Smallville: An Alternate Future Chapter 1, a smallville fanfic

Title: Smallville: An Alternate Future

Rating: PG-13 for language and mild violence

Summary: Slightly AU. While Clark begins to fall in love, the meteor rocks start to disappear and Clark isn't the only one with superpowers. This story is set seven years after Clark graduates from Smallville High, I am taking things from when Martha discovered she was pregnant. Instead of losing the baby and all that Jor El sounding evil stuff I am simply jumping ahead. If this confuses anyone, feel free to ask me questions. Pairing will be Clark/Original character.

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters do not belong to me, I am making no money off them, I'm only playing with them for awhile. Zoey, Aen, and everyone else you don't recognize are mine, however. Aen's name is pronounced like pain without the p.

Author's Note: Italics signify thought or emphasis.

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"...so I'm closer than ever to...Clark? Clark, are you listening to me?"

Lex Luthor followed his younger friend's gaze to a table near the door. Two young women sat together, a gorgeous redhead and a beauty with raven tresses. Lex slugged Clark in the arm before asking, "So, which one do you have your sights on?"

Clark opened his mouth before snapping it shut. He turned to glare at Lex.

Lex smiled and shook his head, "Still living the life of a monk, Clark? I don't know how you do it."

Lex returned his gaze to the two women and studied them. They were both magnificent. Both of them were reading, the Wall Street Journal spread out before the dark one and a paperback thriller in the hands of the redhead. The black-haired beauty was more to his taste, but he had the feeling Clark would be more rattled if he approached the redhead. Perhaps he could provoke Clark into tasting more of life. He wanted Clark to be happy.

"Are they new in town?"

"Yes." When Lex waited silently for more information, Clark sighed, "I don't know their names. They're staying with the Smiths, a young couple who just bought the Bowman place a week ago."

Lex frowned, "Isn't that the property adjacent to your parents'? The one that's unplantable because the previous owner went nuts and sowed all the fields with salt?"

"Yep. You can imagine how people in town are scratching their heads and laughing at the stupid city folk. No offense."

"None taken," Lex assured him. "I'm going to go see what I can find out. Maybe I'll get more than just a name from that cute redhead."

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Anger bubbled up inside Clark and it took quite an effort not to yank Lex back down in his seat when he stood and dusted imaginary lint from his as always impeccable suit. The sudden surge of jealousy he felt was surprising. Who was he to try to forbid Lex from having a good time? In any other case, he would never begrudge Lex a future ex, he hadn't even minded when Lex had gone out with Lana four years ago, but this time it was different. Why, he couldn't say, but the attraction he felt for the redhead was overpowering, and also unusual. He didn't know a thing about her, but he felt protective and possessive of her.

Just as Lex took a step forward, the door of the coffee shop swung open, and two men with brown hair and a blonde woman joined the redhead and her companion. Lex sat back down abruptly. One of the men was enormous, seven feet if he was an inch and built like a freight train. Clark smirked, but his relief was only momentary. The smaller of the men, still tall and strong in his own right, was staring at the redhead with obvious lust in his eyes. But when the bigger man greeted the redhead softly and she smiled brilliantly at him, Clark felt as if he had been gutted.

The five of them began talking and Clark was mildly surprised when he realized through his super hearing that they were speaking a foreign language. He frowned. Though he was sure it wasn't any language he had heard before, it seemed vaguely familiar.

The redhead tucked a napkin into her book as a makeshift bookmark and leaned towards the larger of the two men. He said something to her with an inflection that made Clark think whatever he had said was a question. She nodded and turned in her chair.

She looked first at Lex, her gaze appraising. Lex raised his eyebrows, and Clark realized the redhead had made him uneasy. No one had dared look at Lex Luthor that way in a long time. When she turned her eyes to his, her gaze softened and her lips parted slightly. Clark forgot to breath. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of green he had ever seen, a deep emerald with a few small flecks of gold in each eye. Lex nudged his foot and Clark started, realizing that he had been staring into her eyes for at least a couple minutes. He felt better when he realized that she had been staring right back.

She blushed and rose to her feet. She hesitated, sucking her full lower lip between her teeth momentarily before releasing it and walking towards them. Clark rose as she approached them, and Lex followed suit.

"Mr. Kent?" She asked softly.

Clark almost turned his head to see if his father was there. No one had ever called him Mr. Kent before.

"Clark," he corrected gently.

