Newcomer
By Dante
(Disclaimer: Smallville and all related characters are property of Warner Brothers and DC Comics. Alex Byers is not my creation, but my modification of his life is. Apologies to the true Ale X, you know I love ya, man!)
Chapter 9: Interims
"The national weather service has issued a severe storm warning in effect until at least ten o'clock tomorrow morning. The affected areas include Lowell County, Schuster County, and Ordway. Winds can be expected to gust at close to sixty miles per hour, with heavy rains and thick cloud cover throughout the night."
Chloe turned off the radio and tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the winds whipped around the car. She was also doing her best to keep her eyes on the road and not on the boy to her right.
"So. what happened with your friend?"
Alex shook his head. "They really don't know. He just up and disappeared, apparently. I hope he's all right."
"Well, if its any help, it seems like no matter how bad things get around here, they usually turn out for the best."
"I sure hope so."
Ahead was the Luthor Castle. Alex's eyes went a bit wider as they approached.
"Your friend lives. there?"
"My friend, Clark's friend. your mom's boss. better do as I tell ya." She grinned impishly at him as they pulled into the driveway. He came around to her door with an umbrella and they rushed inside, where they were promptly greeted by their host. Alex restrained his heartbeat as he found himself face to face with Lex Luthor.
"Chloe," Lex said, his handsome face bearing a satisfied smile. "A pleasure, as always. And who, may I ask, is your escort?"
"Lex, this is Alex Byers, he and his mother just moved in."
"Oh yes, Jane Byers' son."
"You know my mother?" Alex asked, incredulously.
"By reputation only. I wouldn't have approved Gabe's request if I didn't have confidence in his pick. Plus, I make it my business to know everything that goes on in my plant."
"Well, that's good to know."
"Don't worry Alex. Your mom is in good hands with LuthorCorp. Now, go enjoy the party."
Just apart from the main entryway, Clark watched Alex and Chloe as they moved toward where the party was thickest. Alex seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was definitely hiding something. Not that Clark was exactly in the position to criticize those who held secrets, but around Smallville, those secrets tended to end up badly for anyone around the people who kept them. He'd resisted the temptation to use his x-ray vision on the newcomer, and his resolve to let the other man's privacy remain intact was still firm. IT was hard though. Chloe was probably his best friend, and here she was getting all cozy with someone whom she'd known for barely two days. That and all the recent weird weather occurrences had left him a bit on edge.
Alex retrieved two glasses of punch from the long table just inside the hall and handed one to Chloe.
"I don't know, Chloe. This is definitely not where I expected to be when I got up this morning."
"Are you complaining?" She asked, impishly raising one eyebrow.
He chuckled a bit. "Absolutely not."
"Good."
David lay face down in the slowly pooling water, the seared ground around him rapidly turning to churned mud in the downpour. Lightning cracked overhead, and he suddenly rolled over, a sharp breath passing his lips. Slowly regaining control of his faculties, he held up his hand, massaging the outline of the rock he'd rested his hand on just before the lighting strike.
"Weird." Now fully conscious, he sat up and looked again at the wreckage of his expensive weather monitoring equipment. Again, anger boiled up within him as he walked over to the twisted metal remains.
"Damn! Damn, damn DAMN!" At the last outburst, he unleashed a savage kick and, simultaneously, the sky was torn with jagged bolts of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder. Coming unhinged, the enraged youth howled at the skies, his fury matched by the wind that rose around him, tearing leaves from trees, but leaving him unmoved. The howling became something else, a laugh that rose with the wind and whipped around the boy, carried off into the wind.
At the Luthor manor, Alex and Chloe had been happily dancing, enjoying the dull warmth that comes with the first stages of romance, when Alex had suddenly collapsed at the same time the lightning had struck.
"What happened to him?" Lex stood in the entryway with Clark as the two looked on at Chloe, tending to her escort, who was now sitting in one of the easy chairs, recovering.
"I don't know. One second he was fine, then there was lightning and he hit the floor."
"Very strange."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, it looks like he's going to be all right. I think we might want to put an early end to this evening. I doubt your folks would want you out too late in this weather."
"You're probably right."
In the main room, Chloe mopped Alex's forehead with a damp cloth. The top of his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing the pale skin beneath.
"Want to tell me what happened in there?" She asked.
"I. I don't know. I just felt. sapped. I guess. Drained."
"And you have no idea why?"
"None."
"Weird."
"Do I get to go down on the wall yet?"
"Not unless it was you sapping other, paleface."
"Darn. I guess that makes tonight a complete bust."
"Well. not a complete bust."
Chloe leaned in, Alex's eyes going a bit wider for a second as she moved closer to him, then he brought his hand up to her cheek.
"Hey guys, Lex said." Clark stopped as he saw what he'd interrupted, and Chloe jumped back, her face rapidly taking on an increasing resemblance to a cherry. "Um. Lex said that he's gonna make it an early night. I thought that I'd offer to drive Alex home."
"Oh. um, sure." She looked back at Alex. "You don't mind, do you? My dad is probably worried as it is."
"No, it's fine. I'll be fine. Probably a good idea, too."
"Yeah, a good idea. You're tired."
"Yeah. Tired."
Minutes later, cars pulled away from the Luthor manor and drove off in to the driving rain.
