FIC: Must Be Dreaming, Chapter 5.2
Title: Must Be Dreaming
Series/WIP: Sequel to So Much Dreaming
Pairing: Clex!
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After being abducted by aliens and discovering that Jonathan Kent is alive, Lex must come to grips with his shifting relationship with Clark and an unexpected pregnancy.
Spoilers: Through S5, after Cyborg.
Warnings: MPREG!!
Thanks to herohunter for the fabulous beta! *kisses!*
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter 5.1
Clark was practically stomping around the kitchen the next day. He had gone by the castle early to check on Lex and to watch him until he woke up, only to find that Lex and Lena were cuddled in Clark’s bed together like a litter of puppies. Well, Lex’s bed, but Clark had been in it first!
He knew he had no reason to be angry at Lex for getting lucky, and most guys would probably be cheering their bros on and slapping them high fives. Breaking down in front of a woman that sympathetic probably scored him some big points, Clark figured bitterly.
It had always irritated Clark that Lex slept around. It felt like something he really should not be doing. Maybe ever. With anyone. And certainly not with girls Clark barely knew. And what was that dig last night about someone he could be “open” with?! He could be as open as he wanted with Clark!
“Whoa, there.” Jonathan jumped back from Clark, who was fixing breakfast at superspeed.
“Sorry.”
“What’s the matter, Clark? You’re angry about something.”
“I don’t know. I went to check on Lex this morning and that girl was still there. In his bed.” In my bed.
Jonathan actually looked surprised. “Well! I knew he was feeling better, but he still looked a mite puny the last I saw him. I didn’t know he was feeling that well.”
”He must be,” Clark groused.
Jonathan reached over the stove and flipped the pancakes that Clark was making and neglecting. “Funny.”
“I didn’t think it was funny.”
“You catch’em in the act?”
“Ew. No.”
“Well, cause… Lex has been so jumpy lately. I didn’t see everything Fine did to him-thank the Lord in heaven-but I can’t really imagine him letting anyone get that close. He even flinched when you or his doctor went to touch him.”
“They were curled up together. And anyway, last night, she was hugging all over him and he let her.”
“Well, it’s good that there’s someone he feels safe with. Those nightmares… that’s not a good sign, you know, Clark.”
And there came the guilt again. Who was he to deny Lex someone to cuddle with? Especially after the trauma he’d experienced from the abduction? Which was probably Clark’s fault in some way that he didn’t understand because Milton Fine was crazy.
“You gonna go over later?” his father asked.
“Maybe? Maybe I’ll call first. I don’t want to walk in on anything.”
“Now that’s a plan.” Jonathan chuckled, stealing a sausage from the pan.
Somehow when Lana called him to set up a lunch date, Clark found himself saying yes, a bit bitterly, and wondering if Lex would be spending the day with That Woman.
“So…” Lana looked at the menu casually. “How is Lex feeling? Any better?”
“He must be. He’s gotten himself a new girlfriend.” Clark was a little surprised at his own voice. He sounded kinda catty.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. This Hispanic girl with a face as wide as the moon.”
Lana laughed. “I’m sure she’s gorgeous. Lex doesn’t even date average girls.”
“She’s a little thick in the waist,” Clark insisted. Then he sighed. “Fine, she could be a model… Plus sized.”
“Is she stealing him from you?” Lana asked casually, pulling her hair behind her shoulder.
“What?”
“I mean.” Her voice grew a little colder. “You sound jealous.”
“I’m not jealous! He’s perfectly within his rights to… pick up as many fat, sharkfaced girls as he wants. She’ll be out of his life again in a week. We’ll be seeing a return of the Lex Girl phenomenon, I’m sure. He probably only cooled it the first time because he was planning on running for senate.”
“Probably.” Lana smiled, speaking in a very scornful, knowing tone. “Lex is a real ladies’ man. A real connoisseur of brunettes.”
“Yeah,” Clark replied moodily.
“If he’s going to start that up again, he’s probably going to need a better body guard. I wonder if he’ll go with the diamond earrings or give his girls some other kind of trophy?”
Clark sighed and tried to pretend to be fascinated with their lunch specialties. This was depressing. Why had he thought lunch with his girlfriend would make him feel better?
“I guess he just doesn’t care who he’s with. It could be any woman, I suppose.” She peered around her menu then added, “Especially when he’s had a few.”
Clark looked up. “You’ve seen Lex drunk?”
“Oh yeah. Last February? The night of the election?”
“Right. I’ve never seen him like that. I mean, he drinks a lot, or he did, he hasn’t been drinking since he got sick, but I’ve never seen him out of control.”
“Oh, he definitely was,” she said tensely.
Clark frowned. “What do you mean? The drunk driving?”
Lana forced a smile. “It’s nothing.”
“Wait. Why was he following you like that if… “ Something in his brain just seemed to break. Lex couldn’t have been following Lana the second time Clark lived the day of the election because of his secret, because he hadn’t told Lana the second time. Then why had the crash almost occurred both times?
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Clark. You’re friends again. That’s all that matters. I think I’ll get a salad…”
“Lana! What did he do?”
“He…” Lana sighed and gave him a sad, apologetic look. “Lex kissed me.”
***
Chloe left the Metropolis police station disappointed. After hacking into the police files, it appeared as through their little Ariel had never been charged, never been admitted to Belle Reve. For all intents and purposes, she had disappeared completely. Today she had met with Lieutenant Jace, who told her that a PiB (person in black) had come by the crime scene after she and Clark had left, flashed the officer in charge a badge, and taken the girl into a black van.
Which narrowed it down to the FBI, any number of black ops or foreign interests, or LuthorCorp. In spite of her current sympathies for Lex and a potential job offer, she couldn’t let this slide. Jace had described the woman as tall with a short, boyish cut and round, hazel eyes. She’d been dressed in a black men’s suit and worn black boots with weapons-grade heels.
Chloe hit the street and headed for the LuthorCorp building, not that she expected much of anything. She wasn’t going to simply storm into Lex’s office. That would be stupid and alert him to the fact that she was on to him. Not to mention, she was only headed to LuthorCorp on a hunch. No, she needed more information before she started flinging around accusations.
Plus it was hard to think of interrogating Lex in his condition. Not just the alien rape scenario, which was creepy and ethically problematic enough, but also the fact that he was pretty sick with it from what she could tell made it more complicated. Maybe a more experienced reporter would go in for the kill, but another reporter wouldn’t necessarily know that when hurt and cornered, a Luthor would be even harder to pry anything out of. It would be better to catch him in a moment of pure arrogance. More on that caper later.
For the moment, Chloe was going to poke around the coffee shop next to LuthorCorp and then ride the elevators for a while to see if she couldn’t spot the mysterious Agent L. Hopefully, Lex hadn’t given her picture to the security staff yet. Donning her best corporate clone attire and sipping a large doubleshot mocha, Chloe clipped into the building trying to exude confidence.
Six hours later, she had clipped around the LuthorCorp building ten times over, taken as many pictures as she could on her phone, and probably still not spotted who she was looking for. Though she had narrowly escaped being seen by Lionel Luthor twice, and Lex once. What was he even doing back at work?
So Chloe returned to The Buzzkill Café for another mocha to mourn her lost day off. She sat at the counter thumbing through the pictures she had taken, hoping she would see something.
“Hey, bitches!”
Chloe looked up to see a tall woman with a boyish haircut swagger up to the counter.
“Hey, Mercy. Haven’t seen you around lately.” The girl behind the counter smiled and approached her.
“I know. It’s been profoundly painful not being around you, Else.” Her plump lips curved flirtatiously. “Boss Man has been sick.”
“Yeah, I heard. Is he getting better?”
“Little bit, little bit. He’s had me taking care of business in his absence. “ Mercy hooked her thumbs in her belt loops and rocked a little. She was wearing a tight black tank top, which revealed oddly strong arms.
