A soft lisping voice startled Lex out of his shock as he stood immobile in the middle of the sidewalk.
"You're a fool Lex."
He glanced towards the doorway of the flower shop and his slack expression immediately twisted into a scowl. Apparently Nell had not gone back inside as he'd assumed, but remained in the doorway listening to the entire exchange. She was leaning on the doorjamb, her arms crossed, watching him.
"Apparently the old saying about a mother bear and her cub means nothing to you. That seems to have been a mistake on your part. You're about to get mauled."
His voice was ice cold. "What do you have to do with this Nell?"
Nell rolled her shoulders in a lazy shrug. "Martha came to me and asked if I knew how to get in touch with your father. I saw that she was upset, and I could not for the life of me figure out what in this world Martha Kent would want with Lionel Luthor." she smiled slightly. "So I not only told her how to get in touch with him, I let her use the phone."
Every curse word Lex knew, in every language he knew, passed through his mind.
"And of course you eavesdropped on the entire conversation."
"Of course." She pushed herself off the doorjamb and went into the shop.
Lex followed her.
"What did she say?"
Inside the shop it was warm, and extremely fragrant. Between the stress, the stifling warm air of the shop and the reek of potpourri and flowers, Lex felt his chest tightening up in a manner it had not done in years. It would be just his luck to have his damned asthma return on top of everything else.
Nell went through the racks of fresh flowers, sorting through them looking for ones damaged or old. "In a nutshell, " she said, looking at him from around a stand of carnations. "that Lionel had better come back and have a little talk with you before she called the police."
He laughed slightly - very slightly. "She wouldn't dare."
"No. But your father doesn't know that and I got the impression he's just a bit annoyed himself with this situation." One brow arced up questioningly. "Would I be correct?"
Lex did not respond.
"Overall I find myself admiring the way Martha is handling everything. I mean if I were in her position and you were molesting my son...."
"I'm not...."
Nell abruptly cut him off. "According to the law you are." she snapped, then regarded him coolly as she moved off to the counter. "If I were her I'd have put a bullet between your legs."
"You're a bitch Nell."
She smiled. "I've spent entirely too much of my time dealing with the Luthor family." Her eyes were mocking as she leaned over the counter upon her elbows. Lex could very clearly see down the shirt she wore, which was, of course, her purpose. "You know Lex. I'm not that terribly old. I could still produce a child if I wanted to do so. I'm also not the only woman Lionel has at his disposal. If I were you, I would not dismiss the idea of being completely disowned in favor of another. You are not necessarily the only heir to the throne of LuthorCorp."
His voice was a whisper. "You'd like that wouldn't you. You and my father's little sexcapades sent my mother to an early grave."
"Sexcapades!" Her laughter filled the little shop. "I like that coming from someone currently engaged in screwing a little boy up the ass."
"Vulgarity is unbecoming of you Nell." He narrowed his eyes, "It could just as easily been your niece." and a smile crept over his face. "You know, Clark is terribly fond of Lana and she is a very pretty girl. Perhaps an invitation to dine with the two of us is in order."
Nell had a long reach, and was stronger than she looked. His face stung.
"You lay one hand on Lana and I will put a bullet between your legs, you little bastard."
He slowly leaned in towards her, and his voice was very low. "You know Nell, you'd better start packing - and tell Lana the bulldozers will be here in the morning. The Talon renovation has been canceled." The smile reappeared. "Have a nice evening."
The pained expression on her face only slightly relieved his tension as he stalked out of the shop.
*****************
Lex was halfway home when the reaction finally set in and the shaking started. He could barely hold onto the steering wheel and the road was simply a grey blur in front of him. He had to pull over. Everything went around and around in his mind over and over again until he started to feel the first twinges of complete panic.
Oh God!
