Hidden Intentions (Part 8/?)
Title: Hidden Intentions (Part 8/?)
Author: hoperoy
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Clark/Lex,
Word count: 3,304
Warnings: Dubious seduction, vague spoilers for "Justice," and mpreg.
Summary: After a failed mission for the fledgling Justice League, Clark finds himself completely at Lex's mercy. When Clark begins to feel sick, Lex's real intentions are revealed.
Author's Note: Thanks to danceswithgary for the beta.
Sorry for the long wait! I got a little sidetracked by Like Shifting Sand, and then once I actually was done that, I forgot that I hadn't sent the newest part to danceswithgary yet. Oops!
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"Get up."
Glancing up in annoyance, Clark was greeted by the sight of Lex standing at the end of the bed. He must have been deliberately quiet, as Clark hadn't heard him enter the room, and it wasn't as though he was so enthralled with the book he was reading that he would have blocked out reality.
"Why?" he asked, although he was already setting the book aside.
"I have somewhere that I want to take you," Lex replied simply. "I assume you're smart enough to realize drawing attention to yourself is a bad idea since I have immunity with the government, so it seems feasible that you could go outside."
Clark's head snapped upward as he stared at Lex in disbelief. "It's been four months, Lex, and you're only suggesting this now?" Lex had known how much he'd hated being in one room this entire time--how much he'd hated not being able to see the sun or the sky.
Lex's wry smile was proof that he was well aware of what Clark was thinking. "Go get dressed, Clark."
"Where are we going?" Clark insisted, still attempting to get over the shock. Just the *idea* of being outside was enough to make his heart beat a little faster as excitement threatened to get the better of him.
"North," Lex said simply. "I have a jacket for you."
"And you're going to let people see me?" After four months of being hidden with strict regulations, he couldn't believe that Lex was going to allow him to be seen now. "And what's the cover story when I magically reappear?" he added, half-sarcastically, even as he was standing to walk over to the chest of drawers that held his pants.
Lex gave him a patronizing look. "You haven't been listening to me over the past few months, Clark--there *is* no cover story. There's no story at all, other than whatever you want to tell your friends when you suddenly show up with a child. No one knows you're missing, because it was never publicized."
Clark swallowed as he pulled on a pair of jeans, trying not to think about how Lex had just made him disappear, no questions asked. He'd never thought when he'd agreed to help Oliver and the others in their quest to stop Level 33.1 that his life could end up like this. Even if he had, he couldn't help but wonder if it would have mattered. Would he have done anything differently? Could he have ignored human suffering just because he was afraid of what was going to happen to *him*?
Clark's thoughts were forcibly pushed away when he realized that his jeans wouldn't button. He hadn't worn jeans since he'd gone to see Oliver. Sweatpants were more comfortable, and it wasn't as though he'd been going anywhere where appearance counted. He'd had no idea that his pants no longer fit.
"Something the matter, Clark?" Lex asked from across the room, sounding annoyed at Clark's failure to get moving.
It took Clark a moment to find his voice. The words were just… hard to say. Admitting his pants didn't fit was admitting that he was *pregnant* and, even now, he'd still been trying to let himself ignore the obvious, even if he was reminded of it every day. "I can't fit into my pants," he murmured, blushing.
There was silence from across the room, and Clark enjoyed a little satisfaction in the knowledge that he'd startled Lex. When Lex finally spoke, his voice was too calm to be normal, "Not even with the button undone?"
"No," Clark replied. "Can I wear sweatpants instead?"
"That'll be fine."
Trying not to wince as he replaced the now too-small jeans, Clark grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on. He didn't know where they were going, but he doubted that it would be anywhere that required him to look nice-hopefully, sweatpants would be all right.
Finally dressed in his pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, Clark fell into step behind Lex, trying not to look too affected when the door opened and they walked out into the hallway. This was only the second time in four months that he'd left the room, and he couldn't help feeling a sense of relief at being able to go somewhere different.
"You said we're going 'north'," Clark reminded Lex as they moved from the hallway to an elevator. "What's 'north'?"
