TIES THAT BIND

DISCLAIMER

Smallville belongs to the WB, which will soon be the CW. I only own characters you don't recognize. For this series, the whole Kara\Lindsey fiasco never happened.

CHAPTER ONE: THIEVES

Everything in Smallville was relatively quiet. Families had gone to bed and there was only the occasional bark from a dog. The silence was shattered with the sounds of broken glass and an alarm in the entrance of Smallville Bank. Then, there was a whoosh as something sped around the building. Seconds later, the thing disappeared into the night. Meanwhile, at a run-down motel, a man and a woman waited impatiently. On the bed lay an open napsack that had various jewels peeking out, including an uncut green stone.

"Where is that little brat! He should be back by now!" the man fumed. Just as the sentence was finished, they heard a whoosh.

"Waitin' for me?" a boy smirked. He was Puerto Rican with brown eyes and black hair.

"Look, you little brat, we don't have time for your fooling around," the man snarled.

"Yeah. We need to be prepared for the big score," the woman added.

"Yeah well, maybe I'm sick of being your little lapdog," the boy retorted. The woman slapped him. The boy's eyes flashed and the woman shook her hand.

"Ow! What the heck?" she wondered, trying to shake away the sting.

"Forget it, Katie. Jake's just a little freak who's only use in life is to do what we tell him," the man sneered.

"I'm not your slave, Mike," Jake responded.

"You know what? I am getting really sick of your attitude, boy," Mike growled. Without warning, he grabbed the boy and threw him on the bed. The bed bounced, knocking some of the jewels out of the bag, including the green stone. Jake moaned as felt himself grow incredibly weak. Wha---what's happening to me? he wondered. He had never understood why that stone had such a strange effect on him. He groaned in pain when Mike slapped him. Mike could feel the satisfaction coursing through him as he continued to smack the boy. He had no idea what that stone was and why it affected his foster son like it did, but if it made him vulnerable to attack, why not take advantage? Jake moaned and tried to back away from the blows. However, he hit the stone with his hand. The boy cried out in pain as he felt the veins in his hand twist and weaken.

"I'm going out for a drink. Katie, watch him," Mike instructed.

"Why me?" Katie wondered.

"Because I need this drink. This punk's gettin' on my nerves," Mike snarled. With that, he stomped off. Jake moaned and painfully sat up.

"Katie, help me," he whispered.

"Oh, quit complaining, Jake. You weren't hit that badly," Katie scoffed. Jake moaned and pushed the stones away. As soon as the green jewel was away from him, Jake felt his bruises fade. Oh, thank God. That feels so much better, he thought in relief. He wished he knew why that one stone made his body react that way.

"Listen up, Jake. We're going to need you to pay attention. This is the most important thing you'll ever do here. Just do as you're told, and everything will be fine," Katie said sharply.

"Yes, Ma'am," Jake acknowledged.

"Now go to bed, brat," Katie ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am," Jake answered. With a sigh, he put the bag aside and then slipped under the covers.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, I know my description's a bit odd, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe that weird veiny thing that happens when Clark touches kryptonite.