Chapter 2

Beguilement

Disclaimer: I own neither Danny Phantom nor Smallville

Clark grinned as he got out of bed; the sun was shining through the window, he could smell the scent of cooking pancakes wafting up the stairs, and most importantly the last remnants of his cold were finally gone. That was one human experience that he could have done without; the sneezing had been bad enough, but the constant feeling of gunk dripping down his nose and his throat had made it intolerable. But it was gone now, and that in itself put him in a good mood. He pulled on a clean shirt and a pair of jeans before heading down the stairs.

"Morning mom, Danny" Clark greeted as he jumped off the bottom step, seeing his mom sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and surprisingly Danny, who was at the stovetop flipping over a pancake. Whatever Chloe and he had spoken about, it seemed to have snapped his cousin out of his funk.

"Good Morning Clark." His mom replied, offering him a small smile. The look in her eyes told him that she was just as stunned as him that Danny was up to cooking for them. He knew that it would take time for the younger man to fully recover, but at least now he seemed to be on that path.

"Morning" Danny answered absently, his attention fixed on the pancake batter.

Clark walked over to the table, helping himself to a steaming cup of coffee as his mom picked up the morning issue of the Daily Planet. It was the first time in three weeks that something other than the aftermath of Dark Thursday was on the front cover, and Clark felt relieved for it. It was far from absolving his guilt, but it emphasised the fact that if nothing else, people would recover and move on. A soft smile played on Clark's lips as he relaxed back into his chair, glancing over to the growing stack of pancakes by Danny's elbow as the boy finished cooking.

"Is that the invitation for the ball?" Clark asked, noticing a small white envelope on the table. Lex had arranged a costume ball, the proceeds of which would go towards supporting those most impacted by Dark Thursday. Most of Metropolis's elite were going to be there, and, while the Kent family was not in a position to offer financial support, the fact that his mom , being a senator, was going to be there would encourage a larger turnout simply to garner her support.

His mom hummed. "I just RSVP'd." She answered. "I hope Lex gets a good turnout."

Clark frowned, not really wanting to think about Lex at the moment. "I can't imagine anyone from Metropolis's 'who's who' list not showing up to help the families affected by Dark Thursday." He pointed out.

His mom nodded absently. "You know, I, uh… I responded for two."

Clark raised an eyebrow. He really didn't want to think about Lex, so the possibility of actually seeing him so soon after Lana had moved in with him left him feeling a little ill. "Thanks, mom, but costumes really aren't my thing. Besides, it's not really the place for a reunion, you know?"

His mom sighed, setting the newspaper aside and looking sadly at him. "How do you feel about the two of them together?"

Clark shrugged, glancing over to Danny who was very pointedly not paying attention to the conversation. "I don't know." Clark murmured. "It's like they're different people."

His mom offered him a sympathetic smile, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "We all have our own ways of moving on, whether it's about growing up or just surviving."

"I smell pancakes!" A loud and obnoxiously familiar voice called from the front door, signalling the arrival of Lois Lane. Clark was grateful for the interruption; he didn't want to have to think about it anymore than he had to.

"You should take Danny.' Clark offered as his mom stood up and walked down the hallway to get the door.

"I'm going where with who now?" Danny asked distractedly.

"The Dark Thursday benefit." Clark answered, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Morning Mrs K. Hope you don't mind me stopping by a little early." Lois's voice bounced down the hall.

"Not a problem, Lois. Come on in." His mom answered. "Chloe, it's a pleasure to see you."

"Hey, Mrs Kent." The blonde's soft voice replied, and Clark wondered if he was imagining the small smile that crossed his cousin's lips at the sound.

Clark shook his head, fixing his gaze into his coffee cup as Chloe and Lois took a seat at the table. Whatever there was going on between Chloe and Danny was their business, at least for now. And he was not about to bring up anything that risked hurting his cousin again. Instead he picked up the plate of pancakes and offered them around the table, picking up two for himself before getting stuck into a conversation with Chloe about her latest article in the Planet.

Breakfast passed quickly, taken up by light conversation and pleasant food. Soon enough both his mom and Lois left, talking about how to prioritise recovery for some of the orphanages impacted by Dark Thursday. And as soon as the dishes were done Danny disappeared off outside to work in the barn.

Clark and Chloe were left sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for the noise to die down. "Did you find anything?" Clark asked, looking his old friend in the eye.

Chloe pursed her lips, sliding her laptop out of her bag. "Not anything useful." She replied after a minute. "Turns out that 1024 Hayworth was recently leased by Neque Security Services, but I wasn't able to trace anything more than that. It's weird, the company looks like it should be a subsidiary of a parent corporation, but I can't find anything."

"Meaning?" Clark puzzled.

"Meaning that I've looked up every database I can access, and Neque by all rights shouldn't exist." Chloe answered, clearly irritated at the lack of results.

"So we have no idea who these people are working for." Clark inferred.

Chloe shook her head, looking away from the screen. "In normal circumstances I'd have suggested LuthorCorp, but I can't see daddy Luthor kidnapping Lex just for kicks."

"VladCo?" Clark prompted after a moment of consideration.

"You think Vlad Masters is involved in this?" Chloe pressed, her eyes creased in concern.

"Given his history with Danny it wouldn't surprise me." Clark answered.

Chloe frowned. "He might have a history with Danny, but somehow I don't think kidnapping Lex like that is his MO."

Clark felt himself frowning. "It could be." He mused. "The last time Danny and he met up, Danny stripped him of his ghost powers."

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that Vlad Masters, CEO of VladCo and DALV industries has ghost powers?" Chloe demanded. "Why didn't Danny tell me?"

"Had ghost powers." Clark emphasised. "And that's probably why. Vlad used to be half-ghost, which, according to Danny was different to being a halfa – don't ask me how, I don't understand the difference – but the last time they met, Danny took away his powers because he was abusing them."

Even now, so many months later Clark still remembered that day in vivid clarity. His cousin had been practically defeated, and it was only the imminent threat of both Ember and Clark himself dying that had brought him around. Danny had morphed into his completely white suited, silver eyed form, looking like an avenging angel as he stared at his nemesis. "You're the man who should have been" Danny had said. "I'm giving you a second chance, I'm giving you something that I can never have back. You are human, and I'm giving you a chance to be human again." Clark heard himself murmuring the words aloud, his mind whirring in possibilities.

"What if it wasn't about Danny?" Clark asked, looking at his blonde haired friend. "What if he somehow found out about Lex's powers and wanted them for himself. He had his ghost powers for twenty years before Danny; I can't imagine he would just accept losing them."

"But how could he have known?" Chloe asked. "Satellites, radio, CCTV; everything was down that day. The only pictures taken are coming in from old film cameras. Unless Vlad was actually here, there's no way he could have known that Lex even had powers."

Clark shook his head tiredly. "But Chloe, if it wasn't Lionel and it wasn't Lex then who was it?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. Who else is there that has a grudge against Luthor Junior and enough resources to hire and outfit a warehouse as a high tech research lab?"

-/-

Oliver Queen viewed himself as a survivor. Two years spent trapped on an island with nothing but his bow and arrows had forged him into the man he was today. As a child he'd been entitled, pious, and more than a little self-righteous. He'd been so certain in his wealth and the naive idealisation of his parents that he'd been blind to the true world. When they'd died he'd been left alone, and he'd gotten caught up in the billionaire's lifestyle of late night parties, endless women and meaningless relationships. He'd throw away more than most earned in a year on a weekend, and still think of himself as somehow better than the masses. In a way his two year isolation on that forsaken island had been a good thing, it had given him a chance to stop and look at himself seriously.

