My friends, the Kents

Set in the Pilot episode, which if you look at it again, takes place over several days. This chapter takes place on the night of the accident and before Lex has the truck delivered. The head of security, Steven, is a made up character of my own imagination.

Chapter 1- Pilot

'Mr. Luthor?'

Lex's eyes snapped open before immediately wincing from the bright bedside light that his chief of security had switched on.

'Humph…what time is it?' he asked blearily in turn.

Steven loomed over him; a six foot, four inch solid wall of olive muscle poured into a three piece Italian suit. The light glinted harshly off the man's dark, bald head as the ex-marine bent even closer, studying his employer to gauge his mental alertness.

The young man in the bed frowned at the look in the guard's eyes. Steven was with him for two years now and the man was not prone to emotional displays. Not even when that old dowager in Metropolis had asked the two of them if they were related did he even crack a hint of a smile. Earlier in the day, when his security chief had arrived at the scene of the accident and had seen the crane holding Lex's wrecked Porsche aloft, his eyebrow had twitched; an extravagant amount of emotion from the older man. But now Lex could plainly see the concern reflected in his dark brown eyes.

Steven held out the phone to him, but with the mouth piece covered. 'It's two o'clock in the morning. You are in the mansion in Smallville and I have Mrs. Martha Kent, Clark's mother, on the telephone.'

Lex's heart plummeted south to keep his pancreas company.

'Something is wrong,' Steven needlessly added, as his employer snatched the phone from his large hand.

Lex turned back the covers and immediately ran for the staircase, displaying such a surprising spurt of energy that it momentarily left the chief stunned. Regaining his senses, the man sprinted after his boss as Lex nimbly raced down the staircase.

'Mrs. Kent?'

'Yes…hello. Please please… can I speak to Mr. Luthor?'

Behind him Lex could hear Steven on his phone calling down for the car to be ready.

'This is he. Are you alright? Is it Clark? Does he need a doctor?!'

'Mr. Luthor!' the woman cried joyfully in her relief, 'Thank you for answering at this late hour. No he doesn't need a doctor.'

By that time the two men had made it to the side door where another of Lex's Porsches was already purring, eager to be on the roads again racing the winds.

The young millionaire glared at his chief as the man jammed himself in the too small space of the passenger seat. However, as soon as Lex hit the end of his driveway, the young man realized he didn't have a clue where he was going.

Consulting a map, Steven gestured to the left and gratefully Lex smoothly turned the wheel to point in the specified direction. Whilst all of this was happening, Mrs. Kent had brought him up to speed. Apparently Clark, unable to sleep, had snuck off the farm in the middle of the night to go sit with him in the hospital, only to find the millionaire playboy was missing.

'He's so upset,' she concluded anxiously, 'we tried to convince him to wait till morning but he insists on driving across to see you. My husband is trying to calm him down. I've never seen my son like this!'

Lex's face crumpled in confusion, not understanding why the young man would be so disturbed. They had only met yesterday evening, granted under unusual circumstances.

'Can you talk to him? Assure him that you are alright?' she requested desperately.

'Of course,' Lex said automatically, even as he turned off the main road. In the distance, the moon glinted off the outer most structures and buildings of the Kent farm like miniature Lego pieces.

'LEX!' Clark more or less shouted painfully in his ear. 'Oh my god! Where the hell are you?!'

Lex opened his mouth to speak but the teenager cut him off, 'How could you just leave like that and not tell me?!'

His young rescuer continued to rant and rave, with what Lex thought to be exceedingly good breath control on his part. After a while, the young Luthor put the phone on speaker and tossed it up on the dashboard. He had just turned into the Kent property and now needed both his hands to navigate the rougher road.

As he carefully maneuvered around the unfamiliar path, he spied a house all lit up in stark contrast to the dark night around it. Lex turned in that direction and sure enough through a large window, he could see Clark leaning against a wall while his parents anxiously hovered at his side.

Quietly Lex came alongside the house and parked, before grabbing the phone to interrupt the fiery scolding that he was receiving, 'Clark calm down. I am fine. What's this all about?'

He watched as the young boy slowly slid down the wall and crouched over as if in pain.

'I'm sorry,' the dark haired teenager whispered in confusion, 'It's just….it's just every time I turn around something's different and I'm scared. Why can't things just stay the way I left them? I know this doesn't make much sense Lex, but I need to see you and make sure that you are okay.'

