Fic: Must Be Dreaming, Part 20
Surprise at the end of the chapter ;)
Title: Must Be Dreaming
Series/WIP: Sequel to So Much Dreaming
Pairing: Clex!
Rating: NC-17!
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, character death
Chapter One ♥ Chapter Two ♥ Chapter Three ♥ Chapter Four ♥ Chapter 5.1 ♥ Chapter 5.2 ♥ Chapter Six ♥ Chapter Seven ♥ Chapter Eight ♥ Chapter Nine ♥ Chapter Ten ♥ Chapter Eleven ♥ Chapter Twelve ♥ Chapter Thirteen ♥ Chapter Fourteen ♥ Chapter Fifteen ♥ Chapter Sixteen ♥ Chapter Seventeen ♥ Part Eighteen ♥ Part Nineteen
Part Twenty
Clark felt his heart racing as his eyes popped open. Something was wrong. He took a moment to focus before frowning and stretching out on the bed. What was it? Something was missing...
Lex. Lex wasn’t there.
He sat up straight, narrowed his eyes, and sharpened his senses to locate Lex. To Clark’s relief, he was just in the hallway, and his heartbeat wasn’t accelerated. He wasn’t alone, however. In addition to their baby’s swift heartbeat, there was another child with him. Clark threw his legs over the side of the bed and went out to see what was going on.
A smile spread across Clark’s lips when he saw Lex there, sitting against the wall with Rujuko curled around him and sleepily petting her hair. Too cute.
At Clark’s muffled laugh, Lex lifted his head and blinked at him. Clark walked over silently, then knelt by Lex and kissed his temple.
“Hey there, daddy.”
“She woke up,” Lex murmured. Someone was still half-asleep himself. “She was upset.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Clark sat beside him and put his arm around Lex.
Lex rested his head on Clark’s shoulder and looked at him. “I’m going to need a little help with them.”
“Yeah. Cause pretty soon, your time is going to be taken up with someone else.” Clark touched the top of Lex’s belly with two fingers, above where Rujuko’s arm was pressed, and trailed them along the curve.
“I’m aware.” Lex’s jaw tightened visibly.
Clark touched his cheek gently. “Don’t worry.”
“I can’t help it, when you bring up...” Lex pursed his lips. “How soon she’ll be here. I haven’t gotten anything ready yet. We don’t have a nursery, or any clothing, or toys, or a name… I don’t even have a doctor anymore. I’m not prepared. And there are these kids to take care of, all of whom have suffered trauma on their way to us-”
“I should have let you alone to brood. It’ll be fine.”
“How do you know?” Lex demanded. Rujuko moved, and he rubbed her back.
“Because it’s us.” Clark chased, then kissed his stern lips.
“Clark-”
“Yesterday was too stressful. And you’ve had a lot of stress before that, too. I want you to keep taking it easy. It’s not good for you to worry so much.” Clark moved his hand down Lex’s neck and smiled. “I love you.”
Lex sighed and tilted his head back. “I know.”
“I know you know. But, again, you’re under stress. You’ve got all these crazy hormones going on. I don’t want to ever let you doubt how much I care about you.” Clark kissed the top of Lex’s belly. His heart seemed to swell in his chest every time he looked at Lex these days. “And her.”
“I managed to gather the last bit from how you can’t keep your hands off me,” Lex replied wryly.
“Nope. Can’t.” Clark slipped his arms around Lex, and after taking a moment to get a good grip on them both, lifted Lex and Rujuko into the air. Lex looked a bit startled, but remained calm as Clark walked them both back into his room and laid them on the bed.
“Mmm...” Rujuko opened her eyes for a moment, and blinked at Clark and Lex before mussing her hair and laying her head down again.
Lex smiled crookedly, then looked to Clark when he started to rub Lex’s back.
“I’m gonna get breakfast started. Try to get a little more sleep. You need it.”
Lex rolled his eyes, but set his head down and closed his eyes anyway. “Yes, dear.”
“Brat,” Clark accused as he walked out of the room.
***
Mercy’s eyes opened to a brightly lit hospital room. She groaned a bit, then felt the small hands holding her arm tightly. That caused her to smile, and she reached over to put her hand on Chloe’s drooping head.
Her tiny little blond jerked awake, and relief was apparent in Chloe’s eyes immediately, followed by tears.
“No crying, kitten. I’m okay. Stronger than I look, remember?” When Mercy got a nod from Chloe, she asked, “Did everyone get out all right? Where’s Fine?”
“We’re not sure about Fine, but everyone did make it out just fine. Though maybe with a little more PTSD than we’d like.”
Chloe continued, rattling off her report of the events, including information she’d gotten from Clark and Domovoi over the phone while she’d been seeing to Mercy here. When she had done with her chattering, Mercy reached over and pulled on Chloe’s hands, encouraging her to crawl into the bed with her. Chloe lay her head on Mercy’s chest.
“Why don’t you get some sleep, kitten? You don’t look like you’ve slept in days,” Mercy suggested. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ve just been tired lately. I don’t know what it is.” Chloe sighed. “And I feel like I should be able to do something with technopathy that would help Clark and Lex stop Brainiac.”
“I know I try to protect you too much, but I really want you to steer clear of that thing. What if it decided to rewrite your brain?”
“I’m not thinking of going it alone. I just wish I could do something. I don’t often wish for powers that go boom. You know people go crazy with those kinds of powers, and there’s already the tendency in our family...” Rubbing her eyes, Chloe snuggled against Mercy. “You didn’t hear Lex when I told him that Tanaka was Brainiac. It was terrible. He had a panic attack.”
“I think I’d have an episode of some kind too, if I realized an alien computer had been sticking its hands up my vag for months.” Mercy scratched her hair. She needed a shower. “There has to be something that can be done to stop it. Or at least convince it that fighting us is not worth its time.”
“I can think of one resource we have. The only problem is, the AI at this resource is about as crazy, sadistic, and arbitrary as the one we’re fighting.”
“I think Clark mentioned that. The Fortress? Maybe you could dip into that one.”
