SMALLVILLE
"Deception"
A/N: This story is written during the beginning of Season 5 while Clark was still at college and Jonathan was alive. It might seem a bit weird to upload this now but I felt like getting it uploaded before my latest Smallville fan fiction. I've gone through this story before to correct grammar errors but some might have been overseen. The story is so far 23 pages long and still not entirely complete, so I'm not in the mood to double check everything. Anyways, I'm hoping this story will get some more attention than last time but I won't be removing it again. Happy reading! ;)
"Lois! Come on, you've been in there for almost an hour now!" Clark Kent yelled out and kept banging on the bathroom door.
The sound of pouring water soon stopped and after a few minutes the door opened.
"Morning, Smallville!" Lois Lane said with a perky smile, pulling the towel tighter around her.
Water was slowly dripping from her long blond hair as she moved past Clark without another word. Clark sighed and quickly shut the door behind him, very well knowing that there wasn't any hot water left for him but right now he didn't care.
He had gotten up at the crack of dawn to get his chores done at super speed so that Lois won't notice anything, and yet somehow she always managed to beat him to the bathroom every morning. At times like these Clark wished he could use his powers around the house again; just like before Lois had moved in.
By the time Clark arrived downstairs, breakfast was already over for the others. Lois was still lingering at the kitchen table, flipping through a fashion magazine while sipping on her cup of coffee. Clark glared over at her, suppressing a grunt. She had made herself at home already on the second day and now Clark truly regretted ever allowing her to stay.
But of course it hasn't just been his decision; his parents had practically welcomed Lois with open arms. Something Clark still couldn't understand.
"Oh, there you are! Clark, you better hurry or you'll be late for class," Martha Kent said as she walked into the kitchen, carrying a stack of papers.
"Well I wouldn't be running late if a certain person didn't occupy the bathroom every morning," Clark said and walked over to the refrigerator.
"Hey, it's not my fault that you overslept again!" Lois said without taking her eyes away from the magazine.
Clark gave her another glare behind her back while he poured himself a glass of juice.
"Who said I overslept?" he asked sarcastically, even though he knew that Lois always assumed he overslept when he was actually doing his shores. But of course Clark couldn't tell Lois this, not even when he wanted to prove her wrong.
"What do you call it when you get up bed thirty minutes after your alarm clock goes off? God that thing even woke me up!" Lois complained, still completely absorbed by some quiz in the magazine.
Clark froze and glanced over at Martha, who had stopped sorting the papers at the moment.
"Lois, why don't you go and start the car? I'll be right out," Martha said. Lois finished her cup of coffee and put away the fashion magazine.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Kent. See ya, Smallville!" she said with a smirk as she walked past Clark. When the door closed behind her, Martha turned to Clark with a worried look.
"Look I know we've talked about this before but we both know it's the only way I can get things done without her noticing," Clark said and grabbed his backpack from the kitchen counter.
"Clark, it never looks good getting late for school; especially not college," Martha said and Clark knew she wouldn't budge on the subject. So he just nodded and let her win the argument this time.
"Speaking of school; I better run," Clark said while glancing down at his watch.
Martha gave him a warning look and started collecting the papers. Clark walked over to the fruit bowl and that's when he suddenly heard the distant sound of an engine. It quickly got louder and before Clark had the chance to react, a car came crashing into the tractor with a loud bang.
Clark quickly rushed outside and was glad to see that nobody had been harmed. Except for the car; the hood had been totally smashed in and there wasn't much left of it.
"Oh my God!" Lois gasped and quickly ran over to the car.
She glanced through the car window and found herself staring into the eyes of a guy that was about her age. Clark ran over to the car and was even gladder to see that the guy wasn't seriously hurt, in spite of everything. Lois took a step aside and Clark opened up the busted car door without any problems. The guy managed to get out of the car wreck without any help. And he didn't even have more than a few bruises on him, which surprised Lois and Clark.
"Let me guess; you got a little lost?" Lois asked sarcastically.
"Something like that. And I'm sorry about your tractor; I'll be sure to pay for the damages," he said with an apologetic smile.
"The important thing is that you're okay," Clark said, very well knowing that he could fix the tractor in a matter of seconds. Luckily the damages weren't so bad after all.
"Yeah I suppose. Hey, do you mind if I use your phone? I might be able to hitch a ride with the tow truck when it gets here to collect my car," the guy said.
"Yeah sure," Clark said and they walked back to the house.
Martha was shocked to find out that there was practically not a scratch on the guy, just like Lois and Clark had been. And it still puzzled Clark, although he dismissed it for now. He had enough things to think about at the moment than some stranger.
"The phone is out in the hallway," Clark said and pointed the guy in the right direction.
"Thanks," he said as he left the kitchen, Martha turned to Lois and Clark.
"What happened out there?" she asked and Lois and Clark glanced at each other.
"Guess you can say it was some kind of a miracle," Lois said and shrugged. But Martha could tell by looking at Clark that he didn't agree.
"Did he say how he got here? It's not exactly every day people accidentally end up in this part of Smallville," Martha said.
