Disclaimer: The characters of Lex Luthor, Lionel Luthor, and Lana Lang belong to the franchises for Superman ™ and Smallville ™. I do not claim possession of any copyrighted characters. Any and all other characters belong to me and may not be used without my permission.
The premise for this fanfiction involve thematic elements that may not be suitable for young children. Dreams in particular recap memories of Lex's life and also visions for a possible future. Extremely mild romance in this chapter, along with heavy violence and threats.
It's good to know that at least some people are reading this tale and enjoying it. Thanks for the reviews, folks. Oh, and if you have any other Lexana friends, would you mind sending them my way? And I know this particular dream isn't Lex's, but it seemed fitting anyway.
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A bitter taste lingered in Lana's mouth and her temples pounded a harsh cadence against her skull, the pain echoing throughout every nerve ending in her trembling body. Although every instinct rebelled, she forced her eyelids open, blinking them first once than again in an effort to clear her mind and form a coherent thought. The first thing that registered was the tightness in her wrists, than the ropes binding her arms, and finally the raw flesh that extended excruciating pain to her senses. She was firmly, almost cruelly, bound to a high-backed deck chair. The darkness was complete, but echoed as if the room was larger than she at first expected. Her lips were tightly constrained by a gag, her tongue beginning to swell in pain from the misuse, and Lana winced as she swung her head to the side, a waterfall of hair cascading across her eyes.
A light flickered briefly, than fully caught. It was blinding and she could not contain a pained moan as she squeezed her eyes closed, turning from the piercing rays of agony. A single silhouette stood framed in the light. A man, hardened by the world and its cruelties and as he stepped closer, Lana knew without a sliver of doubt that this must be Lex's foe. Strange how she felt no actual fear, but a numbness surrounded her emotions, cushioning the terror that would have been spreading through her veins at the menacing look in his eyes.
He could have only been a year older than Lex at most, perhaps not even that, but upon his shoulders rode the love of cruelty and anguish, the need to make lesser creatures suffer. And at the moment, Lana knew she was his prey. With a single flick of the wrist he lowered the lighting a notch, enough for her to comprehend her location. Glimmering waves lingered on the ceiling, reflections of blue light that shifted back and forth with the motions of the water below.
It was a fairly large pool, that much was certain, though where and for what reason she did not yet know. The acrid scent of chlorine now filled her nostrils and she nearly gagged. He knelt before her chair, almost inquisitive as he gently touched her cheek. Her eyes widened in disgust and she attempted to tug her head away from his loathsome caress, but to no avail. "So, you're Lana Lang. Somehow, you're not quite what I expected, but no matter."
She struggled to speak around the gag, and aroused him from his musings. Contemplating her for the briefest of moments, Todd finally reached out and loosened the binding cloth from around her mouth, drawing it down to rest across her shoulders. Her lips were swollen and cracked from the tightness of the gag, but she swallowed and finally pushed her words to the surface, "Why are you doing this? What has Lex ever done to you that would drive you to such lengths of violence?"
He leaned in close, deliberately invading her personal space as he murmured, "You couldn't possibly understand the wrongs that man has committed. You call him friend, but he's nothing more than a viper waiting for the right moment to strike. And now, I've called him to a final confrontation, where either he or I will emerge as victorious. There's no turning back now, Lana."
His eyes swept across her helpless form, dark infatuation gleaming in their depths as he breathed the sweetness of her hair and whispered, "You should have chosen your friends more wisely. Lex isn't worth it, but you no longer have a say in the matter." Revulsion shivered across her features and she turned away from him, attempting to disguise the fear that suddenly lurched through her frame.
Todd settled back onto his heels, before smoothly sliding to a standing position and stepping away, the gap he left in his wake bringing a potent relief to Lana's tense emotions. His voice was almost singsong when he said, "I'm going to tell you a story, Lana, and I want you to listen closely. It's a fairy tale without a happily ever after."
His eyes shone bright with a magnificent madness as he fingered the automatic weapon at his side, his words slow but crystal clear as he began his diatribe, "There once lived a prince. His mansion was magnificent, set high on a hill, with servants to conform to his every whim and a father who, though didn't love his son, did yield to his simple wishes. One day, the prince looked out over the kingdom that would be his and far off in the distance he saw two young people playing together and loneliness crossed his soul. The two were brother and sister, young and innocently naive of the corruption that lingered in the prince's family. When he chose to befriend them, they were thrilled beyond repair, giddily excited at the prospect of their new courtship to a king's son."
