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Momentum	By : Kaworu Category: Smallville > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2937 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: _Smallville_ Not mine (yeahsureyebetcha rolleyes), not making money, blah-blah. Will include the second fandom when I actually _get_ to it.

Chapter List
- 1-Momentum
- 1
Title: Momentum

Author: Kaworu

Fandom: Smallville/*surprise >D*

Pairing: Clex

Rating: PG-13 for this part

Warnings: x-over (don't worry, the other fandom(s?) is just a plot device and/or for the purpose of the author's amusement), AU (as in the universe is canon but the events could never happen there), author not too familiar with the fandom (aka silly unbased ideas), questionable motivation of the characters (aka author out of practice)

Summary: Starts as Shattered spin-off. Clark saves Lex from Belle Reve and learns something he didn't expect. Lex struggles with his own demons and plans coup against his father.

Wordcount: 13 975

A/N: Inspired by a 'bad dream' moment from Lanning Cook's Identical series. I think I know where that was coming from (thanks Salazaar, Ba'al, Shabranigdu and all the unholy deities for SmallvilleWiki and damn the Russian AXN Sci-Fi and the guy who can't undo shuffle on their playlists) but I'm not sure I guessed it right. Anyway. If you see something contradicting the canon terribly (aside from Lex's 'condition'), tell me, I'll try to do something about it (or at least I'll know how far I am from the original). Even if it is AU.

Oh, and it's a x-over. I'm not telling with what yet >D Try guessing? There's a dead giveaway huge hint near the end of this part.

Thanks and credits: to everyone who helped me with my research @ , and the Russian community for writers --- Zver Obosnuy.

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome

Part 1/?

"No! I know you can help me!" Lex was struggling furiously, trying to get out of the straitjacket, trying to get away from the crew, his father's crew, tackling him to be transported. "I know you can! Please! Don't be a bastard, Clark!" The hysterics was clear in the voice, as was the rage and desperate fear, and Clark flinched watching. "Please, Clark! Please, help me!"

Clark turned away intending to run but stopped at the last moment. He just couldn't bear the hysterical screams that were getting less and less coherent, couldn't bear to abandon the person pleading for his help, and it was not just the hero thing. It was Lex being tortured there, still his friend, still the person he cared for, and he just couldn't bear...

He moved as fast as he could, making himself an unrecognizable blur on the surveillance cameras, shutting the voices telling him that he was breaking the promise to his parents, that he was going to regret this, and concentrating on the single voice that was telling him that it was Lex, that they were going to work it out somehow, that if he didn't trust Lex now he would never have the second chance.

Clark ran as fast as he could, as far as he could, taking the bundle in his arms away from the harm that was undoubtly his father's intention. The bundle tried to catch his breath, confused and scared, moving quickly into shock instead of previous hysterics.

"C-clark?" The bundle managed to stutter.

Clark didn't answer saving his breath for when they were far enough even if he didn't know where that was exactly.

"Clark, stop! I'm goint to--" Lex made a gurgling sound, and Clark stopped immediately.

"Hey, not on me! Hold it a sec!" He helped Lex down and held him while the bold man emptied his stomach onto a small hill on the ground. A couple of minutes later the heaves stopped, and Lex was still for a couple more then started to tug at his bindings.

"What is it?" Clark held him closer worried trying at the same time to look into the other man's face.

"Clark?" Lex's voice was muffled.

"Yes. What?"

"Are you going to untie me?"

Clark was perplexed for a moment then mentally slapped himself. "Sorry," he mumbled and removed the straitjacket carefully. Lex immediately started rubbing his hands to get the blood circulation back and winced at the feel of needles prickling the skin all over his arms. Clark fidgeted nervously nearby. Now that he's actually kidnapped Lex he wasn't sure it was such a great idea. Of course he wanted to save him, there was no doubt in that, but was Lex able to keep Clark's secret? Would he remain his friend or abandon him or put on a table and dissect alive like a lab rat? Or would the man think of something even more disturbing, more suiting a Luthor? The aforementioned man sat on the ground miserably and let out a small chuckle.

"What is it?" Clark was alarmed because trust or not Lex was still unstable from the drugs not to mention shock and exhaustion.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "I just thought the mole wouldn't be happy to find puke at its front gate".

Clark snickered. "Alright. Can you sit here for a couple of minutes?"

"What? Are you going to abandon me? Now?" Lex looked scared, 'was scared', Clark corrected himself.

"No, no, don't worry," Clark raised his hands. "I was just going to bring some water."

Lex looked suspicious.

"There is a stream nearby," Clark smiled as if talking to a child or a scared animal.

"I'll go with you." The answer was immediate and stubborn so Clark decided not to argue this time.

"It'll take some time to get there. Do you think you can manage to walk?"

Lex got up with little difficulty and tested his legs. "How long?"

"Erm. Twenty minutes?" Clark smiled awkwardly.

Lex looked as if he was dumb. "You said it was near."

"It is." He shifted uncomfortably. "It would be faster if I... carried you."

Now Lex looked like Clark has grown a second head, probably accompanied by a pair of horns.

"You know..." Clark didn't know what to say, not really, and he didn't really want to think just yet. The comfort of physical action, reflexes was better than the onslaught of questions he didn't want to answer just yet. Then it occurred to him that Lex was probably in an even worse shape, and as the older man waited for Clark's explanation his face didn't show the usual level of thought process, so Clark decided to just act, although carefully because aware or not Lex was still paranoid. Very paranoid. "Okay, let me," Clark closed the distance between them carefully and took Lex's hand earning a raised eyebrow and a little bit more awareness in the other man's gaze. "It'll be quick, I promise, you won't have time to..." He glanced at the soiled molehill. "Just hold it, okay?" He looked into Lex's face until the man nodded his agreement.

Clark took Lex up into his arms and sped to the stream he knew should be nearby but he didn't go full speed careful not to disturb Lex's stomach condition. He nearly missed his turn between the thick trees onto a small path, and very soon he was putting Lex down on a stream bank covered with short soft grass and small wild flowers scattered across it.

"Here," he nodded towards the stream. "I think it should be safe to drink."

"I'll pass on that," Lex mumbled and got down on one knee to rinse his mouth and splash water on his face. He was finally getting more coherent, and Clark shuffled between relief and nervous anticipation of the questions to come.

"So." Lex sat on the grass not caring about the state of his clothes for once. Not that there was anything worth caring about after all of the recent events.

"So?" Clark smiled innocently and tried to ignore his own stomach clenching.

"So..." Lex started then shook his head. He was still a bit dizzy, and the cloudy, uneven flow of thought was still far from his usual clear stream. Still one question managed to surface from the overall mess. "Why did you save me?"

"Huh?" Clark gaped at his bold companion. "What do you mean 'why'?" Wasn't it obvious? Lex was his friend, his important person, his... Okay, it was not obvious.

"You were in the conspiracy--"

"I was not!" Clark interrupted indignant.

"Maybe not. But you were going to leave. And don't try to deny it."

He didn't. And as ashamed as he was he still didn't know if he's made the right decision and in the right way.

"So why did you change your mind?"

"I... don't know." Clark sighed and sat heavily to the ground. It was the situation he was dreading. Either he told Lex the truth now, at least as much of the truth as the other man could handle at the moment, or he lied and probably lost the chance and Lex's trust forever. And as painful as the dissection table might feel he still wanted that trust. "I promised my parents that I won't let anyone know." He stopped thinking what he wanted to say.

"Let anyone know what?" Lex prompted with his head cocked. "That you are a mutant? I think a lot of people have guessed it already."

"It's not that simple." Clark shook his head then turned it down focusing on his boots. He hoped Lex was open-minded enough to grasp the concept of his friend being an alien and responsible for his permanent loss of hair, he just couldn't dump it all on him now when Lex was obviously not at his best, and at the same time he had to say something for the exact same reason because Lex was already turning into his paranoid self, his suspicious glare prickling Clark's skin. "We'll talk about it later, alright?" He turned to look at Lex in time to see his face distorted with some emotion. "I promise to tell you everything, just not now, okay?" He added quickly. "First we have to get you somewhere safe and think what to--"

"Clark." Lex sounded stern and irritated. "Why did you change your mind?"

