[dated to the week of Jan 31-Feb 4]

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron couldn't remember the last time she'd been so bad off. She'd been injured twice before on the island - once during that freak snowstorm, when she'd been rescued by Brad, and once on Halloween more than three years ago, when she'd fought Reavers with River and gotten stitched up by Simon - and neither had been as bad as this. She was stuck

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[capable_of]

The next morning, Lex had shown up at the clinic bright and early. While Lex Luthor wasn't one to hide from anything, he knew that if he didn't do this now, he'd put it off forever and Helen deserved better then that.

One would think, after all the times Lex had needed rescuing in his life, which was more then he'd like to admit, he'd know the words to say. But anything and everything stuck in his throat as he stood in the doorway of the clinic, watching Helen and Harris. He guessed he'd gotten used to his rescuers being indestructible because the feeling of her broken in his arms because she'd come back for him would join his rotation of nightmares for a long time.

Lex Luthor was not a coward. But his guilt was making it very hard to take a step closer into that room.

[poison_lipstick]

She'd been talking quietly with Xander, their hands wrapped together in familiar intimacy, but when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye Saffron looked towards the door. And when she saw who was standing there, she smiled.

"Lex," she said hoarsely, beckoning with her free hand. "Come in."

Turning towards Xander, she squeezed his hand briefly and forced herself not to wince as she took a slow breath. "Baby, can you give us a minute? Please?" she asked him.

[capable_of]

It was her invitation that made him finally move into the room, despite the glare Harris gave him as he shoved past him out the door. He knew Harris would protest to him seeing Helen but certainly even he would let Lex have the chance to apologize.

Slowly, Lex took Xander's seat and moved to take Helen's hand but stopped at the last moment. "Helen," He paused, licking his lips as the unfamiliar words fought their way out, "I'm so sorry."

[poison_lipstick]

She went the rest of the way for him, reaching out to catch hold of his hand. "Oh, honey," she whispered, shaking her head. "You don't need to - apologize for anything."

[capable_of]

Lex rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, not quite looking up at her. "Then at least let me thank you. I don't think I can ever thank you enough." He'd been done for, he knew that much. Oh, he would have fought till the end but if she hadn't shown up...

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"Anytime," Saffron replied, and god, she wished he'd look at her. "Well, hopefully - there won't be a - next time, but you - know what I mean."

She reached out then, with her free hand, touched gentle fingers to the underside of his chin to get him to look up. "And I need to thank you, too," she said. "You got me - out of there. Got me back here."

[capable_of]

There was always a next time and Lex had been lucky to have people around to help him, like Clark, Helen and even Anatoly. He just feared the day his luck would run out.

He reluctantly looked up when her fingers touched his chin and met her eyes. "It was the least I could do."

[poison_lipstick]

"I love you, you know," she said, barely above a whisper. "You're pretty much my closest friend here. There was no way I was going to let anything happen to you."

Saffron paused, gave her throat a second's rest, and quirked a wry smile. "Besides, I think if I had let - something happen to you I'd have - had an entire chess set thrown at my head."

[capable_of]

"I know," Lex said, unintentionally speaking at the same soft volume. He couldn't say the words, but he hoped she knew, if anything just by looking in his eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you here." Granted, he needed Anatoly more, of course, to keep himself in check but Helen...she understood the parts of him he'd tried to keep from Anatoly. The darker parts that kept him up a night sometimes.

And then of course, he laughed lightly. "That and you'd quickly get a lesson in every swear word in the Russian language and then some. Though it's almost a shame...he's beautiful when he's angry."

[poison_lipstick]

He wasn't going to say it back, and Saffron hadn't expected him to, but it didn't matter. She could tell he did.

"You would say that," she teased, her smile deepening a little. "Though I have - seen him when he's angry, so I'd tend - to agree with you."

[capable_of]

"I'm a lucky man." Lex said with a smile, "But then, you're a lucky lady. I didn't think Harris was going to let me in here. He's guarding you like a beagle with high expectations." It wasn't really an insult, just an observation, since Harris wasn't the most ferocious of men.

[poison_lipstick]

She started to chuckle, then cut herself off with a gasp and a wince as the pain in her ribs spiked. "Don't make me laugh, gorramit," she croaked as her free hand went to press gingerly against her side, though she was smiling. "I'm not sure how well he'd take to being - called a small and cuddly dog. But I am - very lucky."

[capable_of]

"Don't forget loud." Lex added with the same smile but then took pity on her and stopped. "I'm really glad your going to be alright. If there's anything I can do...just name it."

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"Visit me," she replied promptly. Seeing Lex whole and relatively unscathed made it all worth it, to her. "I'm stuck here - rest of the week, is what the - doctor's telling me. I'll tell the - beagle to stand down. Plus, he's gotta eat and - sleep sometimes, even if he resists."

[capable_of]

Lex squeezed her hand again. "As much as I can, but only till the point that Anatoly won't feel neglected." Then he stood and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "But for not, I better let you get some rest so the beagle won't growl at me as I leave."

[poison_lipstick]

She smiled as Lex kissed her forehead. "Tell him I said hello," Saffron replied, as he went to go.