Chapter 3
Remorse
Clark stirred, groggily realizing he'd fallen asleep. He felt exhausted, but pleasantly so. He could feel the necklace wedged under the side of his neck. It was irritating, and he knew he could relieve his exhaustion simply by taking it off and getting it away from him... and yet it made him feel so pleasantly normal. Besides, that would require too much moving around, and he felt just perfect right where he was. He was spooned up against Lex's warm body in a delightfully intimate way. Lex had shown him positions he'd never even realized two guys could use. Of course he'd never given sex between two guys much thought before... or any thought really. When Lex had straddled him and rode him like a girl would in that female dominant position he'd heard about? That had been awesome! The best part had been getting to watch him the whole time! But by far his favorite had been the last one. They'd both been tired, but unwilling to waste what little time they had left. Lex had shown him how to take him while they lay side by side, spooned up together. It was slow and passionate. When they were done they'd just stayed there, joined together blissfully until they'd fallen asleep like that.
Clark would love nothing more than to lay there, remembering all the ways he'd been with Lex... or better yet, waking him up and adding to the count... but he had his wits about him enough to realize he'd get in trouble if he was late. Not to mention the even bigger fear of having his father come looking for him and find them together like this! That was enough to quash his reviving libido and get him moving! He cracked his eyes open. The first thing he saw was that odd bump on the back of Lex's otherwise perfect head. He smiled, shifting forward and giving it a little kiss, then shifted his head up, gazing past him to the clock.
Clark sighed deeply. He hadn't slept for more than half an hour or so, but that only left him about twenty minutes to get back into town to help his mother close up her booth. He gave Lex's shoulder a kiss, avoiding the handprint shaped bruise he accidentally left there while taking him from behind the second time. Or had that been the third? He couldn't remember. He'd taken him at least half a dozen times. Lex had only taken him a couple more times, but that was more because of Clark's worries about Lex's safety... and the fact that he'd only had three condoms in his drawer.
"Lex." He said softly, "I have to get going."
Lex shifted a bit, but didn't wake.
"Lex!" Clark said a bit louder, giving Lex's shoulder a gentle shake.
Lex grimaced and let out a little, pained sound, but his eyes never opened.
Clark's eyes widen in alarm and he quickly shifted away. His breath caught in his chest as he looked him over, seeing the alarming number of bruises that had started raising on his previously pristine skin. He gently pulled Lex's shoulder towards him so he'd roll onto his back, then stared down at his body in horror.
Bruises dotted him rather liberally, most looking to have been caused by Clark's hands. There were even several more full hand prints in addition to the one on his shoulder. There was one on his upper right arm, what looked to be several overlapping on each of Lex's hips, and a partial handprint on his lower stomach that Clark was pretty sure was from when he'd pushed him away the first time. There was also a more generalize bruising along Lex's lower ribcage, and his wrists were both bruised, the left one swollen as well.
Clark quickly shifted to X-ray vision and gasped in dismay. Several of the bones in the left wrist were broken, five of his ribs were cracked and his spine wasn't properly aligned. He let out a pained breath, clenching his eyes shut. How could he have done this? He was always so careful! His eyes shot open and he looked down at the bracelet on his wrist, the tiny red stone gleaming up at him as if mocking him. He pulled it off and tossed it across the room. He was a bit surprised when it just hit a cushion on the chair across the room and bounced off onto the floor instead of embedding itself in the wall, but he was too distracted by Lex's condition to care.
He watched him, making sure he was breathing freely, then placed his hand gently on his chest, feeling his heart beating strong and steady. At least there was that, but the obvious damage he'd done along with Lex's continued unconsciousness terrified him. He got up, circling and pacing as he thought furiously. He should call nine one one, but he knew Lex would be furious with him if he did. He'd also have a really hard time explaining away the injuries, not to mention the bit of chafing from the rather extended screwing session. The hospital was also sure to take samples, assuming from his condition that Lex had been raped... which admittedly it looked like. He was sure any sample of Clark's bodily fluids they found would be enough to expose his secret... and God knows Lex was probably quite full of that by now! Not to mention that it would prove he'd had sex with a 16 year old boy, which as Lex had pointed out wasn't exactly kosher with most people. Lex's reputation would be ruined... and Clark would be hauled off to area 51 or something! That damn little red stone had made him forget all about the possibility of what he might leave behind if he had sex with Lex!
But his secret be damned, he wasn't going to let Lex suffer for it! He'd just tell them he raped Lex so Lex wouldn't get in trouble for what they'd done. Clark knew he was going away where no one would ever find him again anyway. Maybe he should call it in, hide and make sure Lex was alright, then just leave. Take off and never look back. It'd hurt his parents and friends, yes... but it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Admittedly he'd hoped for much, much later...
