Quicksand 6/13
Title: Quicksand
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Six
Superman touched down on the side of the Kent farm, spot where he and Lex couldn't be seen from the road or driveway. He had told the Kents that he would be coming home for a few hours, that he had something to tell them, and that he would be bringing company. Martha assured him that they would give the farm hands the morning off so there would be no prying eyes or ears around, and told him to be careful on his way over. She always said that.
"You all right, Lex?" Clark asked in his regular voice even though he was in the superhero costume. He had decided to fly out of Metropolis as Superman because that would be a common enough sight for anyone who spotted them; Superman carrying someone to safety.
Lex nodded and looked around the farm. It had been a long time since he'd been here, and truthfully, he was rather nervous to be here, waiting for the Kents, or rather Jonathan Kent's approval. He rather hoped that the man would be able to see past his name to realize what their family could do for one another, but there was no telling how he would react.
"The place looks good," Lex commented. He rubbed Clark's chest. "I was worried your parents would lose the farm someday."
Clark looked around and nodded. "You stopped that from happening a couple of times. After that, I knew I had to step up and help them. Pretending to be mediocre my whole life just wasn't gonna work." He took Lex's hand and headed for the back porch.
Lex swallowed and fussed with the top button of his shirt. "We should visit your loft sometime," he suggested. "Do you still have that red couch?"
"Yeah, I do." Clark leaned over and whispered in Lex's ear. "You know I'm gonna have to fuck you there..."
"That's what I was thinking, yes," Lex replied with a wicked grin.
Clark grinned widely and started up the steps, looking up when Martha opened the screen door. The smile on her lips faltered for a second as she spotted Lex. She took a step forward and blinked at Clark.
"Hi, Ma!" Clark said brightly, pulling her in for a hug.
Martha gasped. Clark had told Lex? After all this time? She hugged him back regardless. "Hello, sweetheart." She turned to Lex. "Lex, what a surprise!" She gave him, too, a hug.
"A surprise for me as well," Lex replied in a good-natured tone as he hugged her back. Before, she had often looked like she *wanted* to hug him, but didn't. "I hope you're doing well, Mrs. Kent. The farm looks great."
"Is that Clark?" Jonathan called from the living room.
"Yes, Jonathan," Martha replied, turning and going back into the house. "And Lex," she added.
Clark followed after his mother and pulled Lex along. No going back now.
"What?" Jonathan yelled. He pushed himself up from his chair and leaned on his cane as he walked toward the kitchen. "What did you say?"
Lex felt his heartbeat speed up as they entered the kitchen. It looked the same. Different towels and different potholders. Mrs. Kent had a new set of jars along the counter that undoubtedly contained sugar and such things, but essentially, he'd just stepped back in time. He remembered fondly, more or less, coming in here to wait for Clark on more than one occasion. When he'd been having morning sickness, she'd given him some saltines and tea without pushing him for an explanation. Mrs. Kent was a good woman. More than once, he'd wished she had been his mother.
Of course, that would make his relationship with Clark incest, and he couldn't have that.
"Let me change before he gets here," Clark told Lex, and let go of his hand to speed off. He was holding Lex's hand again as his father entered the kitchen. "Hi, Dad," he said cautiously. He had changed into dark jeans and a blue shirt.
Jonathan adjusted his glasses and looked across the kitchen. "Afternoon, Clark. Is... Lex Luthor? Well, Hell, I haven't seen you in... practically forever!"
"Twelve years," Clark volunteered. "Did Mom tell you I came to talk to you guys about something?"
"Yeah, she told me. She didn't tell me Lex was coming," Jonathan said with a bit of annoyance, as though she was in conspiracy with them, or something else ridiculous.
"I don't think Clark divulged my identity," Lex said gently. "It's good to see you, sir."
"You've hardly got to call me sir. You're not a kid anymore, are you?" Jonathan replied.
Lex chuckled. "No, I'm not."
"Why don't we all sit down?" suggested Clark, moving to the kitchen table and bringing Lex to sit beside him. "I have kind of a long story to tell you guys."
Martha eyed Clark and Lex holding hands, but didn't comment. She went to the refrigerator, brought out a pitcher of lemonade, and took it to the table. After she set four glasses down, she took a seat.
"What's the story then, son?" Jonathan sat down beside her slowly. He paused, pressing his lips together and running his finger over his upper lip. Surely, Clark hadn't told Lex? Why else would he be here?
Lex squeezed Clark's hand and looked into his eyes. He would follow Clark's lead in this.
Clark gave Lex a soft smile and just looked at him for a while. Lex was such an amazing man, strong and incredibly stoic around everyone. Or rather, everyone else but Clark. He took a deep breath and turned to his parents again. "Well, I'm not really sure how to tell this story, so I'm just gonna start from the beginning. You both remember Desirée Atkins, right? Who used her metahuman ability to make Lex marry her, and they tried to have Pa here kill him, so she'd inherit LexCorp and sell it to the highest bidder?"
Martha sucked in a breath. That event had nearly broken her marriage to Jonathan. She had known that he had been powerless to stop doing her bidding, giving into her, but he had come out of it feeling so guilty and undeserving that Martha had had to work hard to keep the two of them together.
"How could we forget?" Jonathan took his wife's hand and kissed it.
"There was more to that event than you knew at the time," Lex added in a soft, apologetic voice.
Clark nodded. "Right. Well, I lied to you about her abilities not working on me at the time."
Martha's jaw fell open. Clark had lied to them?
"They worked," Clark went on, not giving them time to react yet. "She tried to make me kill Lex before she went to Dad, but that, I refused to do. So she brought me to the castle, and made Lex and I have sex. With each other. While she watched and even told us what to do." Clark felt his cheeks blushing but that couldn't be helped. He had never expected to have to tell his parents about that.
Shameless though Lex normally was, there was something about admitting to the defilement of their teenage son that made Lex turn red as well.
"What? She... You two?" Jonathan sputtered in disbelief. He'd always known that Luthor had looked at Clark funny. He moved to stand, but it was a bit too abruptly, and he faltered on his bad hip. "Jesus Christ, Clark! You should have told us this!"
"I hope you understand how traumatizing that must have been for a young man," Lex said firmly. "How embarrassed he must have been, and how... uncertain. It wasn't a slight against you as parents, because no parent can truly be prepared for such a thing to happen, even under normal circumstances. Clark has always tried to protect the people around him, so I'm unsurprised that he wanted to protect you from this."
It was Clark's turn to give Lex's hand a squeeze, thankful for Lex's words. "I knew you'd blame Lex, Pa, and you would have, back then, even after she controlled you, too," he said almost apologetically. "He and I were already ashamed and embarrassed enough, and it was too private a moment for me to share it with anyone. That included you guys."
Martha leaned forward and reached out a hand over the table. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry! Lex... You also. It wasn't your fault; she targeted you from the start."
Clark nodded and held her hand with his free one. "She did, Ma, but that's not the end of it."
"Yes. Something... Something came of that..." Lex leaned over and put his hand over his mouth, thinking that in part, it was his fault. It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been in Smallville and hadn't been so close to Clark that only Clark's voice disturbed Desirée's control on Lex. He couldn't seem to find the words to bring out the next part of their story.
Jonathan steadied himself in his seat and ran a hand down his face. Clark was right. He would have, almost still did, blame Lex. But that woman was nothing more than a gold-digging, murderous rapist and as far as Clark was concerned, child molester. He could only be so angry at the man. Jonathan took a breath and looked up at Clark to listen to whatever his son had to say.
"Yeah, something did. And that's why Lex left Smallville. He had to hide from Lionel," Clark told them.
Martha frowned. "Hide from Lionel? But... Why?"
Clark leaned closer to Lex. "Mom, Lex got pregnant."
Martha gasped out loud and covered her mouth with her hands. Jonathan stared at them in dumbfounded confusion.
"Yes," Lex managed. He looked directly at Martha. "I couldn't let my father know about my child, and I had convinced myself that she was Desirée's. It was a girl, by the way. Athena."
"Pregnant?" Jonathan said, looking Lex up and down. Lex had always appeared a bit... feminine, but pregnant?
Lex licked his lips and blinked slowly. "Believe me, Mr. Kent, my initial reaction was much the same as yours. I didn't want to believe it at first, but denial of the symptoms had surprisingly little effect to make them go away."
Clark watched Lex as he spoke, then had to smile tenderly. "A few weeks ago, I ran into Lex and his daughter at Centennial Park. She's eleven years old and the brightest child I've ever met." He sighed. "Yesterday, Lex and I went on a date, while Athena went to a friend's house. We got a call a little later, and had to go pick her up. Her x-ray vision kicked in yesterday, guys."
"What?" Martha asked, her voice a whisper. "Her...?"
Lex nodded and smiled. "She has Clark's abilities. My healing. I... that's my ability. I heal quickly and can't get sick. I stayed in Europe for so long because as I realized how fast she was, how strong, I knew my father would kill me and put her in a lab. I couldn't protect her, if he knew about her."
"Son of a..." Jonathan boggled. This was all a bit much. "Lionel would've. I'd bet anything for that." He shook his head. "I guess you and I've got a lot more in common than we used to."
"I told Lex about being an alien and being Superman yesterday," Clark explained. "And he put two and two together. We told Athena, and I've moved in with them. Lex and I are together. We love each other, we have a daughter, and we're finally happy again." He smiled at Lex. "Well, I am."
"Together," Jonathan repeated, looking from Clark to Lex and staring at the older man hard.
"Together," Lex said, meeting Jonathan's eye. "And I'd like for my daughter to have a relationship with her grandparents... if they accept us."
"Oh!" Martha felt her eyes water. Her son had a daughter? How was that even possible? And when she thought she could no longer feel overwhelmed, there she was, speechless again!
"Athena is precocious and for her entire life, Lex was the only family she had," Clark said in a calm but firm tone. "I won't have her exposed to anyone who has anything bad to say about her father. Lex did the best he could, and he took care of her with complete dedication and love. We want her to know you both, but only if Lex is welcome here as my partner and her dad. Family."
Martha felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Please don't cry, Mrs. Kent," Lex said gently. He wanted Athena to know her more than anything. He reached over to her and Clark's hands and touched them with a smile. "I never got the chance to thank you for the tea and sympathy. I didn't entirely understand what was wrong at me, but you've always been very kind."
"Oh, Lex!" Martha got up so quickly she knocked her chair back. She rounded the table and hugged Lex's shoulders, sobbing quietly. She really didn't care how it had happened or why, but her heart reached out to Lex. He must have felt so scared and lonely, the poor boy! "We should have made you feel more welcome," she mumbled and sniffled against him.
Lex slowly put his arms around Martha, and he decided right then that if Jonathan was obstinate about his relationship with Clark, then Lex would ensure that Athena had time with her grandmother. "It's all right," he reassured her.
Martha sobbed a little louder, forgetting to feel ashamed of such display. Lex was family now, after all. Clark hugged the two of them.
Lex bit his lip and swallowed. It was hard not to cry himself. He'd wanted so desperately to be a part of this family. It was some kind of miracle to have Clark and Martha holding him.
Jonathan pushed himself up and walked over to pour the lemonade. "I should have been prepared for this. You two. You always looked at each other like... But you never did. Not until then, I guess." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry you didn't feel comfortable coming to us, Lex. We're pretty good a hiding secrets. Maybe we could have helped."
"I wanted to tell Lex my secret. If I'd done that..." Clark shook his head. "Trust me, Pa, Lex and I have gone through all that last night, the what ifs. We're willing to look to the future and let go of the past."
Martha sniffled, wiped her eyes, and pulled back to give Lex a motherly smile. "We'd love for you to bring her here, Lex. Maybe you could stay a couple of days? We can give her Clark's old room, and you boys can stay in the guest room?"
"Oh, well..." Lex thought about Athena's schedule. "I could bring her for the weekend. Would that work for you? I'm sure she'll be eager to meet you. She's practically bursting with happiness to have Clark around."
Jonathan chuckled. "She excitable, huh?" He pushed glasses over to Clark and Lex. "If you wanna bring her over for the weekend, that would be great. What's she look like? Got your hair?"
"No." Lex laughed. "I was worried about that, but she was born with a full head of dark hair. It stuck straight up until it grew a bit. She... looks a lot like Clark. I don't know how I didn't see it before."
