Clark and Martha got home from town around three o'clock, and Clark asked, "Can I please go fishing now?"
She said, "Sure. Thanks for coming with me today, I'm sorry it took so long. Make sure you're home by five, so you can help your dad with chores."
Clark nodded and super sped out of the house. Martha smiled at the empty spot in front of her, and hoped Clark was able to have a good time.
Clark was in Metropolis and in front of Luthorcorp twenty minutes later. He fixed his hair and went inside. Clark thought the security guard at the front desk looked like Pete's grandpa, and liked him right away. He said, "Hi, I was hoping you could help me."
The guy smiled and said, "Sure thing kiddo. What do you need."
"I want to see Lex Luthor. Is he working here today?"
With a nod, the man said, "Yes he is. Can I ask why you want to see him?"
"It's kind of personal."
"Okay, can I tell him who is here to see him?"
"Well…..that might not be a great idea," Clark said.
"Why not?"
"We kind of had a fight, and he's mad at me."
"I see. Well, I have to tell him something to get him down here."
Clark couldn't come up with anything other then the truth. "Okay. You can tell him it's Clark."
"Okay, hang on just a minute," the man said, as he picked up the phone. "Mr. Luthor? There's a boy here who would like to see you. He says his name is Clark." After some silence, the man said, "Yes sir……Yes sir." He hung up, and smiled at Clark. He indicated a chair in the lobby and said, "If you just take a seat, Mr. Luthor will be with you in a few minutes."
Pleased that it had been so easy, Clark smiled and said, "Thanks."
Lionel had been putting off his normal duties most of the day, so that he could keep an eye on his son. He wanted to make sure Lex was following his orders, and that he wasn't doing anything unseemly. While he was looking at some papers on his desk he heard Lex's voice over the monitor say, "Clark's here?….That can't be good. I guess I'll have to see him. Shit. I'll be down in a few Joe."
Now that Lex was actually following his orders, Lionel didn't want the Kents messing it up. He called down to the front desk and said, "Joe? Toss that Clark boy out. I don't want Lex to see him."
The line was quiet for a few seconds, and Lionel said, "Joe, did you hear me."
"Yes sir." Joe put the phone down and sighed. Some days he hated his job, but it paid well. He was putting his granddaughter through college, so he kept the job, even when he had to do things he didn't like. Standing up he went over to Clark, and said, "I'm sorry son, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."
With confusion Clark said, "But I thought you said Lex was coming."
"He is, but you can't see him. If you won't leave, I'm gonna have to make you, and I really don't want to do that. Please just go, and see Lex another time."
Clark felt like crying. He said, "You don't understand, I have to see him today….right now. It's really important. Please."
Towering over the boy, Joe said, "No. You go now, or I toss you out by the time I get to three."
Clark stayed in his seat. "One….Two…."
Clark shook his head, and stayed put. "Three. Sorry about this kid."
Joe put his hand on Clark's upper arm and started to pull him out of the chair. But to Joe's amazement, the boy didn't budge. Joe said, "Now I don't want to get rough and hurt you boy. You come on with me."
Joe pulled harder, and got the same results. The boy didn't even look like he was having a hard time staying in place. Shaking his head at the stubborn kid, Joe used both hands to pull him up, and ended up picking up Clark and the chair at the same time. Getting angry, Joe said, "Fine. If that's the way you want it, we'll do it your way."
Joe set the chair down long enough to get behind it, and picked it up. He lifted the chair, with Clark in it, and started carrying both to the front door. Before they got there, Clark jumped out, and ran back to the front desk. Joe yelled, "You get back here." and set the chair down as he went after him.
Clark was thinking that he had to stay and see Lex, no matter what. Joe was on him in a second and tried to pick him up, but Clark pushed Joe away, using a little of his strength to do it. Joe was tossed a few feet back, and landed on his side on the floor. Clark immediately felt guilty for hurting the guy.
Lex got in the elevator and went to the lobby. He didn't really want to see Clark, but he didn't think Jonathan would let Clark go to Luthorcorp by himself, which meant he shouldn't be there. As the elevator doors opened, he saw Clark shove Joe. His eyes got wide when Joe sailed a few feet through the air. His first thought was, 'Please don't let my dad see that.' Raising his voice Lex said, "Clark!"
Clark jumped at the sound of his name, and saw Lex rushing towards him. Lex could tell that Clark felt guilty about what he'd just done, but that only lasted for a second. By the time Lex got to his side, Clark's face only showed anger. With anger of his own, Lex leaned down, and whispered fiercely in Clark's ear, "I don't care how angry you are with me, it's not an excuse to expose yourself in public."
Clark wasn't sure what he'd been expecting Lex to say, but that wasn't it. Lex quickly walked over to Joe and helped him stand. Joe was rubbing his shoulder. Lex asked, "Are you okay?"
Joe looked at Clark with fear and said, "I'm okay."
Clark saw the look, and as the reality of what he'd done hit him, a blush crept up his face.
Lex also saw the look, said quietly, "Joe…"
Joe turned to Lex, who whispered with desperation, "Please, I'll give you anything you want. I'll pay you any amount of money you ask for. Just please if anyone asks, especially my father, you tell them you slipped and fell. Clark just wants to see me, and you'll never have to see him again."
Looking back at Clark, Joe could see that the boy was ashamed, and that was enough for him. He said, "I don't need anything. I did slip and fall."
Feeling gratitude for the older man, Lex couldn't think of anything to say that would adequately explain how he felt. All that came out was, "Thank you."
Turning to Clark, Lex let his irritation show as he said, "Come on. We're going."
Clark walked towards Lex, and as he passed Joe he muttered, "Sorry."
Lex walked out the front door to the sidewalk, and Clark followed. As soon as the door closed behind them, Lex turned to Clark, and leaned down so that they were eye to eye. He asked, "Where is your father?"
Clark glared and said, "At home."
"What?!" Lex yelled.
"I came by myself."
Straightening up, Lex looked up at the sky, as if it would have some answers. Looking back at Clark he said, "How did you get here?"
"I ran."
With a pause to think that over, Lex said, "Really?"
Clark nodded. "It took me about fifteen minutes, and then another five to find this place."
"Wow," was all Lex could say.
After a few seconds, Clark said, "You need to come home."
Turning back to the front door, Lex said, "We can't talk here. Let's go to my place." He walked back into the building, and made sure Clark stayed beside him. He went straight to the elevator, and took it to the parking garage. Once they were in the car, and on their way to his hotel, Lex said, "Do your parents know you're here?"
Looking out the window, Clark refused to answer. Lex tried again. "Clark, are your parents going to be worried, and wondering where you are?"
Clark shook his head. Getting tired of Clark's unresponsiveness, Lex said, "You wanted to see me bad enough to come all this way, so tell me why."
