Sequel to Another Time And Another Place - Book One http://www.smallville.slashdom.net/archive/50/anothertime.html

The water passing beneath the bridge was murky and slow-moving, only an occasional ripple betraying the presence of life. Leaning against the metal railing, he stared down sightlessly as he thought about his assignment, trying to convince himself that he needed to remain professional and detached. He'd been lucky the last time, and hadn't suffered too badly for his mistakes. There was no guarantee he'd survive another set of ill-advised decisions.

The sound of squealing tires took him by surprise, and there was no time to react when he turned to see the car hurtling toward him. The blow that drove him back through the railing took his breath away, and he registered little else until shock of the cold water forced him to move. Surfacing, he looked up at the bridge to see a gaping hole, but no sign of the vehicle that had struck him. A large bubble of air that rose next to him made it clear where it had disappeared to, and he instantly dove back under to see if he could help the driver.

The dim light that made it through the muddy water made it hard to see anything, but finally a gleam, as if from a hidden pearl, caught his eye. A few more strokes downward and he could see the car and its hapless driver. Motionless, a body floated free inside its metal prison. His attempts to open the door, failed. A hole at the top of the windshield beckoned and the roof broke free, peeling back with surprising ease. Ignoring the burn of lungs pleading for oxygen, he reached in to collar his prize, and kicked to the surface without further delay.

Towing the limp body to the nearest bank, chest battling for air in rasping heaves, he swiftly positioned the head to allow him to share his breath. Breath, compression, breath, compression, the rhythm continued in a mockery of life until a gasp and cough signaled his success. Sitting back on his heels, he looked down at the man he'd rescued and lost his own capacity to breathe.

"K...Kal?" Blue eyes gazed up in puzzlement, black-clad body lax in shock.

Blinking, Kal-El searched for words, something to say after years apart. He settled for a brief nod, brushing gently against a pale cheek marred by a crescent of blood.

Pushing up onto an elbow, water still dripping from a head unprotected by any hair, the resurrected man protested, "Are you hurt? I thought I hit you!"

After a quick glance over his shoulder at the bridge where spears of metal dangled over the water, Kal-El frowned back down at the other. "You did, Lex. I have no idea how or why we're still alive, either one of us."

Sitting up further with a groan, Lex shook his head. "I guess I'll just add that on to the list of questions I have for you, starting with 'Where the fuck have you been for the last two years?'"

// Two years earlier //

"Kal? Why's the door unlocked?" Frowning down as he engaged the lock on the apartment door, Lex noticed a crystal glint on the carpet near the jamb. Bending over, he retrieved the leather and stone bracelet he'd bought Kal at the club. Examining it casually, then with a greater concern, he noted that it was still knotted, the leather abraded and torn apart, rather than cut, as if it had been ripped away from Kal's wrist.

Worried, Lex turned to scan the apartment, looking for evidence of a struggle. "Kal? Where are you?" Not receiving an answer, he darted down the hall to the bedroom, then through to the bathroom, searching for the other man. "Kal?" The kitchen and dining area were also empty, leaving Lex retracing his steps in an effort to determine why Kal was missing, the bracelet clenched tight in one fist.

In the center of the bedroom, he pivoted, searching for clues. The suitcase Kal had brought in was gone, as were all of his clothes, implying that he'd left on his own, or whoever had removed him had known what to take. Walking back into the living room, he paused at the window that overlooked the parking lot and verified that Kal's car was missing.

Turning back to the room, Lex noticed a crumpled piece of paper near the sofa. Picking it up and smoothing it out carefully, he saw that it was the photograph of him and Kal, torn from the previous day's newspaper. Frowning, he looked up to scan the room once more, but found nothing else out of place. Dropping the paper on the nearby table, he pulled out his cell phone, looked up a number, dialed, and waited impatiently for the call to go through. The moment he heard an answer, Lex growled out, "Where is he, Phelan?"

The chuckle at the other end of the line left Lex gripping the phone tightly, enough to crush it with a little more pressure applied. "Who, Lex? Your father? I imagine he's in his office at this time of day."

The low, vicious snarl left no doubt of the extent of Lex's fury. "You know exactly who the fuck I mean, Phelan. I want to know what you did with him. Now."

"If you're taking about your little friend, Lex, I haven't seen him since yesterday. Why don't you check around some of the street corners downtown and see if someone made him a better offer?"

"Fuck you, Phelan!" Lex took a deep breath and tried to bring himself back under control. "I'm warning you, if I find out you had anything to do..."

A bark of laughter interrupted him. "Get real, why don't you? Why would I do anything to your pretty boy when all I had to do was to wait for him to get tired of hanging around with a freak? It just happened a couple of days sooner than I expected."

Closing the phone, Lex raised his arm in a rage, only the realization that it would take time to get a replacement saving the device from a ruinous impact with the nearest wall. Sinking to the sofa, he buried his face in his hands, the bracelet and phone pressing hard against his cheekbones and eyes. After a minute, he sighed deeply, and pocketed his phone before knotting the bracelet back together and wrapping it around his wrist. Rising, he headed for the door, pulling out his keys. One final look around the apartment, and he was gone.

. . .

"I just got a call from your son." The gravelly voice issuing from his desk phone left Lionel Luthor frowning. "He thinks I had something to do with his latest boyfriend disappearing."

Steepling his fingers together, Lionel leaned back in his chair before responding. "And do you?"

"No. I delivered the warning, and that was it."

"I see. Well, then it must be just a fortunate happenstance. It will be one less nuisance to deal with in the future. Do let me know if he shows up again." Reaching out, he punched the button to hang up. Swiveling his chair around, he looked out over the city that he intended to own one day, and his eyes narrowed. "Dominic, when does construction begin?"

The other man in the room, silent until then, shifted in his chair as he consulted the thick file he held. "The last of the purchase papers were signed yesterday and we already have the contractors bringing in the equipment and materials beginning today. The estimation time of completion on the new level is eight months, the factory fully operational in nine, after the refit."

"I want the estimates cut by two months, cost is no object. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. And the castle?"

"Continue with the transfer and reconstruction, I want it habitable by the end of next year. It will make a splendid venue for the New Year's Ball."

Rising from his chair, the younger man inclined his head. "Of course, sir." He left the office without another word, his employer still staring silently out over the busy streets of Metropolis.

Hearing the click of the door closing, Lionel turned back around and stood, walking to the nearest wall and shifting aside the de Kooning oil hanging there. Punching in a series of numbers, he disengaged the lock on the wall safe and opened it slowly. Reaching inside, he pulled out a manila envelope and a silver cuff before closing the safe again. Carrying them back to his desk, he sat down and pulled a printed report from the envelope. Setting the cuff down on the desk, he caressed the cool metal absently as he reviewed the pages of test results, a disquieting smile stretching his thin lips.

Throwing the report down, he reached out and dialed a number on his desk phone. It was picked up immediately. "I want the surveillance continued, but make sure they don't know they're being watched. I'll be very angry if they're frightened away by sloppy methods. Understood? Good. I'll be in touch."

Hanging up abruptly, he picked up the cuff and weighed it in his hand with a quiet chuckle. "Six months, then we'll see exactly what you are, Kyle Hunter...or perhaps we'll just call you...Kal."

. . .

"A piece of scanning technology, a multi-channel analyzer, has not been recovered. The components were concealed beneath normative indigene functionality and the power source became inert after 72 hours, as such, the risk is minimal. Nonetheless, Second Searcher Kal-El's actions have compromised our presence at the landing site, so I am recommending withdrawal to another, more remote location until the full damage has been assessed." The grim tones of the senior member of the on-world team made his position clear. "All evidence of our presence at the landing site and surrounding area has been erased from the associated records, and all information supplied to any eyewitnesses has been verified untraceable. The Zod Consortium holding companies are concealed under shell corporations successfully used by the indigenes to shield illegal activities. The assets and records are locked and inaccessible to anyone except Second Searcher Kal-El, and me. Access for the new junior will be added on arrival."

"Recommendation accepted, Second Searcher Zak-Tor. Commence relocation on personnel transfer."

. . .

Lex had successfully convinced the building's caretaker that his friend needed his plants watered, and had forgotten to leave Lex a key, and it had only taken a fifty. Lex had been prepared to pay ten times as much to get in. Kal's apartment was empty, and there was no evidence that he'd ever been there, nothing to show that anyone had lived there at any time in the past. The registrar at the college had been able to supply no useful information on Karl Jager, and Kyle Hunter was a ghost at the magazines he'd submitted articles to in the past.

Returning to his empty apartment, discouraged after asking around at the club and hoping, waiting too long for Kal to show up, Lex pulled off his clothes and let them drop to the floor carelessly. Crawling into the bed that still held their scent, the remnants of the last time they'd been together, Lex flopped to his back and stared up at the ceiling, the faint shadows drawn by the streetlights outside bringing back memories.

Their last night together, pulling up the sheet and blanket from the foot of the bed, he'd covered Kal and himself. Lying down on his side, propping his head up with an elbow, he'd studied Kal's face in the dim light as he slept, vulnerable to Lex, all his defenses down. He'd watched Kal earlier, after he had taken care of his injuries, but it was different then. Days later, he was looking into the face of someone who had given him something that no one else had touched before, if he could believe Kal. Lex had examined those green eyes and had seen an arousing mixture of fear and desire, and did believe him because up until then, Kal had lied badly and Lex had exposed every lie.

To Lex, Kal had been a strange mix of maturity and naivete, shifting like quicksilver between the two, as if he had missed several important lessons as he'd grown up, and was only just then understanding how some things worked, how people were expected to act in certain situations. Asleep, he'd looked young, too young to be what he'd claimed, perhaps even too young to be in Lex's bed, and to carry the secrets he held so close.

Reaching out, Lex had brushed the silken hair back from the broad forehead, making sure it would not mask Kal's eyes if he woke. The long, thick lashes were still, not a quiver betraying Kal's dreams, and then they'd fluttered open. Kal had turned to Lex and sleepy green eyes looked across the pillow, and Lex had fallen into them and could not look away, until the tip of a tongue wet the lips below. A smile had stretched lips that spoke words that Lex could not immediately process because he was too busy watching and wanting, and then taking.

Remembering, aching from a need he'd never felt before, Lex traced the stones and leather wrapped around his wrist and closed his eyes against the lonely dark. Fearing the worst, he wished he knew all of Kal's secrets, the ones he could not or would not share with him, needed to find out the truth. Exhausted, he fell into dark dreams of fire and pain, feverish and alone, not waking until late the following afternoon.

. . .

"Bruce, that guy I called you about yesterday morning? The one that I thought needed help? He's missing. I came back to my apartment and he was gone. Have you found out anything about him yet?" Lex paced the length of the hallway and back as he spoke on his cell phone, his steps quick and impatient.

The voice on the other end was dark and deep, sounding as if the owner lived in perpetual night. "No, Lex. I've checked out the addresses and names you gave me, and I've hit nothing but dead-ends. Whoever set this up is good, which suggests that you're right, something is going on. Have you remembered anything else you can tell me about this kid?"

Stopping, Lex leaned his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes. "Not really. I can't help thinking my father's involved somehow, though. The only other thing is that Kal said he was investigating the meteor shower." He sighed. "I'm going to drive out to Smallville and see if I can find out anything there."

"Do you want me to come with you? I can be there early tomorrow."

"No, Bruce. I appreciate the offer, but you've done enough. I don't want you to get in too deep if it is my father. I don't want to lose you, too. Everything you've done with the investments, and..."

"Lex, you're not convincing me that staying away is the right thing to do. This kid could be out to scam you, or pull you into something dangerous."

"You didn't see him...hear him when I suggested taking a...shortcut. Listen, if you don't hear from me in a couple of days, then I'll expect you to storm the battlements and take on my father. You'll be my dark knight to the rescue, okay? Until then, it's all speculation on my part, Bruce."

"All right, Lex. Two days and if you don't call me, I'm there."

"Thanks." Lex closed his phone and juggled it in his hand as he considered his next move. It was late, and everything would most likely be closed by the time he drove out to Smallville. He could try to find a place to stay overnight there, or drive out early. Still feeling tired and feverish, he decided to make it an early night and leave in the morning. He suspected it was going to be a long and frustrating day in Smallville. At least he was sure his father wasn't stupid or crazy enough to kill Kal, he'd just make him hard to find.

// Eighteen months earlier //

The beat of the music forced the young blonde to lean in close so she could be heard. "I hope you don't feel obligated to entertain me, Lex. Jude's only gone for a couple days."

Shaking his head with a grin, Lex signaled the bartender. "I don't believe in obligations, Amanda. Besides, your fiance did me a favor. I wasn't looking forward to a night out on my own."

A delighted laugh greeted his gallant statement. "Something tells me you wouldn't have been alone for very long."

Sighing dramatically and rolling his eyes with a laugh, Lex disagreed. "You'd be wrong. I've gotten out of the habit of taking home strangers. One too many morning-afters, I'm afraid."

Nodding, she picked up a matchbook from the bar and flipped it over. "Zero Consequences. I guess that's a promise this club has a hard time keeping."

Taking two martini glasses from the bartender, Lex offered one to Amanda, inclining his head to acknowledge her. "It has had its moments." He offered a toast. "To my good friend Amanda on her engagement."

Sipping her drink, she smiled and held out her hand to admire the flashing diamond on her left hand. Looking back up, her smile slipped, and Lex slowly turned around.

// Twelve months earlier //

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

Wheeling around, with only the slightest of staggers to suggest that the question had merit, Lex grinned at the man who had walked up behind him. "Bruce! What brings you to fair Metropolis? Tired of hanging around gloomy old Gotham? Or should I say flitting?"

Frowning deeply, the dark-haired man, who stood a few inches taller and at least forty pounds heavier than Lex, reached out and removed the half-full glass from Lex's hand, placing it on the bar. He shook his head at the bartender and looped his arm around Lex's shoulders, pulling him away and towards the exit. "I thought it was time for a visit, Lex. It's been a while."

