"How was your first day?" Clark asked from Lizzie as soon as she entered his apartment. He had been home long before her, preparing dinner before he heard the scream from outside. He had sighed and changed, knowing that he had a duty to do. When he returned he found her waiting on the steps of his apartment to be let in.

He continued to slice potatoes as she sat down at the dining table.

"Not too bad," Lizzie said slowly. "Lex seems a nice guy. He made sure I knew what I was doing all the time. His old assistant who I'm replacing didn't seem to like me too much. She didn't think I was right for the job."

"Well, she's leaving," Clark smiled, looking back up to her whilst he moved on to peeling carrots. "And you're new. You're bound to make mistakes, aren't you?"

"I guess," Lizzie shrugged. "Anyway, I do have something to tell you."

"Hm?"

"It's about the Planet," Lizzie slowly said. "Did you know that LexCorp are going to buy it."

Clark kept quiet for a few moments after hearing that, his mind contemplating the words which she had just spoken. He pushed a hand through his messy hair whilst Lizzie dropped her satchel to the floor.

"I guess you didn't know." She mumbled.

"No," Clark replied. "I had no idea. What does he want with it?"

"This is Lex Luthor, Clark," she reminded him. "Power hungry businessman?"

"I know that," Clark said. "He's already bought out most of the other papers. I didn't think he would get to the Planet already."

"Apparently so," Lizzie drawled. "Anyway, I doubt that means anything, right? He just said that he was buying it, not that he's going to dictate what happens to you. I suppose Perry White will still be in charge."

"But Lex Luthor is going to be the overall boss."

Lizzie kicked her heels from her feet and stood up, patting Clark on the shoulder as she passed him.

"Welcome to the club," she said and opened the fridge.

Clark kept quiet, shaking his head. Surely this takeover didn't mean anything. LexCorp owned most of Metropolis. Why not take what he could?

...

"Lizzie, can you come in here?"

Lizzie stood from her desk, finishing typing the speech with Lex was to give at a conference that evening. She tucked her chair under her desk and moved into his office. He had a top floor view looking over the skyline of Metropolis. Glass panes lined the room and a large desk dominated it. Lex was clicking on the mouse to his computer, busy making sure his companies was running smoothly.

"Yes?" Lizzie spoke softly to him.

"I need you to come with me to the meeting with Perry White this afternoon," he softly informed her. "You need to make notes on what it is that he wants, now that he answers to me. Of course, he won't get his way the entire time, but he may do for some of it."

"No problem," Lizzie said. "Oh, Metropolis College phoned. They wondered if you'd be able to speak to their business students on Friday night."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I would get back to them," Lizzie said. "It is a Friday night, I didn't know if you'd have plans."

"No," Lex shook his head. "Tell them that I'll do a half an hour speech."

"No problem," Lizzie made a mental note.

"Just find the speech I used at New York College...Madison should have saved it in the desktop."

"Okay," Lizzie said, turning on her heel to leave.

Lex watched her go, the smirk returning to his face as he did so. He doubted it would take him long to find Superman through her. But he enjoyed buying his time. He enjoyed speaking with his new PA. He'd slowly worm his way closer to her until she told him all that she knew.

He sat in his office for a few more moments before standing up, knowing that he had to start the journey to the Daily Planet. He grabbed his jacket and did up the button to the one piece before taking hold of his briefcase. Moving out of the office, he called for Lizzie to join him.

She did so with haste, taking hold of her blazer and shrugging it over her red blouse. She pulled at the grey skirt she wore and took her satchel over her shoulder. She held the electronic device which Lex had given her in her hand, finishing up the notes she had been making on the drive to the Daily Planet.

...

Clark sat at his desk, typing ferociously before he heard an annoyed voice. She sat down on the empty seat next to his, leaning forwards as she divulged in gossip.

"Have you heard the news?" Lois wondered.

"About LexCorp?" Clark checked.

Lois allowed her brow to furrow.

"I didn't know being psychic was one of your abilities," she told him and he chuckled at that, his head shaking back and forth as he did so.

"It isn't," he said. "I do happen to date Lex Luthor's PA."

Lois felt her mouth drop open as she heard him say that. She didn't think Elizabeth would have it in her to be a PA. From a waitress to a high flying company. Lois had to admit that she had done well.

"When did you find out?"

"Last night," Clark replied. "You?"

"Just now," Lois complained. "This isn't going to work. Perry doesn't like it one little bit. We were one of the independent newspapers. Now we're going to be answering to LexCorp every time they ask a question."

"It can't be that bad," Clark drawled, looking over to her as he finished the sentence he had been typing.

"Of course it will be," Lois said. "Lex Luthor is on his way in now. What's the betting that they argue within ten minutes?"

"I'll wager ten dollars," Clark grinned.

Lois smirked back at him, holding her hand out to shake his. "I will take that bet."

She continued to sit at the vacant desk next to his, logging into the computer to bring up the article she had been working on. Both of them only turned around when they saw Perry leave his office for the elevator.

"Mr Luthor, what a pleasure to meet you." Perry spoke stiffly.

