The Sins of the Father Part I
A Smallville Story By Merrie Thomas
Disclaimer: All characters you recognize don't belong to me. They belong to other people with more money than me. Summary: Lex has been targeted by an assassin, and it's up to Clark to save him before it's too late. Characters: All, Lucien Caldwell, OFC. Author's Note: While this is not my first attempt at fanfiction, this is my first attempt at Smallville fanfiction, and I'm not entirely up to date on all things Smallville, so please be kind with your comments and criticisms. Thank you. Oh, and by the way, this is an AU story. Also, I've recently discovered that I am a Lex/Chloe shipper, so some of that obsession may come out in this story. You have been warned. ;-) Rating: This story is rated PG-13 For violence and language.
Luthor Estate grounds
It was a cold and dark night, but Lucien Caldwell didn't seem to notice. All he could think of was the target. His revenge. 'They must pay. They will pay.' He thought grimly to himself. He briefly checked his notes, wanting everything to be perfect. He would track his target, find out who his friends were, where he felt safe, and at the moment of his absolute security he would make his move. 'Yes,' Lucien thought to himself. 'Soon the son will pay the price of his father's arrogance. Soon, Lex Luthor will be dead.'
Days Later, the Kent farm
Lex Luthor smiled as he got out of his silver Jag at the Kent's farm. He was amused by it's very quaintness each time he was here. Not enough that he wouldn't still destroy and pave over it if given the chance, but since there was no way in hell Jonathan Kent would ever agree to such a thing, he might as well appreciate it's charm. He glanced up at the slightly dimming sky, wondering just what had persuaded him to come. He knew he wouldn't be entirely welcomed by Clark's father, but that didn't stop him from coming. It was Clark, he mused. He hadn't seen Clark in almost a week and a half, and he found himself missing his one and only true friend here in Smallville. He wondered at that as he walked up to the Kent's front doorstep and raised a hand to knock. He was greeted at the door by Martha Kent, Clark's mother. "Good evening, Mrs. Kent," he said trying to keep up a good impression by his polite manner. "Is Clark here? I haven't seen him in a while and I was wondering about him."
"Why yes, Lex. Come on in. He's been awfully busy with school lately, it's not surprising that you haven't seen much of him. He's up in the loft. Shall I get him?" She inquired beginning to head in that direction.
"No, that's alright thank you. I'll go myself." He said.
"Alright. Well, I'll be here if you boys need anything."
"Thank you." 'You boys.' He thought. 'Leave it to Mrs. Kent to make me feel like a little kid again.' He found that didn't really mind it as much as he probably should. He gave a small laugh of amusement as he headed out to the loft to find Clark.
Lucien found himself amused by these simple people that Lex called friends, the Kent's. 'Don't they know who and what he was? Didn't they worry that he would betray them just like his father?' Lucien supposed it didn't really matter as Lex Luthor wouldn't have the chance to betray them. He would be dead. 'In fact,' Lucien mused to himself. 'This game has gone on long enough. It's time for Mr. Luthor to die. And besides, who wouldn't want to die surrounded by friends?' Lucien would give him that. He wasn't a monster, after all. He turned to the long black case beside him and opened it. The sight of the rifle never ceased to take his breath away. Lightly running a hand down the stock, he began to assemble the pieces. "Yes, Luthor. Enjoy your time with your friends." He said with a sneer. "Because it's the last time you'll ever see them alive."
Lex came upon the loft and smiled as he saw Clark looking though his telescope toward what was most likely Lana Lang's house. Lex shook his head and cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Clark turned around quickly with a decidedly guilty look on his face. "Lex, what are you doing here?" Clark asked as Lex came to stand beside him at the window.
"I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. I haven't seen you in awhile."
"Yeah, I know. I've been busy with school lately."
"I know how that is." Lex said with a small smirk.
"I bet you do. So how have you been?" Clark asked, but not really paying attention to Lex's answer. Instead, he was focusing on the slight bit of movement he noticed in the yard out of the corner of his eye.