Chloe shivered. “I could try. It already hates me, though.”
“Run it by the farmboy first. Alien tech is a bit out of my training expertise.”
Chloe nodded, and then she looked up to Mercy, who frowned at the lines under her eyes. Mercy touched her soft hair and gave Chloe a gentle kiss.
***
Pancakes flipped through the air on their own. Plates appeared on the table. The refrigerator door opened and closed by itself.
Either the Kent farm was haunted, or Clark was whipping up breakfast. Martha crossed her arms and walked out onto the porch. She wasn’t exactly needed in the kitchen.
Years of deferring to Jonathan and playing as a farmwife, while it ultimately worked into her desire for motherhood quite well, left her wanting for a purpose now that Clark was grown. The November election would be coming up in a few short months (as well as her first grandchild, amazingly), and while that did provide her with goals, she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue as a senator. Oh, she could keep up with the other senators well enough. She’d done pre-law and business in college. Her father had always said that she was as smart as a whip, but he always had an agenda. (Come to think of it, she was a bit annoyed with her father for not coming after Jonathan had ‘died.’) Still, it hadn’t been something she’d gone into herself, but rather something that had fallen in her lap by chance, and politically, she wasn’t always quite the same as Jonathan’s constituency had expected her to be.
Beyond that, she now knew that Lionel had intended, almost certainly, to control whichever Kent was in the senate seat-- something he could not do with Lex there. That much was obvious. Lex, and his poor late brother Lucas, were probably among the few who could stand up to that man, with both his mundane tricks and manipulation as well as his outright glamour of a power to push people to do what he wanted, and walk away with no more than a shaken psyche and a maybe a migraine.
No, Martha didn’t want the spotlight. She didn’t want whatever Lionel’s business friends wanted. Even with him gone, they would expect things, and she would have to make compromises. Hell, she’d always considered herself more of a grassroots organizer than someone destined for Washington.
Martha looked up from where she was leaning on the banister to see one of Lex’s fancy cars pull up to the farm. A few seconds passed before she realized that the driver was the third person she knew capable of facing down Lionel. His daughter, and Lex’s older sister.
It briefly occurred to Martha that Lena would probably be more influential in politics than any of them, but for the same reasons the position didn’t appeal to Martha, it wouldn’t appeal to her.
As Lena approached, she held her hands up. “I’m just here to see Lex.”
“You’re welcome here, Lena,” Martha assured her. “Maddie’s here, too. Safe and sound. As well as the other children who were at the castle. Clark made sure.”
Lena nodded and came up the stairs. “I’m glad he was around. As much as I want to protect my brother, I wouldn’t be able to to much against Milton Fine.”
“I suppose not.” Martha wondered if Lionel had tried to push against Fine before it killed him. “Lena, you know, I’ve never had the opportunity, really, to apologize for the way I treated you.”
“I guess Lionel can be a hell of a bug in your ear.”
Martha grimaced. “Clark made that suggestion, too, but I don’t think I put up much of a fight. You and Lex are proof that it can be done.”
“Hm.” Lena put her hands on her hips. “I’m made from the same cloth; of course he can’t get into my head. Lex, now, he’s just stubborn.”
Martha laughed softly.
“I think we’re good,” Lena said more seriously.
Martha sighed. “You might be going a bit too easy on me.”
“It’s a drawback of knowing how you feel. I know when you really are sorry. I know when you’ve actually changed how you felt about me.” Lena shrugged her head to the side. “Makes it difficult to hold a grudge.”
“By that same coin, I suppose it affords you the ability to deal with people too quick to apologize, without being sorry at all.”
“Yes.” Lena looked up, an uncomfortable expression on her face. “It’s actually about time that I called up a friend of mine to apologize. I haven’t talked to her in months, and I don’t think she’s going to forgive me just because I was emotional at the time.”
Martha pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Emotional? If that was during or after your stay in the hospital, as another woman, I think she’s obligated to forgive you.”
“I don’t know. I said some pretty hurtful things.”
“I’m sure you know exactly what to say.” Martha slipped her hands into the back pockets of the old pair of jeans she’d put on this morning. “But we can all say hurtful things, when we’re hurting or scared. She’ll forgive you, if she knows you at all. Maybe she doesn’t think you want to talk to her.”
Lena nodded thoughtfully. “Could be. He’s still sleeping?”
“They should all be upstairs, although Clark’s got breakfast going, so he’ll have to wake them soon.”
Lena nodded again and peered into the kitchen, where Clark was setting up the table.
“Go on in,” Martha urged.
Half-turning from the door, Lena squeezed Martha’s shoulder. It was a relief to have Lena’s forgiveness. Now maybe she could start deciding with Jonathan where their life should go from here.
***
Clark stands outside on the balcony, wearing what looks like blue tights and a red cape that is occasionally lifted in the wind. At first, Lex doesn’t even believe his eyes. He stares from the hallway, frozen with the hope that what he is seeing is real and not another dream. These dreams of his, ‘gift’ or not, sometimes Lex just can’t abide by them.
Then he runs to the balcony and opens it. Clark turns.
It’s him. No one else has that smile.
The two of them embrace as though they’ve been apart for a very long time. Lex closes his eyes and murmurs, “Lia and Conner were starting to think that you weren’t coming back.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I know... I know it still hurts you the way that I-”
“That was a long time ago.” Lex holds Clark more tightly.
Clark nuzzles his face into Lex’s shoulder and lifts him off the ground. “I know. I just...”
“I knew you were coming back. But... Don’t go again.”
“Not for a while. I promise, Lex.”
Lex woke with lips on his cheek. He knew who it was before opening his eyes, their bond so ridiculously close as it was. It was a wonder they hadn’t been aware of one another before meeting.
He grumbled as he let Lena help him out of the bed. Rujuko had already gotten up.
“You wanna stay here? I can bring some breakfast up for you,” Lena offered.
“Do I look that bad?” Lex steadied himself on his feet and looked at his belly thoughtfully. Lia. Lia...
Lena gave him a squeeze. “You look grumpy.”
