Metropolis University, Metropolis, KS

"I still don't see why we have to take Chemistry," Abigail Shires said as she and her friend Ariana walked down the hallway of Luthor Hall after their Accounting II class.

"You don't have to take Chemistry," Cecily told her. "You can take one of the other sciences to meet the University's science requirement for the degree. I however am taking Chemistry."

"I hate science altogether, so it doesn't really matter what I take," Abigail said as they approached an intersection of two hallways.

As the two girls neared the corner a group of guys came around the corner. They were carrying on and not paying attention to what was going on around them. The two girls moved over to the side of the hallway trying to get out of there way but one of the guys caught Cecily's arm knocking her books out of her hands.

"You really need to watch where you're going," the guy said mockingly. Behind him his buddies cheered him on.

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Cecily told him as she knelt down and started picking up her books.

"Do you realize who you're talking to," The guy said in a tone which clearly said that he was a person who was use to people doing whatever he said.

"Oh I know exactly who you are," Cecily said picking up the stack of books and standing up. Everyone at Metropolis University, except maybe the out of state freshman, knew who the young bald man standing in front of her was. Unlike most of them though, Cecily wasn't intimidated by him.

"Then maybe you have something else to say. An apology maybe."

"If you think I'm apologizing because you can't watch where you're going and talk at the same time then you'll be waiting quite awhile for that apology," Cecily told him. He opened his mouth to say something else but Cecily didn't give him a chance. "Just because this building has your last name doesn't mean that you rule the halls. You're a student just like me and you should watch where you're walking. Daddy might own a business and have a lot of money but he isn't King. You're in the wrong country for that."

With that said Cecily turned and continued on to her next class leaving the young man standing there in surprise. Abigail hurried after her friend.

"I can't believe you just did that," she whispered as the two girls passed out of earshot of the group of guys.

"Anybody know who she is," the young man asked his buddies. There was a chorus of no's.

He was intrigued by her. He wasn't use to anyone actually standing up to him. He had to find out who the girl was.

Lex Luthor strolled into the chemistry lab a few minutes late. The TA looked up at him but didn't say anything as Lex took a seat in the back row.

"As I was saying, Professor Jacobs and I have decided that this semester we would assign lab partners instead of letting you choose your own. By doing this, we're hoping that some of you will learn how to work with someone other than your fiends even though we know we may inadvertently put some friends together."

"I'll read out the names of the lab pairs. When you hear your name please raise your hand so that you're partner can see who you are."

The TA started reading off names. Lex half-listened as he looked around the class wondering who he would get stuck with. With any luck it would be someone smart. Someone who actually knew what they were doing.

"Lex Luthor," the TA called out. Lex absently raised his hand even though he knew everyone in the classroom knew who he was and most of them were probably hoping not to get stuck as his lab partner. "Your partner will be Cecily Logan-Kent."

The name didn't sound familiar. Lex looked around the classroom trying to see who it was that had been assigned his partner. He noticed the raised hand in the second row. As she glanced over her shoulder he could tell the girl was less than thrilled at the prospect. However, Lex knew he couldn't have been luckier.

After spending the last two days searching all over campus for her, fate had brought them together again. Cecily Logan-Kent was the girl he had ran into in between classes in Luthor Hall. The one who had stood up to him.

Lex gave her a smile to which she rolled her eyes and turned back around to face the front of the classroom.

The TA finished going through the names and then told them to get into their pairs. Lex was getting ready to move up front to where Cecily was when he noticed she was already on her way back to him.

"Guess their little experiment will work for you huh," he commented as she put her books down and took the seat next to him. "You're clearly not happy about working with me."

"Don't even start on me on the first day or this is going to be a very long semester," she told him in a warning tone.

Lex smiled. He liked her spirit.

"Look about the other day, I'm sorry. You're right I should've been watching where I was going," Lex told her. She looked at me. He could see surprise and puzzlement on her face. "I can tell you don't like me but we're stuck together at least for this semester. Can we at least agree to be civil?" He asked holding his right hand out to her.

She looked closely at him. She didn't see any of the smug attitude that had been there the other day. Maybe there was more to him than a rich spoiled brat. At the very least she had to admit he was right. They were stuck together. She might as well make the best of the situation. Her only other option was to drop the class.