"Because you need to come home."
With a sigh, Lex said, "I know you want me to be there Clark, but I can't go back. Things can't go back to the way they were. I…..I put my trust in your folks, and I hadn't done that since I was really little. I can't just pretend like they didn't betray me."
Clark said, "I can't believe you Lex. How many times did Dad forgive you? How many times did you lie to them? Now Mom and Dad make one mistake, and you can't forgive them. And besides that, they were only lying to protect me. And it probably doesn't seem like it to you, but they really were trying to protect you too. We all sat around the table talking about wanting to tell you the same day you found out. Mom and I wanted to tell you, and so did Dad, but he wanted to make sure it was really the best thing for you. He was trying to protect you, because he thought you had enough to deal with already."
Needing time to think about all of that, Lex was quiet all the way back to the hotel. He parked and Clark followed him up to his room. Once they were behind closed doors Lex ordered, "Call your parents and tell them where you are."
"No." Clark crossed his arms.
Lex was more then a little irritated, and said, "I may not want to call your folks, but I'm not about to let them sit around and worry about where you are, so you call them, or I will."
"Great, so call them. Or better yet, drive me home, because I'm not going back without you."
Staring at Clark, Lex tried to determine if he was serious or not. He said, "And what do you think your father is going to say about this when I tell him what you're doing?"
"I don't care. Neither one of you can make me go home if I don't want to, but if you don't come home with me, I can make you."
Lex glared. "So you're a bully now? Just because you're stronger then me, you're gonna force me to do something I don't want to do."
"Yes," Clark said with conviction.
Crossing his arms too, Lex said, "I don't buy it Clark."
Clark yelled, "Well you better believe it, because you are coming home with me, and you are going to talk to our parents! Mom has been crying on and off all week, and last night you made Dad cry too! You owe it to them to at least let them explain."
Lex wanted to believe everything that Clark had said, but found it difficult. Clark was the most honest person he knew, but he still had doubts. He said, "They're really upset about it? You're not just saying it to trick me into going back?"
Clark had been trying to hold his temper in check, but that last comment made him lose it. He went up to Lex, and shoved him backwards. Lex flew a couple of feet through the air and landed on his back on the bed. Clark yelled, "You are so stupid! How do you think they would feel if I ran off for a week and wouldn't talk to them? It's the same thing when you do it!"
Looking warily at Clark, Lex said, "It's not the same thing Clark, even if you want it to be."
Before Lex could blink, Clark was in front of him. He barely had time to register the fist coming at him, before he passed out.
Clark watched as Lex fell back onto the bed. He looked at his own fist, not quite believing that he'd just punched Lex in the jaw. After a couple of seconds Clark said, "Lex? Lex! Lex are you okay?" Starting to panic, Clark checked to make sure Lex was breathing. Clark hadn't expected Lex to get knocked unconscious, and realized too late, that he'd hit him too hard. Clark said, "Crap. Sorry Lex."
He thought about calling his dad, and telling him what had happened. He was sure his dad would help, but he was also sure that his dad was going to be royally pissed off at what he had done. As he thought about all the things he had done that day, Clark started to shake. Feeling sick to his stomach, he said to himself, "What should I do? If I call Dad, it'll take him a couple of hours to get here. Damn."
Clark looked at Lex and thought, 'I could carry him. We could be home in less then twenty minutes. I wonder if I'd get more tired carrying him. But maybe that's not such a good idea with him hurt. Maybe I should take him to the hospital, but then tell them what? Damn, damn, damn!'
Knowing it probably wasn't the best idea, Clark decided to carry Lex home. All he really wanted, was for Lex and his parents to have a chance to talk, and he thought this would be the best way to accomplish that. He picked Lex up, and made sure Lex's head was resting against his shoulder, but when he got to the door, he realized he was going to need his hands. Shifting Lex, Clark put him up over his shoulder and let his head and arms dangle. Then he super sped out of the hotel using the stairs. Once he was on the sidewalk, he shifted Lex back to the original position and headed for the freeway.
Even with the extra wait of Lex, Clark ran faster on the way home then he had on the way there. Lex still hadn't woken up, and Clark was getting scared. It took him a total of ten minutes to get from the hotel to his front porch, but by the time he got there he was breathing hard, and sweating. Both of which were rare occurrences for him. He took a deep breath, and opened the front door.
Martha was baking cookies, and Jonathan was taking a break from working to have a couple. They both stopped what they were doing and stared. Clark was damp and out of breath holding Lex in his arms. Jonathan said, "Clark?"
Clark walked to the couch, and lay Lex down. Martha and Jonathan quickly followed. Martha knelt down by Lex. "What happened?"
Clark took a few gulping breaths and said, "I went to Metropolis and brought Lex home."
Both his parents yelled, "What?!!"
Martha turned to Lex and rubbed his shoulder. "Lex honey, can you hear me?"
Clark walked into the kitchen to get himself some water. Jonathan followed and asked, "What's wrong with Lex?"
Stalling, Clark drank some water. He really didn't want to admit what he'd done, but he also knew there was no avoiding it. He set the empty glass down, looked his father in the eye, and said, "I punched him."
Jonathan was too surprised to respond. Looking at her son with genuine anger, Martha said, "How dare you hit your brother! With your strength you could kill someone. How long has he been out?"
Having seen his mother's expression, Clark looked down at the floor and muttered, "Ten or eleven minutes."
Jonathan went to Lex and checked his pulse and breathing rate. He saw a bruise forming on Lex's jaw and asked, "Where did you hit him Clark?"
Slowly walking to his parents side, Clark spoke so softly they almost couldn't hear him. "On the jaw. The left side. I pushed him in the chest too."
Looking at Clark, Jonathan said, "Then while he was out, you ran all the way home with him? Bouncing him around after he was already injured?"
Unable to meet his father's eyes, he nodded at the floor. Jonathan looked at his wife and said, "We'll have to take him to the hospital."
She nodded in agreement, and said, "Let me get a bucket in case he wakes up sick from shock. And I'll get a wet washcloth with some ice to put on his jaw. That should help with the swelling."
Feeling sick himself, and not fully understanding the reality of what he had done until now, Clark said, "He's gonna be okay though….right Dad?"
Jonathan could tell Clark was on the verge of tears. He wanted to reassure him, but didn't want to give him false hope. "I don't know son. I hope so. Let's get him in the truck, so the doctors can have a look."
Leaning down to pick up Lex, Jonathan felt him moving. He put the boy back down and said, "Lex?"
Lex's eyes fluttered open for a second, and he winced in pain. He said, "My head."
Jonathan said, "We're going to take you to the hospital. Do you think you can stand to walk to the truck?"