Else laughed. “So now you’re taking care of coffee?”
“Boss decided to come in today for some reason. I’m surprised his doctors let him. So I came over to help. Take care of him.” She shrugged. “And no coffee. Makes him sick these days.”
Chloe blinked. She checked out the woman’s boots. There was no suit, but the footwear looked frightening.
“So order up, Merc.”
“Sokay, um what kind of froofy herbal teas do you have? He’s probably going to want something hot that will calm his stomach.” She leaned on the counter and looked up at the chalkboard. Chloe lifted her phone up and pretended to be checking her voicemail while she took the woman’s picture as she pointed and made her order. A moment later, her head turned sharply. “Hey, Buttercup. Why are you looking at my ass?”
Chloe looked up in embarrassment. “I uh… no, I was just-“
Mercy gave her a little smirk. “You like what you see?”
“I was just checking my voicemail,” Chloe said confidently. “Sorry.”
“I’m not.” Mercy walked over and leaned against the counter in front of her. Her eyes slowly moved down Chloe’s neckline to her cleavage. “I have to say, kudos on the outfit. The boys in your office will like that. You work at LuthorCorp?”
Yes or no, yes or no?? “Yeah, I do.”
“Not bad, not bad.”
“What about you?” She tried to sound casual.
“Absolutely.”
“By boss, do you mean Mr. Luthor? I mean, Luthor Jr.”
Mercy smirked. “I’m going to give you a tip. Never let him catch you calling him that. Lex hates it when people base his identity on his father’s.”
“I was just sort of being a smart ass.”
“I figured.”
“How long have you been with the company?” Chloe asked. Mercy rubbed the leg of her jeans.
“Not long. He hired me last fall to work with his security teams. I’ve been promoted since then.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. What do you do now? Other than fetch herbal tea for Mr. Luthor’s squicky tummy?”
“A lot of various things. I keep Big Daddy under control when Lex can’t come to work. I make sure things get done.”
Chloe twirled a piece of hair and tried to look confused. “Like TPS reports or…”
“Like… Boss likes when things go smooth. I make things go smooth.”
“Huh.”
Mercy held a finger up and went up to pick up her order. “Hey, what’s your name? Would you like to meet Boss?”
“No! I…” Chloe bowed her head and pretended to be embarrassed.
“He’s not that scary. Well, yeah, he is, but he always makes sure to keep talented people around him. If he sees something in you, he’ll definitely move you up.”
“I… I’m okay where I am.”
“Right. Okay, you don’t like me. That’s fine.” Mercy set her drinks on the counter, reached over, and kissed Chloe’s hand. “See you around, hm?”
“I uh…” Chloe felt her heart speeding up. She was blushing in earnest now and watched Mercy swing her sparse hips as she left the shop. Her jeans fit snuggly over a small, firm backside. The woman’s head turned slightly as she left and caught Chloe looking at her again. “Oh, wow.”
***
Lex is large, round. Translucent. His belly juts out so far that moving on his own is difficult. He almost tips over. He can see the children writhing within him.
Clark takes his hand. He is dressed in a long red robe. He cups Lex’s belly with his strong hands and leans over to give it a kiss, as his fingertips press into the elastic skin leaving their mark. Lex smiles. They speak in rhyming couplets about the impending event. Lex has been pregnant for four and a half years.
His mother’s hair waves as a breeze whips through the temple. The red of blood. She walks up behind him and drapes a purple robe over his shoulders. He pulls his arms through. As he tries to close the robe, Clark stops his hand and pulls Lex’s exposed body closer to him. He presses his hand into Lex’s belly. The children squirm discontentedly against the increasing pressure.
His mother takes his hand and leads him to the operating table where he and Clark are to be married. They strap him down.
Clark begins to speak in his alien language. He exerts more pressure on Lex’s belly. The contents of his stomach push to the surface of the available space like the water in a balloon. It hurts so much Lex starts to cry out, to beg Clark to stop hurting him.
He doesn’t stop. His mother stares on with a blissful smile. The skin on his belly begins to tear and the water spills out and the aliens inside him press their little fingers against the tear and begin clawing their way to the surface. Their teeth are sharp, and they are hungry for their first meal.
When they are finished with Lex, they will feed upon the rest of the world.
Lex woke clutching the fabric of his sweater that covered his stomach. He looked around and took a deep breath. He was in his study. Lex steadied himself and headed over to the bar, rubbing his abdomen where a fresh cramp had just hit him.
“Lex,” Clark’s voice alerted him to the young man’s presence. Lex turned his head.
“Clark.” Lex wondered if Clark had heard him cry out from his dream. “Juice?”
“No.”
Lex filled his glass with orange juice, set the container back inside the mini-fridge, and walked over to Clark slowly. “What can I do for you?”
“You kissed Lana.”
Lex wrinkled his nose. “No offense. I know you love her. But, still, my primary response is gonna have to be ‘ew.’”
Clark’s features set into his classic obstinate scowl. “You’re going to tell me that Lana lied?”
“About my kissing her?” Lex shrugged. “I don’t remember kissing her. But then again, there are other holes in my memory that I can’t quite explain.”
Clark paused and looked uncertain. “Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be?” Lex challenged. Maybe because you promised not to come into my office and accuse me of things anymore.
“You seem pissed off.”
“I just woke up. I’m grumpy.”
Clark bit back a smile. “She said it was on the night of the election.”
“When I…” Lex pressed his lips together. It hadn’t been so long after his creepy dream about her. It was possible that in a moment of drunken loneliness… more than possible, actually. If he’d found himself drunk and alone with Clark after his second dream, there certainly would have been liplocking. “I don’t remember that… but I don’t remember much from that night. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“It could be true, and if it is, I apologize. I can be an affectionate drunk.”
Clark looked at his feet. Then sighed.
Lex gave him a weak smile. “Is this it?”
“Is this what?” Clark asked.
Lex took a long sip of his juice and tried to appear casual. “Are we finished? Do you want to call it or shall I?” He looked at his watch. “Time of death seven-”
“I’m not ending our friendship over a girl. What kind of stereotypical moron do you think I am?” Clark protested.
Lex frowned a bit.
“That’s encouraging.” Clark walked over to him and swept him into an embrace. “We were on a break, and you were pretty plastered. I thought… when she said that…”
Lex stiffened at Clark’s touch, remembering his latter dream.
“Sorry.” Clark stepped back and looked at Lex sadly.
“Now you’re apologizing… to me?”
“For… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He shuffled his feet.
“It isn’t your fault, Clark.” Lex set the glass on his desk and stepped forward to initiate the embrace. The cramps were still bothering him, but Clark’s delicious scent seemed to make them easier to ignore. Clark raised his arms gingerly. Lex tried to keep himself steady, to think back to better dreams, and to not sniff Clark.
Clark cupped the back of his bald head and stroked the skin gently. Lex shivered and pulled away.
“Sorry,” Clark muttered.
“It’s okay.”
“I need to ask you. And I want you to be honest, no matter what the answer is. I won’t hate you.”
Lex sat on the edge of his desk. “Okay.”
“Do you love Lana?”
Lex sucked in his cheeks. “I would love to defenestrate her.”
“Stop!” Clark laughed. “Really. I mean, affectionate drunk or not…”
“She…” Lex looked at his fireplace and rubbed the back of his neck. “Last year, I was feeling pretty fond of her. She was being very friendly with me, at times, and then when it came to the senate race, she was the only one treating me like a person. I thought… maybe it could have been more. However, I never intended to act on it. Now…? It seemed as though she cared about me, but I really don’t believe that anymore. She’s just like everyone else. She comes to me because she wants something from me.”
Clark narrowed his eyes fretfully.
“Don’t look so disappointed that I don’t have feelings for your girlfriend.”
