"Okay, well, I'll let you know. Bye."

Clark frowned as he entered the kitchen. With Lana in hospital with a mild concussion and Chloe on her way to Metropolis, he was hoping to make a quick exit after school and head over to Lex's "Who was that?" he asked his Ma, "The plumber?"

"No, your school…. Don't worry. You're not in trouble. They're looking for chaperones for the spring formal."

Wincing slightly, Clark tried to play it off. "Oh, what'd you say?"

"I said you hadn't even mentioned it!"

His Ma didn't sound overly pleased, prompting Clark to frantically try and dig his way out. "I don't think the whole tux-and-limo thing is for me. Besides, it's customary to have a date!"

"It's customary to ask someone!"

From under the sink, the pair heard a loud groan as Jon stuck his head out, "Martha, stay out of it. I get the feeling I'm not going to like whatever he has to say about any dates." He pushed himself to his feet, "Son, can you get that trap out of there for me?"

"Uh, sure, Dad."

As he went to grab the pipe, he missed the silent conversation his parents were having between them.

"So…" Martha cautiously began, "… are you planning on asking Lex or not?"

Jon audibly groaned at this, "She just can't help herself… Don't use the sink until I get back."

Wincing at the frustration in his father's voice, Clark sighed and shook his head, "I'm not sure."

"Well… you did say you had feelings for him."

"I- "

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, prompting them both to turn around, with Martha waving at the omega in question.

"- Hi, Lex, come on in." She smiled warmly at him as he entered.

"Sorry to barge in…." He apologised, "… I came by to see you and Mr. Kent?"

"Oh, I'll go get him."

As she moved to leave, she winked at Clark, a silent show of reassurance.

Watching as Clark grabbed a bag and an apple, Lex tilted his head to the side, "In a hurry?"

"Yeah…." Clark smiled sheepishly, "… I'm taking over at the Torch while Chloe's out of town. Catch up with you later?"

"Of course."

Seconds after Clark had left, Jon entered the kitchen, heading back under the sink.

"So, what can we do for you?" he eventually asked (after a sharp kick from Martha).

"The paperwork on the chemical spill finally came through."

Jon glanced back at him, eyes widened slightly, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Since the dumping wasn't done by an actual LuthorCorp employee, it did require jumping through some corporate hoops…. The accident was unfortunate." Lex took a deep breath, and pulled an envelope out of his pocket, "I know your loss can't be fixed entirely with money, but I hope this helps."

Slowly, Jon opened up the envelope to reveal the check inside, "Well, I appreciate the gesture…" His eyes widened at the number of zeros on the check, "… but I hope we're not getting special treatment because of your… interest in Clark?"

He handed the check over to Martha, who gasped in shock at the number she saw.

"I-I assure you, , that has nothing to do with this." Lex straightened up, hoping that the older couple couldn't look to closely and see that he was lying.

"This is very generous, Lex." Martha exclaimed.

"Actually, it isn't. It reflects the exact value of the herd and grazing land you lost…. I wouldn't insult you by putting you in my debt. All I want is to leave the doubt between us in the past."

Jon and Martha both glanced at each other, before turning to warmly smile at Lex.

"Cup of tea Lex?"

….

Almost an hour later, Lex felt like he was on top of the world, almost skipping back into the mansion.

His decision to give the Kents' so much money wouldn't have changed, even if he hadn't been interested in Clark, but it never hurt for the future.

As he entered the mansion, Mercy was there to meet him, a frown on her face.

"Roger Nixon is here…" she sighed, "… and he refuses to leave until he sees you."

Lex sighed, "And I was having such a good day."

Straightening up and falling into his businessman persona, Lex entered the study, raising an eyebrow as Nixon shot to his feet.

"Lex."

"… Since I didn't call you, and I haven't heard of any three-headed sheep born in Smallville what brings the Inquisitor here?"

"We need to talk."

"I seriously doubt that."

