Chapter Twenty

"Dad, I'm home!" Chloe shouted as she walked through the door. She frowned as she realized her dad was already talking with someone. Entering the living room, Chloe was surprised to see that it was none other than Lex Luthor.

"And this must be your daughter, Chloe." Lex grinned and held out his hand. "Julian can't stop talking about you."

"Really?" Chloe asked as she shook Lex's hand. It was more out of shock that she allowed herself to do so, rather than willingness to shake the hand of the town's traitor.

"Oh, yes. Can't say I'm surprised. Well, I do have to get going. It was lovely meeting you Miss Sullivan. Gabe."

"Yeah." Chloe watched Lex leave. She turned to her father. "Okay, what was all that about?"

"He stopped by out of the blue to see how I was doing." Her dad shook his head in disbelief. "Anyway, I'm glad he did. I got an interesting call from the hospital today. All my bills are gone. Including the physical therapy sessions I haven't even had yet."

"Seriously? Was it Lex?"

"No. I asked him. He apologized for not seeing me sooner; he had just been preoccupied with his brother. Can't say I blame him." Mr. Sullivan took his daughter's hand. "Everything will be fine now. Lex talked about getting me another job at Luthor Corp when I'm ready to go back. Where's Lois?"

Just as he asked that, Lois came in through the door. "Hi, hello, everyone."

"Lois, let's get a snack." Chloe shoved her cousin into the kitchen quickly. "Where were you today? You weren't at school."

"I was doing research."

"On what? Wait, don't tell me. Julian Luthor."

"I'm calling it the Kent Conundrum. Are you wearing pink?" Lois frowned at seeing her cousin's shirt. "You hate pink. Is it new?"

"No. It was in the back of my closet."

"Uh huh. And speaking of billionaire playboys, you like him, don't you?"

"You have to admit he's hot. And really sweet. Not to mention he keeps me supplied in caffeine." Chloe gushed.

Lois found she couldn't participate in her cousin's happiness. "Chloe, I couldn't be happier for you that you like a guy and he's interested. It's to be expected; we're very attractive women. But please be careful."

"Careful in what way? What is it you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know. But something is off with this guy."

"His memory scramble is peculiar, I'll admit it. He's still just a guy though."

"No. I mean really off. Today I found out his personal physician for his entire life has been Dr. Steve Hamilton. Not to mention he's been homeschooled his entire life and has clocked more hours in that Cadmus lab than the people who work there."

"So? He's rich. They can afford personal doctors."

"Fine. Except Hamilton's expertise is minerology and physics. He didn't start his doctorate in anatomy until after being hired by Luthor Corp after allegedly losing his position at Metropolis University for having relations with a student. Which never made it to official documents somehow."

"What are you getting at?"

"I don't know!" Lois threw her arms in the air. "But there's something weird going around this guy. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I know you got my back, and I love you for that. But how exactly would I get hurt in this scenario?"

"At the moment, to be determined. There's just something strange about him."

"About him? Or about what happened to him?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

"So, how did things go at the prison today?" Lex asked Clark during dinner. The two were again in the dining room, but the large table had been replaced with a smaller one. It was more comfortable to eat at, but now the room felt emptier.

"It went good. Kyle admitted he only confessed to the crime so he could get locked up. He feels he's dangerous."

"I've been meaning to ask you about the gloves. Why were they important?"

"Kyle can…persuade people to do things. He was infected during the meteor shower."

"Like hypnosis?"

"I guess. They stop though, after doing what they were told. I told him you could get him some help."

"I promise to oversee it personally. In fact, I got a call from the lawyer after he left. It turns out Kyle was unable to describe the place Alison was kept in during her abduction. She was able to give a few distinct marks, like metal rails and teddy bears. The details never made it into the papers. And Kyle couldn't answer questions about the mask the abductor used. It was custom made. Based on that, the case can be reopened."

"And arrest Watts?"

"Not yet. I've mentioned Detective Watts name to the lawyer who will pass it on to the new detective who will be assigned to investigate. Until a case can be made against Watts, he'll stay on the force. I guess I should mention that we'll be roughing it for a few days. Dominic's brother is in town and asked for some time off."

"Really?" Clark felt his face fall. He was going to ask him about what Jeff had overheard tonight.

"Something wrong?" Lex continued to eat.

"No. I just wanted to ask him something."

"Why don't you call him?"

"No." Clark shook his head. "I don't want to interrupt. It can wait."

Lex talked how he had been inspired by Clark's generosity towards the Sullivans and paid Gabe a visit. Clark shared his investigations into the meteor infected people and how they led normal lives now.

"So, you're saying life is better."

"What?"

"You're saying that life as Julian Luthor is better than when you supposedly were Clark Kent. Right?"

Clark took a bite of his food and thought about what Lex had just said. It was true that less people had died this way. Principle Kwan. Jenna. Even Watts was still alive; whether he was guilty or not was yet to be determined. The one exception so far was Sasha; Clark hadn't been there to save her.

Clark pointed to his mouth to excuse himself from answering.

He chewed for a long time.