Author's Note: This story is a birthday gift for my good friend Aciel. Thank you for always supporting my writing, and for not giving up on my series even though they take me so long to write. December 2007

Author's Other Note: This story is set in the 'Friendship' universe that I've created from Smallville, but it's not really a chapter for that series. So when Chapter 9 of the Friendship series does come out, it will be like this story never happened. But for now, this story takes place right after Chapter 8. I hope that's not too confusing.

Friendship - Rebellion

"Pleeeeease" Clark asked for the fourth time.

Sighing, Lex gave in, "Okay, okay, but you have to convince your parents."

Clark's smile turned into a grin and he said, "Awesome!"

Clark super sped off to the farmhouse. Lex chuckled as he turned back to the hoeing. He wondered what they would say. Seeing a rated R movie at fourteen didn't seem like a big deal to Lex, but then drinking a glass of wine at twenty didn't seem like a big deal to him either, and the Kents still wouldn't let him drink.

Lex stood up and stretched, and could tell his shoulders would be sore tomorrow. It usually took a week or two of being back on the farm before his muscles got into the routine of manual labor. He muttered, "I need to go to the gym more during school."

Starring off into the distance he thought about the phone conversation he'd had with Lionel a week ago after finishing off his sophomore year in college. Lionel hadn't demanded that he work at Luthorcorp the way Lex was expecting. He'd just told Lex that he wanted him to be happy, and if the Kents made him happy then he should spend the summer with them. Shaking his head, Lex decided not to worry about it, and to just be happy he could stay with his family without distractions for the next three months.

A few minutes later a dejected looking Clark trudged back out and picked up his hoe.

"They said no?"

Clark's frown deepened, "I'm almost fifteen. I'm the only kid in my class who hasn't seen it."

After a pause Lex said, "I've seen plenty of horror films, and trust me when I say they're all pretty lame. The plot will most likely be incomprehensible. The acting will be mediocre at best. The special effects will be obvious. The characters will be one dimensional and idiotic. It's not worth the money to go see it."

Hoeing the ground harshly in irritation Clark said, "That's not the point. The point is that they're treating me like a baby, and all the kids at school will make fun of me for not seeing it."

"Pete won't laugh."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Clark shoved the hoe into the ground in anger, and broke it into a few pieces.

Lex looked over at Clark in surprise, and Clark looked down at the piece of hoe still in his hand with surprise, which quickly turned to anger. He muttered, "Great. Now I'm gonna have to pay for a new one." Clark glared off into the field and tossed the piece of hoe as far as he could.

Watching the piece of wood until it became a little dot in the sky, Lex tried to come up with something to make Clark feel better. He pulled some money out of his wallet and handed it to Clark. "For the hoe."

His anger faded as he saw the money Lex was offering. He took it feeling guilty and offered up a, "Thanks Lex."

Feeling bad for Clark, Lex put an arm around his shoulders and said, "No problem little brother. Why don't you super speed through the rest of the weeding, and then I'll take you into town. We can buy a new hoe before Pop even knows the old one is broken."

"Okay."

Lex handed over his hoe and stood still while Clark finished up the weeding in a few seconds. Once he was done Clark looked over at Lex. Lex nodded and said, "Go put it away, and let me talk to your parents."

Clark headed towards the barn and Lex headed in to the house with the thought of making Clark feel better. Jonathan was on the kitchen floor reaching into the cupboard under the sink trying to repair the dishwasher, while Martha was making cookies and handing down tools to her husband when needed. Martha smiled and said, "Taking a break?"

"We're done."

After a short pause while Jonathan and Martha exchanged a look, Jonathan got up from the floor. He looked at his watch and then over at Lex. "You're done?"

Amazed that such a simple question could make him feel uncomfortable, Lex cleared his throat and said, "Yes. Clark's not having the best day, so I thought I'd take him into town for a little while."

Jonathan put his hands on his hips and said, "Clark's not having a very good day because he's pouting. I don't think that kind of behavior should be rewarded, and I don't remember giving him permission to use his abilities to get the weeding done."

Lex had trouble seeing Jonathan's side of things in this instance, but Clark's side of the argument seemed crystal clear. He knew it probably wouldn't end well, but couldn't help coming to Clark's defense. Crossing his arms Lex said, "Clark's pouting because you're being over protective. He's almost fifteen. He should be allowed to see the movie. And I told him to speed through the weeding because we're going to go into town for a while so I can cheer him up."

