Title: Devil's Due
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Lex/Clark, Lex/Lionel/Lucas/Clark (After awhile it was kind of hard to untangle them all) Summary: Lucas tries to buy his father's love with a very special gift, while at the same time ensuring his place within the Luthor family hierarchy. Archiving: Yes, by author's permission (but I hardly ever say nay) Category: Non-con, HEAVY BDSM and some incestual content (be warned) Hurt/Comfort, First Time Spoilers for: Prodigal and basic show canon. Takes place several months after Prodigal Feedback: Applause, Accolades, and verbal whuppin's are encouraged at twotrails4860@yahoo.com You may also contact me to beta your story, or just to chat about writing in the Smallville genre, as I'd like to meet others that write in this fandom. General Boring Disclaimer: Of course they aren't mine. If they were, Smallville would be airing on Showtime after 9 p.m. with a heavy viewer's discretion warning. They belong to DC Comics and Millar/Gough. The only compensation I get is the joy of writing them however I want. Storyline, however, is an original piece of Clexfic by Shaman, copyright 2004. I must give a nod to Rhiannonhero, the author of the wonderful story "Seven Hurricane," whose story reminded me just how bad Lucas could be, and made me wonder how much worse he could get with Lionel's influence.

Devil's Due

By Shaman

Lucas Luthor sat in a large overstuffed chair, his hands folded under his chin as he contemplated his future. Just six months ago he had been living in a townhouse in Edge City courtesy of his trusting brother, and now he stood on the threshold of a whole new life . . . a life filled with billions of dollars, fast cars, women, and all the material goods that he had ever desired while he had been living in foster care. He had tasted that life briefly while he had lived in the Luthor mansion, and had never forgotten its sweetness. He now craved it like an addict craved his fix and over the past six months, had found a way to get it back. He would return to his father's good graces, keep Lex close to him as he had been, and then destroy them both with one fell swoop. With both his old man and Lex out of the way, Luthorcorp and it's billions of dollars of corporate profit would be his alone.

After Lex and Lucas had conspired together to expose their father's lies, Lucas had agreed to let himself fall under his enigmatic half-brother's protection. That meant he was safe from Lionel's wrath and revenge, while at the same time Lucas could form his plan without the old man's knowledge. While he hadn't spent a lot of time with Lionel Luthor, Lucas was pretty sure he knew how his father's mind worked. And Lex, who didn't share their father's degree of ruthlessness but was certainly a formidable rival, had revealed to Lucas a weakness that would be the key to his downfall.

First, however, he had to obtain that key. Lucas knew he'd be risking his life by taking the one thing on earth that Lex loved and giving it over to the person that he hated and feared the most. If his plan went badly, he knew that Lex would kill him for the transgression. He didn't doubt that and it didn't frighten him. In a way, it was exciting . . . if he came out ahead of the game, he'd inherit billions. If he lost, he'd lose everything, including his life. Lucas grinned widely and glanced down at the black and white survaillance photo on the table in front of him. It showed a smiling raven-haired boy of perhaps sixteen or seventeen years of age. Even without the benefit of color, the youth's face spoke of vitality and innocence, and his smile was almost shy. Everything about his expression belied the fact that the boy was startlingly handsome . . .even beautiful. Lucas felt his cock twitch, and his grin widened. Not only would he have what Lex treasured . . . he would have it first.

"Clark? Clark, are you up? Come on or you'll miss your bus!"

"I'm up, mom!" Clark called back as he slipped a white tee shirt over his head and pulled on a red and blue flannel overshirt to cover it up. He buttoned it halfway and yawned as he slipped his feet into his work boots. As he laced them up, his mother called to him from the bottom of the stairs.

"Clark, your father and I are going into town! Your breakfast is on the table, but don't forget to sweep the barn aisle before you leave! Have a good day, sweetie!"

"Thanks, mom!" He called back, and shook his head ruefully. Did anyone but his folks actually say 'Have A Good Day' anymore? He made a mental note to teach them both some more up-to-date phrases as he raced downstairs to eat before the bus came. Not that it mattered much if he missed the bus. He could easily outrun it and make it to school a good twenty minutes before it arrived at Smallville High. Not only did he enjoy the run, he also enjoyed the looks on Pete and Chloe's faces when they arrived at school and found him waiting there after having supposedly missed the bus five miles back. Grinning at the memory of the times that he'd done that, Clark quickly ate his eggs and bacon and chased it down with a few gulps of orange juice from the pitcher in the fridge. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, Clark jogged outside to sweep the barn aisle before the bus arrived. He stepped into the warm, hay-sweet walkway and grabbed the broom from the corner, hesitating a moment to tighten the handle as it wobbled in its base. The broom had seen better days, and Clark carefully twisted the handle clockwise.

"C'mon." He grumbled as the threads of the worn-out handle refused to catch in the faded and scratched plastic base. "Jeez, I have to tell dad we need a new b-"

The word was cut off with a startled intake of air as a strong arm wrapped around Clark's neck and tightened like the coils of a large snake. Clark reacted quickly, twisting his body to throw off his attacker. At the same moment, he felt a pain in the back of his neck, like something impossibly sharp had pierced the skin on the nape of his neck just below his hairline. He cried out in pain and surprise and a moment later a strange, floating sensation filled his body. His feet shuffled against the wooden slats of the barn floor and then splayed outwards as he lost his balance and fell heavily to his knees. His hands opened and closed helplessly. His looked up, his green eyes already growing glassy and clouded, and saw the shape of a man standing in front of him. The face was a black blur, and it took Clark's muddled mind a few moments to realize that the man wore a ski mask. Only the eyes, dark blue and glittering, could be seen.

"Hnuh?" He mumbled through lips that felt numb and useless, and the form kicked its right foot out to sweep Clark to the ground. Clark fell like a lightning-struck tree, landing heavily on his side. A small cloud of grain dust puffed up around his body briefly, and then settled again. The figure grinned, his teeth bright in the midst of the black mask.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." He said in a low, smirking voice. "You'll have another chance to be on your knees for me again soon."

Lionel Luthor hung up the phone at his office at Luthorcorp, his face a mask of barely restrained surprise and anger. He sat up straight in his high-backed leather chair and steepled his hands in front of him on the desk as his mind raced furiously. What was he doing here and what could he possibly want, considering their last meeting and how they'd left things?

The door to his office swept open, and Lucas strolled in as if he owned the building instead of his billionare father. Lionel leaned back in his chair and gave his son a smile.

"When my secretary told me that my youngest son was here to see me, I could hardly believe it."

"In the flesh, dad." Lucas smiled back, and cocked his head at his father. "Is that all the welcome I get after six months?"

"Well forgive me, son, if I haven't overwhemled you with phone calls and letters, but I understood you were under Lex's . . . protection." The last wrod dripped with insinuation, and Lucas smiled a little.

"Considering that Lex and I exposed you for the two-faced weasel that you are, I'd say that was a wise choice on my part."

"Careful, Lucas." The smile fell away from Lionel's wolfish features. "Lex isn't here to protect you right now."

"As much as I'd like to stand here and listen to your cliched threats, I don't have all day, dad. I came here to offer you a business proposition." Lucas said as he began to pace back and forth in front of the desk slowly.

"Business proposition?" Lionel echoed. "That's intriguing, son, but I can't imagine that I'd want anything that you might have in your possession."

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that if I were you." Lucas replied, and removed a buff-colored manilla folder from his black leather jacket. He tossed it on Lionel's desk, who smiled up at him expectantly.

"What's this? Some pathetic attempt to blackmail me, perhaps?"

"Trust me, dad." Lucas smiled. "You'll want to check out what's in that folder."

"Lucas, Lucas." Lionel sighed as he picked up the folder and slit open the seal with a letter opener. "What does Lucas have for me that could possibly . . . " Lionel trailed off as he pulled a thin stack of glossy colored eight by ten photos from the envelope. He flipped through them, unable to hide his surprise, his disbelief . . . his hunger. He felt himself stir beneath his Armani slacks and shifted uneasily in his chair. "Where-" He began hoarsely, and then cleared his throat. "Lucas, where did you get these photos?"

"Took them myself. About a half an hour ago." Lucas said as he examined his perfectly manicured fingernails. His half-brother was very generous. "But since you're not interested in anything that I might have in my posession . . . " Lucas looked at his father, his eyebrows raised inquiringly. Lionel cleared his throat again.

"All right Lucas, you have my full attention. You're telling me that you have this, " Lionel waved the photos at him, "in your possession as we speak?"

"As we speak."

"All right. Why?"

"Come on, dad." Lucas smirked, sounding eerily similar to his honey-voiced older brother. "I'm not blind, like you pretended to be the last time I was here. I know about your curiosity with Clark Kent. It's one of the few things that you and Lex have in common." Lucas licked his lips. "You and Lex both know that Clark is hiding something . . . Lex thinks he can gain Clark's trust and hopes that eventually the boy will confide in him. I, however, believe that the more direct approach you would take would bear quicker fruit." He grinned at his father's hungry expression. "Suppose I told you that I know Clark Kent's secrets. Suppose that I'd be willing to share them with you. What's that worth to you, dad?"

"You know . . . . how . . . ? How do you know, Lucas? Tell me." Lionel almost whispered. Lucas took a few steps and leaned on his father's expensive oak desk.

"I had the help of some people I knew in Edge City, and of course there was Lex's money."

"Lex! He would never agree to something like this. He adores the boy, he'd never allow him to be hurt."

"Oh, he doesn't know that he's been funding my little pet project. I told him that I've been doing some heavy investing with the allowance he's been giving me. He's generous, actually . . . generous and pretty trusting considering that I tried to bilk him out of everything he owned six months ago." Lucas laughed merrily. "I told him I've been investing in some dot com projects that look promising, but haven't seen any returns yet. He even offered to give me some stock tips. I'm sure they were fantastic tips and would have worked great . . . had I invested anything in the market. But I didn't of course. I used the money he was giving me to find out everything I could about Clark. I had people search his house while The Kents were gone. I had him and his parents investigated, right down to if they prefer coffee or tea. Turns out it's both. As fascinating as that is, I'm sure you'll find this even more worth your while." Lucas held up another manilla envelope and then held it close to his chest as Lionel reached for it.

"First, you listen to my proposal." He told his father, who leaned back in his chair once more.

"Your proposal. All right Lucas, I'm listening. What is it that you want?"

"I want what's owed to me. What's due to any Luthor. I'm tired of living on my brother's good graces . . . I want my own fortune, and you're just the man to give it to me."

Lionel shook his head slowly. "I believe we went over this the last time you were in Smallville, Lucas. I will not allow you to kill Lex, nor will I have him killed."

"I'm not asking you to kill him." Lucas replied as he paced back and forth in front of Lionel's desk. "You don't need to kill him . . . I just want him gone. Out of Smallville, out of Metropolis, out of our lives." Lucas leaned forward again, bracing his hands on the desk. "Exile him, dad. Exile him and leave him peniless. Leave him without so much as a dime so that he can never bother us again. Let me take his place . . . give me a second chance, and I'll prove to you that I can be the kind of son that you want."