By Dante
(Disclaimer: Smallville and all related characters are property of Warner Brothers and DC Comics. Alex Byers is not my creation, but my modification of his life is. Apologies to the true Ale X, you know I love ya, man!)
Chapter 9: Interims
"The national weather service has issued a severe storm warning in effect until at least ten o'clock tomorrow morning. The affected areas include Lowell County, Schuster County, and Ordway. Winds can be expected to gust at close to sixty miles per hour, with heavy rains and thick cloud cover throughout the night."
Chloe turned off the radio and tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the winds whipped around the car. She was also doing her best to keep her eyes on the road and not on the boy to her right.
"So. what happened with your friend?"
Alex shook his head. "They really don't know. He just up and disappeared, apparently. I hope he's all right."
"Well, if its any help, it seems like no matter how bad things get around here, they usually turn out for the best."
"I sure hope so."
Ahead was the Luthor Castle. Alex's eyes went a bit wider as they approached.
"Your friend lives. there?"
"My friend, Clark's friend. your mom's boss. better do as I tell ya." She grinned impishly at him as they pulled into the driveway. He came around to her door with an umbrella and they rushed inside, where they were promptly greeted by their host. Alex restrained his heartbeat as he found himself face to face with Lex Luthor.
"Chloe," Lex said, his handsome face bearing a satisfied smile. "A pleasure, as always. And who, may I ask, is your escort?"
"Lex, this is Alex Byers, he and his mother just moved in."
"Oh yes, Jane Byers' son."
"You know my mother?" Alex asked, incredulously.
"By reputation only. I wouldn't have approved Gabe's request if I didn't have confidence in his pick. Plus, I make it my business to know everything that goes on in my plant."
"Well, that's good to know."
"Don't worry Alex. Your mom is in good hands with LuthorCorp. Now, go enjoy the party."
Just apart from the main entryway, Clark watched Alex and Chloe as they moved toward where the party was thickest. Alex seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was definitely hiding something. Not that Clark was exactly in the position to criticize those who held secrets, but around Smallville, those secrets tended to end up badly for anyone around the people who kept them. He'd resisted the temptation to use his x-ray vision on the newcomer, and his resolve to let the other man's privacy remain intact was still firm. IT was hard though. Chloe was probably his best friend, and here she was getting all cozy with someone whom she'd known for barely two days. That and all the recent weird weather occurrences had left him a bit on edge.
Alex retrieved two glasses of punch from the long table just inside the hall and handed one to Chloe.
"I don't know, Chloe. This is definitely not where I expected to be when I got up this morning."
"Are you complaining?" She asked, impishly raising one eyebrow.
He chuckled a bit. "Absolutely not."
"Good."
David lay face down in the slowly pooling water, the seared ground around him rapidly turning to churned mud in the downpour. Lightning cracked overhead, and he suddenly rolled over, a sharp breath passing his lips. Slowly regaining control of his faculties, he held up his hand, massaging the outline of the rock he'd rested his hand on just before the lighting strike.
"Weird." Now fully conscious, he sat up and looked again at the wreckage of his expensive weather monitoring equipment. Again, anger boiled up within him as he walked over to the twisted metal remains.
"Damn! Damn, damn DAMN!" At the last outburst, he unleashed a savage kick and, simultaneously, the sky was torn with jagged bolts of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder. Coming unhinged, the enraged youth howled at the skies, his fury matched by the wind that rose around him, tearing leaves from trees, but leaving him unmoved. The howling became something else, a laugh that rose with the wind and whipped around the boy, carried off into the wind.
At the Luthor manor, Alex and Chloe had been happily dancing, enjoying the dull warmth that comes with the first stages of romance, when Alex had suddenly collapsed at the same time the lightning had struck.
"What happened to him?" Lex stood in the entryway with Clark as the two looked on at Chloe, tending to her escort, who was now sitting in one of the easy chairs, recovering.
"I don't know. One second he was fine, then there was lightning and he hit the floor."
"Very strange."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, it looks like he's going to be all right. I think we might want to put an early end to this evening. I doubt your folks would want you out too late in this weather."
"You're probably right."
In the main room, Chloe mopped Alex's forehead with a damp cloth. The top of his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing the pale skin beneath.
"Want to tell me what happened in there?" She asked.
"I. I don't know. I just felt. sapped. I guess. Drained."
"And you have no idea why?"
"None."
"Weird."
"Do I get to go down on the wall yet?"
"Not unless it was you sapping other, paleface."
"Darn. I guess that makes tonight a complete bust."
"Well. not a complete bust."
Chloe leaned in, Alex's eyes going a bit wider for a second as she moved closer to him, then he brought his hand up to her cheek.
"Hey guys, Lex said." Clark stopped as he saw what he'd interrupted, and Chloe jumped back, her face rapidly taking on an increasing resemblance to a cherry. "Um. Lex said that he's gonna make it an early night. I thought that I'd offer to drive Alex home."
"Oh. um, sure." She looked back at Alex. "You don't mind, do you? My dad is probably worried as it is."
"No, it's fine. I'll be fine. Probably a good idea, too."
"Yeah, a good idea. You're tired."
"Yeah. Tired."
Minutes later, cars pulled away from the Luthor manor and drove off in to the driving rain.