"Clark, are you paying attention to me?" Lex asked with a smile.
"What? Sorry Lex. I thought I saw something moving in the yard."
"Really? And would I see anything were I to look?" Lex asked, clearly not believing Clark's story.
"Look for yourself," Clark said, moving to the side. Lex walked up the edge and squinted out into the dimming light. At that instant, all of Clark's senses went haywire as he heard the shot. Immediately, he tackled Lex to the ground. All he could do was lay there as two more shots went sailing through the air over his head. "Lex, stay down." Clark said sternly.
"You don't have to tell me twice, Clark." After a few minutes, Clark's parents came running up the stairs, Jonathan in the lead with a shotgun in hand. "Dad!" Clark shouted at his father. "Just stay there. Someone is out front shooting through the window."
"Are you hurt, son?" Jonathan Kent asked with a worried whisper.
"I don't think so." Clark said as he checked himself over. "Lex? Are you ok?" Lex looked at him and slowly held up a hand slick with blood.
"I don't know, Clark." he said slowly.
"Dad! Lex is hurt!" Clark shouted.
"Can you get him over here without being seen though the window?" Jonathan asked.
"I think so, Dad." He said turning to Lex. "Are you ok Lex? Can you walk?"
"Yes Clark. I'm ok and I can walk. I'm pretty sure it's only a minor head wound."
"Alright. Now, we're going to make our way slowly toward my parents, but I have no idea if whoever did this is still out there so we're going to have to stay low. Unless you want to get shot, of corse." Clark quipped.
"Very funny, Clark. You lead the way, I'll follow behind." Clark nodded and crawled toward where his father was waving him on, Lex following close behind. Upon reaching them, Martha leaned over to examine Lex. He noticed he seemed to be alright save a long gash on the right side of his head which was bleeding quite profusely.
"Come with me, Lex. We need to get the bleeding stopped. I don't think you're cut too badly, but it's hard to tell. Scalp wounds always bleed quickly like that. Put your hand on it for pressure while we make our way down to the barn." Upon arrival to the barn door however, the group hesitated.
"Lex, whoever is doing this must be after you otherwise we would have been shot on the way here. With that in mind, I believe that the shooter is still out there waiting for us." Jonathan said.
"I agree with you Jonathan. But we can't stay here, we need to get to a phone and the only one is in the house. We have to get to it." Martha said.
"Mom's right. I say we make a run for it. It's our best chance." Clark said.
"Alright. On the count of three I'm going to open the barn door and we're going to run. Don't look back until you've reached the front door. Once inside, try and get to the middle of the house away from any windows. That'll keep whoever's out there from seeing what's going on. Are you all ready? Ok. One, two, three, go!" At the count, Jonathan threw open the door and the 4 of them raced to the house.
After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the house and locked themselves safely inside without further incident. "We made it!" Clark shouted. "Maybe whoever was out there has left by now."
"I wouldn't be on it, Clark." Lex said quietly.
"I'd have to agree with Lex." Jonathan said. "We can't take any chances. We have to call the police right away."
"No," Lex stated firmly. "No police. I have been in situations like this before and calling in the police does no good whatsoever. And besides, what are the police of this town going to do anyway? From what I've seen of their work, they're not known for their effectiveness."
"Still, what else are we going to do? We can't stay in here forever." Clark said.
"I know, but you have to trust me on this one." Lex stressed.
Jonathan sighed. He didn't like it, but he was not going to get into an argument just now. "Alright, no police for now. At least let Martha take a look at your head though."
Before Lex could say a word, Martha was pulling his arm and leading him into the living room where she forced him down on the couch. "You stay right here. I'm going to get the first-aid kit out of the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Ok, Lex. We won't call the police. That still doesn't stop the fact that someone is out in our front yard shooting at you. You have any enemies that I should be aware of?"
