TITLE:  Compassion
AUTHOR: Lady Ra
E-MAIL ADDRESS: ladyra11@yahoo.com
RATING: R (for violence mostly, just a few smoochies)
PAIRING: Lex/Clark
SUMMARY: Lionel Luthor has captured himself an extraterrestrial and he wants Lex to help him with his experiments.
NOTES: Let's pretend that Lex never came to Smallville, and didn't know Clark.  And I have no idea how a Clark exposed to meteor rock would react to bullets so I made that stuff up. 
EPISODE SPOILERS: None.  This makes a sharp right turn before the pilot.
WARNINGS: Clark owies.  And if any of you weirdos out there have warm fuzzies for Lionel, better avert your eyes.  <g>
DISCLAIMER: All due honor and accolades to the creators of Smallville.  Despite all the evil you do, you have created characters that have touched my heart and now I can't stop playing with them.
DISTRIBUTION: Smallville Slash Archive, and my website: www.visionsofprettyboys.com
FEEDBACK:  Hi.  My name is Lady Ra.  I'm a feedbackaholic.  Now you all say: Hi Lady Ra. 
THANKS: Thanks to my vunderbar betas.   My stories are always so much better for their hard work.  For this story that includes: Morr, Joolz, Prentice, Lasha, Jenn and Medieval Babe.  Thanks oodles.  Any mistakes are mine, as I tend to do major rewrites after my betas are done with it.  I just can't leave well enough alone.  <g>

Compassion

"What the hell did you do to my lab?" Lex demanded as he stalked toward his father, broken glass crunching under his feet. 

His father turned to him, a smile lighting up his face.  "Ah, Lex, son, you're finally home."

Lex came to a sudden standstill.  Smiles like that on his father's face usually meant his life was about to go into a tailspin of painful proportions.  He took a couple of seconds to compose himself.  "Dad," he asked again, aiming for calm, "What did you do to my lab?"

When Lex had left on vacation two weeks ago, his lab had been a buzzing hive of activity, filled with the best scientists money could buy and hundreds of employees all busy doing the things Lex needed them to be doing.  Now, somehow, no doubt due to his father, the lab was empty.  No employees, no experiments, no noise indicating that things were happily humming along.  "And where are my employees?"

Lionel waved a dismissive hand in his direction.  "Paid them all off."

Blowing out a silent breath, Lex counted to ten.  Options flashed through his brain of killing his father: choking him, knifing him, shooting him--each choice more satisfying than the last.  He managed to rein in the impulse, needing more information first. 

Besides, the damage here was done.  Getting angry and losing any tactical advantage would be of no use.  Lex had learned a long time ago to pick his battles.  Even he only had so much energy and blood to lend to the cause. 

He glanced around.  This particular room had been his private lab.  Lex glanced at all the equipment now shut down, equipment that had been working on experiments of specific importance to him.  The work of years in some cases, all destroyed because of some whim of his father.

The spectrophotometer, the Thermo gravimetric analyzer, the prism coupler, even the photodiode array detector stood idle.  The contents they'd been working on thrown to the side like moldy leftovers.

"Do you know what this is going to cost me?"  Money was the only thing his father understood.  Money and power.  And while it was true that these aborted experiments would end up costing Lex millions in anticipated revenue, it was the violation that made his gut churn.

Over and over again they had to play this game.  Lionel proving that whatever Lex thought was his could be taken away.  Lex's defiance in choosing a different path from the one his father had laid out for him had come at a steep price.  One, it seemed, he would never stop paying.

He'd barely managed to get his Ph.D.  Every time he turned around, Lionel had set him up to take a fall.  He'd hired people to destroy Lex's credibility, accuse him of cheating, of plagiarism.  It had been exhausting to keep up with his studies and his father at the same time.  Lex thought he might have spent more time undoing the damage Lionel had entangled him in than actually studying.

It was only because he was so smart that he'd pulled it off.  That and desperation to get it done before his father created some imbroglio that Lex couldn't finagle his way out of.  So, he'd finished his Ph.D. at the age of twenty-three. 

Needless to say, his father hadn't gone to the graduation.  Not that it mattered; Lex hadn't gone either.  What was the point?  He had few friends.  Not only had he not had time to make any with his punishing schedule, but he was also looked on with suspicion despite the fact that he'd cleared his name in every case.  Everyone knew where there was smoke; there was fire.  Especially if you were a Luthor. 

Lex hated his father with a passion. 

Once he'd graduated and his father realized that he really was planning to walk a different path, that his brush with academia hadn't been an expensive and lengthy form of acting out, the dueling grew even more heated. 

Lex didn't date any more.  Why bother when they all ended up in Lionel's bed? 

He'd had to create an entirely new encryption code to keep his father out of his research and development files when something he was working on was leaked to his competitors.  He never knew when Lionel would try to buy off his staff.

It all made him weary beyond belief.  He'd moved away, out of Metropolis, to the other side of Kansas, and set up this lab.  He hired the best scientists he could find, people with a passion for learning and discovery like him, who wouldn't be swayed by his father's perverted need for one-upping his son.  Lex gave them everything they needed, every piece of machinery, no matter what the cost, and let them dabble to their hearts content.

He started to make money.  Lots and lots of money.  Lex had a knack for research and development, a skill in knowing what would work and what wouldn't.  For a brief time, his success had given Lionel pause. 

And for that brief time, Lex had been left alone.  For the most part.  Every now and then, when he was conveniently alone, he'd find himself on the wrong end of some fists, and Lex always knew they were a calling card from his dad.  Just in case Lex had the temerity to actually think he'd gotten away with it.  And he hadn't.  Even these scientists had had a price and his father had been more than happy to pay it.

As he continued to survey his lab, he saw that the only machine still humming was the DNA thermal cycler.  A sudden hand grasp to his shoulder startled him.  He glanced at the hand, followed it up his father's arm to see the smile still on Lionel's face.  It sent shivers down Lex's spine. 

"I needed a lab and I needed it fast," Lionel said, "This is so much more important than your little experiments."

"Don't touch me."  That was all Lex cared about right this moment.  Bad things happened when his dad touched him.  They always had. 

A flash of anger gleamed in Lionel's eyes and the hand tightened.

Lex spoke again, softly.  "Take your hand off my shoulder.  Now."

Something in his voice must have conveyed his deadly intent, as the hand dropped away.  But in Lionel's eyes was a promise for later retribution.

Lex expected nothing less.  "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Lionel gestured toward the thermal cycler.  "Take a look."

Keeping a cautious eye on his father, Lex followed his direction.  When his eyes saw what was on the computer screen, his brows went up, fascinated despite his father's involvement.  "What is this?"

"Take a closer look."

Lex sat down on the stool and his fingers started flying over the keyboard.  "What is this?  What sort of sample is this?"  He shook his head.  "This doesn't make any sense.  These alleles aren't just polymorphic, they're--."  Lex looked at his father.  "Did you do a PCR-based analysis?"

"Of course."

Lex kept back a snort.  It figured his father knew all about DNA testing.  Probably a self-defense mechanism to keep the paternity suits away.  "Where are those results?"

Lionel pointed to a file next to the computer.  Lex opened it up and his eyes widened.  "This has got to be a mistake.  Maybe there was a differential amplification."

"There was in the first few samples, but look on the last page."

Lex's heart was racing as he read over the data.  Whatever this was, it wasn't anything indigenous to Earth.  And it wasn't something basically inert like moon rock, or the meteor fragments that fell in that spectacular shower 15 years ago.  This was something alive.  "What is it?"

Lionel rubbed his hands together like a kid at Christmas.  "Ah, I see I've finally gotten your attention."

Lex wished he could say no and just walk out, but it was true.  His father did have his attention.  Not that it ameliorated the ruination of his lab.

His father walked to the back of the lab, to a storage area that had been filled with lab supplies.  "I put it in here."  He opened the door and gestured for Lex to enter.

Still not sure of his father's intention, Lex indicated that he could go in first.  Creepily wishing he was armed, he followed his father in.  The room was fairly dark and had an eerie green glow.  It took a moment for Lex's eyes to adjust. 

The room had been full of boxes of expensive supplies but it was now empty.  No doubt his materials had been cast on some refuse heap somewhere, Lionel's way of showing his contempt for Lex even while being pragmatic.  In its place was a cage.  Eight feet by eight feet, bars on every surface, including the floor.  The bars were a thick metal and they were coated with a green gel of some sort that was the source of the glow.

Inside the cage was a body.  A naked body of what looked to be a man.  He was lying on the ground, his back to Lex, curled into a tight ball, hands tied behind its back, the rope shining with a faint hint of green.  His posture spoke of defeat and sadness and something about it touched Lex's heart.  "What--?"  He turned to his dad, not even sure what to ask.

"It's not human, Lex.  It may look human, but it's not.  It's been on Earth for a while, insinuating itself into our world, pretending to be like us.  But, it's alien through and through."

Lex glanced at his father, at the wild look in his eyes, the venom in his voice.  "What did it do to you?"  Lex thought he was the only one who put that look on his father's face.

"It doesn't belong here."

Lex could relate.  As far as his father thought, he didn't belong here either.  He put a hand out to touch the green gel.  "What is this?"

"It's liquefied meteor ore, substantially diluted.  It's the only thing that controls it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's invulnerable except to this.  Believe me, I've tried.  Bullets, fire, explosions, nothing."  Lionel reached out and touched the metal until a dab of the green gel was on his index finger.  He rubbed it between his index finger and thumb as if it were a fine silk. 

Lex stared at the body.  "Does it talk?" 

"Yes, but I've been keeping it gagged.  Don't fall for its tricks, son.  The goal here is to figure out what it's made of, what makes it invulnerable.  The information would be invaluable.  Think of it, Lex," Lionel said with a voice filled with avarice, "the secret to immortality might be ours."

A groan brought his attention back to the body.  He looked at it closely and he could see a fine network of green veins covering its skin.  "Is that its natural appearance?"

"No, that's due to the meteor ore.  It looks completely human on the outside.  There's probably more just like it," he said darkly, "planning to take over our planet."

Lex shot his dad a bitter smile.  "And I'm guessing that would upset your plans, right, Dad?  After all, if anyone's going to be emperor of the world, you'd want it to be you."  He could almost wish for an alien invasion if it upset his father's plans for world dominion.