He'd returned to civilisation a changed man. Now he took things more seriously, and had revolutionised his parents company into a multi-national organisation dedicated to furthering mankind. Queen Industries was now a figurehead for humanitarian work in the corporate sector, and that wasn't to speak of his other occupation. Yes, being on the Island had changed his worldview entirely; he was no longer the spoiled rich-kid who'd graduated Excelsior Academy five years ago. Instead he looked at the world with new eyes, saw the devastation prominent on all levels of society and saw that it was something he could change.

His decision to move to Metropolis was largely due to the most recent activity of his schoolyard rival Lex Luthor. He had been willing to turn a blind eye at first, and admittedly he had been trying very hard to forget the man over the last five years. However, seeing a video of Lex flicking bullets away like flies just didn't sit right with him; especially considering the fact that Lex had then proceeded to infiltrate the Pentagon. Lex could claim amnesia till he was blue in the face, but Oliver wasn't going to believe it. And his newly awakened civil justice bound character wouldn't abide the thought of apparent super-powers in the hands of Lex Luthor.

So here he was, cruising through corn fields at eighty miles per in his Mercedes SL on his way out to Smallville. He'd been brought out today by the potential to talk with the newly elected state senator, but being out this way was a nice excursion from the crowded city streets. Martha Kent was interesting, as far as politicians went. She was still new enough to the game not to be jaded, and while she was more than qualified for the job, she still lacked the political sway to make her worth corrupting. In other words she was still in the golden period where the senator could affect real beneficial change in Kansas if only she was given the means to do so. That was his purpose today, to properly test the waters and see if the new senator was worth offering his financial support for her latest platform.

He pulled into a long driveway, smiling absently at the rustic charm. The gate was marked by a worn wooden arch, the words 'KENT FARM' hanging proudly off a swinging sign. He could see a big red barn and some stables, and as he switched off the engine he could hear the half familiar sounds of someone spot welding from inside the barn.

Oliver slid easily out of the car, running a hand through his hair as he walked up the few steps to the house. It was a sweet little home, soft yellow walls and a whitewash fence. It looked like a wonderful place to raise a family, completely different to the sterile luxury he'd been raised with. The smile was still on his face as he knocked on the door and waited the short minute it took for someone to appear.

The young woman who pulled the door open was beautiful, soft brown curls and warm eyes. Oliver half recognised her from some of the more recent pictures of Senator Kent. "Hey." The woman said, giving him a puzzled look.

Oliver shot back a roguish smile, "Hi." He offered, dipping his hand into his jacket pocket. The paper envelope was crisp between his fingers, marked with the Queen Industries emblem.

The young woman's eyes widened in understanding as they fixed on the embossed emblem. "Queen Industries." She commented. "Must have caught a strong headwind. Mrs. Kent's been waiting for this for weeks. Thanks."

Oliver raised an eyebrow at her blasé, almost dismissive attitude. "You're welcome." He replied, allowing a little of his bewilderment to come across. He had anticipated meeting with Senator Kent, but her assistant seemed quite intent at leaving him standing at the door.

"Oh, crap, I'm sorry." The woman almost blushed as she looked in his eyes. "Just so you know, with a face like that, you can do a whole lot better than playing errand boy to the rich and arrogant." She fidgeted, digging her hand into her jeans pocket before pulling out a little green bill. "Here."

Oliver blinked, looking confusedly between the blustering young woman and the green paper she'd foisted into his fingers. "Thank you very much." He said, completely baffled. "What is, uh…"

"It's a tip." The woman encouraged, and Oliver got the very distinct impression that the brunette had absolutely no idea who she was talking to.

It was refreshing.

"A tip?" He replied, slightly bemused as he searched her eyes. "Oh… Okay."

"Seriously." The brunette added, looking him up and down. "Aim higher."

Oliver shook his head as the young woman closed the door, looking back bemusedly over his shoulder as he made his way back to the car.

"Sweet ride." A young voice commented, stepping out of the barn. He was young, probably around seventeen, and had an almost familiar gait to his step; likely trained in some form of martial art. Oliver recognized the boy vaguely from Jonathan Kent's electoral campaign. The raven haired boy had been in a couple of pictures, but admittedly he had other concerns at the time than getting to know the family of a senate candidate.

"It's not bad." Oliver replied, nodding at the boy.

The boy smiled, rubbing his hands clean with a rag. "Mercedes SL 63 AMG roadster, 2004 make." The boy commented appreciatively. "Closest thing to that around here parks in the Luthor Mansion. How's she drive?"

"Like a dream." Oliver found himself answering. "Only problem I've found is that she would quite happily go another twenty miles over the speed limit if I let her."

The boy laughed. "I can imagine." Oliver smiled in return, despite the abrupt nature of the brunette inside the house; there was something open about the young boy. Or it might just be that he appreciated a nice car.

"Was that your sister back there?" Oliver asked, gesturing to the house.

"Sister…" The boy repeated, a strange almost hurt expression crossing his eyes. But it was hidden so quickly Oliver almost missed it. "Wait, brown hair, pushy and suffering an intense case of foot in mouth syndrome?"

Oliver nodded in accordance.

"Lois Lane." The boy said, as though it explained everything. "She works with Aunt Martha as an assistant, although if you called her a PA you won't walk away with all your limbs intact. Wait, she didn't say something to offend you, did she?"

"Not really." Oliver replied. Actually there was something about the young brunette that quite intrigued him.

"Oliver Queen." He introduced, offering his hand to the young boy.

"Ah," the boy replied, a smile playing onto his lips, the sadness in his eyes quickly hidden away. "Danny Fenton." He answered, shaking his hand firmly.

"Fenton…" he paused musingly. "Now why does that name ring a bell."

Some of the light faded from the boy's eyes, the smile losing just a bit of warmth. "Fentonworks, most likely." He answered. "Back in 2001 Queen Industries funded a prominent research grant to Maddie and Jack Fenton for their works in revolutionizing household appliances."

Oliver immediately made the mental connections. Fentonworks had once been one of many privatised subsidiaries that Queen Industries supported, although the main focus of the smaller company wasn't quite what the Queen name looked for. However it had been little more than a year since the two co-owners had died, leaving only their son as heir. By all reports it was a similar situation to the one Oliver had found himself in. The Fenton legacy was nowhere near as prominent as the Queen one, but by all reports this young man could live a long while off the money in his trust fund.

Oliver bowed his head in acknowledgement. He knew only too well how hollow the words 'I'm sorry' rang after a while. It had been seventeen years since his parents' deaths, and all his life all he'd ever known was condolences from strangers who'd never known his parents for more than the Queen name.

"I promise you, give her till day's end and Lois will be chasing you up to say sorry."

Oliver looked at the boy askance.

"Oliver Queen," The boy supplied, emphasizing the title. "CEO of Queen Industries and the man Aunt Martha's been talking about all week because of your pledge and her platform. Knowing Lois, she made some social faux pas because, honestly, who expects billionaires to come out to the boondocks of Kansas? As soon as she realizes she'll be up in arms to make it up to you."

"I'll take that bet." Oliver replied, looking at the young boy. Danny smiled back, a playful spark flickering into his eyes as he stepped back from the car. Oliver smirked, sliding over the door and into the driver's seat. He slid on his sunglasses as he pulled away, smiling into the rearview mirror at the young boy. There was something half familiar in his attitude that resounded with the young billionaire. There was darkness in the boy's eyes that bespoke survivorship and loss. He was intrigued, although he was equally curious about Lois Lane.

Oliver Queen defined himself as a survivor. For the most part his philosophy in life was that the ends justify the means. His time on the Island had taught him many things, and his return to western civilization had given him to use what he had learned. He was not a master manipulator like the Luthor's were; more the take action, do what he thought was right and damn the consequences kind of guy. He was more than the spoiled playboy brat he'd been all those years ago, but it was an image that suited his ends so very well. And, really, he didn't mind the thrill of a good chase here and there.

Who knew, perhaps he wouldn't need to go to the Dark Thursday benefit solo after all.

