1"Feelings aren't supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions."- David Borenstein

Lex wasn't surprised to read the headline on the Sunday paper, LuthorCorp Exec Found Dead in Suicide Slums. He folded the Daily Planet and looked intently at his father who was sitting placidly in a chair across from his desk.

"You really are a piece of work."

"You think I have something to do with this?" Lionel asked, looking taken aback. He feigned it well.

"What would make me think otherwise, Dad? You wanted Taylor out of LuthorCorp."

"Lex, I wasn't suggesting you murder him. Phasing out and murdering are two completely different things." He took a swig of his scotch. His words sounded passionate, but his face was most dispassionate, in true Lionel Luthor style. He was completely unfazed by the death.

"I know you weren't suggesting I murder him." Lex felt a migraine coming on. "I'm simply saying, you wanted to take him out and you did."

"Believe what you like, Lex, but I assure you I did not kill Taylor. I don't frequent Suicide Slums."

"You of all people should know I am not so naive." Lex slammed the paper down on the desk and stood up. "Of course you didn't actually kill him. You hired someone to do it."

Lionel shook his head and laughed. "Didn't I teach you to never jump to conclusions, Lex? Especially the wrong ones."

Lex walked over to the bar and poured himself some of the scotch his father was drinking. He downed it and poured himself some more, wishing the vile man was not his flesh and blood. His father never ceased to amaze him and he learned at a young age to expect the worst from him. Lionel Luthor had done a plethora of terrible things. Murder was not beneath him and Lex expected it from him.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Lana Lang," Lionel mused, looking up from his scotch to stare his son in the eyes.

Lex tensed, but quickly masked it, knowing it was dangerous to show emotion in the presence of his father.

"She's a good sort of girl," he went on. "Very genuine and down to earth...not like those Metropolis girls. I like her aunt. Tell me, how old is Miss. Lang?"

"Why is she so interesting to you, Dad?" Lex asked, keeping his features even and unreadable. He didn't want to provoke his father's interest in Lana any further. He had to play it very cool. "Don't tell me you have a crush."

"No, Lex. I don't have a crush." The old man had become fascinated. More so than he already was, and Lex instantly knew he'd said the wrong thing. "She was here last night, wasn't she?"

"Is this going somewhere?" Lex still attempted the pretense of being disinterested, but deep down, he knew it was in vain.

"That, I cannot answer, Lex. I'm only an observer."

Something about this game enraged Lex more than the regular games Lionel chose to play with him. He was about to tell him to get the hell out of his office when he opened his mouth once more.

"Are you at all acquainted with a Miss Chloe Sullivan?"

"She is an acquaintance of mine, yes. Why?" He chose his words carefully.

"She's an interesting girl. Yesterday, she regaled me with stories of her 'Wall of Weird'."

"I've heard all about it; I didn't think you would be so easily amused."

"How could I not be amused, Lex? You can't be blind to the strange coincidences that happen here. Surely you're curious as to why so many Luthor Corp endeavors go awry? Surely you've wondered why test subjects tend to exhibit unnatural abilities when we have run what anyone would consider to be routine tests on them?" Lionel sipped more scotch. "Come now, Lex. You can't be ignorant to the preternatural activities occurring here."

"Chloe Sullivan's 'Wall of Weird'," Lex said, "is full of Inquisitor stories. It's entertaining, but I'm sure there are more scientific explanations to the odd problems we have."

"I have no doubt of that, son. What I'm simply saying is, Miss Sullivan is thinking outside of the box. That is what we have to do to stay on top of things. Traditional science can't explain what's going on here. LuthorCorp. could helm a scientific revolution, if only..."

"Yes?"

"If only we could get to the source of the problem."

That sentence left Lex deep in thought. Of course, he wasn't blind to the weird happenings in Smallville. There was no logical explanation he could give for them, but he wished he could. This was a path he had to tread down carefully. He would be working with his father even closer than before and while it was rewarding, it was also very dangerous.

Lana came to see him the next night. She didn't call. She rarely did, but he didn't mind. She simply showed up and sauntered in the door with a smile on her face. The pretty smile faded when she saw the frown upon his lips.

"I could come back, if this is a bad time," she said, but in all truth, she didn't really want to go. She wanted to know what the matter was.