He backed away just in time to avoid the fist that struck out at him.  His father didn't like to be taunted.  Movement in the cage caught his attention, and he watched as the alien turned over, another moan escaping through the leather ball gag in its, no, in his mouth.

Lex couldn't look away.  It was a young man, a beautiful young man, with a mop of dark hair and a body that looked as if was sculpted out of marble.  Something by Leonardo DaVinci, but with more than a generous helping of genitals.

If it wasn't for the green vein latticework covering most of his body, he'd look completely human.  Then the young man opened his eyes.

Compelling green eyes, full of pain, despair, fear, and pleading.  Lex felt their siren call, stirring compassion inside of him.  More than that, he felt a connection to the core of his being.  With a sharp, almost dizzying recognition, the hole in his life he'd never been able to put a name to, now had a face. 

This time the strike connected, the flat of his father's hand against his cheek.  "Lex.  Don't be fooled by it.  It's the enemy.  I've thought about putting out its eyes, but I want to complete some tests first."

Lex would kill his father before he'd let that happen.  "Have you asked him what he's doing here?"  Lex was sure the answer was no.  His father wouldn't care.  All he saw was something he could freely exploit without the fear of pesky things like human rights organizations.

"It doesn’t matter, son.  All that matters is that we learn from it."

"How long has he been in here?" Lex rattled the cage, indicating that that was what he was talking about.

"Since the day you left.  But I've known of its existence for months."  Lionel's eyes were taunting.

Lex swallowed his anger.  His father hadn't needed a lab on a moment's notice.  Instead, he'd simply waited until Lex was out of the way before moving in and claiming the territory in their ongoing metaphorical game of Risk. 

Lionel smiled down at the young alien, a malevolent gleam in his eye.  "It will be easy enough to destroy when we've learned what we need to know."

Lex closed his eyes.  He knew if he kept them open he'd be drawn back to that face, to those desperate eyes.  He turned to his dad.  "What have you found out so far?" he asked in what he hoped was a sufficiently interested voice. 

His father smiled.  "That's my son."

Hearing another sad moan, Lex chanced a quick look only to see hopelessness flicker in those green eyes before they closed.  It made Lex's chest hurt, and it was all he could do not to open the cage and hold the young man in his arms.

Lex wondered if the alien could control minds, could manipulate emotions.  Hell, his father was a master at it, and he was human.  It would be the rational assumption to make, rather than thinking that he'd suddenly found his destiny.  He forced himself to turn away.  "Show me what you have."

His father grinned at him again, a smug I-won-this-round-and-I'll-always-win smile that coiled in Lex's gut like food poisoning.

The laboratory data was amazing, as were the videotapes.  His father had been observing the alien for months.  By all appearances, he certainly seemed indestructible.  A bus had hit him straight on and all that had happened was the bus was irreparably dented.  The alien moved too fast sometimes to be more than a blur on film. 

Lex did note that the alien, at least according to the tapes, only seemed to use his powers to save someone's life.  He kept that observation to himself; he didn't think his father would find it relevant.  To his father, this wasn't about what kind of character the alien had.  It was about the fact that he was an alien.

It was also possible that some of those people he saved were people Lionel had wanted dead.  Maybe this was about revenge.  Lex had discovered, through the years, whatever he initially thought his father's motives were, they were generally much more convoluted and twisted than could almost be imagined.

Lex looked at the computer data again.  He could spend the rest of his life studying the young alien.  Hidden in his cells were probably answers to illness, aging, even death itself.  Not to mention the applicability for industry, increasing the shear and tensile strength of steel and other manufacturing materials. 

But he couldn't rid himself of the vision of the plea for help in those eyes, nor the surety that the two of them were meant to walk through life side-by-side.

Lex ejected the current videotape and put in the next one.  Once it started playing, never having been someone who got off on watching people in pain, Lex almost shut it off. 

The tape was a record of his father's efforts to kill the alien.  Not that Lionel Luthor had gotten his hands dirty.  No, he'd hired some thugs to do his dirty work, while he stood by and watched.  Lex guessed that those thugs were lying in a shallow grave somewhere right now, along with the people who had made the previous tapes.  They'd all signed up to help the wrong man.

For these experiments, the cage had been lined with extra meteor rock; the young man almost convulsing from the pain of that alone.  The first extermination attempt had been done with bullets--they shot him six times.  If Lex hadn't known the young man was still alive in the next room, Lex would have thought him dead.  He responded to the bullets like any human would, his body shuddering with the impact, blood pouring out of the entry and exit wounds the bullets had made.

But each time, after the extra meteor rock had been removed, the alien's body healed.  If the bullets had gone clear through, the wound simply closed.  If the bullets were still in his body, the young man had to dig them out, crying with the pain.  As soon as they were out, the wounds closed up, leaving dark bruises behind which eventually cleared. 

The next attempt had been with fire.  As they torched him with flamethrowers and the young man began to scream, Lex had fast-forwarded through the scene, swallowing hard to keep from throwing up.  Even watching the young man's skin heal didn't help the nausea.  All Lex could feel was an ever-growing hatred of his father.

The torture continued--knifings, poison, a brutal beating that would have killed an ordinary man. 

Lex gasped with gratitude when the tape was done.  He didn't know what was worse, the actual injuries or the alien's face as he tried to plead for his freedom, first with words, and then once he was gagged, with his eyes.

The only thing his father hadn't ordered the men to do was a decapitation or the cutting off of a limb.  The idea of a limbless man probably offended his father's sense of aesthetics.  Lex was sure it wasn't out of a sense of mercy. 

What was glaringly missing was any sort of interview tape.  Lex shook his head knowing that his father hadn't even bothered to ask the alien what he was doing here.

He turned back to the computer to focus on the tissue samples.  The alien had elimination functions similar to a human as his father had gotten stool and urine samples.  He also had saliva samples. 

"Lex, fascinating stuff, isn't it?"  Lionel slapped Lex on the back, a little harder than was necessary. 

"Fascinating," Lex said dryly.  He reached over, ejected the tape, and held it up.  "This is a bit sadistic, Dad, even for you."

"Lex, I'm a realist.  I didn't get where I am today without being willing to do some dirty work."

Lex stared at his dad, hoping to hell he never thought something like this was all right, that behavior such as this was excusable in the name of making money.  "What's next?" he asked cautiously, not really wanting to know, sure his father had saved some unsavory task for him.

"When I get back from my board meeting I'll need your help getting a semen sample.  Then, I want to cut it open."

It took all of Lex's control not to punch his father.  "Wouldn't tomography tell you as much, and be a lot less messy?" he calmly asked, pleased his voice didn't reflect his disgust.  Lex didn't want to give the game away that he had no intention of complying. 

"Yes, but this way is easier for us.  We'd need outside assistance to operate imaging equipment, at the very least a radiation physicist to make sure we aren't being overexposed.  Safer for us just to cut it open.  It'll heal." 

"How do you propose to get a semen sample?"

Lionel's eyes lit up and it made Lex's stomach curdle again.  A box was placed in his arms.  "Just arrived today."

Lex checked the box; the picture on the cover looked like a vibrator.  He started reading the box.  "Electroejaculation?" 

Lionel nodded, almost bouncing on his toes with glee.  "You apply electrical stimulation through a rectal probe until ejaculation occurs."  He patted the box.  "They first developed it for animal husbandry.  I ordered that from the Met U Vet School."

"Dad," Lex said carefully, not wanting to make his dad too suspicious.  "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

His father's eyes had a dangerous gleam.  "I suggest you change your mind, or I'll hire someone to help me."  He rubbed his hands together.  "It might be entertaining to let them have some fun with it after they're done."  He looked at his watch.  "Time to go.  I'll be back in a few hours."  He tapped the box again.  "Read the instructions."

An all-encompassing hate swept through Lex but he nodded as he watched his father leave the lab.  He walked to the security station to monitor his dad, to make sure he was really leaving.  Not until his father's car was nothing more than a speck in the distance, did Lex turn away. 

He moved back to his computer, sat in his chair, and began to think things through.  A longing to see the young man again cut his reverie short.  He got up, and entered the supply room.  After Lex checked to make sure there was no obvious surveillance equipment recording his every move, he sat down on the floor near the bars.  "Hey," he called.

The young man turned over.

Lex crooked a finger at him.  "Can you make it over here?"  Lex wasn't quite ready to open the door and get in there with him.

The alien stared at him for a moment, as if taking his measure, but finally he nodded and inched over.

Lex worked his fingers through the bars and undid the strap to the mouth gag.  He helped the alien work it out of his mouth and dropped it with a grimace to the cage floor.  Lex gestured for the young man to turn around, and he worked off the rope, untying his hands.  He wanted to rub the young man's wrists, having his own memories of being bound and the painful rush of returned circulation, but the skin there was raw.  "Want some water?" he asked, instead.

The young man nodded. 

Lex got up and retrieved a bottle of water from the small refrigerator under the counter in the lab.  He handed it through the bars.  "Here."

The young man drank the whole thing down in a couple thirsty gulps.  When he was done, he flashed Lex a quick grateful smile.  "Thanks."  Then he winced at the bars and inched back to the center.  "They hurt."

Lex touched the bars, making his fingers slick with the meteor ore.  "Do you have a name?"

"Clark.  Clark Kent."

Lex's brow furrowed.  Not the most alien of names.

"Listen, could you--could you do me a favor?" the young man asked, his voice tight with pain.

Lex cocked his head to the side, wondering what it might be.  "Tell me what it is, first."  Not that it mattered.  He'd do it.

"Can you--would you call my parents, tell them--" He stopped, shook his head, his eyes filling with tears.

Lex's eyebrows rose.  "Your parents?  Are there more of you?"

Clark shook his head.  "I'm adopted.  I live in Smallville.  I'm going to college at Metropolis University.  Or was."  He glanced at his cage meaningfully. 

"Before my father happened to you."  Lex could relate.  "Do your parents know you're not from around here?"

Clark nodded.  "They found me when I was a kid."

Lex was fascinated, and content, he thought to himself, just to be sitting here.  "Do you know how you got to Earth?"

"There was a meteor shower in Smallville.  They think I came down with it."

Lex rubbed his head, remembering that day.  Amazing to think that an alien had been among those fireballs that had killed so many, that had changed his life so completely.  He watched as the alien--as Clark--lay down, his body a picture of exhaustion. 