"She has Lex's eyes," Clark told his father proudly. "And she's fearless. Right after we met, she would call me every day and make up excuses for me to see them. She asked me about our date, making sure we had gotten along last night, Lex," he added with a chuckle.
Lex opened his mouth slightly, then smiled. "She seemed like she wanted to talk to you. She's seen me sabotage enough relationships with the PTA parents to believe I'd do something unbelievably dumb. In her defense, it was entirely possible. I almost chased you away the night you came by to watch movies with us."
"Well, I gave away your mom's watch," Clark replied. "Even if it was to our daughter."
Martha wiped her eyes again and returned to her seat. She took the glass of lemonade that Jonathan had poured her, sipped it and watched Clark and Lex. Their daughter. Her granddaughter! She could hardly contain herself; she wanted to meet the little girl now!
"I can be a bitch," Lex said with a dry smile. "Not that you didn't know that already. I'm glad you're brave enough to put up with that."
"He's dealt with giant missiles and alien tentacle creatures. One Luthor in comparison isn't that scary," Jonathan told them, taking his seat again.
"Depends on which Luthor you're talking about," Lex replied cheekily.
Clark laughed softly. He pulled Lex with an arm around his shoulders and gave the corner of his lips a kiss. "I can take you," he joked.
Jonathan looked down and rubbed the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to think about these two together, but he sure as hell wouldn't deny Martha a grandchild or Clark a partner. Especially if Lex could get pregnant. That practically made him Jonathan's daughter-in-law.
"I like a challenge." Lex turned slightly and tucked a curl of Clark's hair behind his ear.
Clark beamed. He wanted to pull Lex to his lap and kiss him until the two of them were out of breath, but he would give his parents a bit of time to adapt to everything. He took Lex's hand in his and faced his parents again. "So the family got bigger again, and just as suddenly as the first time. What do you guys think?"
"After you left, Lex, your father put the squeeze on the plant and got it under his thumb again. It's hard to blame you for that when I know why you left. Wasn't your fault, no matter what the reason, but I haven't exactly been helpful in making your name around town be a good one." Jonathan shrugged. "I think... If you're happy, son, I'm happy. And I'll watch my mouth."
"I was afraid he'd do that. I was hoping the man I sent to run LexCorp would have more of a spine," Lex admitted.
Clark sobered up. "The town suffered when Lionel had it shut down and all those people lost their jobs. But slowly it picked itself up and went on. I think Smallville is as much a survivor as we are."
"They're better off without the plant," Lex said, shaking his head.
"I won't disagree with you," Jonathan added.
Clark arched his eyebrows a little. That was a start.
***
"Do you think I should pack an extra set of clothes? I don't want your mother to go out of her way to wash our clothes," Lex said as he fussed over their suitcase. They had been able to pull Athena from school just a little early so she could spend the weekend meeting her grandparents, and Lex realized he still felt nervous. He could still make mistakes in front of the Kents.
Clark turned his head to the right and continued to use his laser vision on his overnight stubble. "Pack whatever you want, Lex, but don't worry too much. If you or Athena forget anything, I can come back and get it in a couple of minutes." He smiled; it was pretty endearing the fact that Lex was getting stressed over a weekend at the farm. Not that Clark would ever tell him that.
Athena popped her head in the bathroom. "Clark? ...What are you doing?"
He switched off his laser vision and smiled at her. "I'm shaving, princess. This is the only way I can do it, that I know."
"Really?" Athena walked up to him and touched his face. "Dad can still cut my hair. Will I have to cut it with my eyes when I get older?"
"We're gonna have to see about that. Any bent scissors yet?"
Athena shook her head. "No, I don't think so."
Lex came into the bathroom, looking flustered, frowned, and then stood there for a minute trying to think of what he'd been looking for.
Clark faced the mirror again. "Deodorant?" he suggested to Lex. To Athena, he said, "Cutting my hair's really tricky. I need two mirrors. I can cut yours in the future, if it comes to that."
"Hee. And maybe I could do yours, too?" Athena offered.
Lex put his hand on his hip and reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a moisturizer. He patted Clark's rear before he went.
"Definitely!" Clark smiled and finished up under his chin. "Would you like my hair to be longer, Lex?" he asked, offering Athena his hand.
"I think your hair looks fine. Better than ever, actually. Your mother used to give you these god awful bangs..." Lex replied. "I wondered once if she hadn't just stuck a bowl on your head and cut around it."
Clark chuckled. "Yet another attempt at hiding myself foiled!" he exclaimed, stepping out into the bedroom with Athena, then stopping. "How much luggage are we taking?"
"Just the one bag," Lex replied, checking to see if the large red upright would close. "And of course Athena's bag. I folded the clothes you laid out, kitten."
"You didn't have to, Dad," Athena answered. Her father got so stressed sometimes.
Clark gave Athena's hand a gentle squeeze, then let go and walked up to Lex, hugging him from behind. "You need to take a deep breath, Lex," he said softly against Lex's left ear.
"I'm fine," Lex protested. Then he sighed, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"It's okay, Dad. We'll be there," Athena said.
"Yes, we will," agreed Clark, giving Lex's chest a rub. "And if one of us isn't having a good time, we'll leave, okay? Together."
Lex looked back at Clark. "I'll be all right. I'm just afraid... I'll do something to make your father angry. I don't want to mess this up for you two."
"You won't," Athena said with certainty.
Clark kissed Lex's cheek and caressed the back of his head. "You should listen to your daughter. Besides, so what if he gets angry, Lex? I'm not fifteen anymore, and he and I have had some pretty bad arguments that you don't know about. I didn't speak to him for a while."
"Well, I'm glad you were able to work those out," Lex replied honestly.
"We were." Clark gave Lex another kiss and let him go. He turned to Athena. "Dad's not a bad man, princess, but he's hard-headed and well, he's always had to worry about people finding out about me and trying to hurt me."
"So he and Dad should have a lot in common," Athena said. She hopped onto the end of their bed and touched the side of their suitcase.
"Apparently we do. I just remember him not liking me much, and it's very important to me for you to have a family, baby," Lex told her.
"I do have a family," she replied.
Lex smiled.
"Dad didn't like you because your father had tricked people out of their lands in Smallville," Clark pointed out, "and because I was fifteen and kept running off to see you every chance I got. He'll know to behave, trust me."
"Makes it sound like you're the parent," Lex said, zipping up their suitcase.
"I am the parent," Clark said proudly, stretching on the bed next to Athena. Athena giggled and laid back on him.
"I mean... Well, oh, hush." Lex walked around the bed and laid on Clark's other side.
Clark hugged the two of them to him. "You're the most important people in the world to me," he said softly, after a kiss to each of their foreheads.
"I love you both," Athena told them.
Lex touched her face with a grin. "And I love you, baby." He lifted his head to kiss Clark's cheek. "And you."
"Hmm..." Clark closed his eyes, perfectly content for the moment. He was glad that the nasty parasite in the Metropolis sewer emergency had been yesterday, and that the huge oil leak in the Pacific had been the day before. Hopefully they would have a nice, quiet weekend. He could hope.
"Hm." Lex sighed after a moment of lying together. "We should get going."
"Yes, we should." Clark made no motion to get up.
Athena sat up then slipped her arm under Clark and lifted him and Lex up. Lex wrapped his arms around Clark's neck quickly.
"Whoa!" Clark held on to Lex, laughing a second later. "I think we're going, then!"
"Can you? Um..." Lex looked down as Athena took them off the bed and walked them around to the doorway. "That's impressive, kitten."
"Thanks." Athena laughed, then set them down slowly.
Clark gave Lex a little squeeze. "All right! I'll get the luggage, you guys can head outside."
Lex put his arm around his daughter's shoulders, and nodded, walking them towards the door. "How are you feeling about the trip, baby?"
"Excited. Nervous. What if they don't like me?" Athena asked.
Lex shook his head. "Impossible. Everyone must love you."
"But they might not."
"They loved Clark. They've wanted their own children forever, and now they have a grandchild they never thought they could have. I think they probably can't wait to see you. And Martha has probably baked a ridiculous amount."
Clark returned to the bedroom, picked up the suitcases, and headed out after Lex and Athena. He could admit to himself to being slightly nervous, but only to himself.
***
Jonathan checked over Clark's old room one more time to be sure it was clean enough for their granddaughter. Sure, Clark had hardly ever kept the place clean, but she was related to Lex, who was fussy, so she probably cared more about such things.
"They here yet?" Jonathan hollered down the stairs.
"Not yet, sweetheart!" Martha replied as she pulled out a blueberry pie from the oven and set it next to the cherry and apple ones she had already baked. She wished she had asked Clark what kind of pie Athena liked. She checked the freezer for the third time, and sighed in relief; the ice cream was still in there. "Should I make a peach cobbler?" she asked herself.
***
Lex slowed down as he approached the Loeb Bridge. "This is where your father and I met. Well, for the second time."
Athena looked out her window.
Clark nodded. "A truck carrying barbed wire was coming the other way," he explained, reaching over and touching Lex's thigh with his left hand, "and a roll got loose. Lex's Porsche's tires went over it, they blew, and he hit me. I was standing right there. We both went over and into the water."
"Hitting the water knocked me unconscious... or hitting the steering wheel did, I can't remember. I just remember seeing Clark there and being afraid that I was going to kill him." Lex sighed and parked the car on the side of the bridge and looked out over the water. "Then when I woke, there was this handsome man watching over me with light all round him like a halo."
"He stopped breathing," Clark said, looking at Lex. "I remember being so scared that he'd die, and that I'd break his chest while doing CPR... But then he coughed out water and sat up, and I'd never felt so relieved in my life."
Lex turned to Clark and gave him that look that said Clark was the most amazing thing on this Earth. Clark dipped his head, blinked fast a couple of times, then cupped the back of Lex's head and pulled him close for a quick kiss.
"Mm." Lex grinned and put his hand against Clark's cheek. "I don't regret any moment I've ever spent with you."
"No?" Clark frowned lightly. "I guess I don't either. Just the ones we didn't spend together."
"Agreed," Lex said. "Let's never do that ever again."
Athena rested her chin on the back of Clark's seat.
Clark nodded, let his hand cup Lex's right cheek, and kissed him again. "No, never. Do you want me to drive for a bit?"
"'Til we get to the farm? It isn't much farther." Lex looked at the clock, then nodded. "Okay. Swap with me."
Clark unbuckled, opened the passenger door, and touched a fingertip to the tip of Athena's nose before he got out.
"Hee." Athena rubbed her nose and laughed softly. When her father took the passenger seat, she began to massage his shoulders. "How much longer do we have?"
"About half an hour, sweetheart," Clark replied, pushing back the driver's seat and adjusting the mirrors before he drove off. "You getting hungry?"
"Yeah, a little." She patted her father's back and hoped he'd stay relaxed.
"I bet your grandmother will have quite the spread. She knows how to feed a growing Kent," Lex said.
Clark laughed softly. "That she does. Poor Lex, always told to eat when he came around. But you were skinny," he added with a glance at Lex.
"Well, I suppose I was. I guess we know your father's the only one to remedy that situation." Lex patted Clark's chest with a grin.
"Not that I'm complaining," Clark was quick to add. "I thought you looked great back then. But you look incredible now."
"I've gotten older. I work out." Lex smiled. "And you... in that suit..."
Athena giggled in the backseat.
Clark pursed his lips amusedly. Lex had demanded that Clark made love to him in his boots and cape only the other night. "Glad you approve, despite the colors."
"Well, bright colors suit you, even if they don't suit me." Lex yawned a little and vowed to take some coffee when they got there.
"They might if you tried," Clark suggested. "A crimson shirt might look good on you."
"Clark liked the red shirt from your date last Sunday," Athena pointed out.
"I like that shirt. It's dark," Lex replied.
"You aren't wearing black today."
"No." Lex looked down at his blue sweater with the dark shirt underneath it. "I didn't want to frighten people into thinking there was a vampire lurking around."
"Pff. You know I like blue. You just want to make me happy," joked Clark.
Lex pulled his sweater up a little and looked at it critically. "I think this is almost the color I wore when I offered to buy your father, kitten."
