Archive of Our Own (BETA rev. 2850)

Chapter Text

***

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 everything, 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 had let you die back there...at least then I wouldn't have to watch you handing over the secrets that I waited years 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 Man of Steel 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.

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.

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 know 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 we, 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 sure 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 get your fucking cock in me, right now. 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, inside, 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 know 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 The Maidenhead. 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 Simon and his unconscious sister. Without a word, the captain pushed Simon aside and gathered River carefully into his arms. His face was grim as he issued one of his rare orders. "Pick up Jayne and get back to the ship." River's limp body cradled closely, he walked back up the stairs without another word.

Eyebrow raised in a silent question, Lex glanced at Simon. Simon frowned in puzzlement and then walked over to Jayne, who was curled up on the floor and groaning. Lex took a final look around the floor covered with moaning or unconscious bodies and noticed the captain's satchel underneath a nearby table. He grabbed the heavy leather case before looping one of Jayne's arms over his shoulder. Stopping only long enough to retrieve their weapons, the three men stumbled through the doors of the demolished bar, heading for the ship that waited under the blood-red sun.

. . .

"She's asleep. We used the restraints because I don't know how long she'll stay out. The way her system metabolizes the drugs is...."

Mal cut Simon off before he could say any more about his sister's condition. "You'll be wanting to explain just what the flaming hell happened now, won't you?"

The crew had gathered in the galley after everyone had returned to the ship. While Simon had been tending to River with Lex's assistance, the rest had listened to Jayne's recounting of the events in the bar. Mal had said little, face stony and eyes dark with anger.

Bravely trying to diffuse some of the tension, Wash suggested, "Maybe you could tell us again how Jayne got knocked out by a ninety-pound girl...because that's never going to get old."

"It's the behavioral conditioning she went through." Simon looked uncomfortable as he tried to explain why his sister had decided, without provocation, to fight her way through the entire population of a bar. "The people who helped me rescue her from the Alliance facility thought that there might be some triggers, so they gave me a safe word. That was what left her unconscious."

Mal rose from his seat at the table and advanced on the doctor, fists clenched and mouth working in rage. "You and your sister have been on my ship for nigh on a year and she could have got monkeyshit anytime and you didn't see fit to share...." The captain found himself talking into Clark's chest when the Kryptonian positioned himself between Mal and Simon. Raising his eyes to Clark's calm face, Mal gritted his teeth and ground out, "What's your safe word?"

When Lex saw the look of pain that settled into Clark's eyes, he stepped forward, placed a hand on Mal's shoulder, and carefully pushed him back a few inches. Lex's voice was calm but contained a note of tacit warning. "That was uncalled for, Captain."

Wheeling away, Mal began to pace the length of the galley. "My ship. My crew. You had a gorram time bomb living with us, Doctor. Who are we going to find when she wakes up?" Halting at the head of the table, Mal pinned Simon with a merciless glare. "The girl...or the weapon?"

Pulling an ice pack away from his battered face and tossing it onto the table, Jayne interrupted the captain's tirade. "Why are they even back on the ship? I thought they was getting off." The silent stares he received from the remaining crew members left him sputtering, "Oh, that's right. She's a killer woman, so we oughta be bringing her tea and dumplings. In earnest, Mal, why'd you bring her back on?"

Lex watched with curiosity as Mal looked across the table at Zoe with pain in his eyes. She answered his silent plea for understanding with a nod. Lex wasn't surprised when she turned to Jayne and ordered, "Shut up, Jayne." Jayne's instant silence underlined his respect for Mal's second-in-command.

Simon sighed and excused himself from the group. "I need to check on River." Kaylee's face reflected her concern as she watched him leave, his shoulders hunched as if expecting a blow.

"I'll go with you, Simon," Clark volunteered. He was halfway out the door before Lex could object, ignoring Lex's muttered 'damned hero complex' with a wave and a grin.

First making sure that he was out of range of Zoe's fist, Jayne muttered, "She goes wooly again, we're going to have to put a bullet to her."

Eyes narrowed, Mal looked around at his crew and reluctantly admitted, "It's crossed my mind."

Setting his mug of tea down with a crash, Wash objected, "I'd like to make a non-violent suggestion here. We're flying a lot blinder than usual...we need to talk to Mr. Universe."

Lex cocked his head to the side in puzzlement and ventured, "I'm assuming this isn't a professional bodybuilder you're referring to?"

***

Chapter Six

***

Leaving Jayne behind in the galley, where he was grumbling to Kaylee about the time that River had attacked him with a butcher knife, Lex joined Mal and Zoe on the bridge. Wash was already in his chair and had initiated a 'wave to the self-proclaimed Mr. Universe, who turned out to be an arrogant young man with a dark mop of curls, chattering incessantly as he ran a complex search/filter algorithm through the multiple feeds he was processing. The mass of communication equipment visible behind Mr. Universe impressed Lex, and he began to understand the reason behind the pompous name.

Turning away from a video showing River in full ninja mode, Mr. Universe simpered, "You always bring me the very best violence, Mal."

Shifting uncomfortably at the unwanted compliment, Mal repeated his earlier question. "Is there any news about this?"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Mr. Universe lectured, "There is no news. There is only the truth of the signal. Of course, there's also the puppet theater that the Alliance manages to foist on the somnambulant public."

Impatient at the banter, Wash prompted, "So did we make the puppet theater, then?"

"No, you didn't, and no law enforcement flags are flying, either." The communications expert tapped one of the dozens of screens surrounding him in the remote facility. "This is the security feed direct."

Mr. Universe shrugged, and Lex felt a frisson of disquiet slide between his shoulder blades at how easily the information had been retrieved. "Can't stop the signal, Mal. Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere." The words that followed had every eye on the bridge riveted to the screen. "By the way, I wasn't the first one to access that particular security feed."

Zoe was the first to speak. "So someone else knows."

"You must stop falling in love with me, Zoe, you sultry minx. I'm afraid that my heart already belongs to my lovebot." Blowing a flirty kiss in Zoe's direction, Mr. Universe rolled away from the screen to reveal a round bed, covered with what looked like baby-blue crushed velvet. Waving what Lex thought looked suspiciously like a universal remote, he indicated a blonde android dressed in a frothy blue-and-silver confection and displayed alluringly on the bed.

Rolling his eyes, Lex muttered, "Oh, behave." He ignored Wash's puzzled glance, instead focusing on the screen, where Mr. Universe had begun to review the security feed in an attempt to identify River's trigger event.

'Miranda.' The enhanced image of River murmuring a single word paused. They had already watched several times as she'd removed her tight jacket and dropped it to the floor before attacking. It was clear to see that the name Miranda was the beginning.

Lex had been the only one there who had observed River's actions before it had started. "She was watching a video right before then. I thought I saw her say something and that must have been it."

Eyes narrowed in thought, Mr. Universe nodded before he punched a few keys on the board in front of him. "I can pull up the video schedule for that time frame and...there it is."

Wash looked confused. "Fruity Oaty Bars?"

Mal and Lex both spoke at the same time. "No, there has to be more." "Look deeper."

Another half-dozen keystrokes, and the singing and dancing poppets were overlaid with strings of digital code. Mr. Universe crowed, "Oh, you two boys are so very, very smart."

Feeling ill, Lex identified what Mal had also suspected. "Subliminal. It's a subliminal message, a broadcasted trigger."

Nodding enthusiastically, Mr. Universe agreed, "I've been seeing this Alliance high military code showing up all over in the last few weeks."

Staring through the screen at the four clustered on the bridge, Mr. Universe became disconcertingly solemn. "Do you understand what it is that you're carrying? Does it have anything to do with your new friend, who looks just like all the pictures I've ever seen of The Founder?"

. . .

Lex met Clark just as he was leaving the storage room where River was being restrained. "Lex, I was going to find you. I...I think you should...I mean, maybe you have some...suggestions because...."

Concerned by Clark's obvious fear of saying something wrong, Lex pulled him a little farther down the corridor and kissed him gently before asking, "What is it, Clark? Just tell me."

Ducking his head, Clark avoided Lex's eyes. "It's that whole trigger and safe word thing, Lex. I saw something...a tattoo, on the back of River's neck, under her hair." Clark's eyes were shimmering in the low light of the corridor when he looked back up at Lex. "God. When I was a kid, I had nightmares about being locked up in a lab and experimented on…and that's what they did to her."

Reaching up to rub the back of Clark's tense neck, Lex soothed, "I understand, Clark, and I should never have pushed you so hard for your secrets back then. I know that now." Lex's hand slipped forward to cradle Clark's jaw as he continued. "The labs I ran...that's the reason why I shut them down or sold them off. I guess it finally sank in that what I was doing wasn't the best way to handle the mutant problem, even when I was still worrying about an alien invasion or whether you were going to take over the world. I was sorry that I'd ever started."

Troubled green eyes searched Lex's face. "I know what you did, Lex. I investigated them, remember?" Clark sighed as he shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think they stayed shut down. I've seen the logo that's part of the tattoo before. That's why I thought that maybe you could help Simon with River, because some of what was done to her...may have started in your labs all those years ago."

Pushing himself back, Lex protested, "What the fuck are you talking about, Clark?"

"I'm so sorry, Lex. Summerholt-Cadmus. It's their logo...with a serial number."

. . .

Standing in the doorway of the storage room, Lex watched silently as Simon tenderly washed the blood off River's face, none of it hers. Brushing her tangled hair back gently, as she sat next to him on a thin mat, her brother crooned, "Sorry, I didn't want to do this while you were sleeping. I'm sorry."

Pushing his hands away, River shook her head. "They should be. I'll show them." Her face crumpled as she trembled. "Oh, God."

Clark pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and squatted down next to her, reaching out to gently stroke her slender arm. "It's okay, River. Everything's going to be all right."

She began rocking back and forth, keening, "They show me off like a dog. Old men covered in blood...never touch them even if they're drowning in it. I don't know what I'm saying. I don't even understand what I'm saying." Tears ran down her contorted face.

Lex stirred and murmured, "Maybe Clark and I should leave you...."

River's cuffed hands darted out to capture one of Clark's, holding it tight. "He makes a quiet place. I need them to stop talking."

Clark looked at Lex, his eyes pleading for patience. "She's like Ryan. He couldn't read my thoughts, either. It helped him...at the end."

Thinking back to their early days in Smallville, Lex made the connection. "Garner's experiments at Summerholt."

Leaving his station at the door, Lex approached River and sank down gracefully into a lotus position directly in front of her. "River, you said something when all this started. Do you remember what it was?"

Leaning her head against Simon's shoulder, she shrugged. "Miranda. Ask her."

Exchanging a glance with Lex, Simon tried next. "Who is Miranda?" River's hands twisted in the cuffs, squeezing Clark's hand until Lex could see him wincing.

Quietly, Lex ventured, "Are we talking to Miranda now?" River stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Okay, then. Well, is there anything you can tell us about this memory?"

River dropped Clark's hand and began rocking again. "It isn't mine. I shouldn't have to carry it. It isn't mine. Don't make me sleep again."

Wiping her tears with the soft cloth, Simon promised, "I won't."

"Put a bullet to me, right in the brain pan," she wailed. Clark made a choked sound and Lex flinched.

Simon's temper slipped at that, and he grabbed River's shoulders and shook her. "Don't say that again. Never. We'll get through this."

River stopped rocking. The hopeless look on her face sent a chill through Lex, and he shivered despite the close, warm air. Her words did nothing to dispel Lex's unease. "No, Simon. Things are going to get much, much worse."

***

Chapter Seven

***

"Wait, Lex. Kneel on this." Clark unbuttoned his leather vest quickly, folding it before placing it on the floor in front of him. Lex dropped to his knees, finished pulling Clark's heavy cock free of his unbuttoned pants and began to stroke it roughly. Hearing Clark hiss in pain when Lex's thumb scraped carelessly across the purpled head only fueled Lex's growing rage.

He was incensed at the thought that someone had dared to continue the experiments he'd shut down years before he'd left Earth on their ill-fated mission.