Lex thought of the probe in the other room, of the vivisection his father was planning.  Then he looked at Clark again.  "How long will it take you to get your powers back if I get you away from the meteor ore?"

Clark managed to sit up again, his eyes filled with an inchoate hope.  "I don't know.  I've never been exposed to it for so long."  He swallowed.  "Will you help me?"

Lex needed to; he just wasn't sure how to get around his father.  "You know you'll never be safe from him, right?  You can't go home; you can't go back to school.  He'll just come find you again." 

Clark looked startled, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him.  "What should I do, then?" he asked dejectedly.  "Are my folks safe?"

Lex was thinking furiously.  "They are right now.  They won't be if you disappear." 

Clark sagged back down.  "I'll stay, then.  I don't want them hurt."

Lex was strenuously opposed to that idea.  "Staying isn't a good plan.  Do you have any idea what my father is planning on doing to you?"

Clark curled up again, his back to Lex.  "It doesn't matter."  The small amount of hope that had colored his voice when he'd been speaking to Lex was gone.

But it did matter.  "Come on, we'll work something out."  He grabbed the keys, unlocked the cage door.  "I'll think of something."  Lex questioned his sanity for a moment.  The resources it would take to keep this young man and his family safe would be tremendous.  But leaving him here to his father's mercies was unacceptable.

Clark sat up again.  "Why are you helping me?"

"Because what my father is doing is wrong."  Lex entered the cage and hunkered down next to Clark.  "Somehow I'm guessing you're not here to take over the earth, am I right?"

Clark's eyes held a flash of humor that was quickly eclipsed by his fatigue.  All he did was nod.

"I didn't think so."  Lex snaked an arm around Clark and tried to encourage him to stand.

Clark gave it his best shot, but his legs kept giving out on him.  "I'm sorry, I'm too weak."

"I can drag you, but it might hurt a little."

Clark just nodded, giving his permission.

Lex got behind him, wrapped his arms under Clark's armpits, and moved backwards.

He winced as Clark bumped along, but kept going until Clark was out of the cage and then out of the supply room.  Lex had an office off the lab with a couch, and he headed that way.

When they arrived, he dumped Clark half on the couch and then lifted his legs up.  "We can't stay here long," he warned.  He threw a blanket over Clark's bare body.  "I'll get you some more water."  By the time he returned with a bottle, Clark was sitting up.  He handed the water to Clark.  "You look like you're already feeling better," Lex noted. 

"I am."  The green latticework was starting to fade. 

"Is this far enough away?"

"I think so."

Lex nodded.  "I have some clothes in my car.  You're a little too tall, but it'd be better than nothing."

Clark smiled at him.  "That would be great, thanks."  He reached out and touched Lex's arm.  "I don't know how to thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."  Until he figured out a way to defang his father, Clark was still in danger.  "I'll be right back."

Lex grabbed his suitcase out of his car and wheeled it inside.  Clark had finished the second bottle and was rolling it between his hands.  Without asking, Lex got him another.  After handing it to him, he opened the suitcase. 

He pulled out some sweatpants that were a little loose on him, and a t-shirt.  "Try these."  Clark reached out a shaky hand and took the clothes.  "Can you get dressed on your own?" Lex asked, slipping a couple of personal items from the suitcase into his pocket.

Clark nodded.

"Okay."  Lex left the office, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey," a voice called out from behind the closed door.

Lex opened it up again, to find Clark standing there, struggling to put the sweatpants on.  He almost fell and Lex moved next to him to help him balance.  "Is that what you needed?"

Clark shook his head.  "No, but thanks."  He gave Lex a shy smile.  "I wanted to know your name."

Lex found himself captivated by that smile.  "Lex.  Lex Luthor."

"I feel like--I feel like I know you.  Like I've known you for a long time."  Clark looked a little embarrassed.  "That probably sounds stupid."

Putting his hand on Clark's shoulder, Lex shook his head.  "It doesn't sound stupid at all."

Lex could feel Clark relax under his hand.  He reluctantly removed it, the few inches separating them feeling like too much distance.

Clark maneuvered the t-shirt, getting head and sleeves properly oriented, asking, "That guy's your dad?"

"Yes.  Scary, isn't it?"

"Very."  Clark yanked the t-shirt down over his chest.  It fit, but it was tight.  "Do you have something to eat?"

Lex shook his head.  "Sorry."  Then he frowned.  "Wait, maybe."  He moved back to the lab and opened up a couple drawers, finally finding what he was looking for.  He presented his prize with a flourish: a chocolate bar.  "Will this do?"

The smile Clark shot him was blinding, and the force of it almost rocked Lex on his feet. 

Clark grabbed the bar.  "This is great. I'm starving." 

"How did my father catch you anyway?  I've seen some tapes of you; you're fast and strong.  How did he get the drop on you?" 

"I was stupid," Clark said, sitting back down on the couch.  "I've been sort of keeping an eye on him, trying to get some evidence because I know he's been dumping toxic waste in Smallville.  I got a call telling me to meet someone for information late one night and I went.  I think he set me up.  Whoever was there had a bunch of meteor rock and the next thing I knew, I woke up here."

Sounded like his father.  Dark alleys were his calling card.  Lex glanced at his watch; they needed to leave soon.  "Are you strong enough now to go?" he urged.  Not that he had any idea where they could go that his father couldn't find them.  Not without walking away from his life, which, no matter how much he felt drawn toward this alien, he wasn't prepared to do.  Lex rolled his eyes at himself.  Right.  He'd known him for all of a few hours and he was completely alien-whipped.  Clark-whipped. 

Lex would do anything to keep him safe.

"I am," Clark said, interrupting his fatalistic reverie.  "I'm still not at full strength, but I'm better."

Lex watched as he finished devouring the chocolate bar.  "Do you need to eat, or do you just like to eat?"

Clark grinned as he crumpled the candy wrapper.  "I definitely like to eat.  But, yeah, I need to eat, too.  I don't know if I'd actually starve, but I need the energy, especially if I can't be out in the sun.  I'm sort of solar powered."  He grinned again.

Lex grinned back.  He was definitely drawn.  In fact, drawn was a massive understatement.  There was something about the alien that called to him with the force of gravity.  He felt a flash of fear, wondering again if it was an alien power, but he dismissed it just as quickly.  No one could look Clark in the eyes and think he was up to no good--not unless you were Lionel Luthor.

"We really need to go.  Can you walk?"

Clark suddenly looked worried.  "Jeez, I was so glad to get out of that cage I forgot about your dad.  Is he coming back?"

Lex looked at his watch again.  "Yes.  We have a couple of hours, but he'll be back.  It doesn't give us much time to figure out where to take you.  And we have to get a message to your parents."

Clark gestured to the phone.  "Can I call them?"

Lex shook his head.  "Not from this phone.  We need to find a pay phone."

Clark stood, much more steadily this time. 

Lex zipped his suitcase closed.  "Let's go."  They both headed for the exit, Lex rolling his suitcase behind him.  Mid-way across his lab, Lex stopped.  "Wait here."

"Why?" Clark asked nervously, reaching out to touch Lex as if he couldn't bear to be parted.

Lex smiled at him.  "I want to get some of that meteor ore.  I'll just be a minute."

"Why do you want some of that?"  The nervousness was even more pronounced. 

"I need to study it, see why it affects you so badly.  Maybe I can figure out a way to decrease your sensitivity to it.  You might be invulnerable for the most part, but you've got a pretty massive Achilles' heel."

"You'd do that for me?"

Lex almost blushed at the look of adoration on Clark's face.  "Of course," Lex assured him.  "Is there anything I can put it in that will keep you safe from it?"

"Lead.  It can't hurt me through lead."

Lex stewed on that for a few seconds.  "Hmm.  Okay, wait here."  Moving to the lab counter, he picked up a specimen container, then headed back to the room where the cage was.  He opened and then shut the door behind him, wanting to protect Clark from any accidental exposure.  Lex grimaced at the cage, wondering when, exactly, his father had left all his humanity behind him, discarding it like an old overcoat. 

He scraped up some of the ore into the plastic bottle, screwing the lid back on.  Then he assessed the room for lead possibilities.  The building was new so the pipes were out.  He had a lead lined compartment in the lower level but it held some cesium, and Lex really couldn't risk the radiation exposure.  "Hey, Clark?" he yelled.

There was a pause.  Then, "Lex?" Clark responded in a tight voice.

Lex frowned; there was something off in Clark's tone.  Deciding to forgo his specimen, he moved toward the door, only to see it open.  "Don't come in here," he cautioned, annoyed that Clark would put himself at risk.

But Clark did come through, green latticework covering his body, a look of misery on his face, and beads of meteor rock strung around his neck.  Lionel stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, pushing him into the room.  "Lex, I'm disappointed in you," Lionel said, smiling broadly.

Lex closed his eyes for a second, hating the sensation of recognizing that his father had won another round.  The consequences of losing for both him and Clark didn't bear thinking about. 

"Open the cage door," Lionel commanded, a gun suddenly in his hands.  "Open it or I'll shoot it.  Weakened like this, the bullet will incapacitate it.  You've seen the tapes."  The gun was shoved under Clark's chin.

"If you shoot him like that, there won't be much left of him to experiment on," Lex countered.

"I'll just shoot its face off," his father contradicted pleasantly, as if enjoying an argument about which tennis player might win the match.  "It'll live; it just won't be as pretty to look at."  A feral grin accompanied that last remark.

If Lex had a gun, he'd shoot his dad.  Right now, right through the heart.  "How did you know?"

Lionel shook his head sadly.  "Lex.  Lex.  Lex.  I've tried so hard to teach you the truly important things in life.  Despite your recalcitrant nature, I would have thought that at the very least you'd have learned not to trust anyone."  He shoved the gun harder, forcing Clark's head up.

Clark let out a soft cry, laboring to breathe.

Lex knew he had to get that necklace of meteor rock off him soon.  Maybe if his father moved past him to push Clark in the cage, he could rip it off.  The key was still in the door so Lex turned it, swinging the cage door open. 

"But," his father continued, in his best you've-let-me-down-again voice, "despite my efforts, here you are, trusting an alien over your own flesh and blood."  He shook his head, his expression screaming his shame of having fathered someone so unworthy of his time and effort.  Lionel shoved Clark forward.  "You see, Lex, I knew better than to trust you.  I had the cage wired so I was notified electronically as soon as the door was opened."

