The Magic Starts Here


cover by danceswithgary


"So, why doesn't the circus have any elephants, or big cats?"

Clark raised a slightly cynical brow as Lex shifted into gear and pulled away from the curb with a screech, heading for the feed store on the other side of town. An attempt to repress a fond smile failed as a chuckle escaped. "Is that your subtle way of telling me you don't want to talk about Lana?"

Lex shot a glance across to Clark and lifted one shoulder dismissively. "She...asked where you were when I explained how her boyfriend gave you the necklace."

"And she wanted to come out to the car with you to make sure I was all right."

Startled, Lex's hands jerked on the wheel. "How...?"

Tapping the ear nearest to Lex, Clark grinned. "One of those differences we were talking about earlier. I heard the entire conversation, as well as a few others in the coffee shop and the flower shop two doors down."

Refusing to look at Clark, Lex sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Clark sputtered in confusion.

Lex winced, resolutely keeping his eyes on the road. "For making up a story so she wouldn't come out and talk to you? I mean, she's very pretty and..."

Clark's hand covered Lex's on the wheel and squeezed gently. His voice was low and understanding. "And I'm not at all interested in her. I never was. I just needed to know if she'd been affected by the meteor rock. Her boyfriend got the wrong impression, and obviously so did you."

Cutting his eyes sideways to meet Clark's, Lex grinned sheepishly. "So, what you're trying to tell me is that I fell for the guy all the girls are going to be chasing after, even when he's not chasing them?"

"Sort of? I mean, I'm not encouraging them. Very much." Catching the dark frown Lex flashed in his direction as they pulled into the feed store's parking lot, Clark amended his answer. "I mean, I won't be encouraging them at all. Ever. Girls or guys." Catching Lex's face in his hands, Clark drew him close. "Only that one guy and he's pretty damn special. So special that I'll do anything and everything I have to, so I don't screw things up." He brushed a soft kiss across lips that had gradually lost their downward curve. "Okay?"

Lex nodded, and reluctantly sat back in his seat with a sigh. "I'm fine, really. Hurry up and go place that order for Gabe so we can get back." He watched as Clark loped into the store and checked his cell phone for messages. There was another one from Dominic, and he sneered at the belated notice that all of his accounts had been frozen as LuthorCorp assets. With a muttered curse, he powered down the phone and shoved it into the glove compartment.

"What's wrong?" Peering in through the open window, Clark shot Lex a worried look before he opened the door.

"Done? Get in." Barely waiting for Clark to buckle up, Lex spun his tires as he left the graveled lot and headed back to the circus lot. When he felt Clark's hand on his arm, he slowed down to a more reasonable speed and shrugged. "The problem is, what you see is what you get, Clark. No bank accounts or credit cards, no property except for my car, which I guess I'll be sleeping in until I give up and return to the job that's waiting for me." He shook his head before Clark could speak. "I don't want to talk about it anymore right now. Tell me something else about the show, anything. Tell me about...the missing elephants."

Rubbing Lex's arm gently, Clark complied. "We did have elephants. They're called bulls on the lot, males and females. Our old male died and the two females that were left, along with their trainer, had a great opportunity offered with a captive breeding program. We encouraged him to take it. The big girls got great new quarters at a top zoo, and a chance for babies, and we have a lot fewer circus headaches from their output."

Lex couldn't resist a chuckle. "I imagine cleaning up that much crap can't be fun."

Clark laughingly agreed. "Yeah, but the crap wasn't really the problem, and the ring stock we still have certainly produces its share. It was...well, did you ever stop to think about how much an elephant can pee in one day? I really prefer just visiting them whenever we pass through."

The pronounced wrinkle in Clark's nose as he recounted the real reason for the elephants' departure, as far he was concerned, produced a belly laugh from Lex. "Same for the cats? Tired of cleaning overgrown litterboxes?"