"Mr. Kent?" Lex's eyes flew open. Looking around frantically, Lex realized he was at the farm. He saw Clark standing next to him, quietly crying, and winced again as pain shot through his neck. "How long have I been out?" he asked.
Martha was back at his side with an ice pack, and said, "About ten minutes. Here, hold this to your jaw."
"But then how….." Turning to Clark with awe, he said, "You brought me here that quick?"
Clark said nothing, and kept his eyes on the floor as he cried. Jonathan said, "Lex, we need to get you checked out. You took a hard blow to the jaw, and we need to see if you have a concussion or whiplash."
Lex took the ice pack from Martha, and held it to his jaw gently. Then he said to Jonathan, "I'll be fine after I rest for a few minutes. and take some aspirin."
"You can walk, or I can carry you, but we are going to the hospital," Jonathan said in a firm voice.
His head and neck were throbbing, and he didn't have the energy to argue. "Okay. I'll walk." Lex tried to get up, but immediately felt nauseous, and had to sit still while the feeling passed.
Jonathan bent down and picked him up, while Lex concentrated on not vomiting. Jonathan said, "Let's go."
Everyone got in the truck, with Clark sitting in the back, and Lex sitting between Martha and Jonathan. It was half an hour drive to the hospital. Four minutes into the ride. Martha pulled Lex down to rest his head on her shoulder. She took the ice pack from him, and held it to his jaw for him. Lex was in too much pain to argue, and let her. The longer he lay there against Martha, the more he thought about all the things Clark had said and done. He could tell that Martha and Jonathan were honestly worried about him, and that Martha was doing her best to comfort him. She was humming and rubbing his back in slow circles. He wasn't sure what started it, but he found himself crying. Martha heard it, and set the ice pack down on the seat. She put both her arms around him, and said, "We missed you so much Lex. I'm glad you're home, even if I don't like the way you got here."
Lex put his arms around her too, and cried the rest of the way to the hospital. Jonathan parked the truck at the E/R entrance, turned to Lex, and said, "Can you walk in?"
Wiping at his face, Lex said, "What are we going to say?"
"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, we can't tell them that Clark knocked me out. So what are we going to say happened?"
Jonathan said, "No matter what else happens between us Lex, I'll always be grateful to you for keeping Clark's secret."
With a glare, Lex asked, "Did you really think I wouldn't?"
Jonathan shrugged. "We haven't exactly talked about it, so I wasn't sure. We'll tell them the cow kicked you when you were cleaning out her stall. Can you walk?"
Lex nodded, but ended up with his arm around Jonathan's shoulders to help steady him as he walked.
Clark had also spent a good portion of the trip crying. He felt excruciatingly guilty about hurting Lex. When they stopped, he jumped out of the back, and waited by the side of the truck. He watched his Dad helping Lex, and jumped when he felt his Mom put her hand on his shoulder. She patted him and said, "Let's go see what the doctor says."
The E/R was surprisingly empty, and they got in to see the doctor in record time. They were all relieved to know that Lex didn't have a concussion, a broken jaw, or whiplash. He would have a nasty bruise, and a headache, but that was about it. The doctor prescribed a strong painkiller for the next two days, and sent them home. They got the prescription filled at the hospital's pharmacy, and Lex took one before they headed back.
The trip back was quiet. Lex leaned his head back on the seat and tried not to let the pain in his head and neck overpower him. By the time they got back to the farm the painkiller had started working, and Lex was able to think a little more clearly. They got out, and Lex was able to walk by himself to the house. As soon as they got in the house, Jonathan said, "Let's sit down at the table and talk."
Noticing the time, Martha said, "It's almost six, so I'm going to start some dinner while you guys talk. I'll still be able to hear."
Jonathan nodded. First he looked at Clark and said, "You told your mom you were going fishing. How did you end up in Metropolis?"
Clark muttered to the table, "I had it planned since last night. I decided I had to bring Lex home, so I ran to Metropolis and went to Luthorcorp to get him."
"Since when did it become your job to decide what was best for Lex?" Jonathan asked.
Clark muttered again, "Since he started being stupid."
Martha stopped what she was doing to stare at her son. The entire house was silent, while Jonathan counted to ten in his head, and then counted to ten again. Clark squirmed. Jonathan finally said, "Clark, if you don't drop the attitude and start showing some respect, I can spank you now, and then again after we've gone over things."
Lex snorted with disgust. Jonathan turned to him and said, "You have something to say Lex?"
"I don't understand what you're trying to do, but I already know about Clark. I don't see how you spanking him can have much effect, when he can lift a few tons of tractor over his head."
Glaring at Clark, Lex added, "I have to give you credit for a good act though. I only overheard your supposed spankings twice, and I believed you were actually getting hurt."
Shaking his head, Jonathan said, "I know we hid things from you Lex, but we would never put on such an elaborate act. Clark was getting spanked, and he was feeling it too."
Turning away, Lex said, "Sure. Whatever."
Thinking Lex would have to wait, Jonathan turned back to Clark and said, "Since when did it become your job to decide what was best for Lex?"
Clark couldn't believe that Lex thought they would be so deceitful. Not wanting to make things any worse, Clark gave the answer he knew his father wanted to hear. "It's not my job."
"And what did I say to you the last time you ran to Metropolis by yourself?"
"That it better not happen again," Clark admitted.
"How did you get Lex to see you?"
"I only gave the guard my first name, and asked him to call Lex. Then Lex came down to see me," Clark's eyes darted to Lex, hoping he wouldn't add to that statement.
Jonathan continued, "So then how did you get from seeing Lex to hitting him?"
"He drove me to his hotel room so we could talk, and when…"
Lex interrupted. "You left something out Clark."
Shaking his head, Clark gave Lex his best 'please don't' look.
"Sorry Clark, but I have to.": Turning to Jonathan, Lex said, "When I got to the lobby, the security guard was trying to throw Clark out. Clark pushed him away…..a few feet away."
The house was silent again, while Martha stopped what she was doing to stare at her son. Clark glared at Lex, wishing in that moment, that he hadn't brought him home. Lex saw the glare, and tried to explain why he'd ratted him out, "Hitting me wasn't very nice Clark, but we were brothers, and brothers sometimes fight. Exposing yourself in the lobby of my father's building was just plain…..stupid. It was by far the worst thing you did tonight."
Looking back down at the table, Clark tried to stay mad at Lex, but found he couldn't.
"You still are brothers Lex." Jonathan said.
Turning away, Lex didn't respond. Jonathan asked, "Was the guard hurt? Did Lionel see it?"
Lex said with confidence, "I know the guard. He's a good man, and he's worked for my father for a long time. He'll keep his mouth shut. I don't know if my father saw it or not. I hope to God he didn't."
Turning back to Clark, Jonathan said, "You were going to leave this part of the story out, weren't you."
"You're already so mad….." Clark started crying again.
