So, looky, another chapter. I was going to d this earlier, yesterday, but crap happened, and my face was glued to the toilet last night, I remet my lunch and dinner. Not pretty at all.

I Like this way this chapter came out. I rewrote a lot of it with some more thought put into it then my last one. Like seriously, how long does it take for Clark to super speed from the Talon to Lex's mansion? Not long, and yet in the last one, it took him over an hour. Yeah... not my best thought out work.

So, all done this time, got rid of crap that didn't need to be in here, added some things I think were necessary. There is a couple scenes in here that aren't in the other story. Like the christmas scene and a scene where Clark and L meet.

So, on with the story.

4113 words.

I DON'T OWN!

ENJOY!

Clark was silent as he walked through the building. A bag of takeout in hand. His thoughts moving from one subject to the next in quick succession, at similar speeds to his running. It had been a whole month since he learned about his 'marriage' and decided that he wouldn't think about it, focusing his attention on Lana instead.

When he got to Lana's dorm, he found a small box on her step. He carefully bent down, making sure not to drop anything, and pulled the box into his free hand.

Clark knocked on the door of Lana's dorm room. He'd gotten a text earlier that day from her telling him that she was hungry. Since he was in town, he decided to get her some Chinese food. His thoughts cleared when he opened the door, thoughts of the boy vanishing like they had never been there.

"Hey." Lana was beautiful, sitting at her desk with her hair down, her smile almost blinding when she turned to him. Clark always felt lucky when he saw her. She chose him of all people, and continued to choose him even though she knew he had secrets.

"What are you doing here?" She sounded genuinely surprised. Clark couldn't hide his own grin. He set the food down on her desk.

"I was in Metropolis when I got your text. I brought you some brain food." Clark almost missed the confusion on her face.

"What text? Oh, is that Chow Mein?" Lana moved to the bag and peered in. Clark scrunched his face in confusion, but ultimately decided not to think too hard about the text.

"This was on your door step." Clark pulled the card off the top of the box and handed it to her.

"Open it. Who sent it?" Lana opened the envelope while Clark opened the box.

"It's from Lex." That's all Clark heard before pricking his finger on the rock that sat inside the box. The rock rolled out of the box when it hit the floor. Clark backed away from it. His finger throbbed now, it hurt.

"Clark, are you okay?" Lana moved away from the desk and gripped Clark's arm. Her eyes were filled with worry.

"I'm, I'm fine. I, my dad is waiting for the parts. I gotta go." Clark hated lying to her, but he really did need to go home.

Clark moved to the door, passing Chloe as he did. She said something as he left, but he didn't catch it as he sped out the dorm at a pace that could pass as human.

"Call in the security teams. I want an update every thirty minutes." L heard his dad say. He wasn't sure that he wanted to enter the library. Lana was in there with his dad and they both sounded, worried.

"They aren't going to hurt him, are they?" L couldn't stay still. He oved to the door and entered.

"If that happens, someone is getting transferred to Siberia." L raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest and walked into the room, making both Lana and Lex look at him.

"What's going on?" L couldn't help but ask. His dad was carrying a silver and black rock and Lana was holding herself and shivering lightly.

"It's nothing L. We just need to get this analyzed to help out a friend." Lex smiled forcedly at L. Lana looked between the two. Before they could continue, the lights flickered and shut off, leaving them in the dim of the moonlight outside.

"Dad?" L asked, moving to stand next to Lex and Lana. He shouldn't be scared. He has been in darkness a lot in his life, he should be used to it. But something about it always made his skin crawl, his memories always replaying times when the doctor would shut him up for doing something stupid.

"Stay here. I'll go see what's going on." L didn't want his dad to go alone, but he couldn't move to help. He was frozen in place, and he could feel the fear creeping into his bones. Lana looked like she was shaking more, her hands rubbing her arms. The rock his dad was holding was placed in Lana's hands before the man left to try and figure out what happened.

A few minutes passed in silence, L's breathing became ragged. Even Lana heard it. She moved closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He jumped away from her hand, a small yelp passing his lips. He stumbled back and landed on his butt. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Sorry. How are you doing?" Lana knelt next to him, keeping a few inches between them.

Before he could reply a gunshot sounded, followed by Lex's scream. L could feel his heart stopping. He wanted to get up and go to his father, but he couldn't. He couldn't make his body move his legs and arms staying stubbornly still.

Lana didn't seem to have the same problem. She got to her feet and ran, leaving him there, curled in on himself in the middle of the library as she ran for safety.

As soon as she closed the door, the double doors banged open, earning a small scream from L, whose eyes were clenched so tight, he could see white spots in his vision. He clung to himself, trying to make himself smaller.

"Lana!" An angry voice yelled, making L cower away even more, whimpering please to leave him alone left his lips.