"He has hardly said anything. Not even his name," Clark said, and in that moment the guy walked back in the kitchen.
"Good news; the tow truck will be here shortly. So I'll just be outside waiting for it. Thanks for your help, especially considering that I busted up your tractor," he said and got his wallet out of his jeans pocket. He walked up the kitchen counter and put down a hundred-dollar bill.
"That should hopefully cover the damages. Thanks again," he said and flashed a smile before walking out through the kitchen door.
"Hey, maybe you should get more people to crash into your tractor!" Lois said and looked at Clark with a sarcastic smile.
"Clark, we can't accept his money," Martha said and Clark knew she was right.
Lois on the other hand became confused, but neither Martha nor Clark cared to explain. Clark just grabbed the hundred-dollar bill and disappeared out the door without another word.
"Hey!" he called out and the guy slowly turned around. He was waiting down by his car, or what was left of it anyway, with a backpack in his hands.
"Is there a problem?" he asked as Clark handed back the money.
"Well there's really no need to pay for the damages, trust me," Clark said, hoping the guy wouldn't ask any questions about it.
"Really? Thanks!" he said and gladly tucked away the hundred-dollar bill in his jeans pocket.
Clark couldn't help but glance down at the backpack; there was something sticking out and did look awfully like another hundred-dollar bill. The guy really didn't look as some kind of millionaire to Clark, and keeping that much money in a backpack just seemed a bit too strange.
"So… where are you headed?" Clark asked and quickly looked up at the guy again.
"Oh, I don't know. We'll see where the truck takes me," he said and shrugged.
"Must be kind of lonely living like that," Clark said.
"Well, it's not like I had any other choice. And if you don't mind, how about we don't talk about it?" the guy said and Clark decided not to argue with him about it.
Apparently he had hit a soft spot and if the guy had something to hide, he probably had his reasons for it. Something Clark could definitely relate to.
Before neither of the two had the chance to say another word, the tow truck luckily appeared further down on the small road. And not a moment too soon for Clark; he was already running very late as it was.
"Maybe I'll see you around. If not, then have a nice trip," Clark said and headed towards his red pickup.
The guy didn't even look at him and waited impatiently for the tow truck, holding onto his backpack. Clark knew for sure now that something was definitely up with him, but decided to leave it alone for the time being. He jumped into his pickup and looked down at his watch.
Even if he stepped on it, the first class would have ended by the time he arrived at the college.
"Clark, you better hurry!" Martha said as she and Lois walked past him. Clark sighed and started the car, watching the smashed up car slowly getting towed away.
"Hey, Smallville! Quit the day-dreaming and get out of here!" Lois shouted and got into the car next to Martha.
Clark snapped out of his daze and pulled out before they did. But that gnawing feeling that something wasn't right about the guy, who still remained nameless, didn't go away. And Clark knew somehow that he would run into him again. Maybe even sooner than he thought.
Even though there were three people working at the register, Lois had her hands full with orders that kept coming. Which had already caused her to forget to charge a guy for his coffee, not given enough change back and forget how to make a simple cappuccino.
So finally Martha decided Lois was in need of a break. Lois gladly took a seat at one of the available tables and let out a sigh of relief.
"Rough day?"
Lois looked up and was more than surprised to see the guy standing in front of her.
"Hey, stranger! You know, I think this calls for a proper introduction," Lois said and the guy sat down across from her with a smile on his face.
"So tell me your name," he said with an intrigued look and Lois laughed.
"Nice try! I asked first, buddy!" she said with an amusing smile.
"Right. Well, officially it's Bradin but all my close friends calls me Brad," he said.
"And let me guess; I'm a very close friend?" Lois asked.
"Only if you want to be. And by the way, you still haven't answered my question," Brad said and Lois gave him a slightly confused look.
"I still don't know your name," he quickly added.
"Lois. Lois Lane," Lois said, sounding very formal, and smiled at him.
"Nice to meet you, Lois Lane," Brad said and after that the conversation took off.
Martha glanced over at the two from time to time, being pleased to see Lois relaxing for once. Ever since the meteor shower she had done her best to help out more around the farm and had started taking more shifts at the Talon, and it was becoming clear that Lois didn't deal well with stress after all.
After a while Lois reluctantly looked down at her watch and sighed. She had had a really great time with Brad but knew that she had to finish her shift anyways.
"Look, I gotta get back to work," she said and looked over at Brad.
"Yeah, I understand. So what time do you get off?" he asked and Lois laughed.
"You got spunk! I like that," she said and Brad smiled at her.
"Not many people do," he said.
"Well I'm not like other people, trust me," Lois said.
"So…?" Brad asked and Lois laughed again.
"So pick me up at 8:00 and don't be late," she said and winked at him before walking over to the register again.
She glanced over at Brad one last time before getting back to taking orders. Thankfully the rush was over by now and things were back to normal. Lois had no problems making a cappuccino this time and Martha was pleased to see that she was herself again.
As the cell phone started ringing, all the eyes turned and stared at Clark Kent. He smiled nervously and quickly exited the room, knowing that this was one phone call he definitely needed to answer.
