Ficlet: Life's Beginning
Title: Life's Beginning
Author: hils
Rating: PG
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Words: 2004
Summary: What happens now?
Inspired by bagheera_san's idea to write a missing scene ficlet for each new episode. This is my offering for Arctic.
Thanks to danceswithgary for the beta and thanks to myfablexy and notsowise_sage for working through my issues with me
In truth, Lex hadn’t expected the roof to fall in on them when he activated the device, but by some miracle, when the ice stopped falling he was still alive, cold, and pinned on top of Clark. There was a time when he would have rejoiced at having Clark’s body so close to his like this, but now he just felt flat and empty with the underlying pain of betrayal. He glanced down but couldn’t see much in the dim light.
“Clark?”
No answer.
“Clark, say something. Are you hurt?”
He shouldn’t care, especially after discovering Clark had been lying to him for the past seven years, but some habits are hard to break.
“No.”
Lex shivered, and not because of the huge slabs of ice that were piled on his back. The voice that answered him had been flat and lifeless.
“Can you move?”
No answer
“Clark, answer me! Can you move?”
“Yes.”
He made no effort to do so.
Lex shivered again. This time it was mostly due to the cold, but only mostly. Realisation was starting to dawn on him. He’d wanted control of the traveller and now he had it. All that was left of Clark was a pliant, empty shell.
“Clark, I want you to get us out of here. Carefully.”
There was a burst of heat near his right ear. It wasn't enough to burn him, but did cause him some discomfort. He assumed it was coming from Clark and, as the ice melted around them, he made a mental note to find out the exact extent of Clark’s powers when they were somewhere warmer.
The weight lifted from his back, and he was finally able to stand, cold and shivering in what was left of Clark’s fortress. It was only then he noticed he still held the glowing device that controlled Clark. He slipped it into his pocket without a word.
“Take me back to my penthouse in Metropolis,” he ordered Clark.
Clark scooped him up in his arms, and they were standing in his living room before he had time to blink, with no idea how. Well, whatever Clark had done, it explained how he'd always managed to be in the right place at the right time.
Now Lex had to figure out what to do next. People would soon notice Clark was missing, and it wouldn’t be long before Chloe and Lois started digging for answers. Even if he sent Clark back to them with instructions to act normally, he doubted the two women would buy it. They were both far too smart for their own good.
Lex paced as he thought, while Clark stood tall and still in the middle of the room, looking like one of the Greek statues Lex had always admired as a boy.
Finally, he halted in front of Clark. He'd decided that Chloe and Lois could wait for now. He’d figure out how to deal with them later. First, there were things he needed to know.
“Clark, tell me everything about yourself. I want to know where you come from, what powers you have, and why you came to Earth.”
Clark answered immediately in the same flat voice he’d used in the Arctic. “My name is Kal-El. I am from the planet Krypton.”
Clark was an alien, but that wasn't news to Lex.
“Tell me about Krypton. How far away is it?”
“The planet Krypton was located fifty light years from your solar system. It was destroyed when the sun, Rao, went supernova. I was sent to Earth by my biological parents when my home planet faced imminent destruction.”
That meant Clark was one of a few survivors of a dead race. Lex wasn’t sure if that made him more or less dangerous than he’d previously believed.
“And tell me about your abilities. What exactly are you able to do that humans can’t?”
“My powers are movement beyond the speed of sound, extreme strength, heat projected from my eyes, enhanced vision and hearing, and strong breath projection.”
This was incredible! Lex decided that when they were finished talking he needed a demonstration of all the powers. If he could understand them, then they could be of huge benefit to humanity.
Lex blinked. Much of what Clark was telling him he'd already suspected, but it was strange to hear him speak about it with no lies and no diversions.
“And what about your plan to rule Earth?” Lex pressed. “How far advanced are they?”
No reply.
“Clark, answer me. Tell me about your plan.”
“I have no plan to rule this planet,” Clark replied.
“Because I stopped you?” Lex asked.
Nothing.
“Answer me! What happened to your plan?”
“I have never had a plan to rule this planet,” Clark answered.
Lex was beginning to understand how the object worked. Clark would only respond to direct instructions, not indirect questions. His heart was pounding now. If what Clark was saying was true, Lex had possibly made a huge mistake. Somehow, he was certain Clark was telling the truth, was being the most honest he’d been in the entire time they’d known each other, and that meant Lex had just eliminated a threat that had never existed.
“Was our friendship real?” he finally asked softly. “Have I destroyed it?”
Clark remained still and silent and, for a moment, Lex could feel tears stinging in his eyes. He blinked them away.
“Clark, please tell me whether our friendship was genuine.”
“It was.”
Lex barely choked back a sob. He’d done it again. He'd managed to utterly destroy the one good thing in his life. He no longer had any doubts that he was cursed, destined to be alone and miserable for the rest of his life. Unless….