Green eyes alight with the success of his distracting conversation; Clark shook his head in chagrin. "No, they got a better offer with another title and we decided not to try and pick up another slanger. That's a big cat trainer. We're focused on pongers and flyers now, along with the clowns and horses."

"I think I understand flyers, but pongers?"

Clark chuckled. "I guess it'll take a while to pick up on the slang. Pongers are acrobats, whether they're on the ground or not, flyers work the platforms, trapeze and perches, and web girls handle the Spanish web, the act where they work with the hanging silks. There's the rosinbacks, which are the horses the pongers jump on and off bareback, and dressage where the riders put the horses through school figures. The clowns and my magic turn are fillers, like the midway turns."

"Your magic act isn't just filler, Clark," snorted Lex.

Clark shook his head with a rueful grin. "Yeah, it is. I'm really new at it, and still working through my patter and effects with Chloe. I'm hoping I'll pick up more at winter quarters."

"Then I want to be there when you finally decide you're a real part of the show, because you'll deserve something more than the 'Magnificent' in your title," avowed Lex as he pulled into the lot with only a slight reduction in speed.

Torn between frowning at Lex's reckless driving and responding to the compliment, Clark finally ducked his head shyly. "Thanks."

Small dust devils swirled around the car as Lex parked near the line of trailers. Getting out, they saw Jonathan directing the roustabouts to rag out the lines for the big canvas. Hurrying over, they asked if the crew needed help, but Jonathan waved them away saying they had it under control, and that Chloe had been looking for Clark. With a nod, Clark and Lex left the busy scene behind to find her, and hopefully the people that Clark wanted Lex to meet.

The midway was quiet with no shows scheduled until the next venue, and Clark led Lex straight over to a small tent that fronted a trailer. Glancing at the bill hanging outside the door, Lex ducked his head automatically to enter the dimly-lit space, right behind Clark. "A fortune-teller?" he whispered, curious about the powers he'd seen advertised on the garishly painted sign.

Clark nodded and let Lex go in front of him, one hand placed instinctively in the center of his back to guide him around any obstacles. "Cassandra is one of the people I was telling you about, changed by the meteor rock."

A figure moved in the darkness toward the rear of the tent and a quavering voice called out, "Clark, is that you?" As they moved closer, Lex was able to make out the lined features of an elderly woman seated in a cane-backed chair, her eyes wide, yet obviously sightless behind the pale-gray film of cataracts. Her head cocked to one side as she smiled sweetly in their direction. "You've brought us a visitor."

The pronoun that she'd used began to make sense to Lex when two young men stepped out of the shadows. Clark grinned, and dipped his head in greeting. "Hey, Justin, Cyrus. I'm glad you're here. Is Tina around?"

The taller of the two shook his head, light-brown curls tumbling about his face. "Cassandra saw that you were coming with someone and sent her to get Chloe. She's been looking for you. They should be here any minute."

Baffled, Lex looked to Clark for help in understanding how the blind woman had seen them coming. Before Clark could try, there was a shout behind them. "Clark! There you are! Finally!"

Wheeling around, Clark placed his hands on his hips and shouted back, amused. "Chloe! There you are! Finally!"

The petite blonde ran up lightly, a tall brunette ambling behind. Slapping Clark's arm, she pouted. "Brat. You ask me to check some things out yesterday, and then you disappear today before I can give you the answers." She turned to smile in Lex's direction. "So, are you finally going to introduce us, or are you assuming that you've talked enough about us to each other that you don't need to? You know, it's not fair because..." A broad palm descended, muffling her words.

"If you'll stop chattering long enough, you monkey, I will." The laughter from the group drowned out the muffled protests issuing from behind Clark's hand. "Lex, the noisy one is Chloe, and this is Tina..." The dark-haired young woman nodded hello and Lex returned it with one of his own. Clark twisted to point backwards. "...Justin is the taller guy and that's Cyrus." There was a shy wave from the young man, whose face was hidden within the hood of his oversized sweatshirt, and Justin offered Lex his hand. Lex noticed some prominent scars along the back of it, but Justin's grip was firm, nonetheless.