“Do you think that I just want something from you?”
Lex laughed bitterly. “I’m not convinced you know what you want.”
“I’m trying to figure it out,” Clark said, raising his brows awkwardly.
Clark’s expression was so cute that Lex was having a hard time being angry with him for his earlier lie regarding their ice cream date.
***
“So she’s getting Lex herbal tea?” Lana sat by Chloe’s cubicle. Chloe typed away, trying to get caught up on her work. “What do you think that means?”
“Hm? No, I was at LuthorCorp trying to figure out what happened to Ariel.” Chloe shrugged. “She might have been the one who disappeared her, but I’ll have to go back to the police station and ask Jace.”
Lana frowned and looked over at the screen. “I thought you were going to find out what’s wrong with Lex? Have you found anything?”
“Um. Well…”
“Chloe!” Lana admonished.
Chloe shrugged. “Coffee makes him yak? I’m sorry, Lana. I still have my feelers out for Lex, but until I get a new lead, I’m finding out what he wants with that mutant girl from the museum.”
“He could die, Chloe.” She looked away and shook her head angrily. “I can’t believe you don’t care.”
“I care! I just don’t have the answer to everything!” Chloe turned around from her computer. “Look. He’s back at work and feeling better. I’m going to keep researching, but you can’t expect it all to happen at once.”
Lana narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Lana, come on.”
Lana stood and looked down at her suspiciously. “You always find out what’s going on. Even when it doesn’t make any sense! You leap tall theories in a single bound. It’s uncanny. Either you don’t care or you’re hiding something from me.”
Chloe sighed and stood to face her. “Look, Lex is sick, but it’s personal.”
“You do know,” Lana replied hotly. “Why won’t you tell me? Why are you pretending that you don’t know anything?”
“Because it’s personal, Lana, and that means something. It should to you, too. There’s a reason he hasn’t told anyone, and I want to respect his privacy.”
“That’s a joke coming from someone like you.” She turned and stomped towards the stairs out of the Pit. Chloe sighed and picked up her cell to warn Clark and tell him about her day.
***
Clark was sitting alone in his loft, using his telescope and vision to spy on Lex in the castle. He knew it was a little creepy, but he wanted to keep an eye on him in case Lex got sick again. Lex was currently standing in front of a mirror wearing only a pair of pants and running his hand over his abdomen with a little frown on his face.
He must be worried about those cramps, or maybe it had to do with how skinny he was getting from being so sick. He looked pretty fretful. Clark wanted to give him an x-ray, but he was still paranoid about what Chloe had said, and even if he did see a tumor or something, the doctors had surely found it already.
He really wanted to, though.
Then That Woman walked in and put her arms around him with a smile. Lex turned his head and gave her a worried little smile. She creased her eyes sympathetically and spoke. Clark felt that it would be a little too stalkerish to listen in on what they were saying. Anyway, it would be difficult from this distance to narrow down the sounds… maybe he could try…
While he focused, he watched That Woman walk around and run her fingers over Lex’s stomach. Then she leaned over and gave him a little kiss just below the navel. Lex laughed.
That’s uh… a little weird, Clark thought. He was startled out of spy-mode as he heard footsteps booming up the stairs to the loft. Dial down the superhearing.
“Hey,” Lana said breathily. Her hair was pulled into a knot at the back of her head, and she was wearing a black shirt with lace woven into it over her jeans. Clark only noticed because the colors made her look severe, and he wondered where she got the money for new clothes anyway.
“Hey,” Clark said, a little more sharply than he had meant to. She frowned and walked over to the window.
“Star-gazing? It’s been awhile,” she noted. Clark nodded. She leaned against the frame and watched him. “What is it?”
“Kind of a drive from Metropolis, isn’t it? What if I hadn’t been here?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I just wanted to see you. This isn’t easy for us, me being in Metropolis and you being here.”
He was so tired of hearing that. “Lana, you’re the one who chose to go to Metropolis after you said you were staying in Smallville. I could have applied to go over there too, if you’d let me know.”
”Well, you aren’t going anywhere right now, so I don’t see how it matters!” she snapped. Then she covered her mouth in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I know why you dropped out.”
”No, you’re right. But… thanks to Lex’s prodding, I’ve applied to Metropolis for next semester. I swear he and my dad have teamed up against me,” Clark said with a fond grin.
“That’s great, Clark.” Lana’s face opened up, and she smiled. “Oh! Wouldn’t it be great if the three of us could get an apartment together?”
“You, me, and Lex?” Clark frowned. His thoughts regarding that were just wrong.
“No, you, me, and Chloe. Why would Lex want to move to Metropolis?”
”I dunno. He works there. Since he’s been sick, it’s been hard on him going back and forth. Besides, his girlfriend lives there. He has an apartment there, too.”
“There’s an idea. We could move close together. I was thinking that us college goers could share expenses. I know that was a problem for you with going to Met U.”
Clark scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly. It was a strange conversation to be sure. He wondered if she had even considered that Chloe would have called him to let him know she and Lana had a fight. Now he wondered what it was about. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Even if I can talk Lex out of paying for it for me, he’s put a word in with several of the science departments about getting me scholarships. For someone who got expelled, he has a hell of a lot of clout over there.”
Lana watched him warily. “I see. So you two are still doing okay?”
“Yeah, seems so. I talked to him about the election night, and…”
Lana put a hand on Clark’s shoulder. He resisted the urge to shrug it off.
“Why did you just now tell me about kissing Lex?”
“I didn’t want to come between the two of you,” she said in a genuine voice.
Clark sighed. “Wouldn’t that have been harder to do when we weren’t friends?”
“What are you accusing me of?” Lana pulled away and fixed her mouth into a displeased pout.
“You kissed him back,” Clark said firmly. He never played games like this, usually, but the way Lana was acting was more than a little off here.
“Is that what he told you? He’s lying. I would never do that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I told you!”
“And I don’t believe you!” Clark shouted back with a force that surprised him. He was shaking, so he stepped back a little, trying not to intimidate her. “Lana, I swear, just tell me the truth.”
”The truth goes both ways, Clark.” Her clipped tone felt like it was grating over every inch of his skin.
“It sure does! And you’ve lied to me about the ship, and lied to me about seeing Lex, and lied to me about what you know, so I don’t know why you think that I should trust you when you say that Lex is lying about this.” Clark took a deep breath. “I won’t be mad. I just want to know. He was drunk, and he kissed you. And then…?”
Lana arched her back then opened her mouth and fussed with her hands agitatedly. “I may have kissed him back. A little bit.”
“Okay. Do you like him? Or… I know you two are fighting now, but did you-“
“I don’t hate him, Clark. And… no, I didn’t have feelings for him. He was just very… open with me. And very protective without being overbearing. He paid off a lot of my debts without asking for anything in return.”
God, Lex was right about her. Clark pursed his lips.
“You are mad,” she huffed.
“Not about you kissing him. I understand that wasn’t your fault.” Clark sat in the barn window and looked out to where Lex’s castle was.
“Then what?”
“I think you told me about that now… because you’re mad at him, and you want to break us up.”
“What? I can’t believe you just said that!” She turned around and began to stomp away. “You know, you two have issues. You always have, and you’ve never trusted him completely, even when you’d first met! Don’t blame me if the two of you are having problems making this friendship work.”
“I’m not. I’m blaming you for trying to wedge yourself between us.” Clark looked back at her with a sad frown. “And I don’t know why you would want to do that. Lex has been through a hell of a lot, and he really needs a friend right now…” Clark paused and looked out the window again. “And so do I.”
“Then go out and make some like a normal guy.” Lana appeared torn between yelling at Clark and storming out of the barn. “You haven’t had any guy friends since Pete.”
