EPISODE 11

BURNED

Give it up baby I hear your goodbye Nothings gonna save me I can see it in your eyes ~ Cry, Faith Hill

Lex was coming home tonight.

Clutching the recently repaired music box close to her, Hudson hurried down the steps to the kitchen where her mom was finishing up the dishes from dinner. She felt bad for not helping, but she was far too excited to do chores at the moment. Her mom seemed to understand because she excused her from the table right after Hudson finished her last bite. With her mom's silent blessing, she'd hurried upstairs, showered, changed her clothes and gathered the music box into her hands. Her dad had found a jeweler in town who was able to repair it. Hudson just knew Lex would be pleased to learn that it worked again.

"Heading to Lex's?"

Hudson looked up to see her mom glancing over her shoulder at her, arms elbow deep in the dishwater. She nodded and flashed a bright smile. "Yeah. You don't mind, do you? I promise not to stay long. I just want to say hi, and give him this." And a great big kiss or two. Or three. Or, like, a million.

Lex was coming home tonight!

Martha seemed to contemplate the request before she finally returned her daughter's smile. "Considering he's been gone for the past two weeks, I'll give you a pass this time. But I want you home no later than eleven. You have your first day of school tomorrow and we don't need you starting the school year by missing the bus."

Practically bouncing toward the door, Hudson nodded in agreement. "Eleven. I promise." She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek on her way past then sped out of the house toward the castle.

Hudson sped through the woods, taking the route furthest from the roads to prevent being seen in the lingering daylight. She had taken the familiar path so often, she knew the layout as well as she did that of the farm. The air was heavy and thick with unrelenting humidity - it had been weeks since the last rain, and the Midwest was paying for it as a whole with temperatures hovering in the low 100's. While Hudson loved the cold, she hated the heat. Sometimes she wondered if her people weren't partial to cooler climates because she always felt particularly tired and lazy when it became too warm.

Skirting the edge of Nell Potter's property, Hudson wondered briefly if Lana was home or visiting Whitney at K-State, before she reached the property line of the Luthor estate. Slowing as she neared the castle, Hudson broke from her speed into a jog up to the rear kitchen door. Stepping inside, she was surprised to find the kitchen empty.

Normally, Dodd was there, sharpening knives, preparing some elaborate meal or restocking the shelves. Occasionally he was just sitting there, staring at the door, as if waiting for Hudson to appear. But not tonight. The room was eerily silent and there wasn't even a lingering scent of food. She knew he hadn't taken off during Lex's business trip because she'd visited with him almost every day - his help had been essential in getting the music box. Maybe Lex told him to take the evening off when he returned.

Giving a mental shrug, Hudson told herself at least she didn't have to deal with the cook's usual grumpy expressions as she headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward the study. The castle seemed so empty when Lex wasn't home, but it was different now - she could actually feel the electric charge in the air that she always sensed whenever he was near. Of course, it could have been her own excitement at the prospect of seeing him again after being apart for fourteen days, six hours, two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.

Not that she was counting or anything.

Hudson wondered if the smile she was currently wearing might be plastered to her face forever. She almost danced up the last few steps, already anticipating what Lex was wearing and how he smelled. And she wondered what he brought her from Russia. It was wrong, she knew, and her dad would have a few words to say if he knew, but Hudson couldn't help but enjoy the gifts that Lex always gave to her behind her parents' backs. There was already quite a collection of things building at the castle that she wasn't brave enough to take home - stuffed animals, clothes, simple jewelry and perfume. She didn't need any of it but that didn't mean she didn't love receiving it. And then, of course, there was always the chance to thank Lex for each and every gift he surprised her with. That was the best part of all.

As she neared the study, Hudson could hear voices speaking softly from the room. Did Lex have company? If he did, she didn't want to interrupt. Sometimes Lex became a little uptight when he was interrupted during a business meeting. He always apologized to her later but usually he began by biting her head off. It seemed a little late to be having a business meeting, but then, Lex kept really strange hours sometimes. Hesitating just outside the door, Hudson told herself she wasn't eavesdropping, just determining whether or not it would be okay to interrupt.

"Oh, Lex! This place is beautiful!"

Hudson blinked at the woman's voice, her heart rate speeding up just a little.

"I'm glad you like it. I'd hate to have to find a new place to live right at this moment."

The woman laughed, the sound very sexy and soft. "I wouldn't dream of putting you through that."

Worrying her lower lip, Hudson peered cautiously around the door, having no idea what it was she hoped to find. Maybe some matronly woman who turned out to be an aunt or something who was visiting. Whatever it was she was looking for, it wasn't the gorgeous female who was leaning against the back of the couch, smiling at Lex. Her Lex. She was far from matronly, dressed in a short skirt that showed just about everything and a tiny little tank that showed even more. She was all curves and dark hair and the look she was giving Lex. well, it went a little beyond friendly.

Hudson's gaze traveled over to Lex, who was leaning against his desk looking sexy as all hell in navy slacks and grey shirt, returning the woman's smile. His skin was slightly damp with sweat, his eyes heavy- lidded. Had he ever looked at her like that?

Swallowing the burn that was building at the back of her throat, Hudson slowly backed away from the door, squeezing the music box against her chest. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she raced out of the mansion and away from what she hoped was a scene conjured by her imagination.

***

Lana sighed as she stared up at the ceiling above her, fingers moving idly over her collarbone as her mind drifted. She'd only left Manhattan, visiting Whitney at K-State, a few hours ago. Was it wrong that her mind had already moved on from her boyfriend, who she did care about very much, to Hudson? Over and over, she assured herself that her fascination with her best friend was simply due to a friendship she'd never really shared with any other female before. So what if she thought Hudson was beautiful? Anyone could admit to that. She was so tall and moved with such confidence and her smile was positively amazing. After all, Hudson had charm and beauty that even Lex Luthor couldn't help but notice, so certainly there was nothing wrong with Lana noticing the same. They were best friends, and Hudson was always there for her. There was nothing wrong with just the teeniest, tiniest crush. Especially when nothing would ever come of it.

The summer had allowed Hudson and Lana time to build on their friendship. With Chloe in Metropolis, and Pete working at the Mayor's office, Lana was happy to discover that she received Hudson's full attention while Lex was working or away on the occasional business trip. They shopped, had sleepovers, attended the country fair and went horseback riding. Lana quickly discovered that Hudson was the most devoted and loyal friend she could ever dream of having, and she mentally chided herself daily for not having seen that sooner. The years of animosity between them seemed to slip away, leaving a very honest and strong friendship.

That also left room for plenty of confusion.

Lana had never been attracted to another girl before. She'd never even considered it. But she couldn't deny that she often tried to remember what the kiss Kyle Tippet had coerced them to share had been like. She wanted to know what it was like to kiss Hudson, and what it would be like for Hudson to kiss her back. Would having another girl touch her feel the same as when Whitney touched her? And what did it feel like to touch another girl's breasts? She knew how her own felt, but she was usually too wrapped up in the sensation of being touched, as opposed to doing the touching. What did breasts feel like when she wasn't receiving the sensations along with it?

Sighing again, Lana decided that now was not a good time to begin fantasizing about her best friend again. Instead, she wondered what the first day back at school would be like without Whitney there, and what she should wear that would be both cool enough to help her make it through the day, yet not too revealing.

She was almost finished with her outfit choice in her mind when she heard the unmistakable sound of pebbles hitting her window. Almost instantly, she was certain it had to be Hudson and her heart skipped a beat at the thought as she slipped out of bed and hurried to the window. Pulling back the curtains, Lana was pleased to see that her instincts were correct. She wasn't really surprised to see Hudson standing in the yard - her friend had a habit of showing up at weird times, wanting to talk.

Opening the window, Lana leaned out and offered her friend a smile. "Hi. What's going on?"

Hudson was hugging something tightly in her arms, and she didn't return the smile. "Can you come down and talk?"

Titling her head a little, Lana frowned. There was a note in Hudson's voice she'd never heard before. Leaning out a little further, she suggested, "Why don't you come up here? The air conditioning beats being out in that heat. Aunt Nell's asleep. The back door is unlocked."

Hudson nodded and broke into a jog around the house. Closing the window and replacing the curtains, Lana moved across the room and pulled the door open quietly, peering down the hall to make certain her aunt's door was still shut. She waited patiently for her friend, wondering what the strange tone of Hudson's voice meant. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Lana couldn't hide the smile as her friend appeared, silhouetted by the light from the hall window as she walked toward her room.

Stepping back, Lana waited for her to get through the door before shutting it behind her and following Hudson over to her bed. She thought her friend would sit down, but instead she paced, her arms still wrapped tightly around her. Confused, Lana sat on the edge of her mattress, waiting for Hudson to say something. When she didn't, Lana realized she was going to have to pry it out of her.

"H.C.? Is something wrong?"

Hudson turned to her at the question, still hugging the object in her arms. "I. Oh, Lana! Everything is wrong!"

Eyes widening a little with the declaration, which seemed more her own style and entirely too dramatic for Hudson Kent, Lana stared intently at the object. "Is that the music box you told me about? The one you gave Lex?"

Glancing down at the music box, Hudson's eyes widened a little, as if she forgot it was there. Slowly, she held it away from her. "I. I was going to give this back to him," she whispered.

"Oh. That's right. He got home today, didn't he?" Lana asked with a smile. "You're going to have to tell me how you made it through the past two weeks so that I can get over not seeing Whitney every. " She trailed off when she thought she noticed a tear on Hudson's cheek. "H.C.? What is it?"

"I. I saw Lex with another woman."

Lana's mouth fell open for a solid minute before she was able to close it and think clearly. That was impossible! Lex and Hudson were meant for each other - someone would have to be completely blind, deaf and stupid not to see how much Lex cared for her. He would never. Well, this was Lex Luthor.

"No." Lana shook her head, as if convincing herself as much as Hudson. "I'm sure you're getting all worked up over nothing. Lex always has business associates and stuff over. I'm sure that's who you saw. A business associate."

"That's what I told myself," Hudson replied quietly as she lowered herself onto the bed beside Lana, setting the music box lovingly between them. "But. she didn't look like a business associate. Well, the Victoria kind, maybe."

Lana shook her head again, refusing to believe it. "Tell me what you saw."

"I. Well, I went over there to give Lex the music box and welcome him back," Hudson began. "And I heard voices and I didn't want to interrupt so I stopped to listen, to make certain it was nothing important. That's when I heard her voice. She was talking about the castle and how much she liked it and he said something about being glad because he didn't want to look for another. What does that mean??"

Nibbling on her lip, Lana reached out and touched Hudson's hand. "Maybe she was just a relative."

"I don't think Lex has any relatives."

Hudson wasn't making this easy. "An old friend maybe? One from Metropolis who came to visit?"

"Victoria was an old friend." Hudson's lower lip quivered, her eyes filling with tears.

"Lex adores you, H.C.," Lana hastened to reassure her. "He would never do anything like that. He would never hurt you. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it."

"The same logical explanation for why he hasn't called me the past five days?" Hudson demanded, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

Lana blinked. "You didn't tell me. "

Hudson shook her head. "I didn't want to. I thought. I told myself he was just busy. Every day that he called, he was always so tired and telling me all about everything he was doing and. and when the calls stopped, I just figured he was too busy. But now. "

"He was too busy with work and stuff," Lana told her resolutely. "I'm sure of it!"

Hudson stared at her a moment, as if convincing herself that what Lana said was true. She didn't reply.

Feeling horrible for her friend, Lana leaned over and wiped her tears away. "H.C., if there were ever two people meant to be together, it's you and Lex. I'm certain of it. I get so jealous seeing you together - it's so obvious how much he loves you. You have to believe in that."

"What if he changed his mind?" She asked softly, her voice miserable. "What if he wants someone older and more mature? Someone without a curfew?"

"He's never expressed such a need previously," Lana pointed out. "I doubt two weeks away from you would change that."

"Out of sight, out of mind."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

They smiled at each other.

Wrapping her arms around her friend, Lana hugged Hudson tightly. "Don't worry about it tonight. Tomorrow, after school, you'll see Lex and that woman will be long gone. And he'll explain to you that she was some old friend visiting or something, and he'll tell you how much he missed you. And everything will be all right. I promise."

Hudson laid her head on Lana's shoulder and sniffled. "I hope you're right."

So did Lana. If not, then she was going to have some serious issues with her business partner.