Lionel sat silent for many minutes, stroking his short beard in contemplation.

"It's a small price to pay for the peace offering I have waiting for you in Edge City, dad." Lucas tapped the photos on Lionel's desk blotter, and Lionel looked at them again. Each photo featured a bound, blindfolded and mostly nude Clark Kent. He lay spread-eagled on some kind of padded contraption that looked like a modified weight-training machine. His wrists and ankles were bound to the metal frame with thick leather cuffs, and a third leather strap ran just under Clark's nipples, securing him to the padding. Lionel chuckled and looked up at Lucas.

"Let's go pay young Mr. Kent a visit, son."

Clark's consciousness returned slowly, like fog lifting from a dewy Kansas morning. He moaned in pain as he tried to force his eyes open, only to discover that they were covered with a thick cloth. The tendons in his neck felt like they were filled with broken glass, and he winced as he remembered what had happened in the barn.

"Where am I?" He asked himself aloud as he tried to move his arms and legs and found them tightly secured. He tugged at the bonds hard enough to break them, but they refused to budge. He squirmed like a fly caught in a spider's web, and felt panic trying to settle in his chest as he realized that his powers were gone. They were gone, and he was helpless. The metal framework he was secured to began to rock and shake as he fought his bonds. He pulled hard at the metal cuffs that secured his hands above his head.

"Someone help me! Let me loose!"

A door nearby opened and closed, and then rivers of ice seemed to form in Clark's bloodstream as a familiar voice broke the room's silence.

"Oh, son. He's . . . exquisite."

Lionel Luthor. And . . . son? Could Lex possibly be a part of this . . . whatever it was?

"I told you it was a small price to pay." Another voice answered, and Clark struggled a little. No, not Lex. The voice was sharp-edged and aggresive, not like Lex's smooth, even lilt.

Lucas.

Footsteps echoed across concrete, and Clark blinked as the blindfold was yanked away and harsh bright light assaulted his eyes. A big hand cupped his chin and brought his head up sharply. Clark blinked again, and looked up into the cold blue eyes of Lucas Luthor. The older boy grinned.

"Long time no see, Clark."

"What do you want with me?" Clark asked, trying to keep his voice from trembling. Luthors, like dogs and other large carniverous animals, could smell fear.

"A couple of things, Clark, since you asked. First of all, you can explain about this . . . " Lucas walked over to the opposite corner and yanked a green tarp aside to reveal the small metallic spacecraft that Jonathan Kent had so carefully hidden in his storm cellar.

"And then maybe you can explain about this." Lucas walked back over to him and pulled the envelope he'd offered his father back at his office. He ripped it open and held up photo after photo in front of Clark's face, each of them showing Clark performing amazing feats of strength- sinking fence posts into concrete with his bare hands, moving and lifting a downed tree on his parent's property and most amazing of all, him lifting his father's tractor with one hand while Jonathan Kent hunkered underneath it with a wrench in his hand. All taken without Clark's knowledge. He closed his eyes briefly in sorrow and regret, and Lionel snatched the photos from his son's hand, his eyes wide and sparkling.

"My God. my God, Lucas . . . ." He stared at the photos, and then at Clark as if he were some exotic and impossibly rare breed of animal. He took a few steps toward Clark, who tried not to struggle as he approached.

"It all makes sense now . . . . everything. Everything I've ever wondered about . . . my God, if only Lex . . . " His eyes roved up and down Clark's body, and he chuckled softly.

"I used to wonder if you were perhaps one of those that the meteor shower transformed, but no. No." Lionel shook his head and reached out to touch Clark's face as the teenager gazed at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"You're not even human . . . are you."

"Mr. Luthor, I . . . whatever you and Lucas think, it's not true!" Clark pleaded, and Lucas let out a short bark of laughter as he held up the photos.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that what we think is right on the money, sweetheart."

Clark looked up at him sharply, and Lucas tossed the photos on a nearby table. Now that his vision had cleared, Clark could see that they were in a big warehouse or sub-basement of some kind. Empty wooden pallets and stacks of cardboard boxes lined the moisture-stained concrete walls. Clark saw only one door, directly across from him. Lucas stepped in front of him, blocking that view.

"Time for the truth, Clark." He said softly. "You can start by answering my father's question."

"Wait just a moment, Lucas." Lionel interrupted. He glanced at the photos. "If this is true, if Clark Kent is capable of such feats of strength, how did you manage to bring him here? How are you able to hold him here with just these straps?" Lionel fingered the cuffs with a puzzled frown.

"Clark? Care to field that question?" Lucas asked as he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a long slim metallic case. He pulled it open to reveal a hypodermic needle, the length of which began to glow a bright emrald green. Clark groaned and gritted his teeth against the nausea that gripped his guts. Lionel watched in amazement as the veins in Clark's hands and feet stood out in a blackish-green relief against his skin. Lucas grinned.

"This is how I drugged you, Clark. One of my surveillance people people was watching the day you and your dad were out pulling up stumps in your back pasture and you came across some big chunks of meteor rock. He said you fell like a tree and seemed to lose all of your strength." Lucas pulled the needle from the case and twirled it between his fingers.

"Your powers are like armor, Clark . . . but once you find a way to pierce that armor-" Lucas turned and plunged the needle into Clark's neck, just under his left ear. Clark screamed in agony and his body bucked in the metal frame in which he was secured.

"-you're just like anyone else."

Clark stared up at Lucas with wide, pain-filled eyes and felt his muscles turn to jelly as the drug took affect on him. Lucas turned to Lionel.

"Another result of Lex's generosity. I was able to pay some people in an Edge City lab to make me several dozen of these." He held up the empty needle.

"The drug itself is a simple muscle relaxer. As long as I give him regular doses, we'll be able to stunt his powers and keep him under control."

Lionel hesitated, and then patted his son's shoulder. "Well done, Lucas. I must admit that I'm impressed. You've accomplished something that Lex, in his emotional weakness, has been unable to do for over a year. I've always known that Clark Kent was a very special young man, but you've been able to finally prove my theory." Lionel reached out and stroked Clark's cheek in a gentle caress.

"We made a deal, dad." Lucas reminded his father as the older man stared at Clark with bright, predatory eyes.

"Don't worry, son. I fully intend to honor our bargain, especially in light of your . . . gift." Lionel turned to his son. "Of course, I have to first show Lex what he's lost before he joins the ranks of this country's many homeless." The predatory grin returned. "Prepare an extra needle, Lucas, while I make a phone call." Lionel pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and walked away to make his call. Clark struggled weakly.

"No! Lucas, no! Don't you dare hurt Lex! He doesn't have anything to do with what I am!"

"That's just the thing, Clark. Lex has everything to do with what you are. Without you, he'd be just another spoiled billionare's son. You're his greatest treasure, Clark, and he doesn't even know it."

"Lionel won't let you hurt Lex! He'll turn on you the minute he gets the chance! He tried to kill you the last time you used Lex as a bargaining chip, remember? You'd be dead right now if Lex hadn't loaded those guns with blanks!"

Lionel snapped his cell phone shut and strode across the room where Clark lay trapped and struck him hard across the face. "You'll want to shut your mouth, boy, or I may just change my mind about letting you live after Lex is gone." Lionel picked up the blindfold Lucas had pulled off of their captive eariler and shoved it into Clark's mouth. Ignoring the boy's muffled cries, he tied the black cloth tightly in the back of Clark's head, making sure the cloth trapped his tongue. Clark squirmed, and Lionel stepped back to watch. "You were there watching that day, weren't you. It was you who melted that hole in the ceiling grate." He chuckled and ran a finger along Clark's jawline. "Oh Clark . . . your parents should never have tried to hide your abilities from me. It would have been so much easier if you had been truthful with me and with Lex . . . now he'll have to find out the hard way that his dearest friend has lied to him since the day he met you. He'll be betrayed and sent into exile, and the one person who might have been able to save him will have himself betrayed him as well. I won't be at all surprised if he begs for death when we're through with him."

Clark shook his head, pleading with Lionel with frightened green eyes. The older man smiled and touched Clark's dark hair.

"I can hardly wait."

Lex snapped his laptop shut as his cell phone rang out the first few notes of Motzart's Fifth Symphony. He scooped it up with one hand as he sipped a chilled bottle of Ty Nant water with the other. "Lex Luthor."

"Lex!" Lionel's voice was full of good humor. "Good to hear your voice, son."

"Hi, dad. What do you want because I'm very busy and I don't have time to play games." "I hardly called to 'play games,' son. I called because I have some new information on the symbols in the Kiwatche caves and I thought you might be interested."

Lex paused and then switched the cell phone to his other ear. "Why would I be interested?"

"The caves are under your generous protection, Lex, and since you were interested enough in the symbols to have the cave declared off-limits to any kind of development, I thought you might want to hear what I have to say, but if not then I'll bid you good day." There was a brief pause, the kind of pause that would have gone unnoticed by anyone but Lex. He knew his father was giving him the chance to rise to the bait. Lex sighed and set down his bottle of water.

"All right dad. What is it you've found out? It might be something I can pass on to my linguists."

"I can't tell you over the phone. Come to my office, and I'll tell you everything. I'll expect you in one hour." Lionel hung up, and Lex's jaw set in irritation. He hated to let Lionel call the shots, but if his father really did have new information that would help Lex solve the mysteries of the Kiwatche cave symbols, then Lex would be happy to let his father think he was in charge for a few hours. Lex drained the remains of the Ty-Nant and tossed it into the glass recycling bin that sat next to the garage as he headed for his silver Porsche. He was on his way to Metropolis moments later, the early morning sun shining down on the sleek black ribbon of highway between Smallville and the city.

Lucas sat beside the metal frame that held his captive still and idly twirled one of the kryptonite needles between two fingers as he watched Clark squirm. He'd been watching the boy struggle now for nearly half an hour, and Lucas found it highly arousing. He set the needle aside and touched himself lightly through the tight black jeans he wore. Lionel, pacing nearby as he waited for Lex's arrival per his arrangement, froze and watched his son as he stood and faced the trapped teenager.

"Tell me something, Clark." Lucas smiled engagingly. "You and Lex have a very special relationship, don't you?"

"We . . . we're friends." Clark ventured, unsure of what Lucas wanted him to say. Lucas chuckled low in his throat.

"Of course you are. Good friends. I know, I sensed that the last time I was in Smallville. Tell me though . . . are you aware at all that Lex wishes he could be more than friends with you?"

Lionel blinked, and then a grin spread across his face as he watched Clark Kent's green eyes widen. His eyes were no doubt his best facial feature. They were large, expressive, and fringed with sooty long lashes that would be the envy of any woman. As for Lucas's comment it was hardly shocking . . . Lionel had known about Lex's tastes for some time. After all, hadn't he helped form them?