"Because you're my friend!" Clark answered exasperated. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No." Lex shook his head, and Clark gaped at him.

"You really thought I..." He stopped to take a deep breath. "You know what." He stood up and turned to look straight at Lex. "Maybe I could trust you if you would ever, at least for a moment trust me!" He started pacing. He knew that most of his anger and frustration didn't have anything to do with Lex but he couldn't stop, didn't want to stop. "You want me to tell you everything but you can't tell me a single thing about yourself! You expect me to spill my guts to you and you'll just listen without giving me anything in return! And then you'll have me strapped down somewhere to use however you want! You--"

"Now that's an interesting idea," Lex mumbled with a smirk.

"What--" Clark stopped when it occurred to him what he has just said and he turned crimson. "You know I didn't mean that," he mumbled.

"I'm sure you didn't." Lex still smirked, his spirits obviously lifted by Clark's slip.

"I didn't," Clark repeated stubbornly earning himself a raised eyebrow.

"You know, you don't have to sound so defensive," Lex mused. His thought process was finally returning to norm as was his observation. "Unless there is a reason to be defensive that is..." He let the phrase hang and watched with amusement as Clark's face turned even brighter shade of red. Lex chuckled softly. As entertaining as it was to tease his teenaged friend he still didn't understand what was going on in the boy's head, and now that his own head was clearer he fully intended to drag the truth out of Clark whether he liked it or not. "Alright, leaving your Freudian slip aside, I still want to know the truth. Because honestly I don't get you. One moment you risk your life for me, and the next you are too afraid to lift a finger."

"You don't get it, do you?" Was the soft reply, and Lex tried without success to decipher Clark's expression.

"Explain it to me so I do." He raised both eyebrows waiting.

"You really don't get it!" Clark finally exploded. "I wanted to trust you! I still do but how can I be sure you won't turn evil and... hurt me?" He caught himself just in time to avoid another ambiguous phrase.

"How can I be sure you won't do the same?!" Lex was on his feet now agitated.

"I would never--"

"How can I be sure?!" Lex almost screamed then calmed momentarily.

Clark felt stupid and irritated at the same time. Didn't his actions prove his intentions? Didn't the way he always stood by Lex prove that there was no way in hell he would hurt him intentionally? But didn't Lex possibly think the same way...? He looked at the bold man standing nearby. There was nothing short of mass murder and human experiments that would make him change his mind about Lex, and even if these were they case, even combined, he would've tried to reason with Lex first. But in his case... he couldn't imagine his friend's reaction.

"I know what you're thinking," Lex said calmly and looked Clark straight in the eyes. "'There's nothing you could say that would change my mind about you and make me betray you, but my secret is so dark I don't know if you can rake it'. Right?"

Clark nodded.

"Because I feel the same way." The one thing Lex has learned in his years of friendship with Clark was that the straight approach was usually most effective when dealing with the boy, the mind games either bounced off his blissfully ignorant head or irritated him. "Now let us..." Lex stepped forward, his arms outstretched.

Clark stepped back. "You don't know anything."

"Tell me so I do."

"You have no idea what you're asking about." Clark didn't know why he was still so stubborn about the whole thing. He wanted nothing more than to get it over with or maybe flee.

"Come on." Lex sighed exasperated. "It's not like you are going to tell me you're gay and want to marry me."

"Maybe that, too." Clark mumbled. Part of his brain wanted Lex to get repulsed and stop asking further questions, and the other part was screaming at him for revealing what he had problem admitting to himself.

Lex blinked. That wasn't what he had expected, and he had a moment of silly hope before he reminded himself that it was Clark and he was probably sprouting nonsense to get him off track as he always did. "Yeah, right." He snorted. "Now why don't we--"

He didn't take him seriously. Clark bristled. All the talk about trust and friendship, and he didn't take him seriously! That was the last drop, and Clark was in Lex's personal space in two quick strides grabbing the front of his shirt and kissing him messily on the lips still open from the unfinished phrase. Lex started answering the kiss instinctively then stopped, grabbed Clark's shoulders and pushed hard, his expression livid.

"Don't you dare joke like that ever again!" He hissed angrily.

"I didn't..." Clark felt as if somebody has hit him with a dusty sack of potatoes across his head. "But it's true!"

Lex narrowed his eyes. The boy looked sincere enough, and it made the matter even worse. How was he supposed to resist the farmboy when he knew his feelings were mutual? Better to scare the boy off now before it gets dangerous. You wanted to know more about me?" He almost spit the words. "Fine. I'm positive."

"What?" Clark looked at him confused.

"I'm HIV positive."

Clark blinked trying to process the information, and Lex waited for the explosion, waited for Clark to get away from him in disgust, to spit on the ground and wipe his hands...

"Oh," said Clark finally.

"'Oh'? That's all you have to say?" He didn't get what was going on inside that pretty head. Clark looked honestly unaffected by his revelation if a little confused, and Lex wondered briefly if the boy knew what HIV was.

"What do you want me to say?" Clark sighed. "So you've got it. So what? Millions of people do, and it doesn't change who you are." That sounded mature, and Clark mentally patted himself on the back. "Is it life threatening at the moment?"

"No, the T Cell count is more than sufficient, and the viral load..." He stopped after looking at Clark's blank face. "You don't have the tiniest clue what I'm talking about."

Clark shook his head with a small smile.

"It could've become dangerous if he'd managed to shut me in Belle Reve." Lex sighed. "So, thank you, Clark. For saving my life yet again."

Clark beamed at him. "Any time."

Lex snorted. "It sounded like a moment from a soap opera. Alright, now that you know my deepest darkest secret I want to know yours." He glanced at Clark expectantly.

"Maybe not now." Clark smiled nervously. "Let's go to the farm, you need rest if you want to--"

"Oh, no," Lex interrupted, a warning in his voice. "You don't wiggle out of this using my status. Now spill it."

Clark sighed. "It's complicated."

"Don't worry, I've been told I'm an intelligent person, and it can't be more complicated than an HIV-positive heir of a billions worth corporation drugged and almost shut into a mental facility by his own father for uncovering his sordid past." Lex smirked and Clark snorted.

"Actually it can." That earned his a raised eyebrow, and Clark sighed again searching for words. "You know I'm not... normal." He fidgeted, nervous fear returning full force.

Lex nodded. There was no need to say anything at the moment, and he waited for Clark to gather his thoughts and resolve.

"I'm..." Clark searched for the right phrasing, didn't find any and sighed yet again giving up. "I'm a lot more not normal than you think. You've seen how fast I can be, I can squash a car with my bare hands, I can throw a tractor across a field one-handed, the bullets bounce off me... And it's just the beginning."

"You can see through walls..." Lex smirked. Clark gave him a meaningful glance, and Lex cleared his throat. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"Alright." Lex took a minute to think over the new information. "So, you're a multi-talented person. So what? It's you, you won't use it to do anything even remotely illegal, let along anything that could harm any living being, cockroaches included."

Clark glared at him. "That's not all."

"What else is there?" Lex was genuinely intrigued.

"You'll see." Clark started fidgeting again. "It's not something you'll believe until you see it with your own eyes."

"Alright. What is it?"

"Let's go the farm first."

Lex was ready to hit him across the head with something heavy, preferably a tree ripped from the ground. They've gotten so far already, and the insufferable teen intended to leave him hanging!

"It's there, I promise!" Clark said quickly sensing the change in the mood. "But promise me you'll get rest first. It won't get anywhere."

Lex sighed. Rest sounded like a good thing, even if he didn't want to admit that he was almost falling from exhaustion and stress, not to mention the aftereffects of the drugs wearing off. "Alright. But you're showing it first thing in the morning."

Clark nodded with a smile. "Are you up for a little ride?"

Lex raised an eyebrow giving Clark a once over.

"I didn't mean that!" Clark protested turning beet red.

"Of course you didn't," Lex replied smoothly.

Clark glared at him and cleared his throat. "You're doing it on purpose," he accused earning himself an amused laugh. The teen didn't wait for the sound to quiet down and used his speed to grab Lex by the legs and shoulder him like a sack of potatoes satisfied by the surprised gurgle from the bold man.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lex sounded indignant.

"Retribution," Clark grinned and sped towards the farm.