She reached out and took his hand as the TA started giving them instructions on the first lab.

"Finished," Cecily said relieved as she put the last period on the conclusion of the lab report that was their final grade in the class. They had spent the last three weeks collecting and analyzing the data either in the lab or at the Luthor mansion. Cecily almost felt at ease in the big house now. Almost. It was still a little to empty for her tastes.

Lex reached over her shoulder and sent the finished product to the printer. The semester had gone fast. Too fast. He and Cecily had become friends. He had even confided in her about Club Zero. She was one of the few people who knew the truth about what happened that night. But he wanted more than that. Trouble was he didn't know how she felt.

He knew there was one way to find out though.

"What are you doing Friday night after your set at the bar?" Lex asked her as we waited for the paper to print out. Cecily and her band preformed at various local hangouts. The money she made helped pay for the things that her scholarship didn't pay for and she enjoyed it. Not to mention the fact that she could sing. Lex had taken to showing up where she was performing just to hear her.

"I didn't have any plans why?" she asked him.

"My father's hosting an event Friday night."

"So I've heard," she commented.

"I was wondering if you would come with me. Be my date. Keep me out of trouble."

"Yeah that's going to happen," she said with a laugh.

"Are you saying no."

"Even if I wanted to, I'd have nothing to wear," Cecily told him. The look in her eyes told him that she wanted to.

"That can be fixed."

"I'm not letting you buy me a gown."

"Who said anything about buying anything. Some of my mom's old gowns are still hanging around. One can easily be altered to fit you."

"I don't know," Cecily said softly. It wasn't that she didn't want to go with Lex. She did. She just also had her doubts. They were from too different worlds. As much as she wanted to she knew she didn't really belong in his world. Besides, she knew how her father felt about the Luthors. As much as she wanted to trick herself into believing this might work she knew that more than likely it wouldn't.

"Please," Lex said softly looking down at her.

"Lex are you still there?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked bringing Lex back to the present.

"Yeah, Cecily I'm here. Sorry, I was thinking about things."

"We'll make it Lex. Nothing is going to keep us apart. Not even my father."

"He isn't going to take it well," Lex told her thinking about Jonathan Kent. Despite his best efforts he didn't seem to be able to change Jonathan Kent's opinion of him.

"Like your father took it well at first," Cecily told him.

"Point taken," Lex admitted.

Lionel Luthor had thought it was a joke at first. Another one of Lex's stunts to try and get under his skin. But it had lasted to long for that. Then Lionel had tried to convince Lex that Cecily was wrong for him. That Lex needed someone in his own social status to which Lex had named some daughters of his father's business rivals. Women that Lex knew his father would hate him going out with.

Lionel had finally accepted it as something that was. Something that wasn't going to go away. At the very least he knew that Cecily's motivation for going out with his son wasn't to try and get control of LuthorCorp.

"Look, Lex I want both you and my family at my graduation. In order to do that we have to tell them. Besides, we've been engaged for a month now. We can't seriously make plans until I tell my father and step mother."

"We could elope," he told her.

"You know I want my family at my wedding Lex even if nothing else is what I want," she said. Lex knew what she meant. Lionel Luthor insisted that if the two were going to go through with it then they were going to do it right. Their wedding would a wedding that everyone expected the son of Lionel Luthor to have. Big, extravagant, and impersonal.

"I know," he told her. "I've tried to get your father to like me Cecily, I truly have. It just seems that . . ."

"He hates anything Luthor," she finished for him. "I know what my father is like, Lex. Will you be there with me when I tell them?"

"Of course," he told her. There had been times he had almost told the Kents himself just to get it over with. In the end though, he knew it had to come from her, when she was ready..

"Good. They've been wanting to meet my fiancé. I told them I'd bring him over when I came home this weekend. Will tomorrow afternoon work for you. I'd rather get it over with as quickly as possible."

"I'll make the time," Lex told her. "Meet me at the Talon when you get in town tomorrow."

"Okay, It should be around four."

"I'll see you then. I love you Cecily."

"I love you too," she told him. "Oh, and Lex, if my Dad throws me out of the house tomorrow night,"

"There's plenty of empty rooms, here," I told her, "or there is always my room."