"You did not!" Athena gasped.
"Well, I offered Mr. Kent a loan for the farm. I was worried he might lose it and be unable to give Clark college."
Clark sputtered. "Oh, I can imagine Pa's face if you had actually said, 'here, Mr. Kent, that's down payment for the farmboy over there. No need to wrap him; I'll take him in his flannels right now!'"
"He looked at me as though I'd said something like that. The snake in the garden of Eden," Lex added.
"We were so well-behaved, too, for all the bad intentions people assigned to us." Clark sighed. "I can't tell you how many people used to tease me at school, saying that I was your boytoy and other terms like that."
Lex frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I'd known about that." So he could get those students expelled.
"Haha, yeah. I'd tell you, and you were gonna pester me for names!" Clark shook his head. "I could take the name-calling, Lex." He turned onto Hickory Lane.
"Here we go. Hold onto your seats, kids," Lex said, reaching back to take Athena's hand. She squeezed it and put her arm around Clark.
"This where I grew up, Athena," Clark told her, slowing down as he entered the gravel driveway and passed the wooden KENT FARM sign. Sometimes he wondered if time passed there at all, but then he remembered that he was the one who painted and repainted the house, barn and stables when they needed it, and still took care of fences that needed mending more often than not.
Athena pressed her nose to the window. "This place is really well kept. Do you have any animals?"
"I know they kept cattle, and boarded some horses," Lex said.
"We have the cows, about five horses right now, and a number of barn cats," Clark said as he drove up to the yellow house. "We never know how many; they come and go, and a dog." Have you ever had any pets?" he asked her.
"None that really belonged to me. There were goats at the villa in Spain," Athena said. "And a dog that ran around that nobody owned. We called him Perroro."
"Our dog's name is Buddy. Not too original and he's no puppy, but he's a good dog." Clark parked the car, unbuckled, and turned to face her and Lex. "I smell pie!"
"Oh, I do too!" Athena said happily. "It smells really good!"
Lex chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Defensive baking."
Athena hopped out of the car and squinted at the farmhouse, peering inside.
Martha saw them through the kitchen window and her eyes widened comically. "Jonathan, they're here!" She ran a hand over her blouse and moved to open the kitchen door.
Clark approached Athena and rested one hand on her shoulder. "There's your grandma, princess. Go say hi."
Athena felt uncharacteristically shy, and looked down a little before stepping forward to go meet Martha. "Hello, Mrs. Kent," she said very politely. She'd have curtseyed, if she hadn't been wearing jeans.
Martha looked down at the little girl with a loving smile, and she bent down a little. She glanced up at Clark and Lex and then back down to her. "Oh, sweetheart, you're the perfect combination of your fathers! Call me grandma, baby!" She held out her arms. "Could I have a hug?"
"Yes!" Athena agreed, opening her arms and giving her grandmother a gentle hug. She was soft and warm.
Jonathan came hobbling out and grinned. "Well, there she is. Hello, beautiful!"
"Hello... grandpa." Athena flushed a little.
"Well, I want a hug too!" Jonathan said. Athena moved over to him and obliged.
Lex turned to Clark and touched the front of his shirt. "Could they be more perfect?" he whispered happily.
"You're perfect," Clark told Lex, cupping his face and kissing his lips once.
Lex gave Clark a few brief kisses in return. "You're going to give me a big ego," he warned.
Jonathan patted Athena's back. "Well, you hungry? Martha's cooked for an army here." He boomed in laughter.
Athena nodded. "The kitchen smells wonderful, Grandma."
Martha sighed and kissed the top of Athena's hair a couple of times. "Thank you, sweetheart! Do you like pies? I baked a few because I wasn't sure what you liked!" She took Athena's hand and looked up at Clark and Lex again. "Oh, boys, come in, come in!"
Clark wrapped one arm around Lex's shoulders, smiling. "We've been demoted to second-class citizens, I think."
"That's fine with me. I love to see her that happy." Lex walked with him up to the porch and into the kitchen. The wave of delicious smells hit him as they entered, and he felt his stomach twinge as a result. The Kents had never asked him to dinner before, although he knew for certain Clark had asked them. Martha's pie couldn't be beat, though. If he came by with Clark after school, Martha was fond of pushing the leftovers as "snacks." Always trying to feed him.
"...and fried chicken, which is Clark's favorite," Martha was telling Athena. "So we can have lunch right away, after you and your fathers wash your hands!"
"Hey, Ma, Pa," Clark said, entering the kitchen with Lex. Athena went over to the sink, and Lex moved to her side.
"Yeah, son?" Jonathan asked as he pulled the silverware out.
"I can set the table, Grandpa," Athena offered.
Clark shrugged. "Just saying hi. Let me hand you the plates, princess." He reached into the top cupboard and pulled out five plates.
"Oh. Well, hi." Jonathan chuckled.
Athena took the plates and set the table, looking back at her parents and grandparents. She'd never imagined that she'd have this much family so soon.
"Hi, sweetheart," Martha told Clark, walking up to him and giving his cheek a kiss, then moving on to do the same with Lex.
Lex blushed a little. Having Martha so affectionate with him was almost like having a mother again... or a Pamela. He wasn't quite used to it, but he could get used to it quickly. "It's good to see you, Mrs.- Martha. I'm sure Athena will love spending some time on the farm with you both."
"Yeah?" Jonathan held out a seat for his granddaughter. "You're not too much of a city girl?"
"I lived in the countryside in Europe when I was little," Athena answered. "I should be fine."
"Oh, that's cool. Good idea, Lex," Jonathan said, taking his seat slowly.
"It's easier to hide a superspeeding toddler when there are fewer people around," Lex joked.
"Don't we know it!" exclaimed Martha, laughing happily. "One time, when Clark was little, he ran off so fast, he disappeared through the woods. We had to call the police and ask for help to find him, and he was so scared when we did, the poor thing!"
Clark nodded and brought out the glasses for Athena to place on the table as well. "I remember that. One minute I was in the yard, in the next, I was in a strange place. I was really scared."
"Wow," Athena commented. She took the glasses and put them out. "Dad lost me once in the city."
Lex widened his eyes. "Yes, and my heart stopped. I was looking right at you, and you disappeared!"
Athena giggled. "Sorry."
Clark looked up at Lex, looking quite panicked, even if Athena was clearly and perfectly safe now. "How did you find her again?"
"She found me. I started by asking the police and the people around me, of course, but she eventually wandered back before they had the chance to find her," Lex informed Clark. "It was an adventure for her."
"And an absolute nightmare for you, I'm sure," Clark said, approaching Lex and giving him a hug.
Martha looked over at Jonathan. Poor Lex, having to go through that.
"I got over it. Just thankful she was okay," Lex said into Clark's ear. He gave Clark a squeeze, and winked at his daughter.
"If any of the next ones disappear, I'll go find them for you," Athena teased.
Martha gasped with a wide grin. "Next ones? Are you going to have more?"
Clark pulled back to meet Lex's eyes. "We're... Thinking about it. Not right away, though."
Jonathan chuckled. The little girl couldn't wait!
"We'll let you know, kitten. We've only been back together for a week." Lex put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him.
"I know." Athena hugged her father and looked up at Clark. She was just too happy.
Clark smiled down at her and caressed her hair. "Isn't she gorgeous?" he asked his parents proudly.
"Oh, yes, she is!" Martha agreed.
"The most beautiful girl in the world," Jonathan declared.
Clark nodded in agreement. "I need to wash my hands," he said after a moment, and zipped out of the kitchen.
"Let me get the potato salad out!" volunteered Martha.
Lex kissed his girl on the head and squeezed her once again. "Why don't you sit down next to Grandpa?"
"Okay." Athena took her seat.
"That's a pretty name, Athena," Jonathan remarked.
"She's the Greek goddess of wisdom and war," Athena informed him. "And she came straight from her dad."
"Oh yeah?" Jonathan smiled and settled in to chat with her.
"It sounds like an appropriate name, then," Martha commented as she brought bowl to the table and removed its lid.
"Dad used to tell me the story when I was little," Athena added.
"Had to prepare you for this somehow. Is there anything I could help you with, Martha?" Lex asked.
Martha looked at the table. "Oh, I don't think so, Lex. Unless... Would you mind getting the biscuits? I left them in the oven to keep warm."
"I've got it." Lex took a potholder and leaned over the oven to pull them out. He smiled, seeing how golden and fluffy they were. With a spatula he set them all on a plate and took them over to the table. "This is really amazing, Martha."
"Thanks, sweetheart!"
Clark returned to the kitchen and waited for Lex to join him at the table. "Oh, mom, you need to try Lex's cooking one of these days! He's a really good cook!"
Athena nodded enthusiastically. "He is! You should put him to work tomorrow," she boasted proudly. "Miranda's jealous of my lunches 'cause her mom can't cook."
"She has a chef on hand. She doesn't have to learn to cook." Lex chuckled and passed her some beans. "Maybe your grandmother can teach me to cook in bulk, now that I have two of you to serve."
"As long as I chop the onions," Clark pointed out. He touched Lex's back and gave it a gentle rub.
Lex smiled softly then turned his head to kiss Clark's cheek. "You're too sweet."
"What kind of stuff does your dad make you?" Jonathan put a few pieces of chicken on his plate and passed it to his granddaughter.
"Spaghetti with Italian sausage, manicotti, pineapple cashew stir-fry, oh, and sometimes he makes soup from scratch for lunch. It's really good," Athena told him. "But he can make almost anything, and sometimes we try to make up recipes together. Which doesn't always work, but it's fun."
"You are free to use my kitchen," Martha told Lex and Athena. "I'd love to learn a new recipe or two!"
"I'll give something a try tomorrow," Lex told Martha. "You can put your feet up, and we'll serve you."
Martha laughed. "Oh, what a luxury! Thank you, Lex!" She patted his forearm before turning to Athena. "Is the food good, sweetheart?"
"It's good," Athena said brightly. Although her father never fried things, she could taste the mix of spices that Martha had used in the coating for the chicken. It was nicely crunchy, and the potato salad was not too sweet, and the beans were flavorful and not mushy. "Really good, thank you."
Clark ate happily, looking around the table at his parents, his daughter, and his Lex. Everyone getting along, eating, being a family.
After they'd eaten, Lex, Clark, and Martha took Athena on a tour of the farm so she could see all of the animals and how the farm worked. Athena absorbed it all with interest and made friends with the horses and a few of the barn cats that didn't run away when they came in. She played fetch with Buddy a bit. That night Lex and Clark put her to bed, feeling happy with how contented she seemed.
The next day, Martha and Jonathan took Athena to town for some ice cream, so they could have some time alone with the girl, and so Lex and Clark were left to their own devices.
"How's your back?" Clark asked Lex as they watched the Kent truck drive off. "Is the bed in the guest bedroom okay? Mom wanted to know."
"It's a little harder than ours at home, but my back feels fine. If it starts to bother me, I can always sleep on you." Lex smirked up at Clark.
"You definitely can!" Clark took Lex's hand and started walking with him to the barn. "I want to show you something."
"Time to visit the Fortress?" Lex teased. He rubbed Clark's chest.
"Heh. Well, the original one, at least." Clark smiled at Lex. "You okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay. I seems I was worried for nothing. Athena loves it here, and your parents adore her." Lex sighed.
"I'm proud of them," Clark admitted as they climbed the wooden steps to the loft. "Not that I gave them another choice, but you never know how people are going to react." At the top, the place had been dusted and organized. White Christmas lights were on along the walls, and an old LexCorp folder had been left on the old red couch.
"Oh, it looks nice up here," Lex commented. He strolled over to the couch and looked at the folder. He took a breath. "I feel nostalgic. Looking up at a young man and ensuring him that our relationship would be the stuff of legends."
Clark turned Lex to him and wrapped his arms around Lex's waist. "It was, Lex. It still is. You were just so amazing back then, and you still take my breath away today, did you know that?"
"Do I?" Lex smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I think I tried a bit too hard, sometimes. I didn't want you to find another friend to make the world shine for you."
Clark thought about that for a moment, letting go of Lex and taking a seat on the couch. "Do you think that would've happened? Theoretically, it could have... I've met some pretty interesting characters in my life, but I like to think that we would've endured." He looked up at Lex.
