Young Clark Face Claim: .

Lex Face Claim: .

….

Jon Kent hummed along to the music playing over the radio, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove down the road.

And then he heard the frantic beeping of another truck behind him.

Glancing in the mirror, he noticed a red truck practically up his rear end, beeping furiously, "Woah, woah, woah!" he exclaimed, "What's your hurry, pal?!"

The truck just got closer and closer.

"Hey!"

"Move it, already!" he heard the other driver scream out of the window, before he rammed into the back of Jon's truck. He then tried to get around Jon, before ramming into him again. "Get out of my way!"

What was wrong with this guy?!

Jon turned off onto a dirt road, watching as the other truck tried to overtake him, only to lose control of the vehicle and flip the car, causing the roof of it to skid along the ground. Quickly, Jon pulled over and called out "Hey, in the truck! You all right?"

He made his way closer, spotting the man hanging out of the window. "Hey, hey! Come on. Gotta get you out of here!"

He struggled to pull the man out, throwing the man over his shoulders and rushing over from the red truck… just as it exploded with a BANG!

Once the smoke cleared and his ears stopped ringing, he turned his attention back to the man, "All right, come on, now…. Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

And then he spotted the yellow flower.

It seemed to have come out of nowhere, bright yellow petals arching towards the sun…. and then it sprayed green gas directly into Jon's face, causing him to sneeze violently.

But apart from that, there were no negative effects.

"We gotta get you out of here." He murmured to the man, before carrying him to his truck, the flower already forgotten.

….

In his library, sipping on a glass of orange juice (Mercy's 'kind' suggestion), Lex was re-reading one of his favourite books, War and Peace.

He had no meetings, no urgent files to look at, and there was a chance Clark was coming around for a visit later… it promised to be a good day.

And then there was a knock on his door as it opened up to reveal a familiar face.

"Dr. Hamilton…." Lex greeted, pushing himself to his feet, "… I thought we agreed that you no longer had to do any research for me. I even let you keep that rather large amount of money to soothe it over?"

Knowing that the meteor rocks was Clark's weakness, Lex had decided to drop that particular fixation, knowing that if the meteors really were a problem, Dr. Hamilton would find out without the omega breathing down his neck… so to speak.

"A situation's come up in my lab." Dr. Hamilton was clearly stressed.

"Don't you mean your barn?"

He was ignored as the Doctor continued, "One of my experiments was stolen by one of your employees!"

Lex frowned at this…. So far as he knew, no-one from his company knew he'd gone to Hamilton…. And none of them should have been near the place. "Why would anyone at LuthorCorp know about your work?"

Shifting nervously from side to side, Hamilton sighed, "I was taking advantage of your funding… Luthorcorp has the best equipment out there and this man was helping me install new equipment."

Stupid… but what the hell. "Okay… What'd he steal?"

"… A flower."

"You're kidding… please say you're kidding."

"It's called the Nicodemus. It's been extinct for a hundred years."

"I thought you were studying the effects of meteors on this town? I thought that was your focus, you're a geologist. Why are you wasting time bringing flowers back from the dead?"

"I irradiated the dormant seeds with meteor fragments."

A science experiment then. "I would have thought you would be more interested in the effects on people, not plants?"

"It's a first step, that's what science is! It's a process, a journey…. And you know what? Either you understand that, or you don't!"

Just before Hamilton could storm out of the door, Lex spoke up again, "What's his name?"

"James Beels… I just found out he was in a car accident. He almost didn't make it but another driver pulled him out."

Now that sounded familiar.

"Let me guess… Clark Kent?"

"Actually, it was his father, Jonathan."

"… Of course it was."

…..

Clark heard about his Dad's heroism almost as soon as he got out of school, prompting him to race home as fast as he could.

"Mom? Dad?" he called out as he entered the house, "I just heard about the- " He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he walked in on his Pa lifting his Ma onto the kitchen table, kissing her deeply, prompting him to spin around, "- I did not need to see that!"

"Hey, son…." His Pa murmured, "… Just getting the old hero's welcome, you know what I mean?"

Clark turned around, only to witness Jon's hand slap against Martha's ass, causing her to yelp and go bright red. "Ummmm… What's going on with Dad?" he asked, knowing that he was probably looking a little red as well.

"I don't know. He's been acting strange ever since he got home." Martha whispered, clearly a little stunned by her husband's actions as well. He wasn't usually so bold with her.

They watched as Jon reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer (which was another cause for concern… usually any sort of drinking was left until everything had been done). "Hey, Clark…" he began, "… football game on TV. You want to watch it with me?"

"Don't you have work to do?"

