Title:  The Rarer Action

Author: danceswithgary (danceswithgary@yahoo.com)

Pairing: Clark/Lex

Rating:  NC-17

Warnings: None

Spoilers:  None

Word Count: 36,000

Archive: Fine, just let me know

Summary:  Lost in the future, can they forgive each other before it's too late? Firefly/Serenity crossover.

***

Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,

Yet with my nobler reason ‘gainst my fury

Do I take part. The rarer action is

In virtue than in vengeance...

Shakespeare, William, *The Tempest*, Act 5, Scene 1

***

The Rarer Action

***

***

Prologue

***

Lex ran through the calculations one last time, frowning at the unvarying results. It would take another three years at their current rate of acceleration to reach Earth and they had less than three months before their life support would fail. The Kryptonian had been unable to provide the same boost to the engines that had brought them to this system originally. Badly injured, it had almost failed to make it back on board before its wounds incapacitated it completely. Annoyed, Lex brushed ineffectually at the drying blood that marred his normally immaculate appearance, regretting the lack of cleaning facilities.

He had warned the League it was a trap. He'd known that the aliens that had appeared unexpectedly in orbit around the Earth weren't to be trusted any more than he trusted the Kryptonian. He'd fought for years against the public's perception that Superman was completely benevolent, that the alien had no intention to harm humans or to take control of the Earth, but had always been unsuccessful. The latest batch of aliens had requested that a delegation return with them to their home system to negotiate trade agreements.

Lex had been the obvious choice to lead the delegation, but the League had insisted that the Kryptonian be allowed to participate, believing that Superman was incorruptible and could not be unduly influenced by promises of wealth or power. Two additional candidates from the World Government had been chosen, and the three humans had been ferried to the distant system using a ship designed by the Kryptonian's AI and incorporating technology that allowed the humans to be transported in stasis, limiting the need for life support systems.

The ship had engines, which were adequate for intersystem transport but they had utilized Superman's strength and speed to accelerate, and thus had considerably shortened the time required for the journey. Lex had been impressed at the lack of side effects from months in stasis and had already planned to appropriate the equipment upon their return and reverse engineer it for his own purposes.

On arrival, the delegation had been revived and then transported to the planet's surface by Superman, leaving the ship parked in orbit. Once on the surface, they'd quickly discovered that the single weapon Lex had managed to smuggle aboard was woefully inadequate when it had become necessary to defend themselves from attack.

The aliens had obviously been studying Earth for quite some time, because they knew what its first and most reliable line of defense would be and they had planned its destruction carefully. Lex had known that Superman had grown less vulnerable to kryptonite as time passed; the weapons Lex had devised becoming less and less effective. A truce of sorts had been called when Lex ascended to the Presidency, and the weapons had been retired. Unfortunately, it looked as if the aliens had been able to obtain some of the most deadly, and Lex would have to clean house on his return and terminate the traitors who had supplied them.

The Kryptonian had attempted to protect the delegates with its own body, but had been able to save only Lex before it had been driven back to the ship. Only Lex's accelerated healing had saved him from death during that frantic escape through the vacuum of space. Badly wounded, Superman had thrown Lex into the airlock before beginning to push the ship out of orbit, accelerating as fast as it could. Lex had been left to wait alone, pacing impatiently until he heard the airlock cycle. He had reached the opening door in time to ease Superman's unconscious body to the floor.

Lacking medical supplies beyond basic first aid, Lex had done the best he could to remove the kryptonite shrapnel imbedded in Superman's green-tinged skin. The gathered pieces were cycled back out through the airlock, as well as the shredded remains of the detested primary-colored uniform. Each piece removed had reduced Superman's pain, the skin no longer writhing around the foreign objects. Unfortunately, it looked as if enough kryptonite had entered Superman's bloodstream to keep him unresponsive, and Lex had been reduced to waiting until the alien could overcome the serious damage done to his system.

In between tending to the alien lying motionless on the single bunk that had been incorporated into the ship's plans, Lex had occupied his time working with the instruments and calculating times and distances between stellar bodies. This activity had resulted in the series of calculations that had predicted catastrophic failure of the ship's systems.

A faint moan interrupted Lex's contemplation, bringing him to his feet at a speed he refused to acknowledge as hurried. Walking the few steps to the bunk, he bent over to assess the Kryptonian's condition. Eyelids fluttered in the sunken cavities of the alien's ravaged face, and Lex was taken aback to see green eyes glazed in pain where he had grown used to an icy blue.

"Lex."

Lex had to lower his face to hear any words spoken by the murmuring lips, which had cracked and dried until any movement broke them open to bleed freely.

"Sorry. I tried."

Lex's face was grim as he listened to the alien's inadequate apology for failure. An eyebrow lifted as he sneered at the being that had been the center of his universe for so many years.

"I suppose I should thank you for the extra few months I've been granted by your feeble attempt. Unfortunately, it does nothing for the population of Earth that is now vulnerable due to the League's short-sightedness."

Shifting restlessly, the alien attempted to sit up, falling back with a groan before it could raise itself more than a few inches. "I'll go back out. Try again. Just need to rest...a few more minutes."

Lex leaned over and placed a hand under Superman's head, lifting it high enough to allow the alien to sip from a water bottle. Setting it back down carefully, Lex shook his head. "You won't be going anywhere. I'm assuming the AI designed the stasis chambers to work with your physiology also. Am I correct?"

The green eyes had closed, but Lex detected the faint nod in response to his question. "Fine. Then that's where you'll be spending the remainder of this trip."

The alien's eyes flew open and it shook its head as it attempted to sit up again. "I have to be awake to protect the ship and to stop it at the end."

Lex pressed Superman back down with little effort. "There's no way that's possible. The life support systems won't last long enough. At the rate we're approaching Earth, they should be able to board the ship and release us both from stasis before we end up in the sun."

The green gaze contained a pain that Lex suspected had nothing to do with kryptonite. "I have to try, Lex. I can't take that chance with your life."

Lex's jaw clenched and he offered the alien more water before he continued. "Why do you keep calling me Lex? I have been Luthor to you for the past twenty years."

The smile was wide enough to send a trickle of blood down the side of the alien's face, another wound opened in lips that had tantalized Lex in the distant past. "You know why, Lex."

Lex straightened up and backed away a few steps, shaking his head. "I'll be damned if I show up back on Earth without you. I won't be known as the man who let Superman die."

Dark lashes fluttering, the green eyes slowly closed while the alien shook its head. "No choice, Lex."

A few minutes later, the alien's respiration had slowed to almost nothing. Holding up the bottle of water that he had been offering to Superman, Lex shook his head with a grim smile of triumph. "I always have a choice. And I always win."

Setting the bottle aside, Lex grasped Superman's arms and pulled up until he could pick up the alien, using a fireman's carry. Although Lex could not claim the strength to match any other metahuman, he'd always made sure that he kept himself in prime condition, and the lean muscle he had added through the years now worked to his advantage. He grunted but managed to stagger to the nearest chamber and place the comatose body inside. Arranging its limbs carefully, Lex programmed the chamber to remain closed, disabling the timer. The alien would remain in stasis until released by someone with the right code. Lex was determined that he would be that someone.

One hand on the chamber's door, Lex paused and ran his eyes over the alien's naked body. It was perfect, the perfect imitation of a human, and still beautiful, despite the wounds that marred its golden skin. Lex reached out slowly, trembling as if unable to control himself, and brushed tumbled curls back from the wide forehead. A frown flickered across his face before he bent and gently brushed his lips across the slackened mouth. He straightened, licking away the blood, and closed the chamber, engaging the lock. He stepped to the next case and repeated his actions, disabling the timer. Stripping, folding his clothes neatly and placing them on the abandoned bunk, he entered his own chamber and closed it, waiting patiently for the stasis to begin.

The ship was silent now as it made its solitary way back home.

***

Chapter One

***

"Take it easy there, son. You're still not ready to be up and taking on the 'verse quite yet."

Head tossing wildly, Lex could make out little beyond a blur as he struggled against the arms that tried to hold him down. He fought without a sound, sending at least one body reeling before the prick of a needle spun his heart rate into a downward spiral.

"There, that's better. Joycee, you okay, girl? Wasn't very nice of you to be hitting her in the face just 'cause you woke up someplace strange."

Blinking slowly against the pull of the drug in his system, Lex finally cleared his clouded vision enough for him to make out the speaker's face. Ragged gray eyebrows shaded dark brown eyes in the age-cracked countenance which hovered over him. The kind words seemed to match the calm concern of the elder man.

"Do you think you can share your monicker with us? We didn't find nothing much 'sides you and t'other floating around in that piece a space junk. Need the code for t'other one, too. Almost missed the energy signature, thought you was just another ship caught at a bad time by a big rock. Surely did look like it, just floating there in the middle of nothing." A gap-toothed grin lit up the face hanging over him as Lex lay there, stunned silent under the barrage of words. "But I haven't let you get in edgewise, yet. I'm Mordecai Chan, ship's doctor, when I ain't cooking, and that's Joycee, my youngest girl."

Summoning words took everything Lex had left. After they'd escaped his lips, the darkness beckoned and he disappeared back into the shadows. "Alex...an...der Jo...seph...."

. . .

"I don't know, Doctor. The captain's log just sort of peters out, like as he didn't care if he updated or not. Think he was sick, too?"

"Chan's treatment notes aren't any more detailed. A few entries on Joseph's failure to respond to broad-spectrum and he thought it was probably viral. He had no quarantine procedures in place, the fool."

