CLFF 6th Wave - Title Challenge
Title: When the Bough Breaks
Author: Penemuel
Feedback address: arkadi_1@yahoo.com
Pairing: CLex, Zod/Jor-El implied
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them, damn it!
Summary and/or challenge: ST-TNG, "When the Bough Breaks"
Betareader: Leviathan
NOTE: Part of the ClexFest at: http://www.kardasi.com/Lexclusive/ClexFest
Also at Club Zero once they're released: http://www.squidge.org/~penemuel/clubzero.html 
Author's Notes: This is an AU of things happening in "Calling" and "Exodus" and includes some script excerpts from those episodes. Ignoring the wacky idea that Clark's birthday is sometime in May (There's the whole birthday thing in 'Calling', which is the second to last episode of the season), since she uses the quote "Maybe some of us want to celebrate the day you came into our lives". To me, it has always seemed that the Kents would have chosen the date of the meteor shower for exactly that reason, and as we all know, that was October 25th. So, no birthday crap. Second, some of the events with Helen have been changed, since I'm going with what we were SHOWN onscreen regarding Lex's involvement with her rather than the utter horse-hockey we're TOLD (5 dates all offscreen, love of his life, etc. Feh.)... And Clark and Lana aren't getting so hot & heavy, either. Ew. That's just gross...
It also isn't really finished, because I just ran out of time. I wanted to deal with Lionel and the caves, but I really, really need to sleep... Sorry!!

--Krypton--

Jor-El gasped as Zod shoved him bodily against the wall and pinned him there, the full length of his muscular body pressing him back against the cool metal. "When will you learn that these old fools don't believe you and that talk has failed to reach them?!"

He leaned in closer, infuriated by the way Jor-El recoiled from his touch, and growled, "If you truly believe in your dire prognostication, then make them believe, or force them to act!"

"I won't do that, Zod," Jor-El stated firmly, "If they cannot be persuaded by words and facts, then I will simply have to take my own precautions, and let them face their own fate."

"Your own precautions?" Zod murmured, intrigued at first. Then his eyes narrowed, and he snarled, "You plan to escape and leave all the rest of us to die? Your claims of caring about everyone's fate are all lies!"

"No -- that's not it at all -- Lara and I plan to have a child -- I merely wish to ensure his safety..." Jor-El protested, trying not to be intimidated by Zod's temper. "Without the cooperation of the council, there is no way to build transportation for more than a child..."

"A child..." Zod murmured, calming slightly and growing thoughtful. He stroked Jor-El's face, then stepped back enough to allow him to stand straight, and said, "You should have told me."

"You have been difficult to approach, recently, with your public ridicule of my theories," Jor-El responded, carefully keeping his tone neutral. "I planned to tell you..."

Zod cocked his head and studied Jor-El closely, then asked, "Have you already--"

"No, the mingling is scheduled for tomorrow. I had to submit fresh genetic samples."

"Of course," Zod said with a smile. "Nothing but the best for you." Inwardly, his thoughts churned, and before Jor-El even responded, he had the beginning of a plan.

"I attend the morning session of the council, then I will meet Lara there. I only hope they are more inclined to listen to me after I complete the measurements tonight," Jor-El mused.

"You are far too lenient on those old fools, my friend," Zod commented. Then he smiled and said, "So, show me this ship of yours."

Jor-El studied him for a long moment, then nodded and said, "I was actually planning to do that -- I had wondered if you would be able to aid me in programming some of its defenses. I want it to be able to give the child knowledge of who he is and where he came from, but I also want it to protect him..."

Zod smiled, pleased that fate had given him this opening, then said, "I would be glad to help. Where do you plan on sending the child, anyway?"

"That world your ancestor travelled to -- the natives are enough like us that he will be accepted by them with little trouble," Jor-El answered, unaware of the thoughts behind the smile Zod graced him with.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Zod answered, nodding and following him to the workshop where the ship was kept.