"I- I don't understand." Clark replied, and Lucas chuckled again as he reached out and stroked Clark's cheek.

"Of course you don't, poor kid. After all, you were raised by two Christian people who would never discuss with you something so . . . seamy." Lucas leaned in close to Clark until their lips were practically touching. Clark swallowed hard, and Lucas brushed his cheek against Clark's as he whispered in the boy's ear.

"What I mean, Clark, is that Lex wishes he could fuck you."

Clark's whole body jerked as Lucas's breath tickled his ear and at the impact of the words. Lucas backed off a bit, grinning, and Clark gazed at him with disbelief.

"That's right, sweetie. Lex has wanted you in that way since the day you met, and he's been grooming you every day since then, hoping you'd read his signals and respond in kind. You mean you never noticed? Or maybe you just never saw it. Maybe you thought he'd befriended you for other reasons. But then after all, it's not everyday that a billionare's son makes friends with the son of a poor organic farmer. Is it, Clark?"

"I saved his life. He's . . . he was grateful." Clark said softly, trying to pull away from Lucas. The older boy was much too close. Of course it was useless, he could barely move.

"Oh yes, he's grateful. Who wouldn't be? Right?" Lucas glanced at his father for affirmation, and Lionel nodded, a mock-thoughtful expression on his face. Lucas reached up and stroked Clark's cheek with two fingers. Clark flinched.

"I'm grateful too, Clark. I'm grateful that I have you in this position, and that I'm going to be able to take the one thing in the world that Lex most wants." His hand slid down Clark's face, his neck, and then blazed a trail over his chest and dipped down between his legs. Clark inhaled sharply with disbelief and outrage as Lucas's hand cupped him through his boxers. His hips bucked up almost of their own accord, and Lucas grinned.

"Are you a virgin, Clark? Oh, but of course you are . . . your parents would have raised you with strong morals, after all." The hand started to massage and squeeze him, and Clark gritted his teeth as his body responded even as his mind screamed with protest. From the corner Lionel continued to watch this most interesting turn of events. Lucas apparently shared his half-brother's tastes, at least to some extent . . . and his father's as well.

"Stop . . . stop, Lucas, please!" Clark cried, and Lucas nuzzled Clark's chest with his lips and tounge. He found a tawny nipple, tight and salty with fear, and closed his lips over it as his tounge flickered against it repeatedly. Clark thrashed and moaned, and Lucas finally pulled away. He licked his lips and gave Clark a final squeeze before letting his hand drop.

"I'm going to enjoy making you cry out, Clark. I'm sure Lex will enjoy it too . . . once he gets used to the idea that I'm going to be the one to take your cherry, not him."

"I'm not going to let you hurt him!" Clark cried, and Lucas picked up the needle he'd laid aside earlier. Clark struggled as Lucas slid the needle into the inner elbow of his right forearm and depressed the plunger. Clark shouted with pain and anger, his green eyes blazing. Lucas grinned arrogantly, a shadow of his half-brother's face lurking within that grin.

"Would you kill me if I let you loose right now, Clark? Would you squeeze the life out of me? Snap my spine? Toss me out the window? Have you ever killed anyone with those powers of yours? Hmm?" Lucas cocked his head inquiringly and Clark looked away, his eyes fluttering closed as the drug took effect on him. He heard Lionel chuckle from the other side of the room, and began to pray that his parents had somehow found out he'd never made it to school. Maybe his dad would notice that there had been a struggle in the barn, unless Lucas had the forethought to tidy up after himself. Clark didn't doubt it; Lucas was a Luthor after all, and Luthors didn't leave loose ends dangling. He also prayed that Lex would sense a trap before it was too late.

Please Lex . . . please . . . Clark prayed silently before the dark curtain of unconsciousness fell over him once again, stealing his thoughts.

Lionel watched the boy's head drop forward as he lost consciousness, and then turned to Lucas.

"You seem to be full of suprises, Lucas. How long have you harbored a taste for both sexes?"

Lucas shrugged. "Awhile. Probably not as long as Lex, though."

"Yes, well, Lex . . . he has always had rather eclectic tastes."

Lucas stared at his father from across the room, his gaze curious.

"What about you dad? Do you have eclectic tastes as well?"

Lionel chuckled. "Surely you've heard the expression, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' In this case it seems to be true of both of my . . . apples."

Lucas laughed aloud at his father's words. "Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on Lex's face!" Lionel glanced at his watch. "I don't think you'll have to wait much longer."

As if on cue, the basement door banged open and two of Lionel's bodyguards lunged into the room, dragging Lex with them. The young billionare took in the scene all at once, and his blue-gray eyes narrowed as he continued to struggle.

"Lucas? Dad? What the hell is this? What's going on?" Lex snapped as the two men sat him down hard in an old wooden chair in the corner and proceeded to bind him to it with thick nylon rope. Lex fought as they tied his hands behind him and bound his ankles to the thick legs of the chair. Lucas strode across the room and stood over his half brother as he waved the bodyguards away. They were paid well for their work and their silence with cash from Lionel's wallet before they left the room. Lex glared up at Lucas with fury.

"What is this? What are you doing to Clark?"

"It's all right, Lex." Lucas glanced back at Lionel and grinned. "I can imagine your surprise when you were led into your father's office and were ambushed by his bodyguards instead of meeting with him like you expected. Am I right?"

"What are you doing here with him, Lucas? And what have you done to Clark?" Lex looked over at his young friend, gagged and bound to a metal frame. He appeared to be either asleep or unconscious.

"Well Lex . . . dad knew you wouldn't come down to Edge City simply by invitation, because you have an incredibly suspicious nature." Lucas shrugged, and Lex looked over at Lionel with disbelief as his father crossed the room to stand beside Lucas.

"The cave symbols-"

"A necessary lie, Lex. I hope my security men weren't too rough with you. Now, as to why you're here . . . " Lionel glanced over at Clark, and Lex repressed a shudder when he saw the expressionon his old man's face. It was one he had seen before, when he had been closer to Clark's age. An invisible cold finger pressed into Lex's lower belly, and suddenly he was very afraid for Clark.

"It appears that Lucas has been able to accomplish something that has eluded you for over a year now. Would you like to hear about it?" Lionel asked as he put a hand on Lucas's shoulder. When Lex didn't reply, Lionel went on anyway.

"Using certain monetary means at his disposal, and with cleverness and drive, Lucas here has manged to unlock the secret that is Clark Kent."

Lex's eyes widened as he looked up at his half-brother, and then fury swept through him. He jerked hard against the ropes.

"You little prick! You used money that I gave you to investigate Clark? I told you that you and his family were strictly off limits!"

"I know what you told me, Lex, but after I spent some time with Clark and drew my own conclusions about him, I had to know the rest of his story. So you see, I didn't lie to you. I was investing the money that you gave me. I invested it in private detectives, surveilliance equipment . . . and these." Lucas opened the case that contained the custom-made hypodermic needles, and Lex looked up at him with apprehension.

"Drugs, Lucas?" He asked, and Lucas smiled as he set the case down.

"Not for me, Lex. I'm much too fond of my self-control to indulge. No . . . they're for Clark. They're the only way I can keep him here." Lucas pulled one of the needles from the slim leather case and walked over to Clark with it. The boy began to stir and moan as he appraoched, and Lex watched with disbelief and shock as the veins in Clark's hands and wrists stood out in a blackish-green relief when Lucas glided the flat edge of the needle over his skin.

"See this, Lex? This is just one aspect of Clark's secret. The needle tips are made from sterilzed meteor rock. They're the only way to pierce Clark's skin. By that I mean you can't pierce it any other way. Not with knives, bullets, fire, or anything else on this planet. Just the meteor rocks. Just being near them makes him very ill. Want to know why that is, Lex?"

Lex did want to know. His whole body ached to know the secret that Clark had been hiding for so long . . . but he didn't want to find out like this. He'd hoped that in time Clark would have shared that secret with him, allowing Lex to be honest with him in return. Forcing Clark like this, destroying his trust; Lex knew that the fragile bridge he'd been building with Clark was now in shambles. He glared up at Lucas, wanting nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face.

"I suspect that I already know, but suppose you tell me anyway, Lucas." He said smoothly, hiding his anger. Lucas only grinned.

"I expect that you think like dad did, that maybe Clark was transformed by the meteor shower and was somehow mutated, like Tina Greer or one of the other countless mutations that have been recorded since the meteors hit." Lucas gazed at Lex's bald head pointedly. "It would make sense . . . . after all, some of those affected have been known to have certain powers." Lucas touched the needle to Clark's skin again and the boy moaned, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright green eyes that gleamed with pain.

"Welcome back, Clark!" Lucas said brightly. "Your timing is perfect! I was just explaining to Lex here how you do all the amazing things that you can do." Lucas tapped the file of photos that sat on the table with the case of needles. Clark's eyes widened and Lucas smiled engagingly. "Would you like to take it from here, Clark, or shall I tell him the whole story?"

Clark looked down at Lex, and for several seconds they locked eyes. Furious bright blue met pain-hazed, sorrowful green, and Clark finally looked away.

"Clark." Lex said firmly. It was a plea disguised as a command. "Look at me."

"Don't mind him, Lex. I think he's just too ashamed of what he is to tell you the truth." Lucas picked up the file and flipped it open. He pulled the photos out and showed them to Lex one by one. Lex's eyes widened with every photo, and when Lucas finally put them back into the folder, Lex could no longer hide his emotions. He looked up at Clark in amazement, but the younger boy only continued to stare at the floor.

"That day on the bridge." Lex whispered. "I did hit you."

"You hit him, but you didn't hurt him. I have to admit, Lex, your hypothesis about that day was dead on. Clark did save you, but I imagine it was quite different from the story he told you." Lucas smiled at Clark and pushed a lock of curly black hair away from his face. "I saw the police photos of your Porsche. It looks like someone peeled the roof back like the lid on a can of tuna."

Lex closed his eyes briefly. All the times he had asked Clark to be honest about that day on the bridge, all of the excuses and lies Clark had told him; his secretive nature, all of the unexplained events and circumstances that had always surrounded his friend were suddenly lit by a bright white light. His source of power wasn't meteor rock, however, because it obviously caused him pain . . . . but if he wasn't a meteor mutation, then what was he? He looked up at Clark again and suddenly two pieces of the puzzle that had refused to fit together over the past year and a half slid together and clicked into place. Clark seemed to sense that mental click and looked up again to meet Lex's eyes. They were wide with disbelief and betrayal.

"You came with the meteor shower. They concealed you. Didn't they."

Clark swallowed hard and nodded just the slightest bit. Lex fought back the unexpected tears that came to his eyes.

"Clark. Oh Clark, why didn't you-"

"Why didn't he tell you?" Lucas interrupted, making his half-brother glare up at him angrily. "Isn't it obvious, Lex? He didn't tell you because you're a Luthor, and his father told him that Luthors couldn't be trusted."

"That's not true!" Clark spoke up suddenly, straining against his bonds. "That's not true, Lex, please . . . you have to believe me."