Lex just looked at Clark with a wry grin. lark amended his statement. "Ok, ok," he said with a smirk. "Are you aware of any current enemy that is wanting to kill you?"
"Sadly no," Lex said with a sigh. "I have no idea who's doing this. I'd tell you if I did, believe me." He looked down at his feet.
"Ok," Martha said, interrupting. "Let's see if we can patch up that cut of yours, Lex." She sat down beside Lex and wiped away some of the blood that had been making its way down Lex's cheek with a damp cloth. "How did this happen?" she asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I think it's from a bullet." Lex said.
"A bullet? Oh my." Martha said with a bit of a gasp.
"You do know what that means, don't you Clark? It means that if you hadn't pushed me out of the way, I would be dead by now. You saved my life. Again."
Clark didn't know what to say to something like that. Lex continued, "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, once again, if there is anything, and I do mean anything, that I can do for you or Clark, please don't hesitate to ask."
"We'll keep that in mind, Lex. For right now I want you to stop talking and let me bandage this cut." Martha Kent said with a smile.
"Yes, Mam." Lex answered and obeyed, not making a sound until Martha had finished. She laid a hand on his shoulder when he gave a small wince as she applied a bit of alcohol on a piece of gauze.
"There you go, that wasn't too bad now was it?" Martha asked with a smile.
"No Mrs. Kent, not at all." Lex answered with a rare smile of his own.
"So Lex," Clark said, interrupting, "I assume you have a personal security force?"
"Of course, Clark, dear dad wouldn't let his only heir come to any harm. It would be bad for business." He gave a cold smirk, and Jonathan and Clark exchanged a look. "I know what you're thinking though. If I have a personal security force, why don't I use them or at least call them after what's happened."
"Well, yeah." Clark said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Well the thing is, I dismissed most of them." Lex said.
"You what? How can you do that?"
"With a lot of money." Lex replied. He continued. "I didn't want Luthor Corp employees looking after me. I didn't want them reporting back to my father at every turn, so I paid them to leave me alone and not tell my father. As far as I know, they have kept their end of the bargain. If they hadn't, my father would have made mention about it by now."
"But, um, isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean, I would think someone like you would need a bit of protection. Especially after tonight? Don't you worry about something like this happening?" Clark asked.
"Not really." Lex answered. "I don't mean to say that I think that it couldn't happen, it did, but I don't spend my time worrying about it. If I did, I would never get anything done. I wouldn't leave the house."
"And now?" Jonathan pressed.
"And now, I must say that I am not so sure. I have lived under death threats all of my life, I have grown used to them. Not that they were necessarily aimed at me personally, rather than Luthor Corp and my father. Maybe I have been a bit foolish, but I didn't want to have a group of people supposedly protecting me when they were in fact spying on me for my father. Especially if my father is the one who is doing this." Lex added quietly.
"What do you mean by that?" Clark asked, having heard Lex's comment. "You don't think your father could be the one responsible for this, do you? Come on Lex. I know you two don't get along very well, but would he actually hire someone to kill you?"
"If you take to heart none of the advice I have ever given you Clark, listen to this. Never underestimate a Luthor." Clark noticed that Lex didn't leave himself out of that statement.
"Fine, I suppose I see your point. But that doesn't change that there is a madman out to kill you Lex. If they have gone far enough to actually take shots at you, I don't think that they will give up until you are dead."
"I know." Lex said quietly.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Clark asked, turning towards his father.
"That I do not know, Clark. If only we had a way of knowing if the shooter was still out there." He glanced at his son, who got the message.
"I-uh, I'll be right back." Clark said.
"Where are you going?" Lex asked with a wary look on his face. "I hope you aren't going back outside, Clark. The shooter could still be out there."
"I'm not, I'm just going upstairs to check on something. Don't worry, I won't even get near the windows. Promise." With that, he ran up the stairs. Lex turned and looked at the remaining Kents. 'Something isn't right here,' he thought. 'What are they hiding?'
A/N: Hoped you all liked it. The next part should be up very, very soon.