Now that Clark had stopped speaking, Lex could hear how laboured the boy's breath sounded.

'Look to your left Clark.'

Obediently, the young man turned his head and gawked in shock as their eyes connected. Lex had no choice but to smile as Clark's face lit up like a thousand suns. The young Luthor could safely say that no one had EVER been that happy to see him.

As the teenager raced out the front door and down the step, Lex stepped out of the car to meet him. However, his greeting was prematurely cut off as Clark literally slammed the breath out of his body. Lex's arms wind milled wildly, trying to recover his balance but as soon as he realised that there was nothing but air under his feet, he clutched at the teenager's shoulders instead.

'CLARK are you insane?! Put me down!' he yelped.

'Ooops,' Clark murmured in good humor, setting the other man down on his feet. Lex looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Clark was so strong, it was almost unsettlingly.

'They must be feeding you some Grade A corn on this farm.'

Clark smiled and then exhaled deeply, obviously relieved to see him once again. He turned towards the farm house and beckoned a small woman to come forward.

'Mom, come meet Mr. Luthor,' he requested happily.

A red headed woman emerged from the shadows, wrapping her coat more snuggly around her night dress. Lex could see the shock on her face. 'Mr. Luthor? Goodness, I didn't expect you to come here.'

With her seemingly innocent words, Lex felt as if Mrs. Kent had just thrown a bucket of ice cold water in his face and he stepped back defensively.

Just then the screen door opened and her husband came out to glower at the scene before him with a suspicious eye.

Lex glanced at his security chief and then back towards the waiting Kents. They all had different facial expressions but what they all had in common was curiosity. It was apparent that his mad dash out here had taken everyone by surprise. As the silent seconds ticked away, Lex's head started to pound as the blood pumped crazily through his veins. What could he say? All of a sudden the reality of what he had done started to dawn on him. What moment of insanity had led him to this? He wasn't even wearing shoes!

He took another step back.

The Kents were a decent family; of course they didn't want someone like him here.

Reaching behind him, he fumbled around until he found the handle of his car door. What had led to him to leap out of bed was the idea that that maybe Clark had been hurt in the accident after all. He thought that perhaps his rescuer was experiencing a delayed reaction, like a solider who had been shot and only realized it hours after, because despite all explanations, Lex KNEW he had hit the boy with his car. Lex's motives had been entirely altruistic in this case, no matter his unsavory reputation for doing the opposite. How he wished now that he had never left the mansion.

'Lex, are you alright?' Clark asked in concern as he closed the gap between them. 'You don't look so good. And where are your slippers and sleeping robe? You must be freezing!'

Clark reached out one hand and clapped it unceremoniously on Lex's bald head, apparently taking the man's temperature.

'MOM!' he yelled out in concern, 'Can you check this? This doesn't feel right.'

Fortunately, Mrs. Kent stepped forward and quickly knocked his hand away.

'Clark!' she scolded, 'he's not a puppy.'

Gently she stroked the side of his face in a more practiced gesture and Lex instinctually leaned into the compassion and kindness of her manner.

'Come inside please,' she said quietly as she laced her arm through his.

Of course he obeyed. They all did. Unlike most people in this life, Martha Kent wore her strength lightly.

Before he knew it, the millionaire was seated in their comfy but small living room, with a thermometer shoved under his tongue. Lex was further shocked when Mr. Kent removed his own jacket from his back and knelt to tuck it around his feet. To complete this round of fussing, Clark wrapped him up in a bright red blanket more securely than King Tut.

'I'm fine,' he garbled around the medical instrument as the three Kents stood with arms crossed, looking down at him as if he didn't have a lick of good sense. His chief of security stood just inside the front door, alertly watching these proceedings from a distance with an amused glint in his eye.

With an exasperated sigh, Lex waited until Mrs. Kent checked the reading. He knew it was going to be normal. He had never been sick a day in his life. His skin always felt a little cool and clammy, besides which he favoured colder temperatures.

She gave him a bright smile and then another warm caress of his face with her fingers.

'Alright, Clark,' Mr. Kent said gruffly, 'You've seen him and your mom had pronounced him to be fit as a fiddle. Time for bed.'

Clark clutched at Lex's elbow, 'No. Ten minutes dad… five minutes please!'

