Title: Saved
Author:  Aelora
Author email:  missjedi@fandomchicks.com
Author webpage:  http://www.watchersjournal.com/aelora/aelora.html
Genre: Pre-Slash, AU, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Lex/Clark
Disclaimer: These characters belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Please don't try to sue me.  All I can give you is my cat.
Summary: Can Clark save Lex again?  Or is he already too late?
Warnings: The beginning could freak you out.
 

SAVED
 

The bell rang at the end of second period and Clark swung out of his desk, gathering his books in hand and heading out into the hallway with the rest of the students.  He slowed a little as Pete moved up beside him. 

“Man, I think Mr. James outdid himself on the most boring subject imaginable this morning,” Pete groaned, shifting his book bag from his right shoulder to his left.  “I think I fell asleep like twice.”

“Three times,” Clark corrected with a grin.

Pete made a face.  “My point, exactly.  You were keeping track.”

Chuckling, Clark glanced up to see Chloe pushing her way through the throng of students, heading directly toward them, her face pinched in an expression of anxiety.  Immediately, Clark knew something was wrong.  He had seen that look before and it always led to bad news.  Both he and Pete came to a halt, waiting as the blonde hurried to them.  She stopped right in front of Clark.

“Clark… “ She hesitated and seemed to be searching for words.

Frowning, Clark prompted, “What is it?”

“It’s Lex,” she told him, her voice one of sympathy.  “He was in an accident.  Apparently another driver swerved into his lane, while he was headed into Metropolis on I-70 – “

Clark felt his stomach drop out from under him at her words.  His breath caught and he barely understood what she was saying as she continued.

“— into the concrete divider.  Clark… I’m sorry but it doesn’t sound good.”

“Where is he?”  Clark was already pushing past her, forgetting about class, about school, about anything other than getting to his friend.

“Metropolis General,” she called after him. “Clark, wait!”

But he was already pushing his way down the hall, out of the building, breaking into a jog down the sidewalk and away from the school, away from prying eyes.  Once Clark was certain there was no one left to see him, he broke into a sprint.  Smallville quickly became a blur around him as he raced out of the town and toward the city.  Remaining along the countryside, unlike usual he took no notice of the cows and pastures and mills that sped by him as he hurried toward his friend’s side.  Lex was – he should have been there for him.  It didn’t matter that Clark had no idea that this could have happened, it didn’t matter that he couldn’t be at Lex’s side 24/7.  All that did matter was that Clark hadn’t been there, and now Lex was in the hospital, broken and hurting and had Clark been there he could have prevented all of it. 

Crossing back over to the highway when he reached the river, Clark was moving through the city within minutes.  He passed Main Street and Broadway, not stopping until he was finally standing in front of Metropolis General.  He looked up at the imposing structure for a quick moment, before pushing through the entrance and hurrying inside.  He walked right up to the check-in desk, his anxious expression sweeping over the nurses who seemed to be completely ignoring his presence.  Finally, unable to wait any longer, he reached out and grabbed the sleeve of the nearest attendant.

“M’am, a friend of mine was brought here.  I need to know how he is – where he is!”

Giving a tight smile, the nurse moved over to her charts.  “Your friend’s name?”

“Lex Luthor.”

Frowning, the nurse looked back up at him. “I’m sorry, son, but all information is restricted to immediate family only.”

Clark felt panic take hold.  He only needed a small sign, or hint as to his condition.  But her school features reveled nothing.  “Please, you don’t understand, I have to know!”

“I’m sorry.  There’s nothing I can do.  Maybe if you have a seat and wait awhile – “

Frustrated, Clark moved away from the desk, wandering down the hallway a bit, his eyes searching for any clue as to where Lex might have been taken.  Following the signs above, he winded his way through the corridors toward the emergency room. He knew he must have made the correct choice by the amount of press gathered in the waiting area.  His gaze searched the room frantically for a moment, for any clue that might lead him to Lex’s whereabouts or an indication of his condition, before he finally made a quick decision and walked up to one of the reporters.

“Excuse me, sir, but do you know anything about Lex Luthor?”

The reporter, a fair-haired man in his mid-twenties, glanced in irritation at Clark.  “Not a thing.  That’s what we’re all standing around waiting for.  All that came over the wire was that he was in a major accident.  Nothing beyond that.”  He studied Clark for a moment, then countered, “Do you know anything?”

Yes.  I know that I should have been there.  I know that I should have prevented this from occurring.  Clark shook his head, turning away to look at the doors to the emergency room anxiously.  If only he could go inside.  Concentrating, he focused his gaze until the walls disappeared and he could see the doctors, nurses and patients moving around in a frenzy on the other side.  He didn’t see Lex.  Unable to decide if that was a good or bad thing, Clark walked away from the reporter and over to stand beside the doors.  A nurse walked out and he pounced on her before any of the press could.