Lex's smirk was somewhat frightening. "I thought you'd understand what I was saying right away, Clark. After all, 'north' is what got you into this situation."
Clark froze. "The fortress." *No* That *couldn’t* be right-the fortress wouldn't help him at all. His father had never helped him in his life, and Clark didn't want to come in contact with him now.
A small smile played at Lex's lips. "Well done," he murmured as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise. "We're taking the LuthorCorp jet as far as possible, and then a helicopter the rest of the way in."
"Why?" Lex had what he wanted from the fortress, and Clark couldn't believe that Lex was foolish enough to think that Clark was going to reveal anything else about it.
"I want Jor-El to take a look at you," Lex replied. "Make sure you're healthy."
Immediately, Clark's fear shifted from apprehension to disbelief, and he struggled to suppress the desire to laugh. Of all the possible motives Lex could have, Clark hadn't anticipated this one. "You're taking me for what basically amounts to an alien pre-natal checkup?"
Lex shrugged. "More or less."
Only Lex could be so blasé about something like that, Clark thought bitterly. He'd impregnated an alien *male*; he was holding said alien captive; and now he was taking him for a checkup with the alien's father, who was only a disembodied voice. To anyone else, that would have been reason to call *Ripley's Believe It or Not*. To Lex it was merely standard operating procedure.
Conversation was cut off when the elevator doors opened, and Lex led Clark out into a parking garage. Clark was a little surprised to find that he recognized where he was.
It was the garage attached to Lex's penthouse.
"Have I been under your penthouse in Metropolis all this time?" he demanded in angry disbelief. To be that close to everyone he loved, but unable to see them, was unbearable cruelty.
Lex merely nodded. "You never wondered how I managed to spend so much time with you? Had you been anywhere else, I would have actually had to commute to work. This way I just had to walk upstairs."
Now that Lex mentioned it, Clark realized that he'd never thought of that aspect of his imprisonment. He'd just assumed that Lex would be back nearly every night, but he'd never really considered how Lex had managed that, given his rigorous schedule.
"What difference does it make?" Lex chided, taking Clark's elbow and guiding him towards the waiting limo.
There was no way that Clark could explain. Lex didn't understand that knowing Chloe was as close as an elevator ride and a stroll across the street made it even harder to deal with the situation. That his friend could be so *close* and yet so unreachable--it was beyond frustrating. All Clark had to do was walk over to the Daily Planet to see her but, because of a locked door, he couldn't.
"I guess it doesn't matter," Clark mumbled in resignation as he climbed into the limo. "Not really."
Lex regarded him with a combination of annoyance and confusion. "I have to disagree. It clearly does to you."
"It doesn't matter," Clark repeated, because it really didn't--not when he looked at everything that had happened. It wasn't as though Lex was going to change anything, and it was just easier to stay silent. "How long is the ride to the airstrip?" he asked, purposely changing the subject.
Though he looked a little frustrated, Lex let his change of topic slide. "A half-hour, depending on traffic."
Clark sighed, settling back against the seat. It had been like this for a while now: Lex would give Clark the information he wanted, but he didn't offer anything that wasn't asked for. It was somewhat awkward, as Clark never knew if he was making a fool of himself simply because he was acting on pieces of the information that Lex possessed. Actually, since they'd kissed, many things had been a bit awkward, and Lex had certainly seemed less inclined to strike up a random conversation, which had led to Clark being able to collect even less information.
Sighing again, he had to wonder if the flight was going to be as silent as the car ride was promising to be.
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Clark needn't have worried about the plane ride being quiet. If anything, it was pleasant, since lately he'd developed the desire to do nothing more than curl up on the couch and sleep.
He wasn't quite sure how long the trip had taken, as he'd fallen asleep shortly after takeoff and hadn't woken until they'd landed. Even then, he hadn't wanted to get up, especially not with the promise of a helicopter ride--he'd never quite gotten over his fear of heights.
