Fic: The Story Lady, Part 6
Fic: The Story Lady ( previous parts)
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Rating: PG-13 so far
Spoilers: Seasons 1 and 2 mostly.
Summary: Lex takes his daughter to see the "Story Lady"
Author's Notes: I know it's been FOREVER since I updated this, but after several (and I mean several) people have nagged reminded me about this story, my Clex muse was finally stirred.
VI
Lex started to sneak into his own home until he remembered that it was his own home. And he wasn’t fifteen.
Lena wouldn’t be home from her sleepover for another couple of hours, so Lex figured he had time to shower and change into fresh clothes before she got home. Perhaps even a long enough shower to work out the kink in his neck from sleeping all night on a sofa that wasn't made to fit two grown men. At least not horizontally. He couldn’t remember the last time he stayed all night with a person, let alone without any actual sex. It was…oh God, it was better than sex. Was that even possible?
Clark had looked regretful as Lex announced he had to return home. The sun has risen, casting golden hues through the windows of Clark’s apartment, awaking both of them from their sprawl on the couch. Clark had tightened his hold on the older man briefly, and then reluctantly let go.
Was it supposed to feel like this? So soon? The only thing allowing Lex’s legs to walk to the door, open it, and leave without turning back…much, was the thought of his little girl. Lena was his whole world; far surpassing his company that he would gladly relinquish the reigns to if it meant the happiness of his daughter. But Clark was something, someone he hadn’t expected to creep in. Lex hadn’t liked a person just for being themselves in a long time. He’d only known the younger man for a few weeks. Not even a month. And he’d now been away from the brunette for under an hour and he wanted to see him again. Ugh, is this what dating was supposed to feel like?
Huh, novel.
After picking up the mail from the console table in the entryway, Lex almost missed the figure sitting in his living room…watching his cable.
“I don’t recall the last time you didn’t return from a night out until the next morning, Lex.”
Taking a deep breath, Lex sighed. “Dad. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Now Lex, no need to adopt that tone with me,” Lionel chuckled good-naturedly. That was a word Lex never thought he’d associate with his father. “I was just coming by to see my granddaughter only to find that not only was she not home, neither was her father.”
“Lena’s at a sleepover, surely Jessie informed you of that.” Lex dropped the forgotten mail back on the table and walked towards the kitchen. Lionel rose from the sofa and followed his son.
“Actually, Ms. Rodriguez only mentioned that the two of you were indisposed.” Jessie would own LexCorp if Lex gave her another raise.
“Well, my daughter will not be home for a while, but you’re welcome to come back tomorrow and see her.”
Lionel wasn’t getting the hint. “Now, stop trying to get rid of me,” or maybe he was, stubborn man, “you can tell your father who the lucky lady is.”
Lex almost choked on his orange juice. “Excuse me?”
“She must be someone special for you to be sneaking into your own home at eight in the morning.” Lionel’s eye twinkled, and it was just…creepy to be talking about this with his father.
“You don’t seriously believe that I’m going to talk with you about this, do you?” Lex looked at Lionel incredulously. Sure, they were getting along a lot better now than they ever had, and Lena was the biggest reason for it. But Lex was still getting past decades of ridicule and borderline torment; it would take a while to get used to this softer, gentler Lionel Luthor.
“I know we’ve had our differences in the past, Lex,” Understatement of the century, “But I’d thought we’d called a cease fire to our disagreements. For the sake of my little Lena.”
Lex wanted to laugh every time Lionel said that. Lionel was so owned by a six-year-old.
“Daddy!” Lena’s voice echoed through the otherwise silent penthouse, her bright blue eyes easily finding them in the open concept kitchen. Lex instantly beamed upon seeing her, though he was confused as to her presence.
“Sweetie,” Lex smiled, easily catching her as she launched herself into his arms. “I thought you were going to stay at Ashley’s until after lunch.”
“I was, but then Becky got sick and Mrs. Hunter had to take her home. So then I asked if I could go home too because I missed you. Hi Grandpa!” Lena exclaimed quickly, turning her attention to Lionel briefly before snuggling back into Lex’s hold.
“So, did you have fun with Clark, Daddy?” Lena asked innocently. Lex struggled to hold back his wince as he noticed Lionel’s eyebrows disappear into his hairline at Lena’s slip.
“Clark?” Lionel asked. Lex stalled by placing Lena down on the floor.
“Why don’t you go put your things away and I’ll take you out to breakfast.”
“YAY!” Lena exclaimed, not realizing her father was getting rid of her. She anxiously raced towards her bedroom and Lex waited until she was out of sight and earshot before turning to his father.
“So, Clark huh?” Lionel questioned, his arms folding as if Lex was a teenager again, breaking the rules.
“It’s none of your business, Dad,” Lex walked past Lionel, placing his glass down harshly on the island as he went back into the living room.
“Your indiscretions may not be any of my business, but Lena obviously has met this man, which means that this is more serious than you’re telling me.”