-/-

Lana scowled as she strode through the mansion. Part of her wondered if it was really worth it. She'd only been living in the place for a few scant days and already it was one problem after another. She was glad, of course, that Lex was back safe and sound from being kidnapped. Yet, the fact that he had invaded her privacy – had installed security cameras in her bedroom – stirred a level of unease in her. Lex had said that they'd since been removed, but a mistrusting part of her doubted the whole truth of that claim.

Now she felt herself suffering a different sort of invasion, and as she stalked towards Lex's office she couldn't help but wonder where they were going if this was how they started out. Shaking her head clear she pushed the doors open; with Lex it wouldn't help if she came in half cocked and uncertain.

However the scene that greeted her when she opened the doors made her pause. Lex was chatting on the phone, stooped over a desk of papers. And standing in front of him was a young woman, all dark hair and caramel skin. The woman seemed to be bustling around a clothes rack, and it took Lana a minute to process the fact that those clothes were all costumes.

"What's all this?" Lana found herself asking, immediately catching the attention of the two other people in the room.

"My God," The woman said, coming uncomfortably close. "Your complexion is even more radiant than in the magazines." Lana took a step back, but the back of the woman's fingers brushed against her cheek regardless of her discomfort.

"This is Monica." Lex explained, gesturing to the woman. "She's helping us pick out the costumes for the charity ball. She can help you put something together."

Lana raised both eyebrows, knowing she failed to completely hide her distaste at the idea. She managed to smile at Monica, barely. "Um, well, thank you for coming, but I think I can dress myself."

Lex frowned, something akin to confusion crossing his face. "Oh, come on, Lana. I thought you'd have fun becoming anyone you wanted."

Lana scowled, turning her darkened gaze towards him. She was feeling a bit frayed at the moment, and Monica was just pushing things a bit too far. "Well, I can tell you what I'm not..." Lana commented, meeting Lex's gaze coolly. "The next 'Lex girl.'"

Lex had the decency to look abashed, and quickly dismissed Monica. Lana was just glad he'd taken the hint.

"You saw this morning's paper." Lex realized. "Look, Lana, I was raised in front of the cameras."

Lana knew that, she had expected it. But she hadn't expected it to be her face that was printed in the gossip pages next to Lex's. Something in her face must have told her continued stress.

"I know it can be hurtful." Lex continued. "When I was thirteen, a reporter caught me between classes at boarding school. He asked me how I felt about my mother's death. A mic shoved in my face in front of classmates I couldn't stand… that's how I found out she died. The press will tear us apart if we let them." Lana found her face twitching in sympathy, and she knew deep down what Lex was trying to say.

But it wasn't enough to stay the hurt from seeing her own name dragged through the tabloids. "Well, they're right about the revolving door of women you've had."

"Maybe." Lex admitted. "But I've never asked any of them to move in with me."

Lana frowned, choosing not to point out the blaring exceptions to that statement. "Lex, I know you." She commented, meeting him firmly in the eyes. "You desire what you can't have. So, what happens when you get it?"

Lex offered her a half smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't struggle against my nature every day to let myself have this with you."

Lana raised a sceptical eyebrow. "And I'm fighting mine to believe you."

Lex frowned, looking exasperated. "Lana, I've given you time. I've given you space. But you still don't know what you want."

"And you do?" She demanded.

"I want us to stop pretending we're only roommates." Lex replied, and she could see he was being honest. But she… she wasn't ready for anything like that, and already she could feel her defenses slipping up.

"Lex, I just need to be sure." She heard herself say, not able to put it into words. How could she, how could she risk trusting him when everyone else pulled away or betrayed her. Whitney, Adam, Jason… Clark. She couldn't handle another heartbreak. She wasn't strong enough, and maybe she was becoming too jaded to even try. "I always trust people too much."

"No," Lex replied firmly. Coldly. "You trusted Clark too much. Now, you can always come up with excuses why this won't work, but you have to decide. You can either fight with Clark's ghost or you can be with me. I'm done paying for his mistakes."

And then he was gone, striding out of the office and leaving her alone. And Lana… she didn't know what to think. She needed time, she needed to think. But all she could think of was Clark's face as he cast her aside.

'I'll always love you' Clark's memory whispered. And Lana felt her heart break all over again as she lost herself n memory. 'The truth is... my feelings for you have changed.' And Lana could only remember how she'd crumbled, how she'd broken. How she'd been falling apart until Lex came along and helped her pick up the pieces.

And maybe that was the problem. Her heart had been broken too often, too completely that she didn't know anymore. Maybe there was something missing, maybe it was something that she could never fix. It was too much, too fast, and she didn't know anymore. But if she didn't take the risk, if she didn't trust Lex then who else was there?

Lana sighed, her fingers trailing absently against the abandoned costume rack. She just didn't know anymore, she didn't know what was real and what was hidden behind a mask. And maybe she was just tired. She didn't want to pretend to be someone else anymore, she'd tried that and all it brought was pain. But even now she didn't know, just who she really was behind her own masks. Was she the girl who spent forever regretting losing the one guy who had ever made her feel completely loved, or was she the woman who went out on her own and paved her own way through life? Who was she, really, deep inside herself?

Who did Lana Lang really want to be?

-/-

"So let me get this straight." Chloe's voice cut through the copy room of the Daily Planet. "You were walking around upstairs and just happened across a story like that."

Jimmy Olsen nodded profusely. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"And they're seriously planning on running it?" Chloe pressed, belying her complete bewilderment.

"Yep," Jimmy replied. "They thought the morning after the benefit would be the perfect day to run the story."

"Why?" Chloe asked, more to herself than anything else.

Jimmy shrugged. "All I know is that they managed to get photos of the actual day, not just the aftermath and it's planned to take up all of page one."

"Wow." Chloe mouthed. "That's really..."

"I know." Jimmy replied. "But who expects something like that in this day and age? It's like the whole story has been pulled out of the seventies."

"Except we can put a face to it." Chloe added.

"Which is totally awesome." Jimmy replied. "Seriously, I can't imagine what actually meeting with him would be like. But it's like after then he's disappeared, that's the big mystery about it. Where does he go?"

Chloe frowned, her mind flooding with concern. If what Jimmy said was true, the story was hitting the stands no matter what she thought about it. And for most people it would be a good thing, a real confidence boost after the devastation wrought in Metropolis three weeks before. But there was one person who could be really hurt by it, and with how fragile he was lately Chloe almost wished she could stop the story coming out at all. "Jimmy, whatever you do don't spread the story around." Chloe urged. "Let people read about it in print, but please, don't tell anyone else, especially not..." she trailed off at a knock on the door, frowning awkwardly as a familiar figure entered.

"Danny." Chloe finished.

"Hey, Chlo'" Danny replied, waving a greeting. "Jennifer at reception said you were back here. I'm... not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No." Chloe replied quickly, looking across at Jimmy. The blonde haired young man was looking... actually he looked completely clueless. "I haven't introduced you two, have I?"

Both Danny and Jimmy shook their heads.

"Right, well..." Chloe said, trying to dispel the sudden awkwardness. "Danny, this is Jimmy Olsen, an old friend and currently one of the Planet's photography team. Jimmy, Danny Fenton. He's Clark's cousin."

"Danny, as in, back from the dead, Danny?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes, well, not back from the dead, he didn't die." Chloe responded, and, really, why did their first meeting have to be so awkward? The first time Jimmy had met Clark hadn't been nearly as awkward as this.

Danny coughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, yeah... no, waking up in the hospital that day was close enough for me."

Jimmy hummed. "Right, well... Clark's cousin. You can totally see the family resemblance."

"Everyone says that." Danny said exasperatedly. "Why does everyone say that? We're not related by blood in any way."

