Title: Connection

Author: Hergerbabe

Fandom: Smallville

Sequel/Series: hopefully not

Pairing: Lex/Kal-El(Clark)

Rating: NC-17

Category: AU, angst, romance

Archive: list archive

Notes: Um, my scientific knowledge and computer knowledge are pretty basic, so bear with me, kay?

Warnings: most likely violence

Disclaimer: nope not mine

Summary: What if the Kent's hadn't found our hero?

Thanks Christine, for friendship, inspiration and general silliness :) also thank you to Caroline for the huge encouragement with Clueless and Clued Up

Kal-El let himself be pushed into his room, sighing when he heard all the locks sliding into place. Room being what *they* called his cell. Admittedly a very nice, upmarket kind of cell, but a cell nonetheless. It was all he could remember, except for brief flashes of his family, but it didn’t stop him from yearning for something else. Freedom would be a good start.

He sat down on his bed, wincing a little. Today they had been retesting the parameters of his resistance to extremes of temperature. Which had involved all morning locked in ‘the freezer’. -50°C they’d got to today, leaving him naked for three hours before they’d let him out.

Thankfully, he’d had a break for schooling and lunch before he’d been strapped to a wall and had weights projected at him at increasing rates of velocity. The last one had *hurt*, broken his ribs. *They* had been really excited, it gave them a chance to check his healing abilities. Hadn’t stopped them from making him sit through more schooling though. His ribs were fine now of course, but he was still a little sore.

Kal-El got up, tuning out the sound of the camera tracking him automatically, and went to the bathroom to run a hot bath. Just once, a little privacy would be nice. To know that his every move wasn’t being watched and catalogued. He couldn’t even go to the bathroom, bathe, jack off, whatever, without being watched.

His first erection had been an embarrassing and traumatic experience. He’d been probed and prodded, examined physically and psychologically for hours. The same had happened after his first wet dream. He couldn’t even remember what the dreams were. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, but he wasn’t about to tell *them*. He held back as much as he could, the only privacy he had.

Kal-El lay back in the steaming water, wondering briefly if the temperature was monitored along with everything else. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He didn’t know where his dreams came from, didn’t understand the images of the pale, bald, slim man who did such amazing things to his body. He’d never seen anyone who looked remotely like him. Even his vague memories of his home, or what was assumed to be his home, had no similar images.

*They* had asked him what he thought about when he jacked off, *when* he actually did that was. He’d lied. He’d made up some woman he’d seen in a magazine, but all he ever really thought about was this man he dreamed about.

He hadn’t told them about the latest development either, the only one he could hide from them. His x-ray sight. That had been very weird until he’d realised what was happening. He’d hoped that it might help him, help him figure out a way to escape this place. But so far nothing. That weird green rock they used to control him was everywhere.

He could see it embedded in the walls, all the scientists and teachers wore a small necklace of it. It hadn’t taken them long to work out how much kept him weak without making him sick. That had been when he was still a child, when he’d still trusted them. When they’d still treated him like a human being instead of a lab-rat.

Kal-El barely managed to hold back his tears. He didn’t relish the idea of more psychological tests if he cried. They didn’t seem to be able to grasp the fact that he had the same feelings and needs that they did. He was an alien, yes, that much was clear. Did that mean he had no rights? Apparently.

*He* was coming tomorrow. The one he didn’t know the name of, the one in charge, the one who stared at him like he was a thing. The one who scared him. He’d be demanding to know if they could control him yet. Kal-El wasn’t exactly sure why, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that his powers made him a formidable weapon. But he refused to hurt anyone. So far, they hadn’t been able to brainwash him, and he was grateful. He wasn’t sure he could cope with the thought of being used to hurt, possibly kill, and who knew what else.

Kal-El got out of the bath and dried himself off, pulling on a pair of clean boxers before brushing his teeth and going to bed. He turned into his pillow and tried not to cry at the thought of tomorrow.

@>*~

Lex sat back in his chair and glowered at his computer. He reached for his brandy and took a long gulp, appreciating the burn of the alcohol down his throat. Licking his lips, Lex sat up again, determined to break into the system. He knew something was going on and he was going to find out what if it killed him.

He’d already hacked into his father’s main system, but this part was proving elusive. What could be *so* important and secret that it needed all this extra security?

"Yes!" he smiled in grim satisfaction. He was in, but in to what exactly? Lex frowned. Hundreds of files labelled month by month for the last twelve years. Twelve years? Strange coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Lex scrolled down to the latest file and opened it.

"Hnh," he frowned in confusion. "Subject unaffected by temperatures of 80°C. begins to show signs of discomfort indicated by light flushing of the skin and sweating beyond this temperature. An improvement of 2.1% for the year," he read aloud. What the fuck?

"Resistance to cold also improved. Shivering does not start until temperatures lower than -40°C are reached; actual discomfort being expressed by subject at -45°C. with normal clothing, discomfort is resisted until -55°C. an improvement of 3.2% for the year."

Lex sat back with a confused frown. Subject expressing discomfort, flushing and sweating… *with* clothing?! Was this a person? But who the hell could stand such extremes of temperature? It was fascinating, but nothing he could use if he didn’t understand it. Lex continued to read, shaking his head in bemusement. Strength, speed and… invulnerability? Invulnerability. Jesus, they shoot the subject with a high powered rifle and he just gets bruised? The extensive medical and psychological records indicated a male subject.

This was beyond weird. Lex closed the file and scrolled down to the bottom. He tried to open the video link, only to be stopped by more security.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Lex said with a smirk. It didn’t take him too much longer to break through and he was faced with yet more links. Classroom, lab 1, lab 2, lab 3. Lex blinked and scrolled past the numerous links to labs. Bedroom. Bedroom? His father was a voyeur now?

Lex clicked on the link for the bedroom, a window opened to a shot of a nicely decorated, if bare, empty room. Lex was about to close the window and pick another link, when a door opened and a figure was shoved inside. The door slammed shut and Lex could hear heavy locks being slid into place. So, it was wired for sound too.

The figure dropped his head to his chest and sighed. Lex pursed his lips, this, presumably, was the ‘subject’. But he just looked like a man, an ordinary man. The man straightened and walked across the room and Lex gasped as he got his first proper look. Not ordinary, no. Quite possibly the most beautiful man Lex had ever seen and somehow so familiar. And yet he was barely a man, he looked so young, a kid really. He had an innocence to his dark blue-green eyes that Lex found surprising in someone who’d been experimented on for twelve years. Twelve years… Christ, he’d have just been a small child.

Lex sat back in his chair again. He hadn’t thought anything could shock him, at least nothing his father did, but this… to lock up a child for twelve years?! That shocked him.

The kid got up and walked out of the room. Lex sat up again and minimised the window so he could open the bathroom link. He watched the kid run a bath, only feeling slightly weird watching him strip. But Lex was far too curious about whether he *was* a man or not, not to watch. Lex licked his lips and loosened his collar. Oh, he was very much a man, and a *very* nicely put together one too. Lex felt his groin register an interest, but ignored it as he propped his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands.

On closer inspection, he noticed some bruising on the kid’s chest. Lex wondered what they’d put him through to produce results like that. He was surprised by the sorrow he felt for the kid, especially when he looked back up to his face and saw the sheer misery, pain and loneliness in those amazing eyes. Lex continued to watch until the kid went to bed, his heart clenching a little at the sight of him hugging his pillow tightly and burying his face in it.

He shut down his computer and slumped back in his chair. Under any other circumstance, he would already be planning ways in which he could use this information against his father, but Lex found himself oddly reluctant. In fact, all he wanted, was to know more about this beautiful boy. But in order to do that, he was going to need some help.

@>*~

Kal-El clenched his jaw and glowered at Dr Redman, "I can’t."

"Don’t give me that crap, Kal, you’re not even trying," Dr Redman snapped.

"Don’t call me Kal!" Kal-El growled, taking a threatening step towards the glass panel. Even though he knew Kal-El both wouldn’t and couldn’t hurt him, Dr Redman flinched back, giving Kal-El a tiny sliver of satisfaction.

"I told you, I’m trying, but I don’t know how I do it. As soon as I wake up I fall back on the bed," he continued. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath.

"Don’t even think about acting up today, you little jerk," Dr Redman sneered at him, "It’s only going to get you worse punishment than usual."

Kal-El swallowed and ducked his head, so Redman couldn’t see his eyes blur with tears. He wasn’t trying to act up on purpose, he just couldn’t work out how to float and they just wouldn’t leave him alone. Especially Redman, he wanted to impress *him*. Mostly the scientists were okay, if he complained or asked about anything, they’d give it some thought and if it was reasonable, do something about it.

But not Redman, if he didn’t improve, didn’t do as he was told, whatever pissed Redman off, he’d get punished for it. No matter how hard he tried, he could never seem to get anything right with Redman. The worst punishment he’d ever gotten from Redman had been two days locked in a room full of the green rocks. When they’d dragged him out he’d been a shrivelled husk. It had taken him a week to recover from that. But at least Redman had gotten into trouble for losing them over a week of study time.

Kal-El closed his eyes.

"Try again!"

Kal-El snapped his eyes open again and stared at Redman. "I was," he said quietly. Redman nodded and Kal-El shut his eyes again. If he was honest, he didn’t want to succeed, especially not today with *him* coming. Didn’t want even more tests. The physical the first time he’d floated had been awful. He only thanked god they couldn’t cut him open. He was sure they’d love a good look at his brain.

He’d spent several nights with probes wired to his head while they tried to work out what part of his brain was active when he floated. Thankfully, it hadn’t worked and he’d actually been tired enough that they’d given up.

"Would it be easier if you were lying down?" Someone asked.

"I have no idea," Kal-El shrugged. He let his mind wander, returning as it always did to the beautiful, hairless man from his dreams. He sighed. Last night’s dream had been different, more intense. He almost had a strange feeling that if this man really existed, somehow he was closer.

"That’s it! You’re doing it!" Kal-El was jolted out of his daydream and fell to the floor.

"Damn it, Stoker, you idiot!"

"Sorry, Dr Redman."

"Kal-El, what did you do?"

Kal-El frowned in confusion, "I, I don’t know."

"Don’t bullshit me, you must know what caused it," Redman snapped.

"I don’t. I didn’t even realise it was happening till Stoker said anything," Kal-El said truthfully.

"Try again."

Kal-El sighed. He tried again, but he just couldn’t get back whatever peace he’d had momentarily. After another hour, they finally stopped.

"We’ll try again tomorrow," Redman said in disgust, "And I suggest you try harder. Remember what you were doing, thinking and feeling when it worked."

Kal-El nodded. It was time for more schooling, the only thing he actually enjoyed. Even if it was just another chance for them to test him.

@>*~

Lex watched Kal-El, he knew his name now, all day.

He’d nearly fallen out of his chair when he’d actually floated a foot off the ground. He’d been watching the test more than a little sceptically, getting more and more annoyed with this Dr Redman.

But it had been the kid’s face just before and during him floating that had really caught his attention. A look of peaceful happiness that resonated in Lex’s heart. He really wished he knew what Kal-El had been thinking about. It was the first look of happiness he’d seen. Lex couldn’t imagine anything being able to make the kid smile in that place, yet he almost had.

Lex realised with some shock that he wanted to see Kal-El smile, really smile, hear him laugh.

There had to be some way he could communicate with the kid without anyone else knowing. But then, even if he could, would Kal-El believe it wasn’t just another experiment? How would he convince him to talk to him?

First things first though, he had to find a way to use the mike system without anyone else being able to hear him or Kal-El. Lex glanced at his clock, where the hell was Kimmie?

The appearance of his father in the lab had been a surprise, as had the brief look of fear in Kal-El’s eyes. Lex listened to his father talking to Dr Redman in disgust. What progress had they made? Why couldn’t they control him? What use was it doing all these experiments and having such a formidable weapon if you couldn’t control it?

Lex actually felt insulted and annoyed by the way his father talked about Kal-El. Referring to him as ‘it’ more often than not; never using his name. Lex clicked back onto the link for the classroom and watched Kal-El instead.

The kid was smart, he knew that already from reading the files. In the outside world, he’d probably have a couple of doctorates already. But it was the first time Lex had seen him show some sort of an interest in something. Show some emotion other than resignation, misery or annoyance.

It was actually fascinating watching him work. Especially when he started speeding up, hand moving over paper so fast, it was a blur, or flicking through a book in a matter of minutes. Lex had to laugh when Kal-El corrected one of his teachers with a smirk of delight. It was possibly the closest thing to a smile so far. A knock on the door startled him, he was so absorbed.

"Come."

"Hey, Lex." A petite, oriental girl stuck her head round the door.

"Kimmie, at last. Come in," Lex smiled. She bounced in with a large bag. "Good, you brought your bag of tricks."

Kimmie grinned, "I assumed that’s why you called, Lex."

"Of course," he smiled, standing up to take the bag from her and kiss her cheek.

"So, what do you need?" she asked curiously.

"Come look at this," Lex gestured at the screen.

"Ooh, kinky. Getting your thrills from watching cute guys study now?" she giggled.

"Funny," Lex raised an eyebrow. He quickly explained what he wanted while she flicked through various links. "What do you think?" he asked.

"No problem," she nodded, "So just the bedroom, or the bathroom too?"

Lex flushed. "Bathroom too," he mumbled.

Kimmie chuckled at him. "Okay, leave it with me. This is going to be fun. Oh, hey…"

"What?"

"I can probably give you a security override for the whole system, if you want. It’ll cost extra though," she glanced at him curiously.

Lex pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Do it."

"’Kay. Now shoo. You know I work better without distraction."

Lex nodded and reluctantly left the room.

@>*~

"Okay, I’m done," Kal-El sat back with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Damn you get faster every day."

Kal-El blinked at Ian. He was one of the few people who treated him normally. "Isn’t that the idea?" he asked.

"I guess," Ian smiled at him.

"Any chance I can go outside today?" Kal-El asked hopefully.

"I doubt it, Kal, you really pissed Redman off today," Ian replied with a grimace.

Kal-El sighed, "Don’t I always? I can’t help not knowing how I float, can I? I only do it in my sleep."

"I know," Ian shook his head, "Just keep trying. Maybe you’ll get him off your back for a while if you succeed."

Kal-El snorted good naturedly, "I doubt it."

"Come on, let’s go down to the track, you can whoop my ass, break a few world records…"

Kal-El nodded, "Cool."

@>*~

"Yo, Lex, I’m done." Kimmie skipped down the stairs to where Lex was standing, drinking a shot of whisky. She took the glass from his hand and downed it.

"Hey," he complained without any real feeling.

She smirked at him. "It’s all set up, I’ve left you some notes. Man, I really feel sorry for that poor kid."

"Yeah," Lex sighed. "Remember…"

"I know nothing," Kimmie grinned. "Yeah, I know. Till next time, handsome." She gave him a quick kiss and was gone.

Lex walked slowly back to his office and sat in front of the computer, staring at the screen. Why did he suddenly feel so nervous? Kal-El was back in his room, sitting hunched up on his bed, reading. Lex watched him for a moment before he activated the new system that switched sound and mike to his computer only.

What the hell was he going to say?

@>*~

"Don’t react."

Kal-El froze.

"No one can hear us, but they can still see you. If you can hear me, run your right hand through your hair."

Kal-El hesitated. This was new. Warily, he ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t recognise the voice, and yet it seemed familiar. Kal-El wondered what new experiment this was.

"Great."

Kal-El lifted his book up to hide his face from the camera, he didn’t want to have to answer any strange questions if this wasn’t a test. "Who are you?" he whispered.

"A friend."

Kal-El snorted. "I don’t have any friends," he whispered bitterly.

"You do now."

Staring up at the camera, Kal-El brutally crushed the shaft of hope he suddenly felt. This was just some psychological game they were playing. Another way for them to try and control him, or mess with his head, whichever. And yet, deep inside, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that this was genuine.

"Look, I know you don’t trust me. You have no reason to; Christ, I’ve seen what they’ve put you through for the last twelve years."

Kal-El frowned. There seemed to be a genuine note of what? Sorrow, distress, anger? In the stranger’s voice. Holding up the book again, Kal-El spoke, "And you care why, exactly?"

"I… I don’t know."

"Look," Kal-El sighed, "This isn’t going to work, you can’t use me."

"I don’t want to use you. I want to know you."

"You people already know everything about me," Kal-El said harshly.

The stranger laughed, the sound sending small shivers down Kal-El’s spine. "They don’t know the real you. The ‘you’ you manage to keep hidden."

Kal-El froze again, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yes, you do," the voice whispered softly, "You don’t have to worry, there’s no one for me to tell. No one even suspects I *know* anything, let alone have access."

"How long have you known anything?" Kal-El was curious despite himself. As long as he didn’t give them any information they didn’t already know, or actually be stupid enough to trust the oddly familiar voice, he’d play this game of theirs as long as they wanted.

"Not long. Since yesterday actually."

Kal-El laughed, "And you expect me to believe that you’ve got the sound in here wired privately in that little time?"

"I’ve got good connections."

"Even if I believed that, how can you say that you want to know me? You’ve watched me, for what? A day?" Kal-El shook his head.

"I know," the voice whispered, "I think I surprised myself."

Kal-El frowned. The stranger did sound like he wasn’t sure what was going on. "Are you part of this? I mean, are you involved in this?" Kal-El asked.

"Not this, no. But I am connected in a way. Which is how I knew something was going on."

"So, why *didn’t* you know, if you’re connected?" Kal-El asked softly.

"I don’t know. I guess I don’t warrant that level of trust."

The stranger sounded self deprecating, but there was an edge of bitterness which surprised Kal-El. Almost as if the stranger was hurt, but resigned in the knowledge that he wasn’t trusted.

"What do you want from me?" Kal-El frowned again, he had to stop thinking that this was real.

"I… I just want to know you, really. I want to see you smile."

Kal-El almost laughed, "Smile? I do smile."

"No, you don’t, not really. I haven’t seen a single smile truly touch your eyes."

Kal-El had to blink back sudden tears, his breath hitching.

