Author's note: If you're still reading this thank you for your dedication!! Anything you recognize from Smallville, Highlander, Queen, and Vampire the Masquerade does not belong to me.

In the Hands of Fate: Chapter 19: Boys' Night Out

I couldn't believe it when they tried a SECOND time to yank me back but I held my ground and push come to shove I have more power than the rest of my triune. The world flickered, steadied, returned. I drew several deep clear breaths and wondered exactly how THIS worked in the Rules of Engagement. There really weren't any clauses for what happens when the body gets essentially reset to the beginning due to interference from other Councilors. Speaking of which what the blazes had that been about? We don't interfere with each other, ever, or at the very least never before. If it hadn't been members of my own triune it could have had all sorts of unpleasant implications. Actually it had some pretty strange ones even within it.

"What the HELL just happened Greg?" Lex snapped wide eyed.

"Some of Us decided They wanted me to come home early and tried to force the issue" my dictation had suffered which meant a fair bit of the muscle memory I'd spent weeks drilling into the body was likely gone too as part of the reset. Well, it was at least still fresh in my 'mind'. I would just have to do it again and on the positive side Gregory was physically completely fit now. Was that cheating? It felt vaguely like cheating but I wasn't going to quibble since I was pretty certain that it didn't actually break any Rules and I hadn't wanted to suffer through a bout of pneumonia anyway. My throat was a bit sore though, that was odd.

Lex frowned "Why?"

"That is a VERY good question but I was more intent on staying here than getting into an extended debate" which was true but I had promised Lex honesty so I continued even though I knew it would upset him "One of my siblings muttered something about pulling me out before I got hurt which the most ludicrous bit of nonsense I have ever heard in my existence."

"If you are so invulnerable" Grace asked archly with her adorable French accent "then what am I doing here?"

"Oh, it's a perfectly normal human body" I retorted while Lex's eyebrows arched in surprise at my indiscretion "and subject to all the limits and vulnerabilities thereof" I pull the veil from my eyes "but I am not. Nothing of this Universe can harm me. But I'm certain I'll managed to do something to the body that will require your services if you would be so kind as to stay."

She'd been listening to my chest through the entire speech, which was thankfully completely clear though I was rapidly regaining that slight accent. Interesting since I hadn't really meant to do it the first time. I guess I was stuck with it.

"There's no congestion at all" she said puzzled.

"The net result of all the in again, out again, back again, Finnegan is that the body is back to being exactly as it was when I built it." Which meant I was no longer in need of a hair cut or a shave either.

Grace paused to process that "I assume from all the screaming that being ripped out isn't very comfortable."

Ah, well that would explain the sore throat "Actually getting in is worse than getting out. Would you mind excusing Lex and I for a few minutes?" Lex watched her like a hawk as she left.

"You're being awfully trusting aren't you?" not a happy Lex at all, a heap of worry, well seasoned with a jealousy to add to his earlier annoyance with all things journalistic.

"I chose Grace for her skill, loyalty, and discretion" and because I wanted her where I could keep an eye on her "Does she know exactly what I am? No, but she's a bit more perceptive of my intervening hand than you have been. She knows very well that something not necessarily of this world has saved her life more than once. When I called her I gave enough details that no one else could know to assure her that I am indeed the being responsible."

He was not mollified but moved on since it wasn't his major concern "I thought you couldn't be harmed."

"Nothing can harm me" short of another Councilor and We didn't attack each other. It was unthinkable, inconceivable "and certainly nothing here could ever do so."

He crossed his arms over his chest a challenge in his tone "Then why were the others so determined to pull you out?"

I shook my head completely at a loss and letting my face show it "I have no idea."

"And you didn't think to ask?"

"If I had stayed long enough to ask this incarnation would be over."

"What's stopping you now?" He challenged.

I bit back a smart ass comment about distractions and turned my attention cautiously elsewhere and met only silence. Several curses in a multitude of tongues from diverse worlds leapt to mind along with a rush of fear. The Web appeared to be fine so far as my limited, stuck-in-a-body senses could tell. And if something was amiss I wouldn't have been ABLE to put myself back here. So, it wasn't a matter of can't (as if anything could STOP one of Us, except for another one of Us and We didn't interfere with each other) but won't.

"Since when are We a pack of twelve year olds?" I asked mockingly aloud. Complete silence. "Fine be that way."

Lex waited patiently for me to elaborate, I chose not to test his restraint, "Apparently they aren't speaking to me."

"Aren't or can't?"

"There is not such thing as can't" I rumbled "and heretofore I'd have said there was not such thing as won't either."

A deep breath "Maybe you should go home, Greg, clearly something odd is going on."

I shook my head "No, I'm not done and no one, no one, orders me, ever. Besides nothing can hurt me."

"So you believe" Lex corrected.

"So I know, Lex. This isn't my first incarnation, I've done this hundreds, thousands of times and I assure you I've suffered a good bit worse than being run through, or gored by an enraged bull, or buried alive. There aren't many ways to die that I haven't been through. I swear to you Lex the real me can't be hurt by anything here."

"Maybe, but what about back home?"

I sighed and entertained the utterly insane "the only thing that could possibly hurt one of Us is another one of Us which is unthinkable."

"Too highly evolved for such barbaric acts?" Lex smirked.

"Enlightened self-interest. We are ONE. If something were to hurt one of Us it would hurt Us all."

"Well, that's certainly a good motive to drag you home" Lex commented soberly "Would they cut you off to protect themselves?"

I thought about that long and hard "Not possible either."

"What about the Council of the Eternal?"

"There The Council might bring pressure to bear but ultimately this Universe is the demesne of the Weaver and if the Weaver doesn't acquiesce the rest of the Council can pack sand. So no, the Council isn't a problem which eliminates the only beings that could possibly do me any harm." I waved a hand dismissing the conversation. "Now have you set up an interview for tomorrow yet?"

Lex wasn't willing to let up yet "Greg will you at least keep an open mind?"

Anything to get him onto another topic "I'll keep a weather eye out for the utterly impossible" I promised.

Lex didn't look like he believed me

"Hey, I'm not a masochist. I can't say if I have a sense self preservation since it's never been put to the test but I do know I like existing. So, your press conference?"

Lex threw up his hands in exasperation "I haven't decided who to grace with my presence yet."

I sat up and started tightening various muscle groups as a prelude to relearning to walk "I have other bolt holes that can't be traced to Gregory Spange. Given your father's ingenuity I thought it wise. I think that Darius' wife would both be safer and happier away from her mother-in-law and I certainly don't want to have to deal with Bruce should Alfred end up collateral damage. Some quality time alone might impress" I had been about to say the importance of family loyalty but switched to "a bit more wisdom on Ester."

"Do you think my father has made the connection between Gregory Spange and my escape?" Lex sounded doubtful.

"I think he will rather quickly when I'm seen in public with you."

"Greg" Lex began but I cut him off "Look, Lex I didn't go through all the trouble of stuffing myself into a body to lay on a bed and watch from afar. I could do that infinitely better in my native state. Quite frankly I'm sick of being cooped up and while this isn't Belle Reve which was driving me mad by feet never mind inches it's still a fortress under siege and siege's suck, take my word for it. So, where are WE going?"

"You're insane"

"So my family keeps telling me" or more accurately so I keep telling myself, sort of, but never mind "look on the bright side you're the beneficiary of my madness. So where are we going?"

A moment's thought "Gotham."

"Excellent well, I've never been there in the flesh. Would you ask Grace to run interference with Bruce while I gimp down to the gym?"

"Gimp?"

"As a result of the in-again-out-again-back-again, the body is back to where it was when I built and bodies don't just know how to walk, they have to be taught."

"Wait, I'll talk to Grace and then go with you."

I had the distinct impression Lex thought I was made of spun glass and if I happened to trip and fall I'd shatter on him. A notion which I would have to disabuse him of once I had my muscles properly trained again.

Lex had wearied of watching me do what amounted to modified Tai-Chi fairly quickly had spent the last three hours putting himself through the best workout he'd had since the island. I eyed the fencing foils, Lex was more worn out but had muscle memory that I lacked and I LOVED swordplay. I tossed him a mask and picked up another for myself.