Lex could hear at least two voices, muffled as though they were talking through masks. He soon found that he couldn't move a muscle. Even his eyelids were still too heavy to lift, leaving him dependent on his hearing alone.

"There's one note on the crew getting worried and someone named Joycee showing symptoms. The last is garbled, rambles on about someone called The Founder ...at least, that's what I think he was saying. Hard to tell, Captain, he was slurring his words so much."

"I'm guessing that this Chan was t'other body, but he was long past needing anything but burying. How'd Joseph keep on, if he was the cause of all the dying at the start?"

Finally able to crack open his eyelids, Lex looked up at a low, dark ceiling, unburnished metal reflecting no light. No amount of blinking would clear the dull haze surrounding him. The speakers were to his side, and a jerk of neck muscles, which left his head spinning, brought them into blurry view.

"To be honest, I don't know why he lived and the rest died. He came close, though. I don't think he could have survived another day without hydration. He's a very lucky man."

"Naught but skin and bones. When can I talk to him?"

The two men approached Lex, and he could almost make out their faces. He tried to summon enough moisture in his mouth to croak out something when the taller man spoke, but failed to issue anything more than a groan.

"You may get your chance any minute now, Captain. It looks like he's coming back to us."

Lex watched as the dark-haired man thrust his hands into clear plastic gloves suspended in mid-air, picked up a cup and straw from the table next to Lex, and held them out to him. As his vision stabilized, Lex began to realize he was inside a plastic bubble of some sort, which might constitute the quarantine mentioned earlier. A kind voice urged him to drink and the first sip of lukewarm water tasted like the nectar of the gods. A second try and he was able to rasp the question that had been plaguing him. "Chan, where? Joycee?"

"I'm sorry, but it looks like they didn't make it." After Lex had taken another sip, the hands withdrew the cup and began to perform some basic tests while the doctor continued to soothe his latest patient. "You're Joseph, right? Alexander Joseph?"

Lex nodded slowly, not understanding at first why they weren't using his last name.

"Good, that's encouraging. I'm Doctor Simon Tan and this is Captain Mal Reynolds. You're on the Serenity now. Doctor Chan left some notes saying you hadn't been able to tell him much more than your name and that you were delirious after they pulled you out of your chamber. Can you tell us what happened to you, to your ship?"

Shaking his head carefully, Lex struggled to answer. "Not sure. Other? Where?"

Patting Lex's hand, the doctor reassured him, "The other chamber's still sitting in the landing bay. We couldn't open it, since it's old tech. Do you have the code?"

Relief that he hadn't lost the alien rolled over Lex, dragging him back into dark dreams before he could say another word to his latest rescuers.

. . .

"I've never seen anyone recover as quickly as you, Mr. Joseph." Simon finished stowing the quarantine bubble in the sterilizer as he chatted with his patient. "Every diagnostic I've run says you're the picture of health and there's no contagion I can detect, all within two days after you were extremely close to death from dehydration and exposure. Unbelievable."

Sliding his hand over his smooth head, Lex shrugged. "One of the beneficial side-effects when this happened, Doctor."

"Simon, please. I just wish you could tell me more about the mysterious illness that took over the ship. I'm wondering if you weren't the vector at all. Maybe it was someone else aboard."

Sliding down from the examination table, Lex finished buttoning up the shirt that the doctor had lent him, none of his original clothing having survived his two rescues. His current outfit had been donated piecemeal from the crew, since the doctor was a few inches shorter. "Sorry, Simon, I wish I could...and I'm Lex. Does that mean I'm free to move about the ship? I'd like to check on the other chamber, if I could."

"Medically, yes." Simon finished stowing the last of his equipment before turning to face Lex. "The captain's on his way down. He'll have to make the final decision."

"Decision about what, Doctor?" The captain's deceptively mild voice came up behind Lex and Simon without warning, startling them both. "Whether I'm going to throw you out the airlock without a suit because you let him out before asking me?"

Simon's lips thinned before he calmly replied, "As the ship's doctor, I deemed him disease-free. Before you ask me if I'm sure, may I remind you that my sister is on this ship and that I would never take a chance with her life?"

Eyes narrowed, the captain glared at Simon for a few moments before he conceded, "I'll grant you that." Turning his attention to his unscheduled passenger, he repeated his initial question. "Decision about what?"

Simon jumped in to answer. "Mr. Joseph...Lex wants to check on the other chamber."

Lex turned to face the captain directly, his face earnest. "Yes, I would, Captain, as soon as possible. I want to make sure it's still intact and the contents viable. I've been informed that my ship was found drifting with extensive damage from meteors. I was too ill to see to the chamber while I was on the ship that picked us up originally."

Waving Lex ahead of him, the captain escorted him out of the infirmary and along a dark, narrow passageway. "We'd a broken it open, but that's some mighty old tech. Where'd you pick it up?"

Lex shrugged. "It came with the ship."

Emerging from the passageway into the spacious landing bay, Lex blinked in the brighter light and took in as many details as possible before the captain nudged him toward the side. Two others joined them as they approached the chamber.

The captain indicated the dark-haired woman who stood at attention with her hand resting on her sidearm. "Lex, this is my first mate, Zoe. I'll introduce you to the rest later. They're good folk."

Standing a few feet back, a dark-stubbled, ill-dressed, muscular man growled, "Shiny. So we cracking this open or not?"

The captain rolled his eyes. "Well, Jayne's kinda horrific, but the rest are good."

Crouching, Lex brushed his hand over the readouts, his mouth twisting as he ran some quick calculations in his head. Glancing over his shoulder at the others, he noted ironically, "I can understand now why you call this 'old tech.'" He stood and rubbed the back of his neck as he stared down at the heavy construction of metal, which closely resembled a coffin. "I knew that it had to have been quite a few years..." he surveyed the bleak surroundings before admitting, "...but I wasn't expecting over five centuries."

Lex nudged the chamber with his borrowed boots and frowned. "I have to honestly say I'm not looking forward to opening this. It...he's definitely not going to be happy."

Jayne shrugged. "Unhappy like spoiling for a fight? Hell, that's why we got guns."

. . .

Lex winced as he watched Simon break another needle against the alien's skin. There was going to be no way around it. Lex would have to reveal enough information to allow the doctor to treat it with the equipment available. At the same time, until he understood the political and social ramifications of the alien's presence in this future, Lex needed to keep its origins, nature, and weaknesses concealed as long as possible. "Doctor...Simon, can I assume that patient-doctor confidentiality still stands in this time period?"

Removing his hands from the gloves suspended in the quarantine bubble around the alien, Simon rotated his shoulders to relieve some tension and nodded. "Of course. I'm assuming...here, let me turn off the recorder." A flick of a switch, and he turned back to Lex. "What would you like to discuss?"

"It's not about me. I have some data to share about...him." It galled Lex to refer to the alien in human terms, but it was a necessary safeguard when he spoke to anyone else about it. "You won't be able to draw any blood for testing or cross-matching and it would do you no good if you could. He's not human."

"I'm not sure I understand you."

"DNA analysis, if that's still in use, would support my claim. He is not homo sapiens. I hope you can appreciate why I'm reluctant to broadcast this information."

Lex felt the weight of Simon's dark eyes as they assessed both him and his statements for trustworthiness. He must have approved of what he'd seen because he nodded shortly. "I'll grant that five centuries may have passed you by, but human prejudices haven't necessarily matured as much as you might have expected. River...." He cut himself off with a quick shake of his head. "All right, so he's not human. Can I assume you have some idea on how I can treat him? There are no broken bones or open wounds, but he's evidently in some respiratory distress and pain, so I can't discount internal injuries or disease."

"Actually, you can eliminate disease from your list of possibilities; due to the genetic differences, he can't get sick. I believe the pain and the difficulty in breathing are due to something very similar to heavy metal or radiation poisoning. You may have noticed some improvement after you catheterized him and then removed the output from his vicinity. He's metabolizing the contaminant...very slowly, so the best treatment method I can recommend is hydration and a large amount of patience. The hydration will unfortunately require a stomach tube and possibly another catheterization unless he regains conscious...."

A groan interrupted Lex, and he found himself at the head of the examination table before the alien's eyes fluttered open, surprising himself at how quickly he'd responded to the sound of its pain. Dazed, pupils dilated with the remnants of the sedative Lex had administered while it had been weakened by the kryptonite, the alien moved its head restlessly. "Lex...Lex...."

Gently rubbing the nearest shoulder, insulated by sterile plastic from chilled skin faintly tinged with green, Lex affirmed his presence in a steady voice. "I'm right here. You need to stay quiet and rest."

His voice failed to calm it, instead seeming to yank it free from the mists in its brain. Eyes clearing rapidly, it began to struggle against the restraints used to ensure its large frame stayed in place on the narrow table. "Where...why...?" Simon's eyes widened and he took a step back as the webbed straps ripped loose, the full dimensions of the unrestrained being suddenly very apparent as it surged to its feet. One swipe of an arm heavy with muscle disposed of the quarantine bubble as if it were mere cellophane. "Lex!"

Simon backed away while Lex clenched his fists and shouted, "I'm right here, you idiot ali...! Calm down!"

Wheeling about unsteadily, bumping the table and sending it back a few inches, the alien searched for the source of the command. A smile began to stretch across its face when it caught sight of Lex. "You're here." A squint of blue-green eyes resulted in a huge hand rubbing a forehead crinkled with pain. "I can't tell. You're okay? Not hurt?" Shuffling around the table, leaning against it with one hand, it tried to get closer, frowning when Lex fended it off with extended arms.

