Title: Not Her

Fandom: Smallville

Pairing: Clark/Lex
Rating: PG, pre-slash
Author: Lillian Luthor
E-mail: isso_k@yahoo.com
Feedback: sure, I'm a bitch for it... I'll even settle for flames if you have nothing good to say
Archive: if you care enough to want it, you have it. just let me know, or whatever...

Disclaimer: they're not mine, nothing this pretty has ever been mine... I'm just borrowing, in an amateur and unprofitable kind of way.

"...Clark! Earth to Clark, come in Clark!" Chloe's voice somehow managed to filter through "What? Is Lana standing behind me?" she asked with a touch of irony, obviously annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention to... well, whatever she was saying. Her monotone monologue had been going on for about an hour, so it really didn't strike him as weird that he had zoned out.

"Not, it's just Lex... he's over there" he pointed at a secluded table, where the young businessman was half-heartedly going through some obviously work-related papers "I was thinking he looks worried... maybe I should..." he began to say, not even really aware of what was coming out of his mouth until Chloe interrupted him in mid-sentence

"Oh no, Clark, you won't! This is unacceptable! Been at the Talon and all, I almost expect you to get distracted drooling over Lana... but dishing me for Lex?" she asked with an expression of distaste "We're talking here, or I am, anyway..."

"You're right Chloe, I'm sorry..." he conceded, telling himself he could always stop by the castle later; Lex was probably busy now, anyway "What were we talking about again?" he asked with a sheepish expression, realizing he must have zoned out very early in the conversation, because he had no idea what she had been talking about. Probably wall-of-weirdness something or the other.

Then Chloe was saying something back, but it passed him by, because Lana was now at Lex's table, and when Lex looked up to place an order his eyes met Clark's for an instant, and he smiled. Clark smiled back.

"What the hell?" Chloe exclaimed exasperated, turning around to find Lex talking to Lana "I knew she had to be there! See, this is what I was talking about..." she threw her hands in the air

"What? Lana?" he asked confused, turning his attention back to Chloe, who sat with an indignant look on her face

"Well, it applies to her in a way..." she sighed in resignation "We were talking about Pete, Clark! Remember Pete? Dark, cute, you've known him since you two were both in diapers?"

"What about him?" he asked confused, his mind still elsewhere; then he got it "Oh, yeah..." Chloe had a crush on Pete these days, right? That's probably what she was talking about! He was glad of course that her crush on him was over and dealt with, but it annoyed the hell out of him when she started talking about Pete non-stop, like he was one of her girl friends or something.

"Oh, yeah indeed..." she grinned, obviously satisfied that he had at least understood that much "C'mon, sympathize with me here Clark..." she demanded "You've been pinning over Lana for like, ever, you must be the king of unrequited love, right?"

"How do you know Pete doesn't like you back, anyway?" he asked sincerely; he always asked her the same, hoping she would drop the subject, but she always pushed it on

"I don't know it" she answered as if it were the most obvious reply in the world "But not all of us can be Clark Kents, wearing our hearts in our sleeves and a neon sign over our heads reading 'Lana Lang's love-sick puppy'"

Oh, great. Now she was changing the subject to him and Lana, which was the usual occurrence whenever he pointed out that she should just talk to Pete. Girls! She had even asked him to put in a good word for her with Pete, which was like, the dumbest thing ever, because Pete hung out with them all the time and he knew Chloe pretty well already.

"Point taken, back to Pete" he grinned; the thing about the neon sign was funny "What do you see in him anyway? He was just your good friend two weeks ago, and now you're acting all weird and asking me to fish for, and I quote, "information regarding his appreciation of you", end of quote."

"Well, I don't know... I guess it's just the way of the world, you know... you have a friend, are comfortable with each other, care about each other, have a fluent communication, they make you laugh, listen to the stuff you have to say... then one day it hits you that they're really hot too, and maybe there's potential there for more than a platonic relationship... and suddenly it's like bang, realization strikes and the weirdness factor kicks in" she sighed "What do you see in Lana?"