He was frustrated by his impotence due to the lack of resources and options available to him while he was confined to a mercenary's ship.

He was infuriated at Clark's initial reluctance to kiss him in the dark corridor Lex had pulled him into after leaving Simon and River in the storage room.

When he'd slammed Clark back against the metal walls and dragged his head down to meet Lex's demanding mouth, Lex hadn't wanted to hear any words that represented denial or failure to him. Clark's moan of protest beneath Lex's punishing lips meant nothing; neither did Clark's aborted attempt to stop Lex from opening his pants. He'd growled between cruel bites along Clark's neck that he'd suck Clark's cock anytime and anywhere he damned well pleased...and that was when Clark had given in.

Unfortunately, although Clark had taken off his vest to make Lex more comfortable on the metal decking, and had then allowed Lex to pull his cock out in a corridor where anyone could come across them at any time, he was only half-hard.

Lex was determined to change that.

Swiping his tongue across the tip, Lex picked up the metallic tang that lurked under Clark's sweat. When Lex had remarked on it after the first time he'd swallowed Clark's semen, he'd had to cope with Clark's worry about whether he'd inadvertently poisoned Lex with the kryptonite he was still excreting very slowly. Lex had finally been able to convince Clark that the exposure level was substantially less than he'd received from the kryptonite ring he'd worn for years. Fortunately, the destruction of the ring, followed by minor surgery, had allowed Lex's healing ability to take care of the cancer detected in his hand before it could spread.

Feeling some response in the semi-soft flesh he was still working with his hand, Lex sucked the entire head in and listened for the moan that would tell him that Clark had finally stopped worrying about someone seeing them. A jerk against his tongue preceded the sound he was waiting for, and that was enough for Lex to settle into a hard, fast rhythm with mouth and hand. Clark's fist thudded against the wall as he groaned out Lex's name, hips jerking forward despite Clark's usual care. Lex kept urging Clark to let go, but too many years adjusting for super strength had left Clark worried about choking Lex by thrusting too deeply, even after losing most of that strength.

A tremor that began in Clark's thighs was Lex's only warning before he was swallowing a warm heavy liquid as Clark curled forward with a stuttered groan. He whispered Lex's name again and again as he shuddered his way through to the end. They were both settling down from the rush when a sneering voice intruded from a few feet down the corridor.

"So the great Founder doesn't have any problem kneeling down for his pretty boy. Do you bend over for him, too?" Clark straightened quickly and began tucking himself away with a cough of embarrassment. Lex still knelt, but his shoulders stiffened when Jayne continued. "Anytime you feel like kneeling to me...."

Lex rose in one smooth motion and had one arm around Jayne's throat before he could finish his proposition. Any attempt to struggle on Jayne's part was forestalled by the knife Lex held in his other hand, uncomfortably close to vital organs. Instead of engaging in his usual custom of intervening at any hint of violence, Clark merely shrugged and leaned back against the corridor wall. Lex smiled his thanks and tightened his chokehold for a moment before calmly making a promise. "Make another remark questioning Clark's or my masculinity, and you'll lose yours. Are we clear?"

Jayne nodded frantically and Lex released him with a shove, knife flipped into a throwing hold and ready for Jayne to try anything else. Obviously deciding he'd had enough trouble for one day, Jayne exited the corridor without looking back. Bending over, Lex returned the knife to the sheath on the side of his boot, and then straightened back up before shrugging. "Hope and Mercy believed that guns were a last resort because they had a tendency to be noisy and required ammunition."

"Their training seems to have come in handy."

The sound of Clark's voice seemed to destroy the calm Lex had begun to regain. Pushing Clark back against the wall, Lex took his mouth roughly again, his teeth scoring Clark's lower lip until it was bleeding freely. "I want to fuck you, Clark, now."

Grabbling Lex's upper arms, Clark held him at a distance, licking away the blood that stained his lips. Speaking softly as if to calm a fractious stallion, Clark insisted, "Lex, you need to slow down." Lex's lips thinned and he grunted angrily as he struggled to get away. Clark began to lose his own temper and shouted, "Enough! Stop!" Shocked at Clark's uncharacteristic loss of control, Lex stilled. Voice softening again, Clark looked directly into Lex's eyes and demanded, "Look at me, Lex. Who am I? What's my name?"

"This is ridiculous." After another brief struggle during which Clark refused to release him, Lex finally conceded, "You're Clark Kent."

Loosening his grip on Lex's arms, Clark prompted softly, "Who owns me?"

Lex could feel the tension in his muscles begin to relax, the stroke of Clark's voice massaging away his frantic need to prove that he was still Lex Luthor...and in control of his life despite everything that he'd lost...and had just learned. "I do."

"That's right. You are in possession of the only Kryptonian left in the 'verse. Now I think you need to start treating me like I'm your most prized possession...instead of a convenient punching bag, don't you?" Clark placed a gentle kiss in the center of Lex's forehead. "In return, I promise to do the same when it comes to you."

Taking a deep breath and then releasing it slowly, Lex leaned forward and rested his forehead against Clark's shoulder. "I'm screwing it up again, aren't I?" He sighed gratefully when Clark pulled him into a forgiving hug.

After another quiet minute or two, Clark released Lex and led him out of the corridor, heading for their quarters. The short walk was silent until Clark slid open the door, glanced at Lex, and teased, "Of course, I'm not made of porcelain, Lex. I could probably handle having hot monkey sex in our cabin every time Jayne pisses you off...."

Lex pushed Clark through the door and followed him, sliding it shut quickly and locking it. Pulling his shirt off over his head without bothering to unbutton it first, Lex tossed it and the leather duster he'd left on the bed earlier to the floor. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he yanked on his boots impatiently until he looked up to see Clark watching him intently. Lex found it rather interesting that he had somehow acquired the ability to growl and laugh at the same time. "Just get over here and get naked, space boy." At Clark's threatening frown, Lex sighed patiently. "Please?"

Clark nodded with a smile and began to remove his remaining clothes. "I thought you'd never ask."

***

Chapter Eight

***

"Mal, this entry.... Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were busy."

Mal set aside the personal recorder he'd been watching and waved Lex into his quarters. "No, I was just going through some old...what do you need?"

Pointing to the datapad he was carrying, Lex frowned. "I'm finishing up the accounts and I don't understand this notation here." As he waited for Mal to decipher the odd entry, Lex's eyes flickered to the recording, which showed a stunningly beautiful dark-haired woman smiling and waving. "If you don't mind my asking, who is she?"

Mal looked up from the datapad toward the recording before shrugging. "Her name is Inara Serra. She...traveled with us for a while."

Lex recognized the look of pain he'd seen before at the mention of her name and remembered that he'd meant to ask Clark about her. "Where is she now?"

"She went back to the Training House. She's...a companion." Mal reached out and turned the recording face down.

Lex wasn't familiar with the term, but based on Mal's reaction, he had a suspicion. "A companion? That is...?"

Mal looked away from Lex as he offered a definition in a voice lacking any inflection. "A companion is a highly-trained licensed professional who takes care of his or her client's every...wish."

Retrieving the datapad from Mal's lax hand, Lex reinterpreted, "A geisha or a courtesan? Was there a problem?"

Mal stood up and walked across the room, brushing his hand over his already disheveled hair. "Listen, I don't care what the crew tells you. Take one look at Jayne. Do you think I'd toss anyone off this ship without them killing or hurting someone bad...I mean to say, someone that didn't deserve it? People choose to leave or not. She...I...she was...and it never bothered her none, but...then she left."

Regretting that his casual inquiry had troubled the captain so deeply, Lex made his way back to the door without waiting for the answer to his original question. Before he walked out, he turned back to face Mal and quietly confessed, "Clark has saved my life so many times that I've lost count. I still referred to him as an it for over twenty years. He's sick and has lost most of his powers right now because of a weapon that I developed to use against him. I was convinced that he would try to take over Earth one day. Instead, he spent his life trying to save everyone on it. He's a lying, judgmental alien, who I thought I hated."

"But...you and he...."

"Exactly." Lex nodded and turned to leave again. As he stepped through the doorway, he paused for a moment with a final offering.

"The thing is...he never lost sight of what's important."

. . .

To Lex's regret, they'd landed on Haven just before sunset. The orange sun had burned on the horizon for just a few short minutes, barely making a difference to Clark's energy levels before the moons had taken its place. The only consolation had been that they would still be on the planet when the K-type star rose again the next morning. Lex was beginning to wonder if keeping Clark's need for time under a G-type star a secret was the wrong decision, since it meant that his recovery would only continue to be delayed.

Earlier, Clark had discovered that the reason they were sitting around a campfire with a ragtag bunch of settlers, instead of traveling through space, was the settlement's leader. He was another of the select group of people who'd traveled on Serenity for a period before deciding to leave. According to Kaylee, Shepherd Book was a Man of God who'd finally found it impossible to reconcile his beliefs with some of the choices Serenity's captain had made.

Standing in the shadows, well away from the ring of light, Lex kept an eye on Clark. Happy to be free of the ship's confines, Clark was making the children laugh by singing off-key as Jayne strummed on a guitar retrieved from one of the ramshackle huts. Observing the gathering, Lex found it hard to believe he and Clark were five hundred years in the future. He wouldn't have been surprised to see covered wagons and patient oxen creating a protective circle around the intrepid pioneers.

Lex hadn't lived so primitively since he'd been stranded on that island so many years ago and he'd never wanted to return to those feelings of deprivation and isolation. Lost in introspection, Lex never noticed that Clark's laughter had been replaced by Wash's pleasant tenor until a teasing voice whispered in his ear, "Jayne takes requests, although he might not manage some of those long trance things you used to listen to all the time."

Leaning back against Clark's chest, Lex chuckled. "Tastes do change, Clark, and I haven't been to a rave in years." He sighed, rubbing his head against Clark's lightly stubbled jaw. "I just wanted some time alone." When he felt Clark withdrawing, Lex grabbed his hands and pulled Clark's arms around him. "No, not you. Them. It's everyone who looks and thinks that they see someone other than me, Lex Luthor. It's...tiring." Lex's eyes closed in relief when Clark's lips caressed the curve of his skull, silently offering his comfort and support.

They stood there silently, hidden by the night, two figures appeared about five yards away, outlined by the distant flames. The newcomers watched the campfire for a few moments before one spoke, revealing himself as the captain. "I owe you thanks for taking us in, Shepherd."

Lex could barely make out the wave of dismissal from Mal's companion. "It'll do for a short spell. You do have a plan?"

Mal's humor was dry. "Hiding's not a plan?"

"By all indications, you have an Alliance operative after you," chided Shepherd. "It's plain that they want her kept hidden. That single operative...he or she could be more dangerous than a regiment of Alliance soldiers."

Lex could hear Mal kicking at the hard-packed earth. "I suppose I should have left her there. I had every reason in the 'verse to haul anchor without her." Clark's arms tightened around Lex, and Lex squeezed them in return.

"It's not your way."

Mal snorted in self-derision. "I have a way? That any better than a plan?"

"Mal, the only way you'll make it through all this is belief." Shepherd reached out, but Mal was moving away.

The voice that answered Shepherd had an edge. "I do always look to you for counsel, Shepherd, but I confess sermons make me sleepy. I ain't looking for help from on high." Mal emptied the cup he held and bent over to pick up something to throw out into the night. "My experience that's a long wait for a train don't never come."

Shepherd's frustration was evident in his tone and words. "Why must you always assume, when I speak of belief, that I'm talking about God?" When Mal failed to respond, Shepherd changed the subject. "You need to know that they'll come at you sideways. That's how they think and move...sidle up, smile, and then hit you where you're weakest. The sort of man they're likely to send believes. He will kill and never ask why."

"It's always been of interest to me how much you know about that." Mal's tone was mildly curious, and a chuckle answered him.

"A lot of years passed before I became a Shepherd, Mal."

Walking back to his friend, Mal prodded, "You have to tell me about that sometime."