***

The next morning dawned a little brighter than her evening ended. Though Hudson didn't get much sleep, she succeeded in convincing herself that Lana was right, and it eased her mind a bit. Lex cared for her, even though he hadn't admitted as much in so many words. She'd seen it over the summer with his actions and his touch and his smile. He wasn't the type to intentionally hurt someone he cared about. In fact, more often than not, he went out of his way to keep from doing so. Therefore, the strange woman in his house was either a business associate or old friend. Nothing more. When she saw him later after school, she would figure out a way to casually ask him about it.

Hudson still missed the bus, even though her mom went out of her way to make certain breakfast was completed early enough and her clothes were laid out for her to change into. Deep inside, Hudson couldn't help but wonder if her perennial issue with missing the bus wasn't a tiny bit on purpose - she enjoyed running and used every opportunity at her disposal to do so. Missing the bus didn't mean much to her, especially considering so many of her friends were getting their own cars and had their own transportation to school now. She was stuck riding the bus with a bunch of freshman, and that just wasn't cool. Earlier in the summer, Lex offered to start picking her up in the mornings on his way to work and she hoped he remembered that offer. Arriving in a Ferrari driven by your boyfriend beat a big yellow school bus any day.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, Hudson wondered exactly how miserable the heat would become before the day drew to a close as she arrived around the back of the school, slowing to approach the front at a walk. Normally they cancelled classes when it was this bad. But since it was the first day of school, nothing like that had been mentioned so far. It was criminal - forcing them to suffer through World History and Biology without air conditioning. At least gym class would be spent in the pool.

"Feeling better?"

Hudson turned at the voice to smile down at Lana as she walked up beside her. "Yeah. Thanks. You were right. I was worrying over nothing, I'm sure."

Lana touched her arm in understanding. "I would have done the same. Don't worry about it. It's what happens when you're in love - you worry over everything."

"Who's worrying over what?" Chloe's voice asked from behind them.

Spinning around, Hudson threw her arms around her friend and hugged her. "Chloe! I was beginning to think you had traded us in for the excitement of the big city."

"It was tempting," Chloe replied with a smile before glancing over at Lana. "Hey, Lana."

"Hi, Chloe. How was the internship?"

"Good." Chloe looked back up at Hudson as they all started back down the hall. "So how're things around the farm? Have you caught up from the storm?"

Hudson nodded, blowing another breath against the stifling humidity. "Yeah. We still keep finding the occasional thing out of place - like very badly out of place -but other than that, it's almost back to normal."

"And? How is the enigmatic Mr. Luthor?" Chloe asked with a grin.

Hesitating momentarily, Hudson glanced over at Lana who quickly brightened and grabbed hold of Chloe's arm, tugging her toward the biology classroom. "So, tell me all about Metropolis. Any cute guys at the Planet?"

Sighing with relief, Hudson followed her friends into the classroom. She didn't really want to discuss her relationship with Lex at the moment considering what happened the night before. She felt like she was walking on pins and needles, waiting for the day to end so that she could see him and assure herself that everything was all right. Sliding onto one of the stools of a lab table near the front, Hudson glanced to her left as Pete took the seat next to her.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile, nodding toward the ancient film reel set up in the back of class. "Great."

Blinking, Hudson followed his gaze. "What?"

"Every year the incredibly aged Mrs. Kowalski kicks off biology class with an ancient sex ed film."

Hudson tried not to blush, failing miserably. "Who told you that? One of your brothers?"

Pete grinned. "My dad."

"Ah." Hudson returned to facing the front. "Well, I'm sure it can't be that bad. "

She glanced toward the office door, eyes widening as the woman from the night before walked into the classroom. "Good morning," the woman called out with a smile, gaze moving around the class. "I'm Miss Atkins. I'll be your new biology teacher on health and human development."

Hudson couldn't help but wonder what the Kansas school board, the same people who made the bold proclamation that evolution didn't exist, would think of Miss Atkins' outfit. She might as well have been wearing nothing, if the expressions the faces of the boys in the classroom had anything to say about it. As it was, she wore a sundress that could barely qualify for something one would wear to bed, the skirt stopping just below her ass and neckline cut to her navel.

"I'm really sorry about the air conditioning in here, but it looks like we're going to have to suffer through this together," Miss Atkins told them with a smile and a toss of her full, dark hair.

"Bring on the pain," Pete muttered beside Hudson.

She turned and flashed him a glare while behind her, Lana giggled.

As their new teacher began moving around the class to close the blinds, Hudson turned to catch Lana's eye. When her friend was finally paying attention, she mouthed the words, 'That's her'.

Lana stared at her with a frown for a moment, not quite catching what she meant.

Frustration mounting, Hudson mouthed, 'Lex', using her finger to spell his name out in the air.

With that clue, the brunette's eyes widened, her face blanching a little and she turned to stare at Miss Atkins before spinning back around. 'Are you sure?' She mouthed back.

Hudson rolled her eyes and huffed. Like she wouldn't have every aspect of a woman, smiling at Lex the way Miss Atkins had been the night before, memorized. The expression on Lana's face was enough to put a little twinge of fear in her. It clearly said how could Lex resist the temptation of a woman who looked like that?!

Needing confirmation, Hudson turned to Pete as the film started. Leaning over, she whispered, "Do you think Miss Atkins is attractive?"

He looked at her as if she lost her mind. "Are you kidding? She's about ten levels above attractive," he whispered back. "Try hot as hell! Babelicious!"

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Hudson glanced over her shoulder at Miss Atkins, who was leaning against a lab table in the back, hand moving over the damp skin of her neck. "She's not. that great," she muttered.

What if Lex thought she was? What if that woman wasn't just an old friend? She obviously wasn't his business associate if she was teaching high school. Hudson glared at her. How dare she be in Lex's house! How dare she smile at him the way she had, and her laugh had been so fake. Lex probably fell for it, too. Not that she thought he would purposely hurt her - Lana convinced her of her folly in that belief - but men weren't exactly the smartest creatures on earth. She'd seen just enough to realize that if a woman really wanted to, she could get a man to do just about anything for her. And as much as she trusted Lex, she also knew he was as susceptible to a pretty face as any other man. So maybe this Miss Atkins was trying to move in on him, and he just didn't know it.

Turning back to face the front, that niggling fear in the back of Hudson's mind went to work again. What if he did know? And was all for it?

After all, Lex was twenty-two years old and owned his own company. Why would he want a teenager in high school when he could have.

She glanced back over her shoulder at Miss Atkins again as the narrator of the film droned on:

".This remarkable reproductive process is set into motion by the act of copulation, also known as intercourse or coitus. In many species, the females attract their mates with chemical scents called pheromones."

What if she touched him? What if Miss Atkins had her hands all over Lex - her Lex?? She would probably know better than Hudson what to do with him. Sure, Hudson was learning, albeit as slowly as Lex would let her, but this woman looked like she would know those kinds of things. Why, Miss Atkins probably even got on her knees and --

Hudson spun back around, nostrils flaring angrily. She gripped the edge of the table, as image after image of the woman in the back of the classroom and Lex doing things that he wouldn't allow her to do yet, swept through her mind. Anger and jealousy surged through her. She glared up at the screen, watching as two lions rutted in the wild and then the pain in the back of her eyes, that she hadn't felt in well over a year, surfaced. Seconds later, pinholes of flames began bursting over the projection screen, soon engulfing the entire thing in fire. Students around her screamed in surprise and jumped up from their chairs, darting for the door while Hudson stared at it in growing horror.

Oops.

"Okay everybody walk, do not run!" Miss Atkins called out. "Leave your books. Let's go!"

Sliding out of her seat, Hudson hurried out into the hall where she grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall beside the door and moved back into the classroom. Holding the hose toward the screen, she pressed down on the handle and spent the next few minutes putting out the blaze before it overwhelmed the entire room.

The blaze that she started.

Hell.

"The fire department is on the way," Miss Atkins called from near the door. "Come on. We need to get you outside."

Hudson glanced at the woman and couldn't help but think none of this would have happened if not for her. With the help of her parents, she'd learned to control her heat vision when it first appeared at the onset of her first period. Now, apparently, there were certain issues that could cause it to flare up, and she was going to have to relearn to restrain it. Setting the extinguisher down, Hudson moved toward the door, trying to ignore her new biology teacher as she walked past her.

Unfortunately, she'd aroused Miss Atkins' interest. "You have a cool head, Miss. ?"

"Kent. Hudson Kent." She started walking a little faster towards the exit.

"Hudson." Miss Atkins smiled and kept up with her. "Well, you're apparently a handy young woman to have around."

Yeah, I'll show you handy, Hudson thought, hurrying out the door and down the front steps. Chloe, Pete and Lana were gathered in the parking lot, glancing at the street as a fire truck roared its way toward the school. Hudson joined them as the truck pulled up and firemen began pouring out of it, Miss Atkins meeting them at the bottom of the steps.

"Every first day of school should start out like this," Pete quipped. "Think they'll let us go home early?"

"I doubt it." Lana made a face, watching Miss Atkins talk to the Fire Chief.

"What were you doing in there?" Chloe asked, glancing up at Hudson. "I thought you were right behind us."

"Putting out the fire."

Her friends all rolled their eyes.

"You know, no matter how hard you try, you're never going to get a merit badge in school, H.C."

"Bite me, Pete." Hudson turned at a tug on her sleeve to find Lana motioning to her.

"Is that really her?" She asked quietly, glancing toward Miss Atkins.

"Yeah." Hudson sighed. "Obviously she isn't a business associate."

"There's a perfectly logical explanation," Lana told her with a nod. She squeezed her arm. "You'll see."

All of the students were evacuated from the school while the fire department inspected the classroom to make certain that everything was safe. Hudson continued to watch Miss Atkins while her friends discussed their summer vacation. Their new biology teacher certainly was a big flirt - men seemed drawn to her like flies to honey. Of course, if Hudson were to begin walking around in next to nothing, she figured men would probably follow her around everywhere, too. Still, she didn't believe it was a very good example for a teacher to be setting for her students. God, she was beginning to sound like her dad.

Wiping a hand over the sweat on her forehead, Hudson turned to join in her friends' conversation when the familiar sound of a sports car caught her attention. Lana flashed her a big smile before Hudson moved around the corner to see a silver Lamborghini pull up into the parking lot. The door opened, and Lex jumped out.

"Lex!" Hudson called out happily.

"I came as soon as I heard," he said, moving toward her.

Her fears from the night before were immediately swept away. Smiling brightly, she took a step toward him -

And he walked right past her.

Blinking in confusion, Hudson turned to watch him hurry over to Miss Atkins.

And they kissed.

Somewhere near her, she heard Lana or Chloe gasp. It didn't really matter who it was. Hudson's world, at that moment, was consumed by the realization that Lex was kissing someone else. That Lex hadn't even acknowledged her presence. That everything she'd feared in the castle last night was true. There was a reason he hadn't called in the past five days - and it had nothing to do with work.

Silence fell over the small group of friends. Hudson barely noticed that Chloe, Lana and Pete stood around her now, offering quiet support, while each stared daggers at their new biology teacher and the man they thought was devoted to their friend. If she'd had any understanding right then of the surging anger her friends were feeling, she might have been worried for Lex's life. As it was, in her mind, Hudson was all alone, standing there, watching the world she'd imagined as perfect crumbling around her.

Miss Atkins was gesturing toward her, saying something about keeping a cool head and putting out the fire. It was then that Lex finally looked at her, but not in the way she had grown used to him noticing her, the familiar smile meant only for her was replaced with something more akin to gratitude. Tolerance, even.

"Why am I not surprised?" He looked at Miss Atkins again before turning his gaze back to Hudson. "Hudson, once again, I'm grateful."

She opened her mouth to reply, to say something, but no words came out. She thought it was Lana beside her who commented, "I'm confused."

Lex looked over at Lana and flashed a broad grin. "You're right. And I'm sorry," he told the group before turning to indicate Miss Atkins. "I'd like you to meet Desiree Atkins. My fiancée."

"Son of a bitch!" Pete spat.

"Mr. Ross!" Desiree exclaimed, flashing him a warning look.

Someone took Hudson's hand, maybe Chloe, it was difficult to tell because suddenly she couldn't breathe. It was like the time Eric Summers got hold of her powers and tossed her onto the car, cracking her ribs, and she couldn't breathe, and everything inside of her hurt. It was like that, only worse. And the world around her kept moving. Lex was saying something to her, and Pete snapped at him again, and then Lex was taking her hand and drawing her away from her friends. A part of her wondered if this was when he would tell her it was all some elaborate hoax. Desiree Atkins was really wanted by the FBI, and he was working with them in a sting operation of some sort.

"I was going to have this messengered, but since you're here. " He handed her a small envelope.