Putting his hand over Clark's, he said, "Yes I am, but you know that no matter what you do, I'll always love you. Leaving part of the story out is the same as lying. Don't do it again."
Clark nodded in understanding. Jonathan said, "So you pushed the security guard, and then what?"
While crying, Clark said, "Lex took me to his place. We argued, and I……I hit him."
Jonathan looked at Lex, who confirmed this with a nod. Jonathan asked, "And then while he was passed out you carried him home?"
Clark nodded again, and Jonathan said, "Why didn't you call me and tell me what was going on as soon as you realized Lex was unconscious?"
"Because he wasn't gonna come home, and it's my fault, and I couldn't stand it anymore!"
Lex hadn't given much thought to how Clark was dealing with him leaving, and now realized he should have. Lex said, "Why do you think it's your fault?"
"If I wasn't the way I am, none of this would have happened!"
Coming out of the kitchen, Martha put her hand on Clark's shoulder and said, "But if you didn't have your abilities, Lex would have killed you that day on the bridge when he crashed into you. And he'd be dead too, if you hadn't been able to pull him out of the car."
Both boys were quiet while they considered what she'd said. Lex realized for the first time, what had actually happened that day. While Clark remembered that he usually used his abilities for good.
Now that he'd gotten the story, Jonathan knew what had to be done. He went to the cupboard, and took out the small dreaded box. Turning to Clark he said, "Go to your room."
Clark disappeared from the table. Startled, Lex jumped and said, "Jeez, do you ever get used to that?"
Martha said, "Not entirely."
Jonathan sat down and opened the box for Lex to see. He said, "This is what makes Clark feel it when I spank him. It's a tiny piece of the meteor rock. When Clark gets close to it, he becomes weak. If I tried to spank him without this, he wouldn't feel any pain. But with it, he's as vulnerable as you and me."
"The day of the meteor shower, when we first brought Clark home, we found a chunk of meteor rock the size of my fist on our kitchen floor, and a small hole in our roof. Martha thought the green rock was pretty, and put it in the kitchen window. The first week Clark was here, we all had a lot of adjusting to do. He broke a lot of furnature without meaning to, and we found out regular toys just weren't going to work for him. His favorite toy was an old tractor wheel that was so heavy I had trouble lifting it. But it was a good toy for him because he didn't break it after four minutes of playing with it. At first we were worried that he'd get hurt, but after watching him drop it on his feet a few times, with a smile on his face, we calmed down."
"In the second week, Martha noticed that Clark didn't go in the kitchen, even though that was where she spent a lot of her time. When she tried to coax him into the kitchen, he would use his new favorite word 'no', and run the opposite direction. One day after she'd baked cookies, she held one out to him, and he went to the kitchen to get it. He was holding the tractor wheel in one hand, and as he walked towards Martha, she saw him falter and drop it. It landed on his bare foot, and broke it. Clark screamed so loud, I heard him out in the field and came running. Martha had picked him up, and was looking at the foot when I got to the house. It was clearly broken in several places, and swelling by the second. Over Clark's screaming I said the word 'hospital', and we both rushed towards the front door. The screaming stopped when we got to the front door, and when we got to the truck, instead of getting in, Martha stood there staring at Clark's foot. It was completely healed. It took some trial and error, but eventually we figured out it was the rock."
After a pause, Lex said, "Okay, so let's say I believe this story of yours. How did that turn into using the rock against him to spank him."
Sighing, Jonathan said, "I know the trust you had with us has been broken, and I hope someday it can be repaired. As for using the rock to spank him, well I doubt our house would still be standing, if I couldn't have enforced a 'no' with an occasional slap to the hand during those first few months. But the point is, that Clark is getting spanked, and I don't think you'll believe that until you see it for yourself, so you should come upstairs with me."
Lex wasn't sure what to do. The thought of watching Clark get spanked was unpleasant at best, but at the same time, he really didn't trust Jonathan anymore. He stood and followed him up the stairs.
Jonathan knocked on Clark's door and went in. Clark was sitting on his bed, and trying not to cry. When he saw Lex was with his dad he shook his head. Jonathan ignored that, opened the box, and set it down on the nightstand. He sat down next to Clark, who could already feel the effects of the meteor, and said, "I am ashamed of what you did today Clark. You lied, you went to Metropolis without telling us where you were going, you exposed your abilities in front of people, and worst of all you bullied Lex into coming home and hit him. I'm going to spank you tonight for what you did to Lex. Then I'm going to spank you again tomorrow for lying."
Clark had never been spanked two days in a row, and the thought of it made him turn pale. In fact, the last time he'd been spanked, was the first time he'd run to Metropolis, and that had been almost a year ago. In his own defense Clark said, "But he wasn't gonna come home, I had to."
"No Clark you didn't. If you had told me your plan, I might have driven you to Metropolis, and we could have tried to see Lex together. None of us were giving up on Lex. We all sent him letters and emails every day, and we would have kept trying to see him and make contact with him until it happened. What you did was wrong Clark. Just because you're stronger then your brother, it doesn't give you the right to make him do things he doesn't want to do."
Lex didn't know that the Kents had been sending letters or emails. He'd put a filter on his emails, and he'd told the hotel that he didn't want contact with them. But he figured they would have given up after a couple of days.
Jonathan continued, "You're also grounded for two weeks. See if staying at the farm and in your room helps you appreciate the trust we put in you when we let you do things by yourself like go fishing."
Clark didn't say anything, knowing it was futile. Jonathan said, "Stand up."
Shooting a look in Lex's direction, Clark said, "In front of Lex?"
"I think he deserves to see your punishment after the things you did to him today."
Thinking about how much worse it was to have someone watching, Clark darted his eyes to Lex one more time before standing up. Lex wasn't sure if Clark was angry with him or not, but he could tell the kid was miserable.
Jonathan unsnapped Clark's jeans, yanked the boy over his lap, and pulled down the pants and underwear together. Clark had been expecting the pants to come down this time, but he hadn't expected to have an audiance. He tried not to yell out when the spanking started, because Lex was watching, but after the third swat, he couldn't stop himself. As the swats continued, his legs started kicking, and his yelling got louder.
Lex stood transfixed for the first few swats. He could clearly see that Clark's skin was getting pink, and that his body was twitching and jumping in response to the swats. Then when Clark's yells got louder, Lex had to turn away. He didn't want to see it. He felt conflicted because he was both distressed that Clark was in obvious pain, but at the same time relieved and even happy that the Kents hadn't lied to him about this too. After the first ten swats Jonathan paused and said, "Listen up Clark, because if I have to go over this with you again, I'll be using my belt. You are not going to be a bully. You don't force people to do things they don't want to do just because you're stronger. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Sir! I won't do it again! I swear!"
