Cinderfella Cinderfella by Sierra Story was part of the Kardasi.com Fifth ave Challege at: http://www.kardasi.com/Lexclusive/ClexFest/storyindex.htm Once upon a time there was a woman named Martha Kent who married as her second husband the proudest and wealthiest man who had ever been seen his name was Lionel Luther. He had two sons, Lex and Lucas, with a disposition like his own, they resembled him in every way except Lex who was completely bald. Martha had a young son, who name was Clark Kent from her first marriage. Clark was of unparalled sweetness and goodness, he got this from his father, who was the best person in the world. Martha Kent-Luthor soon fell ill after her marriage, and died. Mrs. Luthor was buried in a plot next to her late husband, Jonathan Kent, at her funeral Clark Kent cried. After her burial was no sooner over than Lionel gave free rein to his bad disposition. He could not endure Clark's good qualities, which made his own sons seem even more hateful. Lionel made Clark do the most unpleasant household chores it was he who cleaned the castle and widows and who scrubbed the floors and cleaned Lionel bedrooms as well as every other room. Clark slept at the top of the castle. In a tower in a garret on an ugly straw mattress, while his brothers were in bedrooms that were decorated with parquet floors and furnishings in the latest styles and clothes. The poor boy bore everything patiently and did not dare complain to his stepfather, who would have scolded him because he gave him a place to live, and food to eat. When he had finished his work, he would go to the chimney corner and sit in the ashes, which made Lex call him Cinderslut. Lucas who did not agree with the name so he called him Cinderfella. Cinderfella,however, with his poor clothes, could not help being a hundred times more handsome than his brothers, even though they were dressed magnificently. Clark was treated differently by his two brothers, each had their own chores for Clark to do for them. Lucas would help Clark out with his chores in his room because he found it funny how everyone ordered Clark around without so much as a thank you. So he always thanked Clark for the things he had done for him in private. While on the other hand Lex made Clark into his personal slave, he did everything for Lex and never lifted a finger to help or to say thank you. Lex loved calling Clark Cinderslut because Clark would do anything Lex asked of him, no matter how humiliating it was to him. It happened one day that Lex had come home early from work, looking for Clark. He called throughout the house calling "Cinderslut" but Clark did not come out to him. Lex went looking for him. He searched Clark's room but no Clark and he searched the whole house but Clark was nowhere to be found. Lex was just about to leave the house when he heard a loud crash come from his brother's room and he raced up stairs to find the source of noise. Upon entering Lucas room without knocking, Lex was shocked at what he was seeing and tried to gain control of himself before entering further in the room. He saw that Clark was on Lucas'bed with his hands tied to the headboard, face down naked. Lucas held a leather strap in hands and was about to swing the strap down on Clark's ass again. Lex grabbed a hold of Lucas hand and said "What the fuck is going on, Lucas?" Lucas pulled free from Lex grasp and said "This does not concern you, Lex and get the fuck out of my room, now!" Lex paid no attention to Lucas as he went over to free Clark from the bed and then he felt Lucas grab his arm. Lex turned around and said to Lucas "I am not a helpless servant boy to do your bidding Lucas and I suggest that you get your hand off of me or if you like I will use that leather strap on you!" Lucas removed his hand off of Lex as he finished untying Clark from the bed. Lex told Clark to wait for him in his room and Clark only nodded and he got off the bed and grabbed his clothes and left the room. Then Lex turned his attention back to Lucas and said, "If you ever touch him like that again, I will kill you!" As he walked to leave the room. Lucas yelled out to him and said "Going to go fuck him now, Lex is that why you call him Cinderslut. Because his ass belongs to you and only you can get to touch that ass of his." He said as he threw the strap at Lex and it landed by his feet. Lex picked up the strap and said nothing as he walked out the room and slammed the door close. He walked toward his room and opened the door glad to see Clark there and that he had obeyed him. Clark was standing next to the fireplace looking into the fire. He jumped when he felt someone had entered the room. "How long has this been going on between you and Lucas?" Lex said as went to pour a drink of water for Clark. Clark only looked into the fire and said "Two days." As Lex handed Clark the glass of water he said, "Why didn't you say any thing to my