Surprise

AN: Day 2. I hope you guys like this one – I've had a slight writer's blockwith it. And I know that my timeline for this story is completely skewed, but I'm going to call my laziness "creative license."

You might notice some of my real-life chemistry class shining through in this chapter. Finals are next week, so I don't think that there will be an update for about a week or so. I guess studying has even taken over my subconscious. :O

Disclaimer: Smallville isn't mine, but as I write this it is going to be airing tonight. Season finale! Let's hope season five is better than four! (Kind of hard not to be)

o-o-o-o-

Lex was poking around in his father's old files. Lionel had an entire room dedicated to special cases in the Luthor mansion. It was a fairly large, ill-lit, windowless room that was completely filled with gray filing cases. Lionel thought that Lex was doing research on a potential investor of LuthorCorp. This was a complete lie.

Lex was doing something that he had always told himself he wouldn't. He pulled out a bulging manila folder marked "Kent, Clark," from a draw full of hundreds of identical folders. He held it in his hand and just looked at it for a while.

Lionel had ordered an investigation on Clark not too long ago. The agents had found several interesting things, or so Lionel had told Lex. Lex had stoutly refused to even entertain any thoughts of his friend being abnormal. Oh, he knew that Clark had a secret, and he fully intended to find out what it was, on Clark's terms or on his. However, he had felt that he didn't need Lionel's help.

Lex silenced a guilty voice in the back of his head. His curiosity barely overwhelmed his misgivings. However, being near Clark in a different environment, such as his school, presented so many opportunities that Lex couldn't pass it up.

With an odd feeling in his stomach, Lex opened the manila folder. Clark had been a bargaining chip between Lex and his father for a while, until Lionel had apparently lost interest. This was not the case, Lex saw, because there were reports that were dated from last Wednesday.

Lex spent the next two hours reading.

o-o-o-

"Good morning, class," Lex said, smiling and feeling like a true evil genius. He was feeling slightly apprehensive, but mostly satisfied. It was the way he usually felt before he pulled off his most successful plots. He was standing before the Chemistry II class, in a pale violet dress shirt and black pinstriped pants.

The class seemed to pick up on his predatory mood, because they all glanced each other uneasily.

Lex grinned, not realizing how devious he looked. "Today, you will be working on another lab assignment," he announced. There was soft groaning throughout the room. His smile didn't falter, and he looked at Clark directly.

"Hopefully, we'll all learn a lot," he said.

Clark felt his scalp prickle. He suddenly remembered why he had felt so ill at ease with the idea of Lex being around him at school. Lex was too smart and too observant.

Clark straightened up. Lex wouldn't find out anything if he didn't want him to! He met Lex's stare dead on, without flinching. Lex didn't change his expression.

"Directions are at the labs. You may begin," Lex said. His eyes slid off of Clark's and onto a sheet of paper on the desk.

Clark and Chloe set up their lab carefully. Clark was still feeling defiant for no reason.

Chloe leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Lex is up to something. I just know it," she hissed. Her breath tickled Clark's ear. The smell of her shampoo drifted around Clark.

Usually, Clark would dismiss Chloe's accusation as just a crazy, baseless theory. However, the vibe that Lex had been giving off had been clear enough for even Clark to pick up on. Yes, Lex was up to something, and he was confident that whatever it was would work.

Clark was also absolutely certain that it had to with him. He wondered, in an offhand sort of way, if his theories were sound, or if hanging around with Chloe had given him stronger paranoia.

"I think you're right," Clark mumbled back, as he measured 50 mL of an unknown solution into a buret. The burets were long, thin glass tubes that stood vertical. The top was open and there were spigots at the bottom, so that the user could control to the drop the amount of fluid he or she wanted to draw. The lab was over titration, the method of finding the concentration of an unknown solution based on a controlled reaction. Chloe measured 50 mL of what was labeled hydrochloric acid into the other buret. She gave him a look.

"If you picked up on it, Clark, then I know I wasn't just being imaginative," she murmured. Clark furrowed his brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark asked defensively. Chloe turned to him and gave him a look that spoke volumes.

"How are you doing?" Lex asked smoothly. Chloe jumped a little. Clark just barely managed to stop himself from jumping also. Lex had come up from behind them and was now standing at Clark's side. Chloe smiled brightly.

"Fine!" she chirped. "I don't remember this experiment on this semester's syllabus," she added. "I wish I would have had time to study for it."

For once, Clark was grateful for Chloe's talent of extracting information from people. Her natural curiosity and tact made her wonderful at it.

Lex smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I'm not grading them, thank God."

Chloe persisted. "The syllabus said that this lab was scheduled for next week," she said, playing the role of an anxious student. "Does this mean that the test over titration has been moved up too?"

"Yes. Those were the instructions of your teacher," Lex said smoothly. Clark was beginning to feel silly for suspecting Lex of something.

Chloe barely paused for breath. "Why have they been moved up? We're still in the middle of Chapter 11."

"An excellent question," Lex said, studying her eyes. "Next week, a team of professionals will be coming in to investigate the gas lines thoroughly. They'll be in the way of the labs, so you have to do this one a week early." Lex cast his eyes down on their lab. He picked up the eyedropper from the phenolphthalein, which was what Clark and Chloe were using for their indicator.

"Your pipette is dirty," he observed. "You should replace it before the next class comes in." He turned to Chloe. "The pipettes are in the cabinet over there," he said, nodding to a cupboard on the other side of the room.

Chloe looked from Lex to Clark, who gave a small nod. She took one last measuring look at Lex before taking the offending pipette from Lex's hand and setting out for the cabinet.

"You can go ahead and start the titration," Lex suggested, leaning casually on the lab table.

Clark filled an Erlenmeyer flask with 250 mL of the unknown solution, which is a good amount of fluid. He then placed it under the spigot of the other buret, which contained a colorless solution that had been cleary labeled ".10 M HCl."

He looked up and found Lex watching him. Clark looked back down at the flask and opened the spigot.

The liquid in the buret rushed out and hit the unknown solution. There was a sudden explosion, and Clark stumbled back and was splashed with the solution and stray shards of glass.

Lex brought his hands up immediately, knowing that he would get hit, but also knowing that it would be suspicious if he didn't get hit. Students shrieked and dropped to the floor.

Lex brought down his arms, his shirt now streaked dark purple from the red color of the combined solutions. He gazed at Clark, who was laying on the ground and was partially soaked in the solution.

Let's see what synthesized red meteor rock will do, Lex was thinking. My father had such interesting notes on it.

Chloe had dropped the eyedropper, which shattered on the tile floor. Before shewas even thinking clearly again, she had spun around andwas runningtowardsClark. Lexlooked on with athoughtful expressionas she slapped his face and begged him to wake up.

o-o-o-o-

AN: Whoa, what a cruel place to leave off!

Please review! Hmm, will Lex's shirt be ripped in the next chapter? Hmm...I haven't decided yet...

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 2: Lishel Fracrium, orlandoandtom, mannah87 (daydreaming about how fun it would be to have Lex as a sub is what led to this story in the first place!), Fire of the Dragons, Sonar, DarkAngel135 (your prediction was right), Junior1985 (thanks for the favorite!), and The Tribble Master (you really helped inspire this chapter)!

PS – I just saw the finale, and Lex was so awesome! Wow... I'm going to make sure he gets really pissed off at least once in this story.