Written - March 8, 2004

Authors Note: This story is an Alternate Universe of Smallville the TV show. In my story Clark and Lex meet much earlier in life. Clark is 12, and Lex is 18.

Friendship Chapter 2


Jonathan muttered to himself the whole way to the barn. He couldn't believe how fast his whole summer was shot. He loved Martha, and most of the time she let him run their lives, but not always, and he accepted it as part of what he loved about her. But he was not looking forward to the next two and a half months. When he got to the barn he heard Clark telling Lex about the horses and their names, and how to take care of them. Jonathan came in and said, "All done Clark?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. Your mom wants to talk to all of us in the house."

As they walked back to the house Lex thought about it, but couldn't guess what they were going to talk about. Soon they were all sitting at the empty kitchen table. Martha said, "Well Lex, we've talked to your father and made an agreement. Jonathan and I would like it very much if you would stay here and help us out on the farm for the summer."

Lex laughed for a long time and said, "How much did he pay you to say that?"

Martha said, "Nothing."

Lex looked confused and said; "I don't get it."

Martha said, "Well, we wanted some assurance that you weren't going to go out drinking and driving tomorrow, and your father didn't want us to call the police. He appears to be too busy with his work to keep an eye on you, so we thought we'd help him out, and at the same time you could help us."

Lex now looked horrified and muttered; "Dad finally found a way to put me in prison without the press finding out."

Martha said, "If we'd called the police when we found you, instead of taking you into our house, where do you think you'd be?"

Lex wasn't really even thinking about when he said, "At home listening to my father rant about the money he just wasted."

Jonathan and Martha looked at each other. Jonathan said, "Your father is going to have someone bring over some clothes for you today or tomorrow."

Clark said with a big grin, "This will be awesome. We can have lots of fun Lex! I can show you how to do all the stuff here, and you…."

Jonathan interrupted Clark with, "Now son, it won't all be fun. I'm expecting Lex to work as hard as you and me. Don't think this is an excuse to get out of your chores."

"I know Dad. Honest."

Lex felt like he had to wake up. He thought this must be some kind of nightmare he was in. He shook his head and said, "You're talking about this like it's been decided already. Like I'm going to agree to this."

Jonathan looked at Lex and said, "It has been decided son. You can relax today, but tomorrow we'll start you on a routine."

Lex stood up and looked like he was about to yell or run, but Martha beat him to it by saying, "I think Lex needs some time to absorb all this new information. Jonathan, why don't you and Clark go out and do something else while Lex helps me in the house today."

Jonathan stood and walked out, happy to let Martha deal with the boy today. Clark was more reluctant, but after getting a look from his mother, he headed out the door to see where his dad was going.

Martha stood up and said, "Let me show you around the house Lex. You'll be staying in the spare bedroom. It's right across the hall from Clark's room, and our room is down the hall."

Lex stood there and watched Martha start to walk up the stairs. He still felt like it was all a dream, but he followed her anyway. The room he would be staying in didn't have much besides a bed and a dresser. Lex thought it was pathetic. He had never stayed in a room so small. Martha pulled the comforter off the bed and said, "Let's get some sheets and make the bed."

Lex stood there looking at the bed while Martha got the sheets and started to put them on. She put the fitted sheet half-on and said, "Lex, could you please help me with this?"

Lex looked at it, and pulled his ends down. He had never made a bed before, but it didn't seem too hard. He copied what she did for the rest of the bed, and soon it was made. Martha said, "Every Sunday I do laundry. I expect you to take the sheets off your bed and take them down to the laundry room, and then get a new set of sheets from the closet and make your bed."

Lex nodded absently. She showed him the linen closet and said, "Towels and sheets are in here. There are hampers for dirty cloths and towels in both of the bathrooms. I expect you to keep your room mostly picked up. You're welcome to go into any of the rooms, but if a door is shut, knock first to make sure it's okay to come in."

Martha wondered if Lex was in some kind of shock, because he was just following her around and nodding. She kept going and soon had shown him the entire house. They ended up in the kitchen and she said, "You're welcome to come get snacks for yourself whenever you want. You're expected to rinse your dishes and put them in the sink. Is there anything you're allergic to? Anything you hate to eat?"

Lex said, "No."

Martha touched his arm and said, "Are you okay?"

Lex almost jumped at the touch. He looked at her and said, "I don't know."

"You can talk to me anytime, about anything, and I'll always listen to you."

Lex looked more confused then he had before. He said, "Okay."

Lex went through the day in a daze. He wasn't sure why he wasn't arguing about the situation, or trying to get out of it, but he was fairly docile. Martha showed him how the dishwasher worked, and how the washer and dryer worked before it was time to start making dinner. She kept up enough conversation for the both of them talking about the routines on the farm, and about what she was doing so he could pick it up quickly. She decided to have him help her make dinner. She explained they would be having fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Then she went to the pantry to get the potatoes and beans, and when she came back, she was more than shocked to see Lex cleaning, and cutting up the chicken to fry. Lex could tell that she was surprised, and he mumbled, "Cooking classes."