Martha had done the one thing Lex never thought she would do - that he never even dreamed she would do - she had called his father. She had sacrificed herself. Lionel would put a stop to the affair quietly and discretely and Lex would be removed from Smallville immediately. Lionel would always hold the debt over over her, and Clark would be furious at her, but Lex would be gone. She knew this option would do the least damage to Clark, and she also knew that in the end Clark would never completely turn against her for it. She was, after all, his mother. In fact, with Lex out of the picture and having learned Clark's deepest insecurities - from Lex himself - there was a good possibility she and Clark would grow even closer.
Added to the mix was that whore Nell Potter. Martha had sacrificed herself there too by throwing herself at Nell's mercy. She had to have known Nell would find out everything. Had she not known there was something between Nell and Lionel in the first place Martha would not have gone to her. Nell stood to benefit immensely by Lex's absence. She could go after Lionel more aggressively, possibly ending up with a great deal of the Luthor money, and she would have Martha to thank for it. Her thanks, no doubt, would be to start pushing Lana towards a relationship with Clark - a soothing balm for Clark's wounds.
Martha had known exactly what she was doing by calling in Lionel. It was brilliant, and the only real loser would be Lex.
Fuck.
If the whole situation weren't bad enough, one thing was sticking in Lex's mind and causing him a great deal of anguish - Martha's last little speech. He did care about Clark, and having her throw "you don't give a damn about Clark" at him had hurt him much worse than the physical pain of Nell's slap in the face. If he went to Martha and swore on everything from a Bible to his mother's grave she still would not believe him when he told her he honestly only wanted the best for Clark. He could confess to the murders of the two molesting football players and still no one would believe how he felt about Clark. Why would they? He was Lex Luthor. He cared only about himself.
Clark...
Had Lex not cared he supposed he'd drive home, dig out the piece of meteorite he had stashed in his safe, and proceed to lock Clark up in a cell somewhere. He could then deny everything to Lionel, make Martha out to be a complete psychotic, keep Clark hidden away as his personal slave, and continue much as he had before all this happened. Even if he did not feel the way he did about Clark and would stoop so low as to engage such a plan; it had some serious drawbacks. He seriously suspected exposing Clark to the meteorites for an extended length of time would eventually prove to be fatal, and anything less than complete exposure would allow Clark the strength to escape. If Clark escaped - he would come after Lex - and the thought of Clark Kent coming after him in a fury scared the piss out of him.
What am I going to do?
If he'd known the truth of Clark's secrets earlier, aside from unsubstantiated guessing, and he'd revealed his knowledge; Martha would have never contemplated breathing a word to anyone for fear Clark would be put in a lab. Apparently Clark had assured her, and at the time it had been true, that Lex did not know all the detailed facts and had only been referring to the affair. Clark's delayed confession had been perfect timing - for Martha. Now Lionel was on his way, and calling Martha and telling her Lex knew the truth, still wouldn't do him any good. It didn't matter if Clark were bottled up in a science lab or Lex was shipped off to Siberia....
Lex would still lose, no matter how he looked at it. He would lose everything.
He would lose Clark.
He slammed both fists on the steering wheel.
"FUCK!!!"
*********************
Clark was still asleep when Lex finally made it home.
He lay curled around a pillow in the center of the bed with the covers tucked up around him, and in the dim light of late afternoon he looked quite a bit younger than his actual age. Lex stood in the doorway, much as Martha had the day before, and the evil little voices he suspected were the battered remains of his conscience whispered "pervert" at him. His chest still felt tight, but he no longer suspected the return of his asthma. Instead he knew it was the ache of knowing something that meant more to him than life itself was about to be taken away from him.
He'd been there before and he recognized the ache.
When Lex's mother had been nearing the end, her husband finally took himself away from his work and his mistresses to tend to her care. He did so by sending her to a heart specialist in Chicago with a private nurse at her side; only dropping in to rage at her doctors from time to time, and to bring her mail. Eventually he'd returned to Metropolis, leaving her alone in a strange hospital with a hired companion. She had died there - alone - not long afterwards.
