Chapter Two: Harboring A Fugitive

Clark stroked the boy's hair and smiled at the boy who was snuggling warmly up to him; his head resting against his broad shoulder, blanket covering him as he stared into the crackling flames. The boy purred contently, feeling the warmth he hadn't felt since he left Smallville as he stared into the fire place.

"Are you sure Lex won't mind me staying here tonight? I mean, he can get into a lot of trouble hiding me here" he said, trying to get Clark away from here, so Lex wouldn't show up and interrupt them.

"Lex won't mind. Besides, it's my home now too, and I can bring my friend here if I want to."

"What do you mean?" The boy asked, wishing he could read the alien's mind.

"Well, I didn't get to email you about this Ryan, 'cause it happened only a week ago. You see I'm actually a Luthor now" Clark replied calmly.

"WHAT?!! You're a Luthor now! What happened? You didn't marry Lex did you?!!"

Laughter sounded from the door and Ryan turned around to see that it was Lex.

"No Ryan, I didn't marry him," Lex said amusedly as he handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "Clark and I are brothers."

"Right," the boy said, reading Lex's thoughts and knowing exactly what they do together as Lex gave Clark a look. Ryan had to stop himself from growling.

"So, how are you doing Ryan?" Lex asked.

"Okay. Thanks to Clark." He hugged Clark tighter as he said this. He knew that Lex knew he wanted Clark, and he hated the man even more for thinking that his feelings were childish. He didn't even know him; Ryan stopped being a child a long time ago, no matter how he acted.

"So Ryan, what happened?" Clark asked as he pulled the blanket tightly around the boy.

"A few months ago I started getting headaches and nose bleeds. My aunt took me to all kinds of doctors, but no one seems to know what the problem was. The bills were becoming too much to handle and one day Dr. Garner offered to pay for my care."

"What were they treating you for Ryan?" Lex asked, Ryan knew it was out of concern rather than suspicion but still, he stiffened.

"They... they were treating me for..."

"A new kind of brain disease." Clark cut in, giving his usual half-truth. Ryan smiled at him again.

"Right, Clark, can I talk to you for a moment?" Lex said before walking out of the room.

"Clark?" Ryan stopped him before he could follow.

"Yeah?"

'What am I going to say?' Ryan thought. 'Don't have sex with Lex tonight? Do it with me instead?'

Instead Ryan settled with, "Can you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Clark gave him a pearly white smile.

"Sure Ryan," he said before following Lex outside.

"What were you thinking Julian?" Lex asked, once again calling Clark by his dead brother's name, though the boy was already used to it.

"I didn't have a choice Lex; they were treating him like a lab rat, it was horrible. And I couldn't keep him at the farm, mum and dad would freak."

"Kidnapping has that affect on people."

"Lex," Clark whined.

"Clark you abducted a minor and you're a Luthor. The press is going to have a field day if they get wind of this."

"I'm sorry Lex. I didn't think." He said as he pouted. "I saw him hooked up to those wires. I had to do something."

Lex's anger melted at the pout and put his arms around Clark. "It's ok, we'll figure something out. Let's just do it before dad gets back from Japan. By the way, how did you stage that one-man prison break?"

"Umm..."

There conversation was interrupted as Enrique the butler knocked on the door.

"Come in"

"Master Clark, there's a Dr. Garner to see you sir."

"Where's Ryan?" Dr. Garner asked the moment he saw Clark.

"He's safe from you," Clark growled.

"Dr. Garner I'm sure we can work this out." Lex cut in.

Before Lex could continue, the doctor threw a picture at them. It was of Clark, with Ryan in arms at the institute.

"I'm sure the press would love to know more about the newest member of the Luthor family." The doctor said as he smirked at the two Luthors. "I'm not sure how you avoided the hallway security cameras, but you forgot about the one in Ryan's room. Now give the boy to me, or this hits front page."

"No,"

"Julian!"

"What ever they did to him in there, it's bad. I'm not letting him go back."

"Fine, I'll have the police here with a search warrant by morning" Dr. Garner said before walking away.

"Clark, I'm sorry for causing trouble." Ryan said as he curled up against Clark on the large bed.

