Lizzie felt as though she had no choice but to follow Lex Luthor dutifully into the Sushi restaurant which he had chosen for them to eat in. The waiter's seemed to know who he was as soon as he walked through the door. They did their best to accommodate his every need, making sure he had everything that he desired. People looked across to him as he took a seat in a secluded booth, watching the raw fish on the conveyer belt next to him.

Hesitantly, Lizzie took her seat opposite him, looking at the sushi which was passing. She dropped her bag in the empty space next to her and pulled her phone up. She contemplated texting Clark for a moment, telling him where she was. She never had the chance to, for Lex started to converse with her.

"So, do you like sushi?" he wondered.

Lizzie forced herself to smile. "I've never had sushi before." She admitted.

He arched a brow, his eyes widening as he tugged at the tie which sat against his white shirt. "Does your boyfriend not take you out?"

"Oh, he does," Lizzie said, shaking her head. The more she thought about it, the more she contemplated how untrue it was. Clark hadn't taken her out in ages. All they tended to do was sit in with a takeaway. "We've just never had sushi."

"Well," Lex spoke, turning his attention to the dishes which were passing. He picked one from the belt, placing it in front of her. "Try this one. Salmon Teriyaki."

Lizzie pulled the clear lid from the fish and looked down at it. She hesitantly picked up the chopsticks which sat on the end of the table. Lex took a moment to pick his food before expertly handling his chopsticks. Lizzie hesitantly looked down on them, not too sure what she should do. Lex smirked, noting her puzzled expression.

"Here," Lex said, moving both of his hands over to grasp one of her hands. He moved the chopstick between her middle finger and thumb. He placed the second one by her index finger. "Just hold them steady. Don't let them cross when you eat."

Lex moved forwards with her hand, helping her to pick at the fish. She did so and he retracted his fingers from her, moving to eat his own food, still watching her intently as she struggled.

The waiter quickly returned with wine, filling two glasses as Lex thanked him with haste.

"So," Lex spoke after finishing his fish. He picked his wine glass up, Lizzie copying his movements. "How long have you known your boyfriend?"

"I've known him since I was fifteen," Lizzie said with a nod. "My parents moved to Kansas when I was still in high school. I met him there."

"Have you been with him since then?"

"No," Lizzie shook her head. "He went travelling for a...well...a long time. I ended up married to my college boyfriend, but things didn't work out. We're divorced."

"And he won you back?" Lex checked.

"I suppose he never really lost me," Lizzie admitted, a nonchalant shrug passing through her as she wondered why Lex was so interested in Clark. Of course, she supposed he was pretty interesting, but Lex didn't know that.

"That is like something which you read in books," Lex told her. "Waiting for you childhood love...it's very rare."

"I suppose so," Lizzie admitted. "Anyway, Clark and I really aren't that interesting."

On the contrary, Lex silently contemplated, I find him fascinating.

"Clark?" Lex spoke. "That's his name."

"Yeah," Lizzie said.

"And what does he do?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, she took a moment to look at the fish which was passing them. Lex grabbed two more dishes, placing one in front of Lizzie as she took another sip of wine.

"He's a journalist with the Daily Planet." She admitted.

Lex cocked a brow. "So he was there today?"

"Yeah," Lizzie said. "He's only just managed to gain an internship there."

"And you never had anything?" Lex rhetorically replied. "Somehow that seems unfair, would you not agree? Your boyfriend managed to oust you."

"I don't mind," Lizzie lied. "Besides, I like the job I have now."

"And I like the job you have now," Lex smirked, drinking more of his wine as Lizzie laughed once. "Besides, if I was Clark, then I would be doing my best to avoid the wrath of his boss at this moment in time."

"Perry?"

"You saw how angry he was in his office," Lex said, no concern entering his tone as he did so. "I can only assume how he will take his anger out on everyone around him. He seems like that type of man."

"I'm sure they will have the intelligence to stay away from him," Lizzie commented. "Besides, the terms which were laid out weren't entirely unfair."

"Exactly," Lex said, waving a hand in the air. "He just doesn't like the fact that he's not going to be in charge of an independent newspaper now. He'll get over it, I am sure. If not...well...who knows what could happen?"