Lionel had not informed Lex, who'd been away at school in Europe. Lex had not known his mother was not at home, nor did he realize she was gone until three days after she died, when he received a telegram from Lionel's secretary - too late to be there with her and too late to attend the funeral. He recalled sitting in his room, the telegram in his hands, wondering how Lionel could have been so cruel.
He should have known better. Lionel had never been anything but neglectful and cruel to his wife and child. The only time Lionel involved Lex in anything had been the times when they'd had their lessons in "business warfare" in order to train Lex for the eventual ascendance to the throne. Lex had never traveled with Lionel anywhere except one time and one time only; and on that occasion Lex had nearly been blasted into oblivion. After the meteor shower Lionel never went anywhere with him. He very likely got tired of explaining Lex's appearance. It was horribly petty, but Lex would have loved to shave Lionel bald and send him out in the world to see how he liked it.
He blamed Lionel for the loss of his mother. He blamed Lionel for the loss of his hair and all the emotional trauma it caused.
In a round about way he also blamed his father for the loss of Ryan. If he hadn't been so lonely - if he had not felt abandoned and unloved - perhaps he would not have fallen so hard for the first person who'd shown him any real affection. If Lex had not been so totally fucked up mentally he would have never gotten involved with Ryan at all. They would have never been driving together on that cold spring morning, (in Lionel's car - a voice whispered insidiously) and Lex would not have killed him. Or, if he were destined to be with Ryan, they would have met later under much better circumstances.
Lex looked at Clark lying asleep in his bed and could not escape the vision of Ryan lying dead beside the road with blood in his eyes.
Now Lionel was coming to take Clark away from him.
He wasn't sure if his father was going to be more pissed off by the fact Lex was having a homosexual affair - with a minor no less - or by confirming the fact Lex had lied to him to his face about it. It had been obvious Lionel had not believed his original denial in the slightest. Lionel could also be incredibly irritated at having Martha disrupt him from whatever engagement he had in Europe with the news of Lex's rather poor attempt to blackmail her.
Or all of the above.
Clark sighed, distracting Lex from his thoughts, and as he stretched into wakefulness his grey eyes opened to see Lex standing in the doorway. He ran his hands through his hair and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
He frowned. "You're back early. What happened?"
Lex lied. "Nothing. She had to be somewhere, we made it quick."
"Hmm." Clark flopped back on the pillows. "I have to go home." he murmured.
"Clark."
"Yeah?"
"If I asked you to fly with me to Italy - tonight - would you?" Lex's gaze was steady, and his voice completely uninflected.
"What? No!" His eyes wide, Clark raised his head to look at him and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Why not?" Lex had not expected to be able to carry Clark off to places unknown, but he'd thought it worth a try.
"Oh, let's see, which of a million reasons do you want first? I'm underage, I don't have a passport, my parents would have you arrested for kidnapping - would having to go to school in the morning be a valid point too?" he sobered at the look on Lex's face. "What is it?"
Lex hesitated and told him the truth, somewhat. "I'm tired of Smallville. I want to take you somewhere special where we don't have to hide." He walked into the room, and threw his jacket over a chair before easing onto the bed. He pried both shoes off, and heard them thud upon the floor.
His kiss was extremely tender. His caress - gentle.
"Where I can show you off."
"Hmm." Clark whispered. "I don't know if I would be ready for...."
Lex shut him up with another - this time, lingering - kiss.
"Ah, now you're going to start something and I have to go."
Tugging at the sheets, Lex pulled them away. "Have I ever told you how attractive you are."
Laughter.
"Have you been drinking?"
One of Lex's hands continued its journey over Clark's firm stomach, the other worked on his own clothes. "Or that I love you?"
The grey eyes were filled with concern. "Now I know something's wrong. What is it?"
"Nothing."
To tell him would mean they would have to discuss the situation. Lex did not want to discuss the situation and ruin what was most likely their last time together. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to plan or scheme or analyze. He wanted to spend these last few hours they had remaining savoring Clark's presence - his body, his mind, his very being. He'd never said goodbye to his mother. He'd never had the chance to say goodbye to Ryan. He would tell Clark goodbye the only way he knew how; and he would spare Clark the pain of knowing it was the last time by holding the knowledge to himself.
