A LOVELY WAY TO BURN
by Dynlubio

E-mail : [email protected]
Rating: PG
Summary: Lex and Lana’s first meeting.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anybody or anything for that matter. Please don’t sue me. J
A/N: This was inspired by that L/L scene in Metamorphosis. Pre- Smallville show. The title has NOTHING to do with the story I just took it from the song, "Fever" coz I like it.

***

What did that strange man say? Down the stairs, at the first corner turn left and then... there it was: the heavy double doors that supposedly led to the pool.

Lana Lang, ten years old and barely fifty pounds, pushed against one of the doors and peeked inside. The strange man wasn’t lying. He was right, there was a pool. A huge and very inviting pool. She suddenly wished she brought her swimsuit.

Too bad she didn’t believe him at first. She didn’t know why. Her Aunt Nell seem to like him, though, judging from her smile when the man asked them to stay the night. Lana couldn’t quite put her finger on it but there was something... strange about the man. Sure, he smiled at her, patted her head the way one would a cute puppy... but still... his eyes. There was something acutely... dangerous—

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of a splash from the other side of the pool—the deep end. The edge of the pool was mutely lit by candles and she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness. When they did, all she saw was the slim back of a girl—maybe five years older than she was—wearing nothing but her long blonde hair.

Lana crouched down and scooted forward, making sure the towel rack hid her well. She peeked again and saw that the girl was naked. Even though Lana was still in shock for she’s never seen a naked female before in her life, not even her aunt, she realized that the girl wasn’t alone at all. The girl pushed at something or someone, Lana couldn’t quite make out, and giggled as she swam away.

Lana’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with both of her hands. Wow! She has got to be the youngest kid in the world who has seen a naked boy and girl in a pool doing things that people on TV do! And her aunt wasn’t even here to cover her eyes!

She couldn’t tear her eyes off the couple and the girl, whose name was Gabby—she heard the boy say it when ‘Gabby’ splashed him—was now wrapping her arms around the boy’s neck.

"Alexander," she heard the girl say.

She was about ten meters away and yet Lana could tell the boy tensed up after that. "Lex," came his reply before he held her face between his hands and kissed her.

So this is what Aunt Nell didn’t want her to see. It didn’t look nice at all. Especially since the boy started to grab the girl. Lana was sure she was in pain, the way she was twisting under his grip. No wonder Aunt Nell insisted on covering Lana’s eyes every time a scene like this came on TV.

Lana felt her cheeks go warm and she didn’t know what for. Instead, she decided to go back to her aunt and that strange man. She straightened up suddenly, hit her knee squarely on the rack in front of her and let out a yelp.

Two heads snapped up to look in her direction.

"Geez!" she said, scolding herself. She immediately ran for the door. But she should’ve known her young legs couldn’t possibly get her there faster than, say a sixteen-year-old would.

"Hey!"

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m leaving now!" she explained. But her knee throbbed and it hurt and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Aunt Nell was right. Curiosity killed the cat and now it got Lana Lang in deep trouble. She was too bent on reaching the door that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her.

"Hey, kid!" A hand grabbed her shoulder.

She jerked her head up and came face to face with the boy—a very angry boy named Alexander. "I’m really sorry... I got lost..."

The boy stared at her for a few seconds before he kicked the door open. "Get out of here."

She didn’t wait a second longer. She ran out of the door, down the hall up the stairs and straight into her aunt’s arms.

"Lana, honey... what’s wrong?" Aunt Nell was so kind and pretty and she always smelled like flowers on a sunny day.

Lana bit her lip to stop it from trembling. Tears were now sliding down her red cheeks.

"What happened, honey?"

"I got lost," she answered and her aunt hugged her tightly, stroked her hair and told her it was okay now. But Lana knew it wasn’t because the strange man then told them to get ready for dinner. And because the strange man and the boy had the same eyes.

With a heavy heart and heavier feet, she followed her aunt to the room they were given for the night so she could get dressed. Lana knew she had to brace herself for another meeting with Alexander—no, Lex Luthor. At least one thing’s for sure, this time he would be dressed.

****

"One hour, that’s all you have!"

Her aunt didn’t even hear her answer for Lana was already out of the dining room and out where her feet could take her.