"No, stay," he insisted, setting down some papers his father had given him. He needed a break and she was a most welcome one.

Lana moved nearer his desk and looked at him intently, imploring him silently. She had mastered this move long ago and had no idea what it did to him.

He laughed, "you don't have to look at me like that to get me to tell you what's on my mind."

"Well, at least you know it's best not to give me trouble," Lana replied, laughing. "Clark on the other hand...getting him to tell the truth is certainly a challenge."

Lex's smile faded. Masking his disappointment at the mentioning of his best friend's name, he said, "how is young Clark doing these days?" He put an ever so slight emphasis on 'young'. It was a subconscious blunder.

Lana didn't catch it and replied, unfazed. "Same as ever. Always busy rushing off to do only God knows what."

"Sounds like him," Lex said, confused as to the smile on Lana's face when she said that. It was a happy smile, but there was another emotion mixed with the happiness that he'd never seen on her face before.

"But, I didn't come here to talk about Clark. I came here to see you and to say that you've been working far too much."

"Have I?"

"Yes," she said. Her tone was light and playful, but he knew her meaning was serious. "You've had your nose buried in books and paperwork and it's high time you had some fun, Mr. Luthor."

"What sort of fun do you suggest, Miss Lang?" a smile crept onto his face once more, amused by her.

"A fun sort of fun," Lana giggled. "I honestly don't know. How about you come to the Beanery tomorrow night? There's going to be a band there. It should be fun."

She sat on the edge of his desk smiling in triumph as he told her he would be there. At this close proximity, he noticed there was something different about her. He zoned in on it quickly. "Lana, where's your necklace?"

The necklace that she wore all the time, the one made from the meteorite that killed her parents, was missing. Lex had grown accustomed to it, liked it even, and he knew it meant the world to Lana.

"When Nell moved to Metropolis, I sent it with her. I realized she'd need it more than me," Lana told him, her features growing thoughtful, a slight longing for both her aunt and the necklace in her eyes.

Lana's aunt moved to Metropolis several months after Whitney died. For the past two months, Lana had been living with Chloe and her dad, so she could finish up highschool at Smallville High. Lex was very pleased that she stayed in Smallville, for he would've found himself taking the helicopter to Metropolis more often than normal; at that, people would've begun asking questions.

The longing in her eyes faded and she said, "So, I'm going to expect you there tomorrow night, Lex. Don't disappoint me."

"I never wish to disappoint Lana Lang," was his reply. She smiled and left him to go tackle a physics assignment.

Lex was able to pick back up his papers with a lighter heart after her visit. For once, feeling as though everything in the world was not as bad as usual.

Lex arrived at the Beanery early. It wasn't like he had anything better to be doing—just work, which he abhorred. He was keen to see Lana again, keen to be near her. Scanning the room, he quickly noticed that she wasn't there. He spotted Chloe at an obscure table for four in the back. When he was close enough, he saw that her eyes were redder than usual; her hair artfully covering them for the most part.

He sat down. Discreetly, he said, "Chloe, is everything okay?"

Instantly, the tears that were seeping from her eyes were gone and she was trying to control herself. When she spoke, she didn't sound as though she was crying. With a small, almost convincing laugh, she said, "I hate allergies."

Lex looked at her thoughtfully and he said, "I hope it doesn't sound callus when I say I've heard all the excuses. Believe me, I have heard all of the excuses. You don't have to tell me what the matter is, but our companions are about to arrive and I wouldn't put it past Clark and Lana to force it out of you."

Chloe let out another sniffle and covered up her face to distort it. She wiped her eyes and said in a tone of forced calm, "they're sort of the problem."

"What?" Lex could tell this was going to a dark place very fast. Why, for the life of him, did he have to know more? He knew enough already.

"They've been dating. Behind my back. I can't say I understand it." She said shortly. She took in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm further and she explained. "I didn't know about it until today. Apparently it's been going on for a while, but they've only been official for about a week. It's such a..." she was at a loss for words.

"Betrayal," he finished for her. That's exactly how he felt, betrayed. He was angry and betrayed. He was confused and hut and he had to pretend as though he were unaffected. The world was just unfair.

