Putting the Pieces Together - August 22nd
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 22
Title: Putting the Pieces Together
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Smallville
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Smallville people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena and Clark realize something about each other.
Notes: Athena Luthor Part 17 - Links Page
Seasons: S1 Christmastime
Characters: Athena, Lex, Clark
Word Count: 1625
Athena leaned her head against the seat of Lex’s Porsche and rubbed her right temple as Lex drove them towards the mansion.
“Are you okay?” Lex asked.
“No, I have a headache that I actually forgot could exist this large and leave its subject alive.”
He frowned, concerned. “You got oxygen and water.”
Athena grinned. “Not from the methane, Lex. This is the headache I associate with any amount of time spent with Father.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. “I hate that persona so much.”
“Which one?”
“Athena Luthor, dutiful daughter.”
“Is that why you came to Smallville?”
“I had to, or I’d have completely disappeared into Father’s shadow without making a single mark of my own.”
Lex looked over at her. “You’re really afraid of that?”
“I was, until I started to figure out who I am.” She reached over to squeeze his forearm. “The shit Father said…you know it’s not true. I’d rather have your back than take your place.”
Lex placed his free hand over hers. “I’d rather do it with you at my side.” He squeezed her fingers. “Either way, I’d rather it be with the Athena who gets in her shots than with the mask you wear to appease Father.”
“It’s just hard,” she told him, opening her eyes and removing her hand. “He doesn’t love us like a normal parent does, maybe in his own way deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down…but that’s not exactly comforting when you’re four.”
“Or nine,” Lex agreed. “Promise me you’ll try it without the persona. Just be Athena. Even if Father doesn’t approve of her, I love you.”
She leaned over and laid her head against his arm. “I love you too, Lex.”
They were quiet for a long while. Then Lex spoke.
“You and Clark make quite a team.”
She sighed. “I know.”
“How did you two manage to pull Earl and me up?”
“I’m a superhero, Lex,” she told him truthfully, “I can lift five or six times my weight.”
“Is that so?” he asked, amused.
“Yep.”
88888888
Clark frowned as he looked at the loft stairs. Athena stood with a set of keys in her right hand and a small box in her left.
“You didn’t stick around to pick these up,” she said softly. Her demeanor uncertain, but a small grin on her face.
“I forgot that I didn’t have them,” he admitted. “How are you?”
“Good. The cut on my heel healed itself about an hour into the hostage situation. Almost like the higher my adrenaline got, the faster it stitched myself back together.” She slowly crossed the loft and set the box on the edge of the table farthest from Clark. She handed over his keys. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I don’t have a good reason for it, except my father has driven me crazy over the years, so I tend to become a very obedient automaton when he’s around.”
“Defense mechanism?”
“A terrible one, but yes.” She sighed. “Lex and I talked about it…I’m going to try and stop using it.”
Clark stood and went around the table to study her. “So that thing about not being seen with you in front of the press…”
“Oh God, Clark, that’s to protect your secret. I would hate for me to be the reason-”
Clark pulled her close and kissed her. It was a deep kiss, like he was trying to find something. Just as suddenly he pulled a hair’s breath away. “I love you, Athena.”
Athena felt her heart stutter in her chest before running full gallop. She gasped slightly. “I love you too, Clark.” Once the words were out, she understood how true they were.
Clark’s lips claimed hers again. Athena gave in with her whole being, then slowly pulled back.
“We need to talk,” Athena said. She picked up the little metal box and sat down on his couch.
Clark was grinning as he followed her to sit. “What’s that?”
She swallowed and shook her head. “I’m not generally a stupid person. So my mind has been working on a puzzle for the last couple of weeks. After the incident at the plant…I figured it out.” She showed him the closed little metal box. “This is a lead box. It’s said to have been forged from the armor of St. George, a dragon slayer.”
“Sounds perfect for you,” he said.
“Lex gifted it to me when I was ten, he got it from Father when he was twelve.” She set the box on the table and removed her hands. “It holds a substance that I believe…is harmful to you.”
Clark’s smile fell as he looked at the box. “What do you mean?”