"You have to admit," Chloe pointed out. "That you two do look remarkably similar. If I didn't know you or Clark I'd happily say you were brothers."

"Twins even." Jimmy added.

Danny huffed, blowing his hair out of his eyes. "Thanks." The raven-head commented sarcastically. "Well, I actually came around to ask your advice."

"Yeah?" Chloe probed.

Danny bit his lip shyly. "Um, well, you know how Lex is holding this big benefit for the survivors of Dark Thursday..." Chloe nodded.

"You mean the big do where the press has to be on the 'Who's Who' list to even stand a chance of seeing the door?" Jimmy asked.

Danny creased his eyebrows in confusion. "Yeah, that one." He answered before turning his attention back to Chloe. "Aunt Martha RSVP'd for two, and given the fact that Clark doesn't really want to be in the same county as Lex and Lana at the moment..."

"You got rung in as her plus one." Chloe surmised.

Danny nodded in response, scrunching his nose up in distaste. "Pretty much. And I'd be fine, if it was a suit and tie thing... Hecate only knows how many times mom and dad dragged me along to one of their formal 'meetings of the minds'."

"But it's a costume ball, so you're clueless." Chloe guessed.

Danny smiled at her. "Exactly. And I was wondering if I could possibly convince you to come help me pick out a costume."

Chloe hummed.

"Pretty please." Danny begged, his blue eyes big and almost watery. It was such a drastic change from how broken he'd looked – was it just the night before? – that she didn't stand a chance.

"Alright." She answered, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Jimmy, what do you say; want to come help Mr Clueless here pick out a costume?"

Jimmy looked like he was about to refuse, but the look in his blue eyes shifted to determination as he put on a roguish smile. "Why not, we'll pick up a late lunch and then spend the afternoon digging through Costume World. It'll be fun."

Chloe smiled brilliantly at him. She was glad Danny and Jimmy would get on; she'd hate for the two to fight. After all, the last time she'd seen Danny before he went into the Phantom Zone was when she'd kissed him, and with Jimmy around now that was confusing. She wanted to pretend that kissing Danny didn't mean anything to her, that it was just because the world was ending... but in her heart of hearts she knew that wasn't true. And yet at the same time things were so easy with Jimmy around. She wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment, really she wasn't. But she didn't know exactly where things stood with either boy and it was confusing.

Really confusing.

And now she was off to help Danny pick up a costume so he could go to a ball because his cousin didn't want to have to deal with his hurt feelings. And that just added a whole layer of complicated to the confusing.

-/-

Lois frowned, shifting the heavy weight she was carrying from one arm to the other. She didn't know why she was doing this. Well, actually she did. But she didn't have to like it. It was her mistake, and so it was her responsibility to fix it.

Although it didn't hurt that the guy was easy on the eyes.

It had taken her all morning, half the afternoon, a trip to three fresh produce stores – and admittedly raiding the Kent's kitchen for one of Mrs K's apple pies – and a call to Chloe for her to find this address, and as she waited for the lift to take her up to the top floor she couldn't hope but hope that it wasn't an exercise in futility.

The elevator came to a smooth halt, deceptively smooth considering the low rent look of what had to be a service elevator. She paused for a moment as the metal gate opened up. She knew, cognitively, that Queen Tower was one of the most up to date buildings in Metropolis. The exterior had been fully restored, and the inside completely renovated since it had been bought out by Queen Industries. But for some reason she'd been expecting something a lot more... classically themed given the wealth of the person who owned the place. Instead she met a stylish open plan living space, seemingly designed to emphasise the large clock face feature piece on the left wall, and the large balcony space to her right.

But the most noticeable feature in the room wasn't the Metropolis outlook or the classical clock feature wall. No, it was most definitely the piece of shirtless blonde man-candy balancing on a yoga mat in the middle of the room. She'd seen some pretty fit guys in her time, but with the man in front of her it was all she could do to suppress her wow factor. It wouldn't do to come off as some incompetent yokel.

"Miss!" A loud and alarmed voice called, Lois presumed it was the man's personal assistant. "You cannot go in there." Lois refused to move when the pencil skirted lady made to close the lift on her. Lois quickly sidestepped the woman, moving fully into the room and closer to her target.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Queen." The woman apologized. "This woman does not have an appointment."

A single brown eye flickered open, taking her in completely nonchalantly. He seemed completely composed, despite the fact that he couldn't possibly have known…

"It's okay." The blonde haired man commented. "She's expected."

… that she was coming. Damn. Ant there went the element of surprise. Lois pasted a smile on her face, barely managing to restrain a smirk as the pushy lady grunted and retreated further into the loft like apartment.

Lois sauntered across to the man. If he wanted to play it cool, well, she could play with the best. "I guess I really underestimated the mental powers of yoga." She noted idly, having caught the man shirtless on only their second meeting.

"Well, I find the focus benefits my work." The blonde replied smoothly, eyeing her up and down as he stood up. He stretched, toned muscles rippling uncaringly – distractingly – as Oliver turned his attention directly towards her.

"And, apparently, your premonitions." Lois added. 'Smooth, Lois. You have to be smooth.' Clearing her mind she handed the hamper in her hands across to the young billionaire. It was probably nothing to him, but her childhood travelling through army bases had taught her that the best way to get a guy's attention was to appeal to his stomach.

Oliver smirked. "After your lamentable blunder, it was either this or a good firing from your boss, right?" His attention flickered down, and she only hoped that it was on the basket and not anywhere else in her direction. "Although, I must say, I didn't picture the fruit basket." Thank goodness. He wasn't checking her out.

Lois took a deep breath, glad that his attention was on the right thing. Now maybe she could get down to business and go about fixing the mistake she'd made in dismissing him when he'd come to the Kent's that morning. She set her shoulders, settling quickly into her role as assistant to Senator Martha Kent. "Yes, Mr. Queen, I surmise that you're very busy with all your bendy stuff, so I'll be really short…"

"Peanuts." Oliver interrupted, plucking a packet out of the basket. "I'm allergic."

"I'll try and remember that." Lois promised, trying not to let him distract her. She couldn't afford to lose this for Mrs K. Oliver continued rummaging through the basket, not even looking at her.

But Lois was nothing if not persistent. "Look, Martha Kent is a sterling Senator, and, um, I would be devastated if..." she trailed off as Oliver waved a green apple in her face. Lois only wondered where she'd gone wrong with apples. "Childhood bobbing trauma?"

"Are you hungry?" Oliver asked, and Lois couldn't help her momentary exasperation. What was with the man? Surely he was capable of focusing for one minute. "No? Okay." And his attention was once more fixed on the fruit basket. Great.

"Look," Lois emitted. "I realize that I was very rude earlier, and I'm just trying to apologize. And if you hold this against Martha Kent, it will be you who is missing out on the opportunity of doing good work with a great woman." Oliver didn't look up once.

Lois sighed, turning away exasperatedly. This was just a waste of time and effort after all. Seemed like billionaire syndrome struck again. As if the world really needed another arrogant, self centred jerk running around and burning away the economy. "Right. Well, I guess I was prematurely accurate in my opinion of you."

Oliver looked up, and for the first time Lois saw something serious in his expression. "Miss Lane?" The man called after her. "If you want my full and undivided attention, why don't you come with me to Lex Luthor's ball?"

Lois scoffed. "While I'm sure downsizing me for an entire evening would make great sport, I think I'll pass."

Oliver met her gaze evenly. "If Martha Kent's as amazing as you say she is, it's gonna take a lot more than a few minutes of grovelling to convince me that she's worthy of my support."

Lois sighed tiredly. She should have known. "I don't have a costume." She demurred.

Oliver frowned, although there was something calculating in his gaze. "You don't have a costume. Hmm." Lois followed his eyes, noticing a rectangular box on the side table beside them. She creased her eyebrows, looking between the man and the box for a moment. Oliver seemed to smirk beside her.