"Where is Lana?!" L felt his jacket get jerked. He didn't open his eyes. He could feel the tears falling down his cheeks. Breathing was getting harder.

"Tell me!" Hot breath was expelled next to his face, his ears ringing from how close the yelling was to his ears. He was shaken violently by the person.

"I- I, I don't, I don't kn- I don't" He kept trying to answer, but the words, they were so hard to get out, getting stuck in his throat.

"Where?!" The shaking stopped suddenly. L clenched his teeth. Suddenly he was thrown, his body having a feeling of weightlessness. Then he was crashing into something and everything went black.

L stirred. His muscles screamed at him. Memories of what happened made him jerk up. A hand on his shoulder made him open his eyes.

"Everything's okay. Calm down. No one's going to hurt you." His dad was smiling down at him. He looked around and found himself on the couch. His dad was bandaged up and had bruises on his face.

"Are you okay? What happened?" L slowly got into a sitting position, his back was killing him. Lex looked away slightly, guilt clear in his eyes.

"I'm fine. A friend was, infected with something. It made him act, weird. We tried to help, but the infection was making him paranoid. He's fine now. He didn't mean to hurt you." L knew that his dad was keeping somethings from him, but at the moment, he didn't care. They were both fine, and that is the best he could ask for.

"I heard what happened from the Kents. How are you doing?" Lionel Luthor strode into the room with all the signs of a worried parent well hidden in slight amusement. L halfheartedly sent the man his customary glare. It was returned just as halfheartedly.

"We're fine. Just a couple bruises, nothing to be worried about." Lex stood, leaving L on the couch. Lionel moved to sit across from L, Lex moved to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"Chess?" L asked. He really needed something to get his mind off of what happened. He couldn't help but remember his father's scream, the gun shot, unable to stand and help. He remembered being hauled up by his jacket, the material digging into his neck and armpits. The rough shaking the-

"Well, aren't you going to move?" Lionel smirked dangerously at him. A challenge. L stopped thinking of the previous experience and set his whole self into beating his grandfather in a friendly cutthroat game of chess.

L stayed as secluded as he could. His classmates treated him like a virus, since he was Lex Luthor's son. He didn't mind it, being alone all the time. It meant that he could do more with his powers without risking anyone finding out.

He did wish that things could be different, but they weren't. He found himself in the Talon one day, his dad promising to meet him after his meeting. He was sitting alone at the back, when the boy he saved walked into the building. He looked a lot older now, now that he wasn't dying in a pool of his own blood.

L's breathing quickened. The boy, man, must have heard him. He turned and looked right at L.

"Hey. You're the kid I- saw at Lex's." The man paused in the middle, his eyes filling with guilt and pain. L didn't understand. Until he actual registered the sentence. He had never seen the man at his house. The only time he was at home and didn't see someone, was that night, the night Lex's friend Clark was infected.

"You're, Clark?" L felt himself pale. Was he as violent as that night? He knew what Lex told him, that Clark was usually unable to hurt a fly, much less hurt someone on purpose. The man before him looked to be in pain at just the reminder of what he did.

"Did you want some coffee? I'm waiting for my dad." L offered. He could at least get to know the man. Maybe his dad would become friends with him again? Clark accepted his offer, but had to run before Lex could join them.

"I'm sorry, about that night." Clark forced a small smile before leaving in a hurry. L was left in his thoughts until his father arrived.

It was Christmas time; L had come down with something. Lex was worried, he never saw his son sick before. He was sweating and shivering and puking. His strength gave out, he had no control over any of his powers. He had admitted that he had been getting painful flashes ever since he saved that boy, who he still hadn't told Lex the identity of.

Lex did everything he could, got him the best, and most trusted, doctors he knew of. L got visitors every day, including Chloe and Clark. L had apparently met the both of them at the Talon while waiting for Lex. Lana came by a lot, bringing tea and jello on occasion. Lex was happy that L had friends, he just wished L had friends his age.

"How's he doing?" Lana asked, moving farther into the room. Some flowers were held in hand. Clark was behind her, staying at the door. Lex believes that Clark is convinced this was somehow his fault. And unless he was the boy that L saved, Lex didn't blame him one bit.

"He fell into a coma yesterday. The doctors said he might not wake up." Lex could feel his heart breaking. He never really had this kind of connection with anyone. Ever had someone who relied on him this way, who didn't just want to take advantage of his wealth. Not even with Clark. Clark was a great friend, one who didn't want to take advantage of the massive wealth Lex was willing to spend on him, but he didn't need Lex. Not in the same way L did.

L is Lex's son. Why did he have to be here? In a coma, dying.

"He'll be okay. He's stubborn, like his father." Lana gave him a tight smile and gripped his arm in a comforting hold. Clark kept silent and watched the pale shaking form of L.

"Lana!" L yelled out. "Dad!" He started shaking violently, his hands gripping the sides of the bed he lay on, ripping the sheets.