"It's ok Ryan; it's not your fault. I'm not going to let them hurt you any more." Clark said as he kissed the boy's forehead.

"So are you going to explain to me how you became Lex's brother?"

"A while ago a woman named Rachel Dunleavy came to Smallville claiming that she was my mother and that I'm the illegitimate son of Lionel Luthor. The woman got court-ordered a DNA test and so I switched my DNA with Pete. I didn't know they were testing Lionel's DNA too, and the test came out negative for the woman but positive for Lionel Luthor. So here I am. I can't even tell Pete about the results 'cause he keeps fainting every time he hears it."

"So now you're a Luthor?"

"No Ryan. I'm a Kent-Luthor."

Ryan gave Clark a smile before finally falling asleep.

The sound of the press surrounding the gates (many of which had begun climbing in and squeezing through the bars) at the castle was louder than that of a mob during a revolution. Ryan woke Clark up the moment he heard their thoughts and now they were sitting in Lex's office, thinking about what to do next.

"The police are here," Ryan said. "We should go outside."

"Let's just wait for Lex," Clark said, his brother had left earlier, saying that he had figured out a solution and would be back as soon as he could.

"He's gone to court to get an order to give Mr. and Mrs. Kent temporary custody of me. Then he's getting a countersuit ready in case you get arrested. He won't be back in time though. The police are already here with Dr. Garner. We should go out before they break in...Don't worry Clark; I won't let them arrest you."

Clark smiled. "Thanks Ryan."

The front door opened and Clark had to cover his eyes as the cameras flashed at him. He felt the handcuffs on him as the Sheriff came behind him.

"Clark Luthor, you are under arrest for the abduction of Ryan James. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can be held against you." Ethan said as evenly as he could. He was part of the Anti-Luthor Society too, but he didn't expect Clark to go bad so quickly after joining them, maybe Jonathan was wrong and the boy really was pure Luthor.

"Wait!" Ryan shouted and held onto Clark as Dr. Garner came forward.

"Come on Ryan, we need to get back to Metropolis" the man said as he put his hands on the boy's shoulder.

Ryan flinched away and turned to the press. "He's Clark Kent-Luthor, and he's a hero!"

The press went into an uproar and began writing as Ryan tried to fight down on the headache that was taking over him. The boy pointed towards the doctor.

"That man raped me!"

The crowd went even louder and Ryan put his hands on his throbbing head.

"Ryan, are you alright?" Clark asked as he knelt down beside him, hands still cuffed together.

"He's delusional officer. He has a brain disease that causes him to-" the doctor was interrupted as Ryan used all the energy he had to ignore the pain.

"I have proof" he said as he held onto Clark.

"We've gotta get him to a hospital."

"No, I'm fine I just, I just need to get away from the people."

"Sheriff, we gotta get Ryan away from all the people, he's umm...claustrophobic." Clark turned back to the sheriff who now has Dr. Garner in handcuffs too.

"Alright, let's get you all down to the station and have this sorted out."

The honking of a black Jaguar X type convertible drew everyone's attention as it drove into the press like they were bugs to be squashed. Lex parked it in front of the sheriff. He had come prepared with a microphone and started speaking through the chaos.

"I have a restraining order on the press. If any of you get within a hundred feet of any of the Luthors or Kents or Ryan James, you will all be arrested, now go before I start singing." He said before putting the mike down and turning to the sheriff.

"I have a temporary court order giving the Kents custody of Ryan until the situation can be reviewed and a countersuit ready to be filed if you arrest Clark" he handed the papers to the sheriff.

"And I have a video from a security camera showing him raping me." Ryan added "It seems Clark's not the only one who forgot aboutthesecurity camera,doctor."

Then Lex turned back to the press and when he noticed they were still there so he brought his mike out and started singing in a high pitched and out of key voice.

"I used to think, I had the answers to everything.

"But now I know, that life doesn't always go my waaaaayyyyyy. Yeah."

"Oh no," Clark mumbled as the press started edging away. Ryan had had his ears covered a full five minutes beforehand.

"Feels like I'm caught in the middle,

"That's when I reeaaaliiizzzzeeeee..."

