Title: Core
Author: Lydia aka Vinca
Pairing(s): Clark/Lex
Category: AU and..um stuff.
Disclaimers: Smallville characters not mine. *sniffle*
Rating: PG-15? R? I'm not really sure.
Summary: Prequel to Kidnapped
Part 6
Cresta-Al smiled and felt gratitude that these humans found Clark.
They were cautious when it came to Clark and that was important. At
the human fathers' menacing step towards her, the woman's protective
hold on her son, and pale countenance she decided to let Kal-El
intervene with a raised eyebrow at him. He stepped between her and
his earth parents to put up a placating hand. "Remember when I asked
you to be calm? Now's the time. Dad please sit down, and mom take
deep breaths. I promise that she's not here to harm us in any way.
And it will be hard but please don't interrupt while we explain."
"I am Cresta-Al of the clan Qwestine, and Kal-El whom you call Clark
is Jor-El and my son." She responded to Jonathan's question. His
earth mother looked even paler and his earth father looked
unbelieving. Clark went to sit next to them on the couch and Cresta-
Al took a seat across from them. When she saw them giving her
clothing strange looks she waved a hand over herself and changed her
attire to a sky-blue summer dress. They gasped again and watched her
with a deep-set wariness. When the silence stretched for a bit she
decided to begin.
"On our home system we have a red dwarfed sun. Unlike on your own
planet this made Krypton, Kal-El's home world, very inhospitable but
absolutely beautiful. To help ourselves survive on the planet we
became technologically advanced. We created things and experimented
in many different ways to try and make our planet more livable. On
such an occasion an experiment gone terribly wrong damaged Krypton to
a point that there was no way for us to fix our mistake. Knowing the
planet was doomed we raced to find a planet to send our only child
to. When we saw the yellow sun in your system and the variety of life
on your planet we decided that this was the best place for him. That
and the fact that he would be able to take care of himself when he
was older from the powers he received from the sunlight helped us to
part with our child and send him here. I was created for the sole
purpose to protect Clark until he grew old enough to be self-
sufficient. That plan went wrong when we were about to enter
something called a 'slipstream' and the planet blew apart and damaged
me. Arriving at your planet and going through the atmosphere further
damaged me to the point that I could not function properly. When you
two picked Kal-El up I was in no condition to stop you, or protect
him. And I can say that I am truly grateful that people like you took
him in. You protected him when I could not, and he has grown healthy
and strong."
"I have been accumulating energy since the crash and have been trying
to contact Kal-El. Just recently I have been able to do so
successfully with his return here."
Jon had gotten up and paced as she told her tale. "So what are you
exactly?"
"I am the representation of Cresta-Al's being. You could say that I'm
am an AI of Cresta-Al, her memories and personality stored within my
matrix. The real flesh and blood Cresta-Al is gone with Krypton." At
that Clark looked pained and Martha rubbed his back soothingly. She
was throwing possessive and protective vibes around Clark without
even knowing it. But Cresta-Al couldn't blame her. After all if
someone had showed up and claimed to be the birth parents of another
being when she had taken care of him for a long time she'd be
suspicious as well.
Jon grumbled something about being in the matrix alright as he paced
back and forth. He stopped suddenly with narrowed eyes, and stared at
her. "The AI's in that movie were evil." Martha shot him a look, but
watched her carefully as well. Cresta-Al knew of the movie they spoke
of from her reading session.
"I assure you that I will in no way harm Kal-El. After all he is my
son and the last of our people." She didn't tell them that she would
do anything to protect him and had artillery to back up her bark. She
had just come back from collecting Kryptonian's fragments and
incinerating them. It didn't take her long, since she could feel the
energy from their connection to her planet. Now the last of her
people was virtually indestructible by these people and could do as
he wished. She decided to tell him so.
"Kal-El. The meteor rocks that made you sick don't exist anymore. Now
that you are in no danger of being experimented on, or taken against
your will, perhaps you may tell the people you love your secret. I
won't have any serious percussions to you."
Both parents instantly shouted negatives and Kal-El looked relieved
by her news, but also tried to listen to his human parents.
"Clark can't. He may not be in danger, but people are manipulative
and will use him for their own purposes. We can't let him tell
people."
"I didn't say people Jonathan. I said people that he loves. And I'm
sure these people love him as well. And Clark was raised by strong
people. He has the ability to say no when the need arises." They
still looked basically on the side of no, but it didn't matter. "It's
Kal-El's decision, not yours." An edge had entered her voice and they
immediately looked to the young man standing near the window.
