Title A Sea of Troubles
Author Coren Lee
Email coren@tiscali.co.uk
Rating NC-17
Challenge CLFF Wave 18 Gossip: Martha to Lex

Notes: AU, First time, Hurt-Comfort. Spoilers for Season 1 and 2. None of these characters belong to me, no copyright infringement is intended. Thanks to Jeylan for a fantastic beta, especially as she does not inhabit this particular fandom! Any remaining errors, OOC glitches, and the like are all the responsibility of the author.

Summary: Martha alerts Lex to gossip circulating about Clark. The consequences of her action turn out to be different from what she expected.

***

Martha had been putting off this visit for days, but she'd run out of excuses and couldn't avoid it any longer. When she dropped off the pie order at the Talon earlier, she ran into Gabe who was getting his morning caffeine fix on his way to the plant. He mentioned that Lex would be working from the manor today, so not only had she run out of excuses for avoiding the conversation, Lex was at home and Clark was in school. It would be hard to find a better time.

Heaving a box of Kent organic produce into the back of the truck, she headed off for the mansion, trying to plan the conversation in her head. Lex was too astute for her to wing it, she had to have it well thought-out, otherwise she would end up making everything even more complicated and messy, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She knew that Clark usually dropped the produce off in the kitchen and then wandered down to Lex's office or the library, but she had no idea of the security codes or how to find her way around the mansion, so she left the produce in the back of the truck and rang the bell at the front door. Standing in the shadow of the somber brick work where the sun was hidden, the sudden chill made her shudder slightly. She was about to ring again when she heard the door creak, a prelude to being moved on its ancient hinges. The building needs a dank mist or a dark howling night with lightning and thunder, she thought to herself, a bright Kansas morning in late Fall just doesn't do it justice.

"Mrs. Kent, good morning. I'm afraid Master Clark isn't here, can I be of assistance?"

Martha wasn't sure what to make of the butler's assumption that she was here for her son on a school day, nor of his status as 'Master Clark'. Better not let Jonathan hear that one, she thought with some amusement.

"Actually, I brought the delivery a little earlier today, and I was hoping to have a few moments of Mr. Luthor's time," she said. "I know he's busy, but could you ask him if he can see me?"

"Please come in and wait, I'll go and ask him. Leave the produce in the truck, I'll get one of the staff to collect it."

Martha was escorted into a very imposing room, but like most of the mansion, the warmth of a real home was completely absent. It was just like an exhibit room in a museum, full of exquisite furnishings and beautifully appointed art, but absolutely no feeling of love or personal care. She couldn't imagine anyone ever actually using the room to relax at the end of a working day, or to entertain friends. It wasn't so much the chill, unlived-in air, but the total lack of what she could only describe as the human spirit. Some places are full of life, of love; this place felt like everything had been sucked out, leaving only the appearance behind. It was a soulless place, designed to impress and intimidate rather than offer welcome. Fortunately she barely had time to wander from one end of the room to the other when the butler returned.

"Mrs. Kent, please come with me, Mr. Luthor will see you now."

She followed him down one depressing hallway after another, and couldn't help but feel sorry for anyone forced to live in such surroundings. The farm might be simple, but what it lacked in material goods it made up for in heart and soul. She couldn't understand how Clark could feel so comfortable here, the place gave her the creeps. And she had no doubt that he did feel comfortable, he spent more time at the mansion than almost anywhere else.

As she was ushered into the office, Lex closed his laptop and walked around the desk to meet her. Effortlessly polite as ever, he indicated a comfortable chair near the fire (artificial logs, she noticed), and once she was seated, he took the opposite chair.

"Martha, it's nice to see you. Would you like some coffee? Juice? Water?" he asked.

"No, thank you Lex, I'm fine, I just wanted to have a word with you."

"Of course. Can I ask if there's a particular reason for the visit? I'm always happy to see you, but it is a little unusual."

Martha was silent for a moment. So much for the game plan, she thought. While she was driving the truck she had no problem in thinking through the dialogue, and how it would go. Now, faced with Lex's sharp gaze and formidable intelligence she realized she had been naive even to think that she would be the one leading the conversation.

"This is difficult for me, so please bear with me," she said.

"Is anything wrong with Clark?"

Martha sensed a note of anxiety in the question, and for the first time she was aware of a crack in the Luthor composure. Normally his face was as impassive as a store mannequin. He was so well trained to hide his thoughts and emotions that nothing ever showed unless he wanted it to, but just the suspicion that there might be something amiss with Clark caused Lex to lose control slightly, very telling for anyone who knew him.

"No, no, he's fine," she hastened to reassure him. "Or at least, well, yes, fine, but it is about Clark that I'd like to talk to you."

"I see."

The mask was back in place, perfect and emotionless, making Martha doubt whether she had truly seen concern flicker there only moments ago.

"Lex, I know you consider Clark to be a close friend, but how much has he told you about what happened to him this summer?"

"Why do you ask?"

Of course Lex would not make this easy on her. She was a total beginner in this kind of game, and Lex… well, Lex was way beyond a master in strategic negotiation. She had no option but to be blunt. That was her only real strength in this situation; she shouldn't even have tried to outsmart him with open-ended questions.

"Because there is gossip going around the town about some of the things he did, and I thought I should tell you, clear the air, before you hear it from someone else," she admitted.

"I never listen to gossip," he scoffed. "I've been the subject of too much of it myself to give credence to anything that might be said about Clark."

"Even if it's true?"

"Martha, I don't care whether the gossip is true or false, I simply don't listen to it. Quite frankly I'm surprised and disappointed that you even consider it necessary for us to have this conversation."

Martha was partly relieved, and partly frustrated at this response. Relieved that Lex said he wouldn't listen to the spiteful gossip, but frustrated because she couldn't believe that he could remain in ignorance of it indefinitely.

"Your friendship is very important to Clark. Lex, I'm really worried that if you hear some of the things that are being said then it might affect your respect for him, that you might even decide to drop the friendship."