Hand in hand, the new couple walked over to them. His heart felt as though it had stopped; seeing it with his own eyes only confirmed the truth. There his best friend stood with his fingers interlaced with those of his other best friend and, logically, he should be very happy for them. He wasn't feeling too logical at that moment, but he certainly attempted to disguise it. Luckily, Clark and Lana didn't see through the disguise. This was astonishing, considering it was rather thin.

Both Lex and Chloe exercised great self-control during the show. Never until that moment, did Lex fully appreciate Chloe's feelings, but now he was beginning to. Seeing the way they looked at each other was almost too much to handle. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to be in the presence of Lana.

In a point of weakness, he excused himself. He told them he needed fresh air, which was not a complete lie. He welcomed the cold spring atmosphere on his skin. It cleared his head slightly, but that clarity vanished instantly when she called his name from behind.

"Lex," she walked over to him, touching the back of his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

He recoiled at her touch and attempted to compose himself. "I'm fine. I just needed some air."

"You can't fool me," she said, rounding him so that she could look into his eyes. "I know something's up." Her face was warm and inviting. She was oblivious to the feelings which were threatening to consume him at that very moment.

In an unreadable tone he asked her, not looking into her eyes. "So, how long have you been interested in Clark?"

Lana was taken aback by the question, but she answered in earnest, "I don't know, exactly. In the past few months, we've just grown closer. I can't explain it," she smiled. "He's a really great guy."

Clark was indeed a 'really great guy'. Everybody liked him. How could Lana not fall for him when he was so desperately in love with her? Lex was astonished at his own stupidity. How could he not have seen it sooner? After all, he knew they had been spending a lot of time together.

He tried to remind himself that who Lana was with shouldn't matter to him, but it did. As much as he wanted to deny it, denial was useless. He couldn't hide from his own feelings any longer.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Lana?"

"Well," she began slowly. The smile on her face disappeared and she looked almost nervous. "We didn't know when the right time would be to tell you guys."

"How about when you decided to get together?" He wasn't mad at her. He was hurt more than anything. "I mean, we are friends, aren't we?"

"The best," she grabbed his hands, clutching them close to her. His face was unreadable and so was his voice, but his words and body language told a different story. It worried her. "Things between Clark and I are...complicated. We weren't even sure that we were really able to be together and we didn't want to make a big deal about it until we were completely sure."

Right then and there, Lex wanted to tell her how much of a mistake it was to be with someone you weren't even sure about, but he held his tongue. The last thing he needed to do at that moment was get into a passionate argument. He looked into her eyes for a long time, looking into her soul. Eventually, he said, "I wish you the best of luck, Lana. I mean that."

"Thank you," she was touched.

He made an excuse to leave and did, feeling as though his world had simply crashed. What had once made sense no longer did—everything except for, perplexingly, his feelings for Lana. They were unshakable, though he knew he shouldn't even be feeling those feelings in the first place.

Lex arrived at the mansion with the intent in burying himself in work. There, he found a folder waiting for him on his desk. He walked over to it and carefully opened it. It's contents were reports and not the dull reports he was accustomed to, but highly fascinating ones. Scanning through the first page, he learned that his father was investigating caves recently discovered in Smallville.

"The paintings on it's walls speak of the legend of Naman and Sageeth," said a voice from the door. Lionel had a smug look on his face as he waltzed into the room, the clicking sounds of his shoes on the parquet floor cutting through the air loudly and abruptly, breaking the silence Lex was so desperately looking forward to.

"Care to elaborate?" he asked, heading towards the bar. He poured himself a large brandy, brandy being a good medicine for him at that particular moment.

"Gladly," his father replied. "According to what I've been told—by very reliable sources— Naman and Sageeth were friends. They were like brothers, even. Do you know what happened to these brothers, Lex?"

"Enlighten me."

"They became enemies."

"Very to the point, yet interesting nonetheless," Lex commented. "Have your people found out anything more about these caves?"

"I've kept you up to date on everything," Lionel insisted, pouring himself a drink. "The report details it all."

The two Luthor men stood in an understood silence for a long time, Lex dwelling on everything but the caves. Mainly, his thoughts drifted towards Lana. He couldn't have handled things worse with her. What made it worse was with each passing day, he wanted her a little bit more. Every day, he liked her a little bit more and he knew, without a doubt, that 'like' was a great understatement. Now, he was condemned to sit idle and watch Clark be with Lana. He had to suffer silently out of a loyalty to a good friend. If only he had said something sooner.