Beta: svmaria
Plot Bunny/Challenge: Silverhope from www.mykryptonite.net
Disclaimer: All Smallville and characters, settings, etc. from the Superman universe are the property of DC Comics, the WB and CW TV Networks and their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended nor malice toward the actors who portray them in the show.


"Lex, I'm here to collect your donation for the school rummage sale!" Clark announced cheerfully, eager to see his best friend and keeper of his heart. He walked into the room that Lex used as an office and stopped in his tracks. Lex was obviously having a business meeting, with what looked like two very important businessmen. They were speaking in rapid German to each other, while Lex looked on in amusement from where he sat, facing them at his glass desk.

"Sorry!" Clark mouthed silently catching Lex's eye. Lex spoke in rapid fire back to the German businessmen and strode over to Clark.

"Clark, now is not a good time. Would you mind going up to the attic on your own and finding something appropriate? If I get a moment free, I'll come to help." Lex pushed Clark firmly out of the room by his elbow.

"Oh, uh, sure Lex, look I'm really sorry –" Clark turned to look at Lex and gave him his best apologetic face.

Lex smiled indulgently and gave him a shove toward the attic. "Sorry, Clark, I'll catch up to you later!"

By the time Clark fully turned Lex had already closed the doors behind him, making Clark wonder, not for the first time, if Lex had more than super-healing powers from the meteor shower. With a shrug of his shoulders, he headed toward the general direction of the attic, trying to recall where it was, then giving up and using his x-ray vision to locate it.

"Wow," Clark said in astonishment. The attic was of course, huge. White sheets covered large items here and there, making it a bit spooky. Clark couldn’t even see the whole attic at first glance, making it seem more like an antique shop than an attic. His mind flashed to the movie "Beetlejuice" and wondered if there was a miniature model of Smallville to be found among the dusty keepsakes.

He reached out to take a cover off a particularly large piece and was startled to uncover a full-length walnut edged mirror. Shaken to suddenly see himself, he took a step back and fell over a box that tipped over on its edge. Seeing a piece of brown fur, Clark pulled at it to reveal a worn and well loved teddy bear.

Clark smiled at it realizing it must have been Lex's when he was a boy. He carefully peeled away the tissue paper to reveal it had corduroy overalls, glossy eyes and patches of fur missing. Clark's heart melted. "Hey, little guy, I bet you can tell me stories, huh?" The bear seemed to smile at him and Clark was about to tuck him lovingly back into the box when he spotted a book. "What's this, little guy?"

A leather journal slipped out and on it in gold lettering was the name Alexander J. Luthor. Clark smiled. Opening it gingerly he saw in childish handwriting "Alex". Clark sat down on a cloth covered rocking chair with the bear in his lap and opened the book, unable to resist after seeing the first entry.

I hate my school. Mommy and Pamela say I'm too young and shouldn't hate anything, but I do. The boys are mean to me. They tease me about my red hair. I hate it and wish it would all go away. Dad says that what doesn't kill me will make me stronger and that many ancient warriors were revered for their red hair. I still hate it. And I hate my school and I hate the boys at my school.

Clark grinned remembering how Lex mentioned one time that he had "Bozo the Clown" red hair and how he was grateful to be bald. Now he understood why. Flipping back a few pages he read another entry.

Pamela says Mommy went to sleep with the angels. But Dad says she's dead and there's no such thing as heaven. He says it's only for the weak willed to give them a purpose in life. I hope Pamela is right. Dad is sending me away to Excelsior Preparatory School for Boys. I hope Mommy comes to save me with an army of Archangels. I don't want to go. Dad is being so mean now that she's gone and he barely talks to me any more. I don't think he loves me. Mommy loved me and she's gone. Pamela says she loves me, but Dad says I'm too old for a Nanny and he's sending her away.

Clark held in his tears as he gripped the teddy bear tighter. He skipped forward in the book some more.

Dad's pissed and I love it. I screwed four girls last night and made sure he found out. Boy, I bet he paid a lot of money to get the pictures. I made sure to do them all in as public a place as I could. Hel,l I did one right in the middle of the club, front and center. She was a lousy lay, but who cares? All she wanted was a piece of me. That's all any of them want, to be touched by this kind of money and power. Let them. Bring them on. As long as it pisses off Dad, I'm all for it.

Shaking his head at the pain he read between the lines, Clark uncovered the teddy bears eyes and looked for a later entry.

Well, the O.D. of two of the people I was doing drugs with was too much for the old man. The police wanted to pin the rap on me. I have to admit, when I came down, I was pretty fucking scared to be getting booked. What a bad trip! Dad sent Dominic down to bail me out, couldn't even come down himself, the fucking asshole. But he was there to banish me from Metropolis to same shit hole of a backwoods town that I lost my hair in. I think I'd rather be booked and arraigned. To make matters worse, in the final blow, he's put me in charge of the god damned crap factory! Maybe I'll get lucky and some new meteor shower will come down and finish the job it started and I can finally be with Mom and Julian. I wish I'd never been born.

This time Clark kept the bear's eyes covered as he looked for another interesting injury, when he spotted one with his name in it.

Today the most gorgeous creature on earth saved my life. I hit him at 60 + MPH and he fucking lived!! I know I hit him! I'll never forget the look on his face. It wasn't that I minded that I would finally be dead; it was the thought of killing something so beautiful and looked so terrified that I would take to my grave.

But, despite careening off that bridge and going into the water, somehow the Adonis I hit with the Porsche lived and rescued me! Me! Of all people worth saving in the world, why did he pick me? I don't deserve to live. But he was so concerned and worried. All I could taste were his cold wet soft lips on mine. No one will ever measure up.

After all these fucking years of screwing anything that moved to piss off Dad, I finally found the other half of my soul. But is that enough? Oh no, Fate is really screwing with me now, because he's only 15 fucking years old!! My only reason to stay in this shit hole is the same one that will drive me insane… Clark Kent, my salvation, my angel and my ultimate temptation. God, what I wouldn’t do to… ah hell, what does it matter? I can't. Look at what happens to everyone I love? Mom, Julian, Pamela… are all dead or gone and better off for it, because they don't have to deal with me, the spawn of the devil himself.

"Lex," Clark breathed out softly, sniffing into the teddy bear's fur.

"Hey, Clark? You still up here?" Lex's head appeared as he turned the corner to see Clark crying while sitting in the chair with his teddy bear in his lap and his journal open in his hand.

Lex froze in mid-step uncertain what to do. "You had no right." Lex whispered in a strangled tone.

Clark stood, gently putting down the bear and the journal. "You're right and I'm sorry. But I have a lot of secrets to tell you too, Lex, and the first is… I love you, too." Clark shyly hugged Lex to him, then kissed the side of his face. Lex pushed him back and stared at him. Clark smiled and closing the gap between them, kissed Lex and waited. He waited what seemed to be an eternity for Lex to stop imitating a statue. Clark was about to pull away, admitting he'd made a mistake and run home, when Lex's fingers wrapped themselves in his hair. Lex moaned and pulled Clark even closer, kissing Clark with a fevered passion.

When Lex pulled back, he looked seriously at Clark. "I love you too, Clark, but you must be serious about this, your parents, friends, schoolmates and my father…"

"Will never keep us apart ever again," Clark finished and with a grin pulled Lex to the floor.

Luckily, the teddy bear was looking away.