Chapter 3
Katie awoke the next morning to the smooth folds of satin sheets in Lex's bed. Before opening her eyes, she reached over to where Lex had slept, but she could feel nothing but his pillow. Disappointed, she opened her eyes sleepily and turned over. The clock read 10:16am. It was a Monday morning, and she was late for work. She jumped out of the bed and slipped on her dress, running her fingers through her tangled hair as a comb. She picked up her purse and ran downstairs. "Lex!" she called, "I'm going to work!" He answered her with a shout from his office, "Hey, don't worry about it! I called you in sick at 7am!" She turned and walked into his office, leaning her head against the doorpost and smiling, "Thanks," she said. He stood and walked over to her, running his fingers through her tousled hair. They kissed. He held her face in his hand and told her, "You're beautiful in the morning." "You're beautiful all the time," she replied. He grinned, "I don't have any obligations today, and since you're 'sick', I thought we'd have lunch together in Metropolis." "Sounds wonderful," Katie smiled. "Oh," Lex added, "but first I need to stop by a fertilizer plant to make a secondary inspection for my father. It won't take long." "Okay, I need to run home home and change, but I'll meet you back here in five?" "I'll be looking forward to it," Lex grinned. She smiled and kissed him, her hand resting on the back of his smooth head. She focused her grip on his lower lip. "Bye," she said as she slowly pulled away from him. "Bye," he grinned again. Katie turned around and walked out the mansion door.
Ten minutes later, Lex showed up in her driveway in the red Ferrari. She didn't hear him pull up, and seeing him sitting there waiting on her as she emerged from her doorway was a charming surprise. He stepped out of the car to greet her. She walked down the stairs of her porch as Lex opened the door to the passenger's seat and waved his hand toward it with a smile. "Your chariot awaits," he said in the classic Luthor lilt. She smiled and walked over to him. "Lex," she began, "I never knew you could be so cheesy." He kissed her for recompense. "Much better," she told him. She got in the car. He grinned and sat down in the driver's seat. "By the way," said Katie, "I don't recall telling you where I live..." Lex revved the engine and looked at her. "This is Smallville," he revved up again, "news travels fast." Then he sped off down the road. "Besides," he added as he drove, in an almost nervous tone, "I was hoping that you would want to spend most of your time at the mansion. I know that it was only one night, but it was the best night I've had in a long time. And, to be frank, I feel like I've known you all my life...which isn't too far- fetched, if you ask me." He glanced at her and flashed a dazzling smile. She reached over and gently caressed the hand that rested on the gearshift. "So would it be moving too fast if I said that I was falling in love with you?" she asked him. "I would say that I felt the same way," he answered. Katie lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed it, and he grinned like a little boy enthralled by a toy store window display at Christmas. Lex Luthor, the heart-broken son of a stoic rich man, who had spent so much of his life searching for love, had finally found it. He had found someone whom he could trust indefinitely, someone with whom he felt comfortable enough to share his darkest secrets, someone who would love him not for his bank account but for his character, and, most of all, someone who would tolerate his greatest faults, even those that he could not quite remember but could still feel by the needle of pain that shot through his body at every attempt to recollect them. She even displayed a subtle yet profound interest in the meteor rocks. "So," Lex started, still driving down a lonely, dirt farm road toward the plant, "why are you a Smallville journalist instead of some hot-shot scientist raking in the bucks in Metropolis?" "Well, you know how sensitive we were as teenagers, Lex...losing the state science fair can crush a girl's dreams," she laughed. "So now you've resorted to writing about meteor rocks rather than stimulating plant growth with them?" "What makes you so interested in the meteor rocks, Lex?" she asked. He grinned and answered, "I'm bald." The car stopped. They had arrived at the LuthorCorp plant. It was situated in the middle of a corn field, each stalk standing tall, surrounded by a lush, green grass that looked like it came from a rain forest rather than Smallville. "Wait here," Lex smiled at Katie as he opened the car door, "I'll be back soon." His father, Lionel, stepped out of the building and waved. Lex stopped dead in his tracks. His face suddenly grew pale, and he began to shift in his steps as if he were losing his balance. To Lex, it looked as if all of Smallville was spinning around him at ludicrous speed. He became short of breath. He saw the world in bright shades of red and green. There was a flash of light, and then he saw himself nearly 15 years ago, when he still had a head full of ginger hair. He was standing in a corn field, much like the one which seemed to envelope him at the plant. He was there with his father. He heard a voice almost whispering, "Help me...please...help me!" He turned and stared at the waving stalks of corn, bewildered and afraid. The next thing he knew, a stream of fire shot down at him from the sky. Then he fell to the ground in shock... Lex hit the ground, unconscious. "Lex!" Lionel screamed, running to him. Katie heard his shout and looked up from the magazine she had been reading in the car. She saw Lex lying motionless in the grass. "Oh my god..." she whispered as she opened the door. "Lex!" she cried and ran to him. Lionel was kneeling down, grasping his shoulders. A worker was inside calling an ambulance. She knelt down beside him, her hands caressing his sickly face, the tears rising in her eyes. Lionel looked at her accusingly. "Who are you?" he asked in a harsh tone. "I'm Katharine Grant...I'm his girlfriend." The ambulance arrived, sirens whirling, and the paramedics rushed Lex onto a stretcher and strapped an oxygen mask over his face. Katie was in shock, unsure of what to do. Lionel followed the stretcher to the ambulance. Just before entering, he turned to Katie. "Ms. Grant, come with me."