Noting with interest that, while most humans diminished without the social armor of clothing, the alien only seemed to occupy a larger area of space, Lex insisted, "I'm fine. You need to lie down and rest."

Examining the surroundings with increasing concern, it shook its head at the suggestion. "Where are we? I don't recognize anything."

"You're on...." Simon's attempt at an explanation was cut short by an angry shout from the doorway, and the alien immediately shifted to shield Lex from the newcomer.

"Just what part of 'quarantine' are you failing to understand, Doctor? That gorram airlock is gonna get very crowded with the three...." The captain found himself pinned by the throat, his feet six inches off the ground, suspended by an arm imitating a steel bar.

Barely containing a satisfied smirk, Lex quietly ordered, "Let him go, Clark. He's harmless."

Releasing the captain without any hesitation, Clark let him drop to the deck, where he immediately bent over, coughing through his bruised windpipe. As Simon hurried to Mal's assistance, Clark swung around to confront Lex. "You called me...I don't understand, Lex." He stumbled and went to one knee, his face contorted in pain as one arm gripped the impressive musculature of his abdomen. "I...who are these people?" He groaned, struggling in vain to regain his feet until Lex hooked a lean arm around his naked waist and helped Clark up, supporting his weight back to the battered examination table.

Ignoring the other two men, Lex assisted Clark back onto the table, gently lowering him until he could lie back with his head slightly elevated, lifting his heavy feet and legs up and covering him with a light blanket. Retrieving a bottle of water, he held it for Clark, frowning when Clark shook his stubborn head. "It's just water with electrolytes, Clark. I promise that I haven't drugged it this time. I'm not sure it would work, anyway."

After searching Lex's eyes, Clark sighed and accepted Lex's help with the bottle, drinking about half of the contents before pushing it away. "Why are you calling me Clark?" Lex watched as the green deepened in distressed eyes. "You've never...exposed me before, Lex. Why now?"

Rolling the bottle between the palms of his hands, Lex looked away and shrugged. "No further need for pretense. At least, not when it comes to our identities...or anything else between us."

"But...."

Lex absently noted that the two of them were alone in the infirmary. He appreciated the doctor's discretion, aware that he must have convinced the captain to leave despite his objections. Returning his eyes to Clark's face, he wished there were some way to cushion the blow, but he knew all too well that a quick cut was the least painful. "You're no longer Superman, Clark, and I'm just a man named Alexander Joseph." Soft fingers forestalled Clark's questions. "The ship never made it back to Earth."

Lifting his hand from Clark's lips, Lex smoothed back dark curls, his strokes as gentle as his voice. "We've put Rip Van Winkle to shame and slept away five hundred years."

Tears glistened in Clark's eyes. "Oh no, Lex, I'm so sorry. I ruined everything...again. Why didn’t you let me go out and try again? I...."

Lex enjoyed the look of amazement in Clark's eyes when he finally pulled back from the unexpected kiss. "There's nothing we can do about it now, Clark. Look at it this way...."

Lex stole another kiss from shock-softened lips before explaining himself. "Why waste a perfect chance to start over?"

***

Chapter Two

***

"So the captain sent me in to see if I could figure out if I've got anything in stores can fit the new one...oooh, he's real pretty, isn't he?"

Lex glanced up from his vigil over a dozing Clark to see the doctor greeting a young woman with honey-colored hair and a smudged face. The doctor's face soured at her gasp of delight before he reluctantly moved aside so that she could approach the examination table.

"I can see why the captain was thinking I might have some trouble. He's big. I don't know...." Twitching at her gray-striped overalls, fluffing her hair, and then licking her lips, she reached out to run a tentative finger along Clark's closest bicep. "Real big and real pretty," she sighed.

The gentle touch was enough to rouse Clark, and he blinked sleepily at the newcomer before letting his mouth fall into a lazy grin. "Hi, I'm Clark. Who are you?"

Struck speechless, the woman just stared until Simon interrupted. "Kaylee, this is Lex Joseph and Clark...."

Clark flashed a worried look at Lex. Reaching across Clark to take Kaylee's wandering hand into his, Lex answered, "Kent. He's Clark Kent. Pleased to meet you, Kaylee...?"

Her attention finally drawn away from Clark, Kaylee was able to reply. "Frye. I take care of Serenity and pretty much anything else the captain needs." She flushed. "Well, not everything. He ain't never wanted me for that. In fact, no one does...." Her eyes returned to Clark and she smiled winningly. "It's real nice to meet you, too."

Lex's polite smile thinned. He moved to the head of the table and began to brush Clark's hair out of his laughing green eyes, even though it wasn't strictly necessary. "You need to take measurements, Kaylee?"

Smile dimming as she watched Lex blatantly staking his claim, Kaylee nodded with a sigh. "I'm pretty good at matching up folks. I just measure with my hands." She held them up, waiting for permission. Clark shifted and sat up on the table to make it easier for her, the blanket falling to his waist and a foot peeking out. Kaylee swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Feet...really big feet." Her eyes roamed over Clark's broad chest and wide shoulders and her hands flexed. "Oh, my sweet, fluffy lord." She reached out slowly, set a hand on each side of Clark's waist, and squeezed until he twitched and muttered about tickling.

Before she could slide her fingers more than a few inches lower, there was an interruption. "Why don't I go to stores with you and help you look. I'm a fair judge of sizes myself." Simon caught Kaylee by an elbow and unceremoniously escorted her to the door without another word. A frown over his shoulder at the two men, and Lex was alone with Clark.

Casually walking over to the infirmary door, Lex slid it shut and locked it, making sure the porthole was opaque for privacy. Turning around and leaning back against the now-secure barrier, he smirked at Clark. "Really big...and pretty. It seems you have an admirer, Clark."

Shivering as Lex's warm, teasing voice licked over his skin, Clark peeked from under his lashes and pouted. "Just one?"

Pushing away from the thick metal door, Lex began to prowl around the small room, his eyes never leaving Clark. Leaning back against a counter a few feet away from the table, he crossed his arms and shook his head in admonishment. "Oh, I don't admire you, Clark. That would be a pale reflection of how I feel about you." His voice had deepened, Clark's breath quickening when Lex destroyed the distance between them in a few short steps.

Thrusting his hands deep into dark curls, Lex tipped Clark's head up and forced him to watch and listen. "Years, Clark. Years that I ached for you, even more years that I loathed the very sight of you...because you had left me with no hope. Lust and hatred, hand-in-hand." Lex's mouth was hard, taking what he'd been denied for too long. They were both breathless when they reluctantly separated. Staring deep into passion-drugged eyes, Lex rasped, "I should have bent you over my pool table that first day, when you returned that damned truck. All that wasted time."

Clark's eyes fluttered closed as he moaned and sagged back down on the table. A quick check and Lex was reassured that Clark hadn't collapsed again. Instead, the weakened alien been...quite flatteringly, really...overcome by passion. Leaning over him, Lex resumed his seduction, kissing and nipping along Clark's jaw and down the corded muscles of his arched neck. His hand slid down Clark's chest, never deviating from its goal as sweat slicked its way under the blanket crumpled at Clark's waist. Shoving the woven cotton down roughly, Lex lifted his head to look and grinned in bitter humor. "I've always been amazed that you didn't have them lining up at your door every night, Clark."

Hips thrusting up in search of sensation, Clark shook his head with a groan. "Never wanted that, Lex. Didn't...feel right." Raising one enormous hand, Clark attempted to tug Lex back down to his lips, but he failed, Lex grabbing Clark's wrist and pinning it down on the table above his head.

"Just lie still and rest, Clark." Lex's sly grin belied his words. "I have a lot of time to make up for." A finger teased along the largest throbbing vein and flicked at the edge of a straining foreskin. Dabbling in the sticky fluid at the tip, Lex raised his hand to his mouth, eyes closing in pleasure at the salt-sweet taste he'd dreamed about.

Clark watched avidly, his tongue flickering out to wet his lips in envy and need. "Please, Lex...."

"Please what, Clark? Please stop?" Chuckling at Clark's moan of denial, Lex teased, "Please kiss you, bite you?" Suiting his actions to his words, Lex ignored Clark's rising frustration. "Well? Please what?"

"You know...what, Lex. Touch me...please."

"Still not very specific, Clark. Kaylee was right. You're a big man, and there are a lot of places I could touch."

Writhing in frustration, but still careful not to break free of Lex's grip, Clark whined, "You're just being mean, Lex. Touch my cock!"

"Like this? Or would you like me to hold it tighter, maybe even move my hand?" Trembling, muscles straining in check, Clark tossed his head, his nostrils wide as a stallion's in heat. Lex tamed him as he would a wild horse, with words and touch. "Calm down, you're going to make yourself ill again. Nice and easy, that's it, I'll take care of you."

Releasing Clark's wrist, Lex caressed Clark's shoulders and arms until the tremors slowed along with his panting breaths. Murmuring softly, Lex stroked Clark, the foreskin first revealing, then concealing the purpled head as Clark's hips pumped shallowly. A low cry of Lex's name and slick warmth covered Lex's fist, Clark freezing at the apex of his final thrust and then sagging with relief. Pulling back, Lex grabbed a towel from the shelf beneath the table and cleaned them both up before covering Clark with the blanket.

"Lex, let me...."

Lex evaded Clark's clutching hand easily. "No, I'll keep. You need to rest. Your heart rate is almost doubled." Standing over a drowsy Clark, Lex stroked back sweat-damp curls with a proprietary hand, wearing a smile that Leonardo da Vinci would have recognized in an instant. His voice was quiet and matter-of-fact. "No, I don't admire you, Clark."