It almost seemed too easy -- he had been able to add his own messages and programming to Jor-El's ship, buried deep within the defense system that would protect the child, and Jor-El had absolutely no idea he had done it. The child would have the knowledge of who he was and where he came from, and of the power he would be able to wield over the natives of the backwards world Jor-El planned to send him to.

That part of his plan complete, Zod took his leave and headed for the facility where the genetic samples were stored. Night had fallen quickly, and the odd storms that had recently been plaguing them had left the area misty. He entered the building unchallenged, and made his way to the lab where he knew Jor-El's samples would be kept, evading the building security with ease.

It was true that as a warrior, he didn't have the detailed knowledge of gene splicing that the experts in that field held, but as a Kryptonian he had a long history of genetic mastery to draw on. He knew enough to be able to replace some of Jor-El's genetic material with his own -- enough to give the child the strength and ingenuity he would need to survive on a world full of primitive savages and unknown dangers. Zod was content to let the child have Jor-El's brilliant mind, but knew far too well that he would need more than that to keep him safe.

Less than three hours later, he had finished, left the building, and returned home for a good night's sleep. He would be at the council session in the morning and listen to them ignoring Jor-El's warnings yet again, and then he would see if his friend would invite him to the mingling. He fell asleep to the sounds of another violent thunderstorm, and dreamed of a rain of green fire that brought pain and destruction...

--Smallville - May 2003 --

"Besides, the only family I need is you," Lex said, forcing himself to sound genuine. It was all he could do to keep from choking on the words as he met Helen's supposedly adoring gaze. And then she was unlocking her office and discovering the destruction of the break-in. It was so easy to sound concerned, to seem to be the worried lover; all the while praying that she wouldn't connect him with the theft. He had to keep Clark's blood out of her hands, before she delivered it straight to his father...

It was a simple matter to deal with the police -- his teenage exploits had provided more than enough experience in lying by omission, and Helen was too disturbed by the loss of the blood sample. The blood sample she wasn't supposed to have, and was quite handily lying about to keep from exposing herself in front of him. By the time it was all over, no one thought it was anything more than a junkie breaking in for drugs. No one, that is, except for Lex and the supposed love of his life, who he was sure would be heading for a phonecall with his father as soon as she was finished there...

"I'm sorry, Lex. I'm as mystified as you are," Clark said, taking a deep breath and looking around one more time. They had to get out of there as fast as possible, to somewhere that he could talk with Lex without worrying about who might be watching or listening. He wanted, so badly, to explain to his lover; to give voice to the fear that had gripped him since the first time he had heard the voice saying exactly the same thing the symbols and Walden himself had said. The day is coming... They had to make plans before the day arrived!

Satisfied that he had done everything he needed to do before fleeing, he turned to Lex and asked, "Is there any way I can beg a ride home?" Lex nodded, understanding implicitly that this meant they needed to talk, in private.

"Sure," Lex answered, smiling at Clark and giving him a brief nod. He led the way out of the facility, and didn't speak again until both of them were strapped into their seats in the Jag. "Okay, Clark, what the hell is going on?" he hissed, starting the car and easing out onto the road.

"I don't know, Lex. I have no idea -- but it can't be good..." Clark answered, glancing out the window into the sky. "Yesterday, when I was talking with Lana, I heard a voice saying the same thing -- 'The day is coming'. I don't know what day, though!"

"It's got to be something important, considering how worked up Walden seemed to be. I want you to watch out -- he's dangerous, and he could be being controlled by some force..."

"Lex," Clark began, uncomfortable about discussing the subject, despite the fact that Lex now knew he was an alien. "I'm scared... You know the messages I told you about?"

"The ones from your father? You said he was telling you who you were, and asking people to keep you safe from evil. That seems like a laudable request -- if you really are the only survivor of your race, of course your dad would want you protected..." He paused long enough to smile at Clark and reach down to brush his fingers gently along the back of Clark's hand.

"I never told you about the other message -- the one from the ship..."