"You want to fence?" Lex scoffed "Greg you looked like a newborn colt walking in here."

"And you're panting like a pony that just ran the Derby" I countered as I ran a basic drill. I was regaining dexterity in my hands far faster than anywhere else but that had been true of every incarnation. Appropriate since I was, in essence, Our 'Hands'. I tried a lunge. Hmmm…fencing while standing still would be an interesting experience for both of us. Lex and Lionel preferred a style that was flamboyant to the point of absurdity. Heike consistently beat Lex because she actually fenced while cleverly encouraging his bad habits at his father's request (and with a hefty bonus to keep him thinking that ridiculous stunts like rolling across pool tables, of all things, were actually part of real fencing). I would have thought one of the fancy prep schools Lex had attended would have managed to rattle the ill-conceived notions but apparently too many years of television had had their effect. It was a disgrace and long past time Lex learned that foil fencing was a conversation told with three FINGERS (now broadsword fighting was an entirely different beast and I would have to be completely on top of my game before I tried to talk Matthew into a bout).

As we pulled on our gloves Lex grinned "Greg I am going to kick your ass."

Poor boy.

We saluted and both dropped smoothly into proper stances (I could do that much at least). If Lex really wanted to 'kick my ass' all he had to do was make me come to him, but patience wasn't really a Luthor virtue particularly not when tested against mine.

Fletche? Luthors were aggressive but honestly. I backed off just enough so that we didn't collide and flicked Lex's foil out of his hand.

Given that our noses were nearly touching I had a very good view of Lex's shocked look. I took a careful step back.

"Tough to win a fencing match if you can't hang onto your foil" I observed. Lex would have been hard pressed to be more aggressive in his second attack but he gave it a good try and I had a slightly harder time disarming him.

"Lex" I sighted down my foil as he retrieved his "I know your father has made a mantra of 'he who hesitates is lost' and 'the best defense is a good offense'"

"My father would never be that clichéd" Lex scoffed with a half playful half annoyed roll of his eyes.

"Given what he paid his ghostwriters to paraphrase for him I should hope not. Your footwork is beautiful but you flail like a mad man, just as your father has encouraged you to do. Your father wants you to succeed against everyone but him so he does his best to make certain that everything you do has a fatal flaw that he knows and can exploit. Lionel is a lousy fencer and he's made you into one. You'd be better off with an ax than a rapier in a real fight right now. STOP THRASHING AROUND and fence like the sane, reasonable, shrewd human I know you're capable of being."

He tried, he really did and our blades rang against each other long enough for my arm to start complaining. Even short on muscle memory I knew far more about fencing than Lex would ever learn in a human lifetime the problem was I couldn't take the offensive because I still didn't trust my feet. Beat, attack, riposte, he probed my defenses finding them apparently impenetrable. At long last I managed to catch his blade in a bind and sent it spinning away.

"So you actually do know how to fence. Try coupling that with your excellent footwork and you just might give Heike the surprise of her life."

He picked the blade back up with a wince. He'd had a long hard work out before we started and you could see him tiring. Belle Reve hadn't done Lex's body any favors and I'd completely forgotten about his wounds. I frowned as he gamely brought the foil back up.

"How are your hands?" I asked.

"Almost healed" he shrugged and saluted. I followed suit wondering if it would occur to him that so far my defense was defeating his offence. It couldn't last, of course, eventually I'd make a mistake. This time he began to seriously press me coming more than once coming within a hairsbreadth of scoring a solid point. Hard pressed I cautiously gave ground, I could see Lex's eyes light up even through the mesh of the masks. I retreated a little further right into a fleshy wall. Bruce. Well, that was awkward.

"Greg?"

Busted. But it was unavoidable anyway really.

"What the blazes are you doing out of bed?"

Lex let his foil drop just a little as I pulled the mask off and made show of studying my own.

It was perhaps not wise so be quite this sarcastic to a man who towered over me the way Bruce did but I'm 'Fate' not Wisdom "I seem to recall fencing being a standard part of the curriculum at Excelsior", I tsked "I know I'm not terribly memorable but honestly Bruce maybe you want to talk to Dr. Foster."

"I remember how to fence, Gregory."

"Good, Lex you want to face off with the winner?"

"Mop the floor with him."

Somehow I doubted that, give me a week to retrain my feet and I would trounce him. It wasn't that Bruce was that much better a fencer than Lex (though he was. Lex's footwork as better but Bruce was much more skilled with the actual blade) it was the 8 inch difference in our heights that was going to beat me if I couldn't move.

"Weren't you at death's door this morning?"

"Yep" the informal response was not what he'd come to expect from me "Masks and foils are over there."

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Nope."

"Personally" Lex drawled "I think he's scared." Great, Lex had reverted to twelve. Testosterone. Nasty stuff.

"Undoubtedly trembling in his...loafers" Grace's voice was utterly neutral, teasing me? teasing him? Impossible to tell. And WHEN exactly had she snuck in? It was unforgivably remiss of me not to have noticed even if I had been engrossed in fencing with Lex.

Lex flinched when she spoke, clearly I wasn't the only one who had missed her entry but his name didn't mean 'vigilant'. Yes, my back had been to the door but that was really no excuse. For her or Bruce.

Bruce blinked at her before turning back to me "So it was all a sham?"

"Most emphatically not" I snapped beginning to become annoyed.

"How do you explain your miraculous recovery then?"

I used grabbing him a mask as an excuse to brush against Grace. This was nearly as juvenile as Lex's jibe, it was probably even more clichéd, but there was, for better or worse, nothing wrong with Greg's testosterone levels. What on Earth had I been thinking becoming male again? Ah, yes, blending in at Belle Reve.

"Magic" I said as I replaced his black silk shirt and fine wool pants with a pink leotard and tu-tu. I considered little fairy wings and a wand but figured I was already in danger of losing teeth as it was.

Lex fought hard not to laugh, Grace didn't even bother to try, while I smirked. Bruce, unaware of the change, crossed his arms and looked at us like we should be permanently confined to Belle Reve. I suppressed a shiver at the thought. Not again, not EVER again. I took a chance tossing the mask at him but he managed to catch it, then promptly dropped it when he realized what he was wearing. Tsk. And to think he might one day be a superhero, we would simply HAVE to work on his ability to accept the unexpected. It was absolutely for his own good. Really. This could be a great deal of fun. I unsuccessfully tried to bridle a grin. Lex did a much better job with his dry

"I think it's a good look for you."

And Lionel thought he was incapable of concealing his emotions.

"But it really isn't appropriate for fencing, Greg."

"Too true" I sighed as I sat down beside Grace and wrapped a companionable arm around her letting the Quickening wash through me as I restored Bruce's dignity (for now). "Magic" I reiterated as I held his eye.

"So" I reluctantly broke contact with Grace. For a heartbeat I considered seducing her, after all it was my marriage to Cer that had allowed me to stay for so long last time, and had to force the body not to recoil in horror. NO one but Cer!! NO ONE! My continuing loyalty was a shock. Generally I was fairly….liberal about indulging in 'base carnal pleasures' to quote the self styled 'Supreme Lord of the Council of the Eternal'. Talk about your delusions of grandeur. It was a good thing for 'his' overblown ego that Council did not challenge Council or 'he'd' have a rude awakening coming. Git.

"Magic? Like Harry Potter?" Bruce was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept.

I shot him a sour glance "Do you see a wand? Hear any silly incantations?"

"So you used magic to save me at Excelsior?"

"Correct."

He almost looked relieved. It probably restored his faith in his sanity, allowing him to explain away a number of inconsistencies that his logical mind had undoubtedly been grappling with. You could see him wanting to ask a dozen different questions but he settled for,

"No magic during the bout?"

"Absolutely NOT" I was insulted (granted I wasn't actually above it when it MATTERED but never in a 'friendly' match).

"Three points?" I nodded an agreement, neither Lex or I were fresh and Bruce was not, no need to make this a test of endurance.

Bruce was a much more methodical opponent than Lex, if anything Bruce was almost too controlled, and he was clearly not trying. I flipped the foil out of his hand and tried a lunge, not pretty, not bad. Lex's eyebrows went up. I wondered if he was going to be insulted that I hadn't been more aggressive with him. Bruce looked more than a little surprised that I'd managed to score. Master Wayne wasn't used to being bested at anything physical. Partially because he had a great deal of natural talent and partially because I tended to give him a helping had when I was at the Loom.

