Dealing with Devils
Abby Ebon
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Summary: House needs to get rid of Tritter- so he calls on an old favor. Lex is only too happy to do so- for a price. Smallville and House, M.D. crossover. Slightly Slashy, what with hints of blushes, and male/male crushes –snickers-
Disclaimer for "Dealing with Devils": I do not own "Smallville" or "House, M. D.".
PS – As someone who has little medical knowledge, and as I'm dealing with a young Superman here, forgive any 'mistakes'.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
"Lex Luther speaking." Lex answered his cell phone – as he usually did.
"Ah, Lex, I'm glad I've caught you. Can I assume you are 'interviewing' Detective Tritter?" Lionel spoke, his tone on the word Detective implying the man did not deserve it, and there was the hint of gleeful darkness in the word 'interviewing'.
"Correct." Lex stated, not giving away just who it was on the other side of the phone – 'Detective' Tritter would likely spill his coffee on himself.
"And how is House?" Lionel asked, somewhat amusedly.
"Well enough." Lex answered.
"Ah, good, do me proud son, I'll see to it that everything will run smoothly with the legal process." Lionel assured him, and Lex stifled his annoyance. Of course his father would know House had contacted him – and want to see House become a willing ally.
Lex made a non-committal noise, and his father hung up, Lex turned his attention to the impatient Twitter.
"My apologies, Detective, I assure you, you have my undivided attention." 'Although, you will not want it at the end of the day...' Lex finished in his thoughts.
"Not a problem, now, Mr. Luther, what do you plan to do about Dr. House?" Tritter asked, sure that Lex was on his side.
"'Do about Dr. House'? Nothing." Lex answered, taking a perverse joy in the way the man's eyes bulged out.
"Let me assure you, Tritter, great medical genius' are hard pressed to be found in this day in age. Much more common is the half-cocked Detective. Which, Tritter, do you think I would protect? A man who saved my life as a child? Or a man who can not get anything on an innocent man, who resorts to harassment, and depriving a handicapped man of the pain drugs he needs?" Lex finished as Tritter's mouth opened and closed in alarm.
"Good bye, Detective, my lawyer will be calling you shortly to press charges. I suggest you quit before she drags up more then thirty years of history." Lex smirked faintly at him, and left the 'detective' (soon to be a detective no more) gaping after him.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Lex was quick to find Clark and House, quite sure that his 'innocent' friend had been corrupted past correction – and this time Mr. Kent really would 'take a bat' to him. What he found instead was faintly amusing.
Clark was moving House's furniture for him.
Apparently, Clark had gotten 'fidgety' – and as Lana had once discovered, a fidgety Clark was a wonder to movers everywhere.
"Are you quite through?" Lex asked, amused, waiting until Clark had finished moving House's desk before speaking. It would not do for Clark to injure himself. Clark, finished moving, glanced up at him – and then away quite flushed. He heard – faintly, a whispered, "Yeah."
Then Clark seemed to not be able to meet his eyes.
Lex frowned in puzzlement, knowing he would have a chat about that with him later, House tilted his head inquiringly – a lesser man would not have known that he was buzzing about curiosity over what had occurred between Lex and Twitter.
Lex, however, did know, and stifled a smirk.
"Well?" House inquired, grinning slightly- eagerly. Clark got the impression of two 'devils' sharing a 'moment'; just Clark's strange luck that he had dealings with those devils. Clark, nor the other two men, had noticed that the lead-stone desk he had been moving glowed faintly green.
"You will not have trouble with Twitter again; my lawyer will be taking him to court with harassment and malpractice as a detective." Lex told him, and then frowned slightly, and House froze.
"My father called during the interview, he will likely contact you with some sort of deal – call me if he does. I helped you, and I expect my father to respect that." Lex shrugged it off, and House merely nodded in acknowledgement.
"Clark and I will be…" Lex trailed off, glancing at Clark, for the first time he noticed his friends pale face and green-around-the-gills look.
"Lex? I-I don't feel so well…" Clark took a step foreword- staggered, and fell – faintly, Lex heard House yell for help, but Lex's attention was, for the first time on this damned trip, solely on Clark.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Lex had made all the calls.