"There's a message in the ship, too? Can I see it?" Lex knew he should curb his enthusiasm, but it was so hard when there was actual proof of an extraterrestrial being right there, right next to him and in the Kent's storm cellar. His curiosity, as usual, was working overtime.

"God, Lex, you're such a geek..."

"Can't help it," he protested, stroking Clark's hand again before squeezing it once, tightly, and whispering, "Sorry... So, the other message?"

"It's 180 degrees in the other direction -- my biological father wants me to take over the world..."

Lex glanced at him for a moment, long enough to see the fear in his clear blue eyes. Returning his attention to the road, he mused, "Hmmn. One message for the public, and a private message to you. One message to us, to make us think that you're a poor defenseless baby who needs to be protected, and a message to you to tell you to take over these poor unsuspecting fools who will do anything to keep you safe. You realize that's an absolutely ingenious plan, Clark? We'd be so busy worrying about the foundling that we'd never suspect anything until it's too late..."

"But I'm--" Clark blurted.

Lex braked hard, causing the Jag to fishtail to a stop in the grassy verge. "Clark -- calm down! I know you're not planning to take over the world -- you just want to live and be happy just like everyone else. I trust you, and I know you're no conqueror."

"I could be..." Clark found himself protesting.

"I know you could -- but I also know you won't," Lex soothed, leaning over to kiss him gently. "Come on, we need to find Walden before he hurts someone else..."

Clark stared at the cave wall in horror -- the symbols had changed, and the message they spelled out chilled him to his marrow. He knew Walden had been there. Perhaps the linguist had even triggered the change somehow. But if he had, and had been able to read the new message, they were all in danger...

He heard the approaching footsteps long before the person drew close, and managed to feign surprise when Lionel came up behind him. Uncomfortably, he allowed Lionel to ramble on about the key and the caves until the man turned to address him directly about the altered symbols. Just how much did Lionel know, anyway?

He warned Lionel about Walden, then fled to tell his parents what he had learned. They attempted to hide their fear, and he didn't want to let them know he could still smell it.

He had to talk to Lex, before it was too late -- the day was coming when the last son would begin his quest to rule the third planet. The anti-terrorist people on the news had mentioned sleeper-cells; terrorists who were hidden in plain sight, until they were triggered by some signal to attack. What if he was the same, waiting for the right phrase or contact to trigger his conquest of Earth? He just couldn't let that happen...

Lex wanted nothing more than for his father to go away -- things were too precarious at the moment to have to deal with him on top of everything else. Clark hadn't called him yet, and his worry grew with every passing minute. If Walden found Clark before they could incapacitate him, who knew what would happen?

It was bad enough that Lionel was there pestering him about the wedding again, but then to find out he had managed to squash the restraining order to keep him out of the caves -- Lex knew he didn't need to come in person to tell him that, so why was he there, anyway? What, exactly, was his angle this time?

And then Lionel said, "It's curious how your, um, renewed interest seems to come right on the heels of Dr. Walden's escape. And, uh, Clark Kent seems to share your opinion. He was down there too, looking for your linguist."

Lex was proud of himself, keeping his expression schooled when it felt like there was a fist in his chest, squeezing his heart... He wanted nothing more than to order his father to stay away from Clark -- they couldn't afford to have him discovering Clark's secrets. That was why he had wanted to ban his father from the caves in the first place, and this stupid power struggle back and forth over them was just not helping.

Before he had a chance to say anything, however, Walden burst into the room, startling both of them. "Lex! I did it, Lex."

Lex swallowed and acknowledged him, and he continued, "I finally read the wall. I know what is says."

Uh oh... Lex thought, feeling that fist close on his heart again. This is NOT good...

Outwardly calm, he soothed, "And we'll talk all about it, but first we need to get you some help." Maybe some really good drugs that will send you all the way back to la-la land...

"Not now, Lex. Let the man tell us what he knows," his father said, looking at Walden with far too much interest.

"Stay out of this," he warned his father. The possibility that his father could figure out what Clark was scared the hell out of him.

And, of course his father ignored him completely, instead pressing Walden, "The wall, Doctor. What does it say?"