As he'd anticipated, the flight hadn't been pleasurable. The small craft was buffeted by air currents, leaving him feeling very shaky when it finally touched down a short distance from the fortress. Lex seemed to notice, and he took Clark's elbow and helped him through the snow.
"It never felt so cold before," Clark muttered, teeth chattering. The cold bit through his clothes, making him feel more human than he had when Jor-El had taken his powers away after the second meteor shower.
Lex's expression could have been classified as something close to worried. "Let's get inside and see if being out of the wind makes you feel any better."
It did, at least a little bit, but any relief derived from that was quickly erased when Jor-El spoke. Hearing his biological father's voice very rarely cheered Clark, as most of what he spoke of had to do with destiny--and how Clark wasn't fulfilling his. "Kal-El, you have returned."
Clark swallowed the desire to point out that such an observation was merely stating the obvious. Instead, he intended to reply with some sort of greeting, but Lex beat him to it.
"He's pregnant, and I want to know if the pregnancy is progressing normally."
Clark rolled his eyes, annoyed at Lex's forwardness. It wasn't as though he couldn't speak for himself. "There's nothing normal about this situation, Lex," he pointed out irritably. As far as he knew, this had never happened before on Earth.
"On the contrary, Kal-El, this was not uncommon for males of our race," Jor-El's voice replied. "Who is the other parent? A human, I presume?"
Lex looked a little less than pleased at the question. Clark didn't quite understand why-maybe he'd thought it should be obvious? "I am," he replied.
"Human then, yes," Jor-El observed. "But altered."
That certainly got Clark's attention. "What do you mean by that?" he asked immediately, speaking up before Lex could try to cut him off. It looked as though he'd been about to try, too; his mouth had opened just as Jor-El began to answer.
"The pieces of our home world that inadvertently accompanied you to Earth have altered him, as they have others. He possesses the ability to heal much more quickly than most of his species."
Immediately, Clark saw red. Lex was *altered*, and something inside of Clark clenched in raw anger as he realized exactly what information had just been granted him-what that really *meant*. What Jor-El was essentially saying was that Lex was a meteor freak, just like those that he'd locked up for that same reason. All his speeches about those affected by the meteorites being dangerous and needing to protect the world from them --they were all lies.
Clark seldom swore, but he was angry enough to do so now. "Fuck you, Lex."
Even if he looked a little shaken at Jor-El's revelation, Lex managed to smirk and reply mockingly, "Maybe later, if you're good."
As far as Clark was concerned, Lex had crossed the last line. The fact that Lex could make a joke of everything that he'd done infuriated Clark. "You're a lying hypocrite," he accused. "What do you think the government would do if they found out that you're one of the people that they've given you authorization to lock away? What would they do if they found out that you had different abilities, *just like me*?"
Lex's laughter at Clark's outburst held an edge. Clark watched carefully as Lex slowly forced himself back into control, regaining his previous swagger. "They never will," he answered simply. "This is another secret that you're going to keep, Clark."
Anger flared up in Clark so strongly that he felt his chest tighten painfully. "Try and make me," he spat. "I'll tell everyone, Lex--anyone I meet. I'll make sure this gets out."
"Will you?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Will you do that, knowing that you and the child inside you will wind up on a laboratory table, being dissected and studied?" He shifted a little closer to Clark, grabbing him by his arms, his fingers digging in until their pressure could be felt past the layers of insulation that Clark's jacket and clothing offered. "I keep that from happening, Clark. Do you want to change that?"
The simple answer was that he *didn't*, but he couldn't say that to Lex-not without taking an even larger blow to his pride than he'd already received-- so he simply fell silent, holding Lex's gaze for a moment before he looked away. He had nothing to counter Lex's threats, and they both knew that.
Lex's smile told Clark all too clearly that he was enjoying that fact.
Apparently deciding that the discussion had gone far enough, Lex turned the focus back to his original question. "Is there some way to check that he's healthy?" he asked, addressing Jor-El.
