SAVING YOUNG RYAN
Lex had been searching for number 66 the entire morning. He had looked everywhere. It was not in the platinum box where he kept all the Warrior Angels he reserved for reading. He could not lose that one. Frantically, Lex went through his drawers. He knew he should not have brought it home with him from boarding school. Valuable things tend to get lost in the LuthorCorp office building. When important documents disappeared into the shredder behind people's back, the least he could expect was that his well- loved comic book would vanish the same way. The prospect of boredom while waiting outside for his father to acknowledge his presence made him bring it. Now he'd lost it.
He sighed. It was going to be hard to procure it. After Warrior Angel 66 hit the streets, all copies were grabbed by fans and collectors alike. That edition defined the legend that was Warrior Angel.
The cloud over Lex's head was growing heavier by the minute. His feet dragged on the carpeted floor as he made his way to the lounge. Because it was still two hours before any kind of break, he was sure that it was going to be empty. He could eat something there while watching television.
Lex settled down into the leather couch and flipped through the channels available to him. He settled on a rerun of old Donald Duck cartoons. He smirked at the antics of the original big butt. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"Shhhh!" came the sharp hiss from the back of the couch.
Lex almost toppled over when he realized that he wasn't alone. He peered over the back of the couch to find a mussed Chloe Sullivan flopped down on her chest, leafing through nothing else but his missing comic book. He gave her a mock glare and she grinned. "I should've known you'd be the thief."
Chloe sat up and closed the comic book. "Oh come on, Lex. It's been so long since I saw Devilicus."
"Still a fan?"
"You know I love best the ones with the flaw in character that makes them waver between two sides. It always makes it more interesting."
Lex hopped over the back of the couch and regarded his friend, who was rapidly turning into a very pretty girl. Definitely going to be a heartbreaker. "So you missed Devilicus so much you had to snatch him away from my stuff?" She nodded, smiling once again at the drawn picture of the character in her hands. "And you didn't miss me at all. That stings."
"Of course I missed you, Lex!"
"And you show that by hiding in here."
She settled against him and he had no choice but to rest his arm around her shoulders so that it would not be crushed. "I'm sorry. But I knew sooner or later you were going to search out the most private part of the office. We were going to see each other here." She handed the comic book back to him. "Thanks for the loan."
Lex took the book and leafed through the pages of the familiar story. "How did you find it?"
"Well I can't believe he turned evil, although I don't blame him."
Lex's eyebrows rose in surprise. He turned to look at her. "Almost every reader complained about that plot twist. They claim that Devilicus change had not been foreshadowed. According to them, this sudden desire he has to rule the guardian realm was baseless and unfounded."
Chloe's eyes flared. "Are they crazy? Or did they not read carefully enough? Devilicus had every reason to feel that way about the guardian realm and about humans!"
He focused on this young girl who felt so strongly about fictional characters. She must have seen in the story what he had. The backstory had been subtle, and the writers had merely glanced over it primarily because the series was Warrior Angel, not Devilicus. Yet here she was, able to focus on the smaller things that mattered. "Tell me why, Chloe."
"That guardian they never gave a name to. Since the first issue they have drawn Devilicus looking at her. When Warrior Angel had a scene, she and Devilicus were right there talking to each other in the background. When he's in danger and they draw the guardian realm, she would be among the guardians looking down. She'd always be the most concerned."
He was proud of the attention that she had given. "Well? They didn't even give her a name."
"It's not always about names. From all the words they painted without letters, you have to see how much she meant to Devilicus. She was stabbed through the heart by the humans two issues ago. She died in 65 and the guardian realm did not take any revenge. And people say that Devilicus' change in 66 was baseless?"
Lex grinned. His exact argument and he had to hear an eleven year old say it, when most of his classmates could not find that logic. They never looked beyond the story that was on the topmost layer of the boxes. It paid to give the same effort in analyzing the background as one did the main story. "What did you think about the last scene?"
Lex opened the issue in his hands and showed her the full-page picture. It was of Devilicus sitting at the edge of a cliff, staring down at the sharp rocks at the bottom while Warrior Angel stood behind him several feet away, ready to leave.
"Devilicus just managed to punish those humans who killed her. Why isn't there a trace of satisfaction in this drawing, Chloe? It's too dark and lonely."
She shook his head. "Warrior Angel just told him that what Devilicus did bars any hope of them being able to continue their friendship, Lex. And aside from the fact that she's still dead, Devilicus will never get back one moment. He wasn't there with her when she died."
~~
Across the kitchen counter, Chloe's hand tightened over Lex's as he recounted the afternoon at the hospital. After Ryan's death, he had needed to unburden himself. For him, there was no other way than to drive to her home and hope that she would be there.
"You could not have done anything, Lex. You were right about one thing. Sometimes, no matter how much you want to save someone, there's nothing you can do."
He did say those words. When he told that to Clark, he had known that it was true. It happened to him with his mother, to Pamela, and now it happened to Ryan. Lex gripped Chloe's hand tightly because he knew he would prove himself wrong. No one was going to be taken away from him again. "I'm going to work so hard to make sure I never have to think those words again."