"No, I don't. Not anymore than your newest crew members have to explain why they're standing out there listening, instead of joining us like friends."

Lex started when he realized he'd been spotted, but didn't resist when he felt Clark's broad palm in the center of his back urge him forward.

Shepherd turned to face them as they approached. Lex could feel the weight of the older man's gaze even in the dim light.

"I'm sure others have mentioned your uncanny resemblance to The Founder. It's amazing how a legend can be enhanced by a touch of mystery. The fact that Lex Luthor's body was never found lent weight to a surprisingly common belief that The Founder would return one day...to lead the human race to even greater heights."

. . .

"Inara's sending a 'wave!"

Wash's head had popped in and out of the galley door so fast that Lex wasn't sure he'd really been there. Kaylee jumped and ran after Wash, yelling back over her shoulder, "C'mon, you don't want to miss this!"

Looking at Clark in puzzlement, Lex shrugged. "You heard what the young lady said. Let's go."

Hurrying through the dark corridors, they entered the bridge in time to hear Mal's response. "You're saying you could use a gunhand."

Lex recognized the ebony-haired woman on the screen as the same one he'd seen on Mal's recorder. Inara was dressed elegantly in what looked like a sari, gems glittering at her throat and ears. She agreed to Mal's statement and added, "The crew is welcome to take some time to rest at the Training House and, of course, there would be payment." She smiled, and Lex suddenly understood why the entire crew seemed smitten in varying degrees.

"I'd like...well...Kaylee's been missing you something fierce." Mal's fumbling left the eavesdroppers groaning at his ineptitude. "You left some of your stuff in the trunk...not that I looked through them...just sundries and stuff, I expect." There was a spate of coughing, and then a quick, "I'll send you a 'wave soon as I can."

Inara looked a little taken aback by the abrupt dismissal, but she quickly hid it and the 'wave snapped off.

Wash swung around in his chair and blinked owlishly at the rest of the crew. Before he could say anything, they heard the captain's boots in the corridor. They all turned at once to watch him walk in, his head bent as he finished buttoning his favorite red shirt. He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the gathering.

Clearing his throat, Wash ventured, "It was nice to see Inara again."

"Mmmm." Mal's response was noncommittal as he tucked in his shirt.

Zoe's eyebrows raised and she drawled, "So...trap?"

Mal cocked his head in consideration and then nodded. "Trap."

"We going in?" Zoe's nonchalant question brought everyone's attention back to her.

Mal shrugged. "Ain't a very far jump."

At the implication that they'd be leaving Haven soon, Lex's eyes flew up to the clear panels overhead. The sky was just starting to brighten with the first rays of the sun.

Wash stood up and protested, "That part where you agreed it's a trap? Are we just ignoring what that means?"

"If it is, then Inara's already caught me in it. You know she wouldn't be setting us up willingly." The captain overrode Wash's objections easily. "Might be we'll get a shot at seeing who's turning these wheels."

"How can you be sure Inara don't just wanna see you?" Kaylee had crossed her arms and her expression turned mulish. "Sometimes people have feelings...and I'm referring here to people." Lex caught Clark's flinch at the unconsciously cruel words and grabbed his elbow, pulling Clark towards the corridor. Behind them, the argument continued.

"Y'all were watching, I take it?" Mal's sarcasm was as thick as his drawl.

As Lex pushed Clark into the corridor, he heard a chorus of affirmative answers. Ignoring them, he stretched up to whisper urgently in Clark's ear. "Outside. Now. Shirt off. Go!" Without waiting for Clark to answer, he kissed him quickly, and then gave him a shove in the right direction before returning to the bridge.

Mal was still making his points with the crew. "Did you see us fight?"

Kaylee sighed, "No."

Zoe and Mal pointed at each other and repeated, "Trap."

"How were you planning on having this play out?" Everyone turned to stare at Lex. His commanding tone seemed to have suddenly reminded them of who he'd once been.

Mal shrugged. "Park Serenity somewhere safe and take the shuttle in. I figured I'd handle it myself...sort of play it by ear."

Lex looked at each one of them in turn, and then smiled wolfishly. "Let me suggest something a little less...spontaneous."

. . .

Zoe looked over Lex's shoulder as he rummaged through the contents of the large trunk they'd dragged out of storage. She looked at the sequined length of fabric in his hands and shook her head. "No. Not me. Too much foofaraw. If I was going to wear a dress, I'd want something tight...with some slink." She slid her hand over the tight, slick leather covering her hips and winked at her husband.

Wash choked a little and then grinned back. "You want a slinky dress, sweetheart? I can buy you a slinky dress." Turning to Mal, he begged, "Captain, can I have money for a slinky dress, please?"

Passing through the galley on his way to the landing bay, Jayne leered, "I'd chip in."

The look Zoe sent in his direction would have been deadly at ten paces. "I can hurt you."

Jayne smirked and ducked out the door, his response just barely audible in the corridor. "Not if I run fast."

Mal frowned as Lex continued to investigate Inara's neglected sundries. "What about Kaylee, then?" Looking around the galley for her, Mal asked in confusion, "Where is she, anyway?"

"Uh, I think she saw something she wanted to...check outside." Wash's eyes betrayed his amusement as he answered Mal. "Just one look out the window on the bridge and off she...." He trailed off as he caught Lex's expression. "You know, I think I'll just go make sure the course has been plotted." He edged toward the door. "Call me on the bridge if you need anything."

Zoe laughed as she watched her cowardly husband make his escape, quickly sobering when it was time to consider Lex's proposed plan. "I guess this isn't going to work then. Even if we could get Kaylee dressed up in disguise, she's not very good with a gun or knife."

Looking up from the trunk, Lex held up a makeup case and a wig with cascading strawberry blond curls. "Oh, it'll work out perfectly."

***

Chapter Nine

***

"I think that I'm more than a little disturbed by how good you look right now, Alexis."

When he heard the ragged whisper, Lex looked up at the handsome man walking next to him, and then let his gaze slide down the hard muscles of the nude torso rising out of a gaudy sarong. "Why, Clark. I never knew you had a thing for men in women's clothing." He let his hips swing a little wider as they walked down the brightly lit halls of the Training House and enjoyed the crimson that rose in Clark's cheeks.

"Neither did I. I think it's just you. Now I know why you had me wear that damn thong. The problem is...I think it's going to break if you keep that up, and this dinky piece of cloth is not going to...."

"Will you two shut up and get serious?" hissed Mal, glaring at Clark and Lex through the veil that covered his face.

Lex raised an elegantly curved brow and purred in a low sultry voice, "I'm deadly serious. This is a training facility for companions, not assassins. We do not want to stand out by looking as if we're not enjoying ourselves." He laughed lightly and proved his point by deliberately brushing against Clark, his painted nails grazing Clark's waist just above the sarong while his curls tickled Clark's shoulder. A sharp intake of breath, followed by a furtive grope of Lex's ass through the silk of his sari, signaled his success at maintaining the illusion.

Unable to argue Lex's point since he and Clark were there to provide camouflage for him, Mal subsided behind the opaque veil and heavy cloak he was wearing to imitate an elderly client.

When they reached Inara's quarters, Lex entered first to assess the situation, leaving a worried Clark behind. The only reason Clark had agreed to letting Lex assume the risk was the partial return of his x-ray vision. Knowing that he could stand guard outside and still see what was going on inside of the room made all the difference. The short recharge Clark had been able to accumulate on Haven before they'd left had only restored a small percentage of his strength and speed, but it had been encouraging to have it verified that his full powers would return, given sufficient time in the sun.

After a quick check of the room, Lex returned to the doorway and waved Mal through, remaining on guard just inside. Silently approaching the woman who was kneeling before a gilded statue of Buddha, the captain knelt next to her, praying, "Dear Buddha, please bring me a pony and a plastic rocket...."

Inara rose to her feet, anger evident in every curve of her body as she hissed, "Are you insane? Why are you here?"

Throwing off the veil and cloak, Mal growled back, "That's funny, I sure do remember hearing someone asking me to come here and take care of some problem or another."

"I'm impressed that you came for her yourself, Captain."

Inara stiffened as a smooth, cultured voice preceded the entrance of a dark-skinned man dressed in an Alliance uniform. He pushed his way through the beaded curtain that had concealed a small alcove in the rear wall, and stood in the center of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps you're finding that River Tam is proving to be a trial and are seeking alternatives?"

Mal shifted so that Inara was behind him. "I agree she is a might unpredictable. Mood swings of a sorts, but nothing we can't handle."

The operative shook his head condescendingly. "It's worse than you could possibly know."

Mal shrugged, his eyes glancing at Lex, who quietly stood waiting for the next move. "It usually is."

Taking one step closer, the operative warned, "The girl is an albatross and will rain destruction down on you and your ship."

Shaking his head, Mal drawled, "Way I remember it, seems the albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it." Sighing heavily, he added, "Yes, Inara, I have read a poem or two. Try not to faint with the shock."

Flanking Mal, the operative casually blocked their exit, dismissing the young companion at the door as no threat to him. "I've seen your war record, Captain. I know how you must feel about the Alliance."

"No, you really don't." An edge was sharpening in Mal's voice.

"I have to hope you understand you can't beat us. The best you can do is to let me take River Tam and be on your way."

Mal shook his head and mocked, "No, that's not how to work a deal. You got to open with payment."

The operative laughed, but there was no humor in his face. "There's a paradox that cannot be resolved. If I offer you money, you'll play the man of honor and take umbrage. If I ask you to do what is right, you'll play the brigand. I have no stomach for these mind games. I already know you will not see reason."

Edging toward the wall, still keeping Inara behind him, Mal spat back, "Sending an assassin tells me the Alliance never intended to be reasonable."

Waving away Mal's insults, the operative informed him, "My warship is in deep orbit, Captain. The moment Serenity hit the gravity well, we locked onto the pulse beacon. One word sends a missile to that exact location inside of three minutes."

Reaching inside his leather jacket, Mal pulled out a small box with dangling wires and tossed it to the operative. "Go ahead, but you'd best make peace with your dear fluffy lord damn quick."

"A pulse beacon." The operative's fist tightened around the piece of equipment that represented failure. Lex raised an eyebrow, knowing that Clark was hearing and watching everything through the wall and, despite his reduced powers, could be inside before anything lethal happened.

Mal shrugged. "Take some advice from an old tracker. If you want to find someone, use your eyes."

Tossing the beacon aside, the operative calmly asked, "Exactly how long do you think you can run from the Alliance?"

"Well, if you're the best that the Alliance's got...."

"Captain Reynolds, you can't make me angry. I suggest that we try to solve this as if we were civilized men." The operative displayed his empty hands. "I'm unarmed...."

"Good." Mal drew his gun and shoved Inara towards the door, waving the operative out of her way. When the man refused, Mal began to pull the trigger. He never finished the action because Clark was suddenly standing in the way. One blow from Clark's hand left the operative on the floor.

Mal and Lex asked eagerly, "Is he dead?"

When Clark frowned at them, Lex's expression soured. "Of course he isn't. What was I thinking? He's only just threatened to blow Serenity out of the sky. Why would we want to do anything to prevent that from happening?"

Mal's eyes narrowed as he studied the stubborn alien. "Is he always this unreasonable?"

Lex nodded. "Unfortunately." Ignoring Clark's look of betrayal, he pointed out, "Thousands of people died on Dark Thursday because he refused to kill me years ago."

Inara rolled her eyes at the three men. "Fine. If we're not going to kill him, can we leave now?"

. . .

"You have no idea what a relief it is to have Clark aboard...." Wash walked into the galley and came to a dead stop at the sight of the grim-faced gathering. "Then again, I think maybe I'll take first watch."

Before he could turn around, Mal ordered, "No, you need to be here. Any sign of them?"

Wash shook his head. "No, it'll take a good while to sort out the seven nav beacons I dropped, and even then I wouldn't worry since I didn't drop one for Haven."