Jon scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Chores can wait. Besides…" he rested the top of the bottle against the table and struck it hard, opening it up as the bubbles fizzed out, "… Whoa! I earned a rest! You can pick up the slack for me, can't you?"

He then went to dry the bottle and his hand on the curtains.

"Jonathan!" Martha growled in annoyance, grabbing a tea towel and throwing it at her husband's head, as Clark rolled his eyes behind her.

"It's good to see this whole hero thing didn't go to your head." He muttered, trying to brush off his Pa's comment.

His Dad always helped him, it didn't matter if Clark could do all the chores by himself in less than an hour… it was a family farm after all.

Before he could say anything however, there was a rapping on the back door and a cautious voice speaking through the glass.

"Hope I'm not interrupting?" Lex asked quietly, sending Clark a quick smile

"Hi, Lex!" Martha seemed nervous, but still very welcoming, "Come in."

"What's up, Lex?"

Lex slowly made his way inside, "I'm looking for ?"

"What do you want?" At the sudden hostility that was so close to his ear, Lex flinched and took a step back, trying to put distance between him and the angry beta. "I heard you pulled my employee out of a car, I wanted to see if you were okay."

"No, you didn't…" Jon sneered, "… You wanted to see if I was gonna sue you or not. More fun than having you throw money at us for Clark."

"Jonathan, that's enough!" Martha tried to grab Jon's arm, only for him to pull it away.

"No, it's not enough, Martha! You see, I don't like Lex Luthor I don't like Lionel Luthor, and I don't like your lust over my son! In fact, if all of you Luthors were to dry up and die, I wouldn't shed a tear!"

Clark lost it, especially at the look on Lex's face. With a feral sounding growl building up in his throat, he grabbed his Dad's arm and yanked him away from the omega, practically pinning him against the kitchen counters. "Dad, that's enough!"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Jon pulled himself away… and burped directly in Lex's face, smirking at the look of disgust on the omega's face. "I think I'll take a nap." He muttered, turning and winking at Martha, before heading up stairs.

"Lex…" Martha whispered, that one word saying all the apologies that she couldn't bring herself to say, as she turned and rushed after her husband.

Lex was completely silent.

"Lex…." Clark tried to place a hand on the omega's shoulder, only for Lex to shrug him off and shake his head wearily.

"Maybe… maybe I should come back another day." He whispered, before practically running out of the door, leaving a stunned Clark behind.

…

"Wow…." Pete shook his head in amazement as Clark told him the story the next day, "… Drinking beer, mouthing off and counter-macking with your mom? Congratulations, Clark, your dad's regressed back to being a teenager!"

"He's been under a lot of stress, but I seriously wonder if he's beginning to crack… I mean, who takes a three-hour nap in the afternoon?"

"I don't know, but I still like the part where he dissed Lex!"

Clark frowned in confusion at this, turning to his friend. "Why? What do you have against Lex?"

"Hmmm, let's see. He screwed my family out of the creamed-corn factory!"

"…. Well, that was 12 years ago! And it was his father!"

Pete clearly wasn't concerned about details like that, "I've just never been crazy about him."

"So, why haven't you said something?"

"I was hoping you'd see he was bad news!"

Shaking his head, Clark couldn't help but smirk. "So, this would be a bad time to mention that I was thinking of b- "

"- What's your deepest desire?"

The pair both turned to Chloe, who seemed oblivious to the fact that she was interrupting as she continued.

"I mean, if nothing was holding you back, what would you do?"

"Hello, Chloe, nice to see you too." Clark sighed wearily, "What's up?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Principal Kwan thinks I need to get in touch with the pulse of the student body. So, I've decided to do a poll…. Now, if you would both please do your statistical duty?"

"I'd go over and make out with that girl right now."

Chloe kicked Pete lightly in the leg, distracting his attention away from the beta girl walking past them. "You know, every answer I've gotten so far has been either sex or violence-related!"

"That's human nature, Chloe…. Later."

As Pete made his way over to the girl, Chloe and Clark headed in another direction.

"Did you know that Pete doesn't like Lex?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief, "Yeah, he's totally jealous of your friendship with him. He feels you aren't as close as you used to be."

"… We're not though…" Clark found himself admitting, thinking back on his and Pete's friendship, "… we don't really have a lot in common nowadays. And no offence to Pete. But what I want to do to Lex, is something I would never think about doing with Pete… ever!"

Chloe cackled at this, but before she could say anything, Lana suddenly appeared and beamed at the pair of them.

With Chloe distracted by showing Lana the survey, Clark blocked them out, turning his attentions back to Lex…. Lex and the look on his face as he left the day before.