He looked around for a phone, but Lex didn't appear to have one in his bedroom. He probably depended on his servants to answer the phone while he was asleep. Then Clark remembered Lex's cell. He looked around for it, then hurried into the bathroom. It was sitting on the counter by the sink along with Lex's wallet and other odds and ends from his pockets. He gently grabbed it up, worried he'd crush it he was so panicked. He stared at the phone, realizing he'd never dialed nine one one on a cell phone before. Did you need to put in the area code first or something? He was about to try it when he remembered when he'd seen Lex use this last. Maybe Linda could help him!
He scrolled through the list of contacts, but there were hundreds! And Lex had never mentioned Linda's last name. Clark was getting frustrated, but then realized he was being stupid. He went to call history and clicked on the last call sent, then hit the send button again.
He waited tensely as the phone rang. He didn't realize until after it started ringing that Lex might have called someone else while he was getting cleaned up.
"Hello?" A soft, feminine voice answered.
It sounded like her... please let it be her he prayed. "Linda?"
There was a little shift, like she was moving the phone away from her head for a moment, then her voice returned with a little amusement, "This must be Clark. I see you found Lex's cell. I left your clothes on the bed of the room you were supposed to be in when I got back." She said, her tone making it quite apparent she knew where he'd gone and what they had been doing, "I was just heading back to the castle to see if you boys needed some dinner whipped up. You need help with your bandage after all?"
"No, this is about Lex." Clark said quickly, looking over at Lex. He still hadn't moved. "Listen, he's hurt. He won't wake up. I don't know what to do!" He said trying to fight down his panic.
"What happened? Is he bleeding?" She said, her voice suddenly sharp and business-like.
"No..." Clark said, looking over at him again, "I don't think so... no... he's just... he's... got some bruises... and..." He stammered, mortified that he had to admit what he'd done. "I think he might have a broken wrist... maybe some cracked ribs."
"Oh Jesus!" She said in a pained voice.
"But he's breathing just fine and his heartbeat seems strong." Clark offered quickly.
"I'll be there in just a few minutes." She said, obviously not taking much solace from his attempted reassurances. "Get my medical kit from the room across the hall, then keep an eye on him and call me immediately if anything changes, you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." Clark replied immediately.
She hung up without another word.
Clark started for the door, but then realized he was naked. He went over, snatching up one of the discarded towels and quickly tucked it around his waist, taking the other and draping it over Lex's middle, then hurried across the hall and retrieved the medical case. He pulled over a spare chair and set the bag in it so it would be close to the bed, then gazed down at Lex. He moved closer, sitting on the side of the bed, careful not to jar the unconscious man. He reached over, gently stroking his cheek, his heart aching in his chest.
Clark had never hated himself and his accursed 'gifts' more than he did at that moment. His dearest friend lay there before him, battered and broken... and it was all his fault! He couldn't even make love without nearly killing the person he was trying to share himself with. What kind of a monster was he? Certainly not one who belonged on this planet. He'd never fit in with these fragile people... the only people he knew... the only family he knew.
It was only four minutes before Linda arrived, but they were the longest minutes Clark could ever remember experiencing.
He quickly stood as she entered the room. She hurried over, looking down at Lex with a pained expression on her face. She quickly sat down beside him, starting to check his vital signs.
Clark just stood there, watching her working, worry gnawing at his stomach.
She pulled the towel out of the way and let out a little involuntary sound of dismay and fear. She very gingerly ran her fingers over the dark bruising on Lex's hip, the shape of the bruise unmistakable. After a moment she noticed he was still there. There was a flash of anger in her eyes, though she carefully kept it out of her voice, "You should go and get cleaned up and dressed." She said stiffly before going back to her examination.
Clark ducked his head down in shame, but hurried off to do as he was told. It was obvious she blamed him, and she was perfectly justified in that belief. He took his time, trying to calm himself as he cleaned himself up and dressed in the clothes she had brought for him. It was slow to register that his old clothes and the blood soaked towel had been taken away. Undoubtedly she had taken them when she brought the fresh clothes. He should be worried about what she'd done with them... but at this point it seemed moot to try to hide all traces of his DNA. Besides, he was so numb from shock it didn't really seem to matter anymore.
His keys and what was left of his money were sitting on the sink counter. He picked them up and shoved them away in the pocket of his new pants without thinking about it. That done, he went back over to Lex's bedroom, hesitating outside the door. He wasn't sure he could handle seeing Lex like that again.
"I can't tell for sure." He heard Linda's voice saying.
He shifted over, looking through the crack in the door, hoping that meant Lex was awake. No such luck. She was pacing back and forth, talking on her cell phone. "He has some tenderness and swelling in the abdominal region. I'm afraid there might be some internal bleeding."
That sent a fresh shot of horror through Clark.
"I know, I know, and we can take him there if he is," She continued, "But you know how he is about using public facilities if it can be avoided. If you could just take a look at him, I would really appreciate it." She paused, putting her hand to her forehead, "That long?" She breathed worriedly, "No, no... I'm sorry. I understand. That would be fine. I just... I'm only half way through my schooling, and this is way out of my league. Ok, yes, I'll try. Thank you."