To Clark's parents (who he had sent his 'copter to pick up and take back here, which would take ten hours, which would be later the next day) – to Lionel, still, it did nothing to ease Lex's worry for his friend.
He kept expecting House to come in and say Clark was fine – like he always found a way to be.
It had been nearly two hours, and no matter how long it took – Lex refused to leave the lobby.
Cuddy had tried to get him to eat supper – he had refused. His father had called to tell him to ensure Clark got the best – but that Lionel would be unable to get to New Jersey till noon tomorrow.
He found himself thinking over everything he could have done to change this – yet, he knew he couldn't. Clark had always seemed invincible, the true-blue hero who couldn't be beaten.
Lex supposed, dully, that all illusions had to be shattered sometime – but why now?
Clark hadn't done anything unusual, nothing that would explain a break down like this. Lex rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking – and for the first time he considered, truly, that it might have been Lex's fault.
Lex had gotten Clark into a 'copter for the first time in his life.
Lex had flown him to a place he had never been, just to put Tritter in his place – it all seemed so stupid now. Lex could have done that in China, just by getting his lawyer involved. Yet…he hadn't.
He had been selfish and Clark was paying the price.
"Lex?" House called softly, wary, it would not due for him to upset a Luther in this state. Lex looked up at him, and House realized for the first time exactly what Clark's friendship meant to Lex.
Lex was sure a mess otherwise. His jacket and tie were loose –wrinkled, his slacks were bunched and uneven, Lex had never looked so…un-Luther-ish.
" Clark is getting worse, do you know of anything he's allergic to? What had he been doing before coming here?" House questioned, settling himself down beside Lex, who looked so lost House began to realize how human Lax actually was.
"No – nothing, he's a farm boy, House, nothing like this has ever happened before…" Lex trailed off, aware that he wasn't making much sense.
"Farm boy, eh? Thought so, too innocent to be anything else." House teased gently. Lex glared up at him.
House sighed, patting him on the shoulder- a very un-House-ish gesture, but Lex was a special case, he had known Lex since he was a little boy. For that – he could spare a bit of sympathy, in Luther's debt or not.
"Come on, lover boy, I'll get you into see him. He slipped into coma a bit ago – but he's keeps fighting it, never seen anything like it." House mused as he limped to Clark's room.
"House, what are you doing, he isn't supposed to go in there – only family is allowed…" Cuddy trailed off, seeing Lex look up and glare at her. "Dr. Cuddy, Clark is pretty much family, save in name." Lex told her, leaving no doubt in her mind that Lex would go in the room – regulations or not.
Cuddy rolled her eyes, it figured an 'old friend' of House's would be just as stubborn as the doctor himself – if not more so. Cuddy watched as Lex and House went into the room, and she went to her office, just to reassure the Board of Directors that they weren't in danger of being sued – yet.
Lex's breath caught in his throat, Clark looked…deadened, almost as if he was dieing…An IV drip took his notice next – then the heart and blood pressure monitors, anything to distract him from his friend's helpless state.
Lex was led to Clark's side, and House scooted two chairs next to Clark's bedside, and Lex sat – without thinking, House joining him a moment later.
"What are his chances?" Lex asked stonily, House sighed, running a hand through his hair...
"Truthfully Lex? I just don't know, we did a few MRIs and X-rays, and too many damned tests thrice over. We aren't dealing with any form of virus, bacteria, disease, or anything I've ever seen! It's almost like… something is draining the life out of him." The frustration in House's voice was clear, a tangible thing that hovered darkly over their thoughts.
"Could it, be…could it, really, be that this is something of that nature?" Lex asked, his tone soft – his intent not. House looked at him, alarmed.
"If it is, I don't see how it could be affecting just your friend – there would be others. This is not something you could have prevented Lex." House told him, Lex nodded, his eyes inward.
House got the distinct feeling he was being ignored.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
AN: I've decided to end this on the 5th chapter, I don't see it going anywhere after that. Sorry loves. It was never intended to be a long story in the first place…