Some very long and very uncomfortable minutes later Clark was putting a very irritated Lex to the ground just outside the Kent house.

"I hope you are not making a habit of it," he grumbled keeping his balance with some difficulty.

"Only if you don't make a habit of the weird jokes," Clark retorted.

"Weird?" Lex actually managed to smirk. "You mean the sexual innuendos? Don't worry, it's just a beginning. Serves you right for keeping your secrets for so long."

"Then don't complain about retribution." Clark attempted to strike a menacing pose making Lex laugh.

"Right. Retribution. I wonder how bad that might get." Lex snorted only mildly concerned by Clark's potential revenge.

"As bad as this." Clark's voice was too near, and Lex didn't have enough time to react before the teen's lips touched his. Lex let Clark kiss him, not pulling away but not responding either until the boy broke it and looked into Lex's eyes. "You didn't answer me by the way," he said softly.

"Didn't answers what?" Lex furrowed his brows confused.

"About me being gay and wanting to marry you." Clark grinned making Lex snort. "No, seriously. What do you think about us...?" Clark had an earnest puppy dog expression, and Lex sighed.

"It's not a good idea." He took a step back creating some space between them, making it easier to stay calm and focused.

"Why not?" Clark seemed disappointed by the lack of close proximity, and the puppy look turned pleading.

"You know about my status, and I don't want to talk about it."

"But I don't care about that!" Clark stepped forward, and Lex backed away.

"Well, I do!" He glared at Clark. "I'm not risking your health, and I'm certainly not risking your life."

"But--"

"Clark? Lex, what are you doing here?"

Both of them turned to see Jonathan a few feet away carrying a tool kit.

"Dad, can Lex stay here for a while?"

"Mr. Kent, I'm sorry to intrude on you, but I would really appreciate it if you let me stay for a few days."

Jonathan looked at his son and then at Lex Luthor. The boy looked sane, at least saner than he'd been in the last couple of days, and sounded coherent enough to reject the idea of calling his father, and he was pale and visibly exhausted. Jonathan sighed. "Alright. But you'll have to explain it."

"Yes, dad!" Clark beamed.

"Get him to take a shower before dinner." Jonathan turned and walked in the general direction of the barn. Not that there was anything urgent, he just didn't want to give himself time to reconsider or probe before both of the boys were at least fed and rested.

"Thank you, Mr. Kent!" Lex shouted after the man then turned to walk into the house. "A shower is a really good idea. I stink." He made a face.

Clark sighed and mentally cursed Lex's avoidance techniques but decided to let it slip this once.

"Come on, let's say hi to mom first." He patted Lex's shoulder and ran up the short flight of stairs. "Mom?"

Martha was in the kitchen making one of her infamous pies, and Clark ran up to her to kiss her cheek. She smiled at him and looked at Lex who said his polite 'hello Mrs. Kent'.

"Hello Lex. Is everything alright with..." She searched for words but none seemed to fit at the moment. "your situation?"

Lex sighed. "Not quite. Is it alright if I stay here for a few days?" He looked hopeful, and Martha wondered what happened.

"Of course, you know you're always welcome here."

"Thank you." Lex smiled genuinely. He was really grateful to the Kents. Their family fascinated him in more ways than one, and being a part of it even for the shortest time was doing him more good than all the psychotherapy sessions his father's money could ever buy. He thought of the warm acceptance they gave each other as he excused himself to finally take a much needed shower, Clark trailing after him.

Lex stopped at the bathroom door, a towel and a change of clothes, Clark's clothes, in his arms. "Clark?"

"Yes?" The teen looked perfectly innocent.

"Are you intending to keep me company in the bathroom?" He raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

Clark shook his head blushing bright red. Lex's eyebrow rose even higher, and it took Clark a couple more moments to finally get a hold of himself. "Sorry," he mumbled and turned to flee into his bedroom.

Some time and a lot of hot water later Lex finally emerged from the Kents' bathroom refreshed and thoroughly relaxed. He contemplated going to sleep right then but there was too much to think about, plan and explain, not to mention his stomach was making impatient sounds at the smells from the kitchen downstairs. The prospect of food was even more inviting than sleep, but before than he was going to decide what to tell the Kents. Thankfully he didn't have to do it alone.

"Clark?" He knocked at the door as he entered the boy's room. Clark was lying on the bed with notebooks scattered around him apparently doing homework. "Sorry to interrupt. Need help?" Lex stood beside the bed looking at the scrawled notes.

"No, I'm good, almost finished." Clark looked at him. "Are you alright?"

"Better." Lex smiled. "Just thinking how I'm going to explain what happened to your parents without making them think all Luthors are mentally and morally handicapped."

Clark snorted then turned serious. "You don't have to talk about that, you know. Your father trying to put you into madhouse is more than enough for you to stay here as long as you want."

Lex thought about it. Of course he didn't have to tell the Kents about his status, but the way he was going to play it later... he preferred if they learned it from himself. He sighed and sat on the edge of Clark's bed. "And how are you?"

"Fine." Clark beamed.

"Are you sure?" Lex didn't quite buy the nonchalant act.

"Yes, I'm sure." Clark nodded. "And I would be even better if..." He stretched himself to get closer to Lex and slowly got up, their faces inches apart... when Martha called that the dinner was ready. Lex would have hugged the petit woman if she'd been in close proximity.

The dinner was uneventful and over too soon so Lex found himself with a mug of tea in his hands and two pairs of inquiring eyes on him. He cleared his throat before starting. "You know I've been acting strange the last couple of days--"

"So we gathered," Jonathan snorted getting a glare from Martha.

"--and there's a reason for that." Lex continued ignoring the remark. "I've found some information about my father that can severely damage his reputation at best and get him into jail at worst, so he decided it best to fabricate my insanity and get me into a mental institution, probably to receive a course of radical electroshock therapy so I forget the unneeded information." He quieted for a moment to give them time to digest information. Martha gasped and looked at Jonathan, and the head of the Kent family looked torn between disgust and skepticism. Clark was visibly trying to stay in control beside him, his hands clenched into shaking fists. Lex continued. "So he drugged my drink, not by his own hands of course, and had a mental brigade ready for the moment I was deep enough in his plan. But I managed to escape miraculously, thanks to Clark. I'm sure the brigade is waiting for me at the mansion, so I can't go there until I manage to prove myself sane." He stopped again. Jonathan nodded, and Martha clung to him. Clark had his fists under the table, his expression unreadable. Now came the time for the final dirty truth, and Lex sigh before continuing. "Which is not going to be easy because I have history with mental institutions. I had a few breakdowns, partly because of my own childhood traumas, and partly because of the time when father had me undergo the radical electroshock therapy."

Clark gaped and glared. That was something he hadn't heard before, and he had all the more reason to hate Lionel Luthor and protect Lex from his clutches.

And Lex still continued. "Which revealed one more fact. After the therapy my condition worsened. I had pneumocystis pneumonia and pleuritis as it's complication that nearly got me into reanimation--"

Martha gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"--They had to do a lot of tests before they could find the real reason." Lex paused as much for the emphasis as to collect himself. "I am HIV positive. And the electroshocks reduced my immune system to critical condition so the virus could take action." Lex stopped finally and raised his eyes that he didn't remember gluing to his hands to look at his audience. Jonathan and Martha were shocked, petrified even, and Clark looked murderous.

Clark was so livid he was barely keeping his heat vision at bay, he saw red and didn't dare move because he knew he'd break anything he touched. He doubted Lionel would live through their next meeting. Not only had the bastard almost killed Lex trying to brainwash him with electroshocks, he intended to repeat it knowing the risks full well. The man was dead meat, Clark made a vow to himself.

Martha was the first to emerge from the shock. She stood from the table without a single word, crossed to where Lex sat and wrapped her arms around him. "You can stay with us as long as you want," she said softly after some silence. "Just say if you need anything, we'll help however we can."

Lex smiled a small smile and leaned into the woman's embrace. She was so warm and accepting he thought it was humanly impossible, and at the moment she reminded him of his own mother so he let himself soak in the warm comfort.

Jonathan cleared his throat and tried to say something but nothing came out so he shut his mouth and just sat there watching and trying to comprehend what he'd just heard.