Jonathan started spanking again even harder then before. Lex jumped at the noise, and his eyes went back to the spanking going on in front of him. Clark yelled as his whole body jerked in response to the resumed spanking. Lex really wanted to not be there, and didn't see how Jonathan could do it. He took a close look at Jonathan's face, and saw determination mixed with sadness.
Clark was crying and trying to get out apologies at the same time. Jonathan knew that Clark felt pretty guilty about hitting Lex, because he hadn't asked him to stop, and he always had before. Clark had been trying not to, but a couple of seconds after the spanking started again he reached his hand back to cover his butt. Jonathan was expecting it, and caught the hand as he kept spanking. When Jonathan got to twenty swats he slowed down and increased the force of the swats for the last few. In between swats he said, "You…..don't…..hit…..your……brother."
Lex had tried to turn away after seeing Jonathan's face, but couldn't. He watched and his mind raced. When it was over, Lex let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. He watched while Jonathan let go of Clark's hand, and rubbed his back. Jonathan said, "All over Clark. I forgive you, and I'm sure Lex does too."
Lex could see that Jonathan's face showed uncertainty and worry about what had just happened, even though his words sounded confident. A few seconds later Jonathan reached down to pull up Clark's clothes. Then stopped and looked at Lex as if realizing again that he was still in the room. Jonathan let go of the clothes and closed the lid to the box that held the meteor. Lex watched Clark's butt change from a slightly red color, back to his normal skin tone in seconds. Then Jonathan pulled Clark's clothes back up. He picked Clark up and held him on his lap. He didn't say anything, but rocked him slightly and rubbed his back while he cried. Lex stepped out of the room as quietly as he could.
Lex stood in the hallway for a few seconds letting himself calm down. Then he walked downstairs and found Martha finishing up dinner. Lex could tell she was upset too. He asked, "Need any help?"
She shook her head. "No thanks. You should be sitting down and relaxing anyway."
He sat down at the kitchen table and thought about everything. A few minutes later he felt Martha patting his shoulder. "How's your jaw?" she asked.
"Not bad. The medication is working. How does it look?"
"Not good. It's gonna be a big bruise." Martha went back to cooking, and ten minutes later, she was putting food on the table. She looked towards the stairs and said, "Let's eat. They might be a while, and they can warm it up when they're ready."
Lex hadn't been eating much since the day he left the Kent farm, but tonight he found he was starving. He finished everything on his plate before Martha had eaten half of hers, but then was too stuffed for seconds. As Martha was finishing up, Jonathan came down the stairs followed by Clark. Martha got their plates ready and heated them up in the microwave. The table was quiet, and Clark wouldn't make eye contact with anything except his plate. When Jonathan was done eating he noticed that Clark was done too. He said, "Clark, go take a shower and get ready for bed."
Clark didn't argue, he just kept his head down, and went up the stairs. When he was out of the room, Jonathan looked at Martha and said, "He's grounded for two weeks, and I'm going to spank him again tomorrow for lying."
Lex watched Martha, and could tell she wasn't one hundred percent in agreement with the prescribed punishment, but she nodded her head anyway and said, "Okay."
Turning to Lex, Jonathan said, "I guess we should talk."
"I guess we should."
"I'm sorry you found out the way you did, and I'm even more sorry that I didn't go after you when you ran out of here. If I could do it again, I would do things differently."
Lex held up his hand and said, "Let me say something first." Taking a deep breath he said, "I never want to watch you spank Clark again, but I'm glad I saw it tonight, because it made me realize something important."
"What did you realize?" Martha asked.
Lex turned to Jonathan and said, "You just spanked Clark for being a bully. For bringing me home when he was stronger then me."
When Lex paused again, Jonathan said, "And…."
"But if you look at it from another perspective, you could say that you were the bully. You're forcing Clark to do what you think is right, by spanking him when you're bigger and stronger then him. So, I guess when you spanked me for lying, you really were treating me the same way you would your son."
With an expression of shock and sadness, Jonathan sat back in his chair. He'd been questioning himself since the day Lex left, and now he found he couldn't argue.
Seeing her husband's reaction, Martha knew this one was up to her. She said, "Lex, look at me."
Once he did, she said, "You haven't been part of a stable family for a long time, and I know that sometimes it's hard for you to understand things. But trust me when I tell you there are different sets of rules, and different realities, for parents and their kids. Jonathan and I lied to you about Clark, but it was the right thing to do at the time. Most parents lie to their children once in a while, especially when they think it's in the child's best interest. As adults, we have more experience, and a better understanding of the world around us then our children do. Then add that to the fact that we have a strong need to protect our children, and it means that the rules we set up for our kids, are not always exactly the same as the rules we live by. It doesn't make us hypocrites. It makes us parents. Some parents lie to their kids about how their pets died. Lots of parents lie to their kids about Santa Claus. Some parents lie to their kids about things they have done in their past to protect them. The list could go on and on."
"You say Jonathan is bullying Clark into behaving. I say Jonathan understands that especially because of Clark's abilities, he needs to learn how to control his temper, and Jonathan is helping him learn how to do that. Clark hauled off and punched you because he was angry. That's not the same thing as Jonathan calmly explaining to Clark what he's done wrong, and then spanking him to make him change his behavior."
The love Jonathan felt for his wife swelled, as he listened to her say the words he hadn't been able to come up with. He smiled at her and put his hand over hers.
After a few seconds to think this over, Lex slowly nodded. When she saw this, Martha said, "And the same is true about us hiding Clark's abilities from you. It's just not the same as you lying to us about how Christmas was with your father, or about how much you had to drink, or about leaving the farm when you were told to stay here. We didn't lie to you because it was the best thing for us, we lied to you because it was what was best for you and for Clark at the time."
Lex had been looking at the table while Martha was talking, but now that she was done, he looked up and said, "I…..I didn't see it like that. When Clark came to see me, he said that I should forgive you, because of all the times that you had forgiven me, and I could see the logic in that, and I was ready to do that……but……now I think that maybe you didn't do anything that needs to be forgiven. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand the way a family should work, because……well you know what my dad is like."
She said, "I think it shows a lot of maturity that you can understand my perspective. And you're right, that I don't think we did anything wrong. We were going to tell you about Clark as soon as you came home for the summer a month and a half from now."
Jonathan said, "We hadn't decided that yet."
"I had," Martha said.
Jonathan didn't exactly like that statement, but accepted it. He turned to Lex and said, "But we both felt horrible about the way you found out. When we see either of you boys hurting we hurt for you. And I was too caught up in second guessing myself to go after you and help you see things our way. Then when I couldn't get in to see you and explain….."
Lex asked quietly, "Were you really still trying to get in touch with me?"
"Come into the living room with me," Martha said.
