Chapter 32 - Diamond Earrings

For a few blissful weeks, things were settled and calm on the farm. Lex had made arrangements with everyone he knew to ensure that his dark side couldn't take his place without them knowing about it – he had to answer security questions and give passwords to everyone, everywhere he went. He seemed to be coming down with a bit of a cold, if that's what it was—it might have still been residual weakness from his injuries. Apparently getting shot wasn't some thing one could just shrug off.

Gradually, Lex added in more and more exercise to his daily routine, all in the form of farm work. The time with his family was refreshing, and the feeling that he could contribute was something he wouldn't have traded for anything.

Of course, he should've known it wouldn't last.

He was heading out of the office one day, exhausted and looking forward to his mom's cooking, when a cop car pulled him over and arrested him for the murder of a girl he had never heard of.

Lex didn't fight or argue. But he was smart about how he used his one phone call. He got in touch with Clark and asked for him to look into the girl, employing Chloe's help if he could, to try to figure out what was going on. Lex knew he would have to have a hard conversation with both of his parents later, even if they weren't upset with him at all, but right now he was most interested in what was going on. He could satisfy their worries later, when he would actually have answers for them.

The prison cell was absolutely miserable. It was cold, and it was humiliating, and the food was nauseating. Lex's parents came to visit, and his mom was crying. His dad had questions that Lex couldn't answer. And since the charge was murder, there was no bail option, so he was stuck there until either the trial, or the discovery of some evidence that would conclusively prove his innocence.

With both Clark and Chloe on the case, though, it didn't take long determine what it happened. Clark came by to tell Lex what he had found.

"Shannon Bell," Clark said. "Do you know her?"

The name sounded vaguely familiar. Lex paced in his cell. "I don't know," he said.

"She's setting you up. But we haven't gotten very far in the history yet. I'm guessing you did something to upset her."

"That doesn't really narrow it down." Lex shook his head, racking his brain. Shannon, Shannon…

It dawned on him at once.

He knew who she was. He just didn't know why she would be upset with him. He had left things on a good note."I know her," he said. "But I don't know what she has against me. I just…"

"Just what?"

Lex could feel the heat rising to his face. It had seemed like such a simple thing, such a natural thing, until he imagined trying to tell Clark or his parents about it. Now, all of a sudden, it hit him what a terrible thing it had been to do.

More than anything, he felt embarrassed. As mortified as he had ever felt. How could he have treated someone like that without even realizing how badly he was treating them? And he had done it a lot of times. He felt nauseous. His parents were going to be disappointed, but he wasn't even sure it could compare with the disappointment he felt in himself.

"Clark," he said, "I can help you find the evidence that will clear me. But when you and your parents hear what I did…"

Clark's face fell. "Lex, what did you do?"

Lex had been breathing in to say that they might not want to consider him part of the family anymore. But without the darkness whispering to that effect in his ear, he didn't believe it. He knew his family would be upset, but they would ultimately forgive him and love him. Of that, he was absolutely confident.

Knowing that almost made the inevitable confession worse.


It was another week before Lex got to go home. He knew his parents weren't happy with him for refusing to answer their questions when they came to visit the cell, but there wasn't much he could do about it. His lawyer had given him pretty strict and specific instructions on what he could and couldn't say.

That first meal back at home almost broke his heart. His mom put in so much effort into making his favorite foods and baking two pies, like she usually did when she was celebrating. She knew that the fact that the son wasn't a murderer — yet — might've been something to celebrate, but he needs a celebration will turn sour as soon as they knew the truth. He tried to enjoy the food, but he just felt nauseated through the whole evening.

When the time came to have that conversation, Lex requested that Clark be out of ear shot. He knew that his brother would eventually find out what was going on, but it didn't feel like something he should say in front of a teenager.

Lex took a deep breath and warned them, so it wouldn't be a shock, "You're going to be upset with me."

His dad, sitting across from him, nodded. "That may be. But if you're honest with us, we can help you."

"It's long done. And I'll never do it again, I swear."

His mom took his hand.

He took a deep breath. "Before I lived under your rules, I made a lot of mistakes. I slept with a lot of women, including ones I didn't know very well." He frowned; he honestly wasn't sure whether that was wrong and another itself, but he was pretty sure it was wrong for him. He had just been using them, ignoring their humanity, covering up his own emotional issues with meaningless intimacy. Seeing his parents' love for each other made him want something more like that.

Neither of them had said anything yet. They were hearing him out. He didn't have words for how much he appreciated that.