A few minutes passed before Martha finally released Lex with a sigh. "Thank you for telling us," she said sincere. "Thank you for trusting us so much. But now I think it's time for you to go to bed." She suddenly had the stern mother look, and Lex smiled at that. "It's been a long day for you, and I'm sure you need rest." 'And I need the time to think it all over,' she added mentally. Of course she wasn't going to kick Lex out no matter what, HIV or no HIV, but there was too much too shocking information, and she needed the time. As well as Jonathan. Her husband was still speechless, and she would prefer that the boys were safely out of the way when the shock finally wore off.

"Thank you, mrs. Kent, I feel exhausted." Lex looked politely grateful. It was a good thing he could get a grip on himself in almost any situation, because no matter how much time has passed he still couldn't stay completely calm talking about his status and the way he's learned about it. Too many unwanted memories came back to the surface --- the weeks he's spent in a mental hospital, he still didn't know which one his father's chosen, it was probably closed by now, all of the traces gone years ago; the weeks of the pneumonia and pleuritis with it's constant pain, the first asthma attack in years, the longest he's been ill in his entire life, were probably more hellish than the previous treatment, and the news of his status added severe depression and several other psychological problems into the mix, and weeks of rehab.

"You okay?"

Lex jumped. He'd been so deep in the unhappy memories he hasn't noticed Clark standing behind him.

"Of course. Why shouldn't I be?" he answered without thinking and continued to smooth out the bed clothes on a sofa on autopilot.

Clark fidgeted. He wanted to hug the stubborn man, to comfort him and say that everything will be alright, that he'll protect him, but he wasn't sure Lex would appreciate the gesture. "You sure?" That was profound. Clark mentally kicked himself.

Lex whirled on him suddenly angry. "Of course I'm sure," he snapped sarcastically. "I've just spilled my guts out for your parents which made me actually remember all of this shit. Why shouldn't I be okay?"

"I'm sorry," Clark mumbled.

"Don't pity me," Lex growled a warning.

"I don't!"

Lex snorted.
"Okay, maybe I do. A little. But..." Clark sighed and finally gave in and hugged Lex.

"I said don't pity me," Lex gritted out stiffened.

"I don't," Clark said holding tight. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I won't let anyone get to you."

Lex actually rolled his eyes. "That sounded awfully mushy," he remarked making Clark sigh and let him go. "First thing tomorrow morning, remember? Now let me sleep." He turned away fully intending to ignore Clark if he had any more stupid ideas like hugging him and saying something ridiculously romantic.

Clark wanted to say something else but sighed and walked away.

~*~*~*~

Jonathan was sorting through his clothes when a sock caught on his hand. "Damn!" He threw the offending piece of fabric across the room.

"What was that?" Martha sat on the bed reading. It was the first word from her husband since dinner, and the first sign he was finally ready to explode and then hopefully move forward.

"Nothing." He sighed and went to retrieve the sock.

"No, it was not nothing," she remarked calmly. "Talk about it, you'll feel better."

Jonathan sank into a chair with a sigh. "I don't now. I feel sorry for the boy and angry at what he had to go through, and damn, he's Luthor! He could be lying to us."

"Did he sound like he was lying to you?" Martha closed the book and looked at her husband. "Because he didn't to me."

"No." Jonathan shook his head. "He sounded sincere but... I have a feeling he's not telling us everything."

"Of course he's not. Would you in his place?" Martha looked expectantly.

He thought about it. "But he's a Luthor," he countered weakly. "And he's getting Clark into it!"

"Would you rather Clark abandoned him in this state? Because I don't remember us raising him that hard-hearted."

"I didn't mean it that way!" Jonathan had an urge to defend his guilty self. "It's dangerous for Clark to get into that Luthor business. What if someone found out? What if Lex found out or, God forbid, Lionel?"

Martha sighed. It was a constant fear, something that accompanied their family all the time they had Clark with them. But she knew, even if she wasn't ready to admit it, that it wasn't something they could protect Clark from all his life, that he had to stand for himself and make his own decisions. "Then we would deal with it." Her gaze was hard and determined.

Jonathan looked at his wife in awe. "How can you be so strong?"

She smiled. "I have to for my boys."

~*~*~*~

Martha was fussing in the kitchen when there was a knock on her door. She wiped her hands on the nearest towel and went to answer it to find a petite woman with a stern expression on her doorstep.

"Hello, Mrs. Kent," the woman said politely. "I'm Claire Foster, Lex's psychiatrist, and I need to talk to him."

Martha's expression hardened. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Foster, but Lex is not here. And before you ask it, we don't know where to find him."

"Please, Mrs. Kent." Claire had her professional expression on, the one that usually made her clients trust her. "He needs help, and I'm here to help him."

"What he needs is a safe place away from your schemes," Martha snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I can smell my pancakes burning." She was going to close the door, but the psychiatrist had her foot in the way.

"Please, Mrs. Kent, believe me when I say that I really want to help him. I'm not working for his father, not anymore at least. If I did his men would be already here instead of me."

Martha sighed. She saw the logic behind that but still couldn't trust the woman. "Why do you think he's even here?" she asked.

"I was his psychiatrist, even if it was for a short time, so I could learn some of his behavioral patterns. May I come in?"

Martha gave up. Somehow she had a feeling that woman wasn't an enemy, so she moved to let her pass and motioned toward the kitchen. "Be my guest."

"I don't smell the burnt pancakes," Claire smiled.

"Well, not yet." Martha smiled back and went to retrieve the pan.

~*~*~*~

Lex went down the stairs drawn by the smell of cooking pancakes. He felt refreshed and a lot more stable than the day before and was hoping to do the serious planning and scheming to get himself safe from the trip to Belle Reve his father has planned for him. His mood was light until he saw a woman sitting at the Kents' dinner table with a mug of coffee.

"What are you doing here?" He stood alert and ready to bolt if the woman so much as blinked the wrong way.

"I'm here to help you." The woman was still as if afraid to scare a wild animal.

"Yeah, right." He was sarcastic and bitter. "The same way you helped with the scotch?"

"What?" It was Martha, a pan in her hand.

"Didn't she tell you?" Lex was visibly agitated. "She's the one who drugged my drink."

Martha glared at the woman, the pan in her hand looking like a weapon now.

"Which I will regret for the rest of my life," Claire countered. "If I'd known what he was going to do I would have never agreed to it."

"Yeah, right." Lex snorted. "Did he forget to give you a check or something?"

Claire thought how to counter that. It was true that one of the reasons for double-crossing Lionel was financial, but there was also the fear for her own life as she's failed the mission, and the fact that her professional pride screamed at her for endangering her client's life, not to mention almost locking up a sane person in a mental facility. "Can we talk in private?" She asked finally.

Lex thought about it for a moment. Was there something he didn't want Martha to hear and other Kents to know? He doubted the petite psychiatrist knew more than he has already told the Kents the night before. "No need." He looked her straight in the eyes trying and failing to make her uncomfortable.

"As you wish." She sighed. "It's true that I had an... agreement with your father, but it went far beyond my moral tolerance limits, and I cancelled it."

"It would be convincing if I could believe anyone could cancel any agreement with my father."

"And that's one of the reasons I'm here."

Lex snorted. Finally it was starting to make sense. "So you got in too deep, got afraid and turned tail, and now you want me to save your miserable life."

"That's cruel, Lex." Martha set plates on the table, there was also one for the psychiatrist, and glared at Lex. "I can see she's here to help. Even if her intentions are not so pure." This time the glare was directed at Claire.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent." Claire looked grateful.

Lex sighed. "You don't know her kind, Mrs. Kent. You can't trust her."

"Then who can I trust?" She looked intently at Lex. "Or actually who can you trust?"

"You, your husband, Clark." The answer was immediate as was a quick glance towards his supposed enemy as Lex's realized he'd just blurted it out forgetting she was there.

The woman actually smiled. "I knew I haven't misplaced importance of this family to you."

Lex glared thinking quickly how to nullify his slip.

"Now, now." Claire's tone was pacifying. "There is no need to get tense, I honestly don't mean any harm. To you or the Kents." She took a pause to let Lex think it over for a moment. "I'm not asking you to do anything at the moment, just hear me out."

Lex crossed his arms on his chest. "Alright. But I won't promise anything."

"That's fine with me." Claire smiled.