father or me about how Lucas was treating you?" Clark took the water and gulped it down quickly and looked over to Lex and said, "I'm a servant in this house and servants are supposed to do whatever their masters tell them?" Lex looked at him puzzled and said, "You are not a servant in this house. You are part of this family." Clark began to laugh and said, "Family? Even you treat me like servant and call me not by my name but Cinderslut. I am a servant in this house not part of your family. Can I go now?" "You can go after you answer one question. Why does Lucas treat you the way that he does?" Clark started walking toward the door and opened it and said as he was going through it, "Because he can." With that statement Clark was gone. Lex had been sitting in room thinking about what Clark had said to him and how he treated him for hours until his father came into his room to inquire about him. "Father, I have a favor I would like to ask of you?" "What kind of favor?" "I want Clark to come to work with me during the day time, if that's ok with you." "Why would you want him with you all day?" "I need help with my deliveries and he could help me out." "Very well, he is yours." "I want him under my total control without help from Lucas." "Done. Dinner will be ready soon." Lionel said before leaving. Lex went over to his closest and found a shirt, jacket and a pair of pants for Clark to wear for his new job. Then he left to go tell Clark. He went to his door and knocked on it and said, "Clark, I would like to talk to you." Clark said "Come in." When Lex entered the room, he found Clark sitting on his bed. Then Lex said, "Tomorrow morning you will become a servant of people." Then he threw the clothes he had in his arms at Clark and said, "You are working with me." And he left of the room. Over the next few months, Clark went to work with Lex while Lucas kept his distance away from him. Clark was beginning to feel better about himself and Lex never treated him like a servant when they got home after work. Lucas still expected him to be his servant. Clark still was but Lucas never touched him with the leather strap again. During the course of working with Clark and being around him all day Lex's feelings began to change. He no longer called him Cinderslut but, by his name, Clark. Lex was beginning to feel protective towards Clark not letting anyone bulling him. Clark never let his guard down when he was with Lex or anyone else and that bothered Lex. Lex wanted Clark to not feel like a servant but part of his family. Family. Lex sometimes wished that Clark was his brother because he hated how Lucas treated him but then again Lucas was a daily reminder of how he once treated Clark. He wanted to make it up to Clark for all the bad things he had said or done to him. He knew that the damage was done and that no matter what he did for Clark, Clark would always think of him as his master not as his friend. Not when Lex wanted more from Clark so if he would only think of him as his master then Lex would make sure that he always treated him right. It happened one day that the King's daughter, Princess Lana, was giving a ball, she invited all the young men of the kingdom. The King planned the ball in hopes of finding a suitor to marry his only daughter, he hoped that Lana would find her true love and be as happy as he was with the Queen. Lucas was so happy to be invited to the ball. In hopes in winning Lana hand in marriage. While Lex could care less because he thought that Lana was a slut herself for arranging a ball to find a husband and he refused to become a whore for Lana. Clark looked forward to the ball because he had seen Lana a couple of times while he was working and had fallen in love with her. It was love at first sight. A couple of days before the ball, everyone was getting ready for ball choosing clothes that they thought they would look best in. Lucas chose to wear black pants, white shirt, and black vest. While Lex chose to wear Long black jacket, purple shirt, and black pants. Clark searched and searched through his few clothes for something that he thought Lana would love to see him in. None the clothes he had would make a good outfit for him to attend the ball let alone impress Lana to fall in love with him. At last the happy day arrived. Lex and Lucas left, and Cinderfella followed them with his eyes as long as he could. When he could see them no longer, he began to cry. His godfather Pete, who saw him in tears, asked what was the matter. "I would like . . . I would like . . . " He was crying so hard that he could not finish his sentence. His godfather, who was a fairy said, "You would like to go to the ball, wouldn't you?" "Oh, yes," said Cinderfella, sighing. "All right, will you be a good boy?" Said his godfather. "I'll see to it that you go." He led Clark to a room and said "Go into the garden and bring me back a pumpkin." Cinderfella