Breaking away impatiently, Lex turned back to the bar, intent on rescuing his unfinished drink. "I wasn't done, Bruce." Finding the glass already gone, he slammed his hand down and yelled, "Tony, another round!" Angry at being ignored, Lex began to hoist himself up on the bar when he found himself hanging head down over his friend's shoulder, staring at the black silk that rippled across Bruce's broad back and the flex of an ass well-defined by black leather pants. He might have enjoyed the view more, if the sudden change in position hadn't left him convinced he'd was going to be very ill, very soon.

"Bruce..." With a speed that did nothing to calm his roiling stomach, Lex found himself propped against a brick wall outside the club, his head being held surprisingly gently as he rid himself of the last six or seven drinks he'd consumed in the last hour or so. They definitely did not taste as good coming up as they had going down. "Fuck, Bruce...you..."

"Here." A dampened handkerchief appeared, along with a bottle of water that had been opened for him, since his hands were shaking too much to manage it himself. "Rinse and spit, then drink the rest, you idiot."

Doing as he'd been told without any further argument, Lex straightened back up and shifted a few feet away from the mess he'd left before leaning back against the wall again. His head went back against the brick, his eyes closed as he breathed deeply and evenly for a few minutes. Finally, he opened his eyes and rolled his head to the side to look at his dark, silent friend. "All right, you've made your point. Let's go back to my apartment and talk."

. . .

"Toby called me." Bruce's voice rumbled an explanation as he paced slowly back and forth in front of the couch where Lex was lying down on his side. The drive back to Lex's apartment had been in silence, Lex's eyes closed against the glare of passing headlights.

"Can you sit, please? You're making me dizzy." Another round of vomiting, just a few minutes after their arrival, had left Lex's voice gravelly and raw. "Shit, I must really be looking bad if Toby turned me in. It's not like he's got a lot of room to talk."

Shoving the coffee table back from the couch, Bruce sat gingerly on it, a few feet away from Lex's head. His cool fingers tested Lex's cheeks and forehead as Lex's eyes closed with a murmur of relief. "He was right. You look like hell." Reaching down, he picked up a water bottle where it was sitting on the floor and offered it to Lex. "Drink some more, and then explain why you're self-destructing."

Sitting up so he could drink, Lex emptied half the water, shrugging before he drawled, "Sometimes, it's just easier to crawl inside a bottle or take the damn pills, Bruce."

"Bullshit, Lex. You've never taken the easy way out before. What's going on? Why haven't you called me?"

Laying his head back on the couch, water bottle dangling between his knees, Lex sighed. "There's nothing you can do, Bruce. My father..."

"Your father is a complete ass. That's nothing new. Is that how you picked up that scar?"

Rubbing a finger across his upper lip where a white line bisected the chapped skin, Lex shrugged again, his muscles lax against the cushions. "A little souvenir, courtesy of a new ring he's sporting, a lovely bit of meteorite he's decided to wear in celebration of his heir's taste of Armageddon. He was upset about the shooting at the club, that his son managed to put him in the position of covering up something a little more serious than a drunken brawl, or a charge of public indecency."

"That was six months ago, Lex, and you told me it was self-defense. Toby corroborated your story; he's the one who stitched up the knife wound, the one that just missed your heart. I never understood. Why you didn't just call the police when it happened?"

"I wanted to keep Amanda out of it, Bruce. It was bad enough I managed to get her fiance killed, when all I wanted to do was show her that he was cheating on her, lying to her." Lex's jaw clenched as he tried to hold back the pain that threatened to break through, his breathing ragged. "'I've always said that I'd do anything for a friend, Bruce, but...I really fucked that one up." His forearm came up to shield his eyes. "Jude Royce dead, Kal still missing, and...my father is keeping me here in Metropolis by screwing up my masters program applications. I can't get in anywhere else. I tried..."

"You could just leave. You've got the money. The investments have done well."

"Sure I could. I could let him win, and give up on my education, my goals, and go do...what? Hang out in Gotham with you and Alfred? Go to work for Wayne Enterprises? You can't fight him. Look what he did to Kal. Everything we tried to find him was a dead-end, even Smallville. The bastard owns Smallville now, and Kal...is gone, as if he never existed. I don't want that to happen to you, Bruce."

"He could try, but he can't hurt me, Lex." Reaching out gently, Bruce tugged Lex's arm down so that he could look into his bleary, blue eyes. "You're letting him win anyway. Even your enhanced healing can't handle the abuse you're putting your body through."

Standing, Bruce strode across the room, heading for Lex's bedroom. The sound of drawers being opened and closed, along with the rasp of hangers sliding across bars, kept Lex on the edge of consciousness until Bruce returned, carrying a loaded duffle. Offering his hand, he waited for Lex to take it and pulled him up from the couch. "C'mon, you're taking a few days off. Alfred has been asking when you were going to visit. It's time." Ignoring Lex's muttered protest, he looped an arm around his friend's waist and ushered him to the door. "When you're feeling a little better, we'll work something out, something better than chemical seppuku."

// Six months earlier //

"Although I haven't been able to get many details, there is definitely something going on in Smallville, and it looks as if Luthor Corp is heavily involved."

Pacing back and forth impatiently in his living room, Lex nodded at his friend's report, his eyes narrowing as he assessed his options. "And you think it has something to do with the meteorites?"

"Considering the bounty being paid on any meteorites found and turned in to the Luthor Corp plant, I'd have to say it's a real possibility, Lex. I'm also picking up rumors about some strange occurrences in the area, sightings of creatures that don't sound like they could be real. No one really wants to talk about them."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Lex stopped in the center of the room and thought. Bruce had been an enormous help getting him back on track, pulling him out of the depths of a depression that had seemed insurmountable. The older man's continued investigations, using connections he'd established since he'd left school to take over Wayne Enterprises, had been invaluable. They had made it clear that Smallville was at the center of a number of issues in Lex's life and it was becoming apparent that something was going to need to be done about it.

"I think I need to go out there and look around myself again, Bruce. Maybe get inside the plant and check it out. I feel like I'm missing something important by just going to class and working in the lab. Granted, I'm almost through my courses, but..."

The muffled sound of protest at the other end of the line made it clear that Bruce did not agree with the proposal. "Lex, you can't! All you need is your father thinking you know something you shouldn't..."

"I know, but what if it was his idea to send me out there?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've just been reminded of a story my mother used to read to me, about B'rer Rabbit and the briar patch. I do believe I would be most upset if my father punished my misbehavior by sending me to the very place where I lost my hair all those years ago."

There was a heavy sigh over the line. "Great. Just...try not to get stabbed or shot this time, okay?"

. . .

The red sun beat down on Kal-El's head relentlessly, and he wiped the sweat out of his stinging eyes again, wishing his uniform wasn't so tight against his skin. The heat of this planet's summer was nothing like the mild temperatures found on Level 3 planets he'd been assigned to previously. Grasping the magnetic stylus once more, he continued to make notes on the early-phase Level 2 indigenes he was studying, perched high above them on a branch-covered platform. It was on days like these when he missed Earth the most, the sweet-tasting freedom he'd enjoyed for an all-too-short time.

He'd been fortunate to keep his rank as Second Searcher, and despite his current discomfort, his current assignment was not a punishment and could lead to advancement in the ranks if he was diligent. However, his teammate was taciturn, prone to going for days without exchanging any words outside the bare minimum required to perform his duties. Kal-El missed the ease and closeness of his previous postings. Even the constantly grumbling Zak-Tor had shared stories of his past assignments on other planets.

Of course, there was something, someone else he missed, every hour of every day that passed. It was an ache deep inside that he desperately tried to ignore, but it never left him. He dreamed at night, alone in his narrow bed, and those dreams were filled with pale skin, ice-blue eyes, and strong hands that held him close.

Lex.

Using his sleeve, Kal-El swabbed the gathering sweat away once more, refusing to admit that it could be anything else that dampened his cheeks.

/ / Three months earlier //

"Mr. Luthor, we've found the men you hired us to locate."

"Amazing. Wonderful. It only took you a year."

"Sir, by the time you called us in..."

"Never mind, I don't want to listen to any of your excuses. I'm just interested in the results. Send me the details, immediately."

"Yes, sir. A courier is on his way as we speak."

"Good."

Hitting the release button on his speaker phone, Lionel set back in his chair and steepled his fingers across his chest as he contemplated his next move. They'd gotten away, completely slipped his surveillance for almost a year and a half, but now he was back in control and a decision needed to be made, to simply watch them, or bring them into the facility and start the tests. Tapping an index finger against his pursed upper lip, he nodded his head and reached out to buzz the outside office.

"Dominic, come in here. We have some plans to implement."

// Two months earlier //

"Second Searcher Kal-El, your orders have been changed. You're being posted to Sector AS-17W56 - 3, effective immediately. Return to base, you'll be picked up for transport on arrival."

" Sector AS-17W56 - 3? That's...but..."

"I have no idea what backward planet you've been assigned to, and I don't care. I'm not pleased that I've spent all this time preparing you to take over here, and now you're being transferred, and I'm forced to start training another fresh-from-the-academy Second Searcher. Dismissed."

// One month earlier //

"Here is the background information on your assignment, Second Searcher. You'll be arriving on-planet in the new location, then transferring to affected area using indigenous transport devices."

"What about Second Searcher Zak-Tor? And the other...will they be coming back aboard? Can I talk..."

"Second Searcher, read the background, and then ask your questions. The details, as we've been able to determine them, are all included in there. We've pulled you back because you're now the foremost on-planet expert for this sector. I can tell you that we have a serious situation. Second Searcher Zak-Tor is missing, and his junior...is dead."

// Two weeks earlier //

"Phelan, what am I paying you for? This is the fourth time this month alone, that my son's indiscretions are the top story in all the Metropolis newspapers, even the Daily Planet."

The hard-faced man shuffled his feet, ill-at-ease as he stood in front of Lionel's massive desk. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor, but he's out of control. He's out almost every night, raising hell. I've tried, but he ignores me. All I can do is pick up the pieces, that is, unless you'll give me permission for something more drastic." His eyes glinted at the thought.

Eyes narrowing as he considered the offer, Lionel shook his head almost imperceptibly. "No, I think we've seen that taking action against him physically does nothing. Has he indicated any reasons for this behavior? There has to be something, considering he's still managing to maintain his grades despite all this nonsense."

Shrugging, Phelan frowned. "I don't...wait...he said something about..." His brow wrinkled as he tried to recall. "Nightmares. He said he might as well be out because he couldn't sleep anyway."

A grizzled brow rose. "Did he say what they were about?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Phelan grimaced as he struggled to pull the details from his memory. "Fire? Maybe something falling on him?" His face suddenly cleared. "Smalltown...no...Smallville. I overhead him say he kept thinking about a place called Smallville, that it ruined his life."

"I see." Lionel waved a hand in dismissal. "Fine. I'll be making some arrangements and I'll be in touch." He waited as the other man turned and left the office without a word. A muscle clenching in his jaw, he swiveled in his chair to gaze out over Metropolis, his eyes distant in thought.

"Sir?"

Sighing, Lionel spoke without looking at his assistant. "Dominic, make arrangements to have Lex sent to Smallville. I want him to take over managing the plant, in name at least, even if you'll still be overseeing it."

A small sound of surprise escaped the other man before he replied evenly, "Sir? The security? We've had some...incidents."

"I know, we've gotten some attention from certain elements who suspect the plant is more than it seems." Turning back around, Lionel's smile at Dominic sent a shiver down his back as he stood there waiting. "Lex's poor reputation will actually work in our favor." He laughed dryly. "Who could possibly believe I'd send my incompetent, degenerate son out to manage the facility, if it was truly important to me?"

// One day earlier //

Pulling up next to the industrial gray building, Lex stepped out of his Porsche and stood looking at the sign over the entrance gate that announced he'd entered Luthor Corp Fertilizer Plant No. 3. Frowning up at the overcast sky, he pulled his black jacket a little tighter over the gray silk shirt and tailored black pants. Pulling off his black leather gloves, he tossed them on the seat before slamming the door shut. Glancing around the quiet parking lot, and up at the tall building once more, his mouth quirked in satisfaction and he murmured under his breath, "Thanks, Dad."

// Now //

"Lex, I..." Pushing bedraggled locks out of his eyes, Kal-El sought for some way to explain his disappearance without compromising his mission. The ache that arose at the thought of offering anything less than the truth to Lex left him stammering, struggling to say something intelligible. "...I...there was..."

Throwing up a dismissive hand, Lex never let him finish. "Just stop. Don't try to come up with another lie, Kal. I've heard too many already."

Kal-El flinched at the fury that radiated from the man struggling to rise from the rocky bank of the river. The hand he offered was spurned with an angry gesture, and he stood there irresolute, unsure of what to do next. The slam of a vehicle door, and the offer of assistance from the truck driver that had stopped on the bridge, sent him scrambling up the bank to assure him that they were both unhurt and only required transportation to the nearest phone. Lex, who had followed him, changed that to ask the driver to take him to the castle where he would arrange for the Porsche's resurrection from its watery grave.

Kal-El's offer to walk back to his current residence received a swift glare from Lex. Unable to argue, he soon found himself sitting on the tattered bench seat next to Lex, while their rescuer chattered non-stop about how lucky they'd been, sharing tales of past accidents and courting one himself whenever both hands left the wheel to demonstrate. The air blowing fitfully from the old truck's vents was cool, and when Lex's shivering grew too obvious for Kal-El to ignore, he wrapped an arm around Lex's shoulders, and drew him close into his body to share his constant warmth. At first, Lex was stiff with anger, but as the heat from Kal-El's body began to penetrate his damp clothing, his shivers began to dissipate and tense muscles softened.

Pulling up to the gates of the castle, the driver let them out with some folksy advice to drive a little slower in the future, and left in a cloud of oily exhaust. Keying in the code to open the gates, Lex pointed without a word towards the front door, and they trudged up the long drive side-by-side.

The minute Lex entered the front hall he began to yank off his wet clothing, letting the pieces fall to the marble tile without any regard for their condition, stopping at the base of the stairs to toe off his shoes and socks before proceeding upwards. Kal-El fidgeted off to the side, waiting for some sign as to what Lex expected from him, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Stripped down to clinging silk boxers and pale gooseflesh, Lex turned to Kal-El with a sound of exasperation. "Come on, get those off and follow me. We need hot showers and something dry to wear."