He stalked back to the mat after retrieving his foil. We saluted again and by the third pass he was forcing me to slowly give ground in desperation I tried a trick I'd learned 45 thousand odd years and over a dozen lifetimes ago. I was amazed I could still pull it off, yes it had been my signature move way back when but Gregory had never done it. I needed one more point to win but Bruce came back at me with a ferocity more suited to a life and death struggle than a friendly bout.

I barely deflected his blade in time and as our foils rasped against each other two inches snapped off his tip. The blood bitches were playing games. I was so stunned I failed to call a halt before Bruce renewed his attack. A split second before the now lethal weapon ripped through Greg's chest I dropped to the floor, sweeping Bruce's feet out from under him and narrowly avoiding having him land on me. He tossed the foil aside and yanked his mask off.

"What the HELL! Are you that much of a cheat? Can't take me landing a point?!"

"The foil tip broke" I snapped back as I forced myself not to throw my own mask. I was furious, I wanted to rip something apart with my bare hands. How DARE THEY! He stalked over, snatched up the blade, and shivered the rage bleeding out of him as it built in me. With properly buttoned blades and the correct attire fencing is fairly safe but the jagged edge of a broken foil is a deadly dangerous weapon.

"It isn't worn, it's barely been used" he observed "There must have been a flaw in the steel."

"There was no flaw" I growled "it was deliberately snapped/" I took a couple of breaths struggling with my temper "With your pardons I need a few minutes of privacy. Lex, there is an address in the top left drawer of the desk in my room. Would you be so kind as to encourage Alfred and Darius' wife and children to take the blue van and depart posthaste?"

Lex reached out but stopped short of actually laying a hand on me, bright boy. "If I don't see you in a half hour, you'll find my will in same drawer."

It was stupid to storm through the walls but I was too furious to care about the threat it posed to my flesh. Little dust devils rippled out from me wreaking havoc in my wake and I did nothing to stop them as I swept toward the Great Hall and the little copy of the Loom it housed. I could hear Bruce swear through my link both to him and to Lex who laughed.

"Get used to it, he does that a lot" he grew more somber and swallowed "At least I hope you have a chance to get used to it." One of the whirlwinds whipped through the fencing gear sending things crashing as thunder rolled outside.

"They were calling for clear skies" Bruce sounded a little shaken.

"I noticed even in Belle Reve that the weather around Greg shifts to fit his mood regardless of what weathermen think should happen." The stone walls trembled under the wind's assault as I slid to a stop before the Loom and dismissed Lex and Bruce from my thoughts in favor of the objects of my ire. I wrapped myself around the body with a grip so tight I was going to need to seek out Grace's help immediately after this conversation and then reached out with the part of me that could never and would never be truly embodied.

"How dare you presume to try to force my hand?!" I hissed.

The Spinner's reply was sheepish and nearly…fearful. The Spinner had never been embodied, had never been afraid, had no cause to have ever been afraid or to even understand what it was let alone express even the slightest hint of it. Afraid of what? Providing that it wasn't just my embodied self projecting something that wasn't there, undoubtedly that was what had occurred. Foolish of me.

"We want you to come home."

"I AM home, I never left, can't really and you know it" I reminded them. Yes, my sentience might be stuffed somewhat haphazardly within a fleshly body but no Councilor ever had or ever would be completely embodied.

"And you know what I mean" the Spinner retorted softly. No anger but then I was the temperamental member of the 'family'. The Spinner had never been angry and likely never would be. Anger did not exist in the Spinner's emotional lexicon. I possessed by far and away the most complex range of emotions of any of Us.

"Give me a good reason to return early."

"We ask."

"You didn't ask" I snarled letting my temper show but making certain the ripples didn't reach the Loom.

"We erred, now We ask."

I counted to ten biting down hard on my frustration (another emotion the Spinner had never known) "But why?"

"It is against Your Rules of Engagement for Us to tell You."

"And it is against an even greater accord for You to act against Me."

Again that flicker of something that I would have call fear if that wasn't patently ridiculous.

"All actions that infringe against My free operation in the material realm WILL cease and desist, immediately."

I felt the material world press against me as I let my awareness sink back into the body. The lightly burned body. Too much of Us had left Gregory slightly scorched from the subcellular level up. I went looking for Grace and then I'd set Lex's mind at ease.

Gotham, I decided was a city that took itself far too seriously. Much like the man who would one day soon (provided I didn't get him killed before he had the opportunity) dedicate his life, blood, and not inconsiderable fortune to defend it. He was trying not to stare again. He couldn't seem to decide which of us belonged in Belle Reve more him, for believing my (heavily edited) version of events or me for being so quick to dismiss attempted murder. The 'there are a couple of disembodied entities who think they're doing me a favor by killing me' explanation sounded far more implausible without the fact that I was the third member of their triad. Or perhaps it was my nonchalance about them being willing to wait until I died since that was what mortals did that bothered him. I tended to forget just how horribly seriously mortals took dying. Silly creatures. Further rumination was suspended by the smattering of applause and Randi Mac Farland's voice,

"We have a very special surprise guest on the show today with a story usually confined to works of fiction. Please welcome Lex Luthor and friends."

Perry White rolled his eyes in the press section as Lex led the three of us on stage. Bruce was less than overjoyed at being a distant second fiddle. Alone in temporary holding back in Metropolis, Lionel spun to face the television and came closer than he ever had in his life to fainting. He recovered quickly and swaggered over to the monitor assuming a mask of mild interest but he had to clasp one hand over the other to keep it from reaching out.

"I suppose it's one step up from Oprah" he snapped as if Lex could hear him.

"Welcome to Gotham, all of you" the blond reporter turned news interview anchor smiled like a shark scenting blood in the water. Once upon time you couldn't have kept intrepid television news reporter Randi behind an anchor desk with chains but that was before she ran afoul of Lionel. She had come within a hair's breadth of losing her life and during her long recovery had discovered that being in a chair wasn't the end of the world. Lionel (or more accurately Blake) had done a superlative job of covering Lionel's tracks even I couldn't prove he'd had her maimed but Randi knew and while it wasn't her case going to court the prospect of Lionel being brought down had her salivating.

"Thank you" Lex shot a jovial smile at Bruce "I guess you don't spend enough time at home to be considered local any more."

"Allow me to assure you that Gotham remembers what it owes to the Wayne family, Mr. Luthor" Randi riposted firmly.

"Please, call me Lex" they shook as he took the seat closest to her.

"I must confess this is quite a story, I hardly know where to begin" the comely blond glanced down undoubtedly thinking of the cane she would require to walk for the rest of her life "Lionel Luthor has been accused of many things in the past but he's never even come close to going to trial. What makes you think this time will be different?"

Her grey eyes held an equal mix of bitterness and hope.

"I think that many of those who attempted to bring my father to justice in the past made the mistake of trying to do it alone. I know I did and that could have cost me my life and my sanity if a friend hadn't intervened." Lex's face twisted briefly. It ended up a smile but it had a hard time getting there. Resentment. Of me. Of NEEDING me. Better that it ended up directed at me that Clark. He'd done it quickly though, Lionel and I were likely the only ones to understand it (Clark had certainly SEEN it but despite being both intelligent and quick-witted he was woefully slow at interpreting human expressions and motivations.)

"Just one friend?" Randi asked archly glancing at both of us.

This time the smile came more easily "I'm afraid Bruce and I weren't very close in school. Greg is the one who brought everyone together."

"Ah, yes, the mysterious Mr. Spange." I leaned forward and gave both her, and, more importantly, the camera 'The look'. While Gregory's face was utterly boring most of the time in that one brief rearrangement it flickered like the sun abruptly breaking through clouds to something that bordered on handsome. The change was striking, and more importantly very memorable. That 'look' would be how nearly everyone watching would remember Gregory and thus would have a great deal of difficulty recognizing the 'real' Greg.

"Please, call me Greg."

Alone, Lionel literally growled. Good, let him focus on me as his enemy instead of Clark and Lex. Perry White frowned down at his notes wondering what had happened to his keen journalistic instincts since he had slated me 'kid most likely to end up living as a hermit in the woods'.

