Fic: Utopia Part 1

[sinderella81]

Title: Utopia
Author:cinderella81
Pairing:  Clex
Rating: G
Disclaimer:  Not mine, I just like to play!
Summary: Clark disappears after Alicia's death.  Two years later Lex finds him in an unlikely place and sets off to save him.

“Come find peace in Utopia!”

 

Lex moved quickly through the airport, making his way to his gate so he could catch his return flight to Metropolis from Las Vegas. His trip had been a mix of business and pleasure, and Lex loathed returning to Smallville. Things hadn’t been the same since Clark had disappeared. What happened to Alicia had been rough on Clark. He disappeared right after that, and no one had been able to find him, not even Chloe. Everyone had given up hope on him, except the Kents and Lex himself. Lex had never stopped looking for Clark the entire two years that he had been missing. He had made a promise to the Kents that he wouldn’t stop, and this was a promise that he wouldn’t break. 

 

“Come find peace in Utopia!” Lex was drawn to the announcement of peace. He turned and saw a large group of attractive young adults in blue jeans and pale green shirts. As Lex moved closer he saw that their shirts had writing on them; The First United Church of Utopia. Lex also noticed that one member stood out from the others. Lex stood in shock as he recognized the bright green eyes of Clark Kent.

 

“Clark?” Lex asked, stepping closer to the group. As he stepped closer, he was intercepted by a statuesque redhead.

 

“Hello, I am Sarah,” the redhead said.

 

“Hello Sarah, I would just like to speak to Clark,” Lex said, trying to push his way through the group.

 

“There is no one named Clark here; you must be mistaken,” the redhead said. She began to push the group away from Lex. “Come along, our time here is done, and the van will be here soon.” Everyone began moving except Clark.

 

“Clark?” Lex whispered softly, reaching out to grab his hand. 

 

“Jeremiah, it’s time to go!” the redhead yelled, startling Clark, who immediately began to follow Sarah. 

 

Lex stood in shock and watched the group of people walk away. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and placed a call. “Yes, I need to know everything about The First United Church of Utopia.”

 

                                                                *              *              *                             

 

“Jeremiah, I heard that there was a commotion at the airport today.” Jeremiah knelt in front of Matthew with his head down. 

 

“I do not know sir. This person was sure that he knew me, yet he called me not by my name.” Jeremiah sighed and closed his eyes.

 

“Peace Jeremiah, you are not in trouble. I’m sure this person mistook you for someone they knew. The family loves you,” Matthew said, running his head over Jeremiah’s head. “How long have you been in the fold, child?”

 

“I arrived nameless a year and a half ago. I was given the name Jeremiah after my training period. I worked in the library up until two months ago when I was promoted to recruiter,” Jeremiah said softly. 

 

“You have been doing a wonderful job Jeremiah,” Matthew said. “You have helped bring many lost souls to the fold and we are grateful. I think, however, that it might be time for you to learn more about the workings of the commune.” Jeremiah looked up expectantly. “I want you to take the rest of the day and meditate. Tomorrow morning you are to report to Jessica who will get you ready to work in the fields.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Jeremiah said as he stood and made his way to his room. He entered his small cell, sat down on his bed, and meditated till the house leader called for lights out. He awoke with the Morning Prayer bells, and immediately knelt by his bed. The knock on his door told him that it was time to get dressed. Jeremiah donned the green tunic and white pants that had become his uniform. He joined his house for breakfast where they ate in silence as was custom. When breakfast finished, Jeremiah took his plate into the kitchen for those charged with house duties to work on, and followed those headed for the fields. 

 

“Jeremiah, aren’t you coming with us?” Sarah asked from the door.

 

“No, Matthew has deemed me worthy to work in the fields. I am going to see Jessica right now,” Jeremiah said with a smile. He saw Sarah eye his head with a slight sad look. “It is a joy to help serve Utopia,” Jeremiah said smiling, and headed in the direction of Jessica. 

 

Jeremiah took his time walking across the fields headed for the workroom. He admired the starkness of the landscape and thanked Utopia that this is where he ended up. He had never been so at peace and so loved. He watched his family working in the field and smiled when his brothers and sisters started waving. He waved back and quickened his pace to Jessica’s. He couldn’t wait to get started working with his brothers and sisters. 