Lex and Clark moved forward to hold him down.

"Please!" The last scream shook him awake. L sat there in his father's embrace, crying onto his shoulder. Clark and Lana took the chance to leave the two.

L wasn't sick anymore. He had to stay in bed for another day to make sure, and he wouldn't be going to school until the new year. But he was fine. A little more withdrawn than before, but fine.

L found himself in the Talon again a month later, his cup of tea cooling in front of him while he waited for his dad. Lana was sitting across from him, typing away at her computer.

L heard his phone ring and quickly answered it. He was expecting his dad's voice, but only got far away voices coming from the speaker. He used his enhanced hearing to try and make out what they were saying.

"Not anymore." The gunshots made L jump. Lana looked over to him in concern.

"What happened? L? Are you okay?" She quickly closed her laptop and looked over at him. L needed to get to his dad. The last time he heard gunshots he froze, not this time.

He got up to speed over to Lex, but Lana stopped him.

"I'm going with you." Her gaze was steely. L was grateful, he didn't think he could do this without some kind of anchor. He was glad Lana was willing to be that anchor, even if she didn't realize it at the moment.

"Looks like we have ourselves a stalemate." L heard his dad's voice. It sounded electronic somehow.

"Well I'm just going to have to find a way to break it." Another voice L had never heard before growled out. He needed to get in there and protect his dad. Lana didn't hear the conversation, she didn't have advanced hearing, and L couldn't stop her in time. She strode into the library before l could warn her.

"What's going on here?" Lana demanded as she stopped in the idle of the floor. All L could think about was how she had no cover if anyone tried to shoot her.

"Remember that stalemate Luthor?" L had the urge to roll his eyes, he heard about the stalemate not a minute before, of course his dad remembered it. Until he realized it was a rhetorical question and he had a gun pointed at his chest.

"Let them go." Lex's voice seemed to bounce on the walls, or come from the walls. L backed up a step, only to be grabbed roughly by the male cop. Lana's arm was grabbed by the female.

"Dad?" L asked, hissing when the man jerked him to face one of the red lights that indicated a camera.

"Just tell us where it is and we'll let your son go, Mr. Luthor." The cop's voice was loud and made L's ears hurt, his arm was almost pulled from the socket when the man shook him violently. He wished people would stop doing that.

"What are they talking about Lex?" Lana's worried tone made L angry. She shouldn't have been here, she was going to get hurt and it was all his fault.

"They're looking for a spaceship." Lex's voice sounded a bit bored. L recognized it as masked worry, the same tone he used when L got hurt by something or other.

"What spaceship?" Lana couldn't lie. L could hear the lie even without his advanced hearing. And it felt like the man could too, his grip tightening. The barrel of his gun was pressed firmly into L's temple.

"Is everyone stupid around here? Just tell us where it is and all this is over." The woman holding Lana bit out.

"They don't know anything, let them go." Lex demanded. L was worried, he didn't like this, something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.

"Yeah, but she was there when it landed. And I know you two have been spending an awful lot of time together. So get your ass out here now, or you'll be talking to yourself." The gun against L's head pressed harder into his temple. He wanted to do something, but a similar fear crept up on him. He hated it.

He spent so long trying to get rid of his fears, to stop freezing when he was in situations where he could help. He even locked himself in dark areas to get rid of his fear of the dark. But you can't really ready yourself for this.

The door opened before them and L was able to see his dad. He moved slowly, cautiously, out of the safe. His hands in view. He could feel the male cop's grip slacken just a bit, the gun pulling away from his temple.

The gun was pointed at Lana next.

"Check him." The female cop dropped Lana's arm. "if you try anything, the kid gets it." The gun was again placed on his temple. The barrel wasn't cold like he had thought a gun barrel should be, and it took him a minute to register that it was warm, because it had already been discharged.

He could keep the gasp from his lips or the painful fear that clenched at his gut. The female cop moved to his father and frisked him, checking for any weapons. L needed to do something.

"Don't worry L, Lana, I won't let this psycho hurt you." Lex's words calmed him a little. The gun was pulled from his temple and pointed at his dad. L saw the opportunity and took it.

He and Lana worked together to get the male cop on the ground and moved to the safe. Lex had shot something above the door.

Two shots were fired before the door closed.

"Are you alright?" Lex asked them. Lana was scared, Lex didn't sound as fine as he had before. L fell to the floor before he could answer, a small whimper leaving his lips.

Lex fell to his knees in what looked like a painful manner. Lana winced in sympathy before moving to help both men onto their backs. L had a red hole in his side, so close to his right lung. And Lex had one on his right chest, a couple inches below the collarbone.

"No, come on, you guys can die. Just, hold on." Lana cried as she tried to stop the flow of blood, pressing her hands into the wounds. It wasn't really helping. She kept the pressure on the wounds none the less, grabbing some sheets from the bed to help stem the flow.