"So, Greg, how does a guy who's spent the last five years as a recluse in the woods manage to pull together a team that could put Lionel Luthor on the defensive?"

Perry who had had this assignment dumped on him at the last possible moment and thus was going off of ancient notes perked up a little at this while Lionel knowing full well I'd never set a physical foot in Excelsior silently seethed.

"Ms. Mac Farland this isn't the Dark Ages anymore" I made certain not to put any bite into the comment "just because I haven't been living in the heart of Gotham or Metropolis doesn't mean that I've been out of touch. The internet is a marvelous thing."

"It's Randi, and this goes far beyond a little web surfing, Greg."

I spread my hands "True, but Lex had already laid the foundation. I just played general contractor and called in the rest of the crew."

Randi smirked "Bruce Wayne, 3rd richest man in the U.S., second if Lionel Luthor loses his fortune, reduced to hired help."

"Allow me to assure you, Ms. Mac Farland, no one was 'reduced to hired help'", I have always despised the entire notion of 'hierarchies'. It is one of the few things that made me a touch nostalgic for Before, for when there had been only I, no We, no creation, just I utterly and endlessly alone. I never wanted to be alone, never, ever again and so I had become We, We had become Us and the Lesser Gods, which were the first thing We had created, from there the Endless Void had become progressively more filled with all manner of creatures and entities. For my part I welcomed the cacophony of voices that had replaced the silence of the Before but there were those among Us who did not, some would destroy all but Us, my Triune and the Advocate had managed to swing sufficient votes to block that proposal, many wished to enforce absolute dominion over the created, forcing their complete enslavement (not that they would ever know what had been done). On this point I was on shakier ground. We were all Council, all Eternal, but We were not precisely equal. In terms of raw 'strength' the self styled 'Supreme Lord of the Council of the Eternal' and I were in a class by ourselves, that we were more powerful than the rest of the Council combined was well known, which of us was more powerful was a question that could only be settled in a conflict that was unthinkable. It annoyed me to no end that this depraved need to assign rank had infected even Us.

I laid a discrete hand on Lex as Perry White asked a question of Bruce. Muscles twitched under my hand but he kept his face impassive as Bruce replied.

"Greg made a very good argument for putting schoolboy rivalries aside and trying to move forward into the future as adults."

Perry looked skeptical but decided to turn his attention to me "So, Greg, do you remember Duncan Allenmeyer?"

This time every speck of color drained out of Lex's face and I was so worried that he'd faint that I actually pinched him just a little out of sight of the cameras and all of the reporters but not Randi.

"Yes, I do, Mr. White" my voice was icy cold as Lex regained his composure beside me. And now so did Lionel. A please smirk spread across his face. Unless we could get Duncan out of his minions' clutches before Lionel made a phone call this could get ugly. The one point in our favor was his current guard had lost a son to one of Lionel's little games. Blake had been thorough with the cover up even I couldn't prove it anymore without reconstituting the evidence which was against the Rule of Engagement. There was nothing in the records to show he had a grievance with Lionel but he certainly wasn't going to jeopardize the case or do Lionel any favors. Seven hours until the end of his shift. Seven hours to come up with a plan and execute it because in all honesty I was as much at fault for Duncan Allenmeyer as Lex, Oliver and his cronies, and the maniac that had hit him. At the Web it had seemed like an appropriate move but I had used Duncan as a pawn, the Weaver was incapable of feeling guilty, Gregory had no such resistance.

"I hope you don't reap the same reward he did."

For a breath I couldn't believe he'd had the unmitigated gall to say that on live national television, then my temper flared, and both of them tapped my ribs with their elbows as more than one piece of paper went fluttering in the sudden 'draft'.

"Duncan had the misfortune to be hit by a socialite with more fashion sense than common sense who was doing 70 through a school zone while talking on her cell and applying her eye shadow" I wasn't quite certain if it was poetic justice or vindictive cruelty on my part that had lead to her subsequent blindness. The bottle HAD been clearly labeled if she had been bothering to pay attention… "Lex had nothing to do with her folly. What happened to Duncan was a tragic accident that I am certain all who were at Excelsior at the time remember with sorrow. It shouldn't surprise me that a reporter crass enough to inform and interrogate a young boy about his mother's death in front of his class mates would be sorely lacking in all social grace."

"Social grace doesn't get you the story, Mr. Spange. And he was a legitimate source. It's hardly my fault he's a public figure."

"You are a public figure" I rejoined in a velvet and steel purr.

"Gentlemen, this isn't Jerry Springer" Randi said firmly "So, Lex, what tipped you off to your father's alleged murder of your grandparents?"

Perry White was sweating, good I had no intention of laying his indiscretions out for the world to see but I didn't mind letting him stew over it at all. Lionel was chuckling, good to see he still had a sense of humor even if it was more than a bit warped. He was annoyed that the guard couldn't be bribed, threatened or cajoled into letting him make a call but was confident he would get to what was left of Duncan before we could since he was certain that he'd buried him deep enough in sub-companies that no one would ever find him. Silly boy.

"When I was going through some old paper work on Smallville I noticed my grandfather's name linked to a petty theft." Lex smirked "That didn't mesh very well with the fairy tale my father had spun so I started digging. I was stunned when I realized that not only had he lied about my grandparents but that there was evidence directly linking him to their deaths."

"Wasn't it difficult turning in your own father?"

I hoped Lex played this right, too brash and cold would leave him 'the faithless son of the murderous bastard', too soft and he would just be a victim. He sighed deeply and straightened looking bravely resolute. Knowing Lex it was about a sixty/forty split of truth and artifice. Time would tell if the public would buy it. I could also tell how badly he wanted to do his patented half turned move but he stayed in his seat.

"It wasn't easy. I confess I tried to convince myself that I might be wrong, that it was a long time ago, that my living father was more important than some dead grandparents I'd never even met but the bottom line is that I believe the allegations I and others have made against my father are true, that he stole not only my grandparents lives but other lives as well. Justice needs to be served."

Lionel rolled his eyes but I thought Lex had done a decent job of making his position neither too cold nor too weak. He had a way to go yet before he ran for the presidency but he wasn't half bad. I willing to bet he'd won over a significant portion of the audience even if Jonathan Kent had snorted in derision and gone out to feed his cattle. I was becoming progressively more tempted to launch some sort of attack against his herd.

"I suppose given that he was allegedly willing to burn his parents alive for their insurance money it shouldn't be surprising that he was allegedly willing to have you drugged, illegally committed to a mental facility, and to blackmail the staff into attempting an experimental procedure that had better than even odds of leaving you" she paused.

"A drooling idiot for the rest of my life?" Lex finished when the silence hung a touch too long. "My father believes I've betrayed him and undoubtedly feels it is not only just punishment but for my own good."

Randi's gaze sharpened and then with a flicker of a glance at Perry she chose not to peruse the implication.

"Ironically my father spent a great deal of time lecturing me about the importance of family loyalty."

Lionel's face twisted into the kind of expression women around the world warned their children against lest it freeze that way. One of these days I was going to freeze one that way. Lionel and Jonathan were lucky that Perry White had completely changed my plans for tonight. I would need every scrap of strength the body could muster for tonight's trial. Just as well freezing Lionel's face and making the Kent herd wild were such petty uses of my power. As the Weaver it wasn't even tempting, as Gregory I had to restrain a disappointed sigh. One day I was going to take a real vacation. No one to help, no looming disasters. Yeah, right.

"So when did you tell Greg that you were gathering evidence against your father?"

"Actually I can't even remember the last time I spoke to Greg before he snuck into Belle Reve to help me."

"Then how DID you know Lex was in trouble?"

"I am by fundamental nature an observer and I have always found predators fascinating. Lionel Luthor is very clearly a predator and I marked him as someone to watch years ago. I've been piecing things together, formulating theories, and dithering about whether or not I should get involved for quite a while. Lex being committed to Belle Reve was a moment of truth for me, I either had to get physically involved or abandon Lex to the future I could see looming over him."

"But why stay with him in Belle Reve, why not go in and break him out?"

"Because that would only have put Lionel on his guard. Allowing Lionel to believe that the threat had been diffused opened up opportunities we never would have had otherwise."

