There's a new car in town
(or This town ain't big enough for both our cars)

§§§

Thursday, Oct. 3

"Whoa. What is that?" someone exclaimed loud enough for a hush to fall over every student in the parking-lot within earshot. Those who hadn't suddenly found themselves talking to their friends' backs, talking to the air, or suddenly alone. An excited buzz of conversation soon followed as teen eyes raked over the deep red convertible that had so recently stopped just in front of their school. Kids who weren't usually interested in cars found themselves drawn to it, if only because everyone else was.

Whitney jabbed Clark who had turned to stare with the rest of the student body that Friday morning. "Hey Clark, Luthor get another car?"

"How would I know?" he answered, awed by the beautiful convertible.

"Who else in Smallville could afford a 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK430 Cabriolet?"

"Ooh, a boy who knows his cars," Isis called over the black hood. "I like it." Pete stepped out of the car, bookbag on one shoulder. "Pick you up later or you gonna ride with Clark and Clo?"

"I think I'll ride," he answered. "Thanks Isis!"

"No prob, Petey."

"Isis!"

Her laughter as she disappeared into the car was his only response. Pete shook his head. "Hey Clark, where's Chloe?"

"Inside I guess. I think I saw her at least."

"Oh, okay. Isis thinks the idea of a Wall of Weird is cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She wants to see it up close so she can figure out if she likes the actuality as much as the idea." Clark and Pete made faces at each other that said, "Girls," and shook their heads. "Anyway, we should go inside. Isis wants me to make an appointment." Pete made air-quotes around "appointment."

"Hey Whitney," Clark said, "you really should close your mouth before a fly gets in."

§§§

"More coffee?"

Lex looked up from his laptop into Nell's smiling face. "Sure," he said with a smile of his own. It wasn't very genuine or heartfelt. It didn't reach his eyes, in the poetic sense. But it wasn't meant to. It was genuine enough to be pleasant without being either too difficult to dredge up, or too personal giving the receiver the wrong idea.

"Lex, did you get a new car?"

His gaze bounced from the rich black-brown liquid pouring into his oversized mug to Nell's face, then followed her eyes out Talon's large windows. "I'm more of black, navy and silver kind of guy myself. I don't usually venture into the . . .warmer shades of car." But he knew who in this town would.

"Really? Now who else in Smallville would own a luxury car like that?" With anyone else the question might have led to idle gossip, Nell sliding into the booth and, eventually, casual conversation. Lex slid his pale eyes away from the car and up Nell's face, who wasn't quite looking at him. But she felt the weight of his gaze. Her eyes flickered down to meet his. They locked for a brief moment before Lex turned back to his computer and Nell returned to the counter, with the indistinct feeling that she had been dismissed.

It wasn't ten minutes later when his work was interrupted again: "LL, what a surprise."

Isis wore a vest that, although not an exact match, was in the same family of red as her car, over a chocolate brown, long-sleeved t-shirt tucked into equally chocolate jeans. Shrugging off the vest revealed fine needlework done along the boat-neck collar, again in the same family of red as the car and vest. Lex knew that if glanced at her feet she would be tastefully shod in something either chocolate or red. In that same stupid family of red. If Isis had ever had a "thrown together" moment in her life, Lex had never seen it.

"You look good, Ice," he said as she sat opposite him.

"So do you. Working or playing, Lex?"

"Working."

She sighed dramatically and shook her head, setting the rainbow of braids dancing across her face. They were held up in two bunches on either side of her head. "What happened to that party-boy I used to know in Metropolis?"

"You know with your hair like that, Ice, you look like a cockerspaniel."

"I know. Strange isn't it," she said, unwilling to be offended. Especially when she had said the same to herself in the mirror that very morning. "But come on, you don't like a good party anymore?"

"Of course I like a good party. If you hadn't noticed, Smallville isn't exactly the place for parties, however."

Her light snort said that he was obviously lying to himself. "And exactly how far is downtown Metropolis from here? Not far. Not in that car of yours. Not the way you drive." She reached one hand across the table, very near his coffee. "Not the way you party," she purred.

"I don't party like that anymore."

Isis' pout was sensuality itself. Something tightened in him in response. "Oh well," she said, picking up his coffee, "neither do I." She took a sip and made a face. Suddenly it was hard to believe she was old enough to drive, let alone have the kind of sexuality she had just turned off. "Black? What kind of mole-monster are you?"

"Then get your own," Lex growled.

"I will." Moments later she was drinking a creamy, sugary French vanilla blend and reveling in the warmth. "So what're you working on LL?"

"Stop calling me that." He quickly glanced up from his laptop. "I'm not that person anymore."

"You keep calling me Ice."

"It's an acceptable shortening of 'Isis'. And you don't seem to have changed much at all," he grumped to his laptop.

She spun it from his still typing fingers. "Oh, so we have two very brief encounters and you've got me completely mapped out. Personally I think even from that you should have noticed the difference. No diamonds, well except Grandmother's ring, no haughtiness -- I haven't changed enough for you LL?"

"You forget that I knew you better than most people. I got to see underneath all that ice, and what I'm seeing now isn't much different." Isis stroked the lines of Lex's laptop lovingly. Lex felt ghost fingers touching him much the same way and silently cursed her for the memories.

"Maybe my personality hasn't changed," Isis said, startling him, "but maybe the intent behind it has." Her attention was suddenly drawn from Lex's angry eyes to the business proposal on the screen. Skimming the document, she lifted the coffee mug to her lips.

Lex followed her gaze. "What are you doing Ice?" He watched her put down the mug and start typing in earnest. "What the hell are you doing to my work Isis?" Her fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Nothing much," she said, executing the save command. With a deft motion, she turned and pushed the laptop back at Lex. "See you around, LL."

He didn't bother to scowl at her retreating back, demand that she pay for her coffee, or watch her drive off. Oh no, Lex Luthor was far too busy trying to determine what damage the vindictive, flighty and occasionally silly Ice Princess might have done to his very tediously eked out business proposal.

When Nell came back around for another round of fill-ups she found Lex sitting back in his plush seat, staring at his laptop. "Is everything all right?"

"Hmm? Yes. Better than all right actually."

"That girl who sat down with you, she drove off in that Mercedes. You know her?"

"Yeah," he said, still staring at the computer. He looked up at Nell. "Yeah, I do."

"She looks kind of reckless."

Lex snorted. "Just a little. But she's got business sense. More than enough," he murmured to himself. He seemed to remember Nell standing over him. "More coffee?"

"Yes, Lex."