“Well, that didn’t work out so well! I think it says something about how strong Chloe is that she’s stuck around me this long.” Clark laughed softly. “You know I asked her for advice in our sex life? I’m such an idiot. It didn’t occur to me at the time that… that would probably hurt her a lot, and I wonder if she would even know. I never asked her if she ever had sex before.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “Chloe has sex plenty. She just doesn’t like to have relationships because she has abandonment issues.”
“Really? I guess I should have asked. If we’re going to be so boundary-less, maybe I should start knowing weird details about her sex life. We’re getting into some serious ‘among the boys’ territory when we talk about relationships lately.”
“What? And more importantly, are we still fighting?” Lana stepped closer.
“I mean, I dunno, it’s weird. I mean, we had a conversation like a month ago about Alicia, and she sort of grilled me on why I didn’t have sex with her. And when I said, cause we weren’t married and I wanted it to be special, she called me a girl.” Clark tossed up his hands. “It was funny, but… yeah, I guess we just have different ideas of what sex should be.”
He left the window and walked over to her. “And yes, we’re still fighting until you answer the question, are you trying to break up me and Lex?”
Lana sucked in her cheeks, flared her nostrils, and tore out of the barn.
***
Martha sat in the middle of her office, trying to sort through this mess that had been left behind. She was going to have to call the boys and tell them she’d be stuck here for a day or two.
Lionel’s approaching footsteps and flapping coattails filled the silence of the room. He rapped on the doorframe, raising a brow at her.
Martha fell back into her chair with a sigh.
“Well, that doesn’t seem to be a good sign. Care to tell me what’s gone wrong?” Lionel touched his cuff and began to straighten it, but looked up, listening.
Martha tossed up her hands. “My Chief of Staff was murdered in her home last night. To say I’m swamped at the moment would be the understatement of the year.”
Lionel creased his brows and slid his hands into his pockets, thinking for a moment. “Well, why don’t I get us some coffee? I also might be able to have someone put together a list of potential replacements for you. Let me make a few calls.”
“I really should have hired more staff when I took the position, but I thought for certain I wouldn’t be at it this long. It seemed so strange that they would offer it to me.”
“It’s been done before, Martha,” Lionel pointed out, getting on his cell phone to have his driver fetch some coffee, then sat down with Martha to help her go through the late-Chief of Staff’s less than desirable memo system. “Can’t you just look into her computer?”
“It’s password protected. Someone’s coming in tomorrow to break into it,” she explained, picking up another memo, then discarding it when it only had a grocery list on it.
“That I can definitely solve.” He held up a finger and made another call. After a few moments, he snapped the phone shut. “He’ll be over in a couple of hours. I have people on staff for this sort of thing.”
Martha reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Lionel, you’re a life-saver. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I heard that Naomi died.”
“Not a problem. Ah!” Lionel nodded to his driver who came in with the coffee. “Thank you, Theodore.”
Martha took hers graciously and nodded to the man, who bowed, then left.
“So… I don’t suppose you have an update on my son?”
“He seems a lot better. I saw him the other day. He has a lot more energy. He’s moving less like his body hurts him all the time. It looks good.”
Lionel nodded. “And how are he and Clark getting on?”
“Oh, they’re doing great. I hear Lex has a girlfriend now. He must be feeling better.” She smiled.
“A girlfriend?” Lionel raised his brows, clearly thinking. “Ah… the Luciano woman?”
“Luciano?” Martha pursed her lips. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask what her last name was.”
“I’ve seen her around. Martha, she’s not exactly Lex’s girlfriend.”
“No? Clark said they were sleeping together.”
Lionel stroked his beard. “Did he? Well. See… The thing about Miss Luciano…”
Martha set her coffee on the desk. “What is it Lionel?”
“Martha, she’s an escort.”
Her lips bowed in shock.
***
Lex sat in the lab of 33.1 analyzing some samples. Normally he would delegate this, but under the circumstances, discretion was required. He had recently explained his situation to Mercy, but mostly because he had begun to need her services more frequently. He wanted his pregnancy to be strictly need-to-know.
A small squeaking sound came from over his shoulder. Lex jumped a little and turned to see a small boy with white blond hair. That boy was always sneaking up on people. They had picked him up earlier in the year and started calling him ‘Ghost.’ His dad had been using him to rob liquor stores. As far as Lex’s people had been able to tell, Ghost had never been given a birth certificate, name, or social security number. He was ten years old, had never been taught how to read, and didn’t speak. Ghost seemed to understand them well enough, however.
“How are you, Ghost?” Lex rubbed his eyes. The problem with doing the work himself was, in spite of his massive improvement, he was still quite tired all the time. Sometimes he dozed off while trying to do tests.
Ghost raised a finger to Lex’s face and traced the circles under his eyes.
“You think I look sick? Well, I have been a bit ill.”
“Mmm,” Ghost whined unhappily. Lex thinned his lips.
“I’ll be fine, though. Don’t worry about me.”
The boy nodded. He turned around to watch Nevaeh, a fiery haired girl of sixteen, speaking with Mxy and then walked through the glass wall to join them before group therapy.
Lex wondered how that child had gotten such an unusual power. Ghost could move through objects at will and make himself invisible, but he had been nowhere near the meteor rocks, and as far as Lex could tell, his father hadn’t either. Perhaps it was his mother. Then again, there were others there who had never had any contact with radiation and still possessed amazing powers.
Meta-humans were the minority, but they were far more prolific than most would have thought. More and more Lex came to realize this, and from his studies on himself, the ever so useful Mutant “L,” some meta-humans were born different from other human beings. Lex had seen several “second gen” meteor freaks and several individuals who had inherited their mutations through several generations of meta-human families. Lex’s gifts weren’t merely the bizarre result of being in proximity to meteor rocks and something else. Otherwise he might have ended up with corn powers. They were the result of a natural mutation drawn out of latency by his exposure.
Lex couldn’t help but wonder what his child’s abilities would be like and if the result would be beneficial or torturous. The thought that the baby might not be entirely human unsettled him, though Lex knew that he really should have a bit more meta pride. Perhaps his fears were connected to the knowledge that some of the child’s DNA would be extra-terrestrial in origin.
Clark’s mention of the ‘mutant’ who had contributed to the rise of Adam had stuck somewhere in Lex’s brain. Today’s test was really a simple affirmation that he hadn’t done the previous ones incorrectly. He knew how they would turn out, although he hoped for the opposite result. The ‘mutant’ in Adam’s case had a blood composition unlike anything on this planet.
Except, apparently, for the fetus Lex now carried in within him.
Looking over the new test results, Lex felt at a loss on whether to be happy about his child or horrified at the idea that there really was an alien inside him. Horror was winning out, and it was giving him some of the most bizarre nightmares he’d ever had. Understanding Milton Fine would be impossible, but under these circumstances, it was more probable that Lex was merely an incubator, not meant to survive, only meant to provide suitable material for the fetus to burrow into and to draw nutrients from.
“Ghost sait you were filling under da weather.”
Lex almost groaned after jumping yet again. This was all very wearing for him. He was on edge, his hormones were driving him absolutely crazy, and this prolonged abstinence was hardly helping matters. If he hadn’t found Lena to talk to, he thought that he might go crazy. Though he would have much rather talked to Clark… even if he wouldn’t really understand what he was going through as well as an empath. “It isn’t a big deal, Mxy.”
“Oh?” Mxyzptlk still had a slight accent. He took a stool beside Lex and looked him over, then fixed his dark eyes on Lex’s middle. “I think it will be big.”
“I see your powers are coming along,” Lex replied curtly. “I hope your memory of who you are returns as well. Anything else you’d care to share?”
“Vat do you vant to know?” the impish young man asked.
“This alien… who contributed part of this fetus’ DNA. What does he want?”
Mxyzptlk twisted his lips into a wicked grin and enunciated sharply, “He vants you, Lex Luthor.”
