The only person more shocked than Lionel Luthor when Clark Kent came crashing into his office was probably Clark himself. "Mr. Luthor, I need to talk with you," he gasped out.

"Clark, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Well, uh, yeah. But something with Lex... happened." Clark glanced at a clock and realized that it was only 9:30. There really wasn't a logical way to explain how he had gotten to Metropolis so quickly.

"Come with me, Clark, we shouldn't discuss this in the open." Lionel pushed the young man into an elevator and then into his car, telling the driver to just drive around for an hour or so. "Now, what happened."

"I ran into Lex at the Talon this morning and he..." The boy squirmed, glancing out the window. "Lex kissed me." He pursed his lips before looking back at Lionel. "In public."

"People saw," Lionel said disapprovingly.

"I don't think so. We were in the back room."

Lex would be going to Europe to never return. "This is unacceptable. The matter must be dealt with quickly." Perhaps a little time at Belle Reeve was in order, as well. Lionel reached out and lightly patted Clark's knee. "Clark, I'm glad that you came to me yourself to tell me this."

Unthinking, Clark put his hand over Lionel's, then jerked back. What am I doing? "Sorry," he mumbled.

Lionel gave him a thin smile, placing his hand over Clark's. "There's nothing to be sorry about. It's not as if this is your fault." He traced small circles with his thumb. "I suppose Lex sometimes forgets that he's in Smallville. Things are different in Metropolis."

"Different," Clark echoed. Lionel put his other arm around Clark's shoulders.

"Some things are... well, more acceptable here. A man expressing his feelings publicly doesn't raise as many eyebrows. Such things are just accepted as another way of life."

"Accepted... right." Clark was feeling a bit heady. Lionel's hand had left his to slide up his arm, pulling him in ever closer.

"Clark, what I'm trying to say is-"

"Please stop talking," Clark said, touching the side of Lionel's face as his kissed him. Clark silently prayed that he was not making a fool of himself. He pushed forward, pressing Lionel back a fraction.

"Mr. Kent, what are you doing?" Lionel asked levelly, when the two came up for air.

Shit, shit, shit! I read him all wrong! "I, er, I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor, I never meant to... I mean-"

"Clark, Clark," Lionel chuckled. "It's all right. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. You've never done this before, have you?"

Clark blushed. "Well... with a guy? No. I mean, I have... well, I... Er. No."

How sweet. Completely, utterly innocent, and begging to be corrupted. Allow me to oblige you, young Mr. Kent. Lionel nodded. "Hmm... well, if you want, I can educate you."

Clark's eyes answered for him. Lionel pressed the advantage, devouring the young man sitting next to him. He pushed Clark into a submissive stance underneath him. Clark's hands fluttered uselessly on the back of the seat. He had no idea what to do. He felt like he was drowning.

"You need to breathe occasionally, Clark," Lionel advised, before returning to the task of ravaging the younger man's mouth.

Oh, yeah. Breathing is a good thing here. Taking a chance, Clark reached out and clutched at Lionel's back. Lionel started to move across his jaw line, down his throat when the two were thrown onto the car floor.

"What the hell?" Clark gasped.

"We've been hit, sir," the driver called back through the partition.

"Oh, really?" Lionel sneered. "I hadn't noticed." He pulled himself back up onto the seat, helping Clark up. "I'm going to get out and talk to the other driver. You stay here. Under no circumstances are you to get out of this car."

"But-"

"Clark, people are forgiving. The press is not. And you don't want your parents getting the wrong idea when they see us on the evening news."

Oh, right... parents. Somehow, Clark couldn't see his parents being happy to find out that he had been in a car with Lionel Luthor. Alone. When he should have been in school.

Lionel left Clark in the car alone with his thoughts.

Carmella wanted to die. She was hearing voices, and now she had just rear-ended her boss. "Mr. Luthor!" she gasped. "I am so sorry. I didn't... I wasn't paying attention!"

"Obviously, Miss Fitzpatrick, you were not paying attention. Or else that-" pointing to the damaged rear bumper- "would never have happened."

"Mr. Luthor, I was rushing to tell you about what happened last night-"

"My dear, your biggest concern right now should be whether or not your car insurance is going to cover the damage you just caused."

"But, Mr. Luthor! There was this voice! And it asked me to make a wish-"

"Voices? Wishes? My dear, perhaps you need some psychiatric help. Sounds a bit schizophrenic to me."

"But... but there was a voice," Carmella pouted.

"Oh, I'm sure there was," Lionel smirked. "You know, Miss Fitzpatrick, I hired you thinking that the mental illness in your family had not been passed onto you. Obviously it has."

"My father wasn't crazy!"

"Really? So he didn't see fairies in his bedroom?"

"I don't know if he did or if he didn't!" She just couldn't get fired. Not now! Not when she could potentially be so close to reaching her goal!

