LIBERTY by mako

Part Two

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In the Smallville Hospital emergency waiting room, Clark sat patiently as FBI agents, state troopers and the town sheriff, Pete Morgan, stared at him suspiciously, eying him as if he were a criminal instead of a hero. He took a sip of water from a flimsy paper cup and began to explain for the fifth time how he'd found the Luthor heir and dug him out from under five feet of solid dirt with his bare hands.

"All right," said Sheriff Morgan. "Let's go over it one more time. Exactly how did you get Lex out of that hole? I mean, how could you have done it alone, with no tools?"

"Adrenaline, I guess," Clark protested, as around him a dozen pair of eyes narrowed. "I heard someone yelling, saw the fresh site, got scared and that was it. I just started digging."

Morgan sighed. "I know you're strong Clark, but it took five men and crane to get the box that was holding Lex out of there."

"I don't know," Clark shrugged nervously. "All I know is that I got him out."

One of the troopers looked like he was going to explode at Clark, but his outburst was cut off by the arrival of an exhausted looking federal agent, who nodded to the rest of the room. "We can let this one go, boys. Luthor himself has ID'd the kidnappers, this kid wasn't one of them."

At Lex's name, Clark perked up. "Did you talk to Lex? Is he awake? Is he all right?"

The agent's sour expression softened. "I'd say he's going to recover ... eventually. You might want to talk to the doctors, but he appears to be responsive." He patted Clark's shoulder. "He's lucky to have a friend like you, kid. You really got him out of a jam."

"Can I see him?" Eagerly, and was halfway out of his seat when he saw his parents in the waiting room doorway, pale under the florescent lights. It was hard to read their faces, but Clark could have sworn that beneath the anger and fear, a touch of pride might have been lurking.

Well, maybe in his mother's countenance. "Come along, son. You're coming home," Jonathan Kent growled and Clark knew better than to disobey. "Now."

"Yes, Dad." He scooted out of the chair, sparing only a tiny glance toward the ER where Lex was still being treated. He'd visit him tomorrow -- if he lived through the night. "Coming."

His mother looped her arm through Clark's, squeezing hard as they left the hospital and made their way to the parking lot. "Are you okay, honey?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." A deep breath of cool night air and Clark kept his head bowed, not daring to look at his father. Boy, he was in trouble this time, that was for certain. He winced inwardly at the thought of the punishment chores, extra reading time and stringent curfews that awaited.

He let go of his mother's arm and waited by the passenger side of the truck as his father's hand clamped down on his shoulder, hard.

Clark grimaced -- this was it, the end of the world, Kent-style.

"Clark ..."

"Yes, Dad?" He looked up and was shocked to see tears in his father's eyes. Tears of past fear, maybe, but there was something else there, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I'm so proud of you, son." Hoarsely, and Jonathan wound Clark into a tight embrace. "So, so proud."

Ah, yes ... pride, Clark thought, smiling senselessly against his father's shoulder. That's what it was, he was right all along.

Thank goodness for small favors ... and big ones too.

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The next morning, Clark hesitated outside of Lex's hospital room, a little bit afraid of what might wait inside. He wasn't used to hospitals, didn't like them, even though he'd rarely seen the inside of one, since broken bones, split lips and other childhood injuries were foreign to him for as long as he could remember.

Still, the silence, the endless white decor, even the smells of the hospital frightened him. He peeked around the room's doorjamb, hoping whatever awaited wasn't too bad and immediately saw grey eyes staring into his.

Eyes so grateful, they nearly took his breath away. "Hey. It's good to see you, Clark." Softly, and Lex smiled at him.

"It's good to see you too." And so it was, even if Lex looked terribly small and pale against a mass of white sheets, tubing and bandages. "I was sort of worried this time."

"You and me both." Another crooked smile, and suddenly everything was right in Clark's world, even though he didn't know why. "Of course, with you as my personal savior, I shouldn't have bothered worrying too much."

"I'm not anyone savior, Lex. Just in the right place at the right time."

Lex laughed weakly. "Whatever you say." He tilted his head toward the dresser. "Look up there. Father left something for you."

Clark glanced to where Lex motioned and picked up a business envelope with the LuthorCorp logo stamped across its top. Slid his finger beneath a stiff wax seal with the letter "L" imprinted on it and pulled out an oversized cashier's check, made out to him, Mr. Clark Kent, with a typed-in amount that caused his jaw to drop to his chest.

One hundred thousand dollars.

Not one hundred, not one thousand ... one hundred thousand dollars. More money than he'd ever dreamed existed, at least as far as his tiny world was concerned.