Lex felt his chest tighten.
Series/WIP: Sequel to So Much Dreaming
Pairing: Clex!
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After being abducted by aliens and discovering that Jonathan Kent is alive, Lex must come to grips with his shifting relationship with Clark and an unexpected pregnancy.
Spoilers: Through S5, after Cyborg.
Warnings: MPREG!!
Thanks to herohunter for the fabulous beta! *kisses!*
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter 5.1
Clark was practically stomping around the kitchen the next day. He had gone by the castle early to check on Lex and to watch him until he woke up, only to find that Lex and Lena were cuddled in Clark’s bed together like a litter of puppies. Well, Lex’s bed, but Clark had been in it first!
He knew he had no reason to be angry at Lex for getting lucky, and most guys would probably be cheering their bros on and slapping them high fives. Breaking down in front of a woman that sympathetic probably scored him some big points, Clark figured bitterly.
It had always irritated Clark that Lex slept around. It felt like something he really should not be doing. Maybe ever. With anyone. And certainly not with girls Clark barely knew. And what was that dig last night about someone he could be “open” with?! He could be as open as he wanted with Clark!
“Whoa, there.” Jonathan jumped back from Clark, who was fixing breakfast at superspeed.
“Sorry.”
“What’s the matter, Clark? You’re angry about something.”
“I don’t know. I went to check on Lex this morning and that girl was still there. In his bed.” In my bed.
Jonathan actually looked surprised. “Well! I knew he was feeling better, but he still looked a mite puny the last I saw him. I didn’t know he was feeling that well.”
”He must be,” Clark groused.
Jonathan reached over the stove and flipped the pancakes that Clark was making and neglecting. “Funny.”
“I didn’t think it was funny.”
“You catch’em in the act?”
“Ew. No.”
“Well, cause… Lex has been so jumpy lately. I didn’t see everything Fine did to him-thank the Lord in heaven-but I can’t really imagine him letting anyone get that close. He even flinched when you or his doctor went to touch him.”
“They were curled up together. And anyway, last night, she was hugging all over him and he let her.”
“Well, it’s good that there’s someone he feels safe with. Those nightmares… that’s not a good sign, you know, Clark.”
And there came the guilt again. Who was he to deny Lex someone to cuddle with? Especially after the trauma he’d experienced from the abduction? Which was probably Clark’s fault in some way that he didn’t understand because Milton Fine was crazy.
“You gonna go over later?” his father asked.
“Maybe? Maybe I’ll call first. I don’t want to walk in on anything.”
“Now that’s a plan.” Jonathan chuckled, stealing a sausage from the pan.
Somehow when Lana called him to set up a lunch date, Clark found himself saying yes, a bit bitterly, and wondering if Lex would be spending the day with That Woman.
“So…” Lana looked at the menu casually. “How is Lex feeling? Any better?”
“He must be. He’s gotten himself a new girlfriend.” Clark was a little surprised at his own voice. He sounded kinda catty.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. This Hispanic girl with a face as wide as the moon.”
Lana laughed. “I’m sure she’s gorgeous. Lex doesn’t even date average girls.”
“She’s a little thick in the waist,” Clark insisted. Then he sighed. “Fine, she could be a model… Plus sized.”
“Is she stealing him from you?” Lana asked casually, pulling her hair behind her shoulder.
“What?”
“I mean.” Her voice grew a little colder. “You sound jealous.”
“I’m not jealous! He’s perfectly within his rights to… pick up as many fat, sharkfaced girls as he wants. She’ll be out of his life again in a week. We’ll be seeing a return of the Lex Girl phenomenon, I’m sure. He probably only cooled it the first time because he was planning on running for senate.”
“Probably.” Lana smiled, speaking in a very scornful, knowing tone. “Lex is a real ladies’ man. A real connoisseur of brunettes.”
“Yeah,” Clark replied moodily.
“If he’s going to start that up again, he’s probably going to need a better body guard. I wonder if he’ll go with the diamond earrings or give his girls some other kind of trophy?”
Clark sighed and tried to pretend to be fascinated with their lunch specialties. This was depressing. Why had he thought lunch with his girlfriend would make him feel better?
“I guess he just doesn’t care who he’s with. It could be any woman, I suppose.” She peered around her menu then added, “Especially when he’s had a few.”
Clark looked up. “You’ve seen Lex drunk?”
“Oh yeah. Last February? The night of the election?”
“Right. I’ve never seen him like that. I mean, he drinks a lot, or he did, he hasn’t been drinking since he got sick, but I’ve never seen him out of control.”
“Oh, he definitely was,” she said tensely.
Clark frowned. “What do you mean? The drunk driving?”
Lana forced a smile. “It’s nothing.”
“Wait. Why was he following you like that if… “ Something in his brain just seemed to break. Lex couldn’t have been following Lana the second time Clark lived the day of the election because of his secret, because he hadn’t told Lana the second time. Then why had the crash almost occurred both times?
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Clark. You’re friends again. That’s all that matters. I think I’ll get a salad…”
“Lana! What did he do?”
“He…” Lana sighed and gave him a sad, apologetic look. “Lex kissed me.”
***
Chloe left the Metropolis police station disappointed. After hacking into the police files, it appeared as through their little Ariel had never been charged, never been admitted to Belle Reve. For all intents and purposes, she had disappeared completely. Today she had met with Lieutenant Jace, who told her that a PiB (person in black) had come by the crime scene after she and Clark had left, flashed the officer in charge a badge, and taken the girl into a black van.
Which narrowed it down to the FBI, any number of black ops or foreign interests, or LuthorCorp. In spite of her current sympathies for Lex and a potential job offer, she couldn’t let this slide. Jace had described the woman as tall with a short, boyish cut and round, hazel eyes. She’d been dressed in a black men’s suit and worn black boots with weapons-grade heels.
Chloe hit the street and headed for the LuthorCorp building, not that she expected much of anything. She wasn’t going to simply storm into Lex’s office. That would be stupid and alert him to the fact that she was on to him. Not to mention, she was only headed to LuthorCorp on a hunch. No, she needed more information before she started flinging around accusations.
Plus it was hard to think of interrogating Lex in his condition. Not just the alien rape scenario, which was creepy and ethically problematic enough, but also the fact that he was pretty sick with it from what she could tell made it more complicated. Maybe a more experienced reporter would go in for the kill, but another reporter wouldn’t necessarily know that when hurt and cornered, a Luthor would be even harder to pry anything out of. It would be better to catch him in a moment of pure arrogance. More on that caper later.
For the moment, Chloe was going to poke around the coffee shop next to LuthorCorp and then ride the elevators for a while to see if she couldn’t spot the mysterious Agent L. Hopefully, Lex hadn’t given her picture to the security staff yet. Donning her best corporate clone attire and sipping a large doubleshot mocha, Chloe clipped into the building trying to exude confidence.
Six hours later, she had clipped around the LuthorCorp building ten times over, taken as many pictures as she could on her phone, and probably still not spotted who she was looking for. Though she had narrowly escaped being seen by Lionel Luthor twice, and Lex once. What was he even doing back at work?
So Chloe returned to The Buzzkill Café for another mocha to mourn her lost day off. She sat at the counter thumbing through the pictures she had taken, hoping she would see something.
“Hey, bitches!”
Chloe looked up to see a tall woman with a boyish haircut swagger up to the counter.
“Hey, Mercy. Haven’t seen you around lately.” The girl behind the counter smiled and approached her.
“I know. It’s been profoundly painful not being around you, Else.” Her plump lips curved flirtatiously. “Boss Man has been sick.”
“Yeah, I heard. Is he getting better?”
“Little bit, little bit. He’s had me taking care of business in his absence. “ Mercy hooked her thumbs in her belt loops and rocked a little. She was wearing a tight black tank top, which revealed oddly strong arms.