immediately went and cut the best one he could find and took it to his godfather, although he could not guess how that pumpkin could make him go to the ball. His godfather hollowed it out so that only the shell was left and struck it with his wand and, and the pumpkin was changed into a beautiful gold coach. Then he went to look in the mousetrap, and he found six mice still alive. He told Clark to open the door of the trap slightly, and as each mouse left, he struck it with his wand. Each mouse was changed at once into a handsome horse, which made a handsome equipage of six horses of a fine dappled mouse gray. Since he was in some difficulty as to what he should turn into a coachman, Cinderfella said, "I'll go see if there isn't a rat in the rat trap that we could make the coachman." "You're right," said his godfather. "Go and look." Cinderfella brought in the rat trap. It held three large rats. His godfather Pete, chose one of the three rats because of his splendid whiskers. When he touched him, he was changed into a fat coachman who had the handsomest mustache ever seen. Then he said, "Go into the garden and find six lizards behind the watering can . . . bring them to me." Cinderfella had no sooner brought them in than his godfather changed them into six footmen who got up instinctively behind the coach in their lace-trimmed liveries and clung there as if they never did anything else all their lives. Then his fairy godfather said to Cinderfella, "Well, here is what you need for going to the ball. . . aren't you pleased?" "Yes, but am I to go in this, in these ugly clothes?" His godfather just touched him with his wand, and at once his clothes were changed into clothes of gold and silver brocade and studded with precious stones. Next he gave him a pair of the fanciest boots in the world and a black mask to cover up his face so that no one would know how he looked was until he had found his true love and that true love would remove his mask. After he was arrayed, he got into the coach, but his godfather instructed him not to stay beyond midnight, warning him that if he remained at the ball a moment longer, his coach would become a pumpkin again, his horses' mice, his footmen's lizards, and all his beautiful clothes would turn back into rags. He promised his godfather that he would not fail to leave the ball before midnight. And he left, he was beside himself with happiness. The king's daughter Princess Lana, who had been told that a beautiful prince whom no one knew had just arrived, hastened to receive him. As Cinderfella descended from the coach and was led into the hall, the people were in awe. A great silence fell. People stopped dancing and the violins ceased to play, so eager was everyone to gaze upon the great beauty of this unknown prince. All that could be heard was a confused murmur of "Oh, where did he come from?" Princess Lana could not take her eyes off of him and whispered to her mother, the Queen, that it had been a long time since she had seen such a lovely prince. All the men were eager to examine his clothes in order to have similar ones ordered for the next day, provided they could find material beautiful enough and a seamstress skillful enough. Upon seeing the new prince enter the hall Lucas said, "I will never get a chance to meet Princess Lana, now that he is here." Lex looked at his brother and said, "Fear not my brother, you will have your chance with Princess Lana while I keep this new prince away from her." Lucas just looked at Lex and said, "Really? And what do you get from helping me, Lex?" Lex just smiled and said nothing because he didn't want Lana he wanted the beautiful prince for himself alone to see what he was up too. Then the new prince walked over to where Lex and Lucas was standing. He said, "Hello." And the brothers nodded their heads. Lucas looked around and noticed that Princess Lana was headed their way. Knowing she was only coming over to talk to the new prince that stood near them. Suddenly he began to walk toward her in order to get her attention first. Leaving the two men alone. Clark saw Princess Lana coming and began to walk toward where she was standing but before he could go, Lex grabbed him by the arm and said, "Leaving so soon?" He looked down at his arm and then at Lex and said, "No, I can wait my turn to meet the princess." As he took a step back. Lex smiled at him and then said, "I see you are one of her many admirers and she does have so many to choose from at this ball." "Are you here to meet the princess as well or do you dress up like this all the time?" Clark said hiding the smile on his face. "Nope, Princess Lana doesn't hold my heart on a string. Perhaps I came here to meet someone who does hold my interest. Someone who is not just a pretty face to look at." Lex said with a smug look on his face. Clark answered back, "Who does hold your interest here tonight?" "That person is not here