Not wanting to keep Lex standing in the chill air, Kal-El ripped off most of his clothes, more than one button or seam suffering from the speed of his actions. He was no more than a foot behind Lex when he reached the top of the stairs and followed him closely into one of the rooms off the long dark hallway. Lex pointed out the attached bathroom and left, muttering that he'd be back with something for Kal-El to wear.

Frozen by indecision, Kal-El remained motionless in the center of the room, no longer controlled by Lex's presence and demands. Only his eyes retained any semblance of life, darting between the exit and the bathroom Lex had directed him to use. He feared a return of the overwhelming need he'd felt at the river to tell Lex everything, to explain who he was, where he'd been, and why he was there. Only the knowledge that Lex would pursue him if he left finally convinced him to enter the spacious, porcelain-tiled room.

Stripping off his jeans and blue cotton boxers with a sigh of relief, he let them drop to the floor by the door and opened the door to the capacious shower stall. After studying the controls for the multiple shower heads, he managed to successfully turn them on and adjust the water to a reasonably comfortable temperature before stepping inside. The pulsating spray from three sides of the enclosure met in the center where Kal-El stood with his eyes closed, luxuriating in sybaritic pleasure he'd not indulged in since he'd left his last Level 3 assignment.

Rolling his head to release the tension in his neck and shoulders, he grasped the soap dish on the wall and leaned forward, allowing the hot water to wash away his anxiety. He finally let himself think about the man he'd craved for so long, so close to him now. He shuddered at the sudden descent of organs retracted since the day he'd left Earth two years earlier, and stroked the aching flesh, seeking relief. The crash of the bathroom door rebounding off the wall brought the tension and anxiety flooding back, and the soap dish snapped off the wall as Kal-El jerked in reaction.

"Dammit, Kal, I want..." The shower door flew open as Lex shouted, and Kal-El turned, soap dish in hand to face his livid host. Lex's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Kal-El under the cascading water, the sleek, golden skin that glistened over carved muscle, the hand that held unmistakable evidence of Kal-El's arousal. The shout tailed to a profane whisper as Lex's tongue flickered over parted lips. "...some...answers...fuck..." The clothes he was carrying tumbled to the floor unnoticed.

The soap dish shared the fate of the clothes when Lex stepped into the enclosure, ignoring the fact that he was still wearing the sweats he'd changed into. The soft material soaked up the water and clung heavily to every curve as Lex shoved Kal-El against the wall, and took his mouth with a curse. Several tiles on the shower wall cracked when Kal-El's fist smacked down, his knees unstable under the onslaught of Lex's furious passion.

"Damn...thought you were dead..." Lex growled, his words guttural between kisses that bruised and left his lips bleeding against Kal-El's. "Fuck...wanted...you so much...damn you, left me...Kal...Kal..." His frenzied movements slowly stilled under Kal-El's gentling hands, held tight against the broad, strong body that had pulled him from the depths of the river.

Pulling back, Kal-El blinked through the water that still pounded against them, and searched Lex's eyes for a return to rational behavior, one hand rising to slip over Lex's skull in a tender caress. "I missed you...so much. So sorry, Lex, I never wanted to..." Kal-El's heartfelt apology was lost to another kiss, one less damaging, although still heated. Slim hands stroked endlessly over his body, as if seeking confirmation that Kal was truly there, no mirage or hallucination.

Trapped by desire, needing his own affirmation, Kal tugged at sodden clothing, seams parting with shocking ease, the tattered cloth falling to lie in a heap beneath their feet. His hands wandered across pale flesh, slipping downwards until he weighed Lex's desire, heavy and hard, in one broad palm. The other hand flexed, grasped a hip, fingers pressing deep into alabaster flesh until Lex moaned in protest, his mouth too occupied with the taste of Kal's skin at the hollow of his throat to form intelligible words.

Panting heavily from teasing nips along his jaw and lips, Kal-El tried to interest Lex in a change of venue. "It's been...so long, Lex. Could we..." Impatient at the continued interruptions, Kal-El pulled his lower lip free from Lex's teeth so that he could finish his request. "...find a bed...or at least someplace drier?" The silent thrust of Lex's hips against his, aligning their cocks in the warm stream, made it clear Lex wasn't willing to wait, but Kal-El wanted more. Lifting Lex so that his legs came up to cling around his hips, Kal-El stalked out of the shower and into the bedroom, not bothering to turn off the water or close the shower door. The castle could flood as far as he was concerned; he wanted Lex, on a bed, on a table, on the carpet, <i>somewhere</i> horizontal, immediately.

Thankfully, a bed was just a few feet away and Kal-El peeled Lex away from his body and dropped him onto the duvet, still dripping wet. When Lex growled at him, and yanked on the hair he'd managed to snag in one fist as he fell, Kal dropped to his knees on the bed and crawled until he was poised above Lex's body, panting, his green eyes devouring fevered blue. Lowering his head at Lex's demand, he possessed the passion-wounded lips once more, laving away the slow-oozing blood.

Pulling his hair free, Kal-El licked and nibbled his way down Lex's body, first touching with trembling fingertips, then tasting each pale curve and shadowed hollow. Slightly calmer, Lex lay quiescent beneath Kal-El's sensual exploration, eyes flaring hot as he watched Kal-El traveling downward, only the occasional shiver revealing the extent of his restraint. When Kal-El reached the apex of his desire, he spent no further time delaying gratification. Lex groaned as Kal-El slid him into his heated mouth, tongue circling the taut, swollen head and then sliding along the underside as Kal-El swallowed.

Kal-El jerked at the flavor, the pure taste of Lex that he'd dreamed about, the reality leaving him shaking with need. He rubbed against the duvet, sliding against silken flesh as his head sank and rose, drawing sweet groans as pale fingers sank deep into his hair. It had been too many lonely days and nights for them both, and as Kal-El drank down pulses of hot sweetness, he spilled with a deep moan. Suckling until Lex tugged him up for a heated kiss, Kal-El slowly collapsed to the side, shoving the sodden duvet off the bed, and dragging the sheet up over them. He gathered Lex in, tucking him under his chin to lie on his chest, and stopped his questions with soft fingers and an even softer shake of his head. "Please, Lex. Later."

Kal-El felt the muscles under his hands relax, and the sigh that warmed the skin over his heart let him close his eyes in relief, knowing it was too soon for hope.

. . .

The clink of his belt buckle woke Kal-El, although it also could have been Lex's absence from the bed finally penetrating Kal-El's dreams. He blinked sleepily, his hand sweeping out across the sheets in a futile attempt to locate the warm body he'd held close through the night. Some quiet sounds from the foot of the bed brought him sitting up in a rush to find Lex seated there, holding Kal-El's jeans, wallet and belt, his back rigid and unyielding.

"Clark Kent. That's different from your usual style of alias, isn't it?"

Kal-El used the palm of one hand to rub the sleep from his eyes as he thought of how to address Lex's question. He still felt the compulsion to tell the truth to Lex, although he didn't feel the need to volunteer information. "Yes, it is."

Dropping the jeans and wallet on the bed, Lex carefully examined the belt before unzipping the concealed pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper, one that looked as if it had been treated to resist water, although it was still creased and stained. It was opened up before Kal-El could utter a protest.

Lex's voice grated a little as he read the note aloud. "Lex, I'm sorry, but I have to leave. My destiny lies elsewhere. I'll never forget you. Kal-El." Tracing the few short lines with a finger, Lex ignored Kal-El crawling across the bed toward him. "Interesting symbol. What does it mean? What language is it?"

Kal-El froze, his throat working desperately to suppress the answers to Lex's questions. His mind whirling with alternative answers that would still be the truth, he blurted out, "There's no exact translation in English. The language is different from any other on Earth." Coming up behind Lex, Kal-El folded himself around him, warming the chilled, pale flesh. He attempted to retrieve the note only to have Lex shove his hand away, fold the note back up, and tuck it into the pocket of his sweats, the only thing he was wearing.

"It may have been delivered two years late, Kal, but it's mine." Still refusing to look at Kal-El, even though he accepted Kal-El's warmth at his back, Lex continued, "Don't think I didn't notice how you sidestepped those questions, Kal. I'm still waiting for real answers. Am I going to get more lies or the truth?"

Kal-El kissed along the top of Lex's shoulders, finding each freckle and paying it homage. "The truth, Lex, I'll tell you the truth." Dropping his forehead at the top of Lex's spine, Kal-El sighed. "I want to tell you the truth, Lex. It's just that...don't ask me who I work for or where I've been. Please. I...I can tell you that I'm not here to hurt anyone."

An angry jerk from Lex dislodged Kal-El, and he jumped up from the bed to pace while Kal-El remained behind, tangled in the sheets and blankets. "Why should I believe you now? You lied that day, Kal."

"What are you talking about?" Kal-El frowned, puzzled.

"That first day when we were lying on the floor, surrounded by broken glass and orange juice, you looked at me and I believed you. And you lied to me. You said you would give me three truths. Yes, I still believe your name is Kal, and that you were investigating the meteors, but...the third 'truth' was a lie."

Kal-El had relived every moment he'd spent with Lex, cherishing the time, the words they'd spoken. Still, he was amazed that Lex remembered after all the time that had passed. "I said I would never hurt you. But I haven't Lex, everything I've done...."

Lex whirled and stalked back to the bed, shoving Kal-El down backwards and raging, "It hurt me when you disappeared without a trace, when I thought you were dead." Shoving down his sweats, he stepped out of them before climbing onto the bed. "Do you have any idea what that did to me, Kal? I'd never let myself care about anyone. I was always the one in control, and then you walked into my life and blew right by all my defenses." Kal-El, still tangled in the bedclothes, did nothing to stop Lex from straddling him and placing his hands around Kal-El's throat, thumbs poised at his windpipe. "I would have died for you, Kal. Can you say the same?"

Tipping his head back, offering no resistance to Lex's tightening hands, Kal-El gazed calmly into Lex's furious ice-blue eyes and said clearly, "Yes." He swallowed with difficulty, feeling Lex's thumbs pressing in relentlessly. "I left to protect you. I had no other choice." His green eyes softened as he raised one hand to Lex's twisted mouth, a finger caressing the scar that bisected the upper lip. His voice rasped under the increasing pressure. "But you weren't safe, were you? I'm sorry. I...wish I could have been there...that this happened...to me, instead."

Eyes searching eyes, hands feeling the throb of Kal-El's life beneath tightening sinews, Lex waited for the inevitable struggle, waited for the lies. Kal-El's hand dropped back to the bed and lay palm up, still offering no resistance as his breathing grew progressively shallower. His only response was involuntary and due to the asphyxiation. Lex felt it beneath him, the heat and hardness increasing with each second that passed.

A jerk and a shudder rolled through Kal-El's body, a tensing of muscles held in check, a slackening, and then there were no more breaths left. Lex watched in disbelief as the blue-tinged lips stilled and eyelids dipped half-closed over green that no longer glittered with life. Damp heat spread beneath him and Lex drew his hands back in horror. "Kal?" Checking for the pulse under Kal-El's jaw, Lex gasped, "Kal!" Scrambling off him, Lex quickly propped Kal-El's head in the correct position for CPR and began to breathe for him. Stopping, Lex compressed Kal-El's broad chest to stimulate his heart and then returned to breathing once again. Counting in his head, Lex could feel the seconds stretch to minutes with no response. Breathe and then compress, breathe, and then compress, a litany of 'please, Kal' screaming in his head between the vital numbers that climbed inexorably higher.

But there was no response.

Lex sat back on his heels and looked at Kal-El sprawling, lifeless in his bed. Clasping his hands together over his head, Lex brought his fists down as hard as he could on Kal-El's chest, slack arms and legs jolted into new positions. Checking for a pulse, he grimaced and tried again, a crack joining the sound of panicked breathing. Suddenly, Kal-El's chest expanded with a gasp and then he was on his side, writhing as he struggled for deeper breaths.

Pulling Kal's upper body into his lap, Lex rocked him as his breathing began to stabilize. He murmured into the sweat-damp curls at Kal-El's temple, "I'm sorry, Kal. I'm so sorry. Why did you let me do that? I nearly killed you. God, I did kill you!"

Coughing, Kal rasped, "I deserved it for hurting you, for letting you be hurt."

Shaking Kal in frustration, Lex growled, "No one deserves that, Kal, and least of all you. Don't you ever fucking give up like that again, do you hear me?"

Nodding in agreement, Kal-El protested, 'I didn't mean to let it go so far, Lex. I just wanted you to know you could trust me and that I trust you, but then I just felt really weak and I didn't want to struggle anymore." With a tentative smile, Kal-El ventured, "Lex, have you ever investigated anger management techniques?"

Frowning, Lex dismissed the weak attempt at humor. "I don't understand. How could I do that if hitting you with my car didn't even leave a bruise?"

Kal-El shrugged and coughed again. "I don't know. Maybe you're stronger than me or maybe my throat is able to be damaged or...."

"Or you tend to have a really hard time coming up with believable reasons?"

Kal-El pushed himself up and out of Lex's arms. "I'm not lying, Lex. I don't know!" Wiping himself clean with the sheet, he got out of bed to pace, his arms waving as he tried to explain. "Listen, the meteorites changed you. You know that. Well, I think that maybe they changed me the last time I was in Smallville. I checked my exposure when I started noticing...differences, and it was high. Off the charts high."

"I guess that explains my sweats in two pieces on the bathroom floor. Anything else?"

Running his hands through his hair, Kal-El stopped and stared at Lex in disbelief. "Anything else! Don't you think that's enough mutation to deal with right there: strength, speed, and apparent invulnerability?"

"So just now, I shouldn't have been able to kill you even if I'd wanted to, could I?"

Kal-El's eyebrows rose and his eyes widened comically. "I'm not sure. Are you thinking about asking me to get back in bed and then trying again?"

Lex's mouth twisted into a wry grin as he surveyed Kal-El standing in front of him, naked, interest reviving quickly. "Well, at least one part of you liked it."

"Not that much! Did I mention the high probability of insanity that goes along with the mutations?"

"I'm not insane, just really pissed off at you. At least I was, and I'll probably think of more reasons to be for a while." Leaning back on his arms in the bed, he arched his back in a stretch, grinning when he saw Kal-El's involuntary step forward. "Why don't you come back here and we'll try something a little less kinky, this time. Maybe you can show me what you've learned in the last two years."