Clark boggled at it. "I ... I can't take this," he stammered.

A heavy sigh sounded from the bed. "You'd be a fool not to. Consider it my father's thank-you for not having to raise another Luthor heir this late in life," said Lex tiredly. "That's the college of your choice right there, not to mention something nice for your mom on Mother's Day. You can get her a set of pearls to wear to the morning milking."

"No. Absolutely not." Firmly, and Clark stuffed the check back in its envelope. "I'm not going to take this. Where's your Dad? I'm going to give it back to him before I lose it."

A shrug. "He's not here."

"He's not here?" Clark tried to imagine his father being absent while he was in the hospital and couldn't.

"No." Lex looked strangely nonplussed. "Why should he be?"

"Why? Maybe because he has a son who needs him to be here," said Clark indignantly. "Maybe because it's that's what fathers are supposed to do. Maybe it's because ..." His voice trailed away.

Maybe it was really none of his business, but his heart ached for Lex nonetheless.

A long moment of silence followed, and Clark sat beside Lex's bed, making no move to pull away as five slim fingers reached out and shyly entwined with his own. "You want to know something, Clark?" Lex didn't wait for an answer, but continued, his voice raspy ... and honest. "I really thought it was over for me, all over, and then, seeing your face with the stars behind you, seeing the night sky and just being able to breathe again ..." Lex's eyes squeezed shut and Clark could see him struggle with the words. "I just want to say ... thanks."

"No problem." Clark gently ran his thumb over the bandages that covered Lex's fingertips. Injuries acquired from his ordeal no doubt and Clark didn't want to think about that anymore.

Lex was breathing, he was alive and that's all that counted.

Or so Clark hoped. "Are you all right?" Concern washed over Clark and he began to think that superherodom wasn't quite as simple as it looked. There were follow-ups to heroic deeds, and a life saved could turn into a lifetime responsibility, as easily as earth could be moved. "Honestly, Lex. Will you be okay?"

"Sure." Non-committal answer, and Clark saw that the road ahead wasn't as clear cut as it might have appeared on the surface. Sure, he could ignore it, take Lex at his word, but ...

But the job wouldn't be done then, would it?

"Okay." Gently, Clark disentangled his fingers from Lex's and brought forth his best, most reassuring smile. "If you don't mind, I'm going to come back tomorrow for your release. Would you mind?"

"I'd never mind a visit from you."

Such honesty yet again,and Clark had to swallow past a hard lump in his throat. It might hurt, but it was all right ... he wasn't going to drop the ball just yet. He was going to stay in the game, until the bitter end.

Permission slips be damned.

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"I've got ten copies of the Ledger this morning, I'm sending two to Charlotte." Martha Kent buzzed excitedly around the kitchen, balancing a pile of newspapers in one hand and a plate of toast in the other. "And two to Peter in Washington. They'll be so surprised, won't they, Jon?"

"I'd think so." Jonathan winked at Clark over his coffee, then affectionately ruffled his son's hair. "Not every day a Kent makes the front page."

"That's for sure," Martha beamed. "Have some more toast, honey."

Clark stared at the overflowing food on his plate, embarrassed. "Dad, I want to talk to you about something." He glanced up at his mother. "You too, Mom."

The Kents slid each other a look and Martha took a seat opposite her husband. "Sweetheart," she began hesitantly. "If it's about you going out without your father's permission, we already ..."

"No, Mom. It's not about that." Clark cleared his throat. "It's about Lex. I'm really worried about him."

His father looked confused. "Worried about Lex? Why? He's home and safe now."

"Dad, he's back but ... do you know anything about Lex's house? It's this huge empty ... thing. It has a million rooms, hardly any furniture, it's like no one ever existed there. I get spooked everytime I see it and I don't even live there." Clark played with his fork. "It's the loneliest place you can imagine."

"He won't be alone, Clark," soothed Martha. "His family will be with him."

"No, they won't." Clark looked at his father intently. "All he has is his dad and Lionel is back in Europe. He left a few hours after Lex was found."

Jonathan Kent slowly put his cup down. "Lionel left already? Left his son alone in the hospital after such a horrible thing happened to him?"

"Yeah," replied Clark. "Lex won't admit it, but I think he's hurt. And scared, although with Lex, it's hard to tell."

"That's terrible." Jonathan shook his head. "That's really beyond the pale, even for Lionel."

"So ... " Clark bit his lip. "I was thinking ..." He flashed his brightest, award-winning smile at both his parents. "How about inviting Lex to stay here for a little while? Till he gets his bearings back." Pleading mode kicked in and he forged forward. "Please? I've got more than enough room and am willing to share it."