Lightly touching the wall beside her as she walked, Lana made her way to the end of the hallway. The lovely French doors were open and she saw a dark figure looking out the balcony.

She knew instinctively who it was -- the one who skipped dinner. She watched him, noticing he wasn’t really as intimidating as he looked earlier. Maybe because he was fully dressed now.

"Didn’t your mother tell you it’s rude to sneak up on people?"

She really jumped out of her skin.

He turned around, leaned on the railing, crossed his arms on his chest and asked, "Well?"

Lana finally found her voice. "I....I.....don’t have a mother. She died when I was three."

His expression softened a little bit. If she wasn’t a keen observer, she would’ve missed it. But Aunt Nell often told her she never misses a thing.

He didn’t say a word, though. He just continued to look at her, arrogantly.

"Didn’t your mother tell you its rude to stare?"

A smile, finally a smile. "She did. But she hasn’t been around that much to remind me."

She didn’t know what it was that gave her enough confidence to step out to the balcony. Maybe it was the smile or the relaxed way he was regarding her with. Whatever it was curiosity was threatening to take its place now.

"Why didn’t you join us for dinner?" she asked, still keeping her distance but can’t seem to keep her eyes off him.

"Didn’t my father offer an explanation?"

Lana shrugged. "He said you were busy with something for school."

He nodded and turned his back on her again, facing the night sky.

She fidgeted for a while, not knowing what to do. Then, she heard her voice ask him, "What are you doing?"

"Saying goodbye."

"To what?"

"This."

Lana walked slowly to the railing and looked at what he meant. She inhaled the slightly polluted air and nearly choked. "The dirty air?"

A low rumble that came from somewhere deep inside him. It was a laugh, she recognized. "Yes & Metropolis in general."

"I like Smallville better. I have my friends and I can ride my horse and the air is clean."

"To each his own."

"Where are you going?" she prodded.

He looked at her, "You ask a lot of questions."

"I’m ten. It’s expected of me."

A chuckle. "I’m, as my father would say, re-evaluating my goals, changing my lifestyle and motivating myself."

"How would you say it?"

"I’m going to boarding school."

She tried to hide her disappointment. "That’s good...isn’t it?"

He shrugged, as if he didn’t care. "So...this Smallville. Is is as...charming as it sounds?"

"Not really. It’s famous for the Meteor shower-"

His head snapped towards her. "Right. I have no idea that slipped my mind. Of course, the meteor shower." He nodded.

Lana suddenly grew quiet, remembering that day Aunt Nell told her, her parents won’t be coming back to get her. At first she thought it was a joke and she waited and waited. Even though it’s been years she’s still waiting. But now she knew it wasn’t a joke. It was real.

"What’s wrong? When it’s my turn to ask the questions you’re suddenly tight lipped?"

"That’s when my parents died, the meteor shower."

He looked at her, surprised at her revelation. And he was more surprised than she was when he replied, "That’s when I lost my hair, the meteor shower."

Lana smiled sadly. "We both lost something that day. A lot of people did."

They stared at the lights of Metropolis for a while in silence. Lana felt a chill coming and she knew Aunt Nell would be looking for her.

"I have to go," she said, not really knowing if he wanted to know.

"So I’m saying goodbye to you as well," he replied.

Lana took a step towards the doors but she stopped and faced him again. "Where’s your mother?"

"She’s dead."

The chill was getting worse. Lana hugged herself. "I’m sorry."

He nodded. "It seems we have a lot in common, Miss -- " He raised his eyebrows, silently asking for her name.

"Lang. Lana Lang." She extended her hand as her Aunt often told her to when she’s introducing herself.

She watched it disappear as he took it for a polite shake. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Lex Luthor." He smiled, let go of her hand and went back to staring at the view. "Goodnight, Lana Lang."

Lana walked back inside, the chill all of a sudden gone. She stopped a few feet away from the door to the room she & her aunt shared. She raised her hand, the one he touched, and stared at it. It tingled with a warmth she hadn’t experienced before. Then the warmth spread like a fever all over her body. She smiled. What a lovely way to burn.

*dynlubio 9/17/03 2:15 PM