark and languid she was light, quick and restless.

"That would have been nice to know *before* my father opened the morning paper." She replied with a frustrated groan. "And you know who called my father and told him to read the society page? Mr. Kent."

"Sounds like Jonathan. The man's unable to keep track of his own son from what I understand and yet he feels it necessary to pass judgment on others parenting skills."

"That's not fair." Chloe responded heatedly. "The Kents have had a rough time of it and Clark couldn't deal. He's missing Mr. Luthor and I don't appreciate you making snide remarks about his family."

A smile might have touched Lionel's eyes but he was too smart to let it approach his lips.

** ** **