Lex was furious with himself.  There was no excuse for not knowing that his father would have taken precautions.  Never would he let something like this slip through his hands so easily.  Lex also couldn't believe he'd taken his father's words at face value; he knew better. 

His father had never intended to go to Metropolis for a board meeting.  He'd probably driven just far enough to bait the hook, but close enough so he could quickly return.  This was nothing but a game to him and Lex had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.  His only excuse was that from the instant he'd seen Clark's eyes he'd been off-kilter.  Not that it was much of an excuse, not when it kept him from protecting something so important.

"I was willing to share this find with you," Lionel said mournfully.  "Together we could have changed the face of the planet.  But, instead, you were weak and allowed this thing to manipulate you."  He gestured toward the cage with his chin.  "Get in."

Lex reviewed his options. 

He could get in the cage.  The positive side of that was that he'd be near Clark.  The negative side was he'd be locked in a cage.

He could make a run for it.  It was possible his father wouldn't shoot him in the back.  Positive side?  He might get away.  Negative side?  His father probably would shoot him in the back, and even more importantly, he'd be abandoning Clark.

He could jump his father and hope for the best.  That was the most enticing option.  Just the thought of wrapping his fingers around his father's throat was stunningly attractive.  But Lex didn't want Clark's face shot off.  It might heal, but then again it might not, and Lex liked Clark's face the way it was.  If Clark didn't look quite so out of it, Lex might have risked it, but the young man was on his last legs and was in no position to watch out for himself. 

Lex hesitated another second.  Maybe if he could delay his father for another minute or two, Clark would collapse and distract Lionel enough for Lex to grab the gun.

"Get in the cage, Lex." 

Before Lex could even open his mouth to attempt a verbal distraction, Lionel moved the gun to Clark's thigh and fired.

Clark cried out, nothing invulnerable about his body now.  His leg was a mess, bleeding profusely.

"You fucking asshole!" Lex yelled.

"Get in the cage," Lionel demanded.

Lex got in the cage.  Lionel shoved Clark in behind him, slamming the cage door shut, locking it and pocketing the key.

Lex tried to help Clark as he stumbled into the cage, but standing wasn't an option for the young man anymore and he fell to the floor, taking Lex down with him.  Lex's head hit the cage bottom hard, and he saw stars for a moment. 

Hearing a laugh, he looked up to see Lionel staring down at them both.  "Welcome to my zoo, son."  Lionel laughed again.  "You are a fool.  I always said your compassion would be your undoing."  He looked at his watch, smiling in satisfaction.  "Just in time to attend the board meeting by conference call."

He turned to leave but then turned back.  "Oh, by the way, Lex, when those men come to help me get that sample from Clark?  After they have some fun with him, maybe I'll let them have some fun with you, too."  Lionel moved closer to the cage.  "You betrayed the wrong person, Lex.  Don't think there won't be a price to pay."

With that, he spun around and left.

Lex got his hand under the necklace of meteor rock and pulled hard, snapping it off Clark's neck.  He worked his way out from under Clark's body and threw the necklace out of the cage, as far as it could go, which, unfortunately, wasn't far.

He knelt back at Clark's side, gingerly turning him over, taking a look at his leg.  "Jesus, Clark."  Losing the necklace was obviously helping a little, but Clark was still surrounded by iron bars coated with ore. 

He felt fingers wrap around his wrist.  "Lex.  Dig it out," Clark begged.  "I need you to get it out.  I can't heal with it inside me."

"Clark, I don't have anything I can use."  But then Lex patted his pockets, smiling tightly.  He couldn't believe Lionel hadn't checked first, a spectacular oversight on his father's part.  Lex pulled out his Leatherman supertool, thanking any deities that were listening that he'd pulled it out of his suitcase and slipped it in his pocket. 

Clark, unaware Lex actually had something to use, let out another cry.  "Use your fingers.  Please.  Please."  He was already working at the wound, ready to do it himself.

Lex grabbed Clark's hand, prying his fingers away.  "I got it.  I got it."  He moved down his body until he was at thigh level, grimacing at the damage.  "This is gonna hurt."

Clark let out a hysterical bark of laughter, sweat pouring down his face.  "Just do it."

Right.  Just do it.  How Nike of him.  Lex looked at the small tool and decided to use the Needle nose pliers.  Grimacing, knowing he was going to hurt Clark and not wanting to, he pushed the fabric aside, visualizing his route.  "Okay, hold on," he warned.

Gritting his teeth, Lex plunged the pliers into Clark's flesh, digging for the bullet.  He ignored Clark's cries, needing to get the job done as quickly as he could.  Hearing a small tap as the pliers hit their target, Lex manipulated the tool until he got a firm grip on the bullet, and pulled it out.

He dropped it to the floor.  "Can you heal now?  Can you--?" Lex looked at the damaged leg.  It was hard to believe this would ever heal; hard to believe Clark would ever walk again.

But then Lex saw the amazing process start.  It didn't heal completely, maybe there was too much meteor rock around, or maybe it was due to Clark's constant exposure, day after day.  But the internal damage began to heal, vessels closing, the bleeding ceasing.  Lex smiled tightly at the miracle in front of him, hoping it would be enough so Clark could move if they managed to get out of here.

Lex wiped the blood off the tool and his fingers on his pants, moving to the cage door.  He listened intently, wondering where his father had gone to make his phone call, half convinced he hadn't gone anywhere but was, instead, standing outside the door, enjoying Lex's futile attempts at achieving freedom.

Not that it mattered.  Lex still had to try.  He fumbled at the lock with several of the tool arms, having no luck.  He just couldn't get a feel for the tumblers inside.

"Lex."

Lex turned to look at Clark, wincing at the pain still on his face.  He moved back to his side.  "Clark, I can't tell you how sorry I am.  As a rescue attempt this went spectacularly wrong." 

Clark shook his head, smiling kindly even through his pain.  "Not your fault."

"Yes, it is.  I know my father.  I should have planned this better." 

"What did he mean?  What sample does he want?"  Clark was laying on his back, exhausted, his face drawn, latticework still prominent on his arms, less so on his neck.

Lex had no intention of answering that question, but it did make their need for escape even more essential.  There was no way he was hanging around for someone to stick a rectal probe up Clark's ass, and then have both of their rapes on the program for the evening's entertainment.  "Sometimes it's best not to know what my father is thinking," Lex said, evading the question.  Then he remembered that Clark had called him over.  "Did you need something?"

Clark weakly pointed at the lock.  "It's--," he stopped, frustrated.  Then he moved his other hand, and working them together he mimicked a locking mechanism.  "It's like this inside."

Lex's eyebrows went up.  "You can see it?"

Clark nodded wearily, gesturing at his eyes.  "X-ray vision."

Lex couldn't help grinning.  "Really?"  That was--that was--.  Lex couldn't think of a word that did Clark's gifts justice but, for a moment, it felt like Christmas morning, back when his mom was still alive.  He wanted to sit down and find out everything else Clark could do but now wasn't the time. 

He moved back to the lock, determined to succeed, trying to envision the tumblers inside the way Clark had described it.  He was about to kick the door in frustration when he heard the soft snick that indicated success.  The door unlocked.  "Fuck," Lex muttered, keeping the door momentarily closed. 

"What's the matter?"

"If I open it, he'll know.  Whatever notified him last time when the door opened is probably still wired to do it again."  He glanced at Clark.  "We'll need to move fast.  Can you get up?" 

In answer, Clark rolled to his side and painfully pulled himself to his feet.  Lex put an arm around his waist, encouraging Clark's arm around his shoulder.  Clark looked at him anxiously.  "What do we do if he's out there?"

"We make sure he can't hurt either of us again."  Lex kept making stupid mistakes.  He never should have gotten in the cage.  He should have taken his chances and rushed his father, trusting in Clark's recuperative powers.  "You ready?"

Clark nodded, not looking at all ready.

Lex grimly nodded back and pushed the door open, dragging Clark as quickly as he could to the outer door of the supply room.  He yanked that door open as well, taking a quick look around the lab to ensure Lionel wasn't laying in wait.  When Lex saw the room was empty, he made a beeline for the exit, wanting to get Clark outside in the sun where he could best heal.  That was the plan, poor as it was: get out, let Clark heal, and then deal with Lionel. 

They made it out of the lab and down the hall, the exit sign tantalizingly close when Lionel appeared, gun in hand.  "Going somewhere?" he drawled.

The only thing that kept Lex from screaming was that he could feel Clark growing stronger.  He was leaning less on Lex, but was clever enough not to be showing Lionel.  But then Lionel reached into his pocket and brought out a small box which he flipped open, revealing another meteor rock.

Clark grunted, and Lex, even knowing it wouldn't help, put himself between Clark and the rock.  "Dad," he asked, knowing it was useless, "leave him alone."

His father moved fast and before Lex could even think about defending himself, Lionel pistol-whipped him across the face.  "You don't deserve to call me your father."

Lex almost laughed.  He might have if he hadn't suddenly found himself standing behind Clark, who was now putting himself between Lionel and Lex.  "Don't hurt him again," Clark demanded.

The gun was brought up and aimed.  "Should I shoot the other leg, now?  Or perhaps your stomach?"  He pressed the barrel of the gun and the rock against Clark's chest.  "Should I see which one hurts you the most?  A bullet through one nipple, meteor rock against the other?"

His father was a dead man.  Lex shoved Clark to the side and lunged for the box, and threw it down the hallway.  "I told you to leave him the fuck alone!"  He made a second lunge for the gun.

It went off and, somehow, Clark managed to get in front of him, the bullet impacting the alien's flesh with a sickening thwack.  Clark stumbled into Lex, taking them both down to the floor.  Lex's hands started sweeping Clark's body, looking for a bullet wound, but found nothing.  "Are you hurt?" he asked frantically, the thought of Clark being fatally injured making his mind gibber with fear.

"No," Clark gasped out.  "No, I'm all right."

"You two are very entertaining," Lionel said in an amused voice.  "You see, Lex, this just supports my hypotheses that the weak are prey to creatures like this.  You've completely fallen under its sway."

