Clark awoke with Chloe snuggled into his side, her hair tickling his chest. He grinned slightly and rolled into it, burying his face in the golden locks. They smelled like fruit—especially mangos—and he drank in the scent.

"Emmm," she muttered softly as Clark sniffed her hair. She giggled when she realized what he was doing.

"I love you, Chloe," he whispered "I've missed you." Then, almost as an afterthought he murmured, It's early; go back to sleep."

She'd never been really awake anyway, so when he covered her with the blanket and kissed her gently she drifted right back off. Clark, on the other hand, went over and picked up his sweat pants from the floor, as well as his white T-shirt. He took a quick trip to the bathroom to pee, brush his teeth, and comb his hair before he slipped out of the room in as quiet a fashion as possible.

Lex was right where he'd known he'd be, in the kitchen, getting an early start. Lex gave him something between a grin and a smirk as he came in. "Late night?"

"How'd you know?" he said only half-jokingly, part of him really curious.

Lex raised an eyebrow and set the paper he'd been reading down. "Honestly? Well, one, you've got that look in your eyes, and, two, you've got a hickey on your neck. I'd suggest wearing something with a high collar."

Lex was getting far too much sadistic pleasure out of his hearty blush, just judging from his smirk. "I really do?"

Lex nodded, one hundred percent serious. "Most definitely. There's a small mirror in the inner kitchen. Check if you don't believe me."

Clark made a quick dash in there to look, and saw Lex was most definitely not lying. Once he re-immerged, he was met with Lex having gone back to his paper and coffee. "Like I said, collared shirts," he suggested again, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"You're impossible," he said with a laugh and a slight shake of his head.

Lex set the paper down and took a sip of coffee. "She despises me, you know," he pointed out seriously. "Probably blames me for about half of the deaths of her loved ones."

"Lex, I'm sure she doesn't-"

"She does," he cut in, his hard blue eyes never leaving Clark's face. "I'm not a fool, Clark, and I know you're aware of just how well I can read people."

"Ok, so you're not her...favorite person," he conceded with a tiny half-shrug.

"And she doesn't trust me as far as she can throw."

"Aw, Lex, Chloe can throw pretty far! She-" he began to joke, trying to lighten the mood.

"Clark" Apparently Lex wasn't going to be deterred. His eyes were unblinking and set, his face a picture of seriousness.

Clark stopped talking and swallowed. "Yes?"

"Don't do something stupid like leaving just because she wants to. You've got to remember that you've got that mark and that you're not invincible."

Clark's eyes darkened a shade as well, and he felt the beginnings of irritation. "You're not my father, Lex," he said softly, immediately regretting it when Lex's face hardened more.

"No," Lex agreed. "I know when my race is run, and I'll take a different course if it means surviving."

The beginning feelings of irritation irrupted into full out anger. "Shut up."

Lex looked at him coolly, but yet with a glare that could only be described as calculating. "No."

"Why do you want me to stay here so bad, huh? Are you afraid I might actually do something to damage what you've worked for?"

Lex pushed his chair back and stood up to face Clark. "I believe we've been over this."

"Maybe I don't believe you," he spat angrily. He could feel a flush rising in his cheeks, and he knew he was probably being irrational, but the near-taunt about his father rang in his ears and seemed to drown out everything else, sense chief among those things.

"Lie to me, but don't lie to yourself, Clark," Lex advised, an eyebrow slightly raised. "The reason for that would be that I can tell when you're lying, but I'm not sure you can anymore. All I want is your word that you won't leave."

"I already gave it, although that might have been a mistake."

Lex nodded and visibly relaxed. Clark was confused at first by the emotion just barely creeping onto Lex's face, but after a little closer inspection he ascertained it to be relief. "If we've got that out of the way, then follow me," Lex directed.

Clark did, possibly out of habit, because it seemed that he'd been following Lex since the day they'd met in Smallville. In reality, they'd followed each other and both had influenced the other. "Where are we going?" he asked once they'd gotten out in the hall. When Lex didn't answer, but only smirked, he asked again, "Really, Lex, where are we going?"

A grim smile appeared on Lex's face. "The capitol building. You did know that my house was in Denver-you know, the capital city?"

Clark rolled his eyes but nodded. "We had tabs on all the leaders; of course I know where your house is."

"Good," replied Lex, his smile growing. "But anyway, you're going to double as my servant today."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Um, Ok, why?"

"Because otherwise you're not going to get into the building, and you certainly wouldn't get out."