"Well that's wonderful Lex. You can be a big help to me in the kitchen. Jonathan and Clark are pretty lost when it comes to fending for themselves in here."

Lex actually felt good for the first time that day.

Dinner went pretty well. Jonathan and Clark came in and washed up. Soon they were all sitting down, and Martha told them that Lex had helped cook dinner. Clark said, "You can cook? I can't cook at all."

Martha smiled and said, "That's because you've never tried to learn."

Clark smiled and said, "Yeah, that's true."

Martha and Jonathan kept up the conversation, so there weren't many uncomfortable silences.

They were just finishing up dinner when there was a knock at the door. Jonathan got up to see who it was. Jonathan didn't recognize the man and said, "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to drop off things for Mr. Luther."

Jonathan nodded and said, "Hey Lex, let's look through the clothes your father sent to see if there's anything you can actually work in."

Lex got up and went outside with Jonathan. Jonathan had to roll his eyes when he saw five suitcases sitting on the driveway next to a limo. Lex started to pick one up to take it to the house, but Jonathan said, "No. You can't keep all this. It won't even fit in your room, and you're only going to be here for a couple of months. Let's look through them, and then we will send some back with…. I'm sorry what was your name?"

The man said, "James sir."

"We'll send some back with James."

Lex could see the sense in that because there wasn't much space in his new room, so he nodded. They took all the suitcases into the living room with the help of James, and Martha helped Lex go through the clothes to pick out things that would be appropriate for working on the farm. When they were done, he didn't have that many clothes to keep. Most of his clothes were not meant to be worn while doing physical labor. The last suitcase was full of other things. It had Lex's toothbrush, shampoo, and other toiletries. It had a few books and the picture of his mother that had been on his nightstand. It also had his X-box with quite a few games. Clark had been watching everything quietly until he saw that. He jumped up from the couch and said, "WOW! You have an X-Box! That is SO cool! I can't believe you have one!"

Lex looked at him and shrugged. He said, "It's pretty fun. I'll show you some games tonight if you want.

Martha and Jonathan looked at each other. Jonathan gave a slight shake of his head, and Martha sighed before she said, "I'm sorry Lex, but the X-Box has to go back."

Lex looked surprised and said, "I'm sure I can make it work even if your TV is pretty old."

Clark said, "Pleeease Mom. Please let us keep it here."

Jonathan said, "No."

Clark's face fell, and he wanted to cry. Lex said, "Is there a problem?"

Jonathan said, "I don't want Clark or you playing video games all summer. You can find other things to do, or I can find things for you to do."

Clark was mad now, and said, "That sucks! It isn't even like we have to pay for it! It's already here, and you won't let us keep it. You just don't want me to have a good summer!"

Jonathan bent down so his face was close to Clark's and said in a quiet voice, "Should we go into detail with Lex about why you can't have one this summer? Have you forgotten yesterday so soon?"

Clark was close to tears and said, "No, but it's not the same. It's here and…. and I want to keep it."

Jonathan said, "No Clark."

Clark yelled, "FINE!" And ran to his room and slammed the door.

Lex was watching all of this trying to make sense of it. He wasn't sure if he felt like trying to argue about it or not. He didn't like the thought of not having any video games to play when he was bored, but he had played them all so often it wasn't all that exciting for him either. He didn't want to get in the middle of things with Jonathan, so he put it back in the suitcase without another word. He didn't expect to be staying with the Kents for more than a day or two anyway.

Martha looked at Jonathan and said, "I'll go."

Jonathan nodded, and started to help Lex zip up the four suitcases that they weren't going to keep, and carried them back to the limo.

Martha walked up to Clark's room and knocked on the door. Clark didn't say anything, but Martha went in anyway. Clark was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed glaring at his mother. Martha said, "I'm sorry that you're angry about our decision Clark, but that's not an excuse to slam doors in this house. Do you need to spend the rest of the night in your room to remember that, or can you be pleasant?"

Clark wanted to yell at his mom. He wanted to tell her how unfair the whole situation was, but he also wanted to spend time with Lex. He said, "I don't need to stay in my room."

Martha crossed her arms and said, "You're gonna have to do better than that. You need to go apologize to your father for yelling and slamming the door. If you don't want to apologize, then you can just stay here."

Clark glared at his bed spread and didn't say anything. Martha said, "Okay, it's your choice. If you change your mind, you can come downstairs with us."

Martha walked out and shut the door behind her. As she was walking down the stairs, Lex was walking up with his suitcase. She smiled and said, "Lex, I wanted to thank you for not making a big deal about the video games. Clark has been really wanting one, but he made some bad choices about it, and now Jonathan and I have decided he can't have one this summer."

Lex said, "Um… Okay."

Martha patted his shoulder and said, "Once you're done unpacking, come on down to have some desert, and talk about tomorrow with us."