"I’m sorry, I…"

"Don’t," Kal-El said suddenly. He buried his face in his knees for a moment, to get himself back under control. What was he doing? A few words and his mask was breaking. Why did this stranger’s voice affect him *so* much. "You can see me, but I can’t see you. Doesn’t seem fair somehow," Kal-El commented.

The stranger laughed, "My resources aren’t unlimited, no matter what some people think." The last part was muttered almost under the stranger’s breath, his tone bitter again.

But his own comment had given Kal-El an idea. He stared at the wall and started to scan the complex. The green rocks made it harder, but he’d been practicing, testing himself. But other than the usual security guards and the odd scientist scribbling away, he was alone. At least he knew it wasn’t one of the scientists. He couldn’t see them being allowed outside access.

"So, you’ve got connections and nearly unlimited resources, you’d have to, to hack into this system," Kal-El started again.

"And what do you know about this system?" The stranger asked with a note of amusement.

"Only what I’ve been told," Kal-El answered warily.

"And a great deal more besides, I’m sure. I know how intelligent you are, Kal-El, it bothers me that it doesn’t seem to register with them."

Kal-El frowned. "I know what you mean. Will you get into trouble for this?"

"You could put it that way." The stranger said, in a tone Kal-El recognised. It was the same one he used, when he was talking about Redman. He felt a flash of sympathy, until he remembered the situation.

"So, do I get to call you anything? You know *my* name," Kal-El asked curiously.

The stranger hesitated, "You could get me into a lot of trouble."

"So, trust me." Kal-El looked up at the camera briefly.

"Why? You don’t trust me." The stranger pointed out.

"I could probably already get you into trouble if I mention this, couldn’t I? If you *are* a friend and this isn’t another test," Kal-El said quietly.

"True." The stranger paused and Kal-El waited. "My name’s Lex."

"Lex." Kal-El repeated quietly. "I’d like to say it was nice to meet you, but apart from the fact we haven’t really met, I don’t know if it is yet."

"Is what?"

"Nice."

"Well, it was nice for me," Lex whispered.

Kal-El hid his face more and licked his lips with a surprised sigh. Lex’s words made him feel… good, in a strange way.

"I’ll let you sleep. Goodnight, Kal-El."

Kal-El blinked, "Goodnight, Lex."

He put his book down with a sigh and lay back on his bed. His mind was a whirl. Kal-El simply couldn’t afford to trust Lex, to trust that this wasn’t some manipulation. He’d learnt from bitter experience that no one cared about him. Even those he was a little friendly with, like Ian and Claire, the nurse, were *not* his friends.

But throughout the conversation, he hadn’t been able to quite get rid of the feeling that it was genuine, that Lex meant what he said. Lex’s voice did things to him he didn’t understand; resonated deep inside him.

Kal-El wondered how he was ever going to get to sleep.

@>*~

Lex sighed and sat back in his chair. He watched Kal-El lie back and close his eyes, various expressions passing over his face. Curiously, the strongest was confusion.

Lex had no idea if the conversation had gone well or not. It had seemed as though, as they talked, Kal-El would almost forget his situation and was a little more open. But all too quickly, he’d remember and shut down again.

Obviously, it was too much to expect Kal-El to trust him immediately, but for some reason that didn’t stop Lex from feeling disappointed. He didn’t understand his own feelings in the matter; what almost felt like a connection with this sad, sensitive man. Alien he may be, but he was more human than a lot of people he knew. His father being a prime example.

Lex watched Kal-El until he went to bed. Then he started reading files again, concentrating mainly on the psychological profiles. It was frustrating in a way; they only seemed to skim the surface, as if *they* were barely aware of the depths Lex *knew* were there. For a start, the information on Kal-El’s dreams and fantasies, seemed such obvious and blatant lies, which actually made him feel relieved somehow. But it made him wonder what Kal-El was hiding.

Lex had been oddly reluctant to read the earliest files, to find out where Kal-El had come from. That it had something to do with the meteor showers that had caused his own hair loss, he’d already guessed. The files he’d read indicated Kal-El’s alien origin, but for some reason, Lex didn’t want to know what had been done to the child Kal-El had been.

With a sigh, Lex watched the sleeping Kal-El a little longer, then shut down his computer. He went to bed wondering how he was ever going to get to sleep.

@>*~

Lex sat at his desk watching Kal-El again. He felt… strange, uncomfortable; almost like something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. Ever since he’d woken up that morning, panting hard from some nightmare he couldn’t remember, he’d had a feeling of anticipation. Anticipation for what, he wasn’t really sure.

He’d missed most of Kal-El’s day, due to a heavy workload, but as soon as he’d finished for the day, he’d rushed straight to his desk and started to watch. The final hour of his day, although the session had probably been longer, was spent with Dr Redman yelling at Kal-El about him not trying hard enough to float.

Lex wanted to kill Redman, he could see Kal-El withdrawing more and more to hide his upset. How Lex knew he was upset, when no one else seemed to, he wasn’t sure.

When Kal-El was alone in his room again and the majority of the scientists had gone home, Lex turned his override system back on.

"Hi," he said quietly. Kal-El looked briefly up at the camera, then groaned and dropped his head on his bent knees.

"What do you want?" Kal-El asked.

"Just to talk," Lex sighed, "We don’t have to if you don’t want to. You’ve had a hard day."

"Every day is hard," Kal-El laughed bitterly, "So, you’re giving up on me already."

"No, I’m never giving up on you," Lex reached out and touched the screen gently, wishing he could touch Kal-El, reassure him.

Kal-El was silent for a moment, but then his shoulders started to shake and Lex could hear him struggling to hold back sobs.

"I’m sorry, Kal-El," Lex sat up, closer to the screen, "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Kal-El whispered, then he laughed, "You do realise how long I’m going to be in with Dr Newman tomorrow now, don’t you?"

"Dr Newman," Lex frowned, "He’s the…?"

"Psychiatrist."

"Oh," Lex grimaced in annoyance, "Shit, I’m sorry." Damn, he didn’t want to make things harder for Kal-El.

Kal-El’s hands dropped from his knees to the bed, but his face remained hidden. "Why? I don’t get it."

"What’s to get?" Lex asked with a slight frown. "It is possible for someone to like you, you know."

Kal-El snorted, "After a couple of days? I doubt it, Lex. At best it’s pity, at worst you’re just screwing with my head, so why should I believe a word you say?"

"I don’t pity you!" Lex said emphatically, "I hate what my f-, what’s been done to you and I want to be a friend to you, everyone needs friends. I know, I don’t exactly have many." Lex winced at the bitterness of his tone.

"Really?" Kal-El asked hesitantly.

Lex sighed, "Yeah, I’m different too. Not quite as spectacularly as you, but enough. Listen this is weird for me too, you know? But, I just, I feel… God, I don’t know."

Kal-El looked up at the camera for a second, eyes shining again with tears. Lex swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. He almost felt like Kal-El could see him.

"Connected," Kal-El whispered.

Lex sat back in shock and nodded, then remembered he couldn’t be seen. "Yeah," he breathed, "You feel it too?"

Kal-El buried his face in his knees again and shrugged, but didn’t reply.

"Kal-El?" Lex whispered, "Would you prefer me to go?"

"I… don’t know," Kal-El said in a slightly hoarse voice. "I, it’s like I feel like I can trust you, but I can’t Lex, I can’t afford to." His tone pleaded for understanding.

Lex dropped his head to his chest and sighed, "I know. There’s something there though, Kal, I know there’s something. I, I’ll be back tomorrow." He knew he couldn’t talk to Kal-El anymore that night, it was so hard seeing him so sad and lonely. Especially when Lex hadn’t even been able to find out where they were keeping him yet.

"Okay," Kal-El breathed. He lifted his head and stared at the camera, "Night, Lex."

"Goodnight, Kal." Lex switched the system back to the complex and touched the screen where Kal-El was still staring at the camera. There had to be some way to convince Kal he could trust him, he just knew it. If only he could work out what, maybe if he could just understand why he felt so strongly about Kal-El, that would help.

@>*~

Kal-El lay back on his bed and rubbed his eyes. Now, more than ever, he could feel this urge to trust Lex. His night time visitor had seemed genuinely concerned for him and sorry that he’d caused him problems. Then the unexpectedness of Lex feeling this… connection between them.

Dr Redman had told him he’d floated longer than ever before; before he’d woken up at least. Kal-El had to guess that it was to do with the fact that his dreams had intensified even more. The mysterious man from his dreams had spoken, had a voice for the first time. And it was Lex’s voice. Kal-El wasn’t sure how to deal with that.

He’d thought he might be annoyed, that this stranger had ruined his dreams, his only sanctuary. Except he hadn’t; it had been the best dream so far, even worth all the time with Newman and Redman trying to prise out of him what made him float in his sleep.

And when Lex had spoken to him again tonight, he hadn’t been able to stop the initial elation. But again, he’d crushed his hope brutally, been a little offhand with Lex. He could *not* afford to risk trusting him, especially now he suspected there was more involved; his heart. And that was ridiculous too, falling for a voice, just because Lex said he wanted to know him, see him smile.

Kal-El shook his head and went to get ready for bed, determined not to think about Lex.

@>*~

Lex woke with a gasp and sat up, trying to breathe deeply to slow his pounding heart. With a sigh, he lay back, remembering his dream. Remembering running, frightened and alone as the whole world exploded around him. Lex hadn’t dreamed about the meteor shower for years.

He tried to rationalise it. It was probably to do with being in Smallville, everything that was happening with Kal-El, just bringing memories to the surface.

But Lex couldn’t help feeling he’d forgotten something, that there was more to what had happened that day. But what?

Lex decided he wasn’t going to put it off any longer. He was going to find out how and where they’d found Kal-El and what had happened. Maybe if he knew that, he could work out why he felt so connected to Kal-El, find a way for him to trust him. He desperately wanted Kal-El to trust him.

The urge to go and read now was almost overwhelming, but Lex knew that if he did, he’d end up watching Kal-El all day. And, not only did he have work to do, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to cope with watching what amounted to torture of Kal-El for a whole day.

Lex sighed and got up, heading for the shower as he continued to talk himself out of watching Kal-El. Relaxing under the hot spray, Lex allowed himself the indulgence of letting his mind wander, knowing already where it would go. The sight of Kal-El naked was etched into his mind and had invaded his thoughts regularly over the last couple of days.

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t jerked off to the image; he was hard now and he still didn’t touch himself. For some reason, it felt wrong. He leaned back against the wall of the shower, shuddering lightly as the water flowed over the sensitive skin of his cock. But that was all the stimulation he allowed himself. Hurriedly, Lex washed and got out of the shower before he gave into his need.

He had to get out of the mansion or he’d never get any work done. The last thing he needed right now was a visit from his father or Dominic to find out why he was slacking.

@>*~

As predicted, Kal-El had spent most of his morning with Dr Newman, trying to find out why he’d been crying the night before. The fact that Kal-El could have just been upset about the day he’d had didn’t seem to occur to him. No, there had to be *some* underlying reason. Of course, there was, but Kal-El wasn’t about to admit to that. Still, he couldn’t help wondering if they were testing his reactions to Lex.

Kal-El was tempted to mention what had happened the last two nights, but the tiniest tendril of hope that it was real made him keep silent. All it would prove to them if it *was* a test, was that he didn’t tell them everything, and really, there was not much they could do about it except punish him. And he’d been through plenty of shit before, he could handle it… hopefully.

Getting back to his room that evening was even more of a relief than usual. He wasn’t even overwhelmed with loneliness for once. But he *was* tense with nervous anticipation. Would Lex talk to him tonight, after the awkwardness of the previous night? The man from his dreams still had Lex’s voice and it was now intertwined with all his fantasies. Would the real thing have the same effect on him?

"Hi."

Kal-El glanced at the camera, then rolled away from it so his face was hidden. There was his answer, Lex just said one word and it was enough to make him shiver. "Hi," he replied.

"Are you… okay?" Lex sounded tense and Kal-El frowned.

"Not bad, considering," he said with a shrug, "How are you?"

"Me?" Lex was obviously surprised by the question. "Oh, um, I don’t know really."

Kal-El blinked. "You don’t know?" he asked curiously.

Lex sighed, "No, I know, I just… it’s nothing."

"You know," Kal-El started, "I was under the impression you wanted to be friends. Don’t friends talk?" He could hear Lex shifting around and waited. He found that he really, genuinely wanted to know what seemed to be bothering Lex.

"Okay. I’m pissed off and frustrated," Lex admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I can’t find out where you are, and because there is little information about how and where you were found."

"Why do you want to know that?" Kal-El asked with a frown.

"Which one?" Lex asked.

"Well," Kal-El thought for a moment, "Why do you want to know how and where I was found?"

"It… it feels important." Lex sighed, "It feels like it’s something I should already know."

"Really?" Kal-El wished he could see a face instead of talking to a wall.

"Yeah. Do, do you remember much about it?" Lex asked.

Kal-El frowned again. Was this an attempt to get more information than they already had out of him? "I…" he paused and licked his lips, "I remember being scared and then a feeling of warmth and comfort, I remember it being ripped away from me and being brought here. That’s all."

"Oh."

"Why do you want to know where I am?" Kal-El asked.

"I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life in there, I don’t want to see you getting hurt *every* day."

"Why?" Kal-El was surprised, but… touched, by the level of emotion in Lex’s voice.

"I told you, I feel, I…"

"Do you find me attractive?" Kal-El sucked in a sharp breath of horror. Where in the hell had that come from? It was bad enough that he was talking so openly with Lex, that Lex’s voice made him hard and was battering at his defences.

"I… pardon?" Lex sounded bewildered.

Kal-El flushed, "Never mind."

"Why do you ask?"

"I… I don’t know. I just, this whole thing…" Kal-El trailed off.

"I do." Lex’s husky whisper sent a shiver down Kal-El’s spine to his groin.

"Oh." Kal-El couldn’t quite manage to say more.

"I can’t help it, Kal, I like you and I feel connected to you somehow. It’s more than just a physical attraction…"

"Enough, please," Kal-El begged desperately. He had to stop him, he couldn’t hear this, couldn’t listen, couldn’t want, couldn’t trust. He just *couldn’t*.

"I’m sorry," Lex whispered, "I’m sorry, Kal, I’ll go. Tomorrow, can I…?"

"Yes," Kal-El whispered, wishing he had the strength to say no. He curled himself up into a ball and tried not to cry.

@>*~

Lex smacked his head down on the desk, hard. Stupid! How could he have been *so* stupid? But the unexpected question had completely thrown him. How the hell was he going to get Kal-El to trust him, if he thought he wanted something from him? And what was with that babbling explanation? That hadn’t helped at all, Kal-El’s tone had nearly broken his heart.

What had been going on in Kal-El’s head, to suddenly come out with that question? He hadn’t quite admitted to the connection between them, but Lex knew that it *was* there for Kal-El too. If only he could get him to admit it, it would be a step closer to building trust between them… hopefully.

The other problems he had still remained; where was Kal-El being kept and what were the circumstances in which he’d been found? Lex pinched the top of his nose and rubbed his brow, feeling a headache building. He watched Kal-El until he went to bed and then retired himself.

Sleep was a long time coming. Lex couldn’t help feeling that if he could just remember what had happened the day of the meteor shower that half the problem would be solved.

He also had to ask Kal-El next time if he’d been kept in the same place the entire time. He was counting on the fact that they wouldn’t have taken a young child far, and if he hadn’t been moved since, maybe, just maybe, Kal-El was actually in or near Smallville.

If that *was* the case, escape might be possible. But only if he was right and only if Kal-El trusted him.

@>*~

Kal-El spent most of the day getting into trouble. But he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t concentrate. Either he was worrying about his conversation with Lex the previous night, or he’d get lost in the memory of his dream. The dream had intensified again. The pale, hairless man had made gentle love to him, whispering softly in Lex’s voice. And when Kal-El had come, he’d cried out Lex’s name.

The first thing he’d thought about when he’d woken up, was whether or not he’d spoken in his sleep; he didn’t want anyone to know, to hear what he’d been dreaming. Definitely didn’t want to get Lex into trouble if he *was* his friend.

By the end of the day, he was exhausted and ill because, in a fit of temper, Dr Redman had ripped off his necklace and forced Kal-El to wear it for several hours. They’d had to carry him to his room and he’d been dumped onto his bed once he’d finally been able to take it off.

Resisting the urge to crawl to the bathroom to throw up, Kal-El curled up in his bed, hoping Lex would talk to him tonight, needing to hear that soft voice.

@>*~

Lex stared at the screen in horror. Kal-El looked pale and haggard, he was sweaty as if he had a fever. Switching the override on, he spoke.

"Kal? Are you okay, what happened?"

Kal-El licked his lips and looked up at the camera before turning away. "Punishment," he whispered.

"What, why?" Lex frowned. What could possibly warrant a punishment that made Kal-El look like that?

"Daydreaming, had to wear a green rock," Kal-El sighed.

Lex’s jaw clenched in anger, "That’s it. You are getting out of there!"

Kal-El laughed weakly, "How? You don’t know where I am, and then there’s guards, security codes…"

"That’s not a problem. Not knowing where you are is the problem. I have a theory though." Lex sat back and sucked on his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"What?" Kal-El asked.

"When you were found, can you tell me anything else? Can you remember if they took you far?" Lex asked quietly, hoping Kal-El would trust him enough to talk to him. Kal-El rolled onto his stomach with a quiet groan and Lex winced.

"I remember someone crying," Kal-El started, "I… I remember being taken somewhere, but it was okay, I still felt safe and then." His voice broke and Lex sat up in concern, touching the screen, again silently cursing the fact he couldn’t touch Kal-El.

"Then?" Lex whispered softly.

"Then I was taken away from… from something important. Something that’s missing. All my life I felt like something was missing, until…" Kal-El stopped and Lex sighed in frustration. Kal-El had almost admitted something important, he knew it.

"Until?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing," Kal-El shook his head, "I don’t remember being taken far and I’ve been here ever since," he said abruptly.

Lex sighed. Kal-El still didn’t trust him, or at least was fighting it, that much he’d admitted to before. "Okay," Lex said quietly, "I’m hoping that means you’re close, but where?" He tapped his fingers on his desk. Where in or around Smallville was there space for a facility like that?

