What if Clark hadn't had the presence of mind to lie after that first, fateful meeting?

Oh, and NOT MINE. Characters, that is.

Part 1, Prelude

Clark Kent jerked his head up and froze as the car came careening out of control towards him, both front tires blown from contact with a bale of barbed wire. He was fast enough to dodge, but he was so startled that superspeed didn't occur to him—moving didn't occur to him. He caught the brief flash of horrified eyes before several thousand pounds of moving metal slammed into him, bouncing him up over the roof and into the water after the vehicle.

Clark found himself surprised at the lack of pain after the impact, but the realization that he hadn't been injured was quickly followed by one that the driver had. Clark didn't think—he reacted. He'd torn the roof of the sports car and freed the man behind the wheel before he realized what he was doing, but by that point it was too late to simply open the door.

When he surfaced with his burden he realized the man wasn't breathing.

Carefully controlling his strength, Clark started CPR, pleading with the stranger not to die.

And with a coughing gasp, the man obeyed, hacking up water and inhaling raggedly.

Dazed blue met concerned hazel.

"I could have sworn I hit you," the man mumbled, looking somewhere between baffled and relieved.

"You did."

xxxx

I really shouldn't be starting another story until I finish one, but this idea just won't leave me alone. Which is odd, as I haven't watched anything Smallville for about two years. So I'm testing the waters, putting this out to see the reaction—it's going to end up written regardless, so I may as well post.