~*~*~*~

Clark entered the kitchen happy and ready to eat an elephant. He's finished his duties for the day and was looking forward to the rest of the day even if he was still worried about Lex's reaction to what he was going to show him. The first thing he saw in the kitchen was a bald head, and he grinned. Lex looked up from his mug and smiled back. The next thing he saw was a small woman sitting at the dinner table chatting with his mother. He looked questioningly.

"Oh, Clark." Martha gave her son a warm smile. "This is Claire." She nodded at the woman. "She's helping Lex to deal with Lionel."

"Erm. Hello." Clark didn't know how to place it and if he trusted this Claire, but his mother did apparently, and Lex didn't seem to protest, so he decided to play along. "Nice to meet you." He gave her a shiny broad smile.

"Oh, the legend himself. Nice to meet you, too, young man." Claire smiled, and Clark didn't know if he liked the way she did. There was certainly something knowing in it.

He cleared his throat. "I don't think I will live up to your 'legend' expectations, no matter what anyone told you."

"Oh, it's more what they didn't tell." The woman actually smirked, and Clark gulped.

It was Lex's turn to clear his throat throwing a quick glare in Claire's direction. "I'll have to be in Metropolis tomorrow morning."

Clark got out a relieved sigh at the opportunity to get away from the small woman's stare. "Why?"

"I have to be at my father's press conference. It'll be a good way to counter the rumors about my insanity." Lex looked calm but Clark could catch the small signs of anxiety like the way he was holding his mug or the way he shifted his eyes from Clark to the table and back again.

"Are you going to be alright?" Clark looked concerned, and Lex smiled.

"Of course. I'm a Luthor, I'm used to these games." The smile turned into a crooked smirk.

"I mean... What if he tries something?"

"He'd be a fool to. And Lionel Luthor might be a lot of things but not a fool." That was one of the first things his father taught him --- never underestimate an enemy. And he certainly wasn't going to underestimate his own teacher.

"Oh." Clark watched Lex's expression change from confidence to something dark. "Can I help you with something?"

"No, I just have to read the materials on his current business affairs."

Claire watched the exchange with apparent interest. The way Clark was trying to clumsily comfort Lex was endearing, and the way Lex responded... it was purely unconscious. The way his body moved, the way he kept his hands from straying, the way he looked --- these were all telltale signs of what he felt for the teenager, and she smiled at the thought. One more of her guesses was correct, admitted smugly and patted herself on the back for being a good professional. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She rose from the table. "I have a lot to do. Mrs. Kent, the breakfast was wonderful, thank you very much." She smiled politely at the other woman.

"Thank you, Claire." Martha smiled back. "You're welcome to come again."

"I'll keep that in mind. Mr. Luthor, I'll see you tomorrow at 8 a.m."

Lex nodded at her.

Claire retreated barely keeping from humming under her breath.

"Okay then, I'll go prepare for school," Clark started out of the kitchen.

"Hold it right there."

He stopped and looked back at Lex.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He raised his eyebrow.

"No, I... I thought you were busy." Clark attempted a bright innocent smile that meant he was lying.

Lex watched him, one eyebrow still up. "I have all day and just a few papers to review." He mimicked Clark's expression.

Clark fidgeted then sighed. "Okay, let's go." He left the kitchen, Lex right behind him.

Martha watched the exchange in confusion then shrugged and went back to washing the dishes. Boys always had their secrets.

~*~*~*~

Clark led Lex away from the house thinking if he was making a huge mistake. A very short time ago he was sure telling Lex the truth was for the best, but at the moment he was doubting his decision again. A thousand 'what if's swam in front of his mind's eye, and he had to shake his head to get rid of them. He was so deep in his thoughts he hasn't noticed he'd stopped until Lex bumped into his back. "Sorry." Clark smiled sheepishly as Lex rubbed his nose.

"Are you made of steel?" He sounded nasal, and Clark couldn't suppress a snort of laughter.

"Very funny," Lex muttered sarcastically. "Why did you stop? Having second thoughts?" There was a crooked smile on his face.

"Wait a moment."

Lex noticed that Clark didn't say he had no second thoughts. "Here? In your loft?"

Clark nodded.

Lex muttered something about 'it's not even a closet', and Clark rolled his eyes before going to retrieve something from his desk drawer.

"Alright." Lex looked over his shoulder. "Kleptomania wasn't something I expected you to confess."

Clark gaped at him then shook his head. "I didn't steal it, it was mine from the beginning."

Lex raised an eyebrow and looked Clark in the eyes, still over his shoulder and very much aware how the closeness made the teen squirm.

"It... You won't believe me if I don't show you, and I don't think it's a good idea."

Lex stepped away. "Do you still think there's anything that can make me think less of you?"

"No... Maybe. I don't know." Clark sighed. "Anyway, it might be dangerous."

"More dangerous than my own father trying to brainwash me?"

Clark snorted. "Point taken. But it's still dangerous."

It was Lex's turn to snort. "Are you trying to scare me off?"

Clark shrugged. "And I'll have to carry you."

Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Or I'll be late for school." Clark clarified, and Lex rolled his eyes.

~*~*~*~

Clark put Lex down carefully and waited a moment to see if he was alright. Fortunately this time the bold man didn't have the stomach problems, or any problems at all except maybe clinging a bit too much and making Clark uncomfortably hot.

"Alright, what are we doing at the Kawatche caves?" Lex brushed the imaginary dust off his clothes.

"You'll see." Clark went inside, and Lex followed wondering what was the cause of Clark's suddenly serious expression.

Clark went right into the familiar room and routinely pushed the key into the slot. The room came to life.

"I am glad to see you here, my son," Jor-El's voice boomed.

Lex jumped. "What's that?"

"That's my birth father. Or at least his memories in an AI." Clark nodded at the glowing cave wall.

"Why have you brought this human before me, Kal-El?"

"Kal-El?" Lex looked at him confused.

"It's my birth name." Clark turned his eyes down before looking at Lex sheepishly. "You can say I'm not from around here."

Lex contemplated it for a minute.

"Kal-El?" Jor-El tried to get his son's attention but was profoundly ignored.

"What exactly are you trying to tell me?" Lex looked at Clark suspicious.

"You remember the meteor shower, right?"

Lex snorted. It wasn't even worth answering.

"Well... I was the cause of it." Clark looked at Lex who was staring back as if the boy has grown a second head.

"How the hell is that possible? Of all the possible guilt-ridden-- wait." He looked at Clark, then at Jor-El who was pulsing angrily at being ignored, then at Clark again.

"I'm not human," Clark said finally and turned his head down fearing Lex's reaction.

"You mean you're not from this planet," Lex corrected after a minute. "Because the last time I checked you still had two arms, two legs and one head which makes you very much human to me."

Clark gaped at him.

"Do not compare my son to your lowly race, boy!" Jor-El boomed, and Lex made a face at him. "Is he always like that?"

Clark grinned. "As much as I know about him."

"Come to my side, Kal-El! You don't have to live with this faulty race anymore!" if Jor-El were human and alive, some might've said he sounded pissed.

"Come on, let's get out of here before he does something." Clark grinned, picked out the key and led Lex outside.

"AI you say..." Lex's tone was contemplating. "He sounded more like a pseudo intelligent paranoid calculator."

Clark giggled at that. "Careful, he can hear you through this." He held the key up.

Lex rolled his eyes and bent to the key. "I'm sorry, Mr... What's his name?"

"Jor-El."

"Mr. Jor-El, you are certainly not a pseudo intelligent paranoid calculator."

Clark rolled his eyes then turned serious. "You don't take it seriously, do you?"

"I do but..." Lex sighed. "I need time to think it over.

Clark nodded, his eyes down.

"And before you even think it, no, it's not going to change my opinion of you." Lex looked at him until Clark turned his face up then smiled. "Got that?"

Clark nodded. They sped back to the farm, and Clark went to gather his things for school before he ran off leaving Lex to study the materials for the upcoming press conference.

~*~*~*~

The first thing Clark saw in school was a small blonde hurricane that cornered him the moment he entered the building.

"Hey, where have you been last night?" Chloe looked him straight in the eyes.

"I... had to help Lex." That was true, right? Right. And it took the edge out of the girl's eyes.