Jor-El seemed disinclined to address anyone except Clark, a fact that left Clark feeling smug since it obviously bothered Lex. Lex wasn't used to being ignored, and he clearly wasn't appreciating Jor-El's habit of doing so. "Please lie down, Kal-El," Jor-El responded, the only acknowledgment that he'd heard and was heeding Lex's request, no matter if he'd addressed him or not.
After one last furious glare at Lex, Clark reclined on one of the crystal blocks. It was long enough that his entire body fit and, while he felt awkward, he found he wasn't averse to finding out if the baby was healthy.
"Please expose your stomach, Kal-El," Jor-El instructed him. "The lack of insulation will not affect you, as I have adjusted the temperature to your present tolerance."
That was good, Clark decided, as he didn't want any of his skin freezing. Even so, he really didn't want to expose himself at all, which Lex clearly understood. Instead of waiting for Clark, Lex took the initiative and moved forward to begin unzipping Clark's jacket.
Protesting was obviously futile, so Clark just allowed him to adjust his clothing as required. Twenty seconds later, Clark's slightly swollen stomach was visible. "You *are* gaining weight," Lex murmured, sounding almost a bit awed, as if he hadn't expected it, even though he'd heard Clark's earlier complaints. His touch was curiously gentle when he laid a hand on Clark's stomach.
Clark remained silent. Lex had known he'd been gaining weight, but he'd only really seen it through clothing. It was much easier to ignore the reality that way than it was in this situation.
Clark jumped when a blue light suddenly began to emanate from the ceiling. It encased his body, as well as part of Lex's as he continued to sit beside Clark, though he removed his hands from Clark's stomach.
About a minute later, Jor-El's voice informed them, "Nothing is amiss. The child is healthy."
Lex, if Clark wasn't mistaken, looked genuinely pleased. "Can you tell us anything more?" Lex asked before Clark could speak. "Such as gender?"
While some parents didn't want to know the gender of their child before it was born, Clark thought he might like to. At least then, it would help him to view the baby inside him as him or her instead of it. It would feel more like a *child* and less like a problem that Lex had knowingly thrust upon him.
"It is female," Jor-El replied.
Clark had wondered if Lex would be displeased by that, but his little smile seemed to indicate that he wasn't. "The due date?"
"The Kryptonian gestation period is the same length as that of a human. Kal-El, having conceived in the beginning of the period of time known to humans as 'March,' appears to be in the fourth month of his gestation, indicating that he is expected to give birth at the beginning of December."
Clark swallowed hard. He didn't think that he was ready for it to be that soon. Were human woman usually so nervous about the whole thing?
"And *how* will he give birth?" Lex continued. "A doctor I consulted mentioned a raised area of skin located behind his testicles. He indicated that may open?"
"Your human doctor was correct in his assumptions. Upon entering labor, the skin will open, creating a space for the child to emerge."
"And can Clark be given anything to numb the pain during that time?"
"In his condition, he will react to anything that you might give him, just as a human would."
Lex nodded, seeming satisfied. "Any questions, Clark?" he asked, glancing down in order to meet Clark's eyes.
Clark shook his head. Lex had covered just about everything, and any other questions he had couldn't be answered by Jor-El. Even as an artificial intelligence, he wouldn't be able to answer questions about how Clark's life would change or if he'd ever have a normal life again and, right then, that was what Clark really wanted to know.
"Then we're ready to leave," Lex said. "Get your clothes together and we'll head back to the plane."
As he buttoned up his shirt and zipped up his jacket, Clark glanced around the fortress. Visits to this place would likely be fewer now that he could no longer run here whenever he wanted. The knowledge made him appreciate the odd beauty of the place, as he hadn't previously. This had been what his first home had been like, he realized--so beautiful but still so cold. Had his entire planet been the same?
As Clark rose to his feet and followed Lex towards the entrance of the fortress, he couldn't help but feel that, if that were the case, he'd ended up with the better deal. He'd grown up in a sunny yellow farmhouse with parents who loved him and, while his life might not have been perfect, he'd always felt cared for. That thought made him realize that, for the first time since he could remember, he didn't regret that he'd been sent away from Krypton. He'd always wondered about what it might have been like growing up there, but what he'd gained from that loss had been worth it.
