Chapter 36 - Sick Day

Lex had tried to push through his chores on the farm. He had tried to mask it with medication and caffeine. He had even resorted to getting enough sleep at night—more than enough, even.

In the end, he couldn't deny what he'd known for weeks.

He finally had to make the confession when he could barely lift a pitchfork. "Dad, can I take a breather?" He asked.

"Are you doing OK? We barely started."

He took a deep breath. His dad wasn't going to be happy with him. "I'm sick," he said. "I've been sick for a while."

His dad took a step closer, his eyebrows furrowing. He held the back of his hand to Lex's forehead, a gesture Lex hadn't experienced since he was about eight. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There's been a lot for you guys to worry about, I didn't…"

His dad gave him a stern look. "You know better than that, young man."

Lex swallowed. He didn't have the energy to argue or grovel, or even to sit through a lecture. Now that he was finally admitting his weakness, he felt like it was all catching up with him. "I'm sorry."

He had half expected his dad to dole out a consequence, but he didn't. Maybe he figured natural consequences were enough. They were. He would never hide an illness like this again; he was absolutely miserable. His dad just nodded toward the house. "Go inside. Tell your mother what you did."

Ah. There was the consequence. "Yes, sir."

As if to confirm, his dad gave him a couple of rough pats on the shoulder and returned to his work. Lex took off his gloves and headed into the house.

His mom was still wiping down the table from breakfast. He really hadn't made it long. "Hey," he said.

She frowned and she looked up at him. "You're sick," she said.

"I have been for a while. I've been taking medication for it so you wouldn't know."

"Lex," she chided softly. "Go on up to bed. I'll bring you some tea."

"Sounds great," he said, and he meant it. He couldn't remember ever having been sick, but his mom had always taken such good care of him when he was injured.

The stairs to his room were an undertaking. He ended up using the railing more than he ever had. But when he finally settled into bed, it felt better than any bed he had ever slept on.

By the time he opened his eyes, the clock radio on his nightstand read one in the afternoon. He was feeling a lot better. He doubted he was fully recovered, considering he had felt sick for weeks—one nap wouldn't cure it. But at least he had a little more energy than he had had for a while.

He went downstairs to find his parents finishing up lunch. "Hey," his mom said, coming over to greet him with a hug. "Sorry about the tea, I brought it up but you were fast asleep."

"It's OK," he said.

"I can get back out the sandwich fixings if you want lunch."

He felt kind of sick to his stomach at the thought. "Still full from breakfast. But if the offer still stands for that tea…"

His mom went to pull out a seat from the table. "Wait here."

He sat at the table and gave his dad a weak smile. "Where is Clark at today?"

His dad sighed. "Still with your other half."

Lex swallowed hard. He started to question whether he had been well enough to come downstairs after all. "I wish he wouldn't," he said.

"I know," his dad said. "They're taking a trip this weekend."

"A trip? To where?"

"China. Something about those stones of power."

"I still can't believe Clark is helping him."

"Clark's convinced the stones have to do with him. Most of the stuff they've been doing together has to do with his Kryptonian heritage."

Lex knew he wasn't well enough to be running across the globe with Clark—at least, not without taking quantities of medication that his parents would never approve of. Still, it hurt that Clark was exploring all of that with someone else. No—Lex would've been fine with Clark exploring it with someone other than his brother. But Clark was choosing his brother. He was just choosing the side of him that had tortured him and threatened his family.

"Son," his dad said softly, as if reading his mind, "this is hard for Clark, too."

"I know," Lex said. He knew his thoughts were irrational. But that didn't quite take the pain away.

His mom brought over a steaming cup. "If you're still feeling alright after drinking this, you can work with me in the house today. I want you to take it easy."

"OK," he said.

"And if you're still not feeling well in a few days, I want you to call your doctor."

"I will."

She reached out and cradled the back of his head, kissing his forehead. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he replied, marveling that the words he'd once craved like air had become so commonplace.


The trip to China was surprisingly uneventful. Once again, with Clark and Lex working together, they were able to find the stone pretty quickly. The other nice thing was that, about a week ago, Lex had stopped carrying kryptonite everywhere he went. It made it a lot easier for Clark to work with him.

They didn't have much conversation on the plane ride there or back. Lex worked on his computer, although Clark wasn't sure exactly what he was doing—he doubted Lex was getting access to the Internet. When he got bored on the flight back, he asked, "So, what do you think the stones are going to do?"

"All the legends say they bestow the owner with great knowledge and power," Lex said.

"So, that's right up your alley."

"It's not really your speed. Do you mind telling me why you're really on board?"

"I already told you, Lex."

"Still sticking with that cover story, are you?"

"It's not a cover story."

"You want to get to know me."

"Well, yeah."

"So tell me. What have you found so far?"

Clark considered the question. He really didn't fear or hate the darkness like he had. Sure, he had been threatening and cruel early on, but his mom made a pretty good point: he really wanted people to believe he was unredeemable. He didn't do horrible things for the sake of doing horrible things; he occasionally made the wrong choice to convince someone that he would, or if something stood in his way, but in general, he was just… Lex. He was smart and passionate and ambitious, and he had an interesting and unique way of seeing the world and communicating about it. The darkness wasn't the side of Lex that cared deeply about others, but he wasn't a heartless criminal mastermind, either.