"I don't know, Clark. I don't have any flashy cars or expensive toys for you to play with anymore." Lex put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window. "Maybe it would have, but you've come back to me regardless. I wasn't wearing anything particularly shiny when you saw us in the park."
"Oh, you meant..." Clark glanced down at the folder and ran the fingertips of his right hand over it. "I wasn't talking about material possessions, but personality; that's what really attracted me to you. Sure, the cars were great when I was fifteen, but I learned to make diamonds with my hands a couple of years after that..."
"I realize now that spoiling you was only of fleeting interest to you. Something fun at the time, but immaterial... ultimately not the reason you stayed around." Lex chuckled and walked over to the sofa to sit by Clark. "And so often, my personality repelled, rather than attracted." He took Clark's hand. "I think no matter what the circumstances, we would be drawn to one another."
Clark nodded. "I think so, too. But your personality never repelled me, just those leeches that kept trying to get something from you." He tapped a finger on the folder. "I think I brought home an essay in this, and just kept it. Do you want it, as a keepsake, or maybe show it to Athena?"
"We could show it to Athena," Lex said, taking the folder and looking through it. "I had so many plans. Oh well." He laughed. "Derailed. And I think I'm a better person for it."
"I wanted to be a football player at some point," Clark told Lex. "And a doctor, after that."
"I remember you wanting to play football. I was hoping you'd change your mind about that." Lex put his arm around Clark's shoulders and played with the back of his hair. "I think you would have made a fine doctor."
Clark tilted his head in agreement. "I know enough to become one if I wanted to, but I think that one job of odd-hours is enough, right?"
"Well, I selfishly agree," Lex said, caressing Clark's cheek and giving him a kiss.
"Hmm..." Clark closed his eyes, but then opened them again and drew back slightly. "Damn. Speaking of which..."
"What? Oh..." Lex tensed the corners of his mouth, then gave him another kiss. "Go on, Clark. They need you."
"I won't be long," Clark promised. "I've handled one of those before." He touched Lex's cheek gently, touched their foreheads together and then he was gone.
Lex ran his hands over his cheeks and stood to look out the window. Then he started to poke through Clark's desk, smiling as he ran into pictures as well as little keepsakes. He loved this man, always had.
---
Superman scowled as he landed on the valley between Flash and Green Lantern. The iridescent blob shifted and left a trail of sparkly slime as it headed towards them.
"Wow, Supes, these things really like you, huh?" Flash asked, taking a bite of the doughnut in his hand. "It was just sitting there until now."
"Do you want me to-"
Superman interrupted Green Lantern and hovered above the ground, shaking his head. "No, thanks, Hal, I got this." It wasn't a pleasant process, but after the blob let him get close and sucked him into its gelatinous mass, Superman would use his heat vision and cause it to blow up from the inside out. He would have to shower at the Watchtower; no way was he going to come home as disgusting as he would become.
After helping with the cleanup, Superman flew up to the Watchtower, showered thoroughly, and exchanged a couple of ideas with Batman.
"I'm still not sure where those things are coming from," Batman said flatly, "but they definitely respond to you alone."
"Maybe some villain out there intends to ruin my day, since they don't actually hurt me."
"They will, if infused with green Kryptonite."
"Yes, but who has enough of it to do that?"
Batman thinned his lips. "No one I know."
Superman gave Batman a pat on the back. "Go home, will you? Sleep a little."
"If my suspicions are right-"
"If your suspicions are right, we'll deal with them when it happens. We've both been through every possible scenario, Batman. Right now, we just don't know where the blobs are coming from, and who's sending them here. Go get some shuteye. When was the last time you slept?"
"Not so long ago."
"In your own bed?"
Batman cast Superman a dark glance. "Fine. Just a few more tests on the new specimen, and I'll go."
"Promise?"
Batman turned his back on Superman, who chuckled at his friend's utter lack of sense of humor. He left the Watchtower and soon after, was carefully flying through the barn window.
Lex was lying back on the sofa, staring at the roof of the barn and thinking about everything he could remember from his days in Smallville. When he spotted Clark, he smiled warmly. "How was it?"
"You don't wanna know," Clark said, shaking his head to undo his Superman hairdo, and pulling the top of his costume down to his waist. He had brought his change of clothes because he couldn't leave the Watchtower as Clark, and didn't want to waste any more time away from Lex, changing. "The word 'yucky' comes to mind. What are you doing?"
"Lounging. Not something I do often." Lex looked up at him, raising a brow, then jumped up and ran his hands over Clark's bare chest. "I don't think you need the flannel just yet, do you?"
"Well, I was going for the jeans and tee combo, but if you have objections..." Clark paused, moving his hands away from his costume. "Missed me?"
"Yes." Lex said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Clark's bare chest. Warm, firm. He licked over Clark's nipple.
"Mmmm, you know I love your mouth on me, don't you?" Clark raised his hands to unbutton Lex's shirt. It was only fair.
"Oh, I know." Lex blew on his nipple, then leaned back so that Clark could pull his shirt off. Lex's eyes flitted up at Clark mischievously. "What's the one thing you wished that you'd done up here that you never had the chance to?"
"One thing?" Clark asked pitifully. "Just one?" He dipped his head and kissed the side of Lex's neck, pulling him closer. "Mmmm, I missed your scent..."
"This is a good start," Lex teased, grabbing the back of Clark's neck and pulling him back to the sofa. He squeezed Clark's side with his other hand. He groaned.
"I'm gonna need a week or two," Clark mumbled against Lex's skin with a grin, then pushing Lex so he would sit on the sofa, and kneeling between his legs. He straightened up and started unfastening Lex's belt.
"A week? That's some endurance right there." Lex leaned back, spread his legs wide, and slowly blew some air out of his lips. "Oh, Clark."
"Oh, the things I wanted to do with you..." Clark opened Lex's pants, glanced up at him and then bent down to suck Lex's cock into his mouth.
"Oh... that's nice," Lex sighed softy and reached forward to touch Clark's hair. "You are certainly multitalented..."
Clark sucked and sucked until Lex was fully hard, then he looked up, met Lex's eyes, and let his tongue vibrate against Lex's cock. He still had a trick or two up his sleeve.
"Oh, oh!" Lex exclaimed, his eyes going impossibly wide. He shuddered and his hips jerked forward slightly. "Yes, oh God, Clark, you're amazing!"
"Hmm?" Clark batted his eyelashes as innocently as he could, with a mouth full of cock, and reached under Lex to cup his butt with both hands and pull him up. The head of Lex's cock glided down his throat.
Lex bowed over Clark and moaned loudly as he began to come, pleasure shooting through him powerfully. His boyfriend was a lover and a dildo all in one. "Love you, ohhh, love you," he groaned over Clark's ear.
Clark hummed and only slowed down as Lex quieted and stopped twitching. He pulled back, gave the head of Lex's cock a kiss, and pressed his right cheek to the pale chest. He didn't need to, but it was good to hear Lex's heartbeat, still fast, this up close.
"Thank you," Lex whispered, cradling Clark's head and rubbing his back. "Hmm..."
Clark closed his eyes and nodded. "Welcome."
Lex scratched the back of Clark's hair and gave him another kiss. "Give me a moment. We can do what I always wanted to do up here."
"Oh yeah?" Clark smiled. "What's that?"
"Take off the rest of your suit... We'll find out, my super man." Lex winked saucily.
"Hmm, Lex's porny fantasy with his favorite farmboy," Clark said as he stood and pulled his boots and suit off. "I can't wait!"
Lex stood and walked around Clark slowly, then he slapped one cheek, then cupped it, and squeezed it. "My football player in training. You always had the ass for it, you know. I always wanted to give you everything you ever wanted."
Clark grinned and lowered his eyes, but did not look over his shoulder at Lex. "Yeah, Lex?"
"I just couldn't stop thinking about you,,, naked in the locker room with all those lucky bastards." Lex reached around to Clark's front and wrapped his fingers around Clark's long, thick cock. "Sometimes I would think of that, when we were up here, thinking that if anyone deserved to see this gorgeous ass, it would be me."
Clark took a deep breath, held it in as his eyes closed, and let it out slowly. "You wanted to touch me like this?" he asked, his cock hardening even more against Lex's touch.
"Every..." Lex licked up the back of Clark's neck. "Single... Day... You were such a sexy young man... and now you are such a sexy super man."
"Ohhh..." Clark swayed back slightly, and rocked his hips once. "I'm yours now, Lex..."
"All mine..." Lex rubbed his hand along Clark's cock a few times. "So delicious." He nibbled along Clark's shoulder and then pushed him forward, over the sofa. "Bend over, beautiful."
Clark grunted with excitement as he landed on his knees, his hands holding on to the back of the sofa. He spread his knees far apart and finally looked over at Lex. "Here I am."
"Oh, yes," Lex walked around him and moved one hand up his back slowly, then scratched his nails down. He moved his hands over Clark's round muscular buttocks, spreading them and crouching down to lick over his asshole.
"Ah!" Clark arched his back when Lex scratched him, then his head dropped as Lex began to lick him! "God, Lex!"
Lex chuckled wickedly and circled his tongue around Clark's tight little muscle, then pushed it inside. It writhed around, deeper and deeper.
"Ohhhh!" Clark pushed his ass back and bit his lower lip. He and Lex tried to be quiet at home, but it felt incredible to be able to be as loud as he wanted to. His cock jumped and dripped precum on the blanket that covered the couch.
This was it. Just what he'd wanted to do with that boy. Suck his ass and make this big boy squirm. Hearing Clark cry out made Lex so incredibly aroused. He sucked against Clark's hole and then flattened out his tongue.
"Oh, Lex, Lex, Lex!" Clark rocked back and back, gasped, and came with a loud, throaty moan.
Lex couldn't have grinned wider. He kneaded Clark's ass, and reached over to stroke Clark's cock while he came.
Clark threw his head back and cried out with pleasure. For a virtually invulnerable being, he sure was vulnerable to Lex's touch.
Lex rested his cheek to Clark's right buttock and sighed. He patted Clark's side.
"Ungh!" Clark fell forward onto the couch and panted for a bit, then slowly rolled his head to the side to look at Lex, or try to. "Jesus, Lex!"
"That a new one for you?" Lex pushed himself up and wrapped himself around Clark. He nuzzled his nose against Clark's face.
Clark chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that!" He pulled Lex to his chest at the same time that he flopped back onto the couch, bringing Lex on top of him. "God, I love you. If you had done that way back when... I might have conquered the world for you..."
"You and I ruling the world through the better art of rimming? Sounds spectacular," Lex replied dryly.
"You make it sound less grand than what I had just envisioned," Clark complained, his chest shaking with laughter. He touched Lex's chin, raised his head and kissed Lex slowly.
"I do that." Lex lifted one leg in the air and kept kissing Clark. "And yet, everything we do together is grand. Because it's us."
Clark nodded. He ran a hand over Lex's leg. "Yes, that's true. Us. Mmm, I just love 'us.'"
"It's amazing how easily we fit into one another's lives again," Lex said, rubbing Clark's shoulder. "Can I bring you lunch at work?"
"At The Planet?" asked Clark. He smiled softly at the thought of Lex walking in with a container in his hands. "Wow. You want to?"
Lex wrapped his foot around Clark's ankle. "I'd like to, if it wouldn't feel weird for you. Otherwise, I can just send you with a bag."
Clark shook his head. "No, I want you to! I mean, if you want to... So do I. God, Lex, I want everyone to know we're finally together!"
"How domestic. Me walking in, bringing your lunch and a thermos of good Italian roast coffee..." Lex said with a smile. "We could put out an announcement. Have a coming out party." He chuckled.
"We could!" Clark agreed excitedly. He thought that Lex was only joking, but in the off chance that he wasn't...
"We could. I don't think I want that much attention, though. Can you imagine how embarrassed Athena would be at school? Or maybe she wouldn't be. She's practically our number one cheerleader."
Clark sighed, kissing Lex's cheek and holding him close. "Either way. Bring me lunch and watch Lois foam at the mouth until she figures out where she knows you from. We can eat together."
"I would love that," Lex replied seriously. "I'll sit in your lap. And feed you porcini mushroom and wild rice soup."