“These dreams.” Lex shook his head. “I don’t know when I’m having normal dreams and when I’m... Seeing.”
“You’ll get used to it,” she assured him, rubbing his back. “You’ve only known about it for a few months. It took me years to deal with my powers.”
“Granted.” Lex sniffed the air and felt his stomach rumbling. Little Lia wasn’t going to be denied her breakfast.
Lena gave his belly a pet and headed downstairs arm in arm with him.
“How did things go with your mother?”
“Oh, don’t ask. Well, you can, but we can talk about it later.”
“That well?”
“She can be... difficult.”
“I think that’s a common trait among mothers. I intend to be no different.”
Lena laughed happily. They headed into the kitchen together and were greeted by a table full of Kents and kids, partaking of an enormous breakfast. Maddie hopped up from the table and went to Lena.
“Nicely done,” Lex murmured.
Clark came at him at once and wrapped his arms around Lex. “Mmm. You smell good in the morning.”
“Yeah?” Lex noticed the apron Clark was wearing. “Did you help with this?”
“He did it himself,” Martha corrected as she leaned over Ghost and cut up his pancake for him.
Clark moved in to kiss Lex’s cheek and lead him to the table. “Let’s get you guys some good food.”
***
For most of the morning, Lex fielded calls on his cell phone, but there was only so much that he could do with his feet up on the Kent sofa, and of course, only so much that Clark would let him do before taking the cell phone and laptop away from him with an indulgent smile and a kiss and a little chat about about stress relief.
Clark was determined to make this day good for Lex. After yesterday, Lex needed some TLC. It was just too hard to get the image of Lex shaking and speechless in the aftermath of his flashback.
The day was quiet, and rather uneventful compared to how their lives had been recently. No one went to work that day, and it turned out that the Kent house was just big enough for them all to tuck in for the day with one another, Kent cooking, and some board games.
Later that evening, Chloe and Mercy showed up, looking a bit worse for wear, but Mercy sat near Lex, and together they covered a few work issues while Clark swung Chloe around in a big bear hug and then took her into the kitchen to make dinner plates for the two new additions to the camp-in.
“C’mon.” Clark grinned widely as he returned to Lex, a jacket in hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere-- No, it’s a surprise. Up.” Clark took both of Lex’s hands and pulled him to his feet.
“You’ll understand if I’ve had enough surprises to last me a lifetime,” Lex said dryly.
Clark stroked the back of Lex’s head. “Not this kind. Not by a long shot.”
“You think so?”
Clark couldn’t get enough of that quirky little smirk of Lex’s. As a bonus, it meant that Lex was fairly relaxed right now.
“Alright. Let’s see this surprise of yours.”
“I loooove you.”
“You always say that,” Lex murmured.
“It’s always true!”
“Sap.”
***
Lex closed his eyes and held onto Clark tightly. They were moving too fast for Lex to see anything anyway. Clark had obviously been trying to distract Lex all day. It was touching, because at the heart of it all was a desire to take care of Lex and the baby. Maybe Clark deserved a little faith.
They stopped, and Lex opened his eyes to a familiar hallway. Rich wooden floors, ornate doorways and windows, and high, high ceilings. He hadn’t been in this place since he was a teenager. The Luthor Mansion.
Lex let out a low whistle. “They’ve started to dust this place off.”
“I wondered if you’d ever show me this place.”
“It wasn’t likely when there was a chance the devil might show up.”
Clark frowned. “I thought your father was living in a Metropolis penthouse.”
“He was. But there was still a chance.” With a sigh, Lex leaned into Clark again and looked around the hallways he’d tread through so cautiously as a child. Normal children, they ran, they played. Lex was always cautious. His mother liked a quiet child, and his father... Well, he was his father. “He wanted me to move in with him here.”
“Really.”
“Hm. Yeah. Before he abducted me, he said I should come live at the manor with him.”
Clark’s lips pressed against Lex’s head. “I swear, I don’t know what went through his head. Why would you want to do that? The last time you two lived together, he bugged you and used the information he stole against you, and that was, you know, after deliberately manipulating you emotionally and taking over your home.”
“Funny how you mention that. I was thinking about the attempted murder.”
Clark’s arms tightened around him. “If you’re up for it, I have something to show you.”
“I’m up for whatever you can throw at me.” Lex stayed close to Clark as they headed deeper into the mansion. When they reached the stairs, Clark lifted Lex into his arms without a word. Lex just crooked a smile and watched Clark, who seemed a bit nervous, as though he wasn’t sure how Lex would take it.
He really must have been moody lately, to have Clark so concerned about setting him off. Lex yawned as they reached their floor, and Clark paused.
“Do you want to do this tonight? We don’t have to. We can go back to the farmhouse.”
“I’m fine, Clark. Don’t worry.”
Clark shook his head, and Lex knew that right now not worrying would be impossible for Clark. The reality of becoming a new father seemed to be settling in on him.
Once they’d reached a double-doored suite, Clark set Lex on his feet and gave his back a rub and cheek a kiss before opening the door.
Lex stepped inside tentatively. For the second time that evening, he felt his heart clench inside him. He couldn’t quite remember what this room had been before, but it had been newly refurnished in cheery sky blue, a near copy of the room he’d set aside at the castle. The one that Clark, Lena, and Maddie all called his “Chill Out” room. The one he called his safe room.
The large blue birth ball was even hanging around by the window.
“Thank you,” Lex whispered.
Clark’s arms came up behind him, and he rested his chin on Lex’s shoulder. “I thought it would be a good idea for this to be here. I don’t want you to have to feel so much pressure over the baby coming. Your room is here, at least. It’ll be okay.”
Lex lowered his eyes and looked down at Clark’s hands. He wouldn’t be confident that it would be okay. Not anytime soon. But this gesture was certainly a step in the right direction.
“We can move the kids into the mansion like we said,” Clark continued. “I know the castle doesn’t feel safe anymore. You can decide where you want to live regularly after the baby is born, but until then, maybe we keep you away from prying eyes and people who want to hurt you. It’s too much stress. And for the doctor, we can start looking for one tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to look for another doctor,” Lex admitted.