"You’re the one on the outside," Kal-El snapped.

Lex swallowed. "Yeah, I guess I am," he whispered sorrowfully.

"Lex, I’m sorry." Kal-El glanced up at the camera, "I’m sorry, I’m just really tired."

Lex stared at the screen and sighed, "I know, Kal, I’m sorry too. I’m going to find you, and get you out of there, I promise."

"Okay," Kal-El whispered.

"Goodnight, Kal."

"Goodnight, Lex."

Lex switched off the override and sat back. Kal-El had to be close, he just knew it. He just had to dig deeper. There was something missing, something he couldn’t quite remember. If he could just remember, he knew he had the key for Kal-El trusting him, an explanation of why they felt so connected.

@>*~

Kal-El dragged himself to the bathroom to run a bath, hoping it would make him feel better.

What had possessed him to tell Lex so much about when he’d been found? Things he hadn’t spoken about before. Almost admitting that since Lex had started talking to him, he felt complete for the first time in twelve years.

He still had no real reason to trust Lex and yet it was there, growing each day they spoke, and each night he dreamed. He just wished he hadn’t snapped. Lex had sounded so hurt, and nothing could have stopped the feeling that he wanted to reach out, wanted to touch Lex.

Maybe it was the lack of loving contact over the years, but Kal-El wanted to touch Lex, wanted Lex to touch him, like the man in his dreams. He sighed, who’d have thought that a friendly voice could do so much to him; break down defences built up over years, in just a few days.

Sinking into the hot water, Kal-El tried not to let himself hope that Lex would keep his promise.

@>*~

Lex dreamt about the meteor shower again, but again he’d woken before he could remember anything other than feeling scared. It was frustrating to say the least. He got up and dug in his drawer for some painkillers, he couldn’t seem to shake this headache. Probably the stress he was putting himself under trying to find Kal-El.

Someone had to know something, have seen something. The scientists had to come and go from somewhere for a start. He had people working on it but so far nothing. There was no way something this big could be hidden completely, surely?

Lex resigned himself to another long, frustrating day, and he hoped against hope, that Kal-El wouldn’t get into any trouble that day, the sight of him the previous night had almost broken his heart.

@>*~

Kal-El forced himself to concentrate, despite just wanting to curl up in his bed and wait for Lex. He’d called the man in his dream ‘Lex’ again. But he couldn’t let himself get distracted, not when Dr Redman seemed to be in an even worse mood than usual. He didn’t want to feel so sick and tired again when he spoke to Lex.

Try as he might, Kal-El couldn’t stop himself from looking forward to the evening when he’d be alone again and Lex would talk to him. Couldn’t find the strength to berate himself for hoping and trusting. He just couldn’t help it, Lex’s voice broke through every defence and lodged deep in his heart, without even trying.

He performed his tasks perfunctorily, not even caring when Dr Redman shouted at him. He still couldn’t seem to float except in his sleep, but as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing and he would resist trying properly for as long as he could.

@>*~

The phone ringing made Lex jump. He picked it up. "What?!" he snapped.

"We may have found something," said the voice at the other end.

"What?" Lex repeated.

"Local nutjob. He insists that the plant has a third level, with a secret elevator to access it. Don’t know if he’s reliable, but I thought you should know."

Lex sat back in his chair. "Good job, thanks." He put the phone down, shaking his head.

Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that before? It was *so* obvious. The plant was large enough, owned by LuthorCorps, it was ideal.

Now if only Kal-El would trust him, he could get him away from that place.

@>*~

Kal-El let himself be pushed into his room with a grateful sigh. As usual, he lay down on his bed to wait, letting himself at last remember his dream until Lex spoke to him. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, he had a sense of anticipation, like something big was going to happen tonight. He stared at the camera, willing Lex to talk to him, *wanting* Lex to talk to him.

"Hey," Lex said quietly, "You’re looking better."

"I feel better," Kal-El almost smiled, even though Lex couldn’t see him as he had his back to the camera as usual. "You sound excited," he commented.

"I think I know where you are."

Kal-El could hear the smile in Lex’s voice. "Really?" he asked, trying to smother his own excitement and happiness. "Where?"

"Right under my nose."

"Oh?" Kal-El was surprised.

"Yeah, it was so obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before," Lex chuckled.

"That’s… good, I guess," Kal-El sighed. There was a brief silence.

"Kal…" Lex started.

Kal-El turned onto his back. "Turn on the video feed."

"What?"

"You heard me," Kal-El said quietly.

"How did you know?"

"If you can switch the sound over, you can feed them fake video footage too. Why didn’t you before?" Kal-El asked.

Lex sighed, "I didn’t think it was worth mentioning until you trusted me."

Kal-El could hear the hope in Lex’s voice and he sighed. "Lex, I…"

"Never mind," Lex breathed out.

Kal-El could have sworn he heard a catch in his voice. He looked away from the camera, he desperately wanted to trust Lex, and he could only think of one way. Taking a deep breath, Kal-El made a leap of faith.

"Lex, why don’t you have any hair?" he asked quietly.

For a moment there was utter silence. "H-how, how could you possibly know that?" Lex whispered, shock and disbelief evident in his tone.

Kal-El swallowed, more than a little shocked himself. "It *is* you," he whispered. He stared directly at the camera and licked his suddenly dry lips, "Oh God."

"Kal, how… how did you know that?" Lex repeated quietly.

"I didn’t, not really," Kal-El breathed, "I guessed."

"You… guessed?" Lex sounded a cross between suspicious and completely confused. "How?"

"I wanted to know if it was you," Kal-El grinned, he knew he was probably confusing the hell out of Lex, but he was just too happy. Happy now he knew that Lex really was the man from his dreams, and that this *was* real. And just maybe, Lex had feelings for him too. "Lex, I want to get out of here," he whispered.

"Really?" Lex gasped, "You trust me?"

Kal-El smiled up at the camera, a real genuine smile, and he heard Lex gasp. "Yes, I trust you, completely."

"I, I don’t get it, Kal," Lex whispered.

"I know you. I know you, Lex. I don’t know how, or why, but I’ve been dreaming of you for such a long time now, you’ve been my lifeline," Kal-El sighed and smiled ruefully at the camera. "But only this week did the man in my dreams have a voice, your voice, and now I know it’s you, that’s why I called him Lex for the last two nights."

Kal-El heard Lex take a deep breath and clear his throat. "You… dream about *me*?"

Kal-El almost laughed at the distinct squeak in Lex’s voice. "Always," he breathed.

@>*~

Lex sat back in his chair and swallowed hard. His head was awhirl with confusion and he was breathless with wonder and excitement and just so full of emotion his chest was tight. And his groin was aching, ever since Kal-El had smiled at him.

The fact that Kal-El dreamed about him was unexpected, and yet not somehow. It strengthened his feelings of some sort of connection between them. It still didn’t explain how or why, but frankly, Lex didn’t care, as long as Kal-El trusted him.

"What… what kind of dreams?" he asked quietly.

Kal-El flushed beautifully and looked away from the camera. "The kind that make me wish I didn’t constantly have a camera on me," he whispered.

The ache in Lex’s groin grew to hot desire and he groaned. "Oh God, Kal. I wish I could…" Lex trailed off uncertainly.

"Touch me?" Kal-El breathed.

"Yes," Lex admitted in a whisper.

"Me too."

Lex closed his eyes and tried to work some moisture into his suddenly dry mouth.

"Soon?" Kal-El asked.

Lex nodded, then opened his eyes to stare at the hopeful face on the screen. "Soon, I promise," he replied solemnly.

"Good," Kal-El sighed quietly, "I want to see if you are as beautiful in reality as you are in my dreams."

Lex inhaled sharply, "Kal."

Kal-El smiled up at the camera. "You are," he whispered.

"So are you, Kal," Lex whispered back. Kal-El smiled again and it lit up his eyes. Lex touched the screen with a sigh. "I should go."

"I know," Kal-El nodded, "Night, Lex, sweet dreams."

"You too, Kal," Lex smiled.

"I always do," Kal-El whispered.

Lex’s chest clenched that little bit tighter. He switched off the video feed and the sound override, and sat back again, breathing out heavily. Closing his eyes, Lex smiled.

@>*~

Kal-El lay back on his bed, trying to keep the grin off his face. For the first time in twelve years, he was happy and hopeful, and he had someone he could trust. A friend; maybe even more than a friend.

Again, he wished there were no cameras; he was hard, had been since he knew Lex *was* the man from his dreams. But at the same time, it wouldn’t have felt right to touch himself without Lex there.

With a happy sigh, Kal-El got up to get ready for bed.

@>*~

Lex woke slowly with a smile on his lips. He remembered! He’d finally remembered what had happened the day of the meteor shower. How a dark haired boy had helped him, protected him. How they’d curled up together, each comforting the other wordlessly, eventually falling asleep together until his father had found them.

Lex’s smile faltered and he blinked against the sudden prickle of tears. Swallowing hard, Lex squeezed his eyes tightly shut and rubbed his hand over his face. It was his fault. *His* fault that Kal-El had been locked up and experimented on like something less than an animal for *twelve* years.

And just when he’d gained Kal-El’s trust. Now what was he going to do?

Whatever happened, he still had to help Kal-El escape. He thanked whatever supreme being that might be out there that he’d got Kimmie to fix the security system when she’d offered. The only question now, was, where Kal-El would be able to access the outside, so that he could find him and get him away from the plant.

Not even bothering with a shower, he got dressed and hurried to the office and picked up the phone.

"It’s me. The nutjob, I want to see him… No, not here, at the plant… I don’t care if he objects, just do it. I’ll meet you at my office there." Lex switched off his phone and tapped it against his lip. The man *had* to know where the access was.

@>*~

Kal-El had had a long day. Dr Redman was obsessed with him floating, insisting that if he could float, he could fly. Kal-El wasn’t sure about that, but he didn’t want to succeed. Only the thought of talking to Lex and possibly, imminent escape, kept him going.

He’d never been quite so relieved to be shoved into his room as that evening. Sitting on his bed, Kal-El picked up a book and tried to distract himself so that he wouldn’t stare at the camera expectantly. But he still couldn’t help tapping his free hand on his thigh in anticipation.

"Nervous?"

"Lex!" Kal-El exclaimed happily, he managed to resist looking up at the camera.

"It’s okay, the video feed’s on."

Kal-El frowned, Lex sounded very subdued and it worried him. "Lex? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Lex sighed.

Kal-El looked away from the camera, his throat suddenly tight. He tried to swallow and ended up making a strange, choked sound. There was a noise from the speaker like someone shifting.

"Kal?" Lex sounded concerned.

"I, I thought we were friends. Lex, I can feel that something’s wrong," Kal-El tried not to let tears overflow. For some reason, whatever was distressing Lex, he could feel it, like it was something to do with him. "Please, you’re the only… the only friend I have."

"Kal, it’s not that. We are, we are… friends," Kal-El frowned at the slight pause, but Lex continued. "I just… I can’t tell you this, at least, not yet."

"Why not?" Kal-El whispered. There was a moment of silence. "Lex, please. Don’t shut me out. I’ve never been able to listen before, let me try."

"I don’t… I don’t want you to hate me, Kal. I couldn’t take it… not now."

There was a click and Kal-El knew he was alone again. Rolling over on the bed, so he was facing away from the camera, Kal-El desperately tried not to let the sobs catching in his chest out, or the tears that stung his eyes go.

Stupid. God, he was so stupid. How could he have been *so* stupid?! Kal-El smashed his fist into the bed, hearing the wooden slats under his mattress snap. He did it again, and then again, over and over until he was sobbing.

"Stop, please!" Lex’s voice suddenly interrupted his self-loathing and Kal-El paused.

"Why?" he snapped.

"I’m sorry, Kal, please," Lex whispered.

"Tell me what’s wrong," Kal-El ground out.

"I can’t."

"Tell me what’s wrong," he repeated more harshly.

"I don’t want you to hate me," Lex said pleadingly.

Kal-El stood up and looked right at the camera, "I can’t hate you, damn it, I love you!"

@>*~

Lex sucked in a breath of utter shock. "You… you *love* me?"

"Yes," Kal-El whispered.

"But, you, I… you can’t," Lex tried to focus, but his heart was too busy skipping in his chest.

"I can and I do," Kal-El said firmly, still staring at the camera.

"But…"

"Lex," Kal-El whispered, "What’s wrong?"

Lex looked away from the screen and shifted in his chair again. How could he expect him to think straight after… after saying *that*?!

"I, it’s my fault," Lex whispered, "I’m so sorry, Kal, all this, it’s my fault."

"How can it be?" Kal-El asked quietly.

"I was out in the fields, the day of the meteor shower, the day I lost my hair. But I wasn’t alone. You… you found me, Kal, and because of me, my father found you," Lex’s breath hitched a little and he forced himself back under control, "And you ended up there."

Lex glanced at the screen long enough to see the look of confusion on Kal-El’s face.

"No," Kal-El shook his head, "No, I remember, I remember you. Oh God, Lex, you were just as scared as I was. You were just a kid too, what your father did is not your fault. Please, Lex, believe me. This is not your fault."

Lex took a deep, shuddering breath and reached out to touch Kal-El’s face on the screen. "I’m getting you out of there, now!"

"Now?" Kal-El sounded shocked.

"Yes," Lex cast his eyes up for a brief second, praying to whomever that Kal-El would agree. "Please? I need you out of there… I need you," he whispered.

"Oh God, Lex," Kal-El sounded like he was going to cry again. "What do I need to do?"

"I can override the whole system, and I can use the cameras to direct you. But I have to get there first and set it up," Lex quickly thought through anything he might need. "Why don’t you get some sleep?"

"Okay," Kal-El smiled shyly, "See you later."

Lex grinned, "Yeah, see you later." He paused a moment, "Kal?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

@>*~

Lex hurriedly unhooked his laptop and slipped it into its travel bag. Grabbing his cell phone, he hurried downstairs. Everything he’d ordered should already be in the car waiting, so he didn’t pause. He didn’t have any time to waste if he wanted Kal out of the plant before the day started.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to be able to use the speakers in the areas outside Kal’s room, he’d risk being overheard. He was just going to have to give Kal directions, let him know where the guards were and provide the security and camera overrides as he made his way to the access elevator, where Lex would be waiting.

Sneaking into his office in the plant wasn’t too difficult, and he hooked up his laptop quickly switching on the overrides and setting up the video feeds for each security camera.

Finally, he switched on the sound and video links to Kal-El’s room. Kal-El was lying on his bed, but he obviously wasn’t asleep.

"Kal, you ready?" he whispered.

"Of course," Kal sounded breathless with anticipation and excitement.

"You’re going to have to be really careful, I can’t speak to you outside your room, unless it’s a real emergency. I can tell you where the guards are and where you have to go now. Okay?" Lex explained.

"That’s fine, I…" Kal-El paused, "I’ll be able to see if trouble’s coming."

Lex frowned, "How?"

"I can see through things," Kal-El sounded hesitant, but Lex was still touched by the level of trust he was showing.

"Really?" Kal-El nodded shyly. "Wow, well, I… I mean that’s great, it’ll help," Lex breathed, "You ready?"

"Yeah.

@>*~

The door opened for him and Kal-El breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this would work. Lex had given him the directions leading to parts of the installation he’d never been to. He was watching Kal-El’s progress, opening each door as he came to it. Kal-El was trembling with nerves, as he checked through the walls at each corner with his X-ray sight. He also had to focus on not thinking about seeing Lex for the first time.

But as each door and corridor was left behind, his confidence and excitement grew, he was going to be *outside* and with Lex.

Finally, he was standing by the elevator, looking nervously up the corridor, just waiting for the horrible moment where he’d be caught. Pressing the button, he waited, chewing on his lip.

"Shit, Kal!" Lex hissed suddenly. Kal-El looked up the corridor but he couldn’t see anything. "Elevator," Lex whispered.

Kal-El’s eyes widened in horror as the elevator doors opened and he came face to face with Ian.

"Kal, what the hell?" Ian exclaimed. They stared at each other, Ian obviously a little nervous, despite wearing his necklace.

Kal-El swallowed and stared at him pleadingly, desperately. "Please, Ian, please, let me go," he whispered.

Ian blinked at him, licked his lips and swallowed, then he nodded and stepped aside.

"Thank you," Kal-El breathed.

Ian smiled ruefully, "Good luck, Kal."

The elevator doors shut and Kal-El felt his stomach plummet with nausea. He gasped, and tried to swallow past the bile rising in his throat. Scanning the walls weakly, he realised they were made of the green rock.

"Lex," he whispered, dropping to his knees.

"I’m coming, Kal, don’t worry, you can make it."

@>*~

Lex raced for the elevator access, praying that he was right, that Kal could make it. He arrived just as the doors opened and Kal-El stumbled out. Lex caught him, bracing himself against the wall so they didn’t fall.

"Kal? Shit, are you okay?" he gasped.

"I will be," Kal-El whispered weakly, "Get me away from the elevator."

"We have to get out of here anyway," Lex grunted as he slipped an arm round Kal-El’s back to help heave him back to his office, where he deposited him gently on a chair.

Quickly, Lex moved behind his desk and switched off all the overrides, before shutting his laptop down and unhooking it. Looking up, he saw Kal-El was staring at him from under long eyelashes and he smiled.

"Hi," he said quietly.

Kal-El flushed and smiled shyly, "Hi."

"You ready?"

"Oh yes," Kal-El said urgently. Now that he was away from the elevator, he felt a lot better. But he felt slightly awkward. Now they were face to face, he wasn’t sure how to act.

Lex walked back round the desk and held his hand out. Kal-El took it, shivering at the tingle that ran down his arm, and stood up. Lex stared up at him, moving closer, and suddenly, they were holding each other.

Kal-El breathed out heavily, pulling Lex close, marvelling at how well the smaller man fitted in his arms and how good it felt.

Lex rested his head on a strong shoulder and sighed. He felt as if warmth was surrounding him and filling him. Like they were reconnecting somehow, like all the emptiness inside him had gone, filled with the warmth of Kal-El’s presence.