“M’am, is Lex Luthor in there?”

“I’m sorry.  I can’t speak to you right now,” she said as she hurried away.

Clark ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pacing back toward the chairs lined along the wall in the waiting area, then back again.  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he told himself to calm down, to relax, to stop worrying.  Lex could take care of himself.  He was surprisingly resilient, always coming through no matter how many times he was knocked unconscious, choked or held at gunpoint.  Clark tried not to think of the last accident involving a car though.  Tried not to think that Lex – his best friend, the only person alive who treated him like an intelligent adult, who gave him his full attention, who listened to him and seemed willing to do anything for him – would have been dead had Clark not been there to revive him.  He tried not to think of the fact that the Fates had determined a car accident would bring them together – and They could have just as easily decided to let a car accident tear them apart. 

Cameras began flashing and questions flew, causing Clark to return his attention to the  present, only to see Lionel Luthor striding out of the emergency room, a grim expression on his face.  He ignored the reporters, his gaze trained in front of him as he moved down the hallway, two security guards appearing on either side to push the press back.  Clark moved forward, hoping to get Lex’s father to speak to him.  Lionel was just about to pass him as Clark called out:

“Mr. Luthor!”

Lionel’s eyes flashed for a moment over Clark and recognition flickered in his gaze.  He said nothing, only watched the teenager for a brief moment.  But, that was all that was needed for the boy to understand what had happened.

Lex was dead.

Pausing only a moment longer, and giving the briefest, barest hint of a nod, Lionel continued on, disappearing out the doors of the emergency entrance and into the waiting limo.  Around him, the press continued to mill, speaking in low tones to one another about what it could have meant, while Clark remained unmoving, his mind fighting to reject what it knew to be truth.

Lex was dead.

He shook himself, knowing it was impossible.  Lex was larger than life, Lex was indestructible – Lex couldn’t leave him!  Not now.  Not when Clark was only beginning to realize how much the older boy had come to mean to him.  Battling the sharp pain in his chest that was growing by the moment, Clark turned to gaze at the doors to the emergency room once more.  He thought if he had the ability to rescue Lex from the sleep of Death once, then he could do it again.  He had to do it again.

Scanning the area with a determined set, Clark noticed a side entrance to the emergency room where doctors were occasionally emerging.  Looking neither right nor left, he headed in that direction, glancing around once only as he reached the door, to make certain he wasn’t being watched, then he slipped his way inside.  As busy as any emergency room in a city hospital, the nurses and residents around him seemed to either not notice or care that he was there.  Taking that as a sign to continue, Clark wandered his way through the ward, searching for Lex.  Toward the end of the hallway, the activity lessened, causing Clark to feel more confident that he had gone the correct direction.  Up ahead, two doctors exited a room and he quickly moved behind a curtain to hide himself, listening as they passed.

“I always had a feeling Luthor’s kid would go out like this.  You remember his wild youth here in Metropolis?”

“Personally, I always thought it would end in either a drug overdose or murder by some jealous husband.”

“Heh.  True.  Instead of a broken neck?  At least he lived by the creed of all good rebels – live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse.”

Laughter.

Clark felt rage burning through him, rage he hadn’t felt since Phelan had threatened his family.  How dare they speak of Lex like that!  It took everything within him not step out and say something to them, not to make himself known, to stand up for his best friend, who had always seemed to be looking on from the outside in, wanting respect, wanting approval, never receiving either.   And even Clark had let him down, he realized.  Too many times he had jumped to conclusions where Lex was concerned, listening to his parents, to Pete, to the general opinion of the town, judging Lex when instead he should have been there to support him. 

Moving forward, Clark somehow found the courage to enter the room the doctors had just exited.  The lights were off and before him was an occupied gurney, with sheet drawn over it.  Taking a deep, ragged breath, Clark placed one foot in front of the other until he was finally within reach of the sheet.  Slowly he placed his hand against it, gripping the edge and pulling it back. 