Clark went quiet, unsure of how to respond. Lex put his hands over Clark’s. “I don’t want to let anyone else in our lives who could hurt these kids. And I really don’t... I just can’t... have anyone else that I can’t trust touching me. I just can’t.”
He realized that he was shaking when Clark began rubbing his arms, but Lex wasn’t cold. He turned to face Clark, who looked more worried than Lex was happy with.
“If we don’t get another doctor, what are we going to do about...” Clark looked down. “I mean, she has to be born.”
Lex drew in a deep breath, then blew it out just as slowly. “Well, she can. We always knew that.”
“You love her like crazy,” Clark accused. He wrapped his arms around Lex and began to sway them back and forth. “If you really wanna do this... I want you to get help. Ask Lena, for starters.”
“I will.” Lex relaxed into Clark’s arms. He shook his head. “I screwed this all up. We’ve been here before.”
“Been... where?” Clark cocked his head to the side. “Pregnant person rule #32: Be prepared for leaps of logic.”
“I don’t think you’re counting right. Here. Not this room. The other room. Dancing together.” Lex let his head rest on Clark’s chest as they danced. “I was wrong, Clark. I’m sorry. I pushed you away then, because I didn’t trust you to be there for us, and... and because I didn’t want to burden you with this.”
“Oh, it was pretty clear why you did it.” Clark kissed the top of his head, then very obviously gave him a sniff.
Lex ran his fingers through Clark’s hair and breathed in his scent. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”
“Yeah. You should have. I needed to think about it. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Clark pulled back and took Lex’s hand, leading him over to the wall of pillows. “But we should have been able to talk again that evening, like we’d planned. We should have come back together and said, yeah, we can do this. We can be together. We can take care of her.”
Lex held onto Clark as he helped him onto the floor. “This confidence you’re exuding is a big help.”
“That was my master plan.” Clark grinned mischievously. He sat behind Lex and then began rubbing both hands over his belly. He met Lex’s eye and breathed in deeply.
With a small smile, Lex followed Clark’s lead. Now practicing here meant a good deal for all of them. He had to keep his stress down regardless, but if he was really going to try having Lia the ‘old fashioned’ way, he would need to make certain he could stay calm.
Clark’s hands moved over Lex’s thighs, and Lex let his eyes fall half-closed. When Clark’s lips touched his, he kissed him back, slowly at first. Both of their hands moved over one another, tender and slow, but soon enough their kisses grew hungrier. Lex’s body seemed to reenergize from Clark’s touch.
He opened his eyes and sat up, moving (a bit awkwardly) to face Clark, who was giving him a dopey farmboy grin.
Lex gave him a stern frown. “Don’t laugh at me. This isn’t easy!”
“I can’t help smiling,” Clark protested. He moved his hands under Lex’s sweater and pulled it over Lex’s head. That done, he bit his tongue as he raked his eyes over Lex, looking for all the world like he was eyeing a piece of pie.
“What...” Lex ineffectively tried to cover his round belly with his arms. “What are you doing?”
“Checkin’ you out.” Clark laughed and pulled Lex’s arms away. “Don’t be mad, Lex! I love it. You look cute.”
“I do not. Believe me, being pregnant isn’t the worse affliction I’ve ever had, and I love my daughter, but I am by no means ‘cute’ like this.” Lex shook his head. Clark was so strange sometimes.
“You are. You’re sexy.” Clark leaned over to kiss his belly, and Lex just rolled his eyes.
“You are and always have been a sex god,” Clark sighed.
Lex blinked. “What did you say?”
“Sorry, can’t hear you. Bowing before the sex god.”
“How would you even know? We’ve...” Lex paused to watch Clark getting his fill of flesh. “...never had sex.”
“I think that’s a travesty. I could kiss you for hours.”
“Sex isn’t kissing. Believe me. I know this.”
Clark looked up, his tongue still peeking out and his eyes wide. Lex brushed his fingers over Clark’s cheek and nodded.
Bounding up like a puppy, Clark laid Lex back on the pillows and enthusiastically began to kiss him once again. Lex reached up to move his hands over Clark’s chest, and Clark lifted up one of Lex’s legs, his hand squeezing Lex’s thigh.
“Mmph, Clark!” Lex tried to arch his back, which was cramping. “Hold on. This isn’t comfortable.”
Clark scratched the side of his head. “Huh. Okay, let me think about this for a minute.”
“See, this is why we should have done this back then.” Lex put a hand on his belly and pushed himself up.
“Well, why I should have not gotten freaked out about the Google search and done more research.”
“Perv. Help me up. On my back isn’t good right now, but missionary is hardly the only position there is.”
Clark took Lex’s hand and pulled. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t trained you properly.” Lex sucked in his lower lip. “Let’s try this. Lay down.”
“You’re gonna... top?”
Lex snorted. “Eventually, but not like this. Oh, yes, Clark, it will happen. Just not tonight.”
He pushed down his pants and then leaned over Clark to unbutton his jeans.
“This isn’t how they do it in movies,” Clark said.
“It’s really rarely like that. But I promise you, it’ll be better.”
With that, Lex climbed over Clark and pumped his cock a few times. Like he’d expected, Clark sprung up again just as energetically as ever. Clark was grinning again, and to Lex’s surprise, Clark seemed to be giving off some kind of lubricant as he stroked him. Lex took Clark’s hand and took a moment to stretch himself with his fingers. The look on Clark’s face as he did that was simply priceless. It was as though everything they did together was a fresh new miracle to Clark.
When Lex moved to push himself on Clark’s cock, Clark’s eyes couldn’t have been any wider. He put a hand on Lex’s back and held onto his hand to make sure he didn’t lose his balance, but Lex had control of the situation soon enough. Clark yelped in surprise, and Lex groaned loudly enough to be glad for the empty mansion around them.
Clark came too quickly, and Lex got tired, but when he’d laid down again, Clark reached over to finish him off with a loving kiss on the lips.
“Sorry,” Clark muttered.
“Oh. We’ll practice.”