Katie awoke the next morning to the smooth folds of satin sheets in Lex's bed. Before opening her eyes, she reached over to where Lex had slept, but she could feel nothing but his pillow. Disappointed, she opened her eyes sleepily and turned over. The clock read 10:16am. It was a Monday morning, and she was late for work. She jumped out of the bed and slipped on her dress, running her fingers through her tangled hair as a comb. She picked up her purse and ran downstairs. "Lex!" she called, "I'm going to work!" He answered her with a shout from his office, "Hey, don't worry about it! I called you in sick at 7am!" She turned and walked into his office, leaning her head against the doorpost and smiling, "Thanks," she said. He stood and walked over to her, running his fingers through her tousled hair. They kissed. He held her face in his hand and told her, "You're beautiful in the morning." "You're beautiful all the time," she replied. He grinned, "I don't have any obligations today, and since you're 'sick', I thought we'd have lunch together in Metropolis." "Sounds wonderful," Katie smiled. "Oh," Lex added, "but first I need to stop by a fertilizer plant to make a secondary inspection for my father. It won't take long." "Okay, I need to run home home and change, but I'll meet you back here in five?" "I'll be looking forward to it," Lex grinned. She smiled and kissed him, her hand resting on the back of his smooth head. She focused her grip on his lower lip. "Bye," she said as she slowly pulled away from him. "Bye," he grinned again. Katie turned around and walked out the mansion door.
Ten minutes later, Lex showed up in her driveway in the red Ferrari. She didn't hear him pull up, and seeing him sitting there waiting on her as she emerged from her doorway was a charming surprise. He stepped out of the car to greet her. She walked down the stairs of her porch as Lex opened the door to the passenger's seat and waved his hand toward it with a smile. "Your chariot awaits," he said in the classic Luthor lilt. She smiled and walked over to him. "Lex," she began, "I never knew you could be so cheesy." He kissed her for recompense. "Much better," she told him. She got in the car. He grinned and sat down in the driver's seat. "By the way," said Katie, "I don't recall telling you where I live..." Lex revved the engine and looked at her. "This is Smallville," he revved up again, "news travels fast." Then he sped off down the road. "Besides," he added as he drove, in an almost nervous tone, "I was hoping that you would want to spend most of your time at the mansion. I know that it was only one night, but it was the best night I've had in a long time. And, to be frank, I feel like I've known you all my life...which isn't too far- fetched, if you ask me." He glanced at her and flashed a dazzling smile. She reached over and gently caressed the hand that rested on the gearshift. "So would it be moving too fast if I said that I was falling in love with you?" she asked him. "I would say that I felt the same way," he answered. Katie lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed it, and he grinned like a little boy enthralled by a toy store window display at Christmas. Lex Luthor, the heart-broken son of a stoic rich man, who had spent so much of his life searching for love, had finally found it. He had found someone whom he could trust indefinitely, someone with whom he felt comfortable enough to share his darkest secrets, someone who would love him not for his bank account but for his character, and, most of all, someone who would tolerate his greatest faults, even those that he could not quite remember but could still feel by the needle of pain that shot through his body at every attempt to recollect them. She even displayed a subtle yet profound interest in the meteor rocks. "So," Lex started, still driving down a lonely, dirt farm road toward the plant, "why are you a Smallville journalist instead of some hot-shot scientist raking in the bucks in Metropolis?" "Well, you know how sensitive we were as teenagers, Lex...losing the state science fair can crush a girl's dreams," she laughed. "So now you've resorted to writing about meteor rocks rather than stimulating plant growth with them?" "What makes you so interested in the meteor rocks, Lex?" she asked. He grinned and answered, "I'm bald." The car stopped. They had arrived at the LuthorCorp plant. It was situated in the middle of a corn field, each stalk standing tall, surrounded by a lush, green grass that looked like it came from a rain forest rather than Smallville. "Wait here," Lex smiled at Katie as he opened the car door, "I'll be back soon." His father, Lionel, stepped out of the building and waved. Lex stopped dead in his tracks. His face suddenly grew pale, and he began to shift in his steps as if he were losing his balance. To Lex, it looked as if all of Smallville was spinning around him at ludicrous speed. He became short of breath. He saw the world in bright shades of red and green. There was a flash of light, and then he saw himself nearly 15 years ago, when he still had a head full of ginger hair. He was standing in a corn field, much like the one which seemed to envelope him at the plant. He was there with his father. He heard a voice almost whispering, "Help me...please...help me!" He turned and stared at the waving stalks of corn, bewildered and afraid. The next thing he knew, a stream of fire shot down at him from the sky. Then he fell to the ground in shock... Lex hit the ground, unconscious. "Lex!" Lionel screamed, running to him. Katie heard his shout and looked up from the magazine she had been reading in the car. She saw Lex lying motionless in the grass. "Oh my god..." she whispered as she opened the door. "Lex!" she cried and ran to him. Lionel was kneeling down, grasping his shoulders. A worker was inside calling an ambulance. She knelt down beside him, her hands caressing his sickly face, the tears rising in her eyes. Lionel looked at her accusingly. "Who are you?" he asked in a harsh tone. "I'm Katharine Grant...I'm his girlfriend." The ambulance arrived, sirens whirling, and the paramedics rushed Lex onto a stretcher and strapped an oxygen mask over his face. Katie was in shock, unsure of what to do. Lionel followed the stretcher to the ambulance. Just before entering, he turned to Katie. "Ms. Grant, come with me."