Lizzie left the question which he had asked open. She drank more from her wine glass before Lex filled it to the brim again. He looked across to her, wondering if it could be true. How could she be dating Superman? How could he be a journalist by day, before saving Metropolis at night? Lex didn't know. He was sure that he would find out. He would make it his own personal mission to do so.

He spent the rest of the afternoon flattering Lizzie, topping her wine glass up as she became easier to talk to. He watched her with intent before his phone began to bleep. He then stood and told her she could have the rest of the day off. The clock had just struck five when they left the sushi restaurant and Lex dropped her back off at Clark's apartment.

He looked up the building as Lizzie thanked him and left him be. He saw her stumble up to the stairs before chuckling, his head shaking back and forth. He couldn't help but think that this was going to be too easy. Far too easy.

...

Clark had managed to leave the office early. Apparently that was the safest thing to do with Perry White on the prowl. Lois had been his main victim, but she had shrugged it off, saying that she had expected Perry to target her first. Clark had smiled and ran off, rushing back to the safety of his apartment to wait for Lizzie's arrival. It was half past five when he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw her stood in front of him, her cheeks red and a wide smile on her face.

"You seem happy," Clark said as she nodded at him.

"I am," she said. "I get to spend the evening with super duper Clark Kent."

Clark raised a brow as he closed the door behind her. He turned back around to watch her move to his sofa, slumping down onto it. She lay down, her skirt riding up her legs as she placed her arms behind her head. Clark sniffed once, the scent inhaling his nostrils.

"Have you been drinking?" Clark wondered.

"No," Lizzie lied.

"Are you lying to me?" Clark asked, noting how she closed her eyes and folded one leg over the other.

"Possibly," she admitted. "I don't know. I went to dinner with Lex and now I'm feeling tipsy. I didn't think that I had drunk that much."

Clark took a moment to listen to her, processing the words which she had just said. He folded his arms over his chest and moved closer to her, hovering beside the sofa.

"You went to dinner with your boss?" he checked. "Where did he take you?"

"A sushi restaurant. Why don't you take me out anywhere?" Lizzie quickly changed the conversation, her mind awhirl due to the alcohol. "We haven't been out since we moved here."

"We've both been busy working," Clark defended. "Besides, you went to dinner with your boss, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Lizzie nodded, peeling one eye open. "I did go to dinner with him. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Clark defended himself, shaking his head back and forth as he listened to her. He took a moment to look out his balcony window, inhaling sharply as he did so. There was something about Lex Luthor which he didn't like. He wasn't scared to admit that.

"I couldn't really say no, Clark," Lizzie whispered as he walked to look out the window. "He's my boss. He insisted."

"You could have said no," Clark replied quickly. "You can always say no, Lizzie."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lizzie hesitantly spoke, moving to sit up. She laced her hands together as Clark looked back at her. She was staring down at her lap, clearly not sure what she had done wrong. He inhaled sharply, his head shaking back and forth as he moved back to her. He took a moment to sit beside her.

"You haven't upset me," Clark promised her. "It's Luthor who I don't trust, Lizzie."

"Why?" she wondered. "Clark, you hardly know him."

"Neither do you," Clark retorted. "Lizzie...the way he watched you today...whispering in your ear...and now he has taken you out to dinner..."

"Clark," Lizzie complained, wrapping both of her arms around his one. She moved closer to him, pressing herself against his side as he moved his other hand to run up and down her arm. "Lex isn't a bad guy. Trust me on this one. He knows that I'm taken."

"Does he?"

"Yes. I told him about you."

"Does he care?" Clark wondered in a murmur. "It was the way he looked at you, Liz."

"And now you know how I feel," Lizzie replied. "Whenever you used to walk me to work...seeing women ogle you...Clark, it is what people do. They look at other people."

"This is different."

"It isn't," Lizzie protested. "Lex isn't interested in me, and even if he was...well...why would I be interested, Clark? I have you. Can you please stop this? Lex isn't the enemy here."

"Hmm," Clark grunted out. "Promise me that you will be careful. I mean it, Liz."

"I know you do," Lizzie assured him. "Honestly, Clark, it is lovely that you're so concerned, but you have no need to be."