A Smallville Story By Merrie Thomas
Disclaimer: All characters you recognize don't belong to me. They belong to other people with more money than me. Summary: Lex has been targeted by an assassin, and it's up to Clark to save him before it's too late. Characters: All, Lucien Caldwell, OFC. Author's Note: While this is not my first attempt at fanfiction, this is my first attempt at Smallville fanfiction, and I'm not entirely up to date on all things Smallville, so please be kind with your comments and criticisms. Thank you. Oh, and by the way, this is an AU story. Also, I've recently discovered that I am a Lex/Chloe shipper, so some of that obsession may come out in this story. You have been warned. ;-) Rating: This story is rated PG-13 For violence and language.
Luthor Estate grounds
It was a cold and dark night, but Lucien Caldwell didn't seem to notice. All he could think of was the target. His revenge. 'They must pay. They will pay.' He thought grimly to himself. He briefly checked his notes, wanting everything to be perfect. He would track his target, find out who his friends were, where he felt safe, and at the moment of his absolute security he would make his move. 'Yes,' Lucien thought to himself. 'Soon the son will pay the price of his father's arrogance. Soon, Lex Luthor will be dead.'
Days Later, the Kent farm
Lex Luthor smiled as he got out of his silver Jag at the Kent's farm. He was amused by it's very quaintness each time he was here. Not enough that he wouldn't still destroy and pave over it if given the chance, but since there was no way in hell Jonathan Kent would ever agree to such a thing, he might as well appreciate it's charm. He glanced up at the slightly dimming sky, wondering just what had persuaded him to come. He knew he wouldn't be entirely welcomed by Clark's father, but that didn't stop him from coming. It was Clark, he mused. He hadn't seen Clark in almost a week and a half, and he found himself missing his one and only true friend here in Smallville. He wondered at that as he walked up to the Kent's front doorstep and raised a hand to knock. He was greeted at the door by Martha Kent, Clark's mother. "Good evening, Mrs. Kent," he said trying to keep up a good impression by his polite manner. "Is Clark here? I haven't seen him in a while and I was wondering about him."
"Why yes, Lex. Come on in. He's been awfully busy with school lately, it's not surprising that you haven't seen much of him. He's up in the loft. Shall I get him?" She inquired beginning to head in that direction.
"No, that's alright thank you. I'll go myself." He said.
"Alright. Well, I'll be here if you boys need anything."
"Thank you." 'You boys.' He thought. 'Leave it to Mrs. Kent to make me feel like a little kid again.' He found that didn't really mind it as much as he probably should. He gave a small laugh of amusement as he headed out to the loft to find Clark.
Lucien found himself amused by these simple people that Lex called friends, the Kent's. 'Don't they know who and what he was? Didn't they worry that he would betray them just like his father?' Lucien supposed it didn't really matter as Lex Luthor wouldn't have the chance to betray them. He would be dead. 'In fact,' Lucien mused to himself. 'This game has gone on long enough. It's time for Mr. Luthor to die. And besides, who wouldn't want to die surrounded by friends?' Lucien would give him that. He wasn't a monster, after all. He turned to the long black case beside him and opened it. The sight of the rifle never ceased to take his breath away. Lightly running a hand down the stock, he began to assemble the pieces. "Yes, Luthor. Enjoy your time with your friends." He said with a sneer. "Because it's the last time you'll ever see them alive."
Lex came upon the loft and smiled as he saw Clark looking though his telescope toward what was most likely Lana Lang's house. Lex shook his head and cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Clark turned around quickly with a decidedly guilty look on his face. "Lex, what are you doing here?" Clark asked as Lex came to stand beside him at the window.
"I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. I haven't seen you in awhile."
"Yeah, I know. I've been busy with school lately."
"I know how that is." Lex said with a small smirk.
"I bet you do. So how have you been?" Clark asked, but not really paying attention to Lex's answer. Instead, he was focusing on the slight bit of movement he noticed in the yard out of the corner of his eye.