The gun fired again, but Clark was able to shift them so the bullet went whizzing by about an inch from Lex's face.  When the gun discharged again, Clark wasn't quite so fast, or maybe he zigged when he should have zagged, and the bullet grazed Lex's skull, whiting the world out for a few blinding seconds. 

He sensed Clark leave him and was devastated by the loss.  But then he heard Clark snarl at Lionel and yell "No!"  Lex managed to crack open his eyes and he saw Clark shove Lionel hard, hard enough to go flying down the room and hit a far wall with a wet, crunching noise that made Lex wince even as he rejoiced.  Thank God, the fucker wouldn't be getting back up.  He let his head sag to the floor.

Clark was back at his side in an instant.  "Are you all right?"  He pressed his hand against Lex's head in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Lex investigated the wound with his fingers, dismissing it.  It hurt like hell, but Lex had had worse.  "Don't worry.  Head wounds bleed a lot.  I'm fine."  He held up his arm, asking mutely for Clark to help him up.

For a second, it looked like Clark might argue with him, but he finally grabbed Lex's arm and pulled him up like Lex was made of feathers.  Lex walked unsteadily over to his father and squatted down.  He'd known already just from the sound, but he needed to be sure.  If anyone could survive a nuclear holocaust, it would be his father.  Lionel and the cockroaches.  Two of a kind. 

He stared at his dad and didn't bother to check his pulse.  Even his father couldn't be alive with his neck twisted like that.

"Is he dead?" Clark asked.  "Oh, God.  Did I kill him?"

Lex turned to gaze up at Clark, who looked as if he might throw up.  "He would have killed me, Clark.  And you would have spent the rest of your life in this building being experimented on.  He deserved to die."  Lex felt an overwhelming relief that he was dead.  He felt free, as if he'd just gotten released after spending twenty-five years in prison. 

"I shouldn't have hit him so hard."

Lex heard years of habitual self-recrimination in that statement, guessing that Clark always had to hold back, and anytime he didn't, someone got hurt.  He stood, his hand slid up Clark's arm until he was cupping one side of his face.  "You saved my life."

"He was your father, and I killed him," Clark protested, eyes dark with self-hate. 

"He was a monster.  And you saved my life," Lex repeated.  "There's not a jury in the land who would convict either one of us."  At that thought, Lex frowned.  He needed to make sure no one ever knew what had gone on here.  Clark couldn't be exposed to that sort of scrutiny.  "Let's go outside and get you some sun."

A look of yearning crossed Clark's face and with one last wince at Lionel's dead body, they assisted each other outside.

Clark helped Lex sit on the steps and then he walked a few feet away from the building, arms out, face lifted up to the sun, a smile on his face.

Lex was enthralled.  Clark was like a flower opening up at the first light of dawn.  The latticework completely disappeared; the leg wound vanished leaving behind healthy tanned skin compared to the sickly pallor he'd shown inside.  How Lionel could have looked at him and seen something evil was beyond Lex.

Finally Clark looked at him.  "I don't know how to thank you."  His eyes grew bright.  "If you hadn't come along--" He didn't finish the sentence, just shook his head.

Lex didn't want to think about it.  He thought he knew the depths of his father's depravity but this had thrown him.  "You saved my life a few times during the last ten minutes.  I think we're even."  God, he was tired.  But he had too much to do to give in to it now.  "Do you know where home is from here?"

Clark nodded, one hand pointed south.  "About two hours drive that way." He grinned at Lex.  "I can be there in about five minutes."

"How?" Lex asked, entranced by this being in front of him.  "Can you fly?"

Clark shook his head.  "No.  But I can run really fast."  He moved toward Lex, hunkering down in front of him, gingerly touching his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him from doing this."

Lex hadn't even remembered getting hit across the face.  Now that he'd been reminded, it suddenly began to hurt.  "It'll heal."  He put a hand on Clark's shoulder.  "I want you to go home."

"No, I need to get you to a hospital," Clark argued, frowning.  "You need to have someone look at your head."

"No, I don't.  I have a surprisingly hard head, and I heal fast." 

"But--"

Lex interrupted him.  "Clark, I have to destroy everything in this lab that is about you.  I need to make sure that nothing is left that could lead someone to you.  Do you understand?"

Clark nodded, eyes shadowed.  "I could help."

Lex shook his head.  "You can help by going home, by being safe.  If someone comes, I don't want you here."  He glanced behind him at the building.  "I know what I'm doing; I know what to look for, and I know how to make sure none of it is found.  I have enough power and money to handle anything anybody says, as long as it's only about me."

"What about--," Clark swallowed.  "What about your dad?"

"I'll take care of it."  Lex didn't want Clark anywhere near his dad, even if he was dead.

"I don't want to leave you."

Lex cupped Clark's cheek in his hand again.  "Go home to your family.  You said it yourself; they must be worried sick about you.  Go home and forget this ever happened."

"Will I see you again?" Clark asked worriedly.

Lex smiled at him.  "I'm sure our paths cross."  He ignored the void that was already forming at the thought of being without Clark, even temporarily.

"Not good enough," Clark said stubbornly.  "I want to see you again.  I need to know you're all right."  

Lex leaned forward and rested his cheek against Clark's, enjoying the warmth of his skin.  "I'll be in touch as soon as I can."  Lex pulled back, already missing the contact. 

"Promise?"  Clark looked all of nine years old.

"I promise.  Now, go."

Clark gave him one more long look and, for a moment, Lex thought he'd refuse to go, but instead Clark leaned forward and kissed him.  A fairly quick kiss, mostly lip, just a hint of tongue, but it dazzled Lex and made him open his mouth for more.

Clark obliged, sweeping his tongue inside, tasting of chocolate, exploring Lex's mouth with a thoroughness Lex appreciated.  Focus and dedication were good things.  The kiss slowly ended, segueing into a desperate sort of hug, where Lex felt completely enclosed in Clark, safe and loved.  Then, Clark whispered, "Please keep your promise," and then he was gone in a blur. 

Lex tasted his lips, and then touched them with his fingers.  The way Clark had vanished, Lex could almost believe he'd imagined the whole thing.  Except his lips were tingling, his cock was hard, and his body was stuck on crave mode, and maybe it was an alien whammy but Lex wanted more of it.

He stood, staring up at his laboratory, feeling a moment of intense pride in what it represented.  His lab.  A monument to choosing a different direction from his father.  And now, because of his father, he was about to blow it up.  Typical, even after death, his father was still screwing with his life.

Except, Lex thought to himself, the game was over.  Lionel was dead, and Lex had it all: the money and the freedom to truly do what he wanted without any interference.  The thought of it was intoxicating.  He licked his lips again, still tasting Clark.  Blow up the building, deal with the press, get himself a shower and a good meal, and then he had a promise to keep.

Clark sat on the couch, nestled between his mom and dad, watching the TV showing Lex's lab burning to the ground.  Suddenly Lex's face filled the screen. "There he is," Clark said, his heart skipping a beat.  It felt like years since he'd seen him, instead of a few hours.

"Mr. Luthor, Mr. Luthor," the reporters yelled at him.

Clark saw that someone had put a bandage on Lex's head where the bullet had grazed him.  His face was bruised from his dad's beating.  For an intense moment, Clark was glad the man was dead.

Lex's story was simple.  He'd just gotten back into the country that morning.  His father had called asking him to meet him here.  As he'd turned into the drive, the building had exploded.  No, he didn't know what his father was doing here.  No, there hadn't been any employees here; apparently his father had emptied the building.  No, he didn't know why.  Yes, his injuries were from flying debris. 

Clark listened as Lex lied through his teeth.  "Wow," he said.  "He's really good at that."

Jonathan frowned.  "Good at what?"

"Lying."  Ordinarily Clark might not have approved so wholeheartedly, but in this particular case, he could only feel grateful.

"Not exactly an admirable trait, Clark," his dad said disapprovingly.

Clark turned wide eyes on his dad.  "Dad, he's lying for me.  He's protecting me."

Jonathan scowled.  "I'm just saying."  He scowled again.  "He doesn't even act like he cares about his own father.  He's dead and all Lex can do is lie about it."

"His father locked me in a cage for almost two weeks and tried to kill both of us," Clark said angrily, furious at his father for maligning Lex. "His father is dead because I killed him.  I killed him.  Lex is lying to protect me.  He blew up his building to protect me."

Jonathan unhappily backed down.

They all turned their eyes back to the television.  Clark watched as Lex's tongue came out and licked his bottom lip.  It made Clark remember that kiss, and made him hope like hell that Lex called him.

Lex watched his lab burn to the ground.  He knew all the evidence was gone.  They might, possibly, if they really looked, find some of his father's remains.  Maybe the gold fillings from his teeth. 

Ground zero had been the cage.  Lex had wanted to make sure the damn thing was blown into a million pieces.

The computer with the data on it, the DNA equipment, even the fucking electroejaculation probe, all of it had gone in the cage.  Lex had never considered himself someone who would desecrate a dead body, but when he'd picked up that rectal probe, he'd looked at his dead father and considered it.  But then he'd just thrown it in the cage.

He did retrieve a sample of meteor ore, wanting to have it fully analyzed.  When Teresa, his personal assistant, arrived, he handed it to her.  "Get this to Cadmus.  Tell them to find out what it's made of and how it can be destroyed."  As she turned to go, he added, "Oh, and find me a telephone number for Clark Kent.  He lives in Smallville."

She nodded and left to fulfill her tasks.

Dominic arrived next and Lex fired him.  That had almost made up for blowing up his lab.

The ambulance staff wanted to take him to the hospital, but Lex wouldn't hear of it.  He wanted to stand here until there was nothing left.  He did accept some Tylenol, as his head was aching.  He'd scratched gravel into his head wound, wanting to eliminate any traces of a gun shot. 

Not that any of it mattered.  Clark was safe.  All that was left for Lex to do was go scour his father's office and homes for any other accumulated evidence.  At least Lex could rest assured that Dominic didn't know anything about it.  If he had, he'd have been here, gleefully assisting Lionel like the sadist he was.

Lex rolled his neck, trying to ease the ache in his shoulders.  He suddenly wished Clark was there, and it made him think of that kiss.

Still ensconced between his parents, Clark continued to watch the news.  He felt safe sitting there.  As far as he was concerned, they could stay there forever, one on each side of him.  The only other person in the universe Clark would feel safe with right now was Lex. 