"We have every reason to be worried," Lex's voice cut in as he entered the galley. He was buttoning the cuffs of his shirt, his recent alter ego consigned to the depths of Inara's trunk. "Just as Shepherd warned, he's intelligent, methodical, and devout in his belief that he needs to kill River if he can't recover her any other way."

"So, there ain't no chance of a reward, hunh?" Jayne scowled at the shocked faces around him. "What? I got a share of whatever jobs we take on. Five percent of nothing is...let me do the math here... nothing...added to nothing...carry the nothing...."

"Did he say anything about Miranda?" Simon did nothing to conceal his concern.

Inara looked around the group in puzzlement. "Who is Miranda?"

"Who or whatever it is, it has something to do with River." Zoe shrugged and exchanged a glance with her husband. "We think that's probably why the Alliance wants her."

"So...it's something that may pose a threat to the Alliance?" Inara continued to push for more information. "Something they're afraid we'll use?"

Wash objected, "Do we care about that? Or are we caring about that?"

Jayne slammed his hand down on the table. "You blind, dumb-ass hogs. Only people she's a threat to is us on this boat."

Lex took a step closer to the table, his fingers twitching toward the knife in his boot.

Holding up his hands in conciliation, Mal began, "Just wait. When we get back to Haven..."

Jayne shrugged dismissively. "Sure, run and hide 'neath the Shepherd's skirts, that's manly."

Surging to his feet, Mal shouted, "Do you want to run this ship?"

"Yes!" Jayne stood and leaned over the table, glowering at the captain.

Mal blinked in surprise, caught off-guard by Jayne's response. "Well...you can't...."

Jayne glared at Mal and began to pace. "Do a damn sight better job at it. Getting us chased by the Alliance over a couple of strays? No offense, Doc...." Jayne flipped his hand in Simon's direction, "...I think it's noble and great the way you look to River, but she ain't my sister and...." Jayne pointed an accusing finger at Mal. "...she ain't your crew. Ain't like she's helpless, anyways. So where is it written that we're supposed to trade our lives for her...which is what you're steering us towards?"

Mal's face darkened and his jaw clenched as he gritted out, "I didn't start this."

Jayne's sneering turned vicious. "No, you never do. Alliance started the war, and then off you go to volunteer. Remember The Battle of Serenity, Mal? 'Sides Zoe, how many...." Lips clamped shut; Mal turned and began to leave. Furious at being ignored, Jayne shouted, "Hey, I'm talking at you!"

Clenching his fists, Mal swung around to face his accuser. Lex was startled at the desolation that carved deeper lines in Mal's face as he waited for Jayne's question.

Jayne aggressively pursued his advantage. "'Sides you two, how many men in your platoon made it out of Serenity Valley...alive?"

Zoe stepped forward, her hand resting on the gun strapped to her thigh. "You'll want to leave this room. Now." Lex moved to stand next to Mal. The rest of the people in the galley sat at the table, silently waiting for the next explosion.

Recognizing that he had no chance of winning the argument, Jayne headed for the door. "Damn right I do," he growled as he slammed out into the corridor.

Inara stood and took a few steps towards Mal. "The war is over, Mal."

Aiming a look of disbelief at Inara, Mal choked out, "You're telling me that 'cause you think I've forgotten?"

Inara shook her head, her lips pursed in disappointment. "You came to the Training House looking for a fight."

Mal exploded, throwing his hands up in the air. He came close to hitting Lex, who backed away in self-defense. "I came looking for you!"

Inara kept prodding. "I just want to know who I'm dealing with this time. I've seen too many different sides of you to be certain."

"I can guarantee you'll see something new if I start fighting the war again." Furious, Mal stormed out of the galley. After looking around at the crew's concerned faces, Inara hurried out after him, calling his name.

Simon buried his head in his hands and muttered, "This is impossible. We'll get off the ship at Haven. It'll be the best for everyone."

Tenderly stroking his back, Kaylee crooned, "Ain't nobody's saying that, Simon."

"Nobody except Jayne is saying that," Wash snorted.

Feeling a sudden need to see Clark, Lex excused himself and headed for the bridge. As he approached an intersection in the maze of dimly lit corridors, he heard voices around the corner. Coming to a halt, he listened to the voices of two people struggling against their feelings, and recalled his past battles with Clark.

"I got no more answers for you, Inara. My ship's got no rudder. Wind blows northerly, then I go north. That's who I am, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe that makes me the wrong man to lead, but they have to follow anyway. You want to tear me down, do it inside your own mind...not in front of my crew."

"I'm not trying to tear you down, Mal."

"But you fog things up, you always have. You spin me about." Mal's frustrated shout echoed down the metal hallway. There were a few moments of silence before Mal grumbled, "Wish to hell you was elsewhere." The sound of heavy boots receded. Lex started forward, only to stop again when he heard a pained whisper.

"I was."

. . .

"Hey, Lex! Look at this readout. It's...."

The rest of Clark's excited words were lost when Lex yanked him out the pilot's chair and into a frantic kiss. Clark allowed Lex to lead, throwing his head back with a moan when Lex sucked at the sensitive hollow at the base of his throat. "You're not...being fair, Lex," he complained. "I'm on watch."

Drawing back, Lex touched the raised, red blotch he'd left behind and frowned when it didn't fade. "You didn't get enough sun. You can still be hurt. Damn it, Clark, he could have shot you at point-blank range!"

"But he didn't, Lex. You need to stop worrying so much." Clark frowned as he kneaded Lex's tense shoulders. "Is that what brought this on? Thinking that I could have been hurt?"

Remembering the scene in the corridor and his own spiteful words in the Training House, Lex shook his head. "Please don't let me drive you away, Clark, even when I say stupid, cruel things to you." The desperate words scalded Lex's throat. "Promise me. Promise that you won't give up on me again."

Clark folded Lex into a hug, his lips resting just above Lex's ear. "I promise, Lex," he murmured. "I regretted that for so many years. I listened to the wrong people, attacked you because I was stupid and afraid, and then I didn't know how..." His voice broke and Lex felt a warm drop fall on his head. "...I thought that maybe I'd have to die before you'd ever forgive me."

Nuzzling into Clark's shoulder, Lex laughed, the sound a little shaky with emotion. "In a way, I think that's what we ended up doing." He pulled back and looked into Clark's face, raising his hand to smooth away the trail left behind by the tear. Grasping Clark's chin, he shook him gently. "I've forgiven you, so stop trying to get yourself killed. I'm not going to let you break your promise that easily."

The sound of the bridge's door sliding closed and locking interrupted them, and they broke apart to see River standing a few feet away with a manic look in her eyes. It wasn't until Clark began to reach for her that Lex noticed the gun she was carrying at her side.

"River? Are you all right? Where's Simon?" Clark's voice was calming and River allowed him to stroke her hair gently for a few moments. Suddenly, she blinked and then walked over to the navigation computer. Sitting in the chair, she set the gun in her lap, and then her fingers began to fly over the keyboard, star charts flashing in rapid succession on the screen.

Distracted by River's actions, neither Clark nor Lex heard the captain entering the bridge using the maintenance hatch.

River did.

Lex spun around to see the captain pointing a gun at River, who was pointing a gun at the captain.

Lex grabbed Clark's wrist and held on as tightly as he could, knowing that he had no chance of holding Clark back but still needing to try.

"Girl, I'm staking my ship and my crew's lives by believing you're an actual, whole person." Mal released the trigger and lowered the gun to his side, his eyes never leaving River's. "If I've guessed wrong, you'd best shoot me now...."

Every man on the bridge froze at the sound of River cocking the trigger of her gun.

Mal's eyebrows rose. "Or...maybe we should talk some more. I do see why you felt the need to shoot Jayne. I've wanted to do the same, many a time, myself." Mal grinned nervously. "You hitting your brother in the throat like that was unexpected. What it all comes down to is the man from the Alliance government says you're a danger to us all, and not worth helping." He took a step forward, his voice low and earnest. "Was he right, little girl? Are you just a weapon?"

Lowering the gun, River looked away from the captain and spoke directly to Clark. "I found it." Swiveling in her chair, she indicated a small point on the navigation screen.

"Miranda."

***

Chapter Ten

***

"I can't find anything in the cortex on it. Even if it's a black rock, there should be something telling why." Wash looked up at the captain, puzzled by the lack of data on a world that existed on the charts and nowhere else.

Mal winced as he peered over Wash's shoulder to look at the screen. "I've heard that half of writing history is hiding the truth. There's something on that rock the Alliance doesn't want known."

"From what I've seen in this cortex construct, hunting down and deleting all those references would not be an easy task. It took dedicated time and effort," Lex pointed out.

Tapping the navigation screen, Clark made a suggestion. "It's on the edge of this quadrant, not far from here at all. Maybe before we go to Haven...."

Wash choked a little and shook his head. "Whoa, hold on there. Honey, you better show them."

Leaning over Clark's shoulder, Zoe tapped a few keys. "See this?" A slim finger traced a crescent between their current location and Miranda. "This is all Reaver territory. Nobody ventures there, not even the Alliance. You try to make a run through there, you're sending out an invitation to a banquet."

Lex exchanged a glance with Clark, who shook his head and shrugged. Needing more information, Lex asked, "Who or what is a Reaver?"

"They showed up past ten years or so," Jayne answered Lex as he entered the bridge. The white bandage on his upper arm indicated where River had shot him earlier. "Folks say they went mad at the edge of space and the way they act...could be they're right. Cutting on their faces, raping and murdering...just ain't right. Hell, I'll kill a man in a fair fight, or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight, or if he bothers me, or if there's a woman, but mostly when I'm getting paid. But these Reavers...they're like the bogeyman from stories. Eating people alive? Where's that get fun?"

Wash shuddered, but Lex wasn't sure if it was from the thought of the Reavers or Jayne's casual recital of when and why he'd kill someone. "They just float out there...sending out hunting parties. I vote we stick with our standard run and hide scenario."

. . .

Lex watched the memories of countless earthquakes, fires, and floods settle behind Clark's tortured green eyes. He could tell Clark was listening, straining to make his powers work under the fading orange sun, until he focused on a pile of debris a few hundreds yards away. He began to run, still substantially faster than a normal human. "There's someone still alive!"

Following as quickly as he could, Lex held his gun at the ready, not convinced that the attackers, who had destroyed Shepherd Book's small community, had left the planet. There was no guarantee that the burnt and broken ship scattered on the stony ground had been the only one. He heard Clark cry out and ran faster, skidding around the corner of the razed building to find Clark kneeling next to what was left of Shepherd Book. As Lex approached, Clark looked up...and Lex knew instantly that there was no hope. "Go get Mal and the doctor, Clark. Hurry."

Feeling the breeze of Clark's passage, Lex hurried to the Shepherd's side, his breath catching when the extent of the older man's injuries became clear. Dropping to his knees, Lex pressed the Shepherd's shoulders back gently when he tried to sit up. "Rest. Mal's on his way with the doctor."

No sooner had he said that when Clark appeared carrying the doctor and his bag. Putting him down carefully, Clark was gone again. Although he was staggering a little after the rapid transport, Simon immediately replaced Lex at the Shepherd's side. His eyes flew over the injured man's body as he attempted to determine how to treat him, or if it was even possible. After a few moments, he sat back on his heels, defeated. "I don't know how he's still alive," he whispered.

There was another flutter of wind and Clark stepped back after placing Mal on his feet. Impossibly young-looking in his distress, Clark watched Lex for a moment, obviously uncertain as to what to do next. Before Lex could say anything, Clark was gone again.

Mal dropped to his knees beside his friend, and the Shepherd's eyes fluttered open at Mal's low moan of despair. His breathing almost indiscernible and blood frothing on his lips, the Shepherd whispered, "I killed...the ship that killed us, Mal. Not very...Christian of me."

Taking the dark-skinned hand in his, Mal squeezed it gently. "You did what was right," he assured him.

A choking laugh greeted the earnest statement. "Coming from you...that means almost nothing."

"It was the operative did this, wasn't it? It should have been me got hit."

The Shepherd's eyes closed as he nodded. "The thought... had crossed my mind."