Jonathan was speechless for a few seconds, and Martha said in a soothing voice, "Lex, it's very sweet of you to try and make your brother happy when he's upset, but we're the parents, not you. If you disagree with a decision we've made, you can talk to us calmly about it and give us your opinion, but the final decision is up to us, and that goes for both you and Clark."

Irritated, Lex was about to comment when Jonathan said, "You don't get to tell Clark when he can and can't use his abilities without prior approval from us. Now normally if you wanted to take Clark into town I'd have no problem with it, but since you seem to be working up a sullen attitude to match Clark's I'm going to say no."

Unable to control his tongue at this point, Lex raised his voice; "You don't have any say in where I go or when I go!"

Having heard enough back talk from both his kids for the day, Jonathan walked up to Lex, grabbed his arm, and marched him over to the kitchen table. Realizing quickly that he had gone too far, Lex's stomach sank as he tried unsuccessfully to get away and said, "Noooo!"

Jonathan put one bent leg on the kitchen table, kept the other foot on the floor, and hauled Lex over the table across his leg. He wrapped an arm around Lex's waist and gave him ten quick swats. Lex squirmed but was able to keep from yelling. Keeping Lex in place Jonathan said, "You know Lex, it hasn't been all that long since the last time I spanked you. I'm surprised you're so mouthy. I know you're an adult now, and for the most part you can come and go as you please. But make no mistake here kiddo, I do have a say in where you go if the only reason you want to go somewhere is to prove you don't like my parenting."

Jonathan gave him ten more swats and then said, "You and Clark can clean out the stalls for the rest of the day today to make up for the work you didn't do this morning. Do I need to give you more incentive to behave, or are we done with this discussion?"

With anger still coursing through him at how unjust it all seemed, Lex said through clenched teeth, "We're done."

Not quite believing it, but willing to let it go for now, Jonathan gave Lex one more very hard swat and let him up. Lex 'owed', stood up, and backed away a few feet. Jonathan pointed a finger at him and said, "I want all the stalls cleaned out and new hay put in, and I want all the horses rubbed down."

Not looking Jonathan in the eye Lex nodded. Jonathan continued, "Send Clark in to talk to me."

Suddenly alarmed, Lex forgot about himself for a few seconds and remembered why he had come to talk to Jonathan in the first place. "You're not mad at him right?"

Jonathan sighed with irritation. "No, I'm just going to talk to him about what happened."

Lex walked out the kitchen door and found Clark standing on the porch giving him a worried look. He'd obviously overheard what had happened and was having a hard time keeping eye contact with Lex. Giving Clark a sad little smile, Lex said, "Guess we're not going to town. Pop wants to talk to you."

Nodding, Clark headed in. Lex headed to the barn and thought about what had happened. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He loved the Kents, and honestly did think of them as his family now, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking he was twenty, and could do whatever the hell he wanted no matter what Jonathan said. And the more that thought went through his head, the more his mind worked on getting his way. He'd had plenty of practice getting around parental constraints when he lived with his father, and his mind started working on a way to get what he wanted.

A few minutes later Clark joined Lex in the barn, and they both shoveled silently for a while busy with their own thoughts. Ten minutes into the work, Lex had what he considered to be a great idea, and said, "Hey Clark."

Clark looked over at him, but as Lex opened his mouth to talk, he realized Clark would never go for his plan. Clark was way too 'good' to go along with the things Lex was thinking. Frowning Lex said, "Never mind."

Figuring he understood what Lex was going to say, Clark said, "It's okay Lex. I appreciate you trying, and it's not your fault Dad got angry about it."

Nodding Lex got back to his work, and thought about his plan. He thought about the time he had asked Clark to lie for him about going to visit his Dad while the Kents were away, and how that had turned out. He also remembered telling Clark to tell him to screw off if he ever had another plan like it. Sure that Clark would put an end to the plan before it ever got started, Lex kept his ideas to himself. And he reasoned with himself that on the slim chance that he got caught, Clark wouldn't get in trouble.

Over the next half an hour Lex perfected his plan, and once he had it all laid out in his mind, he told Clark he was going to get a drink of water. He walked around to the back of the barn, pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and made a phone call.
***********************

That night at dinner Lex was having some second thoughts about what he was planning. He had had time to calm down, and once the stalls were done, Jonathan had told both the boys he was proud of them for sticking with the work even though they were both having a bad day. Lex was about to excuse himself and make another call when the phone rang. Martha answered it. "Hello?"

"This is Lionel Luthor. I wish to speak with Lex."

Giving the phone a sour frown, Martha said, "Hold on a second please."

She put her hand over the phone and held it out to Lex. "It's your father."