"Right. How is he?"

"He's better." Clark prayed the bell would ring so he could flee from the inquisitive stare.

"That's good!" Chloe beamed. "So, did they... you know..." She looked around then whispered to him conspirationally. "Drug him?"

Clark sighed. "Can you leave it alone?"

"No!" The journalist protested. "It'll be the scoop of the year!"

"Chloe." Clark glared at her.

"Alright, alright. I won't write about it. Happy? Now tell me!" The girl had the bulldog's bite and as hard to fend off.

"Alright just... don't tell anybody, alright?"

"Why should I?" She scoffed.

Clark bit his tongue before he could say something he would regret later. "He was. And I think it's worn off already, so he's alright."

"Great!" Chloe beamed again. "Can I talk to him?"

"No. I mean, not now."

Chloe crossed her arms on her chest at that.

"I mean we have lessons, remember?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "Clark, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" He attempted the innocent grin.

"Yeah, right. I know that face and I know it doesn't mean nothing. Spill it!"

"Look, it's nothing much. Just leave him alone for a couple of days, he has a lot to deal with without your questions."

Chloe sniffed. "Are you going to visit Lana today?" She asked to change the subject.

Clark thought about it for a moment. Until now he's totally forgotten about Lana and felt guilty about it. "Yeah, of course. You?"

Chloe looked at him suspicious. He noticed the emotions changing in Clark's expression but decided to think about it later. "Yeah." She beamed again.

~*~*~*~

Clark sped home thinking about Lana's intention to stay away from him and his own emotions, and was confused. It hurt that the girl he's had a crush on for years didn't want to stay near him, but it was somehow muted, not as important as it used to be, and he suspected the reason... that sat on his sofa in his loft with a stack of papers in his lap. Clark took a moment to compose himself then beamed. "Hi!"

Lex looked up from his reading. "Hi. You're back."

Clark nodded and ran up the stairs. "I went to Lana today."

"Oh." Lex shifted uncomfortably. "How is she?"

"Better. She's going to be okay."

Lex sighed in relief. "I'll pay her hospital fees as soon as I finish this." He glared at the papers.

Clark sighed. "It's not your fault."

"The hell it's not." Lex lowered his head with a sigh.

"It's not," Clark repeated. "You were drugged and didn't know what you were doing, and you didn't do it on purpose."

"Of course I didn't do it on purpose!" Lex flared. "I don't do anything on purpose, and I still end up hurting people."

That was unexpected. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lex started reading again to avoid Clark's gaze.

Clark sighed exasperated. What was Lex's problem lately with starting saying something and then brushing him off?

"Lex... You can talk to me, you know." Clark attempted looking reliable making Lex laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry. You just tried looking like Claire for a moment." The laughter ended with a few final snickers.

"Seriously, Lex." Clark pouted. "You know you can trust me, right?"

Lex sighed. They've been through that recently, and he didn't want to repeat the previous argument. "I don't want to talk about it," he retorted. Why did the memories of Julian have to return right when he didn't want them? Granted he didn't want them at all. He actually contemplated coaxing Claire into a hypnosis session to erase the memories but only for a moment because he knew the woman would have a field day diving right into his childhood trauma.

"Fine." Clark snapped and turned to leave.

"It's not about you, alright?" Lex called to his back.

"Of course not." Clark stopped and turned. "It's never about me. It's always about you not trusting anyone!"

Now that was an escape root. "Look who's talking." Lex stared him straight in the eyes.

Clark flared but then in a rare moment of empathy recognized the avoidance technique, and in a less rare moment of stubbornness decided to push the matter. "Look, just tell me already!"

Lex looked at him intently. "Why do you want to know so much?"

"Because I care!" Clark lifted his arms exasperated. "And because you'll feel better."

Lex wasn't so sure. "You won't like it."

Clark was ready to punch a wall. "We've been through that. What can be so bad?"

Lex snorted bitterly. Clark had no idea... "I killed my brother," he said finally.

Clark looked at him confused.

"He was crying, I tried rocking him to sleep and smothered him."

Clark was speechless for a moment. "It was an accident," he said finally. He couldn't imagine what Lex has been through all these years...

Lex had a bitter crooked smile on his face. "Now I hurt Lana. And someday I'll hurt you."

Clark shook his head. "You won't hurt me."

"You sure?" The self-mocking was hard to miss on Lex's face, and Clark couldn't take it --- it looked too much like the drug induced insanity from the day before.

Clark was leaning on the sofa in less than a second kissing Lex. The bold man opened his mouth in surprise, and it was the perfect opportunity for Clark to explore his mouth plunging into it, tracing every curve. Lex sighed into the kiss and allowed it for a moment then pulled away with visible effort. "Go away, Clark. Because I'm not sure I can control myself anymore."

"Then don't." Clark leaned in for another kiss but Lex turned his head.

"Don't." He looked intently out of the window.

"Why?" Clark was exasperated. "You like me, right?"

'Oh, you have no idea,' Lex thought but didn't say anything, tried hard not to move and maybe even stop breathing.

"Why do you keep pushing me away? Is it because of what I am?"

It took Lex a moment to understand what Clark was talking about, and when he did he snapped turning to glare at Clark. "Of course not!"

"Then why?" Clark had that puppy dog look again, and Lex cursed inwardly.

"Because I can hurt you, that's why." He looked at Clark pointedly.

The teen didn't know enough curse words to describe what he thought of Lex's stubbornness at the moment. "Like how?" He asked with both brows raised.

"Like I don't know... Infecting you?" Lex answered sarcastically.

"I'm immune," Clark said bluntly.

"You don't know that for sure," Lex countered.

"I do! I've been immune to everything up until now."

"It doesn't prove anything," Lex retorted. "Have you done any tests on that?"

"No! But... I know I'm immune."

"Well, I don't."

Clark growled in exasperation. "And anyway, it didn't stop you from marrying. Twice. What's so different now?"

Lex had a retort ready but it died and he paused to think. What was so different with Clark? He thought back. In Desiree's case thinking was out of the question, and Helen... They agreed to be careful, and that was it. No more discussions, no fears, just one logical discussion leading to logical decisions. But there was one 'but'. He didn't love her. He liked and respected her, wanted to have a family, but that wasn't love. That's why he could stay calm and logical. But Clark... There was nothing logical in what he felt for the teen. The mere thought that Clark might get exposed to the virus got Lex absolutely terrified, and he understood for the first time the true nature of his feelings for the boy. He snorted bitterly.

"What?" Clark was concerned now.

"Nothing." Lex shook his head.

"Here we go again." Clark sighed.

"What? No, it's not that. It's really nothing."

Clark observed him skeptically. "If you say so. But you still haven't answered me."

Lex took a moment to phrase what he wanted to say without actually saying it. "I'm different."

Clark wanted to smack him across his bold head. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Instead he plopped into the sofa beside Lex.

Lex let out a sigh of relief. As pretty as Clark was up close it was too hard to control himself, especially with the teen throwing himself at Lex every other minute.

"I know you like me." Clark said from beside him. "And I swear I'm immune to everything but even if I wasn't it's not like you'll do anything to put me in danger. So stop it, okay?"

Lex sighed. "You have a bulldog's bite sometimes." He turned to look at Clark.

"Just... Give us a chance." Clark pleaded.

"And what if I--"

"You won't. Trust me just this once." Clark looked at Lex, and Lex sighed in defeat.

"Alright. But there won't be any sex."

"No sex." Clark agreed with a grin.

"And you won't treat my wounds, especially if you're wounded yourself."

"I don't get wounded." Clark reminded. "And I hope you won't, too, but okay."

"And no blood transfusions." Lex continued.

Clark rolled his eyes and was going to retort that it was ridiculous when he noticed that Lex was smiling. "Why you..." He tackled Lex and started tickling him.

"Stop it!" Lex was laughing.

"Beg." Clark doubled the effort searching for ticklish spots.

"Please." Lex laughed. "Please, let me borrow those thick old socks!"

Clark froze gaping which gave Lex the opportunity to bat his hands away.

"By the way." Lex was still snickering. "Aren't you breaking the rules a little too soon?" He raised an eyebrow and lifted his hips that Clark was straddling.

The teen turned the shade of ripe tomato and jumped off the sofa and Lex only to tangle on the floor.