Else laughed. “So now you’re taking care of coffee?”
“Boss decided to come in today for some reason. I’m surprised his doctors let him. So I came over to help. Take care of him.” She shrugged. “And no coffee. Makes him sick these days.”
Chloe blinked. She checked out the woman’s boots. There was no suit, but the footwear looked frightening.
“So order up, Merc.”
“Sokay, um what kind of froofy herbal teas do you have? He’s probably going to want something hot that will calm his stomach.” She leaned on the counter and looked up at the chalkboard. Chloe lifted her phone up and pretended to be checking her voicemail while she took the woman’s picture as she pointed and made her order. A moment later, her head turned sharply. “Hey, Buttercup. Why are you looking at my ass?”
Chloe looked up in embarrassment. “I uh… no, I was just-“
Mercy gave her a little smirk. “You like what you see?”
“I was just checking my voicemail,” Chloe said confidently. “Sorry.”
“I’m not.” Mercy walked over and leaned against the counter in front of her. Her eyes slowly moved down Chloe’s neckline to her cleavage. “I have to say, kudos on the outfit. The boys in your office will like that. You work at LuthorCorp?”
Yes or no, yes or no?? “Yeah, I do.”
“Not bad, not bad.”
“What about you?” She tried to sound casual.
“Absolutely.”
“By boss, do you mean Mr. Luthor? I mean, Luthor Jr.”
Mercy smirked. “I’m going to give you a tip. Never let him catch you calling him that. Lex hates it when people base his identity on his father’s.”
“I was just sort of being a smart ass.”
“I figured.”
“How long have you been with the company?” Chloe asked. Mercy rubbed the leg of her jeans.
“Not long. He hired me last fall to work with his security teams. I’ve been promoted since then.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. What do you do now? Other than fetch herbal tea for Mr. Luthor’s squicky tummy?”
“A lot of various things. I keep Big Daddy under control when Lex can’t come to work. I make sure things get done.”
Chloe twirled a piece of hair and tried to look confused. “Like TPS reports or…”
“Like… Boss likes when things go smooth. I make things go smooth.”
“Huh.”
Mercy held a finger up and went up to pick up her order. “Hey, what’s your name? Would you like to meet Boss?”
“No! I…” Chloe bowed her head and pretended to be embarrassed.
“He’s not that scary. Well, yeah, he is, but he always makes sure to keep talented people around him. If he sees something in you, he’ll definitely move you up.”
“I… I’m okay where I am.”
“Right. Okay, you don’t like me. That’s fine.” Mercy set her drinks on the counter, reached over, and kissed Chloe’s hand. “See you around, hm?”
“I uh…” Chloe felt her heart speeding up. She was blushing in earnest now and watched Mercy swing her sparse hips as she left the shop. Her jeans fit snuggly over a small, firm backside. The woman’s head turned slightly as she left and caught Chloe looking at her again. “Oh, wow.”
***
Lex is large, round. Translucent. His belly juts out so far that moving on his own is difficult. He almost tips over. He can see the children writhing within him.
Clark takes his hand. He is dressed in a long red robe. He cups Lex’s belly with his strong hands and leans over to give it a kiss, as his fingertips press into the elastic skin leaving their mark. Lex smiles. They speak in rhyming couplets about the impending event. Lex has been pregnant for four and a half years.
His mother’s hair waves as a breeze whips through the temple. The red of blood. She walks up behind him and drapes a purple robe over his shoulders. He pulls his arms through. As he tries to close the robe, Clark stops his hand and pulls Lex’s exposed body closer to him. He presses his hand into Lex’s belly. The children squirm discontentedly against the increasing pressure.
His mother takes his hand and leads him to the operating table where he and Clark are to be married. They strap him down.
Clark begins to speak in his alien language. He exerts more pressure on Lex’s belly. The contents of his stomach push to the surface of the available space like the water in a balloon. It hurts so much Lex starts to cry out, to beg Clark to stop hurting him.
He doesn’t stop. His mother stares on with a blissful smile. The skin on his belly begins to tear and the water spills out and the aliens inside him press their little fingers against the tear and begin clawing their way to the surface. Their teeth are sharp, and they are hungry for their first meal.
When they are finished with Lex, they will feed upon the rest of the world.
Lex woke clutching the fabric of his sweater that covered his stomach. He looked around and took a deep breath. He was in his study. Lex steadied himself and headed over to the bar, rubbing his abdomen where a fresh cramp had just hit him.
“Lex,” Clark’s voice alerted him to the young man’s presence. Lex turned his head.
“Clark.” Lex wondered if Clark had heard him cry out from his dream. “Juice?”
“No.”
Lex filled his glass with orange juice, set the container back inside the mini-fridge, and walked over to Clark slowly. “What can I do for you?”
“You kissed Lana.”
Lex wrinkled his nose. “No offense. I know you love her. But, still, my primary response is gonna have to be ‘ew.’”
Clark’s features set into his classic obstinate scowl. “You’re going to tell me that Lana lied?”
“About my kissing her?” Lex shrugged. “I don’t remember kissing her. But then again, there are other holes in my memory that I can’t quite explain.”
Clark paused and looked uncertain. “Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be?” Lex challenged. Maybe because you promised not to come into my office and accuse me of things anymore.
“You seem pissed off.”
“I just woke up. I’m grumpy.”
Clark bit back a smile. “She said it was on the night of the election.”
“When I…” Lex pressed his lips together. It hadn’t been so long after his creepy dream about her. It was possible that in a moment of drunken loneliness… more than possible, actually. If he’d found himself drunk and alone with Clark after his second dream, there certainly would have been liplocking. “I don’t remember that… but I don’t remember much from that night. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“It could be true, and if it is, I apologize. I can be an affectionate drunk.”
Clark looked at his feet. Then sighed.
Lex gave him a weak smile. “Is this it?”
“Is this what?” Clark asked.
Lex took a long sip of his juice and tried to appear casual. “Are we finished? Do you want to call it or shall I?” He looked at his watch. “Time of death seven-”
“I’m not ending our friendship over a girl. What kind of stereotypical moron do you think I am?” Clark protested.
Lex frowned a bit.
“That’s encouraging.” Clark walked over to him and swept him into an embrace. “We were on a break, and you were pretty plastered. I thought… when she said that…”
Lex stiffened at Clark’s touch, remembering his latter dream.
“Sorry.” Clark stepped back and looked at Lex sadly.
“Now you’re apologizing… to me?”
“For… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He shuffled his feet.
“It isn’t your fault, Clark.” Lex set the glass on his desk and stepped forward to initiate the embrace. The cramps were still bothering him, but Clark’s delicious scent seemed to make them easier to ignore. Clark raised his arms gingerly. Lex tried to keep himself steady, to think back to better dreams, and to not sniff Clark.
Clark cupped the back of his bald head and stroked the skin gently. Lex shivered and pulled away.
“Sorry,” Clark muttered.
“It’s okay.”
“I need to ask you. And I want you to be honest, no matter what the answer is. I won’t hate you.”
Lex sat on the edge of his desk. “Okay.”
“Do you love Lana?”
Lex sucked in his cheeks. “I would love to defenestrate her.”
“Stop!” Clark laughed. “Really. I mean, affectionate drunk or not…”
“She…” Lex looked at his fireplace and rubbed the back of his neck. “Last year, I was feeling pretty fond of her. She was being very friendly with me, at times, and then when it came to the senate race, she was the only one treating me like a person. I thought… maybe it could have been more. However, I never intended to act on it. Now…? It seemed as though she cared about me, but I really don’t believe that anymore. She’s just like everyone else. She comes to me because she wants something from me.”
Clark narrowed his eyes fretfully.
“Don’t look so disappointed that I don’t have feelings for your girlfriend.”
“Do you think that I just want something from you?”
