Title: Riding the Wave
Author: me_ya_ri
Email: me_ya_ri@yahoo.com
Rating: NC-17
Challenge: Wave 25 – Obsession: Prompt #15: And what do I get in return?
Notes: AU, Lex/Lana & Kal/OMC initially, leading to Clex, OMC death, angst, prostitution, D&S / S&M, surfing, Jor-El being a crazy jerk
Summary: Clark flees his destiny the summer he turns sixteen, and keeps on fleeing until tragedy makes him stop running at last. Lex finds happiness only to have it fall apart on him at the last second. Can either of them find a way to face the future?

+++++

Kal sighed as he studied the waves of the Pipeline off the north shore of Oahu. The waves were picking up from the storm coming from the west, but that only meant that the pros would be coming in soon, taking over the Pipeline for their contest. He preferred the quieter times, when the swells weren’t quite so big, when the reefs weren’t quite so dangerous. That was when he felt more at peace, linked to the sky, the earth, and the sea by riding his board.

“Looks like the swells are picking up,” Gar said as he draped himself over Kal’s back and kissed his ear.

“Mmm,” Kal said, leaning into the hug. “Probably won’t get any really big swells until day after tomorrow. It’s not quite right yet. They’ll be all right for the stupid contest, of course. The forecasting looks accurate this time. Hopefully, they’ll go away after that so we can have the beach back.”

“You are such a soul surfer,” Gar chuckled, tugging Kal’s long braid. “What’s wrong with a little competition?”

“Too much attention,” Kal said, smiling over his shoulder at his lover of over a year. “I prefer the quiet, you know that.”

“Well, you may not like that sort of attention,” Gar said, nuzzling Kal’s neck before whispering in his ear, “but you’re getting a lot of a different sort of attention from a newlywed couple, a young Asian girl with a bald guy. Young bald guy.”

Kal stiffened minutely. Gar picked up on it instantly, of course, though neither of them let it show.

“Where?” Kal asked, nuzzling Gar’s neck, making him moan. Gar’s acceptance of Kal’s ‘work’ was just one of the reasons why their relationship was bedrock steady. His protectiveness of Kal was another.

“Trouble?” Gar murmured into Kal’s ear, making it seem like they were just making out.

“Could be trouble,” Kal granted. “Sounds like people from home.”

“Erg!” Gar grunted. “From what you’ve said, that would be really bad. They’re at the stand close to the palms, staring right at us. You can’t miss them.”

“Mmm.” Kal twisted and kissed Gar deeply before lazily running his eyes over the beach to the stand. Lex Luthor and Lana Lang were watching him cuddle with Gar, wearing identical expressions of utter shock. Kal let his eyes slide right past them without pausing.

“Trouble indeed,” Kal sighed, leaning into Gar’s arms. “They know me.”

“Shit,” Gar sighed, nipping Kal’s ear. “So is it time to run?”

“There’s nowhere on Earth I could run from Lex or Lana,” Kal said, smiling as the swells grew. “Let’s ride it for a while, and see what they do. In the meantime, the waves are picking up.”

“Rad!” Gar agreed, grinning and running his fingers through his short-cropped green hair. “Let’s go!”

They headed out, stripping off their shirts casually. All the locals were used to Kal’s brand by now, and the tourists were always gone in a week or two. Kal had stopped hiding it years ago. He just told people that his father had tried to teach him not to defy his will, and then Kal had run away. Most didn’t ask any further, not even the cops. The cops that did press usually shut up with a good blowjob, or the explanation that Kal would die if he were found.

It had always been a struggle, Kal thought as he surfed the day away with Gar. He’d been so different, with powers like no one else. He’d spent his childhood hiding what he was, going without friends, avoiding sports, pretending to be stupider, clumsier, and worse than everyone else. He’d hated it, but had done it since his adoptive parents had claimed was necessary to protect him.

It had all come to a head at the end of his sophomore year in high school. An avatar of his biological father, Jor-El, had insisted that he was destined to rule the world, forcing Kal to destroy the spaceship that had been his womb on the way to Earth...and kill his unborn brother in the process.

Running away had become a habit as ingrained as lying about himself. First he ran to Metropolis, out of his mind on red-K. Morgan Edge had found him, and then Lana Lang had found him too. He’d abandoned the red-K ring after going too far and nearly hurting Lana. Rather than face Morgan, Lana, or his parents, he’d fled southwest to California, where his stolen money had run out. He'd refused to keep stealing, but didn’t know what else to do. The first time someone offered him money for sex, he’d turned the man down. The second time he had been hungry, afraid, and desperately lonely.

It hadn’t been as bad as he’d feared. All he’d had to do was stay still...and moan at the right times. It was over quickly, and he earned enough money for a cheap hotel room that night, plus breakfast the next morning. When one ‘client’ wanted bondage, Kal (as Clark was still calling himself) suddenly discovered a way he could have sex and actually enjoy himself. With strong enough straps and manacles, the restraints let him hold his strength back while enjoying what they did to him. He quickly built a solid clientele into D&S / S&M games.

During the day, Kal had been at loose ends, so he wandered towards the ocean. Learning to surf was a natural extension of his time on the beach. It was the first physical activity that he didn’t master instantly. The power of the sea dwarfed his own. He couldn’t force it to do what he wanted. His strength was useless. His speed was counterproductive. All his enhanced sight revealed was what the fish were doing under the surface.

Kal had to learn to surf like any normal human, and he loved it all the more for the slow, gradual unfolding of his mastery over the sport. He met some spectacular jerks through surfing, but he also formed a core group of friends who believed that he was 20...not 16...and who accepted his unwillingness to talk about home. They had no problem with Kal being gay, or a whore. Most of them danced on the wrong side of the law to continue surfing, though for most of them it involved drugs. They helped each other, made sure everyone had a place to stay each night and at least one meal a day.

The trip to Hawaii had required Kal to buy a fake ID. He’d chosen the name Calvin Alexander Daid, which made his friends burst into gales of laughter when they’d snatched it from him at the airport. The airport security’s search of his luggage full of S&M gear had shut them up again. Hawaii’s many beaches had become his new home. Five years later, Kal was still there, flitting from island to island and beach-to-beach, following the waves.

Every time Kal looked at the beach throughout the day, Lex and Lana were watching him. It didn’t matter. In the same way that surfing had taught him to relax, and let go (which unlocked his ability to fly), it had brought him the patience he’d never had as a child, or as a teen.

“Good waves,” Gar commented happily as they finally came ashore.

“Really good,” Kal agreed as he rinsed the salt off at the public shower. “The contest is going to have some stellar waves if these continue.”

“Clark?” Lana called, hesitantly approaching with Lex.

Kal ignored her. That wasn’t his name anymore, and he wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

“You are Clark, aren’t you?” Lana insisted.

Kal opened his eyes, completely aware, after six years of working as a prostitute, of how the water looked cascading down his mostly nude body. He rinsed his hair out, loosing it from the braid, while he watched them. Lana was blushing with arousal as she watched him, but Lex’s eyes held far more lust than Lana’s did.

“Sorry,” Kal said, “but my name is Kal, not Clark. Wrong person.”

“Kal what?” Lex asked, eyes sharp on Kal’s face.

“Calvin Daid, if you must know,” Kal replied, rolling his eyes as he wrung out his hair. He started to dry off with the towel that Gar offered. “What’s it to you?”

“You look just like someone that we know,” Lana said, hope in her eyes. “Please, I’m sure that you’re really Clark Kent.”

“Old lover?” Kal asked, looping the towel around his neck. “His, I’d assume from the way he’s looking at me.”

Lana and Lex both turned beet-red.

“No!” Lex protested. “He was my best friend, and Lana’s high school boyfriend.”

“Dude, how old is this Clark person?” Gar asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

“He’d be 21, now,” Lana said softly, edging closer to Lex.

“Kal just turned 26,” Gar laughed. “You really got the wrong guy. Long-lost brother or cousin...or something, but definitely not the same dude.”

“Sorry, but he’s right,” Kal said with a shrug. “Besides, I’ve been openly gay since I was a pre-teen. I’ve never yet met a girl that I responded to physically. You truly do have the wrong person. I hope you find who you're looking for, but I’m not him.”

Kal pulled on his T-shirt, and turned to Gar, dismissing Lex and Lana.

“I’m starving,” Kal said, caressing Gar’s cheek. “Dinner?”

“The guys are having a luau,” Gar nodded happily. “Let’s see what we can rustle up, and head over.”

They grabbed their boards and walked away, leaving Lex and Lana behind. Kal knew it wasn’t over. It never was with Lex, and Lana was nearly as driven. They’d continue the pursuit until Kal was revealed, and inevitably destroyed. Oddly, the thought only brought a sense of relief. Maybe six years of running away was finally enough.

+++++

“Lex,” Lana said doubtfully, “Maybe we’re wrong. He’s so different than Clark.”

“It’s been six years, Lana,” Lex said, petting her back. “Someone can change a lot in that amount of time. It’s Clark. I’m sure of it.”

Lana sighed, not as sure as she’d been when they’d spotted Clark / Kal sitting on the beach near their hotel. Hawaii had been intended as their honeymoon getaway. After Clark disappeared, both she and Lex had been left with a void in their lives. Clark’s disappearance after Lex’s marriage, and Lex’s subsequent ‘death’ had changed everything. The Kents had nearly lost their farm when they’d lost their son. Lex bought it and gave it back to them, once he’d returned from the island that Helen had stranded him on.

Lana had always looked up to Lex and, in the next two years, she slowly realized that he had feelings for her, as well as for Clark. That Lex was bi was no struggle to accept. That Lex might love Clark more than her had been a real battle for her as she made her way through high school. By the time she graduated, and then entered Metropolis U with Chloe, it was clear that Lex really loved her, far more than the memory of the lost Clark Kent.

Clark’s disappearance had always been a shadow over their relationship. Neither could reach any closure until they knew what happened to Clark, but they had never been able to find out anything about where he went, or what he did after Metropolis. They’d found Morgan Edge (and then dealt with him), found Clark’s penthouse (and his thoroughly surprisingly criminal lifestyle), but he’d disappeared. There was no sign of him anywhere: no job, no home, no pictures, nothing that could be traced back to Clark Kent. It was frustrating but, after six years, they’d more or less given up, deciding to focus on their relationship and their work together.

They'd started working together to fix the messes caused by the second meteor shower and the resultant meteor freaks. Lex had managed to destroy the two aliens who had arrived with the ship, then had destroyed the ship itself once its third occupant made itself known. They’d learned so much about the effects of the meteors that Lana still got the creeps that she’d worn one around her neck for years. She had nightmares at least once a week that she’d turned into a full-blown freak. Lex always managed to calm her.

Lex had proposed to Lana on her 19^th birthday. She’d laughed and told him that he was sweet, but that business partners shouldn’t get involved. He’d continued to pursue her for nearly a year before she’d finally accepted. Lionel had tried to drive them apart all that time, but ended up bringing them closer, adversaries against a common enemy. His death from liver disease had freed them to love each other without dissension.

They’d spent a year planning the wedding, finally choosing January to symbolize starting over together. It had been a huge affair with society figures and political leaders rubbing elbows with Smallville townsfolk. Lana barely remembered any of it. She’d been too nervous, and much too excited to eat much. Her sleep the week leading up to the wedding had been minimal at best. She’d slept on the plane, and again for hours once they’d arrived, exhausted by it all.