His pale hand clenched in the dark locks as his tone developed an edge.

"I own you."

. . .

Entering the galley after Simon, Lex noticed that all conversation ended when they halted a few feet away from the long table and benches. After a moment's pause, Kaylee jumped up with a welcoming smile. "You're just in time! Let me get you some stew."

Nodding a greeting, Mal unconsciously rubbed his throat before he asked, "How's your friend doing now? His thinking a little more reasonable?" 

Lex's mouth twitched, but he was able to avoid a smirk. "Clark's improving, and he asked that I pass along an apology for his earlier behavior." Accepting a full bowl from Kaylee, Lex smiled his thanks and took a seat next to Zoe, who'd shifted on the bench to make a space. Nodding to the ginger-haired man seated on Zoe's other side, Lex ventured, "I've met Jayne, Simon, Zoe, Kaylee and Mal. That leaves Wash and River unaccounted for, and I'd have to say that...you don't look like you're Simon's sister."

With a chuckle, Wash played along. "Are you implying that I'm not pretty enough? My ego's been taking a beating with all the gushing from Kaylee about the new pretty boy on board. She's even abandoned poor Simon." He grunted from the elbow that hit him in the ribs. "Not that I'd care, since my dearest wife loves me despite my looks." He leaned over and bussed Zoe's cheek with a mollifying smile.

Taking a seat across the table, Simon joined in the laughter. "I would definitely have to wonder about my mother, if River looked like him. She should be along soon, Lex. She's been...meditating."

"Not no more, she ain't. She's back to being crazy."

Lex continued eating, unconcerned when a gruff voice from the doorway announced a new arrival, but jumped to his feet when there was a second, much more pleasant, greeting. "Hello, everyone. I'm Clark." Lex was amazed by the change in the former champion of justice. Clark was obviously the tallest and largest of anyone present, and Kaylee's clothing selection had left his shoulders and arms uncovered by the simple leather vest he now wore, the tight homespun pants and leather sandals also leaving little to the imagination.

Recovering from his surprise, Lex hurried to take Clark's arm from a young, dark-haired girl and help Jayne lead him over to the table. "You shouldn't be up yet, Clark."

Sitting down slowly with a slight groan, Clark explained, "I was tired of staring at the ceiling all by myself, so I decided to look for some company. These nice people helped me."

Jayne grumbled, "Yeah, he come stumbling out of the infirmary and almost knocked me flat. I figured I'd better just bring him along so you could deal with him. I ain't no nurse." Looking around at the rest of the crowd, he frowned. "Hey, Kaylee. Where's my food?"

Placing a bowl in front of the slight-figured girl, who'd taken a seat next to Simon, Kaylee retorted, "You can like as not get your own, Jayne. I ain't no run and fetch."

Snorting in derision, Jayne pointed at Clark. "You'd do for him without even thinking. Spread your legs for the pretty boy without no asking, too."

At Kaylee's gasp, Mal slammed his palm on the table. "Jayne, you will keep a civil tongue in that mouth of yours, or I will sew it shut. Is there an understanding between us?"

Walking over to the stewpot, Jayne began to ladle an ample portion into a bowl. "You don't pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets lubed up over some green eyes and muscle doesn't mean...."

Rising from his seat slowly, the captain turned toward Jayne. Lex was impressed with the steely command in his even tones. "Walk away from this table. Right now."

Grabbing a spoon, Jayne stomped out of the galley without another word. Mal shrugged and resumed his seat.

Sharing an amused glance with Clark, Lex inquired, "If I may ask, what do you pay him for?"

Unsure what point Lex was trying to make, Mal settled for a simple, "What?"

Lex clarified, "I was just wondering what his job is...on the ship."

Everyone still seated around the table waited silently for Mal's answer, only to break out in gales of laughter when it came.

"Public relations."

. . .

After the dishes had been cleared away, no one made a move to leave the galley. Lex and Clark's stories of the Earth That Was had captured their attention. Kaylee, in particular, sat enraptured by their tales. "So you musta knew Superman?" At Lex's slow nod, Kaylee gushed, "I remember my grandda telling me stories about the strongest man ever lived, who flew through the air to save the weak and helpless. And now I know he was a true story!"

Her excitement dimmed as she remembered more. "They was exciting stories about how he was always fighting the evildoers." Her voice lowered to just above a whisper as she confided, "He told me Superman's greatest enemy was Lex Luthor himself. I never liked hearing how he finally managed to kill off Superman."

Clark choked on the water he'd been drinking. "What!"

"My grandda said Luthor must have tricked him somehow to go with him, else why would Superman leave everyone else and trust him. Luthor didn't even need him with his evil minions along to bargain with the invaders."

Lex shook his head in distress. "That's not true. Even enemies can come together in common cause. It was Superman who...he was the only one who could have delivered the delegation to the aliens...to try to save Earth. He was the key. The others were just along for the ride."

Everyone's eyes widened when Clark protested, "Don't you believe it! Lex Luthor was there because he could convince a fish to walk on dry land." Moving with difficulty, Clark rose to make his point. "We would never have made it back off the aliens' planet if he hadn't been able to hold off an entire regiment with the sheer force of his courage...and the handgun he'd managed to smuggle aboard." 

Still standing, Clark looked down at Lex, smiling at the memory. "I was out of it after I broke through the wall of the building where they were holding the delegates. I'll never forget coming to and seeing him standing there over me, trying not to let on that he was hurt, even while the blood was dripping off his hand. He was calmly informing them that the first one who tried to touch me was the first one he'd kill. Why they just didn't shoot him...it must have been sheer terror." Clark looked around at the stunned faces and shook his head knowingly. "I don't blame them. He always scared the hell out of me." His hand came down on Lex's rigid shoulder and squeezed lightly.

Simon's gasp was echoed around the table when he pointed at Lex in wonder. "That's what Chan was saying in his notes. I knew you looked familiar!"

Staring up at Clark, Kaylee whispered in awe, "Then that means you're...."

Mal disagreed, overriding the other voices. "Lex can't be The Founder . He's too young!"

"He may look young, but Lex Luthor was the greatest American president of all time. I personally lobbied to get the Twentieth Amendment repealed so he could serve a third term, but he'd made too many enemies." Clark winced at the pain he could see in Lex's face. "If Lex had been in office when the invasion started, we never would have lost." Steel-blue began to soften at Clark's words of past support.

Kaylee's bright chirp brought their attention back to her. "Oh, the invasion never happened. The virus you two took to the planet stopped that, just like they planned." Her face sobered. "Of course, it didn't just kill the ones who was trying. Lotsa folks all over died 'til they stopped it with quarantine. No one ever lived once they got sick...except now you did."

Rising from his seat, hands trembling, Lex looked devastated. "So I'm remembered for killing Superman and for the genocide of untold numbers of humans and aliens by carrying a virus I didn't know I'd been deliberately infected with." He began to stumble from the room, his shoulders slumped and his formerly smooth gait shattered.

Before he'd reached the doorway, an arm was around his waist and a heavy weight slowed him down. Clark's low voice assured him, "I know the truth, Lex, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure the rest of humanity knows it, too."

Lex tried to shrug off the arm that held him close to Clark's side, and failed. "It's too late. It doesn't matter."

Moving slowly down the corridor towards the infirmary, Lex taking over the job of supporting the two of them, Clark continued to insist, "It's never too late, Lex. We're still alive, aren't we? That means there's still hope that we can make things better."

"That virus had to come from LexCorp labs...."

"Which you were in no way responsible for during your Presidency. Lex, you were the agent, not the author. Is your damned Luthor pride going to insist that you declare yourself a monster rather than admit you were duped?"

"I used to dream of smiling as I gave the order to launch every nuclear weapon at my command. I would be standing in a field of sunflowers, looking around, and then my white suit would begin to turn red from a rain of blood, and everything around me would turn to ash."

"I used to dream of sitting on a throne and accepting tribute from all over the world. We all have nightmares, Lex. They don't always come true."

Sighing as they entered the small room, Lex shook his head. "Don't you ever give up and stop trying?"

Lying back on the narrow table with a grin, Clark chuckled. "Nope. Still love you and always will and, yes, I know you don't love me. That should make it clear how much I appreciate challenges."

***

Chapter Three

***

"It's still kind of hard for me to wrap my head around, you know? It's only been a few days for me, but they've been dead for hundreds of years, all my friends, everyone I loved...except for Lex. Whenever I let myself think about it back then, I knew that it was going to happen eventually, but I'd thought that I'd at least...have a chance to say goodbye one last time, tell them that I loved them."

Waking from a nightmare filled with a mountain of skeletons, Lex had escaped to the infirmary to check on Clark. His heart had clenched when he'd found the room empty, a rumpled blanket the only indication that anyone had ever been there. A quick search had informed him that Clark's pants were missing, his vest and sandals still tucked away neatly under the table. The fact that Clark had taken the time to put on something was oddly reassuring, and Lex had begun searching the corridors of the ship for the errant patient.

Preoccupied by the systems check he was running on the navigation board, Wash had simply shaken his head when Lex had peered into the bridge, asking if the other man had seen Clark. Zoe, carrying two mugs of ersatz coffee from the galley to the bridge, had not seen Clark, either. She'd suggested, however, that some people felt claustrophobic in the narrow corridors and small rooms, and needed to be able to stretch out. She'd then pointed out that the landing bay was the most spacious area of the ship.

The mellow voice that filled the corners of the space had been a relief when Lex had emerged from the corridor, and he'd stepped into the shadows, not willing to reveal his presence yet.