 

He entered the workroom to find a young blonde standing by a chair. “Well hurry up, I don’t have all day. Sit here; when we’re done here, go douse yourself with some water and put on the clothes I have set aside for you,” Jessica said, motioning to the khaki shorts, green tank top and brown sandals sitting on the table. Jeremiah sat down gingerly on the chair. Jessica wasted no time, and immediately began running a pair of clippers over his head, reducing his hair to stubble. Jeremiah watched passively as dark curl after dark curl dropped to the ground. Jessica turned off the clippers and pushed Clark in the direction of the bathroom with the pile of clothes in his arms. 

 

Jeremiah exited the bathroom ten minutes later dressed in his work clothes. “Leave those clothes here, and I will have someone deliver them to your room. Come back every Monday for a trim,” Jessica said as she pushed him out the door. “Go meet Jacob who will show you what to do.”

 

“Thank you,” Jeremiah said, hugging Jessica.

 

“Bless Utopia,” Jessica replied. Jeremiah smiled and headed out to the fields. Jacob met him at the beginning of the vegetable fields and began to show him what to do. Jeremiah worked side by side with his brothers and sisters with a smile on his face. 

 

                                                                *              *              *             

 

“You’re sure it was Clark,” Martha said. She sat next to Jonathan at the counter in the kitchen. 

 

“I’m absolutely positive. They called him Jeremiah, but it was Clark. He’s living outside Las Vegas on this commune. They call themselves the First United Church of Utopia.”

 

“When can we go get him,” Jonathan asked.

 

“He hardly recognized me, Jonathan. He’s been there for too long, and it won’t work to just go and pull him out, he’ll just run right back. I’m going to get inside and figure out a way for us to get out together.”

 

“Aren’t you worried about getting sucked in yourself?” Martha asked worriedly. 

 

“Not really. I’ve had to deal with my father; I don’t think the First United Church of Utopia could be any worse,” Lex said with a smile. “Not to mention that if I know it’s a cult going in, it’ll be that much harder for their tactics to work.” 

 

“And when you get out?” Jonathan asked. 

 

“Well, I will take him somewhere other than Smallville to deprogram him; somewhere in the mountains maybe,” Lex said. “As soon as I know he is completely free then I will bring him back here.”

 

“When do you leave? How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Jonathan asked.

 

“I’ll be leaving next week. As to how long I’ll be gone, there’s no way of telling,” Lex said softly. “It all depends on Clark.” Martha and Jonathan nodded. “I promise that once we’re out I will try to call you once a week to let you know how things are progressing.” 

 

Martha stood, walked over to Lex, and embraced him in a hug. “I don’t know if we’ve ever thanked you for everything you’ve done for us. You never stopped looking for Clark, even when everyone else stopped.” She placed a kiss on the top of Lex’s head.   

 

“You’re always welcome here, son,” Jonathan said, placing a hand on Lex’s shoulder.

 

“Thank you; you don’t know how much that means to me,” Lex said softly. “I’ll bring Clark home, I promise.” 

 

                                                                *              *              *                             

 

“So, what did you find?” Lex asked. He and Chloe were sitting in a corner of the Talon. Chloe smiled and passed over the large file folder. Lex glanced through it, flipping the pages quickly. “Thank you; this will help me a great deal.”

 

“No, thank you. You kept looking for him even when the rest of us stopped. Do you know where you’ll go once you get him out of there?” Chloe asked.

 

“I have a small cabin in Colorado; we’ll be there. I’m going to send this there so that I have something to show him,” Lex said. They were about to delve deeper into their conversation when a whiff of perfume made them stop. 

 

“Hey Chloe, Hi Lex,” Lana stood in front of them. Hair just a little too big, makeup just a little too heavy, and the jacket of her suit cut just a little too low. She leaned in closer to Lex. “What are you guys doing?” she whispered in Lex’s ear. 

 

“Lana, shouldn’t you be with Jason?” Chloe asked. Lana glared at her for a moment before returning her attention to Lex.