"Mmm, deal." Clark smiled brightly.
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Six
Superman touched down on the side of the Kent farm, spot where he and Lex couldn't be seen from the road or driveway. He had told the Kents that he would be coming home for a few hours, that he had something to tell them, and that he would be bringing company. Martha assured him that they would give the farm hands the morning off so there would be no prying eyes or ears around, and told him to be careful on his way over. She always said that.
"You all right, Lex?" Clark asked in his regular voice even though he was in the superhero costume. He had decided to fly out of Metropolis as Superman because that would be a common enough sight for anyone who spotted them; Superman carrying someone to safety.
Lex nodded and looked around the farm. It had been a long time since he'd been here, and truthfully, he was rather nervous to be here, waiting for the Kents, or rather Jonathan Kent's approval. He rather hoped that the man would be able to see past his name to realize what their family could do for one another, but there was no telling how he would react.
"The place looks good," Lex commented. He rubbed Clark's chest. "I was worried your parents would lose the farm someday."
Clark looked around and nodded. "You stopped that from happening a couple of times. After that, I knew I had to step up and help them. Pretending to be mediocre my whole life just wasn't gonna work." He took Lex's hand and headed for the back porch.
Lex swallowed and fussed with the top button of his shirt. "We should visit your loft sometime," he suggested. "Do you still have that red couch?"
"Yeah, I do." Clark leaned over and whispered in Lex's ear. "You know I'm gonna have to fuck you there..."
"That's what I was thinking, yes," Lex replied with a wicked grin.
Clark grinned widely and started up the steps, looking up when Martha opened the screen door. The smile on her lips faltered for a second as she spotted Lex. She took a step forward and blinked at Clark.
"Hi, Ma!" Clark said brightly, pulling her in for a hug.
Martha gasped. Clark had told Lex? After all this time? She hugged him back regardless. "Hello, sweetheart." She turned to Lex. "Lex, what a surprise!" She gave him, too, a hug.
"A surprise for me as well," Lex replied in a good-natured tone as he hugged her back. Before, she had often looked like she *wanted* to hug him, but didn't. "I hope you're doing well, Mrs. Kent. The farm looks great."
"Is that Clark?" Jonathan called from the living room.
"Yes, Jonathan," Martha replied, turning and going back into the house. "And Lex," she added.
Clark followed after his mother and pulled Lex along. No going back now.
"What?" Jonathan yelled. He pushed himself up from his chair and leaned on his cane as he walked toward the kitchen. "What did you say?"
Lex felt his heartbeat speed up as they entered the kitchen. It looked the same. Different towels and different potholders. Mrs. Kent had a new set of jars along the counter that undoubtedly contained sugar and such things, but essentially, he'd just stepped back in time. He remembered fondly, more or less, coming in here to wait for Clark on more than one occasion. When he'd been having morning sickness, she'd given him some saltines and tea without pushing him for an explanation. Mrs. Kent was a good woman. More than once, he'd wished she had been his mother.
Of course, that would make his relationship with Clark incest, and he couldn't have that.
"Let me change before he gets here," Clark told Lex, and let go of his hand to speed off. He was holding Lex's hand again as his father entered the kitchen. "Hi, Dad," he said cautiously. He had changed into dark jeans and a blue shirt.
Jonathan adjusted his glasses and looked across the kitchen. "Afternoon, Clark. Is... Lex Luthor? Well, Hell, I haven't seen you in... practically forever!"
"Twelve years," Clark volunteered. "Did Mom tell you I came to talk to you guys about something?"
"Yeah, she told me. She didn't tell me Lex was coming," Jonathan said with a bit of annoyance, as though she was in conspiracy with them, or something else ridiculous.
"I don't think Clark divulged my identity," Lex said gently. "It's good to see you, sir."
"You've hardly got to call me sir. You're not a kid anymore, are you?" Jonathan replied.
Lex chuckled. "No, I'm not."
"Why don't we all sit down?" suggested Clark, moving to the kitchen table and bringing Lex to sit beside him. "I have kind of a long story to tell you guys."
Martha eyed Clark and Lex holding hands, but didn't comment. She went to the refrigerator, brought out a pitcher of lemonade, and took it to the table. After she set four glasses down, she took a seat.
"What's the story then, son?" Jonathan sat down beside her slowly. He paused, pressing his lips together and running his finger over his upper lip. Surely, Clark hadn't told Lex? Why else would he be here?
Lex squeezed Clark's hand and looked into his eyes. He would follow Clark's lead in this.
Clark gave Lex a soft smile and just looked at him for a while. Lex was such an amazing man, strong and incredibly stoic around everyone. Or rather, everyone else but Clark. He took a deep breath and turned to his parents again. "Well, I'm not really sure how to tell this story, so I'm just gonna start from the beginning. You both remember Desirée Atkins, right? Who used her metahuman ability to make Lex marry her, and they tried to have Pa here kill him, so she'd inherit LexCorp and sell it to the highest bidder?"
Martha sucked in a breath. That event had nearly broken her marriage to Jonathan. She had known that he had been powerless to stop doing her bidding, giving into her, but he had come out of it feeling so guilty and undeserving that Martha had had to work hard to keep the two of them together.
"How could we forget?" Jonathan took his wife's hand and kissed it.
"There was more to that event than you knew at the time," Lex added in a soft, apologetic voice.
Clark nodded. "Right. Well, I lied to you about her abilities not working on me at the time."
Martha's jaw fell open. Clark had lied to them?
"They worked," Clark went on, not giving them time to react yet. "She tried to make me kill Lex before she went to Dad, but that, I refused to do. So she brought me to the castle, and made Lex and I have sex. With each other. While she watched and even told us what to do." Clark felt his cheeks blushing but that couldn't be helped. He had never expected to have to tell his parents about that.
Shameless though Lex normally was, there was something about admitting to the defilement of their teenage son that made Lex turn red as well.
"What? She... You two?" Jonathan sputtered in disbelief. He'd always known that Luthor had looked at Clark funny. He moved to stand, but it was a bit too abruptly, and he faltered on his bad hip. "Jesus Christ, Clark! You should have told us this!"
"I hope you understand how traumatizing that must have been for a young man," Lex said firmly. "How embarrassed he must have been, and how... uncertain. It wasn't a slight against you as parents, because no parent can truly be prepared for such a thing to happen, even under normal circumstances. Clark has always tried to protect the people around him, so I'm unsurprised that he wanted to protect you from this."
It was Clark's turn to give Lex's hand a squeeze, thankful for Lex's words. "I knew you'd blame Lex, Pa, and you would have, back then, even after she controlled you, too," he said almost apologetically. "He and I were already ashamed and embarrassed enough, and it was too private a moment for me to share it with anyone. That included you guys."
Martha leaned forward and reached out a hand over the table. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry! Lex... You also. It wasn't your fault; she targeted you from the start."
Clark nodded and held her hand with his free one. "She did, Ma, but that's not the end of it."
"Yes. Something... Something came of that..." Lex leaned over and put his hand over his mouth, thinking that in part, it was his fault. It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been in Smallville and hadn't been so close to Clark that only Clark's voice disturbed Desirée's control on Lex. He couldn't seem to find the words to bring out the next part of their story.
Jonathan steadied himself in his seat and ran a hand down his face. Clark was right. He would have, almost still did, blame Lex. But that woman was nothing more than a gold-digging, murderous rapist and as far as Clark was concerned, child molester. He could only be so angry at the man. Jonathan took a breath and looked up at Clark to listen to whatever his son had to say.
"Yeah, something did. And that's why Lex left Smallville. He had to hide from Lionel," Clark told them.
Martha frowned. "Hide from Lionel? But... Why?"
Clark leaned closer to Lex. "Mom, Lex got pregnant."
Martha gasped out loud and covered her mouth with her hands. Jonathan stared at them in dumbfounded confusion.
"Yes," Lex managed. He looked directly at Martha. "I couldn't let my father know about my child, and I had convinced myself that she was Desirée's. It was a girl, by the way. Athena."
"Pregnant?" Jonathan said, looking Lex up and down. Lex had always appeared a bit... feminine, but pregnant?
Lex licked his lips and blinked slowly. "Believe me, Mr. Kent, my initial reaction was much the same as yours. I didn't want to believe it at first, but denial of the symptoms had surprisingly little effect to make them go away."
Clark watched Lex as he spoke, then had to smile tenderly. "A few weeks ago, I ran into Lex and his daughter at Centennial Park. She's eleven years old and the brightest child I've ever met." He sighed. "Yesterday, Lex and I went on a date, while Athena went to a friend's house. We got a call a little later, and had to go pick her up. Her x-ray vision kicked in yesterday, guys."
"What?" Martha asked, her voice a whisper. "Her...?"
Lex nodded and smiled. "She has Clark's abilities. My healing. I... that's my ability. I heal quickly and can't get sick. I stayed in Europe for so long because as I realized how fast she was, how strong, I knew my father would kill me and put her in a lab. I couldn't protect her, if he knew about her."
"Son of a..." Jonathan boggled. This was all a bit much. "Lionel would've. I'd bet anything for that." He shook his head. "I guess you and I've got a lot more in common than we used to."
"I told Lex about being an alien and being Superman yesterday," Clark explained. "And he put two and two together. We told Athena, and I've moved in with them. Lex and I are together. We love each other, we have a daughter, and we're finally happy again." He smiled at Lex. "Well, I am."
"Together," Jonathan repeated, looking from Clark to Lex and staring at the older man hard.
"Together," Lex said, meeting Jonathan's eye. "And I'd like for my daughter to have a relationship with her grandparents... if they accept us."
"Oh!" Martha felt her eyes water. Her son had a daughter? How was that even possible? And when she thought she could no longer feel overwhelmed, there she was, speechless again!
"Athena is precocious and for her entire life, Lex was the only family she had," Clark said in a calm but firm tone. "I won't have her exposed to anyone who has anything bad to say about her father. Lex did the best he could, and he took care of her with complete dedication and love. We want her to know you both, but only if Lex is welcome here as my partner and her dad. Family."
Martha felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Please don't cry, Mrs. Kent," Lex said gently. He wanted Athena to know her more than anything. He reached over to her and Clark's hands and touched them with a smile. "I never got the chance to thank you for the tea and sympathy. I didn't entirely understand what was wrong at me, but you've always been very kind."
"Oh, Lex!" Martha got up so quickly she knocked her chair back. She rounded the table and hugged Lex's shoulders, sobbing quietly. She really didn't care how it had happened or why, but her heart reached out to Lex. He must have felt so scared and lonely, the poor boy! "We should have made you feel more welcome," she mumbled and sniffled against him.
Lex slowly put his arms around Martha, and he decided right then that if Jonathan was obstinate about his relationship with Clark, then Lex would ensure that Athena had time with her grandmother. "It's all right," he reassured her.
Martha sobbed a little louder, forgetting to feel ashamed of such display. Lex was family now, after all. Clark hugged the two of them.
Lex bit his lip and swallowed. It was hard not to cry himself. He'd wanted so desperately to be a part of this family. It was some kind of miracle to have Clark and Martha holding him.
Jonathan pushed himself up and walked over to pour the lemonade. "I should have been prepared for this. You two. You always looked at each other like... But you never did. Not until then, I guess." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry you didn't feel comfortable coming to us, Lex. We're pretty good a hiding secrets. Maybe we could have helped."
"I wanted to tell Lex my secret. If I'd done that..." Clark shook his head. "Trust me, Pa, Lex and I have gone through all that last night, the what ifs. We're willing to look to the future and let go of the past."
Martha sniffled, wiped her eyes, and pulled back to give Lex a motherly smile. "We'd love for you to bring her here, Lex. Maybe you could stay a couple of days? We can give her Clark's old room, and you boys can stay in the guest room?"
"Oh, well..." Lex thought about Athena's schedule. "I could bring her for the weekend. Would that work for you? I'm sure she'll be eager to meet you. She's practically bursting with happiness to have Clark around."
Jonathan chuckled. "She excitable, huh?" He pushed glasses over to Clark and Lex. "If you wanna bring her over for the weekend, that would be great. What's she look like? Got your hair?"
"No." Lex laughed. "I was worried about that, but she was born with a full head of dark hair. It stuck straight up until it grew a bit. She... looks a lot like Clark. I don't know how I didn't see it before."