Clark's heart felt like there was a huge fist clenched around it. It didn't help when he saw her wiping away a tear of frustration and worry. It was quite obvious she cared more about Lex than a typical employee would. His hand accidentally brushed the edge of the door, making the hinge creak slightly. Not wanting her to think he'd been eavesdropping, he pulled open the door as if he'd just gotten there.
"Um... how is he?" He asked softly.
"I don't know." She said, fighting a bitter edge, "The doctor should be here in a bit. I'll just have to see what he thinks."
Clark shifted around uncomfortably, not sure what he should say. "I... I really didn't mean to hurt him." He said in a soft, pained voice. "I... I didn't even realize I had. I mean I knew he was hurt some, but I didn't think it was so... he... he never said anything..." He stammered. He didn't know how to convey how truly sorry he was about this. He wanted her to know he would have stopped if he'd known, but then he realized it would just sound like he was making excuses or trying to shift blame to relieve his guilty conscience.
She folded her arms over her chest, just staring pointedly down at Lex. "Maybe you should leave now." She said in a carefully even voice.
Clark dropped his eyes in shame.
Lex stirred. She dropped her guarded stance and quickly shifted back down onto the side of the bed.
"Lex?" she said softly, gently stroking his cheek.
His head shifted towards her and his eyes blinked open, though they didn't open very wide. "Linda?" He muttered, "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to figure out how to patch you back up, you stubborn idiot!" She said with a forced smile and a slightly teasing tone.
He let out a little amused breath, then winced as his ribs ached. "Don't worry about me. I'm just tired." He muttered. His eyes trailed past her, moving a bit sluggishly. They came to rest on Clark.
"I'm sorry." Clark said in an agonized whisper.
"For what?" Lex asked, though he looked to be fighting to maintain consciousness.
"For this." Clark said, "For all of this. I never should have touched you. This was all a mistake. A horrible mistake." He said before turning and rushing out the door.
Lex's eyes widened a bit more, "Clark!" He called after him, though his voice couldn't manage to rise much above normal speaking level. He tried to struggle up, to follow after him, but the movement sent a wave of pain through him. "Clark..." He whispered dazedly as he slumped back down, going limp as consciousness fled him once more.
Clark ran from the castle. He was moving somewhat fast for a human, but not near at super speed. The radiation from meteor rock in the necklace had been seeping into him all afternoon, so by now he was getting quite weak. Well, compared to his usual strength anyway. Actually, that was probably a good thing, because trying to run at super speed while all but blinded by tears would almost certainly have been disastrous!
He ran along the highway, not caring that his speed was so slow. He knew he should take off the necklace, but he didn't want to. He didn't want all of this strength! He didn't want to hurt anyone! Least of all those he cared about! A car went by going the other direction, but it was just a darting smudge to him. He heard breaks being applied, then the sounds of the vehicle turning around, but he just ran on, not looking back.
The car pulled up abreast of him.
"Clark?" Chloe's voice called out to him, "Where have you been?"
He didn't reply, didn't even look over. He just tried to will her to go away.
"Clark? What's the matter?" she called out, her voice growing worried. When he still didn't answer, she gunned the gas for a minute and sped ahead, then pulled off the road and hit the breaks, shifting it into park and hopping out of the car.
Clark couldn't bear the thought of telling anyone what he'd done, and he knew Chloe would ask. He veered off the road before she could reach him, heading into the open field beside them. Of course he just heard her crashing through the brush after him.
"Clark Kent, I will chase you to the ends of the earth if I have to and you know it!" She called after him, "So just stop already!"
Yes, he knew it was futile. Well, he could probably outrun her eventually, even with the necklace around his neck slowly sapping the strength from his body... but he was going to have to face her sooner or later. He slowed, then staggered to an unsteady stop. He let out a little sob, his legs folding and dropping him unceremoniously down onto the ground. He just sat there, trying to brace himself as he heard her approach slow.
She slowly circled around him, panting slightly and looking down at him with open concern. "Clark..." She said gently, shocked by the tears streaming from his eyes, "My God... what happened?"
He took a shuddering breath, dropping his eyes to the weeds before him. "I hurt him, Chloe." He said in a soft, desolate voice. He wasn't sure why he was telling her, but he just couldn't seem to help himself. The words just seemed to flow out of him like the tears that dripped from his chin. "I didn't mean to. God knows I'd never want to hurt him. I did though." He sniffled, remembering Lex laying there before him, "He was just laying there... there were so many bruises..."
Her eyes had gone wide, "Who? Who did you hurt?" She asked, trying to keep it simply a question of concern, though he could almost see her fighting down the journalist inside her.
"Lex." He sobbed.
"Is he going to be ok?" She asked, getting down on her knees next to him and reaching out, taking his shaking hand in hers.
Clark just shook his head, "I don't know!" He blurted, "I don't know..." He repeated, his voice softening, "The nurse... maid, whatever... she called the doctor. I heard her on the phone. She's afraid he's bleeding internally. I don't know what I'm going to do if anything happens to him. This is my fault. This is all my fault."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Clark." She said softly, "He's got the best doctors money can buy, I'm sure of that." She said, gently rubbing his shoulder, "What happened? How did he get hurt?"