Lex hang over the sofa. "Serves you right." He said when he was sure Clark was alright and ruffled his hair.

The next moment Lex found his mouth full of Clark and a hand firm on the back of his neck. He debated with himself for a moment then started kissing back eagerly battling Clark's tongue for dominance. Clark tugged, and Lex fell off the sofa and right into the teen's lap immediately grabbing the boy's shoulders for balance then sliding both hands into his hair. Finally Clark broke the kiss, both of them out of breath.

"Serves you right." Clark smirked then used his speed to deposit Lex on the sofa and run out of the loft leaving him alone, breathless and aroused.

Lex muttered something about insufferable teases and tried going back to reading fidgeting uncomfortably.

~*~*~*~

The next morning Lex was already drinking coffee at eight sharp when Claire came.

"I'm glad you are already up, Mr. Luthor." The woman greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Of course." Lex smiled politely and stood up to take a package from the woman's hands.

"Do you want some coffee, Claire?" Martha chirped.

"Yes, thank you." The woman sat at the table as Lex went out of the kitchen the package in hand.

As if on clue Clark appeared in the doorway, a grin on his face and a ridiculous suit on his frame. "Morning. What's this?" He motioned at the package.

"My suit." Lex answered absently and gave the teen a once-over. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I'm going with you," he said matter-of-factly and passed Lex to enter the kitchen.

Lex turned to look at the boy's back as he greeted Claire, kissed his mother on the cheek and went to get his fried eggs. "No, you don't."

Clark ignored him setting the plate on the table and getting himself a glass of juice.

"Clark, I'm serious. You're not coming."

Clark set the glass on the table and looked at him. "Why?"

"Because I can't risk you being part of a scandal."

Martha perked at that. "Clark, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm sure Lex and Claire will manage without you."

"Don't worry, young man, I might not look it but I can manage a couple of men." Claire reassured him with a smile.

"Making them think they are monkeys." Lex commented.

Clark wasn't convinced. "But what if your father tries something?"

"He'd be a fool. Dragging me out in a straitjacket in front of couple dozens sensation hungry journalists is not the wisest idea, especially with a psychiatrist who can affirm my sanity in the same room. Clark, you're staying, and that's final." Lex turned and walked away leaving one pouting teen and two women in the kitchen.

Ten minutes later Lex and Claire left in the psychiatrist's car, and Clark decided it was time for him to go, too.

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Martha appeared in his way, a towel in her hands.

"I'll just check." He attempted an innocent smile. "They won't even know I've been there."

"Clark." Martha sighed. "I know you are worried, but what if something happened to you? What if somebody saw something?"

"Mom..."

"No, Clark. I'm sure they'll be fine. And you are going to school. Understood?" She put on a stern face.

"Yes, mom," Clark droned.

~*~*~*~

LuthorCorp Plaza was the same as Lex has remembered --- noisy, busy, sterile, fake. People were swirling around oblivious to everyone else, absorbed by their own business. Some looked at him apparently recognizing but nobody dared to greet the LuthorCorp heir. Lex made his way into the headquarters pausing briefly for the security check, Claire behind him but not giving any sign that they were together. The elevator up to the hall where the journalists were already swarming like wasps ready to grab the fruit or bite. Lex went to the stage.

"I'll manage that, thank you." He put a hand on a speaker's shoulder making the man pale visibly and retreat off the stage. He turned the microphone on. It was time for the show to begin. "Thank you for waiting." He addressed the audience with a professional confident smile. "I would like to thank everyone of you for finding time in your busy schedules to come to this conference. The public opinion has always been a force LuthorCorp has respected..."

"What's he doing here?" The speaker who retreated earlier was huddled in the far corner with a couple of assistants.

"I don't know, sir. Maybe the plans have changed..." The plain mousy-haired man fidgeted under the other man's stare.

"I haven't heard anything about it, but I heard he had some problems lately. I'll call Mr. Luthor." He flipped open his cell phone and pushed a speed dial button. "Mr. Luthor? I'm sorry to distract you. ... Yes, I know you are busy, but it is urgent. Your son is at the press conference now. As a speaker." The man had to take the phone further from his ear as Lionel practically screamed his displeasure. A couple more phrases, and the phone clicked off.

"What?" The plain assistant asked anxiously.

"He said to call the medical team. Seems like the brat has mental problems."

"Mr. Luthor, what can you say about the latest project's effect on environment?" One of the reporters, a nerdy looking blonde with small rectangular glasses and tight ponytail, asked holding her dictaphone.

"I can assure you that LuthorCorp is fully aware of the effects the new fertilizer is causing, including the structural damage to humus and the change to mineral composition of soil..."

"What the hell is he doing?" The LuthorCorp speaker growled. "Damn, if he keeps this up taking him away will look really bad. Mr. Luthor will kill us." Cursing he dialed Lionel's number again. "Mr. Luthor? I'm really sorry, but the situation has changed. Your son is uncovering every side-effect our latest fertilizer has, and if I called the medical team now... Yes, I understand. I'm really sorry." The man sighed and flipped the phone closed. "He'll be here in fifteen minutes. Damn that brat, I'm sure he's doing it on purpose!"

"Mr. Luthor, and what will be the effect on the health of the consumers?" Another reporter asked, a well built man with a Men's Health logo on his mike.

Lex continued to methodically destroy the current project giving the press every dirty detail they wanted and waiting for his father to make his appearance. The plan was simple. If anyone tried to drag him off stage now it would look like LuthorCorp was doing it to cover its ass and it'll be an even bigger scandal than one more project with complete disregard to side effects. So his father would have to come personally to attempt damage control as he was the only person authorized and supposedly better informed of the project than Lex was to replace him as a speaker.

As expected a very angry Lionel stormed into the room no more than ten minutes later, a couple of very bulky bodyguards on his both sides. He schooled his expression into the unreadable mask and strode to the stage. "Thank you, Lex, I can manage the rest," he said quietly but not too quiet for the mikes and to pick.

"Don't worry, father, I can manage it." Lex was perfectly audible, too, and had a very professional and very fake smile on his face.

"No, please. I know you need some rest." Lionel tried sounding convincing without pushing.

"I can assure you I'm perfectly fine."

Lionel tried desparately to hold his anger in check. The journalists were buzzing like a swarm of wasps ready to attack and waiting for the slightest chance. He stopped for a moment before making up his mind. "I'm sure you need rest. In your state--"

"And what state is that, pray tell?" Lex's eyes twinkled with challenge.

Lionel barely held a growl in. If Lex was going to play it like that he didn't have a choice. "I'm sorry," he addressed the audience sounding appropriately apologetic. "My son has had a mental condition lately and is not fully aware of his own actions or words." He tried to take Lex's arm but the younger Luthor pulled away.

"You mean the drug induced temporary psychosis you orchestrated to put me into a madhouse? I can assure you, I am perfectly fine now, thank you."

The swarm exploded. Every journalist present was shouting questions, every camera in the room flashed.

"Mr. Luthor, is that true?"

"Mr. Luthor, what has led you to this?"

"Mr. Lex Luthor, how do you feel about your father's betrayal?"

Hundreds of questions flew at the same time making it impossible to distinguish one from another.

"I can assure you there was no conspiration against my son." Lionel tried to grab the journalists' attention and didn't notice a small woman making her appearance on the stage.

"On the contrary." Claire took one of the microphones. "I am Claire Foster, the psychiatrist Mr. Lionel Luthor has hired to evaluate his son's mental state and then tried to convince fake the results of my evaluation. I can assure you that in his current state Mr. Lex Luthor is completely sane and aware of his actions. And words. I would also like to state that earlier he was drugged on Mr. Lionel Luthor's order to fake his insanity for the purpose of administering electroconvulsive therapy without his informed consent."

The crowd roared clutching to the shocking revelation. Every reporter in the room wanted their question to be heard and answered, and the whole scene started to look more like a riot than press conference.

"That is ridiculous!" Lionel looked incredulous and scandalized. "I don't know what this woman is talking about!"

"And to assure you of the validity of my assumptions," Claire continued. "I have several documents that state that Mr. Lex Luthor has undergone the similar treatment when he was eighteen years old, also without his informed consent, that, for the record, has led to serious complications with his health at the time."