Hudson held it a moment, staring down at it. Maybe this was the note. He couldn't say it out loud, but she would open it and inside would be some secret rendezvous point where they could meet and talk. Instead, as her fingers removed the card with two wedding rings emblazoned on the front, Hudson's gaze swept over not an explanation of the ruse but an invitation.

"This is a wedding invitation," she said dumbly, wondering when her voice regained its capacity to speak. "For. tonight. "

"I know it's short notice but," Lex reached out and touched her arm, gazing at her hopefully, "I was hoping you would stand up with me. You're my best friend, Hudson, and I'd really like to have you there on such an important occasion."

Hudson's vision swam as she stared mutely at Lex. Behind her, the students began filing back into class. She heard Lana call out to her, the tone of concern evident in her voice. In front of her, Lex was waiting for an answer, watching her expectantly. A thousand questions flashed through her mind. Why? How could you do this? I thought you cared about me? What's gotten in to you? Why? Why? Why?

"I. " Hudson drew a breath and tried again but her throat was burning and her eyes were burning and. "Lex. ?"

Lex glanced at his watch. "I've got to get back to work. I'll have a dress delivered to the farm this afternoon." He patted her shoulder. "See you this evening."

As he walked back toward his car, Hudson stared after him, her fingers curling around the invitation in her hand. What had just happened? It was like she was conscious through one of her nightmares, and everything was happening around her, and she had absolutely no control over any of it. The ache in her was growing, and the tears finally spilled over as Lex drove out of the school parking lot.

"H.C.?" Lana was beside her, touching her arm gently. "Sweetie, let's go inside. We can go to the counselor or - "

"Lex is getting married." Hudson turned to stare at her friend. "What. what did I do?"

Lana's expression hardened. "You didn't do anything. He did. Don't start blaming yourself." She took Hudson's hand in hers and tugged. "Come on. Let's go inside and talk."

". No. " Hudson snatched her hand back and began to move away.

Why had Lex done this to her? Why hadn't he at least told her? Called? Something. Had she been demanding too much of his attention? Maybe he was finally sick of being with someone so young, someone with a curfew, someone whose father still hadn't truly accepted him.

But why didn't he tell her??

"I can't. " She looked up at Lana and her eyes hurt because she was trying to hold back her tears, and it wasn't working. The invitation slipped out of her hand to the ground. "I have to go."

Turning, Hudson ignored Lana's calls, keeping barely enough presence of mind not to break into speed until she was far away from the school grounds.

***

Martha placed the last postage stamp on the stack of bills in front of her before picking up the entire pile and waving them in front of her face, breathing a sigh of relief as the relatively cool breeze wafted over her. As much as she knew she would miss the heat once the freezing rain of January set in, at that moment she would have given anything for a surprise snowstorm. While she understood her husband's economic reasoning behind not investing in an air conditioner, sometimes she missed the cool buildings of Metropolis in the summer. There was only so much a tiny tabletop fan could do in the humidity of Kansas.

The screen door creaked open and Martha looked up to see Lana peeking her head in. She smiled at the young woman. "Lana. Come on in."

"Hi, Mrs. Kent. Sorry to bother you." She slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her. Twisting her hands nervously, she took a few steps toward the island. "Is. is Hudson here?"

Martha shook her head. "No. She hasn't come home from school yet. I figured she was helping Chloe with the Torch." Watching Lana's expression pale, she immediately asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Reaching in to her purse, Lana pulled out a small envelope and held it out to her. "Then you haven't heard. Lex gave this to Hudson - and then she took off. She didn't come back to school."

Frowning, Martha removed the card, eyes widening in disbelief that quickly turned to anger as she read the invitation. How could Lex be getting married? He'd only been gone for two weeks, and kept in touch with Hudson over the phone. Her daughter had been so excited about his return!

"This. Lana, are you certain?" Martha asked.

"Yeah." Lana slid onto one of the stools. "The woman is our new biology teacher. Hudson saw her last night when she went to welcome Lex home. She came to my place after to talk about it."

Martha pursed her lips but didn't reply. She'd thought Hudson's visit with Lex had gone well. Her daughter hadn't said anything that morning.

Lana looked close to tears as she continued, "I assured her that she had to be a friend or associate of Lex's. I told her there was no way that Lex would do something like this to her! And this morning. Oh, Mrs. Kent. I feel so awful!"

"It's not your fault, Lana." Martha reached out and took the girl's hand, squeezing it gently. "This," she held up the invitation, "Is clearly a Luthor thing." She shook her head. "I just. I never would have expected this of him. Lex seemed so happy with H.C. He was becoming a part of the family. "

Martha trailed off and shook her head again, worry filling her over what her daughter's state of mind must be. It hurt to be jilted by anyone that you loved, but for a sixteen-year old girl, experiencing love for the first time, such pain consumed your entire life. Nothing mattered beyond how much you hurt and how certain you were that the entire world was against you. No wonder Hudson hadn't come home. Her baby needed her, and Martha had no idea where to begin looking.

"Thank you for coming by, Lana," Martha told her, sliding off the stool and grabbing her purse. She'd begin by driving around to some of the usual places she knew Hudson liked to go.

"You're welcome." Lana hesitated by the door, looking up at Martha imploringly. "I. I was thinking about going to the wedding. I mean, Lex is my partner, and. well, I keep hoping there might be some kind of decent explanation. But. "

"You're worried about Hudson." Martha ushered her to the door, pushing the screen open as they stepped onto the porch together. "I'll find her. Don't worry."

"Do you. do you think H.C. will be upset if I go?"

"My daughter would never hold that against you, Lana. You know that."

"Yeah." Lana nodded. She moved down the steps, and then turned to glance up at Martha. "It's funny. I can't help but think if it can't work out between two people like Hudson and Lex who obviously really cared about each other, what chance do the rest of us have?"

Martha smiled a little and remained on the porch, watching as Lana climbed into Nell's truck and drove off. What chance, indeed. Grasping the invitation tightly in her hand, she hurried down the steps and toward the shed where she could hear Jonathan working. He'd been wood-working all day - refinishing two of their dressers and the dining room chairs. As she pushed the door open and stepped into the shed, her husband looked up from the sander and flashed her a smile.

"What's cookin', good-lookin'?"

She hated spoiling his good mood like this. Sighing, she walked straight over to him and held out the invitation.

Still grinning, Jonathan slipped his goggles onto his head and took the small card from her hand. His grin slowly faded as he read over the words. "What in the hell?" He looked at Martha. "Is this a joke?"

"I wish it were." She dug through her purse for her keys before slinging the strap over her shoulder. "Lana just came by and showed it to me. She told me when Hudson found out this morning, she took off from school. No one's seen her."

"That son of a bitch!" Jonathan barked, crumpling the invitation in his fist. "What? Did he find someone richer and bitchier? Someone more like himself?"

"Apparently the woman is Hudson's new biology teacher."

Jonathan stared at his wife, dumb-founded.

Unable to answer any of the questions she knew he was about to throw at her, Martha turned and started back toward the door. "I'm going to go look for our daughter - "

"I'm coming with you - "

"Oh no, you're not." Martha whirled back around, shaking her head. "The last thing Hudson needs right now is to hear 'I told you so'."

"I wouldn't - " Jonathan began to deny.

Martha cut him off. "You might not say it in so many words, but your body language would be shouting it at her. She doesn't need to be reminded of your hatred for the Luthors, or how you knew her relationship with Lex was a bad idea." Moving forward, she took her husband's hands in hers. "Right now, our daughter needs someone she can talk to. Someone who will let her be a normal sixteen-year old girl who's had her heart broken. She needs her mother." Leaning up, she kissed Jonathan's cheek. "She'll need her daddy soon enough."

As she stepped away, headed back to the door, her husband called out, "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."

Shaking her head, Martha replied, "Somehow, I don't think that will help the situation, Jonathan. Go back to work. Hopefully I'll be home in time for dinner. with Hudson."

As she exited the shed, Martha wondered if it was a good idea to leave Jonathan on his own. He could very well decide to carry through with his threat. He might not kill Lex, but she could certainly see him leaving the young man with a black eye or two. And somehow, Martha couldn't bring herself to care at the moment if he did so.

The next hour was spent driving to every little hiding place Martha knew of from Hudson's childhood. Smallville wasn't a very big town but it was also mostly fields and woods and trying to find one teenage girl who didn't want to be found wasn't an easy task. It wasn't until Martha was ready to return to the farm to see if Hudson might have come home when she remembered her daughter's favorite family picnic spot. Heading toward Elbow River, she drove over Loeb's Bridge, glancing toward the shore when she finally spotted Hudson sitting beneath the trees on the northwest side, staring. Pulling over to the shoulder, Martha turned off the engine, slipped her keys into her pocket and climbed out, heading down the embankment.

Hudson didn't look up as she neared her. She just stared silently out at the water, occasionally sniffling. Her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes red and puffy, and the evidence of her sorrow hurt Martha more than anything. Her daughter rarely cried. Her body was so strong the scraped knees and broken arms of childhood had never occurred. Hudson grew up a very happy, vibrant child, who preferred laughter to tears, forgiveness to anger. Seeing her like this, so broken that she couldn't hold it back, made Martha want to get into her car, drive to the Luthor Estate and smack the crap out of Lex Luthor.

Sitting beside her daughter on the grass, Martha watched her quietly for a long moment before telling her, "I was in love with this boy in high school. I thought the sun rose and set by him. We even went to junior prom together. The day after, he told me he just wanted to be friends. I thought my world had ended. Then I went to college, met your father, and I fell in love all over again."

"Why?" Hudson turned her gaze to her mom, her expression angry. "Why would you want to? There's nothing good about it. It hurts - even when you think everything's right and the sun is shining and there's puppies and flowers - it still hurts."

Reaching out, Martha brushed her hair off her face and offered a sympathetic smile. She hadn't realized how much Hudson truly had fallen for Lex. It wasn't a simple crush. Her daughter had fallen in love. "Yes, honey. Love can be very painful. But it can be very beautiful as well."

"It's icky and horrible and I never, ever want to feel it again!" Hudson denied heatedly, immediately dissolving into sobs.

"Oh. Hudson." Martha pulled her daughter into her arms, rocking her gently as she cried. "Your heart's too open not to love. It'll happen again, whether you want it to or not."

She shook her head against Martha's shoulder. "No, I won't!. How could he do this to me, mom? I don't understand!"

Martha didn't either. She couldn't fathom how a man who showed up for dinner at their house every Sunday night and gazed at her daughter so adoringly week after week could suddenly announce his marriage to someone else. None of it made any sense.

"I hate Lex!" Hudson cried. "I hate him so much!"

Kissing the top of her head, Martha nodded a little. "I know, honey. We always cry hardest over those we hate the most."

Hudson's sobs subsided just for a moment. "Don't make fun of me!" Her voice was petulant and child-like.

Sometimes Martha forgot how young her daughter really was. "I'm not. I've cried over plenty of men that I've claimed to hate as well. Trust me."

"I hate her, too," Hudson admitted, voice muffled against Martha's shoulder. "I never want to go into that stupid class again!"

"Unfortunately, there is no way out of that."

Hudson raised her tear-streaked face to argue, but Martha didn't let her.

"No. Now listen to me, Hudson. You're not going to let her, or what Lex has done to you, disrupt your life. You're going to go to school, continue to get good grades and see your friends. I'm not going to let what that man has done ruin your future. Do you understand me?"

Her daughter looked away, sniffling again as more tears began to fall. "I love him more than she ever will."

"Hudson - "

"She's not going to care that he's discovered a new love for cheeseburgers, but only with aged cheddar," she continued, turning back to her mother. "Or that he likes to have his feet rubbed, though he'll never admit it. I bet she won't watch Disney cartoons and bad Sci-Fi's with him or play with Super Soakers in the backyard!"

Hudson broke down again and Martha quickly pulled her back into her arms.

"I thought he loved me!" She sobbed. "Why can't he love me, mom? Why can't I be good enough to make him love me?"

"Hudson Clark Kent!" Martha held her daughter by the arms and shook her lightly. "I never want to hear you say something like that again! You are ten times the person Lex Luthor could ever hope to be and I'm sure the same goes for this Desiree Atkins. It's his fault if he can't see how special you are."

Hudson dropped her gaze to the ground. "You have to say that because you're my mother," she whispered miserably.

Martha cupped her face between her hands and caught her eyes. She smiled at Hudson and thought there was truly no more beautiful creature in the world than her little girl. "No, baby. I'm saying that because it's true. You were a gift to your father and me, and you're a gift to every person who meets you. Lex was given a beautiful gift, and he gave it back. If he can do that, then he doesn't deserve you."