tonight and I wish I was with that person instead of being stuck here at the ball." "Why stay here at this ball if you rather be with the person you love?" "Every single man in this kingdom was invited to the ball, that's why I 'm still here." "I see there are no other women here tonight except for Princess Lana." "Yes, I must endure Princess Lana but look on the bright side you have one less person fighting for her attention and that should make it easier for you." "Easier, how?" "I saw how you looked at her when you came in and you are dressed better than anyone here. You are a prince looking for a princess and that fairy tale ending that would make your life complete." "You know nothing about me to make those kinds of statements!" "I may not know you but I did notice how hard your cock got when you saw her and when I mentioned her name. Tell me that is not true about you?" "I am not here to have sex with Princess Lana, I want her to fall in love with me just as much as I love her." "Virgin!" "So, what if I am?" "She would never satisfy you in bed because you need a lover with experience, not another virgin. From the looks of you, you need to get laid as much you try to deny it." Before Clark had a chance to answer back, Princess Lana came over to him and asked him to dance. Clark said, "I would love to dance with you, Princess Lana." He had never been more happy for anyone to come and rescue him from Lex. Before he could leave Lex whispered in his ear saying, "When you get bored find me."Then he stepped away from Clark as though he found someone else to hold his attention for the night. Clark could feel the heat from Lex's voice tempting him to find out more of what he had to offer him. He took Princess Lana left hand and lead her to the dance floor. There they danced so gracefully together, that anyone who was not dancing noticed them. The men of the ball began to envy the unknown prince. Who was this prince that dressed and danced so gracefully that the other men at the ball almost felt like they did not stand a chance in hopes of marrying Princess Lana? The princess seemed to have eyes only for the new prince and the other men at the ball did not have a chance because Princess Lana felt she had found the man that she wanted to marry. Clark and Princess Lana danced to three songs in a row until her father the King stepped in, to tell them that the Princess must dance with the other men as well. It was her obligation for having a ball. Clark looked sad at the thought of having to leave the arms of the princess, and so did Princess Lana. He stood there and watched as other men danced with her until Lex caught his eye sitting at a table with a crowd around him laughing. Then he walked over to the table looking directly into Lex's eyes. Lex noticed the prince looking at him and told the others that were around him that he wanted to talk in private with the new prince of their kingdom. After the men left, he said, "Bored, already? Have a seat." Clark looked around first before he sat and said, "No, how can I be bored with Princess Lana." "Still looking for that fairy tale ending, I see." "Aren't we all but not you and why not?" "I stopped believing in fairy tale endings a long time. When my mother died, that when fairy tales ended for me and woke me up, just knowing that life is real and no one lives happily ever after. If you want to live your life like that then go right ahead and keep believing in them." "Life is what you make of it, so life gives you a few bumps but you keep going. If you have no hope then you don't get to live happily ever after." "I don't want to live happily ever after that would get boring to fast. I want a few bumps to show me that life has meaning and it is worth fighting for." "You want a happy ending only you are too afraid that just maybe you will get it and you are afraid of it. When you meet the right person, you will want a happy ending." "So, have you met the right person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" "Yes, I think I have and it's with Princess Lana, if she will have me." "Hah. Yes, Princess Lana. Well have a really boring life together." Lex said as he got up and walked out to the balcony. Clark sat there a minute thinking about what Lex had told him before he jumped up to follow Lex. Upon reaching the balcony he saw him standing near a railing looking over the edge. He walked up near him and said "What is it about Princess Lana that bothers you?" Lex turned and looked up at him and said, "She uses people and is always playing the poor me roles. Like tonight she wants a husband and what does her father do for her give her a ball and invite all the single men in the kingdom to find her one. She could have just as easily found one on her own. She is a user and I refuse to be used by her. Take for instant yourself she could have easily found you in town and dated you but no you had to come to