Author: hoperoy
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Clark/Lex,
Word count: 3,304
Warnings: Dubious seduction, vague spoilers for "Justice," and mpreg.
Summary: After a failed mission for the fledgling Justice League, Clark finds himself completely at Lex's mercy. When Clark begins to feel sick, Lex's real intentions are revealed.
Author's Note: Thanks to danceswithgary for the beta.
Sorry for the long wait! I got a little sidetracked by Like Shifting Sand, and then once I actually was done that, I forgot that I hadn't sent the newest part to danceswithgary yet. Oops!
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"Get up."
Glancing up in annoyance, Clark was greeted by the sight of Lex standing at the end of the bed. He must have been deliberately quiet, as Clark hadn't heard him enter the room, and it wasn't as though he was so enthralled with the book he was reading that he would have blocked out reality.
"Why?" he asked, although he was already setting the book aside.
"I have somewhere that I want to take you," Lex replied simply. "I assume you're smart enough to realize drawing attention to yourself is a bad idea since I have immunity with the government, so it seems feasible that you could go outside."
Clark's head snapped upward as he stared at Lex in disbelief. "It's been four months, Lex, and you're only suggesting this now?" Lex had known how much he'd hated being in one room this entire time--how much he'd hated not being able to see the sun or the sky.
Lex's wry smile was proof that he was well aware of what Clark was thinking. "Go get dressed, Clark."
"Where are we going?" Clark insisted, still attempting to get over the shock. Just the *idea* of being outside was enough to make his heart beat a little faster as excitement threatened to get the better of him.
"North," Lex said simply. "I have a jacket for you."
"And you're going to let people see me?" After four months of being hidden with strict regulations, he couldn't believe that Lex was going to allow him to be seen now. "And what's the cover story when I magically reappear?" he added, half-sarcastically, even as he was standing to walk over to the chest of drawers that held his pants.
Lex gave him a patronizing look. "You haven't been listening to me over the past few months, Clark--there *is* no cover story. There's no story at all, other than whatever you want to tell your friends when you suddenly show up with a child. No one knows you're missing, because it was never publicized."
Clark swallowed as he pulled on a pair of jeans, trying not to think about how Lex had just made him disappear, no questions asked. He'd never thought when he'd agreed to help Oliver and the others in their quest to stop Level 33.1 that his life could end up like this. Even if he had, he couldn't help but wonder if it would have mattered. Would he have done anything differently? Could he have ignored human suffering just because he was afraid of what was going to happen to *him*?
Clark's thoughts were forcibly pushed away when he realized that his jeans wouldn't button. He hadn't worn jeans since he'd gone to see Oliver. Sweatpants were more comfortable, and it wasn't as though he'd been going anywhere where appearance counted. He'd had no idea that his pants no longer fit.
"Something the matter, Clark?" Lex asked from across the room, sounding annoyed at Clark's failure to get moving.
It took Clark a moment to find his voice. The words were just… hard to say. Admitting his pants didn't fit was admitting that he was *pregnant* and, even now, he'd still been trying to let himself ignore the obvious, even if he was reminded of it every day. "I can't fit into my pants," he murmured, blushing.
There was silence from across the room, and Clark enjoyed a little satisfaction in the knowledge that he'd startled Lex. When Lex finally spoke, his voice was too calm to be normal, "Not even with the button undone?"
"No," Clark replied. "Can I wear sweatpants instead?"
"That'll be fine."
Trying not to wince as he replaced the now too-small jeans, Clark grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on. He didn't know where they were going, but he doubted that it would be anywhere that required him to look nice-hopefully, sweatpants would be all right.
Finally dressed in his pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, Clark fell into step behind Lex, trying not to look too affected when the door opened and they walked out into the hallway. This was only the second time in four months that he'd left the room, and he couldn't help feeling a sense of relief at being able to go somewhere different.
"You said we're going 'north'," Clark reminded Lex as they moved from the hallway to an elevator. "What's 'north'?"