Going out to eat had been the first thing they’d done as an official married couple, only to have it sideswiped by Kal Daid / Clark Kent with a long braid, a huge brand on his chest, and a green-haired male as his lover.

“What did you find, love?” Lex asked, sitting next to her on the couch.

“He’s been here for five years,” Lana sighed, leaning into his side. “The brand on his chest was supposedly put there by his father for disagreeing with him. He ran away to become a surfer after that. He supposedly reads at an ungodly rate, never forgets anything he learns, and might as well be a professor. He knows about pretty much anything you can think of, and is always right. People wonder why someone so smart is living as a surf bum, but that brand makes everyone look the other way. Lex, he’s truly nothing like Clark.”

“He’s also a whore,” Lex said grimly.

“What?” Lana squawked.

“Lana,” Lex said, looking almost ill, “when I asked the concierge about Kal, he pulled me aside, and explained Kal’s ‘tastes’, and his price tag. He sells himself to rich tourists with a kink for bondage and extreme D&S / S&M games. He only does men, but wives and girlfriends are permitted to watch for an extra charge.”

“Oh my God!” Lana gasped, hands pressed to her mouth. “Why isn’t he arrested?”

“The police know about his father, and about the brand,” Lex explained sadly. “They see it as his providing a service to the tourists, and keeping himself safe from a potential murder. They also might be customers, but I couldn’t confirm that.”

“Oh my God,” Lana repeated, shuddering. “How can anyone do that to himself?”

Lex sighed, and held her. They’d paid one of Lex’s many operatives to plant cameras in Kal’s apartment. Now they were only waiting for Kal and his boyfriend to come home so that they could see what they said and did in private. Lex had bet that Clark’s name would come out right away. Lana had bet that it wouldn’t. The bet was only $20, but it was mostly to distract them from their worries. The cameras monitoring Kal and Gar’s home suddenly sprang to life, triggered by the motion detectors on the door. The honeymooners both perked up.

“Stayed too long at the party,” Kal worried.

“I know,” Gar grumbled, shutting the door firmly, “but Al just wouldn’t shut up, and given that he’s running the contest that I’m going to be competing in, I had to at least be polite. Got your gear?”

“Always,” Kal said, nodding seriously.

Lana bit her lip as Kal stripped naked and then started strapping on the most serious bondage items she’d ever imagined, much less seen. He was gorgeous, of course, but the stuff he was putting on!

“Steel spikes on the inside of the cuffs?” Lex gasped, horrified.

“Those are steel plates wrapped with heavy leather, Lex,” Lana said, feeling ill.

“Got the cuffs,” Kal said to Gar. “Get the collar while I put on the straps and chains.”

“Right,” Gar said, taking out a collar that made Lex start to his feet. It was leather wrapped steel, like the cuffs, but the spike was set against Kal’s Adam’s apple, pressing firmly enough that he could barely swallow. They strapped Kal’s legs so tightly that his ankles met his buttocks, and then strapped his thighs to his sides in a position that looked so painful that it made Lana cringe. Gar strapped Kal’s wrists together, and then pulled his arms up between his shoulder blades in a position that was quite literally banned as torture. Kal’s wrists were chained to the collar so that any attempt to move his arms would mean that he’d strangle himself.

“Made it,” Kal gasped past the collar.

“I hate him!” Gar growled, hands in fists by his sides as he stood rigidly at the end of the bed. “You don’t understand how much I hate that son of a bitch, Kal!”

Kal gasped and then stiffened, eyes going wide. Lana clutched Lex who pet her hair. Kal’s brand started to glow, getting brighter until it was literally searing itself into his chest. Kal trembled, the restraints creaking. Gar stood at the end of the bed, tears running down his cheeks. In about a minute and a half, the glow faded away, and Kal relaxed, whimpering. Gar immediately loosened the collar a couple of notches, though he left all of the gear in place.

“Every fucking day,” Gar said, dashing away his tears. “Every fucking day he does this to you, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

“Used to it by now,” Kal lied, panting a little. “God, I want you!”

“Perv,” Gar laughed. “Tie you up, hurt you, and you get horny as hell.”

“You like me this way,” Kal breathed, licking his lips. “Helpless, and totally at your mercy.”

“Rather do you without that asshole of a father tormenting you every day,” Gar murmured, shrugging, “but yes, I do like you this way.”

“Then fuck me!” Kal moaned, making Lana blush brightly. “Take me, fuck me, fill my ass with your cock and cream me!”

“Mmm,” Gar purred, eyes suddenly animalistic, “I think I’ll tease you a bit first, but you’ll get your fucking...eventually.”

He bit Kal’s neck, and Kal whimpered for more, harder. Lana literally couldn’t look away. She knew she shouldn’t be watching. She knew, but watching Kal—who might be Clark—be bitten, beaten, spanked, and then taken hard, fast, and deep was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

“Wow,” Lex breathed once Kal and Gar were finally done, and cuddling together. He turned off the TV, his hand shaking a little.

“Wow doesn’t cover it,” Lana said, eyes wide. “What was the deal with that brand, Lex? How could it be burned into his body every day and he survives the trauma?”

“Think about the bites that Gar gave him,” Lex said, waving aimlessly at the blank screen. “They healed instantly. He heals so fast that I’d bet that the brand would disappear in a month or so if it wasn’t being renewed.”

“Still, why do that to him?”

They were both carefully avoiding discussing the sex they’d just witnessed. Lana knew perfectly well that Lex enjoyed fantasizing about that sort of thing. They’d discussed it before getting married. Lana hadn’t thought that she’d ever find it arousing, but she was so wet from watching Kal and Gar that she was sure there was puddle under her on the couch.

“We have to find out,” Lex said, absently stroking Lana’s arm. “No one should suffer that way, whether or not he’s really Clark.”

“Lex,” Lana breathed, trembling from his touch, “let’s go to bed. Please? Now!”

Lex met her eyes, and the same desperate hunger that Lana felt was there. They rose and nearly ran to the bedroom.

+++++

Lex sighed, cuddling Lana as she slept on his shoulder. He should be sleeping. He’d gotten about eight hours of sleep in the last week, but his mind was spinning too fast for him to drop off. While he’d told Lana that he’d stopped searching for Clark, Lex had never given up. His men were still paid to search. He still ran regular computer searches for any references to Clark Kent. Clark still occupied the back of his mind at all times. He was still obsessed with his farm-boy friend.

Lana murmured in her sleep, snuggling closer to Lex’s side. Lex smiled, gently moving a hair out of her face. He loved Lana, but Clark was always going to be his obsession. Lana would give him the children he’d always desperately wanted. She was beautiful, kind, intelligent, and everything that he’d always said he wanted. So why did Clark continue to haunt the dark corridors of his mind?

As the minutes ticked by, Lex eased out from under Lana, tucking her in. He closed the bedroom door, and then turned on the TV again. Kal and Gar were snuggled in their bed, wrapped so lovingly around each other that it made Lex’s heart hurt. Kal’s brand was clear in the dim light of their bedroom, making Lex frown.

“You are Clark,” Lex murmured to the screen. “Clark called himself Kal in Metropolis. Clark had the same brand according to Morgan Edge. I know you’re Clark, so why are you hiding, and who are you hiding from?”

Lex stiffened as Kal’s eyes fluttered and then opened, staring directly at the camera. It was eerily as if Kal had heard him and knew the camera was there. Kal sighed, smiling at Gar’s head cradled on his shoulder. He kissed Gar’s forehead and cuddled closer, dropping back to sleep. Lex turned off the TV, shaking ever so faintly.

“Kal,” Lex murmured, going to the window to look out at the ocean. “Kal as in Calvin? Or Kal as in Kal-El, the one those aliens were looking for? What are you? Who are you?”

Lex stayed by the window until Lana started moaning in another nightmare. He returned to bed, holding her and calming her fears. Once she’d calmed, he finally dropped off to sleep with her. It was mid-morning when he woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon. Lex grinned, swinging out of bed feeling much more refreshed.

“Morning,” Lana said, smirking at him from behind her cup of coffee at his yawn. “How’s your bottom? Wasn’t sure if I was too hard on you last night.”

“Morning,” Lex replied, kissing her before getting a cup of his own. “It was perfect. Side benefit of losing my hair is I heal fast, so I’m fine. Sleep better?”

“Mostly,” Lana said, shrugging. “What do we have planned for today?”

“Sailing, I believe,” Lex said, settling down to eat. “Do you still want to go?”

“We should,” Lana said, not sounding at all enthusiastic about it.

“Lana, if you don’t want to go, then we won’t go,” Lex said, taking her hand. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves, not to follow some pre-planned agenda. What do you want to do?”

Lana laughed lightly and pulled him over for a tender kiss.

“I’d rather spend some time on the beach,” Lana admitted. “I’ve never been that fond of boats, I’m afraid. I only added it to the plan because I thought you loved them.”

“Not really.” Lex shrugged. “It was something one did growing up in my circles, but it was never a passion for me. The beach sounds good to me. I’d like to see you in that little bikini you bought for the trip!”

He leered at her, pulling her into his lap, making Lana laugh and wrap her arms around his neck. Breakfast was quite cold by the time they finished eating it, but neither of them cared that much. There seemed to be some unwritten agreement that neither of them would bring up Kal Daid, Clark Kent, or anything related to home. Lana put on her tiny bikini, slathered Lex with more sunscreen than he’d known was possible, and they headed down to the beach, hand in hand. Lex felt like an Irish Pointer spotting a quail when he saw Kal riding a huge wave. Lana giggled and tugged his hand, leading him to the cabana they’d rented.

“He’s quite good,” Lana said, watching Kal just as much as Lex was.

“Yes,” Lex breathed, swallowing hard.

Good was an understatement. Kal’s friend Gar favored fancy moves, cutting in and out of the wave, showing off in a way that Lex found somewhat flashy. Kal, on the other hand, seemed so in tune with the wave that he barely did anything at all, yet he was always right where he needed to be to catch the wave, right in the best part of it, and he never once wiped out. The waves were much bigger today, and there were a lot more surfers around. Some were clearly locals, while others were chatting about their plane flights in and their endorsements.

“Is there some sort of contest coming up or something?” Lana asked around lunchtime, as Kal and Gar came in for a break.

“I think so,” Lex said, eyes locked on Kal. “Sounds like it anyway.”

“Lex,” Lana said, the tone of her voice making him turn. She was smiling, but her eyes held a lot more anger than he’d seen since his father died. “Quit staring at him.”

“I’m not staring,” Lex said, refusing to blush. “I’m trying to figure him out.”

“Well, quit trying to figure him out for a while,” Lana said, gently tugging his arm. “Let’s get a little time in the water. We haven’t done anything all morning besides sit here.”

“I hope you don’t want to try surfing,” Lex said, grinning at Lana’s eye roll.

“No!” Lana laughed, pulling Lex out of his seat. “I just want to swim a little with you. Or at least get wet since those waves are pretty huge for swimming.”

Lex let her pull him into the water, wishing he could stay in the cabana and watch Kal instead. He’d rather do that than swim any day.

+++++

Kal sighed at the locals grumbling about people invading ‘their’ beach and taking ‘their’ waves. He knew people got twitchy before the contests, but having his bros go all surf nazi was a bit much. Gar chuckled, knowing what was setting Kal off.

“They’re just doing their normal thing,” Gar said, handing Kal his chili cheese dog. “You know they always get like this when the swells get big enough for a contest.”