"La- Lan" L tried to speak, prompting Lana to lean in closer. L's hand moved to his pants, slipping into his pocket. He pulled out his cell. Lana sighed and pulled the phone from his cooling hands. Who should she call? The sheriff? The battery looked like it was about to die, so only one call would go through.

She typed in the one number she had memorized.

Clark grinned at Chloe before hearing his phone. His grin slipped when he saw the caller ID,

"I don't know this number." He muttered, debating whether or not he should answer.

"Just answer it." Chloe told him, her reporters eye shining. Clark rolled his eyes and answered the phone.

"Clark, Clark, thank god. We, we need help. We're locked in a room at Lex's, there are people here with guns. Lex and L are hurt. They need medical attention. Oh MY GOD! They killed the sheriff. Clark!" Lana's sobbing voice came over the line, making Clark's heart drop. He could hear the heavy breathing on the other side of the line, the sound of a gunshot reverberating through his brain.

Before the phone disconnected he heard a soft cry, too young to be Lex, he called out Clark's name in a raspy harsh breath.

His heart was beating at a thousand mines a minute. He needed to get to them, he needed them to be okay.

"Hey Lex, hey, wake up." Lana's voice was watery, tears still falling. "You're in shock. You have to stay awake or you could die." Lana pushed away the tears. She needed to be strong for them, for Lex and L, both of who looked like they wouldn't make it too much longer without help.

"Say something, talk, keep yourself occupied You need to, do something." Lana tried to think, but her mind was running at a million times its usual pace, and still came up with nothing.

"What?" Lex rasped out. L wasn't speaking, it was starting to scare her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, gaining a small painful smile from the boy.

"Anything, anything at all, just talk." Lana needed to calm herself, she to a deep breath.

"Do you think I'd look better with hair?" Lex asked, prompting a small chuckle from Lana. That was exactly what she needed to hear. She frowned. She didn't need Lex to comfort her, she needed to save Lex.

"I don't know." She answered instead. She needed to get them talking.

"What color- color hair did" L coughed, deep, heart wrenching coughs that sent shivers down Lana's spine.

"Red. Like yours." Lex answered, Lana was glad they were talking, keeping awake. She leaned closer to Lex, keeping the pressure on his wounds. L shifted slightly, a small bloodied smile on his lips.

"When, when I was in, a coma." L started, bringing Lana's attention to the boy. He looked so young, sitting there against the bed, blood staining his shirt and the sheet against his wound.

"I had a- dream. You guy, were married. I think you looked- good together." L smiled at them. Lana was stunned. Her and Lex? How would L get an idea like that? She was with Clark, she loved Clark, right?

"Clark and dad were friends again. And Clark and I were-" L started to cough violently again, his hands digging into the sheet on his wound.

"L!"

Clark was moving too fast for anyone to register. He quickly disarmed the two cops that were standing over the sheriff's dead body. Knocking both unconscious and tying them up before checking to see if he could spot the three hostages.

"Lana!" Clark called out. He did a 360 sweep once, then again with x-ray vision. There was a large square box off to the side, Clark guessed that the people he was looking for would be in there.

A second later the door opened.

"Oh thank god, Clark. They need help. We need to get them to the hospital." Lana was helping Lex to his feet. "Can you get L? He can't walk." Lana sounded a mix of worried and relieved. Clark moved into the safe room, the scent of blood hung heavily in the air.

His heart ached when he saw the boy lying in a small puddle of his own blood. Even Lex didn't have that much blood on him when Lana walked him out.

Clark leaned down, intending to pick the boy up bridal style. He didn't hear Lana's coming back behind him. His face was so close to L's, the boy's eyes half lidded, a happy delirious grin on his lip.

"You came." L's voice was raspy and filled with pain. It hurt Clark just listening to him.

"Yeah. I couldn't just leave you guys here." Clark smiled sadly. L's hand moved from the bloodied sheet and caught his neck. And before he could stop him, L pulled him into a kiss.

He was so caught by surprise that he didn't hear Lana's gasp behind him or her hurried footsteps leading away from them. He could only feel the warm lips on his, the exchange of power that he had only felt one other time.

His power flowed through him this time, instead of a foreign power flowing into him. He knew where it was going, the scent of blood was still there, but it wasn't getting worse. He could feel the body under him stirring, becoming more active.

He came back to himself after a minute, jerking away from the boy. Blood was no doubt on his face, neck, and shoulders, where L's hands had been. He needed to be away. L's wound was gone, leaving clear, blood smeared skin behind. Not even a scar remained.

Clark was gone before L could talk. He didn't think he could handle talking right now. The only thing going through his mind was, he might not be as in love with Lana as he thought.

Many much betters. Hope you like it. :D Feedback is best. :D

Mars