"Yeah?" he said as he was standing outside in the hallway.
"Okay so I checked out this guy you told me about and I gotta tell you; he's got quite a reputation," Chloe said on the other end of the phone.
"You actually managed to get something on him without a name?" Clark asked.
"Well I didn't really need one since it seems that he fits the description of a Bradin Smith who ran away from home in Metropolis four weeks ago."
"He ran away? Why?" Clark asked, relieved that he at least knew the guy's name.
"Doesn't say. But then it's not his parents who want him back; more like Summerholt actually. Seems like he's a patient there."
"Does it say what kind of patient?" Clark asked, starting to walk towards the entrance.
At the moment he didn't care that the teachers would ask questions the next day, he just needed to find this Bradin Smith before somebody else did.
"That's the really weird part; it doesn't. But they seem real eager to get him back either way."
"Which isn't necessary a good thing. You know, I've never heard of this clinic before and it doesn't seem to be any information about them. This is really starting to sound pretty bad," Clark said and walked up to his car.
"Yeah it does. So I'm gonna try and dig out some more useful information about this so-called clinic. And let me guess; you're going to find Brad?"
"I'll try. But there's no telling where he could be. Probably long gone from Smallville by now," Clark said.
When Clark entered the Talon, things were really slow. But then again it was only ten minutes left until closing time. He looked around for his mother, but the only one present seemed to be Lois.
"Looking for me?" Lois called out from behind the register counter.
"Not really," Clark said and Lois laughed at this sarcastic comment.
"I take it things didn't go very well at school," she said and started wiping the glass counter clean. Clark let out a sigh and leaned towards the counter.
"Guess you could say that. So, where is…?"
"Your mom? That would be at home. She left about five minutes ago; I offered to close the place up," Lois interrupted without looking up at Clark.
"Really? Seems like you've been offering to do a lot of things lately," Clark said, and this time Lois looked up at him.
"And what's that suppose to mean?" she asked and gave him an annoyed look.
"Just that maybe you should try and take it easy," Clark said with a shrug.
"Well thanks for the advice but there's no need for me to take it easy; I'm just returning a favor," Lois said and put away the rag.
Instead she opened up the register. Clark watched as she carefully concentrated on counting the day's sum of money, but it didn't take long before she gave up and glared over at him instead.
"Do you mind? It's a little hard to focus with an audience!" she snapped and Clark couldn't help but smile. Which only made her more annoyed.
"Lois, there's no need to do that. I'm sure my mom has already done it anyway," he said and Lois glared at him for a while before putting back the money inside the register.
She disappeared for a moment behind the counter and got back up again with a book in her hand. Without even acknowledging Clark with a look, Lois started flipping through the pages and suddenly stopped.
"How do you know these things?" she asked and slammed the book shut.
"It's a gift I guess," Clark said with a smirk and shrugged.
"More like a curse," Lois muttered while putting back the book in its place.
"As always. By the way, will you be sleeping here tonight?" Clark asked and Lois stared at him, hoping that he would wipe that dumb look off his face.
"Yeah right because this place gives me such a warm and fuzzy feeling!" she said sarcastically and this time Clark smiled.
"Just checking. Who knows, I might even get to experience how it feels to sleep in my own bed again," he said and Lois started gathering her things.
"Well you can always sleep in the barn," she said with a smirk and in that moment the door opened up.
Clark turned around and was stunned to see Brad coming towards him. Lois put on her jacket and smiled sweetly at Brad.
"You're early!" she said, sounding very cheerfully all of the sudden.
"Yeah well, I was hoping to get out of here a bit sooner. Besides, I can see that the customers has left for the day," Brad said and suddenly looked over at Clark.
"Oh, don't mind him; he was just leaving! Weren't you, Clark?" Lois said and playfully punched Clark on the arm.
"Right," Clark said quietly, trying to hide his confusion, and headed towards the door. Lois quickly turned off the light before walking over to Brad.
"So where are we going?" she asked with a curious smile.
"You'll see," Brad said and glanced over at Clark.
The front door opened with a quiet squeak, followed by the sound of heels hitting the wooden floor. Clark turned around in the sofa and slowly opened up his eyes. And just like he suspected, there was Lois trying to sneak in quietly.
"Do you mind?" he asked sarcastically and Lois froze immediately. She glanced over at him with a nervous smile and shut the door.
"Sorry! You just go back to sleep! Forget I'm even here!" she whispered and got out of her boots.
"Little late for that, don't you think? So I'm assuming you had a good time with Brad?" Clark asked and sat up.
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes I did," Lois said.
"And you didn't notice anything strange about him? At all?" Clark asked and Lois rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh.
"He's no stranger than you, okay? Now, I'm going to bed so excuse me!" she said and disappeared up the stairs before Clark had the chance to ask anything else.
Something about Brad just wasn't right but Clark knew better than to share this with Lois just yet. In spite all the times he pretty much hated her, Clark didn't want to see Lois getting hurt but he wasn't sure how to lay it out for her.
Which meant that he needed some very strong evidence and lots of help from the one person he trusted the most; Chloe.
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~