“I know, I know,” Kal sighed, watching one particular band of locals eyeing some of the contest surfers. “I just hate breaking up the fights.”

Kal was also intensely aware of Lex and Lana. Lex looked to be well on his way back to full obsession mode, watching as though his eyes were glued to Kal. Lana was watching, but not with the same intensity, and sheer fascination that Lex displayed. Even as they played in the surf together, Lex’s eyes were watching Kal, not his new wife, Lana. Kal pretended not to watch Lex watching him for about 45 minutes before Gar turned to him.

“He’s in love with you, isn’t he?” Gar asked, sounding a little threatened.

“Obsessed, yes,” Kal said, shrugging. “Not sure why, but he’s always been that way. I’m also not sure there’s room for love in the middle of all that obsession.”

“He knows?” Gar asked, stretching out with Kal on their shared blanket. The look in his eyes made it clear he was asking about Kal’s powers, not his sexuality.

“Suspects,” Kal said, spreading sunscreen on Gar’s back, getting a contented rumbled from Gar. “I never confirmed it. Didn’t trust him enough to tell him. He’s very…intense.”

Gar snickered, then stiffened as the jostling between some of the locals and contest surfers passed verbal abuse and went straight into punches. Kal growled, both of them stood, and they headed over immediately.

“That’s enough,” Kal said, grabbing the arm of the contest surfer about to belt Woobie, a long-time native soul surfer who went nazi every time one of the contests came through. “Quit antagonizing them, Woobie. There’s more than enough wave for all of us.”

“Back o—Ohhh,” the contest surfer said, swallowing hard, and backing down as he realized just how big Kal was. “Ah, sorry.”

“They got no right bein’ here!” Woobie snarled, struggling against Gar's hold until Kal glared at him. “They’re invading our turf, man! You can’t support them bein’ here!”

“Woobie, come tomorrow the waves are going to be too big for anyone other than these nuts to ride,” Kal said, snorting. “You’re going to need jet skis just to catch the wave. Let them risk their necks if they want. It’s none of our concern.”

The contest surfers grumbled at Kal’s words and moved away, giving them dirty looks and muttering about crazy mystic soul surfers. Woobie glared right back, more than prepared to lay into them again. Kal caught his shoulder, squeezing hard enough to make Woobie gasp. He looked up at Kal, respect in his eyes. Kal might not be a native, but they all knew his heart and soul was in the waves.

“I mean it, Woobie,” Kal warned him. “Let it go. They’re here two days out of year, maybe three, riding waves that none of us are interested in. They’re nothing to worry about. Go work on your board the next couple of days and avoid the beach. There’s other places you can surf, you know.”

“Yeah, but it’s our beach,” Woobie grumbled before heading down the beach with his friends.

“Idiot,” Gar grumbled. He shook his head at the stupidity before looking back out at the waves. “You want to head back out? It’s been long enough since lunch.”

“Sure,” Kal said, grinning. “Someone’s got to keep you on your toes.”

“Not going to do that with your longboard,” Gar laughed, grinning at Kal. “I gotta practice my moves for the contest tomorrow.”

“You’ll see,” Kal said, grinning back at him as they headed out. “You’d be amazed at what one of these logs can do when you know what you’re doing.”

+++++

Lana sighed. She’d just spent the entire second day of her honeymoon feeling like a third wheel. Granted, it was Hawaii - not Smallville. Granted, Lex was right next to her, answered her whenever she spoke, and even responded instantly to her comments. But he was so focused on Kal Daid that she truly felt like she could have disappeared and he wouldn’t have noticed. She was 90% sure that Kal Daid was not Clark Kent, amazing resemblance notwithstanding. After thinking about it all day, she finally decided that she had to do something about Lex’s obsession.

“Lex,” Lana said as they gathered their things before heading inside to clean up for dinner, “do you want to hire him for a night?”

She couldn’t help giggling when Lex whirled around, staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“You’re obviously fascinated by him,” Lana said, stepping close. “I know you like that sort of thing. As long as I get to watch, I’m fine with that. We might learn something, too.”

“Lana,” Lex said, voice a little shaky from emotion, “that’s…are you serious?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Lana said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. “Quite serious. He’s gorgeous, you’ve spent all day staring at him, and he’s ‘available.’ No matter who he really is, I’m secure enough in our relationship to let him in for a night. It’s up to you. I do want to watch, because that…that would be really sexy, seeing the two of you together.”

She blushed. Even though Lex knew perfectly well that Lana’s Good Girl image was just an image, she still blushed every time she did something that revealed the very earthy girl underneath. Lex always said he liked the contrast between the public Lana, and the real Lana that only he had ever seen. It was such a relief not to have to hide that part of herself anymore.

“I love you,” Lex murmured, holding her tight. “Lana Luthor, you are the best wife a man could ever have!”

“Thank you!” Lana said, grinning at him. “Now, let’s get cleaned up so we can eat early, and set up an appointment with a certain attractive young surfer.”

+++++

Kal was sure this wasn’t a good idea, but the price Lex and Lana were offering for a night with him was double his normal fee, plus a bit more. Gar and he had argued about it for nearly an hour before coming to the mutual conclusion that it would either cure Lex of his obsession with Kal, or it would make it so bad that Kal and Gar would have to flee to the ends of the earth. Either way, the money was good (which always helped when running away), and Kal knew that Lex knew the ropes of this particular sort of game.

“I’m here,” Kal called, knocking on the door to their penthouse suite.

“Come on in,” Lana said, eyes bright with anticipation. She eyed him in a way that sweet, innocent girl-next-door Lana never would have, reinforcing just how much all three of them had changed in the last six years.

“Thank you,” Kal said, grateful for the emotional control he’d learned over the last few years. Lana twitching because she was so aroused wasn’t something he’d anticipated when he’d agreed to do this.

“You look…stunning,” Lex breathed, licking his lips as Kal walked in.

Kal knew he did. He’d left his hair loose in a wavy black cascade over his back that always turned his clients on. He’d chosen a perfect pair of skin-tight jeans, with nothing under them. His tank was tight enough that you could see the outline of the brand on his chest, freshly renewed from the nightly torment Jor-El inflicted. His big duffle bag of equipment hinted at the games to come.

“Thank you,” Kal said, smirking at Lex’s obvious erection. He knew who had the power here, restraints and prostitution notwithstanding. The submissive nearly always had the power and, with his strength, invulnerability and healing, he knew he could deal with anything they might throw at him. “Shall we discuss the ground rules?”

“Certainly,” Lex agreed, waving Kal to join them on the couch. Lana curled up next to Lex, petting his stomach and flirting at petting him further down.

“First,” Kal said, setting his duffle down to sit opposite them, “No women. Sorry, but I don’t like women and don’t want to be touched by them.”

“Fine,” Lana said, nodding approval. “I have no issue with that. Don’t expect me to not touch myself!”

“No, I wouldn’t expect that,” Kal laughed, voice rippling with amusement, making her blush brightly. “That’s part of why you’re here, too. Second, we use my equipment and my toys. I’ll provide the lube, condoms—which are required, by the way—and any toy I’ve brought along is acceptable. Yours are not.”

“We don’t have any with us, so that’s fine,” Lex said, cock getting visibly harder in his pants.

“Third,” Kal said, eyeing them both and deciding it was necessary, “no meteor rock. I’ve encountered the stuff before and seen what it does to people. I did some research, and I know you’re both from Smallville, Kansas. I don’t want any meteor freak action going on. If either of you are meteor-affected, I’m out of here. You pull a rock, and I’m gone.”

Lex and Lana both reacted as if slapped.

“You—?” Lex said, sexual arousal turning into ferocious curiosity.

“I told you,” Kal said, “I’ve encountered people with meteor-spawned abilities and meteor rock before. There was a doctor from Smallville, and his new wife went meteor freak on me. I do not wish to repeat the experience.”

“Oh,” Lex said, blinking in surprise.

Kal knew he was convincing, because every word of what he’d said was true. He never wanted to repeat what had happened with Alicia and William McBride. That little nightmare had been bad enough that Kal had nearly gotten arrested, despite letting the cops ‘play’ with him for free for a few weeks. He’d been lucky to survive Alicia’s rage. Her new husband certainly hadn’t.

“Neither of us are affected,” Lana said, frowning at him, “and frankly, I’m so terrified of the meteor rocks that I can’t stand to have any around me.”

“Good. Finally,” Kal said, looking around the room, “no cameras. I’m in hiding, which I’m sure you already know. I don’t want any pictures or videos made of me, on the off-chance they might get distributed and get back to my father.”

“We weren’t planning on taping this,” Lex said, looking concerned. “Can we help with that?”

“No,” Kal said, shaking his head. “There’s quite literally nothing you can do that would stop my father should he find out where I am. Money only goes so far, Lex. He’s…unstoppable.”

Lana and Lex exchanged looks that made Kal wonder if he’d already been taped. He’d have to check the apartment for cameras when he got home. It would be just like Lex to have bugged his house to see if he could learn more.

“All right then,” Kal said, nodding at them. “Where did you want to ‘play?’ Out here, or in the bedroom?”

They ended up in the living room, after a quick tour of the suite to see which areas would be best. By the time Kal pulled off his shirt, Lex was so hard that he looked as if he was having a hard time walking. There was a right way and a wrong way to get ready for these games, and Kal was an expert on easing his clients into it. He got Lana and Lex to help him into the gear, smirking at Lana’s trembling fingers and Lex’s pulse pounding at his temple and throat.

“You really like this,” Lex breathed as Kal knelt to let Lana fasten his wrists behind his back to the collar. “You actually enjoy getting tied up, abused, and fucked until you scream.”

“More than you’ll ever know,” Kal husked, the collar pressing against his throat restricting his breathing. He was hard as a rock by the time his arms were bound. For now, his legs remained free, though he had the ankle and thigh manacles on, so that they’d have the option of restraining his legs later.

Kal leaned forward, rubbing his face against Lex’s crotch. God, how many years had he wanted to do that? Kal thought he’d wanted to do that the first time he’d seen Lex, when he’d pulled him out of the river and given him the kiss of life. Lana whimpered on the couch, and Lex groaned, catching Kal’s hair and using it like reins to control Kal’s head.

“Your name’s Clark for tonight,” Lex said, voice rough with arousal. “I don’t care who you really are, for tonight you’re Clark Kent, and I’m going to fuck the shit out of you!”

“I’ll be whoever you want, Lex,” Kal breathed, “as long as you fuck me!”

Lex groaned, pushing Kal back against the sofa. Kal deliberately spread his legs so that he was on display for the both of them. It was a little weird, but also incredibly sexy. The two people he’d spent his teen years obsessing about, in the same room with him, having S&M sex with him; it was nearly enough to make him come right then.

“You’re so turned on,” Lex purred, grabbing Kal’s bag to start laying out all the toys so he could see what there was. “I think we’ll need this just to control that cock of yours.”

“What is it?” Lana asked, eyeing the specially-made penile plug while sliding a hand to her crotch.

“Penile plug,” Lex explained, barely lubing it before grabbing Kal’s cock. “With this in, I own your orgasm. You won’t be able to come until I pull it out, Clark. You’re going to earn your come tonight.”

“Oh God!” Kal gasped, shuddering as it slid home in his cock.