Lex got up and took it. "Hi Dad."

Both Martha and Jonathan listened to Lex's side of the conversation. "Okay. When?"

"Tomorrow?" "Are you in town?" "Okay, I'll meet you there." "Bye."

Lex hung up and turned to face Jonathan, but quickly looked over at his plate instead. "I have to go to the mansion tomorrow and sign some papers."

Jonathan's protective side came out when he could tell Lex was already upset about seeing his father when it hadn't even happened yet. "Okay. I'll go with you. We'll get it done and come home."

Lex snapped his eyes up to meet Jonathan's and shook his head no. "No! I mean, that wouldn't be a good idea."

Martha stood up and put an arm around Lex's shoulders. "Lex honey, we don't want you to go over there alone after what happened the last time you saw your father alone."

Face turning red as he remembered pulling a gun on Lionel and the fallout from that incident, Lex took a deep breath and looked Martha in the eye when he said, "Mom I… I don't know how to put this nicely, so I'm just going to spell it out for you. Having Dad and Pop in the same room together is a homicide waiting to happen. They both have good reasons to hate each other, and I don't want to be stuck in the middle. The same goes for you too."

Tossing his napkin on the table and standing up Jonathan said, "Well you're not seeing him alone and that's final, because you and your father in the same room alone is also a potential homicide waiting to happen."

Clark stood up as well and said quietly, "I'll go."

Everyone looked over at him with stunned expressions. Clark took a second to look at each of them as he said, "I'm the perfect choice. Lionel doesn't see me as any kind of threat, and like it or not Lex, I know you'll be nicer with me around. Plus I'm the only one who can guarantee no violence will take place. If someone tries something I can keep them separated, take weapons away, or super speed Lex away."

The room was silent for a few seconds and then Clark looked just at Lex when he said, "And I don't want you to have to face him alone either."

Thinking he might just cry at the devotion he could see from Clark, Lex looked away and said, "That's a brilliant plan Clark."

Looking down at his plate and thinking about it for a few minutes Jonathan sighed and gave in. "I hate to admit it, but you're both right."

Martha pulled Lex's face down to hers and gave him a kiss on the cheek followed by a strong hug. "You call right before you go in, and then you call when you get out."

"Okay."

She let him go and walked over to Clark. She pushed some of the hair off his forehead and said, "You seem so grown up right now."

Rolling his eyes Clark said, "Moooooom."

She kissed and hugged him as well before she said, "Okay, everyone get back to the table before the food gets completely cold."

Everyone except Lex ate quietly for the next few seconds, absorbed in their own thoughts. Lex pushed his food around on his plate cursing himself, and felt guiltier and less deserving of his family than he had in a very long time.

Noticing Lex's lack of enthusiasm for eating, Martha chalked it up to worry about seeing his father, and decided she would make a big dinner for the next night when the visit was over.
**********************************************

The next day after the morning chores were done, Lex and Clark got ready to go. Jonathan stood by the door with his hands in his pockets feeling helpless while Martha repeated last minute instructions to the boys. "Drive safe, and call us when you get there. If you start to get upset, remember Clark is there to help you through it. Clark, be respectful, and don't let anyone see you use your abilities unless it's absolutely necessary. Let us know how it went as soon as you're done."

Clark just nodded, and Lex said, "It's probably going to take a couple of hours. Nothing can be quick when my father's involved. I'm sure he'll want us to stay for lunch. We'll call when we get there, but then you shouldn't expect another call for two or three hours."

The car was uncomfortably quiet for the first few minutes of the drive. Clark tried to start a conversation. "When are you getting your grades?"

"In two or three weeks I think. They're supposed to be mailed home… to the farm I mean."

"I should get mine next week."

For a while the conversation flowed normally as they talked about school and friends. When there was a natural lull in the conversation Clark looked out the window, and noticed where they were. "I think you missed the turn for the mansion."

"I didn't miss it."

Clark looked around some more and said, "Yes you did, that's Mr. Baker's farm up ahead, so the turn off for the mansion is behind us."

Lex sighed, "I didn't miss it, I never intended to turn there."

"I don't get it."

Hoping he could convince Clark this was a good plan, Lex said, "Look Clark, I know you're a good kid, and that's why I didn't let you in on my decision until now."

Glancing over at Clark, Lex could tell he was both confused and worried. "My father never called, that was a friend of mine. He's imitated my father's voice for me in the past when I needed him to. He does a bunch of impersonations, and he's really funny at parties…. But I suppose that's not the point."

The only thing Clark could come up with was, "Why?"