Shuffling forward slowly, Kal-El ducked his head shyly. "That would be nothing, I'm afraid. There hasn't...I haven't...."

Reaching out, Lex yanked Kal-El back onto the bed and rolled him over before sliding back on top of him with a triumphant grin. "Then we've got a lot of lost opportunities to make up for, don't we?" With some wiggling and stretching well-appreciated by the man beneath him, Lex was able to yank open the nightstand drawer, spilling the contents to the floor. Groping over the side of the bed, he pushed aside a leather and stone bracelet before grabbing several condoms and lube.

Neither man noticed the green glow emanating from the bracelet shoved under the bed.

. . .

Pulling the sheet and blanket up from the foot of the bed, Lex covered Kal-El and himself. Lying down on his side, propping his head up with an elbow, Lex seemed to be studying Kal-El as he drifted towards sleep. A hand brushing back his hair brought Kal-El's eyes back from beckoning dreams and another smile to his face.

"Mmm, Lex? What are you doing?"

Serious blue eyes assessed Kal-El, and Lex considered his answer carefully. "I'm looking at you."

Kal-El felt warm color race across his cheeks and his eyelashes dipped shyly before his eyes returned to Lex's face. Rolling to his side, Kal-El arranged himself so that he could look back at Lex more easily. "What do you see?"

"I don't know." Lex's face stilled, revealing nothing. "I'm not even sure that this isn't all another nightmare that I've managed to concoct out of my subconscious."

Unease flickered in Kal-El's eyes and he reached out to rest his palm on Lex's chest, above his heart. "Nightmare?"

Lex studied Kal-El's face. "I've had quite a few since the day I came back to find you missing. All I had to go on was your broken bracelet, and the fact that my father wanted you out of my life. The thing is, none of my nightmares ever ended with me killing you."

"I'm fine, Lex. You didn't...."

Lex jerked away from Kal-El's touch, anger flaring as he sat up. "It's not that simple, Kal. What is wrong with me, what have I turned into...a monster like my father? Ten minutes after I broke one of your ribs using CPR because I choked you to death, I'm fucking you!" Shoving the blanket and sheet away from Kal-El's chest, his fingers hovered over the vivid bruise there, and then the circle of finger marks on Kal-El's throat. "Not even in my worse days in the backrooms of the clubs...why, Kal? How?"

Sitting up, Kal-El reached out and pulled Lex close after a brief, useless struggle on Lex's part. Slowly rubbing along Lex's stiffened back in broad sweeps, Kal-El murmured, "You didn't do it on purpose, Lex. I know that it was an accident, on both our parts. It just got too intense too quickly. And afterwards...I wanted you. I still do." He sighed heavily. "Listen, we still have a lot to talk about, and maybe the bedroom isn't the right place for it. Why don't we get cleaned up, put on some dry clothes, and then find another room so I can answer your questions. At least, the questions I can answer."

With an abrupt nod, Lex pulled away and got out of the bed. "Why don't you go first? I'll find you some clothes."

Kal-El crawled out on the opposite side and headed towards the bathroom. "I won't be long. Being faster has to be good for something, after all."

. . .

"I found some clothes that should fit you." Lex stopped short as Kal-El walked out of the bathroom drying his hair with one towel while wearing another around his waist. "Kal, what happened to the bruises? You heal fast, too?"

Looking down at his own chest in surprise, Kal-El shook his head, baffled. "I don't understand. The car doesn't hurt me, then you can...and then I heal in a matter of minutes?" Dropping the towel on the floor, he accepted the sweats and tee shirt from Lex. "This doesn't make sense. Then again, I have no idea how I was exposed to the meteorites, either."

Picking up the discarded towel and taking the second one when Kal-El handed it to him, Lex shrugged. "I guess we'll add that to the list of questions to be answered." He walked into the bathroom, leaving Kal-El standing alone and debating what to do next.

Spotting his wallet on the floor next to his still-damp jeans, he picked it up and tucked it away in the pocket of the sweats. Lex's sweats were also lying there, and for a moment, Kal-El debated on whether to retrieve the note he'd carried for so long. In the end, he decided that it was Lex's to keep, so he simply pulled it out of the pocket and carried it over to the nightstand. He grinned at the sight of the carelessly spilled drawer and knelt to pick it up, as well as the scattered contents. As he groped under the bed for an elusive condom, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he leaned against the bed with a groan.

"What's wrong?" Lex was suddenly there, and Kal-El closed his eyes against the spinning of the room as Lex helped him up onto the bed.

"Don't know. Dizzy." Kal-El immediately starting feeling better as soon as he was off the floor and lying down, and that fact puzzled him. "Lex, is there something on the floor? Or maybe spilled on the carpet that I'm allergic to?"

Lex went to his knees to examine the carpet more closely. Not seeing anything obvious, he peered under the bed and recovered a condom and the bracelet. Standing back up, he shook his head. "I can't tell if there's something on the carpet or not. All I found were these." Holding out the items, he started to show them to Kal-El, who moaned at the return of his dizziness. "Kal?"

"Move them away, please," Kal-El panted, and then sighed with relief as Lex backed up a few feet. "It's one of those. It has to be." He sat up, recovered. "Put one down, and then come closer." Lex set down the bracelet and carried the condom towards Kal-El, who shook his head. "It must be the bracelet."

Walking back to pick up the suspect piece of jewelry, Lex protested, "This is the bracelet I gave you right before you left. How could you be 'allergic' to it?" Returning to Kal-El, he stopped when Kal-El raised his hand. "Okay, so it is the bracelet." Looking down at it centered in his palm, he held his hand out towards Kal-El again, gasping when he saw the green stone flare. "Whoa, it never did that before!"

Waving Lex back, Kal-El wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead and grimaced. "I've seen that type of reaction before, but only under laboratory conditions, two years ago. We'll have to have it analyzed to be sure, but I suspect we may have found the source of my exposure, Lex. It may also explain how you were able to hurt me. We'll need to get it shielded."

Lex looked down at the bracelet in his hand and crushed it inside his fist. "Fuck." He backed further away from Kal, his face drawn and paler than usual. "How do we shield it?"

"Lead or about six inches of steel should do it. Do you have a safe we can use?"

Crossing to a low bureau, Lex opened an ornamental box and placed the bracelet inside, closing the lid with a dull thud. He picked it up and carried it back to Kal-El, who had risen from the bed and was waiting. "The mythical armor of Saint George will have to do for now."

Tracing the raised crest on the lid, Kal-El asked, "Armor?"

"My mother found it in a bazaar in Morocco, and the claim was that it was crafted from the lead armor of Saint George. Obviously, it's a fake but she liked the story. She gave it to me just before she died. Fortunately, it really is lead." Grabbing Kal-El's arm, he guided him toward the bedroom door. "Let's go find some food and figure out what we're going to do next."

. . .

"So...Clark Kent?"

Chewing and swallowing the food in his mouth, Kal-El nodded. "Clark Kent was the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, former residents of Smallville. He was six years old when the meteorites hit, but there's no record of exposure. Jonathan died of a heart attack when Clark was fourteen, and he and his mother moved back to Metropolis to live with her parents, leasing out the farm. The parents are both dead and, sad to say, so is Martha, who was killed in a car crash. Clark was in the car with her, and now he's in a coma that he's not expected to recover from."

"So you took over his life?" Lex was only toying with his sandwich, too interested in Kal-El's answers to have any appetite.

Kal-El shrugged. "There have been no visitors or contact from Smallville, so we were confident that he could return to the family farm and finish out his senior year without suspicion. He's...I'm eighteen and don't require a guardian. Smallville is a very insular community and it's become much harder to get anyone to talk about the mutant phenomena." Taking a sip of lemonade, Kal-El shook his head ruefully. "Someone perceived to be a member of one of the oldest families in the area should be in a better position to obtain information. Any facial differences and missing memories can be ascribed to the years away in Metropolis and the car crash."

Lex raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I don't understand why you're just telling me this, without any issues about secrecy or need to know."

"I told you that I don't want to lie to you, Lex." Kal-El covered Lex's hand with his. "As long as you don't ask me who I work for or where I'm from, then you'll get all the answers you want."

"So you're back here in Smallville again to investigate the effects of the meteorites?"

"Not exactly." Kal-El frowned, pushing his half-eaten sandwich away. "I'm here to investigate a murder and a possible kidnapping."

. . .

"I still can't believe you were sent here to investigate with no backup. It doesn't make sense when one of your team members was killed and the other one is still missing." Pulling into the executive parking lot at the LuthorCorp facility, Lex parked and turned off the Mercedes sedan with a grimace. He hadn't been happy with the choice of vehicles available in the castle's garage, and missed his now-defunct Porsche. Unfortunately, the late-model Mercedes would have to do until his new Porsche was delivered later that week. Getting out of the car, he waited for Kal-El to exit carrying the lead box before activating the locks and alarm. Kal-El looked around the deserted lot and raised a puzzled brow. Lex shrugged. "It's a good habit to have, even outside of the city at three o'clock in the morning. You never know who might try to take advantage of your carelessness."

Nodding in agreement, Kal-El walked around the front of the car to meet Lex and follow him into the building. Passing through the night security station, they headed for the lab where Lex was sure they'd find the necessary equipment for testing the bracelet. Kal-El had considered using the analyzer he had hidden at the farm, but decided he'd revealed enough to Lex for the present. In the end, they had stopped there just long enough to Kal-El to change into clothes that fit before heading to the plant.

Entering the codes for the door, Lex held it open for Kal-El to pass through and then let it shut and lock behind them. Flipping on the lights, he scanned the area for the piece of equipment they needed. With a nod of satisfaction, he headed for a bench along the wall. "Here it is...an electron microprobe. I thought I'd noticed one when I took the tour the other day. They should have the meteorite signatures recorded for comparisons based on the local soil testing." Taking the box from Kal-El, who had followed him to the bench, he waved him back. "You better stand over there while I run this through."

Taking the bracelet out of the box, Lex set both items down on the bench while he looked for a tool that would allow him to cut the stone free of the leather. He found a sharp pair of shears in a drawer and with a few quick snips had the green stone separated. Dropping the remains of the bracelet back into the box, he closed it before placing the stone on the test plate of the microprobe. He never noticed Kal-El retrieving the box to carry it back to another bench across the lab.

"Why is it this didn't cause problems when you were wearing the bracelet two years ago?" Lex rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the microprobe churn through its analysis. "We definitely would have noticed it then." He turned around and leaned against the bench, watching Kal-El across the lab. "If it is an allergy, maybe it required a certain level of exposure first, like an allergy to bee venom or peanuts."

"That makes sense." Kal-El nodded as he toyed with the lid of the lead box. "I didn't have any exposure after I...left, so it could have developed in the interim." He frowned down at the box. "I wonder...what about the other stones...." Lifting the lid a fraction, Kal-El waited for a reaction while Lex lunged forward with a wordless protest. Feeling no effects, he reached inside and picked up the bracelet just as Lex arrived at his side.

"Are you insane!" Lex scrabbled at Kal-El's hand, trying to retrieve the bracelet. "I was going to test those next!"

Kal-El's head rose slowly, and Lex was almost positive he saw a flare of red in his normally green irises before a feral grin spread across Kal-El's face. His voice was a dark purr as he leaned in towards Lex and licked his face from jaw to temple. "Not a problem, Lex. I feel fine. In fact, I feel great." He tossed the lead box over his shoulder and it landed on the lab bench with the sound of shattered glass. "As long as we're waiting, why don't we try out one of these benches? I feel like indulging a longtime fantasy of mine."

Eyes wide, Lex backed up slowly, his hands raised in a calming gesture. "Kal, I'm not sure what just happened here, but why don't we slow down a little?" His eyes darted around the room in search of something he could use to subdue his obviously altered companion, but found nothing at hand.

Kal-El prowled closer, stalking Lex. "I had slow for two very long years without you, Lex. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life doing nothing but dreaming and regretting." Standing in front of Lex, who'd run out of space to back up and was pressed against a bench, Kal-El bracketed him with both arms resting on the bench and insinuated a muscular thigh between Lex's legs. His head lowered until his mouth hovered a few centimeters above Lex's and he whispered, "There was no one before you, Lex, and no one after. Tell me why I shouldn't take whatever I want, whenever I want it, now that you're here with me."

Lex stared into Kal-El's eyes and saw blazing need, but no menace. He closed the distance between them with a groan, his hands coming up to bury themselves deep in Kal-El's ebony locks. Their kiss caught fire, desire burning away any remnants of caution. Lex found himself bent back, arching into Kal-El's heat. The sharp edge of the bench caught him just above his hips and when he hissed in pain, Kal-El brought his hands up to pull him away, flipping them around so that he supported Lex. Large hands roamed over Lex's back soothing away the hurt and Kal-El lifted his head long enough to lick away the blood oozing from a split in Lex's lower lip. His broad hands flexed and shifted to grasp Lex's buttocks and lift him up...and then there was small rattling noise behind them on the floor.

A shudder ran through Kal-El's body and his hands released so quickly that Lex staggered for a moment before regaining his feet. Shaking his head and blinking, Kal-El slumped against the bench with a groan. "Lex...what...." His knees began to give way and Lex caught him in time to ease him to the floor.

Stepping back, Lex felt a crunch beneath his shoe. He glanced down and saw that he was standing on the bracelet. Snatching it up, he hurried over to the bench where the lead box was lying in the middle of broken glassware. He quickly shoved the bracelet inside and closed it. Grabbing some paper towels, he wet them in the lab sink and carried them back to Kal-El who was propped up against the leg of the bench, head sunken on his chest and moaning softly. Kneeling in front of him, Lex placed several fingers under his chin and lifted so that he could bathe Kal-El's sweating face. Dark lashes fluttered and bewildered green eyes met Lex's concerned gaze. "Are...you all right, Lex? Did...did I hurt you?" A shaking hand came up to stroke the slightly swollen lip tenderly. "I'm sorry...I don't understand what...why...."

Lex shook his head and smiled gently, with only a little wince as the injured lip split a little more. "I'm fine. I've had much rougher kisses from people I didn't even like." He leaned forward and brushed a kiss across Kal-El's twisted mouth, and then sat back on his heels. "I think it's safe to say that the red stones in the bracelet need to be analyzed, too. It looks like in your case, both red and green mean stop."