He hesitated for a few moments, considering what he was about to do before the words left his lips.
“Clark, kiss me.”
A second later, he felt Clark’s lips upon his and, less than a second after that, he realised what a mistake it had been. It wasn’t a real kiss. There was no passion or feeling behind it, just an obedient Clark, standing rigid with his lips pressed against Lex’s in a parody of love.
Lex pulled back with a groan.
“I have to fix this,” he muttered to himself. “I have to make it right.”
His hands closed around the orb weighing heavy in his pocket, and he silently chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner. He stumbled across the room and placed the alien object on the heavy marble coffee table in his living room, his eyes scanning for the right tool. He settled on a stone bust of Aphrodite. It seemed somehow fitting.
As he raised the statue above his head, he hesitated, worry ricocheting through his mind. What if it didn’t work? What if Clark stayed bound to him forever?
Lex knew he had to chance it. He needed his Clark back.
The statue descended in a direct hit atop the orb, shattering it. A coruscating pulse of energy sent Lex flying across the room until he hit the wall with a heavy thud. For a moment, everything went dark.
When Lex came to his senses, Clark was gone.
* * *
It was several days later when he next saw Clark in person. After the incident at the penthouse, it hadn’t taken Lex long to find out that Clark had returned to the farm and was apparently back to normal. He wanted badly to go to Clark and to talk to him about everything that had happened, but he knew that, for once, he had to keep his distance if he was to stand any chance of enticing Clark back into his life.
Eventually, Clark approached him.
“Hi, Lex. Lois told me you were in,” Clark admitted shyly, poking his head around the door of Lex’s office. It was certainly a marked change from the days when Clark used to burst into rooms that Lex occupied.
“Come in, Clark.” Lex rose from his seat and greeted his former friend in what he hoped was a warm voice. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?”
Lex was talking too much, and he knew it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
“I hear Lois supplied you with one of our job applications. I can promise you that any history we have…I mean had…will be discarded at the door if you decide to take the position we're offering. You’re a talented writer, Clark. You have been as long as I’ve known you.”
It was only then that he realised Clark was looking anywhere but at him.
“Clark?”
“Why did you make me kiss you?” was the mumbled response.
Lex winced at the uncomfortable question. He'd never imagined Clark would remember what had happened while he was under Lex's control. It had been a foolish assumption to make.
“I’m sorry, Clark,” Lex apologised sincerely. “I just…well, it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I knew you would never…. It was wrong. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
Clark shrugged away the apology. “I suppose, after everything else you did to me, a kiss should be nothing.”
“I don’t know what else to say.” Lex sank back into his chair, his voice subdued. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I hope that one day you might consider it. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”
Clark sighed and took a seat. “That’s the problem, Lex. You always think you’re doing the right thing, and you surround yourself with people who are too scared to tell you otherwise.”
“Oddly enough, I never had that particular issue when we were friends.”
Clark nodded again, biting his lip as though he was still considering whether what he was doing was the right thing. “That’s why I’m taking the job here. You can deny it all you like, Lex, but you need me.”
“What about you, Clark,” Lex asked curiously. “What do you need?”
“A quiet life,” Clark admitted softly. “And a normal job.”
Lex couldn’t help but smile. “So Clark Kent, mild-mannered farmboy, transforms into Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter?”
“I could always just leave, Lex,” he suggested, rising to his feet. “Disappear and create a whole new life for myself.”
“No!” Lex leapt to his feet and didn’t realise he’d shouted until his assistant cautiously peered around the door.
“Uh…Mr. Luthor, I was just about to head out for lunch and I just wanted to check if you needed anything before I go.”
Lex took a deep breath. “No, I don't. Thank you, Sylvia. I’m fine. You can go now.”
She nodded and closed the door quietly behind her.
“I’ll agree to whatever you want,” Lex promised, once he was sure Sylvia was gone. “Just…don’t leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Lex. Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”
Lex chuckled. “Well, I’m glad they’ll be your eyes. They’re such a pretty colour.”
He was amused to see that, in spite of everything that had happened between them, he was still able to make Clark Kent blush.
“I should go,” Clark finally said.
Lex nodded. “You'll start work on Monday. I don’t think we need to bother with the interview process in this case. I know exactly how capable you are.”
Clark nodded, but made no further effort to leave. “Lex, just because you know the truth about me now, it doesn’t mean I won’t expose you if I discover you’re doing anything illegal or immoral.”
“With you around, Clark, I won’t want to.”
Clark flashed him a pleased smile and nodded again. “Then, I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Monday.”
As Clark closed the door behind him, Lex slowly resumed his seat. That hadn’t gone at all as he’d expected, but that was joy of having Clark around. Nothing was ever straightforward.
After a rocky beginning, Clark had a new life, and Lex had a fresh start.