During the last news break, they'd seen Lex get in a limousine and be driven away.  Only the shell of the building remained, although they had recovered something they thought might be the remains of Lionel Luthor.  They needed to check his dental records to be sure.

"You know, son, he might not call," Jonathan cautioned him.

"He'll call.  Or he'll come by.  He promised," Clark said, absolutely sure Lex would do as he said.

"With Lionel Luthor dead, Lex is one of the richest, if not the richest man in the United States.  He has a multi-billion dollar company to run, and he might not have the time to call you."

"He'll call."

"Does he even have your number?" Jonathan asked, frustrated.

"He'll figure it out.  He's smart."

Jonathan scowled.  "Why's it so important to you that he call?"

Clark shrugged.  "It just is."  He glanced at his dad.  "We, I don't know, we connected in there."

"There's a lot of research, Clark, about how people react in traumatic situations.  I'm sure that connection you felt had more to do with being rescued from that hellhole, and little to do with who was doing the rescuing."  Jonathan's voice had a pleading sound to it.

Clark shut off the TV, got up off the couch and sat on the coffee table, facing his parents.  "Dad, what's up?  Why are you saying these things?  I'd think you'd want to meet the person who saved my life."  He glanced at his mom, but she was looking just as confused.

"All I'm saying is that he's a Luthor, and Luthors are bad news."

Clark felt a surge of anger.  "Dad.  He saved me.  What about that do you not understand?  He's not like his dad.  He hated his father; hated what he was doing to me.  He knew it was wrong and, as soon as he could, he set me free."

"All I'm saying," Jonathan tried again, "is that--"

Martha slapped her hand over his mouth.  "Jonathan Kent.  The next words out of your mouth better be something along the lines of: anyone who saves my son is a member of this family and is welcome here anytime.  And if it's not, I swear I'll divorce you."

"Martha," Jonathan snapped, when she took her hand away.

"I mean it.  Is this what you want your son to learn from you?  That if someone puts himself or herself at risk for you, you should suspect them?  That you shouldn't feel grateful?  I'm ashamed of you.  Lex is clearly not following in his father's footsteps.  And from what I've read, he hasn't for a long time."

Jonathan sighed.

Martha's eyes filled with tears.  "Jonathan, Clark has been missing for two weeks.  He might have been locked in that cage for the rest of his life being experimented on.  Lex Luthor saved him.  If he shows up here, I'll kiss his feet.  I'll bake him a pie.  And if you say anything to make him question his welcome here, I'll never talk to you again."

"I just don't want Clark to be disappointed if he doesn't call.  He's a busy man."

The phone rang.

Lex's assistant handed him a telephone number.  Lex stared at it for a minute, wondering if he should call.  Maybe Clark would rather just forget it all happened.  Surely he didn't have room in his life for someone like Lex.  It was only circumstances that had thrown them together.  And if Clark did want to be with him, it was probably some sort of reverse Stockholm syndrome in action.

But Lex wanted to talk to Clark.  Needed to see him.  Longed to kiss him again.  Badly. 

He pulled out his new phone, his old one having been a necessary casualty of the explosion.  He hadn't wanted anyone checking his phone for proof that his father had called.  Lex punched in the numbers on the piece of paper, and his index finger hovered over the dial button.  One quick call couldn't hurt.  Just to make sure he got home safely. 

Martha watched Clark lunge for the phone.  "Hello?"  There was a pause, then, "Oh, hey, Chloe."

Martha winced at the disappointment on Clark's face.  On one hand, she wished it was Lex, just so her son's heart wouldn't be broken.  On the other hand, she agreed with Jonathan.  Lex would be a very busy man now, and it was possible he wouldn't find the time to contact Clark. 

And even if he did call, what would they say to one another?  Lex had rescued her son, and for that she'd be eternally grateful.  But what would a man like him and her boy have in common?  Eventually Clark would have to accept the fact that a friendship between the two of them was not in the cards.  Let alone anything more. 

She knew by the look on Clark's face that he was hoping for more; he was half in love with Lex already.  Although, who wouldn't be in love with someone who rescued you from a hell like that?  Martha was half in love with Lex just for helping Clark and she'd never met the man.

He did have a certain charisma; she'd grant him that.  He had an elegance, a poise that came across loud and clear despite the hundreds of questions being hollered at him and microphones being shoved in his face.

She shuddered at what Lionel Luthor had done to her son, knowing Clark was keeping stuff back, telling her and Jonathan a highly censored version of his time in captivity.  What made a man act like that?  And how had he fathered and raised a son who still had the courage and compassion to intervene on Clark's behalf?  It spoke highly of Lex, as if he were some amazingly hardy plant that thrived on neglect.  There was really no other explanation.  He'd forged his own way, and Martha could only be thankful for it.

"Lex."  Lex looked up from the small LCD readout on his phone to find Teresa standing in the doorway.  He flipped the phone shut.  He'd call later.

Clark was still not wandering far from home.  He'd taken a leave of absence from college, dropping out for the rest of the semester.  His dad had taken him back to the dorm to pick up his belongings and brought him back to the farm.

Clark had never considered himself a coward but life felt frightening right now.  All his life, or as long as he could remember, his parents had told him to be careful about letting anyone see his powers, and for just as long, he'd only half paid attention.  He always thought his strength would see him through.

But now he knew better and a part of him was terrified.  Being in that cage, being tortured like that, treated like some experimental animal, being spoken about as if he was nothing, it had broken something inside of Clark.  Something he hoped would be repaired in time, but for right now, he didn't want to be away from people he loved.

Every unexpected sound made him jump, every unanticipated visitor made his stomach clench. 

His mom wanted him to get therapy, but they both knew there really wasn't anyone for him to go see.  As far as anyone knew, nothing had happened to him.  His parents had been afraid to go to the police, not wanting to expose Clark.  Not that the police would have found him.  No one would have found him.

Both of his parents tried to get him to speak to them, but he didn't want to tell them everything that had been done to him; they didn't deserve to be burdened with that.  The only person he could talk to was Lex.  But Lex wasn't calling him.  It had been a week now and there hadn't been a single phone call.

Clark had tried to call him once.  He'd called Luthor Corp, foolishly thinking they'd transfer him to Lex if he asked.  But when he'd been interrogated by some nameless operator, Clark had hung up. 

He yearned for Lex.  It worried his mom; Clark knew that.  She'd left a couple articles around that talked about the inappropriate feelings the rescued often have for their rescuers, but Clark didn't buy it.  Something had happened between the two of them, something important.

Besides, if it was just gratitude, shouldn't it have started to fade?  Because it hadn't.  All he could do was think about that kiss, think about Lex's face, and his body, and ache for his presence.

Lex stared at the report on his desk.  He'd sent someone to check on Clark, to make sure he was home, safe and sound.  Apparently he'd withdrawn from school and was currently laying low.

Lex couldn't blame him, even though Lex had assured his safety.  He'd found more evidence, scattered amongst his father's homes and office and various safe deposit boxes.  Lex had destroyed it all. 

He moved to the window and stared out at the city.  Lex hadn't decided what to do with Luthor Corp yet.  He felt no connection with the monster his father had created.  All he wanted to do was build a new lab and get back into his own business.

What he needed was to talk to someone about it, someone who didn't care about his money, who wouldn't have their own agenda poisoning any advice they might give him.

He pulled out his phone and keyed in Clark's number.  Lex wasn't sure why he was so reluctant to call.  He'd dialed this number twenty times a day over the last week, but every time he flipped the phone shut. 

He was fixated on Clark; Lex knew that.  He should be moving on.  He should be glad he rescued the young man, and relieved he was back with his family.  He should be spending time with his own acquaintances, sleeping with the scores of people who sent undeniable invitations to him with their eyes, and lips, and bodies.

They all left him cold when he thought about that one kiss.

Clark sat in his fortress of solitude, head ducked low, feeling utterly disconnected to everything.  He'd had to get out of the house, the pendulous swings between hope and despair every time the phone rang were too much to deal with.

It was like he was wasting away, still in a cage, without food or water, without that one essential thing that would keep him alive.

He toyed with the idea of going to see Lex.  He knew he was in Metropolis.  He was on the news almost every day, at the funeral of his dad, as he still dealt with the investigation of his lab exploding, as the new CEO of Luthor Corp. 

If his parents weren't in the room, Clark would touch the television, letting his fingers trace Lex's shape, caress his lips.

Clark was pretty sure he'd be able to get to Lex.  But, after two weeks, Clark was more afraid of Lex's reaction than he was of not going at all.  If Lex looked at him like a stranger, if he stood up and spoke politely to Clark, then came up with some convenient excuse as to why now wasn't a good time, Clark didn't know what he'd do.

He sagged back on the couch.  Maybe he was going crazy.  Suffering from Lex withdrawal.  Whatever it was, Clark was beginning to believe he might not get over it.

Lex told his assistant to cancel all his meetings.  He'd had enough of people wanting something from him.  Feeling in need of a long drive at high speeds, Lex headed for the garage.  He chose his Aston Martin Vanquish, deciding he felt like going zero to a hundred in ten seconds.  He'd never actually checked out the claim for himself. 

Pulling on his driving gloves, he started the car up, smiling at the hum of the motor.  This was just what he needed.  In a few minutes he was out of the underground garage and heading for the highway.

Given the time of day, there wasn't much traffic, so he pulled into the fast lane and, taking his chances, came to a complete stop.  Then, he set his watch, and punched the gas.  Ten-twenty-thirty-forty-fifty-sixty-seventy-eighty-ninety-hundred.  He glanced at his watch.  Nine point five seconds.  He let out a happy laugh, already mentally dictating the congratulatory letter he'd send to the company. 

Lex settled in at a comfortable ninety-five and zoomed down the highway.  When he saw a mileage sign indicating Smallville was a mere eighty miles away, he smiled and kept driving.

Martha was sweeping off the porch when she heard the squeal of tires out on the main road.  She heard a car shift into reverse, back up, and then turn into their driveway.  She couldn't identify the car, but knew it was expensive. 

Martha stood there, leaning on her broom, trying to imagine anyone who might be coming to see them who owned a car like this. 

Then a thought occurred to her and she stood up straighter.  It couldn't be.  Not after three weeks.  But then he was getting out of the car and it was him.  Hard not to recognize that bald head, but Martha thought she'd recognize him anyway, even if he'd been wearing a hat.  There was just something about the way he moved.