Nixon slammed a newspaper down in front of Lex, and sneered at him, "Seems you've given out gifts to the competition." Lex resisted the urge to smirk at the sight of the interview he'd given to Miss Castle.

Rising Star indeed.

"... Now, we had an arrangement. You give me stories, I give you information. Now, what did Carrie Castle do for you that I couldn't?"

Despite Nixons' annoyance, Lex couldn't help but slip in a sly dig, "She gave me a pretty mean shiatsu massage."

"Well, mock all you want, Lex…. It just means I've had to take the initiative, develop my own leads! There's a story here in Smallville, and I am going to make my name on it!"

Instantly, Lex knew who he was talking about, "I thought my position was clear…I don't want you near the Kents. They're off-limits, they're under my protection."

"And what about the meteors? Are they under your protection?"

Lex hated to admit it, but his interest was peeked, "Do you have something?"

"I found a man who had a very interesting view of the meteor shower… Claims he saw something fall out of the sky."

"We all did."

"Yeah, well, not like this." Nixon threw a folder onto the table.

Lex stared at it for a few moment, before turning his attention back to the reporter, "If you're feeling so abused, why are you bringing this to me?"

"Getting the full story takes money and access, and unlike some I always hold up my end of the deal… Get ready to thank me."

…..

Clark growled in frustration as the tractor refused to start. With all the worry surrounding Chloe not answering his calls from Metropolis and pressuring from his mother to ask Lex to the upcoming prom, he felt like he was going to explode.

As it refused to start again, he growled and slammed his hand down on the side of the tractor just as his Father made his way over.

"Hey, hey, Clark!" The older man called out, "Take it easy, would you? Thing's been in our family a long time."

"Stupid thing won't start!"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Jon sighed, "Clark…. What's going on, son? Is it about what your Mother said earlier, about you and- "

"- No." Clark cut his Father off, "I'm worried."

"…. I'm sure Chloe's going to call and you'll realize you've been worried about nothing."

"Yeah." Clark forced a smile onto his face, before turning to the large dent that he'd made and wincing, before gently patting it on the side, "I'm glad we'll finally be rid of this. I think we spend more time fixing it than riding it."

Jon frowned, "Well, I'm not sure that I'm quite ready to retire the old girl yet."

"Well, with Lex's check we can get a new one?"

When Jon winced, Clark knew that he wasn't going to like what he heard next.

"Actually… I haven't decided to deposit that check."

"Dad, Lex is trying to do the right thing."

"I know, I know! I know that this just isn't an attempt to buy us off and that he's actually trying to repay us for damages…" Jon sighed, "… I have no reason to doubt him, but what if Lionel finds out? What if this money gets Lex into trouble?"

"Well we can't just ignore his help!" Clark groaned, "Slamming the door in his face over and over only helps turn him into exactly what Lionel wants him to be!"

"… When did you get to be so wise?"

Clark smirked, "Ask my Pa."

For a few moments, Jon stared at him before shaking his head, "I'll sleep on it."

…..

With Clark dancing around the whole Spring prom subject, and concerns over Chloe, Lex couldn't believe that he was actually entertaining Nixon's wild claims.

Wild claims that might be related to Clark's secret, and therefore, must be suppressed.

Pulling up to the run-down barn, he realised that it was probably going to be easier than expected. Stepping out of the car, with Nixon exiting the passenger side, Lex shook his head.

"So far, I'm unimpressed!"

"Reserve judgement for five minutes!" Nixon snarled, growling as Lex made a show of checking his watch.

"Starting now."

Hearing footsteps behind them, Lex turned around to see a bedraggled man stride out of a nearby house, Nixon eagerly making his way over

"Mr. Cole, this is- "

"- Lex Luthor. I know who he is." The old man growled, as Nixon winced

"He's very interested in your story…" Nixon then turned to Lex, "… Twelve years ago, Eddie Cole had more clients than he could handle. Spent eight hours a day dusting fields all over Smallville."

Lex raised an eyebrow, "And then?"

"FAA pulled my license." Mr Cole grunted.

"… And why would they do that?"