"Believe you?" Lex's tone was incredulous. "You've been purposely deceiving me for over a year and now you want me to believe you?"

Lucas shook his head in mock pity. "Believe me Lex, I didn't want to do this, but I thought you should know the truth about Clark before you leave Smallville."

Lex's head came up sharply. "What are you talking about, Lucas, I'm not leaving Smallville."

"Yes you are . . . . you just don't know it yet. Right dad?"

"I'm afraid Lucas is right, son." Lionel said as stepped forward and put a hand on Lucas's shoulder. "As I've told you many times, Smallville was your test. Instead of achieving the goals I set for you, you instead became obsessed with this unusual young man and his secrets. I'm sorry, Lex, very sorry, but I'm afraid you've failed." He squeezed Lucas's shoulder with affection. "Now your role falls to Lucas, especially in light of his most amazing discoveries concerning Clark Kent."

Lex glared up at his father. "So what are you going to do dad, let him kill me?"

"No Lex, of course not. I could never kill my own child. No . . . but upon Lucas's request, you will be sent away to a distant city and there left penniless. Your fortune and inheritance now belong to Lucas, and in that cirmustance he becomes my heir."

Lex looked up at Lucas, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Lucas saw murderous intent in the bright depths, and was suddenly relieved that his half-brother was restrained. Only when that gaze shifted to Clark did they soften slightly.

"And Clark? What do you plan to do with him? Have your lab roaches dissect him? Use him? Exploit him?"

Lucas's grin became predatory and hungry, and in that moment he looked exactly like his father.

"Maybe all of those things. But I told dad that there's no way you would simply accept your new desinty, that before we sent you into exile, we had to shatter you, both physically and spiritually. Dad said that probably wasn't possible, that you were much stronger than you appeared, but . . ." Lucas reached out and slid his hand up Clark's chest. He toyed idly with a nipple until it hardened and strained against his fingertips, and Lex thrashed against the ropes that held him to the chair, understanding all at once what Lucas intended. Lucas only smiled.

"I know exactly what will break you."

Clark's body bucked in the metal frame as Lucas reached up to stroke and fondle his other nipple, and his head thrashed from side to side. His belly tightened as the ministrations went straight to his groin, and he whined through clenched teeth as he fought his body's baser instincts.

"Stop!" He cried, and Lucas's right hand slid down to cup him through his boxers. He could feel the boy hardening through the soft cotton, and squeezed him gently.

"He's a virgin, Lex. Sweet and innocent and completely untouched. I doubt that he's even fooled around with a girl, much less with an experienced bisexual such as yourself." Lucas grinned up at Clark and flickered his tongue around the boy's ear. "Am I right, Clark? Have you ever been with anyone? Have you ever gotten a blow job . . . . or maybe given one?"

"Let me go!" Clark cried, his hips twitching helplessly as he tried to avoid Lucas's stroking fingers. The older boy chuckled and slipped his fingers inside the waistband of Clark's boxers. Clark shuddered at the contact and the frame shook with his struggles as Lucas slid them down his lean thighs. The cuffs that locked Clark's knees to the frame prevented them from being pulled down any further, but Lucas had already exposed the helpless teenager to Lionel and Lex's eyes. Clark closed his eyes tightly as Lucas cupped his chin tightly and began to kiss him. His tongue forced it's way past Clark's full lips and tasted him for nearly a minute as he rubbed his own Armani-clad groin against Clark's bare skin. The boy whined and groaned in protest, and Lex began to struggle.

"Stop it, Lucas! Get off of him! Leave him alone, you little bastard!"

Lucas backed away slowly, sucking Clark's lower lip and releasing it with a muted popping sound. Clark was breathing hard and Lionel was staring, apparently impressed and amazed, at the boy's erection. His cock was long and thick, standing at attention from the soft whorl of black curls at the junction of the boy's thighs. The hair looked soft and downy, unlike the coarse pubic hair of a human male. Lionel chuckled as he watched the rigid shaft of flesh jerk and twitch.

"The girl who takes that on would do well to take stock in a reputable lubricant company." He observed, and Lucas grinned.

"I don't know dad . . . I'm guessing that Lex was working on the circumstance that it wouldn't be a woman taking that on." He smiled down at Lex, who was trying not to stare at Clark's naked form. He'd dreamed about the day Clark would stand nude before him, but the dream was nothing like this. This was all about pain and fear and power, and Lex feared that his half-brother and father would destroy Clark's mind before destroying his body. He jerked against the ropes that bound him to the chair, and Lucas turned to look at him. "I'm not stupid, Lex. I saw how you looked at him, the look in your eyes when you spoke to him . . . like a lovesick puppy. Well now its too late, Lex. I'm taking everything you own. Everything . . . and I'm going to start with Clark Kent. Don't worry though, I'm not so cruel that I wouldn't at least let you watch so that you can see what it would have been like."

"No!" Lex shouted, and Lionel pulled a chair over to where Lex sat helpless. He set the chair down gracefully next to Lex and sat down as if he were at a business meeting instead of preparing to watch the sodomizing of a helpless teenaged boy. His expression was eager, even hopeful, and Lex turned his head to glare at him.

"Dad you have to stop this. Do you really think I'm going to let you and Lucas send me away? It doesn't matter if you leave me without a dime, it doesn't matter how far away you send me . . . . if you do this, you'll both be very sorry. If you hurt Clark, there won't be anywhere on this entire planet for either of you to hide."

Lionel smiled fondly at Lex and patted his knee. "If you'd only been more vigilant in pursuing your goals, Lex, then Lucas would have never outdone you. You had so much potential, yet you never lived up to it because you were too busy cultivating a relationship with this boy. You also must know that if things had come to such a pass, he would never have accepted you. You're a Luthor, after all. He would have rejected you, because he is good. Luthors have rarely known the side of good, son. You should have accepted your destiny. Now it's too late. But don't worry, I'll see to it that you have some pleasure before your exile."

Lex tried to pull away as Lionel unzipped his son's expensive gray slacks and pulled out his penis. Lex was already half-hard from being forced to watch Lucas and Clark, and Lionel gripped him firmly with his right hand. Lex cried out in protest, his body bending double as far as the ropes would allow, and Clark's eyes widened in complete disbelief as he watched Lionel Luthor begin to masturbate his own son. He had sometimes wondered if Lionel had abused Lex when he was a child, but never in his deepest darkest thoughts had he imagined anything like what he was seeing now. His stomach clenced sickly as he watched Lex struggle for control.

"Leave him alone!" He shouted, only to have Lucas strike him hard across the side of his head. Clark saw bright orange spots that seemed to explode in front of his eyes for a moment before he was able to refocus his vision. He glared at Lucas, who unlocked the cuffs at Clark's knees and ankles. He shoved Clark's thighs apart and spread them wide, angling the boy's knees back toward his head. He then pulled a thin rod from one of the frame's supports and tipped Clark's body back at an angle. That accomplished, he slid the rod back into place, locking the frame in position, and then cuffed Clark's ankles tightly to the metal. Lex closed his eyes in misery. Clark, in his innocence, undoubtedly had no idea what Lucas was preparing him for or for what lay ahead. Clark's head turned and their eyes met. Clark read the pity and helpleness in his best friend's eyes and in turn, Lex watched as fear leapt into Clark's wide green eyes as he read the expression on Lex's face. He struggled a little, and Lucas's hands dropped to his belt. Both it and Lucas's tight black slacks hit the floor a moment later, followed by his coat and shirt. He was now dressed only in a pair of blue designer briefs, and he reached out with one slim hand. Clark squirmed and tried to back away, but he was trapped. Lucas smiled slightly as his index finger began to gently trace up and down between Clark's buttocks, from the start below the small of his back all the way to where it met his scrotum. The frame clanged repeatedly as Clark tried to bring his thighs together to protect himself, but to no avail. His knees were cuffed tightly, both his genitals and his buttocks in the older boy's possession.

"Don't worry Clark." Lucas whispered as he stood between the boy's thighs. "I know you're a virgin, so we'll take it nice and slow, I promise."

"Don't touch me! Please!" Clark cried, and Lucas closed his eyes briefly as the boy's words made his own erection jerk. He held himself tightly in check, however, and slid his finger further between Clark's asscheeks. He found the boy's tight virgin hole, and pressed against it experimentally. Clark yelled in panic and the frame clanged again. Lucas removed his finger and brought it to his lips, tasting it with the tip of his tongue. His eyes never left Lex's, who was fighting his father's expert ministrations.

"He tastes good, Lex. Clean and untouched. Too bad you'll never find out." He grinned and walked over to a nearby folding table, where several tubes of lubricant lay. Lucas picked one up and tossed it to himself playfully from hand to hand as he considered what was to be done to the boy first. Behind him, Lex grunted softly as his father brought him to the edge, but didn't allow him to come.

"Be patient, son." Lionel chuckled as he squeezed his own erection through his slacks. He watched Lucas with bright eyes, eager for his turn with the Kent boy.

"No . . . no . . . " Clark groaned as Lucas spun the cap off of the tube of lubricant and squeezed some into his hand. He whistled softly as he slathered Clark's cock with it, almost finger painting with the stuff as he swiped his index finger down and coated Clark's tight virgin hole. It twitched closed with a frightened spasm, and Lucas leaned over to touch his tongue to the head of the boy's penis. He tongued the slit gently, making sure he was in full view of Lex and his father. Clark cried out again and his head thrashed back and forth, his breath coming in high, helpless gasps as Lucas swirled his tongue around the head of his cock until it pulsed and dripped several shiny drops of pre-seminal fluid. Lucas licked these up as well, delicate as a cat at a saucer of cream, and paused to smile up at Lex.

"Can't you just imagine how he's going to look when he comes, Lex? He's so damn beatiful isn't he . . . I bet you used to beat off thinking about him, didn't you. What did you think of, Lex? Sucking him off? Making him suck you? Fucking his ass while he cried and yelled out your name? Come on, Lex, enlighten us."

"I'm going to kill you." Lex panted as his father swirled his thumb around the head of his penis. Lex clenched his teeth. "I don't care how long it takes, or whether or not we share the same blood."

"What's wrong Lex? Don't want to admit it in front of Clark? Afraid of what he'll think of you?" Lucas leaned down again and swallowed half of Clark's erection, making the boy's hips buck up in a frenzy of pleasure and horror. He banged his dark head against the metal frame, trying to escape into unconsciousness. Lionel rose from his chair and put his hands on both sides of Clark's head, holding him still. Clark looked up into Lionel's eyes, and the older man smiled gently as tears of fright spilled from the youth's innocent green eyes.

"Shhhh." He soothed, stroking Clark's dark hair. "Don't be afraid, Clark. Once Lex is gone, Lucas and I will take good care of you. You'll have the best of everything . . . . except your freedom, of course." He curled a thick raven lock around his finger and toyed with it idly as he watched his younger son suck on the boy's erection. "So beautiful . . . I never really realized it before."