Nothing -- it says nothing! It's just a bunch of cool native American drawings! Lex thought, trying to restrain the panic that gripped him. And all the time he maintained his poise, obviously nervous of Walden because of the ability he had displayed earlier, but no sign of the true fear that wanted to claw its way out.

"'The last son will rule the planet,'" Walden answered Then he continued as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Don't you see? It's Clark Kent!"

Dear Academy of Arts and Motion Pictures, I want my damned Oscar, Lex thought as his father turned to look at him, obviously trying to judge his reaction to this revelation. "I think that's a pretty big leap," he responded. You're just a freakin' psycho, Doc -- there are no aliens here...

"No! I've never seen more clearly in my life. I know exactly what has to be done," Walden protested.

"What is that, Doctor?" Lionel pressed, aware that Lex was far more nervous than his expression showed. He could sense the tenseness in his son's body, and knew there had to be something to what the linguist was babbling about.

"We have to kill Clark Kent... before he destroys us all," Walden urged.

"Dr. Walden, you're confused," Lex began, trying to calm him before he could say or do anything else. Unfortunately, his actions seemed to have the opposite effect. Suddenly Walden's hand was in his face, and Lex couldn't help stepping back, remembering what had happened in the medical center. There was no layer of reinforced glass between them now, and he felt far too vulnerable.

The next thing he knew, there was a quiet but violent puff of air, and Walden fell to the floor. Lex looked up in surprise to see the doctor standing there with a gun, and then he and Lionel both looked down at Walden to see the tranquilizer dart sticking out of his neck. He wished that the relief he felt as he met the doctor's gaze was enough to overpower the nervousness he felt under his father's scrutiny. He had to get out of there and talk to Clark -- fast!

Dealing with his father and the unconscious linguist took longer than Lex had expected, and he was unable to contact Clark before the rehearsal dinner. As a matter of fact, he was late to the dinner and had to make excuses with Helen before he was able to talk to Clark. He appeased her with a complaint about business-related delays, then greeted the Kents and took Clark aside to warn him about Walden.

"Dr. Walden paid me a visit. Nobody was hurt. He's on his way back to the hospital," Lex began. He wanted to just take Clark out of there and tell him the whole thing; warn him before it was too late and his father got too interested...

"Well, that's good news," Clark answered, glancing around to see how freely they could talk. Not very...

"Clark, he was ranting about you."

"What'd he say?"

Lex took a deep breath and answered, "That the writing on the cave wall says... you are going to rule the world." Which, as a whole, would not have been so disturbing if it hadn't been for the fact that the cave writings were put there five hundred years before, and still carried the same message that Clark's father had put in the ship. The rational part of his mind was trying to work out the possible distance from Clark's home world to Earth and the length of time he must have been travelling through space, but it couldn't entirely silence the little voice in the back of his head talking about Fate and Destiny...

"I'm gonna rule the world?" Clark asked with a laugh, although inside he wanted to scream. "He's obviously nuts."

"Of course he is. Unfortunately my father was there. He heard the whole thing." And that, of course, was the big problem -- his father was no fool, and he had been far too interested in the caves for too long. The possibility that he could learn the truth terrified Lex.

Clark looked at Lex, seeing the worry in his eyes. "But he didn't believe him, did he?" None of them could afford to have Lionel discover his secret, but he was getting too close.

"He quoted one of his favorite Elizabethan poets. 'Twixt truth and madness lies but a sliver of a stream. He's not just gonna let this drop. I thought I'd warn you." God, Clark, this is all spiraling out of control...

Clark looked at Lex, trying to stay calm and inwardly screaming. They had to get out of there and deal with Walden before it was too late, and instead they were about to have a fancy dinner to celebrate Lex's impending wedding. What the hell were they doing? And yet he returned to the table and joined in the festivities, finding himself drawn in and laughing at Lex's tales of wedding preparation hell...

Lex had wanted nothing more than to run out after Clark when his supposed migraine hit. He didn't know if there was some actual problem, or if Clark had used the excuse of the headache to get out while everyone else was preoccupied so he could talk to Walden.