// A week later //

The rustle of clothing, a soft moan, and a hiss were all the warning Lex received in the dimness of his bedroom before the mattress dipped under a new weight. "Kal?"

A whisper came out of the darkness as warm arms pulled him close. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry I'm so late."

"I was beginning to think you'd decided to sleep at the farm for some reason." Lex returned the apologetic kiss with enthusiasm, reluctantly pulling back as Kal-El chuckled.

"That's not going to happen unless you kick me out, and maybe not even then. Cold, lonely twin in a remote farmhouse or warm, double occupancy, oversized king in a castle...tough choice there." He rolled to his back, taking Lex along with him as a human blanket.

Nipping along Kal-El's jaw, Lex teased, "I don't know. You could have decided to take to the bus to school and wanted to be sure to catch it in the morning. After all, you're the senior chaperon on the tour of the plant tomorrow."

Kal-El's laughter rumbled as he lightly massaged Lex's lower back. "Really stretching, Lex. I have a nice, new, shiny, bright-red pickup truck that some rich guy had delivered after I saved his life last week. I am the envy of the school when I pull up in it, and it's a great conversation starter. Why would I give that up to ride in one of those deathtraps they call a school bus?"

Elbowing Kal-El in the ribs, Lex conceded, "All right, you win. Why are you so late, Kal?"

Kal-El sighed. "You know, it's a good thing I told everyone my nickname is Kal. You'd blow my cover in an instant." When Lex prodded him again, he shrugged. "It was another mutant that I had to take care of, and then turn over to the police."

Shoving himself up with his hands planted in the mattress, Lex tried to make out Kal-El's face in the dim starlight that sifted in through the open drapes. "You okay? I heard you make a noise when you were getting undressed."

Kal-El shook his head and pulled Lex back down for another kiss. "It was nothing. Just a little...stiffness." Thrusting up with his hips, he hinted, "Oddly enough, it seems to have relocated."

Lex hummed sympathetically. "I believe the usual treatment for stiffness is moist heat." He slithered down Kal-El's body slowly, applying his lips and tongue to make sure he wasn't missing any place that Kal-El might have been injured. As he neared his goal, he heard a fumbling noise at the head of the bed. "Kal?"

A frustrated sigh answered him. "I can't find the condoms. Did you move them?"

Lex shook his head as he stroked Kal-El's heavy length, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. "I'm not going to fuck you, Kal. I just want to suck your cock."

"But, you always...."

"You told me there's been no one else after me, right? And you always used protection before me, so I don't think there's any danger, Kal." Lex licked a long stripe from the base to the tip. "I want to taste you, like you've done to me. I've never tried that with anyone."

With a groan, Kal-El abandoned his search and shifted his hands to Lex's shoulders instead. "If you keep talking like that, you'll get your wish in the next five seconds."

Lex didn't bother to reply. His mouth was otherwise engaged. Not missing the taste or texture of latex, he was savoring the smooth heat under his tongue. He traced hot veins with the tip; he licked away sweet drops that presaged a flood. Finally, he took pity on the man moaning above his head and swallowed, opening his throat to allow Kal-El entry. Heavily muscled thighs twitched beneath his palms as he raised and lowered his head, Kal-El holding back in fear of injuring his lover. A full-body shiver and Kal-El arched with a rumbling, wordless shout to deliver what Lex had sought.

Suckling gently, Lex let Kal-El's softening cock slip free from his mouth. Crawling back up his slack-muscled body, Lex bent to lick across Kal-El's panting mouth and whispered, "I love how you taste, Kal. You're honey-sweet, and I'll be back for more, later."

Catching the tip of Lex's tongue with his lips, Kal-El suckled his taste and hummed in satisfaction. Pressing gently, he coaxed Lex to lie next to him and he caressed the smooth skin he loved to touch. Rising over Lex, he placed sweet kisses across his face and whispered, "My turn."

. . .

"We're getting nowhere on this, Kal."

Sighing heavily, Kal readjusted Lex's head on his shoulder and pulled him closer to his side. "I guess we're not going to sleep, yet. What's wrong?"

"I haven't found anything in the plant's records pointing to work with meteorites, yet you claimed your team was certain research was taking place in Smallville based on the containment protocols they were able to discover. Maybe we should have Bruce come out and take a look."

"I think we should hold off on that. I know it's frustrating, Lex, but we have to take it slow. We can't afford to be careless and expose ourselves. I don't want to take a chance on you being hurt or even killed because of this. Besides, I am picking up a lot of information on the mutations at the school. It's a hotbed of exposure. It seems consistent with a theory I've developed."

"Which is?"

"The mutations are triggered by strong emotions or desires, and teenagers are certainly prone to those. In addition, a perception of danger seems to be a trigger. Look at yours and compare it to the young man who could manipulate electricity, the boy who took on insect characteristics, and even the one who absorbed heat. All associated with fear or need or even wishes."

Lex was silent for a few moments and then nodded his head against Kal-El's shoulder. "It makes a surprising amount of sense except...what about you? What was your trigger?"

The words came haltingly through the darkness. "I swear to you that I will never do anything to hurt you, and that I will do everything in my power to protect you from others that may try, for as long as I am able." Lex tensed and Kal-El's arm tightened automatically to hold him in place. "I made you that promise, remember? I also recall falling asleep that night wishing that I could stop anyone and everyone from ever hurting you again."

Lex took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. "I was your trigger? You can do all these things...the speed, the strength...because of me?"

Kal-El kissed the top of Lex's head lightly and whispered, "The symbol on the note stands for the one...the only...and possibly even what some would call love. I told you there is no direct translation. I can also tell you it's rarely used because it speaks so strongly of devotion and...forever."

There were no more words. Silence ruled the night. Lex's fingers slid along Kal-El's jaw to stroke his lips gently before his hand returned to its former position over Kal-El's heart.

. . .

"I don't care how fast you heal, Lex. I still want to look at that lump on your head and make sure the cut is clean. I'm angry that you wouldn't let the paramedics check you over. "

"And have them discover I was already completely healed after having my shoulder dislocated? I don't think so, Kal. How did you manage to pull both of us up anyway? Jenkins was permeated with meteorite particles."

"I have no idea. Adrenaline? I understand how I did it about as much as suddenly being able to see through walls so I could find a bricked-over elevator."

The two men were so busy arguing as they entered the bedroom that it took a few moments to register that the drapes were drawn, and that they weren't alone. Immediately, Kal-El moved in front of Lex, shielding him with his broad body.

A dark shadow rose from the chair in the corner of the room and rumbled, "It's about time you two idiots got here. Have you been out informing the rest of the world about all your secrets?"

Lex stepped out from behind Kal-El and growled back, "What the fuck, Bruce! What are you doing here, and what do you mean, 'idiots?' We handled the situation with no loss of life and minimal property damage."

"I wasn't talking about the well-televised hostage situation at your plant, Lex." The visitor waved his hand around the room. "I was referring to the listening devices planted in almost every room of the castle."

Lex closed his eyes and winced as his rubbing hand hit the bruise just at the top of his spine. "Fuck! It has to be my father." He looked up at Kal-El, who'd turned on a light so that they could see each other's faces. "I had no idea, Kal. I'm sorry."

Kal-El reached out and brushed the side of Lex's face gently. "It's not your fault. I should have thought of it, too." He turned to Bruce and asked, "Every room?"

Bruce, who'd been watching the byplay between the two intently, shook his head. "No. For some reason, I haven't found any in this room. I find it odd considering the time-worn tradition of pillow talk." He turned his head to address Lex directly. "Your study, however, is covered with them, as are the dining room and halls. I wouldn't count on anything that you've said between these walls as remaining secret." He took one step toward Lex, which Kal-El echoed unconsciously.

Watching the tension simmering between his two protectors, Lex attempted to defuse it. "Kal, why don't you get cleaned up? It's been a long day." When Kal-El began to protest, Lex held up a conciliatory hand. "I'll be fine. I'm sure Bruce has some questions he wants to ask. As soon as he's done, I'll come in and let you take a look at the bruises, okay?"

Nodding reluctantly, Kal-El headed for the bathroom, shrugging off his jacket along the way. He heard the low murmur of voices until the bathroom door closed, then nothing over the sound of the running water as he turned on the shower. Dropping his clothes to the floor, he entered the shower with a groan of relief, and leaned his back up against the tile to let the heat and pounding spray wash away the stress. His eyes closed as he attempted to will his instinct-driven body to understand that he and his mate were no longer under any threat.

A gasp from a few feet away informed Kal-El that he'd been unsuccessful. His eyes flew open to find Lex standing at the shower door, just about to enter. His hands made an aborted move towards his groin, only to stop as he realized Lex had seen everything, or rather the lack of everything he might expect. "Lex, I...."

Two steps and Lex was there, shaking his head and covering Kal-El's stuttering mouth with soft fingers. He dropped to his knees in front of Kal-El, his eyes intent and his hands gentle as they stroked across the velvety area where only a short protrusion waited. Stroking the short dark hair with a delicate touch, he bestowed a kiss on the soft mound before looking up into Kal-El's stunned face, and smiling.

Kal-El closed his eyes in relief and let his head fall back against the tile. A full body shudder and he moaned as his genitals descended in a rush, his legs quivering with the strain of holding himself up. They gave out when he felt Lex's caress and the smooth warmth of his tongue. He slid down the wall and bracketed Lex with his knees, while Lex never missed a stroke with his busy hand. Lex's tongue did abandon its first goal to lick across Kal-El's trembling lips. The hot water, Lex's easy acceptance, the inflammatory touches and kisses soon sent Kal-El spiraling into release, gasping out Lex's name. Before he could rouse himself to reciprocate, Lex had painted Kal-El's still-heaving chest and belly with his own heated tribute.

Still on his knees, Lex leaned forward to rest his forehead against Kal-El's and with his eyes closed, murmured, "It's okay, Kal. Don't worry. We'll work it out, whatever it is."

. . .

"Bruce, where did you get this car if you only flew in a few hours ago?"

"I had it in storage at the airfield."

"You had a Mazerati Quattroporte in storage. In Smallville."

"Of course. I wanted to make sure I had an adequate vehicle available when I visited. After all, there was no question that I'd be needed in Smallville, eventually. I swept it for bugs before I drove it to the castle."

Kal-El sat in the luxurious back seat and tried to restrain his jealousy at the easy camaraderie between the other two men. Bruce hadn't let Kal-El and Lex say anything significant until they were miles away from the castle, parked on an unpaved road that wound through a grove of trees. He could appreciate the need for caution. He didn't appreciate Lex reaching across and touching Bruce's shoulder. His eyes began to sting and burn and he scrubbed at them with the heel of his hands.

The motion in the back seat caught Lex's attention. "Are you all right back there, Kal?" He'd been careful, almost tender with Kal-El since their session in the shower, as if he'd suddenly seen Kal-El as someone who could be vulnerable despite his ever-increasing powers. "Do you need anything?"

Kal-El dropped his hands to see Lex turned around in his seat, a hand still on Bruce's shoulder, ostensibly to help him balance. Suddenly finding it hard to breathe, Kal-El shook his head and fumbled for the door handle, almost falling as he scrambled out of the car. He stood there shaking, looking away from the interior of the car toward a line of nearby trees. He tried to blink away the irritation as Lex came up behind him, then the nearest tree burst into flame.

Lex only had time for a muttered 'Fuck' before Bruce tackled him to the ground. Standing over them both, Kal-El had thrown his arm over his eyes and was repeating in a panicked voice, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Struggling free of his black-clad friend, Lex jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Kal-El from behind. "It's okay, Kal. No one's hurt." He chuckled as he hugged Kal-El a little tighter. "Except for that tree...pretty neat trick."

"It's not funny, Lex. It could have been you!"

Kissing the back of Kal-El's neck after brushing away the dark waves that spilled over his collar, Lex disagreed, keeping his tone nonchalant. "I don't think that could happen, Kal. I'm the trigger, remember? The last thing you're going to do is hurt me when one of these things kicks in." Tugging on Kal-El's covering arm, he gently coaxed down it to his side. "I am wondering what it was this time. I mean the x-ray vision was because you were trying to find a non-existent level Earl Jenkins claimed he cleaned every night. My life was on the line, so...a new way for you to look at the world shows up." Walking around to stand in front of Kal-El, Lex winced at the reddened skin around dark-lashed eyes. "How do they feel now?"

"Better. They're not stinging and burning like they were."

Lex nodded as he watched the irritated skin clear. "They look better, too. Why don't you try opening them now?"

"Are you crazy? I'll incinerate you!"

Placing a hard kiss on Kal-El's lips, Lex insisted, "I'll take my chance, Kal. Open them up!"

After turning his head away from Lex, Kal-El slowly cracked open one eye. When that proved to be safe, he opened the other and blinked several times. "Seems to be okay, for now."

Lex nodded. 'I told you. All we have to do is figure out why you thought trees were a danger to me. Do you remember when it started?"

Kal-El dropped his head, too ashamed to look into Lex's curious eyes. "It wasn't the trees, Lex. I think...it was because...." His voice dropped to a mumble. "You were touching him."

Tipping Kal-El's head back up with a nudge to his chin, Lex searched his distressed eyes. He repeated slowly, "Because I was touching Bruce."

Kal-El nodded almost imperceptibly. "I'm sorry."

Lex's expression softened and his lips quirked into a smile. "Don't be. It's actually sort of flattering, that you could be jealous of an old friend." He kissed Kal-El softly. "That's all he is, Kal. He's straight. Very straight."

The strain faded from Kal-El's face at Lex's assurances, and he returned the smile with a widening grin. "Then I guess I'll have to learn to control this one with something other than jealous thoughts?"

Lex pulled Kal-El into his arms. "Good idea, because you're the only one I want and jealousy shouldn't come into play at all."

Taking everything in without a word, Bruce sat carelessly on the leaf-strewn ground, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle, leaning back on his hands and watching as flames slowly consumed a harmless tree in the gathering darkness. He looked up at Lex and Kal-El and cocked a sardonic eyebrow. "So...I take it that life hasn't been very dull around here lately?"