“I had not been actively trying to figure it out,” she told him. “I promise, I was not searching for it. My mind just put the pieces together, and something about Earl’s description about green mist reminded me of Lana’s necklace…which I found glowing on you when you were scarecrowed. Something you should have been able to get out of without help. I revisited the warehouse where I fought Greg, there were pieces all over the place. And I remembered there was an abundance of it in Jodi’s garden soil…” She took a deep breath. “Meteor rock.”
Clark stared at her in surprise. She had put together in a few months what it had taken him and his parents twelve years to realize. Given there was a lot more meteor rocks unearthed nowadays.
Athena stared at her hands. “I’d never use it against you, Clark.” She told him. “But I didn’t want to hide that I knew.” She told him.
“Why did you bring it here?” he asked.
“To show you there are ways to prevent it from being dangerous. Lead blocks the specific radiation given off by the meteor rocks, making them harmless while concealed.”
“How did you find that out?”
Athena sighed. “Because Lex and I found traces of Father’s research into the meteor rock, which included a radiation analysis.”
Clark sat staring at the box.
Quietly, Athena stood, she felt her heart breaking a little. The only way to keep him safe, was to make sure he avoided what could hurt him. With that secret, she had the ability to destroy him.
Clark picked up the box and steeled himself for the pain associated with the meteor rock. The hinge squeaked but there was no pain. He looked up to find Athena gone. She was so quiet when she wanted to be.
He rushed down the stairs and out of the barn.
“Hey, son,” Jonathan said. “I thought you were working on homework.”
“Athena stopped by.” He handed the box to his father. “She figured out my weakness.” Clark turned and sped away.
Jonathan threw down his tools and looked up as Martha approached him.
“Where did he go?” Martha asked.
“I don’t know.” He swallowed. “Athena uncovered Clark’s weakness.” He held up the box.
“Oh, no…”
Jonathan opened the box, surprised not to find the glowing green meteor rock that caused Clark harm. Instead there was just a piece of notebook paper. Martha pulled it out and opened it to find a drawing of a rock, bits of it were colored green.
“Oh,” Martha breathed in relief.
Clark knew the direct line between his barn and the Luthor Mansion. He spotted Athena in a drift of snow. She was stomping through it, kicking snow. She stopped and looked up when he approached.
Clark shook his head. “I opened the box.”
Athena sighed. “I knew you would.”
“Why…?”
“Because I need you to understand that I would not hurt you. Those aren’t just words.” She watched him.
Clark stopped in front of her. “I know.”
“Do you, really?”
“Yes. The same way I know that I love you.” He watched her. “I was surprised.”
“Because I found out about it?”
“No.” He took her hands, pulling her close. “Because the first thing you did was try and find a way to protect me from it.”
She frowned at him. “What else would I do?”
Clark smiled down at her. “I spent my entire life imagining worst case scenarios about people finding out my secrets. You have disproved every one of them.” He lifted her off her feet, an arm around her waist, so he could stand straight and look her in the eye. “I’ll never be able to explain the freedom being honest with you gives me.”
“I can’t imagine,” Athena whispered, pressing her bare hands to his cheeks.
“You never have to,” he promised.
88888888
“Um,” Athena stared at the card in her hand. “Do we plan to go?”
Lex sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, we have to fulfill one of the LuthorCorp invitations.”
“Why this one?” she asked.
“It’s close. And we were invited separately, which means we can bring dates, and Father will not be there.”
“Where is Father going to be?”
“Star City at the invite of the Queens for their holiday party the day after.”
“Small favors,” Athena said.
“Just try to be yourself,” he reminded her.
“I know. First time leaving the mask behind.”
“Who are you going to invite to be your plus one?”
“No one. I don’t have anyone I hate enough to make suffer through this.” She thought about it. “Not to mention this is just days before Christmas…”
“True,” he acknowledged.
“What about you?” she asked.
“There are a few women in my past who would love the opportunity to accompany me.”
“You think way too highly of yourself.”
He smiled. “Not all of us find love on a Kansas farm.”
Athena balled up the envelope she held and threw it at his head. “Shut up.”