Clark used all the will he had to not break the handcuffs in half to cover his ears.

"I'm not a girl, not yet a woman,

"All I need is time, a moment that is mine,

"Whiiiiiile I'm in between,"

Lex's singing was now accompanied by dramatic hand gestures before he grabbed a white feather boa and wrapping it around himself. The press in the front row were already running for their lives but the ones in the back still couldn't hear him. He turned the volume up and sang louder.

"I'M NOT A GIRL, THERE IS NO NEED TO PROTECT ME

"IT'S TIME THAT I, LEARN TO FACE UP TO THIS ON MY OWWWWWWWNNNNNN"

Clark couldn't take it and broke the handcuffs, hand covering his ears.

"I'VE SEEN SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU KNOW NOOOOOW

"SO DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT MY EYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS"

Lex stopped to cough for a second then gestured for Clark to come over. "Clark, my throat hurts, and they're not all gone yet. Help me sing," he said as he tossed the mike to Clark. Clark looked at him like he'd lost his mind but took the mike anyway before singing in a deep bass voice. Being not quite sure how the song goes, he improvised.

"I-I'm not a man,

Not yet a woman"

Then Clark a little braver.

"All I neeeeeed is tiiime and some cash that is mine

"Whiiiiiile I'm in betweeeeeeeen"

Then Lex found another mike and joined in as all the police scrambled away, looking for anything that could use to cover their ears. Dr. Garner was already on the floor begging and pleading for them to stop. Ryan was long gone.

"I'M NOT A GUUUUUU-RRRRLLLL,

"BUT IF YOU LOOK AT ME CLOSELY!

"YOU WILL SEE IT IN MY EYES

"THIS GIRL WILL ALWAYS FIND, HER WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY"

Lex found a pink feather boa in his car and wrapped it around Clark too as they began singing alternatively, Lex singing the high notes and Clark singing the low. By that time all the press were gone but the duo was too into it to stop.

"I'M NOT A MAN"

"I'M NOT A MAN DONT TELL ME HOW TO BE MANLY"

"NOT YET A WOMAN!"

"I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND THE WOMAN IN ME YEAH"

"ALL I NEED IS TIME"

"OH ALL I NEED IS TIME THATS MINE"

"WHILE IM IN BETWEEEEEEEN"

"I'm not a man, oooooooooo

"Not yet a wo-man."

The sound of the door closing brought both of their attentions back to Earth as Ryan stepped out. He had sneaked away inside the house when no one noticed and came back out with the video when they had finished.

"I got the video, should we go now?" the boy asked as he tried not to break into uncontrollable laughter at the site of the two brothers in their expensive outfits but with feather boas around them.

"Um, sure," Clark said as he and Lex got in the Jaguar, not noticing that they still had the featherboa on as Lex followed the police cruiser.

At the police station

"Well Clark, you're a hero...again... and looks like this time you might actually be famous for it." The sheriff said as he patted Clark on the back. Ryan was once again snuggling up to him. Dr. Garner, along with the video would soon be in the custody of the Metropolis PD, the Summerholt Institute was now under surveillance, and after everyone at the police station broke into hysterical laughter, Clark and Lex realized they still had the boas on and took them off.

"Thanks for saving me Clark" Ryan said against his chest.

"And thanks for saving me Ryan," he kissed the boy's forehead and he beamed. "So Ryan, why didn't you tell me what he did do you before?"

"I didn't want you to worry. You have enough to worry about as it is." Clark didn't say anything, just hugged the boy tighter.

"Son."

Clark's head turned as Lionel walked into the police station, Martha Kent next to him making sure he didn't crash into anything in his blindness.

"Daddy, mum," he said as he got up to give them both a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Japan."

"I flew back as soon as I heard the news. Congratulations son, you're getting good PR already," Lionel said as Martha handed Clark a Daily Planet article.

'FARM-GROWN LUTHOR SAVES BOY FROM RAPIST DOCTOR!'

The headline reads, with a picture of Clark with Ryan in his arms.

"We have a press conference in Metropolis tomorrow. Lex can help you with your speech."