"Clark," she repeated. His name had never sounded so good to him. She held out a hand. Clark grasped it gently. "Aen Jones." She looked at Lex, "And Mr. ... ?"

"Luthor, Lex Luthor," Lex gave her his most devastating smile.

She didn't react. Clark smiled. She glanced at him, her gaze catching his. She smiled, too. Lex held out his hand, and Clark let go of her, embarrassed that he had been caught still holding her soft hand. Almost reluctantly it seemed, she put her hand in Lex's. Clark wasn't surprised when a surge of jealousy hit him as Lex lifted Aen's hand to his lips. The feeling subsided when Aen merely lifted a single eyebrow at Lex and turned back to him.

"Mr. Kent, would you mind joining us? We have a favor to ask you."

"Of course," Clark answered.

Lex asked, "May I join you as well?"

Aen blinked, "Sure."

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Clark and Lex allowed Aen to precede them, and Lex had to bite back a laugh when Clark forced his way in front of him to walk behind Aen. Clark definitely had it bad for the redhead. But so, evidently, did one of her friends. The smaller of the two men was glaring holes in both Clark and himself. Aen motioned to two extra chairs at the table and slid back onto her seat. Clark chose the chair closer to her and Lex smiled again.

Aen waited for them to settle into their seats before beginning the introductions.

"Guys, this is Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Mr. Luthor, Mr. Ke... uh, Clark, this is my cousin Jisin Jones." The black-haired beauty smiled at both of them, her look assessing when it fell on Clark. Recognizing that she was simply checking Clark out to see if he was okay for her cousin, Lex grinned at her when she glanced at him a second time. She grinned right back. "Our friends, Zin and Sar Smith." The mountain of a man nodded, and the blonde next to him smiled shyly. "And...Senate Carter."

The last introducee did not smile or nod, he simply continued to glare at them. Aen said something to him sharply in a language Lex couldn't identify, and he scraped his chair backwards before stalking out of the coffee shop.

"I'm sorry," Aen said to the table, "he's not a very social person."

There was an awkward silence for a minute. Lex cleared his throat and asked, "What was the favor you all needed from Clark? Perhaps I can help."

Jisin smiled, her blue eyes twinkling, "The offer is more than generous and certainly appreciated, Mr. Luthor, but quite unnecessary. We just needed to ask him if he or his father could spend an afternoon walking the property line with us. The Bowmans never put up a fence, and we're having trouble getting a copy of the property map from the county office. They're all missing."

"Of course," Clark agreed. "My father's going to Metropolis tomorrow, but I can show you where the property line is, say about one?"

Aen looked at Zin and he nodded, adding aloud, "Thank you, Mr. Kent, we really appreciate it. We'll come to your place. Now, if you'll excuse us, my wife and I need to get back to the house."

"Of course, it was nice meeting you both. I'll see you tomorrow," Clark said.

Zin and Sar left; Clark and Lex were alone with Jisin and Aen.

Lex leaned forward and asked, "So, where are all of you from? I can't seem to place your accent or the language you were speaking earlier."

Jisin shrugged. "All over, really. We've never really found the perfect place to settle. We may not be here for more than a couple months." At that, Clark cast a startled glance at Aen. Lex was pretty sure his younger friend was thinking that he didn't have very long to get to know her. "Our accent is probably just a mix of all the places we've stayed. As for the language," Jisin leaned forward and whispered dramatically, "if I told you that I'd have to kill you."

Lex raised his eyebrows at this and glanced at Clark and Aen. They were staring into each other's eyes again. Jisin glanced at them too, and for a minute she looked worried. Lex assured her, "Clark would never hurt your cousin."

"That's not exactly what has me worried," she muttered, standing up. "Aen, we need to go. We still have to do the grocery shopping before we go back to the farm."

Aen bit her lower lip and released it. She stood as well, and both women said good-bye before heading out the door.

Lex turned towards Clark. His younger friend looked disappointed and slightly confused. Lex couldn't blame him. What had made the girls leave so suddenly?

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Jisin caught Aen looking back at the Talon and sighed. Smiling sadly to herself, she said, "He's beautiful, Aen."

Aen blushed. "Yes, he is, but it's more than that. There's something about him. A goodness, but also the sense that he's holding something back from everyone around him."

"Aen," Jisin warned, "you won't be the one to find out what that is. You can't get involved with him."

"I know."

Jisin frowned again. In all their travels, she had never once had to remind Aen that it was pointless, and dangerous, to get involved with anyone. Clark Kent must be a very special man.