The boy looked desperately at his mother hoping for support.

'Sweetheart you have school tomorrow. You need to get some rest.'

Lex unwrapped himself from the confines of the blanket, 'Clark, go on up and get ready. Let me talk to your mother for a moment and I will come say good night.'

Clark looked at him suspiciously, clearly doubting his words. However, something in his face seemed to reassure him because he smiled and then obediently headed for the stairs. The older Kent's exchanged looks and with one last unfriendly glance in Lex's direction, Jonathan followed his son up the stairs.

Martha turned to him, 'Mr. Luthor…'

'Lex,' the young man said interrupting her, pleased that despite her husband's feelings on the matter she was willing to be, for the moment, open minded, 'please call me Lex.'

She smiled again at his graciousness, warmed by his loving behaviour to her as well as to her son. 'Lex, can you stay for a few more moments, just until he is calm? You have already been so kind and I hate to ask for more…'

'Mrs. Kent, I have seen this before. I don't think you are aware of it but Clark maybe suffering form sort out of emotional shock from the accident.'

Quickly she covered her heart with one hand at this disturbing revelation.

'He's young,' Lex continued encouragingly, 'It should pass….but if it doesn't, I know a doctor in Metropolis who can help. He's one of the best and I can make him available to you at any time, day or night.'

She nodded her head in gratitude, unable to speak.

Cautiously he reached out a hand to squeeze her shoulder, trying to ease her distress. All this pain was his fault. Only one day in Smallville and he was already causing mayhem and destruction.

'I am so sorry, Mrs. Kent.'

She looked up as his voice cracked under the strain he was under.

'It was an accident,' she said firmly, silently wondering at the pain and regret she saw marching across his pale features. Surely, he didn't think otherwise.

Lex's breath seized as the woman leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She patted his shoulder comfortingly as she looked deeply into his eyes, checking to see if her words had penetrated.

'Thank you,' he muttered awkwardly before averting his gaze. In his secret heart he was memorizing every touch, every word and every look, to be carefully stored away and savoured when he was alone. Lex felt jealously lance through him like a blistering whip. Clark was so lucky that his mum was still alive.

He looked around him, his mind reeling and stumbling like a man inebriated.

'You have a lovely home,' he remarked unimaginatively.

He was saved from further stupid ramblings as Mr. Kent clambered down the stairs with a fresh towel set in hand.

The farmer looked across at his wife with an expression of acutest misery, 'Clark's dragged his bed into the guest room. He has his heart set on Lex staying for the rest of the night.'

Martha smiled consoling at the two men before her, one who was shuffling around restlessly on his feet and the other who stood stiff and silent as a post. 'Well Lex, you are already dressed for bed. You are welcome to stay and get some rest. Dawn is only a few hours away.'

Lex glanced at Mr. Kent as the man continued to stare at the floor. Eventually, the older man raised his head and moistened his lips as he pushed his doubt and pride to one side, 'Yes. Please stay.'

The young Luthor smiled feebly, reaching out to take the stack of clean towels from the other man. Given his earlier hostile welcome, Jonathan's jaw dropped open in surprise at this easy compliance, but wisely he said nothing further.

'Anything for Clark,' Lex murmued quietly as he moved towards the stairs.

Was it normal to be so covetous of another person's life, because Lex was quite sure that Mr. Kent would have gone done on his knees, right there in the hallway, just to ensure the comfort and happiness of his son on a sleepless night. He doubted his father would have had the strength of character to react in a like manner.

'Second door on the right,' Mrs. Kent directed him, breaking the emotionally charged moment, 'and our door is the third on the left. Just knock on it, if you need help.'

'Good night everyone,' Steven politely said goodbye before leaving to take the car back to the mansion.

Clark was in bed but fighting to stay awake when Lex creeped in. The room was a bit cramped with the addition of the extra twin bed, but from the dim light, the millionaire could see the room was clean if not a bit bare.

Lex leaned over and pointed a warning finger in his face, 'Go to sleep now, Kent.' And without further preamble Clark's eyelids slammed shut and he sank into the softness of the mattress to finally embrace unconsciousness.

The bed creaked lightly under his weight as he sat down watching Clark opposite. Finally deciding that the young man was out for the count, Lex flopped on his back to stare at the ceiling with a weary sigh.

Weren't small towns supposed to be quiet and boring?