Lex unpacked his few things, and thought about how strange his day had been. He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't just walked out and headed for home. He stood and thought about it for a while, and realized there was really no reason to go home. There was no one waiting for him, and there was nothing at home that he was attached to. The only reason to go home was to get away from the Kents, and he didn't think it had been too bad to stay with them so far. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it might be okay to spend a few days learning what it was like to be on a farm. He had always enjoyed horses, and could ride fairly well. As long as Jonathan didn't try to get too bossy with him, he was sure he could last a week, or maybe even two before he had to get away.

Once he was done unpacking he went downstairs, and Jonathan motioned for him to come and sit on the couch with him. Jonathan said, "Tomorrow I'll wake you up about five, and you can follow me around to see what we do here, and we can talk about what I need you to help me with."

Lex said, "Five is pretty early. How about eight?"

Jonathan smiled and said, "You'll get used to it after a week or so."

"I doubt it."

"Either way, that's when the day starts here. I would suggest that you try to go to sleep around ten, or it'll be harder the next day."

Lex was about to argue when Clark came down the stairs. He went over to Jonathan and looked at the floor when he muttered, "I'm sorry I yelled and slammed the door."

Jonathan didn't say anything for a few seconds until Clark looked at him. Then he said, "Okay son. I accept you apology, but there better not be any more arguments about this subject."

Clark got a little red because Lex was sitting right there staring at him. He said, "Okay Dad."

Lex was amazed that Jonathan was making such a big deal about a slammed door. He hadn't even noticed any yelling. He felt kind of sorry for Clark. Then Jonathan got up and gave Clark a big hug. Clark looked even more embarrassed and pushed at his dad while he said, "Jeez Dad."

Jonathan laughed and said, "Get over it."

Then Clark wasn't sure if he should just be happy, or more embarrassed when Jonathan started to tickle him. After a few minutes of shrieking and laughter Martha said, "Okay you guys, if you want some ice cream come and get it."

Lex just sat there dumbstruck. He didn't understand why Jonathan wasn't still mad. His father stayed angry about things for days. Now it looked like things were back to normal for Clark. He didn't feel sorry for Clark anymore. He felt sorry for himself, but he didn't want to acknowledge that feeling, so he quickly told himself that these people were beneath him. He found it easier to look down on them than to wish he could be like them.

The rest of the evening went by pretty quickly. They watched some TV while they ate ice cream. Clark tried to get Lex into a conversation a few times, but gave up when Lex gave him one-word answers. Then about 9:30 Martha patted Lex's knee and said, "We're all going to go to bed now, and you should too."

Lex had been consumed with thoughts of his family, and knew sleep would not be on his list of things to do tonight, but he nodded and headed up the stairs anyway. He lay on top of his bed trying to think of anything besides his father, and how much he hated him, but he couldn't get it out of his mind. An hour later he thought everyone should be asleep, so he went down to the kitchen to find some alcohol. He searched the entire kitchen, the pantry, and even some of the living room, but he was extremely disappointed to only find one bottle of wine, and half a bottle of peppermint schnapps. He knew there was some beer in the fridge, but that would be obvious if it was gone. He couldn't believe there was so little alcohol in the house. He put the schnapps back, and opened the wine. He sat on the couch in the dark, and drank the whole bottle in half an hour. He buried the bottle in the trash under some paper towels, and went upstairs to hopefully pass out.


The next morning at 5am, Jonathan had a hard time waking up Lex. He thought it would be a little difficult, but this seemed more difficult than he had expected. He thought about it as he shook Lex again. Lex pulled the covers over his head without saying anything. Jonathan thought about it and decided to investigate his kitchen. He soon found the wine bottle in the trash. Martha had been watching him, and when she saw the bottle she got a grim look, and shook her head. Jonathan looked at her, and she nodded to him. He got the schnapps and the four beers, and emptied them all in the sink before throwing the bottles away.

Jonathan went back upstairs and pulled the covers off the bed. Lex groaned, and Jonathan shook him a little harder than before. Lex opened his eyes, and tried to remember where he was. He looked at Jonathan who smiled and said, "Time to get up Lex. We have work to do."

Lex groaned, "Oh God…. What time is it?"

"Five. Remember I told you that's when we get started around here."

Lex really felt like going back to bed, but he was still a little intimidated by Jonathan, so he sat up and said, "Okay."


By lunchtime Lex could tell he was going to be sore all over from using muscles he didn't normally use and he really wanted to just sit down and watch TV for the rest of the day. He couldn't believe how much energy Jonathan and Clark seemed to have. He found he was enjoying Clark's company more than he thought he would. Clark always seemed to be happy, and ready to talk to him about anything and everything. Lex found himself liking Jonathan too, even though he didn't really want to. Jonathan was very patient and explained things to him so he would know how to do them, and he didn't get angry like Lionel would when Lex made a mistake. Lex remembered milking the cows, and how Jonathan had kept encouraging him to try again when he didn't get it right at first. Clark was helpful too, and didn't make fun of him when he messed up.

After lunch, Jonathan told Lex that he had a couple of hours to do whatever he wanted before they would start the afternoon chores. Lex sat on the couch with relief. Clark sat next to him and said, "Do you want to play basketball?"

"No thanks. I'm kind of tired, and I just want to relax for a while."

Clark looked really disappointed and said, "Okay."