And that night, after a break and a snack, and before going to bed in the blue safe room, practice they did.
Title: Must Be Dreaming
Series/WIP: Sequel to So Much Dreaming
Pairing: Clex!
Rating: NC-17!
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, character death
Chapter One ♥ Chapter Two ♥ Chapter Three ♥ Chapter Four ♥ Chapter 5.1 ♥ Chapter 5.2 ♥ Chapter Six ♥ Chapter Seven ♥ Chapter Eight ♥ Chapter Nine ♥ Chapter Ten ♥ Chapter Eleven ♥ Chapter Twelve ♥ Chapter Thirteen ♥ Chapter Fourteen ♥ Chapter Fifteen ♥ Chapter Sixteen ♥ Chapter Seventeen ♥ Part Eighteen ♥ Part Nineteen
Part Twenty
Clark felt his heart racing as his eyes popped open. Something was wrong. He took a moment to focus before frowning and stretching out on the bed. What was it? Something was missing...
Lex. Lex wasn’t there.
He sat up straight, narrowed his eyes, and sharpened his senses to locate Lex. To Clark’s relief, he was just in the hallway, and his heartbeat wasn’t accelerated. He wasn’t alone, however. In addition to their baby’s swift heartbeat, there was another child with him. Clark threw his legs over the side of the bed and went out to see what was going on.
A smile spread across Clark’s lips when he saw Lex there, sitting against the wall with Rujuko curled around him and sleepily petting her hair. Too cute.
At Clark’s muffled laugh, Lex lifted his head and blinked at him. Clark walked over silently, then knelt by Lex and kissed his temple.
“Hey there, daddy.”
“She woke up,” Lex murmured. Someone was still half-asleep himself. “She was upset.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Clark sat beside him and put his arm around Lex.
Lex rested his head on Clark’s shoulder and looked at him. “I’m going to need a little help with them.”
“Yeah. Cause pretty soon, your time is going to be taken up with someone else.” Clark touched the top of Lex’s belly with two fingers, above where Rujuko’s arm was pressed, and trailed them along the curve.
“I’m aware.” Lex’s jaw tightened visibly.
Clark touched his cheek gently. “Don’t worry.”
“I can’t help it, when you bring up...” Lex pursed his lips. “How soon she’ll be here. I haven’t gotten anything ready yet. We don’t have a nursery, or any clothing, or toys, or a name… I don’t even have a doctor anymore. I’m not prepared. And there are these kids to take care of, all of whom have suffered trauma on their way to us-”
“I should have let you alone to brood. It’ll be fine.”
“How do you know?” Lex demanded. Rujuko moved, and he rubbed her back.
“Because it’s us.” Clark chased, then kissed his stern lips.
“Clark-”
“Yesterday was too stressful. And you’ve had a lot of stress before that, too. I want you to keep taking it easy. It’s not good for you to worry so much.” Clark moved his hand down Lex’s neck and smiled. “I love you.”
Lex sighed and tilted his head back. “I know.”
“I know you know. But, again, you’re under stress. You’ve got all these crazy hormones going on. I don’t want to ever let you doubt how much I care about you.” Clark kissed the top of Lex’s belly. His heart seemed to swell in his chest every time he looked at Lex these days. “And her.”
“I managed to gather the last bit from how you can’t keep your hands off me,” Lex replied wryly.
“Nope. Can’t.” Clark slipped his arms around Lex, and after taking a moment to get a good grip on them both, lifted Lex and Rujuko into the air. Lex looked a bit startled, but remained calm as Clark walked them both back into his room and laid them on the bed.
“Mmm...” Rujuko opened her eyes for a moment, and blinked at Clark and Lex before mussing her hair and laying her head down again.
Lex smiled crookedly, then looked to Clark when he started to rub Lex’s back.
“I’m gonna get breakfast started. Try to get a little more sleep. You need it.”
Lex rolled his eyes, but set his head down and closed his eyes anyway. “Yes, dear.”
“Brat,” Clark accused as he walked out of the room.
***
Mercy’s eyes opened to a brightly lit hospital room. She groaned a bit, then felt the small hands holding her arm tightly. That caused her to smile, and she reached over to put her hand on Chloe’s drooping head.
Her tiny little blond jerked awake, and relief was apparent in Chloe’s eyes immediately, followed by tears.
“No crying, kitten. I’m okay. Stronger than I look, remember?” When Mercy got a nod from Chloe, she asked, “Did everyone get out all right? Where’s Fine?”
“We’re not sure about Fine, but everyone did make it out just fine. Though maybe with a little more PTSD than we’d like.”
Chloe continued, rattling off her report of the events, including information she’d gotten from Clark and Domovoi over the phone while she’d been seeing to Mercy here. When she had done with her chattering, Mercy reached over and pulled on Chloe’s hands, encouraging her to crawl into the bed with her. Chloe lay her head on Mercy’s chest.
“Why don’t you get some sleep, kitten? You don’t look like you’ve slept in days,” Mercy suggested. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ve just been tired lately. I don’t know what it is.” Chloe sighed. “And I feel like I should be able to do something with technopathy that would help Clark and Lex stop Brainiac.”
“I know I try to protect you too much, but I really want you to steer clear of that thing. What if it decided to rewrite your brain?”
“I’m not thinking of going it alone. I just wish I could do something. I don’t often wish for powers that go boom. You know people go crazy with those kinds of powers, and there’s already the tendency in our family...” Rubbing her eyes, Chloe snuggled against Mercy. “You didn’t hear Lex when I told him that Tanaka was Brainiac. It was terrible. He had a panic attack.”
“I think I’d have an episode of some kind too, if I realized an alien computer had been sticking its hands up my vag for months.” Mercy scratched her hair. She needed a shower. “There has to be something that can be done to stop it. Or at least convince it that fighting us is not worth its time.”
“I can think of one resource we have. The only problem is, the AI at this resource is about as crazy, sadistic, and arbitrary as the one we’re fighting.”
“I think Clark mentioned that. The Fortress? Maybe you could dip into that one.”
Chloe shivered. “I could try. It already hates me, though.”
