Author's Note…

Wow, a post on a Tuesday…and a week late. Sorry, guys… life's been a bit psycho lately. I hope to go back to once-a-week updates soon, but I don't know if that's possible. So don't hold me to it.

And now, for a chapter that is half the length of the previous one...

Kaitlyn's POV

I was so happy when Shelly gave me my old clothes to wear for the trip. I was even more excited to go outside and breathe fresh air. The one downside was that it was December…and cold. Well, I could live with that for a few seconds, but what really bothered me were the two male orderlies that walked so close to me. It wasn't like I was going to run anywhere—there was nowhere to run.

We soon reached the ambulance that wasn't for emergencies. I thought it was weird that there were no other kinds of vehicles in sight. Settled into the back of one, the assistant's watch caught my eye. 3:00. The people at Belle Reve must really be about punctuality.

I soon found myself being walked into a small lobby at Summerholt. A woman wearing a tight bun typed rapidly behind a desk. Orderly Number One approached her and said, "We're here to deliver Kaitlyn Grant." I frowned, not liking that I sounded like some UPS package.

The woman was frowning, too, but for a different reason. "I'm sorry, she's not on the schedule. Let me check our files." After a few keystrokes, she raised her eyebrows. "Well, she is in here, supposed to be tested with Phycopsuedoplyne. However, the treatment was just recalled."

Wait…what? The one thing I hated more than the thing inside of me was that freak power, and now I had to wait even longer before I could get rid of it? That's just gay.

"Recalled?" Orderly Number Two asked.

She shrugged. "High amounts of lead. We'll be sure to call you again when the drug is safe."

Orderly Number One dialed someone, probably his boss, and explained the situation. Finally, he hung up. "We'll take you back, then," he told me.

My eyes lit up again. "Does this mean that I get to talk to Hailey?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Nope, kid. Let's just get you to Belle Reve." I followed him and Orderly Number Two outside—into the blessed sunshine and blasted cold air. Having no idea when I would see the light of day again, I enjoyed it as much as possible despite the snow. I will admit that it probably wasn't too smart to stare directly at the sun, though. I was seeing spots for the next five minutes.

After being settled back into my cell with its annoying white walls, I napped for a few hours. The next thing I remembered was being gently shaken awake.

"Kaitlyn," Shelly called.

"What?" I groaned, still mostly asleep. Why was she waking me up? Was it dinnertime?

"You have a visitor," she informed me before walking to the door. To someone outside, she said, "You can come in now, Mr. Luthor."

My head snapped up, and I was completely awake. Heart turning violently inside of my chest, I bolted for the safety of the nearest corner. He had found out, and he was here to kill me. But how had he found out? Hailey hadn't told anyone, had she? I whimpered quietly, praying to whoever was up there to keep the devil outside my cell from hurting me.

But then the man entered.

--
Hours Earlier…

The moment the school bell rang, Chloe hurried to grab her books and leave, telling Lana to catch a ride home with Clark. While she stood in Lex's grand study, she couldn't peel her eyes from the grandfather clock, which read 2:51. Every minute I spend waiting for Lex to finish his fencing lesson is one less minute Katie has to live. And while Chloe wasn't Kaitlyn's biggest fan, the blonde would never just sit around and let someone die.

Lex entered the moment the clock turned to 2:52. His face was glistening with sweat, and Chloe wondered why he didn't use the towel around his neck to wipe it off. "Hello, Chloe." The young man smiled when he saw her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Chloe smiled in spite of herself. He was rich, arrogant, and inconsiderate, but he could be so charming sometimes. She paused to reorganize her freshly scrambled thoughts. "Lex, I need to ask a favor."

He spread his hands. "I'm listening."

"Clark and I have a friend, Kaitlyn Grant, in Belle Reve with a few problems. She's in a…strange situation. Her mother and father supposedly signed a contract that allowed her to be used for testing at Summerholt, though the mother claims that they never signed anything or even heard about this. I would blow this off, but the drug being used has lead, and enough of it to kill anyone." She glared at him accusingly. "A drug created by Luthorcorp." Chloe handed him the paper she had printed out before leaving school.

The man kept his indifferent mask on his face as he read the information. "Why are you coming to me?"

"Because your scientists created that drug. You give them orders, right? Therefore, it's your responsibility."

"I can assure you that I knew nothing of this drug's creation," Lex said, sitting down in his chair.

"Then it was your father! Lex, I'll explain again. Luthorcorp's deadly treatment is going to kill my—and Clark's—friend in five minutes, and you are the only one I know who can call the whole thing off."

"What do you expect me to do about it, Chloe?" Lex leaned forward over his desk.

She couldn't read his face or his tone; had she won, or was Lex just being antagonistic? With men like him, she could never tell. "Call Summerholt. Tell them that the treatment is unsafe and being recalled, or that there was a mistake, and Kate isn't supposed to be tested on. I don't know; just do something." Lex gave the slightest smile as he appeared to deliberate this. Chloe didn't know how long she could hold in her frustration. "Well?" she persisted.

"I'll take care of it," the billionaire promised, nodding. Chloe felt a smile break out across her face. "You should stop by more often. This mansion can be so dull, and you brighten it."

There he went again, scrambling her thoughts. "Thank you, Lex," she managed, quickly leaving so she wouldn't embarrass herself by getting tongue-tied. Chloe wasn't sure if she had said thank you to his promise or his compliment, but she refused to think about it.

The blonde took out her cell phone and checked the time as she climbed into her car. 2:57—not a minute too soon. I should call Tatiana and let her know that everything is okay.

