EXTINCTIO MEMORIA

Lex woke panting. He sat up on the bed, hands fisting on the silk sheets that surrounded him. The dream was rapidly vanishing from his mind, like most nightmares that cowardly haunted you in the night but released its deadly fingers in the light of day.

A thousand confusing images, all of them flooded him as a tsunami in the dead of summer. How insane was it that he was most disturbed when all he had seen was calm and perfection? In the dream, there was

every indication that for once in his life, he was the happiest man who had ever lived.

His free hand searched for the buttons of his silk pyjama top. Slowly, he unfastened them until his shirt was halfway open. Then, he turned his hand so that his palm lay open against his chest.

And there, a heart thumped in strong steady beats.

In that dream, Lex could swear he was in real love--beyond the love that everyone had convinced him he felt with Helen. He had faced the doctor and knew that however strong his emotions were for the woman, there had never been any love there. He was in love with the memory of what he shared with her. That much he would admit to. When she told him all the moments that they shared, and he searched his heart for even a twinge of recollection, then he felt it. Lex missed the feeling. He feared with every dream of the past that he could not completely remember upon waking, he would grow more and more in love with a betrayal.

"Helen," he rasped, "leave my heart alone."

In another room of the castle, an elder Luthor leaned forward as he talked on the phone. "All right, doctor," he decided, his voice ringing with finality. "I'll have Lex stop by for an examinaton by the end of the week.

"All right, Doctor, I'll have Lex stop by for an examination by the end of the week. All right. He has unfinished

business to remember."

The next day, Lex sat in front of his father as Lionel enumerated the perks that Lex would enjoy upon his return to the fold.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not here to enjoy the scenery. I'm here to generate profits."

Lionel shook his head and smirked in amusement. He handed Lex the papers he had been up all night preparing. Lionel took a sip of water as Lex squinted at the contract.

"Corporate life insurance?" Lex questioned.

"Standard for all upper-level employees," were Lionel's words by way of explanation.

Lex narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And fifty million is standard?"

"You underestimate yourself," Lionel parried. "Why do you seem so reluctant?"

"I never considered that my life or death would have a tag price, father."

Lionel's hands closed his hands on his son's shoulders. "You are brilliant in everything you do... except perhaps for choosing your brides," Lionel added as an aside. "But you're doubtless a corporate asset. If something should happen to you, LuthorCorp will lose out. We'll need compensation."

Lex remained stiff and unyielding. "There's something you're hiding, father."

Lionel's jaw locked. "If you find this unacceptable, you can return your security card to Nelson."

Lex shook his head and remained silent.

Later that day, Chloe entered the building and headed straight towards Lionel's office. Before entering, Lucas stopped her.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas demanded. Chloe could see the worry clouding his features as he glanced dow the corridor. "What's that?" he motioned to the folder that Chloe clutched in her hands.

Chloe shook her head. "Nothing."

"You've already told me about Lex, Chloe. I doubt you'll be able to sake me off that easily."

"Look, Lucas," she sighed, "I did some things that I'm not proud of. And I'd like to leave them at that."

"I'd imagine being with Lex is one of those."

"If you can't be serious--"

"All right, all right."

Chloe sighed. "I--I sold myself out. Actually, I sold my best friend out."

"Let me guess. To my father?"

Chloe nodded. "And before you go off spouting about how I am a victim to your father's manipulations I'd caution you that your father didn't really have to leap far. I wanted it. was so pissed at Clark. At least in the beginning it was all me."

"I wasn't going to insult you by insinuating that it was all my dad and you were stupid enough to fall into the trap. You never struck me as naive."

"Thanks I guess," she mumbled.

Lucas nodded, as if he had complimented her and he knew it. "You're now here to end it," he stated.

"I have to. I've gotta get away from it. If there's any chance of keeping this subtle--"

Lucas knew what she was referring to. He may not agree with Chloe's decision, but that did not mean he'd let her be to figure out her own mistakes. "I'm coming with you."