"The thing is, there was only my mom, Lois, Jimmy, the League...I never really had many people I considered close. It was tough to make new friends when at any moment I might have had to leave, not to mention having to keep secrets. Dating...was impossible, so I gave up on that years ago." A sad chuckle tore at Lex's heart. "About five hundred and twenty years or so, I guess. That's a long time to be alone."

"The Founder  is eternal." The second voice was unfamiliar to Lex. Using the process of elimination, he deduced that the speaker was Simon's young sister, River. "You've never truly been alone."

Looking up, Lex spotted the two above him, seated on a catwalk not very far away, their faces a blur in the dim light. They'd seated themselves side by side, their legs dangling, bare feet swinging companionably in space. 

"Lex? You're right. Lex has been there, ever since that first day on the bridge. He hit me with his car, I saved him from drowning, and the rest...is the stuff of legends. We were friends for a while...and I'd hoped for more...but then I ruined any chance at that with my secrets, and he ended up hating me. I don't blame him. I failed to protect him when I should have, and then I gave up on him. I listened to everyone who told me constantly that Lex was evil. I was too young and naive to know any better and, when I finally figured it out, it was too late."

"Are you so sure that it's hate?"

"Lust and hatred...his words, not mine. So...yeah...not exactly alone, if you can call shouting at each other every other week and dodging death rays a relationship. To be honest, the League always wondered why I would let him shoot me with kryptonite bullets, or would drink the poison he laced with the green dust…why I just accepted all his attempts to kill me…and never retaliated."

Lex flinched at the memory of pain-filled eyes looking into his each time one of his intricate traps was at least partially successful. Words and actions: both had convinced Clark of Lex's undying enmity. Remembering Clark's earlier words speaking of love, Lex wondered how that emotion had survived all those years of battle.

"It meant that he saw you, that he knew you were still there."

Silence fell for a few moments, and then Lex watched as the smaller figure rose gracefully, a thin hand descending to Clark's head in quiet benediction.

"Tell him your heart."

Clark shook his head, dislodging the girl's hand. "I did, but I'm pretty sure that he doesn't believe me. Too many years of lies that he can't forget, I guess." Sighing, Clark shrugged, a mountain shifting in the artificial dusk. "It's okay. I'll take what I can get, just like always. At least this time he touched me with his hands, instead of using a weapon."

Closing his eyes momentarily, shutting out the sight of Clark's despair, Lex missed River's movements until she was there, standing directly in front of him with her wide eyes glittering in the shadows. She reached up and touched his cheek before he could pull back and avoid the chilled fingers.

"Tell him your heart."

She was gone in the next instant. Lex was left wondering if there was more than one person with powers aboard ship. A hitched breath above him interrupted his thoughts. Leaving his hiding place, he walked across the deck to stand below Clark's position. The change in Clark's posture, and a hasty swipe across cheeks shining with tears, left no doubt in Lex's mind that Clark had not been aware of Lex's presence. "Lex! I...."

"Decided that this ship was an excellent place to play hide and seek?"

A watery chuckle blessed Lex's weak attempt at humor. "Sorry, but I couldn't sleep. Guess my body decided five hundred years was long enough."

Bare feet kicked the air above Lex's head, and he barely resisted the temptation to reach up and tickle a broad sole. "Why didn't you come and find me?" When he saw that Clark was wobbling as he tried to stand up, Lex hurried toward the stairs. "Wait a minute! Let me help you."

Clark waved Lex away when he tried to take Clark's arm. "I'm all right. Just got a little dizzy for a second." Holding onto the platform railing, he began to shuffle towards the stairs without Lex's assistance. "That's exactly why I didn't want to disturb you. Two days wasted nursemaiding me has got to be driving you crazy."

Refusing to let Clark push him away, Lex looped an arm around Clark's waist, appreciating the feel of warm, smooth skin beneath his fingertips. "I think that I should be allowed to decide when I've had enough, don't you?" He smiled when he felt Clark's arm go around him in turn, his wide palm resting just above Lex's navel. "Tired of me already...and yet, just a few short hours ago, you insisted that you loved me," he teased gently.

Clark stiffened, and he stumbled as he tried to step over the lip of the entryway. "Lex, I...."

"I don't hate you, Clark."

The simple words were stark in the metal corridor, no painted walls or wooden floors to absorb or diffuse their meaning. No others were exchanged as they made their way back, only the occasional yellow-orange light breaking through the dark.

When they finally entered a room, Clark looked around in surprise. "This isn't the infirmary."

"No, it's our cabin. Since you refuse to stay where you're supposed to, you'll be better off in here, where I can keep an eye on you."

"I don't understand. Mal said that there were plenty of empty cabins and that no one needed to share..." Clark broke off, his eyes searching Lex's face. "...unless they wanted to...Lex?"

Guiding Clark over to the bed, Lex helped him sit on the edge. He walked back to the door to close and lock it before answering.

"I meant it when I said that I don't hate you, Clark." Returning to the bed, he shoved Clark until he finally got the hint and crawled across the mattress far enough to let Lex join him. Shaking his head at Clark, Lex forestalled any other questions. "We're both still tired. Just get comfortable and try to rest, all right?"

Rolling onto his side to face away from Clark, Lex willed his muscles to relax and ordered his whirling thoughts to settle. He was unsuccessful, up until he felt Clark roll up against his rigid back and pull Lex in with a brawny arm. Knowing he wouldn't be able to free himself without a struggle, Lex admitted to defeat and let his breathing match Clark's down into sleep.

***

Chapter Four

***

"You broke my gorram hand! What're you wearing under that vest, one a Kaylee's spare bits of boat?"

"I didn't need your help, Clark! I used to spar every day with Hope and Mercy. Go back to the bridge and finish your lesson with Wash."

"What in the holy flaming sphincter of hell is going on here? Looks like half my crew is fighting and t'other half is watching them bleed!"

"That was before you ran for President, Lex. Did you think I was just going to sit on the bridge like a good little student pilot and listen to him beat you up? Look at you! You're a mess!"

"So who won? Jayne can't fight no more, so does that mean I won the bet? Pay up, Simon."

"I still have my other hand, so I ain't been beat yet."

"That's why I asked Jayne to...damn it, Clark, put me down!"

"Zoe, get this place cleared out. Sparring for practice is one thing, but I don't hold with no grudge matches. I'll be in my cabin...meditating...until my need to do something I might be regretting...goes away."

"You heard the captain. Jayne, go with the doctor and get that taken care of...and if you look at me that way again, I will hurt you. Kaylee, the bet's off, so go start making dinner. River...go...help Kaylee or something. I swear sometimes I feel like I'm herding a bunch of two-year-olds."

"Is them two-year-olds weaned yet? I'm thinking I could be happy getting me some milk straight from the source."

"Jayne, keep in mind that if both hands are broken, you'll find it very difficult to...scratch your nose."

"I'm right behind you, Doctor. She is one cantankerous woman."

. . .

Lex didn't bounce when Clark threw him down on the bed, probably because Clark had always kept his strength reined in, even when he was furious with Lex. Convinced that it only damaged his dignity, Lex had stopped shouting before their quick detour to the infirmary for a first-aid kit, resigning himself to dangling head down over Clark's shoulder like a sack of feed. Ever the pragmatist, Lex had concluded that a fireman's carry was slightly more acceptable than being swept off his feet and carried across the threshold of their room like a blushing bride.

"Get undressed."

Lex ignored the quiet command, choosing to stare up at the ceiling and count rivets instead. He could hear Clark moving about the room, the rustle of clothing, a muffled chink, and then two thuds. Unable to resist his need to know <i>everything</i>, Lex rolled his head to the side to look. He stiffened in surprise, wincing as abused muscles protested the abrupt movement. Clark had approached the bed silently and was standing a few short feet from Lex's head, a bottle of antiseptic and a length of gauze clenched in his hands. From his vantage point, Lex could easily see that Clark's reaction to the situation was testing the seams of the tight pants Kaylee had supplied.

With a sardonic smile, Lex stretched like a cat and purred, "See something you like, Clark?" Too many long nights spent attempting to sleep next to Clark, refusing to be the first to ask for what he craved, had left Lex aching from unrelieved tension. It had been why Lex had sought out Jayne, to use the larger man to satisfy a need for physical release, even if it had been pure-and-simple sublimation.

Ignoring Lex's taunts, Clark dropped the bottle and gauze on the bed and leaned over to remove Lex's boots, pulling his socks off with them. With a casual toss, Clark sent them to join his sandals in the corner before he began to unbutton Lex's shirt, his thick fingers hesitating over the blood spattered across the collar and sleeve. Lex watched Clark's face, what he could see of it as Clark bent over him, his dark hair falling far enough forward to conceal the green eyes. He didn't miss the thinning of full lips at the darkening bruise coloring Lex's sternum, and he reminded himself to find Jayne and warn him to stay out of Clark's way for the next few days.

"This didn't have to happen, Lex."

The quiet disapproval in Clark's voice incensed Lex, reminding him of days past when the alien spent his time lecturing Lex about right and wrong. He sat up, disregarding the spin of the room as he yanked his shirt off and threw it on the floor. "My decision, Clark. Not yours. You interfered where you weren't wanted, without enough information to make the right decision, just like the good old days." Enjoying the flinch caused by the bitter words, Lex nonchalantly leaned back on his outstretched arms, goading Clark with a flippant attitude. "You also made me forfeit on a bet. I was about to win one of Jayne's weapons, a nice handgun, good balance...."