Squeezing briefly, Lex pulled away reluctantly. "Come on," he said quietly, "We have to get out of here."

Kal-El nodded wordlessly, feeling oddly bereft without the physical contact. Maybe Lex felt the same thing, because as soon as he had picked up his things, he took Kal-El’s hand, leading him to the private elevator at the back of the office.

In the elevator, Kal-El stood as close to Lex as he could. Lex smiled and leaned back against him, sighing again at the feel of the large, strong body behind him. Kal-El slid an arm round him, flattening his palm against his stomach. All too soon, he had to pull away again and sneak Kal-El to his car.

"I think it would be best if you stayed down until we’re clear of the plant," Lex suggested.

"Okay," Kal-El nodded. He bent down and buried his head in Lex’s lap.

Lex gasped, his eyes widening and his pants tightening. It wasn’t quite what he’d meant, but it felt too good to say anything. Unable to resist, Lex stroked Kal-El’s thick hair, smiling at the quiet moan.

He let go reluctantly to start the car and drove out of the garage. He concentrated on putting some distance between them and the plant before turning off the main road and heading straight into the farmlands. They weren’t going back to the castle immediately, Lex had had a feeling that Kal-El would enjoy being outside for a while.

Despite being in the clear, Kal-El remained in Lex’s lap, especially as Lex seemed to have no objection. It just felt too good; strong, slim thighs under his cheek, the bulge in Lex’s pants pressed against the back of his head matching his own erection.

Finally, the car stopped and unenthusiastically, Kal-El sat up. He looked round in confusion, they appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Lex smirked, "A field?"

Kal-El pouted, "I can see that, I mean why?"

Lex got out of the car and gestured to Kal-El to follow him. Sighing, Kal-El got out of the car, then he stopped. Closing his eyes he breathed in deeply and just stood there, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on him.

Lex smiled and walked round the car to lean against Kal-El again. Again, a strong arm slipped round his waist, pulling him closer.

"Nice, huh?" he asked quietly.

"It’s great, thank you," Kal-El whispered, slightly in awe, "How did you know?"

"Being cooped up in that installation all the time can’t be fun," Lex shrugged.

"No," Kal-El agreed emphatically.

"Do you want to see the view?" Lex asked.

Kal-El opened his eyes and looked up at the windmill Lex was pointing at. "Definitely," he nodded, grinning down at the smaller man.

Lex smiled and led him to the ladder. Kal-El followed Lex up, trying not to stare at the slim ass encased in snug fitting pants. It struck him as slightly strange that this was the first time he’d seen Lex in clothes and he laughed as he hauled himself onto the platform.

"What?" Lex asked with a grin.

"You are beautiful with clothes on," Kal-El whispered.

Lex flushed and blinked at him, a little unsure of how to answer that. "So are you," he whispered back. He sat on the edge of the platform, patting the wood next to him. Kal-El smiled and sat down. "Look," Lex pointed and Kal-El stared out over fields and trees. Not too far away was the skyline of a city which almost seemed to glitter in the sunlight.

"That’s Metropolis," Lex said quietly.

"It’s beautiful," Kal-El sighed and bent his head, resting it on Lex’s shoulder.

Lex rubbed his cheek gently against silky hair and they sat quietly, just enjoying the view, the sunshine and each other’s presence.

Kal-El wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually, Lex shifted.

"Are you hungry?" Lex asked.

"Yeah," Kal-El suddenly realised he was starving.

"Let’s go back down to the car then," Lex grinned, "I brought a picnic."

Kal-El gaped, "A picnic?" He grinned suddenly, "I’ve never had a picnic."

"We are going to do anything and everything that you’ve ever wanted to do, Kal," Lex smiled gently. Kal-El beamed at him. They climbed down carefully and Lex opened the trunk to retrieve the basket and blankets. Kal-El took the basket from him with a grin and they walked further into the field, before Lex spread out the blankets for them to sit.

Lex didn’t eat much, he just watched in amusement as Kal-El inhaled most of the food as if he’d been starved for several days. When the younger man finally slowed down, Lex started to put things away.

"We’re not leaving yet, are we?" Kal-El asked quietly. He was enjoying the peace, fresh air, and simply being with Lex, far too much to leave just yet.

"No," Lex smiled, "Just thought it’s be easier to relax without the clutter."

Kal-El grinned and lay back on the blanket, staring up at the sky. Lex lay next to him, shoulders touching. Swallowing almost nervously, Kal-El slid his hand over and placed it over Lex’s. Lex turned his hand palm up, linking their fingers, and Kal-El sighed happily.

Rolling on to his side a little awkwardly, Kal-El stared down at Lex. The older man raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Lex?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?" Kal-El held his breath in anticipation.

"Please," Lex whispered, touching his bottom lip briefly with the tip of his tongue.

Kal-El gasped quietly. He let go of Lex’s hand so he could shift his arm to slide under Lex’s neck before bending his head. Slowly, he leaned in until they were sharing breath and their eyes were locked together.

"Kal," Lex breathed, slipping his hand up to soft, silky hair and pulling Kal-El closer. Both men sighed as their lips met gently before parting slowly under deepening pressure. Lex’s tongue flicked into his mouth and Kal-El groaned, he let the older man direct him as their lips moved together and tongues became entwined.

Lex had never been kissed so sweetly, so reverently before, and it touched him in a way kissing or touching never had before, as if his groin was connected to his heart. Every pulse of hot pleasure coinciding with a sweet tug deep in his chest. If just kissing Kal-El could do this to him, he wasn’t sure he could survive more.

Breathless and almost overcome, Kal-El explored the smaller man’s mouth as thoroughly as he could, tasting, fast becoming addicted to the taste and feel. Hands roamed over his back and ass, and he clung to Lex. This was so much better than his dreams, the heat of the older man, the silkiness of his lips, strong hands clutching at him, tugging him on top of the slender body.

He held himself up slightly on his elbows, so he didn’t crush Lex, but he couldn’t help pressing his pelvis down against the hardness he could feel digging into his hip. Lifting his head, Kal-El sucked in a breath and smiled down at Lex, who was panting hard.

Lex cupped his face gently. "Kal, are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.

"Can’t you feel how sure?" Kal-El whispered, rocking his hips slightly.

Lex gasped and bucked up against him helplessly. Groaning, he pulled at Kal-El, needing to taste those tantalisingly soft lips again. A wolf whistle interrupted them and Kal-El pulled away. Lex sat up slowly and turned round, biting back a groan. Just great, Lana and her little friends. He frowned, recognising the other girl from somewhere.

Lana frowned slightly, blinking in confusion as she stared from Lex to Kal-El and back. "Lex, what’s going on?"

Lex resisted the urge to point out the obvious, but the other girl would have beaten him to it anyway.

"Well, gee, Lana, looks to me like he was making out with the…" she paused and blinked at Kal-El in a way that made Lex suddenly feel fiercely possessive, "Hello, stranger!"

Kal-El flushed, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, and shifted behind Lex. Knowing somehow from the tension in Lex’s shoulders that the older man wasn’t happy about the way they were being stared at, he wrapped his arms round his waist protectively. Lex couldn’t have prevented the sigh that escaped his lips if his life had depended on it and he leaned back into the embrace.

"Chloe!" Lana exclaimed, then she stared at Lex again, "Lex!"

"What?" Chloe shrugged, "Come on, how often do you find one of the richest men in the world making out in a field with a young boy?"

"I knew he wasn’t quite right," the blond boy sneered.

"Whitney!" Lana gasped.

Lex’s eyes narrowed and he patted Kal-El’s arm when he felt the body behind him tense up. "First, he’s not a boy, and second, don’t push your luck Fordman," he managed to dredge up Lana’s boyfriend’s name from his memory, at the same time remembering the name of the other girl. "Miss Sullivan, if you’d kindly stop undressing my lover with your eyes, maybe I’ll let you keep them."

Kal-El blinked in surprise at Lex’s tone and harsh words, but recognised the protective, slightly possessive edge to them. It made him shiver pleasantly.

"Hey, it’s a free country, Luthor!" the other boy finally spoke up.

Lex sighed at the sneering disdain used in conjunction with his family name, he wasn’t sure it was something he’d ever get completely used to. A gentle hand squeezed his shoulder and he smiled.

"Leave him alone," Kal-El said quietly but firmly, glaring at the boy, whose tone of disgust had hurt Lex.

"It’s okay, K…" Lex stopped suddenly and searched his mind for a name he could substitute, "Clark, I was going to suggest leaving anyway."

Kal-El raised an eyebrow at the name Lex had given him, he wasn’t sure he liked it particularly, but he nodded and stood up, smiling in satisfaction as he towered over the other two boys and they backed off slightly. He grabbed the picnic basket and the blankets and followed Lex back to the car.

Before he got in, Lex turned back to the four teenagers, "It would be best for everyone if this little encounter was forgotten, if certain shops are to remain open, scholarships kept, parent’s jobs to remain secure and land not bought out." He smirked as they blanched and nodded their heads in unison. "Good."

Lex slid into the car with Kal-El, and drove off without a backwards glance. He was a little unsure of how Kal was going to react, and he avoided returning the younger man’s penetrating stare.

"You know," Kal-El started quietly, when he realised Lex wasn’t going to look at him, "You’d think after twelve years of being locked away, I’d hate it if someone was possessive of me," he stopped at Lex’s sigh and stopped the smaller man’s apology before it could start. "But I don’t, Lex, not with you, I feel cared for, safe."

Kal-El slid over in the seat and nuzzled his nose against Lex’s neck gently, "And you’re pretty sexy when you’re being possessive," he whispered. The car lurched to the side, and he smiled, pressing a kiss to the soft skin below Lex’s ear.

"Jesus, Kal," Lex gasped, trying to force himself to concentrate on the road. Hot breath huffed against his neck from Kal-El’s quiet laughter and he groaned. "I have *got* to get you home, now!"

"You know, it’d be quicker if I ran," Kal-El commented quietly.

Lex blinked, "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you want?" Kal-El bit his lip.

Lex pulled over and bit his lip contemplatively. One of the reasons he was heading back to the castle was because he didn’t think anyone would look there, *if* his involvement was discovered. But leaving his Ferrari abandoned on the road might prove useful.

"Okay," he nodded at Kal-El, who grinned widely. They got out of the car and Kal-El swept Lex into his arms.

"Which way?" he asked. Lex looked round and pointed at a building Kal-El could just make out in the distance. Wrapping a protective arm around the smaller man’s head, he gently pressed Lex’s face into his shoulder before he started to run at full speed.

@>*~

"Holy shit!" Lex gasped when they reached the castle.

"That’s what I was going to say," Kal-El looked up at the castle in awe, "You live *here*?" He put Lex down carefully.

"Yeah," Lex tried to catch his breath and stand up straight. Kal-El slipped an arm round him and helped him walk unsteadily to the door. "Come on, I dismissed the servants for the week."

Kal-El nodded, looking round, "It’s amazing. You live here on your own?"

"Yes," Lex smiled ruefully.

"Lonely," Kal-El commented.

Lex sighed, "Yes."

Kal-El wrapped his arms round the slim man and smiled down at him. "Not anymore?"

Lex grinned, "No, not anymore."

"Good," Kal-El breathed, bending his head to claim a gentle kiss. Lex’s lips moved slowly against his and slender hands clutched in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Lex sighed and pressed himself closer to the strong body of his soon to be lover.

Lifting Lex in his arms again, Kal-El pulled his head back long enough to ask where the bedroom was. Lex laughed delightedly and told him, holding on tight when Kal-El took them there in a couple of seconds. Kal-El put him down again and took a step back suddenly feeling nervous.

"Kal," Lex whispered with a gentle smile. "We don’t have to do this now, I’m just happy you’re here and I can hold you."

Kal-El took a deep breath and smiled happily, "No, we don’t have to, but I want to, I… I need to."

"Yeah, I know," Lex whispered. He could feel it too, an urge to connect at all levels. Slowly, Lex pulled his sweater off, then waited. Kal-El licked his lips and tugged his t-shirt over his head. He stepped back up to the smaller man and raised his hand, gently running his fingers over the smooth scalp and down to his neck. With slight pressure, he urged Lex up and bent his head, lips meeting lips, skin meeting skin.

Lex sighed quietly, parting his lips to his love’s eager tongue and sliding his hands down the smooth, warm skin of his back. They moved even closer as the kiss became more urgent, the contact of their bodies not quite enough yet. Lex slipped his hands round Kal-El’s waist band and quickly pulled his pants open.

Groaning into his mouth, Kal-El quickly followed suit, unbuttoning and unzipping Lex’s slacks carefully, trying not to rip them with his eagerness. They slipped their pants off, briefly breaking contact before almost merging together again in a tangle of arms and lips and tongues.

Lex pressed himself into Kal-El again, the feel of their cocks sliding together, separated only by the fabric of their boxers was almost too much and yet not nearly enough. His hands roamed, touching as much hot skin as he could as his mouth was devoured.

Kal-El was in heaven, the taste, the feel, the pleasure coiled in his groin, all so much better than anything he’d dreamt or felt before, and still he needed more. He pulled his lower body away slightly so he could pull Lex’s boxers down and then his own. Finally they were naked, every inch of skin possible pressed against the smooth, soft, pale skin of his lover and it felt amazing.

The silkiness of Lex’s cock against his own was an almost unbearable pleasure. Pulling back with a gasp, Kal-El stared pleadingly at his lover, unable to express what he needed in words.

Lex smiled gently and took his hand, leading him to the bed. They climbed on together and Kal-El lay back, still a little uncertain, despite the incredibly explicit dreams he’d had.

Lex lay on his side, propped up with one elbow. His free hand was drawn to the expanse of muscular chest and he caressed slowly. Kal-El shivered as gentle fingers traced the lines of muscles from his chest to his stomach, leaving trails of fire behind them. They circled his navel and moved lower to tangle in the line of hair leading to his groin.

He gasped and raised his hips slightly, mutely begging Lex to touch his cock. Lex ran the tip of one finger up the length of Kal-El’s shaft, smiling at the quiet moan. Reaching up, Kal-El tugged Lex over and on top of him, gently thrusting his hips up. Lex bent his head and their lips met, parting immediately, tongues entwining, as they rocked together.

A burning emptiness was growing inside Kal-El and he wrenched his mouth away. "Please, Lex, I need you," he whispered.

Lex nodded and lifted himself up, reaching over to his bedside table for a small tube. He knelt between Kal-El’s legs and rearranged them so they were bent and spread wide. Staring at his lover, Lex raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Kal-El nodded, "Please."

Lex carefully slicked up his fingers and slid one between firm ass cheeks, rubbing firmly over the puckered hole. Gasping again, Kal-El pushed his hips up and Lex wriggled his finger inside him. His eyes fluttered shut and Kal-El took a deep breath.

Nothing could have prepared him for having a part of Lex inside him. It felt amazing as the finger slid in and out of him. Another finger joined it and he could feel them stretching him.

Licking his lips, Lex tried to control himself, his cock jerking when he felt the tight heat of Kal-El grasping at his fingers. He reached deep and crooked them, searching, hoping Kal-El had a prostate so it could feel even better for him. At a sudden surprised cry of his name, he grinned and rubbed the spot he’d found again.

"Oh God, Lex," Kal-El moaned, as jolts of pleasure shot through him, making his groin tighten and his body tingle. "Now, now, please, need you now," he begged.

"Shh," Lex whispered. He pulled his fingers free and squeezed some lube onto his cock, spreading it quickly, Kal-El’s urgency infectious. Leaning over the larger man, Lex placed his cock at the entrance to his lover’s body and pushed gently.

"Oh Kal," he groaned, sliding into silken heat smoothly. Once fully sheathed, Lex stopped and lay down on his lover. Strong arms wrapped round him and they lay there for a moment just revelling in the feel of being fully connected at last.

Kal-El couldn’t quite believe the feel of Lex inside him, the feel of hot, pulsing hardness deep in his body. He felt complete. Lex’s stomach pressed against his cock and he needed more again. Slipping his hands down his lover’s back, Kal-El grasped slim, firm buttocks and pulled.

Lex gasped and lifted his head to stare down at him. They shared a smile and Lex started to move; slow, gentle thrusts in and out of his body. Kal-El groaned, moving with his lover, wrapping his legs round the slim hips. Lex’s cock moved smoothly inside him, against the spot he hadn’t even realised he had.

Their lips met again and Lex’s tongue moved in his mouth to the same rhythm. And still, Kal-El needed more, needed to feel claimed somehow. He rocked faster and Lex responded; the long, slow thrusts getting faster and harder, his lover’s breath getting more shallow as they touched and kissed and moved and loved.

Lex was drowning in sensation and emotion, combined in a way he’d never ad before, never felt before, but he somehow knew he’d have forever with Kal-El. His gut clenched with pleasure and desire and his chest clenched with love and happiness.

Lifting up slightly, Lex reached between them and wrapped his fingers round Kal-El’s cock, stroking fast, finding the same rhythm of their bodies. Kal-El gasped, trying not to buck up and dislodge Lex. He felt heat building rapidly and he jerked into Lex’s hand, his climax tearing through him as his seed split between them.

Lex groaned and thrust harder into the willing body beneath him, the muscles encompassing his cock rippling tightly. Crying out Kal-El’s name, Lex buried himself deeply one more time as he came, the coil of pleasure expanding through his body until he sobbed, emptying himself, claiming his lover.

Burying his face in Kal-El’s neck, Lex inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself with the grounding scent of his lover’s body. Slowly, he lifted his head and smiled down at Kal-El, his lover grinned back and pulled him into a slow, thorough kiss. Eventually, Lex lifted himself up and reached for some tissues to clean them off, then he settled himself in Kal-El’s embrace.

"That was better than dreams," Kal-El whispered, "It was amazing."

"It was beautiful," Lex whispered back, nuzzling into Kal-El’s neck, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Quietly, they held each other and watched Kal-El’s first sunset through the french windows until they both fell asleep, happy and complete for the first time in twelve years.

