Chapter 41

Lana knocked on the door. When Chloe answered it and saw who it was she immediately went to close the door in Lana's face. However, Lana was able to stop her.

"Chloe, please, this isn't about me," Lana pleaded. "Lex's needs our help."

At that Chloe hesitantly opened the door and allowed Lana to come in. Chloe led her into the living room where Lana explained everything that had happened.

"Is he alright?" Chloe asked.

"He's fine," Lana replied. "But I think he's starting to go a little crazy, like all this pressure is starting to get to him."

Chloe noticed the ring on Lana's fingers, "Who gave you that ring?" Chloe asked.

Lana looked at her engagement ring, "That's not important," Lana replied. "What is important is that Lex is in trouble and he needs our help. So let's just put our differences aside and concentrate on that. His life is at stake here."

"You got the ring from Clark," Chloe stated unwilling to drop the subject. "Didn't you?"

"If you're going to be difficult I'll just go and try and help Lex on my own," Lana said angrily.

"Just answer the question," Chloe demanded. "Did you get the ring from Clark?"

Lana sighed. She didn't know why Chloe was making a big deal out of this.

"Yes," Lana said. "I got the ring from Clark."

"I knew it," Chloe muttered to herself.

"Look, if my relationship with Clark is going to get in the way…" Lana started.

"Oh no," Chloe interrupted. "No it won't. I'm way over Clark, I found another guy."

"Oh? Who?" Lana asked curious.

"Like you said, now isn't the time," Chloe replied.

Lana cursed herself inwardly for saying that earlier because now her mind would be off wondering who Chloe's mystery man was.

"So how did you get mixed up in all of this?" Lana asked Chloe trying to get the other topics that had come up out of her mind.

"I was researching a story on Lionel Luthor, and Lex seemed rather keen on helping me get it," Chloe replied. "Lionel ran with a pretty tough crowd as a kid."

"Morgan Edge?" Lana asked.

"Yeah I figured Lex would be interested, and it got even more interesting when Lex told me his theory that Edge and Lionel murdered his grandparents." Chloe said.

"Chloe these people are dangerous," Lana said. "They could come after you too. Lex and I both agree that you should stay out of sight until this is over."

"No, nobody who knows anything about this is safe," Chloe argued. "Not until whoever is responsible is exposed."

"Well I'm not going to leave you alone," Lana said. "Now grab your laptop and let's go."

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Lana was hoping that maybe this whole ordeal would help mend her broken friendship with Chloe. She wondered if somewhere behind that false mask that Chloe always portrayed, if Chloe was think the exact same thing. For all her journalistic fervour and her excessively jealous and petty behaviour towards Lana in the past year, Chloe was still a person that Lana respected and wanted to be friends with. And it wasn't like Lana was entirely unsympathetic towards Chloe's cause; she just felt that Clark had made his decision and Chloe was going to have to learn to let go eventually. Perhaps time had managed to heal those wounds, she had mentioned another guy. Lana's mind began to wander to who this other guy might be.

When Lana and Chloe pulled up the driveway, Lionel Luthor was standing out there talking to Lana's parents.

"Hello Lana," he greeted her, he turned and offered his hand to Chloe. "Miss Sullivan isn't it?"

"Yeah," Chloe agreed.

"You write that column for the Daily Planet. I like it, very insightful," Lionel commented.

"Thank you," Chloe said meekly.

"Lana, Mister Luthor has something he'd like to talk to you about," Jonathon informed his daughter.

"I'm afraid it's serious," Martha added.

"Have you seen Lex, Lana?" Lionel asked.

"Not for a few days," Lana lied.

"Lex is missing," Lionel explained. "It's important that I find him."

"Mister Luthor I know Lex pretty well," Lana said. "If he wanted you to know where he was, you probably would."

Chloe looked oddly at Lana.

"Lex is seriously ill," Lionel said. "He needs help."

"What do you mean ill?" Lana inquired.

"It's a psychotic break. Lex has had a psychotic break," Lionel answered.

There were odd looks passed around between everybody but Lionel.

"That can't be right," Lana said.

"It happened pretty recently," Lionel explained. "I thought he'd beaten it but, uh, he's had a relapse. He's suffering from paranoid delusions. He's hearing voices, he sees things that aren't there."

Lionel paused to take a breath and calm himself down inwardly. "I want my son and I want him back." Lionel said. "The way he used to be. If you hear from him Lana, you have to help me. We have to get him the care he needs."

While the conversation lingered on, little did anyone know that the very subject of the conversation was peaking down through a crack in the barn, managing to catch a few bits and pieces of the conversation.