Mal's eyes swept over the torn body before he looked at the doctor. Simon shook his head and stood up, backing up a few paces to give them some privacy. Lex started to do the same, but stopped when he heard the Shepherd call out.

"Has The Founder returned to the people?"

Lex looked at the devastation surrounding them, and then at the dying man who was asking him a question he wasn't ready to answer. "I don't know."

His eyes shifting between Lex and Mal, the Shepherd choked out, "I don't care what you believe in, Mal, just believe it with everything you have." He coughed a final time, and then he was still.

Mal carefully placed the Shepherd's hand by his side and closed his eyes. He looked up at Lex, his dark eyes tortured by the loss of a friend and mentor, and Lex offered his hand to help him stand. They both turned together to face the rest of the crew, who had gathered there in respect.

Zoe stepped forward. "No survivors, sir."

Lex's eyes flicked to Clark, who nodded in confirmation.

Fidgeting in the back of the group, Jayne called out, "Why ain't they here waiting? How come they only sent one?"

Zoe froze and a look of horror swept over her face. "They didn't expect us to be here." She began barking orders. "Clark, take Wash back to the ship...and hurry. Wash, get on the cortex immediately. We need to warn Lee Chen, the Sanchez Brothers, anyone who's ever sheltered us after a heist. Tell them to get out."

. . .

Flip.

Flip.

Flip.

Lex watched silently as Mal switched from screen to screen, searching for any sign of life.

Flip.

Flip.

Flip.

"All of them," Mal whispered.

Lex pointed to an indicator in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. "What's that?"

A keystroke, and an all-too-familiar face appeared in the 'wave. "If your quarry goes to ground, then leave no ground for its return. You should have taken my offer, Captain, or do you think that you carry no blame?"

"I don't murder children, you bastard!"

"And I do, when I must."

Mal protested the operative's too-casual acceptance of death and destruction. "Why? Do you even know why they sent you to do this?"

The operative's voice was eerily calm, never changing its inflection. "It's not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself, a better world, a world without sin."

"So me and mine got to lay down and die so you can live in your better world?"

"Oh no, Captain, I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there, any more than there is for you. I'm a monster. What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it. But it must be done. I see someone very familiar-looking standing there behind you. If he were truly The Founder, instead of a puppet created by misguided rebels, he would be the first to agree that nothing can be allowed to prevent the vision from becoming reality."

Already sick at heart from the unrelenting horror, Lex stiffened at the operative's assumption. It seemed impossible that his reappearance after five hundred years would be so readily accepted, even anticipated, yet it was happening. The noose of notoriety was drawing tighter around Lex's neck every day, and he had no clear idea what he was going to do about it.

Mal sneered, "Go ahead and keep talking. You're never getting a location trace off this 'wave."

"You know that every minute you keep River Tam from me, more people will die."

Mal looked away, and Lex could see the pain carved into his profile. "You think I care?"

"Of course you care. You're no Reaver. You're a human man, Captain, and you will never understand...." Appalled at the callous disregard of human life, Lex was startled when Mal snapped off the wave.

"I understand well enough, and I'm not going to just let it happen." Mal stalked to the doorway of the bridge and halted before he stepped through. He spoke without turning back to look at Lex. "Are you with me, or not?"

Lex walked up behind Mal and squeezed his shoulder, hard. "Let's go."

. . .

"Clark, I need you and Jayne to mount that cannon up top. Use extra chains, make it strong, but ugly. Zoe, you and Lex collect bodies from the Alliance ship and bring 'em here. And rope, we'll need rope. Kaylee, red paint...and figure out where we can rip some holes in the hull without breaching it."

"Captain, you can't be thinking you're going to turn our home into some kind of abomination for a suicide run through Reaver territory!" Lex was shocked. It was the first time Lex had heard Zoe argue with one of Mal's orders.

Mal stopping pacing and drew his sidearm. "It ain't suicide 'cause I mean to live. Anybody doesn't care to take my orders, this is your port of harbor. There's a lot of ways to die. I ain't waiting for the Alliance to choose mine."

Raising the gun, the captain wheeled and shot at a scavenger tugging at a nearby body. Turning back to his crew, Mal continued. "I mean to confound these bungers and take a shot at getting to Miranda. Maybe even find something useful there, so's we can get clear of this. That's the way it's going to be, so I hear a word out of any of you that ain't about helping me or taking your leave, I will shoot you down. Now, get to work!"

No one said a word.

They got to work, just as their captain had ordered.

***

Chapter Eleven

***

The silence on the bridge was almost complete. Those who stood there to witness their passage spoke in whispers, as if they feared any noise they made while Serenity ghosted through the maze of Reaver ships would reveal their presence to the grisly marauders.

Lex stood behind Clark's chair, watching in amazement as Clark's eyes and hands played over the readouts and controls, a maestro of aviation and technology. Clark rarely spoke, the few words he exchanged limited to Wash as they guided the camouflaged ship past razor-sharp claws of metal and jagged-toothed harpoons. Lex knew without looking that Clark's face was minus his habitual smile, the events on Haven too raw and fresh for his compassionate heart.

That compassion, Clark's innate need to help, had left Clark almost as weak as when they had first arrived on Haven. Lex's attempts to convince him to stop and recharge on the orange sun had failed, and instead Clark had taken on the grim task of collecting and burying the sad, broken bodies, settlers and soldiers alike, despite a certain crewmember's objections. As a result, he'd burned off the charge almost as quickly as it had accumulated. It was also apparent to Lex that Clark still hadn't thrown off the effects of the kryptonite, a large bruise on one brawny arm fading much too slowly for Lex's peace of mind.

"I seen them once...eating on a man whilst he was still alive. They just ripped him to pieces real slowly, and he was screaming all the time." Jayne's whisper to Kaylee broke into Lex's thoughts. "That was why the captain shot that one tried to climb on with us the last job...it was better'n leaving him to suffer with those Reavers that grabbed him. I sure wouldn'ta want to be watching them take me apart."

Lex felt his stomach roil at the images Jayne's voice evoked and he shuddered as they passed a Reaver ship adorned with blood and skulls.

"During the war, we never would have left a man behind," murmured Zoe.

Startled at Zoe's words, Lex glanced over his shoulder in time to see Mal's haunted face harden into lines of determination. The captain's voice was bitter as he responded to Zoe's implied criticism.

"Maybe that's why we lost."

. . .

"Gravity's Earth-normal and oxygen levels are in normal range. I haven't found anything that isn't in normal range, Captain." Zoe's voice held an edge of frustration as no immediate answers to Miranda's mystery appeared.

"Well, something sure the hell ain't right." Muffled behind the EVA mask, Mal echoed her aggravation. He cracked his helmet and took it off, signaling the crew to follow as he and Zoe advanced into the empty city.

As they'd entered Miranda's atmosphere, Lex had noticed Clark rubbing his eyes and then blinking as if he were having difficulty seeing. Despite the problem, he had continued to work with Wash to bring them down close to the weak signal they'd picked up earlier. Zoe's scan of the planet had reported everything in the normal range for a planet orbiting a B-type star, despite the lack of energy signatures, so the theory of a terraforming incident didn't seem to hold true.

The gleaming, undisturbed buildings of the city, where the weak signal was located, also supported that conclusion.

The landing had gone without a hitch and the crew had quickly dispersed to gear up for exploration. Their plan was to have Mal and Zoe exit first in their EVA suits to verify the atmosphere was safe. Once they were sure, the remainder of the crew would join them on the surface to help search the city for the signal...and clues.

The remainder of the crew members...minus one.

Lex and Clark had been forced to explain to their shipmates that the sunlight pouring in through the clear panels was affecting Clark's vision and hearing. The energy levels of the over-bright star were shorting out Clark's powers instead of providing a much-needed boost. Mal had frowned when Lex had admitted that more time on Haven would have helped Clark recharge, but he'd said nothing about their decision to conceal Clark's source of strength up until then. Clark had been confined to quarters until they could return, but Lex knew that he'd be straining to monitor their progress, despite the crackle and pop of static.

"The beacon is in that direction." Wash pointed ahead after checking the tracking device he was carrying. Zoe took point with Mal backing her up, while Lex and Jayne covered the rear. The rest clustered in the center, examining everything they encountered for some indication why the carefully planned and well-constructed city was empty of everything but the dust that whirled beneath their feet.

As they advanced, the city began to wake around them, long-dormant systems providing them with lights and music. The gentle sounds of woodwinds provided a surreal soundtrack when they encountered the first desiccated body, eerily dressed in brightly colored rags, lying at the edge of a wide open-air plaza.

Using the bayonet at the end of her rifle, Zoe turned the corpse over. "No entry wounds or fractures."

Squatting down for a closer look, Lex frowned. "Poison?"

"There's more over here!" Jayne called out from across the plaza, pointing to what looked like a wheeled vehicle. Jogging back to the group, he shook his head in bewilderment. "They's just sitting there, didn't crash or nothing."

Kaylee issued a little squeak of fright when the opaque window she'd leaned up against suddenly cleared, revealing a room full of mummified bodies slumped over desks or lying on the floor. Inara came up beside her and stared in disbelief at the odd tableau. "It's as if they all simply fell asleep."

The sound of a wail brought them all running back into the plaza where River stood tearing at her hair and crying out, "... can't make them stop! They're everywhere and nowhere. Every city, every house, every room, they're all inside me. I can hear them, and yet they say nothing! Please, get them out! Oh, please...God...make me a stone."

Jayne stood at the edge of the plaza, his arms folded in disgust. "She is starting to damage my calm."

"Jayne...." Zoe warned. "She's right, everybody's dead. This whole world is dead for no reason."

Holding up his tracking device, Wash suggested, "Let's find that beacon."

The beacon was nearby and its location only added to the mystery. As they made their way through the debris of the research-and-rescue ship embedded in the side of one of the largest buildings, systems came online around them, just as the city had earlier. Wash pointed to one panel in particular, covered with flashing lights, and confirmed it was the source.

River was the one who found the holographic projector and activated the recording.

The face of a distraught young woman in uniform appeared above a series of photographs. Based on the condition of the bodies, they seemed to have been taken not long after death. "It isn't what we thought we'd find when we responded to the rumors. The environment is stable. There's been no war or terraforming failure. The pacifying chemical that the Alliance introduced into the water supply caused it all to happen. We found the records. It was supposed to dampen aggression and leave the brain receptive to suggestion. Instead, most of the people no longer cared about eating or drinking. They simply stopped...living."

The woman's voice faltered, and then continued. "Those that didn't die became hyper-aggressive, losing all control of their impulses. They are walking nightmares that attack anyone who isn't one of them." In the background of the recording, thudding noises could be heard and it was apparent that the young woman was terrified. "There's no more time...." There were heart-rending screams as half-naked, bloody figures overwhelmed her, slashing and tearing with animalistic growls. Horrified, the crew all stared at the slaughter until Lex lunged forward and disengaged the recording.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Wash whispered, "The Reavers. They made them."

As Kaylee burst into tears, River bent over and vomited. Without a word, Mal walked back outside, while the rest looked at each other in shock.

When Simon approached River to see if she needed help, she turned to him with a brilliant smile. "I'm all right now. They're gone, because it's not a secret anymore."

. . .

The mood in the galley was grim. Mal paced in front of his crew holding the recording. "I come across something like what's happened here and it amazes me that there are more than seventy 'earths' spinning about the 'verse, and the meek have inherited not a one."

He stopped and faced them, his face steely calm despite his words. "Somebody needs to speak for these people, even if it's ten years or more gone. You all got on this ship of mine for different reasons, but you all ended at the same place. Now I'm asking more of you than I have before, and probably everything you got." His eyes touched every face in a plea for support. "Sure as I know anything, I know they'll try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now or ten...they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people...better, control them with drugs and words. And I do not hold to that."

Stepping forward, Mal tossed the recording on the table before folding his arms and declaring, "No more running for me. I aim to misbehave."