“Run it by the farmboy first. Alien tech is a bit out of my training expertise.”
Chloe nodded, and then she looked up to Mercy, who frowned at the lines under her eyes. Mercy touched her soft hair and gave Chloe a gentle kiss.
***
Pancakes flipped through the air on their own. Plates appeared on the table. The refrigerator door opened and closed by itself.
Either the Kent farm was haunted, or Clark was whipping up breakfast. Martha crossed her arms and walked out onto the porch. She wasn’t exactly needed in the kitchen.
Years of deferring to Jonathan and playing as a farmwife, while it ultimately worked into her desire for motherhood quite well, left her wanting for a purpose now that Clark was grown. The November election would be coming up in a few short months (as well as her first grandchild, amazingly), and while that did provide her with goals, she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue as a senator. Oh, she could keep up with the other senators well enough. She’d done pre-law and business in college. Her father had always said that she was as smart as a whip, but he always had an agenda. (Come to think of it, she was a bit annoyed with her father for not coming after Jonathan had ‘died.’) Still, it hadn’t been something she’d gone into herself, but rather something that had fallen in her lap by chance, and politically, she wasn’t always quite the same as Jonathan’s constituency had expected her to be.
Beyond that, she now knew that Lionel had intended, almost certainly, to control whichever Kent was in the senate seat-- something he could not do with Lex there. That much was obvious. Lex, and his poor late brother Lucas, were probably among the few who could stand up to that man, with both his mundane tricks and manipulation as well as his outright glamour of a power to push people to do what he wanted, and walk away with no more than a shaken psyche and a maybe a migraine.
No, Martha didn’t want the spotlight. She didn’t want whatever Lionel’s business friends wanted. Even with him gone, they would expect things, and she would have to make compromises. Hell, she’d always considered herself more of a grassroots organizer than someone destined for Washington.
Martha looked up from where she was leaning on the banister to see one of Lex’s fancy cars pull up to the farm. A few seconds passed before she realized that the driver was the third person she knew capable of facing down Lionel. His daughter, and Lex’s older sister.
It briefly occurred to Martha that Lena would probably be more influential in politics than any of them, but for the same reasons the position didn’t appeal to Martha, it wouldn’t appeal to her.
As Lena approached, she held her hands up. “I’m just here to see Lex.”
“You’re welcome here, Lena,” Martha assured her. “Maddie’s here, too. Safe and sound. As well as the other children who were at the castle. Clark made sure.”
Lena nodded and came up the stairs. “I’m glad he was around. As much as I want to protect my brother, I wouldn’t be able to to much against Milton Fine.”
“I suppose not.” Martha wondered if Lionel had tried to push against Fine before it killed him. “Lena, you know, I’ve never had the opportunity, really, to apologize for the way I treated you.”
“I guess Lionel can be a hell of a bug in your ear.”
Martha grimaced. “Clark made that suggestion, too, but I don’t think I put up much of a fight. You and Lex are proof that it can be done.”
“Hm.” Lena put her hands on her hips. “I’m made from the same cloth; of course he can’t get into my head. Lex, now, he’s just stubborn.”
Martha laughed softly.
“I think we’re good,” Lena said more seriously.
Martha sighed. “You might be going a bit too easy on me.”
“It’s a drawback of knowing how you feel. I know when you really are sorry. I know when you’ve actually changed how you felt about me.” Lena shrugged her head to the side. “Makes it difficult to hold a grudge.”
“By that same coin, I suppose it affords you the ability to deal with people too quick to apologize, without being sorry at all.”
“Yes.” Lena looked up, an uncomfortable expression on her face. “It’s actually about time that I called up a friend of mine to apologize. I haven’t talked to her in months, and I don’t think she’s going to forgive me just because I was emotional at the time.”
Martha pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Emotional? If that was during or after your stay in the hospital, as another woman, I think she’s obligated to forgive you.”
“I don’t know. I said some pretty hurtful things.”
“I’m sure you know exactly what to say.” Martha slipped her hands into the back pockets of the old pair of jeans she’d put on this morning. “But we can all say hurtful things, when we’re hurting or scared. She’ll forgive you, if she knows you at all. Maybe she doesn’t think you want to talk to her.”
Lena nodded thoughtfully. “Could be. He’s still sleeping?”
“They should all be upstairs, although Clark’s got breakfast going, so he’ll have to wake them soon.”
Lena nodded again and peered into the kitchen, where Clark was setting up the table.
“Go on in,” Martha urged.
Half-turning from the door, Lena squeezed Martha’s shoulder. It was a relief to have Lena’s forgiveness. Now maybe she could start deciding with Jonathan where their life should go from here.
***
Clark stands outside on the balcony, wearing what looks like blue tights and a red cape that is occasionally lifted in the wind. At first, Lex doesn’t even believe his eyes. He stares from the hallway, frozen with the hope that what he is seeing is real and not another dream. These dreams of his, ‘gift’ or not, sometimes Lex just can’t abide by them.
Then he runs to the balcony and opens it. Clark turns.
It’s him. No one else has that smile.
The two of them embrace as though they’ve been apart for a very long time. Lex closes his eyes and murmurs, “Lia and Conner were starting to think that you weren’t coming back.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I know... I know it still hurts you the way that I-”
“That was a long time ago.” Lex holds Clark more tightly.
Clark nuzzles his face into Lex’s shoulder and lifts him off the ground. “I know. I just...”
“I knew you were coming back. But... Don’t go again.”
“Not for a while. I promise, Lex.”
Lex woke with lips on his cheek. He knew who it was before opening his eyes, their bond so ridiculously close as it was. It was a wonder they hadn’t been aware of one another before meeting.
He grumbled as he let Lena help him out of the bed. Rujuko had already gotten up.
“You wanna stay here? I can bring some breakfast up for you,” Lena offered.
“Do I look that bad?” Lex steadied himself on his feet and looked at his belly thoughtfully. Lia. Lia...
Lena gave him a squeeze. “You look grumpy.”
“These dreams.” Lex shook his head. “I don’t know when I’m having normal dreams and when I’m... Seeing.”