 

“Jason is away on business with his mother,” Lana said, smiling at Lex. “So, what are you doing?”

 

“It’s really not your business Mrs. Teague,” Lex said with a pointed look. Lana huffed, spun around and stalked out of the Talon.

 

“I really wish I knew what was going on with her,” Chloe said. 

 

“Me too, but we have more important things to worry about at the moment. Now, I leave the day after tomorrow. I will call the first day we are in the cabin to let you know that we are both out and okay,” Lex said. Chloe surprised him by him into a hug. 

 

“Clark isn’t …” Chloe trailed off.

 

“Chloe, I know that Clark has secrets. I accept that there is a damn good reason why he hasn’t told anyone. I know that during our time together I am going to learn the secrets; there’s no avoiding that. But Clark and I will deal with that when the time comes,” Lex said with a smile.

 

“Promise me you’ll be careful?” Chloe said. Lex nodded mutely, amazed that he had people who cared for his safety, wanted him around. 

 

“I promise Chloe; we’ll both come home,” Lex said with a soft smile.

 

                                                                *              *              *             

 

“You came to us nameless, but now you have a family, now you have a name.” Matthew stood looking down at the bowed bald head. He placed a hand on it and smiled, turning to the crowd. “Welcome Samuel to Utopia!” Matthew yelled, and the crowd erupted in a cheer. Samuel stood, turned to the crowd and smiled. He stepped down from the platform and joined his brothers and sisters. He walked through the crowd, accepting hugs and kisses from those who offered.

 

“So, where are they starting you off?” Samuel turned to see a short blonde standing next to him.

 

“Matthew has deemed me worthy of working in the fields,” Samuel stated, eyeing the blonde.

 

“Oh, that’s where I am! I am Jessica. Matthew keeps me in the storeroom, making sure that everyone has enough food and drink and is properly attired and sheared,” Jessica said. “Although I guess we won’t have to worry about shearing you,” she said eyeing his bald head. 

 

“I guess not,” Samuel said with a smile. “So, who else works in the fields? I would like to get to know my fellow brothers and sisters.” 

 

“Many of our brothers and sisters work in the fields, but there are a few you should meet. These are the people you should watch as an example. There’s Rebecca, Solomon, Ester, and Jeremiah,” Jessica said. Samuel perked up when he heard Jeremiah’s name. “You’ll meet them all tomorrow. I think Matthew has you signed up to shadow Jeremiah for the next week.” 

 

“Wonderful, I look forward to serving Utopia,” Samuel said with a large smile. He scanned the crowd, looking for Jeremiah, but was interrupted by the bells telling them it was time for lights out. Samuel followed some of his brothers to one of the houses where Matthew showed him to his cell. And it was truly a cell; a bed, a dresser and a mirror. He didn’t even have a window. Samuel laid down on the bed and sighed. It was truly difficult being that happy all the time. He had endured the time in solitary and the meals of rice, vegetables and the occasional fruit. Luck was with him; Matthew had placed him with Jeremiah for the next week, and he was just hoping against hope that he would be able to get through to him. 

 

Morning started with the bells for Morning Prayer, followed by getting dressed and eating a bland breakfast with his brothers and sisters. He followed a group of them headed for the fields. He got stuck in a line at the door to the storeroom. He stood in the line patiently, waiting for his turn. He arrived inside, and was greeted with the sight of a young redhead girl seated on a stool getting sheared by Jessica. Standing next to Jessica was a tall man wearing the requisite green tank top, khaki shorts and brown sandals. His recently sheared head was bowed and when he raised his head Samuel almost gasped out loud. Here was his Jeremiah, his Clark. Lex took a moment to drink in the sight of him before he was pulled out his thoughts by Jessica.

 

“Samuel, I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Jessica said with a smile. “This is Jeremiah; he will be showing you around the fields this week. After that you will be able to be out on your own.” Jeremiah stepped up to Samuel and embraced him. 

 

“Welcome brother to the fields. It is a blessing to serve Utopia,” Jeremiah said. Samuel had to fight the urge to grab his hand and run. He let Jeremiah take his hand and lead him out to the fields where he spent the time up until lunch watching Jeremiah pull weeds and pick vegetables and fruit. 