"Stop talking, Lex, before you regret it."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Clark grabbed Lex's jaw, with a grip just short of painful, and tilted his face in Clark's direction. Dampening the gauze with the antiseptic, he began to swab the shallow cut above Lex's left eye, holding on more firmly when Lex jerked backward with a hiss. "Fuck, Clark! You'd think after five hundred years they'd be able to make that painless."

"Maybe it's meant to remind people not to be so stupid," Clark snapped back. Wetting the gauze again, he began to clean the crusted blood off the side of Lex's face, wincing at the sight of scraped flesh across a once-pale cheek. "Why, Lex? It's not as if you needed the gun."

Impatient with Clark's ministrations, Lex jerked his head back, freeing his chin and glaring into Clark's accusing eyes. "According to whom, Clark? You? Have you conveniently forgotten that I'm no longer a multi-billionaire? Mal's generosity ends when we land at the next planet. After that, I'm on my own."

When he saw pain darken the green eyes judging him, Lex's control vanished. "What did you think starting over meant, Clark? Happily ever after and a white picket fence? It means our entire lives have changed!" Scrambling off the bed before Clark could decide to restrain him, Lex began to pace around the short distance available in the close quarters. "It's bad enough that I have little to no knowledge of the changes five hundred years have made to social and economic structures. You think I want to be saddled with a holier-than-thou alien who doesn't know when to keep his fucking mouth shut so that he stays out of the Alliance's hands?"

The silence from the bed only encouraged Lex to continue ranting. "Oh, I've done some research in the cortex, which is quite an impressive construct. It seems that our friends' bedtime stories are actually damned accurate. You and I went off to save the world from the evil aliens...and we did. The interesting part is that it's obvious we were never meant to return alive. History celebrates us as martyrs. That is to say, you're the martyr. I'm a mixture of Machiavelli, the Borgias, and more than a touch of Mengele...a socio-political genius who managed to take his greatest enemy down with him, leaving the world a much sadder place."

Lex's voice bit and snarled at his fate. "It seems that I cleverly infected myself with a virus that was one-hundred-percent fatal and had an incubation period long enough to allow me to reach the bargaining table before I exhibited any symptoms." Staring down at the floor for a moment before lifting his face to smirk at Clark, Lex laughed bitterly. "Fuck, it gets better. Knowing that I wouldn't be returning, I left a very comprehensive plan for the political and economic future of Earth. The result was the Alliance, the brainchild of The Founder , a utopia for a privileged few. Funny thing is, I sure as hell don't remember writing that plan...or infecting myself...or killing you."

"Lex...."

The pity in Clark's tone set Lex off again, his own voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe it would have been better if I <i>had</i> let you die back there...at least then I wouldn't have to watch you handing over the secrets that I waited <i>years</i> to learn, without a second thought."

That hit a nerve, and Clark rose from the bed to stand in Lex's way, preventing Lex's release of furious energy. Visibly struggling to keep his temper, Clark gritted out, "It's my second chance, too. I didn't reveal my secrets to you until it was too late, and I want to do better this time."

Planting his hand in the center of Clark's chest, Lex shoved, shouting, "I'll remind you of that when you're strapped down on a lab table, cut open like a pithed frog, you idiot!" Lex pounded Clark with his fists, his precise sentences degrading into marginally coherent phrases. "Mercenaries...turn you over...Alliance...stupid...torture...wish I'd died...."

"Stop!" Clark grabbed Lex's wrists before he could break his fists against Clark's body. Lex writhed in his hold, kicking and shouting wordlessly until Clark threw him back onto the bed and pressed him flat with his own body. Breathless from Clark's weight, seared by the hard length that burned against his thigh, Lex stilled for a moment before he opened his mouth to begin again. He stopped abruptly at the look in Clark's eyes, one that chilled Lex to the depths of his soul. He could feel the bass of Clark's voice in his bones. "Shut...the fuck...up, Lex."

Fully aware that this was either the beginning...or the end for them, Lex thrust upward with his hips and mocked, "Make me."

Stunned, Lex watched the cold fury drain from Clark's face, harsh lines softening until the alien disappeared. There was no smile of triumph or pity, just sadness and defeat dragging at the corners of Clark's mouth as he shook his head in denial. "No. I won't let you use me like that, Lex."

Rolling off Lex onto the mattress, Clark covered his eyes with a forearm and released a shuddering breath. He said nothing, not even when Lex sat up and crawled off the bed, picking up the bottle and discarding the gauze along the way. Replacing the antiseptic in the first-aid kit, Lex tucked the kit away in a cabinet before picking up his shirt and carrying it into the small bathroom. He ran cold water into the sink and submerged the stained cotton, leaving it to soak.

Leaning forward to look in the small mirror over the sink, Lex examined the damage to his face, wetting a cloth to finish cleaning off the blood that Clark had missed. Probing fingertips tested the bruising Jayne's fists had left on his torso with Lex finally concluding that nothing was broken. He knew that the damage would be undetectable in less than a day, the cut above his eye not even leaving a scar. Clark was aware of how quickly Lex healed. It was why Lex failed to understand Clark's interference.

On Lex's return to the main cabin, it was plain to see that Clark hadn't moved, and was no longer aroused. Suddenly, while Clark lay there motionless, his face concealed behind his arm, Lex finally began to notice some disturbing changes. Clark was noticeably thinner and his usual golden tan had faded to a sickly gray-green against the sheets. Darker, mottled areas suggested that his impervious skin had failed to shield Clark from internal injuries, and that the former <i>Man of Steel</i> was now vulnerable to wounds he'd tried to conceal behind clothing...or a smile.

Lex halted in the center of the room, irresolute, adrift without a plotted course for the first time in years. Clark had unexpectedly changed the rules of the game...simply by refusing to play.  A shiver of unease ran through Lex, but he made no effort to find another shirt, absently wrapping his arms around himself instead. Minutes ticked by with no sound or movement from either man, until Clark sighed, rolling over to rise awkwardly to his feet.

Head down and shuffling slowly, Clark pulled a small duffle bag from a narrow closet and then removed his second pair of pants and only shirt from a drawer. Lex watched helplessly, paralyzed by disbelief, as Clark carelessly stuffed the clothing inside the bag before detouring around Lex and entering the bathroom, adding his toiletries to the collection. Still avoiding Lex, Clark headed for the corner and picked up his sandals, not stopping to put them on. His outsized hand was reaching to unlock the door when Lex finally spoke, his stubborn throat closing after choking out a single word. "Clark...."

Facing away from Lex, Clark let his head droop lower between slumped shoulders as his weary voice responded, "I love you, Lex, but that doesn't mean I'm going to continue to let you manipulate me. I'm no longer that naive boy you hit with your car in Smallville, nor am I the man who paid penance for years for his decisions about secrets and lies. I understand that you're trying to force me into leaving you, or to goad me until I hurt you. I know that if I do, you'll have your reason to hate me again, and then it'll be easier for you to walk away."

The lock clicked open under Clark's hand. "I'll make it even simpler. It's completely up to you what happens next. I'll be staying aboard Serenity as part of the crew, with or without you. I'm still willing to try to make things work between us, but I'm not spending another night lying next to you...alone."

The grating slide of the door, the cold finality of that sound, broke through Lex's defenses. He lunged forward, clutching at Clark's elbow before he could leave. "Don't!" Refusing to turn around, Clark shook his head and attempted to tug his arm free without injuring Lex. A whine of desperation slipped through Lex's tight control, and then he discarded his self-destructive Luthor pride. "Please, Clark. I...I'm sorry." It was the first honest apology Lex had offered anyone in years, and he feared that it wouldn't be enough for Clark. "I...need you."

Clark stilled, remaining motionless for so long that Lex was sure he'd destroyed any chance they'd had for a future together. It wasn't until the door slid shut again and the lock clicked that he was able to hope...and breathe. Carelessly dropping his sandals and the bag where he stood, Clark turned around and opened his arms. Lex stepped forward, feeling the warmth surround him as he slid his own arms around Clark's waist. Resting his head on Clark's shoulder, Lex tucked his face into Clark's neck, and closed his eyes in relief.

Content to stand there inside Clark's arms, Lex absorbed the heat of his body, savoring the scent of leather and sweat rising from Clark's skin. He could hear Clark's heart, strong and steady beneath his ear, and Lex marveled that Clark had offered it to him once again, willing to risk more pain to be with Lex. He pulled Clark closer, unwilling to move and break the fragile truce.

The faint tremor that intensified beneath Lex's hands, coupled with an increasingly irregular heartbeat, finally forced Lex into action. Freeing himself slowly, he backed towards the bed, pulling Clark after him by his hands. Halting when the backs of his knees touched the edge of the mattress, Lex began to unbutton Clark's vest, the well-worn black leather offering no resistance to his determined fingers. Slipping it off Clark's shoulders, he let it drop to the floor in favor of removing Clark's pants.

Watching his fingers manipulate buttons through broadcloth, Lex began to wonder at the persistence of simple solutions through the ages, but his natural bent for analysis vanished when the fly opened. Clark's pants began sliding off his hips with nothing but skin underneath to hold them in place. Lex looked up with a tentative smile, but then the impassive cast of Clark's expression stilled his movements, Lex freezing in fear that he'd made yet another miscalculation.

His voice unsteady, Lex abandoned his assumptions and sought guidance. "Clark, isn't this what you wanted...or have I made another mistake?" He searched Clark's eyes for some clue as to what he should do next. The doubt and pain flickering in the blue-green depths gnawed at Lex, his conscience insisting he was responsible.

