Luthor Mansion
Lex looked around the table, seeing the familiar faces. Martha Kent had been nothing but kind since the moment that Lex had arrived in Smallville. Even now, she seemed to have no hard feelings regarding the fact that Lex was now dating Lana. They weren't close by any means, but her lack of judgmental looks went a long way. He wondered how Jonathan Kent would feel knowing that Lana was now with Lex. When had they realized that Lana wasn't the girl for Clark? At the other end of the table sat Lana, dressed in a satin white dress, her hair lying to her shoulders, a pearl necklace on her neck; she seemed the personification of grace. Next to Lana sat Chloe; most of the other people were business acquaintances. There would be more family at the wedding itself; this was simply a small get-together to celebrate the engagement. At the end of the table, two seats were empty. They weren't sure if Lois would show up since Oliver would be out of town, but they believed she might travel with him. The other seat, on the other hand, was for Clark, who had yet to arrive. No one would judge him if he didn't show up; losing a girl like Lana would be hard for anyone.
"I want to thank you all for being here," Lex said, standing with his glass in hand. "My family hasn't always been welcome in Smallville, and though I understand that most of you are here for Lana." Lex sent her a smile before continuing. "Business in Smallville has always been rough, but things are changing."
"Lex, this isn't one of your shareholder meetings," Lana said, causing the rest of the room to laugh.
"You're right, but I want to assure everyone here that LuthorCorp is trying to do good, that's thanks to you, Lana. You've managed to, in my darkest hour, pull me towards the light. It's a long road, but with you by my side, it's easy. All I ask is that you don't give up on me, when things get hard, trust that the love I hold for you will be enough." Time seemed to freeze as Lex and Lana locked eyes.
"Clark, when did you become so funny?" Laughter cracked the fragile shell of the silence at the table.
Clark, wearing a black jacket and a pair of jeans alongside Lois, entered the room, his arm wrapped around her as he whispered in her ear, a smirk on his face. Lois seemed lost in his presence. She was dressed similarly in all black; her vibrant red lipstick contrasted with her blonde highlights. Clark, on the other hand, seemed all too aware that he was interrupting a special moment as he locked eyes with Lex.
"It's nice of you two to finally join us," Lex said, raising his glass.
"Come on, Lex, wasn't it you that taught me to never show up late when dealing with your lessers?" Clark's smirk was more than enough for Lex to realize that something was off; what happened to the introverted, afraid to speak his mind, Clark? He had to admit that he had once said something like that to Clark. The room seemed to fall tense as everyone looked at Clark, confusion on the face of Lana, and those who didn't understand Clark. Chloe and Martha, on the other hand, seemed to realize as fast as Lex that something was off.
"And look," Clark said, moving closer towards the center of the table, "My own mother would rather ring the glass with the enemy than stand by her own son." There was a calm resignation on his face as he looked at his mother.
"Clark, you're not yourself," Martha said, attempting to ignore the hurt that Clark was causing her.
"It's okay," Clark said, shaking his head, "You're more of a Luthor anyway these days. How long has it been since dad died, a year?" Grimacing, he placed his hands on the backs of a chair. "But who can blame you for joining the race with Lana to see who will end up adding the Luthor monigram to their names first?"
Placing his glass down, Lex began to walk towards Clark, only to be stopped by Lana, "Don't, Lex, he's obviously on something and wants us to react, please don't," nodding, he returned to his seat. He was honestly interested in seeing how far Clark would take this whole thing.
"Chloe, I can't say I'm surprised you're celebrating here," Clark locked onto another target heading down the table towards Chloe. "After all, once Lana's off the market all those years of unrefined pining may finally pay off," Kneeling next to her, he whispered loud enough for the rest of the room to hear him. "I can't say I haven't honestly thought about it."
Chloe seemed to die a little on the inside as the rest of the table looked at her. Lois, who had arrived with Clark, seemed to want to say something, but Clark had already moved on, looking towards Lana.
"And you, if you were going on the rebound, why not go after the person I hate the most?" Walking around the table, he frowned. "But surely the joke is over by now, right?"
Shaking his head, Lex looked at Lana, who seemed to be annoyed. "Here you go again, blaming everyone else for your problems," Lex said, causing Clark to raise an eyebrow.
"You hired people to investigate me, and somehow it's my fault I no longer wish to be friends with you!?" Clark asked, raising his voice.
"With all the weird that happens in this town and the fact that you're always at the center of it, who wouldn't investigate you?"
"A friend!" Clark said, once again losing his temper.
"What about the fact that you have no job, and yet you disappear randomly throughout the day? What was Lana supposed to think? How could she trust you when you couldn't even come up with an excuse half the time?"
"She's supposed to trust me, to trust that I would never do anything to harm her."
"Trust is a two-way street, Clark, that's something you seem oblivious to even now," Shaking his head, Lex could see the cogs spinning in Clark's head. The frown on his face soon turned into a smirk.
"Speaking of trust, does everyone here know the true reason Lana is marrying you?" Silence filled the room, and Lex could almost tell where this was headed.
"You've always wanted what was mine," Clark said, grinning. "Anything to keep what isn't yours, but aren't you taking this a little too far?" Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a baby's rattle, tossing the toy to Lex. "Congrats on Lex Jr, the real reason Lana's marrying you."
Catching the rattle, Lex couldn't help but laugh, "I think it's time for you to leave." Stepping towards Clark, he raised his hand towards his shoulder only to be sent flying into a wall. Even on whatever drugs he was taking, Clark seemed to control his strength.
"Lex!" Lana yelled, rushing towards Lex, only to be stopped by Clark grabbing her arm.
"Come on, Lana, if no one else will save you from Lex, then I will." Before he could take a step, Lois blocked his path.
"I don't think so, Lana is your past, I'm your future, and if you're leaving this party with anyone, it'll be me."
Clark seemed to take her words into consideration before a smirk returned to his face, "You might be my future, but right now it's the present." Pulling Lana along, he sidestepped her, leaving her in total confusion.
When Lex opened his eyes, it was Chloe pulling him up from the ground. "Lex, are you okay?"
Looking at her in confusion, he nodded, standing, he couldn't help but marvel at Clark's strength. His life wasn't in danger, or he was sure his own abilities would have activated; this only furthered his reasons for needing to grow stronger. If Clark could be affected by red K or some other form of magic to make him lose his inhibitions, who was to say he wouldn't one day decide to stay that way? Then who would be able to deal with him, not to mention that he had Lana, who was pregnant with his child. Clark had made a mistake today; he crossed Lex's bottom line by placing his unborn child in danger.