"Clark, are you paying attention to me?" Lex asked with a smile.
"What? Sorry Lex. I thought I saw something moving in the yard."
"Really? And would I see anything were I to look?" Lex asked, clearly not believing Clark's story.
"Look for yourself," Clark said, moving to the side. Lex walked up the edge and squinted out into the dimming light. At that instant, all of Clark's senses went haywire as he heard the shot. Immediately, he tackled Lex to the ground. All he could do was lay there as two more shots went sailing through the air over his head. "Lex, stay down." Clark said sternly.
"You don't have to tell me twice, Clark." After a few minutes, Clark's parents came running up the stairs, Jonathan in the lead with a shotgun in hand. "Dad!" Clark shouted at his father. "Just stay there. Someone is out front shooting through the window."
"Are you hurt, son?" Jonathan Kent asked with a worried whisper.
"I don't think so." Clark said as he checked himself over. "Lex? Are you ok?" Lex looked at him and slowly held up a hand slick with blood.
"I don't know, Clark." he said slowly.
"Dad! Lex is hurt!" Clark shouted.
"Can you get him over here without being seen though the window?" Jonathan asked.
"I think so, Dad." He said turning to Lex. "Are you ok Lex? Can you walk?"
"Yes Clark. I'm ok and I can walk. I'm pretty sure it's only a minor head wound."
"Alright. Now, we're going to make our way slowly toward my parents, but I have no idea if whoever did this is still out there so we're going to have to stay low. Unless you want to get shot, of corse." Clark quipped.
"Very funny, Clark. You lead the way, I'll follow behind." Clark nodded and crawled toward where his father was waving him on, Lex following close behind. Upon reaching them, Martha leaned over to examine Lex. He noticed he seemed to be alright save a long gash on the right side of his head which was bleeding quite profusely.
"Come with me, Lex. We need to get the bleeding stopped. I don't think you're cut too badly, but it's hard to tell. Scalp wounds always bleed quickly like that. Put your hand on it for pressure while we make our way down to the barn." Upon arrival to the barn door however, the group hesitated.
"Lex, whoever is doing this must be after you otherwise we would have been shot on the way here. With that in mind, I believe that the shooter is still out there waiting for us." Jonathan said.
"I agree with you Jonathan. But we can't stay here, we need to get to a phone and the only one is in the house. We have to get to it." Martha said.
"Mom's right. I say we make a run for it. It's our best chance." Clark said.
"Alright. On the count of three I'm going to open the barn door and we're going to run. Don't look back until you've reached the front door. Once inside, try and get to the middle of the house away from any windows. That'll keep whoever's out there from seeing what's going on. Are you all ready? Ok. One, two, three, go!" At the count, Jonathan threw open the door and the 4 of them raced to the house.
After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the house and locked themselves safely inside without further incident. "We made it!" Clark shouted. "Maybe whoever was out there has left by now."
"I wouldn't be on it, Clark." Lex said quietly.
"I'd have to agree with Lex." Jonathan said. "We can't take any chances. We have to call the police right away."
"No," Lex stated firmly. "No police. I have been in situations like this before and calling in the police does no good whatsoever. And besides, what are the police of this town going to do anyway? From what I've seen of their work, they're not known for their effectiveness."
"Still, what else are we going to do? We can't stay in here forever." Clark said.
"I know, but you have to trust me on this one." Lex stressed.
Jonathan sighed. He didn't like it, but he was not going to get into an argument just now. "Alright, no police for now. At least let Martha take a look at your head though."
Before Lex could say a word, Martha was pulling his arm and leading him into the living room where she forced him down on the couch. "You stay right here. I'm going to get the first-aid kit out of the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Ok, Lex. We won't call the police. That still doesn't stop the fact that someone is out in our front yard shooting at you. You have any enemies that I should be aware of?"
Lex just looked at Clark with a wry grin. lark amended his statement. "Ok, ok," he said with a smirk. "Are you aware of any current enemy that is wanting to kill you?"