He stood by his car uncertainly.  "Are you Mrs. Kent?"

Suddenly ashamed of herself that she was causing him, however inadvertently, any doubt he was welcome here, she rested her broom against the house and headed down the steps.

It only took a few more steps and she was pulling him into a hug, holding him tightly.  "Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Thank you for bringing him back to us."

She felt a few nervous pats on her back, until finally he relaxed into the hug, resting his head on the top of hers.  Martha had the feeling that he'd been the recipient of far too few hugs in his life.  With a father like Lionel Luthor, that wasn't a surprise.

Finally she pulled back.  "I don't know how to thank you."  She wiped away some tears from her eyes.

Lex stared at her, clearly discomforted, as he smiled briefly at her.  "I was just in the right place at the right time.  Anyone would have done it."

"Gone against your father?" she asked.  "I don't think anyone but you would have been brave enough to do that."

There was an excited call from the barn door.  "Lex?"

Then Clark was there, taking over for Martha, hugging Lex hard enough to lift his feet off the ground.

This hug, Martha noted with a smile, Lex had no trouble returning.  He held Clark as if he was the answer to everything.  Taking a few steps away, she watched them both.  Lex's feet were back on the ground, but the hug wasn't going anywhere.

They were both drawing strength from each other.  She could see it in their faces.  Clark was losing that pinched look he'd been carrying around, and Lex looked, well, he looked happy.  As often as Martha had seen him on television lately, happy had never been a part of it.  Even when he laughed about something, his eyes were guarded.

Martha suspected women found it irresistible.  Brought out the social worker in all of them.  Maybe men, too.  Martha pursed her lips as she realized she wouldn't be able to get a piece of paper between the two of them from their knees to their necks.  Hmm.  Definitely men.

Needing a few minutes to process what she was seeing, she entered the house, giving Lex and Clark the illusion of privacy.  But she took up a spot by the kitchen window where she could see whatever unfolded. 

Lex wondered if they could just stay like this.  He liked this.  Short of that kiss, this was the best he'd felt in forever. 

He felt a kiss on his cheek.  "God, Lex, I missed you so much."

"Me, too," he responded.  "I missed you, too."  He couldn't imagine what had made him wait this long.  He must have been out of his mind.

"I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

Lex pulled back enough to look at Clark, to see the worry and insecurity in his eyes.  He smiled, reaching up to touch Clark's face.  "I haven't stopped thinking about you, not for a second."  He took a step back, eyed Clark slowly from his feet to his head.  He'd cleaned up really nicely. 

Clark was trying valiantly not to blush, so Lex took pity on him and moved back into the hug.  Gladly. 

"I tried to call you once," Clark confessed.

Lex pulled back again.  "I left strict orders to put any call through from you," he stated, annoyed, wondering who he'd have to fire.

Shaking his head, Clark said, "I didn't leave my name."  He hung his head.  "I wasn't sure you even wanted to talk to me."

Saddened that he'd caused Clark pain, Lex laced his fingers through Clark's, bringing them up between them.  "I'm sorry.  I wish I had a good excuse for not calling.  I picked up the phone twenty times a day."  He looked up into Clark's gorgeous face.  "But, now that I'm here, I know the reason I didn't call was because I needed to see you face-to-face.  Today's the first day I've been able to get away."

Clark smiled.  "And you came here."

"And I came here."

The smile broadened, and Lex was captivated by the happiness in Clark's face.  All for him.  "I'm glad," Clark admitted.  "Really, really glad."

"I love you."  Lex's eyes opened up wide as he realized what he'd just said.  He was careful to never say those words after learning early on how they always came back to hurt him.  "I--" He thought about taking them back, but the words wouldn't come.

Clark let out a laugh, hugging Lex tightly.  "God, I love you, too.  I thought it was just me, I thought I was going crazy.  I couldn't stop thinking about you, about kissing you.  My mom kept telling me it was because you'd rescued me, but I knew it was more."  He kissed Lex gently on the lips.  "I knew it was more," he said again.

Lex stared up at Clark, having no idea what to do when someone handed you everything you ever wanted in a six-foot, four-inch package of sheer beauty and goodness.  He had to remind himself that his father was dead; that he couldn't fuck this up for him.  Taking a deep breath, feeling like this was the most insane thing he had ever done, Lex smiled.  "Much, much more."  He leaned up and returned the kiss.

Jonathan came in the back door, brushed off his boots, and clomped into the kitchen.  "What are you looking at?" he asked his wife.

She spun around.  "Uh," she said.

Jonathan's brow furrowed and he joined her by the window.  His eyebrows almost shot off his forehead.  "Is that Clark?"

Martha nodded.

"Is he kissing a guy?" Jonathan's voice actually squeaked.

Martha nodded again.

"It looks like he's kissing him back."

"He is."

"Is that--?"

"Yes.  And if you even think about--"

"Holy smokes," Jonathan interrupted, "is that an Aston Martin Vanquish?"  Jonathan was through the door and clomping down the steps.   

As Jonathan came down the stairs, Clark sprang back, moving until Lex was mostly behind him.  His mouth dropped when his father completely ignored him, focusing instead on the car.  "Does this really go from zero to hundred in ten seconds?" he asked.

Lex came out from behind Clark.  "Nine point five, actually."

"Holy smokes."

Lex held the keys out.  "Want to take it for a spin?"

Jonathan was in the car so fast Clark thought he must have used super speed.  In short order, he was in reverse, and then zipping down the driveway.

Martha ran out after him, and stood next to Clark, open-mouthed, as Jonathan took off in a spray of gravel.

Then they both looked at Lex.

Lex shrugged, and then grinned, mischief in his eyes.  Clark rocked back under the sheer magnetism of it.  He looked down and saw his mom wasn't doing much better. 

Clark reached for Lex, needing to touch him, needing to reassure himself that this was real.  He prodded Lex closer until Lex's back was against his chest, his arms wrapped around Lex's stomach, holding him closely.

Lex craned his neck to grin up at him, than looked at Martha.  "Your turn, Mrs. Kent.  Your wish is my command."

Martha scowled up at him, even as she reached for his hand.  "Call me Martha.  And you already gave me my wish."  She poked him gently in the chest.  "Am I ever going to see my husband again?"

He shrugged.  "I don't know.  It's a really great car."

Martha rolled her eyes.  Then she eyed Clark's proprietary hold.  "I think you've already granted Clark his wish." 

Clark's cheeks hurt he was smiling so much.  He probably looked stupid, but he didn't care.  "I love him, Mom.  So much."

Lex craned his neck again, smiling at Clark.  "This wish doesn't count, because it was my wish, too.  Clark still gets to ask for something."

Clark shook his head.  "I don't need anything else."  He dropped his forehead to the back of Lex's head and sighed.  "This is all I want," he said softly.  "Just you."

Martha frowned down the driveway.  "Clark, you better go finish your father's chores.  Lex, why don't you come in the house with me and help me with dinner?"

Clark didn't really want to let Lex go, but when his mom gave him her best patented mom-stare, he sighed and let go.  He already hated the distance between them.  Sighing again, he kissed Lex on the cheek and raced off at super speed.

Lex peeled the last potato, washed it under the water, and dropped it onto the plate with the rest of them.  "What's next?" he asked.  He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed.  Martha was as wonderful as her son.  Of course, Jonathan Kent hadn't returned yet, and he might not be so sanguine about Lex coming in and stealing their son away from them.

"They need to be cut," Martha answered, demonstrating for him, easily slicing a potato into cubes.  She handed him the knife.

A blur raced by the window.  "He's amazing," Lex commented.  "I still can't believe it sometimes."  He grinned at Martha.  "There're aliens among us."

She grinned back.  "We still don't believe it, and we've had him in our lives for years, now.  Still seems like yesterday that we found him."

Lex tried to imagine Clark as a young child and couldn't do it.  "So he was actually small once upon a time?"

Martha laughed.  "I even have the pictures to prove it."  There was a pause.  "Lex?"

Lex looked up from his potato cubing, giving Martha permission to continue.

"What did your father do to Clark?" she asked nervously, hands almost wringing.  "Clark thinks he's hiding how bad it was, but he can't fool us.  We know him too well.  His silence is frightening me."

Lex put down his knife.  "Why do you want to know?"  Not that there was any chance in hell he was going to tell Martha any of it.

Martha's lips tightened with an effort not to cry.  "I just have these pictures in my head of what your father might have done, and they keep getting worse.  Until you arrived, Clark kept distancing himself, and I had no idea how to help him."  She covered her face with her hands.  "I just keep thinking that knowing the facts, no matter how bad, would be better than what I'm imagining."

Lex doubted that.  "I'm sorry I stayed away so long.  I would have come right away if I'd known he was having trouble."  Lex should have known.  But he'd never had someone to turn to when his life was falling apart, so he hadn't realized that Clark might need that.  Might need him.  It was a startling feeling, good but startling, that someone needed him.  It felt exhilarating.

She smiled and shook her head, dismissing his apology, unspoken gratitude shining in her eyes, mixed with her tears, as she looked at him. 

"What's your biggest concern, Martha?" Lex asked.  "What keeps eating at you?"  Maybe he could put some of her fears to rest.

"That Clark, that your father--.  God, I can't even say it."  Martha grabbed Lex's knife and started attacking the potatoes.

Lex took a guess, focusing on something a parent would fear, a parent who wouldn't even think to ask if his father had used a flamethrower on her son.  "That he raped Clark?  Is that what you're worrying about?"

"God, yes.  I hate to think your father would have been that cruel, but--" She started crying.

Lex took her in his arms.  "He didn't.  Martha, he never touched Clark that way.  I promise."  He didn't add that Lionel had had it on his agenda.  Oh, he might not have sullied himself, but Lex had no doubt he'd been looking forward to the evening's entertainment.  Especially once Lex had been added to the menu.  As far as his father's capacity for cruelty, Lex hoped Martha could never imagine what he'd been capable of.

Martha wept in his arms, and Lex wondered if this was the first time she'd allowed herself to cry.  "Thank God for you," she sobbed.  "Thank God." 

Lex held her tightly, feeling abashed by her gratefulness, but overwhelmingly glad he'd been able to rescue Clark.  The thought of her grieving for her son made his chest hurt. 