"Please . . . . please let me go." Clark pleaded softly and Lucas swallowed more of the boy, relaxing his throat and taking in as much as he could. Lionel watched, impressed, and his right hand released Clark's head to slide down his chest and flick his fingers against the boy's tight, coffee-colored nipples. Clark twisted this way and that, his muscles bunching and and straining wildly as he tried to free himself.

"Hang on, Clark. Hang on, its going to be okay." Lex whispered softly as the exhausted teenager finally stopped struggling and gave into his tormentors. He lay quiet, quivering and choking back sobs as Lucas sucked him and Lionel toyed with his nipples. They pebbled under the older man's thick fingers until they ached, and Clark turned his weary gaze to his best friend. He pleaded silently with Lex, his hips twitching up and down in rhythm with Lucas's sucking mouth. Lex swallowed hard.

"It'll be okay." He whispered, and Clark closed his eyes as if too exhausted to reply. A moment later they sprang open, wide and amazed, as his hips bucked up hard. He cried out, and Lucas swallowed the boy's virgin load eagerly as Lionel continued to stimulate his nipples. Lucas drew back slowly, sucking Clark clean as he withdrew, and straightened up with a satisfied smile. He reached for the valise of needles, and Lex thrashed against his restraints.

"Stop, Lucas! Can't you see that hurts him?"

"Better he hurts for a few seconds than I let him get his strength back. He'd tear us and this place apart." Lucas replied, and injected Clark with more of the muscle relaxer, just below the first injection sight, under his left ear. Clark wept, but silently. Lionel wiped the boy's tears away and pushed his hair away from his forehead.

"Save your strength, son. You're going to need it." He told Clark earnestly, and then turned to Lucas. "I want him first, Lucas. You're obviously a novice, and I won't have him ruined."

Lucas laughed as if Lionel had told him a good joke. "I don't think so, dad. That was hardly our agreement. Besides . . . I want Lex to know that I'm done taking sloppy seconds."

"Lucas, you are sloppy seconds." Lex said softly but savagely, and Lucas lashed out hard with his right hand, catching Lex backhand across the mouth. Lex rolled with the blow, but he still tasted blood on his lips as Lucas glared at him.

"You just remember that when I'm living in the mansion and you're waiting for your next meal in a soup kitchen!" He snapped, and Lex shook his head slowly.

"You're a fool to think that our father would ever allow you to become his heir. He'll use you as long as you have Clark in your possession, and then he'll get rid of you. Only this time, he'll make quite sure that you'll never come back."

"We've made a deal." Lucas said firmly, glancing at his father. "Haven't we, dad."

"Indeed we have." Lionel replied, his hands still stroking over Clark's body. "I've also arranged for a team of lab technicians to come and take some samples from our special young man here, so we can decide how to proceed."

"Not until I'm done with him." Lucas declared. "I was the one who found out his secret, so he belongs to me!"

"I don't belong to any of you!" Clark shouted suddenly, and began to struggle in the metal frame. "I'm not property!"

"I'm afraid you are, Clark." Lucas replied, turning to Clark to give him his full attention. "After all, you're certainly not human are you? Your so-called parents have done their best to hide you from the world because they knew that if you were found out, you'd be taken away and studied, maybe even dissected. That's the kind of thing they do to animals, Clark. Not people. I'm the one who went to such lengths to find out what you really are, so you belong to me." Lucas's dark gaze swept over the group with an air of arrogance. "And no one had better forget that."

"All right son, all right." Lionel chuckled. "There's no need to become aggressive. Come over here with me, and we'll discuss the details of the specimen draws. Just to make sure they're up to your specifications." Lionel led Lucas away to the other side of the room, and the two bent their heads together and spoke in voices too low for Lex to hear. He sat very still, straining to catch even a few words, but the two men were conversing in whispers. Lex sighed and sat back in his chair, methodically yanking on the ropes that bound his wrists, trying to work them free. When he finally paused to rest, he saw Clark watching him. The green eyes were weary and frightened, but Lex saw a glimmer of hope there as well as he watched Lex work the ropes. After a moment Clark looked away, and Lex sighed deeply.

"Clark . . . why didn't you tell me?" He asked at last, and the younger boy shook his head a little.

"What was I supposed to say, Lex? Was I supposed to just blurt it out while we were playing pool? 'Oh by the way Lex, I'm not a human being. I'm from another planet.' You would have been on the phone to Bell Reve before I even finished talking."

"Clark." Lex closed his eyes briefly. "You're my best friend. I would have listened . . . you should have told me, been honest with me from the start! Why did you keep lying to me? Were you afraid that if you told me, I'd try to exploit you or turn you over to the authorities?"

"I wanted to tell you, Lex. I swear I did." Clark replied in a small, beaten voice. "Please . . . believe me."

"Have you told anyone else?" Lex asked, and Clark swallowed hard.

"Pete knows. I kind of had to tell him after he found the ship." Clark pulled against the cuffs that secured his hands and feet to the metal frame. "Lex please, you can't let Lucas and your dad do this. I can't become some kind of lab specimen . . . I know you're angry at me for not being honest with you, but you have to believe me when I say that I've always wanted to tell you the truth! it's just- your dad." He said softly, and Lex's blue eyes sparked with anger.

"So you didn't even trust me to protect you from my father. You thought maybe I'd try to sell you off to gain his favor? Like Lucas is doing right now?" He asked bitterly. Clark shook his head.

"No, Lex! That's not why! Keeping my secret from other people isn't easy, and I didn't want to burden you!"

"If you had just told me the truth, my father and Lucas would never have gotten to you. I would have protected you, Clark, and now its too late. Lucas has convinced my father to send me into permanant exile, and after that they'll tuck you away in some remote corner of the world where you will be their property. No one will ever see you again."

"You can't let that happen." Clark pleaded softly, and then flinched back as Lionel and Lucas approached once more. Lucas grinned at his captives.

"You boys having a nice talk?" He asked brightly, pushing down his blue briefs and kicking them aside. Lex read his half-brother's intent clearly in the mad glee that danced in his eyes, and he shook his head slightly.

"Don't." He said softly, and Lucas grinned again.

"You forget, Lex, that you're not the one in charge anymore." He turned to the metal frame in which Clark was secured and slid the rod from it's holes again, tipping the frame back until Clark was almost completely horizontal. After securing the frame once more, Lucas chuckled and reached down to stroke Clark's dark hair.

"Recognize the frame, Lex? its the weight training machine you bought for me . . . . with a few modifications made, of course. I didn't want to have to go screwing around with a bunch of rope or chain. You should be pleased, its working out even better than I thought it would." The hand stroking Clark's hair suddenly turned into twisting, yanking fingers, and Clark cried out softly as Lucas forced him to turn his head toward Lex. Lucas took another step forward until his half-hard penis was brushing against Clark's lips. Clark tried to turn his head, but Lucas held him tightly.

"Come on, Clark. Open up for me, sweetie. I always said you had a cocksucker's mouth . . . . now's your chance to prove it. Come on, pretty. Suck me." Lucas reached down and pinched Clark's nose shut until the younger boy was forced to open his mouth. He wasted no time, shoving past Clark's lips and sliding his thick shaft along Clark's tongue. Clark looked up at him, his eyes wide and shocked, and the beauty of it nearly made Lucas climax. He struggled with himself for a moment, and then smiled down at the boy. Lionel stood on the other side of the frame and he reached out to pinch and rub at Clark's nipples. Clark moaned around the hot, hard flesh in his mouth, and Lucas closed his eyes in pleasure as the vibration hummed along his aroused organ.

"God, I was right, what a hot mouth. Come on, Clark. Come on baby, suck it." He sighed, and Clark twitched and squirmed as Lionel continued to play with his nipples. They stood out stiff and hard, and Lionel bent his head to one of the tawny nubs. He closed his lips over it, his tongue flickering over the tight flesh, and Clark's eyes widened even further at the sensation. His hips bucked slightly, and he found himself suddenly sucking on the hot flesh that filled his mouth. Lucas growled in pleasure and pulled Clark's hair roughly, bobbing the youth's head up and down repeatedly. Clark sucked to avoid choking on the mass of flesh, and then he was gasping as a thick finger slid down between his buttocks and began to probe at his anus. It was still coated with lube, and Clark was helpless to stop the finger's intrusion. It slid inside of him and his muscles clenched around it, trying to keep it from intruding further. Lionel's teeth flashed in a grimace of complete lust.

"You were right, Lucas. The boy is completely virginal." He grinned, and added a second finger to the first. Clark whined in pain as his virgin hole was stretched wide, the ring of muscle spasming and clenching around Lionel's fingers. Lucas watched, and soon he could hold off no longer. His cock jerked in Clark's mouth and the boy choked miserably as he swallowed half of his captor's hot seed and the other spilled over his lips and dripped onto the floor. Lex bit his lip hard, his own cock stiffening despite his struggle for self-control. Lionel noticed his son's arousal and pulled his fingers from Clark's body. Rounding the frame, and knelt and curled them around Lex's erection. Lex cried out in frustration and his hips bucked up from the chair. Lionel caressed and stroked Lex's throbbing flesh until it jerked hard in his hand and began to spurt its load of hot, thick seed. It splashed against Clark's lips and chin, and Lucas reached down to smear it across Clark's mouth. He forced his fingers past Clark's lips and spread some of the stuff on his tongue, forcing him to taste it. Clark groaned and tried to turn his head, his eyes rolling. Lucas grinned.

"How is it, Clark? Taste anything like mine?" He asked curiously. Clark retched helplessly, some of the fluid dripping down his chin and spattering on the concrete floor. Lionel wiped his hands clean on Clark's rumpled boxers, still puddled around his tightly secured knees.

"Why don't we give young Mr. Kent a rest. My men should be here soon."

"What about him?" Lucas asked, gesturing to Lex. Lionel smiled.

"Don't worry, Lucas. My men have been well compensated for their silence."

Over the next hour, Clark lived his worst nightmare. Half a dozen people in white coats came into the basement, armed with medical instruments and expressionless faces. They took blood, hair and skin samples from Clark, and then one of the female techs inserted two latex-clad fingers deep into his rectum and prodded at his prostate, making him ejaculate almost instantly. They tucked that sample away with the others, and then began to massage his bladder. One of the young male techs calmly unwrapped a specimen bottle as Clark struggled against the hands manipulating his body. Lex, tucked away in a dark corner of the cellar and gagged tightly, could do nothing but watch as his best friend was harvested.

"No, please . . . oh God." Clark sobbed as the techs forced him to urinate into the specimen cup. Lucas and Lionel watched closely as the specimens were labeled and packed away to be shipped back to their lab in Edge City.

"I want results within the next twenty-four hours." Lionel told the group leader as he handed the man a stack of bills wrapped tightly with a wide paper band.