He may have been far enough gone to blurt out what he already had, but he sure as Hell wasn't admitting how he'd done the damage! He just reached out and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her to him.
She let out a little surprised sound, but then found Clark's arms around her, his face buried in her shoulder as he broke down and sobbed. Not even Chloe could resist the obvious need within him to be comforted. She forced herself to stop asking questions and just wrapped her arms around him, holding him and stroking his hair soothingly.
It was a good five or six minutes before Clark managed to gather himself enough to pull away. He turned his head away from her, too ashamed of what he'd done to face her... not to mention the fact that he'd broken down so completely in front of her. He wasn't used to crying. At least not when anyone could see him.
After a minute of somewhat awkward silence, Chloe brushed her hand down his arm. "Come on. You should get into town. Your parents are really worried about you. I'll give you a ride."
He just nodded mutely and got to his feet, starting back towards where they'd left the car. She just walked beside him, resting her hand comfortingly on his shoulder until they had to part to get in the car. She pulled out onto the highway and started towards town. Despite the need to get him there and her usual penchant for driving fast, she kept it at a casual pace, a little below the speed limit even. It was obvious she could sense that he wasn't quite ready to face other people. Though she squirmed a bit as she fought her journalistic instincts, she managed to force herself not to continue the questioning.
By the time they got into town Clark had gathered himself. He still looked troubled, but if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes she would never have guessed he'd been crying just a few minutes before. She wished she had it that easy! When she cried her face stayed splotchy and her eyes puffy and red rimmed for like half an hour after she stopped!
They approached the market, but the traffic was a bit congested from the last of the customers leaving and the vendors having moved their vehicles up to haul off their remaining wares.
"Here's fine." Clark muttered, unbuckling his seat belt.
Chloe reached over, putting her hand on his. "Are you going to be ok, Clark?" She asked softly, gazing at him worriedly.
He looked at her for a long moment, then looked away, out through the window at the busy people. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "Listen... about what happened back there..."
She patted his hand, "I wouldn't be much of a journalist, let alone a friend, if I couldn't keep a secret, Clark. If you need anyone to talk to, night or day..."
He forced a little smile and gave her a nod. "Thanks, Chloe."
Clark got out and started through the people. He dodged around the vendors hauling their crates and such, had to move to the side to avoid a couple of shrieking kids having a merry chase through the crowd. He knew he should hurry over to help his mother, but he found himself walking slowly, glad she was on the entire opposite side of the market. She'd probably heard about the little run-in at the Talon by now. He really should have hurried back once he'd gotten his arm patched up. It would have saved everyone a lot of pain and worry. He reached over and squeezed the bandage on his arm. The cut ached and throbbed. He felt like he deserved the pain and more... but he knew his parents would be out of their minds if they saw a wound like that on him.
He paused as he saw an old man packing some small tins and metal boxes away in a crate. He'd noticed them as they went through earlier, but hadn't looked that closely. The man was almost done packing up, a good dozen large crates and three long tables all ready to go, he was just finishing up with the lighter items on the last card table.
He squinted, shifting his vision to x-ray. It was hard to maintain with the meteor rock around his neck, but he managed it long enough to spot what he'd been looking for. He hurried over, looking at the small box he'd spotted. It was set back on the table, behind a box of tissues. It looked to be an old clam-shell type box about three inches square and perhaps an inch deep that appeared to have once had some nice scenery etched into it, though that was faded from wear and marred by errant scratches and a dent in the lid. It sealed though, and it was undeniably made of lead. Clark looked it over. It would easily fit the charm in it with room to spare. He turned it over, but there was only a slightly sticky patch where the price tag had been.
"Excuse me, sir. How much is this?" Clark asked, holding up the box.
The old man looked up to see what he was referring to. "Oh, I can't sell that one." He muttered, "Made of lead. That lady from the market planning board was by earlier, an she said I couldn't be sellin somethin like that. I'd think people'd probably just set it on a shelf, but she seems to think they'd be lickin it or somethin'." He said with a little amused chuckle. "Still, don't wanna be getting in trouble with the market board or I won't be able to get in next year!"
"Please can I buy it?" Clark implored, "I have about fifteen dollars I think." he said, digging in his pocket.
The old man held up his hand. "Sorry, son. There aren't many places left close enough for me to get to to sell my stuff at. I'm getting old and I can't handle driving very far anymore."
Clark set the box back down sadly. It would have been perfect. It'd even fit in his pocket, and with the worn, rounded edges it probably wouldn't even show up much.
The old man sighed when he saw the dejected look on Clark's face. "I tell you what..." He said as he packed away the last of the tins and put the lid on the crate, "You look like a strapping lad, and my boys seem to be running late again. If you help me put these boxes on my truck, I'll... well I'll let you go take that box over to the trash and throw it away for me." He said with a little wink. "Not like I can sell it, after all."