"That's absolutely not true!" Lionel desperately tried to defend himself. "And even if it was, and for the record I state that it is not, why would I try doing it again if I was aware of the danger to my son's life?"

"Because," Lex has finally taken his turn to speak, "you were intending to cover certain facts I have found by simply making me forget them."

Lionel paled. "You have no proof," he whispered.

"Not at the moment, dad, but I'll be sure to find it," Lex answered quietly.

"What facts are you talking about, Lex?"

"Is it connected to the current fertilizing project?"

"What was your experience at the mental hospital like?"

The cloud of wasps has found its prey, and Lex smiled triumphantly. No matter what his father did now, he would be in the center of the scandal, and making the drastic moves like tucking Lex away would only amplify the effect.

~*~*~*~

"Hi, what are you doing?" A small boyish man with short dark hair and dark eyes twinkling with good humor walked to a sofa where another man was seated, well built, almost bulky, wearing a red tennis shirt, faded jeans and thin framed glasses. "Not at work today?"

"No, I have a free afternoon." The man turned to kiss the other on the lips as a greeting.

"So, what are you doing?" The boyish man leaned on the sofa looking at the TV screen.

"Yes, the effects of the electroconvulsive therapy were directly life threatening--" A young bold man said from the box.

"What is it this time?" The boyish man frowned. "Did they electrocute some employees or something?"

"No, Luthor senior tried to put his son into a madhouse to cover something." The bigger man said watching his lover.

"Let the spiders bite each other's heads off." The smaller man remarked with a huff.

"I don't know," the bigger man looked thoughtful. "Luthor junior actually doesn't sound like a bad person. It's just his image is completely glued to his father."

"Oh, come on! Someone being a victim doesn't automatically make them good. You know, it's like that time in Captain Astro--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," The bigger man smiled. "I just have this feeling."

~*~*~*~

Lex readjusted his tie. The conference was finally over with a promise for a date for his own one and numerous furious glares from his father. Lionel had tried every way possible to make Lex seem unstable and prove his own innocence, but the younger Luthor and Claire have anticipated his every move making him seem like a monster who tortured his own only child. Not that it was totally untrue... The important thing was with the uproar around the fresh scandal Lionel's hands were practically tied if he didn't want to ruin his image completely, and it gave Lex a lot of opportunities to act and plan his defense. Which he was planning to do right after one more small business.

"Are you going back to the Kents farm?" Claire asked. She regarded her patient contemplating asking the stupidest question that she was sure he would blow off.

"No, I'll go to the mansion."

"I'll give you a lift." The woman proposed.

"Thank you."

The whole ride back was silent as Lex looked out of the window and Claire let him think whatever he was thinking. She was going to ask a lot of questions later but for the moment she knew the young man needed his space and solitude.

And Lex was thinking about Clark. With all of the rush with the upcoming press conference he didn't have the time to really think about the teen, his origins and Lex's own feelings for him, but now he had all the time he needed, maybe even more than he needed. The psychiatrist was silent in the driver's seat, and Lex was grateful for that. So. Clark's secret was unexpected to say the least, but it didn't make him a monster, and strangely enough the idea of the boy being of extraterrestrial origins was a lot less troubling than him being a meteor freak. At least that way Clark wasn't victimized and there was a way smaller chance of him being unstable. There was of course a chance that all of this wasn't true. Not that Clark would purposely lie to him, but he could be mistaken himself believing something his mind has created. But it didn't explain the pseudo intellectual paranoid calculator in the Kawatche caves. The thing didn't seem like any Earth technology he's ever seen, and he was sure he's seen enough technologies, been developing some of them himself. And he wanted to believe Clark. Lex was too tired of lies and secrets, and somehow he felt the boy told him the truth. Or at least believed he was telling the truth, which at this point Lex wasn't in the mood to separate. He thought about it some more. Why was he so despatare to believe Clark? Would it be so terrible if he did lie? It wasn't the first time, and Clark was certainly not the first person to lie to him... The answer came immediately --- yes, it would. Somehow it made him way more uncomfortable than the whole planet lying to him for the rest of his life. The answer to his next 'why' was simple. Clark was his friend, his first real friend. But what else was there? Lex made a little mental effort before admitting it to himself --- he was in love with Clark Kent. Not just obsessed over his secrets or physically attracted or infatuated but all of that and more, he was really in love. And the teen returned at least part of his feelings. Which was wonderful all in itself but at the same time terrified Lex. It was not that he was afraid that Clark was going to get tired of and leave him, he knew the boy was loyal like a dog, and if Lex didn't push him away he would probably stay for a long time. No, it was the simple fact that he could be dangerous for Clark, that the thing in him could find a way into the naive and kind teen and ruin his remaining life. And even if the boy was saying he was immune Lex knew better than to trust it, he himself was the perfect example that there was no such thing as absolute immunity. So he had to push Clark away, he knew he had to but he just couldn't do it. There was the slightest hope that if he was extra careful everything would be okay. There were a lot of mixed couples, and the statistics showed that if they were careful the negative partner stayed negative. But there was always a chance. The smallest slip on Lex's side could become disastrous, and he knew he wouldn't be able to cope with it, not ever. Part of his mind that survived the monstrous insecurity told him that he was being overprotective, and that Clark could decide for himself if he wanted to take that risk or not, but it was drowning in the screams that it was wrong on so many levels. Clark was still a boy and overconfident about his health, he couldn't judge the situation and he certainly didn't know what it was like to be positive. Lex prayed that he would never have to find out. It was all so confusing and conflicting, and Lex contemplated for a moment talking to Claire. But only for a moment. He wouldn't give the woman the satisfaction of knowing he actually needed her help. Not that he really did... So where did it leave him? He had to leave Clark but he didn't have the will to. He wanted to give up and give in and just let it all go... He sighed, the first sing he was actually alive from the beginning of the trip. He knew he'd have to deal with Clark's questions if he suddenly decided to alienate from him. Worse, he knew that Clark would think it was because of his origins, and Lex certainly didn't want to traumatize the boy. So which option did it leave him? Lex prayed his HIV serum project would have the desired results, because he didn't think he would survive if he made the crucial slip.

The car stopped, and Lex was mildly surprised that he has spent the last couple of hours digging in his own head --- he wasn't usually keen on so much self-analysis. He thanked Claire again, got out of the car and watched the woman drive away. He planned to take his Porsche and go to the Kents farm, but only after one more thing he had to do.

Lex went into the mansion and straight into the secret room he had for his Obsession. Pictures of Clark hang on the walls and the computer screens showed the endless simulations, and Lex cringed. This room was his sacred place for a long time, the place where he could obsess over Clark without thinking too much about what it really meant or what it could do to the teen. This room has meant a lot to him, and now... He took the first picture off a wall and ripped it in half. Now he knew just how dangerous the room was and what damage it could do if anyone as much as poked their nose into it, and the only way he could think of to prevent it was destroying it completely. Another picture followed the first one, then one more, then Lex went to the first computer and typed in the low level format command.

~*~*~*~

Clark jumped when he heard the familiar engine roar outside his house and ran outside in time to see Lex park his Porsche. The man climbed out, and Clark drank in the frame in an elegant but very informal deep purple suit before running to greet Lex. "How did it go?"

"Good." Lex grinned. "The bastard's going to lick his wounds for a long time."

Clark gaped at the unexpected cursing out of equally unexpectedly cheerful Lex. "Good then. We've just finished dinner, but if you want something..."

"No, thank you. I'll say hi to your parents later and thank them for letting me stay, but for now..." Lex gazed at Clark.

The teen gulped. "Do you want to come to the loft?"

"Sure." Lex smiled.

As soon as they were in the loft Clark whirled, grabbed Lex by the collar and kissed him hard. Lex responded immediately wrapping his arms around Clark's waist and diving into the kiss with happy sounds. Clark put his free hand on the back of Lex's skull to pull him even closer, and Lex answered by molding himself into his body with a sigh reveling in the rightness of the feeling and how well they fit together. The moment stretched until they finally emerged from the kiss panting.

"So..." Clark let Lex go and stepped back. "What are you going to do now?"

"Now?" Lex moved to sit on the sofa. "Now I'm going to find myself a genius PR-man."
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