Lex was only sleeping.  He was certain of it.  The black jacket, underneath which he wore a stark white shirt and purple tie, was clean and freshly pressed. He appeared so peaceful, relaxed, as if the weight of the world, the pain of his life, had been lifted from his shoulders.  Just like in sleep.  Clark had seen Lex sleeping once.  He had come over late one night to talk and Lex had been on the couch, his laptop and paperwork spread all around him, sleeping quietly.  Not wanting to disturb him, Clark had simply watched him for awhile, wishing Lex could always look so at peace.  That was the first time the teen had realized that his feelings for his best friend went far deeper than he had ever believed possible.  Clark had wanted to touch him, had wanted to place his lips against Lex’s mouth, just to find out if it was really as soft as it seemed.  Terror had filled him when he had realized the train of his thoughts and he had raced out of there, leaving Lex to his dreams.  After that, whenever Clark saw his friend, he quietly contemplated the meaning of his feelings. Slowly he came to accept them for what they were.  He knew he could never tell Lex the truth.  He would never risk losing the beautiful young man as his friend.  But it was enough to finally know, finally accept.

Lex was only sleeping.

Reaching out, Clark touched the pale cheek, brushing the back of his knuckles over it gently.  “Lex?”  He called out softly.  “Lex, please wake up.  I have to talk to you.”

Please open your eyes and look at me.

Dropping to his knees, Clark placed his hand against Lex’s bald head, his thumb rubbing over the smooth skin absently, tenderly.  “Lex… please don’t do this.  Please wake up… There’s something I need to tell you, something I should have told you long ago… “

His friend was silent, unmoving.  Clark fought the rising tide of pain that was steadily moving through him, his heart still refusing to accept the truth.

Lex was only sleeping.  His skin was always so cold, so pale.  It was part of his exotic beauty; it was part of what made him stand out in a crowd, made him different, special.  Some might think it made Lex appear weak and sickly but Clark didn’t see that.  His need to protect and care for Lex did not coalesce from his appearance so much as Clark’s own need to be near him, to have his attention, to care for him.  He thought Lex was beautiful.  Only now did he realize his mistake in never having told him this. 

“I know you’re awake, Lex,” Clark told him softly.  “You’re just ignoring me because you don’t want to hear what I have to say.  Well, I’m going to tell you anyway and I don’t care how stubborn you want to be about it.  I love you.  I love you, Lex, and I know I should have told you a long time ago but I’m telling you now.  You’re the most beautiful being I have ever known and I want to be with you forever.  Do you hear

me, Lex?  Forever.  Promise me?”

Silence.

Swallowing hard, Clark leaned forward to brush his mouth over the lips of his best friend.  They were soft… but also cold and unyielding.  Tears pricked at Clark’s eyes and he fought valiantly not to let them fall.  To give in would be to admit…

Lex was only sleeping.

“Please, Lex,” he whispered against the cold cheek.  “Please… wake up… “

….

“Clark!  Clark, honey, wake up!  You’re running late – again!”

Clark opened his eyes, squinting against the morning sun peering in through the window.  His heart was racing and his eyes burned as though filled with unshed tears.  A dream.  It had only been a dream.  Letting out a sigh of relief, Clark swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a long moment, staring at the floor. 

But it had seemed so real.  Lex had died and Clark had never told him the true depth of his feelings, not until it was too late.  A dream.  And yet, wasn’t that how life generally turned out? 

Mind made up, Clark dressed quickly and hurried down the stairs, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he passed his mom in the kitchen.

“You have a few minutes for breakfast,” Martha offered with a smile, pulling out a plate from the cupboard.

“Not today, mom,” Clark told her hurriedly.  “I need to go somewhere before school.  Bye.”  He kissed her cheek and raced out the back door.

“Clark – “  Martha stared after her son in bemusement as he became little more than a blur down the driveway. 

Clark ran straight to the castle, his mind only half-occupied with the thought of being careful not to be seen.  He worried about what he would tell his friend, about how Lex would take it, about whether or not this would completely destroy their friendship.  None of it was right – and yet, it was.  His crush on Lana had developed before he had ever met Lex, and it had carried on because it was what was expected of him.  Every teenage boy was supposed to pine after the most popular girl in school, right?  And Lex’s encouragement regarding a possible relationship with the ex-cheerleader had only furthered the interest, stemming from Clark’s silent need for the young man’s approval.  But now Clark understood the difference between real love and a crush.  His interest in Lana was a fleeting thing, to be easily dismissed.  But Lex… he could never forget.  Ever.

In moments, Clark was standing at the front door of the castle. He raised his hand to knock when the door opened to reveal Enrique watching him, without a hint of surprise on his stoic face.  “Mr. Kent,” he greeted, stepping back to allow Clark entrance.

Stepping into the entry hall, Clark suddenly felt sheepish for being there.  “I know Lex probably isn’t awake yet.  Could you just tell him – “

“Mr. Luthor is awake,” Enrique corrected.  “He is in his room.  Shall I escort you…?”