"But they're true, Lex. Sometimes a person just has to go," she told him.
"No!" He would surrender everything before this happens to him again. Especially not now when he had finally found out what real happiness was like. "I won't let you go."
At his admission, she smiled. "Well I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm not sick, Lex. Ryan was. So were your mom and Pamela." His gaze went to their entwined hands. "I'll be around no matter what."
"I'm sorry," Lex sighed. He ran a hand over his head. "I don't know why I'm letting this get to me so much."
"I'd be more worried if you were not affected by this, Lex."
Again, a shuddering sigh. "I guess I just felt that with all of my resources, I should have been able to find a way to keep him alive."
Chloe forced him to look into her eyes. "You're not a god."
"At times like this I wish I were."
She nodded in understanding. "Do you remember that aerodome that Warrior Angel had?"
"His sanctuary. He used it to get away from all his problems."
Chloe lifted their hands to her lips and brushed a kiss on his knuckles. "Sometimes I really wish I could give you that. I wish I could give you a place that would make you forget all the problems you have, a place that would protect you from the outside world."
He held his breath, enraptured at the sight of her placing soft kisses on his hand. "You do." He felt her smile against the back of his hand. "You always have."
Finally, she lowered their entwined hands on the counter and showed him how happy his words made her. Lex looked at her intently, memorizing each line of her face. This was life. And everything he told her was true. She was his sanity. He would hold on to her and never let go.
There was the sound of a clearing throat coming from the doorway. Swiftly, she disengaged her fingers from his and she snatched her hand away. Lex's head turned to see Gabe Sullivan watching them. "Gabe."
"Dad!" Chloe exclaimed. "Lex was just here looking for you. Well now that you're here, I won't be boring Lex with my high school babble." She quickly escaped from the kitchen.
Two men watched as Chloe slipped out of the door. Gabe turned questioning eyes at Lex. "You and Chloe looked very serious there. Is there anything I should know about?"
"We were chatting," Lex answered easily.
"Holding hands."
"We've always been close."
"Unfortunately for me, I know that," Gabe said quietly. "That's why I can't jump into conclusions that my head is screaming at me to jump. So let's say that my daughter really was giving you high school babble. Do you know why she was doing that?"
"Why?" Lex responded carefully.
"Because she's a high school student, Lex."
"You have nothing to worry about." Lex knew there was a good possibility that he would be struck by lightning at that lie.
"It's good that we understand each other. I've always thought of you as more than just my boss, Lex. I've always thought of you as a son. Don't make me regret the trust I've given you."
"There's nothing to worry about, Gabe. Your daughter isn't getting hurt. I assure you."
Lex had been searching for number 66 the entire morning. He had looked everywhere. It was not in the platinum box where he kept all the Warrior Angels he reserved for reading. He could not lose that one. Frantically, Lex went through his drawers. He knew he should not have brought it home with him from boarding school. Valuable things tend to get lost in the LuthorCorp office building. When important documents disappeared into the shredder behind people's back, the least he could expect was that his well- loved comic book would vanish the same way. The prospect of boredom while waiting outside for his father to acknowledge his presence made him bring it. Now he'd lost it.
He sighed. It was going to be hard to procure it. After Warrior Angel 66 hit the streets, all copies were grabbed by fans and collectors alike. That edition defined the legend that was Warrior Angel.
The cloud over Lex's head was growing heavier by the minute. His feet dragged on the carpeted floor as he made his way to the lounge. Because it was still two hours before any kind of break, he was sure that it was going to be empty. He could eat something there while watching television.
Lex settled down into the leather couch and flipped through the channels available to him. He settled on a rerun of old Donald Duck cartoons. He smirked at the antics of the original big butt. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"Shhhh!" came the sharp hiss from the back of the couch.
Lex almost toppled over when he realized that he wasn't alone. He peered over the back of the couch to find a mussed Chloe Sullivan flopped down on her chest, leafing through nothing else but his missing comic book. He gave her a mock glare and she grinned. "I should've known you'd be the thief."
Chloe sat up and closed the comic book. "Oh come on, Lex. It's been so long since I saw Devilicus."
"Still a fan?"
"You know I love best the ones with the flaw in character that makes them waver between two sides. It always makes it more interesting."
Lex hopped over the back of the couch and regarded his friend, who was rapidly turning into a very pretty girl. Definitely going to be a heartbreaker. "So you missed Devilicus so much you had to snatch him away from my stuff?" She nodded, smiling once again at the drawn picture of the character in her hands. "And you didn't miss me at all. That stings."
"Of course I missed you, Lex!"
"And you show that by hiding in here."
She settled against him and he had no choice but to rest his arm around her shoulders so that it would not be crushed. "I'm sorry. But I knew sooner or later you were going to search out the most private part of the office. We were going to see each other here." She handed the comic book back to him. "Thanks for the loan."
Lex took the book and leafed through the pages of the familiar story. "How did you find it?"
"Well I can't believe he turned evil, although I don't blame him."
Lex's eyebrows rose in surprise. He turned to look at her. "Almost every reader complained about that plot twist. They claim that Devilicus change had not been foreshadowed. According to them, this sudden desire he has to rule the guardian realm was baseless and unfounded."