"I felt bad for you when Pop said you couldn't see the movie, and then I got angry when he told me I couldn't take you to town. So I made sure we had time to go to town today, and while we're in town we'll go to see the movie."

Lex darted a glance over at Clark and saw he was staring at him with wide eyes and his mouth slightly open, obviously at a loss for words, and horrified at the truth of the matter. "Dad's gonna kill you."

"You're going to tell on me?"

"You're going to keep lying to him?"

They looked at each other for a second and then Lex said, "Come on Clark, it'll be fun. We can go to the movie, and then you can tell all your friends about it. We get a day away from the farm, and we get to spend some time together. All you have to do is keep quiet about it."

"I can't! And you know I can't. I'm not good at lying, and I don't even want to."

"Just think about it for a few minutes. Don't you want to see that movie? You're not going to be able to any other way, and when we get home I'll do all the talking."

Clark sounded like he was on the verge of tears when he said, "Do you remember what happened the last time you asked me to just keep my mouth shut?! I don't want to get in trouble."

"But that's the beauty of this plan. You won't be in trouble, because you can honestly say you didn't know about it. It was all me."

"That excuse will never work. Do you want to get spanked or something?"

Lex felt his face heat up and he yelled, "No! Of course not! I just don't think Pop should be telling me what I can and can't do, and it's not going to be a problem anyway, because he's not going to find out about this."

"How can you say that? Both Mom and Dad are worried about you right now. They're both going to want to hear all about it. You'll have to make up some elaborate lie. How can you play with their emotions like that?"

Getting angry at the truth he heard in Clark's words Lex yelled, "I'll just tell them I don't want to talk about it! It's not my fault that they're worried. I didn't ask them to hover over me all the time! I can take care of myself. You know what? I started all of this because I felt sorry for you. I should have known you were too much of a wuss to ever do something fun."

Clark turned away from Lex and looked out the window. He started to cry quietly and hoped that Lex couldn't see. Lex looked over at the back of Clark's head and sighed. A few minutes later he realized Clark was crying, and felt extra guilty. He wished he'd never come up with the whole idea in the first place. "I'm sorry."

Getting no response from Clark, Lex drove in silence for a few minutes until they arrived in the town of Smallville. Lex found a spot and parked near the theater. He turned the car off and looked at Clark who was still avoiding his eyes. Putting a hand on Clark's shoulder he said quietly, "When I first thought about doing this I was mad, and then I was about to change my mind when my friend called. But then when you all got so concerned for me… Well then I felt guilty, and I couldn't exactly tell everyone what I had done at that point. And now… I don't know what to do. I know it was wrong of me, and I'm embarrassed that I did it, so I don't want Pop to find out. But at the same time I don't want to make you lie about it for me either. What do you want to do now? If you want me to go right back to the farm and confess…. I guess that's what I'll do."

Wiping at his face Clark turned in his seat to look at Lex. "You mean it?"

Lex nodded. Clark looked out at the movie theater and thought about it for a few seconds. While he was thinking Lex said, "Let's walk down to the hardware store so we can buy a new hoe while you decide what we should do."

They both got out and thought about their predicament as they walked to the store. As they were leaving the store they practically ran into Lana and a few of her friends. Lana waved at Clark and said, "Hi Clark."

Clark felt slightly ill and tripped over the hoe he was carrying. Some of Lana's friends laughed, but Lana squatted down and held out her hand to help him up as she said, "Are you okay?"

Clark felt even more ill and could only nod as he stared at her hand. Lex, seeing that Clark wasn't going to take Lana's hand, reached down and helped him stand with a hand on Clark's bicep. Lex said, "What are you ladies up to this afternoon?"

One of the girls, who looked older then the others, gave Lex a dazzling smile and said, "We're going to see 'Blood on the Horizon'. It just opened this week. Would you like to join us?"

Lex looked over at Clark and said, "It's nice of you to offer, but we….."

Clark cut in with; "We're planning on going to the movie too, so we'd be happy to join you."

Looking over at Clark with surprise for a second, Lex could tell Clark couldn't see anyone else on the street besides Lana. Lex looked at the older girl and gave her a smile in return. "We'll meet you over at the theater in a few minutes."

The girls headed off, in one direction while Lex and Clark went to the car. Lex put the hoe in the back and then turned to Clark. "You sure about this?"

Clark bit his nail and muttered, "No, but it's Lana."

Thinking it was cute; Lex patted Clark on the back and said, "Just try not to spill any popcorn on her okay?"