I kept enough attention on the rest of the interview to pipe up if necessary but I focused on preparing myself to deal with the Allenmeyer problem. I had anticipated that I would be asked to do something for Duncan and I was confident that I could. The problem was the timing. Duncan's injuries had been massive, without the fleet of doctors Lionel had lavished on him he never would have 'survived' the initial accident. His central nervous system was still a disaster zone but at least all of his other injuries had long since healed and between his mother and a dedicated physical therapist he was actually incredibly fit. I had planned on having weeks to slowly piece Duncan back together but due to his brain stem damage he couldn't survive without more equipment than we could logistically transport on such short notice. I was reasonably confident that I could certainly fix that quickly but that still left us transporting what amounted to dead weight and having to deal with Duncan's mother who Lionel had thoroughly seduced long ago. Nothing short of a full recovery was going to satisfy her. Could I revive and 'rewire' a human brain that quickly?

The interview finally wrapped up and I breathed "We have trouble" to Bruce and Lex "we need to get to Metropolis as quickly as physically possible." At best time we were going to be down to four hours by the time I actually reached Duncan's bedside. As soon as we were away from prying ears I would call Matthew and see if he couldn't buy us more time.

'Bulldog' Perry White decided to display a little of his trademark tenacity by following us off stage.

"So, Lex, how long before your new friends have accidents?"

Lex looked ready to throw him through a wall. Lex didn't completely lose his temper often but when he did it was usually spectacular but he swallowed and composed himself "What exactly did I, personally, ever do to you?"

"You tried to run me out of town not so long ago."

"You were tormenting my friends, Mr. White. What did Clark Kent and Lana Lang ever do to merit your behavior?"

"They were legitimate sources. The public has a right to know."

"So compassion, ethics, and empathy"

"Don't get you the story" he interrupted me with a condescending glare

"Does the public's right to know supersede the victim's right to live?"

Perry frowned, "Are we speaking hypothetically?"

This was probably extremely unwise and by no means a good way to drop a bombshell on Lex but I was angry enough to not care "Not a very thorough investigator are you Mr. White? Duncan Allenmeyer survived the accident though with severe, debilitating injuries. Lionel Luthor has had him in a pricy, private hospital ever since. I very much doubt Lionel even remembered he existed until for the sake of nothing more than an idiotic unprovoked attack to garner attention for yourself you reminded Lionel that the holds an important pawn who can not escape without assistance. So Mr. White was that little display of yours worth what's left of an innocent man's life?"

He did at least have the decency to look ashamed.

"Allow me to assure you, Mr. White, if ANYTHING happens to Duncan because of your petty cruelty I will turn the same scrutiny on you that I have on Lionel and we both know you have things to hide. We need a plane on the tarmac and ready to go."

"Already on it" ah, Bruce was holding the phone to the ear away from me.

Lex's expression was a mix of so many emotions that I had no idea where he was eventually going to land.

"This isn't the way I would have chosen to handle this but" I shrugged.

"And when would you have told me?" looks like the emotional roulette had landed on angry.

"At a better time than this. I'll explain the full situation once we're in the chopper."

Randi MacFarland had limped up behind us as we waited "Do you happen to know Duncan MacLeod?"

I had to fight off the venomous bite of the green eyed monster. Jealousy was another emotion that I didn't have to deal with as the Weaver. I had absolutely no right to be invidious of the fact that MacLeod had slept with my (MYRRDIN'S!! NOT MINE) wife long after Myrrdin's death.

"By reputation but we've never met face to face."

"I just figured you must work for the same outfit."

"Nah, he's a history buff, I'm a bird watcher."

She gaped for a second as the chopper landed. I swung up into the seat and brushed the Web so I could hear her laugh and her wish of "Good luck" as we lifted off.

"Talk" Lex snapped.

"Your father lied about Duncan's death but not about the severity of his injuries. He's hooked up to every machine known to man and is for all intents and purposes brain dead."

"Can you do anything?"

Bruce looked at Lex like he was nuts.

"I had planned to do what I can for Duncan at a sane pace after your father was a bit less of a threat. Speaking of which, will you stand in the gap for him?"

"Huh?"

"Legalities. I need someone here to formally ask for him back before I can even try to get his consent."

"You just said he was brain dead."

I shrugged "That just makes it more interesting. Lex, if I manage to get him back in the time we have before your father has a chance to call the wolves down on us that doesn't necessarily mean that he is ever going to want to see your face again."

"Can't blame him" Lex said softly "I might not have hit him with that car but there is no excuse for what I did."

I hit a switch to make this a private conversation, "Reasons, yes, excuses no."

"Thanks for the support."

"Lex there where a half dozen kids ahead of Duncan but I made certain he was the one that landed that scholarship because he was the only one who would give you a chance. You've done a lot of things for which you should be very proud and some for which you should be utterly ashamed but I have never been more disappointed in you than that day when you pounded a boy who would have been a loyal, lifelong friend to a pulp for the sake of a little status."

"I just, I just lost it." He stared at his hands "I would give half the Luthor fortune to be normal."

"You do realize you're talking to someone who can tell you to put your money where your mouth is."

"I thought you were never going to except a cent from me."

"Who says I will? Your father would love it if you established a charity with half his hard earned cash."

Lex chuckled at thought.

"I have seen every tear you have shed, every plea made to the stars, every scream in the dark of night. I watched you do your damnedest to destroy yourself. Twice I have given you what you wanted most, a loyal friend, and twice you have nearly killed them. If I hadn't distracted you by amplifying the sound of the car you would have shot Clark, again I might add, and this time you would have killed him."

"What are you trying to say Greg?"

"That while the methods your father used were reprehensible and the doctor untrustworthy you really do need therapy."

"I thought you fixed that."

"I fixed the ticking time bomb. You beat Duncan all by yourself Lex and that rage is still tumbling around inside you. You need someone other than me to help you diffuse it. I can suggest some people your father would have a tougher time undermining than your last choice but it isn't going to be fixed in a day, a week, or a month. It's going to take years, and while I will watch over you until your last breath, Greg doesn't have years."

Lex nodded unhappily but didn't ask for names. "So about that pony tail?"

"That would cost you more than just half your fortune. Your parents kept the news from you Lex but the truth is the meteor shower is the only reason you're still alive."

"What?"

"Asthma was the tip of the iceberg. The reason you were altered so long was that Kem-El did a radical rebuild, you are stronger, healthier, and extremely longer lived than you would be with that ponytail. So are you willing to stand in the gap?"

"What does that entail?"

"Is he your friend or isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. I'll stand in the gap."

We were landing. Once we'd dashed into the jet I passed Lex my phone "Give Matt a call and see if there's some way he can, personally, if necessary, keep your father away from the phones for at least the next ten hours. I'll probably be unresponsive for the entire flight down, try not to kill each other. Oh" I jotted down Duncan's location "I'll likely be a little out of it so it'll be up to you two to get us in." I settled in the seat and leaving a trace of myself in the body as an anchor went in search of the Advocate.

There was something a bit odd in the notion that I was going looking for myself. The Advocate was by far and away the best of Us, unfortunately 'he' was also the least of Us. Third in the triad of the self styled 'Supreme Lord of the Council of the Eternal' the Advocate seemed to have gotten the entire Council's supply of humility. Along with most of Our compassion. Compassion was hardly my strong suit these incarnations were far more the anomaly than the rule and most of the Others had no concept of it at all. I bowed, my respect for the Advocate greater than for any other of Us. "I seek permission to speak to one in your care and Your help."

"Who stands in the gap?"

"Alexander Luthor."

"You may enter Limbo."

I hesitated "Would you fetch Duncan Allenmeyer? I have no desire to cause difficulties for You." Limbo lay on the edge of my own demesne and was legally a grey area but the self styled 'Supreme Lord of the Council of the Eternal' had made it very clear that 'he' wanted no interference from me within 'his' realms. Twit. For an instant I thought the Advocate was going to push the issue as a flicker of rebelliousness flickered through 'him' but 'he' summoned one of the multitude that the 'SSSLotCotE' demanded hover about 'him' . I could only conclude, since the 'SSSLotCotE' and I spoke as little as possible, that 'he' had serious self-esteem issue given that 'he' required a cast of literally tens of billions whose sole purpose was to sweetly sing 'his' praise. Not my gig. I was secure enough in my divinity to allow a bit more independence among my 'subjects'. Of course that meant that my realms were essentially organized chaos but I liked things a little messy. It kept things interesting.