Lex wasn't used to being around younger kids, and Clark's look of disappointment reminded Lex of his own childhood. He said, "Hey, how about we play cards or something."

Clark smiled and said, "Great."

Clark ran upstairs to get the cards, and Martha said from the kitchen, "You don't have to entertain him Lex. He can do his own thing if you're too tired."

Lex thought about it and said, "No, it's really okay."

Martha smiled, and Clark opened the cards.

That night Lex was actually tired enough to just fall asleep without the help of any substances.


Things went well for everyone over the next four days. Lex got used to the routines on the farm, and he was surprised to realize that he actually enjoyed some of the work. Doing physical labor, and learning new things at the same time kept his mind occupied and his body tired, so he found he was sleeping better than he had in quite a while.

Clark was constantly asking Lex questions about the things he owned, the things he had done, and the places he had been. Lex was used to bragging about things he had done, and he was used to people being in awe of them, but he wasn't used to having a friend who didn't ask him for money or favors. He kept expecting Clark to ask him for something, but it hadn't happened yet.

Lex enjoyed talking to Martha about cooking, and usually helped to make dinner. He found it refreshing to talk to her about the different places he had eaten, and dishes he had tried to recreate, because she wasn't shocked at the places he had been, or the things he had eaten. He enjoyed listening to her talk about meals you could make with very little money.

Lex hadn't talked to Jonathan about much more than chores on the farm and how to do them, but he enjoyed the fact that Jonathan was still patient with him. He respected the relationship that Jonathan had with Clark, and tried not to let his jealousy about that show.

Sunday morning he was surprised when he woke up by himself at five thirty. He got up to see if there was anything wrong. Martha was in the kitchen drinking coffee and looking at the paper in her pajamas. She said, "Morning Lex. Ready for some coffee?"

Lex looked confused and said, "Where's Mr. Kent?"

Martha said, "Out feeding the animals."

"Why didn't he get me up?"

"Oh, it's Sunday, so you and Clark get the day off. Jonathan only does what needs to be done, and then takes most of the day off. We usually do something together. We were thinking about a picnic later today."

Lex smiled and sat down to relax with some coffee and part of the paper. His mood turned sour when he read the business section, and found an article about his father. The reporter went on about all the donations Lionel had made over the years, and how wonderful he was. Lex knew that his father did make those donations, and that the money went to a good cause, but he also knew that his father didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart. His father did it because it was a good political move and tax write off.

Clark soon came down, and ate breakfast while looking at the comics. He looked at Lex who was starring off into space and said, "What's wrong?"

Lex was brought out of his musing and said, "What?"

"What's wrong? You look like you're mad or something."

"Oh, it's nothing."

Later that morning after everyone had gotten ready for the day; Clark talked Lex into playing basketball with him. Lex hadn't played much, so even though Clark was shorter than Lex it was a pretty even match.

While they were playing Lionel called. Jonathan picked up the phone with, "Kent residence."

Lionel said, "Hello Mr. Kent this is Lionel Luthor."

"What can I do for you Mr. Luthor?"

"I called to see how my son was getting along, and to see if you were tired of him yet."

Jonathan frowned and said, "We've enjoyed having him here to help us out. Did you want to talk to him?"

Lionel was silent for a few minutes. He couldn't believe that Lex hadn't caused them trouble all week. He had been sure that they would want to send Lex home a couple of days after they got him. He said, "Well, I'm happy to hear that he hasn't caused you any problems."

"None at all."

"Good. May I speak with him?"

"Hold on, I'll go get him."

Jonathan went to the door and called for Lex. Lex came to the door, and Jonathan handed him the phone and said, "It's your dad."

Lex lost his smile, and put the phone to his ear. He said, "Hi Dad."

Lionel said, "Hello son. How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"I'm very pleased to hear that you haven't caused the Kents any problems. Surprised, but pleased."

Lex rolled his eyes and said, "Surprising things happen all the time Dad."

"Did you want to come home son? I'm sure I could persuade Mr. Kent to…"

Lex cut him off with, "No! I'm fine."

Lionel was silent for a few seconds and said, "Okay then. I'll call again in a few days and see how you're doing."

"Don't bother."

Lionel smiled and said, "Now that's the son I know. Talk to you soon."

Lex slammed the phone down and glared at it. He nearly jumped out of his shoes when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jonathan said, "Hey Lex, are you alright? What did your father say?"

Lex gave Jonathan an empty smile and said, "He said he'll call back in a few days."

Martha came over and said, "What else did he say?"

"Nothing."

Jonathan squeezed Lex's shoulder and said, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it Lex, but if you want to talk, both Martha and I will listen to you."

Lex shrugged off the hand and said, "I'm gonna go finish the game with Clark."

Lex tried to get back into the game, but his heart wasn't in it, and Clark soon won.

Clark said, "Ha! Beat you! Wanna play again?"

Lex was pissed that a twelve-year-old kid had beaten him, so he tossed the basketball as far as he could into the field next the house and said, "No thanks."