"She has Lex's eyes," Clark told his father proudly. "And she's fearless. Right after we met, she would call me every day and make up excuses for me to see them. She asked me about our date, making sure we had gotten along last night, Lex," he added with a chuckle.
Lex opened his mouth slightly, then smiled. "She seemed like she wanted to talk to you. She's seen me sabotage enough relationships with the PTA parents to believe I'd do something unbelievably dumb. In her defense, it was entirely possible. I almost chased you away the night you came by to watch movies with us."
"Well, I gave away your mom's watch," Clark replied. "Even if it was to our daughter."
Martha wiped her eyes again and returned to her seat. She took the glass of lemonade that Jonathan had poured her, sipped it and watched Clark and Lex. Their daughter. Her granddaughter! She could hardly contain herself; she wanted to meet the little girl now!
"I can be a bitch," Lex said with a dry smile. "Not that you didn't know that already. I'm glad you're brave enough to put up with that."
"He's dealt with giant missiles and alien tentacle creatures. One Luthor in comparison isn't that scary," Jonathan told them, taking his seat again.
"Depends on which Luthor you're talking about," Lex replied cheekily.
Clark laughed softly. He pulled Lex with an arm around his shoulders and gave the corner of his lips a kiss. "I can take you," he joked.
Jonathan looked down and rubbed the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to think about these two together, but he sure as hell wouldn't deny Martha a grandchild or Clark a partner. Especially if Lex could get pregnant. That practically made him Jonathan's daughter-in-law.
"I like a challenge." Lex turned slightly and tucked a curl of Clark's hair behind his ear.
Clark beamed. He wanted to pull Lex to his lap and kiss him until the two of them were out of breath, but he would give his parents a bit of time to adapt to everything. He took Lex's hand in his and faced his parents again. "So the family got bigger again, and just as suddenly as the first time. What do you guys think?"
"After you left, Lex, your father put the squeeze on the plant and got it under his thumb again. It's hard to blame you for that when I know why you left. Wasn't your fault, no matter what the reason, but I haven't exactly been helpful in making your name around town be a good one." Jonathan shrugged. "I think... If you're happy, son, I'm happy. And I'll watch my mouth."
"I was afraid he'd do that. I was hoping the man I sent to run LexCorp would have more of a spine," Lex admitted.
Clark sobered up. "The town suffered when Lionel had it shut down and all those people lost their jobs. But slowly it picked itself up and went on. I think Smallville is as much a survivor as we are."
"They're better off without the plant," Lex said, shaking his head.
"I won't disagree with you," Jonathan added.
Clark arched his eyebrows a little. That was a start.
***
"Do you think I should pack an extra set of clothes? I don't want your mother to go out of her way to wash our clothes," Lex said as he fussed over their suitcase. They had been able to pull Athena from school just a little early so she could spend the weekend meeting her grandparents, and Lex realized he still felt nervous. He could still make mistakes in front of the Kents.
Clark turned his head to the right and continued to use his laser vision on his overnight stubble. "Pack whatever you want, Lex, but don't worry too much. If you or Athena forget anything, I can come back and get it in a couple of minutes." He smiled; it was pretty endearing the fact that Lex was getting stressed over a weekend at the farm. Not that Clark would ever tell him that.
Athena popped her head in the bathroom. "Clark? ...What are you doing?"
He switched off his laser vision and smiled at her. "I'm shaving, princess. This is the only way I can do it, that I know."
"Really?" Athena walked up to him and touched his face. "Dad can still cut my hair. Will I have to cut it with my eyes when I get older?"
"We're gonna have to see about that. Any bent scissors yet?"
Athena shook her head. "No, I don't think so."
Lex came into the bathroom, looking flustered, frowned, and then stood there for a minute trying to think of what he'd been looking for.
Clark faced the mirror again. "Deodorant?" he suggested to Lex. To Athena, he said, "Cutting my hair's really tricky. I need two mirrors. I can cut yours in the future, if it comes to that."
"Hee. And maybe I could do yours, too?" Athena offered.
Lex put his hand on his hip and reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a moisturizer. He patted Clark's rear before he went.
"Definitely!" Clark smiled and finished up under his chin. "Would you like my hair to be longer, Lex?" he asked, offering Athena his hand.
"I think your hair looks fine. Better than ever, actually. Your mother used to give you these god awful bangs..." Lex replied. "I wondered once if she hadn't just stuck a bowl on your head and cut around it."
Clark chuckled. "Yet another attempt at hiding myself foiled!" he exclaimed, stepping out into the bedroom with Athena, then stopping. "How much luggage are we taking?"
"Just the one bag," Lex replied, checking to see if the large red upright would close. "And of course Athena's bag. I folded the clothes you laid out, kitten."
"You didn't have to, Dad," Athena answered. Her father got so stressed sometimes.
Clark gave Athena's hand a gentle squeeze, then let go and walked up to Lex, hugging him from behind. "You need to take a deep breath, Lex," he said softly against Lex's left ear.
"I'm fine," Lex protested. Then he sighed, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"It's okay, Dad. We'll be there," Athena said.
"Yes, we will," agreed Clark, giving Lex's chest a rub. "And if one of us isn't having a good time, we'll leave, okay? Together."
Lex looked back at Clark. "I'll be all right. I'm just afraid... I'll do something to make your father angry. I don't want to mess this up for you two."
"You won't," Athena said with certainty.
Clark kissed Lex's cheek and caressed the back of his head. "You should listen to your daughter. Besides, so what if he gets angry, Lex? I'm not fifteen anymore, and he and I have had some pretty bad arguments that you don't know about. I didn't speak to him for a while."
"Well, I'm glad you were able to work those out," Lex replied honestly.
"We were." Clark gave Lex another kiss and let him go. He turned to Athena. "Dad's not a bad man, princess, but he's hard-headed and well, he's always had to worry about people finding out about me and trying to hurt me."
"So he and Dad should have a lot in common," Athena said. She hopped onto the end of their bed and touched the side of their suitcase.
"Apparently we do. I just remember him not liking me much, and it's very important to me for you to have a family, baby," Lex told her.
"I do have a family," she replied.
Lex smiled.
"Dad didn't like you because your father had tricked people out of their lands in Smallville," Clark pointed out, "and because I was fifteen and kept running off to see you every chance I got. He'll know to behave, trust me."
"Makes it sound like you're the parent," Lex said, zipping up their suitcase.
"I am the parent," Clark said proudly, stretching on the bed next to Athena. Athena giggled and laid back on him.
"I mean... Well, oh, hush." Lex walked around the bed and laid on Clark's other side.
Clark hugged the two of them to him. "You're the most important people in the world to me," he said softly, after a kiss to each of their foreheads.
"I love you both," Athena told them.
Lex touched her face with a grin. "And I love you, baby." He lifted his head to kiss Clark's cheek. "And you."
"Hmm..." Clark closed his eyes, perfectly content for the moment. He was glad that the nasty parasite in the Metropolis sewer emergency had been yesterday, and that the huge oil leak in the Pacific had been the day before. Hopefully they would have a nice, quiet weekend. He could hope.
"Hm." Lex sighed after a moment of lying together. "We should get going."
"Yes, we should." Clark made no motion to get up.
Athena sat up then slipped her arm under Clark and lifted him and Lex up. Lex wrapped his arms around Clark's neck quickly.
"Whoa!" Clark held on to Lex, laughing a second later. "I think we're going, then!"
"Can you? Um..." Lex looked down as Athena took them off the bed and walked them around to the doorway. "That's impressive, kitten."
"Thanks." Athena laughed, then set them down slowly.
Clark gave Lex a little squeeze. "All right! I'll get the luggage, you guys can head outside."
Lex put his arm around his daughter's shoulders, and nodded, walking them towards the door. "How are you feeling about the trip, baby?"
"Excited. Nervous. What if they don't like me?" Athena asked.
Lex shook his head. "Impossible. Everyone must love you."
"But they might not."
"They loved Clark. They've wanted their own children forever, and now they have a grandchild they never thought they could have. I think they probably can't wait to see you. And Martha has probably baked a ridiculous amount."
Clark returned to the bedroom, picked up the suitcases, and headed out after Lex and Athena. He could admit to himself to being slightly nervous, but only to himself.
***
Jonathan checked over Clark's old room one more time to be sure it was clean enough for their granddaughter. Sure, Clark had hardly ever kept the place clean, but she was related to Lex, who was fussy, so she probably cared more about such things.
"They here yet?" Jonathan hollered down the stairs.
"Not yet, sweetheart!" Martha replied as she pulled out a blueberry pie from the oven and set it next to the cherry and apple ones she had already baked. She wished she had asked Clark what kind of pie Athena liked. She checked the freezer for the third time, and sighed in relief; the ice cream was still in there. "Should I make a peach cobbler?" she asked herself.
***
Lex slowed down as he approached the Loeb Bridge. "This is where your father and I met. Well, for the second time."
Athena looked out her window.
Clark nodded. "A truck carrying barbed wire was coming the other way," he explained, reaching over and touching Lex's thigh with his left hand, "and a roll got loose. Lex's Porsche's tires went over it, they blew, and he hit me. I was standing right there. We both went over and into the water."
"Hitting the water knocked me unconscious... or hitting the steering wheel did, I can't remember. I just remember seeing Clark there and being afraid that I was going to kill him." Lex sighed and parked the car on the side of the bridge and looked out over the water. "Then when I woke, there was this handsome man watching over me with light all round him like a halo."
"He stopped breathing," Clark said, looking at Lex. "I remember being so scared that he'd die, and that I'd break his chest while doing CPR... But then he coughed out water and sat up, and I'd never felt so relieved in my life."
Lex turned to Clark and gave him that look that said Clark was the most amazing thing on this Earth. Clark dipped his head, blinked fast a couple of times, then cupped the back of Lex's head and pulled him close for a quick kiss.
"Mm." Lex grinned and put his hand against Clark's cheek. "I don't regret any moment I've ever spent with you."
"No?" Clark frowned lightly. "I guess I don't either. Just the ones we didn't spend together."
"Agreed," Lex said. "Let's never do that ever again."
Athena rested her chin on the back of Clark's seat.
Clark nodded, let his hand cup Lex's right cheek, and kissed him again. "No, never. Do you want me to drive for a bit?"
"'Til we get to the farm? It isn't much farther." Lex looked at the clock, then nodded. "Okay. Swap with me."
Clark unbuckled, opened the passenger door, and touched a fingertip to the tip of Athena's nose before he got out.
"Hee." Athena rubbed her nose and laughed softly. When her father took the passenger seat, she began to massage his shoulders. "How much longer do we have?"
"About half an hour, sweetheart," Clark replied, pushing back the driver's seat and adjusting the mirrors before he drove off. "You getting hungry?"
"Yeah, a little." She patted her father's back and hoped he'd stay relaxed.
"I bet your grandmother will have quite the spread. She knows how to feed a growing Kent," Lex said.
Clark laughed softly. "That she does. Poor Lex, always told to eat when he came around. But you were skinny," he added with a glance at Lex.
"Well, I suppose I was. I guess we know your father's the only one to remedy that situation." Lex patted Clark's chest with a grin.
"Not that I'm complaining," Clark was quick to add. "I thought you looked great back then. But you look incredible now."
"I've gotten older. I work out." Lex smiled. "And you... in that suit..."
Athena giggled in the backseat.
Clark pursed his lips amusedly. Lex had demanded that Clark made love to him in his boots and cape only the other night. "Glad you approve, despite the colors."
"Well, bright colors suit you, even if they don't suit me." Lex yawned a little and vowed to take some coffee when they got there.
"They might if you tried," Clark suggested. "A crimson shirt might look good on you."
"Clark liked the red shirt from your date last Sunday," Athena pointed out.
"I like that shirt. It's dark," Lex replied.
"You aren't wearing black today."
"No." Lex looked down at his blue sweater with the dark shirt underneath it. "I didn't want to frighten people into thinking there was a vampire lurking around."
"Pff. You know I like blue. You just want to make me happy," joked Clark.
Lex pulled his sweater up a little and looked at it critically. "I think this is almost the color I wore when I offered to buy your father, kitten."
"You did not!" Athena gasped.