Turning on the computer that Lex had bought her for her birthday, Martha opened her email, and clicked the sent file. She said, "Sit down and read it for yourself."
He sat and started to read, while Jonathan and Martha cleared the table. A few minutes later, Jonathan went to stand next to Lex and said, "We have some returned letters too if you'd like to see them."
Standing up, Lex shook his head no and hugged Jonathan. Surprised at the sudden affection, Jonathan put his arms around Lex too. He could tell he was crying, and said, "It's gonna be okay Lex. We still love you, and you're still a part of the family. I hope you never have a reason to question that again."
Martha came over to them, and Jonathan let her hug Lex too. After he'd calmed down, Lex wiped at his face and muttered, "It seems like I'm crying all the damn time now."
Jonathan patted his shoulder and said, "We all cry sometimes. It's nothing to be ashamed of son."
Lex felt a rush of happiness at Jonathan calling him son again. Martha said, "Come tell us what you've been doing this week."
They all sat on the couch, and Lex told them everything. Martha and Jonathan exchanged more then one look when Lex told them about the things his father had said and done. By the time Lex was done telling his story, Jonathan had a hard time restraining himself from going to beat up Lionel. Jonathan put an arm around Lex and said, "I'm so proud of you Lex."
"Why?" Lex asked.
"You didn't go out and take any drugs while you were upset. You didn't even get drunk. That's a huge step forward for you."
"I suppose that's true."
Martha said, "But it sounds like you were pretty depressed Lex. If there's ever another time when you don't think you can talk to us, you need to consider therapy."
Lex had to agree. "That would probably be good. I felt lost and hopeless. I don't know what would have happened if Clark hadn't come by. My father would have tried to make sure I didn't……Shit."
Both parents gave him a look of mild disaproval. Knowing that Martha especially didn't approve of him swearing, Lex said, "Sorry. I have to call my dad and tell him something."
Jonathan said, "Tell him I had driven Clark there to see you, and that you decided to come home to spend the weekend with us."
Feeling ill while thinking about going back to Luthorcorp, Lex said, "I don't want to go back…..but I think I'll have to. I already promised Dad I would do this internship, and he won't let me get out of it. And I'm too chicken shit to go without his money."
Martha said firmly, "I've heard enough language for the night, and I don't want you putting yourself down either. Not many people can go without money, I don't think less of you because of it."
Blushing at the reprimand, Lex said, "Okay…..sorry."
Jonathan asked, "Do you want to call him down here or in our room?"
"Down here."
"Go ahead whenever you're ready."
Lex didn't think he would be ready any time, but dialed anyway. When Lionel answered, Lex said, "Hi Dad."
"Where are you? You can't just walk off the job. It's very unprofessional."
"I know. I'm sorry. Clark showed up at the office, and I talked to him for a little bit. Then I had to make sure he got back to the truck with Mr. Kent, and then I started talking to him. And I know it was wrong, but I just had to see them, so I let them bring me here for the weekend. I promise I'll be back to work on Monday morning, and I'll probably even be there with my spine."
After a short pause, Lionel surprised his son by saying, "Don't be late."
Lex heard his father hang up, and just stared at the phone, trying to make sense of it. Jonathan came over, and put an arm around his shoulders. He said, "What did he say."
"He told me not to be late and hung up. I guess that means he's okay with me being here," Lex said with surprise.
"Good. Then you can come home next weekend too."
With a big smile, Lex said, "I guess I can."
Martha said, "It's been a very long and emotional day for all of us. Why don't you take another of your pills, and get some sleep. I know I'm ready for bed."
Lex agreed and hugged them both before heading up to his room.
# # #
The next day Jonathan let both the boys sleep in. Lex came down the stairs a few minutes after Jonathan had gone out. He went straight for the painkillers which had been left on the kitchen counter and took one with some water. Martha put her coffee down and said, "Come over here and let me see how your face is."
Lex put a hand on his neck as he walked over and said, "My head must have really snapped back hard, because I think my neck hurts more then my jaw."
Martha held his face in her hands, and examined the large purple bruise that covered a most of the left side of his jaw.
She shook her head and said, "That's gonna take a while to heal up." She turned his face to the other side and kissed his cheek. Letting him go, she asked, "What do you want for breakfast?"
He smiled, even though his neck was killing him and said, "Hmm….coffee and toast."
She laughed. "And then you'll be hungry in an hour. How about biscuits and gravy?"
"Sounds good."
He sat down with a cup of coffee, closed his eyes, and waited for the medication to work. Fifteen minutes later, Clark came down. His mom saw him coming and went over to give him a hug. She said, "How did you sleep?"
"Okay."
"Do you want some juice?"
"Sure……does Dad need some help?"
Martha said, "Not right now."
She handed him a glass of juice, and started getting things ready to make breakfast. Clark sat as far away from Lex as he could. Lex heard the chair move when Clark sat down, and turned to look at him. Clark kept his eyes on his juice. Lex said, "Morning."
Clark muttered, "Morning." and kept looking at his glass.
Having thought about Clark a lot the night before, Lex said, "Thanks for bringing me home."
Clark's head shot up. He saw the bruise and cringed in sympathy. "I'm really sorry I punched you Lex. I didn't mean to….well, I meant to, but I didn't mean for it to be so bad, I just wanted you to believe me."
"I know. I'm not mad about it. In fact I feel better today then I have since I ran out of here a week ago. Even with pain shooting up and down my neck."
Clark looked back down in shame. Lex said, "I took another painkiller, and I should feel better in a few minutes, so don't look so depressed little brother."
With uncertainty, Clark looked back up, and said, "Little brother?"
Lex nodded, and the two of them smiled at each other. Lex said, "I know Pop doesn't think it was the right thing to do, and I may not like the way you did it, but I think it took a lot of guts, and I'm glad you brought me home."
"Lex," Martha warned.
Trying to sound innocent, Lex said, "What?" even though he knew exactly what she wasn't happy about.
She gave him a look of disapproval, but didn't say anything else. Turning back to Clark, Lex was quietly serious when he said, "But I guess I should tell you, that I was planning to drive you home and talk to our folks before you knocked me out, because the things you said to me were really convincing."
Clark nodded in understanding, and almost started to cry again. Lex waited a few minutes and asked, "So, can we go back to some kind of normal now?"
"I am sorry Lex."
"I know Clark, you already told me. And in case you don't remember, I know you've already been punished for it too, so stop feeling so guilty."
Turning bright red, Clark didn't say anything else. The room fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence. A few minutes later Martha said, "Lex spent last week learning all about the mailroom at Luthorcorp."
With a laugh, Lex said, "Who knew there was so much mail to sort."
Clark asked, "Is that what you spent most of your time doing?"
They talked about the mailroom until breakfast was ready. When it was ready Martha said, "Lex, could you go tell Jonathan that it's time to eat please?"