"I'm just in a mood." Lex said softly. "You know me."
You know my heart.
"Yes, I do, and you aren't usually so overtly sentimental."
Easing himself over, Lex shivered at the sensation of skin upon skin as he continued to lavish his affections on the lean body beneath him. He tasted the skin below Clark's ear, running his tongue along the jawline until he found the exposed throat where he lingered. When he found Clark's lips again he sensed the subtle change in temperature indicative of the on-off libido switch being turned into the "on" position. When his hands slid down from sides and hips to the delicate flesh upon the inside of Clark's thighs, he discovered that his senses had been very correct.
"I'm going to be late for dinner."
"Shhh."
He moved Clark's limbs, manipulating the body as he had once done the mind on so many occasions. With hands and mouth and his own body, Lex sought to memorize every bit of what would soon be gone, and what he felt - for a time - had been exclusively his.
Please don't take him from me. Please.
He looked down into those grey eyes and felt as if his heart would tear itself in two.....
He kissed those lips and felt as if his mind would fall into a senseless void......
He became one with the body and felt as if he could fly....
And he would never, ever, feel any of it again.
Please, don't take him away from me.
*************************
Clark left just before the light faded completely from the sky, despite several subtle, and not so subtle hints from Lex for him to stay.
Lying alone in the darkness, Lex breathed deeply of the remnants of Clark's scent and felt the heat of Clark's body slowly fade from the bedding. The tightness in his chest started to return as he again felt the ache of loss.
How had he allowed himself to be so stupid?
How could he have been so arrogant to assume he would ever be allowed to have anything for his own?
At the very last moment, just as Clark turned from him to go out the door, Lex had almost called him back. Lex had almost threatened him:
Stay with me. Go to Europe with me. If you don't I'll tell the world about you.
Clark had paused in the doorway, given him that wry smile, and bade him good night.
Goodbye.
Lex let him go.
It didn't matter. It wouldn't have worked. He had the memory of Phalen's blackmail attempt to remind him. Lionel would immediately cut off the money to fund such an endeavor anyway, and there was no way Lex would involve his father in such a scheme. Lionel would have Clark dissected immediately and to hell with what Lex wanted.
Lionel Luthor.
It all came back to Lionel.
Always.
Lex rolled over to his other side, and he saw - illuminated by the light from the alarm clock on the bedside table - the book he'd been reading.
It was a new book for his Greek history collection.
His breath caught, and his heart began to beat a bit faster.
Five minutes later he was in the library on the phone.
By eight o'clock that evening Lex's Jaguar pulled into a Metropolis parking lot.
By eight-oh-seven a black Mercedes eased itself into the same lot....
And Lex slipped out of Martha's snare.
"You're a fool Lex."
He glanced towards the doorway of the flower shop and his slack expression immediately twisted into a scowl. Apparently Nell had not gone back inside as he'd assumed, but remained in the doorway listening to the entire exchange. She was leaning on the doorjamb, her arms crossed, watching him.
"Apparently the old saying about a mother bear and her cub means nothing to you. That seems to have been a mistake on your part. You're about to get mauled."
His voice was ice cold. "What do you have to do with this Nell?"
Nell rolled her shoulders in a lazy shrug. "Martha came to me and asked if I knew how to get in touch with your father. I saw that she was upset, and I could not for the life of me figure out what in this world Martha Kent would want with Lionel Luthor." she smiled slightly. "So I not only told her how to get in touch with him, I let her use the phone."
Every curse word Lex knew, in every language he knew, passed through his mind.
"And of course you eavesdropped on the entire conversation."
"Of course." She pushed herself off the doorjamb and went into the shop.
Lex followed her.
"What did she say?"