"I don't know, she really pretty, and nice..." he said uncomfortably; he should have known this was coming, it always did, only now he had no way to escape the question

"She's really pretty?" she asked in disbelief "C'mon, Clark, I know you're a guy and I don't expect an overwhelming amount of sensitivity or anything, but you have to be able to do better than that!"

Well, now that she had brought it up, what did he like so much about Lana? She was pretty, everyone knew that, of course. She was nice, that was disreputable... annoyingly nice, at times. She was popular, of course, big factor there... only it shouldn't matter that much, right? She was a little self-involved, alright a lot, but she had the right... because she was popular?

"I really don't know why I like her anymore..." he whispered, more to himself than to Chloe, but immediately realized his mistake when he looked up to find his friend in full reporter mode. Oh-oh.

"Well, well... Clark Jerome Kent! Are you finally over Lana -my-parents-are-dead-but-at-least-I-got-this-cool-necklace- Lang?" she inquired with a disturbingly satisfied grin "Or better, are you willing to admit to the fact that it was just a childish whim, based only on her status as Smallville's beauty queen?"

"I don't know Chloe... maybe you're right" he sighed, confused; he had been so sure he wanted Lana, had wanted her since he had use of reason, but now he realized that they seriously had nothing in common, she was pretty boring and self-involved, and she wasn't even all that pretty...

"Well, who knew? Off with the sign then!" Chloe joked, for some reason looking very pleased with herself, but then grew serious again as she noticed the look he must have on his face "C'mon, Clark, it's all for the better... you know Lana, she'll probably die an old maiden surrounded by cats... you deserve better, someone who listens to what you say, someone who always makes time for you, makes you feel special..." she was saying, rather unsuccessfully trying to raise his spirits, when suddenly she stopped, put on a goofy smile and blushed... he then knew that Pete had walked into the Talon, which meant it was about time he left those two alone to work some things out.

"I'm gonna leave you and Pete alone" he said as he stood up "You better talk to him... I'm feeling kind of down now anyway, so I won't be the best company... I'll just go say hello to Lex and head home..."

"Okay" she smiled anxiously, her voice breaking just a little "You're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah" he replied absently, his eyes already set on Lex, who was drinking his fiftieth mug of coffee as he wrote frantically at the bottom of the page he had just been reading "I'll go whine about it to Lex, maybe he can share what's bothering him and we'll ruin each other's days" he joked, knowing that if someone could make him feel any better, it would be Lex; he always seemed to know what to say, and when not to say anything and just listen...

"Okay, later Clark..."

"Later, Chlo..." he said as he turned and started walking towards Lex's table. He looked busy, scribbling like mad, and Clark had to wonder if it was a bad time, but then Lex looked up from his papers and, seeing Clark approach, smiled and closed the folder he had been working on without a second glance.

"Hey, Lex... are you busy?" he asked as he sat next to his friend, his best friend. He didn't really have to ask, Lex always had time for him...

"I'm never too busy for you, Clark..." Lex assured him, waving absently for Lana to bring some more coffee for the both of them, his eyes never leaving Clark; Lex always made him feel like he was the center of the room, no matter where they were, when it was actually Lex that everyone had to be looking at, because, seriously, he was the interesting one.

"Good" he said satisfied "Then how about you tell me what's bothering you? You look tense..."

"I'm always tense, Clark..." he snorted "I'm just worried that the mask is slipping, I can usually conceal it quite well..." he added amusedly

"Don't worry Lex, mask's good..." he assured Lex with a tolerant smile; sometimes Lex could be such a baby, trying to avoid talking about his problems "I can tell, though, so spill"

"Long story. I'll tell you over a game of pool?" Lex offered, already standing up to leave, because he knew Clark would follow; he always does "What is bothering you, anyway?" he asked casually as he threw some money on the table to pay his tab "You looked off just a minute ago"

"Yeah, I bet you'll laugh at this..." he chuckled, because suddenly it was funny that he had spent all that time playing Lana's lapdog, and it's not like he usually thinks much about her when he's with Lex anyway.

He barely noticed her as they brushed past her on their way out, and the curious glance she threw his way was lost on Clark, because he was explaining to Lex how Chloe's crush on Pete had made him realize he didn't like Lana anymore, and Lex was saying something funny about it been damn time already, and he was feeling much better already.