Clark failed to agree with her, but he didn't want to argue with her. What could he do? She was stubborn on the matter, and so was he. He would keep his eye on her. That was all that he could do, he supposed.

"Fine," Clark weakly agreed. "But if anything happens-"

"-You'll be the first to know," Lizzie assured him, kissing him quickly. She pulled back to look at him, her hand resting on his shoulder. "I promise."

"Okay," Clark said. What more could he do? He bent down to kiss her again before he went to prepare some food. It did seem that Lizzie had different ideas. She wrapped her arms around Clark, pulling him closer to her as he groaned, unable to do anything else. He swiftly moved his hands to her legs, moving her body to straddle his as his hands roamed to her backside.

"Is this what wine does to you?" Clark wondered as he moved to kiss along her neck. She laughed once at him, moving as close to him as possible.

"Can you not kiss me without feeling my ass up?" Lizzie was the one to wonder.

"I do find it impossible," Clark admitted, moving back to capture her lips in a kiss.

He suddenly turned stiff as he heard a sound in the distance. Lizzie knew what was happening as soon as he became unresponsive. She pulled back and groaned, shaking her head back and forth. She tumbled off Clark to sit on the sofa. He looked over to her as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll be back soon," he promised her.

"Just try to stay safe," she urged him. "I'll make you something to eat."

"You don't need to," Clark assured her, rushing off into the bathroom. She stood up anyway, kicking her heels from her feet and moving into the kitchen, groaning at the frustration which she felt. She loved Clark, she knew she did. She just couldn't help but feel annoyed whenever he ran off from her.

She opened the fridge as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the neck again. "I'll be back soon." He promised her.

"Be careful," she whispered, looking into the contents of his fridge. Before she could say anything else he had gone. She looked at the open balcony door and sighed, moving over to close it. She looked down to the alley beneath, her eyes noting a figure in the darkness. She squinted as she looked the door and the man looked back up at her, a smirk playing on his lips.

Lizzie locked the balcony, fear radiating through her as she closed the curtains, her mind wondering what had just happened.

...

"Come on...that's it," Lex whispered as he stood in the basement. He held the syringe in his gloved hands, his entire body covered in a white suit as he took the sample which he needed. He squirted it out of the syringe and into a test tube, fastening the lid before moving to the microscope.

He took another moment to glance back at the body which sat in the ice cold container. He wondered how long it would last for. Shaking his head, he moved back to look at the microscope, doing his best to identify the cells he saw.

"She saw me."

"Who?" Lex wondered as the voice snapped him from his work.

"His girlfriend," David snarled back. "Your PA. She was at his apartment. I was waiting to see him go again. He definitely lives there. There is no denying it now."

"Elizabeth will be our ticket to him," Lex promised David. "Well, my ticket, you have nothing to do with this. You just stand watch for me."

"And don't I know it," he mumbled back.

"Are you complaining?" Lex wondered; his brow rose before he looked back to the man who he hired to do his dirty jobs. "I already promised you a good amount for doing this job."

"I know," David agreed. "His girl has no idea who I am. I think we're safe."

"As it should be," Lex drawled. "She's a pretty thing, isn't she? Well...in a certain light...her nose is quite large."

"I still wouldn't mind," David shrugged. "That is if you don't want her."

"Oh, I do want her," Lex whispered, "just not in the way you do."

David took a moment to look at the body in the container, a child running down his spine as he did so. He still couldn't get used to seeing a corpse in the corner of the room. It was enough to give him the chills. He looked down on the body, wondering what it was that Lex really wanted with it.

"What do you intend to use the girl for?" David dared to ask, turning his attention back to Lex. He was too focused on the test tube to look away from his work.

A smirk formed on his plump lips. "You'll see soon enough."

David shook his head. "You want her to get to Superman, don't you?"

"Yes," Lex said, "but she can be used in another way. She can become my human guinea pig...that will hurt this Superman a little more..."

"I don't want to know," David held his hands up, turning on his heel to sort out his own business.

Lex looked up and watched him leave before turning back to work. Hopefully he wouldn't have to wait long to put his plan into action.

...

A/N: So, over 100 reviews! So happy! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review the story, and I do hope you will stick with me. Hopefully you'll let me know what you think!