The legend could truly begin.
The End
Author: hils
Rating: PG
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Words: 2004
Summary: What happens now?
Inspired by bagheera_san's idea to write a missing scene ficlet for each new episode. This is my offering for Arctic.
Thanks to danceswithgary for the beta and thanks to myfablexy and notsowise_sage for working through my issues with me
In truth, Lex hadn’t expected the roof to fall in on them when he activated the device, but by some miracle, when the ice stopped falling he was still alive, cold, and pinned on top of Clark. There was a time when he would have rejoiced at having Clark’s body so close to his like this, but now he just felt flat and empty with the underlying pain of betrayal. He glanced down but couldn’t see much in the dim light.
“Clark?”
No answer.
“Clark, say something. Are you hurt?”
He shouldn’t care, especially after discovering Clark had been lying to him for the past seven years, but some habits are hard to break.
“No.”
Lex shivered, and not because of the huge slabs of ice that were piled on his back. The voice that answered him had been flat and lifeless.
“Can you move?”
No answer
“Clark, answer me! Can you move?”
“Yes.”
He made no effort to do so.
Lex shivered again. This time it was mostly due to the cold, but only mostly. Realisation was starting to dawn on him. He’d wanted control of the traveller and now he had it. All that was left of Clark was a pliant, empty shell.
“Clark, I want you to get us out of here. Carefully.”
There was a burst of heat near his right ear. It wasn't enough to burn him, but did cause him some discomfort. He assumed it was coming from Clark and, as the ice melted around them, he made a mental note to find out the exact extent of Clark’s powers when they were somewhere warmer.
The weight lifted from his back, and he was finally able to stand, cold and shivering in what was left of Clark’s fortress. It was only then he noticed he still held the glowing device that controlled Clark. He slipped it into his pocket without a word.
“Take me back to my penthouse in Metropolis,” he ordered Clark.
Clark scooped him up in his arms, and they were standing in his living room before he had time to blink, with no idea how. Well, whatever Clark had done, it explained how he'd always managed to be in the right place at the right time.
Now Lex had to figure out what to do next. People would soon notice Clark was missing, and it wouldn’t be long before Chloe and Lois started digging for answers. Even if he sent Clark back to them with instructions to act normally, he doubted the two women would buy it. They were both far too smart for their own good.
Lex paced as he thought, while Clark stood tall and still in the middle of the room, looking like one of the Greek statues Lex had always admired as a boy.
Finally, he halted in front of Clark. He'd decided that Chloe and Lois could wait for now. He’d figure out how to deal with them later. First, there were things he needed to know.
“Clark, tell me everything about yourself. I want to know where you come from, what powers you have, and why you came to Earth.”
Clark answered immediately in the same flat voice he’d used in the Arctic. “My name is Kal-El. I am from the planet Krypton.”
Clark was an alien, but that wasn't news to Lex.
“Tell me about Krypton. How far away is it?”
“The planet Krypton was located fifty light years from your solar system. It was destroyed when the sun, Rao, went supernova. I was sent to Earth by my biological parents when my home planet faced imminent destruction.”
That meant Clark was one of a few survivors of a dead race. Lex wasn’t sure if that made him more or less dangerous than he’d previously believed.
“And tell me about your abilities. What exactly are you able to do that humans can’t?”
“My powers are movement beyond the speed of sound, extreme strength, heat projected from my eyes, enhanced vision and hearing, and strong breath projection.”
This was incredible! Lex decided that when they were finished talking he needed a demonstration of all the powers. If he could understand them, then they could be of huge benefit to humanity.
Lex blinked. Much of what Clark was telling him he'd already suspected, but it was strange to hear him speak about it with no lies and no diversions.
“And what about your plan to rule Earth?” Lex pressed. “How far advanced are they?”
No reply.
“Clark, answer me. Tell me about your plan.”
“I have no plan to rule this planet,” Clark replied.
“Because I stopped you?” Lex asked.
Nothing.
“Answer me! What happened to your plan?”
“I have never had a plan to rule this planet,” Clark answered.
Lex was beginning to understand how the object worked. Clark would only respond to direct instructions, not indirect questions. His heart was pounding now. If what Clark was saying was true, Lex had possibly made a huge mistake. Somehow, he was certain Clark was telling the truth, was being the most honest he’d been in the entire time they’d known each other, and that meant Lex had just eliminated a threat that had never existed.
“Was our friendship real?” he finally asked softly. “Have I destroyed it?”
Clark remained still and silent and, for a moment, Lex could feel tears stinging in his eyes. He blinked them away.
“Clark, please tell me whether our friendship was genuine.”
“It was.”
Lex barely choked back a sob. He’d done it again. He'd managed to utterly destroy the one good thing in his life. He no longer had any doubts that he was cursed, destined to be alone and miserable for the rest of his life. Unless….