Shaking her head just a little, Hudson curled against her mom once more, burying her face against her neck.

Martha rocked her gently, silently, until her daughter's tears eventually subsided.

***

Hudson watched the sun as it slowly rose over the horizon, the deep red rays stretching out across the stripped cornfields. A rooster crowed from a fence outside the loft window, and she could hear the herd slowly making their way in for the morning feeding. She'd spent the entire night staring out at the sky, trying not to miss Lex, trying not to remember that it was his wedding night and that he was doing things with her biology teacher that he refused to do with her. Sometimes, when she couldn't stop thinking, she ached so badly inside that she thought she would be sick. It was a lot like the meteor rocks - only her mother assured her that this pain would go away. Hudson just wasn't certain if she believed that or not.

When they'd returned home from the river and sat down to dinner, her parents seemed to do everything in their power to keep her entertained, to focus her thoughts on other things. There was non-stop chatter between them, conversations about all of the mundane specifics around the farm, what was on TV that night and how good the food was. Hudson knew her dad wanted to say more - she could see it in his gaze. Her mom must have caught him beforehand, told him to keep it to himself. As she excused herself after cleaning the table, to head out to the loft, her dad stopped her, enveloped her in a big hug and told her that he loved her.

That was maybe worse than hearing 'I told you so'. It seemed everyone loved her. Everyone but the person she really wanted to.

Hiding in her loft, Hudson spent the night trying desperately to make the ache go away. Sometimes she cried, sobbed until she thought she might never be able to stop, but then the tears would slowly cease and she thought maybe, just maybe, some of the pain was purged. Her gaze would drift to the night sky, and the loneliness didn't seem quite so overwhelming. She'd felt closer to the stars that night than ever before. Sitting there, gazing up at them, sometimes the ache grew a little less. She knew they wouldn't go away; they wouldn't leave her on her own. The stars, probably more than anyone, knew her best of all.

"And here I thought I could depend on you."

Hudson spun around at the voice, staring at Lex in stunned surprise as he mounted the steps. At first, his words didn't penetrate as the sight of him, coming toward her, wiped out all cognizant thought. Slowly, she recalled what he said and frowned. "Funny. Hearing that coming from you."

Stopping in the middle of the loft, Lex's gaze narrowed. "I asked you to be there with me, Hudson, on the most important day of my life. You go on and on about how I can trust you and how much I mean to you, and you can't even give me that?"

"What?" Hudson jumped to her feet, disbelieving. "Are you insane? A week ago we talked on the phone for two hours! You said you missed me, that you couldn't wait to come back to Smallville and you never wanted to leave me for that long again! And then, out of nowhere, you show up with this. woman and tell me you're getting married. And you expect me to support you through the wedding?"

Lex nodded, his expression slowly fading to nothing. "I actually expected you to be happy for me."

"Happy for you?" Hudson took a step toward him, her hand out in silent supplication. "Lex, we were happy together."

"Things change, Hudson. We were. " He paused, frowning for a moment and shook his head. "What we had was fun. But it was never meant to be forever."

This didn't even sound like Lex. Hudson stepped up to him, laying her hand against his chest as she stared into his eyes. "But. I love you, Lex. And you love me."

"I've never said that," he replied coldly, grabbing her wrists and pushing her back slightly. "And you're a child. You have no idea what love is."

It was true. Lex never told her that he loved her. Well, not in so many words. Hudson always believed it though - in his touch, his smile, the little things he did for her. In fact, she had been so certain of it that she began to consider telling him the truth about herself.

But he was wrong when he said she didn't know what love was. He was the one who didn't understand, couldn't comprehend, even when it was right in front of him.

"Oh, and she does?" Hudson demanded. "You've known her so terribly long that you're absolutely positively that she's the one who wrote the rule book on love?!"

"I thought you would be more mature about this," Lex snapped, his tone arrogant. "I thought you were my friend, Hudson. Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Hudson choked back the tears that threatened. "I can be happy for you, Lex," she whispered. "If any of this made sense. "

Lex offered a small smile, his gaze turning inward for a moment. "Love doesn't make sense, Hudson. It just happens. You can't explain it or give any reasons for it. Someday, you'll understand that."

But she already understood that. Dammit, she believed that she and Lex began to understand that together. If he really did love this Desiree - and Hudson refused to believe that he did - then it was only because she was the one who taught him to open his heart to others, to accept what they had to offer.

"I think you'll like Desiree, once you get to know her, Hudson."

Hudson blinked at him with his words. Fat chance, that.

"She's a good person." His smile grew. In fact, his expression could only be described as giddy. "She saved me."

"Saved. " Hudson trailed off and shook her head. "Lex, are you listening to yourself? This isn't you."

As quickly as it appeared, Lex's smile faded. He flashed her an accusatory look. "Maybe it is the real me, Hudson. Maybe you don't know me as well as you like to think you do. Maybe you never have." He grew silent, glaring at her for a few seconds before adding, "Maybe all you ever wanted me around for was all of the gifts I could shower you with. To brag to your high school friends about your rich boyfriend."

"Fuck you, Lex!"

"Hudson Kent, such language." Lex appeared amused. "What would your mother say?"

They weren't having this conversation. Hudson pushed past him, hurrying down the stairs into the barn. Behind her, Lex followed.

"You know, I'm glad I've seen this side of you before things went much further between us."

"How could they have gone much further?" She tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the door. "We were just having 'fun', right?"

"You're an incredible bitch."

Hudson whirled around, stepping up into Lex's face. "And you're a fucking bastard! Maybe we were made for each other, after all."

Lex stared at her silently before giving a slight nod. "Let me know when you make the choice to grow up, Hudson. And maybe we can salvage this friendship."

She said nothing as he stepped around her and moved toward his car. What could she say? Hudson just stood there, horror washing over her as she heard the engine of his car roar to life and then the churning of the gravel beneath the tires as he left the farm. What had just happened?

Clutching her hand against her stomach, which was roiling dangerously from shock and hurt and many other emotions she couldn't identify at the moment, Hudson slowly turned to look down the empty driveway. Tears she thought long spent appeared again, trailing down her cheeks to the front of her t- shirt. She'd said things she never thought she'd say to Lex. And she'd been so angry - so horribly, uncontrollably angry with him - that she wanted to hit him there at the end. Just slap him hard. And if she had lost control?

"Oh, god. "

"H.C.?"

Turning at her dad's voice, Hudson immediately launched herself against him and sobbed against his shoulder. She felt his arms go around her and he held her close, hands smoothing soothingly over her back as she cried.

"What is it, little girl?" He asked, lifting her chin to frown at her tears. "Lex?"

She sniffed. "He was just here and. Oh, Daddy! It was just awful. The things we said to each other, and he was so. cold and angry to me. It was like I've never meant anything to him, and he accused me of horrible things!" She sobbed, wondering if she would ever stop.

"Shhhh." He brushed her tears away. "He doesn't deserve you, H.C. And he sure as hell doesn't deserve your tears. You're stronger than this. You're a Kent. Let him go."

Hudson worried her lower lip as she stared up at him, remembering her recurring dream of carrying Lex through the sky. He, too, asked her to just let him go. And all she could do was ask her dad the same thing she always asked Lex, "What if I can't?"

***

By the time Lex headed home for lunch from work, his mind was intensely confused by the conversation he'd shared with Hudson early that morning. After all, Hudson was his guiding light for the past year, the person he measured every choice he made by, and the fact that she questioned his marriage to Desiree gave him reason to be concerned. He still believed that she should have been happy for him, that she should have been there for the wedding, that she should have.

Well, hell. She definitely should not have cursed at him. That wasn't very Hudson-like and neither was her anger. He'd expected a hug of congratulations or, at the very least, an apology for not showing up at the wedding. Maybe even an excuse - he really would have accepted anything from her. But her childish antics upset him that morning, and maybe Lex said a few things he shouldn't have as well.

Hudson was young and impressionable. He should have known that it would have hurt her a bit when he really fell in love with someone. He just couldn't understand why she wasn't happy for him, why she seemed to believe their relationship together had been serious?

And this was where Lex became really confused, because a tiny voice inside of him kept insisting that his relationship with Hudson had been serious. It didn't make any sense. She was sixteen, and she certainly wasn't Desiree, who loved him more than anyone ever had in his life. And he loved her. He was certain of it. More certain than he could ever remember being.

Then why the sudden niggling doubt? The more Lex thought about it through the morning, the more he kept coming back to his argument with Hudson. He didn't like the idea of his friend - a teenager, no less - causing him to question his marriage. This was the happiest he'd been in his entire life and.

Or was it?

Rubbing a hand over his face in frustration, Lex pulled the Aston Martin up to the castle and climbed out, staring at the front of the structure as if it might have the answers he was searching for. Unfortunately, he didn't have that kind of luck. Sighing, he grabbed his briefcase from behind the seat and made his way into the castle.

Desiree was standing beside his desk, looking down at something when he entered the study and he took a moment to simply admire her. There really wasn't a word that could describe how beautiful, how desirable, how incredibly sexy she was. His breath had a way of escaping him whenever he looked at her - her long dark hair that cascaded down her back, the soft lines of her body, high, full breasts, shapely hips, long, muscular legs that wrapped around him, pulling him deeper inside her warm body.

Lex wiped at the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead, gasping a little at the sudden wave of desire that swept over him. With the sound, Desiree glanced up, a smile immediately crossing her face.

"Lex." Her voice was like a cool breeze in the heat.

And yet, it didn't quite sound as beautiful as when Hudson spoke it.

Lex blinked. Mentally shaking the thought from his mind, he moved across the room, setting the briefcase down as he neared her. She was watching him closely, a smile playing over her lips as she shuffled the objects in her hand. Lex glanced down, noticing that they were photographs.

"Would you like to explain these?" Desiree held them up.

Reaching out, Lex took them from her hand and frowned a little as he looked at them. There were three total, all of him and Hudson from over the summer. One was taken by Martha on the Fourth of July, and the two others by Lana during their trip to the State Fair. They were the only photos he'd ever had of himself with someone he dated, other than what was printed in newspapers. Until Desiree, of course. Once developed, they would have an entire photo album of wedding pictures to share.

Shrugging, he set the photos down. "They're pictures of me and Hudson."

Desiree arched a delicate eyebrow. "You seem a little closer than just friends in those, Lex. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Well, he certainly didn't plan on keeping anything from his wife. "We dated over the summer."

"I never expected you to be a cradle-robber, Lex," she commented, her tone slightly amused. "I'm surprised her parents allowed it."

"Mr. Kent didn't like it. Although I think he became used to me."

Lex loosened his tie and glanced down at the photos again. The picture lying on top showed Hudson leaning over to him with her ice cream cone, holding it up to his mouth, a grin on her face. He appeared slightly skeptical of taking a bite. Of course, in the end, it hadn't mattered. He'd ended up with strawberry ice cream smeared across the tip of his nose. The little brat had laughed until he grabbed the cone from her hand and given her the same treatment. Lana laughed over the entire episode as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever witnessed.

Desiree tapped her fingernail against the top of his desk. He glanced up to catch her watching him closely. Lex frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"These weren't all I found," she told him, moving around behind him, hand brushing over his back. "In the room next to ours there is a closet filled with clothes, and there are all manner of stuffed animals and trinkets and perfume scattered on the bed." Folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the desk, Desiree looked up at him in question.

"Gifts that I bought Hudson." Lex shrugged. "Her parents wouldn't have been pleased if they knew about them."

Her gaze narrowed just a bit. "I want you to get rid of them, Lex. Burn them. And those." She pointed at the photos.

That seemed. wrong. Something inside Lex warred with the idea of completely destroying the memories of his time spent with Hudson. It might have been over, but that didn't mean he had to make it go away. He wasn't ashamed of it; he carried plenty of fond memories of it. He shook his head. "Desiree, there's no need. You shouldn't be jealous. It's over between me and Hudson."

His wife's pretty mouth formed a pout and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked up at him. "I'm not jealous, Lex. I know you love me. But I just feel that you should move on. I love you. I don't want to see you hurt."

And then her mouth was against his, her warm tongue brushing past his lips and Lex thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. No woman kissed him like Desiree did. No woman tasted like her, smelled like her, felt like her. She was complete perfection. She was his. She loved him.

Breaking the kiss, Desiree smiled up at him. "She doesn't deserve the loyalty you're showing her, Lex. Not when she couldn't even show up to your wedding."

