Chapter 9: Circus Confessions
*****
Clark Kent silently sat at the wheel of his red pick-up truck as a slight drizzle sprayed the windshield. His denim-clad form was still, his mind lost in thought. The engine had been running for a good ten minutes before his passenger finally spoke up.
"So are you ready to do this or what?" Lana asked.
Clark hesitated.
"I'm still not sure this is the right thing to do... this could be end up to be the best thing I've ever done - or the one thing I'll most regret."
"You trust him, don't you? He's always been there for you even though he's known you have secrets... sort of like me, remember?" Lana exclaimed.
He gave a small smile and took a deep breath before unlocking the driver side door. Lana did the same on the passenger side and was about to exit but his hand reached out and stopped her.
"I think you should stay here. This is something I should probably do alone."
Lana nodded and watched the man she loved solemnly walk up to the gate and look into the security camera. Shortly thereafter, the mechanized gates slowly pulled back to allow him entry. Clark walked up the long winding path to the front door. The pros and cons passed through his thoughts once again. Would he accept it? Would he be angry? Would he be shocked? Probably all of the above, he thought. By the time he reached the door his clothes were dampened by the morning mist. For the first time visiting Luthor Manor, Lex greeted him at the door himself, attired in a black turtleneck and slacks.
"You're late. C'mon, it's cold out here," he stated, ushering his visitor inside.
Clark took in the surroundings, trying to occupy his thoughts. As he passed through the main foyer he just now realized how menacing the decor was. The walls were built with large, cold, stone blocks. The hall was guarded on each side by suits of armor, armed with halberds. Gargoyles sat on the bottom of the stair railings. He felt as if he was walking to his own execution.
Lex nodded to his assistant as they reached his office. She nodded back, and pressed two buttons on her computer before disconnected the phone line.
"I'll be back after lunch, Mr. Luthor," she said before briskly walking away.
Clark panicked as four security guards came up the stairs but they made no move toward him and instead stood at attention, awaiting Lex's orders.
"I don't want to be disturbed, understand?" Lex commanded.
They nodded, paired up, and took up positions at each end of the hallway.
Clark stepped in to the office, Lex followed, shutting the door behind them. He turned off his beeper and cell phone as he walked to his desk and perched himself on the edge. Clark took off his jean jacket and laid it on the back of his chair as he took another deep breath.
"Whoa, Clark, getting a little tubby there aren't you?" Lex asked, pointing at the slight curve on Clark's tight-fitting tee. Clark looked down at his belly and frowned. "Sorry, let's get back to the matter at hand. I've cleared my schedule, I'm here and waiting for anything you have to say."
Lex Luthor could not believe what he witnessed next.
Clark Kent began crying his eyes out.
"Christ, Clark, I'm sorry! You're not fat! Really!" he said apologetically, coming down off his desk and laying a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
Lex shifted nervously as he patted Clark's shoulder, having no experience calming down a bawling, almost full-grown teenager before.
"Why is this so hard?!" Clark sniffled, clutching his head in his hands. "I just wanted to tell you the truth... but I just... I can't!"
His face flushed a shade of red and grew warm from the blood rushing to his head. Lex grabbed some tissue from his desk and offered it to Clark, who grabbed it and began blowing his nose, the tears still cascading down.
"Clark, I've never seen you like this, this must be big. Listen, whatever it is I promise you, you'll feel better once you tell me."
He grabbed the soiled tissue from Clark's hands and deposited it in the waste paper bin with two fingers before grabbing the entire box and handing it to him.
"Could you wait outside while I calm down a bit please?" Clark managed to get out between sobs.
"Sure," Lex replied, giving him one last concerned look before exiting the office.
Clark looked up at the ceiling trying to breath. 'You can do this Clark, you can tell him. You just have to figure out a subtle way...' he thought. After going through half the box of Kleenex he stood up and walked to the open door, motioning for Lex to return. He sat in a brown leather chair as Clark paced and looked for the right words.
"I've been lying to you for sometime now. What I'm going to tell you, you have to swear never leaves this room."
"Of course. Does Lana know?"
"My parents, Pete and Lana know the truth. But they found out on their own - you'll be the first person I've ever told, voluntarily. Now this might sound strange at first, but just bare with me okay?"