Clark brushed Lex's hand away and said, "It's not my fault I'm clumsy around her, she has a necklace that she wears all the time, and it has some of the meteor rock on it."

"Really? That sucks." After a second to think about it Lex chuckled and said, "You'd be clumsy around her no matter what. Let's go see the movie."

Glaring at Lex, Clark said, "Not funny."

Lex got out his cell phone, dialed, and put it up to his ear. "Pop? We're here, and we're fine. I'll call you when we get done okay? Okay I will. Bye."

Clark looked kind of pale once Lex hung up. Lex put an arm around his shoulder and said, "We'll work on our cover story on the way home."
*********************************

Clark felt slightly ill through the whole movie, but thought it was completely worth it since he got to sit beside Lana. He was especially happy when she covered her eyes and hid her head on his shoulder during the really bloody parts. He was too distracted by Lana to even notice what was going on in the movie or with Lex.

Lex was sitting with the older girl in the row behind Clark, Lana, and her three other friends. Lex found out the girl was the older sister of Lana's best friend, and her name was Abby. He also realized very soon into the conversation that she knew exactly who he was, and was hitting on him. They made out through a large portion of the movie, and when it was over, Abby gave him her phone number before heading home with the girls.

Lex and Clark stayed a little longer to watch the credits; mostly because Clark didn't think his legs would work very well around Lana, and didn't want to fall on the sticky theater floor. Once the girls were gone, Lex climbed over the row of chairs and sat by Clark for a few seconds. Soon they were alone in the theater and the lights came up. Clark turned to Lex with a huge grin and said, "That was awesome Lex. Thank you for taking me."

Lex ruffled Clark's hair and said, "Thank you for coming with me. Let's head home and work on our story."

Standing and frowning Clark said, "I'm sorry Lex, but I still don't think we should lie."

Lex lost his smile and said, "What?"

"Look, I don't want to be in trouble any more then you do, but I'm not good at lying, and you'll feel guilty about it for weeks if you do. Maybe if we tell the truth we'll just get grounded with extra chores. Dad always goes easier on us if we're being honest."

Shaking his head Lex said, "You're probably right that you'd just get grounded, but I'm pretty sure I'd be in for more then that. How about we make it a really simple lie that doesn't have much explanation to it. We can say that my dad got stuck in Metropolis and we had to wait for a delivery service to bring the papers for me to sign. There wouldn't be much else to tell, and they wouldn't have to worry about me having had a confrontation with my dad."

Clark looked to be considering it. Lex headed towards the exit and Clark followed. Lex said, "Think about it for a few minutes. Do you really want to end this day with being grounded or maybe even worse?"

Clark shook his head no, and thought about it while they headed to the car. Clark was lost in his thoughts, and it took him a few seconds to realize Lex wasn't walking beside him anymore. He turned back and saw that Lex had stopped walking a few feet back, and had a look of surprise and dread on his face. Clark looked in the direction Lex was staring and saw his mother standing beside Lex's car with an angry look on her face.

Turning back to Lex, Clark whispered, "Crap! What now?"

Lex was at a loss, and felt his stomach twisting as he realized not only was he going to get spanked, but that Clark probably would be too. Not to mention having to see the disappointment in both his parents eyes at what he had done. He took a deep breath and started walking again as he said, "I have no idea."

They made it to the car and stood in front of Martha. Neither one could make eye contact for very long. Clark said quietly, "Hi Mom."

"Hi Mom." Lex echoed.

Martha waited a few seconds and then said, "I was waiting here worrying about you, and wondering what had gone wrong at the mansion, but as soon as I saw your faces…"

She took a deep breath and looked away. Lex said, "I'm so sorry. I was…"

Cutting him off Martha said, "I'm too upset to hear it right now. I'll talk to you both when you decide to come home from whatever it is you've been doing."

She turned and walked towards her truck, which was parked a few feet away. Lex and Clark watched her go. She didn't look back at them when she drove away, but Clark saw her wiping at her face.

Turning to Lex, Clark said, "That's not good. We don't want to be far behind her. If she's crying when she gets home and Dad sees that we not only did something bad, but then upset Mom on top of it and didn't try to make her feel better…."

Feeling like he wanted to throw up the popcorn that he'd had, Lex nodded and got in his car along with Clark. As they drove towards the farm, the car was silent. Soon they caught up with Martha and followed her. When they got close Lex said, "Let me do the talking."

"Why, are you going to try and lie?"

"No. I'm going to make sure they know it's not your fault. I know I'm in for it, but you don't have to be."