Lex nodded, completely lost in the blanket of desire that engulfed him. He wanted to throw her over the desk and fuck her right through the glass. "You're right," he answered, reaching out to run his fingers over her long neck. "I'll get rid of all of it."

"Thank you, Lex. You're so good to me. "

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment and Lex glared over at Dodd standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"I just wanted to know what you preferred for lunch today?" He asked, frowning at both of them.

"Go away," Lex snapped.

"Wait." Desiree pulled away from her husband. "Dodd, I need to speak with you about. the meals for the week." She looked up at Lex. "I'll see you at lunch."

"Can't this wait?"

"No." She shook her head and smiled, leaning up to kiss Lex once more. "It can't. I'll see you soon. Take care of that little thing for me, okay?"

Lex nodded mutely as Desiree left the study with Dodd following.

***

"Thanks for coming with me," Lana said with a smile as she and Hudson climbed out of Nell's truck and headed for the Talon. "I can't imagine what the big issue is that I need to check on."

"Who was it that called?" Hudson stood to the side while Lana slipped the key into the lock on the front door.

Her friend shrugged her petite shoulders. "I don't know. Nell just said it was one of the girls. They all know tonight is our study night - usually they know better than to interrupt for something stupid."

"Well, it could be important then." Hudson pulled the door open and Lana flashed her a smile of thanks as she moved inside, turning on the lights.

While working on their American History homework, and snacking on burgers that Nell brought back from the Cozy Inn in Salina, they'd been interrupted when Lana's aunt walked in to tell them Lana was needed at the Talon. The girls had jumped at the chance to get away from the books and in to town for a bit, even if it was just a trip to the Talon. After all, it always meant a hot cappuccino and a slice of Hudson's mom's apple pie.

"Hello?" Lana called out, looking around as they moved through the lobby into the Talon proper. "Is anyone here?"

Hudson moved up behind her, gaze scanning the room until she finally peered through the walls into the kitchen and office. Seeing no one, she shook her head, frowning a little. "No one seems to be here, Lana. Are you sure your aunt heard correctly?"

"Who knows?" Lana shrugged with a sigh before heading around the bar. "Want a cappuccino?" At Hudson's brief acknowledgment, Lana grabbed two mugs and began working with the machine. She glanced over her shoulder, flashing her friend a tentative smile. "So, now that we're out of the range of Nell's curious ears. How're you doing?"

"You mean how am I handling the fact that the man I thought I was going to be in love with for the rest of my life is now married to my biology teacher and has apparently developed a sudden intense dislike of me?" Hudson slipped onto one of the stools. "I'm peachy. Why do you ask?"

Lana winced as she set the cappuccinos on the counter. "Sorry. You've just been so quiet about it, I thought you might want to - "

Hudson waved her to silence. "Don't worry about it. I'm dealing in my own way."

Which meant a lot of work was getting done around the farm - fences mended, entire sheds built, machinery fixed. It also gave her the chance to go around and destroy a few things while she was at it, just to have something to do. It was after she tossed the mailbox far enough away that they still had yet to find it, when her dad suggested she find something more constructive to vent her anger on. Her mom suggested crocheting. It was the first time Hudson laughed in the past two days.

"Well, if you're interested, Whitney said I should bring you with me when I go to visit him next weekend." Lana took a sip of her beverage. "He thought you'd have fun, and it would get your mind off of things."

"No offense, Lana," Hudson replied with a slight smile. "But being hit on by a bunch of drunken K-State guys doesn't sound like my ideal weekend."

Laughing a little, Lana nodded. "I didn't think you'd say yes, but I thought I'd offer anyway." She stared into her cup for a moment before offering, "You know, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on. "

God, that's all she needed to do was start crying again. If that happened, she might never stop. "Thanks but. I think I've cried every tear in me that's available in the last twenty-four hours. Then I got really angry." Hudson broke off, shaking her head.

"And now?"

"Now I'm just. confused." She looked back up at Lana. "I don't understand it. When Lex came by the farm this morning it was like he wasn't himself. If not for the Armani, Hugo Boss and Aston Martin, I would have thought someone was trespassing."

"Marriage does strange things to people they say."

"Yeah, like erase their memory and turn them into Mr. Hyde." Hudson's gaze narrowed suddenly and she sniffed. "Do you smell something?"

Lana glanced up to reply just as the cappuccino machine behind her erupted into flames. Screaming, the girl flattened herself against the counter as Hudson grabbed her arms and pulled her over the top. They fell back to the floor together as another miniature explosion rocketed across the equipment, the fire quickly spreading behind the bar.

"Call 911," Hudson told her as they scrambled to their feet.

"My cell's in the truck!" Lana told her, glancing in distress at the phone behind the counter that they couldn't get to.

"Come on. There's nothing we can do." Hudson tugged on her arm and they raced for the front door.

Lana quickly inserted the key and turned the lock before grabbing hold of the handle to yank the doors open. Instead, she almost went flying backwards as the door stayed shut. "It won't open!" She cried out to Hudson, yanking on it again.

Frowning, Hudson peered through the doors to see a chain wrapped around the outside handles. What in the hell? "Stay here by the glass. Don't go into the other room until you hear me call, okay? I'm going to check the back door."

Grabbing Lana's keys from her hand, Hudson ran through the main room, not bothering to glance at the fire as she hurried through the swinging door past the main office to the back. She tried the lock but again, something was holding the door barred shut. Looking over her shoulder to make certain Lana hadn't followed, Hudson slammed into the door, tearing the chains that held it tied on the outside and stumbling slightly into the alley.

Moving back into the hall, she shouted, "Lana! I got the back door open!"

Hudson spent the next few moments looking around the alley as Lana ran to her. "Oh god! This can't be happening," Lana muttered as she hurried into the alley.

"Go make the call!"

Lana ran off down the alley without question. Following her to the end of the buildings, Hudson began peering through the businesses along Main Street, frowning when she caught a figure moving two alleys down at a run. Glancing over her shoulder once to make certain Lana wasn't watching, Hudson sped after the person, slowing just in time to stop in front of them.

Unfortunately, her presence scared her victim enough to pull a gun and shoot. She quickly deflected the bullet with her hand, and then fell back against the pavement in shock as she stared up at the man above her.

"Dodd?"

Gun poised, Dodd returned her expression of disbelief.

Shit. Shit. Her eyes drifted to the gun before raising back to Dodd's face.

He was backing away slowly.

"Dodd, wait." She jumped to her feet. "Did you. did you start that fire?"

He blinked. Setting his jaw, he tucked the gun into his jacket then turned and sprinted back down the alley.

Hudson let him go. She really had no choice in the matter. For one, he saw the bullet bounce off of her hand. Whatever she tried to accuse him of, he could certainly turn the curiosity on to her by mentioning it. Even if most people would think him crazy, there might be one person who would believe his story. And two, Hudson refused to believe that someone she thought was her friend had just tried to kill her.

But then, nothing seemed to be making much sense lately.

Taking a deep breath, Hudson hurried back to the Talon just as the fire truck rolled to stop. Lana stood on the sidewalk, staring almost angrily at the chains wrapped around the front doors, arms crossed over her chest. Moving up beside her, Hudson touched her shoulder and pulled her back into the street and out of the way of the firemen.

"The sprinkler system kicked in a few moments ago," Lana informed her. "So the damage shouldn't be that bad."

Hudson winced as a fireman smashed through the front doors.

Beside her, Lana cursed under her breath. "Who the hell would do something like this?" She demanded, glancing up at Hudson. "We could have been killed in there!"

Not feeling the need to point out that was probably the intention, Hudson shifted her feet, glancing down the street once as if searching for Dodd. "I don't know who would have done such a thing, Lana. But I'm sure the police will be able to figure it out." She slipped her hand into her friend's and squeezed it.

The truth was, the probability of the police figuring anything out was unlikely. Hudson had her suspicions regarding Dodd and the real reason he worked for Lex. She doubted more and more that it was for his culinary skill. If he was behind the fire, then she seriously did not believe anyone would be able to find a single clue that could be traced back to him. And she certainly wasn't willing to hand over any information until she was positive as to what was going on. Briefly the thought crossed her mind that Lex had ordered this attack on her and Lana but it was just as quickly dismissed. No, there was a common link here to all of her troubles of the past two days.

And that common link had access to both Lex and to Dodd.

The question was, how the hell did Desiree Atkins have such a strong hold over both of them? What was it about her that turned Hudson's boyfriend and a close friend into total strangers?

***

Hudson hesitated outside the kitchen door to the castle, glancing once more at the paper she held in her hands. She just knew that Desiree was bad news and this certainly proved it. She obviously had something to hide and once Lex understood that, then maybe things would be better between them. After all, it wasn't as if Hudson didn't want to see him happy - even if it meant his being happy without her. There was just something about his new wife that had her on edge, even if no one else seemed to see it.

After class, Hudson stopped by the Torch to ask for Chloe's help in digging into some background information on Miss Atkins - Hudson refused to refer to her as Mrs. Luthor. With her request, Chloe gave her one of those looks that signaled her friend wasn't too happy with her.

"Imagine that. Hudson Kent coming to me for information." Chloe grabbed a file from her desk and stood to move over to the file cabinet.

"No 'Hi, Chloe. We need to get together and do something' or 'Gee, Chloe. I sure missed you over the summer'. No, it's 'Hi, Chloe. I need your help'." She slammed the cabinet door closed, causing Hudson to jump a little as her friend fixed her with an angry look. "Well, maybe I don't want to help you."

Sighing, Hudson dropped into one of the chairs and glanced up at Chloe apologetically. "Chloe, I know we haven't spent much time together - "

"Try any."

"-- any time together since you've been back and I'm sorry." She leaned across the desk, staring up at her friend as she walked back over to the computer, slamming various items around. "But things have been a little . I'm having a little trouble falling into my old routine when my boyfriend shows up out of the blue with some bimbo science teacher and marries her! That's not exactly an every day occurrence."

"This is Smallville, H.C. You think you'd be used to the weird and unexplainable," Chloe pointed out, her expression softening a little.

Hudson shook her head. "There's weird and unexplainable and then there's," she waved a hand in the air, "Desiree Atkins."

"Luthor."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Something's going on, Chloe. I can't come up with a single explanation for why Lex would marry that woman."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "For starters, she's gorgeous. She's enough to make even me question my heterosexuality."

"She isn't that great," Hudson muttered.

"Jealous much?" Chloe grinned as she lifted a can of Coke to her mouth and took a sip.

Hudson bristled at the accusation. "I'm not jealous! Lex told me I'm beautiful and I refuse to believe, for even a moment, that she's better than me!"

"Yeah. Okay, H.C." She sat down in front of her computer, typing her password into the window while across from her, Hudson continued to pout.

Finally looking back up, Chloe told her, "Look. There's no denying that you're beautiful too, H.C. But you're also sixteen. Mrs. Luthor is older. She's more sophisticated and sexy. Guys go nuts for that. Maybe Lex just decided he doesn't want to hang out with the high school crowd anymore."

Hudson raised her gaze to her friend and couldn't believe how betrayed and hurt she felt at that moment. Maybe she'd grown too used to Lana's sympathetic ear, but Chloe's blunt explanation cut her to the core. She thought she was over the upset regarding Lex's marriage, that she could get beyond the hurt and the need to cry but apparently she was mistaken. Especially when it came to one of her good friends choosing the other side.

"You know, I shouldn't have expected you to understand." Grabbing her backpack, Hudson stood to leave.

"H.C., wait." Chloe reached out for her hand and tugged. "Look, I'm sorry. I know how much Lex means to you and how close you two have been. I just. " She looked at the floor and shrugged. "Maybe after all this I just think you deserve better, and I wish you could just forget about him and move on with your life."

"Well, I can't, Chloe. Not until I know for certain that everything is fine. That this Desiree Atkins is the genuine article."

"You really think something is wrong?"

Hudson returned to her seat. "You know the fire last night at the Talon? The police said they can't find any evidence that it was arson and that the chained doors may have simply been a prank not meant to harm us."

"You believe differently, though." It wasn't a question.

"I saw Lex's cook, Dodd, hurrying away from the scene. I went after him, confronted him, but he just took off." Hudson shook her head. "Dodd and I are friends, Chloe, just like me and Lex. Something's wrong to make him act like that."

"You think Lex's wife is behind both Lex's treatment of you and the fire last night?" Chloe frowned. "I hate to say it, H.C., but it's a stretch. Even for me to believe."

"I'll be the first to admit it doesn't make any sense," Hudson acknowledged. "Which is why I just want to find something, anything, that will either set my mind at ease or provide me with some evidence. Will you help me? Please?"