Lex's smirk was somewhat frightening. "I thought you'd understand what I was saying right away, Clark. After all, 'north' is what got you into this situation."
Clark froze. "The fortress." *No* That *couldn’t* be right-the fortress wouldn't help him at all. His father had never helped him in his life, and Clark didn't want to come in contact with him now.
A small smile played at Lex's lips. "Well done," he murmured as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise. "We're taking the LuthorCorp jet as far as possible, and then a helicopter the rest of the way in."
"Why?" Lex had what he wanted from the fortress, and Clark couldn't believe that Lex was foolish enough to think that Clark was going to reveal anything else about it.
"I want Jor-El to take a look at you," Lex replied. "Make sure you're healthy."
Immediately, Clark's fear shifted from apprehension to disbelief, and he struggled to suppress the desire to laugh. Of all the possible motives Lex could have, Clark hadn't anticipated this one. "You're taking me for what basically amounts to an alien pre-natal checkup?"
Lex shrugged. "More or less."
Only Lex could be so blasé about something like that, Clark thought bitterly. He'd impregnated an alien *male*; he was holding said alien captive; and now he was taking him for a checkup with the alien's father, who was only a disembodied voice. To anyone else, that would have been reason to call *Ripley's Believe It or Not*. To Lex it was merely standard operating procedure.
Conversation was cut off when the elevator doors opened, and Lex led Clark out into a parking garage. Clark was a little surprised to find that he recognized where he was.
It was the garage attached to Lex's penthouse.
"Have I been under your penthouse in Metropolis all this time?" he demanded in angry disbelief. To be that close to everyone he loved, but unable to see them, was unbearable cruelty.
Lex merely nodded. "You never wondered how I managed to spend so much time with you? Had you been anywhere else, I would have actually had to commute to work. This way I just had to walk upstairs."
Now that Lex mentioned it, Clark realized that he'd never thought of that aspect of his imprisonment. He'd just assumed that Lex would be back nearly every night, but he'd never really considered how Lex had managed that, given his rigorous schedule.
"What difference does it make?" Lex chided, taking Clark's elbow and guiding him towards the waiting limo.
There was no way that Clark could explain. Lex didn't understand that knowing Chloe was as close as an elevator ride and a stroll across the street made it even harder to deal with the situation. That his friend could be so *close* and yet so unreachable--it was beyond frustrating. All Clark had to do was walk over to the Daily Planet to see her but, because of a locked door, he couldn't.
"I guess it doesn't matter," Clark mumbled in resignation as he climbed into the limo. "Not really."
Lex regarded him with a combination of annoyance and confusion. "I have to disagree. It clearly does to you."
"It doesn't matter," Clark repeated, because it really didn't--not when he looked at everything that had happened. It wasn't as though Lex was going to change anything, and it was just easier to stay silent. "How long is the ride to the airstrip?" he asked, purposely changing the subject.
Though he looked a little frustrated, Lex let his change of topic slide. "A half-hour, depending on traffic."
Clark sighed, settling back against the seat. It had been like this for a while now: Lex would give Clark the information he wanted, but he didn't offer anything that wasn't asked for. It was somewhat awkward, as Clark never knew if he was making a fool of himself simply because he was acting on pieces of the information that Lex possessed. Actually, since they'd kissed, many things had been a bit awkward, and Lex had certainly seemed less inclined to strike up a random conversation, which had led to Clark being able to collect even less information.
Sighing again, he had to wonder if the flight was going to be as silent as the car ride was promising to be.
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Clark needn't have worried about the plane ride being quiet. If anything, it was pleasant, since lately he'd developed the desire to do nothing more than curl up on the couch and sleep.
He wasn't quite sure how long the trip had taken, as he'd fallen asleep shortly after takeoff and hadn't woken until they'd landed. Even then, he hadn't wanted to get up, especially not with the promise of a helicopter ride--he'd never quite gotten over his fear of heights.
As he'd anticipated, the flight hadn't been pleasurable. The small craft was buffeted by air currents, leaving him feeling very shaky when it finally touched down a short distance from the fortress. Lex seemed to notice, and he took Clark's elbow and helped him through the snow.