Shaking his head Clark said, "I agreed to go to the movie, and I knew it was wrong at the time. It isn't entirely your fault Lex. If I hadn't made such a big deal about the movie yesterday, the whole thing never would have happened. Not that I want to be in trouble too, but if I do get spanked, grounded, or both, you shouldn't feel guilty about it."

Lex looked over at Clark, amazed at what a good person he was, and said, "Too late. I already feel guilty enough for the both of us, but thanks for trying."

They pulled up right behind Martha and got out of the car. Jonathan walked out to the porch with a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

Martha was under control again and turned to the boys. "Both of you in the living room right now."

Clark gave her a "Yes Ma'am" as he headed in, and Lex just walked in with his head hung low.

They sat together on the sofa and could hear Martha talking to Jonathan in the kitchen. "I was on my way to the market, and saw Lex's Porsche downtown. I pulled over thinking something must have gone wrong with his father and waited for them. An hour later they came walking up, and as soon as they saw me, I could tell that they were up to no good. I don't know what they were doing, but I intend to find out."

Both of them went into the living room as well. Jonathan sat down on one of the armchairs, and Martha stood in front of the boys. "Okay, let's hear it."

Lex kept his head down and laid it all out for them. "I was angry yesterday when Pop told me I couldn't go into town, and in the heat of the moment I called a friend of mine who does a good impersonation of my father. He called that night pretending to be him, so that Clark and I would have an excuse to be gone for a few hours today. But then… then you all were so worried about me… and I guess if I'd thought it through I would have realized you would be, but at the time… I didn't want you to worry; I just wanted an excuse. Then Clark went and offered to go with me instead of me suggesting it. I almost called it off, but you were all being so protective, and I was being such a jerk."

Martha looked over at Clark and said, "You didn't know about any of this yet?"

"No."

Lex added, "I knew he'd try to talk me out of it, so I kept it to myself. He didn't know until he realized we passed the road to the mansion. Then I told him we could go see the movie together, but when he found out, he tried to talk me out of it. In fact we were about to head for home so I could confess like he suggested, when we ran into some girls…"

Lex turned to Clark, not knowing if he had told his folks about his infatuation with Lana. Clark muttered to his lap, "Lana was going to the movie, and asked us to go too. I knew it was wrong when I agreed to see it, but… But I did it anyway, and I'm sorry."

Lex looked back and forth between Jonathan and Martha when he said, "But then after the movie, Clark was still trying to talk me into confessing. He wanted to do the right thing, and probably would have talked me into it before we got home."

Clark shrugged, "I might have agreed to lie about it. I can't say for sure."

Slightly frustrated by Clark's abundance of honesty, Lex said, "You would have done the right thing Clark. I'm sure of it."

Martha said, "Is that it? Anything else you want to add?"

Both boys said "No" at the same time.

Martha looked over to Jonathan who looked fit to be tied. Martha wasn't at all happy herself. She turned back to them and said, "Both of you go to your rooms while your father and I talk about what we're going to do about this."

As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Martha went and sat in the same chair with Jonathan and snuggled up next to him for comfort. He put an arm around her and said, "Here I thought sending you off to town to do some shopping would calm you down."

"Normally it would have, and you were right, I was fretting over it too much."

After a few seconds of quiet Martha said, "What should we do about Clark?"

"He went to see the movie after I told him he couldn't see it…"

"Under pressure."

"Seeing a girl he likes does not count as pressure."

"It does at fourteen, and besides Lex will just feel that much worse if he has to overhear Clark getting spanked."

"Lex should feel that much worse. He lied repeatedly, and set up a scam to get his way after I told him he couldn't do something."

Martha rested her head on Jonathan's shoulder and said, "You know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"He didn't once call me Mrs. Kent when he was upset. Usually if Lex knows he's in trouble he slips up. He didn't call you Mr. Kent either."

"Well he's been part of the family for a while now."

"Exactly."

After a pause Jonathan said, "I'm not following."

Martha sat up a little and gave him a smile. "Lex may not realize it, but what he just did is normal teenage rebellion. He's not worried that we won't love him. He's not worried about getting kicked out. He's just seeing how far he can push, and seeing what he can get away with. I think that's a big step forward. And I think he's realized teen rebellion in our house is not the same kind of fun that it was in Lionel's house."

Jonathan gave Martha a kiss on the cheek and said, "I think you're beautiful and brilliant."

Martha said, "Thank you."

They both thought about things for a few minutes. Then Jonathan asked, "No movies for Clark for the rest of the summer, and no spanking for him?"

"Okay."

"As for Lex…."