Lex found Jonathan in the barn, and said, "Mom says it's time to eat."
Jonathan smiled when he heard Lex call Martha 'mom' again. He said, "Okay, but I want to give you something first." Jonathan pulled the compass out of his shirt pocket, and handed it to Lex. He said, "I thought you might like to have this back."
Lex hadn't exactly forgotten about the compass, but he hadn't thought about it for the past few days either. Taking the compass, Lex wasn't sure what to say. Getting choked up, he said, "Thanks." He wanted to say more, but he wasn't sure how to tell Jonathan how much it meant to him, but he suspected that Jonathan already knew. Jonathan put his arm around Lex's shoulders and started them towards the house. "What's for breakfast."
"Biscuits and gravy."
"Well now I know your mom is happy you're back, because it's been cold cereal for days now."
Lex wasn't sure if he should laugh at that or not. He muttered, "Sorry."
Jonathan squeezed Lex's shoulder and laughed, "Not as sorry as I was."
Lex smiled as they walked into the house. Breakfast was a little less somber then dinner the night before, but not much. Clark kept darting glances at his father, and didn't do much eating. Lex on the other hand was too busy stuffing himself to say much. When Jonathan was done he said, "Wonderful breakfast sweetheart."
Martha smiled at him, and rubbed his shoulder when she picked up his plate. Jonathan looked over at Clark, who quickly looked down at his mostly full plate. With a sigh, Jonathan said, "Okay Clark, I can see the wait is killing you, so let's get it over with."
Looking at him with big sad eyes, Clark said, "No, I can wait……really."
"Upstairs," Jonathan ordered.
Clark vanished, and Jonathan rubbed his temples. Then with a grim expression, he went to get the box out of the cupboard. Lex watched him head up the stairs, and then turned to Martha, who was also watching the stairs. Lex got up and said, "Hey Mom, it's a really nice day outside. Why don't you go take a walk, and I'll do the dishes."
Taking her eyes off the stairs, she said, "The dishes can wait. Why don't you take a walk with me."
Lex shook his head. "No thanks. I want to do the dishes for you. You go."
Martha thought about it for a second, and then went out the door, while Lex started putting dishes in the dishwasher. As he was finishing up, the sounds of what was happening upstairs filtered down to him. He grimaced in sympathy for Clark, and decided that maybe he did want to go for a walk after all. He wiped off his hands and went outside to find Martha.
# # #
The following week Lex was back to work, managing the mailroom. True to his word, he did have his spine, and his pride back. He wasn't nasty to anyone, but he also didn't let anyone walk on him. Lionel was pleased, and Lex was a little pleased with himself. He called the Kents every night to tell them about his day, and things went back to 'normal' for him. Thursday night he went to dinner with his father for the first time since being back, and Lionel noticed the Lex actually ate his food and had three glasses of wine. Lionel didn't like the idea of Lex spending time with the Kents, but he had to admit, he did like the results.
The next Friday night, Lex drove to the Kent farm for the weekend. He noticed that while Clark was still grounded, his parents had lightened up a little bit, and Clark wasn't in misery the way he was the previous weekend. All in all, Lex was happy again and back on track.
On Saturday night right before dinner Lex said, "Oh hold on, I brought something for you guys."
He went up to his room, and got an expensive bottle of wine out of his overnight bag. He took it back to Martha and said, "It's just to say thanks for not giving up on me when I was gone."
With a smile, Martha said, "Thank you Lex, that's very sweet of you."
Jonathan smiled too and asked Martha, "Should we have some with dinner?"
She nodded, and he opened it. Lex got out three glasses, and handed them to Martha. She looked at him and paused. "I'm sorry Lex, but you're still under age."
He starred at her for a few seconds, not understanding that statement. He said, "I drink all the time Mrs. Kent."
Jonathan stepped in and said, "Not when you're home you don't, and you shouldn't drink at all."
Lex wasn't sure exactly why, but that comment made him livid. With an angry laugh he said, "I've been drinking myself stupid since I was twelve. I'm almost twenty. I think I can handle a glass of fucking wine."
Clark gasped, and wondered what Lex was thinking.
Grabbing Lex's arm, Jonathan swatted him hard. "There's no need for your attitude. I've made it perfectly clear to you, many times, that I don't like you drinking. Why do you think that would be any different today."
Glaring at the man he'd come to think of as a father, Lex said, "I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed." He stormed out of the kitchen, and stompped up the stairs.
Martha and Jonathan exchanged a look, When Lex was out of earshot Martha said, "What was that about?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it."
"Are you gonna bring him back down?" she asked.
Jonathan thought about it, and shook his head. He said, "Let him be hungry tonight. He worked hard on the farm today. He'll regret his outburst pretty quick."
The dinner table was a little more quiet then usual, but not much, and even though they felt slightly bad about it, Jonathan and Martha drank some wine, not wanting to let it go to waste. After dinner Martha put the cork back in the bottle to save the rest. Jonathan said, "Better keep it in our room. He'll be hungry tonight, and I don't want to put the temptation in front of him."
That night, Lex was tossing and turning, and his stomach was growling. He kept thinking that Jonathan had no right to tell him he couldn't have a glass of wine. He clearly remembered Martha telling him that there were different rules for adults then there were for kids, but that just made him more angry. He had plenty of adult responsibilities at Luthorcorp. At two in the morning, he couldn't take it any more. He snuck downstairs and had some cold leftovers out of the fridge. As he was eating, he got more and more angry about the wine. He looked around for it, and didn't see it. He looked even harder and couldn't find it. Then he realized that they must have hidden it from him, so that he couldn't have any. He was livid, and tossed the rest of his leftovers in the garbage. Without too much forethought, he grabbed the keys to the truck and walked out the door.
Upstairs Martha and Jonathan both woke up to the sound of their truck taking off. Jonathan said, "What the hell?"
"Lex?" she asked.
Jonathan shook his head and went to go check Lex's room. He came back and said, "He's running off over a glass of wine? It's like we're back to step one."
While Jonathan started to get dressed, Martha said, "He's testing you."
"You think?" he asked.
"He probably doesn't even know he's doing it, but he had to know when he brought that wine home, that we wouldn't let him have any. He set himself up, because he want's to see if you'll go get him. Or at least that's my theory."
Walking back over to the bed, he kissed his wife and said, "You are the smartest woman I know, and I love you. I'll be home with the boy in an hour or two."
"Be careful, and don't be too hard on him."
She had no trouble falling back to sleep as Jonathan got the motorcycle out.
Jonathan decided that if Martha was right, Lex was probably headed to a bar to find himself a drink. Thinking it was absurd of Lex to be doing this, Jonathan shook his head. But after what had happened two weeks ago, he could see where Lex might need to be reassured that Jonathan would come after him. Then he thought, 'Maybe that's not why he left. Maybe it's something else I don't know about. Well, I'll just have to find him either way, and figure it out.'