Kaitlyn's friend picked up three rings later. "Ay?"

"Hey, T, it's Chloe! I did it!"

There was a squeal on the other end of the phone. "Really?! Yes!"

"Yeah. It took a bit more convincing than I thought it would, but Lex agreed to help."

"Omigosh, thanks so much, Chlo'. Yo amazing, girl! Did you actually talk to Lex? What's he like?"

"Frustrating," she admitted, then added, "and bald."

"Is he as bad as people see him?" Tatiana persisted.

"No, he's a good guy most of the time—charming, really."

"It's so unfair dat y'all know him…"

Chloe wondered if Tatiana might be drooling on the other end of the phone. "Should I call Mrs. Grant and give her the good news?" she asked, changing the topic.

"Oh, right! Don't bother; I'll do dat right now."

"Okay. See you Monday."

"Mhm. Thanks!" After she hung up, Chloe turned most of her attention to driving. She felt optimistic, even victorious. For once, Chloe Sullivan was the one to the rescue, not Clark Kent. Sure, she had lied a bit--Kaitlyn was nowhere close to being friends with Clark—but it had accomplished her purpose. A twinge of pride made her grin. Chloe: high school student, fearless reporter, and hero... I could get used to this.

--

Lex hung up the phone, feeling pleased with himself. The call had been made—another good deed done to erase his old reputation. Not that his father wouldn't ruin it again within a week. Lionel Luthor was the worst parent anyone could have and seemed to delight in making Lex's life a living hell. Of course, the problem that Chloe had called to his attention was just one of many such stunts—the young man should have seen it coming.

He wondered exactly what the drug had been for and why Chloe's friend had been the unlucky test subject. Nothing was ever coincidence when it came to his father, and Lex was determined to figure out the connection.

When he opened the laptop on his desk, he searched for Phycopsydoplyne in the Luthorcorp database. Its creation had begun in early November with the goal of curing those with special abilities. Lead was supposed to be the active ingredient by counteracting the effects of meteor rocks. However, Lex did not believe that the unhealthy amounts of the element were an accident. His father would never let that pass into testing unless he had a reason, which lead his train of thought to the unstable girl in Belle Reve.

Why would Kaitlyn be chosen? While she might know, he didn't want to approach her unless he had to. Never show your hand until you know the other players cards—that meant no direct confrontations, especially with his father, until he had at least some information on—or against--them. Lex called his assistant, who appeared at the doorway almost instantly.

"Yes, Mr. Luthor?"

"I need you to find all the information you can on Kaitlyn Grant."

"Yes, sir." The man was gone a second later. Lex liked that; if his assistant wasn't a tall, brunette woman, he preferred that they didn't stick around for very long.

A half-hour later, he was holding a thin stack of papers on the girl. Picture: brown hair and big brown eyes—average but appealing. Birth certificate: Born in Smallville on July 16, 1986. Every grade she had ever earned was in the stack—she had no A's in her high school career, but did have two F's this semester. Kaitlyn was either a slacker, stupid, or both.

As he flipped through the papers, Lex found himself bored. Why would his father take any interest in this average girl, not outstanding in any way? The last few pages were paper-clipped together and had been titled, "Belle Reve."

The information he already knew was on the first page. Height, weight, age, picture of a girl smiling so sweetly that you wouldn't guess she was living in an insane asylum. The next page had her diagnosis, if one could call it that. Unstable, had large quantities of unknown element in her system, and—the last one surprised Lex—pregnant.

He skimmed the next page, which only had a schedule. There was nothing interesting or enlightening, only proof that the girl saw a psychiatrist every morning.

The last five pages were devoted to notes, most of which were from the therapist, Ms. Hailey Simmons, commenting on how Kaitlyn didn't like to talk about certain subjects, the main ones being her self-harm, pregnancy, and ability. Lex, as he read through the papers, picked up that she had a healing ability--from meteor rocks, of course.

The last note was short and only read, "Patient finally opening up about pregnancy. Transferring to Summerholt at 3:00 today." He sighed in frustration, wishing the shrink would have been more thorough. The notes mentioned all of her issues, but not how she got them or even how she felt about them. Because Simmons wasn't a direct player in the endless battle of wits between Lex and his father, she might be approachable. Maybe he could afford to show his cards to the therapist, ask a few questions. If she didn't want to help him…well, there were always ways to bribe her.

Lex pressed the intercom. "Get Miss Hailey Simmons on the line."

He picked up the phone, listening to it ring twice before a robotic voice said, "The number you have dialed is not available. If you believe that you have r—" Click.

He pressed the intercom again. "That number was incorrect. Would you like to explain?"

"I'm sorry, sir. One moment, please."

Lex sighed. Did his assistant just blow him off? Maybe it was time for a new one, possibly that woman he had met in anger management class...

"Sir, I have some information. I assumed you wanted her cell phone—being private and the most direct—but the service was terminated just today. I did a bit of research and discovered that Ms. Simmons was murdered this morning."

People were falling like flies today. Well, at least his assistant was on his toes. "Get me all the information you can about her."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor."

What had Lex gotten himself into? He would wait for his assistant to bring him the information, but it probably wouldn't do much good. He had the feeling that only the girl could answer his questions, and though he regretted doing so, he would have to make a visit to Belle Reve.

Did that turn out okay? I wrote most of it yesterday and wasn't able to do any great revisions. And Lex is hard to write, you know that? Yeesh...

Reviews?