Chloe sighed but turned back to her computer. "Very well. Let's see if Mrs. Luthor has any skeletons in her closet."

As it turned out, they didn't find much but it was enough to deepen Hudson's suspicions. Chloe promised to keep digging while Hudson took the information she had to confront Lex with it. There would be two possible outcomes - either he would already know about it and she would be left with nothing in the way of her theories. Or, he wouldn't know, he'd confront Desiree, everything would come out in the ensuing argument and Hudson would have her boyfriend back. Well, at least, that was the scenario she played over and over again in her head on the way to the estate.

Stepping into the kitchen, Hudson glanced around, looking for Dodd. Only he wasn't present. She frowned, wondering if Desiree had him off setting more fires, or he'd seen Hudson coming and hid. Dismissing both options, she decided she would just ask Lex when she saw him.

Hurrying down the hall and up the stairs, Hudson was beyond pleased to find Lex playing pool in the study. It had been awhile since they last played pool together. Over the summer, whenever they started a game, one thing usually led to another and they would end up making out on the couch. She bit her lip at the memory of the last occurrence, just a week before Lex left for his two week business trip.

Everything inside of her hurt beyond knowing and just looking at him, leaning over the pool table -- pullover stretched taut across the muscles of his shoulders and chest, perspiration glimmering on his bare scalp - Hudson knew there was no way she could just let him go. Why couldn't anyone understand that? As different as they may seem from one another, as impossible as their relationship had been, everything always felt so right when she was with him. She was so happy. And she believed Lex was happy with her. That's why things had to go back to the way they were. Hudson just didn't think she would ever be happy again without Lex in her life.

And then there was the knowledge that Desiree got to touch Lex, kiss him and. Hudson didn't want to think about the fact that they had sex. But still the realization would appear in her mind out of nowhere. Lex never allowed things to go that far between him and Hudson and now she knew why - he obviously just figured he would move on to someone else when he needed it. The smallest part of her resented him for that; she wanted to scream and holler and throw things and tell him how unfair it was. All she ever wanted was to be close to him and now. that would never happen. Lex chose someone else to share his bed, and that knowledge felt like someone was repeatedly tearing her heart in two.

"I'm surprised to see you here," he commented, not looking up as he slammed the pool cue across the table. The solid blue ball spun into a corner pocket. Straightening, Lex looked over at her, his expression guarded. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"I. uh. " Suddenly Hudson didn't know what to say. She held the paper close to her, shifting her feet a little under Lex's steady glare. The animosity between them was stronger than yesterday, the tension almost palpable in the air. Why was he acting like this?

Lex leaned against the table, holding the pool cue on its end between his legs. "All my life I've had to second guess the intentions of others," he told her, his gaze unwavering. "I'd reached the point where I'd started to think friends were a luxury I couldn't afford." He flashed her a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And then I met you, Hudson. From the day you pulled me out of that river, you've been the one person I could trust completely."

Relief flowed through Hudson with his words. Maybe now things would be better. Maybe now he would listen to what she had to say. Smiling brightly, she took a few steps toward him. "I'm so glad to hear you feel that way, Lex."

Lex's smile quickly faded. "Maybe that's why I find your hatred of my wife so. troubling."

Hudson's mouth fell open just a little and she stared at Lex for a long moment before finding her voice. "Lex, I don't hate your wife, I just - "

"First you refuse to come to my wedding and then you threaten her after class today -"

"What?!" Hudson doubted she could have been more shocked if Lex showed up out of nowhere and told her he was getting married. Again.

"She told me how you approached her after class today, threatening to make her life, and mine, miserable until she left me. How I belonged to you and only you."

"Lex, I - " Hudson sputtered, unable to think of anything to say. She was flabbergasted that a grown woman would lie like that. "Lex, I did no such thing! Desiree is lying to you!"

Lex's jaw tightened and he looked away for a moment, his expression growing darker. Turning back to Hudson, he sneered, "You expect me to believe that? You expect me to take the word of a jealous sixteen-year old girl over that of my wife?"

Suppressing the sudden urge to stamp her foot angrily, Hudson moved forward, shoving the piece of paper under his nose. "How about this? Did your angelic wife tell you she changed her name? That she's really Alison Saunders and that she grew up right here in Smallville? Did she?"

Snatching the document from her hand, Lex stared down at it, jaw clenching. "No." His voice was cold. He looked up at Hudson once, tossed the paper onto the pool table and walked away.

Not ready to give up, Hudson followed. "Well, if she didn't tell you the truth about that, how can you believe anything she - "

"She's my wife and I love her!" Lex yelled, spinning around to face Hudson. "To be honest, I was hoping for an apology, not more insinuations. I thought our friendship meant more to you than that, Hudson."

"It does," she whispered. Her hope quickly deflated and she dropped her gaze, holding back the new onrush of tears that threatened. She wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.

"You can let yourself out." Lex moved past her, back to the pool table to resume his game.

Biting her lip hard to keep from shouting everything she wanted to say to him, to hold back from throwing herself onto the floor and having an alien- sized tantrum, Hudson turned to leave only to almost run into Desiree. The woman was looking up at her, smiling just slightly, a glimmer of true amusement flickering in her eyes. Hudson's fingers twitched - she wanted to grab Lex's wife by her hair and toss her out the nearest window. Or maybe just rip that smug look off her pretty face.

"I don't know what you're doing to Lex," Hudson whispered to her, fixing her with a harsh glare. "But I'm not going to let this go."

Desiree smiled and shrugged her slim shoulders.

Gritting her teeth, Hudson pushed past her and hurried out of the castle, before the married couple could glimpse the tears that began to fall.

***

Pushing the back door open, Hudson tossed her backpack into the corner of the kitchen with a little more force than usual and allowed the door to slam shut behind her. Her mom looked up from the stove, a confused smile on her face.

"Bad day, honey? Or are you just looking forward to dinner?"

"I hate Desiree Atkins!" Hudson announced as her dad walked into the kitchen, his eyes widening slightly at her declaration. "She's already destroyed my life and Lex's life and now she's doing the same to everyone else I care about!"

Martha and Jonathan glanced at one another in surprised amusement before Jonathan walked over to his daughter and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now, H.C. Aren't you being a little dramatic? I hardly think you can say she's destroyed Lex's life - he chose to marry her. And she certainly hasn't destroyed yours. It might feel like that now but - "

"Oh, you don't know the half of it!" Hudson threw her hands into the air and stalked out of the kitchen into the family room.

Her parents followed. Her mom wiped her hands on the hand towel she was carrying before taking a seat beside Hudson on the couch. "Honey, what's going on?"

"She's doing something to Lex." Hudson looked up at her parents, ignoring their expressions of disbelief. "I don't know what it is yet but he's behaving too out of character for this to just be a normal relationship."

Her mom smiled, reaching out to brush her fingers through her daughter's dark hair. "As much as we prefer to deny it, people do change when they get married, H.C."

Hudson shook her head. "No, you don't get it. Lex used some buy-out clause on Lana today - he's taking the Talon away from her. And do you know why? Because of the fire last night." Hudson huffed. "He accused her of entertaining friends after-hours and said that wasn't very responsible of her."

Hudson hadn't realized that it could possibly go this far. Certainly, Lex's sudden and unexpected marriage had hurt her beyond knowing, and it changed her life completely - at least her immediate future. But she hadn't expected it to carry over to her friends and the people around her.

After her last class, she glimpsed Lana in the hall, slamming her locker shut in an uncharacteristic fit of pique. Hurrying over to her, Hudson asked what was wrong only to find out that Lex took the Talon away from her. Her friend was near tears, and this latest incident only served to prove, in Lana's mind, that everything they'd heard about Lex was true; he really was someone not worth trusting.

Hudson let her go when she noticed Desiree standing off to the side, watching with a smirk as she hung posters for the cheerleading squad. Of course, Hudson couldn't just let it go, and she approached Desiree, accusing her of setting this entire thing up. Lex's wife hadn't denied it - in fact, she admitted to it, then intimated to Hudson what she could do to the entire town if she desired to turn Lex against everyone in it. It was a warning to Hudson to stay out of their lives.

Unfortunately, Hudson couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that. Especially now that she was certain there was more behind Lex's strange behavior than just the weird things love can do to a person. She just wished she could figure out what it was.

"Well, there's not much we can do if Lex decides - " Her dad began pulling Hudson from her thoughts.

She cut him off. "Desiree told him to do it. She admitted as much to me in the hall after school!"

"Couples do tend to make decisions like this together, H.C.," her mom pointed out.

Why would no one listen to her? God, it was getting frustrating. "No. Listen. The fire last night - I don't think it was an accident."

At her words, her parents glanced at one another in shock before turning back to her. "What do you mean?" Jonathan demanded.

"Lana and I were studying when Nell told us that one of the girls from the Talon called, saying she needed Lana to come in. When we got there, the place was closed up and no one was around. That was when the fire started and the doors were sealed shut."

Martha glanced up at her husband in concern before turning back to Hudson. "But the police said they didn't find anything suspicious about the fire. And that the doors were just a prank. It's possible that whichever girl called chained the doors - maybe she's angry with Lana's supervising or something."

"What are you not telling us, H.C.?" Her dad asked.

Hudson sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I saw Dodd, Lex's cook, leaving the scene. I went to confront him, and he ran away. Dodd and I are friends. I don't. none of this makes sense, does it?"

She wasn't about to tell her parents about the gun and the bullet. That would just add another complication and more worry to the current issues that none of them really needed at the moment. Besides, she planned on sticking by Dodd, even if none of this made sense and even if both he and Lex seemed to have turned their backs on her. At least she knew what friendship was.

"What should we do?" Martha was looking up at her husband.

"There's not much we can do," Jonathan replied with a grimace. "We can't go to the police without any evidence - "

"But dad!"

"What're we going to tell them, H.C.?" He asked, frowning. "That our daughter's boyfriend decided to get married, and now she swears the new Mrs. Luthor is trying to kill her?"

Hudson opened her mouth to argue, and then just as quickly shut it. She glanced between her parents for a moment, her frown growing. "You don't believe me, do you?" She accused, scooting forward on the couch. "You think I'm making all of this up because I'm. jealous?"

"Honey, we didn't say that." Her mom turned back to her, laying a hand on her knee. "We just want you to understand how others might see it." She shrugged slightly and gave her a smile. "I know how upsetting the past few days have been, H.C. You've been through a lot more than any girl your age should have to face. And maybe you're seeing things the way you want them to be."

"I don't believe this!" Hudson stood and paced over to the window, folding her arms over her chest. "Why do I feel like everyone is completely against me?"

"We're not against you," her father countered, walking across the room to join her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "H.C., we just. your mother and I don't like seeing you hurt. We don't want you to get hurt any more. Maybe we just wish that you would-- "

"What? Forget it?" She looked across the room at her mom. "My friends are getting hurt - Lana could have been killed last night. And today she has lost something she truly cares about. And Lex. he isn't himself." She glanced back up at her dad. "I know this isn't him. I have to do something."

"H.C.-" Her dad began, cutting off when there was a knock at the back door. Frowning, he squeezed Hudson's shoulders, and then moved off through the kitchen to find out who was visiting.

Hudson paced back over to her mom, shoving her hands into her jean pockets. Her mom reached out and touched her arm, flashing her a warm, understanding smile. The problem was, her mom didn't understand. And her dad didn't understand. And Chloe and now even Lana. Not that Hudson could blame her - Lana had no inkling as to why Lex would decide to close the Talon like that. She didn't know that it was actually an attack on Hudson, not her. Truthfully, Hudson was beginning to wonder if there would ever be a time in her life when she wouldn't feel guilty for something she'd done to indirectly cause pain in Lana's life.

"What brings you to these parts?"

Looking up at her dad's voice, Hudson saw Sheriff Ethan entering the family room ahead of Jonathan, holding his hat in his hand, appearing a little nervous as he glanced around at the family. "Er. a teacher down at the high school, Mrs. Luthor, claims she saw Hudson set her car on fire."

"What?" Hudson exclaimed in shock, her gaze frantically shooting between her parents.

"That's three suspicious fires in as many days, Hudson," Ethan told her, removing a set of handcuffs from his belt. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you into custody until we can sort this out."

Hudson backed up as he approached her. "Mom! Dad! This is a mistake! I didn't - "

"We know, sweetie," Martha assured her, face paling a little as she glanced at the sheriff.

Panic began to fill Hudson as Jonathan appeared in front of her, setting his hands on her shoulders. They couldn't make her go to jail! Not for something she didn't do! How could Lex let this happen to her? She turned tear-filled eyes to her dad.