He had been so distracted that he nearly called Helen on her deception that night -- nearly accused her of the collaboration he so strongly suspected. He was sure she had been holding that blood sample to either experiment on by herself, or to give to his father. In light of the discovery of LuthorCorp's dabbling in cloning, that could be disastrous.

Instead, her attitude grated on his nerves, and in a split-second of irritation he tried to force her hand. "Helen, if we're gonna spend our lives together, we need to be completely honest with each other. You're always saying that."

She frowned and responded, "I found a file on Mrs. Kent in your bookshelf. It contained confidential medical records. From my office."

And just what the hell were you looking for, anyway? he thought, although he answered truthfully, "I got that from one of the disease control agents who was investigating Mrs. Kent's case."

"You mean you bribed someone for it?" she asked.

Yes, I bribed someone, damn it! Stupid government stooge who would have entered the information into some computer system with only the most rudimentary security on it, if he didn't just hand it over to my father for the fuck of it! The last thing we need is to have someone stumble across all of this and come digging in Smallville... He took a deep breath, then said, "I've told you. The Kents are very important to me. I was concerned about Martha's health. What were you looking for anyway?"

"Something that was stolen from my office."

He couldn't help it -- despite everything he suspected, he was offended by her mistrust; disappointed in her low expectations of him. "Do you think I was involved in the break in? "

"Please tell me you weren't."

"If you really believe I'm capable of that kind of deceit, maybe you shouldn't be marrying me," he said, expecting her to back down and profess her supposed love so that she could stay close until she uncovered whatever his father was asking her to find.

He was shocked when she responded, "Maybe you're right," then put down her glass of wine and walked out of the study.

Fuck! he thought angrily. Getting a grip on his anger, he put down his own glass and walked over to the bookshelf. He took the vial of blood out of its hidden compartment and looked at it, thinking, God, Clark... This is not going the way it was supposed to go...

Lex sighed and told Clark that the wedding was probably off. He knew it was better that way, but they needed to keep Helen somewhere where he could keep an eye on her, where she wouldn't be able to conspire with Lionel. Considering what she knew, it was far too dangerous...

"What did you do?" Clark asked, his tone indicating that he knew Lex must have screwed up.

Lex sat down and quietly answered, "I betrayed Helen's trust. Then I did something very un-Luthor-like. I confessed my sin, hoping she'd forgive me."

Clark sat on the couch, then said, "My guess is she didn't."

"I tried to force her hand but it didn't work. I'm sorry," Lex said softly. "And now she's who-knows-where, probably telling my father all kinds of things about you..."

"It's not your fault, Lex," Clark said quietly, standing again and walking to the chair where Lex sat. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers over Lex's lips, then leaned in closer and followed the same path with his tongue. "And we have bigger problems than the fact that there won't be a wedding I didn't want to happen anyway."

"Oh?" Lex asked, looking up at him and seeing the haunted light in his eyes for the first time. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"After Walden attacked me, I got another message from my father -- from the ship. But this one wasn't a canned message -- it was interactive," Clark said uncomfortably, pulling Lex out of the chair and back to the couch with him. He sat down, then tugged Lex's hands until he sat down straddling his lap.

"What did this one say?" Lex asked, leaning into Clark's warmth and sighing softly as warm hands slid up underneath his shirt and kneaded muscles he hadn't realized were tense. "Was it good dad, or bad dad?"

"It was very bad dad, Lex -- I don't know what to do..."

"What happened?"

"He told me that I had to leave Smallville and accept my destiny -- that my parents and Lana had no place in my life anymore..." Clark said, nuzzling against Lex's throat and beginning to gently nip as he pulled Lex in closer. Heat flared between them when Lex groaned and ground his growing erection against him. "He wasn't giving me a choice..."

"He mentioned your parents and Lana?" Lex asked in surprise. "How did he--"

"He said my thoughts weren't a mystery to him... Lex, I'm scared..." Clark whispered, wrapping his arms around Lex and pulling him close. "I don't want to take over the world."