her, as if she is too good to come to you." "But she is a princess and I'm sure it is hard for her to just go out and meet people. Plus I am sure that she intimidates people so that they never to know the real her, just like you do." "Do, I intimidate you?" "No, I am sure that you intimidate people by telling them what to do without once thinking about how they feel or by doing things for them so that they don't feel so little in your eyes." Lex thought about how he treated Clark and he used his words and actions against him never easing up on him treating him more like a slave than a brother. He sometimes wonders how Clark put up with him and family without saying a word. Then he thought about tonight how he knew Clark didn't have anything to wear to the ball but old clothes and he knew Clark would not come because of that fact but yet he did nothing to help. Lex came to ball without giving any thought about his actions or non action to help Clark out in any way. Yet it took a stranger to tell him and make him realize that his actions were wrong and how he could help in making Clark's life with his family more bearable. "You maybe right about right about me, I have used people to get what I want and never considered their feelings at all. I am sorry if you want to be with Princess Lana then go for it and don't let anybody stop you." "You changing? You must have had too much to drink." Clark said with a big grin. "Princess Lana seems to make you happy so she can't be all that bad." Lex said with a smile on his face. "Still think I am going to have a boring life along with the sex?" Without saying one word to him, Lex walked up close to him and kissed him on the lips and stepped back and looking up at him and said "Yes." Clark was to shock by the kiss Lex gave him that he didn't say one word to him, he just turned around and headed back to the hall. As he was walking, all that he could think about was why did Lex kiss him. Before he had a chance to think about it any, more, Princess Lana walked up to him and said "There you are, I have been looking for you all night." Clark smiled at her and said "I was waiting until your dance card freed up so that we may dance again." "I am free right now." She said as she held out her hand to him. Clark took her hand and they began to dance again. They danced song after song until Clark heard the clock strike a quarter to twelve. He stopped dancing and told Princess Lana that he had to leave and she asked him to please come to the ball tomorrow night and he promised her that he would come. Then he made a deep curtsy to her and went away as fast as he could. As soon as he got home, he went to find his godfather in order to thank him. And he told him that he wished he could go to the ball again the next night because Princess Lana had begged him to come. As he was busy telling his godfather all that had happened at the ball, his two brothers knocked at the door and Cinderfella went to let them in. "What a long night you've been coming back!" He said, yawning and rubbing his eyes and stretching as if he had just awakened. However, he had felt no desire to sleep ever since being with Princess Lana. "If you had come to the ball," Lucas said, "You would have been bored. A prince from some unknown kingdom came and danced most of the night with Princess Lana. He wore the best clothes than the rest of the men at the ball, our clothes looked dull compared to his." Cinderfella could not hide his joy. He asked them the name of that prince, but they replied that they did not know it and that the king's daughter was greatly disturbed by this and would give anything in the world to know who he was. Cinderfella smiled and said, "Was the princess really so taken with someone she did not know?" "Yes, who would have thought that some unknown prince could come and steal the princess affection so easy. " Lucas said with a sigh. "Cheer up brother, you do have tomorrow night to try again too win the Princess' hand in marriage." Lex said patting his brother on his back. "I saw you talking him, what did you think of him?" Lucas said Clark wanted to know what Lex did think of him as he looked at him. Before Lex could speak his father Lionel said, "Do tell us what did you think of the so-called prince?" "I did not see you come into the room Dad. But all he talked about was the Princess Lana." "Is that so Lex?" He said then he turned around and looked at Lucas and Clark and told them to leave the room now. They left the room and Lex and Lionel was alone together. Lionel walked up close to Lex and said "Now that your brother is gone, why don't you tell me the truth about what went on between you and that boy, I mean the whole truth." "As I stated earlier, all he talked about was Lana, nothing more." "Come on Lex, I know you and how you act around pretty boys." "What do you mean?" "I have seen how you act around Clark when you think no