“Not that I owe you any explanations, but it’s not what you think.”
“Indeed,” Lionel chuckled. “I don’t remember Lena ever asking about any of your other dates.”
“He’s just a friend I met at Lena’s story time,” Lex sighed.
“Story time?” Lionel asked bemused, then his expression changed into one of understanding. “Clark Kent?”
Lex turned abruptly. “Why the hell do you know that?”
“Clark Kent, author of The Legend of Kal-El? From Smallville?”
Lex pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. He knew this was too good to be true. “So, what Dad? Is he one of your spies? You’ve decided to get back into business, try and take LexCorp away from me again?”
“Lex, no,” Lionel answered, incensed at his son’s continued belligerence. “I’ve only met the boy once, under volatile circumstances.”
Lex felt he’d learned how to read his father, and something about his tone suggested that perhaps this time he wasn’t lying. “What do you mean ‘volatile’?”
“We, uh, met for the first time…during the meteor shower.”
This day was getting better and better.
“It was the Kents that helped me get you to the hospital. Clark couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 at the time, but he was….I think he was sitting his mother’s lap. He…reached over and touched your head and he smiled at you. You woke up briefly and smiled back.”
“I’ve met Clark before?” Lex asked quietly, his breathing was hurried, as if his asthma was returning from a twenty year absence. “Why don’t I remember any of this?”
“You were in an induced coma. All of your hair had fallen out and you had several injuries, though you healed remarkably fast considering.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, Dad.” Lex stated, his tone a warning.
Lionel looked at him sideways before continuing. “After we got you to the hospital, I told Jonathan that if there was anything I could do to return the favor, that he only needed to give me a call. I was grateful that he helped save your life Lex, I didn’t know what they would ask.”
“What did they ask?” Lex was close to shouting, but remembered the six year old down the hall.
“It turned out that young Clark wasn’t quite their son at the time. They apparently found him out there alone after the meteor shower. They asked me to help them adopt him.”
“So you helped the Kents adopt Clark. Why is this so top secret, Dad? If anything, I’d think you’d parade your heroics all over the media. Tell everyone how the great Lionel Luthor helped a poor famer and his wife adopt a son.”
Lex’s sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on Lionel, and the way he rubbed the back of his neck proved there was a lot he wasn’t saying.
“I delivered the adoption papers to the Kents. Adoption records, forged birth certificate, social security card, everything they would need. And in return, I asked the Kents to…persuade their friends and neighbors to sell me their land in order to build the fertilizer plant.”
Come on, Lionel. “You mean you blackmailed them into persuading their friends or else you’d expose the adoption as illegal and take their son away from them.”
Lex exhaled harshly. It’s a wonder Clark didn’t hate him on sight, unless the Kents hadn’t told Clark the adventure surrounding his adoption by them. Lex certainly wouldn’t tell Lena this as a bedtime story.
“It was a long time ago, Lex. I’m not the man I was then.”
“Yes, apparently you’ve changed so much that you’re not still keeping tabs on Clark’s every move.”
Lionel pursed his lips. “Fine, I admit that I’ve kept track of how young Mr. Kent has progressed all these years. I hear his writing career is really taking off.”
Lex narrowed his eyes, “And I don’t suppose you’ve had anything to do with that.”
“There’s no need for suspicion, Lex. I only mentioned an up and coming writer to a few friends in the publishing business.” At Lex’s continued incredulity, Lionel continued exasperated. “Fine, I felt the need to help the young man get his foot in the door.”
“You mean you felt guilty,” Lex corrected.
Lionel scoffed, “Luthors don’t feel guilt, Lex.”
Lex rolled his eyes, but straightened as Lena rounded the corner.
“I’m ready, Daddy,” she announced grandly. “Are you coming, Grandpa?”
Before Lionel could answer, Lex interceded. “Grandpa has a very busy day, Lena.”
“Oh, ok,” she replied, nonplussed. “Can we invite Clark?”
The way her face lit up at the idea made Lionel smirk. Lex sighed heavily.
* * *
Everything Lex learned from Lionel that morning weighed on his mind throughout breakfast with Lena. She was so busy regaling him with her stories from the sleepover that she didn’t notice her father’s silence. There were too many coincidences surrounding Lex and Clark’s meetings. Both of them. And now their connection with the meteor shower was too palpable to ignore.
Lex picked up Kal-El and the Octagonal Disk once more, starting with page one. The young writer had managed to capture the atmosphere and emotion surrounding that meteor shower quite deftly. But with this new knowledge Lex has acquired, there was a new layer of authenticity to it. Young Kal-El had been found by the Kents, his spaceship only a few feet away. If anything, Clark certainly had a vivid imagination. Lex remembered everything else that happened in the rest of the novel. He picked up the next title in the series and began to read. Tomorrow, he would start at the source. There were people that still owed him favors. Lex needed to know more about the man he’d allowed into his life, even if only for a short while.
And certainly someone with such a direct connection to Lionel Luthor deserved closer scrutiny.