Clark stared at Lex wide eyed, but didn't know what to say. Lex saw the look, and knew he was being a jerk but didn't care. He walked back into the house, and up to his room.

Clark went and got the ball, and went into the house. Jonathan said, "Hey Clark, is everything okay?"

"I think I made Lex mad, but I don't know why."

"Lex was upset about talking to his dad. I doubt it was anything you did."

Clark nodded, but didn't look sure. Jonathan said, "I think we're about ready for the picnic, why don't you go saddle up the horses."

Clark went to do that, and Jonathan went to get Lex. Jonathan knocked on the door, and Lex said, "What?"

Jonathan opened the door and said, "Everything's ready for the picnic, are you ready to go?"

Lex kept staring at the book he was trying to get lost in when he said; "I'll pass."

Jonathan thought about it and said, "Maybe after you've been here for a few weeks, but for now you need to come with us. Especially since you're in a bad mood."

Lex was angry before he heard that comment, and now he was livid. He said in a deceptively calm voice, "So Mr. Kent, you're telling me that I can't sit here and read my book for the afternoon? You're telling me that I have to come with you on your pathetic little picnic, and pretend to give a shit about whatever moronic things you and your family has to talk about. Do I have that correct?"

Jonathan was surprised to see such a sudden change in Lex, and was getting pretty angry about it. He walked right up to the bed where Lex was sitting, and stood over him while he said, "Yeah, that sounds about right, and I think you need to add pretending to be a pleasant person, especially to the people who have been nothing but nice to you. Are you going to have a problem with that?"

Lex had kind of been expecting Jonathan to back down and let him stay home after pointing out how silly it was to make him go with them. He hadn't thought Jonathan would get particularly angry, because he had been so patient the whole time they had been working together on the farm. He had almost forgotten how angry Jonathan had been that first day. Now that he had seen Jonathan working on the farm, he knew Jonathan was much stronger than he was, and could overpower him with no trouble. He felt very uncomfortable with Jonathan standing so close, so he said in a quiet voice, "No."

Jonathan said, "Good. Then I'll see you downstairs in a couple of minutes."

As soon as Jonathan left, Lex tossed the book on the floor, and tried to get his temper under control. After a few minutes, he went down stairs. Everyone was outside waiting for him. He was pleased to see they were going to be riding to the picnic spot, because the horses tended to calm him down.

By the time they got to the picnic area, Lex was more under control, and even felt a little bad about the way he had talked to Jonathan. But he was also angry about having to come with them. He didn't like not being trusted to be in the house alone. He sat with them while they had the picnic, but he didn't join in the conversations unless he was asked a direct question, and when he did have to say something, he kept it as short as possible. He didn't have the guts to make any snide comments, but they kept going through his head.

After lunch, Jonathan and Clark went for a short hike around the lake. They asked Lex to come, but he declined. Once they were alone, Martha said, "Do you want to talk about what's bugging you today Lex?"

Lex automatically said, "No. I'm fine."

"We can all tell that you're not fine, and we want to help you, but if you don't want to talk about it, I'll respect that for now."

Lex just stared out into the lake, and Martha got out a book and started to read. When Jonathan and Clark got back, they spent time playing catch with the baseball that Clark had brought, and then Jonathan tried to show Clark the best way to skip stones. The more Lex watched Jonathan and Clark together the more jealous he became. By the time everyone was ready to head back, Lex was in a worse mood than when they arrived.

When they got back Martha asked Lex to help her make dinner, and Lex said, "I really don't feel well Mrs. Kent. I really just want to call it an early night and go to bed."

Martha looked at him for a few minutes. She knew he wasn't really sick, but she also knew he didn't want to talk about his problems. She said, "Okay Lex, but if you change your mind, you can come eat with us, and remember Jonathan and I are always here if you want to tell us what's wrong."

Lex hated the way she kept bringing up the fact that something was wrong. He turned and walked upstairs without another word. He just hoped that they would all go to sleep early. He had half a bottle of schnapps with his name on it. He hoped it would be enough to help him sleep if he didn't eat any dinner.


Once Jonathan and Clark were done getting the horses settled for the night they came in for dinner. Clark asked, "Where's Lex?"

Martha said, "He said he wasn't feeling well, so he's in his room resting."

Jonathan said, "Should we let him do that?"

"I think so. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, but maybe giving him some space will help."

Clark said, "Why was Lex so upset today?"

Jonathan said, "I think it was the phone call from his father. They obviously don't have a good relationship, and I don't think Lex knows how to handle his emotions very well."

Clark thought about it and said, "What can we do to help?"

Jonathan looked to Martha who said, "I think the best thing we can do for him right now, is let him know we're his friends, and that if he needs to tell someone about how he's feeling that we'll listen."


Lex had time to finish his book while he was waiting for everyone to go to sleep. About ten o'clock that night Lex knew everyone was in bed, and thought they were all probably asleep. He went downstairs to find the last bit of alcohol in the house. He was very unhappy to find it was gone. He hadn't seen anyone drink it, but it wasn't where he had put it back that first night he went searching for alcohol. He looked through all the cupboards again, but didn't find anything. He didn't know what to do. He had been looking forward to having a drink all afternoon and evening. The thought of getting that buzz was the only thing that had kept him under control. He knew he would never fall asleep without it. Then he would start out the next day badly too. He eventually went back upstairs and tried to lie down anyway.