He bit his lip against the pain. They were supposed to hurt a little bit, of course, but his was special. He’d had a tiny chip of Kryptonite put into the head of it, which weakened his invulnerability and strength just enough that he felt what his clients did to him. He could be bruised. He could be spanked, beaten, bitten, and it would leave marks on his body. It was tiny enough that the effect was minimal, not crippling him or cramping his entire body. He still had much of his strength, but he could feel what they did to him. Lex couldn’t have chosen a better toy if he’d tried. Lex started with a spanking, moved up to whipping Kal over his back, ass, and legs—all the while calling him Clark—and then draped himself over Kal’s glowing ass, chuckling as Kal moaned in pain. Lana was whimpering, her hands buried in her crotch as she watched the two of them.

“Are you sorry for lying to me?” Lex purred in Kal’s ear, biting his neck hard.

“Yes!” Kal gasped, truly meaning it.

“Yes, what?” Lex demanded, yanking at the collar around Kal’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” Kal whimpered, barely able to breathe from the pressure on his throat. “So sorry, Lex. Never wanted to lie to you. Had to. Sorry!”

“God,” Lex moaned, “wanted to hear you say that for so long, Clark.”

He switched to gentle caresses that set off licks of pain every time his fingers wandered over the welts and bruises he’d inflicted on Kal’s body. It felt wonderful to Kal. He knew perfectly well that his response to pain in a sexual setting was abnormal, to put it mildly. Pain felt better to Kal than pleasure did when it was accompanied by sex. Pain by itself was just pain, but pain plus sex was heaven. He often wondered if it was part of being an alien, or if he was just a pervert. In the end, it didn’t matter. He enjoyed what he did, and there were enough other people who loved dishing it out that he was rarely left unsatisfied.

“Please,” Kal moaned, bucking a little against Lex’s hips, “God, please, Lex. Want you to fuck me, please, please, take me!”

Lex chuckled and got out a condom. Lana was busily masturbating, biting her lip as she watched them, but it was Lex that Kal was completely focused on. Watching that condom roll down his cock was nearly orgasmic for Kal. He’d imagined this scene for years; almost from the moment that he met Lex, though he hadn’t understood his fascination with Lex, at first. To finally have his fantasies come true was bliss, even if Kal was doing it as a whore, and not as Lex’s lover. The intense desire for this to be real surprised him. He loved Gar, and was afraid of Lex’s obsession but, at this moment, Kal desperately wanted it to be real.

“Going to give you what I know you’ve always wanted, Clark,” Lex purred, eyes bright as he approached Kal, patting his welted ass. “You’ve wanted me for years, ever since you saved my life. You just never admitted it. Well, if you want this cock rammed in you, you’d better admit it now.”

“Always wanted you!” Kal gasped, tears standing in his eyes. “Wanted you from the first moment I saw you, Lex! So damn sexy, so in control, so opposite to everything in my life. Please, fuck me, fill me up, do me hard, and hurt me for lying to you for so long! Punish me with that cock!”

Lex shuddered. He took a deep breath, and then grabbed Kal’s hips, plunging into his ass without any preparation, any lube, anything. Kal nearly screamed it felt so good. It hurt. It felt incredible. He loved it. Lana’s moans were only background noise as Lex did as Kal requested. He punished Kal with his body, fucking him hard, fast, and deep, tugging on Kal’s collar from time to time, just to make it harder for him to breathe. Kal’s body tried to come once, but was blocked by the penile plug. By the time Lex was sweating, panting hard, and making incredibly sexy animal grunting noises, Kal was on the verge of another orgasm, whimpering nonstop and begging to be allowed to come.

“Take it!” Lex cried, coming hard. He pulled the penile plug out at the same moment, a sharp jerk that made Kal cry out. They came together, both shouting in ecstasy. They ignored Lana’s wail as she came. Lex kept the penile plug in his hand, clamped against Kal’s side, so that Kal’s injuries didn’t heal (rather to Kal’s relief—that would have been hard to explain).

“Oh fuck,” Lex panted, loosing Kal’s hands before pulling out of his ass. He passed the penile plug to Kal, pulled off the condom, disposed of it, and then collapsed next to Lana.

“Wow,” Lana whispered, her voice sounding hoarse from the screams.

“That…was better…than usual,” Kal said, laughing shakily through his panting. “You are entirely too good at that.”

He went to Lex’s side and cleaned his cock up with his mouth, making both Lex and Lana moan. Lex tasted as good as Kal had always thought he would. Lex petted his hair, sighing when Kal finally let him go. He was smiling when Kal looked up at him, with such a content, happy expression that it made Kal’s heart hurt. It would be so nice if this were real….

“I should be going,” Kal said, moving to collapse against the other sofa, penile plug still firmly in hand so that his injuries wouldn’t fade away. “I don’t dare stay too long, or the police will have to take official notice of me and what I do.”

“I wish you could stay,” Lex said, eyes going dark.

“I’m just a whore,” Kal said with a shrug as he took off his collar, rubbing the red mark the spike always put there. “As fun as this was, I’m not a part of your lives. You have a life ahead of you that I don't belong in. Looks like it’ll be a good one to me. That—” Kal pointed at Lana who blushed, “is a woman you should never let go of, Lex. Damned few women would let their husbands play like this...and enjoy it. She’s a keeper. Never forget that.”

“Thank you,” Lana said, blushing rosily and smiling at him as brightly as she ever did when they were younger, more innocent residents of Smallville.

“I know,” Lex said, smiling at Lana, and kissing her tenderly. “Trust me, I know that very well.”

Kal smiled and chuckled tiredly. He grabbed his clothes, finally putting the penile plug away after he pulled on his pants. He packed his bag of gear. His injuries faded as soon as the Kryptonite was away from his body, leaving him vaguely tired, but satisfied.

“Thanks again,” Kal said, nodding to the two of them cuddling on the sofa. “I’d strongly recommend not hiring me again. Once is okay, but twice will get the police’s notice. You’re rich, but you still have to pay attention to things like that. I have to be careful, too.”

“I agree,” Lex said sadly, eying Kal with his normal obsessed expression back on his face. “Pity.”

“Night,” Kal said as let himself out. He sighed once the door was closed. One night was better than never, Kal thought, heading back to Gar with quiet sadness. Hopefully, it would be enough for Lex, too.

+++++

The next day was a little cool (by Hawaiian standards), but clear and perfect for the contest. Gar was buzzing as they headed to the beach, excited to be competing again after a hiatus of almost six months. Breaking his leg had really set him back last year. Kal left his surfboard at home. He didn’t surf these waves. They were exciting, certainly, but too big for a normal human to catch. Kal could catch them, but only by using his powers, which took all the pleasure away for him. Besides, he hated the publicity involved with the contests, so he never competed.

“This is going to be so good!” Gar enthused, grinning as he pulled his number and got ready. “Damn, gonna be so nipped by the time today’s over.”

“Only you could look forward to chapped nipples,” Kal laughed, shaking his head at his lover.

“Hey, it’s a good day when you end up nipped,” Gar said, poking Kal in the ribs before laughing heartily.

They headed to the beach where the other contest surfers were getting ready. There were spectators, commentators, reporters, locals, and tourists mixed into the crowd. It was a noisy, exciting mess that Gar loved, and Kal quietly loathed. Lex and Lana were there, watching the crowd from the safety of a rented cabana. Lex went on alert like a birddog the instant he saw Kal, making Lana sigh and then glare at Kal. Gar saw Kal’s gaze and sighed.

“Was it a mistake to let you go to him?” Gar asked, frowning at Kal.

“No,” Kal said, shaking his head. “It was a mistake not to run as soon as he spotted me. He’s obsessed, Gar. He’s always been obsessed, he’s always going to be obsessed. We may have to run after the contest, but I want you to enjoy today at least. God only knows where we’ll end up when we do run. We may not be able to surf anymore.”

“Glad I’m included in the running,” Gar said with a tender smile. “Not that long ago you’d insist on my staying behind where I’d be safe.”

“I don’t think I could keep fighting my father without you,” Kal admitted quietly. “You’re the only reason I’ve been able to go on, Gar. Without you, I think I’d just give up.”

“Never give up! Never surrender!” Gar declared dramatically, laughing at Kal’s rolled eyes. “Come on, you. Let’s get me in line.”

The morning went well, with Gar making several good runs. Kal hooted and cheered with the others, about to burst with pride when Gar made the semi-finals. He came ashore, grinning so widely Kal could see his molars. They didn’t kiss, not with photographers snapping pictures of everyone, but Kal let his pride in Gar show on his face. About half an hour later, as the last of the preliminary runs were finishing up, Gar turned at a noise behind them and groaned.

“Woobie, cut it out,” Gar said, heading back into the crowd. “This isn’t the time for that sort of crap.”

Kal groaned, rolled his eyes, and started to turn when Gar made a horrible noise, something between a gasp and a gurgle. It was accompanied by a crunch that Kal automatically identified as breaking bone. Kal spun, only to see Gar starting to fall in a spray of blood that floated in the air like rubies. His neck was nearly severed, his eyes wide and unseeing. Woobie’s dreads were flying, and his eyes were wild with drugged-out rage, as his machete completed the swing that had broken Gar’s neck, slitting his throat from ear to ear.

“Gar! Kal screamed, there to catch Gar’s already dead body before it had fallen more than an inch.

Kal didn’t remember the next few minutes. He had no idea who wrestled Woobie to the sand. He had no clue what anyone said to him. He didn’t know who called the police, who took Woobie away. He wasn’t truly there. Kal held Gar’s body, watching the light fade from his lover’s eyes while feeling the hope die in his heart. It wasn’t until Lex’s voice eventually penetrated the fog that Kal came back to reality.

“Kal, let him go,” Lex was saying gently over and over, his fingers warm against Kal’s cheek.

Kal looked up, finding several cops, the contest organizer Al, and an EMT watching him with expressions raging from sorrow, to fear, to well-hidden disgust. Kal shuddered and very gently laid Gar’s body down in the sand. Lana was crying in the background, and almost everyone else was silent.

“We’ll take care of his body,” the EMT said gently. “Go get cleaned up.”

Kal nodded, unable to speak in his grief. It felt as if his heart had been cut out, as if his world had come to an end. It felt like nothing in the world would ever be good, or bright, or happy ever again. It felt like he’d died, but his body was too stupid to realize it. Lex caught Kal’s arm, trying to stop him from leaving. Kal just looked at him. Lex’s hand dropped as he went pale. Lana came to his side, taking Lex’s arm, pulling him away.

Kal walked away, heading back to the car he shared with Gar. People got out of the way, making a path for him. He was covered in Gar’s blood, so that wasn’t much of a surprise. The keys didn’t want to cooperate with his fingers at first, but he managed to unlock the car door. It took a few minutes to get his arm to cooperate when he wanted to start the car. He wasn’t sure how he drove back to their apartment. He really wasn’t sure he was safe to drive, but he was invulnerable, so if he crashed it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t until he opened the door to their apartment that Kal truly broke down.

“Gar…”

The tears hurt. Kal curled around the blood on his chest, Gar’s blood, blood that should never have been shed. He sobbed, rocking on his knees in the middle of the rooms that he’d shared with Gar. It took a long time for the tears to stop. Kal had no idea how long it was before he finally managed to stop crying. He had to let Gar’s family know. They hated Kal, hated that Gar was gay, hated that he was with a surf bum / whore like Kal, but they needed to know that Gar was....