He hesitated for a few moments, considering what he was about to do before the words left his lips.
“Clark, kiss me.”
A second later, he felt Clark’s lips upon his and, less than a second after that, he realised what a mistake it had been. It wasn’t a real kiss. There was no passion or feeling behind it, just an obedient Clark, standing rigid with his lips pressed against Lex’s in a parody of love.
Lex pulled back with a groan.
“I have to fix this,” he muttered to himself. “I have to make it right.”
His hands closed around the orb weighing heavy in his pocket, and he silently chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner. He stumbled across the room and placed the alien object on the heavy marble coffee table in his living room, his eyes scanning for the right tool. He settled on a stone bust of Aphrodite. It seemed somehow fitting.
As he raised the statue above his head, he hesitated, worry ricocheting through his mind. What if it didn’t work? What if Clark stayed bound to him forever?
Lex knew he had to chance it. He needed his Clark back.
The statue descended in a direct hit atop the orb, shattering it. A coruscating pulse of energy sent Lex flying across the room until he hit the wall with a heavy thud. For a moment, everything went dark.
When Lex came to his senses, Clark was gone.
* * *
It was several days later when he next saw Clark in person. After the incident at the penthouse, it hadn’t taken Lex long to find out that Clark had returned to the farm and was apparently back to normal. He wanted badly to go to Clark and to talk to him about everything that had happened, but he knew that, for once, he had to keep his distance if he was to stand any chance of enticing Clark back into his life.
Eventually, Clark approached him.
“Hi, Lex. Lois told me you were in,” Clark admitted shyly, poking his head around the door of Lex’s office. It was certainly a marked change from the days when Clark used to burst into rooms that Lex occupied.
“Come in, Clark.” Lex rose from his seat and greeted his former friend in what he hoped was a warm voice. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?”
Lex was talking too much, and he knew it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
“I hear Lois supplied you with one of our job applications. I can promise you that any history we have…I mean had…will be discarded at the door if you decide to take the position we're offering. You’re a talented writer, Clark. You have been as long as I’ve known you.”
It was only then that he realised Clark was looking anywhere but at him.
“Clark?”
“Why did you make me kiss you?” was the mumbled response.
Lex winced at the uncomfortable question. He'd never imagined Clark would remember what had happened while he was under Lex's control. It had been a foolish assumption to make.
“I’m sorry, Clark,” Lex apologised sincerely. “I just…well, it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I knew you would never…. It was wrong. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
Clark shrugged away the apology. “I suppose, after everything else you did to me, a kiss should be nothing.”
“I don’t know what else to say.” Lex sank back into his chair, his voice subdued. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I hope that one day you might consider it. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”
Clark sighed and took a seat. “That’s the problem, Lex. You always think you’re doing the right thing, and you surround yourself with people who are too scared to tell you otherwise.”
“Oddly enough, I never had that particular issue when we were friends.”
Clark nodded again, biting his lip as though he was still considering whether what he was doing was the right thing. “That’s why I’m taking the job here. You can deny it all you like, Lex, but you need me.”
“What about you, Clark,” Lex asked curiously. “What do you need?”
“A quiet life,” Clark admitted softly. “And a normal job.”
Lex couldn’t help but smile. “So Clark Kent, mild-mannered farmboy, transforms into Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter?”
“I could always just leave, Lex,” he suggested, rising to his feet. “Disappear and create a whole new life for myself.”
“No!” Lex leapt to his feet and didn’t realise he’d shouted until his assistant cautiously peered around the door.
“Uh…Mr. Luthor, I was just about to head out for lunch and I just wanted to check if you needed anything before I go.”
Lex took a deep breath. “No, I don't. Thank you, Sylvia. I’m fine. You can go now.”
She nodded and closed the door quietly behind her.
“I’ll agree to whatever you want,” Lex promised, once he was sure Sylvia was gone. “Just…don’t leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Lex. Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”
Lex chuckled. “Well, I’m glad they’ll be your eyes. They’re such a pretty colour.”
He was amused to see that, in spite of everything that had happened between them, he was still able to make Clark Kent blush.
“I should go,” Clark finally said.
Lex nodded. “You'll start work on Monday. I don’t think we need to bother with the interview process in this case. I know exactly how capable you are.”
Clark nodded, but made no further effort to leave. “Lex, just because you know the truth about me now, it doesn’t mean I won’t expose you if I discover you’re doing anything illegal or immoral.”
“With you around, Clark, I won’t want to.”
Clark flashed him a pleased smile and nodded again. “Then, I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Monday.”
As Clark closed the door behind him, Lex slowly resumed his seat. That hadn’t gone at all as he’d expected, but that was joy of having Clark around. Nothing was ever straightforward.
After a rocky beginning, Clark had a new life, and Lex had a fresh start.
The legend could truly begin.
The End