Lex laughed bitterly. “I’m not convinced you know what you want.”
“I’m trying to figure it out,” Clark said, raising his brows awkwardly.
Clark’s expression was so cute that Lex was having a hard time being angry with him for his earlier lie regarding their ice cream date.
***
“So she’s getting Lex herbal tea?” Lana sat by Chloe’s cubicle. Chloe typed away, trying to get caught up on her work. “What do you think that means?”
“Hm? No, I was at LuthorCorp trying to figure out what happened to Ariel.” Chloe shrugged. “She might have been the one who disappeared her, but I’ll have to go back to the police station and ask Jace.”
Lana frowned and looked over at the screen. “I thought you were going to find out what’s wrong with Lex? Have you found anything?”
“Um. Well…”
“Chloe!” Lana admonished.
Chloe shrugged. “Coffee makes him yak? I’m sorry, Lana. I still have my feelers out for Lex, but until I get a new lead, I’m finding out what he wants with that mutant girl from the museum.”
“He could die, Chloe.” She looked away and shook her head angrily. “I can’t believe you don’t care.”
“I care! I just don’t have the answer to everything!” Chloe turned around from her computer. “Look. He’s back at work and feeling better. I’m going to keep researching, but you can’t expect it all to happen at once.”
Lana narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Lana, come on.”
Lana stood and looked down at her suspiciously. “You always find out what’s going on. Even when it doesn’t make any sense! You leap tall theories in a single bound. It’s uncanny. Either you don’t care or you’re hiding something from me.”
Chloe sighed and stood to face her. “Look, Lex is sick, but it’s personal.”
“You do know,” Lana replied hotly. “Why won’t you tell me? Why are you pretending that you don’t know anything?”
“Because it’s personal, Lana, and that means something. It should to you, too. There’s a reason he hasn’t told anyone, and I want to respect his privacy.”
“That’s a joke coming from someone like you.” She turned and stomped towards the stairs out of the Pit. Chloe sighed and picked up her cell to warn Clark and tell him about her day.
***
Clark was sitting alone in his loft, using his telescope and vision to spy on Lex in the castle. He knew it was a little creepy, but he wanted to keep an eye on him in case Lex got sick again. Lex was currently standing in front of a mirror wearing only a pair of pants and running his hand over his abdomen with a little frown on his face.
He must be worried about those cramps, or maybe it had to do with how skinny he was getting from being so sick. He looked pretty fretful. Clark wanted to give him an x-ray, but he was still paranoid about what Chloe had said, and even if he did see a tumor or something, the doctors had surely found it already.
He really wanted to, though.
Then That Woman walked in and put her arms around him with a smile. Lex turned his head and gave her a worried little smile. She creased her eyes sympathetically and spoke. Clark felt that it would be a little too stalkerish to listen in on what they were saying. Anyway, it would be difficult from this distance to narrow down the sounds… maybe he could try…
While he focused, he watched That Woman walk around and run her fingers over Lex’s stomach. Then she leaned over and gave him a little kiss just below the navel. Lex laughed.
That’s uh… a little weird, Clark thought. He was startled out of spy-mode as he heard footsteps booming up the stairs to the loft. Dial down the superhearing.
“Hey,” Lana said breathily. Her hair was pulled into a knot at the back of her head, and she was wearing a black shirt with lace woven into it over her jeans. Clark only noticed because the colors made her look severe, and he wondered where she got the money for new clothes anyway.
“Hey,” Clark said, a little more sharply than he had meant to. She frowned and walked over to the window.
“Star-gazing? It’s been awhile,” she noted. Clark nodded. She leaned against the frame and watched him. “What is it?”
“Kind of a drive from Metropolis, isn’t it? What if I hadn’t been here?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I just wanted to see you. This isn’t easy for us, me being in Metropolis and you being here.”
He was so tired of hearing that. “Lana, you’re the one who chose to go to Metropolis after you said you were staying in Smallville. I could have applied to go over there too, if you’d let me know.”
”Well, you aren’t going anywhere right now, so I don’t see how it matters!” she snapped. Then she covered her mouth in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I know why you dropped out.”
”No, you’re right. But… thanks to Lex’s prodding, I’ve applied to Metropolis for next semester. I swear he and my dad have teamed up against me,” Clark said with a fond grin.
“That’s great, Clark.” Lana’s face opened up, and she smiled. “Oh! Wouldn’t it be great if the three of us could get an apartment together?”
“You, me, and Lex?” Clark frowned. His thoughts regarding that were just wrong.
“No, you, me, and Chloe. Why would Lex want to move to Metropolis?”
”I dunno. He works there. Since he’s been sick, it’s been hard on him going back and forth. Besides, his girlfriend lives there. He has an apartment there, too.”
“There’s an idea. We could move close together. I was thinking that us college goers could share expenses. I know that was a problem for you with going to Met U.”
Clark scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly. It was a strange conversation to be sure. He wondered if she had even considered that Chloe would have called him to let him know she and Lana had a fight. Now he wondered what it was about. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Even if I can talk Lex out of paying for it for me, he’s put a word in with several of the science departments about getting me scholarships. For someone who got expelled, he has a hell of a lot of clout over there.”
Lana watched him warily. “I see. So you two are still doing okay?”
“Yeah, seems so. I talked to him about the election night, and…”
Lana put a hand on Clark’s shoulder. He resisted the urge to shrug it off.
“Why did you just now tell me about kissing Lex?”
“I didn’t want to come between the two of you,” she said in a genuine voice.
Clark sighed. “Wouldn’t that have been harder to do when we weren’t friends?”
“What are you accusing me of?” Lana pulled away and fixed her mouth into a displeased pout.
“You kissed him back,” Clark said firmly. He never played games like this, usually, but the way Lana was acting was more than a little off here.
“Is that what he told you? He’s lying. I would never do that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I told you!”
“And I don’t believe you!” Clark shouted back with a force that surprised him. He was shaking, so he stepped back a little, trying not to intimidate her. “Lana, I swear, just tell me the truth.”
”The truth goes both ways, Clark.” Her clipped tone felt like it was grating over every inch of his skin.
“It sure does! And you’ve lied to me about the ship, and lied to me about seeing Lex, and lied to me about what you know, so I don’t know why you think that I should trust you when you say that Lex is lying about this.” Clark took a deep breath. “I won’t be mad. I just want to know. He was drunk, and he kissed you. And then…?”
Lana arched her back then opened her mouth and fussed with her hands agitatedly. “I may have kissed him back. A little bit.”
“Okay. Do you like him? Or… I know you two are fighting now, but did you-“
“I don’t hate him, Clark. And… no, I didn’t have feelings for him. He was just very… open with me. And very protective without being overbearing. He paid off a lot of my debts without asking for anything in return.”
God, Lex was right about her. Clark pursed his lips.
“You are mad,” she huffed.
“Not about you kissing him. I understand that wasn’t your fault.” Clark sat in the barn window and looked out to where Lex’s castle was.
“Then what?”
“I think you told me about that now… because you’re mad at him, and you want to break us up.”
“What? I can’t believe you just said that!” She turned around and began to stomp away. “You know, you two have issues. You always have, and you’ve never trusted him completely, even when you’d first met! Don’t blame me if the two of you are having problems making this friendship work.”
“I’m not. I’m blaming you for trying to wedge yourself between us.” Clark looked back at her with a sad frown. “And I don’t know why you would want to do that. Lex has been through a hell of a lot, and he really needs a friend right now…” Clark paused and looked out the window again. “And so do I.”
“Then go out and make some like a normal guy.” Lana appeared torn between yelling at Clark and storming out of the barn. “You haven’t had any guy friends since Pete.”