"Hudson, I want you to do what Ethan says," he told her, the real warning hidden beneath his tone as his hands squeezed her shoulders lightly. "We'll figure this thing out, I promise."

Ethan was at her side. "Just turn around, Hudson."

"Mom. " Hudson whimpered, fear filling her as she offered her hands behind her back and felt the sheriff clap the cuffs around her wrists.

Martha moved over to hug her tightly before Sheriff Ethan took her by the arm and gently guided her toward the door. She looked back to see her parents standing together, watching silently, her dad's arm around her mom's shoulders. Her mom looked like she was about to cry. Hudson wished she could assure her that everything was going to be all right. But the truth was, she just didn't know anymore.

***

Lex moved down the stairs of the Talon, frowning as he spoke to the man on the other end of the line - the one who was telling him he was out of his mind.

"That's right. I'm selling the building and everything in it. Talk to our people in Metropolis about a price and get back to me."

Flipping the phone shut, he slipped it into his pocket, considering whether or not he should fire his accountant. The man was supposed to take orders from him, not tell him when he thought Lex was making a bad business decision. Not that there was anything wrong with this decision anyway. Desiree was right - the Talon was an unnecessary drain on their funds. Not to mention it was a bit irresponsible on his part to allow a teenager to run it. He should have gone ahead and turned the thing into a parking garage instead of allowing Hudson and Lana to convince him otherwise. Now, he just wanted the damn thing off his hands. It was one less distraction in his life to keep him from Desiree. His wife had a way of making everything in life seem so much clearer than ever before.

Smiling a little at the thought, Lex looked up at the sound of a door opening to see Martha Kent walking through the lobby. Just seeing the red- haired woman sent a feeling of warmth through him that he couldn't explain. Maybe because she reminded him of his mother?

"Mrs. Kent," he called out, beginning to offer her a smile.

"I was looking for Nell." Her tone was clipped and impatient.

Lex shifted a little beneath her unwavering glare, her stiff posture. "Uh, she just left," he replied, secretly hating how he always felt like such a child around Hudson's mother. "I believe she's arranging for the movers."

Martha's frown deepened. When she spoke again, her tone was sarcastic and cutting, "Well, I hope I didn't disturb you." She turned to leave.

"Mrs. Kent?" Lex called out, taking a step toward her. "I am truly sorry about Hudson."

"Are you, Lex?" Martha demanded.

He was. It was sad to see such a promising young woman tumble so quickly down the wrong path. When he'd admitted to Desiree that he didn't understand how he could have been so wrong about Hudson, his wife explained to him that she was young, and teenagers were drawn to making rash decision, to acting on their emotions. She was obviously very jealous and slightly disturbed, concerning her belief that she owned Lex, like some kind of commodity. He didn't need that in his life, some sixteen-year old going all 'Fatal Attraction' on him. Desiree had assured him that Hudson would receive the help she needed from the courts.

Suddenly Martha was moving toward him, her walk purposeful and angry. "My daughter is in jail," she announced, stopping just a few feet in front of him. "And your wife put her there."

"Maybe these fires were a cry for help," Lex offered.

That was Desiree's explanation. Everything would be all right once Hudson received the psychiatric help that she needed to get over her infatuation with him and understand that they would only ever be friends. Sure, they once dated but it was never anything serious. It couldn't have been, his wife told him. Hudson was too young to understand how to love someone like Lex.

"Is that you talking, or is Mrs. Luthor talking through you?"

Lex straightened a little at her accusation and frowned. "Mrs. Kent, I would never ask you to take sides against your husband... please don't ask me to doubt my wife."

"Any good relationship relies on trust, but there has to be room to disagree," the woman in front of him replied in exasperation. She shook her head as she looked up at him.

"Like the way Jonathan and I disagreed about you," she continued. "He couldn't see past the Luthor name, but I always thought you truly cared about Hudson." Her expression tightened as she mentioned her daughter and she glared at him once more. "Now I'm beginning to think Jonathan was right all along."

That hurt. A lot.

Lex spent the last year attempting to gain Jonathan Kent's respect. And now that was destroyed, possibly forever. The problem was, he shouldn't need or want the man's respect anymore. He had Desiree. He didn't need anything else. Strangely, though, he still craved the Kent's approval - from both Jonathan and Martha. Now, he suddenly had neither and he was questioning himself as to why it seemed so important.

"Believe me, Mrs. Kent, I never wanted it to come to this," Lex replied.

And that was the truth. Hudson was supposed to have been happy for him. She and Desiree could have become good friends. They could have had dinners together and still been friends. Instead, the girl he'd considered his best friend had totally turned against him and his marriage.

Martha was still staring up at him, like she didn't recognize him or something. Her eyes widened a bit and she shook her head again. "You know Hudson," she countered. "She's not a criminal! She's the one person who stood by you no matter what! Ask yourself, is she really capable of this?"

Was she?

"I wouldn't have thought so," he found himself responding. "But I know Desiree."

Martha blinked, her expression disbelieving. "Lex! You met and married her in a week!" She practically shouted, her tone filled with dismay. "How well could you know her?!"

Lex clenched his jaw as he stared at Martha, considering her words. He loved her! What else was there to know?

Glaring at him only a moment longer, Martha turned on her heel and stalked away from him.

"Mrs... " Lex called after her, wanting to apologize for. something. But she ignored him and kept walking.

Silence surrounded Lex as he stood there, staring at the empty space in front of him. Martha's words wouldn't seem to leave him alone for some reason, specifically her accusation about how well he could know his wife after having met and married her so quickly.

Lex felt a frown grow.

He'd married her only days after having met her. He'd been quite certain that marriage was what he wanted. Lex could remember the fear of anyone else stealing Desiree away from him. He remembered, distinctly, the feeling that she was the only person in the world who loved him, the only person in the world he could love. That feeling was still there, hovering around the surfaces of his mind but.

There were other things as well.

Like, such behavior was totally unlike him. After all, Hudson Kent saved his life and still it took him months before he felt he could trust her, that he could completely open up to her. So what made Desiree so different? What prompted him to marry her without question into her background and motives? When had he become so blind?

Starting toward the door, Lex's frown deepened. So far, in the past few days, he'd married a woman he hardly knew, alienated the girl he'd spent the entire summer with, decided against a pre-nup, begun selling off his properties and thought it was somehow right that Hudson Kent, the most gentle person he'd ever known, was sitting in jail.

Pushing the door opened, Lex stopped suddenly.

Oh hell.

He'd also recently changed everything in his Living Will to Desiree's name.

***

Hudson sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring at the thin blanket on the cot beneath her. She'd never really experienced claustrophobia before but being locked up in this cage for hours on end was enough to make her feel as if she was going to explode from the inside. The worst of it was knowing that she could easily get out.

She could rip out the bars in the window above or just knock her way through the wall. But she couldn't do that because it would make her look guilty. And her dad promised they were doing everything they could to get her out. She kept waiting for her parents to show up with a bail bondsman - the problem was, the only bail bondsman in Smallville closed his business a few months ago. So they had to look elsewhere to Grandville or Salina. When her mother stopped by a half hour ago, she informed Hudson that her dad planned on going to talk to Desiree, to see if he couldn't convince her to drop the charges.

Of course, normally none of this would have been an issue. A few weeks ago, Hudson would have sat here for approximately five minutes before Lex would have shown up, threatening to sue the City of Smallville for wrongful detainment of a minor or some such and immediately taken her home. The image brought a sad smile to her face.

God, that hurt.

That was the worst part of sitting there, with nothing to do but think. Hudson couldn't stop thinking about Lex, and how much she missed him, and how much she hated him and loved him and wished that the past two weeks were simply a horrible nightmare. Luckily, she was distracted from her thoughts when the door leading from the office opened and Chloe and Lana appeared in the hall beside her cell.

"Sorry we didn't have time to bake a file into a cake," Chloe quipped with a smile through the bars.

Hudson slid off of the cot to her feet, moving over to the door where she wrapped her fingers around the bars, drinking in the sight of her friends as if she'd been there for weeks. Well, it felt like it.

"How're you holding up?" Lana asked, reaching out to touch Hudson's hand.

"Besides being accused of being a serial arsonist and threatening to attack my ex-boyfriend's wife, I'm great." She forced a smile, trying to appear a lot more light-hearted about it all than she felt.

"We've got some good news," Lana told her with a nod. "Chloe followed up on your Alison Sanders clue." She passed a folded up newspaper through the bars.

Taking it into her hands, Hudson opened it, her gaze scanning the story on the front as Chloe spoke:

"Apparently our vixen formerly known as Alison was popular with the Smallville boys even as a teenager."

Lana slipped another piece of paper through the bars to Hudson. "She was with her boyfriend when the meteors hit."

Chloe continued, "The Ledger article doesn't cover it, but I'll let your mind wander as to what they were doing in the truck by the lake."

"A couple of weeks later, he lost it and murdered her parents," Lana picked up, reaching through the cell bars to tap her finger against one of the paragraphs in the news story. "Desiree inherited everything."

"Fast forward five years." Chloe's voice was tinged with excitement, like she hadn't come across a story this good since leaving Smallville for her internship in Metropolis over the summer. And, considering it was Smallville, she likely hadn't. "Desiree is now a teacher. She marries a wealthy shipping executive, only to see him offed by one of her moonstruck high school students."

"Same confession, same denial six hours later," Lana added, tapping her finger against the second sheet of paper.

Chloe grasped one of the bars and leaned closer. "It's the classic black widow scenario. Only after murder number two, this black widow had the misfortune of being heavily invested in dot coms. After she lost all the money, she decided to go after Lex."

Well, that made total and complete sense. Of course she was only after Lex's money! Why hadn't Hudson seen that from the beginning?

"So she'll need someone else to seduce and convince them to kill Lex." Hudson frowned as she considered this information before raising her gaze to her two friends. "Wait. How'd she get them to do it?"

"Pheromones!" Chloe exclaimed.

Hudson raised her eyebrows. That was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. "Chloe... "

"H.C., she was in the throes of major passion when the meteors hit! If her pheromone levels were enhanced, she could get a guy to do whatever she wants!"

Hudson's mouth fell open as everything began to click into place. Well, it was Smallville. Anything was possible.

"Time's up, girls!" Sheriff Ethan leaned in from the office, his gaze glancing over the huddle group.

Chloe looked over at Ethan, and then look back at Hudson apologetically. "Okay... "

Hudson sighed, wondering what to do next as Lana and Chloe turned to leave. A sudden thought caused her to panic. "Hey!" She called out to them. "My dad went to go see Desiree! I gotta get out of here!"

Chloe shook her head and whispered, "Just hang on, Okay?"

Frustration mounting as the door closed, and she was left alone once more, Hudson began searching for a way to escape. If what Chloe and Lana said was true, and Desiree really could manipulate any man she wanted into doing whatever she wanted, and her dad was on his way to see her. How easy would it be to use Jonathan Kent's long-standing hatred of the Luthors to convince him to kill Lex? After all, Lex also recently hurt his little girl. The whole thing could be twisted so that it appeared her dad was only out to get revenge for Lex hurting Hudson and he blamed him for putting her in jail. And there wouldn't be a single person in town who would say they didn't believe Jonathan was capable of killing Lex Luthor.

Hell.

Worrying her lower lip, Hudson's gaze narrowed when she noticed the small electrical box on the wall opposite of her cell. Glancing once toward the door, she focused her gaze on the box and thought of Desiree and how much she hated that woman. She thought of her touching Lex and kissing him and the familiar tension in the back of her eyes grew until the box suddenly exploded into flames. Smoke immediately began pouring from it, rising up to the fire alarm which seconds later began sounding loudly.

"Help!" Hudson called out. "Help! Sheriff Ethan!"

The door flew open and Ethan looked at the flames licking up the side of the wall.

"Sheriff!" Hudson yelled, her voice perfectly filled with panic.

Scrambling for his keys, Ethan hurried over to her door and began unlocking it. "We gotta get you outta here, Hudson," he told her. "Stay close to me."

Nodding, Hudson exited the cell, watching Ethan closely as he turned to look at the fire once more. Seizing the opportunity, Hudson zipped past him, through the office and out the door, without either the sheriff or his deputy seeing her as she disappeared, moving faster than the human eye could possibly glimpse.