"Clark?" Lex asked softly. "He said your parents and Lana had no place in your life? Did he mention me?"

"No... No, he didn't," Clark answered, lifting his head and meeting Lex's gaze. "Great -- that's your mad scientist look, isn't it..."

"He didn't mention me at all? I'm sure with everything that's been going on, I must have been at least in the back of your mind... maybe that means I do have a place in your future?" He smiled at Clark, and was relieved to see him smile slightly in return.

"There's something else that doesn't make sense, Lex -- if the ship and the messages in the cave are both from my people, why would the cave give Walden the power to hurt me? Why would it want someone to be able to stop me?"

"Doesn't make much sense, does it," Lex mused.

Clark nuzzled Lex again, stroking his back under the shirt and sighing as Lex moulded his body to him. "No, it doesn't, really..." he finally answered, before ducking his head and sniffing at Lex, smelling his arousal. As Lex grew more pliant in his arms, he buried his nose in Lex's underarm and snorfled, growing hard as Lex moaned and arched against him.

"Fuck-- Clark, do you know how hot that is?" Lex murmured, moving so that Clark had better access, and gasping in surprise as his lover picked him up and laid him down on the couch. Once Lex lay helpless beneath him, Clark began rubbing and nuzzling against him, growling softly and moaning louder as his arousal grew. "Fuck..."

"So good, Lex... you smell so damned good. Mine... You're mine..." Clark murmured, rubbing against him like a cat scent-marking his property. "You don't need her -- we can deal with her later. If we have to."

"Yeah..." Lex sighed, unable to put more conscious thought into it than that. Clark's hands were all over him, now, rapidly stripping him as he continued to rub and sniff. It drove him wild when Clark got so primitive on him, and he knew he'd let his lover do anything he wanted. It wasn't long before both of them were naked on the couch and rutting against each other, Clark's heat making him so hungry.

"God, Clark -- fuck me, please," he moaned, spreading his legs. He gasped when Clark pulled away for a moment, then moaned raggedly when his lover buried his nose in his crotch and breathed in his scent. "Fffuck!" he gasped, desperate hunger flaring as Clark growled and nuzzled at him.

"Mmmmine," Clark purred, ducking further between his legs and using his strength to lift Lex just enough to reach his anus. He probed gently at first, but the sounds Lex made sent shivers of lust through him and it wasn't long before he was fucking Lex roughly with his tongue. Lex kept squirming, trying to drive him deeper, but he used his strength to hold him perfectly still. He knew how much Lex loved to be restrained, and it turned him on so much to see that lithe body flexing and squirming in his grasp.

Finally, when the only sounds Lex was making were incoherent whimpers, Clark took mercy on him and positioned his cock at the twitching opening, then rammed home in one brutal thrust. Lex let out a hoarse, lustful cry and arched beautifully in his arms, then wrapped arms and legs around him and hissed, "Ride me, Lover."

Clark growled, the scent of Lex's arousal already driving him to aggressively thrust into his lover -- anything to keep him smelling like that, to keep him making those sounds... He wrapped bruising hands around Lex's hips and pulled him down hard, ramming as deep as he could go without damaging Lex. He had become quite adept at this over the time they had been lovers, knowing instinctively how much Lex could take -- he could push him right to the edge and hold him there indefinitely if he wanted to.

This time, however, the need to come was rapidly becoming overwhelming, and he knew he wouldn't last long. Ramming into Lex's pliant body over and over, he felt it building like fire in his balls and let himself be overwhelmed by his lust. Vaguely he registered Lex babbling -- the words made no sense, but the need was obvious. The one thing that did make it through the haze of lust was Lex's desperate cry of "Rule me!" just before he arched and came all over both of them.

Lex's internal muscles clamped down on his cock and his mind flashed white-hot as he thrust one more time and came, hard. When the spasms finally faded, he fell limply atop Lex and the two of them lay there, panting for breath, for the next few minutes.