one is looking. Why do you call him Cinderslut? Is it because you are fucking him Lex?" "No, dad I am not fucking him!" "Not for trying on your part, Lex but Clark hates you and will never let you touch him. Which is good because if I knew you and him were fucking, I would throw you out and not give you a dime? And we both know you love the finer things in life and not willing to give it up even for Clark." "Goodnight, dad.", Lex said before heading to bed. Clark was excited about going to Princess Lana Ball again. He hoped to see her again and hold her in his arms once again while they danced. He wished that she liked him as much as he liked her. Also he wanted to see Lex again and have him explain why he had kissed him. When Lex kissed him, it made him think more about Lex than Princess Lana and that bothered him. He should have been thinking more about Princess Lana but it was Lex who invaded his thoughts. Although the kiss was brief, it left him wondering why had he not said something to Lex to let him know that he did not welcome the kiss. The kiss made him want to know, if anything, what else Lex was planning to do to him at the ball tonight. The next night after everyone had left for the ball Clark's godfather Pete, once again helped him dress for the ball. Clark was dressed in even more finer clothes than he wore to the ball the first time. Once again Clark was reminded to leave the ball before the stroke of midnight. Clark arrived at the ball and everyone looked at him as he came down the grand ballroom staircase. He noticed that all the men in the room had copied the same outfit he had one the first time at the ball which made him smile. Then he saw Princess Lana give him a small nod which made him very happy as he walked toward her. "Hello Princess Lana would you like to dance with me?", Clark said very quickly. Princess Lana looked up at Clark and said very sweetly, "Yes, I would love to dance with you." As she held out her hand. Clark took Princess Lana in his arm and they began to dance. He held the princess firm and solid in his arms as though he would fall if he did not hold on to her. Princess Lana smiled up at him and she laid her head against his chest. They danced song after song until it was time to eat their supper. Clark lead Princess Lana to her table and he sat next to her. As Princess Lana ate every so often she would look up at Clark and smile. Clark looked back at her and smiled as well. Also, he could feel another set of eyes looking at him even more closely and yet he knew who it was but refused to look upon those eyes. Because if he did,he knew that those eyes would take away his thoughts of Princess Lana and make me focus all of his attention to the one person who scares him and he did not know why? After supper Princess Lana and Clark went out on the balcony to enjoy the night air and talk. They stood next to each other looking down at the tiny kingdom below them. Both of them remained silent afraid to break the spell that was cast out upon them tonight. Princess Lana looked at Clark and said, "We have danced together and eaten together and you know my name and yet I do not know yours." He looked at her and lied very quickly and said, "Jonathan." She smiled as said, "Such a noble name and it suits you so very well." "I like your name as well. You remind me of a delicate flower who is beautiful and needs to be taken care of with lots of attention." He said as he blushed. "Thank you, Jonathan for your kind words. Now tell me of your hopes and dreams?" She said as she looked into his eyes. Clark looked at her very seriously as he began to speak and said, "I want a home and family. Someone who loves me and not just someone who will use me for what they think I have to offer them. I want someone to love the real me not what they see but the me who lives deep down in my heart." "Oh, Jonathan, that is what I wish for every night as well. Everyone sees me as a princess first not as a woman first." She said as tears building up in her eyes. Clark said, "I am sorry I did not mean to make you sad. I only want to make you happy." Princess Lana leaned in closer to Clark and he did the same, just as they were about to kiss they heard someone coughing from behind them and turned around. They separated from each other to go and see who was coughing. As Clark got closes to the source of the coughing he knew right away who it was. Nobody but Lex and Clark could have killed him. Clark told Princess Lana you return to your ball and I will stay here and look after Lex and she nodded and she walked back to her party. "Are you ok, would you like for me to get you a drink of water?" Clark asked. Lex was coughing but soon his cough turned to laughter and Clark just looked at him thinking how he could kill him without anyone seeing him. Clark turned to leave and Lex said, "Leaving so soon?" With a smirk across his face. Clark turned around