Clark took a moment to look at Lex Luthor, observing his expensive suit and stern face. His eyes moved to Lizzie as she stood behind him, an iPad in one hand as she glanced around the place she had yearned to work in.

Lex looked back to his assistant as he shook Perry's hand.

"It is a pleasure to be here," Lex said. "This is my assistant, Miss Elizabeth Lowe."

Perry looked to the blonde, recalling her face from somewhere. Lex stepped back, his hand finding the small of Lizzie's back as Perry reached out to shake her hand. Clark kept his eyes focused on the entire thing, most of his intent going to the hand on Lizzie's back.

"Miss Lowe applied to work here before," Lex said, noting the look on Perry's face. "It seems you turned her down. I couldn't help but see a good investment from her."

Clark's teeth ground together as Perry sadly shrugged.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "If you'd like to come through to my office, we can begin negotiations."

"Pleasure," Lex said, his hand still on Lizzie's back as she caught Clark's eye. She offered him a stiff smile and Clark returned it. She had done nothing wrong. It was Lex who Clark seemed to have an issue with. That issue only grew when he saw the businessman bend down to whisper in Lizzie's ear, his nose brushing against her neck as she looked down and smirked at what he had said.

"Wow."

The door to the office slammed shut as Lois spoke, glancing back to Clark and wondering what he had been thinking.

"Pretty tense," she whistled lowly. "And judging by your face, you don't like anyone touching your possessions."

"Lizzie is hardly a possession," Clark replied, his voice taut and curt as he did so. He glanced back across to the office as Lois set the time on her phone to ten minutes.

"Maybe not," she agreed, laying the device back on the desk. "You sure looked at her like she was."

"It's something about him," Clark whispered to Lois so no one else could hear. "There's something I don't like about him."

"He had his hands all over your girlfriend?" Lois wondered. "I've seen it around lots of guys, Clark. They get jealous. I mean...Lex Luthor is a millionaire businessman..." she teased him.

Clark tried to see that she was only taunting him. He knew that he had nothing to worry about. At the end of the day it would be Lizzie who would return home to him. He was worrying over nothing. Regardless, he couldn't get the nagging and knotting feeling from his stomach which told him something wasn't quite right.

"Besides," Lois smiled at him. "Lizzie is too crazy over you for anything else. That much is obvious."

Clark gratefully smiled at Lois before turning to his computer. Lois kept her eye on the time, waiting for Perry to raise his voice from his office. He did so in time. Just not in the time that she wanted.

"Eleven minutes," Clark drawled, looking over to her as the shout came out. Lois cursed under her breath as Clark smirked. "I do believe you own me ten dollars, Ms Lane."

"I was one minute out," she complained. "That's hardly fair."

"That's life," Clark responded. "I'll give you an hour to pay up. I'm feeling generous."

"How decent of you," Lois said as another shout rumbled out of the office. She bit down on her lip as Clark finally turned around to look at the closed blinds. They left after half an hour, Perry slamming the door shut behind them as Lex smirked and moved through the desks, an aura of arrogance surrounding him. Lizzie followed, looking over to Clark again.

He arched a brow and she shook her head, mouthing 'don't ask' over to him. He nodded at her and smiled gently before Lex demanded her attention once more.

Elizabeth stood beside Lex in the elevator, tidying her notes up on the iPad as he smirked, clearly pleased with himself and the progress which he had made.

"That was fascinating," Lex whispered. "I think dinner is in order now. Where do you like to eat? Italian? Chinese?"

Lizzie kept quiet as the doors opened on the ground floor and she followed him, shaking her head back and forth. She could hardly go to dinner with her boss.

"I can't," Lizzie said. "I have work to do at the office...and..."

"I'm your boss," Lex smirked as his driver moved from the waiting area he had been sat in. "I say that you can have dinner off."

"But...well...I mean...I have a boyfriend," Lizzie blurted out to him, looking at him with wide eyes. "I don't know if it is appropriate."

Lex stood still as he listened to her worries, a smirk forming on his face as he did so. He took a moment to step closer to her again, noting the redness forming on her cheeks.

"I'm not asking you on a date, Lizzie," he assured her. "I'm asking you for dinner. I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind, will he?"

Lizzie took a moment to think, looking back over her shoulder to make sure that Clark wasn't stood there. She had a slight suspicion that he might mind, but he would have to understand. She needed this job, and Lex seemed pleasant.

"Besides, I'm not shocked a pretty thing like you got snapped up," Lex said, daring to move his hand to push her blonde hair back over her shoulder. "He must be a special guy."

"I'd like to think so," Lizzie admitted, her thought wandering back to Clark as she smiled in a docile fashion. Lex easily returned the grin.

"Exactly," he said. "It is just lunch. There is nothing to worry about, trust me."

Lizzie bit down on her lip for a moment and nodded in agreement. Lex clapped his hands once and turned on his heel, beginning to walk away again. Lizzie followed him, taking another moment to glance behind her, still wondering what Clark would really thing to this arrangement.