Clark was surprised.  Lex was rarely awake this early.  He shook his head.  “No.  I know my way. Thanks.”

Clark easily remember his way to the master bedroom, as he moved down the hall and up the two flights of stairs.  One night he had been over for dinner and a new servant had spilled soup all over Clark’s shirt.  Lex had taken him upstairs to give him one of his pullovers to put on.  Of course, it had been too tight through the shoulders and short on the arms and they had both laughed at how Clark had looked in it.  He remembered that moment fondly, as he did with every infrequent time that Lex actually laughed openly in his presence.  Reaching the door to Lex’s room, he found it was partially open. 

Knocking softly, Clark peered in to see Lex standing in front of a mirror, looping a purple tie around his neck.  “Lex?”

A gaze of cerulean blue met his in the mirror, a rare smile appearing beneath it.  “Clark.  This is a surprise.  Come on in.”

Stepping into the room, Clark found his nervousness sweeping over him.  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and smiled at the young man before him, his eyes taking in the sleek black slacks and stark white shirt that hid a deceptively trim yet muscular form.  “I hope I’m not bothering you,” Clark apologized.

Lex shook his head, frowning momentarily at the tie until it was just perfect.  “Not at all.  Just getting ready to head out to a meeting with my father.”

“Your father?”  Clark frowned.  “Is he meeting you at the Plant?”

Shaking his head once more, Lex turned from the mirror to watch Clark closely for a moment.  “No.  I’m meeting him in Metropolis.  I’ve been putting this off for days.  Last night he threatened to come out here.”  Grabbing his black jacket that was hanging over the back of a chair, Lex nodded toward the door, indicating for Clark to follow him out.  “As much as I prefer meeting on my own territory, I also know he only likes to appear when he can catch me off-guard.  So I figured it would be easier just to set a time and get it over with.”

Metropolis?  Clark felt fear wash over him.  Just like the dream. He took in Lex’s outfit, only then realizing it was the same that he had been wearing beneath the sheet.  No!  Clark couldn’t let him go!

“Lex,” he began, walking beside his friend, his mind racing frantically for excuses.  “Couldn’t you put it off another day?  I was… I was hoping we could go to lunch later or something.”

Lex glanced over at the teen with a slightly arched brow.  “Lunch?  As much more appealing as that sounds than spending even a few minutes with my father, I’m going to have to take a rain check, Clark.”

They were moving down the stairs and Lex seemed to be in a hurry.  He was already slipping his arms into the sleeves of the coat.  Clark was almost in a panic.  “Lex, you Can’t go.”

Stopping once they reached the hall, Lex turned to look at Clark with a highly amused expression.  “And why would that be?”

“I… it might rain.  You shouldn’t drive in the rain.”

Lex chuckled briefly and shook his head.  “The weather was calling for scattered storms this evening.  I’ll be back in town before then.”  He started moving once more before adding, “What’s the matter, Clark?  You didn’t meet another crazy old lady who told you someone close to you was going to die, did you?”

Clark didn’t find the comment the least bit funny.  He was growing frantic.  “Lex, please don’t go,” he whispered, begging.

Sighing once, Lex stopped near the door and turned to Clark.  “I don’t know what this is about, Clark, but can’t it wait until later?  You know I hate these meetings with my father and I’m a little on edge as it is.  Come back this afternoon and – “

“I can’t.  It’ll be too late.”

“Too late for what?”

It was now or never, Clark realized.  He had been putting this off for too long.  “For this.”

Without another thought, the teenager leaned over and pressed his lips to the mouth of his very stunned best friend.  This time, the soft lips beneath his were warm and welcoming.  The kiss was returned and he felt a strong, confident hand wrap around the back of his neck, curling into his hair, pulling him closer.  Clark had kissed Lana in his dreams.  He had kissed Chloe in reality.  But nothing came close to the feeling of kissing Lex.  Nothing came close to the utter divination of having Lex’s lithe body pressed against his own, to the possessiveness that swept through him when he placed his hands on the slim hips, his fingers lightly stroking the fine fabric beneath them.

After a few moments, Lex was the one to pull away, to meet the green-eyed gaze that looked down at him, tentatively, fearfully.  A slight smile moved over the older boy’s face as he watched Clark.  “I think we have a lot to talk about, Clark.”

Hope spread through him at Lex’s words.  “You aren’t going to Metropolis?”

“Dad can come here if he really wants to talk to me.”

Clark grinned hugely, relief causing his heart to beat once more at a normal rate.  He couldn’t stop himself from leaning over and kissing Lex again. 

I saved you, Lex.  I saved you again.  And this time, it’s forever.

Continued??
 

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