and looked at him and said, "Very funny Lex and how long have you been out here? How much did you hear of what was said between me and the princess?" "Jonathan, you think too much of me." "You heard everything." Clark said as he walked toward the balcony railings. "Don't be mad but all that sugary talk between you and the princess was giving me a toothache." Lex said as he walked toward Clark and stood next to him. "Yeah, but your timing sucks, big time." "Does it now? You really wanted to kiss the fair virginal princess?" "Yes, I did!" "You do know what kissing leads up to, Jonathan?" Lex said raising his eyebrows up. "A kiss means she likes me." "Do you expect for me to believe you?" "Tell me Lex what does a kiss lead to?" "Sex!" "So, when you kissed me, you thought that we would have sex?" He said as he blushed saying the word sex. "I don't know?" Lex said moving closer to Clark as Clark began backing away from him until his back hit a vine-covered wall and then Lex said with his hot breath close to Clark's neck "Want to find out if we have sex or not?" It took a quick couple of seconds before Clark realized that Lex and he were about to kiss again but before he could push Lex off of him, he found Lex's mouth all over his demanding entrance to his mouth. Clark started to protest but opened his mouth instead giving Lex's tongue free rein to explore his tongue. Before he knew what was happening he was kissing Lex back and with each second that passed the kisses grew more desperate. He could feel himself growing harder and could feel Lex getting hard against him. Soon he felt Lex grinding his body against him and he began to do the same. Each thrust from Lex's body against his made him want more. Then Lex pulled back panting and looking into his eyes and said, "I want you!" Clark looked at Lex and pushed him away from him and said, "Yes, right now you do but if you knew the real me, you wouldn't want me." Lex looked into Clark's eyes with a pleading look and said, "Let me see the real you, Jonathan with no mask on. No more hiding." "I wish it was just that easy to take off my mask and let you see the real me but I can't. You wouldn't understand." "Please help me to understand? Is it because of Princess Lana that you love her?" "Have you ever been in love?" "Yes." "I remember that first night I met you, you told me you wish that you could be with that person instead of being here at the ball. Have, your feeling changed?" "I am very attracted to you and I could fall in love you. As for that other person they do not love me. My love is one sided. Just tell me that you are in love with Princess Lana after knowing the real person and I will not bother you again." Clark walked to Lex and kissed him. He kept kissing him until Lex responded to his kiss. Then he stepped back and closed his eyes, moved his hands to his mask and began pulling it up until the mask rested on his head. Lex watched him as he removed his mask and looked at him with shock at first. But the shock gave way to great happiness on Lex part. He walked up to Clark and stroked his face until his eyes fluttered open and said "Clark, I love you." Clark smiled and kissed Lex's hand and said, "I love you, Lex." "I had to come to this ball to find love when along it was right at home in front of my eyes." Clark only nodded and then said, "You have Princess Lana to thank and she really is not so bad once you know her." "Speaking of Princess Lana, I am not letting you go back out to the ball without your mask on. Once she sees you without your mask she will fall in love with you the way I have." Lex said and kissed Clark again before sliding the mask back down over his face. "You are no fun at all Lex." "Wait til I get you home alone tonight and you will see how much fun I can be." Lex said with a wink. "No, sex til we have our own place without Lionel and Lucas." "Now look, who is no fun? You are right about us having our own place because the first time we make love, I want no ghosts to remind you about how you were treated in that house. Our new place, we will have together, will only be filled with happy memories." "Until then we have to keep our relationship a secret and no more kissing." Clark said sadly. "Ok, the relationship part I understand. I cannot be alone with you, Clark and not want to kiss you." Lex said as he kissed Clark again. Clark broke the kiss and said, "Never stop kissing me, Lex." Before Lex could respond, he heard Princess Lana calling out Clark's name and he stepped away from Clark looking at her. "Are you feeling better, Lex?" She asked looking at Clark the whole time. "Much better." He said and without saying anything else left them alone on the balcony. He didn't have to say anything because he knew Clark was his and Princess Lana did not have a chance with Clark. He belonged to Clark as well as Clark belonging to him. "There you are Jonathan, I was looking for