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When Lana finally went into the barn after Lionel Luthor had left, she could have sworn that she heard singing. She followed the sound to the workshop where Lex was singing a lullaby with his back to the door as he cradled something in his arms.

"Lex what are you doing down here?" Lana asked.

"I had to get the baby he was crying," Lex replied. "My father woke him."

"The baby?" Lana inquired completely bewildered. "What baby?"

Lex turned around to show Lana a rolled up blanket that he was holding like a little infant. He looked up at Lana, "My little brother Julian," Lex replied as if it should have been completely obvious to Lana.

Lana sighed inwardly, Perhaps Lionel was right, Lana thought to herself. Maybe Lex really has lost it completely. I mean he's singing lullabies to a rolled up blanket that he thinks is his baby brother Julian.

"Lex," Lana started to say.

"Shh, Shh," Lex cut her off with a whisper. "He's sleeping.

Lex gave Lana an odd smile. It was the sort of smile that a mother gives to husband the first time she holds her new born child. Lana was completely confused and had no idea what else to say. She just stood and watched, slightly amused, as Lex continued with his lullaby.

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"And the baby was a figment of Lex's imagination?" Martha asked.

Lana had finally come clean and told her parents that Lex had been hiding in the barn. She'd also explained why he was hiding in the barn and everything else that had happened.

"He did have a little brother named Julian," Lana replied. "He died as an infant when Lex was still a kid."

"That must have been so traumatic for him," Martha sympathized.

"Anyway Chloe is with him now and he seems perfectly fine," Lana said. "I don't get it. One second he thinks he's holding a baby and the next minute he's making complete sense."

"Lana, what I don't understand is how you could hide him in our barn with out telling us," Jonathon said angrily.

"Dad he was scared," Lana argued. "And he thinks Lionel is trying to kill him. He said Morgan Edge is still alive."

"The crime lord?" Jonathon asked.

"One in the same," Lana replied.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Martha asked.

"Well Lex thinks that Morgan Edge conspired with his father to kill of his grandparents," Lana said.

"So what? How does that affect anything? People would notice Morgan Edge the second he set foot in Smallville." Jonathon said.

"Lex said that Morgan Edge has had plastic surgery, and that if he showed up here nobody would notice him." Lana continued.

"So Morgan Edge is alive and has had plastic surgery?" Jonathon asked rhetorically. "Doesn't that sound like another one of Lex's delusions?

"I know how hard it is for you to see Lex in this condition," Martha comforted her daughter. "But he needs psychiatric care."

Lana noticed Jonathon's vision suddenly shift from off of her to something behind her. Lana turned around to see Lex standing there, she wondered how long he had been there.

"You think you know people," Lex said. "And then you realize that it's all just a façade."

"Lex you know we only want what's best for you," Martha said.

"Save the coy maternal posturing for your own son Mrs. Kent," Lex sneered angrily. "I heard you all talking. The little Kent cabal, such a selective group aren't you? So secretive, plotting to pack me off to the loony bin?"

"I tried to stop him," Chloe said running up. "I'm sorry."

Lana wondered just how a limping Lex was able to get that far ahead of Chloe, but decided that wasn't important at the moment. Lex glared oddly at all of them.

"You're all watching me now?" Lex asked.

Nobody said anything to answer Lex's question and he turned and began to limp away.

"Lex, where are you going?" Lana asked grabbing him by the arm.

"To find Morgan Edge and prove I'm not crazy," Lex replied. "You're either with me or against me Lana, choose right now."

Lana looked at her parents. They didn't really know what to say. However, Lana felt that she should at least indulge her own curiosity to see if Lex was telling the truth. She left with Lex to go to the truck in the driveway.

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Please Read Over: (I know it's a slightly longer than normal chapter)

Well Lex is full blown crazy! But clearly the Morgan Edge situation can't play out the same. Edge doesn't know Clark's secret, so he's no threat. So just how will that play out? And what will happen to Lex? Will he be thrown in Belle Reeve? Will he learn Lana's secret and then have it erased? And what about Chloe? Will her friendship with Lana be repaired. There is only one way to answer that; keep reading.

Check out the C2 group Lana Fans Unite! There are some good stories in there

Just another one of the usual reminders that if you want to talk to me about the story or Smallville in general. Go on IRC to the otherside servers, irc. (Port 7000), irc. (Port 7000), or irc. (Port 6667), then go to channel #smallville. Hope to see some people there; we've got a diverse culture of Americans, Brits and Canadians in there on a regular basis and it'd be nice to diversify that further. If you're having problems getting on send me a message and I'll do what I can to help. And if that doesn't work for you, look for the Smallville Revised Forum. I hope to see you in one of the two places.