Kal couldn’t finish the thought. He got up, walked three precise steps to the phone. It was as if someone else was moving his body. Gar’s parents' number was on speed dial #4. Kal listened to the phone ring, then flinched as Gar’s father answered the phone. The last person he wanted to talk to had to be the one who answered the phone, of course.

“Yes?” Mr. Long snapped, knowing from the number who it was.

“M-Mr. Long,” Kal said, swallowing as his voice broke and wavered, “I…”

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Long asked, voice switching from annoyance to fear. “Kal, what’s wrong?”

“Gar,” Kal said, collapsing back to his knees on the floor. He leaned against the wall, not able to hold himself up. “Gar’s dead. Woobie, one of the locals, Woobie went surf nazi. He killed Gar; hit him with a machete. He’s dead. Y-you need to come claim his body, Mr. Long. I-I’m just his lover. I can’t. They won’t let me, we’re not married or anything. You need to c-come take care of Gar….”

“Oh God,” Mr. Long breathed, “Kal, are you sitting down?”

“Yes,” Kal said, trembling. He was. Well, actually he was collapsed on the floor along the wall, but that counted as sitting.

“We’ll be there in an hour or so, Kal,” Mr. Long said carefully. “I want you to stay put. It’ll take me a bit to get my wife since she’s at work, but we’ll be there as soon as we can. Will you be okay until we get there?”

“Yes,” Kal said, sniffling.

“We’re coming over from the big island,” Mr. Long said, “so stay there. It’ll be all right, Kal. Stay there, and we’ll help you.”

“All right,” Kal lied.

Mr. Long hung up, and Kal stared at the phone for a long moment before turning it off. He didn’t have much time, then. He couldn’t be here when they got here. He couldn’t stay anymore. Not with Lex and Lana there, not with Gar gone. Not with Jor-El’s nightly torture due just about the time that Gar’s parents would show up. He’d told Gar the truth earlier. He couldn’t go on fighting Jor-El, not alone. The pain was too much. He’d always made sure that he was safe before Gar had become his lover, but he could never be safe now. Lex was here, with Lana, and they’d hound him to the ends of the earth. Between Lex’s obsession, Lana’s anger at him, and Jor-El’s torment, Kal knew he couldn’t go on fighting, not without Gar. It was all over. He had to submit to what Jor-El wanted.

Kal levered himself up, put the phone back on the rest, and then went to change clothes. He started a load of laundry to clean his bloodstained shirt and surf shorts, crying as he put Gar’s clothes into the washer. Gar would never need them, but the least Kal could do was clean up for his family. He washed Gar’s blood off of his body, and then loaded his bag of bondage gear with the few clothes that Kal owned. It was all tanks, T-shirts, and shorts, plus a spare pair of battered flip-flops. He took his toothbrush, but left the toothpaste. That was Gar’s. Kal just used his. The books filling the bookcases that covered the walls were Gar’s now, too, as Kal knew he couldn’t take them along. Jor-El didn’t value human knowledge. Kal made the bed and then stood in the living room, trembling. He had to leave a note so that they’d understand.

Mr. & Mrs. Long,

I’m sorry I lied to you about staying. My father will have seen the news. He’ll recognize me, and come after me. I couldn’t be here when he gets here, or everyone will pay. I’m running away again. I know that you never wanted Gar to be with me, but please believe me when I say he was my heart and soul. He saved me from so much fear and pain the last year, saved me from myself. I loved him so much.

The apartment is in Gar’s name, as is the bank account we used. I’ve put all the information here with this letter. You shouldn’t have any trouble cleaning up his affairs. There’s a load of laundry in the washer. I left before it got done. If anyone comes looking for me, please tell them the truth. I ran away again, rather than get you all involved in my messes. Go ahead and sell my books, surfboard and stuff. Use the money to help take care of Gar.

I’m sorry,

Kal

The letter was damp from tears by the time he finished writing it, as were the bills and account information he stuffed under it. Kal took one picture of Gar, whimpering at Gar’s smiling face in the photo. He tucked it into his bag, stood, looked around, and rubbed the tears away with the back of one hand. He left the door unlocked and set the keys to the apartment and car next to the letter. Then he flew away, heading to Kansas.

The farm was much as Kal remembered it, though he could hear farmhands leaving and they’d never had farmhands when he was there. His father was out in barn. Mom was in the house, humming quietly as she washed the dishes from dinner. Kal landed on the porch, still shaking. He shouldn’t be here but, after all this time, he had to stop here first. Mom and Dad would take care of his gear and, more importantly, the picture of Gar for him. Jor-El would probably destroy it as worthless, and Kal couldn’t let that happen. Kal climbed the steps and let himself in, heart lurching at seeing his mother after so long.

“Mom?” Kal asked, voice shaking as badly as he was.

“Clark?” his mother gasped, whirling to stare at him. The shock at his sudden appearance was instantly replaced with worry. “Clark, oh God, baby, are you all right?”

“No,” Kal said, swallowing hard as the tears started falling again. “No, I’m not. I need you to take my stuff and hide it for me, Mom. I-I can’t keep it. Not now. Gar’s dead, ask Lex when he gets back from his honeymoon with Lana, he’ll tell you what happened. Gar’s dead, and I can’t keep fighting Jor-El. I’ve fought for so long, Mom, but I can’t do it anymore.”

“Honey, what are you talking about?” Martha asked, hands fluttering as she patted his face, his arms, and his chest. It was as though she had to touch each part to assure herself that he was real, that he was there in front of her.

Kal moaned, dropping the duffle bag and clutching his chest as Jor-El’s voice echoed in his mind.

*Kal-El, you must submit to your destiny!* Jor-El called, voice triumphant this time. He’d been sounding discouraged lately, but Kal realized that Jor-El knew, he knew what had happened to Gar, he knew that Kal was giving up at last. *Come to me that you may begin your training, my son. You have much to learn and much to do!*

The brand on his chest flared, making it too painful to have the fabric of his shirt on it. Kal tore at his shirt, staggering backwards. He fell to his knees, crying out as Jor-El reminded him of the futility of resisting his will. Kal screamed, unaware of his mother as she cried for Jonathan, unaware of anything except the pain Jor-El was inflicting on him on top of the pain of the loss of Gar, his soul’s savior. When Kal came back to himself, Martha was holding him, sobbing. Jonathan was there, too, clutching Kal’s arm.

“God, Clark,” Dad said, voice rough, “have you been going through that all this time?”

“Yes,” Kal admitted, pulling out of Mom’s arms though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Every night. Jor-El does that to me every night. I can’t keep fighting him. I’m just not strong enough, Dad. I can’t. I was doing all right, but Gar’s dead, and now I just can’t go on.”

“Clark, no!” Mom cried, trying to cling to him as Kal stood. The tears on her cheeks matched the tears on Kal’s cheeks, the tears on Jonathan’s. “No! We can help. Please, you can’t leave when you just got back.”

“I have to, Mom,” Kal said, trembling. “I’m sorry, but I have to. He’ll attack you. He’s done it before. I couldn’t stand to see you get hurt. That’s why I stayed away all this time. Gar wouldn’t let me leave him behind, but now he’s dead, and I can’t keep fighting.”

“Who’s Gar?” asked Jonathan, standing and grabbing Kal’s arm. “Clark, who’s Gar?”

“Garfield Long,” Kal said, almost surprised they didn’t know about him, but of course they didn’t know him. He hadn’t been here, hadn’t told them of Gar. “He was my best friend, my lover for over a year. He died today. He was murdered. Ask Lex when he gets back. He saw me in Hawaii, where I’d been hiding. He was there with Lana for their honeymoon. Ask them. They saw what happened. They know. I have to go before Jor-El attacks you. Take care of my things for me. Jor-El would destroy them to take them away from me, too. I…I don’t want them destroyed. I know you won’t understand my gear, but it’s important to me. Please keep it safe. I love you. I’ve always loved you; that’s why I stayed away. I’ve got to go before he kills you, too.”

Kal backed away, pulling out of his parents’ hands. He used his speed to escape into the night, flying to the Kawatche caves. He tried to push his parents’ cries out of his mind, but his hearing was too good, and he could hear every word, every sob, even the tears that dropped to the floor as they cried together. The caves were silent, dusty, and still. No one came here anymore. Lionel was dead. Clark was gone. Lex was happily married. Why would anyone come here? It was just an old cave with some paintings on the wall to everyone else.

“Welcome, Kal-El, my son,” Jor-El intoned as Kal approached the central panel. “I am glad that you have finally accepted your destiny.”

“I don’t have a choice,” Kal said sadly. “I don’t have any choice anymore. Do whatever you will to me, just please don’t hurt the people I care about.”

“They shall not be harmed, Kal-El,” Jor-El said. “Enter the light and your training shall begin.”

A rock wall split open, light flooding down on Kal. Kal shuddered, looking back at the entrance of the cave for a second. He could hear Lex talking to Gar’s family in Hawaii. He could hear Mom and Dad scrambling to the truck, coming to try to stop him. He could hear Lana’s tears, Lex’s anguish. He could hear so many people in so much pain, aside from the ones he cared about. Chloe was in Metropolis, panting as she chased someone for a story of some sort. Pete was at college, laughing with his friends as they congratulated each other on passing their exams. There were people hurting, dying, disasters that he could do something about, if only he wasn’t trapped by Jor-El and his terrible destiny.

“Enter, Kal-El,” Jor-El said, voice stern. “You must enter that you may take up your destiny to rule the world.”

Kal shuddered, turning away from the world, the people who needed him, and the ones who loved him. He wasn’t one of them, and this was all he had left. Kal walked into the light, tears running down his cheeks.

+++++

“Lex, let it go.”

Lex growled, shaking his head sharply at Lana. There was too much to do, too many things to track down. He couldn’t stop now! It didn’t matter that it was midnight, or he’d been up since 4:00 a.m.. Clark needed him, so he needed to keep working

“Lex!” Lana said, pulling him away from the computer and making him meet her eyes. “Lex, he’s gone. You can’t keep hunting for him. I thought we agreed. Kal left. He doesn’t want to be found. There’s nothing you can do. This obsession is going to destroy you if you don’t let it go!”

“Don’t you think I would let it go if I could?” Lex shouted, pushing Lana away. “Damn it, Lana, I can’t! I’ve never been able to let it go. It’s Clark. I have to find him, find out what happened to him.”

“Why?” Lana snapped, glaring up at him, dark eyes sparkling with fury. “Why is Clark so damned important to you, Lex? I thought that you’d gotten over him when I agreed to marry you, but everything is just like it used to be. You barely even notice me. It’s been a month, and all you do is search for him. We didn’t have a honeymoon because you were so busy searching for him in Hawaii. We’ve only been back to Smallville for one day, and you’re still searching. Why are you so obsessed with Clark?”

Lex took a deep breath, forcing his agitation down. This was Lana, his wife, the wonderful woman who’d agreed to share his life. She was the one who’d given him permission to live his greatest fantasy, while on her honeymoon, no less. She was the one person he trusted with everything, well almost everything, everything other than Clark, of course.

“He needs help, Lana,” Lex said finally, in a much calmer tone of voice. “You saw what was happening to him. He’s being tortured, used for something that he doesn’t want to do. We’re probably the only people in the world who can help him.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Lana said, arms crossed on her chest as she continued to glare. “Why are you so obsessed with Clark?”

Lex sighed, flopping back into his desk chair. He looked up at her, unsure what she’d say if he told her everything. He did want to stay married to her, after all.