"Of course Mr. Luthor. We'll get started right away." The technician replied as he led his team out the door with the cooler full of specimens. The door clanged shut, and Lucas shot the heavy bolt that locked it. Lionel dragged Lex back over to where he had sat before, less than a foot away from Clark, and took off his gag. Lex spat and coughed, his eyes flashing with fury as he glared up at his father and half-brother.

"You sick sons of bitches." He said hoarsely. Lucas only grinned.

"Come on, Lex. I doubt that having to pee in a cup and giving up a few little swimmers in the name of scientific research ever killed anybody." Lucas' expression grew cold and arrogant as he kicked off the slacks and underwear that he had donned while the techs had collected samples from Clark. "Besides, he's going to think that was a picnic compared with what I'm about to do to him. Watch and learn, Lex, and think real hard about what you're about to lose."

A reddish haze suddenly clouded Lex's sight and he let out a cry of pure animal rage as he thrashed and kicked against the ropes that held him. "You little bastard! You psychotic fuck! If you so much as lay one more finger on him I swear I'll rip your diseased head off and set it on a pike in front of the mansion!"

"You're not going to to do anything, Lex, because once I'm done here, I'm going to let dad have a turn and that'll just blow your mind, won't it. After that, it's bye-bye billionare boy's club and hello Cardboard Row." Lucas picked up the tube of lubricant and smeared some on his fingers. Lex let out another roar of outrage, and Clark's eyes fluttered open. He'd passed out soon after the technicians had departed.

"Wha . . . " He mumbled softly, and then his eyes snapped open wide as he saw Lucas moving between his widely spread thighs. He spared a glance at Lex, who was struggling and hurling obscenities at his father and Lucas. The wild light in Lex's eyes made Clark's heart jump harshly in his chest, and he caught his breath on a gasp as sharp as broken glass when Lionel rounded on him intently and twined his fingers into Clark's tumble of dark curls.

"Don't struggle, son." He whispered, and two long, warm fingers smeared his anus with lube. He looked up at Lucas fearfully, and Lionel toyed with the boy's hair as Lucas settled himself between Clark's thighs and laid his hands on the boy's cocked knees. His erection jutted from it's nest of dark curls, and Lucas smiled down at Clark as he pressed the thick, reddish head of his cock against Clark's tight opening. Clark cried out and tried to draw away, but the metal cuffs held him tightly.

"No! No! Lucas, stop! Please!" Clark cried, and the fear and pleading in the boy's tone only made Lucas push forward with more urgency, a sneer of lust on his sharp features. There was a muted squishing sound as he slipped inside Clark's hot, wet heat, and the boy's body bucked upward in surprise and pain.

"Stop!" He pleaded, and then gritted his teeth in pain as Lucas continued to fill him up with hot, hard flesh. There was pain, wetness, and a searing, itchy heat. His hips twitched up and down helplessly and Lionel held his head, forcing him to look into Lucas' eyes as the older boy took his virginity.

"How's it feel, sweetie?" He crooned, grinning down at Clark as tears of pain and humiliation came to the boy's bright green eyes. His cock pulsed and twitched as Clark's strong young muscles squeezed and tightened around his erection.

"Christ, you're so fucking tight, Clark . . . " He glanced over at Lex, who was still struggling. "So fucking tight . . . I could do you like this for hours. Maybe after Lex is gone, I'll let you be my whore. I'll dress you real nice, give you pretty things . . . and in return you'll let me fuck this sweet ass whenver I want. Would you like that, Clark? Hmm?" Lucas bucked his hips savagely and Clark cried out hoarsely as he was filled up almost beyond endurance. He squirmed and writhed, but that only impaled him further, the muted squishing noises becoming louder as Lucas gripped his thighs and began to piston his cock quickly in and out of Clark's juicy hole.

"Uh! Uh! UH!" Clark cried at every thrust, the muscles deep inside his rectum fluttering and clenching around Lucas' cock everytime it rammed inside him. He heard Lex breathing harshly, and a part of him was mortified to be suffering like this in front of his best friend. He gritted his teeth, and Lucas started to laugh.

"Come on, Clark . . . cry for me some more. Come on, sweet thing . . . " Lucas glanced over at Lex, who could do nothing to hide his own erection. Despite his disgust at being forced to watch his best friend being sodomized at the hands of his half-brother, his body had reacted to the sights and sounds being played out before him.

"Why don't you give Lex a thrill and cry out for him? Come on Clark, yell his name, let him have a little something to remember you by. It'll give him something to beat off to while he's napping under train trestles and foraging for food in alleyways." Lucas laughed. Clark bit his lip hard, and then whimpered as Lionel twined his fingers deep into his raven locks and pulled hard enough to bring more tears to his eyes.

"Call his name." The older man's voice was rough and low in his ear, ragged with lust. Clark shook his head weakly as the frame shook with Lucas' eager pounding. The older boy hadn't angled up to push against Clark's prostate yet, for he knew it would cause both he and his captive to come.

"Call his name, baby. Come on . . . . " Lucas reached up and started to rub and pinch Clark's nipples, caressing them rapidly between his thumbs and forefingers. Clark cried out, but wordlessly, his green eyes wide and teary.

"Stop, Lucas! Can't you see he's had enough? Stop hurting him!" Lex shouted, his stomach clenching miserably as he noticed that Lucas' erection was smeared with blood.

Lucas ignored his older brother as he smiled down into Clark's pain-etched face almost benignly. "Come on, sweetie. Give your lover a yell. Come on, say it . . . . Lex. Lex, Lex, Lex . . . " Lucas slid inside his captive each time he said his brother's name. "I'll let you come if you say it. Come on, Clark." He whispered, and Clark began to thrash his head from side to side.

"Someone, please!" He cried, and then pain exploded deep inside him as Lucas ground the head of his cock into the pulsing nodule of his prostate. A burst of intense pleasure followed instantly after, and Clark began to sob. Through the haze of pain, he could hear Lex urging him to hang on. His body shuddered under the onslaught as his prostate was nudged roughly again and again, making him writhe and whimper as Lucas impaled him. Finally, the last of his resolve broke and he cried out loudly.

"LEX! Lex, PLEASE!" He shrieked, and a wordless cry of frustration and tangled emotion escaped Lex as his own erection began to jerk. He struggled to regain control, but his father pounced on him like a hungry wolf. He dropped gracelessly to his knees to swallow his son's erection as Clark continued to sob his friend's name.

"Lex please . . . oh God please, it hurts, please make him stop . . . "

"That's my good boy." Lucas grinned, and angled his thrusts so that the entire length of the head of his cock rubbed against Clark's throbbing prostate. The boy's muscles clenched and fluttered frantically, and Lucas grunted loudly as his orgasm began.

"Jesus!" He gasped thickly, gripping Clark's thighs hard enough to bruise as the boy milked him dry. Just as he began to pull away, Clark made a high keening noise in his throat and thick jets of come began to spurt from him, coating Lucas's belly and dripping down onto the floor. Lucas pulled out of him, spent, and watched with a small smile as Clark's twitching wet hole spasmed helplessly. Finally the boy went limp, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed almost without sound. The only sound left in the room was Lex's helpless gasp as his father sucked him dry. The older man backed away when he was finished, and wiped his chin fastidiously with a handkerchief as both he and Lucas regarded their captives.

"Well dad? Where should we send Lex before we ship Clark off to his new home?" Lucas asked, and Lionel chuckled.

"Patience, Lucas. First I want the results of those tests, just to make sure we're not dealing with some run of the mill meteor freak."

"That'll take another 24 hours." Lucas complained, pulling on his underwear and slacks. Lionel nodded.

"Time well spent, Lucas. You have excellent instincts and your ambition will no doubt take you far, but you must learn that waiting is also part of the game. Don't worry, Lucas, there's no hurry."

Lucas pulled a needle from his valise and gave Clark another injection. The boy barely flinched as the needle sunk into his skin. His green eyes were glassy and fixed, as if he had retreated into himself to avoid further torture. Lucas tossed the empty needle aside and ran his hands through his hair, smoothing it down.

"I'm going out to the limo for a quick nap. Keep an eye on these two while I'm gone, will you?"

Lionel frowned. He obviously wasn't used to being ordered about, and certainly not by one of his own sons.

"I need to keep Luthorcorp running and keep a high profile before Lex vanishes if this plan of yours is to work, Lucas." He told the boy briskly. "It wouldn't do if I didn't have a tight alibi when the police eventually question me. I'm going back to my office, where I will await the results of Clark's tests. If they conclude what I anticipate, we will proceed as planned. I'll call you when I'm ready." Lionel strode out the door without so much as a backward glance, and Lex, watching closely from under hooded lids, saw Lucas swear and slap the wall angrily.

"You just keep giving orders, old man." Lex heard him mutter. "You won't be for much longer." He then stalked back over to where Lex sat and leaned against the metal frame that held Clark prisoner. He ran a finger lightly over Clark's right shoulder, and then grinned down at Lex.

"So, what did you think, brother? Was it just like you imagined? You must have enjoyed it, you were hard as a rock near the end."

Lex's mind raced. He considered and rejected several different options, and then came upon the only viable plan that would allow him to escape with Clark and cover up his friend's secret once more. As for his father, Lex would have to deal with him in the aftermath; what mattered now was removing Lucas from the equation. Permanently. Lex hung his head and exhaled heavily, and then looked up at Lucas with a weary, defeated expression.

"All right. You were right about everything. It's obvious that I can't hide it anymore." He looked up at Clark. "I'm in love with him, Lucas."

Lucas grinned and nodded. "I know. I've known it for months. You should have told him, Lex. You probably even could have protected him. Now its too late."

Lex closed his eyes in grief. "You're probably right. Lucas . . . I know dad will go to great lengths to keep me powerless once he exiles me, and that he'll probably even send me out of the country where I'll never see Clark again."

"Right." Lucas agreed with a superior smile.

"In retrospect, I was careless. I see that now." Lex cast his eyes downward, giving off an aura of submissiveness. "I underestimated you, Lucas, that was my fatal error." Lex licked his lips. But perhaps you can find it in your heart to grant me one last favor before you cast me into exile."

Lucas smirked. "Let's hear it, Lex. I'm feeling pretty generous, considering."

Lex looked up at Clark. "Now that you've had him . . . let me be with him. Just once. He can stay confined if you want, and you can even hold a weapon on me if you feel you need to. I'm not interested in revenge anymore, Lucas. I know that I've lost Clark forever, and perhaps I'm only getting what I deserve for failing to protect him. Just, please . . . let me touch him once."

Lucas observed his brother with an air of extreme suspicion, and Lex closed his eyes as if he were too weary to speak another word. Finally, Lucas glanced back at Clark and sighed.

"What the hell. We've got some time to kill and since I took his ass-cherry, he's not much but sloppy seconds anyway." Lucas walked over to where his overcoat hung on a hook near the door and withdrew a small silver pistol. He pointed it at Lex with one hand while he worked at untying Lex with the other.

"I warn you right now, Lex. If you so much as bat an eye in my direction, I'll scatter your brains all over this room. Do we understand each other?"