Duncan arrived looking over his shoulder which was not a good sign. "The Advocate says you have come to take me back."

"I have come to ask you if you wish to return." In the original timeline an ill-conceived Kryptonite regime had yanked him back will or nil with significant alterations in personality due to Kryptonite's influence. I was hoping for a brighter future for the boy this time.

He frowned, uncertain. "Can you do that?"

Good question. "I believe so. Will you come if called?"

"Mom must be really upset."

That was an understatement.

A quick nod "I'll miss this place."

I didn't bother to mention that he wouldn't remember ever being here, at least not in his waking mind. The Advocate promised to prepare him and to pass on information that I was not privy to as I sank my awareness back into Gregory's flesh. Better than halfway there. The next step required me to back track through the Web to find the precise nature down to the last subatomic particle of Duncan's brain just prior to the accident. It was too much information for a human brain to handle but I 'tagged' the spot so that I could reference it quickly and easily as I worked on Duncan.

Keeping as much of the overall axon layout in Greg's mind as possible I took care of as many of the complaints that the body might have once I planted it for hours. I was NOT looking forward to this. I liked the challenge and the adrenaline rush of having to struggle to do what wouldn't even merit a billionth of my attention much less my focus as the Weaver I really truly did but I preferred stacking the odds a bit more in my favor.

Lex and Bruce weren't fighting so I completely ignored them letting the necessary steps sink into the body's brain. In what amounted to a fog I followed them off the plane. I had no idea how they got us in nor was there enough space left in Gregory's brain to care. I slipped the body's fingers onto the crown of his shaved head. Brain stem first so that if we needed to get out fast we could unhook him and make a break for it without the body dieing. Luck of the draw the cerebellum had been left nearly intact and was also quickly repaired. Now for the test the cerebrum was a disaster area. Pathway by pathway, axon by axon I retraced that networks that had once run through his brain. Thorny tangles of glial cells had grown rampantly where the original cells had been destroyed by blunt force trauma and its secondary affects. One by one I converted them back into healthy neurons, then layered back in the memories that had been lost by the cell deaths. I ignored the complaints of the body, disregarded the raised, angry voices trusting Lex and Bruce to handle things, and threw everything into fixing Duncan.

"Call him" I rasped an eternity or a moment later I had no idea.

"Duncan!" two hopeful voices. Lex's and oh, his mother. His eyes fluttered open, confused.

"Unhook him" I ordered as I leaned back rubbing my neck, stiff and numb at the same time. Bruce tossed me a towel eyes wide. I just barely managed to catch it still caught in a swirl of neurons and Duncan's memories. I was soaked. I ran the towel over my head and wrapped it around my neck for now.

"Duncan, can you understand me?"

The room had gotten awfully crowded at some point with at least two doctors and three nurses in addition to Lex, Bruce, and Duncan's mother.

A nod despite the continued confusion, "OK I want you to breathe out on the count of three, nod if you understand."

The doctor, Neil Jamison, my mind finally supplied as the minutia of what I needed to do to Duncan drained out leaving room for other thoughts, pulled the respirator tubing free and Duncan croaked "Mom?" in a wheeze at which she collapsed into tears across him.

Duncan wrapped his arms around her "Mom what's the matter?"

Since she couldn't answer Lex did, "She didn't ever expect you to open your eyes again" Lex was crying himself and he had to swallow hard "none of us did. Duncan, I am so sorry. You were so busy yelling at me that you weren't paying attention. You stepped right into the path of a speeding car. My father made certain you had the best doctors but" he shrugged.

"Lex? God! How long?"

"Seven years."

"Get out" he snapped.

"Unfortunately it isn't that simple" I retorted "We need to get out of here before Lionel sends someone after the two of you."

"Mr. Allenmeyer isn't going anywhere. This is a remarkable recovery" Dr. Jamison was staring at me in a most disconcerting way "but you can't possibly believe that after seven years in this facility he can just walk out." I was willing to bet Duncan was going to have an easier time getting out of here than I was. I took as step back from the medical staff and checked the distance to the door.

"That was the point of me pushing myself all the way to the wall to get him out of here. I know that Lionel Luthor pays all of your checks but he has been charged with over a dozen counts of murder, along with kidnapping, and an attempt to render his own son a drooling vegetable in order to cover his tracks. Do you think he will hesitate for a second to use Duncan to take revenge on Lex?"

Mrs. Allenmeyer finally looked up. She was a hansom rather than pretty but still striking with her long dark hair, huge charcoal grey eyes, arrow straight nose, and narrow chin.

"Mr. Luthor has been unremittingly kind to us."

"Because it was in his interest to do so. Now, it is in his in his interest to destroy you as horribly as possible to strike at Lex."

"Lionel would never do something like that" she scoffed.

"Why? Because he was so sympathetic about the horrors of losing a child? Did he happen to mention that his wife smothered his son to save him from his father? Or all that talk about the difficulties in losing your parents? Did he tell you how he listened to his father's screams as he burned to death? You might have earned your earrings but you do NOT know Lionel."

Her grey eyes crackled and she slapped me. I was sorely temped to slap her back. I was a firm believer in equality of the sexes which meant that the answer to words was words. A guy didn't have the right to hit a woman who said things he didn't like and neither did she but I was trying to set a good example. How terribly vexing.

"You have a particular way of showing gratitude. I risk my life to save your son's and you slap me because you don't like the truth? Fine" I rose despite the pins and needles in my 'sleeping' legs, "you think you know Lionel you go ahead and stay. I'm just sorry that I spent the last" a brush of the Web to figure out the time "seven and a half hours risking all our lives as sitting ducks saving your son for you to get him killed because Lionel sweet talked you." I glared at Dr. Jamison and growled "Step aside." Seven and a half hours. Damn. Too long, far too long for me to be completely out of touch. That made it better than 10 hours since Perry White had reminded Lionel Luthor that Duncan Allenmeyer's shell still existed as a tool to torment Lex. I would have to trust that Matthew had managed to handle things because I'd been so focused on Duncan I'd landed us in a completely different trap. What a stupid, thoughtless mistake! I was too old to fumble the ball this badly. Lionel didn't NEED to call these people. They were already on morally questionable ground, perfectly willing to let the ends justify the means and I'd just proven I was capable of the miraculous. How bloody brilliant of me.

Dr. Jamison flashed me a smile he usually reserved for ladies he was looking to charm into his bed. They seemed to like it but it left me wanting to head for the proverbial hills. One of the nurses had quietly continued to remove the diverse catheters and IV's and I silently promised myself that if she outlived Gregory she was going to have the most amazing run of good luck once I was back at the Loom.

"Now let's not be hasty. I have just witnessed a miracle. You have an incredible gift."

"I have nothing. Anything miraculous you've seen derives from a power outside this shell of flesh" I gave him as humble a bow as I could manage but I am not the Advocate "run any test you like but you won't find your answer here."

"So it's a spiritual thing?"

"The Fates will find a way" I shrugged "Not even the" lesser "gods can save a man condemned by Fate nor destroy one that Fate protects. Of course the Law of Free Will means that Fate is powerless against mere mortal men. One of those great Universal ironies" I had been subtly edging toward the door but as I reached out I could sense the security men on the other side. Seven, plus the two doctors and at least one of the nurses, Nancy Shulenburger, the one who had unhooked Duncan wouldn't hinder us, the third was a toss up. Assume that she would. Assume that Duncan and Mrs. Allenmeyer wouldn't help that left eleven to three. In ten years Bruce would be able to stroll through them without breaking a sweat but he wasn't at that level yet. I didn't like those odds at all so I fused the door shut. Four to three, no problem especially once I changed the potent sedative the nurse was holding behind her back into harmless saline. But that still didn't solve the problem of how to get out of the room itself.