"Right." Lois bit out. "The telepathy."

Oliver's smirk only widened as he slid the box closer to her. "Here you go."

Cautiously Lois lifted, half expecting some prank snakes to jump out at her. What she saw was both a thousand times better, and a thousand times worse. The dress inside was beautiful, gorgeous soft velvet in a rich shade of blue. It had gold embroidered lining and a classic medieval cut to it. She gently lifted it out, noting the tag that slipped down into the tissue paper lining. "Even in my size." Lois murmured, turning her surprised look on the young billionaire. "Mr. Queen, have you been rummaging through my drawers?"

Oliver grinned, somehow making that prince charming smile seem roguish. "I have a good eye for sizing people up." The man replied, and wasn't that just the crux of it. Lois had come here to appeal to Oliver and try to repair her major blunder. Oliver seemed to see something in her, and she wasn't sure what exactly it was, but she couldn't manage to get a solid read on him. Oliver was smug and self assured, practically oozing arrogance, at least superficially. But Lois got the distinct impression that there was something much more beneath the surface. Something special.

Lois honestly had idea how to respond to his comment, and as she left with the box tucked neatly under her arms she couldn't help but wonder exactly what she had agreed to. Pompous rich-kid Oliver Queen may be, but there was something else about him that left her wondering.

-/-

Jimmy yawned as he looked through the clothes rack, covering his mouth with a fisted hand. He could hear Chloe's soft laugh as she pulled things off the rack, and he could admit to himself that it was fun. They'd gone out to lunch in a swanky sort of food hall that Jimmy would never have found in a million years. Danny and Chloe seemed fairly familiar with it, since both quickly located their favourites and managed to find a decent seat. The meal had passed pleasantly enough, talking mostly about nothing because Jimmy had no idea what to talk about with the dark haired kid.

Danny seemed nice, friendly like, if a bit of a klutz. And the way he spoke with Chloe showed just how close they were. Jimmy couldn't quite figure out how Danny saw Chloe, but he could see that Chloe felt something towards the boy. And that hurt, a bit. Especially since he'd found out that Danny was two years his junior.

And wasn't that a shock. Jimmy had been surprised to find out that Danny had just graduated his senior year, a whole year early and after somehow managing to be skipped ahead halfway through the year. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that he didn't have anything lined up; he hadn't applied for any colleges or jobs or anything. Jimmy had always thought that the Einsteins who got skipped ahead were all freakily driven and ended up finishing college way too early. It seemed weird, but it wasn't like he could criticise. He loved photography, but he really had no idea what he was going to do with his life himself.

Danny was funny, mostly. Light-hearted. Jimmy had found himself laughing along to some of his jokes, even despite not knowing the full story behind them. Jimmy's only complaint was how traumatised Chloe had been when Clark had announced that Danny was dead. Of course he couldn't really expect the kid to phone anyone when he was unconscious, but that only raised the question of where the heck had Danny been on Dark Thursday that nobody he knew could find him?

"Hmm, what do you think?" Chloe asked, interrupting Jimmy's musings. "Does this colour bring out my eyes?"

Jimmy looked across at the blonde, who actually wasn't blonde right now. She was wearing a neon purple wig and wearing a fake model's pout. Danny's head poked up from over the next row, laughing teasingly.

"Hmm, maybe." Danny answered mock seriously. "Of course you'd have to offset the purple with a bit of black, maybe a nice emerald green."

"Purple and green Danny?" Chloe deflected, shrugging the wig off.

"For what it's worth, I think you look better blonde." Jimmy put in. Chloe was beautiful just the way she was, she didn't need to change her hair colour to bring her eyes out.

Chloe smiled. "Hmm, maybe you're right."

"How's this?" Danny asked, coming around the corner.

"You're..." Jimmy said, trying to guess and failing completely. "Scarface...?

"I really don't think the godfather look suits you, Danny." Chloe chuckled.

Danny humphed. "It's a classic."

"Classic it may be, but you just haven't got that vibe." Chloe commented. "You could go as Zorro."

"Didn't Clark do that last year when you and he raided Tri Psy?" Danny asked as he took off the suit jacket. "He still complains about that mask."

"And here I was trying to forget that... you could go as Dracula."

"Van Helsing?" Jimmy suggested instead. Somehow it sort of suited the kid; hunting the supernatural.

Danny frowned. "The vampire hunter?"

"Better than Buffy or Spike." Chloe commented.

"Gah, I'd prefer to go as my dad." Danny rejected, rubbing his eyes in disgust.

Chloe laughed. "Yep, bright orange Hazmat suit, you can totally pull that off."

"Your dad seriously wore a bright orange Hazmat suit?" Jimmy asked.

"All the time." Danny replied fondly. "I used to be so embarrassed by it, now... now it's an endearing quirk."

Jimmy sensed the drop in mood hidden behind the words, and couldn't help but want to hit himself for being insensitive. He knew that Danny had lost his family, it was the whole reason he'd lived in Kansas in the first place; so he could live with his maternal Aunt. But it was so easy to get caught up in the light Banter that Danny and Chloe had built up that it was easy to think he'd completely moved on.

"I'm gonna ix-nay the Hazmat." Chloe suggested.

"What about a cloak?" Jimmy suggested, flicking through his current rack. He paused over a whit one, pulling it up and holding it up in the air between him and the boy. "If you took this and a white wig, you'd be a dead ringer for Phantom."

Danny paled, looking at the cloak in something akin to fear. He coughed, briefly, looking to Chloe for help.

Jimmy frowned. "If you really hate the idea that much..." Jimmy trailed awkwardly.

"It's not that." Chloe urged, shaking her head with a smile. "It's just that..."

"Fentonworks was primarily known for ghost hunting." Danny admitted, seeming to regain his confidence. "While I don't mind an ironic statement now and then, the fact of the matter is that the Fenton name has been dragged through the mud for the way mom and dad believed in ghosts for so long. Adding to that, mom and dad were particularly known as some of phantom's first opponents, me pretending to be Phantom is not a good idea."

"I get it." Jimmy grinned, nodding at the kid. And he really did. The fact that Phantom, being a figure publicised primarily as a ghost, was now considered a real person – and Jimmy couldn't help but think of a certain newspaper article – didn't change the long history of scientific rejection of 'ghostly' phenomena. It would really be setting the cat among the pigeons if Danny Fenton went to a costume ball as the prominent ghost figure Phantom. "It's weird to have to think of political repercussions at a costume party. Sorta makes me miss the days of dressing up as Indiana Jones to the Supermarket."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Chloe smiled. And Jimmy grinned at her, glad to have made her smile. He usually wouldn't mention that sort of thing; he had been five at the time, but being around Chloe was somehow different.

"I preferred Warrior Angel myself." Danny confessed.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Chloe commented fondly, ruffling the kid's hair. Danny pouted, shoving her away. Jimmy tried his best to ignore the familiarity.

Danny grinned, pulling something off the rack and chucking it in Jimmy's direction. Jimmy looked down at the fedora in his hands confusedly, but put it on at Chloe's insistence.

"Jeff Bailey, 'Out of the Past'." Danny pronounced with a grin.

"Oh, my God, yes!" Chloe beamed. "Jimmy, next time you wear a costume, you have to go as Jeff Bailey."

Jimmy shuffled awkwardly, taking the hat off and putting it back on the rack. He had no idea what they were thinking; it wasn't like he could pick out clues like the private detective could. Even if he did like the genre.

"How about this." Jimmy suggested, trying to distract the chuckling duo. He pulled out a blue tunic and a red cape. "You could go as King Arthur."

Chloe hummed, looking thoughtfully at the tunic. "Not a bad thought." Chloe agreed. "Although, if we're going with the medieval king theme, I reckon Richard the Lionheart works better. What do you think, Danny?"