His Pa had never been very fond of Lex, but to hear him speak to the omega with such venom in his voice…. It was a little bit concerning.

"Clark…. Clark!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Clark turned to Chloe, only to frown when he realised that Lana had gone.

The beta seemed amused by this. "I know that look…. Lex on the brain huh?" She then held up her clipboard, "Just remember, this is a PG-13 survey."

"It wasn't like that…" Clark sighed, "… I was just thinking that, even though I think he's the one for me, nobody else seems to accept that. My Pa hates him, Pete hates him, Ma's wary of him, I just- "

"- Clark." Chloe gave him a sympathetic smile, "I understand…. I don't know about Pete, but give your parents some time okay? They'll come around."

"Not Pa…. you didn't hear him this morning."

…..

Martha listened as her husband made his way down the stairs, whistling happily as he made his way over to her. "Hi…." He crooned in her ear, hands already making their way down his back.

"… Hi."

"What do you say you and I go up into the hayloft and have us a little fun, huh?"

"Not now…." Martha sighed, trying to collect all the laundrey, "… Somebody's gotta do some work around here…. Maybe you would like to call Lex Luthor and apologize?"

"…. Why? All I did was tell him the truth."

She rolled her eyes at this, "I know I said you should let your feelings out, but you're taking this too far…. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing…." He linked his fingers with hers and smirked, "… I feel free."

"Well, you don't look well…" she placed her palm against his face and winced, "… You're burning up. Why don't you go back to bed. I'll make you soup when I get back."

"Hey…. I know a much better way to break a fever."

She broke free of his grip and practically ran towards the front door, "Sweetheart, I have to go, really!"

And then she was gone…. Missing the apologetic call from one of their suppliers.

…

Clark frowned as he watched the familiar blue truck speed past, a familiar figure sitting behind the wheel.

"Where did you learn to drive, you jerk?!"

"Pa?" he whispered, watching in alarm as the truck almost ran a pedestrian over, "Pa!"

And then he saw the shotgun.

He was there in a flash, holding out his hands in an attempt to stop his Dad from going any further.

"Pa! What are you doing?" He asked in alarm, tensing as Jon glared at him.

"I've done nothing but give to this town, and they screw me over!" The man yelled, "They've pushed me too far, and I'm pushing back!"

"Not with a shotgun!" Clark pushed Jon back as gently as he could, "Pa, you gotta slow down. You're not thinking!"

"I'm thinking just fine, son…." The shotgun was then cocked, "…Now get out of my way!"

Desperately, Clark grabbed the barrel of the gun, trying to pull it out of his dad's hands, inadvertently causing it to aim directly at his chest…. And then BANG.

It didn't hurt…. But his jumper was practically ruined. But Clark wasn't worried about any of that… his Pa had just shot him in the chest.

What the hell was going on?"

"Clark." Jon whispered, clearly shocked by his actions, stumbling forwards slightly… the flush on his cheeks and the sweat oozing from every pore was now very obvious. He took a couple more steps forwards, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground in a dead slump

"Pa?" Clark rushed forwards, patting his Dad on the cheek only to get no response, "Pa!"

….

"His symptoms indicate a severe anaphylactic shock…." The Doctor reported to Martha and Clark a couple of hours later, "… But we can't detect any known antigens."

"What is it then?" Martha asked, a tone of desperation in her voice.

"Truth is, if he'd come in just yesterday, I'd say I'd never seen anything like it. But we admitted a car-crash victim this morning, a James Beels? Showed identical symptoms."

Clark frowned, remembering the news of his Dad's heroism, "That's the guy Dad saved. How's he doing?"

"… Not good. He fell into a coma an hour ago."

…

Needless to say, Lex heard about the illness of the two men fairly quickly, and curiosity brought him back to Hamilton's warehouse.

"Seems you haven't been completely honest with me, Dr. Hamilton." He sighed wearily, frowning as the other man scowled at him.

"I told you, it's under control."

Lex raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief, "Two men with an unexplained illness for which no one seems to know the cure isn't my idea of under control…. I did a little research of my own into your botany experiment." He threw a slim book onto Hamilton's desk, "Apparently, in 1871 a strange contagion struck the Morley settlement and 200 people died almost overnight. A priest who witnessed the scene left a diary. His last entries describe how the settlers began acting out of character… He claimed a local flower was to blame."

Picking the book back off the table, Lex cleared his throat and read out a section from it. ""On God's green earth, this flower was the thief in the temple. The silent temptress that, with a single sneeze, brought out the basest instincts in men and drove them to violence."