Around 2am when he was still tossing and turning, he decided it was time to go home. He thought, 'I stuck it out for a week. That's longer than my father thought I could do it. The Kents will be happy to see me gone.'

He took the picture of his mother, and then he went outside. He thought, 'Town is too far away to walk to, and home is farther away from the town then the Kent farm. I guess I'll have to take the truck. It's the only vehicle they have, but I'll have someone bring it back tomorrow. Hell, I'll have someone bring them a new truck since they were pretty nice to me for a week.'

Lex knew where they kept the truck keys, so he went and got them. He got in the truck and headed for home. Then he remembered that his father had taken all the alcohol out of the house, so he decided to take a trip to town first. He decided to try the bar that he had been at the night before ending up at the Kent farm. He thought that would give him a kind of closure, and he knew they didn't have an alarm system. He got to the bar, and let himself in by picking the lock. He went behind the bar and got himself a new bottle of scotch. He sat at the bar and poured himself the first drink.


Jonathan had woken up immediately at the sound of his truck starting. He stood up and looked out the window in time to see the taillights of his truck as it went down the driveway. He swore, and woke Martha up. He said, "Someone just stole our truck."

Martha said, "Why would anyone want it?"

Jonathan looked a little hurt and said, "It's a good truck."

"We think it's a good truck, and it's perfect for us, but why would someone else want to come all the way out here to take our truck."

Jonathan and Martha both said, "Lex." at the same time.

Jonathan went to Lex's room and knocked softly. He opened the door, and found the room empty. He also went to check on Clark who was sound asleep. He went back to his room and said, "It was Lex."

"I guess leaving him alone wasn't the right thing to do. At least we'll know for next time."

Jonathan started to get dressed and said, "We'll probably be home by five, but if not could you have Clark do the morning chores please."

Martha nodded and said, "Sure honey. Be careful."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. He knew Martha hated it when he rode his motorcycle, but he thought it was kind of silly. Soon he was ready to go and he kissed her goodbye on the way out. He said, "Don't worry. I'll be careful. Try to get some more sleep."


Jonathan went out to the shed, and uncovered the motorcycle. He hadn't ridden it in a few months, so he was pleased that it started right up without any trouble. He figured Lex would either head for town or for home so he headed for town.

The town wasn't very big, and he didn't have any trouble spotting his truck in one of the bar's parking lots. He drove up and parked the bike next to the truck.

Lex was on his second drink when he heard a vehicle pull up close to the bar. He thought, 'Crap. Someone saw the truck.'

He thought it would be best to sneak out the back, and peak around the side of the building to see if it was the cops. Lex took the bottle of scotch, just in case he wouldn't get the chance to come back in. He opened the back door only to find Jonathan standing on the other side of it. He was so startled he nearly dropped his scotch. Jonathan who had planed on trying the back door first to see if it was unlocked was also a little surprised to see Lex at the door. Lex backed up a few steps, and Jonathan stepped in. He shut the door behind him, and glared at Lex. Lex stammered, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

Lex panicked and said, "I swear I was going to have someone bring the truck back to you in the morning. I wouldn't just take it, because I know…"

Jonathan interrupted Lex with, "Slow down Lex. I didn't think you were stealing the truck. I came to find you, and bring you home."

Lex wasn't sure what to say to that, but what came out was, "Oh…."

Jonathan noticed the bottle of scotch, and said, "How much have you had?"

Lex followed Jonathan's look and said, "Not enough."

Jonathan got a grim look, and took the bottle from Lex. He ignored Lex's yell of 'Hey', and walked behind the bar and put the bottle back where it belonged. He turned back to Lex who had followed him and said, "How much have you had?"

Lex said, "Definitely not enough!"

Jonathan put his hands on his hips and said, "You better change your attitude pretty quick."

Lex thought about trying to grab the bottle again, but he didn't really want to make Jonathan more upset. He sighed and said; "Two shots, but I need a lot more."

Jonathan said, "Too bad. You aren't having any more tonight."

Lex decided to try and reason with Jonathan. He said, "Look Mr. Kent I really appreciate you letting me stay with you this past week, and I want to thank you for teaching me all about farming, but I think we both know it's about time for me to be going back home."

Jonathan took Lex by the arm and led him to a table. He pushed him down into a chair, and sat down next to him. He said, "We need to talk about a few things Lex. First off, you're staying with us for the rest of the summer like it or not. Second, when you're staying with me, you don't just run off in the middle of the night. In fact you don't go anywhere without telling me where you're going. And third, when you're upset, you tell us what is wrong, so we can help. Alcohol may make you feel better for a little while, but it doesn't solve your problems. You were obviously upset most of the day today. I think it would really help you to tell me what you were upset about."

Lex rolled his eyes and said, "I was upset about being kept prisoner at your farm."