He wasn't sure which parent laughed first, but Martha's mirth was the loudest. "Oh, sweetheart," she said, wiping a tear of amusement from her eye. "Lex Luthor, here? He wouldn't know which way to turn. I think he'd be much more afraid on some strange farm, with cows and chickens and hands-on work than he would be anywhere else."

"I have to agree with your mother on that." Jonathan said. "I don't think he'd be very comfortable."

Clark suddenly felt deflated. Maybe his parents were right. "Well," he hesitated. "Could I ask him? He doesn't strike me as the type to be shy about saying 'no'. And if he says 'yes'...."

Jonathan Kent snorted. "If he says yes, you can give him the rollaway in your loft with our blessings." He smiled. "But Clark, don't be too hurt if he turns you down. Remember son, the rich aren't like us, even the ones we might call 'friends."

Clark smiled, and tucked back into his breakfast with a vengeance. "Got it, Dad. If he turns me down, I'm totally ready." He beamed at both of them, his mouth full. "Totally."

Of course, totally ready for what, Clark Kent wasn't going to say.

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Clark arrived at Lex's room the next morning, brimming with confidence. Nothing like experience to take away fear, especially since Lex was up and about, slowly packing his bag, slim black leather jacket already draped over his shoulders.

He'd lost a significant amount of weight he didn't need to lose, and Clark thought wryly that his mother would take care of that in no time flat... if only he could convince the prodigal son to come back to the farm with him and let some home cooking take its inevitable course.

"Good morning," he said brightly. "Ready to ditch this place?"

"More ready than you can imagine." Lex threw him an over-the-shoulder grin. "Are you driving?"

"Yep, and I wanted to talk to you about something." Clark mentally went over his arguments, the ones he'd spent the entire night formulating. "I have a proposition and I think you might be interested."

Lex's face positively lit up with amusement. "How fascinating. Usually I'm the one making the proposals." He leaned back against the bed, arms crossed over his chest. "Please, let's hear it. I'm all ears."

Snide little joke, but Clark forged ahead, ignoring it. "Since Luthor Manor is empty," he began. "And since your family is, uh, occupied with other things, I was thinking that maybe you'd enjoy a change of scenery for a little while. Something a little more rustic, a bit removed from it all, but still nearby."

Lex quirked his lips at Clark. "Dare I guess where this rural Utopia might be?"

"My house," replied Clark brightly. "Actually, my parents farm, but it's all the same in the end."

"Why, that it is." The amusement disappeared and Lex's shoulders sagged, but only for a second. He straightened up quickly, the sarcastic mask falling back into place. "You think I'm frightened, don't you Clark?"

Clark found it hard to reply. Who wouldn't be frightened, he wanted to yell at Lex, but didn't say a word. Some day he would find the courage to be forthright -- it was just so hard at that moment, with Lex so pale, the bruises beneath his cheeks still so clear to see.

So cold in his arms days before.

Lex examined his still-bandaged hands. "If so, then you think right, Clark -- I am scared," he said quietly. A strange, humorless laugh filled the room. "You know, I thought I'd gotten over all my fears when I was nine, but something always pops up to bite you in ass eventually, doesn't it?

"Lex ..." Pleading again, but this time, Clark didn't care. "Come home with me. My parents said it was fine, and you won't even have to deal with them. I have a loft away from the main house -- a fortress of solitude," he said, realizing too late how silly it sounded. "There's an extra bed and it's not fancy, but it's quiet, real quiet. You can get your life in order again, you know, relax a little. It's summer after all."

Luthor examined him closely, almost too closely for comfort. "Do you ever cease to amaze? I'm starting to wonder if you're from this planet."

//Not from this planet.// Clark started, then forced out a stilted laugh. "Well, if you don't like the farm ..."

Lex snorted. "Okay, Clark. I accept your and your parents kind offer to stay at Kent Farms. Of course, I'm also assuming they expected me not to accept it," he said crisply. "Therefore, if they change their mind upon my arrival, I'll understand."

"Oh, they won't do that," replied Clark quickly. "They'd love to have you. I'd ... " A pause. "I'm looking forward to having you. It'll be fun."

"You have a strange idea of fun, Clark." Lex lifted his overnighter from the bed and grimaced when it slipped out of his weakened grip, hitting the floor with a splat. "I'm not exactly on everyone's Favorite Houseguest list."

"There's a first time for everything." Clark bent to retrieve the bag and slung it over his shoulder. "It'll be great, you'll see."

"Yes." Grey eyes, suddenly unreadable. "I'm sure I will."

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end Part Two

Click here to go to: Part Three

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