Jayne spoke into the silence and his quiet words forced Lex to take a closer look at him. "Shepherd Book once said to me, 'If you can't do something smart, do something right.'"

"Do we have a plan?"

Wash's simple question wakened a feral grin on Mal's face. He nodded towards Lex and provided rough details. "First thing...we all rest. We've been pushing too long and we can't have people falling down because we didn't take the time." Lex winced and Clark hung his head sheepishly as Mal's eyes came to rest on them. "After that...Mr. Universe. We don't have the equipment to put out this 'wave, but he does. He'd be the first to say that information is power."

Jayne pointed out, "We still got the Reavers and the Alliance between us and him...two armies against our one bitty cannon."

"There's a fair bet that the Alliance knows about Mr. Universe," Zoe agreed. "They're going to see this coming."

Lex shook his head slowly and smirked. "No, I can safely guarantee that they won't see this coming."

***

Chapter Twelve

***

"I don't know, Lex. Maybe we should just rest, like Mal told us to. Even though it's an F-type star at Mr. Universe's, and that's even better than if we went all the way back to Earth, we don't know how much time I'll have to recharge...."

"I'm sure that I didn't just hear you suggest following the captain's orders...and turning down sex with me, right?"

Clark dropped his head and stared at his tightly clasped hands. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his muscles taut with suppressed tension. "I...I'm afraid," he whispered.

"Clark?" Lex dropped to his knees in front of Clark and pushed his way between his legs. He tapped on Clark's chin until his head rose and Lex could read the stress in his blue-green eyes. "What is it? Tell me."

Biting his lip nervously, Clark unclasped his hands and held one out to the side. The tremor that began in his broad fingers quickly rose along his arm until Lex could see Clark's bicep writhing. Clark let the arm drop again when Lex touched it gently. "The overload is subsiding, but hasn't cleared completely yet. I'm afraid I'll hurt you, Lex."

Lex appreciated Clark's concern, but he wasn't going to give up. "We'll compromise. You rest. I'll play." Ignoring Clark's look of consternation, Lex began to unbutton Clark's leather vest while explaining, "I want you naked, and then you're going to spread out on your back and put your hands above your head." Stripping the opened vest off Clark, Lex started in on Clark's pants and sandals, and then took a moment to shed his own footwear. "The only rule is that you can't touch me with your hands."

After studying Lex's face for a moment, Clark smiled tentatively. Waiting for Lex to move out of the way, he stood and shimmied out of his pants and then crawled onto the bed as Lex had instructed. Rolling onto his back, Clark spread his legs a bit, and then positioned his arms above his head, the backs of his hands resting against the sheets. Any lingering doubt that Clark might have had obviously failed to affect his libido. His cock jerked at Lex's teasing grin before resting thick and heavy against his taut stomach.

Lex wasted no time in removing his clothes, letting them drop to the floor in a heap, and then joining Clark on the bed. Shoving Clark's legs apart, wide enough to let Lex crawl between them, Lex positioned himself so that he could sit back on his heels. Using both hands, Lex scratched lightly over Clark's chest and sides, thin lines of red marking his passage. Leaning forward, he ran the tip of his tongue along Clark's center line to the base of Clark's vulnerable throat. "Remember, you have to keep your hands right where they are."

Lex watched a shudder run through Clark's body at the slow drawl of that reminder, observed the tense clench and release of Clark's fists against the sheet above his head. "Do I need to restrain you?" Clark's groan at the suggestion, along with the sudden thrust of his hips, made it clear that it would be over before they'd really begun if Lex continued to tease. Lex shook his head in denial. "No, I'm going to trust you."

Opening the tube of lubricant, Lex quickly anointed two of his fingers before reaching behind himself. Clark's eyes widened as he watched Lex prepare himself. It was obvious that he'd expected the reverse. "Let me see," he begged. "If I can't touch, at least let me watch, Lex."

Crawling over Clark's leg, Lex shifted to the side to present Clark with the requested view. Impatient, Lex worked himself roughly, adding a third finger for just a few moments before growling, "Fuck this." He reversed and then quickly straddled Clark, urging him to close his legs again so that Lex could kneel comfortably on his thighs. More lube, and Clark's cock glistened.

Lex could see Clark's pulse in the muscles of his abdomen, the rise and fall of his chest as he panted in anticipation. Sliding forward, Lex felt the slick glide beneath him and he rubbed back and forth a few times, until Clark arched upwards with a plea for more. His patience as short as Clark's, Lex complied. He raised himself high enough to be able to lift Clark's cock into position, and then he began the slow drop downwards, inch by soul-stretching inch.

Clark's entire body was rigid with the strain of holding back, his jaw clenched tight on any further words. His tendons and muscles vibrated with the effort and Lex, concerned that it would take too much out of Clark, began to force himself down more quickly, grunting against the painful stretch. He began to move, hoping that it would help, and then Clark moaned and clamped his eyes shut. When Lex remembered the original trigger for the heat vision, he was suddenly glad that Clark had closed his eyes in time.

Before he was able reach bottom, Lex felt Clark pulse inside him, the stimulus too great for any hope of stamina. Clark groaned and began to apologize, but Lex soothed him with a few words and continued to press downward until he was fully seated. Holding still in deference to Clark's sensitivity, Lex took over the task Clark would have happily performed if he'd been able. With just a few short strokes, Lex removed any trace of shame Clark had been feeling for finishing so quickly.

Reluctantly, Lex let Clark slip free, and then he quickly cleaned both of them so that they could finally follow the captain's orders to rest. Slipping back into the bed, Lex rolled close to Clark without touching, knowing Clark would be more likely to relax if there was less chance that he'd hit or squeeze Lex too hard accidentally. Before Lex closed his eyes, he watched Clark for a moment, and then teased, "You can put your arms down now."

. . .

They were almost to the edge of Reaver space, slinking past the last few marauding ships. Clark was back in the pilot's chair next to Wash, his overload no longer a problem. On the screen, Mr. Universe was assuring them that he was more than willing to take what they were bringing to him and to broadwave it to the 'verse. "From here to the eyes and ears of the 'verse, that's my motto, if I had a motto, that is. You need to know that you're going to pass through an ion cloud. It'll most likely muddle your radar, but after a few miles of sparkly lights, you'll be here."

Zoe asked, "You'll let us know if anyone comes after you, right?"

"You'll be the first, my little fox," he leered, and then ended the 'wave.

Zoe exchanged a glance with Mal. "They've got him."

"Appears so. You best get back with Kaylee, Inara, and the doctor. Make sure they're settled. This is going to go hard and fast."

Taking the comm after Zoe left, Mal barked out an order. "Jayne, it's time. Pick one and let loose. And then get yourself back inside as fast as you can." Looking up through the clear panel, they all waited for Jayne to cast his line...and wondered how many Reaver fish would take the bait.

. . .

As they exited the ion cloud into the early morning sky above Mr. Universe's installation, the Serenity received a 'wave. It wasn't surprising, considering the mass of Alliance warships that clogged the airspace between Serenity and the planet.

The emotionless dark features of the operative appeared. He was standing on the bridge of the flagship. "I'm afraid you'll have to surrender, or suffer the consequences, Captain." The preternaturally calm voice of the operative belied the glint of frustration in his dark-brown eyes. "You should have turned her over to me when you had the chance, like a man...face-to-face."

Standing at attention behind Wash's chair, Mal refused to answer.

A flicker of puzzlement passed over the operative's face, immediately followed by jaw-dropping shock. Watching avidly from his position seated just behind Clark, Lex grinned. Arrogant in his belief that no one could stand against his armada, the operative had just noticed what had followed Serenity through the ion cloud. It put an end to the operative's equanimity. "Target the Reavers! Target everyone! Somebody fire!"

Taking advantage of the chaos that surrounded them, Serenity began to thread its way through the scores of ships that were engaged in battle, always aiming for the surface. Wash and Clark worked like a well-oiled machine, spotting each other and trading controls when needed. In particular, Clark's strength was vital, holding them on course whenever the explosions around Serenity buffeted them.

Lex heard an odd crooning coming from Wash as he slipped past a Reaver spiraling in for a kill. "I am a leaf on the wind...watch how I soar." The mantra was interrupted by a heavy jolt that spun them halfway around.

"What the hell was that!" Mal shouted, clutching Wash's chair in an effort to remain standing.

"It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind," Wash responded, sounding a little panicked.

"What the flaming hell does that mean?"

Clark, who was busy activating the remote fire suppressors while pointing out a broken circuit on his board to Lex, barked out, "It means sit down, shut up, and let us do our jobs without any more questions, Captain."

Mal strapped himself in.

Wash groaned. "We're fried. I've got no control."

"Where's the backup?" Mal asked.

Holding Lex steady so that he could repair the circuit despite the constant jarring motions, Clark grunted, "That would be me." The entire ship shuddered with a metallic scream. "Any second now, Lex."

"Got it."

Releasing Lex and turning back to the controls, Clark flipped the necessary switches and brought them back on course. He shook his head with a wry chuckle. "This was so much easier when I was flying myself."

Taking over the navigation boards, Wash glanced at Clark. "You told me you never piloted before."

"I didn't."

Impatient with the byplay, Lex snapped, "Autobiographical anecdotes can wait, Clark. Just fucking get us down in one piece."

Wash cursed. "Power is down to twenty percent. We'll have to glide her in. Can you handle it?"

"I have to, don't I?" Clark shrugged. "Lex, make sure you're strapped in tight back there. This isn't going to be pretty."

They came in too low and too fast, knowing that the Reavers were right behind them. The landing gear snapped off with the first bounce, and the second left them skidding down the landing strip on Serenity's belly. The ship headed for a large communications tower, and as it slid beneath the metal struts, both engines were ripped free with screeching crashes. With no way to arrest the ship's forward motion, Clark and Wash frantically shut down systems to control fires and electrical surges.

With a final jolting thud, the ship shuddered to a halt. Shocked at their apparent survival, Lex was releasing the straps on his seat when he heard Wash chanting again. "I'm a leaf on the wind...oh, no...."

The choking sound from Wash brought Lex to his feet in a rush, and his heart skipped a beat when he heard Clark moan. Lurching towards Clark's chair, Lex struggled not to scream. The communications spar that had punched through the console hadn't stopped slicing its way through the ship until it protruded three feet beyond the seat back...through the seat back....

And Clark.

Lex needed to see...needed to know. Stumbling around to the small space between the console and chair, he nearly fell to his knees at the sight of Clark impaled through his upper abdomen by a metal spear at least eight inches in diameter. "Clark...." Lex reached out...and then faltered, afraid to touch Clark and possibly disturb the fragile tightrope he was traveling between life and death. Eyes closed, he was still breathing, a soupy rasp that proclaimed he lived.

Making a lightning-fast decision, Lex snapped out, "Wash, get me the torch. I was using it on that panel in the corridor yesterday and it's in the storage locker next to it."

Face distraught, Wash protested, "Lex, we don't have time...."

"Get me the goddamn torch!"

Wash took off at a run.

Coming closer, Mal examined Clark, and then shook his head in disagreement. "If we try to cut him free, he'll bleed to death before Simon can do anything." His hand hovered over the gun strapped to his thigh. "The Reavers'll board the ship, looking for...."

"You think I don't fucking know that?" Lex grabbed the torch from Wash. "Go. Take all the weapons you can carry, get the others, and get out of here. I'll be right behind you."

Mal motioned Wash out, and then stood there, the captain on his bridge. "We need you with us, Lex."

"And I'll be there, I promise. Go!"

"Lex...." Clark had regained consciousness while they'd been arguing. Lex leaned down and brushed his hair back gently. Eyes a little wild, Clark gasped out, "You need...make...happen." He coughed, and Lex's heart clenched at the crimson that rose to stain his mouth. "Don't let...all be...waste."

"Wait for me, Clark." Lex kissed his bloody lips gently, struggling keep his voice steady. "Don't you dare leave without me. I refuse to be remembered as the man who let Superman die twice."