Inside the shop it was warm, and extremely fragrant. Between the stress, the stifling warm air of the shop and the reek of potpourri and flowers, Lex felt his chest tightening up in a manner it had not done in years. It would be just his luck to have his damned asthma return on top of everything else.
Nell went through the racks of fresh flowers, sorting through them looking for ones damaged or old. "In a nutshell, " she said, looking at him from around a stand of carnations. "that Lionel had better come back and have a little talk with you before she called the police."
He laughed slightly - very slightly. "She wouldn't dare."
"No. But your father doesn't know that and I got the impression he's just a bit annoyed himself with this situation." One brow arced up questioningly. "Would I be correct?"
Lex did not respond.
"Overall I find myself admiring the way Martha is handling everything. I mean if I were in her position and you were molesting my son...."
"I'm not...."
Nell abruptly cut him off. "According to the law you are." she snapped, then regarded him coolly as she moved off to the counter. "If I were her I'd have put a bullet between your legs."
"You're a bitch Nell."
She smiled. "I've spent entirely too much of my time dealing with the Luthor family." Her eyes were mocking as she leaned over the counter upon her elbows. Lex could very clearly see down the shirt she wore, which was, of course, her purpose. "You know Lex. I'm not that terribly old. I could still produce a child if I wanted to do so. I'm also not the only woman Lionel has at his disposal. If I were you, I would not dismiss the idea of being completely disowned in favor of another. You are not necessarily the only heir to the throne of LuthorCorp."
His voice was a whisper. "You'd like that wouldn't you. You and my father's little sexcapades sent my mother to an early grave."
"Sexcapades!" Her laughter filled the little shop. "I like that coming from someone currently engaged in screwing a little boy up the ass."
"Vulgarity is unbecoming of you Nell." He narrowed his eyes, "It could just as easily been your niece." and a smile crept over his face. "You know, Clark is terribly fond of Lana and she is a very pretty girl. Perhaps an invitation to dine with the two of us is in order."
Nell had a long reach, and was stronger than she looked. His face stung.
"You lay one hand on Lana and I will put a bullet between your legs, you little bastard."
He slowly leaned in towards her, and his voice was very low. "You know Nell, you'd better start packing - and tell Lana the bulldozers will be here in the morning. The Talon renovation has been canceled." The smile reappeared. "Have a nice evening."
The pained expression on her face only slightly relieved his tension as he stalked out of the shop.
*****************
Lex was halfway home when the reaction finally set in and the shaking started. He could barely hold onto the steering wheel and the road was simply a grey blur in front of him. He had to pull over. Everything went around and around in his mind over and over again until he started to feel the first twinges of complete panic.
Oh God!
Martha had done the one thing Lex never thought she would do - that he never even dreamed she would do - she had called his father. She had sacrificed herself. Lionel would put a stop to the affair quietly and discretely and Lex would be removed from Smallville immediately. Lionel would always hold the debt over over her, and Clark would be furious at her, but Lex would be gone. She knew this option would do the least damage to Clark, and she also knew that in the end Clark would never completely turn against her for it. She was, after all, his mother. In fact, with Lex out of the picture and having learned Clark's deepest insecurities - from Lex himself - there was a good possibility she and Clark would grow even closer.
Added to the mix was that whore Nell Potter. Martha had sacrificed herself there too by throwing herself at Nell's mercy. She had to have known Nell would find out everything. Had she not known there was something between Nell and Lionel in the first place Martha would not have gone to her. Nell stood to benefit immensely by Lex's absence. She could go after Lionel more aggressively, possibly ending up with a great deal of the Luthor money, and she would have Martha to thank for it. Her thanks, no doubt, would be to start pushing Lana towards a relationship with Clark - a soothing balm for Clark's wounds.
Martha had known exactly what she was doing by calling in Lionel. It was brilliant, and the only real loser would be Lex.
Fuck.