@>*~

Lex woke up to an empty bed. There was a chill in the room from the open french windows. Pulling on his robe, Lex got up and walked over to the windows. Kal was standing on the balcony in his boxers, staring up at the sky. Lex watched him for a moment, still astounded by his beauty. He smiled softly and walked onto the balcony to stand behind Kal. He wrapped his arms round him and lay his head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Lex whispered.

Kal-El smiled and put his hands on Lex’s arms. "I love being outside," he sighed, "I almost never got to see the stars."

Lex smiled a little sadly. "You can see them every night from now on," he whispered.

Kal-El turned in the circle of Lex’s arms, wrapping his own round his lover’s slim frame. Lex smiled up at him and he bent his head for a soft kiss.

"Come back to bed," Lex said quietly. Kal-El picked Lex up and carried him back inside. Lex laughed, hugging his lover tightly as he lifted him onto the bed.

@>*~

With a gasp, Kal-El was pulled out of comfortable sleep, hearing Lex scream his name. He lifted his head in time to see his lover being dragged from the room, before nausea and burning pain pushed him back.

"Lex," he breathed, tears springing to his eyes.

"Good morning, Kal-El."

Kal-El looked up and swallowed nervously. It was *him*. "What have you done with Lex?" Kal-El demanded.

The man smirked at him. "My son will be perfectly safe… that is, for now."

"What do you mean?" Kal-El frowned worriedly.

"I mean, boy, his continued health and safety rather depends on you." *He* got up and moved over, sitting on the bed next to him.

The feeling of nausea grew and Kal-El could see the green rock round his neck; worsening the effects of the one that had been placed round his own neck.

"I had a feeling that bringing Lex back here would be advantageous. I knew his curiosity and need to annoy me, would push him to find out what was going on. Of course, I didn’t imagine it would work *so* well." He smirked again, "Now you might actually be useful."

"No," Kal-El shook his head.

"Oh, I don’t think you’ll be objecting for long." He got up again and Kal-El could breathe a little easier. "Get up."

Kal-El struggled out of the bed, trying not to throw up.

"Get dressed."

Kal-El glared, but slowly pulled his clothes on. "What’s going to happen?" he asked.

"Just a small test, follow me." Lex’s father stalked off and Kal-El walked after him slowly, painfully. Hoping that wherever they were going Lex would be there.

In Lex’s office, four men were waiting, two holding Lex, who was dressed only in boxers.

"Kal!" Lex exclaimed, struggling against them.

"Lex, are you okay?" Kal-El asked worriedly.

"Yes are you?" Kal-El nodded.

"Oh, how touching, really."

"Fuck you, Lionel!" Lex snarled.

"Always so emotional, Lex," Lionel tutted. "Now then Kal-El. I want you to do a little something for me, prove your uh, loyalty."

"What?" Kal-El asked warily.

Lionel held up a photo, "I want you to kill him."

Kal-El’s eyes widened in horror, "No!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I won’t kill for you."

"Even if I do this?" Lionel gestured and one of the men holding Lex turned and punched him in the gut. Lex cried out.

"Lex!" Kal-El started towards his lover, only to be grabbed by the other two men. Their necklaces were enough to make his legs give out and he dropped to his knees. "I can’t," Kal-El whispered.

"Again," Lionel ordered.

The man backhanded Lex across the face viciously, Lex’s head snapping back with the force. Kal-El squeezed his eyes shut against the pain of hearing Lex groan.

"This is just the beginning," Lionel murmured, "You can stop it before it gets worse."

"No, Kal, don’t listen," Lex whispered.

"Lex, nobility doesn’t suit you."

"Shut up," Lex ground out. "Why do you want this man dead, anyway? He’s small fry, you could destroy him with a snap of your fingers."

"It suits my plans, Lex," Lionel replied.

"To make a martyr out of him?" Lex stared at his father. Lionel smirked at him and Lex realised there must be more going on than he realised.

Kal-El stared up at his lover, noting the split lip and trail of blood on his chin. A tight coil of burning anger was building inside. But what could he do? He couldn’t kill, he just couldn’t; but how could he bear to see Lex hurt?

Lionel gestured again and the man holding Lex, turned him round. The other, the one who’d hit him, pulled his belt off and wrapped the end round his fist. Raising his arm, he struck Lex across the back.

Lex bit his lip, trying not to cry out. The belt struck him again and he whimpered quietly. At the third strike, he couldn’t help it, he cried out in pain.

Kal-El flinched, "Stop!" he begged, "Stop, I’ll do it."

"No, Kal, please," Lex whispered.

Kal-El’s breath hitched and he blinked against tears. "I’m sorry, Lex. I, I can’t bear seeing you get hurt."

"I’ll be okay," Lex tried to insist. But he knew in his heart, that his father would go to any lengths to get what he wanted, even if it meant eventually killing his own son.

"No, you won’t," Kal-El shook his head. "I can’t watch you get hurt, not when I can do something about it."

Lex blinked and frowned. Somehow, he knew Kal-El wasn’t talking about obeying his father. Maybe he’d had an idea. He sighed and nodded, pretending to give in.

"Good," Lionel smirked, "You have till tomorrow night. Even think about trying anything and Lex *will* suffer."

"I won’t," Kal-El said firmly.

Lionel nodded and the two men started to drag Lex towards the door.

"Where are you taking him?" Kal-El asked worriedly.

"That is not your concern," Lionel raised an eyebrow at him.

Kal-El forced himself onto his feet, "Please, wait. Please!"

Lionel’s eyes narrowed as he stared at him, then nodded. The men holding him, let him go and he stumbled over to Lex. Carefully, he wrapped his arms round slim shoulders and rested his forehead against his lover’s.

"I love you, I’ll be back for you," he whispered. Lex nodded, then he tipped his chin up and kissed him gently.

Lex forced himself not to cry, and kissed back softly. He didn’t know what Kal-El was going to do, but he trusted that he’d try to stop his father and rescue him no matter what. The hollow feeling in his chest lessened a little with the contact and the whispered promise, but it didn’t stop him from being scared, scared that he had managed to ruin Kal-El’s life even more than before.

"I love you too," he whispered back, when Kal-El was dragged away again. Before he could do or say anything else, he was bundled out of the room and back to his bedroom.

@>*~

Kal-El shifted uncomfortably under Lionel’s intense gaze; as well as the usual contempt and the feeling that he was a bug to be crushed, he thought he could detect curiosity.

"What?!" he snapped.

Lionel smirked, "You truly care about him."

It was a statement rather than a question, but Kal-El felt moved to answer anyway, "Yes, I love him."

"Why?"

Kal-El frowned, "Why?"

"Yes, why?" Lionel raised an eyebrow, "It’s not as if you know him, what he’s done, what he’s capable of."

"I thought you wanted to be able to use him against me, why are you trying to put me off?" Kal-El frowned.

"I’m merely curious," Lionel shrugged.

"The past doesn’t matter to me, I know what’s inside him, that’s what I love," Kal-El said quietly.

Lionel blinked once, then stood up and handed Kal-El some papers. "This is what you need to know about your target. Remember, Lex’s health is in your hands, I will not hesitate to kill him if necessary, but I can think of much more painful ways in which his days could be spent should you fail, or even be tempted to make a run for it."

Kal-El clenched his jaw, "I won’t."

"And don’t try anything, Lex won’t be kept here. When you’re done, you will return to the plant and you will remain there until your next assignment."

"What about Lex?" Kal-El asked quietly.

"He will remain safe as long as you do what you are told," Lionel nodded.

"Will I get to see him?" Kal-El tried to keep the pleading note from his voice, but realised he’d failed when Lionel’s expression turned distinctly amused.

"I’ll have to see about that," Lionel smirked.

Kal-El looked away, wishing he wasn’t so weak. He was so worried, so angry, he thought he might just be able to kill Lionel at this point. But he didn’t want the man to see how much he hated him, to see how much he’d affected him.

"May I go? I’ll need some time to build up to this," Kal-El asked quietly.

"Certainly. Just remember, I want you back at the plant by tomorrow night and Kent dead, or Lex will suffer greatly."

Kal-El nodded and one of the men removed the green rock from his neck, before backing away rapidly. Kal-El was tempted to run through the mansion to see if he could find Lex and get them both away quickly, but then the sound of a helicopter started and he looked out of the window to see Lex being flown away, staring back at the castle sorrowfully.

After he watched the helicopter fly away, Kal-El swallowed his despair and turned to glare at Lionel.

"You may go," Lionel smirked at him.

Kal-El started towards him, but the two men who had been holding him stood in front of the older man, the combined effects of the meteor rocks was too much for him to get any further.

"Remember, Kal-El, anything looks wrong and Lex will suffer," Lionel re-emphasised.

"I won’t forget," Kal-El promised. He promised himself at the same time that, as soon as he could, he would do whatever was necessary to see that Lionel could never hurt Lex again. Lionel gestured at the door.

Kal-El was gone in a flash, speeding straight through the fields to the Kent farm. In the yard outside the farmhouse, the man from the photo, the girl who’d stared at him in the field the day before and another woman, Kent’s wife, were talking.

"Come on, Mister, Kent, how often does the small guy come this close to winning against someone like Lionel Luthor?" the girl was saying.

"Chloe, I appreciate the support, but I don’t think an interview with the school paper is going to help," Mr Kent replied.

"I can," Kal-El stepped forward.

"Who are you?" Mr Kent asked suspiciously.

"Hello again, Clark," Chloe leered at him, "No Lex Luthor?"

Kal-El sighed sadly and looked down, she frowned and stepped forward. "My name isn’t Clark, it’s Kal-El," Kal-El looked back up at Mr Kent, "I can help you, if you’ll help me."

Mr Kent frowned, "Why should I help you, and why should I believe you can help me? For all I know, you’re one of Luthor’s stooges."

"I’m not," Kal-El started.

"No, he’s Lex Luthor’s boytoy," Chloe interrupted.

"Please, listen to me," Kal-El started again, "I haven’t got much time and I don’t want, I can’t…" he faltered.

"Can’t what?" Chloe asked.

Kal-El looked away, uncertain as to how to continue. Maybe he shouldn’t have come, but he needed help and he was desperate. While he knew he could find his lover, he was sure that he would come up against the meteor rocks and they would prevent him from rescuing Lex. If only he could get Jonathan Kent to believe him.

"Why don’t you explain?" Mrs Kent asked gently.

"I have, I have abilities that Lionel Luthor wants to exploit, and he has threatened Lex in order to get me to comply," Kal-El started, "But I don’t think I can do what he wants…but, I can’t let Lex suffer," he stared pleadingly for understanding.

"What has Lex Luthor got to do with all this?" Mr Kent looked confused.

"I love him, his father has locked him up to use against me. I need help to rescue him, in return I know Lex will do whatever is necessary to help you," Kal-El replied hopefully.

Kent snorted, "You expect me to believe that? Hell, even if *you* believe it, Lex could be involved in whatever his father is setting you up for."

"No," Kal-El shook his head, "He loves me." Even Mrs Kent looked sceptical. Kal-El sighed, "You don’t understand, and neither did his father when he thought taking Lex away would stop me from trying to rescue him. We’re connected, I know what’s inside him… and I know how to find him. But if I have to, I will do what his father asked to keep him safe."

"And what is that?"

"Kill you," Kal-El stared quietly at the blond man.

"Kill me?" Kent raised an eyebrow, but didn’t move, "That’s a little extreme, even for Luthor."

"It’s a test of loyalty, which I will not complete if you help me," Kal-El said quietly, staring helplessly at Mrs Kent, who looked sympathetic, but scared.

Suddenly, Kal-El felt a shift of emotions in the back of his mind, a hint of fear and pain, and he gasped. "No, they shouldn’t be hurting him," Kal-El squeezed his eyes shut, "Please, I can’t bear him being hurt."

"How do you know?" Mrs Kent asked.

"I told you, we’re connected, I feel him… in here," Kal-El touched his head, "And in here," he clutched at his chest, trying to control his emotions.

"Okay, I’ve had enough, you are obviously deluded, and I don’t know why you think you can come here and ask for my help and threaten me practically in the same breath," Kent shook his head, "How do you expect to kill me anyway?"

In desperation, Kal-El’s arm shot out to grasp Kent by the throat, lifting him several inches off the ground. "Because I can do this."

Mrs Kent ran to the fence, picking up a piece of wood and smashed him over the head with it. It shattered and Kal-El didn’t even flinch. "Chloe, call the police," she yelled, running for another plank.

Kal-El put Kent down and speeded to the door, preventing her from getting into the house.

"What the hell are you?" Kent panted, clutching his throat.

Kal-El shrugged, "Not human. Do you really want Lionel Luthor to have control over me?" he asked quietly.

Jonathan Kent shook his head slowly. "If I help you, how can Lex Luthor prevent his father from destroying me?" he asked.

"I wasn’t planning on Lionel being around to hurt anyone else," Kal-El said darkly.

Kent blinked at him. "You’d kill him?"

"Yes," Kal-El nodded, "He hurt Lex, a mistake he won’t live to regret."

"Why do you need help, with abilities like that, you ought to be able to rescue him yourself," Chloe interjected curiously.

"I have a weakness," Kal-El said hesitantly, "The meteor rocks make me sick and weak, Lionel uses them against me." The three stared at him. "Please, I could kill you all before you could blink, and Lex would be safe, until the next time, and then the next. If I give in now, where will it stop?"

"He’s right, Jonathan," Mrs Kent said quietly, "I shudder to think what Lionel Luthor would use him for, and what he would do to get him to comply."

Kent sighed, "Okay, what do we do?"

Kal-El breathed out heavily in relief, "Thank you. Once we find Lex and rescue him, we’ll need to go somewhere safe before I deal with his father."

"You don’t know where he is though, right?" Chloe frowned.

Kal-El smiled, "Like I said, I can find him."

"Well, in that case you might as well bring him to my place, Luthor would have no reason to expect my involvement," she offered.

"Really?" Kal-El gasped.

"Sure, I’ll want a story out of this though," she grinned.

"Absolutely," Kal-El nodded, "Whatever it takes. Do you have a gun?" he asked Kent.

"Yes, I have a shotgun, do you think we’ll need it?"

"Yes."

@>*~

Lex struggled futilely against the two men dragging him back to his room, Kal-El’s words ringing in his ears.

"Whatever my father is paying you, I’ll double it," he tried bargaining.

"Ha, and have Lionel Luthor after us? You have to be joking!" one of the men smirked.

"Get dressed," the other ordered him.

Lex clenched his jaw and did as he was told. "You’ll regret this," he said quietly.

"Oh, I don’t think so," the first man, the one that had hit him, smiled unpleasantly, "In fact, we’re going to enjoy this a lot. I always wanted to try rich boy ass."

Lex stiffened, biting his lip against sudden worry. He had to hope his lover knew what he was doing, Lex knew Kal-El would never survive him being raped.

The second man grabbed him again and he was dragged out of the castle to a nearby helicopter. Shoved inside, Lex was strapped in between the two men and they took off. Lex stared back at the castle, catching sight of Kal-El at a window. He sighed regretfully, resisting the urge to put his hand on the window.

As he’d expected, Lex was flown to Metropolis and taken to one of his father’s security holdings, where he’d been known to keep people in his more unscrupulous dealings. If he could just get away from his father’s goons, he might still have enough security clearance to get out.

As the first man got out of the chopper, Lex twisted and kicked him hard, elbowing the one behind him in the face. He leapt out of the helicopter and ran for the elevator. He didn’t even have time to enter his code before he was slammed into the door.

"Little shit," the man grunted, twisting him round to smack him in the face. Lex swallowed blood and grimaced, so much for that effort. God, he hoped Kal-El could find him. "Oh I am going to enjoy you," the man whispered in his ear, before licking his neck.

Lex managed to suppress a shudder, but couldn’t help trying to pull away, but he was held firmly. "Let’s go, rich boy."

The door and Lex was shoved into the elevator, flanked by his two captors. He was taken down to the lower levels, where the cells were and unceremoniously shoved into one. The men smirked at him and slammed the door shut.

Lex sat down and sighed heavily. He prayed for the first time in a long time, prayed that Kal wouldn’t kill the farmer, that he *had* thought of something to try and save them both. Lex couldn’t bear the thought of Kal being forced to do something so against his nature in order to protect *him*.

If he could, Lex would kill his father to protect Kal. It was a mistakes for his father’s goons to think he was completely helpless. Lex stood up and wandered over to the corner under the security camera, carefully removing the knife from the heel of his shoe and putting it into the sheath incorporated in his pants.

Then he went and sat down again. Lex was sure he could rely on his father to come and gloat at some point. When that happened, Lex would make sure he regretted ever hurting Kal.

@>*~

Once Kent had got his shotgun, he headed for the truck. "Shall we go?"

"Uh, it’ll be quicker if I ran," Kal-El smiled ruefully.

"Run?" Kent raised an eyebrow, "What about me?"

"I’d have to carry you," Kal-El shrugged. Kent looked doubtful.

"Be careful, Jon," Mrs Kent said worriedly. Kent swept her into his arms and Kal-El had to look away, the sight of such a loving couple giving each other support and comfort was too much for him to bear when the man he loved was in danger.

"Let’s go," he said gruffly. Kent nodded and Kal-El bent slightly, hauling the older man over his shoulder. "Keep your face covered and hold tight." He felt Kent nod and bury his face in his back.

Kal-El started to run, holding tightly onto the man over his shoulder, following the tugging feeling in his chest that would lead him to Lex. Kal-El ran into the city, his first time in a city and he didn’t even notice; he just kept going until the feeling that was leading him grew and the pressure in his chest lessened.

Stopping outside a large building, Kal-El knew they were close. He put Kent down, steadying the other man as he staggered slightly.

"Dear God," Kent muttered, taking a deep breath.

"This is it, I know it," Kal-El stared down.

Jonathan Kent nodded, "This is a LuthorCorp property, he could be here. How do you expect us to get in?"

"I think I’ll have to use the speed to get us as far as possible. I fell, I think he’s underground," Kal-El tried scanning through the lower levels of the building, but something was blocking him. He just had to hope there wasn’t too much meteor rock in the building.

He was counting on the fact that Lionel wouldn’t know that he could find Lex and wouldn’t have more than the necklaces on the thugs.