Clark had laid his own feelings on the line, only to have Lex dismiss them, unwilling to expose any vulnerability to Clark. He'd claimed Clark, forced him to share a bed and living quarters, and then kept himself aloof. Lex had turned his face away from kisses and shrugged off Clark's attempted caresses each day, pulled away from Clark in the night. He'd held back, using the pretense of waiting for Clark to ask, when Clark had been doing just that all along.

Lex thought frantically, knowing that the odds of successfully repairing the damage he'd caused decreased as each second passed.

<i> It's okay.  I'll take what I can get, just like always.  At least this time he touched me with his hands, instead of using a weapon. </i>

It hadn't been that long ago when Lex had heard those words and ached at the sound of Clark's despair. Somehow, that still hadn't been enough for Lex to temper his shouts and insults into reasoned discussions or to consider Clark's concerns. It was suddenly clear to Lex that an apology offered under duress was not enough to compensate for his half-conscious attempt to break and abandon Clark in this stark future. Lex's actions, despite his declarations, had forced Clark to believe that he'd set himself up for more pain by staying, that Lex had lied in order to continue to inflict his chosen method of punishment for past wrongs, using words instead of kryptonite.

Reaching up to stroke Clark's face gently, Lex whispered, "You're the most important person in my life, Clark. I don't want to lose you. I keep making the wrong decisions. Please help me?"

The flair of hope in Clark's eyes told Lex that he'd finally gotten one right.

. . .

"I did think about what I was doing before I decided not to keep who and what I am a secret, Lex. I've asked the crew not to spread it around if they can avoid it, but I don't think that'll be a problem." Clark paused, waiting for the other man to raise an objection. Lex, who was sitting between Clark's legs with his back against Clark's chest, remained silent. "While you've been busy learning about the 'verse...I've been learning about our new friends."

When Lex had relinquished control of the encounter to Clark, he hadn't expected to end up propped up at the head of the bed, held in Clark's arms like a favorite stuffed animal. The fact that both of them had ended up naked, and that Clark had raised no objection when Lex held up the tube of lubricant he'd liberated a few days before from Simon's medical supplies, had helped Lex accept the undignified position with only a few grumbles. He'd been pleasantly surprised by how much he was enjoying the rumble of Clark's voice against his back and the tickle of Clark's warm breath across his scalp.

"Even before I met all of them personally, I'd received the impression that they were good people. They brought us aboard with no guarantee of reward or payment, rescuing us from a ship they could have sold as salvage. Instead, they set a beacon and notified the family that owned the ship about the loss of its crew and its current location."

Lex had been relieved when the tremors, which had signaled Clark's exhaustion after his latest use of his waning powers, had subsided as Clark rested quietly. It had been disconcerting when he'd finally noticed how weak Clark still was days after his surface wounds had healed. Lex suspected that Clark was not going to be able to recover fully from the kryptonite poisoning until the alien spent some time recharging in the sun.

"Did you know that they visited me in the infirmary when you were away doing something else? Every one of them, even though Jayne would never admit to it, and that was before they knew anything about us." Clark chuckled, the vibration initiating an interesting response in certain portions of Lex's anatomy. "Kaylee knows everything about everyone. She loves to listen to other people's stories, where they've been and where they're headed." Squeezing Lex a little tighter, Clark confided, "Whenever I see Zoe out of the corner of my eye, I duck. I keep expecting her to haul out a gun loaded with kryptonite bullets."

Lex agreed with a laugh. "I've called her Hope once or twice myself. I have to agree that she's very loyal to her captain."

"Mal's a good man, Lex. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of you."

"Me?" Lex sputtered, "The man's a thief! Simon told me that the reason he and River are planning to get off at Beaumont is because Mal put her in danger when he took her on a payroll heist."

Clark's quiet rebuttal was a revelation for Lex. "Did he also tell you that Mal has weathered a lot of trouble to keep them both out of the Alliance's hands, when he could have turned River in for a substantial reward?" He nuzzled Lex's ear and murmured, "He walks in the gray spaces, Lex. You of all people know what that's like. You've always been ready to put yourself on the line for your friends or when you <i>know</i> it's the right thing to do...and to hell with any law that says otherwise."

Lex had nothing he could say to refute Clark's statement. Instead, he dropped his eyes to the arms that held him close, gently tracing the edges of a bruise. "I know you've been working with Wash, learning how to run the navigational computer and pilot the ship. Have you been able to find out when we'll be approaching a G-type sun?"

"I didn't explain to anyone why I was checking, but I did find out that it probably won't be anytime soon. Just my luck red suns are the most common. Beaumont's an M-type, and where Serenity goes after that depends on whether or not Mal can pick up another job while he's there. I have to say that it amazes me how people have no difficulty living without a yellow sun when it comes to mining a planet as rich in ore as Beaumont."

"It's called greed, Clark, and it obviously hasn't been bred out of the human race." Lex frowned. "You need to spend time under a sun as close as possible to Earth's, or you're never going to recover. It didn't help that you were recharging too slowly under that K-type when you were injured."

"It was a calculated risk." Clark shrugged. "Guess we needed better calculators."

"Maybe I can come up with something to convince the captain to make a detour...." Lex's voice began to fade as he considered options. With a sharp bite to the side of Lex's neck, Clark recaptured his attention. Lex arched under the erotic interruption, his breath catching with rekindled passion. "Clark...."

"That's <i>we</i>, Lex. The two of us need to start talking to each other and stop making unilateral decisions. Am I right?"

Lex simply nodded in agreement as Clark's tongue soothed the tender skin he'd nipped.

"Good. I propose that from now on, if you feel a need to vent your frustration on a large, hairy man who smells bad, you make sure to find me. I happened to pick up a few close-quarters tricks from Batman, just in case I ever lost my powers."

Squirming back against the evidence of Clark's renewed arousal, Lex growled, "I happen to like the way you smell...and if that crack about Batman was meant to make me jealous...it worked, you bastard."

Busy exploring Lex's smooth chest, thick fingers tweaking his sensitive nipples, Clark nibbled the rim of Lex's ear and murmured, "He never laid a hand on me, Lex, not that way. All those years of surveillance and you still don't believe that you're the only guy I've ever wanted, that I've ever kissed...or touched?"

Twisting in Clark's arms, Lex ended up straddling muscled thighs, his hands holding Clark's face still so that he could search Clark's eyes for the truth. "And the women?"

"Jealousy is bi-directional, Lex, and you were no monk yourself. Are you <i>sure</i> you want to get into this when everyone in question has been dead for half a millennium?"

"Can I plead temporary insanity due to unrelieved sexual tension?"

Clark tipped Lex off his lap and onto his back in one smooth motion. Laughing at Lex's look of surprise at the unexpected move, he arranged himself between Lex's thighs and lowered himself until he covered Lex from groin to nipples, saving Lex from being crushed by propping himself up on his elbows. Grinding down, he made it clear to Lex that he intended to remove Lex's flimsy excuse for bad behavior.

While Lex was enjoying the feel of Clark's body against him, he wanted more. Raising his head, he chased Clark's lips and captured the lower one between his teeth. Increasing the pressure until Clark moaned and jerked against him, Lex finally released the bite-reddened flesh with a grin. "I want you inside me, Clark."

Green flames blazed in Clark's eyes before he closed them, whispering, "Fuck, Lex."

Searching for the lube that he'd tucked under his pillow earlier, Lex agreed, "Exactly." Appreciating Clark's chuckle, Lex quickly turned it into a moan as he twisted beneath Clark, his repeated efforts to locate the small tube failing. Finally realizing why Lex was moving so frantically beneath him, Clark reached out and grabbed the pillow, tossing it off the bed. The second one followed, and the two men groaned when the small container still eluded them. Clark's eyes narrowed, and then his hand dipped between the bed and the wall. He grinned in triumph as he managed to retrieve the missing lube.

 Impatient at the delay, Lex thrust upward to remind Clark why they'd been searching so frantically. Clutching the tube, Clark slid down Lex's body, sucking and licking a raised red trail as if to mark the way back. Lex writhed under Clark's attentions, his hands shoving on Clark's shoulders to force him lower, demanding that Clark stop torturing him and <i>get your fucking cock in me, right now</i>. Clark stubbornly kept his own pace, spending as much time as he wanted exploring Lex's navel before scraping his teeth along the tender crease of Lex's thighs, all of his pale, creamy skin as bare as his head.

When Clark finally licked his way over to where Lex's heavy sac had risen tight and high beneath a thick cock with a glistening purple head, Lex's hands were fisted in Clark's hair and Lex had been reduced to single words, most of them profane. Lex's pale thighs lifted over Clark's shoulders when Clark nudged them farther apart, allowing access to the soft patch of skin behind his balls. Nibbling along it, Clark ignored the heels that drummed against his back in frustration to draw the taut flesh of first one and then the other of Lex's balls into his mouth. Moving higher, he licked from base to head once before startling a shout from Lex, swallowing him to the root without a pause.

Lost in the exquisite sensation of Clark's hot, tight throat, Lex nearly levitated when the first slick finger breached him. Words left him completely when the second followed soon after, and his hands relinquished their grip on Clark's hair to pound on the mattress instead. Clark chuckled at Lex's loss of control, and then choked from the resultant explosion, Lex launching himself upward to empty into Clark's throat and mouth and then, due to the choking, across his cheeks and chin.

Coughing and laughing, Clark drew back and then knelt so that he could wipe off his face, slyly introducing a third finger while Lex lay slack-muscled and dazed. When he twisted his hand, Lex jerked and begged, "Please, Clark, now?"