"He liked them so well that after a few months, he even invited them to stay at his castle, to eat his food, to live in his rooms, and the siblings went willingly, unaware of the danger. The brother should have known that something was amiss, but he was blissfully ignorant of his sister's infatuation with the handsome young prince. Their relationship grew to intimacy, right under the brother's nose, and by the end his sister was helplessly in love with a man who could never return her affections. One day, the prince took the sister swimming in a nearby lake, a seemingly innocent sport, but his ulterior motives were darkly menacing."
"He lured her into the center of the lake, and as the girl could not swim very well, she struggled and finally sank beneath the surface. The prince stood by, watching, but making no move to assist the girl's perilous plight, and so she died. But her death did not cause a stir among the king and his court. The true cause was covered up, and though a guise of mourning was placed over the kingdom, the brother swore vengeance and left the house of his once dear friend, now turned hateful enemy. He wandered through many lands, before his step finally brought him back to the house of his foe and revenge was powerfully waged, and the prince was vanquished and all memory of him lost. The brother than took his own life, his mission completed, and willingly joined his sister at the heavenly gates, while the prince was denied entrance and condemned to wander the paths of darkness until the end of eternity."
Lana's breath was suspended in her throat at the gruesome tale, and though it was cloaked in fanciful imagery, no doubt entered her mind as to the prince's identity, or the identity of the brother and his sister. He turned, just slightly, but their gazes locked and Lana could not look away from the burning hatred in his eyes as he hissed, "Now you know the truth, Miss Lana Lang, or at least a small form of the truth. Lex deserves everything I'm going to push his direction. Lana, I wish you had kept your distance from Lex, but now you're irrevocably ensnared in this net of his own making, and your judgment too will come to pass."
The tiniest flicker of anger sped through Lana's mind, and she blocked the brief moment of compassion from reaching her lips. Hardening her heart to her kidnapper's plight, she asked coldly, "So, now what? You kill him and me, to satiate some perverse vendetta that your sister probably wouldn't have approved of anyway. Destroying Lex won't bring your sister back, and if you meant what you said about dying, than it isn't going to solve your problems either."
He bared his teeth, drawing his lips back in a gruesome smile as he stalked to her side. Lingering over her, he drew out her suffering, allowing her to mentally prepare, before he slapped her across the cheek. Twice, and hard enough to cause an instant welt to raise along the bone of her jaw. "Next time, sweetheart, think twice before answering back. Only, there won't be a next time for you."
"Step away from her, Todd."
Lex's voice resonated through the room, expanding with the movement of the water until it filled every corner with malice and anger. He stood at the opposite end of the pool, having come silently into the old Luthor homestead and striding to the location of the inside pool. His black linen jacket was knee length and pushed back behind his legs, the fabric moving idly in the breeze as he slowly and decisively stepped closer to Todd.
A trembling took Lana's body, and she felt an icy chill creep along her spine. Lex was cold, unforgiving, and almost maniacal in appearance, with such a look of anger that she could barely recognize him. The two paired off, Lex unmoving while Todd's fingers twitched and his lip curled at the sight of his adversary.
He sneered, "It's come down to the wire hasn't it Lex. Now, here's how the game is played. It's going to be either your life or mine in the end, and we will be fighting for the lovely Miss Lang's survival as well. I've always preferred brute strength to the simplistic tiptoeing around the issues." He stepped around to the back of Lana's chair and calmly yanked away the piece of rope that kept her seated.
Grabbing her by the back of her hair, he tugged her to her feet and began going down the length of the pool, opposite from Lex's position until he reached the diving board. A hook was already affixed to the rope around her torso and he calmly pulled another length away from the wall, sliding the noose until it snugged across the cold metal hook. Lex stepped forward, but halted when Todd began fingering his gun, almost pulling it free from where he had placed it in the belt of his jeans.