"Even getting in as fast as we can, the gun will still set off the alarms, I’m sure," Kent pointed out.

Kal-El bit his lip, "Well the speed should hopefully give us enough time to get Lex, I can deal with any problems getting us out."

"Are you going to be able to carry us both back to Smallville?" Kent asked quietly.

Kal-El nodded, "That won’t be a problem."

Kent licked his lips, took a deep breath and nodded, "Let’s go."

@>*~

Lex looked up when the door opened, one of his father’s men came in with a tray.

"Keeping me healthy?" he asked sarcastically. The man just smirked and left again. Lex noticed he was still wearing a meteor rock round his neck and frowned. He wondered if his father could be expecting a rescue attempt, or if it was just a precaution.

Could Kal even find him? Lex thought that he might, if the strange feeling in his chest that seemed to connect him to Kal was real. In fact the pressure was lessening somehow, as if Kal was closer.

Lex closed his eyes and hoped, trying somehow to feel his lover’s presence, feel if he was close. He got an odd feeling of reassurance and sighed, praying it wasn’t just his imagination.

Whatever happened, once his father came, Lex intended to show him just how much he was his father’s son. He shifted so he could feel the reassuring hardness of the blade pressed into the small of his back. Lex just hoped Kal would be able to forgive him.

The alarms going off startled him and Lex leapt to his feet, pulling the blade out in readiness.

@>*~

Kal-El picked Kent up again and ran into the building, past the security desk and straight to the doors by the elevators. The alarm had gone off almost as soon as they’d entered, so time was of the essence. With a hard shove, Kal-El broke the door open and it hit the wall, glass shattering with the force of his push.

He ran down the stairs, until he could almost swear he could feel Lex’s presence and smashed through another security door. Continuing to run, Kal-El burst through two more security doors, startling several guards who didn’t even see them.

He knew those and other guards would be converging on them, so he had to hurry. Slowing, he put Kent down and took the shotgun, wordlessly leading the other man down another corridor. Rounding a corner, they came face to face with one of the men from the castle.

Kal-El aimed the gun at him in a flash, staying well back as he started to feel the effects of the meteor rock round the man’s neck.

"Stay right there," he growled. The man snarled at him, but raised his hands and backed away. "Get Lex," Kal-El nodded to Kent. Jonathan nodded, heading for the open cell door, just as they heard a scream.

Kal-El forced himself not to panic, and keep watching the thug, but his heart caught in his chest.

@>*~

The door burst open and Lex leapt at the man, brandishing the knife. The man twisted in time to see him and managed to catch his wrist as they both fell to the ground. Lex landed on top, but was momentarily winded.

It was enough for the man to shove him away, and Lex swore as the knife was knocked out of his hand and out of his reach. He rolled and tried to grab it, but the man grabbed him by the waist and yanked him back, rearing over him with a raised fist.

Lex just managed to brace himself for the blow, and returned it, catching the man in the jaw. He shoved hard and reached for the knife again. The man crawled over him and wrapped large hands round his throat, squeezing.

Lex bucked up, trying to dislodge him, clawing at the hands round his neck with one hand as he stretched for the knife. The tips of his fingers were just touching the tip of the hilt, but he couldn’t quite get a purchase on it. As the edges of his vision started to blur, Lex pushed hard, his fingers wrapping round the hilt and he stabbed forward.

The man screamed, fingers tightening convulsively round his throat and blood started to stain his shirt.

A blond man ran into the room and yanked the goon off him. Lex stared up, stunned and out of fight.

"Come on, we have to get of here," the stranger helped him to his feet, "Are you okay?"

Lex nodded dumbly, uncomprehendingly, until he was led out of the cell and greeted by the vision of Kal-El with a shotgun.

"Kal," he gasped.

Kal-El looked over, relief flooding him, "Lex, are you okay?"

"Now you’re here," Lex whispered.

"I said I’d come back for you," Kal-El smiled softly.

"I never doubted you," Lex sighed.

"Kent, put him in the cell, would you?" Kal-El indicated the man he was aiming at. Lex watched the blond man shove the second thug into the cell and slam the door shut.

"Isn’t that the guy you were supposed to kill?" Lex asked.

"Yeah," Kal-El nodded.

"Let’s go," Kent said urgently, taking the shotgun again. Kal-El nodded. "Shit, too late!"

Kal-El twisted as two guards started shooting at them. He shoved Lex and Kent behind him, taking three slugs to the chest, then speed ran forward, grabbing the guns and knocking the guards into the wall.

"Kal-El!"

Kal-El almost didn’t want to look back, he already knew what had happened. Swallowing hard, he turned, watching the blood blossoming through Lex’s shirt in horror. Kent was kneeling next to him, pressing a hand to the wound.

"Oh God," Kal-El felt sick, but as much as he wanted to run over, he could hear more guards drawing nearer. "Stay with him, I’ll be right back." Kent nodded and Kal-El ran again, clearing a path for them, careful to only knock out the security guards.

When he got back, he was relieved to see Lex was conscious. Kent had ripped off the bottom of his shirt for a makeshift bandage. Kal-El dropped to his knees and buried his face in Lex’s neck, suddenly overwhelmed.

Lex held him briefly, himself flooded with relief and love, dulling the pain a little. "Kal," he whispered, "I’m okay, come on. I need you to be strong, just a little longer."

Kal-El nodded and took a deep breath, "I have to carry you."

"I’ll be fine," Lex nodded, "We have to get out of here now."

Kal-El helped him to his feet and bent to lift both men over his shoulders. It was a little awkward but his strength more than compensated for it. He started to run, through the corridors and back up the stairs. At the top, he realised that there was a row of guards lined up in front of the doors and large screens had come down behind them.

"Hold on," he whispered, before letting go of Kent so he had an arm free. As soon as he felt the man’s arms wrap round his waist, he put on a burst of speed, zooming past the guards, smashing the doors and rending a large hole in the screens.

Lex groaned, pain jolting through his shoulder, but suddenly they were outside and all he felt was relief. The run took his breath away and he kept his eyes closed and his face buried in Kal’s back, inhaling his lover’s scent as he tried to stay conscious.

After what was starting to feel like forever, Kal-El slowed and stopped. He put Kent down, and carefully manoeuvred Lex into his arms. Lex stared up at his lover, managing a smile, trying to reassure Kal.

"Lex," Kal-El breathed, bending his head to press a kiss to his lover’s brow.

"I’m okay, Kal, really," Lex whispered.

"Come on," Kent interrupted them, "Let’s get to the Sullivan’s and sort out his shoulder." Kal-El nodded.

"The Sullivan’s?" Lex asked, confused.

"We can’t go back to the castle or the Kents’ place, your father would find us," Kal-El explained.

"Yes but, why the Sullivan’s?" Lex still didn’t understand.

"Chloe offered," Kent said shortly, before walking off. Kal-El followed him, holding Lex carefully, trying not to squeeze too tightly in his relief at having his lover safe again.

Lex couldn’t quite help snuggling into the strong arms, managing somehow to ignore his shoulder with the feeling of safety he had.

When they reached the house, Chloe hurried out with Martha Kent. Mrs Kent ran to her husband and was swung into his arms.

"Oh thank God you’re okay," she exclaimed.

"Can we go inside?" Kal-El asked Chloe urgently. She nodded, staring wide eyed at Lex, and led them inside and up to a bedroom. Kal-El lay Lex down carefully and pulled the bandage off. Lex groaned.

"What happened?" Chloe asked.

"He was shot, have you got something I can clean him up with and a bandage?" Kal-El asked. She nodded and left the room.

Kal-El X-rayed Lex’s shoulder, relieved to see that the bullet had passed straight through muscle without breaking any bones. Grimacing at Lex’s pained expression, Kal-El carefully pulled off the remainder of his shirt.

"I’m sorry," he whispered.

Lex caught his hand worriedly. "Why? Kal, you’ve nothing to be sorry for, God, this is all my fault," Lex squeezed his eyes shut.

"No, Lex," Kal-El sighed, "You are the one good thing in my life. What your father did is not your fault."

"I’m no good for you," Lex sighed, "You don’t know what I’m capable of. I was going to kill my father, Kal."

"I know," Kal-El said quietly, "But so was I."

"What?" Lex opened his eyes and stared at his lover in shock.

"Lex, why were you going to kill him?" Kal-El asked quietly.

"Because he hurt you," Lex whispered.

"Exactly," Kal-El replied, "I wanted to kill him for hurting you, I still will if I have to."

"No, Kal," Lex gasped. He didn’t want his lover to lose his innocence, to do something like that, for him. "Please, Kal, promise me you won’t kill him."

Kal-El looked away, "I don’t think I can."

Lex squeezed Kal-El’s hand. "I… only as a last resort?" he compromised.

"Okay," Kal-El whispered. He sighed. The events of the day, the worry, the pain, the fear, finally overwhelmed him and he shut his eyes against tears.

"Oh, Kal," Lex reached up to gently stroke his cheek. "Come here." He shifted over carefully and Kal-El lay down next to him, putting his head on Lex’s undamaged shoulder. Lex wrapped his arm round him, burying his fingers in thick, soft hair, stroking gently as Kal-El cried quietly.

"I got, oh, sorry…" Chloe stopped at the door.

"It’s okay, come in," Lex said quietly. She nodded and walked round the other side of the bed. Grimacing a little, she started to clean up his shoulder before deftly wrapping a bandage round it.

"Is he okay?" she asked quietly.

Lex nodded. "Today was tough on him."

"On you both," she agreed, "I never realised your father was so…" she trailed off.

"Yeah," Lex smirked, "What about your father, what are you going to tell him?"

She shrugged, "I’ll think of something."

"The Kents?"

"They’re still downstairs, they’ll have to stay here too," she replied.

"Yes," Lex nodded.

Kal-El barely listened to the conversation. He just lay on Lex, the feel of soft skin under his cheek grounding him. He could hear Lex’s heartbeat, strong and soothing. It wasn’t till Lex shifted that he realised they were alone again. Kal-El lifted his head and Lex gently wiped the tears from his face.

"You took a big risk going to Kent," Lex said quietly.

Kal-El nodded, "I know, but it was all I could think of. I couldn’t kill him and I knew I’d need help getting you."

Lex nodded, "But they know now… about you."

Kal-El shivered a little at Lex’s dark expression, "They’re good people, Lex, they won’t hurt us."

"I…"

"Please, trust them," Kal-El whispered.

"Do you?" Lex asked. He wanted to protect Kal, but not if it hurt him to do it.

"Yes, I do," Kal-El said firmly.

Lex sighed, "Okay, I will try to trust them too."

"Thank you." Kal-El leaned up and kissed him gently.

Lex tightened his grip in Kal’s hair, pulling him closer, kissing harder, his own relief coming out with a desperate exploration of his lover’s mouth.

Kal-El pulled away gently and smiled at him, "I love you, Lex."

"I love you too," Lex sighed.

"You need to sleep, we can talk about what to do next, tomorrow," Kal-El got up and gently undressed Lex, pulling the covers over him, before stripping down to his boxers and sliding into bed next to him. He curled up against Lex, laying his head on his shoulder again. Lex hugged him close and shut his eyes.

@>*~

A knock at the door woke Kal-El. He glanced over at Lex, who was still sleeping peacefully, and smiled.

"Come in," he called softly.

Chloe poked her head round the door and raised an eyebrow at him. Kal-El couldn’t quite help flushing at her knowing gaze. "Time to get up guys, we have a problem," she grimaced.

Kal-El frowned at her worried tone. "What?" he asked.

"Just get dressed and come down, Lex too," she sighed, and shut the door again.

Kal-El leaned over and gently kissed Lex until he stirred. Lips moved under his and he pulled back, grinning at the soft moan of complaint.

"Now that’s the way to wake up," Lex whispered, opening his eyes to smile up at his lover.

"We have to get up, Lex, something’s happened," Kal-El sighed as Lex’s expression darkened.

"I’m sure it has," Lex sighed. He pushed himself up with a groan. "What am I going to wear?"

"You can wear my t-shirt," Kal-El suggested. Lex nodded and let Kal-El help him get dressed. He tried to protest at Kal-El carrying him downstairs, but his lover wouldn’t listen.

In the lounge, the Kents were sitting with Chloe. Jonathan looked angry, Martha and Chloe looked worried. Kal-El gently put Lex down and sat next to him.

"Okay, what’s he done?" Lex asked without preamble.

"Apparently you’ve been kidnapped by armed terrorists, who allegedly killed several LuthorCorp employees and guards whilst storming one of the LuthorCorp buildings," Kent growled. "I am now wanted for questioning in relation to the kidnapping and murders."

Kal-El bit his lip, guilt overwhelming him. Lex glanced over at him and gently squeezed his knee. "I should have seen that coming," he sighed, "I’m sorry, Mister Kent, my father isn’t in the habit of losing."

"No," Kent snapped, "My court case is ruined now though, what am I supposed to do? They’ll have me on security cameras. I could be convicted."

"No," Lex shook his head, "I will do whatever’s necessary to prevent that."

"That’s not very comforting," Jonathan sighed.

"I’m sorry," Kal-El whispered.

Kent stared at him for a moment, then his expression softened. "I know, Kal-El. You did what you thought was right, so did I," he sighed.

"So, what do we do now?" Mrs Kent asked quietly.

"I need to make some phone calls," Lex pursed his lips thoughtfully, "But I need an untraceable line and I can’t go back to the castle or the plant."

"I, uh," Chloe cleared her throat, "I can help there." She flushed as all eyes turned to her, "What? I need it for my work."

Lex laughed suddenly, "Remind me to recommend you to Perry White when you finish school."

"Daily Planet?" she gasped, "Really?"

Lex nodded and she beamed happily, "Come on."

Lex struggled to his feet, stopping Kal-El from helping him with a glance, "I’m fine, Kal, really."

Kal-El raised an eyebrow, knowing perfectly well his lover was in a lot of pain. But he gave in at a brief pleading look, planted a quick kiss on upturned lips and sat back down.

The Kents were staring at him and he flushed lightly, shrugging one shoulder. Mrs Kent smiled gently and he sat back feeling a little relieved that they didn’t seem to be angry with him.

"Here you go," Chloe tapped a few keys on her PC and gestured at the phone.

"Thanks," Lex sat down gingerly. When she didn’t leave, he raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed.

"I’ll, uh, leave you to it then," Chloe said hurriedly. Lex nodded, waiting till she’d shut the door behind her before picking up the phone. He dialled quickly.

*Hello?*

"Kimmie."

*Lex, oh my God, is that really you?*

"Yeah, hi."

*I heard you’d been kidnapped.*

"You heard wrong."

*But your father…*

"Is lying, my so called kidnapping was a rescue. My ‘father’ was holding me prisoner."

*What?! Why?*

"You remember the boy?"

*Well, of course.*

"My father was trying to use me against him."

*Oh shit. What do you need?*

"I need to know all his movements, schedules, what the police and Feebs are doing, any leads, and I need you with me, you know where."

*You got it. I’ll meet you there.*

"Thanks, Kimmie."

*No problem, Lex, I still owe you, remember?*

"Yeah, see you." Lex hung up and sighed. After a moment, he dialled again.

*White.*

"Perry, Lex Luthor."

*Lex?*

"Yes. Can we talk frankly?"

*Off the record, you mean?*

"Yes."

*Go ahead.*

"Thank you, Perry. I haven’t been kidnapped."

*Really? How do I know you aren’t being forced to say that?*

"No offence, Perry, but if I’d been kidnapped, I wouldn’t be phoning you." Lex smirked at the laughter on the other end of the line.

*I’m sure, Lex. So what’s going on?*

"I have… ‘control’ of uh, let’s call it a weapon, that my father wants to use. He’s already tried and failed to coerce me. My alleged kidnapping is a result of this, he’s attempting to get me back."

*This ‘weapon’, is it dangerous?*

"Not naturally, no, but potentially."

*Why are you telling me this, Lex?*

"I want you to get someone onto this, expose my father if possible."

*That could be very dangerous.*

"True, but one hell of a story, don’t you think? Start with the Smallville plant, I’m sure it will be very interesting."

*I’ll see what I can do.*

"Thank you, Perry." Lex hung up and stared at the phone for a moment, before taking a deep breath and dialling one last time.

*Wayne.*

"Bruce?"

*Lex?*

"Belfry."

*Lex, wait…*

"Don’t, Bruce."

*I’m… sorry. I’ll see you there.*

The ring off tone echoed abruptly in his ear, and Lex squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before he switched off the phone, sitting back with a sigh. He took a couple of seconds to wipe the call memory from the computer and carefully got up, heading back downstairs.

Kal-El was by his side in a flash, helping him over to the couch, for which he was supremely grateful, the pain in his shoulder was steadily getting worse. He sat down with a grimace.

Kal-El was confused. While he could feel how much pain his lover was in, and ached to help relieve it somehow, he could also feel something else, a confliction of sorts within his lover. Sighing, he took Lex’s hand and squeezed it gently.

Chloe handed Lex a packet of painkillers and he smiled gratefully. "So, what’s happening?" Kent asked.

"We have to leave here, obviously," Lex started, "I have a safe house just outside Gotham City."

"Gotham City?!" Jonathan exclaimed, "That’s miles away."

"I know, we have to leave now, we’ll be meeting a couple of my… friends who will help us plan the next step," Lex replied. Kal-El noticed the slight pause and frowned.

Kent’s jaw clenched briefly, then he sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"You can take my car," Chloe suggested.

"Thanks, Chloe," Martha Kent said quietly.

Chloe nodded, then looked at Kal-El, "Don’t forget your promise."

Kal-El flushed and nodded, especially when Lex frowned at him. He picked Lex up and carried him outside, followed by the others.

"Promise?" Lex whispered, for some reason feeling jealous.

"I promised her a story," Kal-El sighed.

"Oh," Lex blinked, feeling guilty, especially as he was the one keeping a secret from Kal-El, "Oh, okay."

"Really?" Kal-El asked in relief. He’d been worried Lex might be annoyed.

"Yeah, ow!" Lex grimaced with pain when Kal-El hugged him.