Danny offered a small smile. "Not a bad idea." He agreed. "And it comes with a sword."

"And a crown." Chloe added, grinning as she plonked a plastic coronet on Danny's head. Jimmy blinked, looking at the boy. Usually people looked fake when wearing a crown, they just lacked the regal something that monarchs in the history books had. Even as a kid he'd never seriously been able to pull off the arts-and-crafts ones his mom had made for him. But the crown sat perfectly on Danny's head, as though he was somehow meant to wear a crown. It was an absurd notion, but somehow Danny pulled it off.

Jimmy quickly let the thought slip out of his mind and the three of them picked up the costume and went to the checkout. He could admit that he'd had fun, although whether that was due to Chloe or Danny he didn't know. Danny did seem like a nice kid – and he was a kid because, damn it, he was two years younger – and Jimmy could see them maybe getting on in the future. He hoped. For Chloe's sake of course.

But there was something dark that flickered in the younger boy's eyes on occasion; when Danny thought nobody was looking. There was pain hidden in his eyes and something deeper than loss. Jimmy didn't know what to make of it, and didn't know how to bring it up or if he had the right to. But there was something off about Danny Fenton, and a small, curious part of Jimmy wanted to find out exactly what it was.

-/-

Lana bit her lip anxiously as she sat at Chloe's desk at the Daily Planet. She didn't really know why she was here, she shouldn't have come. But Chloe had been her friend forever, and she needed someone to talk to. Even if she hadn't really spoken to anyone other than Lex in the last few weeks. But she needed her friend; she needed Chloe's voice of reason to help her figure out what to do. Because on her own she was drowning, and she didn't know what to do.

She shook her head. This was a bad idea, she'd waited too long and no doubt Chloe was upset at her for ignoring her. Everyone was upset with her nowadays, it seemed. Lana stood up, picking up the small box she'd brought with her and made to leave. She could figure things out on her own. She didn't need any help. It's just that she was so confused, and she had been for so long that Lex asking her directly had sent her into a tailspin.

"Hey." A confused voice said, interrupting Lana from her mental rambling. Lana blinked, looking into the worried eyes of her old blonde friend.

"Hi." Lana emitted, looking down into the box in her arms. "Um, it was such a rush to evacuate the dorms, I guess I took a few of your things..."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, taking the box out of her arms. "Thanks." The blonde commented wryly. "Oh, wow, I was really missing this, uh... half-chewed eraser... and your library book, which is two weeks overdue." Chloe sighed worriedly. "Lana."

"I don't know why, but I felt like I needed an excuse to come and talk with you." Lana finally answered.

"Excuse accepted." Chloe replied, smiling softly. "Come, the copy room isn't exactly the optimal place for a discussion, but it's fairly private."

"It feels like forever since I've been here." Lana sighed as Chloe closed the door behind them.

Chloe smiled. "Yeah, I imagine that a sprawling 17th-century mansion takes a while to get used to."

Lana frowned. "Well, actually, it's getting kind of crowded in there." She shook her head, releasing a sardonic laugh. "Lex seems to think that I'm dragging Clark's ghost around with me."

"And he didn't sign up for a threesome?" Chloe pressed.

Lana nodded tiredly. That wasn't the only problem, but it was one of the main ones. "Chloe, I have this terrible feeling." She said, struggling to find the right words. "I feel like if I do this with Lex, I'm going to lose my identity."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Well, Lana, if you don't trust him now, that dynamic is not gonna change."

Lana sighed. "It's just I keep blaming my trust issues on everyone else. And the truth is, the person that I don't trust is myself. I keep ..." She shook her head, laughing dejectedly. It was so hard to put this into words, to discuss all the confusion she'd been feeling. Her emotions about Lex were all conflicting, and part of the problem was the fact that part of her still wanted Clark. But Clark had taken her heart and shredded it to pieces. And wasn't that just twisted in itself?

But it was relieving to confess to this, to relieve some of the pain that had been bogging her down for so long. "I haven't always made the right decisions. And when I realize that I have made the wrong ones, I'm too far gone to get myself out."

Chloe smiled in sympathetic understanding. "Lana, I don't know if Lex is the right guy for you or not. I mean, he certainly wouldn't be my first choice, but he wouldn't even really be on my list."

There was a moment's pause as Chloe seemed to gather her thoughts. "You can't just sit safely by the water and watch all the happy people splashing around. I mean, eventually, you have to grow some fins and just dive in."

Lana cocked her head, looking at her old friend. Chloe's advice didn't solve all her problems, but it made it easier to process. Maybe it would take time; her trust had been broken too many times for her to risk throwing it all in one go. But if she let herself time, maybe she could learn to trust again. It was a huge risk, and she knew that. But Lex had been there for her for years; he was the one who had helped her open the Talon and he was the one who had helped her recover from a broken heart. If there was anyone who was worth the risk, well maybe, just maybe, it was worth taking the risk on Lex.

-/-

Lex frowned indiscernibly as he gazed through the crowd. He could see already that the benefit itself was going to be a raging success; things with the Luthor name always were. However on a personal level he was thus far finding the evening disappointing. Normally he would never have organised something like this, it was beneath him to organise this sort of charity evening. However it was important to Lana to see something being done, and there was, perhaps, a small part of him that felt guilty for his role in the damage Dark Thursday caused. The benefit had been organised mainly with Lana in mind, designed to be something she could enjoy and escape from her own guilt, if only for an evening.

Now as he stood there alone, wearing a red cape and a roman style breastplate he feared he had pushed too hard and too fast in his pursuit of the gorgeous temptress. And when the night was over he half expected to return home to an empty Mansion. Lana was like a candle flame in the night; beautiful and tantalising, but wont to flicker out at the slightest disturbance. The lead singer of the band opened the evening before diving into their opening song.

Lex smiled wearily, eyes searching the costumed partygoers for someone who would provide engaging conversation for the evening. However it appeared he was rather short of luck. Outside of his usual business circle there were a number of actors and sporting heroes; none of which were likely to be able to engage in interesting conversation. So it looked like he was in for a long and boring evening; after all, as the host he could hardly leave early despite the lack of engaging entertainment.

There was a brief pause in the music and suddenly the crowd parted. Lex froze momentarily at the vision of a goddess which stood before him, taking him completely by surprise. Lana Lang stood confidently in the entranceway, a vision in white robes and a golden Egyptian headdress. She looked like the reincarnation of Cleopatra with her soft bronzed skin and dark eyes. Lex felt something stir in his chest at the idea. Cleopatra to his Julius Caesar; it seemed even when they weren't trying to match they managed to anyway.

He strode through the gap in the crowd, meeting the warm smile in her eyes with one of his own. He wrapped an arm gently around her waist, guiding the beautiful young woman to the middle of the dance floor. "I'm glad you came." He murmured, leaning close to her as the next song began.

Lana smiled up at him, her brown eyes shimmering with new resolve. "So am I."

"I thought I might have frightened you off." Lex commented.

Lana's smile deepened knowingly. "You'll have to come up with better scare tactics." Lana commented, her voice rich with meaning.

Lex hid the smirk that wanted to play on his face. It seemed that in the few short hours since he had last seen her, she had come to a decision. He had pushed her, yes. But it was worth it now to have the beautiful young woman with him here and now. Lana Lang was a remarkable young woman, and she had captured his attention entirely. But with her making this choice the game was half won. And Lex had no intention of letting this beautiful prize escape his grasp.

-/-

Lois smiled awkwardly as she made her way through the crowd beside her green clad companion. Honestly, she should have known that Oliver had planned something like this when he picked out a costume for her. There weren't many medieval 'couples' that she knew well enough to have earned costume status, and she very much doubted Oliver would be happy playing Romeo. So she was walking beside a blonde haired Robin Hood, bow and arrows and tights and all. And she herself was dressed, now quite clearly, as his Maid Marian.

