By morning Clarence found out Lionel had taken matters into his own hands. He had gone to see Angel but saw that her house
had been cleared out. He searched the entire mansion with no luck. He was clenching his hands so hard, by the time he was
through, that he could feel his nails digging into the palms. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door of his father's
office.BRBR
Lionel wasn't there. The determined man entered to try and find some evidence that Lionel didn't send his girlfriend and her
mother away.BRBR
"Can I help you, Lark?"BRBR
Clarence saw Lionel's assistant standing inside the door frame. He paused and plastered a fake smile onto his face.
"Uh, no. I thought I had left some papers in here, but I was wrong."BRBR
The servant seemed suspicious but said nothing. He nodded and walked away. Clarence breathed a sigh of relief and left the
room. He had to talk to someone. The only one he could trust was Lex.BRHRBR
Lex was getting used to being alone in his simple life at Harvard. Thoughts of his father and brother were becoming fewer
every day. His mother was always on his mind. Her memory kept him going.BRBR
Hunched over a load of homework that he had to complete before Monday, he didn't here the phone ring at first. The answering
machine got it and Clarence's voice broke the trance Lex was in. He ran for the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Larry?"BRBR
The sound of Clarence's voice was a little surreal to Lex. He hadn't spoken with or seen the boy in two years. He thought
to himself, he would be fifteen now. Then his thoughts went to his father and worry settled into his heart. Lex's shock was
present in his voice when he spoke back. "Is everything all right? How is dad?"BRBR
Clarence quickly reassured him that everything was fine then went directly to the matter at hand. "I just need some advice.
I don't know what I'm going to do."BRBR
His voice sounded a little scared to Lex's ears but he ignored it and let him continue. "Go on."BRBR
Clarence began to tell Lex about his relationship with an employee at the mansion. Lex listened not really understanding
why he was telling him this. "I don't see what this has to do with me, Larry."BRBR
Clarence paused at the old nickname Lex called him. "It's Lark now, Lex," he said, recomposing his thoughts. "Dad had her
and her family deported."BRBR
Lex couldn't understand exactly why his father would be so cruel. He knew how much Larry meant to Lionel but this was too
much. "Did dad tell you he did that?"BRBR
Clarence sighed with a lot of emotion, trying to keep calm. "No, I found out this morning on my own. The bastard didn't
want me to get to attached so he ruined their lives, Lex! I want to kill him!"BRBR
Lex could hear the strain in the younger mans voice. "Ok, don't do anything you will regret...Lark. I don't want you to get
so upset. Calm down."BRBR
Clarence exhaled into the receiver and rubbed his temple. "Being on the phone is very inappropriate but I have so much to
explain and tell you."BRBR
Lex was surprised by this sudden change in Clarence. "You mean there's more to this than a girl?" The sudden memory of
Clarence outside with a bandage came to mind. And his father's worried expression. He shook the memory out and tried to get
Clarence to talk. "If there is more to this, please tell me."BRBR
Clark looked around his bedroom to see if anyone was listening. "Can you meet me in Smallville tomorrow night at the
memorial site?"BRBR
Lex frowned. Going to Smallville wasn't his idea of fun. Too many bad memories. But Clarence sounded so desperate. "I'll
think about it and call you back."BRBR
"Thank you, Lex. You don't know how much this means to me." Lex heard the click of the other line and then a dial tone.
He laid the phone back into it's holder and sat down on the edge of his bed.BRBR
Of all of the people who Lex had expected to call he never thought it would be Clarence. He didn't feel it was necessary to
go to Smallville. Just the fact that he was a "relation" wasn't enough for Lex. But whatever it was that made Clarence call
must have been important and did make him pause to think.BRBR
A call later that evening decided that they would meet in Smallville. He had never heard such raw emotion in another man's
voice.BRBR
Not since the funeral had he felt that kind of anger towards Lionel. He could control his feelings towards his father but
he somewhat doubted that Clarence could. Not that he worried for Lionel's life. He just didn't want Lionel ruining another
human being like he did his mother's. Pushing people to the edge was his father's specialty.BRBR
had been cleared out. He searched the entire mansion with no luck. He was clenching his hands so hard, by the time he was
through, that he could feel his nails digging into the palms. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door of his father's
office.BRBR
Lionel wasn't there. The determined man entered to try and find some evidence that Lionel didn't send his girlfriend and her
mother away.BRBR
"Can I help you, Lark?"BRBR
Clarence saw Lionel's assistant standing inside the door frame. He paused and plastered a fake smile onto his face.