"And that would bother you? Forgive my skepticism, but I thought that you and Mr. Kent would be relieved if Clark and I were to let our friendship decline. I appreciated the support you both gave me during my engagement and wedding to Helen, but I never felt that either of you were entirely comfortable about my friendship with Clark."

"We weren't, but a lot of things have changed since your wedding day. You've come back from the dead, and so has Clark in many ways. He was in Metropolis for the whole summer you know. We had no idea where he was, what he was doing… it was a very painful time for all of us. He's returned to us, but he's still somewhat brittle, and another upset in his life could have serious consequences. We may not have approved of your friendship with him, but right now you seem to be one of the few standing by him, and I don't think he could cope with losing your affection. I just want to know what he's told you so that I can at least support him or answer any questions you might have."

"Martha, I have the greatest respect for you, indeed, I am very fond of you. I must, however, decline to discuss this with you. If Clark wants you to know something, he'll tell you himself. I would never betray him by breaking a confidence, and before you assume that means he *has* told me, let me make it clear that I will neither confirm nor deny anything about Clark."

"Lex, the gossip about him…"

"Martha, please! I really have absolutely no interest in listening to gossip about my best friend, let alone gossiping about him myself, even if it is with his mother. If you have anything else to say, anything that is not about Clark, please say it, otherwise I think it best if we end this discussion now."

Martha sighed, realizing that pushing harder would only alienate Lex. She had completely underestimated his regard for Clark, or at least, she hoped she had underestimated it.

"Very well, just please, don't turn away from Clark because of something you might hear about him."

"I can assure you that there is nothing that could make me betray or reject Clark, he's not just my best friend, he's the one person in this sorry world who has never judged me on my last name, or paid any attention to the rumors that people spread around about me. He treats me with respect and affection, and that's exactly what he's going to get back. I don't care about gossip, and I'm not going to let it affect my relationship with Clark."

"Thank you Lex. I'm grateful for your understanding, and I hope you can forgive me for raising a subject that is obviously uncomfortable for you. Please understand that I have the best motives, there is nothing sinister about me wanting to talk to you about this."

"Of course, consider it forgotten."

She let herself be guided back into the hallway, and was pleased that Lex accompanied her to the door himself rather than asking his butler to see her out. It made her feel that she hadn't completely blown it, even if things hadn't gone as she'd hoped.

***

Clark had never had it easy at school. From the clumsy, gangling kid who lurked in the shadows and rarely participated in any school activities to the awkward teenager who had too many secrets, he was about as outside the mainstream as you can get. His only real school friends were Chloe and Pete plus the on-again off-again relationship with Lana, and after his summer in Metropolis, even those friendships were strained. After all, Pete was the one who convinced the Kents that Clark was responsible for the bank heists, and both Lana and Chloe came into contact with the dark side of Kal-El. He was sure that neither of them would forget *that* experience in a hurry.

When he came home they all said that they were happy to see him and wanted to let bygones be bygones, but his alien senses were only too aware that they were scared of him now, their heart rates increasing almost to panic if they saw him suddenly with no warning. Overhearing his Dad suggest to Pete one night that he keep a small piece of green Kryptonite handy at all times made him feel even more of a monster, not to mention miserable that his oldest friend - hell, even his Mom and Dad - didn't trust him enough to share their fears.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there was also all the gossip floating around school and town about him. That he ran away because of drugs, because he'd had an argument with his folks, was about to be arrested, got a girl 'into trouble' - man, the list just went on and on. No-one asked him of course, they just made up their own stories and passed them around behind his back. Unfortunately, most of the rumors had an element of truth, which made them very hard to ignore. The usual drugs didn't work on him, but red Kryptonite was just as addictive and just as dangerous as any human substance could ever be, so yeah, he ran away because of drugs. He turned to red K when he thought his Dad had rejected him and because of his guilt over causing his Mom to lose the baby, so an argument with his folks was also true. He seriously doubted that his alien physiology would allow him to get a girl pregnant, but if he could, then there might be several little Clarks or Clarkettes on the way right now. He hadn't been exactly careful or discriminating in Metropolis, so again, a kernel of truth there too. Running from the law? Well, he would be if anyone ever managed to connect him to the spate of ATM and bank robberies in Metropolis, not to mention breaking into LuthorCorp's offices. Shit, when had his life got so damn depressing? Ironically, the one thing at the root of it all never even got mentioned. His alienation was undeniable, but he had been trained to lie so well that no-one ever suspected that it was physical as well as psychological.

Since his return, school had become a daily torture running the gauntlet between the fear he inspired in his parents and friends, and the derision he aroused in everyone else. The ante on teen angst sure got upped to new levels when you factored in ET and red Kryptonite. At times it got so bad he couldn't help thinking that it would be easier to let go of his pretend humanity, just slip away and move beyond all the pain and sorrow. He didn't have to rule the planet; Jor-El couldn't make him do anything he didn't want to do, he proved that when he blew up the ship in the storm cellar. But maybe that wouldn't be so bad – nearly everyone who knew him either feared or despised him anyway, so what's the diff? But that was a stupid idea, he didn't want to rule the planet. He had enough on his plate just getting through each day, let alone trying to take control of billions of human lives as well. No, that wouldn't work. Maybe he should just leave quietly, keep running and never look back. He could be like a modern day Odysseus, making an epic journey, facing challenges like Scylla and Charybdis. Navigating between opposing forces had been a theme for most of his life, pulled off course first one way then another. Of course, Odysseus was trying to get home, which wasn't exactly an option for Clark, but then… huh, Greek mythology. Of course, how like him these days to find parallels to his life from the world of classical Greece.

Just thinking about Homer's epic brought the one safe haven of his life into sharp focus: Lex. Not his oldest friend by far, but beyond any doubt his closest and most beloved friend. Lex never feared him, despised him, or doubted him. He never made Clark feel like an outsider, except in the sense that it was an exile shared by the two of them; uncommon men trying their best to survive in a world awash with common mediocrity. A pair of freaks set aside from the mainstream of society, finding companionship and affection with each other. How else could their strange friendship be explained?