Clark gaped at Lionel, completely speechless.

Ryan gave Lionel a disgusted look and held Clark tighter to him.

At the Talon

"Surprise!" everyone yelled as Ryan and Clark entered together. Ryan gave them all a fake look of surprise as Chloe walked out from the Talon kitchen with a three layered cake.

"Hello sweetie," she said as she smiled at him and gave him a hug, "Oh look how you've grown. You're such a handsome boy. Want to help me bake some more cookies Ryan?"

She was currently in a dress with puffy sleeves and pink flower patterns. Over the flared skirt was a white apron. She was wearing a pair of high heels and a string of pearls around her neck. Her hair was impeccably curled and she had bright red lipstick on her brain-dead smile. She looked like a wife from a 1950's TV show.

"Um...no thanks," Ryan replied as he tried to read her mind and came up blank. He looked at Clark questioningly and the guy just shrugged.

"I'm so glad you're back," Lana said as she came over and gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek. The boy tried not to shiver; he knew perfectly well what Lana's secret was and why she wasn't with Clark even though she desperately wanted to be.

"Yeah, me too," he replied, hoping his acting skills were still good as he hung onto Clark even tighter. Clark led them to a table.

"So, how long did you know about this 'surprise'?" Clark asked teasingly.

"Since Mrs Kent came to the police station."

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late somethin' weird happened on the way over," Pete said as he came to their table. "It's like I blacked out or somethin' cause I was just standing at a street corner, then I was on the floor and was late for the party. You think it's another meteor freak on the lose Clark?"

"Were you standing next to a newspaper stand when it happened?" Clark asked, knowing what was in the papers.

"Um, I think so."

"Then no, it's not a meteor freak."

Pete gave him a confused look.

"Pete, nothing happened to you. You just fainted because-"

Pete fainted.

Clark rolled his eyes and moved Pete onto a sofa. "Must have remembered why he fainted and fainted again."

Ryan laughed.

"Oh dear, is he alright honey?" Chloe asked as she saw him carry Pete to the sofa. "Should I call an ambulance, or get some wet cloth for his head?"

"Oh no, it's ok, Pete just uh... he didn't get enough sleep last night and just fell asleep that's all," Clark lied.

"Oh poor dear," she said as she started fussing over him "Sleep is very important. Everyone should always get enough rest...Oh look at him, doesn't he look like an angel in his sleep."

"Riiight," Clark drawled before walking back to Ryan.

"It's funny how Pete can handle the idea of his best friend being an alien so well, yet can't even attempt to acknowledge the idea that he might be related to the Luthors," Ryan said once Clark returned.

"Yeah, he can be such a drama queen sometimes."

"Drama queen? I hope you guys weren't talking about me." Lana said teasingly as she brought them two pieces of cake.

"No, just Pete, he found out about me being a Luthor again and then he fainted again."

"Oh that's why he fell over" she said as she sat down on their table. Ryan gave her a glare, then he wrinkled his eyebrows and touched his head.

"Ryan, are you alright?"

"Just a headache," he replied.

"I'll go get you some water," Lana said as she got up and walked away. Ryan congratulated himself on his acting once again even though he knew she'd be back soon.

"So Ryan, you told me last time that Lana had a secret. Can you tell me what that is?" Clark asked once she was gone and Ryan looked better.

"Do you know Lana's moving to Metropolis?" Ryan said, quickly changing the subject.

"Here you go Ryan" Lana said as she gave him a glass of water.

"Lana you're moving to Metropolis!!??" Clark asked unsubtly.

"I um... well I don't really want to but Nell she-"

"Then stay," Clark said as she put his hand over Lana's, the girl blushed and Ryan tried not to puke.

"Where would I stay Clark?" She asked in her usual high pitched voice which Ryan knew was faked.

"You can stay with us at the Sullivans' if you like, dear," Chloe cut in. "The house is just so lonely with only two people in it, we'd love to have more."

"Thanks Chloe," Lana said as she jumped on her friend in a powerful bear hug, causing Chloe to slip on her heels and both of them to fall to the floor.

'They'd make a hot couple' Ryan thought to himself.

TBC