"It never felt so cold before," Clark muttered, teeth chattering. The cold bit through his clothes, making him feel more human than he had when Jor-El had taken his powers away after the second meteor shower.
Lex's expression could have been classified as something close to worried. "Let's get inside and see if being out of the wind makes you feel any better."
It did, at least a little bit, but any relief derived from that was quickly erased when Jor-El spoke. Hearing his biological father's voice very rarely cheered Clark, as most of what he spoke of had to do with destiny--and how Clark wasn't fulfilling his. "Kal-El, you have returned."
Clark swallowed the desire to point out that such an observation was merely stating the obvious. Instead, he intended to reply with some sort of greeting, but Lex beat him to it.
"He's pregnant, and I want to know if the pregnancy is progressing normally."
Clark rolled his eyes, annoyed at Lex's forwardness. It wasn't as though he couldn't speak for himself. "There's nothing normal about this situation, Lex," he pointed out irritably. As far as he knew, this had never happened before on Earth.
"On the contrary, Kal-El, this was not uncommon for males of our race," Jor-El's voice replied. "Who is the other parent? A human, I presume?"
Lex looked a little less than pleased at the question. Clark didn't quite understand why-maybe he'd thought it should be obvious? "I am," he replied.
"Human then, yes," Jor-El observed. "But altered."
That certainly got Clark's attention. "What do you mean by that?" he asked immediately, speaking up before Lex could try to cut him off. It looked as though he'd been about to try, too; his mouth had opened just as Jor-El began to answer.
"The pieces of our home world that inadvertently accompanied you to Earth have altered him, as they have others. He possesses the ability to heal much more quickly than most of his species."
Immediately, Clark saw red. Lex was *altered*, and something inside of Clark clenched in raw anger as he realized exactly what information had just been granted him-what that really *meant*. What Jor-El was essentially saying was that Lex was a meteor freak, just like those that he'd locked up for that same reason. All his speeches about those affected by the meteorites being dangerous and needing to protect the world from them --they were all lies.
Clark seldom swore, but he was angry enough to do so now. "Fuck you, Lex."
Even if he looked a little shaken at Jor-El's revelation, Lex managed to smirk and reply mockingly, "Maybe later, if you're good."
As far as Clark was concerned, Lex had crossed the last line. The fact that Lex could make a joke of everything that he'd done infuriated Clark. "You're a lying hypocrite," he accused. "What do you think the government would do if they found out that you're one of the people that they've given you authorization to lock away? What would they do if they found out that you had different abilities, *just like me*?"
Lex's laughter at Clark's outburst held an edge. Clark watched carefully as Lex slowly forced himself back into control, regaining his previous swagger. "They never will," he answered simply. "This is another secret that you're going to keep, Clark."
Anger flared up in Clark so strongly that he felt his chest tighten painfully. "Try and make me," he spat. "I'll tell everyone, Lex--anyone I meet. I'll make sure this gets out."
"Will you?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Will you do that, knowing that you and the child inside you will wind up on a laboratory table, being dissected and studied?" He shifted a little closer to Clark, grabbing him by his arms, his fingers digging in until their pressure could be felt past the layers of insulation that Clark's jacket and clothing offered. "I keep that from happening, Clark. Do you want to change that?"
The simple answer was that he *didn't*, but he couldn't say that to Lex-not without taking an even larger blow to his pride than he'd already received-- so he simply fell silent, holding Lex's gaze for a moment before he looked away. He had nothing to counter Lex's threats, and they both knew that.
Lex's smile told Clark all too clearly that he was enjoying that fact.
Apparently deciding that the discussion had gone far enough, Lex turned the focus back to his original question. "Is there some way to check that he's healthy?" he asked, addressing Jor-El.
Jor-El seemed disinclined to address anyone except Clark, a fact that left Clark feeling smug since it obviously bothered Lex. Lex wasn't used to being ignored, and he clearly wasn't appreciating Jor-El's habit of doing so. "Please lie down, Kal-El," Jor-El responded, the only acknowledgment that he'd heard and was heeding Lex's request, no matter if he'd addressed him or not.