That made Lex smile as we waited in quiet anticipation of the unveiling of the truth that he sought for so long.
"I've been lying to you from the beginning. I did save you that day on the bridge. I managed to get the door off and pull you out."
Lex's eyes flashed in realization, but he remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I'll try to explain the best way I can how I was able to do that. It all comes down to where I come from. I know where I was born. I know who my parents were."
Clark stopped for a moment before his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head.
"I was born in France... to sideshow freaks."
"France? Sideshow freaks?" Lex asked, his face apparently blanked by confusion.
"I said bare with me. So... you see, as a small child, I'm not sure how, but I got seperated from my parents. I wound up in a travelling circus. When the circus came to Smallville, the wagon collapsed in a field during the meteor shower. That's where the Kents found me that day."
"Um, sorry, Clark, but this all seems to hard to believe. What happened to the circus people? They just abandoned you?"
The hopelessness of his analogy became apparent to him and he collapsed on his knees, surrendering to his emotions.
"Don't you see, Lex! There are no circus people!" he shouted. "Replace France with 'another planet,' wagon with 'spaceship' and sideshow freaks with 'aliens' and that's you're answer!"
Lex jumped up out of his seat as his eyes popped open, his chair almost falling on its side. Clark wiped the sweat off his brow and looked up at him.
"I knew there was more to Clark Kent than what you see! I always thought you were just some kind of a meteor freak... but an alien? You don't look any different..." he said, approaching him cautiously, eyeing his form with wonder.
"You're not freaked out?" Clark asked warily.
"Are you kidding? I'm totally freaked out," he replied still looking him over. "But I mean... you're still the Clark Kent I know, right? You know, the one who peeps at his neighbour's window with his telescope and delivers produce and baked goods for his mother?"
Clark blushed and laughed at the same time. Lex came up and poked him awkwardly with his finger.
"So wait... how did you get me out of the car that day on the bridge?"
"Maybe I should just show you. How much does that weigh?" he asked, pointing at Lex's large bookshelf in the corner.
"Clark, that's pure mahogany. It took eight guys to bring that in here."
Clark gripped near the bottom of the base and lifted the bookshelf clear over his head. Lex stood in a daze.
*****
Clark Kent silently sat at the wheel of his red pick-up truck as a slight drizzle sprayed the windshield. His denim-clad form was still, his mind lost in thought. The engine had been running for a good ten minutes before his passenger finally spoke up.
"So are you ready to do this or what?" Lana asked.
Clark hesitated.
"I'm still not sure this is the right thing to do... this could be end up to be the best thing I've ever done - or the one thing I'll most regret."
"You trust him, don't you? He's always been there for you even though he's known you have secrets... sort of like me, remember?" Lana exclaimed.
He gave a small smile and took a deep breath before unlocking the driver side door. Lana did the same on the passenger side and was about to exit but his hand reached out and stopped her.
"I think you should stay here. This is something I should probably do alone."
Lana nodded and watched the man she loved solemnly walk up to the gate and look into the security camera. Shortly thereafter, the mechanized gates slowly pulled back to allow him entry. Clark walked up the long winding path to the front door. The pros and cons passed through his thoughts once again. Would he accept it? Would he be angry? Would he be shocked? Probably all of the above, he thought. By the time he reached the door his clothes were dampened by the morning mist. For the first time visiting Luthor Manor, Lex greeted him at the door himself, attired in a black turtleneck and slacks.
"You're late. C'mon, it's cold out here," he stated, ushering his visitor inside.
Clark took in the surroundings, trying to occupy his thoughts. As he passed through the main foyer he just now realized how menacing the decor was. The walls were built with large, cold, stone blocks. The hall was guarded on each side by suits of armor, armed with halberds. Gargoyles sat on the bottom of the stair railings. He felt as if he was walking to his own execution.
Lex nodded to his assistant as they reached his office. She nodded back, and pressed two buttons on her computer before disconnected the phone line.
"I'll be back after lunch, Mr. Luthor," she said before briskly walking away.
Clark panicked as four security guards came up the stairs but they made no move toward him and instead stood at attention, awaiting Lex's orders.
"I don't want to be disturbed, understand?" Lex commanded.
They nodded, paired up, and took up positions at each end of the hallway.