. . .

"Mr. Luthor! We weren't expecting you, sir."

"Well, since my presence was demanded in the area, I decided I might as well see how things are going myself, Doctor."

"Of course, what in particular are you interested in, sir? A tour of the facility, a review of the latest results?"

"I am interested in seeing some of the latest test subjects and one in particular, the one called Zachary Smith. I believe he may be the most interesting of all."

"If you'll just follow me, Mr. Luthor, the holding areas are along this corridor."

"I'm aware of the layout, Doctor. I had a hand in the design."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That would have been before I joined the team. Ah, here is the newest, a young man who is capable of absorbing heat to an astonishing degree. He was responsible for the death of several local students before he was apprehended and brought to Belle Reve. He was just transferred in today. We're still developing the test protocols."

"Yes, yes, move along. Tell me about Smith."

"We've performed every non-invasive test available. MRIs, CT scans, sigmoid and colonoscopies, nerve conduction and bone density, sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, at least to the extent the subject has cooperated. DNA analysis confirms the human genome with a greater divergence than any of the other mutants have manifested. We've been unable to obtain a sperm sample due to genital configuration, but blood, stool, bile, digestive fluids, urine have all been collected. The only remaining tests would be exploratory surgery, but it isn't recommended since we're unsure of the dangers of sedation."

"I see that he's quiet in there. Has he responded to any of the questions?"

"Complete refusal to speak at all, sir. No cooperation, whatsoever. One would almost believe he was deaf or didn't speak English, but tests show his hearing is normal and he does recognize certain words, although he refuses to follow any directions."

"Unfortunate, isn't it. He's obviously been trained not to answer any questions, thereby never providing an opportunity for debate or coercion. It probably would have helped if the idiots hadn't killed the other one. We could have played one off against the other."

"Sir?"

"Never mind, Doctor. Just thinking aloud, nothing for you to be concerned about. We'll hold off on the invasive procedures for now. I'll be expecting a full report. I'll be talking to you later, Doctor. Good evening."

"Yes, sir. If you need anything else, I'll be in my office."

Standing outside Smith's holding area, Lionel silently observed the figure that would pass for human with ease...until its clothing was removed. He'd been willing to concede that the alien he had sequestered might eventually end up in government hands, but he certainly wasn't going to let slip the fact that there was another in the area. That would remain his personal secret. The surveillance team he'd employed thought they were simply tracking another mutant, and had no contact with the alien analysis team. Need to know protocols kept the information separate, and only he had the complete details and could correlate the results.

It truly had been unfortunate that after months of searching, his extraction team had been careless enough to kill the second alien. They'd also managed to incinerate it so that the body was of no scientific use, although they had been able to retrieve the meteorites the two aliens had stockpiled. In addition, the cuff with the alien technology had proven useless beyond establishing that it had not been developed on Earth. No advances had been made in duplicating its function or determining the power source. At times, he'd been frustrated at the lack of progress, but then another opportunity would present itself, like now.

The only true advantage he held now was his collection of mutants, and the knowledge his team was accumulating on the mutagenic effects of the meteorites. With the furor raised with the hostage situation and a few unfortunate deaths, they would need to hold off on bringing in any new subjects until things had cooled down a bit. He nodded in satisfaction, stroking his beard as he reached his decision.

The surveillance that had turned out to be so successful two years ago would be continued. He'd give his son and his off-world playmate a little more rope to hang themselves before he had them both brought in.

. . .

"Why are you in Smallville if your team was attacked just outside of Topeka? Shouldn't you be investigating there?" Bruce was leaning against the Quattroporte, his arms folded as he listened to Lex and Kal-El detailing what had been happening. It was too dark to make out their features, so he was depending on vocal cues to supply additional insights.

"Everything comes back to Smallville and the meteorites. It's what we were investigating, and all the communications from the team before the incident seemed to indicate a facility was located here, although they hadn't pinpointed its location," Kal-El calmly explained.

Lex interjected, "That would be Level Three, but that's been shut down for over a year according to the information I received."

Kal-El's tone was flat. "The last communication was just before the attack three months ago, so they must have moved to another facility nearby."

Bruce sighed in frustration. "This is getting us nowhere, Lex, and unfortunately, I can't stay to help. I have...other commitments. After seeing all the surveillance equipment in the castle, I'd prefer that you returned with me to Gotham, at least until your trust fund is released. I don't think you're safe playing your father's game. He has the resources and power...you don't."

There was silence for a few moments, and then Lex replied slowly, "I can't leave Kal here alone, Bruce."

Kal-El jumped in. "Lex, you should go. Bruce is right, you're not safe here."

Lex's protest was vehement. "Neither are you! I'm not going unless you come with me!"

"I can't, Lex. I...have a job to do. I have no choice." Kal-El's voice was torn by emotion.

Lex was adamant. "Then, neither do I, Kal. I lost you once. I'm not going to let it happen again."

"All right, then get in the car. We're heading back to the castle and I'm going to show you how to use the detection equipment before I leave. That way you can make sure that you aren't being monitored whenever you're discussing whatever hare-brained scheme you two devise. I've also brought some other equipment that might come in handy." Bruce climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door with emphasis. "I suppose it's too much to ask that you let me in on your plans on the off-chance that I may be able to help, isn't it?"

Lex chuckled from the depths of the back seat. "You can ask. Just don't expect us to wait for you to get back here from Gotham."

Seeing the same stubborn look on Kal-El, who was sitting next to him in the passenger seat, Bruce muttered, "The kidnapping option is looking better by the minute...."

. . .

Shadows argued with the firelight, the deepest kept at bay; the gentlest flirting with the curves and dips of heated flesh. Lex leaned forward to lick along a flame-lit outline and smiled at the hum of pleasure from Kal-El.

The nest of blankets they'd piled before the Kent fireplace was thick and surprisingly comfortable. Upon their arrival at the farmhouse, and after scanning revealed it had not been bugged, Kal-El's narrow bed had been immediately discarded as an option. Lex offered a trip to a luxury hotel in Metropolis as an alternative to returning to the castle where they no longer felt safe, but the prospect of driving for hours just to sleep was less than appealing that late at night. Instead, gathering up every piece of bedding in the house, they'd built up the fire in the bug-free living room and settled down for the night.

A pale hand slid along golden skin to cup gently. "Kal, when did this start happening? Does it hurt?"

Kal-El twitched at the question, forcing himself to stay calm and answering carefully. "This? Do you mean what happens when I'm in danger or under stress?"

Lex shifted downward and lipped around the base before licking up to the glistening head. "You know what I mean, Kal. It's not like everything that has changed about you. What would be the trigger for having your cock and balls disappear inside of you?"

Thrusting up towards Lex's teasing mouth, Kal-El groaned in frustration. "Does it really matter, Lex? Everything still works. Want to test to make sure?" When he saw Lex's head lift and his lips compress in anger at the evasion, Kal-El winced. "I...it's not a mutation. I was...born this way."

Lex frowned as he considered Kal-El's answer and then nodded his head. "Makes sense, although I've never heard of a congenital defect of this type before. Why didn't your parents have it...never mind, I guess I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it. Is that also why you haven't had very much experience? Too afraid of being rejected for your differences?" He ran his hand over his own smooth skull with a rueful smile.

Sitting up, Kal-El reached down to pull Lex up and into his lap. "No, it was more like I hadn't found anyone I really wanted before you." He leaned his forehead into Lex's and murmured. "It's also why there was no one else after you, because everyone else suffers by comparison." He lifted his head to place kisses on Lex's eyes, nose and mouth, sweet and light. "It's been a long day and night. Why don't we try to get some sleep?"

The yawn that Lex couldn't suppress made him laugh and nod his head in agreement. Lying back, Kal-El tucked Lex into his side with his head on Kal-El's shoulder, the fire warming Lex on the other side. It wasn't long before they were both asleep in the quiet, country night.

. . .

Kal-El woke first and lay quietly, reluctant to disturb Lex's sleep. He reviewed the previous night's conversation and worried about how much he could safely tell Lex, knowing he was finding it impossible to do anything but tell the truth to a direct question posed by his lover. Each time that Lex asked about a new mutation of his, it became harder to avoid revealing just how different he was. As helpful as the mutations were, sometimes he wished that he were simply an ordinary Kryptonian, with no powers. He wasn't even sure how he was going to report that he was now one of the mutants, and how it would ultimately affect his assignment.

The worst part would be trying to explain how it had all happened, how being involved with a proscribed indigene, combined with mutagenic materials, caused him to become something so different that he might no longer be considered Kryptonian. The strength, the speed, the invulnerability were outside the norm and adding on the heat and x-ray vision just compounded the dilemma. He couldn't claim it was simply a result of being on-planet. Zak-Tor and the other Searcher had shown no effects at all, even after years. He was the sole anomaly, and it was because of Lex.

A soft sound and nuzzle to his shoulder brought a fond smile to Kal-El's face. If it was because of Lex, if it was so that he could keep Lex from harm, then it was all worth it. The only problem was that eventually he would be recalled, and he would have to leave Lex again. He'd given Lex up once before to keep him safe. He wasn't sure he'd have the strength to do it a second time.

. . .

"Somehow I don't see Bruce approving of this plan of yours, Lex." Kal-El frowned across the kitchen table after looking through Lex's proposal. "He is not going to like having you take this kind of risk. I know I don't. There has to be a safer way."

Tapping the architectural drawings and schematics, Lex shook his head in disagreement. "This is the only way to get that information. His desktop isn't on the extranet, otherwise I'd be able to hack my way in." Looking up, the blue eyes earnest, Lex insisted, "I'll be in disguise, I'm the one that knows the security codes for the building, and I can bluff my way out if I have to. Besides, I'll be armed, just in case."

The distressed sound that issued from Kal-El caused Lex's eyes to widen in surprise. "Weapons? Lex, you can't...I can't...no. Just no. It's one thing to hurt someone because you're defending yourself or someone else from danger, but to set out expecting to...that's...wrong."

Lex's face hardened. "Kal, you are in danger and so am I. My father will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"We don't even know for sure if it is your father...."

Lex slammed his hand on the table in frustration, blue eyes flashing. "Kal, stop it! Everything points to him, that he's behind all of this, that he probably had your team attacked and has a facility somewhere in the vicinity of Smallville. Think about it. He's bugged the castle. Who's to say that he didn't have my apartment bugged and my phone tapped two years ago?" Watching Kal-El's eyes widen as the implications sank in, he continued. "He was having me watched, you know that. Hell, he probably had DNA sequencing done on your hair in my shower drain, or possibly even stole the used condoms from the trash."

Kal-El's face paled and his green eyes shimmered as he considered Lex's words. It would explain so much...the team's discovery, why the pursuit had been so relentless and deadly. His conversation with Zak-Tor that day would have only confirmed Lionel Luthor's suspicions. Zak-Tor had erased the evidence of their presence in the area and withdrawn to another location, but if it was true...if he had already been compromised, then.... He slid his hand across the table, seeking reassurance. "Lex, I...."

Seeing Kal-El's distress, Lex's eyes softened. "I know, Kal. You had no idea how my father's mind worked, and I never warned you of the danger. I thought I could handle it. I thought we had time." Covering Kal-El's trembling hand with his own, Lex squeezed it gently. "I screwed up, Kal, and your team...paid the price. Let me make up for that mistake. Please."

Closing his eyes, Kal-El shook his head in despair and his voice broke a little as he attempted to explain whose fault it truly was. "It wasn't you, Lex. It was me. I knew the rules...and I broke them...over and over again." His voice dropped to a whisper as he opened devastated eyes to Lex's concerned face. "Knowing everything...understanding the cost...I would...I would do it all again...just to be with you as long as I could."

Lex's jaw clenched and he gave an abrupt nod before lowering his gaze to the schematics. Withdrawing his hand gently from Kal-El's, he pointed to one of the junctions that they'd discussed earlier. "This is where I need to override the security camera...."

. . .

Each time was different.

Each time could be their last.

He couldn't push the thought away, it possessed him, stripped him bare of all defenses. Pale skin, the color of sweet cream, its taste addictive, he needed to touch, to confirm it still existed in a surreal landscape of traps, menace, and threat. Too deep and his presence in the now would be marked in purples and reds, bruises flowering beneath desperate fingertips.

"It's okay, Kal, slow...slow."

He could lose this, lose him in an instant, a single moment of inattention. To look away courted disaster, a careless movement, destruction.

"So good, Kal. Yes."

They could force him, leave him broken, bereft, a galaxy away. Gone, losing so many textures, subtle shades that lived under a curve or behind a bent limb, each beckoning and promising delight. Sounds that flavored the air, dense and hungry, sharp when not sweetly roughened by passionate demand.

"Now, damn it. No more teasing, Kal."

Slick, a cold shock warmed before touch. No barriers save words, nothing to prevent skin on skin in skin. Trust earned, bestowed, shared. Gentle only, no pain allowed to tarnish what could become a cherished memory.

"Please, Kal, in me."

Above, inside, possessing, owned. Throat too controlled by emotion to spill praise, eyes closed tight against a radiance that demands tears as honored tribute. No rush to completion, eager hands and insistent voice disregarded to memorize, to worship.

"I need you so much, Kal. Harder...faster...make me feel it."

The futile struggle for composure lost to sensation, deep crisis reached, inside, outside, together, safe in that moment.

Each time was different.

Each time could be their last.

. . .

The wind seemed to be alive at that height, pushing and shoving where unwanted, importunate and rudely disarranging clothing and hair. Kal-El attempted to ignore it and focus on the body slowly making its way past the identified checkpoints on its perilous mission. The rude breeze carried away the whisper almost before it could emerge from behind clenched teeth. "Please, Lex. Hurry."

Perched on the roof of 'The Daily Planet,' Kal-El's assignment was to watch and warn Lex of detection, to give him time to escape before the building's security arrived. Relegated to a passive role, Kal-El had protested vociferously, but Lex had made the point that Lionel knew they were together and if detected, the presence of two intruders would point Lionel in their direction. As the one who knew the codes and how Lionel's mind worked, Lex was the logical choice to break and enter.

