Title: Heart of a King 8 -- Craving
Author: PepperjackCandy
Archive: my writing at
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Clark/Girl!Lex; other pairing withheld
Category: Drama/Romance
Spoilers for: Craving
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail, using the review system at , or by commenting in my lj.
A/N: I deeply apologize for the emotional scarring that's bound to result from this chapter.
Leo buzzed around her home office, placing books on the bookshelves, picking file folders up off of the floor, sticking a three-page letter of intent into the fax machine and storing it into the machine's memory preparatory to sending it.
"Miss Luthor, please sit down. We need to talk."
"Just a minute," Leo picked up the incoming faxes and began stapling them. "I'll be," staple, "all yours just as soon," staple, "as I finish this, Dr. Vargas."
Though, once the faxes had been stapled, Leo began to cast around for something else to do.
"Your test results came back," Vargas began, watching Leo as she sat down at her desk and began to print something out.
Not giving up, Vargas tried again. "The second batch of tests came back normal. In the high end of the range of normal, but we see a lot of that in people who've spent time in Lowell County."
"Normal," she repeated as if the word had ceased to have meaning for her.
"Normal."
Leo grinned hugely and stood. She held out her hand to Vargas. "Thank you, Dr. Vargas. Manuel will see you out."
As soon as the physician was gone, and the door closed, Leo allowed herself one skipping dance step back to her desk and set back to work.
That evening, Clark came to her office. "Hey."
Leo smiled brilliantly. "Just in time. Have a seat."
"Just in time? In time for what?"
Leo picked up a piece of paper from the printer and handed it to him as she sat down next to him. "What do you think?"
"LeoCorp?" He looked up at her.
"It's going to be the name of my new company," she paused, "you don't like it."
"No! It's fine."
She looked at him levelly, silently urging him to continue.
"Well it seems to be . . . missing something. How about 'CleoCorp'?"
"'Cleo'? Like Pinocchio's goldfish?"
"Well, technically, it was Gepetto's, but . . . . All right, no Cleo."
"Thank you," she said primly, sitting in the seat next to his. "I have another question. A . . . personal one."
Clark flinched as if he'd been slapped.
"I need to know if there've been any seemingly-miraculous healings in Smallville."
"Miraculous healings?"
"My doctor says that there's a high incidence of elevated white blood cell counts in Smallville, and so I was just wondering that, since these people don't seem to be sick, according to Dr. Vargas, whether they could just be really, really healthy."
Clark shrugged, "I don't know. You might want to check with Chloe Sullivan. Weird things happening in Smallville is sort of her hobby.
"Or, even better," he corrected himself, "you could stop by the Torch office sometime and see her research. She calls it the Wall of Weird."
"Wall of Weird?" Leo repeated.
"Silly name, huh?"
"No! Well, maybe a little. But if it'll have the answers I need, who cares what it's called."
They laughed for a moment, then Leo leaned forward, so close to Clark's personal space that he could smell her perfume. "So, how go things with the lovely Miss Lang?"
"Most of my friends are trying to get out of high school."
Leo turned from where she was checking out the Wall of Weird and favored Clark with a smile. "I was meeting with your principal. Apparently, you guys are in dire need of a new computer lab. I figured I could help."
"And while you're at it, you thought you'd check out the Wall of Weird."
She nodded. "You were right. She is very thorough. And they all seem to tie back to the meteor shower. Though I have my doubts about the six-fingered farmer."
"Actually, that's Mr. Lincoln. He goes to my church."
"Really? Well, you know I was here. It's when I met your parents for the first time. And you, of course."
Clark suppressed a flinch at how close she was to figuring out the truth.
Just then, they were interrupted by Chloe. "Ms. Luthor."
"Please, call me Leo," she said, extending her hand for Chloe to shake. "Clark was just telling me your meteor theory. I like it. Especially since most people think my plant is secretly behind everything that goes wrong in Smallville."
"That's the reigning theory."
"Are you the only on that blames the meteors instead of me?"
"Pretty much. Well, there is Dr. Hamilton."
"Except most people don't have too high a regard for a guy who sells plastic meteor chips to tourists."
"Doesn't exactly inspire confidence." She turned to Clark, "I'll see you tomorrow at the party."
"We're just going as friends," Clark shot back.
Leo grinned slyly, "Sure you are. Hope you got her a nice gift." With that parting shot, she left.
"Hey, Leo," Clark said as he sat in one of her guest chairs.
"What can I do for you, Clark?"
"I'm totally stumped on what to give Lana for her birthday. I can't afford much, and other than the kind of stuff that costs a lot - jewelry, perfume, that sort of thing, I can't think of a thing to give her."
"Tell me something about her. What does she like?"