Lex drove to town with angry thoughts going through his head. 'I drink all the damn time. Dad never has a problem with it. I can't believe Mom and Pop think that I can't handle a glass of wine with dinner. I could drink the whole fucking bottle. Just because I'm not twenty-one is the stupidest reason I've ever heard for not drinking. Then they were going to sit there and drink it in front of me, like they were throwing it in my face that they could and I couldn't. Different rules for kids and adults……what a load of shit. And I'm not a kid anyway. I'm an adult. Dad treats me like an adult, and I'm fucking tired of the Kents treating me like a kid.'
Lex pulled up to Billy's bar and parked in the deserted parking lot. He thought, 'Who needs wine, when I can have scotch.'
Getting out of the truck, he tried the front door and found it locked. He went to the back door, but it was locked too. When he realized he didn't carry his lock picking set with him anymore, he kicked the door in anger. Then yelped in pain, and held his foot while cursing. Looking down at himself, he realized he was still in his pajamas and slippers. In fact he didn't even have his wallet with him. This made him even angrier, and he went around the building looking for windows. He found one on the side of the building and tried it. It was closed, but not locked, and as the window slid open, Lex smiled in satisfaction. He climbed in the window, and went straight to the bar. He got the most expensive scotch Billy kept, and poured himself a double.
After downing that and pouring himself another, he heard the sound of a motorcycle outside. Lex felt his stomach turning and panicked. He put the lid on the scotch, and quickly put it away. He thought about pouring the scotch out, but instead quickly choked it down, and put the glass away where he had found it. He wiped his face off, and tried to make his hand stop shaking, as he looked around for someplace to hide. Or at least for some way to make it look like he wasn't there just to drink.
A few seconds later he jumped at the sound of someone knocking at the back door. He stood still thinking, 'Shit, shit, shit.'
A loud voice from the other side said, "Lex, I know you're in there. Come open this door right now."
Shaking his head, Lex thought, 'What the hell am I doing?'
Jonathan waited a few seconds and then knocked again. "Lex! Open the door!"
Lex walked to the door, and fumbled with the lock before he got it open. Looking at Jonathan, he said, "Umm…..Hi?"
Jonathan took one look at Lex, and knew Martha had been right. Jonathan almost smiled at the sight in front of him. Lex looked pretty young, standing in his pajamas looking guilty. But knowing a smile wasn't what Lex needed, Lex gave him a glare instead. He stepped in and Lex stepped back. Jonathan closed the door behind him and said, "What do you think you're doing?"
Looking at the bar, Lex said, "Umm…..Nothing?"
Jonathan turned him to the side, and swatted him twice. "Try again."
Once he was let go, Lex took a few steps backwards. His anger came back full force, and he yelled, "I can drink if I want to!"
Jonathan thought to himself, 'Okay, so you're having a tantrum. That I can fix.'
He grabbed Lex's upper arm, and pulled him over to one of the tables. He pulled a chair out, while Lex pulled back, trying to get away. As soon as Lex realized what Jonathan was doing he said, "No! You can't!"
Jonathan had to work very hard at not rolling his eyes. He sat down and pulled Lex over his lap. He started spanking hard and fast, while Lex yelled loudly, and tried to get up. It was hard work keeping Lex in place for the first ten swats, but after that he calmed down some.
Lex yelled, "This is ridiculous!"
Jonathan couldn't have agreed more. He paused long enough to pull the pajama bottoms down, and then resumed spanking. Lex screeched indignantly, and started struggling again. But he didn't struggle very long, because soon the pain got to be too much. He gave a few involuntary 'ow's' and some 'ah's' before Jonathan paused. Jonathan rested his hand on Lex's back and said, "Let's try this again. What do you think you are doing here, in your pajamas, in the middle of the night?"
Lex didn't have a good answer to that. He was pretty sure that whatever answer he gave, he was going to get spanked some more, so after a few seconds he muttered, "I was having a drink."
"I told you just a few hours ago that you couldn't drink when you were home."
Lex had nothing to say to that. Jonathan gave him a few hard swats and Lex 'owed' through them. Jonathan said, "And you know you aren't supposed to be going anywhere without telling me where you're going, and I'm pretty sure I remember going over breaking and entering. Does any of this sound familiar to you?"
Lex muttered, "Yeah."
"Then I guess you know what to expect."
Before Lex could respond, Jonathan had brought his hand down again. For the next few seconds the only sounds in the bar were loud smacks, with a few grunts and exclamations of pain. Lex yelled, "Mr. Kent…Ow…I'm sorry…..Mmmff….Please stop….Ow!….Pop, I'm sorry!"
Very soon, Lex lost the struggle, and started to cry. Jonathan gave him a few more swats and stopped. Jonathan decided it was enough, since Lex was obviously more interested in testing Jonathan's commitment to him, then he was interested in actual drinking. He patted Lex on the back and said, "Okay son. All over."
Jonathan helped Lex to stand, and fixed his pajamas for him, before pulling him down to sit on his lap. Jonathan pushed Lex's head down, so that it was resting on his shoulder. Rubbing his back, Jonathan waited for quite a few minutes until Lex had calmed down to sniffles. Jonathan patiently asked, "How much did you have to drink?"
"Two shots of scotch….but they were doubles," Lex said with a sniff.
Jonathan smiled at the honesty. "Okay. Let's go leave Billy a note, and some money for the drinks. Then tomorrow you can apologize when we come back to get my bike."
Lex wasn't looking forward to that, but nodded and got up. Jonathan stood and put the chair back, before going to the bar and writing a quick note. He put a ten on the counter, and then Lex said, "Um…..it was the Glenlivit."
Sighing, he got out a twenty to add to it, and said, "Okay, let's go home."
Following Jonathan out to the truck, Lex got in and tried to find a comfortable way to sit, but couldn't. A few minutes into the trip Jonathan said, "Lex, I hope you know that I'll always come after you, no matter what, because I love you. You'll always have a home with us."
Lex felt himself start to cry again. He was really tired of crying so much, but he was so relieved by Jonathan's words, that he couldn't help himself. Jonathan said, "And I know some of the rules we have for you seem silly or unfair to you, but they're there because we think it's what you need right now."
Jonathan noticed that Lex was crying again and pulled over. Hugging the boy, he said, "It's gonna be okay. You'll feel better tomorrow."
A few minutes later Lex let go, and Jonathan started driving again. Lex berated himself for the night's activities for the rest of the trip home. Once they got there Jonathan walked him up to his room and tucked him into bed. He kissed Lex on the forehead and said, "Sleep good."
Lex didn't find that difficult at all.