She wasn't sure what to make of the symbolism there.

"Welcome," Tyson Ritter, Lead singer for the All American Rejects introduced "to the First Annual Benefit Ball for the victims of Dark Thursday. On behalf of Lex Luthor, we'd like to thank everybody for reaching into your pockets and supporting the families affected by this disaster. You guys rock." A familiar song picked up, and Lois absently smiled at the introductory chords of 'It Ends Tonight'.

"So, is this part of your sizing me up?" Lois asked, catching her escort's attention once more.

Oliver smiled. "Well, Miss Lane, honestly, that was a miscalculation."

Lois smirked. "Well, that would be my polite comment on your choice of legwear for this evening." Actually, as far as things went she was enjoying herself. She had yet to catch sight of Martha Kent, but otherwise it had been surprisingly pleasant. Especially considering that otherwise she wouldn't have been on the guest list.

"You have a quick tongue. I find that very attractive." Oliver commented, his voice deceptively light given the underlying message.

Lois smiled wryly. Oliver may be a big successful billionaire, but she wasn't that easy. "Well, keep it in your quiver, jolly green bandit." She commented wryly, moving slightly away from him as the crowd eased up. "So, is your fortune the do-it-yourself, steal-from-the-rich kind, or is it silver-plattered like our host's?"

Something dark passed briefly into Oliver's eyes. "It belonged to my parents, and I, uh... I inherited it when they died." Lois inwardly grimaced. She should have recognised that look; Danny wore it whenever he was forced to talk about his family. It was a sad look of longing and Lois had no idea whether to comfort the guy or apologise for bringing it up.

Instead she decided to change topics altogether. "Well, I wasn't going to give it to you, but the tights..." She trailed, looking the man up and down. "You're totally pulling it off."

"You should see him in a tutu." A familiar voice cut in. Lois turned at the sound, immediately recognising Lex and Lana. They were dressed as Julius and Cleopatra; it seemed she wasn't the only one in a couple's costume this evening.

"Lex Luthor..." Oliver replied, his voice chilling slightly. "With a girl that he doesn't have to inflate." Given how light hearted he'd been a moment ago, Lois had to wonder what had brought up his guard so quickly. Then again, it was Lex Luthor they were talking about.

Lex laughed, apparently brushing off the rude comment. "Lana Lang, Oliver Queen. We went to boarding school together."

"Talked to any of the old gang lately?" Oliver asked, but there was something accusatory in his voice that bespoke a long history with the young Luthor. Lois decided not to interrupt. She'd already had her foot in her mouth enough for one day.

"Enjoy the party." Lex commented coolly, gently guiding Lana away.

"I always do." Oliver smirked as they watched them go. Lois took a deep steadying breath, searching the crowd for anyone she recognised. Mercifully there was a small gap in the crowd, large enough for her to see past the White Rabbit to a familiar head of wavy red hair. She eagerly guided Oliver in that direction, glad for the distraction.

"Senator Kent!" She called, catching Mrs K's attention. "Hi, I've been looking all over for you. I would like you to meet Oliver Queen." The elder Kent was dressed in a beautiful red dress, looking like a femme fatale straight out of some sepia toned film noir.

Martha smiled. "Mr. Queen, it's nice to finally meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine." Oliver replied. "So, Lois has been telling me about your policy points. We should get together and talk about how I can help you."

Martha grinned, and Lois let relief sink through her bones. All of this, tense meeting with Luthor and all, was completely worth it just to hear those words. "I'm looking forward to that. Thank you." Martha said.

"Thank Lois." Oliver commented wryly. "She can be very persuasive."

Lois ducked her head bashfully for a moment, but allowed a grin to cross her face all the same.

"Oh, Mr Queen, have you met my nephew, Danny Fenton?" Martha asked, and Lois blinked as she realised that the dark haired young man who had been talking with Martha was in fact Danny. The boy was wearing a red cloak and a gold crown. Embroidered on his chest were three golden lions and a silver sword hung loosely at his waist. He didn't look anything like the goofy farm-boy she usually saw hanging around the farm, the regal garb seemed to change his stance completely. To the point where Lois almost wouldn't have recognised him.

"We met in passing this morning." Oliver answered.

"Nice to see you out of the long sleeved t-shirt, Casper." Lois teased. The Senator nodded warmly in her direction before retiring from their conversation, her presence demanded by some other party.

"Good to see you too, Lois." Danny nodded in Lois's direction before turning his attention to Oliver. "And it's a pleasure to see you again, Mr Queen."

"Oliver, please. And yes, your tip was right on target." Oliver added, picking up something in Danny's comment that went over her head. Danny grinned.

Lois creased her brow in confusion as she looked in between the two. "What tip?" Lois asked.

"Nothing." Danny said.

"We got talking briefly about the Mercedes this morning." Oliver added.

"Oh, I like you, Mr Queen." Danny grinned, a delighted light dancing in his eye. Lois knew now she was missing some vital part of the conversation since the boys were both dancing around a topic, and more annoyingly, both seemed to enjoy allowing it to elude her.

Oliver hummed, still smiling at the dark haired young man. "Three lions and a red cloak. I would guess that we have King Richard the Lionheart to join the merry men."

Danny smiled back. "Purely coincidence, I promise you. Of course, Lois does make a lovely Maid Marion."

"That she does." Oliver agreed, and Lois nudged him gently with her elbow at the man's teasing. "Now, while I know that the evening is a charity event, but I do feel compelled to ask you if you've considered re-mobilising your parent's business. Queen Industries is always looking for places to invest."

"Most of their patents are related to ghost-tech." Danny pointed out dismissively. "And besides, mom and dad were the inventors; Fentonworks has little to offer except what's already been designed."

Lois laughed. "Who are you kidding, Casper?" She scoffed. "Hidden in that head of yours are all those designs and then some. Don't think I haven't seen you tinkering on that engine out in the barn."

Oliver seemed to raise his eyebrow in interest. "Really?" He pressed, but Danny seemed reluctant to answer, so Lois chose to do it for him.

"Yep." Lois responded. "From what I've seen, the only thing stopping him from starting up again is the lack of access to the right supplies."

"Gah!" Danny mouthed. "Lois, please stop. I've already had Lex on my tail, I really don't want anyone else asking me about starting Fentonworks up again."

Lois nodded unabashedly. She didn't have to talk now, Oliver seemed interested enough and with any luck this would get Danny to stop moping around the house like he had been since he'd graduated Smallville High.

"It wouldn't have to be under the Fentonworks name." Oliver suggested, sounding intrigued. "At the moment one of my newer subsidiaries is looking to hire on new hands in the electronics development area. I could start you up with an internship at Artemis Global Consortium over the summer and see how you get on with the team. It'd be a great pathway for once you've finished school."

"He's already graduated." Lois added in helpfully.

"Honestly?" Oliver paused.

Lois hummed positively. "Danny here was skipped ahead halfway through last year. He managed to top the year at Smallville High despite not being in their classes for half that time."

"How do you know I topped the year?" Danny asked. "I didn't know I topped the year."

Lois raised an eyebrow. She had a hacker for a cousin, of course she knew. "The only reason you weren't highlighted was because the school board was worried that the parents would complain about your having missed half the year."

"All the more reason to accept the internship." Oliver added. "If you have a mind that can catch up six months work that quickly, you'd be a brilliant addition to the team at Queen Industries."

"Lois..." The boy complained. "Why? I don't do this sort of thing to you when we're out in public." Danny sighed, looking back at Oliver. "I appreciate the offer, Oliver, really I do. And a few years ago I would have jumped at the chance, but lately... I've had a lot of re-evaluating to do. I'm not sure I'm ready to go into that sort of work, at least not right now."