“Well, that didn’t work out so well! I think it says something about how strong Chloe is that she’s stuck around me this long.” Clark laughed softly. “You know I asked her for advice in our sex life? I’m such an idiot. It didn’t occur to me at the time that… that would probably hurt her a lot, and I wonder if she would even know. I never asked her if she ever had sex before.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “Chloe has sex plenty. She just doesn’t like to have relationships because she has abandonment issues.”
“Really? I guess I should have asked. If we’re going to be so boundary-less, maybe I should start knowing weird details about her sex life. We’re getting into some serious ‘among the boys’ territory when we talk about relationships lately.”
“What? And more importantly, are we still fighting?” Lana stepped closer.
“I mean, I dunno, it’s weird. I mean, we had a conversation like a month ago about Alicia, and she sort of grilled me on why I didn’t have sex with her. And when I said, cause we weren’t married and I wanted it to be special, she called me a girl.” Clark tossed up his hands. “It was funny, but… yeah, I guess we just have different ideas of what sex should be.”
He left the window and walked over to her. “And yes, we’re still fighting until you answer the question, are you trying to break up me and Lex?”
Lana sucked in her cheeks, flared her nostrils, and tore out of the barn.
***
Martha sat in the middle of her office, trying to sort through this mess that had been left behind. She was going to have to call the boys and tell them she’d be stuck here for a day or two.
Lionel’s approaching footsteps and flapping coattails filled the silence of the room. He rapped on the doorframe, raising a brow at her.
Martha fell back into her chair with a sigh.
“Well, that doesn’t seem to be a good sign. Care to tell me what’s gone wrong?” Lionel touched his cuff and began to straighten it, but looked up, listening.
Martha tossed up her hands. “My Chief of Staff was murdered in her home last night. To say I’m swamped at the moment would be the understatement of the year.”
Lionel creased his brows and slid his hands into his pockets, thinking for a moment. “Well, why don’t I get us some coffee? I also might be able to have someone put together a list of potential replacements for you. Let me make a few calls.”
“I really should have hired more staff when I took the position, but I thought for certain I wouldn’t be at it this long. It seemed so strange that they would offer it to me.”
“It’s been done before, Martha,” Lionel pointed out, getting on his cell phone to have his driver fetch some coffee, then sat down with Martha to help her go through the late-Chief of Staff’s less than desirable memo system. “Can’t you just look into her computer?”
“It’s password protected. Someone’s coming in tomorrow to break into it,” she explained, picking up another memo, then discarding it when it only had a grocery list on it.
“That I can definitely solve.” He held up a finger and made another call. After a few moments, he snapped the phone shut. “He’ll be over in a couple of hours. I have people on staff for this sort of thing.”
Martha reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Lionel, you’re a life-saver. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I heard that Naomi died.”
“Not a problem. Ah!” Lionel nodded to his driver who came in with the coffee. “Thank you, Theodore.”
Martha took hers graciously and nodded to the man, who bowed, then left.
“So… I don’t suppose you have an update on my son?”
“He seems a lot better. I saw him the other day. He has a lot more energy. He’s moving less like his body hurts him all the time. It looks good.”
Lionel nodded. “And how are he and Clark getting on?”
“Oh, they’re doing great. I hear Lex has a girlfriend now. He must be feeling better.” She smiled.
“A girlfriend?” Lionel raised his brows, clearly thinking. “Ah… the Luciano woman?”
“Luciano?” Martha pursed her lips. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask what her last name was.”
“I’ve seen her around. Martha, she’s not exactly Lex’s girlfriend.”
“No? Clark said they were sleeping together.”
Lionel stroked his beard. “Did he? Well. See… The thing about Miss Luciano…”
Martha set her coffee on the desk. “What is it Lionel?”
“Martha, she’s an escort.”
Her lips bowed in shock.
***
Lex sat in the lab of 33.1 analyzing some samples. Normally he would delegate this, but under the circumstances, discretion was required. He had recently explained his situation to Mercy, but mostly because he had begun to need her services more frequently. He wanted his pregnancy to be strictly need-to-know.
A small squeaking sound came from over his shoulder. Lex jumped a little and turned to see a small boy with white blond hair. That boy was always sneaking up on people. They had picked him up earlier in the year and started calling him ‘Ghost.’ His dad had been using him to rob liquor stores. As far as Lex’s people had been able to tell, Ghost had never been given a birth certificate, name, or social security number. He was ten years old, had never been taught how to read, and didn’t speak. Ghost seemed to understand them well enough, however.
“How are you, Ghost?” Lex rubbed his eyes. The problem with doing the work himself was, in spite of his massive improvement, he was still quite tired all the time. Sometimes he dozed off while trying to do tests.
Ghost raised a finger to Lex’s face and traced the circles under his eyes.
“You think I look sick? Well, I have been a bit ill.”
“Mmm,” Ghost whined unhappily. Lex thinned his lips.
“I’ll be fine, though. Don’t worry about me.”
The boy nodded. He turned around to watch Nevaeh, a fiery haired girl of sixteen, speaking with Mxy and then walked through the glass wall to join them before group therapy.
Lex wondered how that child had gotten such an unusual power. Ghost could move through objects at will and make himself invisible, but he had been nowhere near the meteor rocks, and as far as Lex could tell, his father hadn’t either. Perhaps it was his mother. Then again, there were others there who had never had any contact with radiation and still possessed amazing powers.
Meta-humans were the minority, but they were far more prolific than most would have thought. More and more Lex came to realize this, and from his studies on himself, the ever so useful Mutant “L,” some meta-humans were born different from other human beings. Lex had seen several “second gen” meteor freaks and several individuals who had inherited their mutations through several generations of meta-human families. Lex’s gifts weren’t merely the bizarre result of being in proximity to meteor rocks and something else. Otherwise he might have ended up with corn powers. They were the result of a natural mutation drawn out of latency by his exposure.
Lex couldn’t help but wonder what his child’s abilities would be like and if the result would be beneficial or torturous. The thought that the baby might not be entirely human unsettled him, though Lex knew that he really should have a bit more meta pride. Perhaps his fears were connected to the knowledge that some of the child’s DNA would be extra-terrestrial in origin.
Clark’s mention of the ‘mutant’ who had contributed to the rise of Adam had stuck somewhere in Lex’s brain. Today’s test was really a simple affirmation that he hadn’t done the previous ones incorrectly. He knew how they would turn out, although he hoped for the opposite result. The ‘mutant’ in Adam’s case had a blood composition unlike anything on this planet.
Except, apparently, for the fetus Lex now carried in within him.
Looking over the new test results, Lex felt at a loss on whether to be happy about his child or horrified at the idea that there really was an alien inside him. Horror was winning out, and it was giving him some of the most bizarre nightmares he’d ever had. Understanding Milton Fine would be impossible, but under these circumstances, it was more probable that Lex was merely an incubator, not meant to survive, only meant to provide suitable material for the fetus to burrow into and to draw nutrients from.
“Ghost sait you were filling under da weather.”
Lex almost groaned after jumping yet again. This was all very wearing for him. He was on edge, his hormones were driving him absolutely crazy, and this prolonged abstinence was hardly helping matters. If he hadn’t found Lena to talk to, he thought that he might go crazy. Though he would have much rather talked to Clark… even if he wouldn’t really understand what he was going through as well as an empath. “It isn’t a big deal, Mxy.”
“Oh?” Mxyzptlk still had a slight accent. He took a stool beside Lex and looked him over, then fixed his dark eyes on Lex’s middle. “I think it will be big.”
“I see your powers are coming along,” Lex replied curtly. “I hope your memory of who you are returns as well. Anything else you’d care to share?”
“Vat do you vant to know?” the impish young man asked.
“This alien… who contributed part of this fetus’ DNA. What does he want?”
Mxyzptlk twisted his lips into a wicked grin and enunciated sharply, “He vants you, Lex Luthor.”
Lex felt his chest tighten.