Clark gave him a little grateful smile. "Ok."
"I got a ramp in the back of the truck, and a dolly to help. These boxes are pretty heavy! I lent the dolly to my buddy, but he should be about done with it by now." He looked over, spotting another old duffer on the edge of the parking area heaving boxes off of a dolly into the back of an old Ford. "Yep, that should be his last load. Why don't you get that ramp out of the back and set it up. I'll go grab the dolly and we'll get started."
Clark just nodded and watched the old man turn and waddle off. He took the necklace off and put it in the box. As soon as he closed the lid he felt his weariness wash away as strength returned to him, the slight ache in his arm fading away.
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
The old man waved goodbye to his friend, then wheeled the dolly back over. "Here we go..." He said, looking up... but Clark was gone. So were the boxes. He looked over in surprise, seeing them all stacked neatly in the back of his truck, the three tables, card table and his chair right beside them. He chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, to be that young again!" he muttered, laboriously heaving the small dolly up into the bed of the truck and closing the tailgate.
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
"Clark!"
Clark looked up in surprise as he heard his father's voice. "Dad?" He asked, seeing the man hurrying over to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard what happened, so I got a ride into town. Where have you been? You had your mother and me worried sick!"
His mother hurried up, looking him over as if she expected him to be gravely wounded. "Clark! What happened? Pete said you were bleeding?"
Clark put his hand over the bandage under his sleeve. There wasn't even the slightest hint of pain left, the cut obviously long healed. "I'm fine, mom. Really. It was nothing."
His father moved closer, glancing around and dropping his voice, "But how?" He said significantly.
Clark sighed, "Lex bought something here that had a tiny bit of meteor rock in it." He said quietly, making sure no one got close enough to overhear, "It wasn't even enough to make me feel sick, but it was enough to let me get cut. It's fine now. It healed up once I wasn't exposed to it anymore." Which was the truth, though that hadn't happened until a minute or so ago.
Jonathan let out an angry huff. "Lex!" He spat, "Why does it seem like that man is always involved when you get hurt?"
"Dad!" Clark said in exasperation, not wanting to get into this same old argument, especially now.
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that you get hurt when some man Lex provoked attacks him and you got in the way as he would have known you would?"
"Dad, he didn't provoke anyone! He was just sitting in the Talon, minding his own business. That man was a drunk looking to pick a fight. Lex tried to walk away!" Clark growled irritably.
"Sure he did. And it was just a coincidence that you were only able to get hurt because Lex just 'happened' to buy something that weakened you? He has been trying to find out what makes you tick since the day he met you. Maybe he's finally on to something. Why else would he buy something like that?"
"He bought it because I showed an interest in it!" Clark shot back. "He saw that I wanted it, so he bought it for me." He said, pulling the little lead box out of his pocket.
His mother took it, opening it up and looking at the innocuous looking resin pendant.
Jonathan looked at him as if he'd just gone insane, "Now why on Earth would you want something like that?"
"Maybe because I don't want to be like this all the time!" Clark hissed back, trying hard to keep from yelling and calling attention to them. "Maybe I don't always want to be some impenetrable freak who can rip through steel plate and crush things without even having to think about it! Do you have any idea what it's like to be like me? I just wish he'd gotten a piece with more meteor rock in it!"
"You'd be willing to make yourself sick just to pretend to be something you're not?" Jonathan asked evenly.
"It'd be more than worth feeling a little sick." Clark replied, his voice catching a bit.
"And what if it got too strong and you couldn't get away from it? We both know that stuff gets worse the longer it's around you. Something like that could kill you. Are you really willing to risk something like that just so you can play at being 'normal'?"
"My life is mine to risk!" Clark shot back, "I'm dangerous, whether you chose to see that or not! I can hurt people without even meaning to! I have no right to put everyone else in danger just by being around them! I'd much rather risk my own life than have to constantly worry about hurting people I care about!"
With that, Clark turned and started walking away.
"Just where do you think you're going, young man?" Jonathan called after him, "We're not done talking!"
"Yes, we are!" Clark growled back.
His mother closed the box and hurried after him, grabbing hold of his arm. "Clark..." She said worriedly.
Clark stopped, but wouldn't look at her. "I'm going to walk home." he said softly.
She nodded, "Ok." She leaned up and gave his cheek a kiss, then let go of his arm.
Clark continued on his way without so much as a glance back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jonathan called, starting after him.
Martha grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Stop it, Jonathan!" She said firmly.
"What the Hell's gotten into that boy?" He growled.
"I don't know." She said, watching her son's retreating back, "But it's pretty obvious something happened. Give him some time."
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
"Where the Hell have you been?" Jonathan asked, coming down off the front porch and heading to meet Clark as he approached the house. "We've been home for over twenty minutes!"
"I walked home. That generally takes longer than driving does." Clark said, really not wanting to get into this again. Why couldn't his father just get a clue and leave him alone?
"Since when do you actually walk home?" Jonathan replied a bit sarcastically.