"I understand." Oliver empathised. "But if you do change your mind, please feel free to give me a call. I'd be happy to see someone like you working with us."

"Thanks, Mr Queen." Danny said with a relieved smile. "I hope you don't mind if I excuse myself now, but I think your date for the evening wouldn't mind if you gave her the next dance."

Oliver nodded graciously, and Danny seemed to happily disappear into the crowd. The blonde haired man beside her smiled, gently taking her hand. "What do you say, my lady. May I have this dance?"

Lois fought down a blush, that smile could steal the world if he wanted it too. She let Oliver guide her through the next dance, and the one after that, and soon enough the band was calling the last song of the evening. It was hard to believe how much fun she'd been having, it was almost a shame for the evening to end so soon. Martha Kent seemed to have left some time ago, as had Danny. The few people remaining were couples, making the most of the last song before the band stopped for the evening.

She smiled as Oliver led her down to his car, sliding in easily into the passenger's seat as he opened the door for her. The wind blew gently on her face through the open window as they drove back to Smallville. Their conversation was pleasant, and the silences were completely comfortable. Lois had an easy smile on her face the whole trip home, Oliver's eyes meeting her warmly as he drove her back home. Lois could very easily see herself falling for him, for Oliver.

She was laughing happily as the car pulled up, Oliver grinning right beside her. He courteously took her arm as he led her back to her apartment at the Talon. "I have enjoyed courting you against your will this evening." The man smiled as she opened the door.

Lois smirked back. "Only because I let you."

"I'd like to kiss you now." Oliver mused, his brown eyes shimmering in the evening light.

"Um, you know, the lady requires a show of skill before awarding you with her favour." Lois teased. Not that she would take all that much convincing.

Oliver seemed only slightly ruffled. "Which is actually where I was going with the kiss."

Lois grinned, looking at the brown eyed man. "Let's make it interesting." She proposed, looking at the bow Oliver had worn all evening. She pointed lightly, gesturing to a soda can sitting on top of the dumpster behind the Talon. "Hit that can with your arrow... and I'm yours."

"You're that easy, huh?" Oliver chuckled.

"It's that hard." Lois challenged.

Oliver frowned, considering the distance between them and his target. "I'm gonna go for it."

"All right." Lois smiled.

Oliver knocked an arrow, easily drawing the bow back and holding it. He looked the part, green clad like a real life Robin Hood. He held the arrow, bowstring drawn taught as he looked at her. "Here goes nothing."

For a moment Lois wondered what would happen if the arrow hit true. She'd take him inside, she'd kiss him, and let him kiss her back. She'd carefully peel back that green tunic, and stare at the muscled chest she knew lay beneath. And she'd fall for him, too hard and too fast and she'd wonder, when they woke up in the morning just how long it could last.

Oliver shifted his aim ever so slightly and released, the arrow flying straight across the alley. It whirred through the air, burying itself with a soft thud into the wall behind the dumpster. It had to have been close; the feathers hung not even an inch over the unmoved soda can.

"Better luck next time, hood." She teased. And maybe it was a little wistful. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, shaking his head slightly as she shut the door.

But as she removed the veil she leaned tiredly against the wall. And she wondered if, just this once, she could let herself have this. One breathless moment with a man like Oliver Queen. One shining minute where the arrow landed true.

-/-

"This is definitely a night of firsts." Lex smiled down at Lana as the two walked through the corridors of the Mansion. Lana smiled happily back, not caring at all that her mascara must have run and her hair was dripping wet.

"How's that?" she asked, gazing into his sparkling blue eyes.

Lex laughed. "Well, it's the first time I've ever danced in my extremely pretentious fountain." Lana grinned, laughing with him. "And it's the first time I've ever felt this... satisfied." He continued.

"I was half-expecting the word 'happy' to come out of your mouth." Lana remarked.

Lex smiled at her, his eyes warm and full of promise. "Happiness is just a feeling of euphoria." He answered. "It's your brain chemistry going into overdrive. That's why so many relationships fail when the honeymoon ends and reality sets in."

Lana couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, have you always been such a romantic?"

Lex grinned, chuckling once more. "If you were any other woman, I'd be saying everything you expect to hear right now, but you're not, okay?" He paused, meeting her gaze honestly. "You not like anyone else."

Lana couldn't help but grin in pure delight. "Well, careful, because I am dangerously close to being satisfied."

Lex chuckled lightly, offering her a contented smirk. "Then my evil plan is working." He led her into a parlour, the windows opening out into the starry night sky. They sat, knee to knee on one of the sofas and Lana relaxed completely, resting her head on his chest comfortably.

They relaxed for a while, taking quiet pleasure in the quiet as the stars glimmered outside. "So, what made you change your mind about gracing my arm tonight?" The man eventually asked, his voice soft and with the barest hint of hesitation.

Lana looked up, staring into his eyes. "Life..." She replied honestly. "Wanting to live it."

And she took a chance, the biggest risk she could take in that instant as she pressed her lips to his. Lex hesitated, pulling back and looking into her eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking half confusedly at her.

"Living." Lana answered, pressing her lips once more to his. And this time he responded, parting his lips and kissing back. Lana grinned against him, enjoying the warmth as Lex wrapped strong arms around her. Maybe it wouldn't work out. Maybe this would only lead to hardship and heartbreak. But for right now, Lex was exactly what she wanted.

And in that moment, that one moment under the stars with Lex's warm arms embracing her, Lana Lang knew exactly who she wanted to be.

-/-

Chloe sighed tiredly as she held up the morning edition. There it was, just as Jimmy had promised. The story took up all of page one and was continued on three, four and five. She didn't know what to do as she gazed down at the stark black print, just knowing the trouble this article would cause.

Oh she knew all too well that it was exactly what Metropolis needed right now. And Jimmy had been right when he pointed out the parallels to the mysterious underground group who had protected the streets during the seventies. The people of Metropolis and the surrounding counties needed to feel safe in order to fully recover from Dark Thursday. The article was a carefully contrived encouragement piece, clearly written to make its readers feel both safe and empowered in order to stabilise the population and dispel the uncertainty left in the aftermath of so much destruction. But her concern wasn't for Metropolis at the moment, it was for her friend.

Danny wasn't ready for this, she knew that. He was still struggling with being human again; the last thing he needed was a blaring reminder of exactly what he had lost. But it was too late, and she could only hope to be able to support him as his friend when he found out about it.

Chloe groaned, dropping the paper on her desk and burying her head in her folded arms. She didn't want to deal with this right now. She didn't know how to.

But it didn't change what was on the front page, nor the half page picture that accompanied the article.

'THE PHANTOM ANGEL; Metropolis Celebrates the Untold Hero of Dark Thursday'

AN: Sorry for being late so early in the game, my computer decided to die on me which made it hard to write... or to proof... or do anything really. Now it's fixed, but missing it really put me behind. And in addition this chapter was like pulling teeth, but I needed to introduce Ollie...

For the people who know Smallville, Jimmy in the series had a sort of rivalry going with Clark because a part of Chloe was crushing on him, and Clark left too much unexplained. Obviously that dynamic won't be quite the same because Danny's here. Jimmy is known to be perceptive, but drastically off the mark in his conclusions, so I'm curious to see myself to find out what he makes of Danny.

I know this wasn't the most action-y chapter, I needed to establish the relationships. On the plus side, the action that I originally planned for this chapter should be next chapter... which hopefully I will have better luck writing.

Now I do wonder if anyone can figure out the significance of Danny's costume... it's symbolic in more than one way.

Love you all,

Bluerose

P.S. I have Fanart! A particular thanks goes out to Ect0Gh0st who drew up a beautiful rendition of Danny's Richard the Lionheart costume for the Dark Thursday benefit. You can find it at tmblr. co/ ZewIZv10aWwoL (removing the spaces) or in the alternative there's a link from my user profile.