Nodding, Clark withdrew his fingers and quickly slicked himself before leaning forward, bracing himself on his hands. Lex's legs were suspended over Clark's arms, leaving him open and ready. Nudging at his entrance, Clark watched Lex's face for any sign of pain. A slow, steady push and they both stopped to breathe, the stretch and ache reminding Lex that it had been years, the tight heat threatening Clark's control.

Rolling up, Lex offered his lips and Clark bent his head to take them, sharing the bitter salt between them. Clark slid in a little further and Lex stiffened before falling back to the mattress with a groan. Afraid that he'd hurt Lex, Clark began to withdraw until Lex protested, "No, don't leave me!" Clark froze, a bead of sweat dripping from his chin to Lex's chest as he waited, and then Lex whispered, "More."

Inch by inch, Clark pushed forward until he was there, <i>inside</i>, feeling every shift and throb. Lex's face hid nothing, his bright eyes wide as he grinned in triumph. A hand rose from the mattress to catch another drop of sweat. When Lex sucked it off his thumb, Clark groaned at the sight and began to move, slowly at first and then faster, harder. His eyes never left Lex's until his back arched and he shouted through his release deep inside Lex, his hips stuttering to a halt.

Clark hung there above Lex, his arms locked in position, and Lex began to worry as Clark struggled to drag oxygen into his heaving lungs. Sliding up the mattress, Lex disengaged slowly, wincing a little at the awkward stretch, and once he was free, he helped Clark ease down to the bed, rolling him to his side to help him breathe. Slipping off the bed, Lex hurried to the bathroom and wet a towel with warm water. He carried it back and began to bathe the sweat and semen from Clark, relief almost overwhelming him when Clark's breathing began to stabilize and color returned to his face.

Rolling to his back, Clark grinned up at Lex, his eyes filled with warmth and humor. "That was incredible," he rasped. "When can we do that again?"

***

Chapter Five

***

When Lex disembarked from Serenity and surveyed Beaumont's busy port, he half-expected Harrison Ford to walk up and test him for possible classification as a replicant. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clark glance up at the clear dome overhead, and sympathized at his wince at the red sun.

While they had been waiting for Wash to open the landing bay, Clark had confided to Lex that losing the last of his enhanced hearing was a mixed blessing. True, he no longer had to cope with it cutting in and out as it had been for the last few days, but the thought that he wouldn't be able to hear if Lex needed him had left Clark uneasy. Unfortunately for Clark's peace of mind, the captain had assigned him to help Kaylee restock the stores, while Lex was to accompany Mal and Jayne when they delivered the goods from their latest job.

Lex had been surprised at how easily he and Clark had been assimilated into Serenity's crew. Their status aboard the ship had never been formally discussed. It was just casually accepted as fact that they were both welcome to stay as long as they did their share and followed the captain's orders...whenever he felt the need to issue any. The crew's initial apprehension about potential disagreements had amused Lex. The Founder  had no designs on the captaincy or ownership of a vessel like Serenity.

Like most of the crew, the newest members had pitched in to help wherever needed. Mal had been content to hand over the ship's accounts to Lex, and was even happier to find out that Lex could fill in for Simon in a pinch, putting his experience working in the LuthorCorp labs to good use. Still feeling somewhat guilty, Lex had helped Simon perform the preliminary work on a vaccine for the virus that he'd survived, and Simon would arrange to get it into the right hands before he and his sister departed Beaumont on another ship.

Clark's contributions were in a different direction. His strength was still formidable, at least for short periods, and he alternated heavy lifting for Kaylee with pilot training with Wash. Wash had let Clark handle the landing at Beaumont, and Lex had almost been blinded by Clark's grin when Wash had declared that he couldn't have done it better himself. Lex was glad that Clark had found something he excelled at, although Lex suspected nothing would ever completely make up for the loss of the Kryptonian's powers if it became a permanent condition.

"I guess this is probably goodbye." Simon had come up behind Lex without his notice and was now waiting for River to finish saying her farewell to a distressed Kaylee. "Depending on how quickly we transfer to a new ship, I may not see you again."

Lex turned, offering Simon a slight smile. "I'm sorry to see you leave. It's been a pleasure working with you." As they exchanged handshakes, still an accepted practice in the future, Lex murmured, "You know where to find me, at least for a while, if you need more blood for the vaccine."

Simon nodded and turned away to call to River. Their baggage would remain in Serenity's landing bay until they'd booked space on another ship, so the two were quickly on their way, threading through the crowd of arriving and departing passengers. As Lex watched them disappear, Clark nudged him, jerking his chin to the rear to indicate the remaining crew.

Mal was still running through the port regulations with Zoe, who was staying behind to guard the ship with Wash. Kaylee's normally cheerful voice was querulous as she interrupted them. "I can't see why you had to send Simon away like that and lose me my chance. It's nigh going on a year and I ain't had nothing twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!"

Disconcerted by Kaylee's frankness, Mal ran his hand through his hair and protested, "Oh, God! I can't <i>know</i> that, Kaylee!"

"Speak for yourself. I could stand to hear a little more about Kaylee's nethers." Licking his lips, Jayne leaned in a little closer to Kaylee and leered, until he looked up and saw Clark frowning at him. The kick Jayne received from Zoe sent him backing away with a dismissive shrug at Kaylee's defenders.

Kaylee shook her head at the captain, and then backed away in Clark's direction. "If you had a care for anybody's heart...."

Reaching the end of his patience, Mal followed her and declared angrily, "It's the doctor's business, but if I truly wanted someone, there wouldn't be nothing in the 'verse that would stop me."

Taking Clark's arm, Kaylee spat, "Tell that to Inara, Captain." She tugged and Clark obediently followed her towards the market, sending a mute apology in Lex's direction. Watching them leave, Lex made a mental note to ask Clark about Inara. He was curious as to why the mention of the name had left Mal's eyes dark with pain. He was certain Clark would know, given that he'd already accumulated an amazing amount of information on the others' lives. When Lex had asked how he'd managed it, Clark had grinned and claimed it was his years of experience as a reporter...and his honest face.

Tucking his curiosity away for later, Lex trailed Mal and Jayne through the port to what looked like a bar with a neon sign announcing that it was called <i>The Maidenhead</i>. At the entrance, they handed over their weapons, which were placed in a revolving locker. In return, they received tokens, which would redeem the guns when they left the bar.

Descending a flight of stairs, the three men entered the main room. As agreed, Mal and Jayne headed for the table to the side where their contact waited, while Lex took up a position at the bar where he could look out over the scattered tables and watch the patrons. When the bartender approached him, Lex reached into a pocket to pull out a few small coins. He tossed one on the bar, asking for the beer that Mal had recommended, absently rolling one of the remaining coins across his knuckles.

A faint smile played about Lex's lips as he remembered the first time he'd seen one of the coins. Mal had distributed them to the crew before landing, and the sight of a familiar profile had caught Lex by surprise. Hearing himself being referred to as the legendary Founder  had left him feeling like part of a fairy tale, but seeing his own features stamped on a coin of the realm suddenly made it very real.

As he attempted to listen in on the captain's conversation, which seemed to be going badly for some reason, Lex found his attention caught by a movement in the front of the room. He was surprised when he recognized River Tam exiting a small room alone, but he quickly surmised that she and her brother had been meeting with another ship's captain and that she'd become bored.

If that had indeed been the case, her boredom didn't last long.

The video screen at the opposite side of the room from the captain had been flashing a series of commercials. One of them, singing the praises of Fruity Oaty Bars, brought River to a standstill, her face blank as she gazed up at the screen. Puzzled at her odd reaction, Lex was about to approach River when he thought that he saw her lips moving, and then...all hell broke loose.

 . . .

Sitting on the floor in the center of the bar, Lex tried to regain his breath from the half-fist strike he'd received directly to the lower half of his sternum. He stared in amazement as River ducked, flipped a man three times her weight across a table, and then pivoted effortlessly on her left heel to kick out with her right leg. The thick-soled boot connected with her latest attacker's left femur with a force that Lex thought even Clark would have had difficulty absorbing without injury. Lex winced in sympathy at the resulting cracks: the heavy thigh bone, followed by the screaming man's head thudding against the floor.

Admiring her perfectly choreographed movements, unfaltering against multiple opponents, Lex rapidly concluded that no one in the room had a chance against the slight figure. This was borne out by the fact that only one or two men were still standing. He'd never seen anyone move so gracefully or with such deadly precision through the forms, only a few of them recognizable from his sessions with Hope and Mercy, which had focused on strikes rather than on grappling.

A movement on the stairs caught Lex's eye. When he saw Mal heading for the weapons locker, Lex knew time was running out. Staggering to his feet, Lex stumbled in the direction of the room that River had exited earlier. Glancing back, he managed to glimpse Jayne wrapping his burly arms around River's waist. He didn't wait to see what happened after the heel of her palm connected with the point of Jayne's jaw, but the full-throated groans coming from behind Lex provided a clue.

Thankfully, the door to the soundproofed room wasn't locked, and when Lex threw it open and yelled for Simon, no one appeared to take offense. Eyes wide, Simon hurried to Lex...and then right past him when he saw what was happening in the bar. Lex followed him out, and when he saw Mal pointing his gun at River, and River aiming one back at Mal, all Lex could summon was a heartfelt, "Fuck!"

Simon wasted no time on ordinary expletives, instead shouting something that Lex thought sounded like, "Eta core nas me!"

River dropped the gun, her eyes rolling up in her head as she collapsed in a heap, looking as if her bones had suddenly dissolved.

Mal, Simon, and Lex were the only people inside the bar still standing. Everyone else either had become a casualty or had been smart enough to run. Holstering his gun, Mal stalked back down the stairs to loom over S