Clark glanced at the clock again; another 20 minutes before the end of class and then he would be able to escape to Lex, his refuge and his protector. He smiled to think that he, an invincible alien with superpowers, sought a human protector, but that was certainly one of the many roles that Lex played in his life. He sensed someone watching him, and glanced around to see Chloe staring. She dropped her eyes, embarrassed to have been caught. In the old days, the pre-summer-in-Metropolis days, she would have given him a cheeky grin, or made a face. He wished he could reassure her somehow, but he couldn't change the past and that was where the problem was firmly rooted. Shit, still another five minutes to go. Tuning out the teacher and the rest of the class he started to amuse himself by thinking about Lex, and what they might do this evening. He'd gotten so caught up in his private fantasy world that he failed to notice the class ending, students picking up bags and jostling their way out of the door.

"Hey Kent! Your folks told you not to bother coming home again?"

"Well jeez Cary, would you want a loser son like that hanging around? My Dad said the Kents told him that they hoped he never came back, but he dragged his sorry ass home with his tail between his legs when it got too tough for him in the big bad world."

Two jocks, not noted for their subtlety, had obviously decided to go for the full frontal attack instead of the stab in the back this time, but Clark just didn't have the energy or patience to let these idiots yank his chain anymore.

"You know guys, I wonder how long it would take for you to suffocate if I held your windpipe closed." As he spoke, Clark stood up and instead of his usual slouch he drew himself up to his full impressive height, shoulders thrown back. He glared at the two jocks to enforce the threat, and part of him was pleased when they paled and backed off. Bullies usually retreat when the victim turns and snarls, and Clark was really, really tired of just turning the other cheek all the time. They wanted to taunt him, well they could take the consequences. Then all of a sudden the futility hit him. He didn't want to get into it with these morons; he didn't care what they thought about him, why was he even bothering with them? They obviously didn't know his Dad cared about him so much that he had found him in Metropolis and brought him home, so why did he let them get to him?

"You know what? Never mind. You're not worth it."

Clark picked up his bag and shouldered past the jocks, then past the group that had gathered in the doorway to watch the little drama play itself out. Clark was vaguely aware of Chloe and Pete waiting for him outside in the hallway, but he just kept walking, ignoring everyone. Once outside he slipped around the back of the school, and then ran as fast as he could to the mansion.

***

Lex found it very difficult to concentrate on work after Martha left. When he realized he had read the same page half a dozen times he gave up and headed to the pool, hoping that some physical exertion would help him to re-focus. Smoothly gliding through the water he concentrated on the rhythm of his stroke and his breathing. He had no idea how long he'd been swimming, but the dull burning pain in his shoulders gave him a clue that he'd done more than his usual 20 laps. Toweling off, he got dressed again and headed back to the office. Lunch was waiting for him, and he absently nibbled on a sandwich as he turned his attention back to the report he was trying to read. Thankfully, the physical exertion had helped just as he hoped it might, and he actually made it through to the end of the report this time. He even managed to make some intelligent and perceptive notations. He emailed the revisions off to Gabe, and decided that he'd had enough for the day. It was getting close to time for school to be out, and he hoped that Clark might stop by on his way home. They didn't have any definite plans but Clark had taken to dropping by the manor after school, sometimes to do his homework, sometimes just to sit and talk. Whatever the reason it was soothing for both of them, and Lex had to admit that it made him feel good that he could be there for his young friend.

He'd just settled himself with a book when he heard the unmistakable sound of Clark's footsteps coming down the hallway. He looked up as the door opened, and then all the problems of the day just fell away from him as Clark graced him with a beaming smile.

"Hey", he said, knowing that his own smile was the natural one he used only around his best friend.

"Hey yourself, what are you up to?" Clark dropped his bag just inside the door and made his way over to sit on the floor at Lex's feet.

"Not much. I finished off the quarterly report for the Board of Directors meeting next week, but I got distracted this morning by a visit from your Mom. She brought over today's delivery, but it was just an excuse for her to have a talk with me."

"What about?" Clark looked wary.

"She was worried that I might hear gossip about you, about what happened to you during the summer."

"And?" Clark made a flipping motion with his hand, encouraging Lex to go on.

"She was afraid I might hear something that would affect my respect for you; that I might even decide to drop the friendship."

"But you never listen to gossip, why would she think that?"

Clark looked so puzzled, Lex thought it was kind of cute. Plus, it was very comforting to know that at least one person understood him so completely.

"She doesn't know me as well as you do," he smirked, "and I'm guessing you've never told her that you've shared *all* your secrets with me?"

Clark shook his head.

"See? Not only does she not really know me, she also doesn't have all the facts about our relationship."

"Relationship?"

Lex could see that Clark was teasing him gently.

"Relationship, friendship, you know what I mean," he said smacking him on the arm.

"Yeah, I know. So you didn't let her know I told you everything about the summer?"

"No. She wasn't happy that I refused to tell her anything, though."

Clark laid down on the rug and closed his eyes. "I bet. So, what else did Mom say?"

"Nothing much really."

"Mmm-hmm".

"I told her I don't listen to gossip ever, and that I didn't intend to discuss you with her. She pushed a bit, but not much. I think she was just worried about you."

"Mmm-hmm".

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Mmmmm."

"Really?"

"Mmmmm."

"Will you sell me a spaceship?"

"Mmm."

"…"

"What?" Clark opened his eyes. "What did you just ask me?"

Lex couldn't have held in the snort of laughter if his life had depended on it.

"Idiot," snickered Clark.

"Moron."

"Weirdo."

"Spaceboy."

They lapsed into comfortable silence again, the half-hearted name-calling so familiar to them both that they didn't even have to think about it anymore.

"So, how was school today?" Part of Lex wanted to steer clear of the subject as long as he could, but avoidance had never been his style.

"The same," sighed Clark. "I'm finding the classes less demanding than ever, and the morons who masquerade as my class-mates just keep on increasing like a batch of bacteria. Every time I turn around they seem to have doubled in number, and the generation time seems to be getting shorter by the day."