"I fear Dr. Jamison, that we really can not stay" Matthew was alone in his hotel room, good enough, my link to him would make this easier. Not easy, mind, but easier and I would have a Quickening on the other end of this for a 'pick me up' and boy did I need one. Using a variation on spooky action at a distance I linked the elections of the wall with those of the doorframe of closet in Matthew's hotel room. I leaned against the wall more than a little lightheaded.

"And I can't let you leave" he rapped on the door clearly expecting the security team to dramatically charge in. I couldn't help but smirk at the pile up in the hall and at Dr. Jamison's consternation.

"Matthew, would you be so kind as to join us?" I was probably going to hear it from Lex about this but I really didn't want to end up strapped to a table (again). Matthew threw open the closet door, came through the 'gate' gun drawn, face a granite mask, and announced "FBI, up against the wall." Bruce looked rather disappointed that there would be no mayhem.

"Ladies" I included Nurse Shulenburger in the invitation "and gentlemen, if you would be so kind" I gestured toward the now open gate. Lex led the way and once the rest of the crowd was through "thank you for the rear guard" to Matthew.

"Care to explain what's going on?"

"Back in your room" I promised though I doubted I'd stay awake long enough. The others could give him the basics. I stepped through that gate and released it with a sigh. Duncan was glaring at Lex who was studying the carpet with the kind of fixation that in Clark would leave him observing a peasant family in China. Mrs. Allenmeyer looked like she'd been sucking on a green persimmon. Matthew turned to me expectantly but I sprawled across the still made spare bed and faded into sleep before I was even done closing my eyes.

A touch woke me a little later.

"Lex, he's breathing hence he has a pulse" Bruce sounded slightly exasperated "Let him sleep."

"It's ok" I sat up letting the blanket someone had tucked around my shoulders slide into my lap "I'm awake." A quick glance at the clock revealed I'd been asleep for about 3 and a half hours. Enough that I wasn't totally wiped out but not enough to be really rested.

"So what did I miss?" I asked around a yawn.

"Matthew thanks you for yet another round of overtime as he and his team attempt to puzzle out the legal from the illegal back at the hospital. Oh, and as of twenty minutes ago they still hadn't managed to get the door open. What did you do to it?" Bruce asked.

"Molecularly fused the entire wall into a solid mass. Dr. Jamison made the mistake of annoying me. Where's Duncan?"

"He and his mother agreed to temporary protective custody and relocation. I set up a fund for tutors and his education but he refused it" Lex was back to staring at the carpet.

"Give it a little while. He just found out he lost seven years of his life and the last thing he remembers is you beating the crap out of him."

"You could have left that out" he mumbled.

"Do you really think that would erase your mistake Lex?" It felt like kicking a puppy he looked so depressed.

"We should go out" Bruce said rising.

I glanced at the clock again, "It's almost tomorrow."

"So? Look you've have been cooped up under stress for weeks. All work and no play makes both of you very dull boys. You have more than earned a night on the town."

I was not the freshest flower in the meadow. I tossed Lex my wallet. "Would you mind seeing if room service can find me something suitable for whatever he has planned while I get a shower?"

I would have preferred a long soak in my tub but I settled for a too short shower before going out to face whatever (undoubtedly purple) clothing Lex had procured.

Apparently purple was reserved for Luthors (or Lex thought it wouldn't favor my coloring, either way I much preferred the green he had purchased). I doubted Matthew was going to be at all happy about our little unsupervised jaunt but Bruce was right (even if I was considering fusing his mouth shut. The third degree on the ride over was getting progressively more irritating particularly since I was running out of vague answers). I didn't incarnate to play it safe, keep my head down, and live in a cage. Since everyone I had links to besides Matthew was asleep or in the car with me I let the bulk of my Web links fade to the slenderest of threads leaving me more in the moment than I had yet been in this incarnation.

"The Haven". Interesting choice but then a vampire owned club would undoubtedly stay open all night. I opted not to tell Bruce and Lex. It wasn't my secret to tell and it wasn't as if the vampires in question were killing to feed. The Toreador band on the stage had both talent and close to a century of practice together. Being Toreador they were a high strung, more than a little manically bi-polar bunch with a fashion sense stuck in glam rock even if the music roved everywhere from chamber classical to head banging. They were strictly live though there were more bootleg recordings of them floating around than they would ever believe. They were clearly 'up' right now and the music had a wild kinetic joy to it as the hurdy-gurdy and the electric guitars vied for dominance while the violin capered around them both and the drums beat a rhythm that could be felt at a subcellular level. I had had to keep walls up the entire time in Belle Reve lest that pit of despair drive me (even more) mad now I scattered them to the winds letting the energy of the place, of life itself roll through and over me. I trembled in the rush of the pulsating wave the band had created and throwing an arm around each of the boys laughed for shear joy. Not precisely a telepath, nor exactly an empath, but something for which men have no name I let the conviction that it was good to be alive flow out into the Web. Sensitivity to me varied. Bruce caught it immediately while Lex who needed it far more only got the faintest of brushes. The band caught it in spades and reflected it back turning the mood of the crowd absolutely giddy which in its turn was enough to leave me basking in the bright blaze of several hundred human hearts beating in near euphoria. Lex less caught up than the rest guided us to a table then looked at the smiling Bruce like he'd gone mad.

"Is there something in the air?"

"Just the music" I had to scream to be heard.

"What do you want to drink?" he called back from six inches away.

The waitress made a record fast appearance "What's new?"

"Caipirinha" I had to read her lips. Brazilian drink.

"One of those, heavy on the lemon & lime light on the cachaca" I hoped she got that. Gregory had no alcohol resistance and while I didn't mind adding tipsy to the high the crowd was giving me I wasn't keen on being slap happy drunk.

The drinks came with several girls all of whom looked like they were eager to land a billionaire. Since Gregory's net worth was in the mere millions I was content to sip the surprisingly good caipirinha and watch Lex trying to charm a brunette with hair so curly it was nearly a 'fro into a secluded nook while Bruce apparently couldn't decide which of the three blonds he preferred until one of the girls who didn't make Lex or Bruce's cut noticed me in the corner. While I couldn't quite remember her name I was reasonably positive she had started life as a brunette (and no human had natural rainbow colored locks). Pretty enough with bright eyes and slightly pouting lips. She boldly slid in next to me with a smile that revealed perfect pearly whites. I let my gaze slide a little lower and the body informed me that it was young, healthy, and interested but I had something more exotic in mind. I hadn't planned on but since we were here there was no sense in not attempting an alliance.

"You're the hero, aren't you, Geoffrey right?"

"Gregory" I hurled back in hopes of being heard.

A bobble headed nod, "Want to dance?"

I took a last sip of my drink, leaving more than half behind, ah well, I was a millionaire right? I might not be able to afford a car for every day of the month like the other two but I could certainly waste a drink and let her pull me down the stairs to the writhing mass on the floor. I promptly lost her (unintentionally but not particularly disappointingly, well certain less cerebral bits were, but there were plenty of other fish in this sea and I had a taste for shark).

The crowd half carried me and I half directed it as I forced the positive feedback loop I'd started in the doorway to more dizzying heights. The regular humans hadn't caught on but the Kindred knew that something unknown walked in their midst. Stupid of me, risky, dangerous but ever so enticing, exciting, thrilling, alive. All those things that the Weaver wasn't, couldn't ever be. Then I saw her. Toreador. Hair like ebony, skin like ivory, lips red as fresh blood. The mad, bad, and dangerous to know version of Snow White. She stalked across the floor the human kine dividing for her without ever realizing that they had done so. Galatea, illegitimate daughter of an Italian laundress and an Irishman with a lot of charm but no desire to be tied to one woman. Her mother died when she was fourteen leaving a strikingly beautiful daughter behind in Five Points, armpit of Earth in the 1870's. Another charming Irishman talked her into going west with promises of a new life, he just neglected to mention that the promised job involved being a saloon girl. By the time she was sixteen he had hit her once too often and she permanently took care of the problem and started managing the establishment. By twenty she had been Embraced. Five years ago she had become Prince of Metropolis, a hunter far more discerning and more dangerous than Lionel even dreamed. I had meant to pull in a shark I hadn't intended to drawn in Jaws. Never run from a predator, it attracts their attention. I turned neither challenging nor backing down subtly clearing my own circle with a flicker of will and dropped the veil from my eyes. Her chocolate brown eyes weighed me trying to fathom what I was. She stalked across the floor. I was impressed if I tried putting on a pair of five inch stilettos I wouldn't be able to manage a single step.