"Well, she's beautiful - but you probably have noticed that already," Clark ducked his head and blushed a little. "She's sad. Her parents died the day of the meteor shower. She saw it happen."
"So I've heard," came the dry response.
"Well, she likes to read. And she's lonely."
"Lonely. Why does she feel lonely? She has Nell, and you and your friends, and until recently she had the cheerleading crowd."
"That doesn't guarantee that she's not lonely."
"Point taken. So, what do you think you can do to alleviate her loneliness?"
Clark thought for a moment, then began to tell Leo the story of Lana's final happy memory.
Later that afternoon, Leo paid Dr. Stephen Hamilton a visit.
"I want to make you an offer." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and held it out to Hamilton.
With poor grace, Hamilton took it from her and opened it. "What do you expect to get for this?" He snapped as he looked from the $100,000 check to Leo.
"You want to prove to the world you've been right all along? That check should cover your vindication."
Hamilton nodded brusquely to accept her offer, then asked, "Tell me - why does a billionaire's daughter care so much about a bunch of rocks that fell out of the sky 12 years ago?"
Leo turned for the door, then threw back over her shoulder, "I save that story for the people I trust."
That evening, at the party, Lana was alone on the balcony. Soon she was joined by Leo.
"Getting some air?"
"Something like that," Lana said uncertainly.
"Waiting for Clark?" Then she answered her own question. "I know Clark. He'll be here. If he can."
Lana responded, faux-dismissively, "It's just a birthday."
Leo smiled at her a little, then headed back inside.
After Jody had been taken to the hospital, Clark ran to the mansion to find that Lana's party was long since over. He went to Lana and Nell's house and awakened Lana throwing pebbles at her bedroom window.
"You kind of missed cocktail hour."
"I'm sorry."
"I told you I stopped believing in happy birthdays a long time ago."
"Well, maybe I can change that. Look, I know I blew it tonight, but at least let me give you your present."
"When?"
"Now."
"Pass the popcorn," Lana requested as they sat in the cab of the Kents' truck watching the cartoon shorts being shown on the side of the barn.
Clark handed the bag over, and they reached in for some simultaneously.
Suddenly even the sound of their breathing stopped.
"Clark . . . I . . ." was all Lana got out before they stared deeply into each other's eyes, pulled towards one another.
The popcorn bag fell to the floor, forgotten, as Clark raised his hands to her hair, pulling her gently to him for a kiss.
Author: PepperjackCandy
Archive: my writing at
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Clark/Girl!Lex; other pairing withheld
Category: Drama/Romance
Spoilers for: Craving
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail, using the review system at , or by commenting in my lj.
A/N: I deeply apologize for the emotional scarring that's bound to result from this chapter.
Leo buzzed around her home office, placing books on the bookshelves, picking file folders up off of the floor, sticking a three-page letter of intent into the fax machine and storing it into the machine's memory preparatory to sending it.
"Miss Luthor, please sit down. We need to talk."
"Just a minute," Leo picked up the incoming faxes and began stapling them. "I'll be," staple, "all yours just as soon," staple, "as I finish this, Dr. Vargas."
Though, once the faxes had been stapled, Leo began to cast around for something else to do.
"Your test results came back," Vargas began, watching Leo as she sat down at her desk and began to print something out.
Not giving up, Vargas tried again. "The second batch of tests came back normal. In the high end of the range of normal, but we see a lot of that in people who've spent time in Lowell County."
"Normal," she repeated as if the word had ceased to have meaning for her.
"Normal."
Leo grinned hugely and stood. She held out her hand to Vargas. "Thank you, Dr. Vargas. Manuel will see you out."
As soon as the physician was gone, and the door closed, Leo allowed herself one skipping dance step back to her desk and set back to work.
That evening, Clark came to her office. "Hey."
Leo smiled brilliantly. "Just in time. Have a seat."
"Just in time? In time for what?"
Leo picked up a piece of paper from the printer and handed it to him as she sat down next to him. "What do you think?"
"LeoCorp?" He looked up at her.
"It's going to be the name of my new company," she paused, "you don't like it."
"No! It's fine."
She looked at him levelly, silently urging him to continue.
"Well it seems to be . . . missing something. How about 'CleoCorp'?"
"'Cleo'? Like Pinocchio's goldfish?"
"Well, technically, it was Gepetto's, but . . . . All right, no Cleo."
"Thank you," she said primly, sitting in the seat next to his. "I have another question. A . . . personal one."
Clark flinched as if he'd been slapped.
"I need to know if there've been any seemingly-miraculous healings in Smallville."
"Miraculous healings?"
"My doctor says that there's a high incidence of elevated white blood cell counts in Smallville, and so I was just wondering that, since these people don't seem to be sick, according to Dr. Vargas, whether they could just be really, really healthy."