Clark hadn't been watching where they were going, but Lex apparently had, because he stopped them outside a door and then beckoned Clark inside. "A bathroom," Clark noted dully when he saw the interior. "Why are we in a bathroom?"

"Because Clark Kent has already made an appearance. Haven't you ever done the incognito thing, Clark?"

"Too many times," he said seriously. "You don't even want to know what I dressed up as the time I snuck into a government records building."

Lex smirked, eyeing him with amusement. "I suspect that I don't. Sit on the toilet."

Clark did as he was told, while Lex rummaged around in the medicine cabinet for something. "What's at the capital building?" Clark asked as he waited. The capital building was known as the main meeting place of all things alien. Getting in there would be tough, and getting information would be even tougher.

"So many things and, yet, not enough," Lex mumbled. He sighed when he saw Clark's annoyed frown at his purposeful vagueness, and then audibly answered, "A trial."

"Whose trial?" he prompted, feeling like he basically had to pry the information out of Lex.

"Victoria Hardwick."

Clark laughed, though he really didn't think it was at all funny. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Lex replied, finally withdrawing from the cabinet with a few various things in his hands. "She joined the alien's side from the start, but she's been playing the double agent, trying to gain a profit. Does that really surprise you?"

"Not at all," he admitted with a bitter laugh. "She was...always out for herself."

"Mmhm," Lex agreed, moving over to Clark. "Ever wanted to be a blond, Clark?" he asked with a grin as he held up some washable hair dye.

"I always thought brunette suited me just fine, but I think I'm game to try it."

Lex said nothing, but pulled the cap off and started spraying, combing through Clark's hair gingerly, clearly making it believable. Clark had never met anyone who was as good at disguising their true selves when they wanted as Lex, so he supposed that he at least wouldn't look like himself.

When Lex finished spraying, he laughed softly. "Yeah, I like you better as a brunette too. But I'd say the dye job looks good."

"It washes out, right?" Clark inquired. He really didn't want to spend a month or so as a blond. Chloe would have too much fun with that.

"Of course. I suspect that another search team will show up eventually, so you're going to need to be back to being a brunette by tonight at least, just in case." He handed Clark a small box and bottle. "Contacts," he explained at Clark's confused look. "Put them in."

Clark stood up and dripped some of the fluid into his eye before slipping the contacts in. He'd done that many times and was lucky that he knew how to. It was a little trickier, though, without your eyeballs being invulnerable, but he eventually got it.

When he looked in the mirror after, it was like it wasn't even him. Everything was so...light in coloration. The dye job was nearly perfect, and no trace of his dark brown hair showed at all. That, coupled with the contacts which turned his eyes blue, left no trace of Clark Kent. Lex had even colored his eyebrows.

"I don't look like me at all."

"Indeed," Lex said with a small smile as he came to stand beside him. "Put these on," he ordered abruptly, handing Clark a stack of clothing. Clark glanced down at the clothes. Classic clothes of a servant. Yes, he was really playing the part. "I'll be waiting outside," Lex told him before disappearing out the door.

The clothing of the pants was brown and rough and it itched against Clark's skin as he put it on. The shirt was no better with its unfitted waist and sleeves that hung off him like a sack. It too was brown, and, along with his hair, it made his skin look oddly pale. Lex had left him some shoes, although they were just a pair of simple dark brown work boots. He was surprised at how battered looking they were, and he wondered where Lex had gotten them from, because they'd obviously been broken in.

"Good enough to pass?" Clark asked seriously as he exited the bathroom.

Lex gave him a thorough perusal, but nodded. "Good. I'd recognize you, of course, and I suspect that Chloe would as well. I don't think Lana would, though."

"Why's that?" he asked, his brow wrinkling. Lana, though he didn't like her now, was smart enough, and he hadn't thought Lex to be one who would underestimate his opponent.

"Because she isn't attentive to detail. You see, most people look at the eyes, build, and hair to identify people. Do you notice how many people mistake others for someone else when they see them from behind? Lana would be one of those people. The shape of your face gives you away, but that's it. The clothes hide the shape of your body nicely. Therefore, unless someone is very observant, they'll be hard-pressed to recognize you."

"How do you know stuff like that?" he asked incredulously. Did Lex seriously watch people that much to know how they recognized others?

"Chloe does too. She can tell if someone's lying. You know, Clark, it's ironic; you were one of the people with the most secrets that I'd ever met, and, yet, you surrounded yourself with people who were known for reading others like most people read the Sunday paper."

Clark only shrugged and followed Lex towards the exit of the mansion. Choosing friends like that had obviously served him well in the long run.