Finally removing his hand from the subdued Chloe, Clark turned completely around to face Cassandra. "Cassandra, I'd like to present Lex Luthor. He's here to learn more about our group and what we can do." Reaching out, he slid a proprietary arm around Lex's waist and drew him near. "He was changed by the meteor rock, too. He's one of us."

Chloe piped up behind them. "However, Clark has neglected to mention just how close he and Lex have gotten, Cassandra." The chuckles that ran through the group made Lex feel a little better about the situation. It appeared that none of them had any issues with the two of them being together, and Lex was glad for Clark's sake. He would have hated being the cause for a rift between him and his friends.

A strong gust of wind buffeted against the canvas, and Clark frowned. Dropping his arm from Lex's waist, he took a step towards Cassandra and took a gnarled hand gently in one of his. His voice was low. "Do I need to leave?" He stilled, and his eyes turned to green glass as he stared ahead sightlessly. The rest of the group waited silently, Lex growing concerned, as Clark displayed no awareness of his surroundings. Suddenly, he shook himself and exhaled loudly, green eyes alive again. Swooping in, he snatched a kiss from Lex, right before he vanished without a trace.

Eyes wide, Lex surveyed the others, all of whom seemed perfectly composed with no indication that Clark's disappearance was anything but normal. His mouth dropped open, but no words emerged because he had no idea where to begin. Chloe took pity on him, tugged him over to the nearest bench, and pushed him down without any difficulty since his legs seemed to have lost their ability to hold him up.

Folding her arms across her chest, Chloe shook her head and snickered. "He did it again. Left the new guy alone with us without explaining a thing, didn't he? Justin was the last one he did it to, and Cyrus got to fill him in." She looked around the tent. "Who wants the honor this time?"

"Chloe child, you know perfectly well that he had to go." Cassandra's calm tones brought Chloe's arms down and a slightly embarrassed twitch to her pursed lips. "A tornado will touch down just south of Smallville and two children could be in danger."

Cyrus moved forward, sliding his hood back. "Will anyone get hurt? Should I follow him?"

Cassandra reached out and patted Cyrus' arm, squeezing it gently. "No, he'll be back soon and I believe he'll get there in plenty of time. Save your strength."

"Where is Clark?" Lex had found his voice, and asked the question most important to him, first.

Turning sightless eyes in Lex's direction, Cassandra reassured him, "He's gone to help some people who could have gotten injured in the tornado. He'll be back as soon as he's done, Lex."

"But...I didn't see him leave."

Justin spoke up. "Clark said he told you that we were changed by the meteors, we're different, like you. The thing is...we're all different in different ways." He raised one hand and pointed to the chair next to Lex, which proceeded to rise in the air. "I'm telekinetic." The chair lowered slowly back to the ground. "Tina..." Lex looked towards the dark-haired woman who suddenly transformed into a copy of Justin. "...can change her shape, as well as anything touching her body."

"I heal animals and people, well, mostly." Cyrus ducked his head shyly. "I can't fix Cassandra's eyes because it happened too long ago." Cassandra squeezed his arm again with a sweet smile and a consoling murmur. "Cassandra can see the future when she touches someone's hand."

Lex was puzzled. "She didn't tell Clark anything before he left. How did he know what was happening and where to go?"

"Clark's the really different one around here. I didn't get anything from the meteors and he got double, no triple what anyone else got." Chloe sat down next to Lex. "When he touches Cassandra, he can see whatever she sees. He's really fast, too."

Lex huffed and nodded. "I guess so. And strong. I saw him lifting some pretty big boxes without breaking a sweat." He looked around the tent at the others. "Anything else? Wait, his hearing, right?"

Chloe's blonde locks bobbed in agreement. "And his eyesight is pretty amazing." Her eyes narrowed. "So what do you do? I wasn't able to find anything on you."