Lex heard the Aston coming up the drive.  He wasn't sure he should be holding Martha in his arms when Clark's dad came in the door, but Martha was still crying.  And talking.  Lex started paying closer attention.

"He was s-so sad, I k-kept thinking he'd d-done something to h-him that Clark wouldn't recover from.  He wouldn't t-talk to m-me or Jonathan, he just kept withdrawing."  Martha reached behind him for a tissue, pulled away enough to blow her nose.  "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Lex assured her.  "I can't even imagine what you've been going through."

"Clark is strong, Lex, and I d-don't mean just physically.  He's strong in here," Martha touched her chest, "where it c-counts."

Lex nodded; he knew this.  He'd known it the second he'd seen Clark's eyes.  For a second he recalled his father threatening to put out his eyes, and if he'd been standing there, Lex would have run him through with the potato peeler.

"S-so, when h-he kept refusing to t-talk about it, I just assumed the w-worst."  She started crying again and moved back into his arms.  He couldn't help but hold her, even when he looked up and saw Clark's father staring at them both.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Jonathan asked.

Martha started a little, but stayed where she was for the time being.

Lex nodded, letting some of the darkness of what he'd seen show in his eyes.  It was all Jonathan was going to see.  "My father made tapes.  He thought," Lex swallowed, "he thought I'd enjoy watching them."  He felt yet another surge of anger; saw a matching fury in Jonathan's.  "Let's just say he was wrong."

"Where's that tape now?" Jonathan demanded.

"In my laboratory which is now nothing but rubble.  Along with every bit of evidence I could find.  All of it.  Then I searched my father's homes, his office, his safety deposit boxes, including the ones on the Cayman Islands.  I searched them for any evidence about Clark, and whatever I found, I destroyed.  I swear.  He's safe from my father's machinations."

"And from yours?" Jonathan asked threateningly.

"Jonathan!" Martha gasped.

"No," Lex stopped her.  "It's a fair question.  He's safe from me, too.  The only thing I kept was some samples of the meteor ore my father kept him contained with.  I'm hoping I can come up with some sort of antidote for Clark.  It's too great a weakness for him.  Your son has nothing to fear from me.  I swear on my mother's grave."

Jonathan gave him some serious scrutiny.  "For the record, I have a shotgun, and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Jonathan!" Martha's voice snapped angrily again.

Despite the look on Jonathan's face, Lex had a hard time not smiling.  He'd been in boardrooms too long not to tell when things were shifting his way.

"However," Jonathan added, "I have been firmly instructed by my wife, on threat of divorce, to welcome you to this family, in thanks for what you did for Clark."

Lex waited, knowing Jonathan wasn't quite done.  Realizing that he was still holding Martha, he patted her on the back and released her. 

"But before I do that," Jonathan stated, "I want to know what your intentions are toward Clark."  He pointed toward the driveway.  "I might have been distracted by the car, but I'm not blind."

This was new.  Lex's money had always bought him the right to anybody he wanted.  For a moment he had no idea how to answer.  Well, a dozen smart-ass remarks came to mind, but he didn't think any of them would endear him to Clark's father. 

There was a noise at the door.  "Hey, what's going on?"  Clark was looking at everyone, noticing his mom's tear stained face, his father's stern look, and last but not least, Lex.  Despite his obvious concern for his parents, the smile on his face when he looked at Lex caused an unfamiliar joyful sensation in Lex's heart.  He couldn't help but smile back, knowing his heart was in his eyes.

Then Clark was at his mom's side, giving her a hug, and Jonathan was striding across the kitchen.  Despite his best efforts, Lex flinched, fully expecting to get hit.

Jonathan stopped in his tracks, a look of horror on his face. 

Lex must have given too much away with that flinch.  A sense of shame crossed his face and he stared at the floor, rebuilding his composure.

Jonathan put a careful hand on his shoulder.  "Lex."

Lex looked up at him.  He felt Clark shift behind him, and Lex drew from his strength.  This vulnerable shit was for the birds.  "Yes, Mr. Kent," he said calmly, hoping his face showed none of his turmoil.

"You have nothing to fear from us, either.  And call me Jonathan."

Startled, those words unexpected, Lex stared at Jonathan, saw the truth on his face, realized, that somehow, unexpectedly, by rescuing Clark, he'd gained himself a family.  He nodded, suddenly wishing he could be alone with Clark. 

Martha came to the rescue.  "Clark, why don't you show Lex your fortress while I finish up dinner?"

Clark took Lex's hand.  He glanced at his dad, a teasing glint in his eyes.  "Hey, Dad, I finished up the south field while you were out joy-riding."

Jonathan frowned at him, hiding a smile, while he fished out the keys, handing them to Lex.  "Here.  Thanks.  I felt like a kid again."

Lex thought about offering him the car, but sensed it wouldn't be accepted.  He took the keys back.  "Anytime."  He felt a tug on his hand, and with one last look at Martha and Jonathan, he followed Clark outside.

Jonathan took his wife in his arms.  "You all right?"

She nodded, hiding her face in his chest.  "I needed to know.  You know, what we talked about last week.  What I was afraid of."

Clearing his throat, fearing the answer, remembering the look in Lex's eyes, he cautiously asked, "What did he say?"   

"That he didn't.  That he didn't touch Clark that way."  Martha started crying again.

To Jonathan's ears, they sounded more like tears of relief than the tears of pain she'd done her best to hide from him.  Jonathan was inclined to believe that Lex was telling the truth about this.  Clark had been plastered all over the boy out in the driveway, and Jonathan didn't think he'd be so eager for anyone's touch if something like that had happened to him.

But bad things had happened; he'd seen it in Lex's eyes.  And he also knew Lex would never say a thing.  Maybe it was for the best.  Lionel was dead, and according to Lex, Clark was safe.  And more than that, Clark was happy, and Jonathan had begun to fear that he might not be again.

Lex lay in Clark's arms on the ratty sofa in Clark's fortress of solitude, and he was content. 

"It's like you fill me up," Clark said, out of the blue.

That was a good description for it.  Clark did fill him up.  Chasing all the shadows out, filling all the empty holes.  Lex sort of hummed a noise of agreement, too comfortable to even speak.

Clark laughed softly, his chest vibrating against Lex's ear.  "Do I do that for you, too?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Lex drowsily decided he might just fall asleep.

"How long can you stay?"

Lex thought about it.  He sat up, reached for his phone, turned it on, dialed a number. 

"Who are you calling?"

Lex held up a finger.  "Teresa?"

"Lex, where the hell are you?" she demanded.  "The sharks are circling and blood's dripping from my arteries, here."

Lex smiled.  She always tended toward the dramatic.  "Teresa, sell Luthor Corp, would you?  I don't care how much you get for it.  I'll check in with you tomorrow."  He hung up and shut the phone off.  Then he lay back down.  "I can stay as long as I like."  Just like that, he was free.  He had no business to attend to, no meetings, just scads of money and a gorgeous boyfriend, who, conveniently, had the rest of the semester free.

Clark sat up, which forced Lex to sit up.  He stared at Clark, disgruntled.  "I was comfortable like that."

"You just sold Luthor Corp?" Clark looked incredulous.

"It's my father's company, Clark.  Do you honestly think I want it?  Especially after what he did to you?"  He shrugged.  "I've got better things to do than keep his dynasty alive."  As long as he was sitting there, with easy access to Clark's lips, he helped himself.

Clark didn't seem to mind, in fact, apparently he whole-heartedly agreed with the plan, kissing Lex back with a vengeance.  Tongues, teeth, lips, nibbling, sucking.  Only the fact they weren't alone kept Lex from taking things further.  But the last thing he wanted was for Jonathan to find them sans clothes and force him to reconsider the current armistice.  Lex didn't want to lose this family.  He calmed Clark down with loving touches and promises of later loving.

A minute later, he was back in Clark's arms, lying on the couch, resuming their earlier position.  "I'm thinking a trip around the world.  What do you think?"  He'd never traveled just for traveling's sake.  It had always been with business in mind.  He thought he might like being a tourist. 

There was a conspicuous silence behind him.

"Ah," Lex amended, determining the cause of the silence, "I mean with you, of course."

"Oh.  Then I think it sounds great!" Clark said with marked enthusiasm.  "I've never even been out of Kansas."

Lex snorted.

Clark squeezed him.  "Being from another planet doesn't count."    

Lex laughed softly.  Another planet.  It still hadn't sunk in, despite everything he'd seen.  He planned to enjoy the opportunity to show Clark all the beauty of this planet, even if the most beautiful part of it had been born somewhere else.  

A call came from the house.  "Clark?  Lex?  Time for dinner." 

Lex smiled.  He might not have experienced it since his mother had died, but he knew what home sounded like.  What it felt like.  It sounded like this, felt like this.  He sat up and lifting his arms, framed Clark's face with his hands.  "Thank you."

Clark's eyebrows rose.  "For what?"  He looked thoroughly confused.

"For being everything I needed.  For ending up on this planet out of a universe of choices.  For believing in me."

Clark stared at him, his eyes filled with love, and adoration, and attraction, and every good thing in the world.  "You're welcome," Clark said simply.  He wrapped his arms around Lex and held him tightly.

A last part of Lex relaxed, finally trusting that he could have faith in this, that it wouldn't be taken from him, that Clark loved him.  Maybe they were as unlikely a pairing as the world had ever seen, but Clark belonged to him, and he belonged to Clark, and woe be to anyone that tried to come between them. 

Martha called for them again, and Clark let him go with a reluctant sigh.  They smiled at each other, and then Clark stood, waiting for Lex to join him.

As he followed Clark down the stairs, he smiled at the irony of life.  His father's greatest act of cruelty had brought love into Lex's life.  Between that and the selling of Luthor Corp, Lex could swear he heard his father spinning in his grave.

It was a good sound.  As they approached the house, Lex could hear the clink of plates and cutlery being laid out, the sound of glasses being filled.  Ordinary sounds.  Family sounds.  His heart was full to overflowing and he came to a stop, needing to let some of it flow through him and out into the earth so he could walk and talk like a normal person. 

Clark stopped with him, pulling Lex close.  "You all right?" 

Lex stared up at him, nodding.  He couldn't speak yet, the gladness an insurmountable tightness in his throat.

Clark understood.  "Yeah.  Me, too."

The End.

April 30, 2005

Please let me know if you liked the story: ladyra11@yahoo.com

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