"Sorry," Kal-El was distracted from the growing confliction and confusion he was feeling by his panic, and he bent his head to kiss Lex gently, "Sorry."

"It’s okay," Lex chuckled softly at Kal-El’s worried expression, "Calm down, would you?"

Kal-El nodded and carefully helped him into the car. He slipped in the back with his lover and the Kents got in the front.

"I’ll give you directions when we get close to Gotham," Lex said quietly, lying down in Kal-El’s lap.

Jonathan nodded and started the car.

@>*~

It was dark when they neared the outskirts of Gotham. Lex was asleep and Kal-El was reluctant to wake his lover, but he had to. The journey had been uncomfortably silent, and while he was used to that, Kal-El hadn’t been able to relax, not with Lex still needing proper medical attention.

Even as he was thinking about waking him, Lex stirred and he gently stroked the smooth scalp. Blue eyes gazed up at him and Lex smiled.

"Hey."

"Hi," Kal-El smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"Stiff," Lex grimaced, struggling to sit upright.

"We’re almost there," Jonathan interrupted bluntly.

"Right," Lex nodded. He gave Kal a long, gentle kiss and settled back against the strong chest of his lover. Looking round to get his bearings, Lex directed Kent to his safe house.

"Go round the back," he said when they got there, "There’s a security panel under the ivy by the gate, the code is belfry."

Kent nodded. They drove through the gate and down into a dark garage where two more cars were parked.

"This way," Lex led them from the car to an elevator where he keyed in another code. It opened ominously silently and they got in. Kal-El could sense that Lex was nervous, but he didn’t understand why, so he took his lover’s hand.

Lex smiled up at Kal and squeezed gently. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Bruce and he hoped not having said anything to Kal wasn’t going to hurt his lover.

The doors opened again and Lex led them out into a plain, dark hallway. At the end, light was coming from one of the rooms and he headed for it. Kal-El was really nervous now, he knew somehow that the way his heart was pounding was something to do with Lex, but why?

There were two people in the room and they got up. The dark haired man’s face almost lit up.

"Lex," he took a step forward, then his eyes dropped to where Kal-El was holding Lex’s hand and he stopped abruptly, looking confused.

The girl just grinned and bounced forward, giving Lex a kiss. "Hi, Lex, wow, you didn’t say your boy was even more gorgeous in person!" she exclaimed. Kal-El flushed.

"Kimmie, really," Lex shook his head, "He’s not ‘my boy’, this is Kal-El, my partner. Mister and Missus Kent, Kal-El, may I introduce Bruce Wayne and Kimmie Chang, old friends of mine."

"Less of the old," Kimmie poked him and Lex grunted. Kal-El reacted without thinking, stepping in front of Lex protectively and pushing Kimmie back.

"Kal," Lex smiled gently at his lover’s instinctive, if unnecessary reaction and reached up to squeeze his shoulder. "It’s fine, she didn’t know I was shot."

Kal-El flushed again, "Sorry." He stared at Bruce Wayne who was staring at him, glaring at him in fact.

"He couldn’t keep you safe *then*?" Bruce snapped.

"Bruce," Lex said warningly, "He saved my life, I’m lucky I only got one bullet in me."

Bruce’s nostrils flared, "Better let me see to that."

Lex nodded, "Okay. Kimmie would you please look after the Kents, it’s been a long day."

"Sure," she grinned at him, "Are you hungry?" she asked them, leading them out of the room.

"So, were you planning on telling me…" Bruce started.

"Telling you what?" Lex raised an eyebrow. Kal-El shifted closer to Lex frowning slightly.

"Never mind," Bruce snapped, "Let’s sort out your shoulder."

Lex nodded and led Kal-El out after the dark haired businessman to a small office. Bruce got out a box of medical supplies while Kal-El helped Lex take his t-shirt off and unwrap the bandage.

"It’s a clean wound, goes right through," Lex told Bruce.

Bruce frowned, "How do you know?"

"Well, apart from the fact that it would hurt a hell of a lot more if it wasn’t, I just know," Lex snapped, gritting his teeth for the injection of anaesthetic.

Kal-El hovered anxiously, and Lex held out his hand to him. He took it, squeezing tightly.

Bruce washed out the wound carefully then sewed up the entry and exit points before rebandaging. "You should rest," he said quietly, his hands lingering on Lex’s shoulders. Lex shrugged him off and Kal-El frowned, picking up on Lex’s discomfort.

"Kal, would you go to the fourth door on the right and find me a clean shirt?" Lex asked quietly.

Kal-El shifted, glancing at Bruce, who seemed to be smirking suddenly. "But," he started.

Lex pulled him close, "Please, I’ll be fine, I just need to talk to Bruce, okay?"

Kal-El stared suspiciously at the dark haired man, then looked back at his lover and sighed, "Okay." He leant forward and brushed a gentle kiss over Lex’s mouth, sighing quietly at the brief touch. Lex smiled at him and Kal-El left the room.

Lex’s expression turned to a frown when Bruce stepped closer. "What made you think you had any right to touch me?" he asked coldly.

"I was just treating your shoulder."

"Bullshit," Lex glared at him.

"Lex, I, come on…" Bruce started.

"Come on, what?" Lex tilted his head inquiringly.

Bruce moved closer and Lex had to force himself not to shrink back. "Lex, why are you with him? I mean, he’s just a boy. We were good together, why can’t you just admit it?"

Lex snorted derisively, "As I recall it, Bruce, you were the one who left, who wanted to be just friends and business partners. I need you, but only for what you can do to help me against my father. Kal is all I need otherwise."

"What can he possibly have, that I don’t?" Bruce frowned. "He’s pretty, admittedly, for a fuck."

Lex cut him off with a punch to the jaw. Shaking his fist slightly in pain, Lex glared at his old lover who looked completely shocked. "Never insult him again," he hissed, "I love him and if you try and hurt him, I *will* kill you, don’t doubt that."

They stared at each other, Bruce shocked and Lex angry until a knock interrupted them.

"Lex?" Kal-El called out. He was getting worried, Lex seemed to be taking forever, and he didn’t know what was going on, only that Lex was agitated and that made him nervous.

"Come in, Kal," Lex called out, with a final warning glare at Bruce. He turned and smiled up at his lover.

"Kimmie wanted to know if we’re going to eat," Kal-El said, as he helped Lex put the shirt on.

"Hmm, that would be a good idea. We can discuss plans tomorrow," Lex nodded. Kal-El smiled, relieved that the tension seemed to be easing a little. They walked to the kitchen where the Kents were sitting with Kimmie.

"Food?" Kimmie asked, getting to her feet.

"Please," Lex grinned, "Don’t tell me, scrambled eggs?"

Kimmie laughed, "How’d you guess?"

"Well, as it’s all you learnt how to cook at school, it was a safe bet," Lex laughed.

Kimmie shook her head and poked her tongue out at him, "Well, that’s what take out is for."

The three men sat down and Jonathan Kent raised an eyebrow. "What happens now?" he asked.

"We sleep and discuss our options in the morning," Lex said quietly.

"We have options?" Kent looked sceptical.

Lex stared at him, "I always have options and I will do whatever it takes to protect Kal from my father."

"What does your father want with him?" Bruce asked with a frown.

"Kal has abilities my father wants to exploit," Lex said quietly, gently stroking Kal’s arm. He felt safer somehow with the solid presence of his lover beside him, and it helped calm his mind from worrying about the steps they were going to have to take to discredit and ruin his father.

"What kinds of abilities?" Bruce pressed further.

Lex glanced at Kal-El, while he trusted Bruce, despite their awkward past, he wasn’t going to just tell, he waited for permission. Kal-El shrugged and nodded. Everyone else in the room knew, Kimmie too from what she’d implied, if Bruce was going to help them, even though Kal-El didn’t quite trust him, he felt he should know.

"Strength, speed…"

Bruce snorted, "Like Batman doesn’t."

"No like Batman doesn’t," Lex snapped, "Kal can outrun a Ferrari, can Batman do that? Without his armour, can Batman withstand bullets? Can *Batman* rip apart lead shielding with his bare hands?"

Kal-El put his hand on Lex’s arm soothingly, confused by the extent of Lex’s agitation. Bruce was staring at them both in shock.

"What’s Batman?" Kal-El asked quietly.

"A vigilante nutcase who thinks he’s a hero," Lex said with a smirk at Bruce’s stiffening posture.

"He is not," Bruce snapped.

"Oh please, he’s a madman who just keeps from crossing the line," Lex goaded his ex-lover. He’d always hated Batman, and the importance he had held in Bruce’s life. Even though there was nothing between them now and Lex had moved on, he couldn’t resist.

"Shut the fuck up," Bruce snarled.

"Why? I’m right," Lex smirked. Bruce lunged at him and before anyone could even blink, the billionaire found himself slammed against the wall, feet inches off the ground, his collar gripped by a furious Kal-El.

Kal-El growled and shook the man who’d dared attack his Lex. The fact that he knew something was going on between them but didn’t know what, only made his anger worse.

Lex hurried over, for some reason he could tell Kal was on the edge of losing control and he had to stop him. He stroked the strong back gently and murmured soothingly until Kal dropped Bruce and turned, almost collapsing into his arms.

"God, Lex, I think I was going to…" Kal-El choked on tears, overwhelmed by the feelings his anger had caused.

"No, it’s okay, you wouldn’t, I know," Lex whispered.

"How?" Kal-El sniffed quietly, burying his head in Lex’s undamaged shoulder.

"Because I know you," Lex stroked thick, dark hair gently, "I know you, in my heart, in my soul, just like you do me."

Kal-El smiled, and hugged Lex tightly, his lover was right, he did, they did. Their connection was just as strong, if not stronger after what they’d been through. He lifted his head and kissed Lex hard, tongue delving deeply. The urge to reconnect physically with his lover suddenly irresistible.

Lex moaned and gripped at his lover tightly, massaging the exploring tongue with his own, pressing his body close to Kal’s.

A throat clearing loudly, broke them out of their mutual haze and Kal-El flushed at the stares. Lex sighed, he needed his lover.

"Good night," he said quietly and promptly dragged Kal off to his bedroom.

@>*~

Kal-El picked Lex up and speeded them to the room.

"Kal," Lex murmured, kissing and sucking on his lover’s neck.

"How are you feeling?" Kal-El asked, concerned about the older man’s shoulder.

"I’m fine, Kal, really," Lex kissed him gently. "I think I could use a shower though," he stared into Kal’s eyes and grinned, "Want to wash me?"

Kal-El’s mouth went dry and he nodded, making a small noise of assent in the back of his throat. Lex chuckled and leaned into another kiss.

Kal-El found his voice again, "God, Lex, I need you so much."

"I know, I feel it too," Lex nodded, the desire to feel Kal inside him was close to overwhelming. Kal put him down and Lex leaned against him for a moment. "Come on, love."

They stripped hurriedly, neither looking at the other so that they could make it into the shower. Kal-El winced when Lex struggled with his shirt, feeling the twinge of pain in the back of his mind.

Grabbing Kal’s hand, Lex led him into the adjoining bathroom and switched on the shower. Kal-El loved Lex’s body; slim, but well muscled with taut, pale skin, almost scarless and completely smooth from lack of hair.

Lex pulled him under the spray, his hair plastering to his skull immediately. Bending his head, Kal-El pulled his lover close and kissed him, pushing his tongue into his mouth urgently.

Lex wrapped his arms round the taller man’s neck, sucking gently, stroking water slick skin. Then Kal pulled back and picked up a washcloth and the shower gel.

Slowly and reverently, Kal-El washed his slender lover, taking care with the freshly stitched shoulder. Sighing quietly, Lex let his desire burn unheeded, just enjoying the feeling of being cared for. Gentle fingers soaped his balls and cock, stroking up his shaft and his eyes shut as he leaned back against the wall.

Kal-El rinsed Lex off, paying special attention to the flushed, hard erection that was leaking profusely. At Lex’s quiet moan, Kal-El glanced up. Seeing his lover’s eyes were closed, he dropped to his knees.

Lex started and gasped when water and skin was suddenly replaced by the hot softness of Kal’s mouth around his cock and he opened his eyes to look down, meeting Kal’s gaze.

"Oh God," he whimpered, trying not to thrust frantically between those soft, full lips.

Licking and sucking, Kal-El slowly worked Lex’s shaft deep into his mouth and down his throat, swallowing convulsively. Lex continued to stare down, amazed, overwhelmingly close to losing it and so stupidly happy he was almost laughing.

Hesitant fingers slid between his buttocks and stroked over his hole. With a groan, Lex gripped Kal’s hair and thrust into his mouth, shuddering as he came hard.

Kal-El swallowed. He’d been a little uncertain about touching Lex *there*, but it obviously wasn’t the wrong thing to do, judging by the reaction. Sitting back on his heels, Kal-El stared up at the smaller man.

"Kal, God, love you," Lex panted, "Please, I need you inside me, please."

Blinking, Kal-El nodded. "God, yes," he breathed.

Lex took Kal’s hand and poured some shower gel onto his fingers. "Remember what I did?"

Kal-El nodded. Staying on his knees in front of his lover, he reached between Lex’s legs. He stroked over the puckered skin of the entrance to Lex’s body again, then gently pressed a finger inside.

Lex moaned quietly, parting his legs further and arching his back, trying to encourage Kal to push deeper. Another finger joined the first and they stretched him slowly, sliding in and out, a little deeper with each stroke.

Kal-El was astounded by the tight heat gripping at his fingers. Just that simple motion and the reaction it was causing in Lex was enough to make him shiver with desire and pleasure. His cock was achingly hard and weeping. Kal-El wanted desperately to bury himself in the silken hot depths of his lover. He added a third finger, reaching for Lex’s prostate.

Shocks flooded Lex’s body and he gasped, "Kal, now, Kal, God now!"

Getting to his feet, Kal-El used his strength to lift Lex up and carefully lowered him until his slick, loosened hole just touched the tip of his cock. Lex wriggled impatiently, wrapping his legs round Kal’s waist. Then Kal lowered him further and he was slowly impaled, Kal’s length stretching and filling him, painfully at first. The pain eased quickly, turning to electric pleasure at the pressure on his prostate.

Kal-El turned round and leaned back against the wall, watching the water cascade down Lex’s scalp and shoulders as he adjusted to the tightness of his lover’s passage. Lex leaned forward and kissed him, tongue delving deep, licking and tasting him. Lips moved synchronously and at last, Kal-El started to move, holding Lex in place as he thrust slowly.

"God, Kal, you’re going to be the death of me," Lex gasped. The sensation was amazing and Lex was hard again already. Kal-El laughed and thrust harder. Lex yelped, then laughed breathlessly. "Yes, love, like that," Lex kissed his lover hard and leaned further forward to trap his erection between their bellies.

Kal-El rocked frantically, he desperately needed release, to claim and connect with Lex, especially after the last couple of days of worry and pain. Lex couldn’t quite believe he was coming again and he jerked against Kal’s strong grip, as his body tightened with sweet, almost painful pleasure.

The feel of Lex’s come splashing between them and the clamping of muscles around his cock, pushed Kal-El over the edge and he cried out, plunging deep as he filled his lover.

Lex slumped in Kal’s arms, panting hard. Kal-El lowered him carefully and pulled out of his body regretfully. Legs trembling slightly, Lex backed under the water to rinse himself off, tugging Kal under with him. They kissed gently, then Kal-El switched off the water and grabbed a towel. Gently, he dried Lex off. He speed dried himself and Lex laughed.

"That is so weird to watch," Lex grinned at him.

Kal-El shrugged and grinned back, hauling Lex into his arms before he could object and carrying him to the bedroom. They slid under the covers and Lex let himself snuggle up to the strong, warm body of his lover.

"I love you, Kal, don’t ever doubt that," Lex whispered.

"Why would I doubt that?" Kal-El asked quietly.

Lex lifted his head. "I… I just want you to know," he sighed.

"Because of Bruce?" Kal-El asked, even more quietly than before. He’d noticed the tension between the two men, he knew they shared a past.

Lex frowned at his perceptive lover, "I…" then he sighed again, "Yes, I suppose so."

"Did you love him?" Kal-El both did and didn’t want to know. He felt a spark of jealousy, despite knowing Lex loved him.

"I really don’t know," Lex smiled ruefully, trying to be completely honest, as he only felt comfortable doing with Kal. "I thought I did at the time. It was a long time ago, Kal, and even then I knew something was missing. You complete me."

Kal-El sighed, a little wistfully, "I’ve always loved you, even before I knew you were real."

"Oh Kal." Lex blinked at the feel of tears prickling the backs of his eyes. He leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to Kal’s lips.

Kal-El wrapped himself round his lover and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Lex."

"Goodnight, love."

Part 20

Waking to the soft massage of lips on his scalp, Lex decided, was possibly the best in the world. "Kal?"

The lips formed a smile, then pulled away to brush a soft kiss against his ear. "Morning, my beautiful one."

Lex chuckled softly. "Feeling a bit sentimental today?" The arms round him finally loosened enough to let him turn and he smiled up at Kal’s goofy expression.

Kal-El nodded, quite unable to stop grinning. He felt so good, he didn’t think anything could upset him today. He was with Lex, they were safe, what more could he ask? Well apart from…

Lex only got a tiny warning by the widening of Kal’s smile before his lover leaned forward and claimed his lips passionately. He just managed to prevent himself from whimpering, but couldn’t stop himself from clutching at Kal, pulling him closer… didn’t even want to.

Unfortunately, they had things to do that they needed to get started on if they were going to end this. And Lex wanted it ended. He was *never* going to have Kal put in that position *ever* again. If he had to, he’d kill his father first.

"Lex?" Kal-El pulled away when he felt the distinctly dark edge to Lex’s thoughts.

"Sorry, love," Lex sighed.

Reluctantly, the couple got up and Kal-El helped Lex dress in some of the clothes he kept there. Kal-El was a different matter. Lex pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"You can probably use my underwear, and I think my t-shirts might fit you."

"That’s fine," Kal-El smiled at the thought of wearing Lex’s clothes. "Just clean is good."