Lana barely managed to gasp out, "Lex, don't. I'm all right," before Todd hauled back on the rope and by the pulley he had attached to the ceiling caused Lana's form to rise above the diving board, dangling over the water as the rope swung to its natural position across the center of the pool. His gaze was sharp as he kept an eye on Lex, drawing the rope around the diving board where only now did the two helpless onlookers notice a deep fissure weakening the board to the breaking point. It cracked slightly, dropping her all of a few inches, and Lana did everything in her power to still any unnecessary movement in her limbs.
Lex remained silent, watching guardedly as Todd tied off the rope and grandly gestured toward his handiwork. "Well, Lex, haven't you anything to say? I'm not about to let you near that rope, and like you, I've worked my body over the last several years. We are evenly matched in wits, cunning, and strength. Lana will most likely die either way, and you will or will not be alive to watch her drown, just as Michelle drowned."
Their eyes glinted, meeting in a deadly union, and with slow methodical motions, Lex slid the coat from his shoulders, allowing it to crumple to the floor in a cool heap of black. Satisfaction crossed Todd's face and he laid his weapon aside, coming to stand a few yards away from Lex, his stance ready and waiting.
Lana's breathing was being cut short by the tightness of the rope binding her arms to her mid-section and she struggled mightily to keep from passing out. Swinging her head in a slow maneuver, she caught the moment of Lex's action as he whirled in a deadly kick, aimed straight for Todd's torso. Todd countermoved in an instant, and the two became a blur, neither landing a punch but unwilling to yield an inch to his adversary. Lex's skill was unsurpassed, but Todd refused to back away, the two of them spinning and kicking, punching and attacking, attempting to avoid an undesired landing in the pool.
Todd's voice began to ring out maliciously, cruelly taunting and Lana could see the effect his words were beginning to have on Lex whose motions were becoming slightly careless in his fury.
"Lex, you didn't really think you'd get away with it did you?"
A solid punch slipped through his defenses and Lex nearly crumpled with the impact.
"Michelle deserved so much better, but she never would have listened had I spoken against you."
Another blow, this against Lex's temple, hard enough for stars to begin swimming in front of his eyes.
Gathering all her strength, Lana managed to call out to him, her voice desperate, "Lex, don't you dare listen to him. If Michelle knew you at all, than she knew that you wouldn't have mistreated her on purpose. It was a mistake, Lex, but forgiveness is always an option."
Todd delivered a powerful blow toward Lex's groin, but just the sound of Lana's voice had caused new determination to arise, and he gripped Todd's foot firmly, flipping him around and over onto the harsh concrete flooring. He attempted to scramble upwards and away, but Lex wasn't about to yield his moment of triumph. He planted a foot solidly on Todd's chest, near his throat and began to push. His voice was soft and deadly as he whispered, "Todd, I'm not going to let you take away my future by forcing my past down my throat. Michelle died, neither of us can bring her back. But if you want to be with her so badly, than I can grant your wish."
He nearly pressed down hard enough to break Todd's spine, when a heartrending snap echoed throughout the dank room, followed by Lana's form plunging beneath the surface of the pool. One firm crack against Todd's skull sufficed to render him unconscious and Lex kicked his shoes off, maneuvering a powerful dive into the water. The surface was murky and difficult to see. What light that was offered only enhanced the dinginess and made visibility almost impossible. Remaining underwater, Lex stilled all movements of his body and off to the right of his position water was rippling against him, the signs of a struggle for life.
Pushing off with a powerful scissor-kick, Lex brought himself directly to Lana's position just as her fight began to fade. Her hair floated around her pale features, eyes glossing over as the water began overtaking her lungs. Snatching her up, he forced them both to the surface, swimming mightily for the concrete barrier and hauling her up out of the water. Moisture streamed from her body, pooling around her crumpled form and Lex desperately pushed her hair away from her face, leaning down with his ear against her lips, searching for any sign of life. A helpless rage begin to sweep over him, but he refused to yield, instead leaning down and desperately attempting to breathe life back into her water-logged lungs.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And finally, she gasped, lurching onto her side and spewing water from her airways. Lana was dazed and she choked, attempting to bring life-saving oxygen into her lungs. Sturdy hands were untying her constraints and as she just breathed, Lex pulled her tightly into his arms, his head rested against hers in desperation, clinging to her as if she were a lifeline. Her strength slowly returned and Lana placed a hand against his neck, gently embracing him, offering what comfort she could.