 

During their lunch of brown rice and vegetables, Samuel took his time watching Jeremiah. They weren’t allowed to speak during meals, so Samuel held on to his idea until they went back to the fields. 

 

“Don’t you just love working on the fields? It reminds me of working on a farm, don’t you think?” Samuel asked, eyeing Jeremiah. Jeremiah stopped working for a moment, and his face opened for the briefest of moments before shutting down. Samuel and Jeremiah continued working in silence until the dinner bell. They walked silently, until Samuel saw another chance to rattle Jeremiah. He slowed down to a talk to a young man walking slightly behind them.

 

“Hey Kent, I mean Ken, can I borrow a copy of Utopianism? My copy has gone missing,” Samuel said. He and Ken began talking about the book, and were so oblivious that Samuel ran right into Jeremiah, who had stopped walking. “Jeremiah, is something wrong?”

 

“No Samuel, I was just lost in thought,” Jeremiah replied. They continued walking towards the main house for dinner, and Samuel felt Jeremiah looking at him. They ate their bland dinner in silence and all headed for their rooms for meditation before lights out. 

 

Samuel had been asleep for all of five minutes before he heard his door creak open. He opened his eyes and saw a large shape in his doorway. Samuel let his eyes adjust and saw that the shape in his doorway was Jeremiah. 

 

“Samuel?”

 

“Jeremiah, come in quickly and shut the damned door before the house leader sees you,” Samuel said. Jeremiah quickly stepped in and shut the door. He reached for the light but Samuel stopped him. “No, someone could be watching the window. What is wrong?” 

 

“Ever since you have been accepted into Utopia and began working in the fields, I have been unsettled. I know that I shouldn’t know you, yet …” Jeremiah trailed off. 

 

“Yet,” Samuel said softly.

 

“I shouldn’t be here,” Jeremiah said, and left the room before Samuel had a chance to speak. Samuel sighed and tried to fall back asleep.

 

                                                                *              *              *             

 

It seemed as though Samuel had taken two steps back in regards to Jeremiah. The next day Jeremiah was pleasantly working in the fields next to Samuel as though the previous night hadn’t happened. Samuel sighed; things weren’t going the way he thought, but he would still succeed.  He looked at the sun dial and saw that it was almost lunch time. He and Jeremiah made their way to the main house for lunch. Just as they were sitting down to eat, a group of uniformed men armed with weapons burst through the door.

 

“Nobody move,” one of the uniformed men ordered. “The only person we want is Ethan Lambert, otherwise known as Matthew. The rest of you are going to be taken by these men where we will take you to people who have been searching for you.” People started crying as uniformed men began escorting them out of the main house. Samuel kept close to Jeremiah as the two of them were pushed by the crowd towards the door. They were stopped at the door by a Fed. 

 

“Mr. Luthor, we can’t thank you enough. We’ve been trying to catch this guy for a while but could never get anyone close enough. Your people are waiting just outside the compound for you and Mr. Kent,” the man said. He handed Lex and Clark off to a uniformed man who escorted them through the crowd and down the path to a waiting car just outside the gate. 

 

“You were working with them?” Clark said as he stared at Lex in the car. 

 

“Yes I was. My name is Lex Luthor, and you might not remember it, but we used to be friends. Two years ago, you disappeared and no one could find a trace of you. I saw you a couple of weeks ago at the airport I knew it was you.”

 

“It was you! When I saw you at your naming ceremony I thought it was just a coincidence,” Clark said.

 

“No, it wasn’t a coincidence. I purposely came to Utopia to search for you. The Feds knew I was coming and gave me a little bit of time to find you. Now you and I are going someplace where I can help you,” Lex said softly.

 

“I don’t need you damned help!” Clark cried. “Why did you take me out of there? I was happy! There was no pain, no fear! I didn’t have to think about …” Clark trailed off.

 

“Think about what?” Lex asked softly.

 

“Everything!” Clark yelled and immediately started to cry. His sobs increased and soon his head was in Lex’s lap and Lex’s pants were soaked with Clark’s tears. Lex stroked Clark’s shorn head, letting him sob until he drifted into an exhausted sleep. 

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