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ChApTeR TeN

"Lex!" Clark yelled out causing the crowd to turn, as well as Lex. Margaret cursed under her breath, but stared at Lex's face with total hatred and malevolence.

"Your in our way, bitch." She hissed and pulled out a knife. The guests screamed, mostly the females, and began either backing away or making for the door.

Lex was too shocked and angered that he was called a bitch to his face, that he didn't see the knife. Clark did and, without using his powers, ran at Lex and knocked him out of the way just in time.

Margaret regained her balance and, still clutching the knife, tried to work her way around Clark to Lex. Once she spotted an opening, she dove at the red head on the floor and landed on top of him. . . her. . . In the frenzy of kicks and hits from both Lex and Margaret, the knife was dropped.

Clark tried to focus but felt nauseated and dropped to his knees as he felt the strength being sucked out of him. Meanwhile, Lex finally was able to kick the woman off, finding high heels useful for something after all. Lionel had long disappeared and the three were the only ones left in the room.

"Clark, you idiot! Get up!" Lex called out, careful to use his female voice though he figured the woman had caught on anyway. Margaret lunged at Lex again and searched frantically for her knife. Lex found it first and managed to kick Margaret off again. He scrambled up and made his way to the nearest window.

The window was blowing in cool night air that smelled damp like it would rain any minute now and that the rain would pour from the sky. Lex launched the knife out of the window as Margaret who, in her desperation, resorted to crawling on the floor. She grabbed Lex's bare leg and pulled him down.

Clark finally recovered, the offending item gone, and shook his head to clear it. He finally saw Lex struggling with the blonde and began to run over.

"You're absolutely crazy! Where'd you come from, the Metropolis Mental Institution?" Lex yelled at the blonde as he tried to shake her off his leg.

"Something like that." She smiled crazily but her face suddenly twisted into a face of confusion and pain and her head dropped to the floor. He grip on Lex's leg loosened and Lex looked up to face Clark holding a fire extinguisher.

Clark smiled, glad to see Lex was alright. Lex smiled, wondering how it was possible his wig had stayed on during the fight. He really hoped Chloe hadn't super glued it to his head. Clark held out his hand and Lex offered and stood, but winced when he put his left foot down.

"You okay?" Clark asked sympathetically.

"I think I twisted my ankle when she grabbed my leg and I fell." Lex explained and both the men looked down surprised when they thought she had moved. It was nothing though, but Clark wasn't willing to take any precautions.

"Let's go. Here. . ." Clark took Lex's high heel's off. "Lean on me." Clark offered his shoulder and Lex gratefully complied. Clark tried to quicken the pace a Lex was being very cooperative about it. They were almost to the door when. . .

"WAIT!"

"What's wrong, Lex?" Clark stopped, fearing it was something important like a document or floppy disk. Instead, Lex limped towards a table near the door and picked something up from it. He limped back and leaned on Clark's shoulder again.

"Forgot my purse."

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Twenty minutes later, they had gotten far enough away from the mansion for Clark to feel safe and they stopped walking.

"That was the strangest woman I've ever seen." Lex shook his head, causing his fake curls to wiggle and bounce.

"Yeah. Pretty weird." Clark agreed.

"I mean, did you hear what she said? 'You're in our way bitch.' Key word. . ."

"Bitch?" Clark guessed and smiled. His smile changed when he was corrected by Lex.

"No, although that was annoying. No, it was 'our'. Who else is involved? And what am I in the way of? Where'd my father go?"

"How about, where is everyone?" Clark called out into the night as large drops of water splattered everywhere.

"That's a decent question." Lex nodded as it began to rain harder. . . and harder. . . and harder. . .

"Any ideas?" Clark asked, not even trying to protect himself from the rain. He wondered how he was going to explain to his father how he let the tux get so ruined. He also hoped that Lex hadn't borrowed the dress from anywhere.

"You're the creative one. I'd rather not stand here though."

"Can you walk?" Clark asked moving closer to Lex, though he could barely see him in the pitch black Kansas nigh sky mixed with the sheets of rain.

"I think the main question is, can you see?" Lex sniffled and pulled at his dress, which was now uncomfortably sticking to his skin. His feet were cold and he pondered why before he realized Clark had removed them in the mansion so Lex could walk easier.

"Don't you have a cellphone in your purse?" Clark half teased. Lex glared, but knew Clark couldn't see him clear enough to care. He zipped open the purse and fished around until striking gold. He turned it on and then. . .

"Damn!"

"What? No signal?"

"Are you kidding? An open sky like this, there's a great signal." Lex shoved the unneeded cell phone back in his purse. He tucked it under his arm and sighed, trying not to lean to heavily on his bad ankle, while the mud ran through his toes.

"Then what's the problem?"