Jonathan just looked at Lex for a few seconds until Lex looked away. Then he said, "I don't believe that. I think you were upset about the conversation you had with your father."

"Well, my father and I don't have the best relationship, but I don't see how telling you about it is going to help me. It's not going to change anything."

"It may not change your relationship, but it may help you to cope with the relationship."

"I'm not in the mood to talk. I'm in the mood to drink and go home."

Jonathan was getting impatient now. He said, "So let me get this right. Your plan for making yourself feel better this evening was, to take my truck without asking, to break into a bar and get drunk, and then to drive back to your house while intoxicated. Is that right? That will make you feel better, but talking won't."

Lex thought about it and said defiantly, "Yeah, that's right."

Jonathan shook his head and said, "Even after you almost killed Clark the last time you were driving drunk, you still think that it's an acceptable thing to do?"

Lex looked away and said, "I'll be more careful from now on. I would never hurt Clark."

Jonathan wished he could tell Lex that he would have killed Clark if Clark was a normal human, but he couldn't. He said, "Okay Lex, I can see that you're not being realistic, so I'm just going to make things easy for both of us. We're gonna go home, and for the next two months, you aren't going to go anywhere without letting me know first. You aren't going to have any alcohol, because you obviously aren't responsible about it. Oh, and no more breaking and entering either. Is all of that clear to you?"

Lex said, "It's clear to me that you're a small town farmer who doesn't know his place in the world. Do you really think you can keep me at your farm if I don't want to be there? My father will have me out of there within an hour of me making a phone call."

Jonathan looked at Lex with pity and said, "You're father is a powerful man, and you will be too one day. But most of the people I know don't respect your father. They fear him, but they don't like him or respect him. I think it's really sad that you're following in his footsteps."

Lex yelled, "I'm not following in his footsteps! I'll never be like him! I don't have to sit here and listen to this shit. See you never, I hope."

Lex got up and headed for the back door again, but he only made it about three steps before he felt Jonathan grab his upper arm again. Lex was expecting it and tried to turn around and punch Jonathan in the face. Jonathan let go of Lex and stepped back in time to avoid the punch. Lex stumbled but kept his feet under him. Jonathan grabbed his upper arm again, and was close enough to a chair to be able to sit in it and pull Lex face down across his lap. Lex started to flail around to try and get up while letting out a constant stream of cursing. Jonathan soon got both of Lex's legs trapped under his right leg, which left Lex's butt over his left leg. Jonathan said, "I'm sorry it had to come to this Lex, but I'm not about to let you just walk away."

Jonathan brought his hand down, and Lex yelled, "You bastard! My father will have you killed for this!"

Jonathan shook his head and kept going as he said, "Well, at least I'll die knowing I did the right thing for you."

Lex was horrified at the situation, and as the spanking continued he was very unhappy to notice that it kind of hurt. He was wishing that he had worn jeans instead of his regular cotton pants. He stopped yelling obscenities, and started to think about how he would be getting revenge once it was over.

After a few minutes Lex was finding it harder to think, and he noticed that his body was starting to make involuntary movements. Soon after that he knew he wasn't going to be able to say silent for long. He said, "Okay Mr. Kent, I'm sorry I took off, but don't you think this is a little ridiculous?"

"Nope."

"This isn't going to change anything!"

Jonathan smiled and said, "We'll see."

Lex growled with frustration and said, "I'm done with this now!"

Jonathan stopped and chuckled. He said, "Lex, this is one time that you don't get a say in when we stop."

Jonathan's hand was hurting, so he took off his belt. He doubled it over and brought it down on Lex's butt with a loud 'THWACK'.

Lex let out a loud, "Owwww!"

Jonathan brought it down five more times while Lex was yelling and trying pretty hard to get away. Jonathan stopped again and waited for Lex to stop trying to get off his lap. He said, "Okay Lex, we can be done with this if you give me the right answers to some questions. If you give me the wrong answers, we're going to be here for a while. Are you going to come home with me tonight without any more arguments?"

Lex couldn't believe how much his butt hurt. He really wanted to get up and get away from Jonathan, but he didn't want to give in either. He thought about it for a few minutes and said, "Yes."

Jonathan said, "Good. Are you going to take my truck without asking again?"

"No."

"Very good. Are you going to leave the farm without telling me where you're going for the next two months?"

Lex thought 'No, because I'm not going to be there that long.' But he said, "No."

Jonathan said, "Okay. Now for the hard part, what were you upset about today."

Lex couldn't take that question. He said, "None of you're damn business!"

Jonathan brought the belt down four more times and listened to Lex yell. He waited for a few seconds and said, "Sorry Lex, but that isn't good enough now. What was going through your mind today after you were done talking to your dad?"

Lex was squirming to get away from the pain, and he was close to tears. He said, "Let me go!"

Jonathan rubbed Lex's back in soothing circles and said, "I know this is hard for you Lex, but I'm trying to help you, and you aren't going anywhere until I am satisfied that you've gotten this out in the open."

Lex said, "You're sick if you think this is helping me!"