If the whole situation weren't bad enough, one thing was sticking in Lex's mind and causing him a great deal of anguish - Martha's last little speech. He did care about Clark, and having her throw "you don't give a damn about Clark" at him had hurt him much worse than the physical pain of Nell's slap in the face. If he went to Martha and swore on everything from a Bible to his mother's grave she still would not believe him when he told her he honestly only wanted the best for Clark. He could confess to the murders of the two molesting football players and still no one would believe how he felt about Clark. Why would they? He was Lex Luthor. He cared only about himself.
Clark...
Had Lex not cared he supposed he'd drive home, dig out the piece of meteorite he had stashed in his safe, and proceed to lock Clark up in a cell somewhere. He could then deny everything to Lionel, make Martha out to be a complete psychotic, keep Clark hidden away as his personal slave, and continue much as he had before all this happened. Even if he did not feel the way he did about Clark and would stoop so low as to engage such a plan; it had some serious drawbacks. He seriously suspected exposing Clark to the meteorites for an extended length of time would eventually prove to be fatal, and anything less than complete exposure would allow Clark the strength to escape. If Clark escaped - he would come after Lex - and the thought of Clark Kent coming after him in a fury scared the piss out of him.
What am I going to do?
If he'd known the truth of Clark's secrets earlier, aside from unsubstantiated guessing, and he'd revealed his knowledge; Martha would have never contemplated breathing a word to anyone for fear Clark would be put in a lab. Apparently Clark had assured her, and at the time it had been true, that Lex did not know all the detailed facts and had only been referring to the affair. Clark's delayed confession had been perfect timing - for Martha. Now Lionel was on his way, and calling Martha and telling her Lex knew the truth, still wouldn't do him any good. It didn't matter if Clark were bottled up in a science lab or Lex was shipped off to Siberia....
Lex would still lose, no matter how he looked at it. He would lose everything.
He would lose Clark.
He slammed both fists on the steering wheel.
"FUCK!!!"
*********************
Clark was still asleep when Lex finally made it home.
He lay curled around a pillow in the center of the bed with the covers tucked up around him, and in the dim light of late afternoon he looked quite a bit younger than his actual age. Lex stood in the doorway, much as Martha had the day before, and the evil little voices he suspected were the battered remains of his conscience whispered "pervert" at him. His chest still felt tight, but he no longer suspected the return of his asthma. Instead he knew it was the ache of knowing something that meant more to him than life itself was about to be taken away from him.
He'd been there before and he recognized the ache.
When Lex's mother had been nearing the end, her husband finally took himself away from his work and his mistresses to tend to her care. He did so by sending her to a heart specialist in Chicago with a private nurse at her side; only dropping in to rage at her doctors from time to time, and to bring her mail. Eventually he'd returned to Metropolis, leaving her alone in a strange hospital with a hired companion. She had died there - alone - not long afterwards.
Lionel had not informed Lex, who'd been away at school in Europe. Lex had not known his mother was not at home, nor did he realize she was gone until three days after she died, when he received a telegram from Lionel's secretary - too late to be there with her and too late to attend the funeral. He recalled sitting in his room, the telegram in his hands, wondering how Lionel could have been so cruel.
He should have known better. Lionel had never been anything but neglectful and cruel to his wife and child. The only time Lionel involved Lex in anything had been the times when they'd had their lessons in "business warfare" in order to train Lex for the eventual ascendance to the throne. Lex had never traveled with Lionel anywhere except one time and one time only; and on that occasion Lex had nearly been blasted into oblivion. After the meteor shower Lionel never went anywhere with him. He very likely got tired of explaining Lex's appearance. It was horribly petty, but Lex would have loved to shave Lionel bald and send him out in the world to see how he liked it.
He blamed Lionel for the loss of his mother. He blamed Lionel for the loss of his hair and all the emotional trauma it caused.
In a round about way he also blamed his father for the loss of Ryan. If he hadn't been so lonely - if he had not felt abandoned and unloved - perhaps he would not have fallen so hard for the first person who'd shown him any real affection. If Lex had not been so totally fucked up mentally he would have never gotten involved with Ryan at all. They would have never been driving together on that cold spring morning, (in Lionel's car - a voice whispered insidiously) and Lex would not have killed him. Or, if he were destined to be with Ryan, they would have met later under much better circumstances.