Clark stepped in to the office, Lex followed, shutting the door behind them. He turned off his beeper and cell phone as he walked to his desk and perched himself on the edge. Clark took off his jean jacket and laid it on the back of his chair as he took another deep breath.
"Whoa, Clark, getting a little tubby there aren't you?" Lex asked, pointing at the slight curve on Clark's tight-fitting tee. Clark looked down at his belly and frowned. "Sorry, let's get back to the matter at hand. I've cleared my schedule, I'm here and waiting for anything you have to say."
Lex Luthor could not believe what he witnessed next.
Clark Kent began crying his eyes out.
"Christ, Clark, I'm sorry! You're not fat! Really!" he said apologetically, coming down off his desk and laying a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
Lex shifted nervously as he patted Clark's shoulder, having no experience calming down a bawling, almost full-grown teenager before.
"Why is this so hard?!" Clark sniffled, clutching his head in his hands. "I just wanted to tell you the truth... but I just... I can't!"
His face flushed a shade of red and grew warm from the blood rushing to his head. Lex grabbed some tissue from his desk and offered it to Clark, who grabbed it and began blowing his nose, the tears still cascading down.
"Clark, I've never seen you like this, this must be big. Listen, whatever it is I promise you, you'll feel better once you tell me."
He grabbed the soiled tissue from Clark's hands and deposited it in the waste paper bin with two fingers before grabbing the entire box and handing it to him.
"Could you wait outside while I calm down a bit please?" Clark managed to get out between sobs.
"Sure," Lex replied, giving him one last concerned look before exiting the office.
Clark looked up at the ceiling trying to breath. 'You can do this Clark, you can tell him. You just have to figure out a subtle way...' he thought. After going through half the box of Kleenex he stood up and walked to the open door, motioning for Lex to return. He sat in a brown leather chair as Clark paced and looked for the right words.
"I've been lying to you for sometime now. What I'm going to tell you, you have to swear never leaves this room."
"Of course. Does Lana know?"
"My parents, Pete and Lana know the truth. But they found out on their own - you'll be the first person I've ever told, voluntarily. Now this might sound strange at first, but just bare with me okay?"
That made Lex smile as we waited in quiet anticipation of the unveiling of the truth that he sought for so long.
"I've been lying to you from the beginning. I did save you that day on the bridge. I managed to get the door off and pull you out."
Lex's eyes flashed in realization, but he remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I'll try to explain the best way I can how I was able to do that. It all comes down to where I come from. I know where I was born. I know who my parents were."
Clark stopped for a moment before his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head.
"I was born in France... to sideshow freaks."
"France? Sideshow freaks?" Lex asked, his face apparently blanked by confusion.
"I said bare with me. So... you see, as a small child, I'm not sure how, but I got seperated from my parents. I wound up in a travelling circus. When the circus came to Smallville, the wagon collapsed in a field during the meteor shower. That's where the Kents found me that day."
"Um, sorry, Clark, but this all seems to hard to believe. What happened to the circus people? They just abandoned you?"
The hopelessness of his analogy became apparent to him and he collapsed on his knees, surrendering to his emotions.
"Don't you see, Lex! There are no circus people!" he shouted. "Replace France with 'another planet,' wagon with 'spaceship' and sideshow freaks with 'aliens' and that's you're answer!"
Lex jumped up out of his seat as his eyes popped open, his chair almost falling on its side. Clark wiped the sweat off his brow and looked up at him.
"I knew there was more to Clark Kent than what you see! I always thought you were just some kind of a meteor freak... but an alien? You don't look any different..." he said, approaching him cautiously, eyeing his form with wonder.
"You're not freaked out?" Clark asked warily.
"Are you kidding? I'm totally freaked out," he replied still looking him over. "But I mean... you're still the Clark Kent I know, right? You know, the one who peeps at his neighbour's window with his telescope and delivers produce and baked goods for his mother?"
Clark blushed and laughed at the same time. Lex came up and poked him awkwardly with his finger.
"So wait... how did you get me out of the car that day on the bridge?"
"Maybe I should just show you. How much does that weigh?" he asked, pointing at Lex's large bookshelf in the corner.
"Clark, that's pure mahogany. It took eight guys to bring that in here."
Clark gripped near the bottom of the base and lifted the bookshelf clear over his head. Lex stood in a daze.