Title: Putting the Pieces Together
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Smallville
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Smallville people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena and Clark realize something about each other.
Notes: Athena Luthor Part 17 - Links Page
Seasons: S1 Christmastime
Characters: Athena, Lex, Clark
Word Count: 1625
Athena leaned her head against the seat of Lex’s Porsche and rubbed her right temple as Lex drove them towards the mansion.
“Are you okay?” Lex asked.
“No, I have a headache that I actually forgot could exist this large and leave its subject alive.”
He frowned, concerned. “You got oxygen and water.”
Athena grinned. “Not from the methane, Lex. This is the headache I associate with any amount of time spent with Father.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. “I hate that persona so much.”
“Which one?”
“Athena Luthor, dutiful daughter.”
“Is that why you came to Smallville?”
“I had to, or I’d have completely disappeared into Father’s shadow without making a single mark of my own.”
Lex looked over at her. “You’re really afraid of that?”
“I was, until I started to figure out who I am.” She reached over to squeeze his forearm. “The shit Father said…you know it’s not true. I’d rather have your back than take your place.”
Lex placed his free hand over hers. “I’d rather do it with you at my side.” He squeezed her fingers. “Either way, I’d rather it be with the Athena who gets in her shots than with the mask you wear to appease Father.”
“It’s just hard,” she told him, opening her eyes and removing her hand. “He doesn’t love us like a normal parent does, maybe in his own way deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down…but that’s not exactly comforting when you’re four.”
“Or nine,” Lex agreed. “Promise me you’ll try it without the persona. Just be Athena. Even if Father doesn’t approve of her, I love you.”
She leaned over and laid her head against his arm. “I love you too, Lex.”
They were quiet for a long while. Then Lex spoke.
“You and Clark make quite a team.”
She sighed. “I know.”
“How did you two manage to pull Earl and me up?”
“I’m a superhero, Lex,” she told him truthfully, “I can lift five or six times my weight.”
“Is that so?” he asked, amused.
“Yep.”
88888888
Clark frowned as he looked at the loft stairs. Athena stood with a set of keys in her right hand and a small box in her left.
“You didn’t stick around to pick these up,” she said softly. Her demeanor uncertain, but a small grin on her face.
“I forgot that I didn’t have them,” he admitted. “How are you?”
“Good. The cut on my heel healed itself about an hour into the hostage situation. Almost like the higher my adrenaline got, the faster it stitched myself back together.” She slowly crossed the loft and set the box on the edge of the table farthest from Clark. She handed over his keys. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I don’t have a good reason for it, except my father has driven me crazy over the years, so I tend to become a very obedient automaton when he’s around.”
“Defense mechanism?”
“A terrible one, but yes.” She sighed. “Lex and I talked about it…I’m going to try and stop using it.”
Clark stood and went around the table to study her. “So that thing about not being seen with you in front of the press…”
“Oh God, Clark, that’s to protect your secret. I would hate for me to be the reason-”
Clark pulled her close and kissed her. It was a deep kiss, like he was trying to find something. Just as suddenly he pulled a hair’s breath away. “I love you, Athena.”
Athena felt her heart stutter in her chest before running full gallop. She gasped slightly. “I love you too, Clark.” Once the words were out, she understood how true they were.
Clark’s lips claimed hers again. Athena gave in with her whole being, then slowly pulled back.
“We need to talk,” Athena said. She picked up the little metal box and sat down on his couch.
Clark was grinning as he followed her to sit. “What’s that?”
She swallowed and shook her head. “I’m not generally a stupid person. So my mind has been working on a puzzle for the last couple of weeks. After the incident at the plant…I figured it out.” She showed him the closed little metal box. “This is a lead box. It’s said to have been forged from the armor of St. George, a dragon slayer.”
“Sounds perfect for you,” he said.
“Lex gifted it to me when I was ten, he got it from Father when he was twelve.” She set the box on the table and removed her hands. “It holds a substance that I believe…is harmful to you.”
Clark’s smile fell as he looked at the box. “What do you mean?”