"Well, I offered Mr. Kent a loan for the farm. I was worried he might lose it and be unable to give Clark college."
Clark sputtered. "Oh, I can imagine Pa's face if you had actually said, 'here, Mr. Kent, that's down payment for the farmboy over there. No need to wrap him; I'll take him in his flannels right now!'"
"He looked at me as though I'd said something like that. The snake in the garden of Eden," Lex added.
"We were so well-behaved, too, for all the bad intentions people assigned to us." Clark sighed. "I can't tell you how many people used to tease me at school, saying that I was your boytoy and other terms like that."
Lex frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I'd known about that." So he could get those students expelled.
"Haha, yeah. I'd tell you, and you were gonna pester me for names!" Clark shook his head. "I could take the name-calling, Lex." He turned onto Hickory Lane.
"Here we go. Hold onto your seats, kids," Lex said, reaching back to take Athena's hand. She squeezed it and put her arm around Clark.
"This where I grew up, Athena," Clark told her, slowing down as he entered the gravel driveway and passed the wooden KENT FARM sign. Sometimes he wondered if time passed there at all, but then he remembered that he was the one who painted and repainted the house, barn and stables when they needed it, and still took care of fences that needed mending more often than not.
Athena pressed her nose to the window. "This place is really well kept. Do you have any animals?"
"I know they kept cattle, and boarded some horses," Lex said.
"We have the cows, about five horses right now, and a number of barn cats," Clark said as he drove up to the yellow house. "We never know how many; they come and go, and a dog." Have you ever had any pets?" he asked her.
"None that really belonged to me. There were goats at the villa in Spain," Athena said. "And a dog that ran around that nobody owned. We called him Perroro."
"Our dog's name is Buddy. Not too original and he's no puppy, but he's a good dog." Clark parked the car, unbuckled, and turned to face her and Lex. "I smell pie!"
"Oh, I do too!" Athena said happily. "It smells really good!"
Lex chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Defensive baking."
Athena hopped out of the car and squinted at the farmhouse, peering inside.
Martha saw them through the kitchen window and her eyes widened comically. "Jonathan, they're here!" She ran a hand over her blouse and moved to open the kitchen door.
Clark approached Athena and rested one hand on her shoulder. "There's your grandma, princess. Go say hi."
Athena felt uncharacteristically shy, and looked down a little before stepping forward to go meet Martha. "Hello, Mrs. Kent," she said very politely. She'd have curtseyed, if she hadn't been wearing jeans.
Martha looked down at the little girl with a loving smile, and she bent down a little. She glanced up at Clark and Lex and then back down to her. "Oh, sweetheart, you're the perfect combination of your fathers! Call me grandma, baby!" She held out her arms. "Could I have a hug?"
"Yes!" Athena agreed, opening her arms and giving her grandmother a gentle hug. She was soft and warm.
Jonathan came hobbling out and grinned. "Well, there she is. Hello, beautiful!"
"Hello... grandpa." Athena flushed a little.
"Well, I want a hug too!" Jonathan said. Athena moved over to him and obliged.
Lex turned to Clark and touched the front of his shirt. "Could they be more perfect?" he whispered happily.
"You're perfect," Clark told Lex, cupping his face and kissing his lips once.
Lex gave Clark a few brief kisses in return. "You're going to give me a big ego," he warned.
Jonathan patted Athena's back. "Well, you hungry? Martha's cooked for an army here." He boomed in laughter.
Athena nodded. "The kitchen smells wonderful, Grandma."
Martha sighed and kissed the top of Athena's hair a couple of times. "Thank you, sweetheart! Do you like pies? I baked a few because I wasn't sure what you liked!" She took Athena's hand and looked up at Clark and Lex again. "Oh, boys, come in, come in!"
Clark wrapped one arm around Lex's shoulders, smiling. "We've been demoted to second-class citizens, I think."
"That's fine with me. I love to see her that happy." Lex walked with him up to the porch and into the kitchen. The wave of delicious smells hit him as they entered, and he felt his stomach twinge as a result. The Kents had never asked him to dinner before, although he knew for certain Clark had asked them. Martha's pie couldn't be beat, though. If he came by with Clark after school, Martha was fond of pushing the leftovers as "snacks." Always trying to feed him.
"...and fried chicken, which is Clark's favorite," Martha was telling Athena. "So we can have lunch right away, after you and your fathers wash your hands!"
"Hey, Ma, Pa," Clark said, entering the kitchen with Lex. Athena went over to the sink, and Lex moved to her side.
"Yeah, son?" Jonathan asked as he pulled the silverware out.
"I can set the table, Grandpa," Athena offered.
Clark shrugged. "Just saying hi. Let me hand you the plates, princess." He reached into the top cupboard and pulled out five plates.
"Oh. Well, hi." Jonathan chuckled.
Athena took the plates and set the table, looking back at her parents and grandparents. She'd never imagined that she'd have this much family so soon.
"Hi, sweetheart," Martha told Clark, walking up to him and giving his cheek a kiss, then moving on to do the same with Lex.
Lex blushed a little. Having Martha so affectionate with him was almost like having a mother again... or a Pamela. He wasn't quite used to it, but he could get used to it quickly. "It's good to see you, Mrs.- Martha. I'm sure Athena will love spending some time on the farm with you both."
"Yeah?" Jonathan held out a seat for his granddaughter. "You're not too much of a city girl?"
"I lived in the countryside in Europe when I was little," Athena answered. "I should be fine."
"Oh, that's cool. Good idea, Lex," Jonathan said, taking his seat slowly.
"It's easier to hide a superspeeding toddler when there are fewer people around," Lex joked.
"Don't we know it!" exclaimed Martha, laughing happily. "One time, when Clark was little, he ran off so fast, he disappeared through the woods. We had to call the police and ask for help to find him, and he was so scared when we did, the poor thing!"
Clark nodded and brought out the glasses for Athena to place on the table as well. "I remember that. One minute I was in the yard, in the next, I was in a strange place. I was really scared."
"Wow," Athena commented. She took the glasses and put them out. "Dad lost me once in the city."
Lex widened his eyes. "Yes, and my heart stopped. I was looking right at you, and you disappeared!"
Athena giggled. "Sorry."
Clark looked up at Lex, looking quite panicked, even if Athena was clearly and perfectly safe now. "How did you find her again?"
"She found me. I started by asking the police and the people around me, of course, but she eventually wandered back before they had the chance to find her," Lex informed Clark. "It was an adventure for her."
"And an absolute nightmare for you, I'm sure," Clark said, approaching Lex and giving him a hug.
Martha looked over at Jonathan. Poor Lex, having to go through that.
"I got over it. Just thankful she was okay," Lex said into Clark's ear. He gave Clark a squeeze, and winked at his daughter.
"If any of the next ones disappear, I'll go find them for you," Athena teased.
Martha gasped with a wide grin. "Next ones? Are you going to have more?"
Clark pulled back to meet Lex's eyes. "We're... Thinking about it. Not right away, though."
Jonathan chuckled. The little girl couldn't wait!
"We'll let you know, kitten. We've only been back together for a week." Lex put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him.
"I know." Athena hugged her father and looked up at Clark. She was just too happy.
Clark smiled down at her and caressed her hair. "Isn't she gorgeous?" he asked his parents proudly.
"Oh, yes, she is!" Martha agreed.
"The most beautiful girl in the world," Jonathan declared.
Clark nodded in agreement. "I need to wash my hands," he said after a moment, and zipped out of the kitchen.
"Let me get the potato salad out!" volunteered Martha.
Lex kissed his girl on the head and squeezed her once again. "Why don't you sit down next to Grandpa?"
"Okay." Athena took her seat.
"That's a pretty name, Athena," Jonathan remarked.
"She's the Greek goddess of wisdom and war," Athena informed him. "And she came straight from her dad."
"Oh yeah?" Jonathan smiled and settled in to chat with her.
"It sounds like an appropriate name, then," Martha commented as she brought bowl to the table and removed its lid.
"Dad used to tell me the story when I was little," Athena added.
"Had to prepare you for this somehow. Is there anything I could help you with, Martha?" Lex asked.
Martha looked at the table. "Oh, I don't think so, Lex. Unless... Would you mind getting the biscuits? I left them in the oven to keep warm."
"I've got it." Lex took a potholder and leaned over the oven to pull them out. He smiled, seeing how golden and fluffy they were. With a spatula he set them all on a plate and took them over to the table. "This is really amazing, Martha."
"Thanks, sweetheart!"
Clark returned to the kitchen and waited for Lex to join him at the table. "Oh, mom, you need to try Lex's cooking one of these days! He's a really good cook!"
Athena nodded enthusiastically. "He is! You should put him to work tomorrow," she boasted proudly. "Miranda's jealous of my lunches 'cause her mom can't cook."
"She has a chef on hand. She doesn't have to learn to cook." Lex chuckled and passed her some beans. "Maybe your grandmother can teach me to cook in bulk, now that I have two of you to serve."
"As long as I chop the onions," Clark pointed out. He touched Lex's back and gave it a gentle rub.
Lex smiled softly then turned his head to kiss Clark's cheek. "You're too sweet."
"What kind of stuff does your dad make you?" Jonathan put a few pieces of chicken on his plate and passed it to his granddaughter.
"Spaghetti with Italian sausage, manicotti, pineapple cashew stir-fry, oh, and sometimes he makes soup from scratch for lunch. It's really good," Athena told him. "But he can make almost anything, and sometimes we try to make up recipes together. Which doesn't always work, but it's fun."
"You are free to use my kitchen," Martha told Lex and Athena. "I'd love to learn a new recipe or two!"
"I'll give something a try tomorrow," Lex told Martha. "You can put your feet up, and we'll serve you."
Martha laughed. "Oh, what a luxury! Thank you, Lex!" She patted his forearm before turning to Athena. "Is the food good, sweetheart?"
"It's good," Athena said brightly. Although her father never fried things, she could taste the mix of spices that Martha had used in the coating for the chicken. It was nicely crunchy, and the potato salad was not too sweet, and the beans were flavorful and not mushy. "Really good, thank you."
Clark ate happily, looking around the table at his parents, his daughter, and his Lex. Everyone getting along, eating, being a family.
After they'd eaten, Lex, Clark, and Martha took Athena on a tour of the farm so she could see all of the animals and how the farm worked. Athena absorbed it all with interest and made friends with the horses and a few of the barn cats that didn't run away when they came in. She played fetch with Buddy a bit. That night Lex and Clark put her to bed, feeling happy with how contented she seemed.
The next day, Martha and Jonathan took Athena to town for some ice cream, so they could have some time alone with the girl, and so Lex and Clark were left to their own devices.
"How's your back?" Clark asked Lex as they watched the Kent truck drive off. "Is the bed in the guest bedroom okay? Mom wanted to know."
"It's a little harder than ours at home, but my back feels fine. If it starts to bother me, I can always sleep on you." Lex smirked up at Clark.
"You definitely can!" Clark took Lex's hand and started walking with him to the barn. "I want to show you something."
"Time to visit the Fortress?" Lex teased. He rubbed Clark's chest.
"Heh. Well, the original one, at least." Clark smiled at Lex. "You okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay. I seems I was worried for nothing. Athena loves it here, and your parents adore her." Lex sighed.
"I'm proud of them," Clark admitted as they climbed the wooden steps to the loft. "Not that I gave them another choice, but you never know how people are going to react." At the top, the place had been dusted and organized. White Christmas lights were on along the walls, and an old LexCorp folder had been left on the old red couch.
"Oh, it looks nice up here," Lex commented. He strolled over to the couch and looked at the folder. He took a breath. "I feel nostalgic. Looking up at a young man and ensuring him that our relationship would be the stuff of legends."
Clark turned Lex to him and wrapped his arms around Lex's waist. "It was, Lex. It still is. You were just so amazing back then, and you still take my breath away today, did you know that?"
"Do I?" Lex smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I think I tried a bit too hard, sometimes. I didn't want you to find another friend to make the world shine for you."
Clark thought about that for a moment, letting go of Lex and taking a seat on the couch. "Do you think that would've happened? Theoretically, it could have... I've met some pretty interesting characters in my life, but I like to think that we would've endured." He looked up at Lex.