One amber brow curved upwards. "Find?"

Justin jumped in before Chloe finished sputtering in defense. "Chloe's our resident computer expert. Some people might actually use the label, hacker." He winked at Chloe, who returned a rude gesture. "She searches for people with differences. You should see her trailer. One wall is covered with articles on the weird things that have happened because of the meteors."

Lex nodded slowly. "Well, you're right. You wouldn't have found anything written up on my difference. I heal, but not like Cyrus. Just myself, faster than normal people, a lot faster. And I don't get sick." He shrugged, attempting to keep it casual. "I guess that means I'm not really one of you because I can't use it for anything."

Chloe leaned over and nudged Lex with her shoulder. "Come on, of course you are. Clark would never have brought you here if you didn't belong."

"Lex?" Lex looked around when Cassandra spoke. "May I touch your hand, please? I may be able to discover a little something about why you're here."

Reluctantly rising to his feet, Lex shuffled closer to Cassandra and placed his left hand in hers. "I'm not sure how much I believe in all this seeing the future, but..."

Cassandra nodded sympathetically and closed her eyes. A slight frown crossed her face that deepened before she spoke. "There's a great darkness surrounding you, a man, older, long hair, and such anger and despair. The world will suffer as you do..." Cassandra's face twisted in pain and her hand tightened, as her body straightened up, trembling in her chair. "...such evil..."

Lex attempted to draw back, frightened by the tortured look on the old woman's careworn face. A large, warm hand in the center of his back steadied him and he breathed a deep sigh of relief when he recognized Clark's touch. He relaxed into it, feeling the heat of the strong body behind him soothe away his tension.

Cassandra's face changed, relaxed, and a smile teased at her thin lips. "It's changed. The darkness is still there, but there's hope, too." She nodded, pleased. "The way won't always be easy, but the evil won't win now." She released Lex's hand and sat back in her chair, her eyes open and oddly aware despite her lack of sight. She nodded again with a hint of satisfaction. "Clark, it's you."

Sliding his hand around Lex's waist, Clark pulled him back into his body, leaning his chin on Lex's shoulder as he answered Cassandra, his warm breath tickling Lex's ear. "Yeah, I'm back. Everything's okay. A little storm damage, but no one's hurt." He hugged Lex a little closer and Lex could feel his heat all along his back and thighs. His voice was a low rumble in Lex's ear as he nibbled the tender lobe. "I'm really sorry I had to leave like that. You okay?"

The less-than-subtle clearing of Chloe's throat broke them apart. "Hey, guys? I'm as prone to PDA's as the next person, but before you start actually humping each other in front of all of us, can we finish up here so anyone who doesn't want to watch can leave?"

The gale of laughter that greeted Chloe's tongue-in-cheek tirade broke up any remaining ice between Lex and the others. He laughed along with them as Chloe exchanged a few more barbs with her partner. The juxtaposition of the two added to the humor, the impression of a tiny, yellow chicken pecking away at a relentlessly friendly Newfoundland keeping Lex amused as he waited.

"Let me know what you find out about those robberies that I heard about at the coffee shop today. The way they were describing it left me pretty suspicious. Maybe we've got another one who didn't handle a change very well." A quick peck on Chloe's cheek and Clark turned away, waving at all the others and calling a polite goodbye to Cassandra.

"Come on, let's grab some dinner before the cookhouse closes, and then call it a day. I don't get to turn in early very often, and I'm going to take advantage of the break." Clark grabbed Lex's hand and led him between the trailers to the back yard. Looking back over his shoulder he dead-panned, "And I think we should sleep at my place tonight. We'll save the Porsche for emergencies. I don't think I'd be very comfortable, even with the seat back."

Knowing he'd never get a chance to object, Lex just rolled his eyes and followed wherever Clark led him.

Part 10



Glossary of Circus and Magic Terms