Hamilton sneered at him, "That's been relegated to folklore in scientific circles."

Moving over to the capsules, where several flowers were being kept, Lex tilted his head to the side in curiosity, "If you don't believe in this, you won't mind if I lift the lid and smell the flower?"

As he went to open the lid, Hamilton's hand came down suddenly, stopping him as he glared at the man.

"Why'd you bring it back?"

Hamilton was silent for a short time, before sighing wearily, "These flowers were believed to have toxins that, while deadly might have other applications."

"I though you were interested in the meteors?"

"I want to know what they can do!"

"Oh and putting people in the hospital was part of the plan?!"

"Every discovery has their consequences."

Lex glared at the other man… Clark would be devastated if he lost his Father. "If Jonathan Kent dies, you're gonna lose something more valuable than your tenure…. Pack up a flower. I've got a team of specialists in Metropolis waiting to work on it."

"It's my research!"

"I don't give a damn about your research… I just want to find a cure."

…

"Not going to class, Clark?"

Turning his attention away from one of Chloe's nick-nacks, Clark twisted around at Lana's voice. "I'm not really up… To it" Oh Jesus Christ, that was a tight outfit…. Why was she wearing such a tight outfit?

Lana was not an omega who wore outfits like that.

At his slightly nervous gaze, she smirked at him. "What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing…. are those new shoes."

Slowly, with a little bit of an extra wiggle that what she usually had, she strode further into the room, gesturing at herself, "You like it?"

"Ummmm…." Clark glanced at his hands, determined not to look at her, "… I think the operative word is 'gulp.'"

The smirk on her face seemed to widen as she went to sit opposite him, leaning in close. "Listen… I know things are rough, but you can't let them get you down."

"… It's kind of hard not to."

"The key is to keep your mind off it…. Let your friends be your friends…. Let them distract you… Trust them."

Oh God…. It was hard to misinterpret that tone of voice. What was wrong with her?!

"I-I do trust you, Lana!" he found himself stammering, trying to lean away as the omega leaned in closer.

"Good…. Then follow me." She took his hand and dragged him out of the room, through the corridors and into the room where the swimming pool was.

"Ummm… What are we doing in here?"

"It's quiet."

"… It's also completely off-limits." He glanced at her, and quickly turned away when he realised that she was running her hands up her legs, moving to remove her thigh high boots. "L-Lana, I don't think I'm really up for this."

She rolled her eyes and giggled at this, "You think too much, Clark." Shen then started to remove her short skirt, snapping the belt in the air.

"…. Right now, I'm thinking you don't seem like yourself."

"Or maybe I'm more me than ever?" She removed her skirt and flung it at Clark, forcing him to catch it before it could fall into the water.

"Lana, this is crazy!"

"That's the point…. If life doesn't make you crazy, then why bother living it? I know that's how I want it…." She then stripped off her top, throwing it to the side as well, "…Question is: Do you want what I want?"

Before Clark could reply, Lana back-flipped into the pool with a resounding splash

"Lana!"

She poked her head up out of the water and smirked, "Don't you want to come in, Clark?"

Desperately trying not to look to closely at the omega, Clark shook his head frantically, "I-I don't think so."

She then swam to the steps and climbed out, moving to stand in front of Clark, "I know you want me, Clark…. Just stop holding back. Come on….You're not made of steel…..Or are you?"

As she leaned in to kiss him, Clark quickly backed away…. He hadn't wanted this from Lana in a very long time. "Wait, wait!"

"Aren't you tired of waiting?" She moved forwards a little more, causing him to balance precariously on the edge of the pool, "Need a little help warming up?"

Just before he could fall backwards into the water, there was the sound of a door opening in the distance, which distracted Lana for a brief second, giving Clark the opportunity to raced away as fast as he could.

….

"She just stripped down in front of you?" Chloe exclaimed, "Lana Lang, in all her glory?"

Clark nodded, knowing that he was still a little bit stunned by the experience. "Most of her glory, as Kwan saw."

"Lana Lang in Saturday detention… I never thought I'd see the day."

Nodding in agreement, Clark perched on the edge of the desk, and sighed wearily. "It was weird…. She said everything I would have loved to hear months ago, but it didn't seem like she knew what she was doing."

"What do you think made Lana go soft-core?"

He shrugged, "First my dad, now Lana."

"Yeah, and don't forget that Beels guy. Remember the one that your dad helped?"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Clark frowned, "You must have missed something at the accident site, it's the only connection!"

"No, I didn't! Because I was there and I'm fine!"

"…. It just doesn't make any sense."