“You’ll get used to it,” she assured him, rubbing his back. “You’ve only known about it for a few months. It took me years to deal with my powers.”
“Granted.” Lex sniffed the air and felt his stomach rumbling. Little Lia wasn’t going to be denied her breakfast.
Lena gave his belly a pet and headed downstairs arm in arm with him.
“How did things go with your mother?”
“Oh, don’t ask. Well, you can, but we can talk about it later.”
“That well?”
“She can be... difficult.”
“I think that’s a common trait among mothers. I intend to be no different.”
Lena laughed happily. They headed into the kitchen together and were greeted by a table full of Kents and kids, partaking of an enormous breakfast. Maddie hopped up from the table and went to Lena.
“Nicely done,” Lex murmured.
Clark came at him at once and wrapped his arms around Lex. “Mmm. You smell good in the morning.”
“Yeah?” Lex noticed the apron Clark was wearing. “Did you help with this?”
“He did it himself,” Martha corrected as she leaned over Ghost and cut up his pancake for him.
Clark moved in to kiss Lex’s cheek and lead him to the table. “Let’s get you guys some good food.”
***
For most of the morning, Lex fielded calls on his cell phone, but there was only so much that he could do with his feet up on the Kent sofa, and of course, only so much that Clark would let him do before taking the cell phone and laptop away from him with an indulgent smile and a kiss and a little chat about about stress relief.
Clark was determined to make this day good for Lex. After yesterday, Lex needed some TLC. It was just too hard to get the image of Lex shaking and speechless in the aftermath of his flashback.
The day was quiet, and rather uneventful compared to how their lives had been recently. No one went to work that day, and it turned out that the Kent house was just big enough for them all to tuck in for the day with one another, Kent cooking, and some board games.
Later that evening, Chloe and Mercy showed up, looking a bit worse for wear, but Mercy sat near Lex, and together they covered a few work issues while Clark swung Chloe around in a big bear hug and then took her into the kitchen to make dinner plates for the two new additions to the camp-in.
“C’mon.” Clark grinned widely as he returned to Lex, a jacket in hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere-- No, it’s a surprise. Up.” Clark took both of Lex’s hands and pulled him to his feet.
“You’ll understand if I’ve had enough surprises to last me a lifetime,” Lex said dryly.
Clark stroked the back of Lex’s head. “Not this kind. Not by a long shot.”
“You think so?”
Clark couldn’t get enough of that quirky little smirk of Lex’s. As a bonus, it meant that Lex was fairly relaxed right now.
“Alright. Let’s see this surprise of yours.”
“I loooove you.”
“You always say that,” Lex murmured.
“It’s always true!”
“Sap.”
***
Lex closed his eyes and held onto Clark tightly. They were moving too fast for Lex to see anything anyway. Clark had obviously been trying to distract Lex all day. It was touching, because at the heart of it all was a desire to take care of Lex and the baby. Maybe Clark deserved a little faith.
They stopped, and Lex opened his eyes to a familiar hallway. Rich wooden floors, ornate doorways and windows, and high, high ceilings. He hadn’t been in this place since he was a teenager. The Luthor Mansion.
Lex let out a low whistle. “They’ve started to dust this place off.”
“I wondered if you’d ever show me this place.”
“It wasn’t likely when there was a chance the devil might show up.”
Clark frowned. “I thought your father was living in a Metropolis penthouse.”
“He was. But there was still a chance.” With a sigh, Lex leaned into Clark again and looked around the hallways he’d tread through so cautiously as a child. Normal children, they ran, they played. Lex was always cautious. His mother liked a quiet child, and his father... Well, he was his father. “He wanted me to move in with him here.”
“Really.”
“Hm. Yeah. Before he abducted me, he said I should come live at the manor with him.”
Clark’s lips pressed against Lex’s head. “I swear, I don’t know what went through his head. Why would you want to do that? The last time you two lived together, he bugged you and used the information he stole against you, and that was, you know, after deliberately manipulating you emotionally and taking over your home.”
“Funny how you mention that. I was thinking about the attempted murder.”
Clark’s arms tightened around him. “If you’re up for it, I have something to show you.”
“I’m up for whatever you can throw at me.” Lex stayed close to Clark as they headed deeper into the mansion. When they reached the stairs, Clark lifted Lex into his arms without a word. Lex just crooked a smile and watched Clark, who seemed a bit nervous, as though he wasn’t sure how Lex would take it.
He really must have been moody lately, to have Clark so concerned about setting him off. Lex yawned as they reached their floor, and Clark paused.
“Do you want to do this tonight? We don’t have to. We can go back to the farmhouse.”
“I’m fine, Clark. Don’t worry.”
Clark shook his head, and Lex knew that right now not worrying would be impossible for Clark. The reality of becoming a new father seemed to be settling in on him.
Once they’d reached a double-doored suite, Clark set Lex on his feet and gave his back a rub and cheek a kiss before opening the door.
Lex stepped inside tentatively. For the second time that evening, he felt his heart clench inside him. He couldn’t quite remember what this room had been before, but it had been newly refurnished in cheery sky blue, a near copy of the room he’d set aside at the castle. The one that Clark, Lena, and Maddie all called his “Chill Out” room. The one he called his safe room.
The large blue birth ball was even hanging around by the window.
“Thank you,” Lex whispered.
Clark’s arms came up behind him, and he rested his chin on Lex’s shoulder. “I thought it would be a good idea for this to be here. I don’t want you to have to feel so much pressure over the baby coming. Your room is here, at least. It’ll be okay.”
Lex lowered his eyes and looked down at Clark’s hands. He wouldn’t be confident that it would be okay. Not anytime soon. But this gesture was certainly a step in the right direction.
“We can move the kids into the mansion like we said,” Clark continued. “I know the castle doesn’t feel safe anymore. You can decide where you want to live regularly after the baby is born, but until then, maybe we keep you away from prying eyes and people who want to hurt you. It’s too much stress. And for the doctor, we can start looking for one tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to look for another doctor,” Lex admitted.
