Waiting for that night was the hardest, longest wait Lex had ever experienced. The time seemed to stretch by, and then right before he'd been ready to set out again for the lab, the doors to his office opened.

Chloe.

Not what he needed right then.

"How's he doing, Lex?" she immediately asked.

"You can ask him when I bring him home tomorrow," he said dryly, getting his coat.

"You mean it worked? Jason has been painted as having been sacked in his time as quarterback a few too many times and has been carted off to the nut house?" She looked so hopeful. For some reason Lex felt bad killing that hope.

"No."

"What?" she asked, her face falling.

"But I'm brining Clark home anyway. He can't stay there any longer. They-he's just got to come home. They were…torturing him, so to speak."

Her chin dropped and her hand flew to her mouth. "No."

"Yes." His voice was still calm, even, and not betraying what he really felt. "So I'm bringing him home. He'll have to stay hidden for a while, but I do own a Scottish castle, and at least he'll be able to see his parents. Martha got out of the hospital today, I believe."

Chloe ignored him "I'm going with you to get him."

His face sealed with a stony expression. "You. Are. Not."

She put her hands on her hips, pursed her lips, and looked every bit the intimidating reporter-type. "I am. I will grab a hold of your back bumper and drag myself along with you if the need arises. My friend is in trouble and I am going to help you get him out of it."

Lex groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And if you get us in more trouble?"

"You know I'm good at breaking into things."

There was nothing, Lex thought, like the truth that was better for giving someone a cold, hard dose of reality. And yes, she was, he had to admit, unnaturally good at breaking into things. The number of times she'd broken into something that he owned...

"Fine," he mumbled. "Let's go."

As they were leaving, he could have sworn that her lip curled upward in a small smile.

------------------------

"Be very quiet. Are you sure you don't want to wait in the car?" Lex was rethinking his rash decision to take Chloe alone. Jason actually stayed at the lab. What had he been thinking bringing a teenager along?

"I'm going in."

Right; it was Chloe, about as tenacious as they came. Ah, yes, now he remembered. "Fine, but no noise."

Lex killed the engine and took out his set of keys to the building. They both left the car and quietly slipped inside.

The hallways were pitched black and Lex was sure that anyone could hear the racket their shoes were making on the floor. Why had he worn shoes that squeaked? He should have known better by now.

Pulling out a tiny pocket flashlight, he shone it down the hall, lighting their way. The walk had never seemed longer than at that moment.

After what seemed like hours, they reached Clark's door. Lex withdrew his keys again. In the dark he had trouble finding the right one, and, in a fit of annoyance, Chloe grabbed the key ring from him. When she gave it back, he was shocked to find that she'd found the right one. When he looked at her, she only smirked.

The door clicked open and Lex moved inside. Clark's form could be seen lying on the table. Chloe soft gasp came from beside him. Together they moved beside Clark's still form.

Lex didn't want to scare Clark, but it was imperative that he remain quiet. Before he had a chance to wake up, Lex clamped a hand over his mouth and then gently shook his shoulder. Clark eyes immediately shot open, seemingly outlined even more by the dim light of the flashlight. As Lex had predicted, he tried to yell, but his cries were easily stifled by Lex's hand. "No, no, shhh, Clark, I'm taking you home, we're taking you home."

Clark's eyes looked up into his, searching. Chloe's soft hitch of breath from beside him was the only thing that made him look away. Clark tried again to say something into his hand as Chloe reached down and combed a hand through his hair. "No, Clark," Lex reproached him. "Quiet. Nod if you understand me."

Clark nodded and Lex moved his hand off his mouth. "Chloe," Clark whispered.

"We're taking you home, Clark," she promised, her voice slightly choked up.

"Yes, please, yes," he murmured.

Tears sprang into Chloe's eyes. "We're going to take you home, Clark. I promise" she whispered back.

Lex snapped back to the reality that he'd so easily bled out of when he'd seen Clark and Chloe interacting. Having been jolted back into it, he quickly got on task by undoing Clark's restraints.

The leather had been soft, so there was only mild bruising. Clark squirmed a little as Lex moved passed Clark's upper body and began to take off the restraint holding Clark's hips down. "No, don't move," he commanded gently, laying a hand on Clark's thigh to steady him."

"S'rry," came Clark's mumbled reply.

Lex looked up and caught Chloe's eye, silently communicating to her to help keep Clark quiet.

"We're going to go home, Clark. Everything's going to be alright," she promised, stroking at his cheek.

Clark leaned into the touch, as if starved for comfort from someone he trusted. The way he was looking at Lex, well, he clearly thought the jury was still out on the older man's motives. He obviously hadn't placed his trust back in Lex yet. Chloe was currently his safety-the comforting presence. He was looking at her with complete and utter relief.

Lex continued unbuckling Clark until the last restraint fell away. When Clark went to sit up, Lex placed both hands firmly on the boy's shoulders and pushed him back down. "No, you were just cut open. You're going to take things slow." His tone was soft, but it must have been commanding, because Clark stopped his attempts to sit up.

"Chloe, there's a wheel chair and hospital gown over there. Get them for me."

Lex had to appreciate her skills in stealth. She got both items quickly and efficiently, but bought both-especially the wheel chair-back without making a sound. Lex and Chloe put in a joint effort to get the gown on Clark. "Now sit up," Lex told Clark, placing a hand behind his back to help him. "There you go. Yeah, lean on me. Don't put pressure on your stomach."