“He saved my life, Lana,” Lex said quietly. “Not just once, but many times. I was on the road to ruin when he saved me the first time. I honestly believe I’d be dead without him, dead a few dozen times over. I…feel like every good thing I’ve ever accomplished has been because Clark Kent saved my life and gave me another chance. I would have been just like my father, or worse. Without Clark, there is no me. Just as he saved me, I feel like I have to save him.”

That last two sentences cut a bit too close to his real feelings, the ones he had never wanted to admit, even to himself. The one night he’d had with Clark, or more accurately Kal, in Hawaii had let him see just how different his feelings were for Lana, and for Clark. He loved Lana. There was no doubt about that. But the depth of love, lust, and sheer fascination he felt for Clark was so far beyond his feelings for Lana that it was like comparing a candle’s light to the full glory of the sun. He loved Lana, but he needed Clark to be able to go on living.

“I don’t understand you,” Lana complained softly, her face showing the depths of her feeling of betrayal. “I thought I did, but I don’t.”

She turned and walked away, leaving Lex alone in his office. Lex sighed and leaned his head in his hands, rubbing his aching forehead. Everything was falling apart. He’d truly thought there was a chance of making things work when he’d married Lana. He’d been convinced of it, or he would never have done it. Their honeymoon, however, had turned out to be something other than the beginning of their life together. He was starting to think it was the beginning of the end.

He sighed and then started as he realized his head was on his arms, his neck was killing him, and it was light outside. He groaned, stretching. Lex checked the time and snarled at himself. He’d fallen asleep at his desk. Lana was going to be furious that he hadn’t come to bed after their discussion. He wouldn’t call it an argument, as it hadn’t been that serious. Neither of them had thrown anything, after all.

“Lex?” Martha Kent called, stepping hesitantly into his office, Jonathan in tow. “Oh, Lex. Did you fall asleep at your desk?”

Lex laughed ruefully, nodding. He was eternally astonished that he’d managed to earn the Kents' approval over the last six years. They’d been fiercely suspicious when he’d given them back their farm, Jonathan especially resenting the thought of Lex exerting any influence over how he ran it. When he’d let Jonathan continue as he willed, they’d eventually relaxed a bit. His continuing search for Clark seemed to help. He’d gotten in the habit of driving over to give them weekly updates on his search efforts, which eventually simply became visits to see how they were doing.

“I guess I did,” Lex admitted. “What can I do for you?”

“What happened in Hawaii?” Jonathan asked. “Clark came back, and he said that you’d seen him, that someone he cared about had died. He kept saying that you’d be able to tell us what happened.”

“He came here?” Lex gasped, mind running through all the research he’d done that had shown that Kal had never left Hawaii. No boat tickets, no plane tickets, not even a kayak rented or stolen; how could he have come to Smallville? “How? When?”

“A month ago,” Martha said softly. “He….”

She turned to Jonathan, taking his hand as if in support. They shared a look that made Lex’s curiosity claw at him. They seemed to come to some sort of agreement before turning back to him.

“He flew in on the night of January 17^th,” Martha said, “out of the night. He was in shock, Lex, shaking, white as a ghost, dressed in a tank top, shorts and flip-flops. He had a bag of…sexual…equipment, and this picture. He kept saying that you’d tell us about Gar, about what happened.”

She offered a 4” by 6” framed photo, which Lex took. His hands were shaking. Kal Daid stood smiling with his arm around Gar Long’s shoulders, both of them with their surfboards and leis around their necks. Gar’s mother had been a bit distraught that the picture was missing, saying that she’d taken it a month before and had given it to the boys as a present. She’d hoped to make a copy of it to keep, though she wanted Kal to have the original. At least he could tell her now what happened to it, Lex thought, staring at it numbly. He made a mental note to have a copy made of the photo so that he could send it to her.

“So he really was Clark,” Lex whispered, heart pounding.

“What happened, Lex?” Martha asked, pulling his attention away from the photo and back to the present.

“Come sit down,” Lex said, waving to the couch. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

“Yes, there is,” Jonathan said. “I think you’ve earned the right to know everything.”

+++++

An alien.

Clark Kent was an alien. Clark Kent was Kal Daid was Kal-El, an alien destined to rule the world, if his birth father’s AI had anything to say about it. Clark was the person that the aliens from the second meteor shower had been searching for. He was the one destined to rule the world for his Kryptonian father, whether he wanted to or not.

When the Kents had told him what Clark really was, it had been an incredible moment. He’d felt stunned, honored, horrified, and jubilant all at once. That had lasted approximately 0.01 seconds, just long enough for Lex to realize that Clark was at that moment being made into his worst enemy, the thing that he feared the most (other than giving into his own dark side).

Lex sat in his office, staring blankly at the stained-glass window. Martha and Jonathan had left hours ago, but here Lex sat, going over everything that they’d finally shared with him. His Clark was an alien. Just like the aliens that Lex had killed after the second meteor shower.

The thought of Clark converted into something as cold, unemotional, and plain wrong as those creatures made Lex’s stomach churn. Clark had been taken a month ago. However long the process of ‘training’ him took, it was already too late for Clark to succeed in his ‘destiny’. Lex knew how to kill Kal-El when he returned. The question was whether Lex had enough time to find a way to save him.

Lex rose to his feet, resolute. Lana would just have to deal with his obsession. Clark needed him, and that was more important than anything else, including Lex’s life.

+++++

“Thank you for coming to see me,” Dr. Virgil Swann said, his eyes watching Lex as he entered the spacious room.

“I was surprised to get your message,” Lex said, studying him curiously. “I presume that you have something that will help me.”

Lex’s research into Dr. Swann hadn’t turned up a lot. He was an eccentric billionaire who was a pioneer in the field of global communications, launching some incredible satellites in orbit for the stated purpose of studying alien communications. Given what Lex had learned about Clark and Krypton, he didn’t doubt that Dr. Swann had some very interesting information that might be relevant to Lex’s quest. The question would be whether or not he’d share it with Lex. Dr. Swann didn’t say anything, pressing his lips tighter together. Lex crossed his arms on his chest, looking back at him expectantly.

“I have a question for you,” Dr. Swann said, raising an eyebrow slightly, “and perhaps something that might help you depending on your answer.”

“Ask.”

“Why are you searching out Kryptonian sites and placing kryptonite bombs in them?” asked Dr. Swann, his eyes almost like lasers as he waited for Lex’s response.

Lex studied him for a moment. He did know about Krypton, which meant that he was either someone who could be an ally, or a potential enemy. He was rich, powerful, and virtually untouchable, if he became an enemy. Swann’s information sources had to be extensive for him to know about the kryptonite bombs that Lex had secretly developed to deploy in every single Kryptonian site he’d located across the world. The rest of the world might think that he’d become some sort of humanitarian with a new drive for discovering humanity’s ancient history, but it was just one more method of foreclosing Jor-El’s options.

“Because I have to be prepared to obliterate them,” Lex said. “If Clark has become a monster when he returns to the real world, I have to be ready. Jor-El is changing him into something that could destroy humanity, Dr. Swann. I will not let that happen. I have to find a way to save him, and the only way I’ll be able to reason with Jor-El is if I have a metaphorical gun to his head. I will not allow Clark to become a fiend that will rule the world in Jor-El’s name.”

“Why?”

Lex sighed, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Why did everyone have to question his motives? Did it matter why he was saving the Earth? He was saving it. That his motives for doing so were completely personal shouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference. He pondered what to reveal to Dr. Swann, letting the silence stretch just a little too long.

“You love him,” Dr. Swann whispered, those laser-bright eyes seeing straight through Lex in a way that no one other than Martha Kent and Lana had so far. Well, and Chloe, of course, but she didn’t count. She saw through everyone. Fortunately, she could also keep a secret like nobody’s business. Lex went red, raising his chin defiantly.

“Then I may have what you need,” Dr. Swann said, lips curling in a smile that would have done Lionel Luthor proud. “Look in that box on the table.”

Lex blinked, surprised by the change in Dr. Swann’s attitude. He went to the table, and opened the small black box. Inside was a chunk of black rock that was completely unremarkable, as far as Lex could tell.

“That is black kryptonite,” Dr. Swann said. “If you truly love Kal-El, then this will let you restore his…gentle persona. There will be some trauma, as well as some measure of risk, but there's a chance it will work if you love him enough.”

“Tell me everything,” Lex begged, hope flaring brighter than a super-nova in his heart.

+++++

“Damn it, Lex,” Lana yelled, “Why are you going to Egypt? First the Yucatan, then China, and now Egypt. Tell me this isn’t another idiotic trip to find something about Clark!”

“Lana,” Lex said calmly, as he packed his suitcase with clothes for his trip. “It’s a brand new dig. It’s the first new crypt found in years, and I’ve received permission to open it from the Egyptian government. It’s a huge honor. I have to be there.”

“You’re not fooling me, Lex,” Lana said, eyes like shards of ice. “I saw the symbols on the pictures from the crypt. They’re the same as the ones in the Kawatche caves. You’re turning into someone I don’t know anymore. Please, please just give up on this. Clark’s gone. He’s not coming back, and I'm the one that needs you! Please let this go.”

Lex pulled Lana into his arms, holding her as she started crying. She clung to him, trembling because she was so upset. Lex sighed, kissing the crown of her head.

“I need to go, Lana,” Lex said eventually. “I’m sorry, but this is something I have to do. I’m sure you’ll understand in time.”

He gasped, collapsing as Lana kneed him in the groin.

“Damn it!” Lana yelled, eyes wild. “I already understand it! You love Clark’s fucking memory more than me!”

She ran out of the room, sobbing. Lex groaned. It took much longer than he wanted to be able to stand up and make his way to the helicopter. The icepack that he made up on the private jet melted far too quickly for his comfort. He made a mental note to move into a separate bedroom when he got home. Lana clearly wasn’t going to be safe to be around anymore, not without exercising due caution. He was fairly certain that he’d come home to a divorce, which made his heart hurt nearly as much as his balls. Lex had wanted to do what was right for her, but Clark was more important. Lana, their failing marriage, the rest of the world...none of it mattered once he held the statue in his hands. The last of the Elements of Power: the power of transformation was his, and another possible route to save Clark opened up for Lex.

+++++

“Do you really think your plans will work?” Martha asked, handing Lex his coffee and a piece of apple pie before sitting at the kitchen table with him.

Jonathan was washing his hands in the kitchen, listening to their discussion. Lex was still visiting weekly, when he was in town. After eleven months, he was running out of ideas, but the Kents remained everlasting wells of hope, inspiration, and comfort. He had yet to have a visit with them that didn’t give him another idea, another possible avenue to saving Clark.

“I only hope that one of my plans will work,” Lex sighed, smiling at the taste of the pie. She still made the best pie he’d ever tasted. “I had to make a list of them all the other day, it’s gotten so complicated. But if just one works, then it will be enough. I’ll be able to save him, or you will, depending on which plan is the one that’s initiated.”

“I don’t like the thought of you sacrificing yourself to save Clark,” Jonathan said, coming to the table with a cup of coffee and his own slice of pie. “Clark wouldn’t want that.”

“He gave me my life,” Lex said with a fatalistic shrug. “If I have to give that gift back in order for him to be free, so be it. He won’t like it, but I won’t accept anything less than his being free to choose his own path. Of course, I'll try to convince him to follow the path I think is best, but that’s normal. Either way, I won’t let Jor-El force him to become something Clark isn’t meant to be.”

