Disclaimer - DC and WB own them, yadda yadda.

It's a teeny fic! And it's...umm...Lexana. And Clex! If either of those don't appeal to you, then just don't read :)

Future fic, no spoilers, although you might get more out of this if you've seen 'Hidden'.

Feedback would be fab!

*

"I saw something today."

Any night with Lana that starts that way always ends well.

Lex doesn't even pretend to be disinterested. He doesn't have to, anymore.

"I think..." she pauses, frowning, as if trying to work the logic of it out in her head.

She, perhaps better than anyone, should know by now that Clark and logic have never gone hand in hand.

"I think he can set things on fire," Lana says eventually.

It's not a great surprise. Lex has been working under that theory for some time now - things have the uncanny ability of going up in flames when Clark is around, and none of Lex's investigations have turned up anything. No accelerant, nothing.

Which only makes it all the more interesting.

"I don't know how he does it," she continues, a statement that describes so much of Clark, "how it works. But the truck, it just blew up for no reason when that thing was chasing us and..." she smiles wryly. "It's not like it's the first time something like this has happened."

Very much the truth. "We should add that to the list, then." A list that is considerably longer than Lana knows. They have an agreement, but Lex never discloses anything he doesn't have to.

"We have to know," she'd told him originally. "He may not be able to tell us, but if we know we can help him."

Once, years ago, his reasons might have been the same. Now they're somewhat different, but he doesn't believe her intentions are entirely altruistic either.

Being consistently lied to by someone you love is like being sliced open every single day and requires some form of eventual retribution, intentional or otherwise.

He should know.

For now, Lex simply pushes Lana back onto the bed. She's not the best he's ever been with but she's developed into an excellent pupil, and her skin is fascinatingly smooth. It's something he likes to savor.

Lex takes a few moments to study her face before leaning down, hoping - as always - that this time she'll taste of Clark.

~FINIS