Lex was impressed. If Clark was using biological analogies in general conversation, he had obviously had more of an influence on his friend that he realized. But there was a tone in Clark's voice that Lex hadn't heard before, and which he hoped never to hear again. It wasn't that he sounded defeated, it was more like he just didn't care anymore. Lex had been in a very similar place himself more than once during his teens, and it wasn't a fun place to be. It was also hard to get out of, because once you start to slip down that particular slope, it becomes tougher and tougher to drag yourself back up. And the further you slip down, the less you even care about dragging yourself out of it; it becomes a vicious cycle that perpetuates itself.

"They give you any trouble?" Lex tried to sound casual, but this constant sniping at his friend was getting old. They should have moved on to someone else by now, but no, it seemed that Clark was keeping number one position as flavor of the month.

"Nothing I can't handle, but I very nearly lost it in my last class. I'm just so tired of all the snipes and whispers. I try to tune it out, but I still catch some of it here and there. I tell myself that I don't care whether they like me or not, but if I'm honest, it's starting to wear me down. A couple of them got in my face, which I guess is kind of a nice change. Although you really know your life is the pits when you're grateful someone is obnoxious to your face."

"Was it anything specific today?"

Clark half sat up, leaning back on his elbows. "Nah, just the usual round of that fun game, kick the alien. It's difficult to tune out all of it, especially when so many people are talking about me. I guess we're all conditioned to respond to our own name, and so I got snippets of hearing that I'm a loser, a criminal, a druggie, I got a girl pregnant, I'm your boy toy, that my parents hate me and that they wished I'd never come back from Metropolis." Clark closed his eyes and tipped his head back, stretching the tight muscles in his neck and shoulders. "The thing is, I think they may actually be right about me," he said. "Or at least, about some things," he quickly added.

"Hey, come up here."

Clark sighed, and then kicked off his shoes to join Lex on the couch.

"Come on, stretch out and lay your head here," said Lex, patting his lap.

As soon as Clark was settled, Lex began to massage his friend's temples, and stroke his hair. Clark's skin might be indestructible but he loved to be caressed and stroked. Lex knew all the spots to touch, and soon he was rewarded with little murmurs of satisfaction as he gradually eased all the tensions that had been eating at Clark throughout the day.

"You know your parents have never regretted adopting you, don't you?"

"I guess."

"They both love you so much. Even though I refused to listen to the gossip your Mom wanted to talk about, her reason for coming here was based on her love for you, nothing else."

"Yeah, but I can't help knowing that they're also scared of me. I can hear it. I can feel it. I hear them talking about me. I know my parents love me, I do, and I love them. I just don't know if it's enough anymore. If they wouldn't just be happier if I left for school one morning, and never came back."

"Don't even think that! Your parents would be devastated, and I…" Lex choked.

"Hey, hey, it's OK." Clark sat up and put his arm around Lex. "Slow down there tiger, breathe, come on, that's it, nice and easy now."

Lex allowed himself to be soothed, leaning gently into Clark's embrace. It was at times like this he cursed Clark's alien hearing. It was hard enough to hide anything from him without factoring alien powers into the equation, and he never wanted to let Clark know just how much he needed him. It wasn't that he hated to feel vulnerable - although almost 20 years of his father's conditioning certainly made that a given - but he didn't want to put any more responsibility or pressure on his young friend. He closed his eyes, and relaxed into the strong, warm arms wrapped around him. Silence was never awkward with them, instead it was a still, calm pool that comforted and refreshed, and gave them strength to face the next challenge.

He allowed himself to relax, and as he slid down to make himself more comfortable, he found himself in exactly the same position that Clark had been moments earlier; this time, his head was on Clark's lap, and it was his temples being gently massaged and stroked.

"What are you smiling at?"

Lex opened his eyes and saw Clark looking down at him, an expression of such tenderness on his face that it momentarily took his breath away.

"I was just thinking how well matched we are," he admitted. "You came here all stressed out so I took care of you, and then I got stressed out, and now you're taking care of me."

"I'll always take care of you Lex, you know I…"

Lex felt a tremor pass through Clark's fingers, and then the massaging stopped.

"Clark? What is it?"

He started to lift his head, but a gentle caress across his forehead and down his cheek made him lay back down again.

"Nothing, relax."

Lex drifted on a wave of comfort, Clark's hands so gentle against his skin it was difficult to remember they were strong enough to bend steel and smash solid rock.

"What time do you have to be home?"

"Soon, I have to do my chores before dinner, but I can come over later if you want company."

"Mmmm, I'd like that."

Comfortable as he was, Lex was starting to get aroused with Clark stroking his head, and that was someplace that neither of them had ever dared to venture. At times they both silently acknowledged that something passed between them, but it was like a will o'the wisp, flickering quickly and then gone before either could catch hold of it. Lex realized he had to move soon or his state would become all too obvious, and that wasn't anything he wanted to deal with right now, not while Clark was so fragile. Maybe someday they might talk about things, but not yet.

"Hey, how about we grab a coffee at The Talon, and then I can drive you home?"

"If you want… but there'll probably be kids from school there, you might catch some of the flack they've been throwing at me."

"Trust me, it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Anyway, I always find that offense is the best defense," he smirked up at Clark. "If you run and hide they just mutter 'no smoke without fire'. Do what you would normally do as if you have nothing to worry about it and they find it harder to handle."

"OK, I'm game if you are."

"Come on then, I'll grab a jacket then I'm good to go."

When they got to the underground garage, he looked over the car keys, wondering which vehicle to take. Nothing was ever simple for a Luthor, not even coffee with a friend, and especially not when there was the added incentive of trying to make the malicious back-stabbers move on and find someone else to annoy.

"Hey, you want to drive?"

"Me? Really? Cool!"

"Here," said Lex, handing over the keys to the Lamborghini. It was one of his most expensive cars, and the one that turned most heads when he drove it into town.

"You sure? That's an expensive bit of machinery."