Kal-El tried to take comfort in the fact that they'd done everything they could think of to protect Lex's identity if an undocumented camera captured his image. Heeled boots with inserts altered his height and gait, a bulletproof vast masked his slim lines, and beneath a balaclava knitted with Kevlar reinforced yarn, a black wig and brows, along with dark mascara would provide additional camouflage if he were interrupted and exposed. A smile teased at Kal-El's lips as he recalled testing the tanning makeup that claimed to stay on, smudge-proof, until a special solution removed it. A finger-painting session had followed with pale flesh as the canvas, and Kal-El's hands tingled with the memory.

Cell phone in hand, pre-programmed and ready for the press of a single button to summon Lex, Kal-El shifted impatiently as the dark-clad figure slowly rose higher in the building, closer to its goal. Intent on his task, Kal-El failed to notice his feet had left the rooftop behind until he found himself bending his neck at an unnatural angle to keep Lex in sight. Startled, Kal-El almost crushed the cell phone in his hand when he realized the roof was five feet lower and receding fast.

"Not now!" Kal-El groaned. In the middle of a crucial mission was not the optimal time to have a new power manifest. Thankfully, he was still above the roof and not floating between the two buildings, but that was not due to any slacking on the wind's part. As soon as he realized that the wind was not affecting his position, Kal-El understood the floating was under his unconscious control. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Kal-El found himself shifting to conscious management of his height, speed and direction. However, that consumed precious time and attention, and as soon as his feet touched back down on the cindered rooftop, his eyes flashed back to the building, seeking Lex.

He found Lex in Lionel's office and released a heavy sigh of relief. It was short-lived. A quick scan of the rest of the building revealed a second form approaching the floor Lionel's office occupied.

Unlike Lex, it...he was carrying a gun, and Kal-El knew he was dangerous. Phelan.

Muttering under his breath, Kal-El paced as he waited for Lex to answer the phone, twitching as Phelan moved closer with each passing second. "Lex, get out of there! Now! Phelan's in the building and he's headed your way."

Kal-El watched as Lex swiveled to look in his direction, although there was no way he could see Kal-El at that distance. He groaned as he saw Lex's head shake and then the frustrating man turned back to his task as he refused to listen to Kal-El's warning. "I'm almost done, Kal. Just a few more files to copy. I already pulled the files out of the safe, but I'm going to have to take those with me. We'll take our chances on Lionel finding out there was a break-in, because we have an even bigger problem to worry about instead. Do you remember that safe you couldn't see inside because it was lead-lined? It's filled with bars of refined green meteorite."

Checking Phelan's position, Kal-El knew that he and Lex had run out of time. "Lex, make sure the safe is closed."

"It is. Why?"

"Hit Lionel's panic button and summon Security. I'm coming to get you."

Crushing the phone to cut off the squawks of protest, Kal-El dropped it into his pocket and gauged the distance to the LuthorCorp roof. Backing up rapidly to the opposite edge of the roof, he ran at super-speed and launched himself off the roof, using the rudimentary skills he'd just acquired to lift himself the extra height needed to reach the other roof. Stumbling a little when he touched down, he gouged a rut in the concrete roof and ripped through the knee of his jeans before he recovered and ran for the access door. Tearing it off its hinges, he winced at the shriek of the alarm as he sped down the stairs to the office where Lex was trapped, facing danger alone and unarmed.

. . .

"I knew if I kept an eye on you long enough it would pay off, freak."

Lex silently waited for the final CD to eject before looking up into Phelan's sneering face. Standing slowly and carefully, he slid the CD into the reinforced sleeve and tucked it away in an outside pocket of the backpack lying on top of the desk. Still refusing to speak, Lex grabbed one of the straps on the pack...and then both it and he were gone.

Phelan blinked and spun around, searching for the vanished man, even dropping to his knees to look under the desk. The sound of more than one person running reached his ears and he jumped to his feet, whirling around with gun in hand and ready to fire.

His final thought was that he should have dropped the gun.

. . .

Still slightly breathless from Kal-El's snatch and run maneuver, Lex stood on the roof of LuthorCorp, frowning. "Great, Kal. How are we getting down from here? Security is on alert now, and we can't afford to be seen in the stairwell or elevator security cameras I didn't disable. I'm not sure that even you can move fast enough to avoid all of them while carrying me."

Kal-El flashed a manic grin that did little to alleviate Lex's concern. "Same way I got here. Fly."

"Are you fucking insane?"

"Just hang on, Lex."

. . .

"But, I want Thai food!"

"Lex, it's not very nice waking up everyone at 2:00 AM just because you have a craving."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if I wasn't stuck in a town that rolls up its sidewalks at eight every night!"

Kal-El sent a shrug and look of chagrin in the direction of the staff member who had answered Lex's drunken summons. "Why don't we do something else? How about a game of pool?"

"Why would I want to do that? I always win. I want to try something different. I know!" Lex wheeled around and headed for the study door, forcing the hapless staff member to move out of his way. Kal-El followed behind him, ready to catch Lex if he looked as if he were going to collide with a wall or door. "Cow tipping! That's it! I want to go tip some cows. You're a farm boy. Take me to the cows."

Lex was halfway out the front door as Kal-El looked back at the shocked face of the staff member. His grin was lopsided and he winced at the crashing noise that came from outside. He quickly ducked out the door, calling out loudly enough for nearly everyone in the castle to hear, "Wait, Lex! Let me drive! I know where all the best cows are!"

. . .

"Cow-tipping? I'm not even sure what that is, Lex."

Still chuckling on the passenger side of Kal-El's truck as they left the mansion behind, Lex shook his head. "I've heard of it, but don't ask it what it entails, Kal. Besides, you're the one that went undercover as a rural teen, not me."

Rolling his eyes at Lex's continued hilarity, Kal-El sighed. "At least the alibi is set. No one is going to believe that the supposedly drunk Lex Luthor and his cow-tipping friend were anywhere near Metropolis when LuthorCorp was broken into. After all, how could they travel from there to Smallville in thirty minutes?"

"Very true. And the best part? It was changing and getting rid of the wig and tan that took most of the time. You are fucking unbelievable, Kal."

Kal-El's expression was sour as he thought about his future as a super-powered mutant on the run if discovered. "Yeah, Lex. Let's try to keep it that way. Are you sure I don't need to run back and check on the car?"

"In that neighborhood with no plates? I can guarantee it was stripped within minutes after we walked away."

"What about Phelan? Won't someone...."

"Kal, it'll be all right, really. Phelan always worked alone, he didn't trust anyone. He must have been following us, and then me when I broke into the building. We got lucky when Security took him out. You were brilliant, thinking of that."

Kal-El remembered looking back at the LuthorCorp building from their vantage point on top of 'The Daily Planet' and feeling nauseated between the sight of the spreading blood and hearing the security detail discussing how they were going to report Phelan's death. He wasn't sure if his rising gorge was because someone had died, or because he was glad that it had been Phelan.

Glancing at Lex, who'd fallen silent in the seat next to him, Kal-El decided it was the latter...and he could live with the nausea.

. . .

Parking the truck in the barn, Kal-El retrieved the backpack from the pile of hay they'd used to conceal it while they were at the castle. Once inside the farmhouse, Kal-El began to make coffee while Lex pulled the files and CDs out and spread them across the kitchen table.

Handing Lex a mug, Kal-El leaned over his shoulder to read the report that was fascinating Lex. "What is it?" Lex shook his head and patted the seat of the chair next to him, shoving a different file over for Kal-El to flip through. Taking the hint, Kal-El sat and opened the file, only to immediately slam it shut again.

The movement was less than subtle and Lex didn't miss it despite his attention to his own file. His head lifted and he looked quizzically at the man sitting next to him. "Kal? What's in that file? Autopsy photos?" Kal-El just shook his head without saying a word, so Lex reached out and slid the file out from under Kal-El's trembling hand. Centering it on the table in front of him, Lex flipped open the cover and his jaw dropped open.

Kal-El closed his eyes and waited for his world to end. He hadn't expected it to hurt so much, a knife to the center of his soul.

"Is...Is this what it looks like it is?" Lex tapped the photo lying on top of several others, waiting for Kal-El to open his eyes and respond. When Kal-El simply nodded, Lex continued, "And this is what you've been investigating all along...not the meteorites?"

Still unable to speak, Kal-El shook his head. His entire body was shaking, causing the table to rattle a few inches along the floor. Lex's face grew concerned and he abandoned the file and questions to take Kal-El's trembling hands in his. "Kal, what's wrong? Kal? Talk to me, Kal!"

Teeth chattering, Kal-El attempted to speak. "S...Sorry, Lex. I...I...ss...sorry." Pulling his hands away from Lex, Kal-El tried to stand, his limbs palsied and seizing. He faltered until Lex was there and holding him up, still pleading frantically for Kal-El to tell him what was happening. A few more words tore themselves free. "H...Hate mmm...me. S...Sorry." A tear slid down his cheek as his face contorted in agony and Lex pulled him closer. "M...mine."

Lex froze and his head turned to stare down at the damning photo, date and time-stamped. "Yours." Slowly, he brought his face back around to stare in wonder at Kal-El's tortured face. "You're not from around here; you're from no place I'd be familiar with. The language is different from any other on Earth." Leaning up, he softly kissed along Kal-El's clenched jaw, his voice gentle and soothing. "You were born like that."

Still shuddering, Kal-El looked into the blue eyes raised to his and saw no condemnation or horror. In utter relief, he closed his eyes and his locked knees collapsed beneath him, only Lex's strength saving them from crashing to the floor. Instead, Lex eased them down and he held Kal-El close. His face was hidden against Lex's shoulder as Lex's hands swept up and down his back, calming the remaining spasms that lessened with each passing minute. Each time that Kal-El apologized and asked Lex not to hate him, Lex crooned back that he didn't hate Kal-El and that he understood.

. . .

"You're not afraid of me, are you, Kal?"

The dark head pillowed on Lex's chest moved slightly in negation. Kal-El's voice rasped, "No, never. Only afraid I'd lose you again because I...you...the truth...."

"Shhh, it's okay. You never lied to me after that day, Kal. Somehow, you kept this incredible secret and yet, you always told me the truth, even if it was just part of it and not the whole." Laying in their nest in front of the fire the two men held each other, their emotions still raw from the night's revelations. "You said you broke 'rules' because of me. Can you tell me which ones? If you can't tell me, just say that. I really do understand that you must have been going through hell trying to tell me the truth and still follow some 'prime directive' of some sort."

Kal-El didn't answer in words. His hands spoke of forbidden actions in the fire's light, lips forming words never spoken on Earth against pale flesh that shivered.

"Is it because I'm a man?" Lex had to strain to hear the simple 'no' between the liquid sounds of mouth on cock. "Because I'm from a different species?" He jumped at the nip to the tender crease of his inner thigh. "Conflict of interest?" That one caused a brief halt before Kal-El continued his ministrations, not making it easy for Lex to think. He groaned, "You're not supposed to take advantage of the ignorant native."

Kal-El froze.

Lex propped himself up on his elbows so he could see Kal-El's face. "You're fucking kidding me! You got sent away in your spaceship, disappearing quite literally from the face of the Earth for two years, because you got caught fucking...someone from a less-developed planet?" Leaning forward, he latched onto Kal-El's hair and yanked him up his body so that he could stare into his emerald eyes, seeking the truth. "And you came back and did it again? Are you a fucking moron!" When he saw Kal-El's face begin to collapse into dismay, he softened his tone. "Kal, why are you risking everything for...?" His eyes swept down their bodies still entwined despite the anger. "...this? For someone like me? What will they do to you this time?"

Kal-El closed his eyes against Lex's emotional outburst and waited for his ranting to cease. In the silence, his rasp was startling, raw. "I don't know what they'll do to me. Probably dismiss me from my post, strip me of any rank and send me home in disgrace. It almost happened the last time." Opening his lambent, green eyes, he desperately tried to convince Lex of the truth. "I don't care. I told you that I would do it all again." As Lex's hand loosened in his hair and began to stroke instead of tug, Kal-El sighed. "I love you, Lex. That's why. You're the reason...I exist."

Gently urging Kal-El to settle down next to him, Lex continued to comb through his silky hair with slight frown on his face, thinking. Finally, he nodded before linking his hand in Kal-El's and bringing it up to kiss the back. "Then we'll just have to come up with a plan to keep you here on Earth. With me." His mouth twitched as he saw Kal-El's eyes widen. "I really don't think your superiors want to have to deal with a Luthor rampaging through the universe to rescue the man he's in love with, do you?"

Kal-El shook his head slowly, his eyes lighting with green fire. He began to scramble atop Lex, only to be held back with a single finger placed against his putting lips. "Then it's decided. We'll call Bruce in the morning."

"It's time to bring in the heavy artillery."

. . .

"I think this is definitely going to slow me down." Kal-El tugged at the sleeves of the black uniform Bruce had brought with him from Gotham, along with some amazing gadgets that made Kal-El wonder if the planet's classification was accurate.

Lex glanced up from the schematics he was studying and frowned. "We're not having this argument again. You're not going into that facility without protection. Based on the amount of refined meteorite in the safe, we have to assume there's more in the facility. You wear the damn suit, or you stay outside and play lookout...and no last minute improvisation like you did with Phelan."

"Lex...."

A rumble from the far end of the table interrupted. "What's wrong with the suit, Kal?"

Kal-El shrugged at Bruce's question, embarrassed to be caught complaining about something that Bruce had obviously put a lot of thought and money into since the last time they'd met. He followed that with a frown when he recalled that there had been a number of communications between Lex and Bruce that he had not been aware of, and it was only Kal-El's trust in Lex that saved Bruce from crispy clothes and a new hairstyle reminiscent of Lex's. "The seams around the joints are too tight. I'm afraid that if I shift into higher speeds or lift something heavy, causing more flexion, I'll pop them open."

Bruce waved Kal-El closer and felt around his knee, sliding his hand up Kal-El's thigh along the inner seam until he heard a choking sound. Looking up, he saw Kal-El staring at Lex, who had turned an interesting shade of purple. "Lex, are you alright?"

Lex released his breath slowly and coughed a few times, tapping the coffee mug in front of him. "Sure, fine. Just swallowed wrong."