Chloe nodded in agreement, before turning her attention back to the screen, where she was going through the photos she'd taken when she and Lana investigated the crash scene. "Wait…." She suddenly spoke up, "… Looks like we weren't the only ones out there."

Moving to her side, Clark stared at the screen and frowned, "Who's that?"

"I think it's Dr. Hamilton."

"The meteor freak? What's he doing skulking around in the woods?"

Chloe shrugged, "I don't know, but I have a feeling it's not just a coincidence…. I'm gonna go talk to him."

"I'm gonna go talk to Lana…." At Chloe's curious look, he sighed, "… I think whatever happened to my father is about to happen to her."

….

Lex did prefer speaking to people over the phone… they couldn't see the annoyance on his face. "I want something better than progress…. I was just at the hospital, they're getting worse."

As he listened to the person on the other end make as many excuses as he could, Lex spotted Lana striding into the coffee shop…. At least, it looked like Lana.

The clothes she was wearing reminded him more of what he wore at her age.

Not thinking too much about it, he turned his attention back to the conversation, only for a sharp whistle to shatter his concentration.

"Listen up!" Lana yelled, a sly smirk on her face, "We're closing early, so coffee's on the house. Drink up!"

This… this was definitely out of character.

"I'll call back." He stated, before hanging up and making his way over to the other omega… who was licking whipped cream off of her finger, "Lana…. The Talon closes at 9."

She smirked at him, "Not today."

"You're not impressing anyone with the attitude, Lana… You're talking to someone who set the bar for adolescent rebellion."

Lana was silent for a time, before leaning in close, "That's right…" she cooed, "… I heard you were quite the bad boy before you joined us here in Smallville."

Warning! Warning! Danger signs!

Taking a step back, Lex shook his head. "It's nothing I'm proud of."

"Please…. You don't really care about the Talon. You only invested because I asked you to." She then placed her hand on his chest, fingers tapping gently, "Now, why would you go and do a thing like that?"

Quicker than he could react, her finger darted up, smearing whipped cream on his upper lip.

"What a familiar look for you…" she giggled, before turning serious again, "… The Luthors are famous for their ulterior motives. So, tell me, Lex, was it really about profit?"

As her hand crept lower, he quickly grabbed it and pulled it back up to where he could see it. "I'm not sure what this is, but it isn't you, Lana…." He tried to remain calm, "… Are you feeling okay?"

"…. Actually I'm a little nervous." She pulled away and moved to his side, her lips near his ear, "I might need some guidance, you know from someone with a little more experience…. What do you say, boss?"

Before he could try and explain he wasn't into omega on omega action, a sudden thought occurred to him…. A drastic change in behaviour, much like the one in the research he'd done into Hamilton's mysterious flowers.

"Lana, where have you been in the last 24 hours?" he asked gently, trying to look her in the eyes, only for her to scowl and push him away.

"It's none of your business!" she growled, "What's your problem?"

"Lana, this isn't you." He begged her to realise, "The Lana I know worked as hard as she could to break free of her Aunt's over-protectiveness! She didn't want to be the kind of omega parents warn their Alpha children about!"

Lana glared at him, "I was pathetic, and you know it!" She shoved him back, "Sitting in a corner, hiding in a book, scared of life! Well, I wanted to be better and no one can handle it because you all prefer the insecure little girl!" She then shoved him again, his back hitting the wall. "Well, I'm sick of her and all her talk about her dead parents!"

Before he could react, she grabbed a mug and threw it at his head, prompting him to duck quickly as it shattered against the wall and Lana dashed away.

And then he heard his car start up.

"Shit…" he muttered, "… Shit, shit, shit!"

…

Clark spotted the car shoot past as he tried to find Lana, almost like a sign from above.

Yes, Lex could be a bit of a reckless driver, but not in the middle of town, not like she was being.

Making sure that nobody noticed, he followed the car to a cornfield where an old windmill stood. When she got out, Clark immediately went to confront her.

"Lana, what's going on?!" He asked, "Does Lex know you have his car?"

"He should by now."

She sounded so flippant.

"Something happened to you, I just don't know what."

"It's called self-confidence! For the first time, I'm not repressing my feelings! I'm free!"

"No, you're not!"

As he walked a little bit closer, she suddenly spun around and glared at him. "You should talk. You had me in the pool, and you didn't take your chance! I remember how you used to look at me! Why don't you tell me how you feel?"

"I don't feel like that for you anymore Lana…" he shook his head sadly, "You're sick. I need to get you to a hospital!"

"Don't avoid the question, Clark. Are you in love with me?"

"… No."