"Sadly no," Lex said with a sigh. "I have no idea who's doing this. I'd tell you if I did, believe me." He looked down at his feet.
"Ok," Martha said, interrupting. "Let's see if we can patch up that cut of yours, Lex." She sat down beside Lex and wiped away some of the blood that had been making its way down Lex's cheek with a damp cloth. "How did this happen?" she asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I think it's from a bullet." Lex said.
"A bullet? Oh my." Martha said with a bit of a gasp.
"You do know what that means, don't you Clark? It means that if you hadn't pushed me out of the way, I would be dead by now. You saved my life. Again."
Clark didn't know what to say to something like that. Lex continued, "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, once again, if there is anything, and I do mean anything, that I can do for you or Clark, please don't hesitate to ask."
"We'll keep that in mind, Lex. For right now I want you to stop talking and let me bandage this cut." Martha Kent said with a smile.
"Yes, Mam." Lex answered and obeyed, not making a sound until Martha had finished. She laid a hand on his shoulder when he gave a small wince as she applied a bit of alcohol on a piece of gauze.
"There you go, that wasn't too bad now was it?" Martha asked with a smile.
"No Mrs. Kent, not at all." Lex answered with a rare smile of his own.
"So Lex," Clark said, interrupting, "I assume you have a personal security force?"
"Of course, Clark, dear dad wouldn't let his only heir come to any harm. It would be bad for business." He gave a cold smirk, and Jonathan and Clark exchanged a look. "I know what you're thinking though. If I have a personal security force, why don't I use them or at least call them after what's happened."
"Well, yeah." Clark said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Well the thing is, I dismissed most of them." Lex said.
"You what? How can you do that?"
"With a lot of money." Lex replied. He continued. "I didn't want Luthor Corp employees looking after me. I didn't want them reporting back to my father at every turn, so I paid them to leave me alone and not tell my father. As far as I know, they have kept their end of the bargain. If they hadn't, my father would have made mention about it by now."
"But, um, isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean, I would think someone like you would need a bit of protection. Especially after tonight? Don't you worry about something like this happening?" Clark asked.
"Not really." Lex answered. "I don't mean to say that I think that it couldn't happen, it did, but I don't spend my time worrying about it. If I did, I would never get anything done. I wouldn't leave the house."
"And now?" Jonathan pressed.
"And now, I must say that I am not so sure. I have lived under death threats all of my life, I have grown used to them. Not that they were necessarily aimed at me personally, rather than Luthor Corp and my father. Maybe I have been a bit foolish, but I didn't want to have a group of people supposedly protecting me when they were in fact spying on me for my father. Especially if my father is the one who is doing this." Lex added quietly.
"What do you mean by that?" Clark asked, having heard Lex's comment. "You don't think your father could be the one responsible for this, do you? Come on Lex. I know you two don't get along very well, but would he actually hire someone to kill you?"
"If you take to heart none of the advice I have ever given you Clark, listen to this. Never underestimate a Luthor." Clark noticed that Lex didn't leave himself out of that statement.
"Fine, I suppose I see your point. But that doesn't change that there is a madman out to kill you Lex. If they have gone far enough to actually take shots at you, I don't think that they will give up until you are dead."
"I know." Lex said quietly.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Clark asked, turning towards his father.
"That I do not know, Clark. If only we had a way of knowing if the shooter was still out there." He glanced at his son, who got the message.
"I-uh, I'll be right back." Clark said.
"Where are you going?" Lex asked with a wary look on his face. "I hope you aren't going back outside, Clark. The shooter could still be out there."
"I'm not, I'm just going upstairs to check on something. Don't worry, I won't even get near the windows. Promise." With that, he ran up the stairs. Lex turned and looked at the remaining Kents. 'Something isn't right here,' he thought. 'What are they hiding?'
A/N: Hoped you all liked it. The next part should be up very, very soon.