He was the first one to recover, his return to consciousness sparked by the paranoia that despite his knowledge of Lex's limits, he had been too rough and hurt his lover. When he saw the broad smile and glazed look Lex gave him, that worry fled and he returned the smile.

"Wow..." Lex whispered, reaching up to smooth his sweat-soaked hair out of his face. "That was..."

"Mind-blowing," Clark murmured in answer, turning his head to kiss Lex's palm. "Amazing..."

"Wonderful..."

"Yeah."

They lay sated on the couch for a while longer, until Lex twitched beneath him and whispered, "I gotta move or my legs are going to stick like this, Clark."

"Sorry," Clark whispered, carefully climbing off him and gently massaging Lex's hips as he shifted on the couch. "That feel better?"

"Yeah... God -- I can barely move. You are fucking amazing."

Clark sat on the floor and leaned back against the couch, settling his hand proprietarily on Lex's hip. He couldn't restrain the slightly smug grin as Lex shifted again and sighed at the pleasant ache. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I want to meet your dad," Lex answered, smiling as Clark looked up at him with a confused expression on his face. "The ship, Clark -- I want to find out what the hell it's got in mind for you."

Clark made sure he was in front of Lex before they descended the steps into the storm cellar. The moment he touched a foot to the ground, the ship rose into the air and began to glow brightly. Lex followed Clark, slowing to a stop with a look of absolute amazement on his face. "Wow..." he breathed, bumping softly into Clark before he realized he had stopped. "Too cool..."

"Shhh..." Clark whispered, glancing at Lex and seeing the gleam in his eyes as the ship sparked his curiosity.

"Kal-El," the ship intoned, the deep voice seeming to come from all around them. "It is time."

"Time for what?" Lex asked, before Clark could stop him. He stepped out from behind Clark and took a step closer to the ship, then asked, "Why are you trying to force Clark to be something he doesn't want to be?"

"Kal-El will be what he is. So, you are the mate? Interesting..." The ship paused for a moment, the soft glow flaring out and touching Lex for a moment. He tensed, restraining the urge to jump back until he realized the beam of light was not harming him at all -- for a moment, it felt as if a hand had touched his chest and then stroked up to cup the side of his face. Slowly, the light pulled back in, and the voice continued, "Interesting. You are Ziget and yet you are not. You will protect Kal-El?"

"I'll protect Clark," Lex answered firmly, "and you will stop forcing him to be something he isn't. What the heck is a Ziget, anyway? And yes, I am the mate -- do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at this time," the ship responded, ignoring his other question. "But do not betray my son, or you will feel my wrath. Very well, Kal-El may remain here, for now -- since he has claimed you, it seems that perhaps there is still a reason for him to stay here."

The light slowly faded and the ship lowered silently back to the ground. Lex backed away from it, bumping into Clark and looking back at him as if he had forgotten he was there. "So, that's your biological dad? Do you want to tell me what I did in a past life that I'm stuck dealing with not one, but two of your overprotective fathers?"

"Just lucky that way?" Clark asked with a smirk. Then he grew serious and asked, "So... what happened? Why did he back down?"

"I'm not sure -- but I think we need to learn as much as we can about this ship and whatever computer contains all of this information, before he decides it is time for you to move on..."

"Let's figure it out tomorrow, okay? I kind of like the idea of you being 'the mate'," Clark said, dropping his voice as low as it could go in a fair approximation of the ship's voice on the last two words.

"I still have to figure out what to do about Helen and the wedding," Lex said, taking Clark's hand and leading him back up the storm cellar stairs. "And my dad and the caves..."

"Yeah -- after I get a chance to claim you again, okay?" Clark asked with a smirk. "I could get into this whole alien conqueror thing, if it comes with perks like this..."

"Careful, or I might have to found a secret rebellion against you..."

"Hmmn... And then I'd have to capture you and torture the information out of you..."

Lex smiled slyly and whispered, "You'll never win, Kal-El... But you can certainly try as often as you like!"