Clark went quiet, unsure of how to respond. Lex put his hands over Clark’s. “I don’t want to let anyone else in our lives who could hurt these kids. And I really don’t... I just can’t... have anyone else that I can’t trust touching me. I just can’t.”
He realized that he was shaking when Clark began rubbing his arms, but Lex wasn’t cold. He turned to face Clark, who looked more worried than Lex was happy with.
“If we don’t get another doctor, what are we going to do about...” Clark looked down. “I mean, she has to be born.”
Lex drew in a deep breath, then blew it out just as slowly. “Well, she can. We always knew that.”
“You love her like crazy,” Clark accused. He wrapped his arms around Lex and began to sway them back and forth. “If you really wanna do this... I want you to get help. Ask Lena, for starters.”
“I will.” Lex relaxed into Clark’s arms. He shook his head. “I screwed this all up. We’ve been here before.”
“Been... where?” Clark cocked his head to the side. “Pregnant person rule #32: Be prepared for leaps of logic.”
“I don’t think you’re counting right. Here. Not this room. The other room. Dancing together.” Lex let his head rest on Clark’s chest as they danced. “I was wrong, Clark. I’m sorry. I pushed you away then, because I didn’t trust you to be there for us, and... and because I didn’t want to burden you with this.”
“Oh, it was pretty clear why you did it.” Clark kissed the top of his head, then very obviously gave him a sniff.
Lex ran his fingers through Clark’s hair and breathed in his scent. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”
“Yeah. You should have. I needed to think about it. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Clark pulled back and took Lex’s hand, leading him over to the wall of pillows. “But we should have been able to talk again that evening, like we’d planned. We should have come back together and said, yeah, we can do this. We can be together. We can take care of her.”
Lex held onto Clark as he helped him onto the floor. “This confidence you’re exuding is a big help.”
“That was my master plan.” Clark grinned mischievously. He sat behind Lex and then began rubbing both hands over his belly. He met Lex’s eye and breathed in deeply.
With a small smile, Lex followed Clark’s lead. Now practicing here meant a good deal for all of them. He had to keep his stress down regardless, but if he was really going to try having Lia the ‘old fashioned’ way, he would need to make certain he could stay calm.
Clark’s hands moved over Lex’s thighs, and Lex let his eyes fall half-closed. When Clark’s lips touched his, he kissed him back, slowly at first. Both of their hands moved over one another, tender and slow, but soon enough their kisses grew hungrier. Lex’s body seemed to reenergize from Clark’s touch.
He opened his eyes and sat up, moving (a bit awkwardly) to face Clark, who was giving him a dopey farmboy grin.
Lex gave him a stern frown. “Don’t laugh at me. This isn’t easy!”
“I can’t help smiling,” Clark protested. He moved his hands under Lex’s sweater and pulled it over Lex’s head. That done, he bit his tongue as he raked his eyes over Lex, looking for all the world like he was eyeing a piece of pie.
“What...” Lex ineffectively tried to cover his round belly with his arms. “What are you doing?”
“Checkin’ you out.” Clark laughed and pulled Lex’s arms away. “Don’t be mad, Lex! I love it. You look cute.”
“I do not. Believe me, being pregnant isn’t the worse affliction I’ve ever had, and I love my daughter, but I am by no means ‘cute’ like this.” Lex shook his head. Clark was so strange sometimes.
“You are. You’re sexy.” Clark leaned over to kiss his belly, and Lex just rolled his eyes.
“You are and always have been a sex god,” Clark sighed.
Lex blinked. “What did you say?”
“Sorry, can’t hear you. Bowing before the sex god.”
“How would you even know? We’ve...” Lex paused to watch Clark getting his fill of flesh. “...never had sex.”
“I think that’s a travesty. I could kiss you for hours.”
“Sex isn’t kissing. Believe me. I know this.”
Clark looked up, his tongue still peeking out and his eyes wide. Lex brushed his fingers over Clark’s cheek and nodded.
Bounding up like a puppy, Clark laid Lex back on the pillows and enthusiastically began to kiss him once again. Lex reached up to move his hands over Clark’s chest, and Clark lifted up one of Lex’s legs, his hand squeezing Lex’s thigh.
“Mmph, Clark!” Lex tried to arch his back, which was cramping. “Hold on. This isn’t comfortable.”
Clark scratched the side of his head. “Huh. Okay, let me think about this for a minute.”
“See, this is why we should have done this back then.” Lex put a hand on his belly and pushed himself up.
“Well, why I should have not gotten freaked out about the Google search and done more research.”
“Perv. Help me up. On my back isn’t good right now, but missionary is hardly the only position there is.”
Clark took Lex’s hand and pulled. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t trained you properly.” Lex sucked in his lower lip. “Let’s try this. Lay down.”
“You’re gonna... top?”
Lex snorted. “Eventually, but not like this. Oh, yes, Clark, it will happen. Just not tonight.”
He pushed down his pants and then leaned over Clark to unbutton his jeans.
“This isn’t how they do it in movies,” Clark said.
“It’s really rarely like that. But I promise you, it’ll be better.”
With that, Lex climbed over Clark and pumped his cock a few times. Like he’d expected, Clark sprung up again just as energetically as ever. Clark was grinning again, and to Lex’s surprise, Clark seemed to be giving off some kind of lubricant as he stroked him. Lex took Clark’s hand and took a moment to stretch himself with his fingers. The look on Clark’s face as he did that was simply priceless. It was as though everything they did together was a fresh new miracle to Clark.
When Lex moved to push himself on Clark’s cock, Clark’s eyes couldn’t have been any wider. He put a hand on Lex’s back and held onto his hand to make sure he didn’t lose his balance, but Lex had control of the situation soon enough. Clark yelped in surprise, and Lex groaned loudly enough to be glad for the empty mansion around them.
Clark came too quickly, and Lex got tired, but when he’d laid down again, Clark reached over to finish him off with a loving kiss on the lips.
“Sorry,” Clark muttered.
“Oh. We’ll practice.”
And that night, after a break and a snack, and before going to bed in the blue safe room, practice they did.