She clearly wasn't happy with the answer, an uncharacteristic sneer on her face. "Such a coward…. Can't even answer a simple question." Quickly, she started climbing up the windmill, "You want me? Come and get me."

"Lana, stop!"

"What's the matter, Clark? Afraid of heights?"

"What are you doing? Come down! Lana!"

She was far too high now… and she'd just stopped, wobbling slightly on the ladder, swaying from side to side… and then she fell.

"Lana!" he screamed, darting forwards and catching the omega in his arms.

Weakly, she stared up at him, a dazed look in her eyes before she fell unconscious fully.

….

Yes, Lana had taken his car and was acting strangely.

But he had bigger things to worry about, namely the fact that Clark's Dad (no matter how much the man hated him) was now in a coma and there was no sign of a cure anywhere.

Suddenly, he heard the doors slam open and a gurney shot past, surrounded by nurses and paramedics… with Lana unconscious on it, closely followed by a frantic Clark.

"What happened?" Martha cried out, rushing over to her son, who looked like he was in shock.

"She's got the same symptoms as Dad and Beels…." Clark stammered out, only to frown at the look on his Ma's voice, "…. H-How's Dad?"

Martha was silent for a short time, before she shook her head sadly, "He slipped into a coma…. The doctors don't know how long he'll last."

If Clark wasn't in shock before, he definitely was now as he stumbled over to the viewing window to stare at the unconscious figure of his Father.

Slowly, Lex made his way over to Martha, a reassuring smile on his face. "Mrs Kent… I've got doctors flying in from Metropolis. I'm going to do everything I can for Mr. Kent."

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes as she nodded her thanks, walking back into the hospital room, leaving Lex and Clark alone.

"Clark… I'm sorry."

"… It's not your fault, Lex."

Lex remained silent… it was his fault. He should have kept a closer eye on Hamilton, especially after giving the man that much money.

He should have seen this coming.

….

Unfortunately for Lex, the news came to Clark soon enough, during a conversation with Chloe and Pete about Hamilton and a flower that was believed to be extinct.

A flower that caused people to lose their minds and become irrational.

"So, you think Hamilton brought back the Nicodemus?" Clark asked, after learning that Hamilton once wrote a paper on meteors being used to irradiate dormant plant cells.

Pete nodded in agreement, "And now he's trying to cover it up."

"Alright, let's go talk to him."

Before Clark could leave the cafeteria, Chloe shot to her feet and stopped him in his tracks, "Wait, there's more…. Dr. Hamilton didn't check out The Nicodemus Diary, Lex did."

Lex?

"You think he's involved?" Clark exclaimed in shock, even as Pete smirked in triumph.

"I told you all along he was bad news!" the male beta spoke up.

Must not kill best friend… must not kill best friend.

"Pete…" he growled through his teeth, a protective Alpha rumble seeming to echo throughout the cafeteria, "… we don't know anything yet."

But he was going to know, and soon.

…..

"Good…." Lex sighed in relief at the news that the Doctor was giving him, the cool wind of the evening causing him to shiver slightly. As the man continued to chatter on the other end of the line, Lex spotted Clark making his way over, a serious expression on his face. "…. I'll call back."

Before Clark could start talking, Lex spoke up, slightly un-nerved by the expression on the Alpha's face, "I just got off the phone with the doctors. They think they've isolated the problem."

"… Does it have to do with the Nicodemus flower? I know you checked the diary out of the library."

Lex took a deep breath, knowing that what he said next could be vital. "Yes, I did, Clark."

"… Why?"

"Because my property was built on the site of the original settlement… I always thought it was an interesting story. When I heard about your dad I tracked it down to see if it could help." It was a half-truth… but sort of the truth nonetheless.

Clark clearly wasn't convinced, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Clark, I thought it was a crackpot story, I was grasping at straws!"

"You thought?" Clark frowned, "Lex… Do you know Dr. Steven Hamilton?"

Lex was silent for a few moments, before nodding and sighing wearily. "I hired him to investigate the meteors around the time that we first met…. I knew they were something special, and I wanted to know more. When I realised exactly what effect they have on you, I told him I didn't need him anymore… but I didn't take the money away from him."

"So… it's your money funding his little projects?"

Clark wasn't happy… and Lex could completely understand why. "Clark…. Please calm down" he begged, trying to force a little omega persuasion into his voice, hoping to calm the Alpha down. "I know you're worried about your dad and Lana, but I checked the book out of the library, that's it. I'm not responsible for what happened, and I'm doing everything in my power to fix it…. That's the truth, Clark."