Martha could hear the regret in Jonathan's voice already. "I know, and unfortunately I agree. We've heard him tell stories about the kinds of things he did to get attention when he really was a teenager. We need to give this one a lot of negative attention so that he realizes very quickly that it's not something he wants to keep trying."

"Thank you for understanding."

Martha nodded and said, "I'll go talk to Clark."

They both stood and headed up the stairs.
*********************************

Clark heard a knock on his door and cringed. "Come in."

He was expecting his father with the dreaded box, but saw his mother instead. "Mom?"

"Why don't you come down to the living room with me so we can talk."

Confused, Clark stood and headed for the door. He could hear his father's voice in Lex's bedroom as he passed, and considered the possibility that he wasn't going to get spanked even if Lex did. He looked over at his mom who was waiting for him at the top of the stairs. She put a hand over his shoulders as they walked down and said, "Dad and I are really proud of the way you tried to talk Lex into confessing today. And we understand that girls in general, and especially Lana, have some influence on your behavior. But going to that movie after we told you that you couldn't see it was wrong and you know it."

Clark nodded and Martha continued. "You're grounded from all movies for the rest of the summer."

Clark didn't like it, but nodded again waiting for more. They were at the couch, and the two of them sat down. A few seconds later Clark timidly asked, "Is that it?"

Martha kissed his forehead and said, "Yeah. You were pretty good all things considered. No movies for the summer is your only punishment."

"Wow. Thanks."

A few seconds later, even though he was sure he knew the answer Clark said, "What about Lex?"

As if on cue, they both heard distant smacking noises coming from upstairs. Martha said with a hint of sorrow in her voice, "Maybe after hearing his punishment, you'll be more persistent in talking him into confessing."

Clark swallowed hard, and wished he hadn't run into Lana, as the smacking sounds were soon interspersed with yelps.
******************************

Lex paced his room cursing his own stupid plan, and wishing he hadn't done it until he heard a knock at the door. He cleared his throat, swallowed hard, and said, "Come in."

A very serious looking Jonathan came in and shut the door behind him. He crossed his arms and said, "What did I tell you about Clark going to that movie on Friday?"

Not able to keep eye contact, and feeling somewhat sick to his stomach, knowing what was about to happen, Lex whispered, "You said he couldn't go."

"And what did I tell you about going somewhere just to prove you didn't like my parenting?"

"Not to."

"So what exactly happened?"

"I was angry, and I decided to do something stupid."

Jonathan let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds while he walked over to the foot of Lex's bed. He took off his belt, put it on the bed beside him, and then sat down before he asked, "How many lies did you tell between yesterday and today?"

Lex felt his eyes tearing up at the site of the belt and shook his head, not wanting to think about how many lies he had told, and how many swats that would turn into. He stammered out, "Um… One at dinner last night. One this morning before we left, and one when I called you…. so three."

"So if we added up all the statements you made during those three conversations we'd be up to say twenty lies?"

Knowing this would mean twenty swats with the belt, Lex shook his head no and took a few steps back as he pleaded, "No Pop! Please, it's not like that… It's… It's not that bad… I'm really sorry already and…."

Jonathan cut him off. "You come here right now young man. I'm not putting up with this kind of behavior from you. When I tell you no I mean it, and you know better then to lie to me."

Lex stayed where he was and said, "But I was gonna confess!"

Standing and walking over to Lex, Jonathan put a hand on his shoulder and said, "If you had confessed last night at dinner I would have given you extra chores to do. If you had turned the car around and confessed before you went to the movie, you would have been grounded for a couple of weeks. If you had called and confessed right after the movie, I would have spanked you, but I wouldn't have used my belt. But as it stands right now, I can't be sure if you're telling me the truth, or lying to get out of a more serious spanking."

Jonathan pulled Lex back to the bed, and Lex didn't resist. Logically he could understand what Jonathan was saying, but having the belt right there next to him made it hard to think logically. "But I was! Honestly I was going to confess!"

Jonathan sat down again and said, "Well maybe next time you'll think about this spanking and decide to confess a little sooner. Or better yet, you'll think twice before deceiving me in the first place. Take your pants down."

Lex felt some tears of frustration going down his face as he unbuttoned his pants. Jonathan pulled him over his lap, took the pants down along with the boxers and started spanking. Sounding more frustrated then in pain Lex said, "Oooww!"

Jonathan didn't lecture; he just spanked steadily. Soon the noises Lex made were involuntary reactions to the pain instead of frustration. Jonathan spanked Lex until he was squirming to get away from the pain and yelping with each swat. He paused and picked up his belt. Lex shook his head no and started to cry quietly. Jonathan said, "People who live in a family and love each other don't manipulate the people they love to get their way. People who love each other don't lie to each other Lex. I don't lie to you, and I expect you not to lie to me."