"Since I felt like walking home!" Clark sighed a bit irritably, "Why is the speed at which I walk of such interest to you all of a sudden?"
"It's of interest because there's obviously something you're not telling me, and I want to know what it is."
"Did you ever think maybe it's something I don't want to talk about with you?" Clark asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"Clark!" His mother called quickly to avert her husbands angry reply as she hurried from the door. "Clark dear, dinner's almost ready. Come on in and get something to eat."
Clark just dropped his eyes and shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry." He said, turning and heading off towards the barn.
Jonathan let out an irritable sound and started after Clark. Once again, Martha grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"Don't!" She said simply.
"Oh please, Martha! He's a teenaged boy, since when is he not hungry? He's just trying to avoid talking to me, and I'm going to find out why!"
"Like you said," She replied, not releasing his arm, "He's a teenager. Like it or not, teenagers don't always want to tell their parents everything that happens in their lives. It's normal, if you've forgotten. Let him deal with whatever this is in his own way."
"Well, he's not exactly a normal teen, now is he?" He replied, trying to sound reasonable, "If there's something upsetting him this much, we need to know what it is!"
"I, for one, trust my son to tell us if it's something we really need to know." She said, pointedly dropping her hold on his arm, making it clear that if he pursued it, it would show he didn't trust Clark.
He sighed deeply, "Martha..." he said in exasperation.
"No, Jonathan! Promise me you are not going to badger Clark about this!" She insisted firmly, her arms crossing over her chest, her eyes narrowing shrewdly.
He sighed again, knowing there was no arguing with her when she got like this. "Fine." He conceded. "I won't ask Clark any more questions tonight. I promise." He added when she tilted her head, obviously waiting for the words.
"Thank you, dear." She said, a little smile gracing her lips, "Now I better get back in there before I burn dinner!"
He just nodded and watched her hurry back into the house. Then he turned his eyes on the barn. As soon as both of the doors were closed and he was alone in the yard, he went over an got in the truck. He may have promised not to ask Clark any more questions, but he strongly suspected there was someone else who knew what was going on with Clark... and he knew just where to find him!
- 0 – 0 - 0 – 0 -
Jonathan looked at the locked gate with irritation. Maybe if he was Clark he'd be able to get around it, but for everyone else it was pretty much impenetrable. He looked over at the little call box. It was unlikely Lex would be nice enough to buzz him in, but it didn't look like he had any other choice this side of ramming the gate. Tempting, but he would like to keep his truck intact and himself out of jail if at all possible. So he reached over and hit the button.
After a moment, a woman's voice came over the intercom, "Yes? May I help you?"
"I'm here to see Lex." Jonathan said simply.
"Well, it's about time!" The woman said in a relieved tone, "We're in the master bedroom."
Jonathan furrowed his brow. He certainly wasn't expecting such an open welcome. Still, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he drove on in as the gates swung open for him.
He didn't see anyone the whole way, even as he entered the castle. He wasn't sure exactly where the master bedroom was since he wasn't exactly a frequent visitor there, but he took a guess and headed off. "Hello?" He called once he found himself in a likely corridor.
"Over here!" The woman called out from about four doors down, her voice echoing slightly off the stone of the corridor.
He reached the door that was cracked opened and pushed it the rest of the way open. The woman was walking towards him.
"Honestly! It's not like you haven't..." Her eyes went round as she spotted him, "Who the Hell are you?"
"I'm Jonathan Kent, and I need to have a word with Lex about my son." He replied, hurrying into the room so she wouldn't have a chance to close the door and keep him out.
"Lex isn't seeing anyone right now!" She said, quickly holding her arms out and trying to herd him back out.
"I'm not going until..." Jonathan trailed off, finally having caught sight of Lex.
Lex was laying in his bed. The stark white of the fresh sheets made his complexion look even paler than usual, which made the bruising on his arm and shoulder stand out even more vividly in contrast. His wrist was in a splint, the other one a nasty shade of purple, and he had an I.V. running to his left arm just above the splint attached to a bag she'd cable-tied to the tall headboard. He also had an oxygen mask over his face, his breathing obviously shallow. The white of a bandage wrapped tightly around his chest peeked out from under the sheets.
"Wha... what happened to him?" Jonathan asked softly.
"What a minute... Did you say Kent? You related to Clark Kent?" She asked shrewdly, folding her arms over her chest.
"Clark's my son." He replied.
"So... what? Did you come here to finish what he started? Because you lay one finger on Lex and I'll have the cops on you in nothing flat!" She hissed warningly.
Jonathan ran his hand over his mouth, not sure what to say. He couldn't believe Clark would have done anything like this to someone, especially Lex! "Are you saying that Clark did this?" He finally forced himself to ask.
"Well, Lex certainly didn't do it to himself, and I'd say those hand prints pretty much speak for themselves!" She shot back.
"I... no... Clark wouldn't do something like this." Jonathan said, unable to believe it.
"Funny, he freely admitted it was him when I got here."
Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair, staring at Lex in disbelief.
Suddenly Lex stirred, shifting his head to the other side and letting out a little pained groan.
Jonathan stepped around her, walking up to the bed and gazing down at Lex.
Lex blinked his eyes open, then flinched away, ducking his head down and trying to shift away from him, though it brought an immediate gasp of pain.
"Calm down." Jonathan said quickly, "It's just me."
Lex slowly let himself ease back down, looking up at him warily. He'd known exactly who it was. That's why he'd flinched! He eyed him, but the man didn't appear on the verge of attacking him. The threat lessened (for the moment at least), he furrowed his brow, reaching up with his right hand and pulling the mask down, "Oxygen, Linda? Really?"
"You needed it! You're barely breathing!" She replied defensively.
"That's because it feels like I have a damn corset on!" Lex wheezed, pulling at the edge of the bandage around his ribs.
"You have at least a couple of cracked ribs! They have to be immobilized."
"Well did you have to immobilize my lungs while you were at it? Besides, I'm sure they're just bruised." He muttered irritably, his eyes trailing over, "Oh come on! An I.V.?"
"You were dehydrated." She stated evenly.
"Then give me a glass of water, don't stick a needle in my arm!" He said, shifting around a bit with a grimace of pain on his face.
"If you could stay awake for more than a minute at a time maybe I would."
Lex just rolled his eyes, shifting uncomfortably again, "Come on... loosen up the bandage already." He asked pleadingly.
"The doctor will be here any minute. If he thinks I should loosen it up, then I will."
Lex gave up and let his eyes trail up to Jonathan. "Forgive me if I don't get up, Mr. Kent. What brings you all the way out here?"
Jonathan sighed, "Clark was very upset when he came home, but he wouldn't talk to me about it. I came out here to see what it was all about." He looked down at the tightly wrapped wrist, "Did Clark do this to you?"
Lex averted his eyes. "I'm fine, Mr. Kent. Linda here is just a bit over protective. It's just a couple of bruises. It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Linda blurted, "Your wrist is broken, and so are a number of your ribs, you're covered in bruises and you're bleeding internally!"
"I am not bleeding internally." Lex said in exasperation, "A tender stomach doesn't automatically translate into hemorrhaging! You're being paranoid! I doubt I even need to see the doctor, but I will if it will make you stop already!"
"At least let me give you something for the pain." She offered, resting her hand on her impressive kit.
"For the last time, no!" Lex snapped. "You of all people should know how I feel about that!"
"You're getting yourself all worked up. You need to be resting." She went over, snagging up the bracelet off the dresser and went over, handing it to Jonathan. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Mr. Kent." She said firmly.
"Linda!" Lex growled, wincing as his ribs gave a twinge.
"What's this?" Jonathan asked, indicating the bracelet she'd handed him.
"Your son's bracelet. He left it earlier. His clothes should be done tomorrow. I don't do the laundry and the usual woman is off today. I will have them delivered so you don't need to stop by again."
"This isn't Clark's." Jonathan said, holding it back out.
"Well, he was wearing it when I bandaged up his arm earlier." She said as if thinking he was just trying to make up an excuse to linger.
"It's mine." Lex said, "I bought it today. Clark tried it on before we got distracted by the incident in town. I almost forgot about it. He must have taken it off before he left."
Jonathan turned, intent on setting it on the nightstand, then paused, looking at it closer.
Lex noticed his interest in the small red stone set in the silver. "It's crystal from meteor rock. An Indian woman was selling them at the market."
Jonathan nodded, trying to look casual as he set it on the stand. "It's a nice piece." He said, pretending he'd just been admiring the workmanship, "Well, I just wanted to assure you that whatever happened today won't happen again."
Lex furrowed his brow. "Ok..." He said slowly.
"Clark never meant to hurt you." He continued.
"I never thought he did."
"Oh, please!" Linda muttered.
"Linda, out!" Lex growled.
"Lex..." She began.
"Out!" He yelled, holding his ribs from the obvious pain it caused.
"Fine. I'm leaving. Calm down." She said, giving Jonathan a glare that told him in no uncertain terms that he'd have her to deal with if he did anything to Lex, then she walked stiffly out of the room.
Lex, settled back, closing his eyes for a moment until the pain subsided a bit. "Clark doesn't know his own strength sometimes." Lex agreed.
"Yes... but it was more than that. He was under the influence of something." Jonathan said tentatively. He didn't want to say too much, but he wanted Lex to understand.
Lex eyed him. "Clark doesn't touch drugs. You should know that."
"Not a drug. It was more like an allergy, actually. He was exposed to something that has a detrimental effect on his judgment. You remember when he was acting so oddly a while back... when he came here and told you he was leaving home and wanted you to come with him?"
"Yes." Lex said, furrowing his brow.
"That was the first time he was exposed to it. Once we identified what was causing the problem we were able to help him. He's been careful since then, and it's a very rare substance he's allergic to, but he had a brush with it again today. I don't think it was as bad this time, but I guess it was enough to lead him to do something he obviously regrets."
