He thought that he must be very, very drunk for the objects in front of him to be teetering slightly as he walked into his room. He assumed it was his room anyway, because Lex hadn't designated anywhere else he wanted him to be.

That seemed funny, so he giggled, and, yes, he was very, very drunk. It felt so good too. He wasn't thinking about much of anything as he plopped down on the sofa of his room. There was a TV there, and he was thankful.

It had been ages since he'd watched TV-since the takeover in fact. That was funny too, in some bizarre, very twisted way. Clark didn't care at all. No one was here to see him laugh at pretty much nothing.

TV was like he remembered it. It was news channels at first, branching off into other useless entertainment shows that, of course, were probably popular. Only after a few minutes of watching did Clark realize that the aliens had stripped all the programs of anything resembling with free will. Even the entertainment shows were censored, it seemed.

He laughed at that too. What better way to infect the world than by the media? Maybe he should have looked a little closer at the newspapers Lex had shown him rather than just looking at the headlines. The aliens had probably altered the content to that as well.

He grabbed at the material on the couch. Everything felt so much nicer at the moment. He tried to think of why he hadn't ever tried to get drunk before. Ah, yes, abilities, he remembered.

The door to his room entered and he turned around. Lex was standing there, the top button of his shirt undone and the tie hanging around his neck. His suit jacket was also gone. "'Lo, Lex," Clark greeted, trying not to slur his words. It was obviously a fruitless attempt.

"You're drunk," Lex said simply.

Clark nodded. "Oh, yes, very much so."

"How much did you have?" Lex asked with a sigh, looking at Clark reproachfully.

Clark laughed at his reproachful look. Lex looked so funny like that. "Aw, c'mon, Lex! You can't tell me that you didn't ever get drunk!"

Lex smirked a little. "I've been very drunk on occasion, Clark. But I know that I was never as stupid acting when I was drunk as you're acting right now. So I'll repeat my question: How much did you have?"

Clark paused to think for a moment. The glasses of champagne were all beginning to blur together. He'd been drinking to get drunk, after all. "Emm, 'm not sure," he muttered, lying back on the couch and flicking through the channels, despite the fact that he'd already done so many times.

Lex came over and gently removed the remote from his hand. "I don't know what happened tonight, but you are incredibly drunk," Lex said simply as if he were talking to a three year old.

"Yup," Clark said with a small laugh. "And, damn, it feels good."

"I'm sure it does," Lex replied, rolling his eyes. "It won't feel so good tomorrow morning. Come on, get up," he commanded, tugging at Clark's arm. "You need to drink some water or otherwise you're going to have a very nasty hangover."

Clark really didn't feel like moving. "Sure, Lex."

"Now." Lex's voice really didn't leave room for argument, but Clark didn't notice that in his state. If he'd been sober enough to notice he would have moved right away, because even he didn't want to deal with Lex when he took that tone, unless of course he was looking for a fight...because he would sure as anything get one.

Rough hands grabbed him and hauled him off the couch, guiding his drunken weave that was a only a parody of walking. Clark had to grab Lex's arms for support because Lex was going so fast and Clark's feet didn't want to walk a straight line. The thought flashed though his head that perhaps he really should consider just how much alcohol that he'd had.

Lex sat him on the bed, and a water bottle came out of no where. Clark tried to take it, but it slipped through his fingers. He heard Lex's sigh and it sounded almost...sympathetic. Huh, that was unexpected.

A moment later the head of the water bottle probed gently at his mouth. It was easy to open his mouth and let it in, so he did so. The water tasted nice and somehow pure after all the champagne he'd had. It was strangely welcome change.

He swallowed, but more water kept coming. He made to pull away, because he didn't want anymore. A protesting noise rose in his throat. "Uh uh, you're going to finish it," he heard Lex mummer as a hand slipped behind his head, stopping his retreat away from the bottle.

And because it was easier to drink than to fight Lex's grip on him, he did. He wondered if the room should be swirling in prismatic color like it was. The water finally stopped coming and he felt very lightheaded. Suddenly being drunk was becoming less fun.

He thought he might have heard Lex's amused laugh from somewhere very, very far away, but he was too lightheaded all of a sudden to care. He could feel himself falling, loosing control of his body, and was suddenly very thankful for the hand behind his head that was guiding him to the bed.

He passed out before anything else could be felt.

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

Clark awoke gradually. The sheets were soft beneath him, as was the pillow under his head. Everything felt perfect and alright...until memories slipped from the back of his mind into the front and center. Suddenly staying in bed didn't seem so right.

He sat up quickly, and immediately noted how much of a mistake it was. His stomach lurched violently, and the beginnings of a headache were present behind his skull. Perhaps drinking wasn't the best way to relieve stress.

He was alone in the room, and for the time being he was thankful. He knew he'd have to tell Lex about what Lana had said at some point, but at least that point wasn't right now. His stomach lurched again, and he got up to go to the bathroom. Yet, strangely enough, he didn't vomit.

He vaguely remembered Lex giving him some kind of beverage and wondered if maybe it had helped. He'd never been drunk before, so he really had no way of knowing. But then again, Lex seldom did anything that was pointless, so he supposed that it had to have helped.

The sink was nearby so he stumbled over to it and splashed cold water on his face. That helped some, but he still felt less than good. No matter what his problems, drinking obviously wasn't the best way to relieve stress.

"No, not when you drink like you did last night."

Had he said that last bit out loud? And when had Lex shown up? "Morning, Lex," he grumbled.