"Decided I wasn't fit in the head to fly anymore… Because I couldn't keep my dumb mouth shut."

There was clearly something interesting there. Resisting the urge to groan, Lex turned away briefly, "What were your rates for crop-dusting, Mr. Cole?"

"Six hundred a day."

Another sigh was pushed down as Lex pulled a wad of money out of his pocket, "I'd very much like to hear your story." He stated, handing the money over.

Mr Cole stared at the money for a moment, before speaking up again, "I was up in my prop, dusting the Bakers' field. Fifty acres of sweet corn…. When it happened."

"… The meteors?"

"It was like lightning, all around. Pretty sure I was going to die right there… Then one just missed my tail by about 10 feet. I saw it go straight down, and then swerve just before it hit!"

Lex frowned, "Doesn't sound like a meteor."

"I know aircraft better than most." Mr Cole shook his head, "The way that thing moved, it had to be a ship!"

Instantly, Lex felt his blood turn cold, "You… saw a ship crash?"

"Well, it's not just that I saw a ship crash! Couple hours later, I went to look for it…. It was gone!"

"Maybe it burned?"

"Or maybe it was taken!" Mr Cole begged, "Nobody believes me! I gave Mr. Nixon a map of the crash site!"

"I've seen it." Lex stated, mind automatically flashing back to that terrible day.

"So… you believe me?"

"… It's a good story. Thanks for your time, Mr. Cole."

As he made his way back to his car, Nixon rushed to catch up with him, "Hey!" The reporter protested, "Thought you'd be pleased? I brought the story you've been waiting for!"

"You brought me a desperate man and a tall tale…." He couldn't let Nixon investigate this any further, not with Clark's future on the line, "… It's about what I expected from you."

…..

Chloe had been kidnapped, and thankfully found due to Lana's sudden visions… but there was still the question of who had taken her in the first place.

"No, son, let the police do it." Jon protested as Clark started talking about finding out who was responsible, "It's their job."

"I wish I knew who she was seeing through?!"

Jon rolled his eyes, "What you need to focus on right now is getting this truckload of feed over to the Millers."

As his Dad started to walk away, Clark piped up again, "So, you've had a night to sleep on it, what are you going to do with Lex's check?"

"… I might be stubborn, but I'm not blind." As Clark smirked, Jon shook his head, "Yeah, I had a talk with your mom. As soon as we deliver the feed, I'm taking it to the savings and loan."

As their truck headed away from their farm, they both spotted the men wearing yellow hazmat suits in a nearby field.

A very familiar field.

As they parked up nearby, stepping out of the truck, they both frowned at the sight of Lex yelling at one of the men, only to be clearly brushed off as they went back to work.

If Lex had hair, he would probably be pulling it out right now judging by the look on his face.

"Lex?" Clark rushed over, placing a hand on Lex's shoulder in order to try and calm him down, "What's happening?"

Lex paused for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. "A reporter found someone who saw a ship crash during the meteor shower… your ship."

Clark and Jon went pale.

"I tried to dissuade him…" Lex snarled, "… But somehow, it's got back to Father and now he's running all these tests, citing that he wants to buy the land." He shook his head, before turning pleading eyes on the Kents', "Please believe me when I say, that I'm sorry."

Clark nodded in acceptance of the apology… Jon, however, looked very conflicted.

"So now, we have Lionel sniffing around…" he whispered, "… what's going to happen when he finds out you're giving us so much money?"

"Mister Kent- "

"- I'm sorry." Jon pulled the check out of his pocket, "But I don't think I should accept your money."

"Mr. Kent, I don't understand!"

"Just know… that it's not your fault." Jon patted the omega on the shoulder, before heading back to the truck, leaving Lex and Clark alone.

"Lex, I- "

Lex shook his head, cutting the Alpha off, "It's okay Clark… I'll talk to you later."

And then he was gone as well.

Quickly, Clark raced to catch up with his Dad, "Dad… Dad! Lex didn't deserve that! What can Lionel honestly find?"