Clark stared up at the clear panel above him, but the sun hadn't risen high enough in the sky yet. Dark lashes fluttered slowly and ocean-green eyes gradually closed as he murmured, "I...always loved...determination...no choice."

"I always have a choice. And I always win." He kissed Clark's forehead and whispered, "I'll be damned if I'm going to let this be the first time that I say 'I love you,' Clark. To earn it, you have to keep your promise not to give up on me." He turned away, his step faltering only once when he heard Clark sigh.

"Love...too...Lex."

Refusing to let the tears that blurred his vision slow him down, Lex welded the door to the bridge shut, spun around, and then threw the torch down the corridor, feeling a perverse satisfaction at the sound of crunching metal. Refusing to look back, Lex picked up the weapons the crew had left behind for him, looped them over his shoulder, and ran.

. . .

"This is where we hold them, Captain." Zoe swept her eyes around the storeroom where they'd halted for a rest after their forced march through the maze of access tunnels. "We can bottleneck and thin them out."

Mal shook his head. "We all stay together."

Zoe straightened and rapped out her arguments. "All due respect, sir, we need to draw them in until it's done. This is the place. We'll buy you the time you need." Turning around, she pointed to heavy metal doors at the end of the room. "Those are blast doors. We can fall back if we need to."

A timid voice spoke up. "I can rig them so's once they close, they won't reopen." Kaylee looked a little overwhelmed by her inclusion in a battle, instead of her usual post in the engine room.

"Then get behind them and hide until I get back." Mal frowned at his stubborn first mate.

"No, sir. That would be the fallback position. Reavers make it through full-strength, we won't stand a chance."

Jayne returned from his inventory of the storeroom's contents. "We need to move them crates back here for cover, after we make sure as they don't have anything inside that goes boom. They ain't light, either."

Looking around for the person she'd gotten used to having available for heavy lifting, Kaylee asked, "Where's Clark?"

Wash shook his head and mumbled, "He's not...going to make it. He was too badly injured."

Kaylee gasped, "You left him there alone? But...the Reavers...."

Everyone looked towards Lex, drawing closer in support. He compressed his lips, but he didn't offer any explanations. Holding his weapon in one hand, Jayne shoved past Simon and River, growling, "Move the gorram crates."

As they went to work building their impromptu barricade, the sounds of pursuit drew nearer. The growls and screams they'd heard on the recording echoed through the metal corridors, bringing a shiver of terror to anyone listening. No one spoke unless it was absolutely necessary, even Kaylee's usual chatter silenced by the grim circumstances.

"Grenade." Taking the piece of munitions from Jayne, Mal tossed it down the corridor before slamming the narrow door shut. He and Jayne shoved one of the heaviest crates across it to provide a few more precious minutes.

Lex had been coldly and efficiently loading and stacking their weapons, as well as looking through the contents of the crates. Mal's hand came down on Lex's shoulder, and his voice disturbed Lex's focus. "Are you here?"

Lex shook off his hand. "You need to get going."

Jayne's voice intruded, rasping along Lex's nerves like sandpaper. "Captain's right. You can't be thinking on revenge if we're gonna get through this."

"You really think any of us is going to get through this?" Zoe rolled her eyes at Jayne and kept checking her weapons, her husband silent by her side.

Lex said nothing, just settled in position, his eyes trained on the blocked door. Suddenly, Mal hauled him to his feet with a jerk.

"You're The Founder and I've heard tell how you could charm the birds down out of the trees when you got to speaking. You're coming with me."

The last thing Lex saw as he followed Mal through the blast doors was his crewmates lined up behind crates, their weapons at the ready. Ex-soldiers and mechanic, doctor, courtesan and waif. All of them stood there waiting for the Reavers to break down the door...and the fight for their lives to begin.

***

Chapter Thirteen

***

The destruction in Mr. Universe's control center was absolute. Not a single piece of equipment had been left functional. A trail of blood pointed away from the slashed programmer's chair towards the rear of the large room. As he approached the bed that he'd noted during the first 'wave with Mr. Universe, Lex studied the lovebot curled up in the center of it. Its hand stroked the dark curls on the head of the corpse lying next to it as the blank eyes of the former Mr. Universe regarded the end of his personal 'verse.

"Can you do anything with this?" Mal looked at Lex, his eyes holding the hope that they could salvage something from the destruction. When Lex simply shook his head, the discouraged captain began to pace in front of the bed, stopping short when the lovebot began to speak in Mr. Universe's voice.

"Mal. Guy killed me, Mal. With a sword. How weird is that? Destroyed...equipment, but have a backup. Bottom of...complex right over...generator. Hard to get to...know they missed it." The lovebot imitated a thick cough. "See...God...they can't stop...the signal. Never stop...."

Mal reached inside his jacket, pulled out the recording and handed it to Lex. "Best we split up and make sure one of us gets through." He pointed to the maintenance access hatch in the floor a few feet away. "You're thinner than I am. I'll meet you at the bottom." Nodding once, he began running for the door at the far end of the room, leaving Lex alone with the dead.

Unable to come up with an alternative, Lex tucked the recording in his duster's pocket. He walked over to the hatch, opened it, and then jumped down into the dark passage. Closing the hatch behind himself, he began to crawl along the metal tunnel, idly wondering why the lovebot had restarted the message from Mr. Universe. He'd thought it was only triggered by proximity.

. . .

"This can't be happening." Lex looked across one hundred feet of nothing to the communications center set up in the heart of the complex. The center perched atop a pillar about twenty feet high, and there were no visible ladders. What Lex did see was an extensible bridge. The difficulty lay in the fact that the bridge did not extend from where Lex was standing, and the control panel he was glaring at needed a code...using a numeric keypad. "Hard to get to...he wasn't lying."

When Lex had dropped out of the air vent into the room, he had been surprised to find that Mal hadn't beaten him there. Running through corridors should have been easier than crawling through narrow maintenance passages and ventilation ducts. It didn't matter. Lex needed to get across and send the 'wave. He couldn't wait for Mal to show up.

The problem was the missing code.

Lex found it hard to believe that a dying Mr. Universe had dragged himself to his lovebot to leave a message about the hidden center without leaving the code, too. Lex ran the message through his head, trying to pick out what the communications expert was trying to tell them. Then it hit him...See God. It amused Lex to find that, even five hundred years in the future, system administrators were still setting passwords to 'god.'

It wasn't amusing when keying in the position in the alphabet for each letter didn't work.

It was infuriating when the sum and the product of the positions failed.

Lex was sure it had to be something simple. Mr. Universe was expecting Mal, an ordinary ship's captain, not the genius Lex Luthor. Simple as realizing it wasn't See God. It was cgod.

The bridge began extending, creeping its way across, dangling from chains suspended from the ceiling. It was only a quarter of the way across when the door to the complex opened, and Mal walked in. Lex looked again when Mal stumbled, and then realized that Mal wasn't holding a short sword in front of him.

It was thrust through his body from behind, and was still being held by the operative who had shoved Mal through the door. Catching sight of Lex and the moving bridge, Mal summoned up a shaky grin. "He stabbed me in the back. I think I made him angry." The operative had evidently disarmed him, and then used what looked like cable ties to secure Mal's hands in front of him.

The operative called over Mal's shoulder to Lex, "Shut it down or he dies."

Mal shook his head. "Gonna kill me anyway. Might as well keep on going and get this done."

Lex estimated where the sword had entered and exited and realized that the operative knew what he was doing. He'd missed the vital organs on the first pass, but any injudicious movement by Mal could cause the saber to shift enough to change that. He looked in Mal's eyes and saw that Mal was willing to take that chance and he shook his head. Glancing over his shoulder, he estimated the bridge had about forty feet to go.

Stalling, Lex shuffled a little to the side, trying to get a clear view of the operative. "We know the secret that you've been trying to keep hidden...the truth that almost burned through River Tam's brain. The rest of the 'verse is going to hear it, because it's a secret that cannot be tolerated in that better world you spoke about so piously."

The operative's eyes narrowed at the attempt to use his own words against him. "Do you really believe that?"

Lex nodded earnestly. "I do."

"Are you willing to die for your beliefs?" the operative prompted.

Slowly sinking to the ground, and forcing the operative to lower his arm to keep the sword engaged, Mal insisted, "I am...."

"So am I," declared Lex. While Mal was distracting the operative, Lex drew his gun and shot the operative in the chest. It would have killed the operative if he hadn't been wearing his body armor, but the impact did knock him backwards. He released the sword and took cover behind a nearby stanchion.

Mal looked up at Lex and grinned crookedly. "Course, it wasn't exactly plan A."

The captain had almost made it back to his feet when several gunshots rang out. Mal went down with a bullet in his thigh...and the bridge controls exploded. A piece of shrapnel sliced across Lex's forehead and his eyesight was quickly obscured by blood as he took cover. Swiping his sleeve across them, Lex was able to clear his vision long enough to shoot the gun he spotted extending out beyond the operative's hiding place. Lex was baffled as to why the operative hadn't simply shot both of them to begin with, but concluded it probably had something to do with some convoluted code of honor.

Knowing that the operative's weapon was now useless, Lex returned his attention to the bridge. Unfortunately, it had stopped about ten feet out and the controls were a lost cause. Lex sighed and took off his duster, retrieving the recording from the pocket. He tucked the small disk into his shirt pocket and hurried over to the railing that protected the unwary from the long drop. Handing Mal his gun and warning him not to move the sword, Lex took hold of the railing and swung himself over.

The warning he'd given Mal had done little good. Lex had barely landed on the bridge when cold metal burned into him just above his right hip, grating against the bone and forcing him to one knee. Apparently, the operative had yanked the sword free from Mal, and then jumped after Lex. Furtively retrieving the knife from his boot, Lex waited. When the operative pulled the sword free for a second strike, Lex lunged and tumbled forward on the bridge. He twisted in the air to land on his feet, facing the operative, hissing at the jolt of pain from the stab wound.

Knife in hand, Lex backed across the bridge, focused on his final goal. He'd practiced with knives with his former bodyguards, but there were very few tricks to compensate for the shorter reach of a knife when up against a saber.

Fortunately, Mal had that covered.

The shot that pulped the operative's hand as he raised the sword was perfect. The deadly piece of metal went over the side of the bridge. The operative didn't. He advanced inexorably and Lex was forced to meet him with the knife. Having his right leg buckle beneath him was a clear disadvantage and Lex took a kick to his knife arm, which left him disarmed. It was a flurry of hand-to-hand combat after that, and Lex sustained a lot of damage before he was finally able to throw the operative over the side of the bridge to join his sword.

Grabbing Lex's shirt pocket on his way over, the operative ripped it free...and the recording went over the side of the bridge with him.

Lex looked down to see the operative moving feebly. "Fuck."

"That's why I believe in backup plans." Mal held up the copy of the recording he'd been carrying. Reeling and stumbling to the communications center, Lex finished extending the bridge. Mal began to stagger across and Lex met him halfway. Urging the captain to wait back by the destroyed controls, Lex carried the recording to the center. Standing in front of the transmitter, Lex initiated the 'wave, and began to speak.

"Citizens of the 'verse. The Alliance has been lying to you in the name of The Founder. His dream was to feed the poor and heal the sick, to protect and educate the children. Those guiding principles have been either perverted or discarded by the Alliance. Here is the proof. Take it, record it, spread it across the 'verse...and do not let them destroy your humanity, for it is mankind's only hope for the future."

Slotting the recording into the player, Lex flipped the on-switch...and began to alter the 'verse.

. . .

It was a long walk back to the tunnel where the crew had retreated, but Mal and Lex finally staggered in, supporting each other as they grew steadily weaker from their wounds. Lex had cut up his shirt and wrapped it around Mal as tightly as he could, hoping the operative's sword hadn't sliced something badly on the way out. The bullet in the captain's thigh had missed the bone and artery, but it would need to be removed by a surgeon. Lex's injuries weren't life-threatening, but that didn't mean they weren't painful as well as increasingly debilitating.