The grateful look she threw his way made it worthwhile. Lucas opened the door to his father's office, much to Lionel's surprise. He motioned the two of them in. "Miss Sullivan, what a nice surprise. Have you brought me an addendum to your report on Clark Kent?"

She held out the file in her hands. "It's my final article for the Daily Planet. I'm turning in my resignation today."

Lionel looked through the file. "So you're terminating our agreement."

Despite the host of reasons that she had, the primary one being the 'accident' that irrevocably linked her to Lex, Chloe reasoned, "Clark's friendship just means too much to me."

"I can't say this is unexpected, but it will be disappointing. For the last few weeks there, I thought we were going to be spending a lot of time together. I was looking forward to it."

Emerging demanding from his long silence, Lucas asked firmly, "Do you know something?"

Lionel smirked. It looked like a genuine smile, but that was impossible. And so the two supposed that he smirked. "There's no need to cut off all communication, my dear. We can just all pretend that those involved were not. He doesn't need to know."

It could have been Clark, but Chloe knew better. She was immediately on guard. Lionel had ended the charade. He knew, and he was telling her he knew. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor. I guess some people are just better at leading double lives than others."

She started to leave. Lucas placed a warm hand on the small of her back for support.

"You misunderstand," Lionel said. "I'm not disappointed." If possible, Lionel's eyes were now warm. "You're father will be."

Chloe closed her eyes. "I know."

"I'm not going to tell him in one condition." By this time, Chloe and Lucas were already on their way out. "You will keep in constant contact with me."

When finally Lex escaped from the army of security officers that hounded him, he headed straight for the Talon to talk to Clark.

"This is impossible," Lex pronounced. "Did you hear anything about anyone who's trying to kill me?"

Clark nodded. "You won't belive this, but there's this kid named Van who thinks that the meteor rocks altered the genes of some of the people around here."

"Altered?"

"He thinks they've developed different abilities than the rest of us, and he's hunting them. Lex, he had a hit list. They found it in his cabin, and you're on it."

Lex arched his eyebrows. "Clark, the only abilities I have are playing the market and falling for the wrong women." It still stung. Even joking about it didn't help. Those touches, those whispered conversations in his dreams couldn't have been a lie.

Damn Helen!

"He's crazy," Clark offered by way of explanation.

Still, the conversation bothered Clark the entire time he was walking back to the Torch office. When he arrived, most of the thoughts he entertained about Lex's crazy stalker evaporated at the sight.

His best girl Chloe sat in front of the computer while Lucas knelt in front of her, handing her the tissues she was using to alternately blow her nose and dab at her eyes.

"Chlo?" he said tentatively.

Chloe looked up at him with bits of tissue sticking to the skin under her eyes. Before he could say a word, Lucas had started brushing them away with his fingers. A lump formed in Clark's throat. He wanted to demand, "What the hell is going on here?!" but knew that he had no right, especially after what had happened a few months ago with Lana.

"Did you need anything, Clark?" Chloe inquired, as if nothing was amiss.

"Ummm," Clark stammered. "Well..."

It did not help at all that Lucas sat back on the balls of his feet, smirking at him.

"I was just thinking about your theory. There's no way anyone would suspect Lex of anything other than probably being not so honest with some business dealings. That's hardly a cause for concern when it comes to meteor freaks."

Chloe shook her head. The last thing she wanted to talk about was anything related t Lex. Yet as long as Clark was in her life, she would likely have to talk about Lex.

She had to keep it as far away from herself as possible. "Think about it, Clark. Lex survived the meteor shower, a near-fatal car accident, and a plane crash. Even he doesn't have enough money to afford a guardian angel with that much clout. Check this out."

Chloe pulled up her file on Lex on the computer. She would have deleted it a long time ago, but since she got involved with him on another level, she couldn't help but go through it.

"Lex's medical records show that he has a white blood cell count that is off the charts. I mean, it's more than enough to raise an eyebrow."

Clark noticed how Lucas sat up at that. He read the report Chloe had on Lex and glanced at Chloe with some concern.