"Uh, no. I thought I had left some papers in here, but I was wrong."BRBR
The servant seemed suspicious but said nothing. He nodded and walked away. Clarence breathed a sigh of relief and left the
room. He had to talk to someone. The only one he could trust was Lex.BRHRBR
Lex was getting used to being alone in his simple life at Harvard. Thoughts of his father and brother were becoming fewer
every day. His mother was always on his mind. Her memory kept him going.BRBR
Hunched over a load of homework that he had to complete before Monday, he didn't here the phone ring at first. The answering
machine got it and Clarence's voice broke the trance Lex was in. He ran for the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Larry?"BRBR
The sound of Clarence's voice was a little surreal to Lex. He hadn't spoken with or seen the boy in two years. He thought
to himself, he would be fifteen now. Then his thoughts went to his father and worry settled into his heart. Lex's shock was
present in his voice when he spoke back. "Is everything all right? How is dad?"BRBR
Clarence quickly reassured him that everything was fine then went directly to the matter at hand. "I just need some advice.
I don't know what I'm going to do."BRBR
His voice sounded a little scared to Lex's ears but he ignored it and let him continue. "Go on."BRBR
Clarence began to tell Lex about his relationship with an employee at the mansion. Lex listened not really understanding
why he was telling him this. "I don't see what this has to do with me, Larry."BRBR
Clarence paused at the old nickname Lex called him. "It's Lark now, Lex," he said, recomposing his thoughts. "Dad had her
and her family deported."BRBR
Lex couldn't understand exactly why his father would be so cruel. He knew how much Larry meant to Lionel but this was too
much. "Did dad tell you he did that?"BRBR
Clarence sighed with a lot of emotion, trying to keep calm. "No, I found out this morning on my own. The bastard didn't
want me to get to attached so he ruined their lives, Lex! I want to kill him!"BRBR
Lex could hear the strain in the younger mans voice. "Ok, don't do anything you will regret...Lark. I don't want you to get
so upset. Calm down."BRBR
Clarence exhaled into the receiver and rubbed his temple. "Being on the phone is very inappropriate but I have so much to
explain and tell you."BRBR
Lex was surprised by this sudden change in Clarence. "You mean there's more to this than a girl?" The sudden memory of
Clarence outside with a bandage came to mind. And his father's worried expression. He shook the memory out and tried to get
Clarence to talk. "If there is more to this, please tell me."BRBR
Clark looked around his bedroom to see if anyone was listening. "Can you meet me in Smallville tomorrow night at the
memorial site?"BRBR
Lex frowned. Going to Smallville wasn't his idea of fun. Too many bad memories. But Clarence sounded so desperate. "I'll
think about it and call you back."BRBR
"Thank you, Lex. You don't know how much this means to me." Lex heard the click of the other line and then a dial tone.
He laid the phone back into it's holder and sat down on the edge of his bed.BRBR
Of all of the people who Lex had expected to call he never thought it would be Clarence. He didn't feel it was necessary to
go to Smallville. Just the fact that he was a "relation" wasn't enough for Lex. But whatever it was that made Clarence call
must have been important and did make him pause to think.BRBR
A call later that evening decided that they would meet in Smallville. He had never heard such raw emotion in another man's
voice.BRBR
Not since the funeral had he felt that kind of anger towards Lionel. He could control his feelings towards his father but
he somewhat doubted that Clarence could. Not that he worried for Lionel's life. He just didn't want Lionel ruining another
human being like he did his mother's. Pushing people to the edge was his father's specialty.BRBR