Lex was able to get out, "I know. I'm sooooorry!"

Jonathan brought the belt down and Lex's whole body jerked at the fresh pain. Lex put a hand back to cover his butt, but Jonathan grabbed the hand and held it out of the way while he continued to bring the belt down. Gritting his teeth, and trying not to let the sorrowful noises coming from Lex get to him; Jonathan kept track and gave Lex a total of twenty swats with the belt. Lex was crying hard by the time it was done.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down Jonathan set the belt down and let go of Lex's wrist. He rubbed Lex's back and made comforting noises while Lex calmed down. Lex was still crying, but pushed to get up off Jonathan's lap. Jonathan let him get up, and Lex fixed his pants as quickly as he could. Standing, Jonathan pulled Lex into a hug, and soon found it returned. They stood that way for a long time while Lex tried to calm down and come to terms with everything that had happened.

When Lex was down to sniffles, Jonathan hugged him tighter and said, "I love you Lex."

Lex hugged tighter too but didn't respond. Jonathan added, "That was some first class teenage rebellion. I hope you don't plan on anymore, but I'll be prepared to dish out more of the same if you do."

Shaking his head no Lex said, "I won't do it again."

Putting his hand's on Lex's shoulders and holding him at arm's length, Jonathan looked into his eyes and said, "I want you to stay up here in your room and think about it. Really think about it Lex. From the things you've told us, you were a menace in your younger years. Is that who you want to be? Or do you want to be the young man who's been a part of this family for the past two years?"

Lex felt more tears coming. "I don't have to think about it Pop. I don't want to be the person I was."

Patting Lex's arm Jonathan said, "I think that's a good decision, but I still want you to stay up here and think about things for a while."

"Okay."

Jonathan headed for the door and then turned around and said, "I'm going to send Mom up to talk to you."

"Okay."

As soon as Jonathan was out of the room Lex put both his hands back on his rear and gently rubbed it, trying to assess the damage. He muttered, "Shit that hurts."

He lay down on the bed and waited. A few minutes later Martha knocked and came in. She went and lay down beside him on the bed. He asked, "You still mad?"

She shook her head no, and held her arms out to him. He scooted over and rested his head on her shoulder and she wrapped her arms around him. After a few minutes of quiet Martha said, "Clark is grounded from all movies for the rest of the summer, and you are too."

"I'm sorry I took him, and got him involved in my plan."

She kissed the top of his head and said, "I know you didn't do it with malice. In fact, you were trying to make him happy. I know you love him, and wouldn't do anything to hurt him on purpose."

He whispered, "Thanks."

"I love you sweetie, and when I found out you were going to have to see your father, I was truly worried about you."

Lex felt the tears coming again, feeling bad about making her worry.

"And then when I saw you in town and realized that you'd lied about it… I was hurt that you'd lie to us over something so petty."

Through his tears Lex said, "I'm really sorry Mom."

"I accept your apology and I forgive you, but I didn't want an apology. I want you to take some time to think about the difference between our family dynamic and the dynamic between you and Lionel. From the things you've told me, Lionel has his emotional walls built up so high, that nothing can touch him. For years you threw everything you could at those walls to get an emotion out of him. But here, we've all let you into our hearts. There are no walls between us, so when you do something like you did today, we feel everything you throw at us and it hurts us when you don't take that into consideration."

Lex hadn't thought he could feel worse, but he was wrong. He was all out crying now and had no idea what to say other then repeated apologies. Martha held him tight and said gently, "Hey now, none of that. I'm not trying to make you feel worse, I'm trying to point out something to you that I don't think you understood until right now. I believe with all my heart that you are a good person Lex, and I believe that you were meant to be a part of this family. You bring me happy moments every day, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I just needed you to know how much you mean to me."

She held him for a while until his crying slowed down. She patted his shoulder and sat up. He moved over to let her up, and she reached for the tissues that were by the bed. She handed him the box with a smile and said, "When you feel up to it, come down and help with the afternoon chores."

He nodded, and she gave him a kiss on the forehead before getting up and leaving him alone. Lex spent the next hour thinking about the things Martha and Jonathan had said and done. He was positive that he wasn't going to make this mistake again, and when he saw Jonathan and Clark heading out to the barn from his window, he decided it was time to go help out. He was committed to making sure the rest of his summer was full of happy memories both for himself and his family.

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