"I really don't care about that right now. As soon as I get back to the office, I'm going to have a serious and in depth at whether or not you will continue your employment with Luthor Corp" The last few words were dripping with contempt.

Carmella balled up her fists, then shrieked with rage. "I'm not crazy, and neither was my father, you... you... bad man!"

That was when the police managed to show up.

An hour and a half later, Lionel brought Clark back to the office and sent the boy on his way. Lionel raged quietly behind his desk, waiting for his lunch to be brought in. Who knows what he could have gotten Clark to do? Now, he was going back to Smallville, where an obviously smitten Lex was waiting for him.

This just meant he would have to return to Smallville ahead of schedule.

Lex cowered in his bedroom. He hadn't cowered since he was a child, but it was the only thing he could think of to do. By now, the entire town of Smallville knew what he had done to Clark Kent, he was certain of it. The only question in Lex's mind now was: who would get to him first? Lionel or Jonathon?

So far, neither had shown up.

What had possessed him to kiss Clark? In public? It was as if he couldn't control his own actions. At least he had done it relatively out of sight. Still, someone could have just happened to be passing by. It would be the end of him in Smallville for sure.

It was at two when his father showed up. "What the hell were you thinking?" Lionel was being very calm. That was very bad.

"I don't know, Dad."

"You don't know? Now I find that hard to believe. You just happened to be standing in a coffee shop and thought, 'Hey, maybe I should kiss the Farm Boy in front of half of the town.' And, apparently, if I hear correctly, you got in some light groping too."

"It...it wasn't like that," Lex groaned into his hands. "I just... kissed him. No big deal. Besides, I don't think anyone saw."

Lionel looked at his son in shock. "No big deal?"

"It's not like I had sex with him in public." Now there was an idea! Lex was very glad that his father could not read thoughts.

"You might as well have. This is Smallville, son." Lionel rubbed his forehead. "But why now? And why the hell in the back of a coffee shop? Are you too good for the back room or your car?"

"Jesus Christ, Dad, I kissed a boy and all you seem to care about is that I did it in public."

"You can fuck a goat sideways for all I care, as long as nobody finds out about it!" Lionel raged. "And I get a grandson from a respectable girl."

"A goat?"

"Damn it, Lex, you know what I mean."

"I had to do it, Dad. I saw him standing there, and then I just had to kiss him. I can't offer an explanation any more rational than that."

"I think I raised my son to have a little more self-control than that!"

"You don't understand- Clark!"

The two men turned to see a bashful Clark Kent walking into the room. He glanced nervously at Lex. "Um, I dropped off the produce. I just wanted to see if-" you were alone, Lionel, "-Lex was, er, feeling any better."

Lex started to speak when Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross walked into the room. "Oh, you brought your entourage." Must kiss. Must get naked. Now. Lex clenched his jaw; he would not act on these impulses.

"Don't you children have school?" Lionel asked.

"Half day," Pete explained.

Lex began to walk forward. "Clark, I want to apologize for my actions earlier today. It was entirely uncalled for."

"Yeah, well, no big deal," Clark mumbled looking at his feet.

That was when Lex lunged forward, grabbing Clark by the hair and knocking him to the floor. Must have. He brutally kissed Clark, feeling a desperate need to get Clark's clothing off. Damned layers!

"What the hell are you doing?" Pete yelled, trying to pull Lex off Clark. Lex snarled and threw Pete to the floor.

"Mine!" Lex hissed.

Lionel grabbed his son across the chest and wrestled him to the floor. "Get out!" he yelled at the teenagers. The trio looked at him like deer in the headlights. "And tell no one of this. I will take care of matters."

Helping Clark to his feet, the three fled. "What the hell was that?" Chloe snickered. "The only thing Lex didn't do was go Gollum on you and start calling you his Precious."

"I'm glad you think this is funny, Chloe," Clark snapped, rubbing his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Oh, come on, Clark, Lex obviously is going insane," Chloe replied.

"Yeah, and ruining Clark's reputation in the process," Pete pointed out.

"What reputation?" she muttered under her breath.

Lionel dragged his son over to Lex's bed. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

"I just... I need him. Don't you understand? I need him." Lex continued to babble on in that vein, but he did seem to be calming down a bit "Just let me go see him, Dad.  I just want to get away with him for a little while.  Then everything will be just fine."

"Oh, I think not. I think you need a little rest, Lex. A little rest that is far, far away from Clark Kent."

"No," Lex growled, reaching for his father's throat. "I won't let you keep him away from me.  He's mine!  We are meant to be together!"

"Stop it, Lex," Lionel snarled, wrestling with his son's hands. "Get a hold of yourself."

Lex suddenly went limp, a dart sticking out of his arm. Carmella Fitzpatrick walked over, holding the dart gun her mother used at her veterinary office. "Now will you listen to me?" she asked.

TBC

Soon, all our questions will be answered.  Who will Clark get his groove on with?  What strange force is causing all of this?  What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?