"Clark, I trust you with my life, letting you drive one of my cars is nothing," he grinned back at his friend.

***

"I wish I knew how to get through to Clark," moaned Chloe.

"Yeah, you already said that like twenty times," said Pete. He'd gotten really tired of the continual whining about Clark. It wasn't as if he could even tell Chloe about the alien thing. Mostly he made sympathetic noises, but it was starting to get old, especially given that Clark wasn't even trying to meet them half way anymore. Like in school today; Pete and Chloe waited for Clark after the last class, they were even poised to jump in and run interference with the jocks if he needed help, but Clark completely ignored them and took off without a glance. Chloe was so disappointed he agreed to go and get a coffee with her, but he was starting to regret it, and if she didn't get off the subject of Clark soon, he was gonna call it quits and head off. There's only so much a guy can take.

The throaty sound of a high performance sports car filtered into The Talon, and Pete glanced through the window to see Lex's Lamborghini pull into a parking space outside.

"Is Clark with him?" asked Chloe.

Pete kept watching, and when he saw Clark climb out of the driver's seat, he nodded. Seconds later he and Lex came into The Talon, both laughing at some shared joke, Clark absently fiddling with the car keys. Pete groaned inwardly, but kept his face open and welcoming as he waved them over to join him and Chloe. He had tried to hint to Clark a few times that getting so close to Luthor was doing nothing to help his reputation within the town, but like Chloe said, they just couldn't get through to him anymore. Whenever he said anything about the Luthors Clark just tuned him out and told him to get over it. As if he was still carrying a grudge about the way Lionel Luthor ripped off his family! Well yeah, OK, maybe he did need to get over it, but Clark had to see what kind of message his close friendship with Luthor was sending to the community, he*had* to see it.

Pete saw Clark stiffen slightly as he sat down, and taking a casual look around, he saw the two jocks who had confronted his friend at the end of the last class. It was pretty obvious that they'd noticed Clark and Lex's entrance.

"What is it?" asked Lex.

"Nothing." Clark shrugged and shook his head slightly.

"Liar."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't we just do this?" Lex was looking at Clark as if he was a naughty child.

"Yeah, I guess," Clark grinned back at him.

"You know I won't let it go, and deja vu just isn't what it used to be."

Clark chuckled and said, "you're weird, you know that?"

Pete was fascinated by the exchange, especially at how easily Lex managed to make Clark relax and smile again.

"Oh yeah, so give, what's up?"

"Those two guys were the ones who snarked at me in class today," said Clark, nodding slightly towards them. "Like I said, it's nothing."

"Do their fathers work at the Plant?"

"Let it go Lex, really. They're not even worth it."

"Pete?"

Jeezus, the last thing he wanted was to get caught in the middle of this, but Lex was giving him the old piercing stare, and it would take a better man than him to defy that.

"Um yeah, John Carter and Bill Leeman."

"OK."

Pete glanced at Clark, but he seemed alright with what just happened and Lex was – well, Lex. His face gave nothing away, as usual, but he appeared to be ignoring the jocks, so maybe they would all live to fight another day.

"I just need to check a couple of things with Lana while I'm here. You want your usual?"

At Clark's nod Lex headed over to the counter, and Pete heaved a sigh of relief. He was getting used to having Luthor around – no choice, what with him being Clark's best bud all of a sudden – but he still felt on edge around the older guy.

"So man, you headed off pretty quickly after class, what was that about? We were waiting for you in the corridor."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just had it with those guys, I had to get away before I decked one of them."

"You know we would have run interference for you, right?" asked Chloe. "We're still your friends no matter what," she added.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm grateful. I just don't want to drag you guys into something that you don't have to be involved in. It's bad enough for you just knowing me, without taking on any extra trouble by getting involved in my problems."

"Hey, that's what friends do, you big dope," grinned Chloe, smacking Clark on the arm.

"Yeah, I…" Clark started, and then stopped when he felt someone standing behind his shoulder.

"Where's your boyfriend Kent," sneered Steve Carter, "doesn't he want to be seen in public with you? Can't say I blame him, I wouldn't want to be seen hanging round with you either."

"Why don't you just fuck off and leave him alone," snapped Chloe.

"Oh, nice turn of phrase there, Sullivan, just shows you what working on The Torch can do for you."

"Come on Stevie, give it a rest huh?" Pete figured he at least had a chance to cool things, given he and Steve were both on the football team.

"Yeah, what's with that Pete? How come you're hanging around with these losers? Man, you should get yourself some better friends."

"I suspect your definition of 'loser' is different than mine, Mr. Carter. I wonder in what strange warped way you think that the best friend of the man who signs your father's paycheck is a loser?"

Pete had to hand it to Luthor. He hadn't even heard him come over, and yet there he was, coolly facing down a guy who even the other jocks treated with caution. Of course he had all the pieces; it's hard to argue with a guy who can put your Dad out of work and foreclose on the family mortgage. Still, the way Luthor just stood there, radiating power and confidence, it was awesome. He had to admit that it was an impressive display even if it was based on an arrogant assumption that no-one would ever dare to challenge a Luthor.

Pete felt almost sorry for Steve as he saw him turn red with rage, and then storm out. Thankfully the door to The Talon survived the slam, but the sound of screeching metal from the street suggested that the Lamborghini might not have been so lucky. Oh shit, thought Pete, this is not going to end well.

***

Clark was up and out of the door, Lex hot on his heels. Chloe was usually pretty quick, but it all happened so fast they were outside before she even moved. Running out to join them she stopped dead at the sight of Clark's expression, looking just like he had that time he threw her out of his apartment in Metropolis a couple of months ago. There was no way in hell she was going to get near him while he was in that mood, although apparently Lex was immune to the infamous Clark Kent temper; he had his hand on Clark's arm, and it was obvious that he had managed to restrain his friend with no more than a few well-chosen words. Oh, for that kind of power! Chloe was seriously in awe of Lex at that moment. Nothing in the world could have convinced her to try to reason with Clark while he had *that* look on his face, but Lex just took control of the entire situation with no more than a couple of words and the power of persuasion. Jeezus.