"You look like shit," Lex said bluntly.

Clark braced his hands on the sink and shot Lex a withering glare. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he said softly, but his usual caustic quality wasn't there. "What happened last night?"

Clark shrugged and continued to brace himself on the sink. "I heard some stuff that I thought I was prepared for but obviously wasn't, and getting drunk seemed like a viable option."

"So you caught up with Lana." It wasn't a question by any means. Lex moved to stand beside him at the sink.

"She sold me out in a deliberate, calculating way," he explained, but his voice sounded hollow to his own ears. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

"Care to share the sordid details?"

"Not really, but I know that wasn't a question. She wanted out of living underground with ripped and dirty clothes, no showers, and basically no food. She knew they'd never take her in unless she did something to prove her loyalty. Apparently we were the best she had to offer to them."

Lex nodded understandingly. "What'd she do when she saw you were alive?"

"At first? At first she cried. Then she told me that she was going to take me down." He laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Huh," Lex said with a soft snort. "Doesn't want you exposing why she really turned you in, right? Doesn't want to stain her new spotless reputation as a loyalist?"

Clark finally pulled away from the sink and wiped his mouth on a towel. Why did his mouth have such a terrible taste in his mouth when he hadn't even thrown up? "That's about it," he mumbled in reply.

"What else did she say?"

"Oh, just basically that she was sure I wasn't legal. Then a little later she purposed the idea that I was sleeping with someone. I let her think that. I suppose that she's off somewhere now thinking of ways to get rid of me. Oh, by the way, I'm sure she'll look into just how I got out of that market, which means I'll be traced to you, and you know that means she'll figure a good amount out." Clark headed out the bathroom door and back to the bedroom where he began to rummage for clothing in the dresser by the bed. (He'd somehow ended up in pajama pants after passing out in a suit the night before.)

"So what?" Lex said with a shrug. "She can't prove anything. What's she going to say? 'I knew they used to be friends.'? What's that going to do? No, she'll try a more legal route."

"As in?" he asked, gripping his head as the headache began to manifest itself right between his temples.

"Oh, she'll try to prove that you're living here as a guest."

"Lex, I am living here as a guest," he replied bluntly, giving Lex an annoyed look.

Lex shot him a confident smile. "She can't prove that."

Clark looked at him and then began to laugh. "You're unbelievable."

Lex's smile grew. "You've got no idea. Do you want an aspirin?"

"Yes, please," Clark muttered. Hangovers were definitely not fun. He took the aspirin and glass of water that Lex handed him, downing them quickly.

Lex's voice suddenly dropped an octave and became very serious. "I've got some good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

Clark shrugged. "Bad I guess."

"Pete's dead."

Well, that was...blunt. Clark felt as though his brain had just stopped functioning. All those years of hiding with Pete, of knowing how strong Pete was--it was just unthinkable. Pete dieing wasn't plausible. It hurt to think about it, so much that it was almost physical.

He must have had a blank looked on his face, and that was really pretty likely since it just didn't seem to set in that Pete. Was. Dead. "You-You're sure?" he asked, feeling stupid for even asking it. Of course Lex was sure. He wouldn't have said anything to Clark if he hadn't been.

"I'm sorry, Clark," Lex said sincerely. The sympathy in his voice nearly killed Clark, because he was aware that Lex knew what it was like to loose someone.

"How?" he whispered softly, not at all sure he wanted to know, but knowing that he should know.

"Apparently there are people in the world that are more prideful than the two of us."

"What?" Clark asked, sincerely confused. That statement didn't make any sense to him.

"I knew when to cut my losses; you knew when to at least stop fighting--Pete didn't."

Clark nodded, the statement making sense. Pete hadn't been willing to submit to the aliens. He'd fought them. Clark had been willing to submit to the extent that he allowed himself to be dragged and shoved onto trucks and be all around abused. "Was he one of the ones burned in a truck?"

Lex nodded slowly. "From what I've found out he's lucky to have even gotten that far."

Clark felt sick, more so than from just the hangover. He swore softly and sighed. "I-that could have been me, Lex. That could have been me...so easily."

Lex sat beside him on the bed. "It could of, but it wasn't. You were smart enough to know when fighting would get you killed."

"No, he knew," Clark said honestly. "He knew it would get him killed and he was braver than I was. I was scared to die--didn't want to die. He wasn't willing to live in slavery even to save his own life. He wanted them to kill him."

He looked up to see Lex with his eyes closed, and appearing to be taking a deep breath. It surprised Clark that Lex was showing so much emotion. "He wasn't braver than you, Clark," he said after a few moments. "He just had a different philosophy."

Clark nodded, not sure of what he really thought. What he really wanted was to just not think. Thinking hurt too much.

"Do you want to good news?" Lex asked softly.

"Yes."

"Chloe's alive. She wasn't even branded."

Clark's gaze shot up to Lex's face. "What?-How?"

"They only brand the ones they think will live."

His eyes grew wide with fear. "But she's going to live, right?"

"Oh, yes, but she wouldn't have without medical attention. Naturally, I'll get her some. She's in a hospital that I was able to get her into for now, but you'll be able to see her soon. She got very, very lucky, Clark."

"Gosh, yes," he said with a nod. "Lex?"

"Yes?" he replied, looking up at Clark expectantly.

"Thank you." And he meant it. As much as he hated the choices Lex had made, he had to admit that those very choices had saved them all.

Lex's lips curved into one of his very rare sincere smiles. "You're welcome, Clark."