He pulled away, just slightly, so their eyes could meet and lock, and she could sense the change that began to overcome him. The Lex Luthor she knew faded, and in his place was the anger and the desire and the loathing that was Alexander. A shudder flowed through her veins and Lana attempted to grasp his arm. He pushed her away, albeit gently, and rolled to his feet, striding to where Todd was just recovering consciousness. His gun lay a few feet away, and Lex swooped it up, clicking a fresh round into the chamber and standing directly over Todd's now motionless form.
Sweat beaded on Todd's brow, but a smile formed across his lips, one of triumph and wicked enjoyment as he taunted, "Lex, come on. Pull the trigger. We both know that's what you want more than anything. That's what you've always done to get rid of a problem; just eliminate it completely." Lex leaned down and rested the tip of the gun unwaveringly against Todd's forehead, his finger slowly tightening on the trigger. He sneered, his eyes cold, "You're right, Todd. This is what I want more than anything."
Gathering what strength she could, Lana launched herself at Lex, clinging tightly to his back in an attempt to yank him away from the crime he so desired to commit. "Lex, you can't do this. Please, no matter what almost happened, a prison sentence isn't worth the revenge." He shrugged her off, until she squirmed between himself and Todd, pressing into his chest, and grasping his head with both hands, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Lex, listen to me. I'm not hurt. I'll be all right. But if you do this, you'll be lowering yourself to his level, and I know you don't want that. I've believed you to be better than that, Lex. Please don't prove me wrong." The maniacal gleam in his eye was still strong, but Lana began stroking the sides of his head, gently and soothingly. "Lex, I know what you did, perhaps not the full story, but I know what happened, and I know you could never hurt anyone like that deliberately. That's not who you are. Back away now, while you still can."
His struggle was immense, but she could see when he managed to finally lock down the hatred that was overcoming his mind. He gasped, as if only now realizing what he had nearly done, and backing away from Todd's horrified face, tossed the gun into the far reaches of the swimming pool. Lana's gaze lowered, and she brushed strands of damp hair from her face, stepping away from Todd as he slowly straightened to an upright position. Lex grasped her firmly by the waist, pushing her just a little behind him and hissed, "I nearly killed you, Todd, and someday I may regret not following through on my instinct, but for now, I've done the right thing. Contrary to what you may believe, I'm not a heartless monster."
Within moments, the police had been contacted through Lex's cell, safely protected in his linen jacket, and after another five minutes, had arrived at the scene to take Todd into custody. He appeared a broken man, but Lex knew it wasn't because of remorse that he was so mournful, but that he had failed in his mission. Lex refused to release Lana from his side, keeping her close, but what amazed him most was how she didn't attempt to pull away, but just rested her head against his shoulder, submissively answering the detective's questions, until finally the inquiries were over. Now that the lights were on, she well recognized her location as being that of Lionel Luthor's majestically cold home. Somehow, it seemed fitting that such a horrendous confrontation should take place in the house Lex so despised.
Escorting her to his car, Lex hesitated, wanting to say so much, but unable to form the words. Finally, he simply opened her door and assisted her inside, not caring for the expensive upholstery that would be damaged by their damp clothing. Lana watched him quietly as he drove her back to the Talon, silent and remote, unwilling to remark on the event that had nearly taken both their lives. She lowered her head, allowing her hair to form a barrier between them, and as soon as he pulled up to the Talon, she slipped from the car, not waiting for him and vanished inside, closing the door firmly behind her.
Lex sat still for a few moments, than rubbed his brow with a trembling hand. They needed to talk, but he couldn't force the issue upon her. She would have to come to him, and he could only hope that she wouldn't barricade herself from his grasp. Drawing back the curtain from her apartment window, Lana caught a final glimpse of the midnight black Jaguar rounding the bend at an unsafe speed. She nervously caught her lower lip between her teeth, contemplating what had to be done. Decisively, she changed into dry clothes, brushed through her hair a few times, than set out for the Luthor mansion, darkness slowly settling upon the town. The twenty minutes it would take for her to walk the route would give her time to consider what action she should take. All she knew was that she couldn't run from him any longer.