"I don't know, Clark. I don't have any flashy cars or expensive toys for you to play with anymore." Lex put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window. "Maybe it would have, but you've come back to me regardless. I wasn't wearing anything particularly shiny when you saw us in the park."
"Oh, you meant..." Clark glanced down at the folder and ran the fingertips of his right hand over it. "I wasn't talking about material possessions, but personality; that's what really attracted me to you. Sure, the cars were great when I was fifteen, but I learned to make diamonds with my hands a couple of years after that..."
"I realize now that spoiling you was only of fleeting interest to you. Something fun at the time, but immaterial... ultimately not the reason you stayed around." Lex chuckled and walked over to the sofa to sit by Clark. "And so often, my personality repelled, rather than attracted." He took Clark's hand. "I think no matter what the circumstances, we would be drawn to one another."
Clark nodded. "I think so, too. But your personality never repelled me, just those leeches that kept trying to get something from you." He tapped a finger on the folder. "I think I brought home an essay in this, and just kept it. Do you want it, as a keepsake, or maybe show it to Athena?"
"We could show it to Athena," Lex said, taking the folder and looking through it. "I had so many plans. Oh well." He laughed. "Derailed. And I think I'm a better person for it."
"I wanted to be a football player at some point," Clark told Lex. "And a doctor, after that."
"I remember you wanting to play football. I was hoping you'd change your mind about that." Lex put his arm around Clark's shoulders and played with the back of his hair. "I think you would have made a fine doctor."
Clark tilted his head in agreement. "I know enough to become one if I wanted to, but I think that one job of odd-hours is enough, right?"
"Well, I selfishly agree," Lex said, caressing Clark's cheek and giving him a kiss.
"Hmm..." Clark closed his eyes, but then opened them again and drew back slightly. "Damn. Speaking of which..."
"What? Oh..." Lex tensed the corners of his mouth, then gave him another kiss. "Go on, Clark. They need you."
"I won't be long," Clark promised. "I've handled one of those before." He touched Lex's cheek gently, touched their foreheads together and then he was gone.
Lex ran his hands over his cheeks and stood to look out the window. Then he started to poke through Clark's desk, smiling as he ran into pictures as well as little keepsakes. He loved this man, always had.
---
Superman scowled as he landed on the valley between Flash and Green Lantern. The iridescent blob shifted and left a trail of sparkly slime as it headed towards them.
"Wow, Supes, these things really like you, huh?" Flash asked, taking a bite of the doughnut in his hand. "It was just sitting there until now."
"Do you want me to-"
Superman interrupted Green Lantern and hovered above the ground, shaking his head. "No, thanks, Hal, I got this." It wasn't a pleasant process, but after the blob let him get close and sucked him into its gelatinous mass, Superman would use his heat vision and cause it to blow up from the inside out. He would have to shower at the Watchtower; no way was he going to come home as disgusting as he would become.
After helping with the cleanup, Superman flew up to the Watchtower, showered thoroughly, and exchanged a couple of ideas with Batman.
"I'm still not sure where those things are coming from," Batman said flatly, "but they definitely respond to you alone."
"Maybe some villain out there intends to ruin my day, since they don't actually hurt me."
"They will, if infused with green Kryptonite."
"Yes, but who has enough of it to do that?"
Batman thinned his lips. "No one I know."
Superman gave Batman a pat on the back. "Go home, will you? Sleep a little."
"If my suspicions are right-"
"If your suspicions are right, we'll deal with them when it happens. We've both been through every possible scenario, Batman. Right now, we just don't know where the blobs are coming from, and who's sending them here. Go get some shuteye. When was the last time you slept?"
"Not so long ago."
"In your own bed?"
Batman cast Superman a dark glance. "Fine. Just a few more tests on the new specimen, and I'll go."
"Promise?"
Batman turned his back on Superman, who chuckled at his friend's utter lack of sense of humor. He left the Watchtower and soon after, was carefully flying through the barn window.
Lex was lying back on the sofa, staring at the roof of the barn and thinking about everything he could remember from his days in Smallville. When he spotted Clark, he smiled warmly. "How was it?"
"You don't wanna know," Clark said, shaking his head to undo his Superman hairdo, and pulling the top of his costume down to his waist. He had brought his change of clothes because he couldn't leave the Watchtower as Clark, and didn't want to waste any more time away from Lex, changing. "The word 'yucky' comes to mind. What are you doing?"
"Lounging. Not something I do often." Lex looked up at him, raising a brow, then jumped up and ran his hands over Clark's bare chest. "I don't think you need the flannel just yet, do you?"
"Well, I was going for the jeans and tee combo, but if you have objections..." Clark paused, moving his hands away from his costume. "Missed me?"
"Yes." Lex said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Clark's bare chest. Warm, firm. He licked over Clark's nipple.
"Mmmm, you know I love your mouth on me, don't you?" Clark raised his hands to unbutton Lex's shirt. It was only fair.
"Oh, I know." Lex blew on his nipple, then leaned back so that Clark could pull his shirt off. Lex's eyes flitted up at Clark mischievously. "What's the one thing you wished that you'd done up here that you never had the chance to?"
"One thing?" Clark asked pitifully. "Just one?" He dipped his head and kissed the side of Lex's neck, pulling him closer. "Mmmm, I missed your scent..."
"This is a good start," Lex teased, grabbing the back of Clark's neck and pulling him back to the sofa. He squeezed Clark's side with his other hand. He groaned.
"I'm gonna need a week or two," Clark mumbled against Lex's skin with a grin, then pushing Lex so he would sit on the sofa, and kneeling between his legs. He straightened up and started unfastening Lex's belt.
"A week? That's some endurance right there." Lex leaned back, spread his legs wide, and slowly blew some air out of his lips. "Oh, Clark."
"Oh, the things I wanted to do with you..." Clark opened Lex's pants, glanced up at him and then bent down to suck Lex's cock into his mouth.
"Oh... that's nice," Lex sighed softy and reached forward to touch Clark's hair. "You are certainly multitalented..."
Clark sucked and sucked until Lex was fully hard, then he looked up, met Lex's eyes, and let his tongue vibrate against Lex's cock. He still had a trick or two up his sleeve.
"Oh, oh!" Lex exclaimed, his eyes going impossibly wide. He shuddered and his hips jerked forward slightly. "Yes, oh God, Clark, you're amazing!"
"Hmm?" Clark batted his eyelashes as innocently as he could, with a mouth full of cock, and reached under Lex to cup his butt with both hands and pull him up. The head of Lex's cock glided down his throat.
Lex bowed over Clark and moaned loudly as he began to come, pleasure shooting through him powerfully. His boyfriend was a lover and a dildo all in one. "Love you, ohhh, love you," he groaned over Clark's ear.
Clark hummed and only slowed down as Lex quieted and stopped twitching. He pulled back, gave the head of Lex's cock a kiss, and pressed his right cheek to the pale chest. He didn't need to, but it was good to hear Lex's heartbeat, still fast, this up close.
"Thank you," Lex whispered, cradling Clark's head and rubbing his back. "Hmm..."
Clark closed his eyes and nodded. "Welcome."
Lex scratched the back of Clark's hair and gave him another kiss. "Give me a moment. We can do what I always wanted to do up here."
"Oh yeah?" Clark smiled. "What's that?"
"Take off the rest of your suit... We'll find out, my super man." Lex winked saucily.
"Hmm, Lex's porny fantasy with his favorite farmboy," Clark said as he stood and pulled his boots and suit off. "I can't wait!"
Lex stood and walked around Clark slowly, then he slapped one cheek, then cupped it, and squeezed it. "My football player in training. You always had the ass for it, you know. I always wanted to give you everything you ever wanted."
Clark grinned and lowered his eyes, but did not look over his shoulder at Lex. "Yeah, Lex?"
"I just couldn't stop thinking about you,,, naked in the locker room with all those lucky bastards." Lex reached around to Clark's front and wrapped his fingers around Clark's long, thick cock. "Sometimes I would think of that, when we were up here, thinking that if anyone deserved to see this gorgeous ass, it would be me."
Clark took a deep breath, held it in as his eyes closed, and let it out slowly. "You wanted to touch me like this?" he asked, his cock hardening even more against Lex's touch.
"Every..." Lex licked up the back of Clark's neck. "Single... Day... You were such a sexy young man... and now you are such a sexy super man."
"Ohhh..." Clark swayed back slightly, and rocked his hips once. "I'm yours now, Lex..."
"All mine..." Lex rubbed his hand along Clark's cock a few times. "So delicious." He nibbled along Clark's shoulder and then pushed him forward, over the sofa. "Bend over, beautiful."
Clark grunted with excitement as he landed on his knees, his hands holding on to the back of the sofa. He spread his knees far apart and finally looked over at Lex. "Here I am."
"Oh, yes," Lex walked around him and moved one hand up his back slowly, then scratched his nails down. He moved his hands over Clark's round muscular buttocks, spreading them and crouching down to lick over his asshole.
"Ah!" Clark arched his back when Lex scratched him, then his head dropped as Lex began to lick him! "God, Lex!"
Lex chuckled wickedly and circled his tongue around Clark's tight little muscle, then pushed it inside. It writhed around, deeper and deeper.
"Ohhhh!" Clark pushed his ass back and bit his lower lip. He and Lex tried to be quiet at home, but it felt incredible to be able to be as loud as he wanted to. His cock jumped and dripped precum on the blanket that covered the couch.
This was it. Just what he'd wanted to do with that boy. Suck his ass and make this big boy squirm. Hearing Clark cry out made Lex so incredibly aroused. He sucked against Clark's hole and then flattened out his tongue.
"Oh, Lex, Lex, Lex!" Clark rocked back and back, gasped, and came with a loud, throaty moan.
Lex couldn't have grinned wider. He kneaded Clark's ass, and reached over to stroke Clark's cock while he came.
Clark threw his head back and cried out with pleasure. For a virtually invulnerable being, he sure was vulnerable to Lex's touch.
Lex rested his cheek to Clark's right buttock and sighed. He patted Clark's side.
"Ungh!" Clark fell forward onto the couch and panted for a bit, then slowly rolled his head to the side to look at Lex, or try to. "Jesus, Lex!"
"That a new one for you?" Lex pushed himself up and wrapped himself around Clark. He nuzzled his nose against Clark's face.
Clark chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that!" He pulled Lex to his chest at the same time that he flopped back onto the couch, bringing Lex on top of him. "God, I love you. If you had done that way back when... I might have conquered the world for you..."
"You and I ruling the world through the better art of rimming? Sounds spectacular," Lex replied dryly.
"You make it sound less grand than what I had just envisioned," Clark complained, his chest shaking with laughter. He touched Lex's chin, raised his head and kissed Lex slowly.
"I do that." Lex lifted one leg in the air and kept kissing Clark. "And yet, everything we do together is grand. Because it's us."
Clark nodded. He ran a hand over Lex's leg. "Yes, that's true. Us. Mmm, I just love 'us.'"
"It's amazing how easily we fit into one another's lives again," Lex said, rubbing Clark's shoulder. "Can I bring you lunch at work?"
"At The Planet?" asked Clark. He smiled softly at the thought of Lex walking in with a container in his hands. "Wow. You want to?"
Lex wrapped his foot around Clark's ankle. "I'd like to, if it wouldn't feel weird for you. Otherwise, I can just send you with a bag."
Clark shook his head. "No, I want you to! I mean, if you want to... So do I. God, Lex, I want everyone to know we're finally together!"
"How domestic. Me walking in, bringing your lunch and a thermos of good Italian roast coffee..." Lex said with a smile. "We could put out an announcement. Have a coming out party." He chuckled.
"We could!" Clark agreed excitedly. He thought that Lex was only joking, but in the off chance that he wasn't...
"We could. I don't think I want that much attention, though. Can you imagine how embarrassed Athena would be at school? Or maybe she wouldn't be. She's practically our number one cheerleader."
Clark sighed, kissing Lex's cheek and holding him close. "Either way. Bring me lunch and watch Lois foam at the mouth until she figures out where she knows you from. We can eat together."
"I would love that," Lex replied seriously. "I'll sit in your lap. And feed you porcini mushroom and wild rice soup."
"Mmm, deal." Clark smiled brightly.