There was a tense silence between them, before Clark sighed wearily and took a deep breath. "Okay… okay Lex…. I believe you."

…..

Later, when he'd managed to get some sleep, Clark made his way over to hospital, racing down the corridors to his Pa's room, where Martha was still waiting.

"How is he?"

Sha glanced up at him, tears in her eyes, "Not good…. Clark, Mr. Beels died half an hour ago."

Clark felt like his heart had sank to his stomach, "With all my abilities, there's nothing I can do… What will we do if Dad- "

"- I don't know." Martha took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, before forcing a smile onto her face. "Did I ever tell you about the first time I ever saw him?"

"… No."

"He came to Metropolis U to take a finance course, and he was sitting by a fountain all denim and flannel, eating an apple…. And I asked to borrow his notes. He didn't know that I was the note-taker for the class, he still doesn't!"

"… You're sly, Ma."

She was really starting to cry now, "He was so cute…. So, I asked him for his notes, and he just handed over his notebook without even asking my name, and I said: 'How can you be sure I'll bring it back?' And he said: 'I prefer to believe in people.'"

"… It sounds like Dad."

Smiling and nodding, she rubbed her thumb over Jon's knuckles, "And I remember looking at him, completely embarrassed because I was thinking the dumbest thing…. I was thinking: 'God, I hope he marries me.'" A broken sob burst free of her, "I still think that…. Every day there's a part of me that says, 'God, I hope he marries me'!"

Completely breaking down, she wrapped her arms around Clark and sobbed into his shoulder. At the sound of her tears, Clark knew that he was seconds away from crying as well.

A few minutes later, there was a cautious knock on the door and Chloe peeked her head in, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent…. Can I talk to you for a second, Clark?"

As soon as his Ma gave him permission to leave, he followed Chloe outside, waiting for her to start. "I'm so sorry…." She began, clearly shaken up about something, "… Dr. Hamilton was lying when I went to see him earlier. I found the Nicodemus flower in the barn. One got Pete, and he took a quick turn to scary!"

Clark frowned in concern. With how Pete had been recently, an angry Pete could be a dangerous thing. "Where'd he go?"

"… He grabbed a gun and he said he was going after Lex."

"Lex?!"

…..

"This flower has existed for- for hundreds of years!" Dr Hamilton exclaimed, as Lex scanned the book that the man had brought him, "Now, the Native Americans must have developed some sort of herbal antidote and these are the instructions!"

This was some of the best luck Lex had ever had, "Where'd you find it?"

"Collecting dust in a museum…. It's a one of a kind, so they want it back."

"I'll get it to my team in Metropolis."

"Nobody's going anywhere."

In alarm, Lex glanced up at the doorway, where a familiar figure was standing, sweat on his face.

"Pete…" he greeted cautiously, pushing himself to his feet and making his way around his desk. On hindsight, it wasn't his smartest move, "… What are you doing here?"

Pete just sneered at him, "I knew you were behind this…. Practically getting on your knees for Clark, manipulating him into believing that you're some innocent angel, but you're not!"

Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and fired at the glass vase behind Lex, prompting the omega to yelp and dive to the side.

"And now his dad's gonna die… Because of you!"

With a gun aimed at him, Lex remained perfectly still… but Dr Hamilton wasn't quite as cautious. "What's this about?"

"Do not pretend you don't know!" Pete screamed at the Doctor, "I went to your barn!"

It suddenly struck Lex, "He's infected…" he whispered, "… Pete, we have the cure. We're going to make everyone better!"

"You're nothing but a liar! Clark can't see it, but I can…. And now you're gonna pay."

Suddenly Dr Hamilton grabbed the book and darted to the left, trying to make a quick escape with the one thing, only for Pete to aim the gun at him and fire, the bullet striking his arm and causing him to drop the book in the open fireplace.

"No!" Lex cried out, watching as the flames crept closer to the fragile book, "Pete, if that book is destroyed, you and Lana and Mr. Kent will all die!"

Pete shook his head, keeping his gun aimed at the omega, "You're lying!"

"Pete, I want to help you!"

"You don't want to help anybody but yourself!" Pete shook his head, "You come to town and suddenly you're all Clark could think about! Drooling over the slutty omega who'd spread his legs for anyone if it meant that Luther-corp would get a little bit more money… and here I thought he was a good judge of character!"

"Lex, the book?"

Lex glanced over at Hamilton, spotting the poker in his hand… from there, it was easy to guess the plan. "Pete…" he began gently, "… I'm going to reach in there and grab that book. If you want to shoot me go ahead."

"No problem!"