Lex quite liked the idea of Kal wearing his clothes to, and when he saw the t-shirt stretched over his lover’s strong chest he wondered if maybe it would be a little distracting.

"Come on, let’s go," Lex sighed, there was no putting this off, no matter how much he just wanted to take Kal and run away to somewhere no one could find them. But running away was never a solution, and besides, his father would always find them. He had to destroy his father, that was their only chance. A warm hand cupped the back of his neck and Lex looked up.

Kal-El smiled down at his lover. He could feel the tension and worry in him. "It’s going to be fine, Lex. I know it."

"How do you know it, Kal?" Lex asked gently.

"Because it’s you," Kal-El leaned down and kissed his lover softly.

Lex had to smile. The complete faith Kal had in him was enough to let him face the coming day, Bruce *and* his father with real confidence. They made their way to the kitchen where the Kents were eating.

"Good morning, boys," Martha Kent greeted them. Jonathan Kent looked up from his food briefly, grunted, then looked away again. "Would you like some breakfast?" she continued, ignoring her husband.

Kal-El nodded avidly and Lex laughed, rubbing his back gently. "Thank you, Missus Kent." Sitting down, they joined the Kents for breakfast.

"How’s your shoulder, Lex?" Martha asked politely.

"Sore, but fine," Lex replied with a smile.

The door opened and Bruce strode in, he nodded a brief greeting to everyone and sat down opposite Lex.

"Kimmie and I have made a start," Bruce said without preamble. "Your shares are being transferred into your name and I’ve contacted Pam, she’ll transfer hers to you this morning."

Lex nodded, "Good, thank you. What has Kimmie found out?"

"Well, as far as the police are concerned, you’ve kidnapped by parties unknown and they are waiting for a ransom call. The FBI on the other hand are in Gotham, someone tipped them off about your contacts here," Bruce replied quietly.

"Someone being my father, of course," Lex’s expression darkened, "Well, they won’t find me, but they might make things difficult for you."

"Nothing I can’t cope with," Bruce smiled humourlessly. "But it makes me wonder what the FBI is investigating. I don’t think it’s kidnapping somehow."

"We have to move. As long as I know what’s going on, we’ll be fine. I’ve got the Daily Planet investigating him, pretty soon, I’ll own LuthorCorp, I’m going to destroy him completely."

Kal-El shivered a little, while Lex’s voice was dark and determined he could feel just a touch of pain in the back of his mind. Despite everything, Lionel was his father and all this was hurting him that it had come to this.

Kal-El took Lex’s hand and rubbed his wrist gently with his thumb. Lex glanced over and smiled, ignoring the mutter from Bruce. Kal-El stiffened. Unlike everyone else, he’d heard the derogatory comment the dark haired businessman had made and he glared at him.

"Have you got a problem?" Bruce snapped.

"I haven’t, no. You will have if you don’t keep your opinions to yourself," Kal-El replied quietly.

Bruce got to his feet abruptly, "Is that a threat, boy?"

"Just a warning," Kal-El looked up at him calmly, despite the way his heart was pounding.

Lex frowned, he could feel Kal’s tension, anger and he knew that it took a lot to provoke that in his lover. "Bruce, sit down and shut up." His ex-lover looked like he was going to say something and he raised his eyebrows. "Shut up. I don’t care what you said, but you’d better remember what I said," Lex’s voice was quiet, but full of menace and Bruce sat back down quietly.

Kal’s grip tightened briefly on Lex’s wrist and he petted his arm. "It’s fine, Kal."

"Yo, Lex, come here!" Kimmie’s voice penetrated the tension. Lex glared a warning at Bruce, before getting up to go to the study.

The Kents shifted uncomfortably as Kal-El and Bruce stared at each other.

"I don’t know what you think you’ve got going with Lex," Bruce said quietly, "But it won’t last."

Kal-El leaned forward over the table. "You think he’ll go back to you?"

"First love is always the most powerful," Bruce smirked.

Kal-El smiled suddenly. The other man was trying to bait him, but he had no idea of the relationship he and Lex had.

"What?" Bruce demanded.

"I *am* his first love, Bruce, we’ve always been each others’ first and only love," Kal-El said quietly, with a soft smile.

Lex hurried back to the kitchen. "We have to move now. My father is shipping meteor rock out of Smallville, I don’t want him to have a chance to use it."

Bruce pulled out a tiny cellphone and tapped a few keys. "Well, Lex, you’re ready. You now own the majority share of LuthorCorp, " he nodded in satisfaction.

"How is that possible?" Jonathan Kent asked.

"I’ve been planning this for a long time," Lex said quietly, "Let’s go. Bruce, are we flying?"

"Yeah, we can take the jet."

Part 21

"Just meet me there, I’ll explain when we get there…. Yes, we…. Bruce and some friends… Yes, Bruce Wayne," Lex sighed and shook his head, "Oh, for God’s sake, pull yourself together, Dominic, I swear you act like a teenage girl sometimes!"

"What was that all about?" Bruce asked raising an eyebrow.

"My father’s PA, he’s been working for me. That’s how I managed to get hold of a lot of the shares," Lex leaned back into Kal’s arms, "He has a crush on Bruce," he murmured in his lover’s ear.

Kal-El smirked and glanced at the dark haired man, who glared back at him. "Think Dominic stands a chance?" Kal-El whispered back.

Lex snorted, "Oh God, no. Dom’s an obsequious little toad, Bruce hates guys like that."

"Well, we already know he’s got good taste," Kal-El laughed.

"Guys, rude much?" Kimmie raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Kal-El glanced round the plane, a little embarrassed. The Kents were wrapped up together as closely as him and Lex, ignoring everyone else, Kimmie was chuckling quietly to herself and Bruce looked stiff and uncomfortable.

Lex just snorted. "Fuck off, Kimmie," he said pleasantly.

"Such language," she tutted, then laughed, shaking her head.

Bruce’s phone went off and he answered it, turning away. "Wayne, yes…. What?! Well fucking deal with it, I’ll be back tonight."

Lex looked up, startled, Bruce just *didn’t* swear. "What’s wrong?"

Bruce’s jaw clenched and he glared at the floor, "The Feds, sniffing round after you. They’re asking a lot of questions back at head office."

"What sorts of questions, Bruce?" Lex asked firmly. Kal’s grip on him tightened and he felt the apprehensiveness of his lover like a little niggle in the back of his head. He petted Kal’s arm soothingly.

"Insider trading, underworld dealings…"

"Bullshit!" Lex exclaimed, "Dad’s trying to pin some of his underhanded business on me."

"And I’m sure you’ve got it covered," Bruce smirked.

Kal-El smiled suddenly at the feeling of immense satisfaction he felt from Lex as the bald man nodded. It might still cause Lex the tiniest amount of pain for his father to act against him in such terrible ways, but to come up against Lionel Luthor and win was something he’d lived for all his life.

"Of course," Lex purred like a cat who’d gotten the cream. "The Daily Planet aren’t the only ones I’ve tipped off, the IRS, the DA, the EHA have all been investigating him for months."

The Kents looked startled. "Months?" Jonathan asked.

"I told you I’d been planning this a long time," Lex smirked. "I just hadn’t realised the importance of the Smallville plant till I was sent there." Lex turned to smile at Kal, "I’m glad I was, even if it was originally a trap."

"Me too," Kal-El gave Lex a tiny smile, flushing a little at the light in his lover’s eyes.

"Now, my father won’t have been expecting a take over if Dominic is right, and he usually is. Lionel thinks he’s omnipotent and he’s gotten a little careless, especially since he sent me to Smallville," Lex sat up and explained rapidly.

"Of course since everything with Kal-El, he’s rapidly trying to cover himself by trying pin his dirty dealings on me, which as I’ve explained is already dealt with. I own LuthorCorp, so I can I’m sure be especially helpful to the Feds," Lex leaned back into Kal’s arms again with a sigh.

"Our only real problem is dealing with my father and hopefully pre-empting any plans he has for the meteor rock. I have to warn all of you that I really cannot predict what his reaction is going to be, so please be on your guard."

He turned to Kal and cupped his face gently. "Especially you," he whispered.

"I’ll be fine," Kal-El whispered, leaning in for a gentle kiss, "I’ll keep an eye on him."

"So will I," Bruce said quickly, with a sneer at Kal-El, "You’re likely to be his first in his line of fire, as it were."

"That’s very touching of you, Bruce," Lex raised an eyebrow at his ex-lover, who apparently still hadn’t gotten the message, "But in case you hadn’t noticed, Kal is perfectly capable of dealing with any problems of that sort."

Kal-El had to grin just a little at the almost possessive way that Lex spoke.

"Oh really, is that why you’re so worried about the meteor rock then?" Bruce smirked.

Kal-El shivered a little at the cold tone of voice and the venomous glare directed at him, but more so from the suddenly and violently homicidal bent to his lover’s thoughts.

"You so much as think about using that bit of information and I won’t even kill you, I’ll make your life a living hell until you beg me for death," Lex hissed, furious at the implied threat in Bruce’s words.

The Kents withdrew subtly and Kal-El was tempted himself to pull away from his lover. But it was part of Lex, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t just as fiercely protective of Lex. After all, he’d already come to within an inch of killing the other man himself.

Bruce paled and sat back as Kal-El gently touched Lex’s arm.

Lex sighed and glanced at his lover. He’d felt the almost withdrawal followed immediately by acceptance from Kal, but he knew he’d worried his lover. Putting his hand over Kal’s, Lex smiled ruefully in apology and was reassured by a bright smile in return and a strong sense of love.

"Love you too," Lex whispered too quietly for anyone but Kal to hear him. Kal-El felt his grin widen for a second then he flushed at the Kents’ curious gazes.

"How can you…?" Jonathan started.

"What?" Kal-El asked quietly.

"You’re just going to sit there and accept him threatening another man’s life?!"

Lex glared at him, but before he or Kal could speak, they were interrupted.

"Oh please. If someone threatened Martha, are you telling me you wouldn’t kill to protect her?" Kimmie snorted.

Jonathan flushed and glanced over at his wife, who half shrugged and smiled gently. "No, I guess not."

"I’d do the same, Jon," Martha said quietly.

"I know." Jonathan hugged her tightly and Kal-El looked away, back to Lex.

Lex was psyching himself up for the moment he’d been waiting years for, to finally beat his father. Only now, he had an even better reason, better motivation and a better end result; Kal, and the freedom for the two of them to be together. He took Kal’s hand and squeezed tightly.

Finally they landed and Lex led the way out of the aircraft. Dominic was waiting for them.

"Well?" Lex raised an eyebrow impatiently.

Dominic tore his attention from Bruce. "Mr. Luthor is still unaware of the buyout, I’ve managed to keep it from him and the board, but it won’t remain that way for long."

"I know, that’s why we’re going to see him."

"Going? G-going to see him?" Dominic stuttered.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Lex enquired coldly.

"He’ll kill me!"

"Not if I kill you first, now get in the car," Lex barely rose his voice, but it was enough to get Dominic to jump and scramble into the limo. Lex sighed, he was definitely going to have to train up a new PA as soon as possible.

The drive was silent, but Kal-El could feel the tension, and not just from Lex. Everyone, except Kimmie, who looked as though she was enjoying herself, looked serious and possibly nervous.

The limo pulled up outside the front of LuthorCorp headquarters and they followed Lex into the building.

"Mr. Luthor!" The guard exclaimed.

"They’re all with me," Lex said sharply with a dismissive wave of his hand. He stalked past the front desk towards the private elevator.

"Should I let your father know…"

"No," Lex called back, interrupting the guard, "Besides," he muttered, "I’m sure he already knows we’re coming."

The tension built in the elevator ride and Kal-El was more and more worried about his lover. Lex smiled grimly and took Kal’s hand, to reassure which of them, he wasn’t certain.

The elevator opened directly into Lionel Luthor’s outer office and Lex led the way past the secretary, ignoring her when she tried to stop them. Without knocking, he opened the door and strode into the inner office.

A wave of nausea hit Kal-El and he staggered slightly before regaining control.

Lionel turned towards them, sneering. "Well Lex, come out of hiding I see."

Kal-El saw the meteor rock hanging round his neck and tried not to let it affect him.

"Hello, Dad," Lex said quietly.

"I see you felt the need to hide behind Wayne’s tailcoats as usual. Really Lex, do you need an entourage to invade my office?" Lionel laughed derisively.

"My office," Lex smiled unpleasantly.

"I beg your pardon?" Lionel frowned at them.

"As of this morning, *Dad*, I now own the majority share of LuthorCorp," Lex explained in a lazy drawl. Kal-El was the only one who knew that Lex’s heart was pounding, that his attitude was a well practiced mask. He stepped closer to Lex, trying to lend him strength.

"Not possible," Lionel snapped, "Dominic, what is this nonsense all about?"

"Your son has bought you out, Sir," Dominic said nervously, keeping a wary eye on his former boss.

Stiffening, Lionel walked over to his desk. "Well, isn’t it a good thing I’m always prepared?"

Before anyone could move, Lionel pulled out a gun and aimed it at Lex with a smirk. Kal-El nipped in front of his lover as the others backed away.

"Oh, you didn’t really think I wouldn’t be ready for you, did you boy? Lionel reached for a large box on top of his desk and flipped the lid open. Kal-El dropped to his knees with a cry, the nausea intensifying as pain hit him. Lex staggered under the pain he could feel from Kal.

"Lionel!" Bruce snapped suddenly, "You kill Lex, all he owns goes to me."

Lionel glanced over at the other businessman, "I’ll just have to kill you too then, won’t I?"

Lex dropped down next to Kal and wrapped an arm round him. "I’m sorry," he whispered.

"Don’t," Kal-El struggled to get the word out, "Love you."

Lex stared up at his father, waiting for the end, wishing he could find some way to stop this, protect Kal. Lionel stared back grimly, taking aim.

"No!" Kimmie, Bruce and Jonathan all moved at the same time, rushing forward to try and stop him. Jerking the gun up, Lionel fired. Lex shut his eyes, trying to push Kal’s pain to the back of his mind. He had to do something!

He heard his father shout and another shot rang off. Suddenly the pain was gone. Kal-El sucked in a breath of relief and looked up.

"Oh my God, Jonathan!" Martha rushed over to her blood covered husband.

"I’m okay," Jonathan said quietly, blinking in shock.

Standing slowly, Lex helped Kal to his feet as he took in the scene. Bruce was on the floor, clutching his leg and Jonathan Kent was standing over his father’s body. Kimmie had been the one to shut the box of meteor rock.

Stunned, Lex walked slowly over to his father and looked down. He was dead. He was really dead. Kal-El hurried over, despite the nausea from the rock still round Lionel Luthor’s neck and turned Lex around, pulling him into his arms. Lex dropped his head onto Kal’s shoulder, drawing in a shaky breath.

"It’s over," he whispered.

"Yeah," Kal-El said softly. He pulled back and gently kissed his lover, "Lex, people are coming, do you want to go?"

Lex took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, I have to deal with this." He gave Kal a reassuring squeeze, "I’ll be okay, love." Kal-El nodded and stepped back. "Bruce, you okay?" Lex asked.

"I would be if Dominic would get *off* me," Bruce shoved the PA away from him and Kimmie took his place, tying her belt tightly around his thigh above the wound.

"Thank you," he winced.

"You’re welcome," she grinned.

Lex glanced back at the Kents who were holding each other. "Thank you," he said quietly, "For saving our lives."

Jonathan nodded curtly.

Nodding back, Lex faced the door again, ready for the police. Kal-El took his place next to him, slipping his hand into Lex’s.

Epilogue

"Kal?" Lex called out as he dropped his keys on the sideboard. He knew his lover was home, he could feel his presence. A rush of air was Lex’s only warning before he was scooped up into his lover’s arms and kissed thoroughly.

"I take it you missed me?" Lex asked with a grin.

Kal-El grinned back, "You know I did. Come on, I got something to show you."

"Oh?" Lex leered at him.

Kal-El smirked, "Later, lover."

Lex pouted, but allowed Kal to tug him into the den. He didn’t see anything. "What?" he asked.

"Just a sec." Kal-El moved to the centre of the room and span round.

Lex blinked, then he grinned, then he started laughing.

"You don’t like it?" Kal-El asked, hurt.

"Sp-spandex?" Lex spluttered.

"Well, it needs to be tight so my bioforce protects it," Kal-El sniffed.

Lex struggled for control as he could feel Kal’s hurt feelings. "I’m sorry, it was just a surprise, I mean, blue and red spandex?"

Kal-El crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "Well Kimmie said it was sexy."

Lex stopped laughing immediately. "Kimmie had better keep her eyes to herself," he snapped.

Kal-El grinned, "Oh really?"

Stepping right up to his lover, Lex glowered possessively, "Yes really, you belong to *me*."

"Sure do." Kal-El dropped a quick kiss onto his lover’s lips before darting away from his grip.

"Kal," Lex growled, stalking after the other man.

"Lex," Kal-El shot back in the same tone, "Don’t you have something to tell me?"

Lex frowned, then sighed and dropped onto the couch. "Okay, okay. At least come here though, I want to get comfortable."

Grinning again, Kal-El jumped onto the couch and snuggled up to his lover.

"We finished dismantling the lab and all the meteor rock is destroyed or about to be, thank God," Lex shuddered, "I don’t want *anyone* to be able to use that against you." Kal-El pulled him closer, kissing his head gently.

"Anyway," Lex continued "We got a big surprise."

"Oh?" Kal-El asked.

"Your ship." Lex smiled.

"Really?" Kal-El breathed out heavily in surprise.

"Yeah. Once we figure out how to open it, maybe we’ll actually know where you came from and why." Lex leaned in for another kiss.

"Wow," Kal-El whispered against Lex’s lips. "Wait, what if it’s bad?" he asked worriedly.

Lex frowned in bemusement, "Nothing to do with you could be bad, love, nothing."

"Lex." Kal-El smiled softly and kissed his lover.

Slowly moving back until they were lying on the couch, Lex tugged Kal on top of him.

"I love you, Lex," Kal-El whispered.

"I love you too, Kal," Lex whispered back, "Now, how do you open this damned suit?"

Kal-El laughed happily.

fin