"Perfectly." Lex replied softly, keeping his eyes on Clark as the last of the ropes fell away. The young boy began to stir and groan as Lex rose from the chair slowly and carefully, and Lex called his name softly as he approached.

"Clark. Look at me." He said, and the long lashes fluttered open at last. Clark looked up to see Lex walking toward him with Lucas close behind, a gun pointed at his head.

"What's going on? Lex?" He asked fearfully, and Lucas grinned as he prodded Lex between the boy's widely spread thighs.

"I'm giving Lex a little going-away present, Clark." He said cheerfully. "You. Or more specifically, your ass."

"Lex?" Clark looked up at his best friend with disbelief, his green eyes full of fear, and Lex nodded a little.

"He's right Clark. I want to be with you, just once, before Lucas and my father separate us forever." He leaned in and bent his lean, pale body over that of his best friend, and Clark cried out in panic.

"Lex, no! Don't!"

Lex leaned over Clark's broad chest until he was laying on top of the bigger boy, and he angled his head down to kiss and lick Clark's neck. Clark shivered and groaned, the sensitive skin of his neck breaking out in gooseflesh. His cock stirred slightly at the sensations, and Lucas sat down in Lex's abandoned chair to watch, his gun still aimed directly at the back of Lex's head.

"Lex . . . Lex, please, no." Clark whispered, and Lex slid his tongue up the side of Clark's neck to nuzzle and lick at the boy's ear. Clark squirmed, and suddenly he heard Lex whisper in a voice so faint that he barely heard the words.

"I'm going to get us out of here. Don't be afraid, Clark. Trust me . . . blink once if you trust me." Lex laid his cheek against Clark's for a moment, and felt the youth's long eyelashes sweep against his skin like a butterfly's wing. Lex smiled and whispered again. "Keep struggling, he'll know something's wrong if you stop."

"Stop, please." Clark said aloud, and Lex nuzzled his way down Clark's chest to lick and nibble at his nipples. Clark struggled as Lex had instructed him, but as he watched Lex lick and nibble his skin, hot flashes of desire began to course through his lower body. He bit his lip to quell the whimpers as Lex closed his eyes and pushed hard on the underside of his nipples with the tip of his tongue. The ministrations went straight to his cock, which began to twitch and harden. Lucas grinned.

"Looks like you're getting to him, Lex." He laughed, although the hand holding the gun never wavered. Lex ignored him, concentrating on his task. He knew he'd have to be quick, and that his aim would have to be true. If he miscalculated, there would be no second chance for either himself or for Clark. He would die on the dirty concrete floor of this basement, and Clark would be locked away forever to be used at his half-brother's psychotic whim.

I failed him once before, Lex thought. I can't fail him again.

"Lex, please." Clark groaned, his hips thrusting upward as his cock hardened and pressed into Lex's. The contact was electric, and Lex began to wonder if Clark meant please stop, or please keep going.

"God, Clark." He whispered, and blazed a trail down past Clark's nipples, over the tight abs, and into the damp whorl of curls at the base of Clark's erection. Clark bit his lower lip hard, and Lex lowered his mouth to the quivering flesh before him. He lapped at the head and then circled around to run his tongue up and down the underside of the shaft, where he knew most men were very sensitive. Clark proved to be no different in this capacity as he gave a low moan and thrashed in his restraints. Lex stole a glance at his half brother. Lucas was still watching intently, but now his free hand was lazily stroking himself through his slacks as he watched Lex blow his best friend. Daring to hope that his plan was starting to work, Lex opened his mouth wide and swallowed as much of he could of Clark's erection. The boy was quite large, but Lex was very accomplished at this kind of oral sex, and opened his throat to take in as much of the hot, hard flesh as he could. Clark's hips bucked hard and he gave a choked cry that made Lex's own cock jerk hard in response. Off to his left, he heard Lucas moan softly.

"Lex . . . Lex . . . " Clark moaned, the frame clanging as the muscles in his arms and legs tightened and strained against the cuffs that held him. Thin rivulets of sweat ran down his chest, and his dark hair dampened and curled. He closed his eyes and moaned aloud, letting his head fall back slightly. Lex glanced up at his face and was struck by his tortured beauty. A part of him also wondered if Clark had guessed his intentions, and was purposely trying to help him distract Lucas. If that was the case, Lex mused, then Clark should forget about saving people and enroll in drama school. Mentally cheering Clark on, he began to slide his lips along Clark's erection, forming a tight, sucking seal around the rigid flesh. Clark thrashed his head from side to side, the muscles in his thighs trembling as he bucked his hips against the suction, high, keening whimpers issuing forth from his throat. Lex reached down with one hand and began to massage and tease the boy's testicles as he continued to suck hard, making as much noise as he possibly could. Clark moaned again, and this time an equally loud moan answered him. Lex risked another glance at Lucas, and saw that his half-brother had hauled his own erection from the fly of his slacks and was jerking off furiously, his eyes riveted on Clark's face. Hope flared in Lex's chest once more, and he steadied himself as he watched his Lucas' face for signs of orgasm. It would be their only chance.

"Oh . . . oh . . . oh God, Lex . . . Lex, please!" Clark cried, his head angled back, his handsome face a study in tortured passion. Lex watched as Lucas' dark blue eyes glazed over and his fist tightened around his cock. The hand holding the gun began to tremble and shake slightly, and Lex saw his chance. He pulled off of Clark's erection and lunged at his half-brother quickly and quietly as an adder, lashing out hard with his right foot. His aim was true and Lucas gave a thick grunt of surprise and pain as the heel of Lex's foot connected hard against his nose, breaking it with the noise of a small boy crushing a handful of pretzels. Lex's other foot connected with his temple a moment later, knocking him out of the chair. The gun flew from his hand and skittered across the concrete floor, coming to rest in a corner where it spun lazily. Lucas gagged and choked on his own blood, then spit it up as Lex kicked him in the ribs, breaking two and cracking two others. A wild and furious light shone in the elder Luthor's eyes as he reached down and hauled Lucas to his feet by his shirtfront.

"You little prick! You sick, twisted bastard!" He shook Lucas hard enough that the boy's bloodstained teeth clacked together, and he gasped as his breath hitched painfully in his chest.

"Lex . . . no . . . was . . . dad's idea. Not mine. Would . . . never have . . . hurt you." He gasped, and Lex threw him down again. The back of his head connected hard with the concrete floor, and black roses bloomed in front of his eyes. As Lex came after him again Lucas began to skitter backward like a wounded crab, having seen the glint of the discarded silver pistol in the corner opposite them.

"I swear it, Lex." He moaned thickly, seeing his own death in Lex's glittering blue-gray eyes. It was dad . . . he was angry because you haven't been able to find out Clark's secret . . . "

"The time for talking is over, Lucas." Lex said calmly, still advancing on him, and Lucas reached back to feel for the pistol. His hand closed over it and a smile curved his bloodstained lips.

"You're right." He replied, and began to bring the gun forward. Lex saw the silver glint as it flashed briefly in the overhead lights and aimed a paralyzing kick to Lucas' bicep. He yelled out and dropped the pistol once more, and Lex kicked him hard in the chest. Lucas fell back and to the side, and there was a loud report as the gun went off underneath him. His body jerked and the blue eyes went wide as the gun went off again, sending another white-hot slug deep into his lungs. His white Armani shirt suddenly bloomed red with blood that spread out and expanded like scarlet fingers. His gaze, wide and amazed, found Lex's, and his older brother looked back at him with a mixture of indifference and pity.

"Lex." Lucas whispered through lips that were tinged with a thick pinkish froth as his lungs hemmoraged and deflated. His body gave a great wracking shudder, and then the blue eyes went fixed and vacant. Lucas was dead. Lex watched the red stains expand for nearly thirty more seconds, and then Clark's low moan snapped him out of his reverie.

"Oh God. Clark!" Lex turned to his friend and ran over to the metal frame. He looked the cuffs over, but they were locked closed. Clark watched him, his heart pounding with both relief and renewed fear. Lucas was dead, and while Lex hadn't directly pulled the trigger, he was certainly responsible. Maybe he could plead self-defense . . .

Lex glanced up and saw Clark's worried expression. Not worry for himself; Clark hardly ever worried for himself. No, it was worry for Lex, and love for the boy flooded Lex's heart until it was almost painful. He gave Clark a confident smile.

"Don't worry, Clark. It'll be taken care of. Are you all right?"

"I- I guess so." Clark replied softly. His ass was burning, both inside and out, his nipples ached, and his lower belly and genitals were covered with both his and the Lucas' come. Lex watched the big seafoam eyes carefully for a moment, searching for signs of trauma. When he could see no immediate damage, Lex smiled and pulled Clark's boxers up for him. They were stained as well, but at least he could try to give his friend a small measure of dignity back.

"Will your strength return without more injections of Lucas' drugs?" He asked, and a blush heated Clark's high cheekbones.

"Probably. It might take awhile, though." He replied softly, looking at the floor. "We should call my mom and dad, let them know I'm okay. It must be dark by now and they're probably going crazy wondering where I am."

"I'll take care of that soon enough, Clark. Don't worry." Lex walked over to where Lucas' black overcoat still hung on its peg and rifled through the pockets. He soon came up with a set of keys and began to search through them. He found two that were small enough to open Clark's cuffs, and sure enough when he slipped the first one into the lock on the cuff, it popped open. Clark cried out in pain as the metal released its grip on his skin, and looked down at his wealed and abraded skin. Lex reached out and touched it gently.

"I'm sorry, Clark."

"It's not your fault." Clark replied as Lex unlocked his other wrist, and then let him loose from the vulnerable position he'd been trapped in for hours. He tipped the frame up carefully, and then unlocked the cuffs. Clark stumbled to one knee, his legs heavy and useless. Lex hit his knees next to the younger boy, helping into a sitting position. He pulled off his suit coat and draped it around Clark's broad shoulders, seeing that he had started to shiver.

"Easy, easy." He said softly, as if speaking to a frightened animal. He put his arm around Clark and stroked his dark hair gently. Instead of pulling away like Lex expected, Clark leaned into his touch, his eyes closing in exhaustion and relief. "It is my fault, Clark. Lucas and my father got to you because I wasn't careful. They tried to use you like bargaining chip because Lucas wanted me gone. I'm so sorry."

"Maybe Lucas was right." Clark replied softly without opening his eyes. "Maybe I should have told you the truth about myself a long time ago. Like when you first asked me point-blank about that day on the bridge. I shouldn't have kept lying to you, Lex. I wouldn't blame you a bit if you turned around and sold me to your father for a cool million right now."

Lex turned and touched Clark's face, making him open his eyes. "I would never do that to you, Clark. No matter what kind of lies you told me, I would never turn you over to my father. I understand that you had your reasons for keeping your secret from me, but you have to understand that I am nothing like him. I never will be . . . not as long as I have you." The bright blue eyes drilled into him. "Do you understand me?"