After one last furious glare at Lex, Clark reclined on one of the crystal blocks. It was long enough that his entire body fit and, while he felt awkward, he found he wasn't averse to finding out if the baby was healthy.
"Please expose your stomach, Kal-El," Jor-El instructed him. "The lack of insulation will not affect you, as I have adjusted the temperature to your present tolerance."
That was good, Clark decided, as he didn't want any of his skin freezing. Even so, he really didn't want to expose himself at all, which Lex clearly understood. Instead of waiting for Clark, Lex took the initiative and moved forward to begin unzipping Clark's jacket.
Protesting was obviously futile, so Clark just allowed him to adjust his clothing as required. Twenty seconds later, Clark's slightly swollen stomach was visible. "You *are* gaining weight," Lex murmured, sounding almost a bit awed, as if he hadn't expected it, even though he'd heard Clark's earlier complaints. His touch was curiously gentle when he laid a hand on Clark's stomach.
Clark remained silent. Lex had known he'd been gaining weight, but he'd only really seen it through clothing. It was much easier to ignore the reality that way than it was in this situation.
Clark jumped when a blue light suddenly began to emanate from the ceiling. It encased his body, as well as part of Lex's as he continued to sit beside Clark, though he removed his hands from Clark's stomach.
About a minute later, Jor-El's voice informed them, "Nothing is amiss. The child is healthy."
Lex, if Clark wasn't mistaken, looked genuinely pleased. "Can you tell us anything more?" Lex asked before Clark could speak. "Such as gender?"
While some parents didn't want to know the gender of their child before it was born, Clark thought he might like to. At least then, it would help him to view the baby inside him as him or her instead of it. It would feel more like a *child* and less like a problem that Lex had knowingly thrust upon him.
"It is female," Jor-El replied.
Clark had wondered if Lex would be displeased by that, but his little smile seemed to indicate that he wasn't. "The due date?"
"The Kryptonian gestation period is the same length as that of a human. Kal-El, having conceived in the beginning of the period of time known to humans as 'March,' appears to be in the fourth month of his gestation, indicating that he is expected to give birth at the beginning of December."
Clark swallowed hard. He didn't think that he was ready for it to be that soon. Were human woman usually so nervous about the whole thing?
"And *how* will he give birth?" Lex continued. "A doctor I consulted mentioned a raised area of skin located behind his testicles. He indicated that may open?"
"Your human doctor was correct in his assumptions. Upon entering labor, the skin will open, creating a space for the child to emerge."
"And can Clark be given anything to numb the pain during that time?"
"In his condition, he will react to anything that you might give him, just as a human would."
Lex nodded, seeming satisfied. "Any questions, Clark?" he asked, glancing down in order to meet Clark's eyes.
Clark shook his head. Lex had covered just about everything, and any other questions he had couldn't be answered by Jor-El. Even as an artificial intelligence, he wouldn't be able to answer questions about how Clark's life would change or if he'd ever have a normal life again and, right then, that was what Clark really wanted to know.
"Then we're ready to leave," Lex said. "Get your clothes together and we'll head back to the plane."
As he buttoned up his shirt and zipped up his jacket, Clark glanced around the fortress. Visits to this place would likely be fewer now that he could no longer run here whenever he wanted. The knowledge made him appreciate the odd beauty of the place, as he hadn't previously. This had been what his first home had been like, he realized--so beautiful but still so cold. Had his entire planet been the same?
As Clark rose to his feet and followed Lex towards the entrance of the fortress, he couldn't help but feel that, if that were the case, he'd ended up with the better deal. He'd grown up in a sunny yellow farmhouse with parents who loved him and, while his life might not have been perfect, he'd always felt cared for. That thought made him realize that, for the first time since he could remember, he didn't regret that he'd been sent away from Krypton. He'd always wondered about what it might have been like growing up there, but what he'd gained from that loss had been worth it.