Racing through town, Hudson took the shortcut through the fields and woods to reach the Luthor Estate in the quickest amount of time. She slowed as she approached. The gate was standing open and her dad's truck was in the driveway. So was Lex's Porsche. Taking a deep breath, Hudson broke into a run again, pushing open the door and making her way through the house. Her gaze scanned through the walls until she discovered three skeletal shapes in the study. Moving up the steps, she threw the door open just in time to see her dad, Desiree standing smugly beside him, level his shotgun at Lex and prepare to pull the trigger.

"You're not going to hurt my little girl again!" Jonathan told him.

"Dad! Don't!" She yelled.

Too late. The retort of the shotgun echoed through the study and time froze for Hudson as she zeroed in on the bullet with her eyes. Her anger at Desiree needing no coaxing this time. As Lex dove for the cover of the desk, Hudson felt the heat emanating from behind her eyes, the invisible flames instantly vaporizing the bullet.

Realizing he missed, Jonathan began marching across the room recocking the shotgun and preparing to fire again, as Lex feel to the ground. He angled the gun toward Lex at point blank range, ignoring the cry from the man on the ground as he attempted to shield himself with his arms.

"Dad!" Hudson ran over to her dad, pushing him aside and attempting to grab the gun from his hands. "You can't do this!"

"H.C.!" Her dad glared at her, refusing to let go of the gun.

Impatient, wondering exactly how close her dad got to Desiree in order to fall under her control like this, Hudson spun around with him, angling him toward the wall. She pushed gently, slamming him back into it until his head hit the shelves behind him and his grip immediately released on the shotgun as he slid to the floor unconscious.

Worried that she might have pushed him too hard, Hudson dropped down beside him, shaking his shoulders gently. "Dad? Dad? Are you okay?" He was breathing, that was a good sign, but she hadn't really meant to knock him out. She just wanted to get the gun away and ---

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Spinning around at Lex's scream, Hudson's eyes flew open in shock as she watched him struggle to his feet, the back of his shirt engulfed in flames. How the hell?!

Jumping to her feet, Hudson started toward him when she saw Desiree running for the door. "I don't think so, bitch," she muttered as she glanced down at the handle that Lex's wife was reaching for and heated it with her eyes before turning her attention back to Lex.

He was still screaming, and she heard him call out her name. She heard Desiree scream in pain behind her as she rushed past Lex, and she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. Tearing down a drapery that hung beside the terrace doors, Hudson threw it over Lex before tossing him face down to the ground, quickly tamping out the flames, and hoping that she got to him before the fire caused too much damage.

Gently she turned him over, pleased to see that he was conscious, his gaze focused on her. Scared, but obviously not in pain. Hudson shook her head in relief. "Stop, drop and roll, Lex," she told him quietly. "Stop, drop and roll."

Lex didn't appear overly amused by her remark.

"Are you all right?" She asked, reaching down to touch his cheek.

He nodded. "I think so." Lex paused, frowning. "Hudson - "

"H.C." She heard her dad call out. "What the hell."

Smiling a little, Hudson glanced across the room to see her dad, confusion clearly etched over his face, struggling to his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Desiree was attempting the same.

"Dad, call 911. Get an ambulance and the police here," she told him as she climbed to her feet and moved over to the door where Desiree finally gained her footing, holding her burnt hand close to her chest. She started to reach for the opposite handle with her other hand when Hudson grabbed her by the arm.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," she warned quietly in a whisper. "Not if you want to keep that pretty head on those pretty shoulders."

Desiree glared up at her, almost as if she was daring her to try it and wow, Hudson had never been so tempted to do exactly that. Tightening her grip on the woman's arm until Desiree actually cried out, Hudson dragged her over to one of the couches and pushed her into it.

She glanced at her dad as he hung up the phone. "If she gets up, shoot her," she instructed.

Jonathan looked slightly disapproving. "H.C. - "

"And don't get any closer than ten feet, dad. Trust me on this." She flashed another glare at Desiree before heading back over to Lex.

He was sitting up, wincing as he tried to turn his head to look over his shoulder. Kneeling down behind him, Hudson made a face. Some of the shirt burned away and the skin beneath was damaged. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still must have hurt.

She looked up to find him watching her, the confusion as evident on his face as it had been on her dad's but there was something else. Regret. The blue eyes regarding her were familiar once more and there was a knowledge within them of what occurred over the past few days. What had happened between them.

And she sat there and waited for something, anything from him that might take some of the pain away. But Lex remained silent and Hudson realized she shouldn't have expected anything else.

***

Humankind would never achieve perfection simply because of humankind's unique ability to fuck up a perfect world. At least that was Lex's belief after the past week of hell. Before his business trip, he'd had the closest thing to true happiness that he believed he would ever achieve. With one wrong turn, it had all been destroyed. And now he didn't know if it was possible to get it back. Or if he even deserved to have it.

It was like waking up from a nightmare. The past week Lex was left without any control over his life. He made bad decisions based on the lies of a viper, he almost threw his entire life away, and he'd hurt the one person who meant more to him than any other. And that was something he just couldn't find the forgiveness inside to grant himself.

He watched her now, sitting on a crate beside the loft window, fingers idly tracing the lines of the telescope. God, she was beautiful. She'd matured so much in the year since they met, and Lex couldn't help but believe he was witnessing something special as Hudson Kent slowly grew into the woman she was meant to be. He'd almost succeeded in destroying that, in taking her future away from her. Lex knew that this fact, above any other, was the greatest reason in that moment for him to just turn away, walk out of her life forever.

Unfortunately, he was too selfish for that. He wanted forgiveness and, while he couldn't give it to himself, he knew that Hudson would always grant it to him. Lex just wanted that one gift, and then maybe everything would be better in his mind. Maybe he could put this behind him, forget that Desiree ever existed and move on with his life - the life he wanted to share with the one person who truly loved him.

"Hudson. I was hoping I'd find you."

She looked up with his words and Lex tried not to react to the lack of expression in her gaze. He'd grown so used to the way her eyes would light up at his appearance, and the bright megawatt smile that would appear on her face. Now she just gazed at him, already on the defensive, as if waiting for him to hurt her again. And maybe it was just as well.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, Lex forced himself forward until he was standing beside her.

"How're you feeling?" She asked quietly, her gaze not quite meeting his eyes. "How's your back?"

Lex shrugged. Then considered how dumb a move that was as the bandages stretched across his skin rubbed into the burns. "Mostly second degree burns. I heal fast so. " He wondered why it seemed as if he couldn't pull his eyes away from her. "Thank you for sending the flowers. You didn't have to do that."

"It's what you do when a friend is sick, right?" She pursed her lips a moment then stood and moved around him to her desk.

And still he couldn't look away. It was like he'd been deprived of his favorite drug for days and now it was just within his grasp. and he couldn't indulge in it. Digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands, Lex struggled for something to say to break the tension between them. "I. I filed for an annulment. It should be final in a couple of days."

"Oh." Hudson flipped through some papers. "Should I hire a marching band? Throw a parade?"

Lex sighed and looked out the window. It was raining outside - a very welcome rain after the past month's heat wave - and the pounding of the drops hitting the roof above was the only sound in the barn.

"Hudson. "

He trailed off, knowing there was nothing he could say to make this right. And not knowing if he should even try. After all, he'd been wrong once, right? He believed himself in love with Desiree, believed those feelings were real. Even if he'd been misguided, even if she'd somehow been controlling him - and others like him - it was still possible that his feelings for Hudson were just as confused. What if the problem lie in the fact that he wanted to love Hudson, and not that he actually did?

A few weeks ago, Lex knew with a certainty that he loved Hudson. That it was very possible he would never love another the way he loved her. It happened while he was away, as he was suffering through business function after business function, so many fake smiles flashed in his direction, and his heart ached for her. He missed her so much that he finally excused himself from the party, snuck away to a quiet corridor and called her. Just hearing Hudson, her excitement at his call, the sound of her voice speaking his name - the tension instantly drained from his shoulders and he knew at that moment. he loved her. It wasn't a question anymore; there was no doubt in his mind. And he wanted to tell her so badly, he just wanted to shout it into the phone but it didn't seem right. Hudson deserved better. She deserved candles and music and romance. Not a long distance phone call. She deserved everything his heart was capable of giving her.

And she still deserved that. The only problem was, Lex didn't know if it was his to give anymore.

Turning, Lex found that Hudson stood with her back to him, shoulders tense. He took a deep breath, wondering why he felt as if he should apologize for something that wasn't really his fault. He gestured toward her. "What do you want me to say? Tell me and I'll say it."

Hudson shook her head before moving to face him. "I want you to say something that will make it all go away."

Tears were brimming in her eyes, and that hurt Lex beyond everything else. There was no chance that he would be able to make up for all of the hurt he'd caused her. "Hudson, I can't make it go away. We can't make it go away. We. we just have to face that it happened and move on."

"Face that it happened?" She appeared outraged. Taking four quick steps, she was suddenly in front of him, glaring up at him angrily. "I've been facing it since you showed up at my school and shoved that wedding invitation in my hand, Lex! I've been the one," she jabbed a finger into her chest, "That's been facing you kissing her and touching her and. and making love to her!" Hudson choked on a sob with her words and her tears spilled onto her cheeks.

Lex opened his mouth to say something and then stopped to clear his throat. He stared numbly at her, wanting to reach out and brush her tears away, but his hands felt cemented into his pockets. He swallowed back the desire to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Hudson," he finally told her softly. "I didn't ask for Desiree to control me like that."

"Didn't you?" Hudson demanded, wiping angrily at her cheeks. "You had to let her get close to you. My dad has anger and fear over his daughter's incarceration as his excuse. What's yours?"

He felt his jaw clench with her words and looked away. For the past two days, Lex held the comfort within him that Jonathan fell for the same trick he had and that maybe, he wouldn't have to blame himself as much for his weakness if a man like Jonathan Kent had done the same. Deep down, Lex knew he would eventually have to face the fact that their circumstances were different. He'd been at a party, bored, drinking, and this beautiful woman approached him, claiming that she was there to 'save' him. Yes, he'd been intrigued. He even offered to buy her a drink. But not once in those moments did he forget about Hudson; not once did he consider hurting her. And then. things got hazy after that. Desiree returned to his room with him that night, and at the time, he believed it was right, it was real. Now, he knew differently.

How the hell could he have been so blind?

"You loved her."

Lex turned back to Hudson and shook his head. "I thought I did."

She looked away for a moment. "You told me you did."

And you've never said such a thing to me.

Hudson didn't speak the words out loud but Lex heard them. They were chanting over and over again in his mind and his heart and god, he wished he could just say it, just tell her. but he couldn't. Not now. Not when he didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore. When he said them, he wanted to mean them. He wanted to feel them. He wanted to give Hudson more than his confusion.

"I never meant to hurt you," he told her, lifting his gaze to the rain falling outside the window.

"And you think that makes it all better?"

He glanced over at her. "I can only say I'm sorry so many times."

When he'd first said it, as they waited for the ambulance and the police to arrive, Lex knew she hadn't accepted it. But he reiterated again at the hospital. What more did she want?

"Well, say it again!" Hudson shouted, the sobs breaking through for real now. She buried her face in her hands. "Say it until you mean it!"

"Hudson, I do. " Lex reached out for her, unable to stand her tears any longer, attempting to pull her into his arms.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, backing away from him as she dropped her hands, her gaze torn between anger and disappointment.

Lex's hands fell to his sides as he watched her. He couldn't recall a time that Hudson had ever recoiled from him, had ever refused his touch. Did she expect him to beg? Sighing inwardly, he shoved his hands back into his pockets and remained silent.

Hudson continued to cry quietly as they watched one another before she finally shook her head. "Just go home, Lex." She turned away, leaning against the wall, her body shaking with her silent sobs. "Just go. "

Nor had she ever sent him away.

Ignoring the desire to let loose with a few of his own tears, Lex turned to leave when he noticed the music box she'd gifted him with sitting on the table by the couch. It was repaired, looking as perfect as it did when he'd removed it from the Christmas wrapping. Walking to it, he brushed his fingers over the lilies painted on the top of the lid before slowly opening it. The tune to 'Chances Are' drifted through the loft. He could almost hear his mother singing along to the words in his head:

"Chances are 'cause I wear a silly grin

The moment you come into view

Chances are you think that I'm in love with you"

Lex glanced over his shoulder at Hudson. Why couldn't she understand what he couldn't say?

Shaking his head slightly, Lex continued on, making his way down the stairs of the loft when he heard footsteps above. He stopped, foot poised over the bottom step, refusing to believe he was actually holding his breath hopefully. The movement paused, and then came the unmistakable crash of the music box being knocked to the ground.

Silence once more descended over the barn.

Dropping his head, Lex made his way out into the rain.