Clark shrugged, "I don't know. You might want to check with Chloe Sullivan. Weird things happening in Smallville is sort of her hobby.
"Or, even better," he corrected himself, "you could stop by the Torch office sometime and see her research. She calls it the Wall of Weird."
"Wall of Weird?" Leo repeated.
"Silly name, huh?"
"No! Well, maybe a little. But if it'll have the answers I need, who cares what it's called."
They laughed for a moment, then Leo leaned forward, so close to Clark's personal space that he could smell her perfume. "So, how go things with the lovely Miss Lang?"
"Most of my friends are trying to get out of high school."
Leo turned from where she was checking out the Wall of Weird and favored Clark with a smile. "I was meeting with your principal. Apparently, you guys are in dire need of a new computer lab. I figured I could help."
"And while you're at it, you thought you'd check out the Wall of Weird."
She nodded. "You were right. She is very thorough. And they all seem to tie back to the meteor shower. Though I have my doubts about the six-fingered farmer."
"Actually, that's Mr. Lincoln. He goes to my church."
"Really? Well, you know I was here. It's when I met your parents for the first time. And you, of course."
Clark suppressed a flinch at how close she was to figuring out the truth.
Just then, they were interrupted by Chloe. "Ms. Luthor."
"Please, call me Leo," she said, extending her hand for Chloe to shake. "Clark was just telling me your meteor theory. I like it. Especially since most people think my plant is secretly behind everything that goes wrong in Smallville."
"That's the reigning theory."
"Are you the only on that blames the meteors instead of me?"
"Pretty much. Well, there is Dr. Hamilton."
"Except most people don't have too high a regard for a guy who sells plastic meteor chips to tourists."
"Doesn't exactly inspire confidence." She turned to Clark, "I'll see you tomorrow at the party."
"We're just going as friends," Clark shot back.
Leo grinned slyly, "Sure you are. Hope you got her a nice gift." With that parting shot, she left.
"Hey, Leo," Clark said as he sat in one of her guest chairs.
"What can I do for you, Clark?"
"I'm totally stumped on what to give Lana for her birthday. I can't afford much, and other than the kind of stuff that costs a lot - jewelry, perfume, that sort of thing, I can't think of a thing to give her."
"Tell me something about her. What does she like?"
"Well, she's beautiful - but you probably have noticed that already," Clark ducked his head and blushed a little. "She's sad. Her parents died the day of the meteor shower. She saw it happen."
"So I've heard," came the dry response.
"Well, she likes to read. And she's lonely."
"Lonely. Why does she feel lonely? She has Nell, and you and your friends, and until recently she had the cheerleading crowd."
"That doesn't guarantee that she's not lonely."
"Point taken. So, what do you think you can do to alleviate her loneliness?"
Clark thought for a moment, then began to tell Leo the story of Lana's final happy memory.
Later that afternoon, Leo paid Dr. Stephen Hamilton a visit.
"I want to make you an offer." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and held it out to Hamilton.
With poor grace, Hamilton took it from her and opened it. "What do you expect to get for this?" He snapped as he looked from the $100,000 check to Leo.
"You want to prove to the world you've been right all along? That check should cover your vindication."
Hamilton nodded brusquely to accept her offer, then asked, "Tell me - why does a billionaire's daughter care so much about a bunch of rocks that fell out of the sky 12 years ago?"
Leo turned for the door, then threw back over her shoulder, "I save that story for the people I trust."
That evening, at the party, Lana was alone on the balcony. Soon she was joined by Leo.
"Getting some air?"
"Something like that," Lana said uncertainly.
"Waiting for Clark?" Then she answered her own question. "I know Clark. He'll be here. If he can."
Lana responded, faux-dismissively, "It's just a birthday."
Leo smiled at her a little, then headed back inside.
After Jody had been taken to the hospital, Clark ran to the mansion to find that Lana's party was long since over. He went to Lana and Nell's house and awakened Lana throwing pebbles at her bedroom window.
"You kind of missed cocktail hour."
"I'm sorry."
"I told you I stopped believing in happy birthdays a long time ago."
"Well, maybe I can change that. Look, I know I blew it tonight, but at least let me give you your present."
"When?"
"Now."
"Pass the popcorn," Lana requested as they sat in the cab of the Kents' truck watching the cartoon shorts being shown on the side of the barn.
Clark handed the bag over, and they reached in for some simultaneously.
Suddenly even the sound of their breathing stopped.
"Clark . . . I . . ." was all Lana got out before they stared deeply into each other's eyes, pulled towards one another.
The popcorn bag fell to the floor, forgotten, as Clark raised his hands to her hair, pulling her gently to him for a kiss.