He didn't seem to hear the rest of the conversation since he went to
look outside when presented with his freedom to tell about the
secrets that stifled him for so long, that kept him from the people
he cared about with an invisible barrier. 'But how would they react?
How would Lex react?' He's like to say he knew but really he wasn't
sure. He knew his parents didn't want him to, but to be free of these
secrets! To have nothing resting like a vise on his chest when he
evaded questions and outright lied to his friends. To Lex.
That seemed to break the hold the issue had on him. To be able to
tell his heart's desire was what he wanted. Besides he had always
trusted Lex. Not to tell him had been his parent's wishes and he had
honored them. Now it was time to fulfill his wishes. He turned to see
them all staring at him waiting. He looked regretfully at his parents.
"I'm going to tell Lex."
"Tell me what?"
*
Lex had taken care of odds and ends around the castle until he
couldn't take not going to see Clark. He went to the farm and up to
the porch. He knocked but didn't hear an answer so he walked in and
followed low voices in the livingroom. He stood in the opening and
saw Martha, Jonathan, Clark, and another woman he never saw before.
He heard Clark's voice trembling slightly with the words he uttered.
"Tell me what?" He was curious at what had Clark so emotional.
Everyone turned sharply to him and he found himself studying the dark
haired woman. 'She looks like Clark.' Was the first thought to enter
into his mind. And she did. Dark hair that seemed to flow to her
waist, hazel eyes, dressed in a sky blue dress that brought out the
blue in her eyes. Eyes that studied him just as he studied her. She
actually seemed to be sizing him up.
"Lex!" Came a chorus of voices. He raised an eyebrow at them and
walked to stand in front of Clark ignoring them all but him for a
minute. "What did you want to tell me Clark?" Clark seemed to be
having a trouble finding words and Lex thought he would grab him
right there in the middle of the room as he leaned in to inhale Lex's
scent. A smooth voice broke the tension building and was directed at
him.
"So you must be the Lex that he raves about. I can say I see the
attraction that he has for you." Clark blushed beautifully and Lex
glanced back to see the expressions on Martha and Jon's faces. Their
composure spoke of them talking the possibility over ahead of time. '
Probably Martha's doing. Good, less things to deal with.' Lex thought
as he finally turned his attention to the woman who spoke so
blatantly to him.
"And may I ask who you are?"
"I am. Clark's birth mother." The hesitation before Clark's name
suggested that she was not used to using it. But the news was
interesting. This was probably what Clark had wanted to talk to him
about. He was suddenly hit by a thought that disturbed him. 'Is he
going away with this woman? Is that what he wanted to tell me? That
he's leaving and doesn't want to finish what we started?' His eyes
turned to steel blue/gray at the thought and he was suddenly slightly
hostile towards this woman. But he's wait and see if his thoughts
were what Clark was going to tell him. He did believe in giving
people a chance now that the Kent's pounded it into his brain.
'Hmm.' She suddenly felt hostile vibes directed to her and she tilted
her head at him. 'What's he thinking that made him unfriendly towards
me? Does he feel threatened by me?' She concluded that that may
definitely be the case as he stood infinitesimally closer to Clark.
She could also feel the mutual attraction and a glowing bond between
the two men. But she had to admire her son's taste. Lex reminded her
of an acquaintance she had had before she met Jor-El. The man had
pale skin like that of her people, and piercing eyes that grabbed
your attention immediately. Intelligence, a kind that she knew wasn't
a regular occurrence in humans, and a kind of curiosity that spoke of
a scientific mind. He also had a carriage that made you take notice,
and with Clark it was easy to see with him practically inhaling Lex,
with a hand hovering near the small of his back, that he had taken a
great deal of notice.
She smiled softly at the picture they made. On Krypton everyone would
have known that they two were going to be mated if they weren't
already. And her son's reaction was strong. She could feel him trying
to control his inner forces, and losing the battle quickly. And it
was worse for him since he hadn't been trained to control his
impulses. That he had this much control impressed her a great deal,
for when males were of age they usually had a mate, and were ready to
do so when the drive struck. Clark was beyond that point and was in
proximity with the one he wanted yet there was no frenzy to take the
young man. Lex seemed to exude a calm that Clark absorbed from him.
Just a calm before the storm she knew.
'Perhaps I can help speed the process along.'
Lex had been watching her when her smile turned surreptitious in an
instant. He had seen those smiles many times and knew they almost
always involved getting into something that person shouldn't. He
didn't know what this woman was planning, but he was going to find
out for people didn't keep secrets from him for long (except for
Clark, but he had let him for the sake of their friendship). With
that thought he gave her a smirk of his own.