She felt Pete hovering behind her and guessed he wasn't game to approach Clark either. She saw a deep scratch along one side of Lex's car and thought yet again that when testosterone takes over, brains fly out of the window. What a jerk, and even more, what a truly stupid jerk. He had to realize that everyone in The Talon would know who caused the damage, and one trait the Luthor son definitely shared with his father was revenge against those who crossed or hurt him. Or who hurt Clark, but Chloe wasn't ready to dive into that particular can of worms, so she headed her thoughts off to another direction.

"What are you going to do, Lex?" she asked.

He already had his cell phone in his hand. "Report the vandalism to the police," he said as he hit speed dial.

Chloe had to wonder what his life was like if he had the local police on speed dial. Clark seemed to be easing back from the edge on which he had been teetering only seconds ago, and as Lex reported the crime she casually wandered over to stand by her friend.

"Hey," she said, brushing his arm gently, "you OK?"

"I hate it that my friends suffer like this because of me. I hate that it's my fault that things like this happen."

She could see the muscles in his neck were incredibly tight, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists, causing the muscles in his biceps to do some very interesting and impressive flexing. Thankfully at the moment Lex flipped his cell closed, and came over. Clark was too volatile for her to handle in these kinds of situations, and when that realization hit her, hot on its heels was a kind of relief that she had never actually gotten into a relationship with him. They'd had the odd date (most of them were very odd), but it never went anywhere. She had always been sad about that, but at this moment she was mostly relieved that she wouldn't have to be the one to talk him down from… well, from wherever he was right now. It obviously wasn't a happy place.

"Someone will be here in a moment to take the details of the crime," said Lex. "Let's go back inside and get that coffee while we wait."

Chloe watched in silent admiration as Clark obediently followed Lex back into The Talon, whatever violence he had been thinking of inflicting on Steve forgotten. Or at least, if not forgotten then postponed. She didn't think for one moment that Clark would just sit back and allow anyone to harm Lex and get away with it, and although her pre-summer-in-Metropolis friend would never have hurt another soul, she wasn't so sure about this upgraded version.

She watched him carefully as their coffees arrived. He seemed to be back to normal, but she was a Clark watcher of old, and in her experienced eyes there was something off about him. As she glanced away she noticed that Lex was watching her almost as closely as she was watching Clark, and as their eyes caught, he nodded slightly to her. Yeah, he was worried too, he just wasn't showing it. A uniformed officer came in, and, spotting Lex, headed to their table.

"Mr. Luthor, I'm Sergeant Collins. The Deputy is on another call right now, and the Sherrif is out of town. Can I take down the details of what happened? I had a look at the damage to your car, it's pretty nasty."

Chloe felt more than saw Clark tense as Lex left them to join the Sergeant at another table. There were definitely things happening here; her investigative reporter senses were jumping up and down and waving flags at her, but right now she couldn't get the message. Sure, there had always been gossip about Clark and Lex being more than just friends, but there had never been any truth in any of the rumors about them, she was certain of that. She was even fairly sure that there was *still* no substance to the rumors, but something was sure as hell going on with them.

"Hey Clark," she said, but he ignored her completely attention still focused on Lex and the Sergeant. "Clark!"

"Hmmm? What?"

He had that faraway look in his eyes that always meant something was happening on Planet Kent that the rest of them couldn't see.

"Hey, you with us buddy?" Pete prodded Clark in the ribs, and finally got his attention.

"Um, yeah, sorry, I'm just a little freaked about all this. I know I should be used to it by now, but it all happened so fast, and it upsets me that Lex should be the one to suffer again. He's been in a world of hurt since he moved to Smallville and met me, and I don't think I can stand to watch it keep happening anymore."

Chloe got the feeling that what Clark was saying wasn't exactly what he was thinking, but the subtext was a little difficult to interpret. Was he thinking of revenge on Steve? Kidnapping Lex so no-one could hurt him again? Running away again? It could be any of those, or even several things that hadn't occurred to her. Clark had always been a mystery, who knew what went on in that weird brain of his. Thankfully at that moment the Sergeant left and Lex rejoined them.

"What did he say?" Chloe asked, curious about how it would be dealt with, but also hoping to get Clark out of whatever strange place he was currently inhabiting.

"Well, he said that because the destruction of private property poses, quote, 'a threat to society', unquote, vandalism is considered to be a serious crime. If he's arrested and convicted he may get a fine, a jail sentence, an order to pay for repairs, or all three. Plus, I can also sue in a civil tort action for damages, so I'll get my lawyers on that."

Chloe was reeling from the seriousness of it, and she could see from Pete's face he had much the same reaction as she did. Clark on the other hand looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"Good," he said, "it's about time that moron got his."

"Oh man, I know what Stevie did was stupid, and bad, and well OK, stupid again, but this could ruin his life!"

Chloe wouldn't have gone there, but Pete was never quite clear in his own mind where he stood on the Luthor issue, and comparing one act of minor vandalism to maybe destroying a guy's entire future was obviously making him fall on the anti-Luthor side of the argument right now.

"He should have thought of that before damaging Lex's car," snarled Clark, who had the 'don't mess with me' look on his face that would have gotten Pete to back off under normal circumstances. Unfortunately it was clear to Chloe that both of them were acting on autopilot, and unless she could distract one of them it was not going to be pretty.

"Hey Pete, any chance of giving me a lift back to school? I have some things I need to finish up for The Torch, and it's getting kinda late."

"What? Oh, yeah, sure, I can do that."

"Okay," she said brightly, jumping up from her chair, "we'll catch you guys later. C'mon Pete, let's get going."

Chloe almost dragged Pete out of The Talon, and as she turned to wave goodbye, Lex gave her a knowing look, and, for the second time in less than an hour, a nod of gratitude for her awareness of the situation. That gave her a warm fuzzy feeling for about 20 seconds, and then she recalled the mess that Steve Carter had made, and that it was probably going to get worse before it got better. Damn, why couldn't life be easy for once?!