As he darted to grab the book, he heard Pete cry out in pain as Hamilton struck his wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. Knowing that he was safe, he successfully grabbed the box and threw it at Hamilton as Pete went to grab the gun from the floor.

"Get out!"

Hamilton made a run for it, narrowly avoiding being shot four times as he escaped.

Lex however, wasn't as lucky.

"Say goodbye, Lex."

Just before Pete could pull the trigger, the door slammed open and Clark burst into the room, "Pete! Don't do it!"

Lex had never felt the urge to swoon…. But if he'd been a normal omega, he knew he probably would have done at that point.

"We used to be best friends!" Pete growled, keeping his eyes on Lex, "His dad screwed over my dad, and now he's trying to screw up things between us! The world's a better place without him!"

"… Pete, put the gun down."

"He's behind all this! I saw Hamilton here! They're working on this together!"

Clark turned to him, "Lex?"

"Don't listen to him!" Pete protested, "He'll just tell you I'm delusional or something!"

Clark ignored him, keeping his eyes on Lex.

"Hamilton has a possible cure!" Lex was practically begging Clark to understand, "I told you I would do whatever it took to cure everyone! Remember!"

Clark was silent for a time, and Lex was almost sure that the Alpha wasn't going to believe him… until Clark gave him a soft smile.

"I know Lex…" he then turned to Pete and stood in front of him, shielding Lex from any bullets that might fly out, "… Pete, you need to listen to me…. You are my best friends… but Lex is something more than that, I- "He paused, glancing over at Lex before sighing in resignation, "- I love him Pete."

"No, you don't!" Pete growled, "He's just made you think that!"

"No… he hasn't." Clark took another step closer to Pete, "I love him."

"What about Lana?!"

"Lana… Lana was someone who I thought I had to like. She was an omega and then I was Alpha…. It was expected of me. But I don't love her… not like I do Lex."

Listening to all this, Lex felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest…. But he couldn't let himself be swept off his feet by Clark's words, not when it was probably all part of the Alpha's plan.

"Pete please…" Clark continued, "… if you do this, then you'll be killing my One. What kind of best friend does that?"

Pete paused.

Taking advantage of this, Clark suddenly darted forwards, knocking the gun out of Pete's hand, before knocking the beta out completely. He then turned to Lex and winced, "Are you okay?"

"…. Clark, I- "

"- He was gonna shoot you!" Clark was turning bright red, "I had to do something!"

Ah… he wasn't serious then.

Seeming to know that he had said something wrong, Clark quickly cleared his throat. "Do… do you and Hamilton really have a cure?"

Lex couldn't focus on his own feelings… there were bigger concerns going on.

"Yes Clark… we can save your Dad."

…..

"Morning, sleepyhead."

At the weak hand brushing over his hair, Clark shot awake, his eyes instantly falling on his Dad, who was beaming at him.

"Dad, you're okay!"

"Yeah…." As Clark leaned over to hug the older man, Jon frowned in confusion, "... Clark. Clark, what am I doing here?"

Before Clark could answer, Martha rushed into the room, clearly thrilled at the sight of her husband alive and well, "Jonathan! Oh, sweetheart!"

"Martha- "

"- Oh, sweetheart! The doctors in Metropolis found a cure last night. It was an old Native American remedy!"

Jon still looked shocked, giving Clark the chance to ask about his friends. "How are Pete and Lana?"

"They're already up!"

"Dad… do you remember anything?"

"No!

"The doctors think it's because of the fever." Martha explained, with Clark nodding in understanding.

"Trust me, it's better that way!"

"Come on, what are you talking about?!"

As Clark and Martha wrapped their arms around him, they all failed to notice Lex standing in the doorway, a soft smile on his face.

Even though he knew he had a bigger problem waiting for him back at the mansion.

….

"What'd you do with my lab?!"

Rolling his eyes at Hamilton's instant aggression, Lex continued on into his study, refusing to look the other man in the eyes.

"I destroyed it." He answered.

"How dare you!"

Reaching his desk, Lex spun around, glaring at the older man. "You're lucky you found a cure, and nobody infected can remember anything… But people are talking. Beels worked for my father, and then there's Chloe…"

He left the sentence hanging… they both knew the beta girl was like a dog with a bone.

"… I'm sensing this relationship is over." Hamilton sighed wearily.

"It was over when I stopped wanting you to research the meteors for me… but I do think you need close supervision. I recently acquired a small research facility outside Metropolis… Cadmus Labs? I'm gonna hide you out there."

Hamilton was not impressed by this decision, a frown on his face. "Remember, Lex, you're the one opening Pandora's box."

"No… I'm just the key, Dr. Hamilton."