The effort it took to put forth movement was clearly taxing Clark, but, even as beads of perspiration began to appear on his forehead and his face scrunched in pain, he followed Lex's directions.

"Good," Lex murmured. "Ok, now just lean on me, yes, there you go." It took a little maneuvering and Clark let out a small cry, but Lex managed to get him into the wheel chair. Chloe had a hand on Clark's shoulder as soon as he was settled into it.

Clark reached his own hand up, engulfing her tiny, petite, hand in his own much larger one. It was a gesture of trust and just raw need that Clark had to have someone to hold onto. He wanted the contact right now-he had to have it. He had to know Chloe was there. Suddenly Lex was very glad he'd brought her with him.

"We've got to go," Lex whispered. Clark looked at him nervously, but Chloe only met his eye and nodded.

Lex took the back of the chair. Chloe made a move to slip her hand from Clark's, but he only grabbed her tighter, more insistently. She was acting as his lifeline. She only smiled softly and kept her hand in his as they left the room.

Lex went very slowly, keeping the wheelchair as silent as possible. Clark was looking around fearfully, as if he expected something terrible to happen at any moment. And, if Lex was honest with himself, he did too.

They reached the stairs to the outside with no opposition. Lex thought he could really use some luck right then, because there was no way he could get a wheel chair up the stairs. Chloe seemed to have noticed the problem as well, judging by her slightly vexed expression. "Can you carry him?" she asked softly. Lex saw Clark's hand tighten on hers. It was really going to take some doing to earn back Clark's trust.

"I'm going to have to."

"What about the wheel chair?" she asked, the question of whether or not they should hide it posing itself, even if it wasn't vocalized.

He shook his head "It'll be obvious that he's gone anyway and even more obvious that someone took him. One wheel chair won't matter."

Lex came around the front of the chair. "Lean forward," he told Clark softly.

Clark gritted his teeth against the pain and did as he was told, only reluctantly letting go of Chloe's hand. Thanking God for having made Clark with hollow bones, Lex slipped an arm under and behind him, lifting him as Clark worked with him by putting an arm across his shoulder, despite his obvious reluctance to do so. Even so, Clark was still too heavy to really carry.

Clark was so stiff against him. So stiff and so scared. And, really, who could blame him? The man holding him had watched him be dissected. Lex let out a soft grunt as he started up the stairs. Chloe held the flashlight and was doing her part by shinning it in front of Lex.

After what seemed like a mountain climb to Lex, they reached the door. Chloe scooted ahead and opened it. The night air was cool and Clark shivered against him, reminding Lex that he was only in a hospital gown and while summer was approaching, the nights were still too chilly for clothing like that.

The car was parked a few paces away, and Lex saw Clark look at the thing suspiciously when he saw it was a simple Chevy Impala-a drastic change from what Lex usually drove. "I didn't want it to be obvious in case someone saw us," Lex whispered to him as they approached the char. Clark squirmed a little against him in response.

Chloe opened the door once they reached the car, and as gently as he could, Lex settled Clark in the back seat. They'd brought pillows and blankets along as well, because they'd both wanted Clark to be as comfortable as possible for the ride. (Lex had decided it would be best to go back to Smallville-staying in Metropolis would have been foolish.)

Chloe climbed in the back seat after Clark. Lex had expected that she would. He hadn't expected that she'd climb behind Clark and settle him against her, her chest to his back. But Clark seemed to like it, and he closed his eyes with a small smile forming on his face, so Lex decided it was fine.

He slipped into the driver's seat, because, really, he didn't have a lot of time. He had to get Clark and Chloe back home and then drive back here-or maybe he'd just take a helicopter-and put on an award winning acting performance and act like he hadn't taken Clark.

He didn't look at the back seat again until they were safely on the highway, and even then, it was only in the rear view mirror. Chloe saw his gaze and met it in the mirror, smiling at him. "He's asleep; we can talk."

She was gently carding through Clark's raven colored locks with her right hand, while her left arm curled up and over Clark's collar bone, with her hand resting on his opposite shoulder, effectively holding his upper body against her. Clark's lips were frozen in a sort of half smile. His left hand held the wrist of her arm that was curled around him, holding it as if to assure himself that she was there.

"Not surprising. I sedated him pretty heavily before I left him today."

"What did they do to him, Lex? We never really talked about it since I caught you on your way out. It must have been something big, since this is breaking the plan."

Smart girl, Lex wasn't sure if that annoyed him or if he liked it. Maybe appreciated it was a better way to put it. She picked up on his hesitancy to answer her.

"It was bad wasn't it? He's so scared."

"Chloe," his voice choked up as he remembered Clark crying for him. "Chloe, they preformed vivisection on him."

Her hand stopped petting Clark momentarily, and the shock was obvious on her face. "They-he was awake, wasn't he-oh my-damn."

"Yeah."

"That's why he's scared of you."

Well, leave it to Chloe to put it bluntly. Lex flinched a little. The truth really did hurt. "I couldn't stop it without ruining any chance for his escape. But I knew I had to get him out. Screw the plan-he was shattering in front of me."

"He'll trust you again. Give it time."

"Chloe, they were dissecting him and he screamed for me. I didn't help him. It's going to take a lot to get over that."

She went back to petting Clark's hair as Clark moaned a little and frowned in his sleep. As soon as she began again he exhaled softly and his face relaxed. "He'll understand. You'll talk to him at the mansion and things-they'll work out."

Lex focused his eyes back on the road. Maybe Clark would forgive him, but, remembering Clark's screams, he wasn't sure if he'd forgive himself.