With a slap to Kal-El's tightly compressed thigh, Bruce nodded. "You're right, Kal-El. I wasn't sure myself, so I designed a second one. Same woven Kevlar for reduced friction and impact protection, along with the lead-impregnated cloth, but I eliminated the inner seams and tackled the potential issues with the joints a little differently."

Of course, Kal-El couldn't suppress a satisfied little strut as he headed back upstairs to try on the second suit.

Lex's mug had been empty for the last half-hour or so.

It was about time Lex learned how it felt to be on the other side when it came to Bruce and jealousy.

. . .

Three dark figures detached themselves from the shadows and stood looking down at LuthorCorp Plant Number Three. The facility was surprisingly busy for that hour of the night, alarms going off and people exiting through the gates at high rates of speed.

"The transports are in place with the necessary life support functional and waiting for the patients. As soon as they're all out, the convoy will head straight to Arkham."

"I'll still can't believe Level 33.1 was located under Level 3, Lex. I never thought to scan any further down."

"As much as I despise the man, I have to admit my father is a master strategist. Hiding something where everyone has already looked? Genius."

"Kal, how's the evacuation going? The bomb threat was called in twenty minutes ago."

"The upper levels are clear. How much time do we have before the bomb squad starts going in?"

"At least two hours. Remember, they have to come in from Metropolis."

"Then it's time. Hang on."

All three rose into the night, shadows passing across the moon on their way into hell.

. . .

"All of the mutants are out and on their way. That leaves just my team leader. Any luck on the code, and have you heard from Bruce?"

"Nothing. I think we're going to have to take a chance that he's not going to be close enough to the wall or door to get hurt. It figures that one of the lead-lined rooms is his. Bruce just let me know the last charge is in place and that he'll be waiting at the rendezvous point."

"You should start heading there, too, Lex. I'll catch up with you."

"Not happening, Kal. We're a team, remember?"

"Alright, here goes."

Two blows from Kevlar-covered fists and the wall of the room collapsed with a rumble. As the dust cleared, Kal-El advanced into the room carefully. At the sight of the man strapped to the hospital bed, he rushed forward, breaking the straps with quick, vicious tugs. Gently scooping the thin body up and into his arms, he maneuvered past the pile of rubble and back out into the hall.

"Okay, he should be the last, Kal."

"You're sure there are no other lead-lined rooms we haven't checked?"

"Guaranteed. I've got every one of them marked off and they're either empty or holding meteorite bars."

"Let's go."

Lex lead the way out of the facility, summoning the elevator back down after Bruce had disembarked at the top. They moved fast, not wanting to risk an earlier arrival of the bomb squad. Placing the professionals' lives at risk was not part of the plan. Emerging at the top, Lex held onto the straps on Kal-El's shoulders as he left the ground and headed to where Bruce was waiting, still cradling the other man.

"All clear, Bruce."

Kal-El looked down at the frail man in his arms and winced. He was still unconscious and Kal-El had no idea when he would wake up. "Lex, can you sit down so I can give him to you? I have to set off the charges."

Frowning, Lex nodded and sat down on the slightly damp ground, crossing his legs and accepting Kal-El's burden. "Be careful. I just wish...."

"Lex, I explained that I didn't want to take any chances that a random radio frequency would trigger them prematurely. Kal can make it there and back before the first one goes off and it'll trigger the rest."

Regretting the full-face mask that prevented a more intimate farewell, Kal-El squeezed Lex's shoulder and was gone. A few seconds later, he was back and relieving Lex. A low, rolling rumble began in the distance and all three black-clad figures turned to watch LuthorCorp Plant Three implode and settle into a deep crater with minimal dust and debris released into the air.

"I know it should be safe, but I'd still like to get Kal out of the vicinity right away. Let's go, Bruce."

With a nod, Bruce lead the way to the waiting matte-black Escalade. At Lex's chuckle, he laughed. "Hey, you're the one who won't buy domestic. It's got a few options...."

"...that James Bond would envy. I know, Bruce. Let's just get Kal and his team leader back to the farmhouse and work on the rest of the plan. You know my father will hit town right behind the bomb squad...and there they are."

"Right. We're gone."

. . .

Zak-Tor began to shift in Kal-El's arms as he entered the kitchen of the farmhouse and he immediately headed for the living room to place the older man on the couch. Lex stopped long enough to dampen a towel and grab a water bottle from the refrigerator. He arrived in time to see the former captive struggling to get up, fending off Kal-El's attempts to get him to lie down. Lex sighed heavily and reached over to yank the mask off Kal-El's head.

Shrugging sheepishly at Lex, Kal-El turned his attention back to Zak-Tor who had stopped struggling at the sight of his familiar face.

Lex handed over the water bottle. "Here, Kal. He's probably thirsty."

Kal-El grinned in gratitude and helped Zak-Tor sit up enough to be able to drink without choking. After a few sips, he pushed the bottle away. "How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere? I didn't see anything...." Kal-El flushed at the memory of scanning Zak-Tor's body. Lex's was the only body he wanted to know that intimately.

Zak-Tor shook his head and coughed before trying to speak. "Kal...." He looked up at Lex who was hovering over the back of the couch and then frowned at Kal-El, refusing to continue.

Lex and Kal-El exchanged a glance, and Lex excused himself politely. "I'll just go out and see how Bruce is doing. He's monitoring the police and fire bands as well as the airport frequencies so we'll know when my father arrives."

Listening until the back door banged shut behind Lex; Kal-El looked back at Zak-Tor and waited for him to begin again. Nothing emerged and Kal-El began to fidget nervously. "Zak-Tor, I...."

"Have you lost all sense? He is the son of the man who held me prisoner!"

Kal-El jumped to his feet at Zak-Tor's bitter question and protested, "He's also the man who helped get you free. I'm not sure that I could have done it without him and his friend. In fact, I know I couldn't have."

Zak-Tor looked into Kal-El's face, studying the changes he could detect. He began slowly, "You're different, Kal-El. You've...matured."

"This planet and its people can have that effect." Kal-El shrugged indifferently at the observation. "We need to get you off-planet as soon as possible. I'm going to send the signal and you can be gone before sunrise."

"Me? What about you? I'm going to recommend complete withdrawal from and permanent quarantine of this barbaric planet when I get back aboard. They're dangerous and a least one of them knows we're not from this planet. We're evacuating immediately."

"He's not going." Two voices in chorus overrode Zak-Tor's command. Neither of the Kryptonians had heard them enter.

Zak-Tor pressed back into the couch, his eyes wide with fear that changed to anger as he brought his gaze to bear on Kal-El. "What have you done?"

Kal-El straightened up and crossed his arms before rumbling, "They know and I'm staying here. Permanently. Consider this my resignation."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Zak-Tor protested, "The same reasons as before apply, Kal-El. You'll only place them in danger."

"It's their choice, as well as mine. They're willing to take the risk, and so am I." Reaching out, Kal-El waited for Lex to take his hand. "He is mine and I am his, forever."

"You can't do this, Kal-El."

"I can and will." Placing a kiss in Lex's palm, Kal-El dropped his hand and then disappeared, leaving Zak-Tor gasping in shock. Lex handed him the water bottle and he gulped it down, choking a little. Before he finished, Kal-El was back. "The signal has been sent, we'll need to be at the rendezvous point in twenty minutes."

Bruce stirred. "I'll bring the car around."

Kal-El shook his head and reached down to scoop Zak-Tor into his arms again. "No, I have to do this alone." At Lex's wordless protest, Kal-El turned to him with a gentle smile. "I'm not leaving and you know they can't make me, Lex." He shifted Zak-Tor enough to take a quick kiss. "I'll be back, I promise."

Only a slight breeze that riffled a few of the papers on the table marked their passage.

. . .

Waiting for the transfer ship to de-cloak and land, Zak-Tor attempted to convince Kal-El to return to the ship. Shaking his head, Kal-El calmly declined. "There's nothing out there for me. I have a life here, a future. Don't worry, we'll clean everything up and the mission won't be compromised. Go ahead and recommend the quarantine, the humans will do fine without interference. So will I."

"But...."

"Listen, you have to have noticed I'm different. I'm no longer a Kryptonian. I guess I don't really know what I am now, but I do know I belong here and I'm staying."

Tilting his head, Zak-Tor studied the young man who once worked as his assistant. "He really means that much to you?"

"He does."

"Then go. I'll report you as deceased and recommend the quarantine. Between the mutations and two dead Searchers, I don't think there'll be any arguments. Now leave before the ship gets here and you make a liar out of me."

Zak-Tor felt phantom arms around him and then he was alone. He shook his head with a frown.

"He'll be dead before the year is out. Barbarians."

. . .

"Congratulations, Lex. Well played, my boy. Unfortunately for you and your young friend, I'm still the Grand Master. I want him delivered to Belle Reve in the next three hours, or I'll be sending someone to pick up both of you. You shouldn't have forgotten your place. Oh, and don't forget to bring those files back. They're the only copies and I can't have them floating around...."

Kal-El had been standing there listening to the threats being made against Lex and something inside him snapped. Lex, who'd been pacing in the farmhouse's kitchen as his father snarled at him over the phone, was suddenly alone. As he listened, he heard his father shouting in outrage.

"What are you...how did you get past security!"

A very faint sound of a struggle came over the phone and Lex's heart sank at the thought that Kal-El had resorted to murder. As Kal-El blurred back into existence next to him, Lex heard the phone being picked up at the other end.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Surprisingly happy to hear his father's voice, Lex answered, "It's Lex."

"Lex? Why are you calling? Did something go wrong at school or is it another complaint about Phelan. You know...."

"Dad, it's nothing. I'll call you later."

Snapping the phone shut, Lex stood there, puzzled. Taking two steps forward, he grasped Kal-El's face in his hands and shook his head gently. "Don't ever scare me like that again. I thought you'd killed him and I was so afraid you'd be trauma...." He stopped in mid-scold. "What did you do?"

"I kissed him."

Lex stepped back in shock, reaching out for something to steady him. "What? Why?"

"I wasn't sure why until it happened. I was thinking that I wanted to go back in time before your father knew anything about this and try to stop him and all of a sudden I was there, and kissing him."

"Am I going to lose my memory if I kiss you now?"

Kal-El concentrated on his body, trying to understand the new power that had manifested. As he felt his way around the new sensation, a slight buzz in his brain, he smiled. Reaching out for Lex, he pulled him into his arms with no effort. "You're safe, Lex. I have to want to remove them and then I suck them out. It's not really a kiss, although it looks like one."

One brow raised as Lex tilted his head up to look in his lover's smiling face. "Do you think these mutations are going to slow down soon? I'm starting to lose count."

Snatching a quick kiss, Kal-El chuckled. "I don't know. Can you stay out of trouble for a while?"

"Bruce left me alone here with you, so I guess he thought I'd be safe enough."

"Can we not talk about Bruce when I'm trying to kiss you?"

"Jealous?"

"Keep it up, and I might need a new uniform fitting."

"Uncle. Let's just take this upstairs and work out our jealousy on each other."

"Sounds like another great plan, Lex."

//One year later//

"...LexCorp teaming with Wayne Enterprises as the forerunners in new technology aimed to boost mankind to the stars where they'll live long and prosper."

The groan that arose from the collected journalists brought an unabashed grin to Lex's face. "Sorry, about that. The inner geek fought its way free." Waiting for the laughter to subside, he nodded towards the crowd. "Questions?" When the hands shot up with the expected cries of his name, he scanned the faces until he found the one he sought, and pointed.

"Lois Lane of 'The Daily Planet. "With your well-known interest on space exploration, what is your opinion of Superman, since he claims to be the sole survivor of a race from another solar system?"

"Ms. Lane, I'll have to reserve judgment until a later date, I'm afraid. We just don't know enough about him, yet. He claims to be an alien, but is he here as a scout for an invading force or as an emissary of a galactic force, or is he truly as alone and altruistic as he seems?"

His steel-blue eyes shifted to the face of the person standing next to her. "I know that you and your partner Mr. Kent seem to have 'special' relationships with this being, but I still feel compelled to make sure that the human race is prepared for the first, while hoping for one of the others. Therefore, I'm extending an invitation for this 'Superman' to meet with me for some candid discourse." With compressed lips and a stern expression, Lex dismissed the reporter. "Next question?"

. . .

As the red boots touched down on the penthouse balcony, Lex stepped through the glass doors to meet his visitor. "Superman, I see you decided to accept my invitation." He smirked with ill-suppressed humor as he surveyed the black uniform and swirling red cape. "Would you care to come in and join me for a drink?"

Arching a black brow and narrowing his eyes, Superman nodded slowly. "I can do that. Just be aware that I have my eye on you. I don't trust you anymore than you trust me. You are a Luthor, after all."

Waving the alien into the penthouse, Lex followed and closed the one-way glass doors behind him, activating the voice suppression barriers. He shook his head and chuckled. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you standing there minus any indication that you're male, Kal. It makes me wonder sometimes if aliens ever have sex."

A swirl of red cape and Lex was in Kal-El's arms. "This morning wasn't enough proof for you?" His head lowered and he took Lex's lips in a deep kiss until he pushed himself away with a groan. "I've got to get out of this suit! I know it's made to emphasize my 'alien nature' and reinforced to keep me looking like a 'proper Kryptonian,' but my body has other ideas whenever you're around."

With a wicked grin, Lex reached down to caress the soft, sexless mound. "I seem to recall a certain fantasy that was rudely interrupted many months ago. You, me, a lab bench...sound familiar?"

Kal-El closed his eyes and moaned, "You can be so evil, Lex."

"Just trying out my upcoming role as Superman's archnemesis. How am I doing?"

Propping his fists on his hips, Kal-El struck his practiced 'hero' pose and boomed, "I have a pair of handcuffs with your name on them, Luthor!"

Stripping off his tie and dropping it on the nearest chair, Lex purred, "I can't wait."

fin

Notes: Prompt from ladydey for 1-18-07 meme. "AU -- Kal comes to Earth from Krypton for a visit as a young man/teenager, meets Lex, sparks fly, Kal has to leave and doesn't return until he's a little older and meets Lex again."

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters herein. The characters of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent as well as any supporting characters are the property of their creators and DC Comics. Gough/Millar Inc and the WB Network TV own Smallville. Any deviations (or deviant behavior) from the originals, however, is mine.

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