Martha gave Jonathan a fond look, one combined with something strange; as if she were telling him ‘I told you so.’ Jonathan rolled his eyes, eating a few bites of pie while watching Lex. Eventually, he chuckled, swallowed, and nodded.

“You’re right,” he said to Martha. “I should know better than to disagree with you on something like this.”

“What?” Lex asked, sipping his coffee.

“You’re in love with Clark,” Jonathan said, laughing as Lex sprayed coffee over the table.

Lex was too busy spluttering and wiping up the mess that he’d made, for his brain to process completely what Jonathan had said. He was also too busy trying to decide if the approving tone of voice he thought he’d heard from Jonathan was real.

“Sorry about that,” Jonathan chuckled, once they’d cleaned everything up. “Should have waited until you’d swallowed.”

“Did you…?” Lex wasn’t sure what he was going to ask.

“It’s okay, Lex,” Martha said, patting his arm reassuringly. “I’ve known for years. With Clark gone, it didn’t make any sense to bring it up. You were moving on, making a new life without him. Once he came back, and you went off on your quest, well, I thought I had to explain it to Jonathan. Just in case you succeed. Things can’t go back to the way they were.”

Lex could hear his voice making spluttering little ‘but’ sounds that no self-respecting Luthor should ever make, but he wasn’t able to control it. He couldn’t be having this conversation. It was simply impossible. Martha and Jonathan Kent could not be giving him approval to be with their son!

“Lex,” Jonathan said, his firm hand on Lex’s shoulder shutting off all of Lex’s spiraling thoughts, all of his spluttered words, everything. “It’s okay. You may not believe this, but I do understand. I sowed quite a few wild oats of my own when I was younger, but when I met the right person, I settled right down. My disapproval of you originated with your father and, frankly, I think the majority of it ended with his death. I’d still prefer that Clark presented me with a grandchild someday, but two men can raise an adopted child as well as any man and woman.”

“Jonathan,” Lex breathed, staring at him in shock.

“But the only way that will work is if you survive,” Jonathan said sternly. He wagged a finger at Lex, the sparkle of laughter in his eyes sobering. “So no killing yourself to save Clark. He’d find a way to die without you, anyway.”

“He’s been in love with you since he met you,” Martha said quietly. “We both knew. We just couldn’t approve of it while he was younger, and your father was such a threat. Things are different now. I hope you two can make it work. Clark’s good for you, and you’re good for him.”

Lex leaned back into his chair, tears trying to well up in his eyes. God, what was it about the Kent family that threw him off balance every time he interacted with them? He smiled, and then laughed as he realized what it was. Love. After his childhood, followed by a traumatic adolescence with his father, love was not something he could handle easily.

“Thank you,” Lex said, smiling at them.

+++++

Lex sighed as he leaned against the mantle of his fireplace, watching the flames consume his and Lana’s marriage certificate. It was merely symbolic, of course. The official version was in Lana’s hands, but it felt right to burn his copy. He’d just received the notice from his lawyer that the divorce was final. The mansion was quiet without Lana, Lex thought, somehow much colder after the final subtraction of her slight form from his life. It had been a year to the day since he’d married her, one long year since he’d seen Clark on the beach in Hawaii. Lana hadn’t been able to deal with his obsession, hadn’t been willing to join him in the search. She’d tried to fight him, tried to ignore him, and then had finally given up, filing for a divorce that Lex sadly gave her. Ten million dollars and a no-contact order were a small price to pay to free him to rescue Clark. He’d made dozens of different plans, set in motion a hundred different minor plots, all of which waited to see what happened when Kal-El came back.

“Luthor.”

Lex froze, slowly turning to stare at the door to his office. Clark, no Kal-El, stood there, staring at him. He was as naked as the day he was born, as beautiful as a Greek god, and he had all the warmth of a glacier in his eyes.

“You have something that belongs to me,” Kal-El said, striding into the room to glare down at Lex.

“The Elements of Power,” Lex breathed, mind ticking through everything the Kents had told him of Clark’s powers, as well as remembering the Kryptonians he’d destroyed after the second meteor shower. He truly didn’t want to have to do that to Clark. He hoped this plan worked, but carefully did not reach into his left pocket where the key to it lay. He did surreptitiously pat his left pocket for the lead box that held a handgun with kryptonite bullets.

“Yes,” Kal-El said, sneering at Lex. “You will give them to me now.”

“And what do I get in return?” Lex asked, raising an eyebrow at the alien that had replaced the man Lex loved more than life itself.

“You will live to see me rule the world,” Kal-El growled, grabbing Lex’s throat in a crushing grip. “Where are they?”

“In my safe,” Lex gasped. He didn’t reach for the hand around his throat, refusing to show fear. “Along with a very large stockpile of kryptonite.”

“Get them,” Kal-El demanded, releasing Lex to push him towards the safe.

“No,” Lex replied, smoothing his suit calmly.

“What?” Kal-El snapped, apparently astonished by his response.

“All I get for handing them over is my life?” Lex asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Sorry, that’s insufficient. I’m giving you the keys to a vast storehouse of power, the means for you to take over the world and transform it into a New Krypton, and all you’re giving me in return is my life? Sorry, but no. That’s a bad business deal. Try again.”

“I could just kill you, and get someone else,” Kal-El growled, glaring at him.

“Are you sure that they’ll be able to open the safe?” Lex smirked. “Or that they’ll know what to look for? Or, for that matter, that I actually have them here? I could have made copies of the Elements, and hidden the real ones somewhere else.”

“I suppose you want my secrets in exchange for them,” Kal-El grumbled, hands making fists.

Lex laughed, causing Kal-El to stare at him. Lex was somewhat surprised to find that he was enjoying this little encounter. He’d thought about how he’d handle it for so long that finally having it happen was an immense relief. Kal-El was huge, powerful, and dangerous but, at heart, he was still the gentle farm boy, Clark Kent. If Lex had been in Kal-El’s place, he would have thrown Lex through the wall, killed people until someone opened the safe, taken the stones, and then left. But Kal-El had Clark’s gentle heart, thus he couldn’t quite bring himself to be that brutal. It gave Lex hope that Clark was still in there, fighting against what Jor-El had done to him.

“I already have your secrets,” Lex purred, smirking seductively at Kal-El. “Your human parents told me what I didn't already know. I killed the followers of Zod that arrived in the second meteor shower and dissected their bodies, so I know exactly how your body works. I’ve traveled the world to gather the artifacts left behind by Krypton, Kal-El. I’ve learned to read your language as well as I can read my own. I’ve possessed that body of yours once already. You have no secrets from me. Try again. There is only one thing that I want from you, one thing that would convince me to give the Elements to you.”

Kal-El started out furious, moved on to confused, and then to reluctant arousal as Lex prowled seductively towards him.

“What do you want?” Kal-El demanded. Lex was pretty sure he already knew. He was telegraphing sexual interest so broadly that you’d have to be dead not to pick it up. Even Clark as a teenager would have known what Lex wanted.

“You,” Lex said, pulling the Element of Water out of his pocket, where he’d been keeping it for the last four months, and pressing it against Kal-El’s naked chest.

“No!” Kal-El roared, trying to back away a moment too late.

There was a bizarre moment during which Lex felt that he didn’t have a body at all, and then he was staring down at his own face, clutching his own hand and the stone that was held in it. He was taller, stronger and...good God...that was hair hanging down his back! That made it more real than anything else could. Hair. Lex had hair!

“It worked!” Lex crowed, seizing Kal-El’s now human wrist to pull the stone away from him. “Damn, I wasn’t sure that it would work. Now to set the rest of the plan in motion.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Kal-El growled, fighting against Lex’s now far-superior strength futilely. “Your men will think you’re attacking me.”

“I highly doubt it,” Lex said with a grin. “I’ve been planning for this ever since I found this Element, Kal-El. I have the only thing that I needed from you, though I do have one question for you. How do you say ‘a’ in Kryptonian?”

Kal-El stared at him through Lex’s face, the jaw dropping in shock, the eyes going wide. Lex grinned in delight.

“Well, I know how to say the consonants,” Lex said as Kal-El shook his head in confusion. “It’s the vowels that I’m not sure about. So, ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u.’ How do you pronounce them?”

“You’ll never convince Jor-El by speaking Kryptonian,” Kal-El growled, glaring at him as Lex’s men came in, guns at the ready.

“Mmm?” Lex raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s not part of the plan. That’s just because I’m curious. I detest speaking another language incorrectly. I don’t need to speak Kryptonian to be able to do what I need to save you. I just want to know.”

“Sir, what’s the code word?” Lex’s security chief demanded, guns trained on Lex in Kal-El’s body, rather than on Kal-El in Lex’s body.

“Puppy Riot,” Lex said, grinning at them as they immediately switched their gun’s focus to Kal-El. “I need to secure him until the next step of the plan is ready. Take him down to the lab, and put him in the room we prepared. I need clothes for what I’m doing next.”

“Yes, sir!” Lex’s security chief said, directing his men to seize Kal-El.

Lex found it very strange to watch his body being hauled off in handcuffs, but he knew that they’d take good care of his body (and Clark) until he needed it back. For now, he had other things he needed to do. Lex went upstairs and dressed in the clothes he’d purchased in Clark’s size before going back to his office. His chief opened the safe, and obtained the other two elements for Lex. Lex tucked the third into its proper compartment before directing his chief to seal the safe again.

“Be careful with my body,” Lex told him. “I’ll be back shortly.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, saluting.

Lex went outside and hesitated for only a second before trying to fly. He wasn’t sure it would work, but he had to try it at least once. Amazingly, it was as easy as relaxing and then reaching. Suddenly, he was flying into the air with a delighted whoop. He headed straight for the Kent farm. Martha and Jonathan were heading to bed, but they stopped cold when Lex came in wearing Clark’s body.

“He came back,” Lex said, grinning at them, “and the plan worked. I have his body and he has mine. I wanted to let you know before I went off to tackle the next part.”

“Lex?” Martha gasped, staring at him. “Is that really you?”

“Yes,” Lex laughed, unable to stop grinning. “He came back, Martha. He was Kal-El, totally unlike our Clark, but he did come back. I’ve got to get to work on the next bit. He’s safe in my body in the mansion. Hopefully by morning we’ll be able to switch back, and it will all be fixed. Hang onto that chunk of black Kryptonite, just in case I don’t succeed. I’ve already got everything set up so that Clark will own everything as me if I have to destroy his body to free him.”

“Be careful,” Martha said, Jonathan nodding seriously beside her. “Don’t use the bombs unless you have to, Lex. Clark needs you.”

“I will,” Lex promised, nodding at them. “Stay here until you hear from my security chief. You’re key pieces to the plan. I don’t want you two getting hurt, no matter what happens.”

+++++

The caves were just as he remembered them...dark, dusty, and faintly ominous. Lex headed into the heart of the cave, to a chamber that hadn’t been there before. It contained a pedestal table with depressions that seemed perfect for holding the Elements of Power, but Lex didn’t place them in the indentations. He smiled complacently, looking around with interest, certain that Jor-El would act soon. Light lanced from the center of the cave, enveloping Lex within purest light and deepest dark.

“You are not Kal-El,” Jor-El intoned.

“Actually, I am, now,” Lex said, smirking. “I have his body. I have the Elements of Power. I have the knowledge and will to do whatever is necessary. The question is what I’m going to do with you, Jor-El.”