“I had not been actively trying to figure it out,” she told him. “I promise, I was not searching for it. My mind just put the pieces together, and something about Earl’s description about green mist reminded me of Lana’s necklace…which I found glowing on you when you were scarecrowed. Something you should have been able to get out of without help. I revisited the warehouse where I fought Greg, there were pieces all over the place. And I remembered there was an abundance of it in Jodi’s garden soil…” She took a deep breath. “Meteor rock.”
Clark stared at her in surprise. She had put together in a few months what it had taken him and his parents twelve years to realize. Given there was a lot more meteor rocks unearthed nowadays.
Athena stared at her hands. “I’d never use it against you, Clark.” She told him. “But I didn’t want to hide that I knew.” She told him.
“Why did you bring it here?” he asked.
“To show you there are ways to prevent it from being dangerous. Lead blocks the specific radiation given off by the meteor rocks, making them harmless while concealed.”
“How did you find that out?”
Athena sighed. “Because Lex and I found traces of Father’s research into the meteor rock, which included a radiation analysis.”
Clark sat staring at the box.
Quietly, Athena stood, she felt her heart breaking a little. The only way to keep him safe, was to make sure he avoided what could hurt him. With that secret, she had the ability to destroy him.
Clark picked up the box and steeled himself for the pain associated with the meteor rock. The hinge squeaked but there was no pain. He looked up to find Athena gone. She was so quiet when she wanted to be.
He rushed down the stairs and out of the barn.
“Hey, son,” Jonathan said. “I thought you were working on homework.”
“Athena stopped by.” He handed the box to his father. “She figured out my weakness.” Clark turned and sped away.
Jonathan threw down his tools and looked up as Martha approached him.
“Where did he go?” Martha asked.
“I don’t know.” He swallowed. “Athena uncovered Clark’s weakness.” He held up the box.
“Oh, no…”
Jonathan opened the box, surprised not to find the glowing green meteor rock that caused Clark harm. Instead there was just a piece of notebook paper. Martha pulled it out and opened it to find a drawing of a rock, bits of it were colored green.
“Oh,” Martha breathed in relief.
Clark knew the direct line between his barn and the Luthor Mansion. He spotted Athena in a drift of snow. She was stomping through it, kicking snow. She stopped and looked up when he approached.
Clark shook his head. “I opened the box.”
Athena sighed. “I knew you would.”
“Why…?”
“Because I need you to understand that I would not hurt you. Those aren’t just words.” She watched him.
Clark stopped in front of her. “I know.”
“Do you, really?”
“Yes. The same way I know that I love you.” He watched her. “I was surprised.”
“Because I found out about it?”
“No.” He took her hands, pulling her close. “Because the first thing you did was try and find a way to protect me from it.”
She frowned at him. “What else would I do?”
Clark smiled down at her. “I spent my entire life imagining worst case scenarios about people finding out my secrets. You have disproved every one of them.” He lifted her off her feet, an arm around her waist, so he could stand straight and look her in the eye. “I’ll never be able to explain the freedom being honest with you gives me.”
“I can’t imagine,” Athena whispered, pressing her bare hands to his cheeks.
“You never have to,” he promised.
88888888
“Um,” Athena stared at the card in her hand. “Do we plan to go?”
Lex sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, we have to fulfill one of the LuthorCorp invitations.”
“Why this one?” she asked.
“It’s close. And we were invited separately, which means we can bring dates, and Father will not be there.”
“Where is Father going to be?”
“Star City at the invite of the Queens for their holiday party the day after.”
“Small favors,” Athena said.
“Just try to be yourself,” he reminded her.
“I know. First time leaving the mask behind.”
“Who are you going to invite to be your plus one?”
“No one. I don’t have anyone I hate enough to make suffer through this.” She thought about it. “Not to mention this is just days before Christmas…”
“True,” he acknowledged.
“What about you?” she asked.
“There are a few women in my past who would love the opportunity to accompany me.”
“You think way too highly of yourself.”
He smiled. “Not all of us find love on a Kansas farm.”
Athena balled up the envelope she held and threw it at his head. “Shut up.”