***

Jonathan was getting more and more worried, and more and more wound up, with each passing minute. Clark was supposed to get straight home after school and do his chores before homework and dinner, and here it was almost five o'clock and no sign of him. He started to head into the house to see if Clark had phoned while he'd been finishing off the day's work when he heard the unmistakable sound of a sports car coming down the road. A surge of annoyance grabbed hold of him as he realized what that meant, and he waited on the porch, his arms folded and his face probably showing every bit of the anger he felt.

And dammit, as if it wasn't bad enough that his son was hanging out with Luthor, as the car pulled up he could see that Clark was driving, something else to send his blood pressure soaring. Jesus Christ on a Cross, how could he and Martha keep Clark safely unnoticed within a small farming community when he did things like that?

"Where have you been?" he snapped, as Clark got out of the car.

"Don't start on me Dad," warned Clark, "it's been a bad day!"

As Lex opened the passenger door and got out of the car, Jonathan noticed the damage to the bodywork, and his attention was momentarily diverted away from his son.

"What happened to the car? Was there an accident? Are you OK Clark?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't an accident. One of the football jocks from school started taunting me in The Talon, and Lex put him in his place. In retaliation the guy vandalized Lex's car."

"Well let me just point out that if you'd come straight home after school like you're supposed to, then it would never have happened."

"Yeah, it's my fault – again. I know," sighed Clark.

"Who was it?"

"Steve, John Carter's son."

"What have you ever done to make him taunt you son? He's a good boy, and a great footballer, why would he want to do anything to hurt you?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" asked Clark, but it was obvious from the expression on his face and the way he was shaking his head that he didn't expect a reply.

Before Jonathan had time to say another word his son walked round the car and handed the keys over to Lex. "Thanks for the ride home and letting me drive, I'll see you later."

"Wait a goddamn minute, what do you mean, 'see you later'?" You have chores to do son, and homework, and you are going nowhere tonight but your room!"

"Mr. Kent, Clark's homework is at the mansion, he needs to come over to get it."

Jonathan was starting to get seriously angry; if Clark's homework was at the mansion then obviously that had been his first port of call after school. He opened his mouth to let rip, but before he could say anything Clark turned back to Lex and gripped his arm.

"Lex? Take me back to your place now, please? I can't do this, not right now."

"Sure, get in."

Before Jonathan had a chance to say another word, Clark climbed in the car and Lex walked round to slide in to the driver's seat. With a smooth motion he fired up the engine and floored the gas pedal, leaving Jonathan standing with his mouth open in a haze of dust and confusion.

"Jonathan? Wasn't that Clark with Lex? Where is he?"

Shaking his head he walked over to join Martha on the porch.

"He's gone back to the mansion, something about having a really bad day and not being able to 'do this' – whatever 'this' might be – now. Martha, we're going to have to do something with that boy. Ever since I brought him back home he's been impossible to live with; it's like sitting on a powder keg waiting for someone to drop a match. He said John Carter's son taunted him and then damaged Lex's car. I just don't understand what's happening!"

"I know honey, but think how difficult it must be for him. Whatever else he did in Metropolis, he lived on his own for months, totally independent and in charge of his own life. Knuckling under our rules again has got to be hard for him, and we don't even know what lasting effect red Kryptonite might have. He might still be affected by it for all we know. I mean, he was exposed to it constantly for months, and we know that he retains all the memories of what he did under the influence. Just because he seems to be okay on the outside doesn't mean there isn't a lot happening inside. He's always obeyed our rules in the past because it's the way we raised him – now he's experienced something else, and we might just have to find other methods of persuasion. Obviously we can't force him, and you can't ask Jor-El to physically enhance you every time there's a disagreement, you would never survive that."

Jonathan was only too aware that he couldn't physically make Clark do anything he didn't want to do, but if he had to develop new strategies to keep him in check and obey whatever guidelines he and Martha had laid down for him, well he was fresh out of ideas. He patterned his parenting on his own Father's approach, and nothing there gave him a clue about how to deal with this.

"I went to see Lex today."

Jonathan was following Martha into the house, and almost let the door shut in his face he was so surprised. He pushed the door open and followed her into the kitchen.

"What? Why?!"

"Look Jonathan, whatever you and I feel about Lex, he's been a good friend to Clark and I wanted to find out whether he's heard any of the gossip that's floating around town. Clark is just too fragile at the moment to cope with any more upsets. I don't want to lose him Jonathan, and if Lex turns away from him, I think our son will just leave again, but this time he'll go so far away we'll never find him. He pretends not to be bothered about what people are saying about him, but I know the gossip is really getting him down."

Jonathan was stunned. He had no idea things were that bad, and Martha's belief that the only person keeping Clark in Smallville was Lex Luthor didn’t bear thinking about. Clark was his son, it was his job to keep him safe at home, not let some rich playboy with a morally corrupt father take on the role.

"We he said that one of the guys from school gave him a hard time today," he admitted. "I thought he was, well, I don't know, maybe making more of it than necessary, but do you think it's serious?"

"I do. I'm in town more than you, and maybe people aren't so careful of what they say around me. Everywhere I go I hear nasty little comments about Clark, and with his alien hearing he's got to be aware of it. If he's getting bullied at school too, then it's even worse than I feared. I hoped that there at least he'd be able to just be with his friends and put all the bad stuff behind him."

Jonathan remembered the damage to Lex's car, pretty serious by the look of it. What did Clark say? That John Carter's son did it in retaliation to Lex standing up to him? He wondered whether Lex had run interference to stop Clark taking matters into his own hands, in which case, Martha was right, they really did need to keep Luthor onside. He needed to know, but he didn't trust himself to speak to either of them right now. He picked up the phone and dialed the Ross house.

"Yeah, hi Mrs. Ross, it's Jonathan Kent here. Is Pete there? Well, do you know where he might be? Okay, thanks, I'll try there."

He hung up and hit speed-dial four; there was a landline in The Talon office, and until this year, Clark had spent so much of his time there that they'd put the number on speed-dial.