"It's done." Mal released Lex, who collapsed with a groan to the metal decking. He landed next to Inara, who was tending the doctor and Kaylee. Taking a few steps towards Zoe, Mal stumbled, but somehow still remained standing. "Report."

"Wash took a closed head injury and is still unconscious. Kaylee was hit by poison darts, and we almost lost her before Inara stabilized her. Inara's been following the doctor's instructions because he's got abdominal injuries, and it doesn't look good. When we fell back to take position behind the blast doors, they jammed open, and the doctor's bag got left behind. River went through and closed the doors, after she tossed the bag back to us. Jayne's been hit a couple of times, but he can still shoot...so can I, but I can't move far. It's my back. We're down to two and a half clips of ammo and no grenades."

As Zoe's brief report had revealed the stark facts of their battle, Lex had inventoried each person's condition. With no other position to fall back to, their prospects looked grim. When the Reavers made it through that remaining barrier, there would be a final decision on how those last few pieces of ammunition would be used.

They didn't have to wait long. With a grating rumble, the blast doors opened. Zoe, Jayne, and Mal held the remaining weapons at the ready...but there were no enemies to shoot. All Lex could see through the opening was River, standing there covered in blood, ugly-looking Reaver swords in her hands. She stood there breathing quietly, staring in at them with haunted eyes that had witnessed too much death.

No one moved...and then it was too late. The concrete wall behind River's back exploded outward, and Alliance soldiers ran inside, pouring though the new entrance like soldier ants.

"Drop your weapons and show your hands!"

Lex watched as River's slim body gathered itself for one final battle. Her hands flexed on the razor-sharp blades, which she held in each hand, as the Alliance commander repeated the order.

"Drop your weapons!"

A deep voice interrupted. "I don't think so."

In seconds, the soldiers lay scattered across the rubble, their weapons broken and thrown into a pile. Clark blurred to a stop before the newly formed exit, his clothing torn and covered in blood, his tall, broad figure outlined by the sun. He looked down at River and smiled as he gently removed the bloody Reaver weapons from the small hands that had begun to tremble. "It's over." River studied him for a moment with wide, solemn eyes before she smiled back, and then ran to her brother's side. Clark followed her, headed directly for Lex.

As Clark passed by, Wash startled awake in Zoe's arms. Disoriented, he tried to scramble to his feet until his wife forced him down with a wince of pain. "Be still. It's over."

"For now." No longer able to prop himself up against the wall, Mal slumped to the ground next to Lex.

Lex looked up at Clark and tried to smile through the bruises and blood. When Clark began to touch him with gentle hands, Lex frowned. "What took you so long? I was beginning to get worried."

"Sorry, but that communications tower we hit kept me in the shade. I was getting pretty worried myself, especially when my hearing kicked in and I was still stuck. I think I've acquired a good deal of sympathy for all those bugs stuck on pins in museums." Clark rubbed his abdomen absently, as if he still felt the spar deep inside. "When the shadow finally shifted enough, the recharge hit me fast, like we'd planned."

"Not that I want to make any complaints about your...last-minute rescue, but did you forget about the Alliance ship that's still sitting out there, or do you have some sort of devious plan?"

"Oh, that. I've been listening and it seems that the operative isn't dead...and he isn't after River any longer. He listened to the 'wave, and then ordered everyone to stand down and offer assistance. Unfortunately, that was after I knocked out the entire platoon. I'm glad he came through in the end, though. I don't think I'm quite ready to start throwing ships off planets."

After looking around and assessing the damage, Clark nodded. "All right, then. Let's get all of you into the sick bay. I'm sure that the accommodations there have to be much more comfortable." He picked up the doctor and he was gone, returning a few seconds later for Kaylee. He kept picking them up...Zoe...Wash.... But not Jayne. He growled at Clark, and then let River and Inara help him hobble outside.

Mal raised a bloody eyebrow at Lex. "Do you ever get used to that? I thought he was pretty strong and fast before...."

He was gone before Lex could answer.

Lex was Clark's final passenger. He picked Lex up tenderly and set off for the ship, carrying him at an almost normal human's rate of speed. Lex relaxed against Clark's chest and closed his eyes. His weary voice was fading as he struggled to stay conscious. "What? I don't get to take the express?"

Clark shook his head and smiled down at Lex. "Nope, this time I'm going to indulge myself. You never let me carry you without an argument. Besides, this gives the Alliance doctors some time to work on the others before I walk in and demand that they drop everything to take care of you. You're a mess."

Lex was almost positive that he gloated loud enough for Clark to hear, but it might have been a dream. "I'll be fine. I told you I always win."

***

Epilogue

***

Preceding Clark, who was carrying the equipment they'd been using to repair the holes in the hull, Lex opened the door to the engine room and then slammed it shut with a sputtered apology. Spinning around, he frowned at Clark. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Hey, I don't make it a habit to walk around with my x-ray vision on all the time. I could wind up walking through bulkheads." He peered over Lex's shoulder at the door and squinted a little, and then his eyes widened in surprise. "I guess Kaylee's not going to be needing those batteries for a while."

Clark stowed the equipment in an empty storage locker near the engine room, and then he and Lex went in search of the captain. They found him standing just outside the landing bay, confronting the operative. A light drizzle had begun, but Mal made no movement toward shelter. Without a word, Clark and Lex joined him, standing at their captain's back in a show of support.

"You need to leave here as soon as possible and you'll need to be careful. You're surprisingly good, but the Alliance Parliament is only weakened by what you've accomplished, not dead. They are not forgiving." The operative spoke clearly, his words crisp and precise. "I've told them that the Tams are no longer a threat, but they know I'm no longer their man."

The Operative's dark eyes rose to survey the battle-scarred ship and he cocked his head as he remarked with a mild curiosity, "I've noticed your ship's called 'Serenity.' Some say that the rebellion ended with the Battle of Serenity. How odd, Captain, that you'd choose to name your ship after a battle where you fought on the wrong side."

Face closed off and cold, Mal disagreed through gritted teeth. "The losing side...not the wrong one. You need to be gone, too. I'm on the sharp edge of killing you myself if I have to see your face much longer."

"There's no need to be disturbed, Captain. There's nothing here left to see." Eyes distant, the operative nodded and then walked away. The group at the base of the landing bay watched until his solitary figure was lost in the misty rain.

. . .

Following Mal into the galley, Lex noticed Jayne and River sitting together. It surprised Lex, considering all of the burly man's complaints about the young girl. He greeted them both and then listened in as Mal consulted with Zoe.

"I hate to agree with that man about anything, Captain, but we're as ready as we'll ever be and we should be leaving." Zoe stood in the center of the galley, wincing as she tried to cross her arms and stressed her still-healing wounds.

"You sure enough she'll hold together?" Mal didn't sound particularly worried. He was simply looking for confirmation of his own opinion.

Zoe nodded. "She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true."

"That's because a ship like this gives you everything she's got and'll be with you 'til the day you die," Mal declared, pleased at Zoe's assessment.

Zoe's snort was quite unladylike. "'Cause it's a deathtrap?"

Lex chuckled to himself when Mal slanted a frown at his first mate and changed the subject. "I think I'll get cleaned up and go relieve Wash on the bridge. I feel like taking her up myself today." Nodding to Lex, he left the galley, Zoe following close behind.

"I don't know why you'd want to stay on this boat." Jayne had stopped shoveling stew into his mouth long enough to scowl at Lex and ask a question. "You're The Founder. You could have the Alliance eating out of your hand if you showed up at the Parliament...'specially with him along." Jayne jerked his chin at Clark, who was standing a few feet away.

Lex shrugged. "I suppose I could...if I managed to avoid being assassinated before I could say a word. There are better ways. It's just going to take time and careful planning to take the Alliance down without losing more lives in the process." Lex smiled at the sight of Clark gently teasing River about her lessons with Wash. "Clark? Clark deserves something better than being taken to pieces in a lab because I didn't think everything through before we start. He deserves a chance to be happy."

Jayne rejected Lex's statement with a huff. "And that's on this boat?"

Clark had slid behind Lex and was nuzzling the bump on the back of his head, making Lex purse his lips in an effort not to grin. Giving up his teasing, Clark looped his arms around Lex's waist before leaning his head against Lex's to answer Jayne's question. "It's wherever Lex is."

Jayne rolled his eyes and groaned in disgust. "Aww, take it to your quarters, would ya? I'm eating here."

"Good idea." Lex smirked, pulled away from Clark, and headed for the door with Clark right behind him. Threading their way through the corridors, they passed Mal and Inara. Lex couldn't help overhearing the reluctant couple's conversation and it made him smile.

"It was good to have you here again, but I reckon you're ready to get off this heap, back to the Training House where it's civilized, right?"

Inara sounded shy and uncertain. "I, uh...I don't know."

Just before Lex and Clark turned the corner, Lex heard Mal's quiet chuckle as the captain replied, "Good answer." Clark squeezed Lex's hand and pulled him along a little faster.

. . .

Clark had Lex pinned against the cabin door when there was an odd ka-chunk sound that thrummed through the ship. Clark stopped kissing Lex long enough to listen, and then he shrugged. Lex was unable to restrain his curiosity. "What was that?"

"Mal yelled at Kaylee that they lost one of the aft panels when he was taking us up. Kaylee told him it wasn't important, just pretty, and not to bother her because she was busy showing Simon how to swap out a coil. Now she's...ooo...kay, I really didn't need to hear that."

Lex smiled at how easy it still was to make Clark blush. "So we don't have to go running somewhere?"

Clark shook his head and then nipped along Lex's jaw to his ear. "River's...practicing her ...piloting, with...Mal supervising. The rest are...either sleeping or...sleeping, so.... We're. Staying. Put."

Trying to maintain some semblance of control, in spite of Clark's highly effective methods of seduction, Lex noted, "You know, I'm still finding all this...hard to believe. You and I...hundreds of years in the future...members of a ragtag band of renegades who are quite possibly going to end up saving the 'verse from the evil Alliance." Grabbing a fistful of Clark's hair, Lex tugged him away from his determined exploration of the connection between Lex's neck and shoulder, and teased, "I guess that means I'm Han Solo and you're...Chewbacca?"

Clark responded with a predictable squawk of protest that left Lex grinning. "Chewbacca! Thanks a lot! I've always thought of myself as Luke Skywalker. When you consider the whole 'abandoned on another planet with adoptive parents, fighting my father's evil schemes...and never ending up with the girl'...it fits." Ignoring the hand in his hair, Clark resumed his previous activity. "Mmmm...I can see you as Han Solo. You're the perfect 'pretending to be a badass...when underneath it all...you've always been a hero'...um...hero."

Lex forced both hands between them and tried to shove Clark away with an exaggerated scowl. "'Pretending to be a badass'? You do realize that under a red sun you wouldn't stand a chance against me. I'd wipe the floor with your sorry ass, with or without a light saber."

Clark took a step back and blurred, leaving Lex standing by the door. "Not arguing that point, but wouldn't you rather do something else with my sorry ass?"

Lex sauntered over to the bed where Clark was lying naked, slowly stroking himself as he waited for his stubborn lover. "You're really enjoying all this, aren't you?" Lex marveled. Yanking his shirt over his head, Lex threw it to the floor, where his pants quickly joined it. "Just don't start making jokes about the spice or I'll have to punish you."

Clark grinned up at Lex. "Of course I am. I'm looking forward to exploring the 'verse and maybe making a difference. This is our second chance, Lex. Remember? I know you'll never admit to loving anything, but I'm sure you're at least enjoying it."

Crawling up from the foot of the bed, Lex braced himself on his hands over the expanse of golden skin and muscle and looked his fill. Time spent under the F-type star had fully restored Clark's powers, leaving him glowing with health. Lex's own wounds had healed almost as quickly with the help of his mutation. Pleased with the results of his inspection, Lex smiled down tenderly at Clark.

"I do love it."

His eyes traced every beloved feature as Clark's eyes sparkled with long-suppressed hope, and then Lex happily proved Clark wrong. Again.

"I love you."