"No battery." Lex said after a minute of silence. "My legs are numb. You know, I would be enjoying this more if it wasn't so dark out." Lex looked up into the sky and immediately regretted it when he got rain in his eyes.

"I guess we're walking." Clark stated and felt his way over to Lex.

"Clark!"

"Sorry. Here, lean on me. Since your barefoot, do me a favor. Tell me when we've hit the road."

"This is going to take all night isn't it?" Lex asked before they set off. Clark sighed and spit some rain water that kept running into his mouth.

"I hope not." He answered honestly as they began to walk into the pitch black.

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Two hours later, they had finally reached a house with it's lights still on. Clark had given Lex his jacket when he started shivering. Clark knew he could've used his powers, but that would mean Lex finding out and he felt that maybe it wasn't the best time to reveal a secret like that.

"Let's see if anybody's home." Clark croaked out, his voice slowly dying in the cold. He failed to recognize the house as Chloe's. Chloe was sitting inside with Lana and her father sipping tea after they had fled the mansion. They hadn't wanted to leave, but the crowd had jostled them and they thought it better to just leave.

Chloe's father arose when the doorbell rang and he made his way slowly to the door. He obviously wasn't fast enough for the person on the other side, for the bell rang again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Who could it be at such a late. . . Clark?" he asked in astonishment as he pulled the door open. "Who's that. . . Mr. Luthor?"

"Can we come in, please?" Clark begged.

"Of course, hurry. Chloe, get some towels and light the fire." Her father called into the livingroom as he ushered the pair into the livingroom.

"Clark? Lex? Oh my god, what happened?" Lana rushed to help lower Lex into a chair before Clark finally sat himself. The fire was blazing when Chloe returned, a bundle of towels in her arms.

"Guys? Geez, you look like hell." She handed them a bunch of towels each. Chloe's father removed Clark's coat from Lex and offered him a blanket instead. He moved to Clark next and offered him a blanket next.

"What happened?" Lana asked again as Chloe's father went to make more tea. Clark explained what happened after wrapping himself in the blanket and positioning himself in front of the fire.

"So she's from Metropolis, she crazy, she's working with someone else, and she needs Lex out of the way of something." Chloe clarified. Her father brought in the tea for Clark and Lex but only gave a cup to Clark. Lex had already fallen asleep.

"Chloe?" Her father pulled her to the side.

"Yeah, dad?"

"Get some of my clothes for Clark and Mr. Luthor."

"I think it would be best if I got some of my clothes for Lex."

"Why?"

"Because if Lionel comes here, he'll be expecting to see Lex as a girl." Chloe explained quickly.

"What is. . ." he began but Chloe stopped him and patted his hand.

"Don't worry, I'll explain it all in the morning." She called as she ran up the stairs.

"Yeah, how many times have I heard that before?" He mumbled and walked back into the livingroom.

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Margaret finally stirred about the same time Clark and Lex arrived at the Sullivan residence. It was still raining and it was coming in through the open window and spraying her with cold drops. She clutched the back of her head and moaned in pain. There was no blood, but there was going to be a nasty bruise.

She pulled herself unsteadily up and scanned the room for her knife before remembering Lex had tossed it out the window.

"Hello?" she called out and Lionel creaked down the stairs and joined Margaret in the empty party room. He stared at her with something reminiscent of praise and anger mixed together.

"Well, well Miss Frasier. He got away. They both did." He folded his hands in front of him and paused in walking forward. Margaret still clutched the back of her head and stood shakily, her legs in awkward positions.

"I didn't know about the fire extinguisher. I would've had that removed if I had known it was an object worth my consideration." Margaret explained.

"Yes, yes. But don't worry. They're nearby, I'm sure. You take some rest in one of my guest rooms and we'll discuss this in the morning."

"Really? I'm not in trouble?" Margaret asked, almost as if she wanted to be in trouble.

"If you fail again, then yes, you will be. It was your first time in the real world after what, three years? I understand. Just don't mess up again." The two stood in silence and listened as the rain hit the windows and came through onto the floor.

"Who am I going after now?" Margaret smiled.

"You remember what we discussed."

"Ah, yes."

"Kidnapping his crush and trying to murder his best friend didn't reveal the secret."

"I understand." And before Lionel had a chance to disagree, Margaret snatched up car keys and disappeared.

"What would I do without you." He shook his head and laughed before going back to bed.

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There was a polite knock on the door and, though disturbed from slumber, the house's occupants went to answer the door. They flung it open to face a woman, her mascara running down her dripping wet face. Her hair hung wet and limp down her back and the back of her head appeared swollen. A knife with green, glowing rocks affixed to the handle was clutched in her hand and there was a neurotic, maniacal smile on her thin, pale face.

"Can I help you?" Asked one of the occupants.

"I hope I wasn't disturbing your sleep. . . Mr. and Mrs. Kent. . ."

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Ahh. . . don't you just lurve cliffhangers?