Chloe's eyes flared. "Are they crazy? Or did they not read carefully enough? Devilicus had every reason to feel that way about the guardian realm and about humans!"
He focused on this young girl who felt so strongly about fictional characters. She must have seen in the story what he had. The backstory had been subtle, and the writers had merely glanced over it primarily because the series was Warrior Angel, not Devilicus. Yet here she was, able to focus on the smaller things that mattered. "Tell me why, Chloe."
"That guardian they never gave a name to. Since the first issue they have drawn Devilicus looking at her. When Warrior Angel had a scene, she and Devilicus were right there talking to each other in the background. When he's in danger and they draw the guardian realm, she would be among the guardians looking down. She'd always be the most concerned."
He was proud of the attention that she had given. "Well? They didn't even give her a name."
"It's not always about names. From all the words they painted without letters, you have to see how much she meant to Devilicus. She was stabbed through the heart by the humans two issues ago. She died in 65 and the guardian realm did not take any revenge. And people say that Devilicus' change in 66 was baseless?"
Lex grinned. His exact argument and he had to hear an eleven year old say it, when most of his classmates could not find that logic. They never looked beyond the story that was on the topmost layer of the boxes. It paid to give the same effort in analyzing the background as one did the main story. "What did you think about the last scene?"
Lex opened the issue in his hands and showed her the full-page picture. It was of Devilicus sitting at the edge of a cliff, staring down at the sharp rocks at the bottom while Warrior Angel stood behind him several feet away, ready to leave.
"Devilicus just managed to punish those humans who killed her. Why isn't there a trace of satisfaction in this drawing, Chloe? It's too dark and lonely."
She shook his head. "Warrior Angel just told him that what Devilicus did bars any hope of them being able to continue their friendship, Lex. And aside from the fact that she's still dead, Devilicus will never get back one moment. He wasn't there with her when she died."
~~
Across the kitchen counter, Chloe's hand tightened over Lex's as he recounted the afternoon at the hospital. After Ryan's death, he had needed to unburden himself. For him, there was no other way than to drive to her home and hope that she would be there.
"You could not have done anything, Lex. You were right about one thing. Sometimes, no matter how much you want to save someone, there's nothing you can do."
He did say those words. When he told that to Clark, he had known that it was true. It happened to him with his mother, to Pamela, and now it happened to Ryan. Lex gripped Chloe's hand tightly because he knew he would prove himself wrong. No one was going to be taken away from him again. "I'm going to work so hard to make sure I never have to think those words again."
"But they're true, Lex. Sometimes a person just has to go," she told him.
"No!" He would surrender everything before this happens to him again. Especially not now when he had finally found out what real happiness was like. "I won't let you go."
At his admission, she smiled. "Well I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm not sick, Lex. Ryan was. So were your mom and Pamela." His gaze went to their entwined hands. "I'll be around no matter what."
"I'm sorry," Lex sighed. He ran a hand over his head. "I don't know why I'm letting this get to me so much."
"I'd be more worried if you were not affected by this, Lex."
Again, a shuddering sigh. "I guess I just felt that with all of my resources, I should have been able to find a way to keep him alive."
Chloe forced him to look into her eyes. "You're not a god."
"At times like this I wish I were."
She nodded in understanding. "Do you remember that aerodome that Warrior Angel had?"
"His sanctuary. He used it to get away from all his problems."
Chloe lifted their hands to her lips and brushed a kiss on his knuckles. "Sometimes I really wish I could give you that. I wish I could give you a place that would make you forget all the problems you have, a place that would protect you from the outside world."
He held his breath, enraptured at the sight of her placing soft kisses on his hand. "You do." He felt her smile against the back of his hand. "You always have."
Finally, she lowered their entwined hands on the counter and showed him how happy his words made her. Lex looked at her intently, memorizing each line of her face. This was life. And everything he told her was true. She was his sanity. He would hold on to her and never let go.
There was the sound of a clearing throat coming from the doorway. Swiftly, she disengaged her fingers from his and she snatched her hand away. Lex's head turned to see Gabe Sullivan watching them. "Gabe."
"Dad!" Chloe exclaimed. "Lex was just here looking for you. Well now that you're here, I won't be boring Lex with my high school babble." She quickly escaped from the kitchen.
Two men watched as Chloe slipped out of the door. Gabe turned questioning eyes at Lex. "You and Chloe looked very serious there. Is there anything I should know about?"
"We were chatting," Lex answered easily.
"Holding hands."
"We've always been close."
"Unfortunately for me, I know that," Gabe said quietly. "That's why I can't jump into conclusions that my head is screaming at me to jump. So let's say that my daughter really was giving you high school babble. Do you know why she was doing that?"
"Why?" Lex responded carefully.
"Because she's a high school student, Lex."
"You have nothing to worry about." Lex knew there was a good possibility that he would be struck by lightning at that lie.
"It's good that we understand each other. I've always thought of you as more than just my boss, Lex. I've always thought of you as a son. Don't make me regret the trust I've given you."
"There's nothing to worry about, Gabe. Your daughter isn't getting hurt. I assure you."