"I saw you on the news. Taking on Lionel Luthor, you like to play with fire. What are you doing in my place?"

"I just spent over a month hiding in the ventilation shafts of an insane asylum. I came looking to decompress a little, have a little fun. I'm not here to cause trouble or hurt anyone."

Cool eyes weighed me. While rainbow hair had been cute, she was a girl this was a woman. Unlike the other two of Us that incarnated, both of whom considered any and all liaisons dangerous, I didn't consider a 'vacation' complete without a torrid affair. Experience, determination, and passion coupled with strength, intelligence, and ambition, tempered by compassion and burning need to protect what she considered her own what more could I ask for? While I was all for protecting the weak and downtrodden I had no desire to have them in my bed. ? Pity I wasn't looking for anything long term. Actually I wasn't even looking for anything short term either. My heart was definitely still Cer's but I didn't plan on letting that stop me from having some fun. It certainly hadn't stopped her. Four more husbands and scores of loves. OK it had been over a thousand years but damn it she owed me this one. Granted that didn't make a bit of logical sense but she still owed me this one.

"Shall we dance then?"

I would have preferred verbal judo. Even with the stiletto heel handicap she had more grace than Gregory was ever going to. I let her take the lead as she teasingly moved just out of easy reach, hips swaying in a manner over a century of practice had taught her was certain to drive anyone who like girls to mindless distraction. She came close. I followed her, willing for the moment to play her game and let her fan the fires of lust. We, well, she was starting to attract a crowd of annoyed girls and fixated men. As the song ended one of the bolder ones tried to cut in, she shot me a glance that clearly said if I wanted her I was going to have to fight for the privilege. The body wanted to but I was more than the body. I did my best to give her a look that sized her up and found her wanting. A difficult sell since the body very emphatically found her quite sufficient please thank you.

I breathed softly trusting Kindred senses to pick it up despite the noise "I told you I wasn't here to hurt anyone." I brushed ever so slightly against her as I walked past sending a glissando of power through her. I smirked a little at the gasp behind me. The Kindred might feed on blood but their real thirst was for living energy. While I was biochemically human bioelectrically I thrummed with it. Too much of it actually not frying my chose flesh was a constant challenge. Within the Universe energy and matter are neither created nor destroyed but the Universe isn't a closed system because We feed it, allowing it to continue growing.

She left her other suitor behind but I used the crowd. Moving it, moving with it, always just out of reach without ever seeming to try to be through three songs before letting the crowd push us back together again. Her eyes were bottomlessly dark with need. She was hungry I was hungry though for somewhat different things. Anticipation was the best seasoning even for a quicky. I danced away from her and despite the fact that she was keen she played the game. Little touches, occasional brushes as we both swayed to the music. She was working us toward her office which was fine with me now that I had made my point. She was faster, stronger, and could snap Greg's neck like a twig but she'd been right earlier. I did like playing with fire but I was reasonably certain that she wouldn't kill. Not completely mind you but that was part of the fun. I provided the strong nuclear force that held all of matter together, I Wove the fabric of existence, I'd seen nearly every breast ever, but I'd forgotten just how fascinating a little testosterone and a scrap of cloth could make them. I couldn't rip my eyes off them. I fumbled for the door latch as she nuzzled the side of my neck and coherent thought went completely out the window when she started nibbling my ear lobe. There was a couch in here, somewhere, but I couldn't remember where nor did I care. Desk or floor where just fine. I let out a breathy moan as her hands joined her lips. We toppled back onto the couch with her on top. Top, yes the top definitely had to go. I sat up a little intent on getting my hands onto her full, pendulous, she tilted my head up and our lips met her tongue sliding deftly in to dart and tease. I started to respond in kind as the taste of her washed over WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

It was like being dunked in the Artic Sea. I wriggled desperately away to stand gasping in the corner arms wrapped round my chest. NOT CER! my heart howled. Panting I turned reluctantly to face an undoubtedly highly annoyed Galatea. I swallowed not a happy member of the ambulatory deceased. I offered her my wrist in mute apology. I hadn't meant to lead her on, hadn't meant to lead ME on but apparently across death and into a new body I was still Cer's. Odd, till death do us part had never even come up in our vows. I wanted Cer so badly and apparently no one else would do. I had to fight hard not to look for her, not to find her, not to teleport to wherever she was and beg her to take me back. I would abandon Lex, Clark, and this entire mess in a heartbeat for a night with Cer. How had I come to this?

"You know?"

I shrugged "I know many things."

"What do you want?"

I shook my head.

"Nothing is ever free" she growled.

"Unfortunately you can't give me what I want" fell out of my mouth before higher brain functions kicked in. Oh, that was tactful. "Please if nothing else than in apology."

"Name your damn price" she snapped.

"A favor for young Luthor. Of your choosing so long as it is for his good."

"You'll trust ME?"

"Why not?"

She gapped.

"I know what you are Galatea and yes I will trust your word and your honor."

She bit deep. Without the highest of passion to mask the pain it hurt like bloody hell "Carefully, I could burn you" I admonished the top of her dark head. Black rather than Cer's brown. I sighed then shivered as she licked the wounds closed. Three cheers for the healing properties of vampire spit. She'd only taken a few gulps but the heady flow of my power had left her more than stated.

I rose but she caught my hand in an iron grip "How long will you be here?"

"I am not long for this world nor" I said cutting off the offer I could see coming "would an Embrace do any good."

"I could owe Lex a few more favors" she riposted licking her lips like a cat given cream.

"We will see" I returned and made a hasty exit before she decided to keep me.

I'd lost a button somewhere but otherwise it didn't take long to put myself back into some semblance of order. The band had caught my mood and strains of Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever filled the floor.

There's no time for us,

There's no place for us,

What is this thing that builds our dreams

yet slips away from us?

There's no chance for us,

It's all decided for us.

This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.

I fled for the roof. In no mood to fuss with phasing I simply overrode the magnetic seal. Rain? The night had been clear and far too cold for rain and a warmish rain at that. I left the shelter of doorway to stand in the rain watching the fog rise from the difference in temperatures.

"Are you trying to give yourself another case of pneumonia?" Lex asked from behind me. I didn't answer.

"I'd ask if you were ok except I think the weather is doing that for me" he gently squeezed my shoulder "so do you want to talk about it?"

I shrugged and called my 'wedding' ring (Cer had given it to me on our wedding day even if it hadn't had quite the same significance then) from Myrrdin's tomb. I offered it (complete with the proximal phalange she had slipped it on never to be removed in life) to Lex.

"What were you, Goliath?" he quipped holding the bone against his own finger for reference.

"Damn near" I retorted softly. I came for LEX and I was NOT going to run out on him. He deserved better than to be abandoned again.

Uncertain what to do with the bone he slipped it into his pocket rolling the ring in his hands fingers feeling the exquisite filigree in the gloom.

"What happened downstairs? You seemed to be in the groove with Snow White's evil S&M twin."

Glad that the rain hid my tears I carefully cleared my throat "She isn't Cer."

He sighed "Please come in out of the rain. I've seen you sick enough for an entire human life time."

He had a point. I nodded and followed him back into shelter of the stairs where I slid down to sit making puddles on the floor. He gave the door a pointed glance as he sat opposite.

"You never asked if I could override the locks" I said softly as I wiped water out of my eyes.

"It never occurred to me that you would walk through the wall if you could" he said still toying with the ring.

"It wasn't the right time. I didn't keep us there because I liked it."

"I think I worried more about you than about what Dad was going to do to me" he passed the ring back. A few deep breaths to clear my mind and I wove a gold chain and hung it round my neck under my shirt next to my heart.

"Neat trick."

Another shrug. I didn't particularly feel like talking. But the alternative was to drive Lex off so I could have a private pity party which would possibly end with me making an unwise visit to my erstwhile wife, best to keep talking.

Lex passed me something that he'd left in the lea of the door. A fresh caipirinha "I thought you might need this."

I couldn't have what I needed and substituting getting drunk for it sounded like a very suspect decision, but I'm Fate not Wisdom.

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