you." Princess Lana said standing in front of Clark. Clark smiled and said, "There is something I need to tell you." "You can tell me anything." As Clark was about to speak when he heard, the clock strike the first tone of midnight. He said, "I have go now!" He left and fled as swiftly as a fawn. The princess followed him but could not catch up with him. He dropped his mask and the princess picked it up carefully. Cinderfella reached home out of breath, without his coach, without his footmen, and in his ragged clothes. Nothing was left of all his magnificence but he had dropped his mask. The guards at the palace gates were asked if they had not seen a prince leave. They said that they had seen no one leave but a young boy who was very badly dressed and who looked more like a peasant that a young man. When two brothers came back from the ball, Cinderfella asked them if they had a good time again and if the handsome prince had been there. They told him that he had, but that he had rushed away when midnight struck, so quickly that he had dropped his mask. The princess had picked it up and had done nothing but looked at it all during the rest of the ball. And that undoubtedly the princess was in love with the prince to whom the mask belonged to. They spoke the truth, for a few days later the princess had proclaimed that she would marry the man whose face would fit exactly into the mask. They began trying it on every prince, next the dukes, and then the rest of the court, but it was all in vain. And then they brought the mask to Cinderfella's home. Both Lionel and Lucas tried on the mask but it did not fit no matter how hard they tried. Lex only stood back grinning as they made fools out of themselves for a chance at marrying Princess Lana. For Lex knew he was not the one wearing the mask so he did not bother at even bother trying it on. Then the gentleman asked was there another male in the house who could try on the mask. "No!" Lex said very quickly. Lucas gave Lex a funny look and said, "No one but our servant boy Clark right, Lex?" Both Lionel and Lucas started to laugh. But Lex looked at them with hatred in his eyes. The gentleman asked, "What is so funny?" Lionel said, "Our servant boy a prince in a mask?" "I have orders to try the mask on every male in the kingdom. Please call him and so that he may try the mask on." The gentleman said. Clark who was standing in the doorway came out. The gentleman who was trying on the mask looked at Clark attentively, and finding him very handsome, said that it was only fair and he had orders to try it on all the men. He made Clark sit, and when he placed it on his face, he saw that it went on without difficulty and that it fit as if it had been molded from wax. The astonishment of Lionel and Lucas had been great, they all looked at Clark in great shock. At that moment Clark's godfather, Pete, arrived and having touched Clark's clothes with his wand,he made them even more magnificent than all the others. When Lucas recognized him for all the beauty, he had seen at the ball. Lucas and Lionel threw themselves down to his feet and asked him, for their forgiveness for all the harsh treatment they had made him suffer. While Lex only shook his head and left the room. "Forgiveness comes with a price." Clark said as he looked around the room for Lex, but did not see him and it made him very sad The gentleman told Clark of how happy the princess would be to see him again and that they would be married in three days. Then he asked Clark was there anything he wanted to take with him as he would be leaving this house forever. Clark looked around the room and said, "No." And left with the gentleman but made a promise to himself that he would find a way for him and Lex to be together. Dressed as he was, he was led to the palace of the King and Queen and Princess Lana. She found his more beautiful that ever without his mask. Then she said to him, "I love you, Jonathan." Clark looked at the princess and said, "My real name is Clark Kent not Jonathan. I am sorry that I lied to you about my name." "Why did you lie to me about your name?" "Because at the time, I didn't want to be Clark Kent. Jonathan was my father's name. If you knew the real me, you would not like me." "Who is the real Clark Kent?" "Someone who is in love with someone else." "You are not in love with me but you love someone else! But I promised my father, mother, and this kingdom that I would marry the man whom face fit into the mask!" Clark just nodded. "What am I suppose to tell everyone, the reason why you and I are not to be married?" "Tell them I am gay." With those words, Clark left Princess Lana standing there with her mouth wide open. Because he did not care. He was going home to his true love. THE END If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Sierra Also, why not join Level Three, the Smallville all-fic list? Back Level Three Records Room