"You're my brother," Clark said.

"...Right," Lex said, and he went back to his laptop.

Clark settled back into his seat. He took the opportunity to look around in the jet. There wasn't much of interest, which surprised him. The most interesting thing in Lex's briefcase was a ton of cold and flu medication. Clark wondered if that was evidence that the two sides were connected; the other side of Lex had been sick, too.

After landing, they drove together to the Kawache caves. Clark carried the stone they had most recently found, and Lex carried the other two. As predicted, all three fit perfectly together into the slot in the stone table.

And then they began to glow.

The three stones merged together to become one glowing white crystal, which floated up from the table. Clark only stared, feeling a deep sense of purpose, a sense that this was where he was supposed to be, but Lex gasped.

"What is that?" He stepped back. "What the hell is that?"

Clark didn't answer. The crystal floated toward him, leaving brighter, and he grabbed it out of midair.

"Careful!"

"I know what I'm doing," Clark said, and it was a lie, but it was also one of the truest statements he'd ever spoken.

The wall beside him opened, bright light shining through, so bright he couldn't see what was on the other side.

"I'm coming with you," Lex said.

"I think it's for me." Clark turned toward the opening.

At the last second, Lex lunged to grab onto Clark, and just then, both of them were transported.

They were in the middle of nowhere, a frozen waste land of snow, miles and miles, as far as the eye could see.

Lex shivered beside him. "Great," he said. "What now?"

Clark let go of the crystal, still staring at it as it floated before his eyes. It clearly wanted something. It was trying to tell him something. He just didn't know what.

"Clark?"

Instinct took over. Later, he never would've been able to explain it. He grabbed the crystal and threw it as far as he could.

"Clark!" Lex grabbed his arm too late. "What are you thinking?"

But Clark didn't get to answer.

There was a deep, low rumbling from inside the snow, and Clark was glad he had thrown the crystal a far enough distance. The earth itself opened in an enormous sinkhole, and what appeared to be jagged ice formations rose.

Clark just watched. He should have been shocked; he should have been panicking. But it was as if he had been waiting for this moment his whole life. Even Lex was silent now.

By the time the formations at stilled, the castle—if that's what it was—was easily ten times the size of the Luthor mansion.

"I don't… I can't…"

Clark ignored Lex's stuttering and walked toward formation. It was his. He knew it was his. It always had been for him.

"Kal El. You have travelled far."

Jor El's voice. Clark wouldn't have expected any different.

"One journey has ended. A new journey is about to begin. Welcome home, my son."

"Who is that?" Lex asked, looking around, trying to find the source of the voice. He shivered, though he seemed to be trying to hide it.

Home, Jor El had said. But that meant... "I thought Krypton was destroyed!"

"It was. But here in your Fortress of Solitude, the geography of our planet has been replicated for your training."

Clark looked over at Lex, whose teeth chattered so hard Clark could hear them, then around at the inner fortress, the jagged stalagmites stretching diagonally in every direction. He spoke carefully. "I know there's a lot I can learn from you, but I have to get home. He'll freeze to death out here."

"Your destiny is far greater than saving one human life."

"He's my brother."

"You have no siblings."

Clark doubted he would get far reasoning with his biological father. "I won't let him die."

"Each time you let your emotions guide you, the fate of the of the entire planet is at risk. That is your weakness, Kal-El."

A year ago, Clark might have groveled, begged. But he had earned a lot from what he had been through with Lionel, and with Lex. Clark scoffed. "Screw you," he said, and he picked up Lex. "Ready?"

Lex shuddered in reply. And Clark ran.

He ran fast enough that nobody would be able to see him, but he kept track of his surroundings. It took him a little while to find anything he recognized. When he noticed the familiar terrain of Kansas, he slowed down just enough that he wouldn't miss the cornfields of Smallville. His plan had been to return to the caves, but at the last minute, he took Lex back to his residential hiding place in Metropolis.

Once inside, Lex shivered one last time and straightened up. "You could have let me die."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Because you still think I'm connected to my other side."

"Because I care about you."

Lex rolled his eyes. "Fine. What do I owe you?"

Clark gave him a look.

"You saved my life. I won't be in your debt."

"This...this wasn't a loss for me. I'll go back to the fortress alone."

"I thought we were working together on this."

"I don't think Jor El is going to talk to you."

"That wasn't the deal."

"Then consider me in your debt."

Lex stared at him for a long moment. "Fine. We'll call it even."

Clark sighed. He didn't want to be even, exactly. He didn't want to think about his relationship with Lex in terms of who owed who. But he didn't exactly know what to do about it. If this side of Lex still wanted to believe that Clark hated him, even after Clark had saved his life—

"I know you only saved me because you think I'm connected to my other side."

Clark hung his head. It wasn't true, not completely. But it was true enough that he couldn't argue. "I'm tired," he said. "I'm going home."

"Yes, go tell my other side about everything I'm up to."

"Do you think that's what this is about? Spying on you?"

Lex didn't say anything.

Clark would have to work on that, but he really was tired from the trip. He missed his parents, and he missed the brother who treated him better. "Good night, Lex," he said.

Lex didn't say good night back. He never did. So Clark just left.