“If you unite the Elements of Power, you will not be able to return to your own body,” Jor-El warned.

“I took that for granted,” Lex snorted. “I’m not here for your help. I know how to use the Element of Water.”

“What do you want?” Jor-El demanded.

“Clark,” Lex said. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let you destroy him to remake him into something else, Jor-El. You will release him from the brainwashing, or I will destroy you and then release him my way. I’ve found multiple methods that might work. One way or the other, Clark will be restored, and then set free.”

“You cannot—”

“Wrong!” Lex bellowed, Clark’s voice echoing through the caves. “I have Clark’s powers, Jor-El. You’re not dealing with a gentle farm boy from Kansas. You’re dealing with Alexander Joseph Luthor, raised from birth to be the most ruthless man on the planet, raised to rule the world! There is nothing that I cannot, and will not, do to get Clark back! Free him, or so help me, I will destroy the caves, destroy the Elements, destroy everything Kryptonian on this planet—including this body—to free him!”

Lex’s bellow echoed through the caves for a long moment, and then silence fell. That silence stretched for a long time. Lex knew he’d foreclosed all of Jor-El’s options. The only question was whether the AI’s programming was flexible enough to be able to understand the concept of checkmate.

“He is my son,” Jor-El said, “the last son of Krypton. He must fulfill his destiny.”

“Obviously, attempting to reason with you was a waste of time,” Lex sighed, feeling frustrated and tired. “Jor-El, I know that you are nothing but programming. If I had infinite time, I would attempt to reprogram you, to remove the blatant instability in your system, but I don’t have that luxury. My men are already bringing kryptonite bombs to the caves. They will destroy the entire cave system, taking both of us with it. The only thing that matters to me is that Clark is freed. If he lives on in my body, so be it. My life doesn’t matter, only Clark’s does.”

“You cannot destroy me, Alexander Luthor,” Jor-El said scornfully. “There are other sites on this planet that I can transfer to.”

“Wrong again,” Lex declared, smirking. “Check them. I’ve already either destroyed or booby-trapped them. Every Kryptonian site on the planet already has my special kryptonite bombs in it, with the exception of this one. Every site your people ever touched is mine. Even sites that where it’s only a reference to your people are subject to immediate destruction. You are trapped, Jor-El.”

There was a long pause, during which the light surrounding Lex flickered violently. Lex presumed that Jor-El was checking the other sites, verifying that Lex was telling the truth. He was infinitely grateful that Jor-El underestimated humanity as a whole. Lex suspected that if Jor-El had been watching more carefully, he could have stopped Lex’s plans in their tracks.

“You speak the truth,” Jor-El said, the unnaturally calm voice finally betraying concern.

“Yes, I do,” Lex agreed with a wicked grin. “Let Clark go. Let him go, and I’ll return him to his own body. Let him go, and I’ll help him unite the crystals. Let him go, and he’ll choose his own path. You never know. He might choose your path, or he might choose mine, but knowing Clark, he’ll choose a path that will astonish us both, changing the world and blazing a path for the universe to follow.”

There was another very long pause, during which Lex’s men sent robots loaded with kryptonite bombs into the heart of the caves. He’d long since mapped the full cave system out, and every cavern had a kryptonite bomb placed strategically in it. If Jor-El didn’t agree, Lex would destroy it all.

“He is restored.”

+++++

“Lex?”

Lex grinned, pleased to see his Clark - the real Clark - staring out at him through Lex’s eyes.

“Yes,” Lex said, laughing. “God, it’s so good to see you, Clark! Glad you recognize that it’s me inside here.”

“Who else would wear a purple shirt like that?” Clark asked, laughing shakily. He moaned as Lex swept him up in his arms. “Missed you so much!”

“I know,” Lex whispered, setting the Element of Water against his neck gently.

The world twisted again, and Lex was back in his own body and held by Clark, who staggered and almost fell at the abrupt change. Clark trembled, his beautiful mouth working as tears welled up in his eyes. Lex pulled him down into a fierce kiss, groaning happily as Clark held him tight. He’d waited so long for this kiss!

“How?” Clark whispered once Lex let his lips go. “Why?”

“How is a long, long story,” Lex said, wiping Clark’s tears away. “The why is simple: I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you, Clark Kent. I’ve spent years obsessing about you, six of them trying to find you, and then another year trying to save you. I love you more than life itself, more than Lana, more than money, more than literally anything in the world. I had to find you to save you.”

“Why?” Clark asked, cheeks flaming. “Why save me? Why not destroy me? I’m a threat to the world, Lex. As long as I’m alive, there’s the chance that Jor-El will take me over again, use me to do his bidding.”

“Never happen,” Lex declared, firmly enough that Clark stared at him. “We came to an understanding, Jor-El and I. You’re free to choose your own path, Clark. Not Jor-El’s path, not Jonathan’s, not Martha’s, and not even mine. You get to do whatever you want with your life from now on.”

“I’m not sure I can handle that much freedom,” Clark laughed weakly, his face revealing just how frightening the thought was. His legs were shaking so badly that Lex guided him back to the chair he’d been sitting in. “I’ve been so trapped all my life that I…don’t have the slightest idea of what to do.”

“Well, I do have a couple of suggestions,” Lex offered, smirking at Clark.

“You do?” Clark asked. He gasped, and then laughed as Lex sat in his lap. “What do these suggestions entail?”

“Hmm, something to do with collars, cuffs, penile plugs, whips, and plenty of lube in combination with very small quantities of kryptonite,” Lex purred, licking his lips. “I figure a few weeks spent playing with those might just relax you enough to be able to tackle the rest of the world.”

Clark laughed, wrapping his arms around Lex.

“I kept wishing it was real that night in Oahu,” Clark admitted with a bright blush.

“It will be real from now on, Clark,” Lex assured him. “Everything I’ve done over the last eight years has been because of you, and for you. Without you, there is no me.”

“Gar wondered if you loved me,” Clark said quietly, eyes full of pain for his lost love. “I told him I didn’t know if there was room for love in the middle of all that obsession. I guess I didn’t understand that the obsession was driven by love.”

“Well, I do tend to be pretty intense.” Lex smirked at Clark. “Part of why I’ve lost three wives. Will you stay? Or do I have to go get the kryptonite to make you stay?”

“Lex!” Clark squawked, and then laughed as he realized that Lex was teasing him. “You cheat.”

“Every day,” Lex said proudly, “in every way. I’ll do whatever I have to, to get the one thing that matters to me.”

“What’s that?” Clark asked, impossibly shy.

“You.” Lex leaned so close that their lips were practically touching. “The only thing that matters to me is you, Clark Kent. Stay?”

“Yes,” Clark whispered, closing the hair-thin gap between their lips. “So fill me in on all the stuff that you’ve done while I was gone?”

“Sure,” Lex said, “In a bit. Have to kiss you into submission first.”

Clark laughed, a wonderful, sexy, earthy laugh that set Lex’s libido on fire. He ran his hands up Lex’s back, drew sexy little circles over Lex’s scalp, and rubbed his nose against Lex’s cheek before whispering in his ear.

“You don’t have to kiss me to get me to submit to you, Lex. I’ll do that at just a look.”

+++++

“So let me get this straight,” Clark said, his mind spinning from everything Lex had told him after they’d had mind-blowing sex in his office, then in his bedroom, then in the shower, and then back in the bed.

“Sure,” Lex said, relaxing on the bed with one arm behind his head and looking like the sexiest man in the history of the universe.

“You…made friends with Gar’s family,” Clark said, starting at the beginning, “and saved all my books for me.”

“And your surfboard.”

“Hush,” Clark said, shaking his head. “You convinced my parents to tell you everything, every secret they’d always kept from you.”

“Well, they decided that on their own,” Lex interrupted. “I was quite astonished when they told me.”

“Be quiet you, I’m thinking here,” Clark said, putting a hand over Lex’s mouth. Lex’s eyes sparkled with laughter above it. “You got their approval for us to be together. You saved my parent’s farm for them. You got Chloe to tell you what she knows, Pete to tell you what he knows, Dr. Swann to tell you what he knows.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Lex murmured, chuckling through Clark’s hand.

“You found every Kryptonian site on the planet,” Clark continued, feeling utterly overwhelmed, “put secret kryptonite bombs in them—which you personally designed to be something like 1000 times as powerful as a normal bomb—which required stockpiling nearly all the kryptonite on the planet, so that’s no longer a threat to me.”

“Mmm-hmm!” Lex was definitely grinning beneath Clark's fingers.

“You found the Elements of Power,” Clark said, voice shaking, “taught yourself Kryptonian, bargained with a mad alien supercomputer that was out to rule the world...and you did it all for me?”

“Mmm-Hmm!”

“And now you’re telling me that I don’t have to stay with you,” Clark said warily, “that I can go off, pursue Lana, or Chloe, or anyone else that strikes my fancy. I can spurn everything that you’ve done, and just…leave.”

Lex pulled Clark’s hand away from his mouth, smiling tenderly at him.

“Yes.”

“You really are insane, you know that?” Clark laughed, pulling Lex into his arms.

“What part of all that is insane?” Lex objected, looking offended.

“To do all that,” Clark said, petting Lex’s scarred lip tenderly with his thumb, “and then tell the person you’re madly, passionately, obsessively in love with that he can leave, that’s insane, Lex. Sorry, but that’s a fact.”

“Well, I never said that I wouldn’t keep pursuing you,” Lex admitted with a huge grin. “Just that you should be free to choose your life for yourself.”

Clark rolled his eyes, laughed, and pulled Lex into a kiss that turned into another session of mind-bending sex. Eventually, Lex curled up along Clark’s side, his left arm draped over Clark’s stomach and his head pillowed on Clark’s shoulder.

“I’m not saying I’ll stay forever,” Clark said quietly. “I can’t promise that. I don’t think anyone can, especially not people like us, but after you did all that for me, how in the world could I see it as anything other than the deepest love I’ve ever conceived of?”

“Mmm,” Lex sighed sleepily. “Good. Then tomorrow I need to work on getting that gay marriage bill passed. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Was that a proposal?” Clark asked, startled to full awareness.

“Hmm?” Lex yawned widely. “Oh no, that’s not scheduled until day after tomorrow. The ring’s not back from the jeweler yet. Would you take me as your husband?”

Clark grinned, remembering Lex’s words to Kal-El. He remembered what happened, having been inside, fighting, the whole time.

“And what do I get in return?” Clark asked, making Lex laugh.

“How about sex like we had in Hawaii, every night of your life, as wild as you want it, or as tender as you want it?” Lex offered.

“I think I can deal with that,” Clark said, grinning. “Sold. I’m yours. Not that I was ever going to say no, anyway. Especially with you fucking me.”

“I love it when you use words like that,” Lex smiled, yawning wide enough to nearly split his head in half. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d do it right now.”

“Sleep,” Clark said, petting Lex’s head, and kissing his forehead. “We’ve got our whole lives. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

“Hold you to that,” Lex murmured as he fell asleep. “'Night, love.”

“'Night,” Clark said in return, smiling at Lex in the dark.

He was still smiling as he fell asleep, thinking that of all the places his life could have gone, this was the last one that he’d thought the waves of fate would take him. But then, Lex had a way of reshaping the entire world to suit what he wanted, so maybe it was something more than just fate. Clark sighed and fell asleep, safe inside the web of protection that Lex had spun for him.