"So... this allergy... what exactly does it do to him?" Lex asked carefully.
"It just... well it makes him lose his inhibitions and act irrationally. Do things he never normally would, say things he shouldn't. Whatever he did to you, I know in my heart he never meant to." Jonathan said sincerely.
Lex just sat there for a minute, staring pointedly at nothing, his expression tightly controlled.
"You have to believe me on that." Jonathan added.
"I do." Lex said softly, then he took as deep a breath as he could and forced a little smile, "Don't worry about it, Mr. Kent. I'm the last person who would hold something someone did while under the influence of something against them. I had a brush with drug addiction in my late teens. A friend of mine introduced me to them. Linda's brother, in fact. That was a couple of months of my life that... well I can't really say I'll never forget it, since I could never really remember it... but I will always remember what it cost. That scar on Linda's cheek? I own that. I don't remember the details, but I know it was me who put it there. I didn't mean to, but I did." Lex said, sagging into the pillows and looking up at the ceiling as he spoke. It was obvious what energy he had was fading quickly, "When I woke up the next day, I was strapped down to a bed in a rehab center. She put me there. My father eventually found me and tried to get me out, but she threatened to go to the press with a story of me attacking her if he did. She wouldn't have, really, but he couldn't risk that. Having a son in rehab is pretty much par for the course amongst the rich. Having one who hurts women? That's a black mark that stays with you. He left me, and I got better. I broke the addiction and I've never used again since. She saved my life... and every time I look at her, I'm reminded of how out of control I got. I've asked her a hundred times to let me have a plastic surgeon get rid of it, but she won't let me. She says if looking at that keeps me clean, then she'll gladly live with the scar. So, as I said... I know what it's like, and I would never hold it against him."
Jonathan shifted a bit uneasily. "So you hired her? I'd think you'd rather not have to look at her every day if she brings back bad memories."
"Yes, well I can handle reminders." Lex replied simply, "Her brother wasn't as lucky as I was. He never got over it. She gave up everything to take care of him, and when he died she had nothing left. She wouldn't accept charity, like someone else I know, so I gave her a job. It was the least I could do. Unfortunately, she appears to have adopted me, though, so you'll have to forgive her over protective nature." He said with another little forced smile. Then he let his eyes close and worked on forcing air into his lungs.
"I'm well familiar with the attitude. Perhaps you've met my wife." Jonathan said with a little smile, then it disappeared, "I'm sorry to have barged in on you. You should get some rest."
Lex open his eyes again as Jonathan turned to go, "Could you do me a favor?" He asked softly.
Jonathan looked back at him, "What?"
"Tell Clark I understand. Tell him... Tell him it never happened." Lex said, his voice catching, his eyes watery.
"You ok?" Jonathan asked gently, seeing the pain Lex couldn't manage to mask any longer.
Lex closed his eyes, though a couple of tears escaped him, and gave his head a little shake, "Fine." He said tightly, his breath shuddering in his chest, "Just my ribs. Could you send Linda back in?" He asked before quickly pulling the mask back over his face to make sure Jonathan didn't try to delve further.
Jonathan nodded, though he knew Lex couldn't see him. He felt guilty for the pain Clark had caused, but didn't know what he could do about it, so he just left.
Linda came back in once he was gone and went over, sitting on the bed next to him. She reached out, stroking her hand over his bald head, then reached down and pulled the mask out of the way. "Lex..." She said softly.
"Give me that shot." He breathed, his voice raw and aching.
"Damn it, Lex! You went and fell in love with that boy, didn't you?" She asked sadly.
"Just give me the damn drugs and stop eavesdropping from now on!" he grumbled.
"The drugs aren't going to take away this kind of pain and you know it, Lex." She said, shifting forward and very gently slipping her arms around him, holding him comfortingly. "I'm sorry." She said achingly.
He clenched his eyes tighter, but the infuriating tears still kept managing to slip out as he pressed his face against her shoulder, longing for oblivion.
- 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 -
A/N – well, half way through. I do plan on finishing this one, of course (I'm not a total sadist!), but it's not looking like I'm going to be doing any more stories in this fandom. Either there's very little traffic, the people here just don't like to review, or they simply don't like my work enough to write a review. I do thank the three people who took the time, but the Harry Potter fandom has spoiled me I guess. I would be devastated if I got so few reviews on a chapter in HP, let alone two! It probably makes it seem worse to me since I was so proud of this story. I really thought it was turning out well. Oh well. Anyway, I have a big day tomorrow, so I'm just going to post this and get to bed. Not sure if the other chapters will come out as quickly as the first three have. I still have editing to do on them and I actually haven't completely settled on chapter 6 yet. There are a couple of ways I was toying with going and I haven't really sat down and decided yet. Depending on how it goes, I might need to nudge things in chapters 4&5, so I don't want to put them out until I decide at the very least. Let's hope my muse gets out of her funk and makes her mind up!