"Sometimes, I gave the wrong impression. I… made the girl think there was more to our relationship, and she would try to contact me later. I would ignore her calls, and…" He winced. "I'm so sorry."

"Sweetie," his mom said softly, "what did you do?"

"I sent her a pair of diamond earrings. It's what Lionel taught me to do. I've done it a few times. I thought of it as an easy way to let her down, but now... I feel like an imbecile for never realizing I was making her feel like a prostitute."

"Oh, Lex." His mom stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. Her voice didn't sound disappointed; if anything, she just sounded sympathetic.

"I realize that this may change your view of me. And I'm willing to accept the consequences."

"Son, look at me."

Lex looked his father in the eyes, even though it hurt.

But he could detect no anger. "You're right. That's not an acceptable way to treat a woman. Or anyone. If you had lied to us about this, or tried to hide it, you would be in more trouble than you've ever been. Same goes if you ever do it again."

"You don't have to worry about that."

His dad nodded. "I'm very proud of you for your honesty."

Lex fully expected his mom to squeeze his hand, so he could prepare himself for the harsh part of the lecture, the words that would leave him stinging for days.

But none of that came. Lex looked from his dad to his mom. "Is that all?"

His father gave him a sad smile. "We can review the rules if you need them, but I think your conscience has grown a lot stronger since you did this. You're not the person you were back then, and I don't just mean because of your darkness."

"I really didn't realize it was wrong. How did I not realize?"

"Like I said. You've done a lot of maturing, son."

Lex took a deep breath. "What should I do?"

"Are things sorted with the trial?"

"Things are taken care of. There shouldn't be a trial." Not for him, anyway.

"Then all that's left to do is to settle your own conscience."

Lex took a deep breath. "How do I do that?"

His dad looked to his mom, so Lex turned to her. Do you remember all of the women?"

"Yes." Even if he didn't, it would be an easy enough matter to track the financial records.

"Some of them might be feeling the pain more than others, especially if it was recent or if they haven't entered in a new relationship yet. Some of them may have moved on. They might be a new relationships, or married at this point. But believe me when I say that you've left them a painful memory."

"Do you think I should reach out to the ones would be feeling it most?"

"That concerns me. Hearing from you would make it worse. They might even take it as an expression of interest."

"Right..." He hated that he had created such a mess.

"But maybe you can give some closure to the ones who have moved on." She let go of his hand and looked him right in the eyes. "This isn't a punishment. It's a recommendation. But I hope you'll take it."

"Of course." He couldn't imagine disobeying.

"Hand write apology letters to each one. Personalize them. And then use your judgment to decide which one to deliver. If you think making contact might lead her on or hurt her worse, keep the letter. If you think she's sufficiently stable and might just take a little comfort from having a painful memory sealed…"

For the millionth time, Lex was struck by how much he loved his mom. She always knew exactly what he needed, and she always spoke to him in such a loving way. "I will," he said, but the effect was a bit lost by the fact that he launched into a coughing fit as he said it.

His mom patted his back. "You OK?"

"Yeah." He turned back to his dad. "I appreciate you letting me talk through all this."

"This is what we're here for. I always want you to come to us first. You'll never be in trouble if you do that."

Lex was about to protest, thinking about things he'd done wrong, but it occurred to him that if he had gone to his parents before making any decisions, he never would've gotten to that point. "This doesn't make you see me any differently?"

"Should it?" his dad asked.

He let his breath out. He had never felt so free.

Soon after, his parents had cleared out of the room, leaving him space to work on those letters. For a moment, he wondered exactly how Shannon had managed to pull all of this off. Worrying she might have had outside help. She would be in prison soon, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was safe.

But he was under no impression that he had been safe for the past few weeks. He was already taking as many precautions as he could.

A shiver ran through him, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the dropping temperatures, the fever he seemed to be developing, or the fear.


Clark didn't get to hear the resolution to Lex's arrest until later. Turned out, Lex had done some really awful things to a lot of women. Clark was pretty frustrated when he found out that Lex wasn't in trouble at all for them, because Clark was pretty sure he would've been grounded for the rest of his life if he had done anything like that. But for one thing, Lex had done that one he was younger, before he came to live with them, and for another thing, and he had been honest about everything. It just reminded Clark that he needed to be honest with his family.

The whole incident gave him an idea, though.

Lex had been framed for a crime. The thing was, he hadn't even been present for it. That meant the person who had been seeing had probably been the darkness. He might've even coordinated with Shannon. Normally, Clark was sure Lex would have got that right away, but in this case, he was emotionally compromised.

But it gave Clark something he hadn't had in a long time, the entire time he had been looking for the darkness.

It gave him a lead.