Clark nodded a little, but Lucas' words still burned in his brain. He swallowed hard and looked up at Lex. "I have to ask you something."

"Of course."

"Lucas said-" Another blush. "He said that you've always . . . uh, wanted to . . . uh-" The words tangled in his throat, and a smile quirked Lex's lips upward slightly.

"Fuck you?" He asked conversationally, as though they were discussing the weather. Clark went scarlet again and nodded rapidly. Lex chuckled and stroked Clark's cheek with infinite gentleness.

"There's a bit more to it than just fucking, Clark."

"Then . . . he wasn't lying to me? Do- do you feel that way about me, Lex?"

Lex sighed heavily, and then decided to throw caution to the wind. It was only his heart and soul, after all. "Yes, Clark. I do."

"Oh." Clark replied in a small voice, and finally looked up to meet his friend's eyes. "What do you mean, a bit more too it?"

Lex was encouraged by the question, and moved a little closer to Clark as if offering to share his body heat. "What it means is that its not just about sex. Of course I wanted that as well, but I wanted you willing. I wanted you to reciprocate, Clark. I would never have touched you without your permission. That's not what I'm about."

Clark smiled a little, flashing his white teeth at Lex in a way that was almost coy. "Then I guess we've both been keeping secrets, huh Lex." He sighed heavily. "Granted, mine's a little bigger than yours, but . . . still." He shrugged. "Maybe if one of us had told the truth, the other one might have come clean too."

"Maybe." Lex agreed with a tilt of his head. He looked across the room at Lucas' body, and Clark followed his gaze. "What are we going to do, Lex?" He asked, and Lex fished into the pocket of his slacks and withdrew a cell phone.

"My father and Lucas aren't the only ones who can make people disappear." He replied, and flipped the phone open. Clark gazed at him curiously, and Lex offered him a quiet smile that was full of the confidence a man carried when he had billions of dollars at his disposal. "Lucas thought he had contacts, but what he didn't know was that most of those contacts were working for people who reported back to me. He managed to get a few on his side, and that's how we ended up here, but despite my half-brother's endless well of confidence-" Lex smirked at Clark over his shoulder as he dialed a number. "He was never Lex Luthor."

"The results are WHAT?" Lionel Luthor roared over his cell phone, his hand clenching down on the metal until his knuckles turned white. "No- that's impossible. I want them checked and then re-checked. I don't care, run them again, and I want the results in the next half hour or you'll find yourself so unemployable that you won't even be able to get a job pumping gas at the Gas'N Go around the corner!" Lionel ended the call with an angry push of his thumb, reflecting that one of the drawbacks of a cell phone was that there was no cradle to slam it into angrily when one was frustrated. Instead he tossed it on his desk and glared at it angrily.

"Trouble at the lab, dad?"

Lionel's head jerked up hard, as if attached to an invisible string, and his mouth dropped open slightly as he saw Lex standing in the doorway. "Lex . . . how-"

"How is it possible that I'm standing here?" Lex asked lightly, entering the room with that confident swagger that Lionel found both grating and erotic at the same time. "Its a long story, dad, but I'm sure you'll find time in your busy schedule to hear it." Lex reached forward and yanked the phone jack from its plug, and then leaned on his father's desk briefly with both hands. His blue-gray eyes were bright with controlled fury, and for one breathless moment, Lionel Luthor was afraid of his own son.

"All right, Lex . . . don't do anything that you might regret later, son. Let's talk." He said earnestly, gesturing to the chair next to Lex. The young billionare didn't reply, but he straightened up and began to pace the room slowly. Lionel remained seated, watching his son stalk around his office like an angry panther.

"The only thing I regret of late is allowing Lucas to come under my protection. He betrayed my trust, stole my money, and used it to harm someone I care about."

"Clark Kent. Yes, he's a most ex-"

"Extraordinary young man, right." Lex nodded, his expression thoughtful. "That's what you've always told me, and Lucas knew it too. That's why he took that belief and turned it around to his best advantage." Lex stopped pacing and turned to glare at his father. "You were foolish to believe that Lucas had enough money at his disposal to make the kind of claims he did. Labs? Private detectives? Surveillence photos?" Lex pulled the manilla envelope containing the pictures of Clark Lucas had paid to have taken of him. "The only thing extraordinary about those photos is how well they've been doctored. I applaud the person that Lucas paid to have them created, I'd say he's got quite a future in digital animation."

"Lex . . . " Lionel licked his lips nervously. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that they're fake, dad!" He opened the folder and flipped through them. "Lucas paid a digital computer company in Edge City to have them created because he knew it was the only way to get back into your good favor! He made up the whole story, and once he'd convinced you to get rid of me, the next step was to remove you from the equation. He wanted it all, dad, not just my share."

Lionel stared at the photos and shook his head numbly. "No . . . I saw. I saw Clark Kent's body react to the meteor rocks!"

"What you saw was an allergic reaction, dad. Clark is allergic to bromine, a common lubricant used in many different kinds of machinery. It causes severe itching and swollen veins. Clark's reaction had nothing to do with meteor rocks at all. Lucas had those needles tipped with bromine, not meteor rock, as he claimed." A small smile came to Lex's face. "The whole thing was a hoax, dad. Well staged, but a hoax just the same."

"Then Clark-" Lionel whispered faintly, and the smile dropped from Lex's face as his eyes flashed with anger.

"Is nothing more than a seventeen-year-old boy who lives with his adoptive parents and whose only super-power is the ability to eat a whole pizza by himself." Lex leaned over his father's desk once more.

"He's also a boy that you and Lucas tortured, abused and sodomized for the sole purpose of trying to destroy me. You'll be very lucky, dad, if The Kents don't sue you."

"Sue me. Come now, Lex." He chuckled nervously, but Lex's expression never changed.

"Kidnapping, assault, both physical and sexual, sodomy, not to mention several weapons charges."

Lionel's face flushed scarlet, and suddenly his fist slammed down on the desk hard to enough to make everything on the surface jitter.

"That little bastard!" He roared, and Lex smirked.

"That's a very astute observation, dad. However, I doubt you have very little to worry about. Lucas accidentally shot himself during my escape. I wasn't sure if you wanted to handle the details of his untimely death, but in any case . . . " Lex swung himself into the chair opposite his father. "I think you'd agree that you and I have a lot to talk about."

Lucas Luthor was buried quietly and without public ceremony two days after Lex and Clark made their escape from the Edge City warehouse. He was buried under the name of 'Lucas Dunlevy' in a small cemetery just outside Metropolis. Things returned to normal between Lionel and Lex, which meant that both had agreed through an unspoken pact to never speak of the incident again. Lex simply went back to work at Luthorcorp, and the matter was buried along with Lucas. Lex burned all of the photos taken of Clark, including the ones Lucas had taken for his own private collection. The metal frame was melted down, and the Edge City building locked up tightly. A month later, it would be torn down to make room for a new apartment house owned by Lex Luthor.

Clark's powers returned several hours after his release, and his wounds healed as if they had never been. Now, a week after Lucas' burial, Clark found himself wishing that his emotions had the same kind of armor as his body did. He stood in the open doors of the hayloft, leaning against the doorframe as he watched the sunrise. Sleep hadn't come easy since Lex had gotten him out of that basement.

Lex. Lex had admitted his true feelings, and had sent Clark into an emotional spiral. He could accept the fact that Lex loved him because friends loved each other and it didn't have to mean anything else.

It was the sex part that made him confused.

Clark knew he couldn't deny the things he's felt when Lex had put his mouth on him. It had been different than when Lucas had done it . . . all he had felt with Lucas was fear and pain. From the moment Lex had touched him, his body seemed to have gone super-sensitive, as if it had been awaiting Lex's touch for years without truly knowing it. Lex's touch had consumed him in a sensual fire that had burned itself into his mind and wouldn't let go. The memory came back to him again and again in his dreams and he woke up in damp, tangled sheets with his blood coursing through him like a fast-moving river. There was only one difference . . . in the dream Lex never pulled away, and Clark always came with the sound of the ocean pounding in his ears and calling his best friend's name. He found himself wondering what it might have been like if Lex hadn't pulled away, and was pretty sure that wasn't something you wondered about most of your friends.

"You're up early, even for a farmer's son."

Clark whirled around to find Lex standing at the top of the hayloft stairway, and his friend shrugged a little. "I saw you from the road and thought I'd stop and see how you were doing."

"I'm all right." Clark replied softly, trying to ignore the strange fluttering that had begun in his lower belly. "I just . . . "

"Haven't been sleeping well?" Lex nodded. "That's normal, Clark. After awhile, you'll-"

"Its not normal, Lex!" Clark shouted suddenly, and his friend flinched.

"Clark-"

"It's not normal to be dragged out of your home in the middle of the morning! It's not normal to be taken someplace dark and cold and then poked and prodded like some kind of lab rat!" Clark's eyes went bright with tears, and his lips began to tremble.

"It's not normal to be chained up and repeatedly raped."

Lex took two careful steps and was encouraged when Clark didn't back away. "Clark, I understand. Believe me, I do . . . and if I could take away everything that Lucas and my father did to you, I would."

"I'm not ungrateful for the way you covered everything up, Lex." Clark wiped his eyes swiftly. "And I don't blame you for what happened. You suffered just as much as I did."

"Maybe." Lex took another step. "The only thing that matters now, Clark, is that I can promise you that my father is never going to wonder about you again. You're safe . . . and I swear that I'll protect you for as long as I live now that I know your secret."

"Thank you, Lex." Clark replied softly, and then had to drop his eyes from his friend's searching gaze. Lex frowned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing!" Clark claimed, his head snapping back up. "It's nothing. I . . . I'm glad you stopped by, Lex. Really."

"I'm not used to being dismissed, Clark, so forgive me for not accepting that fiction and walking away." Lex took two more steps until they were less than a foot away from each other. Clark took a deep breath and smelled expensive aftershave, imported soap, a faint scent of good scotch, and aroused male. A small sound escaped his throat, and Lex reached up to touch his face.

"I meant what I told you in that basement, Clark. It's more than sex."

Clark trembled and swallowed hard as he stared into Lex's gleaming blue-gray eyes. "I know, Lex. I felt it. I felt it when you . . . when you put your mouth on me."

Lex stroked Clark's cheek with the barest hint of a caress. "You said you trusted me before. Will you trust me again?"

Clark took another deep breath as the sun rose up past the horizon and bathed the loft in many hues of gold, purple and red. They illuminated Lex's face, and reflected in his eyes. With a trembling hand, Clark reached up and touched Lex's cheek, laying his fingers against the smooth, pale skin.

"The best thing we can do is trust each other, Lex." He said softly. "Once we do that, the rest of it will be easy."

Lex smiled, his soul filling up with that one simple touch. If it was possible that Clark Kent loved him, than anything else in the world was possible, too. His eyes closed briefly as he felt Clark stir against him, and he reached up to loop his arms around the broad shoulders.

Yes . . . it was most certainly a day for possibilities.

THE END