Clark was irritated. "You've been keeping a file on Lex, too. Chloe, didn't you learn your lesson about keeping your secret files? You have no business researching on the guy!"

She wanted to laugh. If only Clark knew just how much business she had with Lex. "They're my own private notes. Since when is curiosity a crime?"

"Since someone took your database and turned it into a personal hit list!" Clark exclaimed. "How can you be so irresponsible? Van had a printout of the same file on his bulletin board."

Chloe stared at the screen in shock. Lucas unfolded himself to his full height and glared at Clark.

"Oh, God. This is all my fault. He could've been seriously hurt."

Clark's face softened. He was about to apologize to Chloe when Lucas held up a hostile hand to shut him up.

Clark recognized at once that he was in dangerous territory. "It's not your fault," he managed. He backed away from the Torch office.

When they were alone, Lucas kicked the Torch office shut and turned back to Chloe. "You know it's not your fault."

Chloe merely shook her head and melted against Lucas.

"I was right. I should never have started it in the first place. I knew he was gonna get hurt--" hervoice trailed off.

Lucas sighed with exasperation. "And he protested a lot."

Chloe pulled away and regarded him with red-rimmed eyes. "Lex," Lucas clarified. "He protested a lot, didn't he?"

"He--he wanted it."

"I rest my case."

"It doesn't matter! He doesn't even remember me. God, my dad! How am I going to tell him I'm pregnant? I'm just a senior."

She was the picture of every girl who got into too much trouble too quickly. He supposed she never thought this would happen to her. In truth, when he first met her that night that Lex saved him, Lucas had pegged Chloe for more things than this. Yet again who could have ever questionedthe insanity that possesses Lex whenever he's in love. Lucas knew Lex enough to suspect him of possibly getting Chloe pregnant on purpose. Lucas had seen how in love his brother had been. It wasn't doubtful.

And now here's a girl in trouble. And Lex is wiped clean, innocent and free. Bastard.

And he couldn't even be mad at his brother.

"Come here," Lucas commanded softly, pulling Chloe back into his arms. "I'll fix this as much as I can."

"What?" she said tearfully, yet teasingly. "Are you going to tell everyone that this is yours?"

Lucas was delighted at her attempt at levity. "Well it makes sense. You get a dad for the kid who will most likely look like someone from my family. Plus, the kid'll get the name he was supposed to have. Not to mention the inheritance."

She smiled, a genuine effort to thank him for trying. "You're illegitimate," she said wryly.

Before Lucas could reply, the door to the office opened to reveal a frowning Lex Luthor. The two turned to the older man whose eyebrows arched on his forehead.

"I was just going to demand answers," Lex drawled. "Apparently, I'm a killer's target because of you, Ms Sullivan."

"I'm-- I--"

"You don't have to explain. Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge," he quoted. "You're a fanatic, Ms Sullivan. I'd have let that pass. But your irresponsibility and insane curiosity almost got me killed. That's bad in my book."

"Get out, Lex," Lucas ordered.

"Didn't even know you're in town," Lex addressed to Lucas. He then turned to Chloe and said, "Taking insights from the sibling? Wrong move. He hasn't known me a week. You won't get anything beneficial from him."

Lucas shook his head. He half expected Chloe to be trembling, for her eyes to be brimming with tears. When he looked at her she was neither. Instead, Chloe was looking longingly at Lex, as if at any moment, she would reach up to him and touch him. Lex would sooner or later notice it, if he had not yet done so.

"Come on, Chloe. I'll take you home. You can tell the nurse that you're not feeling well."

Lucas watched the two intently. Chloe's eyes closed when they passed by Lex. She inhaled deeply as if to burn the scent in her brain. Lex, on the other hand, stared with a confused expression at the top of the blonde head that passed by him. Lucas noticed how his brother's eyes flickered and followed Chloe's movements as she clutched at Lucas' arm.

Lucas knew that it was a beginning for his brother.

How absolutely fitting then, in this convoluted love affair, that tonight, under Lucas' watchful eye, Chloe would be burning everything she had of Lex. It was time to forget.