"Hello Chloe, this is Jonathan Kent. Would Pete still be there with you? Great, can I have a word with him please?" He tried to smile reassuringly to Martha while he waited for Pete to get to the phone, but from the worried look on her face he guessed he didn't quite make it.

"Pete, yes we're fine thanks.

…Look, I wanted to ask you what happened at The Talon. Clark said something about one of the guys taunting him, and then damaging Lex's car. Was there anything more to it than that?

…Uh-huh.

…Right.

…And that's it? Clark didn't get involved or you know, *do* anything did he?

…Well thanks Pete, that's a relief.

…Um, no, he isn't here right now, he headed back to the manor with Lex to get his homework.

…Yeah, I'll tell him. Thanks, bye Pete."

"Well?" Martha was looking at him anxiously.

"More or less what Clark told me, but it's a bit more serious than I realized because Luthor called the police and filed a formal charge against John Carter's son."

"Oh no, what will happen?"

"Pete said it could be a jail sentence, and that Luthor is going to sue him as well as bringing charges, so it's not going to be fun."

Jonathan was about to put the phone back when it rang again.

"Kent Farms.

…Oh hello John, what can I do for you?

…Hey, I've only just heard about it myself, I know even less than you do.

…There's no sense getting wound up till we know what's gonna happen.

…No, Clark isn't here right now so I can't ask him anything.

…Look, he'll be home tonight, I'll talk to him then and call you, okay?

…Yeah, I'm sorry too John, you've got a good boy there, I'm sure it's all just a silly mix-up.

…Yeah, I catch you later."

"How's he holding up?"

"Not good. The Sergeant came round to take a statement, and he warned John to keep Steve around home and out of trouble. I guess he can be grateful he hasn't been arrested yet.

"Damn, this is the last thing we need right now. Why the hell can't those spiteful, small-minded morons just leave Clark the hell alone!"

"Martha! We don't know what happened, it might not even be the Carter boy's fault. There's a Luthor in the mix here, and we know that never bodes well for the folks in this town. Let's not jump to any conclusions before we find out what really happened."

"Jonathan, just don't assume that the fault lies with either Lex or Clark. I know you have a lot of time for the Carters, but trust me, they aren't exactly the paragons of virtue you believe them to be. That boy of theirs is one of the worst offenders in spreading around rumors about Clark, it doesn't surprise me at all to hear that he's taken things too far."

Jonathan could understand Martha's defense of their son, but he couldn't get past the Luthor involvement. If Clark had only kept out of that guy's way, none of this would have happened. There might have been an argument, some shoving maybe, worst case some high jinks that caused no lasting damage and certainly wouldn't have dragged the law into it all. Because of Luthor, the stakes were upped to a point where it became more than just teen rebellion or simple gossip. Now it was a serious matter than could ruin a boy's life. Fine, there was no actual evidence at this point to fix the crime onto the Carter boy, but from what Pete told him it certainly pointed in that direction, and he had no doubt that Luthor would pursue it. That family never let anything stand in the way once they decided on a course of action.

"When he gets home Martha, we need to have a serious talk with him. I know you think he's not strong enough to deal yet, but he's going to have to make the effort. Because of his friendship with Luthor, the son of one of our neighbors is maybe looking at a jail sentence, not to mention fines that will be a severe blow to his family. And for what? Damage to a car that wouldn't even cost Luthor his weekly pocket money to fix."

"How can you blame Clark for that? Honestly Jonathan, sometimes I swear I just don't get you. Why should Clark's friendship with Lex excuse this thug's vandalism! It doesn't, he's done something very wrong and he should pay for it!"

"Like Clark should pay for the crimes he committed in Metropolis this summer?"

Jonathan hated to play that card, but his stomach still churned every time he thought about Clark's illegal activities and if not for his son's alien origins, he would have turned him into the law himself. In Jonathan's world, theft was a crime, and criminals had to be punished. It was simple, and he could never understand why other people complicated it.

"Jonathan! You know that's different, he was under the influence of red Kryptonite…"

"He knew what would happen if he put that ring on Martha, that's no excuse. It wasn't just theft, Clark injured a lot of people over the summer, we don't even know how badly or how many."

Seeing her take a breath to argue he wrapped his arms around her.

"Listen honey, I agree with you that we have to keep Clark safe, but just don't expect me to agree that Steve Carter deserves punishment while Clark doesn't. They both did wrong, but it seems like Steve is the only one who is going to pay for it."

"No Jonathan, Clark *is* paying for it, believe me. Maybe not in jail, but everyday he has to live among people who spread rumors and gossip about him, and the worst thing is that there's a kernel of truth in what they're saying that hits Clark hard. You know as well as I do how guilty he feels about the baby, and about all the people he hurt in Metropolis. Just because he doesn't talk about it with us doesn't mean it hurts him any the less. Trust me, he's being punished."

***

Lex was livid. Furious. Absolutely incensed that Clark had been put through the wringer yet again. He didn't care about the damage to the car; it was annoying, but nothing more. What he really hated with a passion was the fact that Carter attacked Clark while Lex was supposed to be protecting his friend. The boy slipped past his guard because he hadn't truly believed that anyone would be so shameless as to pick on Clark in such a public place, especially in front of his friends. With Pete and Chloe there Lex had felt it was safe enough to go and sort out some things with Lana. He reminded himself yet again not to underestimate the extent of bucolic stupidity. And then when they got to the farm and Clark needed some support, Jonathan Kent took that moron's side against his own son! To assume that Clark must have done something wrong, that the paragon of football virtue was naturally innocent. God, he wanted to hit something. He glanced over at Clark. He seemed lost in thought, looking straight ahead through the windscreen, but Lex doubted he was actually seeing anything.

"You okay?"

Clark nodded slightly, but remained silent.

"It's not your fault. You know that, right?"

"But it is Lex, it is my fault. If I hadn't crash landed here with the meteors, if I hadn't drugged myself on red Kryptonite and gotten so out of control, if I hadn't dragged you into this mess…"