The Phantom || Smallville

10|Rogue

Andrea was still recovering from her gunshot wound and now, she was silently sitting on the couch and she was grunting in annoyance. "You shouldn't be moving." Lex noted.

"I'm not." Andrea snapped and Lex was walking over to her with a big cup of hot chocolate. "I hate this." She mumbled and she took the cup. "Thanks." She muttered.

"Why didn't you take the chance and get medical attention?" Lex asked and she was looking at him. "Why didn't you leave with the kids, Andrea? You could have died from the blood loss..."

"I don't care about that, Lex." Andrea cut him off and Lex looked at her. "I stayed in the plant, because I owe you a lot more than I can ever repay you for." She said and Lex's eyebrows lifted. "Every time I called, you picked up the phone. If I needed a ride, if I needed help to wind down a party, if I ever needed someone to beat up Ollie..." Andrea was shaking her head. "You were always there when I called." She said.

"I've told you before, Andy, that you don't owe me jack shit." Lex said and she lowered her head. "Do you want a hug?" Lex offered.

Andrea replied without words as she was moving closer for the offered hug and Lex moved his arms around her carefully. "I'm never going to get out from under my own guilty conscience about owing you Lex." She mumbled and he looked down at her.

"Fine. But in my mind, just know that we are even." Lex said quietly and she rested her head on his arm, closing her eyes as she was shaking briefly. "Are you coming to the Luthor Hall Collection Charity Gala?" He asked and she sighed.

"Can I steal a suit?" Andrea asked, opening her eyes and he nodded at her quickly. "Well then, yes." She said and Lex scoffed quietly.

"You would have gone anyways, wouldn't you?" Lex asked as Andrea looked up at him before she was nodding.

"Your Head of Security isn't going anywhere right now." Andrea muttered, as at this, Lex was chuckling at how tired she seemed to be and she elbowed him. "Stop, laughing, at me." Her words came out muffled, but her elbow sure didn't and Lex chuckled softly.

"Ow. All right, I get it." Lex said as Andrea's eyes were closing again, as she was moving into sleepyhead land and rather luckily for her, he had nowhere to be at the moment.

It was a few days later that Andrea found herself in a fitted suit that Lex had basically just given to her, plus some of her old, black dress slacks that she was ninety percent sure that she had stolen from Oliver back in their youth, which would explain why they fit.

"Andrea?" The person that she had least wanted to run into, he had spotted her and Lex spotted her discomfort.

"Oliver." Lex answered for her now as Andrea's eyes locked on her brother's and his eyes flashed.

"It's okay, Lex." Andrea said as Lex looked down at her before she was nodding quickly at the wordless communication. "Go and see the others, I'll meet you in a bit." She said as Lex walked off into the crowd.

"I heard that you got shot, are you all right?" Oliver asked as they walked around the museum and she sighed.

"I got shot, Ollie, and I made it worse by helping Lex. What do you want me to say? Is there a script, a cameraman who is watching us? Perhaps?" Andrea asked and Oliver was looking down at the floor.

"I'm trying to be a good big brother to you, Andrea, but you won't let me. Why won't you let me try?" Oliver asked.

"If you were in my position, after knowing that I'd never been there when you wanted me to be... Would you really have wanted me to keep approaching you?" Andrea said as she crossed her arms, before Oliver was nodding.