"It's not just that…" Jon sighed, "… I don't want Lionel's attention on our family, and Lex's attention on you, isn't going to help with that. And what if they do find something? That's where your ship crashed, and anything could be traced back to you."

They then left, unaware that something had been found.

….

"Glad to see that I'm not the only curious one in Smallville."

Clark resisted the urge to leap to his feet and pull the omega into a hug. With all the worries about Chloe and her recent kidnapping, Lana and her new powers and the rift growing between his Dad and Lex, Clark felt like he was being torn apart

"Hey, Lex…." He greeted warmly, "…What are you doing here?"

Lex shrugged, "I feel like I owe your father an apology"

"You don't…" They both moved to sit on the couch in the barn loft, "… Pa's just struggling with everything. Money problems… the farm…. And with everything in that's happening in the field, it's just one thing after the other."

Lex frowned at the slightly defeated look on Clark's face and the tone in his voice, "You don't really think my Dad will find anything, right?"

"… I remember how you got with the car." Clark whispered, "What if your Dad's like that with the field and actually finds something?"

"Mine was because I knew you were hiding something from me…" Lex sighed, "… Dad has no connection to you. I'm sure as soon as he realises there's nothing there, he'll give up."

"And if he doesn't?"

Now, Lex looked worried, "That's a bridge I'll cross if we come to it."

….

Not wanting to focus too much on Lionel Luthor, Clark threw himself into investigating exactly what happened to Chloe and Lana.

De Krester Syndrome.

Due to the explosion that she had been near, Lana's mind was now linked to one of the officers… and it was that officer who had kidnapped Chloe.

It was that officer who knew that Lana somehow knew about what he did… well, almost anyway. It wouldn't take her long to connect the dots.

"Where is Lana?" Whitney was interrogating the other officer, who had been knocked out on the scene.

"I don't know, she was here!"

"The guy must have grabbed her, I'm gonna check the back!"

Ignoring Whitney, Clark rushed over to the cop, "Deputy, where's your partner tonight?"

"Gary? He's working a second job at the carnival. He's a security guard."

Clark frowned, remembering something that Chloe said after she'd first been rescued, "You saw stuffed animals and train tracks."

"The carnival's closed this time of year…. " Chloe nodded, "… It's perfect to hide someone."

…

With Watts arrested, Lana back to normal and Chloe well on her way to getting her dream job at The Daily Planet, Clark's mind went back to the Spring Formal.

"You look deep in thought."

"You do always seem to catch me like this…" Clark spun around and smiled warmly at Lex as the omega walked closer, "… Now that Chloe and Lana are safe and almost everything is back to normal, I've been thinking about… other things."

"… Such as the Spring Formal?"

When Clark glanced at him in shock, Lex sheepishly shrugged, "Your Mother might have mentioned it to me."

Silence.

"… Do you have a date for it yet?"

This was his moment. He couldn't let it go to waste.

"Actually…" he whispered, "… I was hoping you'd go with me. As a date."

Lex seemed stunned for a few moments, before nodding and smiling shyly. "Yeah… yeah, I would love to."

….

Still on cloud nine as he made his way home, Lex's good mood evaporated immediately when he saw Hamilton waiting for him.

"Lex, where's that crop-duster of yours? I wanted to talk to him."

Ah yes… the crop-duster. When Lex tried to speak to him again, paying him a bit more money to keep his mouth shut, the man had mysteriously disappeared.

"He seems to have disappeared."

Hamilton smirked, "Maybe your visit scared him."

"Something or someone did…" Lex then noticed the file in the man's hand, "I see my Dad's little stooges have been to see you. What do you have?"

"Preliminary results of the fragment they recovered." Hamilton handed the file over, leaving Lex to scan over it.

"So, what is it?"

"Well, all I can tell you is what it is not."

Lex rolled his eyes, "I don't like riddles, doctor."

"Then this object will make you profoundly unhappy…. To be honest, Lex there is nothing like this alloy on this Earth."

Shit.