Jonathan brought the belt down six more times, and Lex started to cry. Jonathan said, "Let's try again. Why were you upset today?"

Lex yelled in between sniffs, "Because I hate my father!"

"Why do you hate him?"

"Because he doesn't love me." Lex was surprised at what he had said. He had just said the first thing that came to his mouth, but the more he thought about it the more he knew it was true.

Jonathan put his belt back on and helped Lex to stand up. He stood up too and pulled Lex into a hug. Lex was a little wobbly from the awkward position he had been in, and because he had used up so much energy struggling to get away. He didn't hug Jonathan back, but he didn't struggle to get away either. Jonathan said, "What does your dad do to make you think he doesn't love you?"

Lex had lots of conflicting emotions going through his mind. He was angry with Jonathan for what he had done, but he felt very secure and almost cared for now that Jonathan was holding him. He thought he should push Jonathan away and run, but he didn't want to. He said, "Dad doesn't trust me, and he always thinks the worst of me."

Jonathan said, "What did he say to you on the phone today that upset you?"

"He… he said he was surprised that I hadn't caused you problems yet."

Lex thought about that and then started laughing a dry emotionless laugh and said, "I guess he was justified."

Jonathan let go of Lex, and stepped back to look into his eyes. He said, "I don't think so. You've been very helpful at the farm. You've been polite, and you haven't argued about any of the work that I've asked you to do. You've been friendly with Clark even though he's much younger than you are. Your father should have believed in you."

Lex said, "He knows me better than you."

Jonathan put a hand on Lex's shoulder and said, "I don't think he knows you very well. I think you're worth believing in."

Lex shrugged and said, "I think you'll change your mind."

Jonathan smiled and said, "I think I should warn you that if you plan to be horrible just to make me toss you out, or loose faith in you, you won't succeed. The only thing it will do, is get you another spanking."

Lex didn't like the sound of that and said, "I think you should just let me go home. I'm sure your family will be happier without….."

Jonathan cut him off by turning him to the side and giving him ten hard swats. Lex was really embarrassed when he started to cry again. Jonathan pulled him into another hug and said, "No more arguing about it Lex. Martha, Clark, and I want you to stay with us. We like having you around. We don't want you to be home alone with nothing productive to do."

Jonathan patted Lex on the back and let him go. He said, "Come on kid. Let's go home."

Lex wiped off his face and nodded. Jonathan went behind the bar and found a napkin and a pen. He started to write something, and Lex said, "What are you writing?"

Jonathan didn't look up when he said, "I'm leaving a note for Bill the owner."

Lex shook his head no and said, "That's not a good idea. He won't even know we were here, and if he does find out someone broke in, he won't know it was me."

Jonathan looked at Lex and said, "I don't think your father has done a good job of teaching you how to be a responsible adult, so I'm gonna help you with that. When you've done something wrong, like breaking into someone's business and stealing his things, you have to make up for it. So I'm leaving a note for Bill telling him that you broke in, and that we'll be coming in tomorrow to see what you can do to make it up to him."

Lex looked pale and said; "You're insane."

Jonathan smiled and finished up the note while he said, "You aren't the first person to tell me that."

Lex said, "You're going to get me arrested, and then my father will have to bail me out again."

Jonathan got out ten bucks and put it down with the note. Lex looked kind of relieved and said, "Ten bucks isn't a big enough bribe."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and said, "It's to pay for the scotch."

He took Lex by the upper arm and started to walk to the back door. Lex said, "But it's not a good idea…"

Jonathan cut him off with, "It's not a good idea to try and hide your mistakes, or to bribe people Lex."

Once they got to the front of the building where the truck and motorcycle were parked Lex said, "I didn't know you had a bike."

"It was in the shed. Martha worries when I ride it, so I don't do it much. She's a good bike though. We'll leave her here tonight, and get her tomorrow."

Jonathan opened the passenger side of the truck and held out his hand in front of Lex and said, "Keys."

Lex handed them over and got in the truck. He didn't think sitting down would be fun, but he was surprised at how much it hurt. Once his door was shut he leaned against the door to help relieve the pressure. Jonathan got in and drove them home in silence. Once they were there he said, "Go to bed and stay there. You have an hour to sleep before it's time to get up."

Lex went to his room and flopped face down onto his bed. He thought he would have too much to think about to sleep, but he was asleep within five minutes.

Jonathan went to his room and lay down with his clothes still on to nap for an hour. Martha woke up when she felt the bed move. She said, "Is he okay?"

"I think so. He's in bed now."

"Did you get him to talk about what was bugging him yesterday?"

"Yeah. His father sounds worse than we'd thought."

Martha said, "Poor boy. Where did you find him?"

"He'd broken into Bill's bar, and he was drinking. He planned to get drunk and then drive himself home. He said he was going to have someone bring the truck back to us."

"How did you convince him to come home?"

Jonathan looked at her and said, "I spanked him."

Martha looked very surprised and said, "Wow."

"I think it worked pretty well, but we'll see."

Martha yawned and said, "Tomorrow will be interesting. Night honey."

"Night."

Return to Smallville Stories