Lex looked at Clark lying asleep in his bed and could not escape the vision of Ryan lying dead beside the road with blood in his eyes.
Now Lionel was coming to take Clark away from him.
He wasn't sure if his father was going to be more pissed off by the fact Lex was having a homosexual affair - with a minor no less - or by confirming the fact Lex had lied to him to his face about it. It had been obvious Lionel had not believed his original denial in the slightest. Lionel could also be incredibly irritated at having Martha disrupt him from whatever engagement he had in Europe with the news of Lex's rather poor attempt to blackmail her.
Or all of the above.
Clark sighed, distracting Lex from his thoughts, and as he stretched into wakefulness his grey eyes opened to see Lex standing in the doorway. He ran his hands through his hair and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
He frowned. "You're back early. What happened?"
Lex lied. "Nothing. She had to be somewhere, we made it quick."
"Hmm." Clark flopped back on the pillows. "I have to go home." he murmured.
"Clark."
"Yeah?"
"If I asked you to fly with me to Italy - tonight - would you?" Lex's gaze was steady, and his voice completely uninflected.
"What? No!" His eyes wide, Clark raised his head to look at him and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Why not?" Lex had not expected to be able to carry Clark off to places unknown, but he'd thought it worth a try.
"Oh, let's see, which of a million reasons do you want first? I'm underage, I don't have a passport, my parents would have you arrested for kidnapping - would having to go to school in the morning be a valid point too?" he sobered at the look on Lex's face. "What is it?"
Lex hesitated and told him the truth, somewhat. "I'm tired of Smallville. I want to take you somewhere special where we don't have to hide." He walked into the room, and threw his jacket over a chair before easing onto the bed. He pried both shoes off, and heard them thud upon the floor.
His kiss was extremely tender. His caress - gentle.
"Where I can show you off."
"Hmm." Clark whispered. "I don't know if I would be ready for...."
Lex shut him up with another - this time, lingering - kiss.
"Ah, now you're going to start something and I have to go."
Tugging at the sheets, Lex pulled them away. "Have I ever told you how attractive you are."
Laughter.
"Have you been drinking?"
One of Lex's hands continued its journey over Clark's firm stomach, the other worked on his own clothes. "Or that I love you?"
The grey eyes were filled with concern. "Now I know something's wrong. What is it?"
"Nothing."
To tell him would mean they would have to discuss the situation. Lex did not want to discuss the situation and ruin what was most likely their last time together. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to plan or scheme or analyze. He wanted to spend these last few hours they had remaining savoring Clark's presence - his body, his mind, his very being. He'd never said goodbye to his mother. He'd never had the chance to say goodbye to Ryan. He would tell Clark goodbye the only way he knew how; and he would spare Clark the pain of knowing it was the last time by holding the knowledge to himself.
"I'm just in a mood." Lex said softly. "You know me."
You know my heart.
"Yes, I do, and you aren't usually so overtly sentimental."
Easing himself over, Lex shivered at the sensation of skin upon skin as he continued to lavish his affections on the lean body beneath him. He tasted the skin below Clark's ear, running his tongue along the jawline until he found the exposed throat where he lingered. When he found Clark's lips again he sensed the subtle change in temperature indicative of the on-off libido switch being turned into the "on" position. When his hands slid down from sides and hips to the delicate flesh upon the inside of Clark's thighs, he discovered that his senses had been very correct.
"I'm going to be late for dinner."
"Shhh."
He moved Clark's limbs, manipulating the body as he had once done the mind on so many occasions. With hands and mouth and his own body, Lex sought to memorize every bit of what would soon be gone, and what he felt - for a time - had been exclusively his.
Please don't take him from me. Please.
He looked down into those grey eyes and felt as if his heart would tear itself in two.....
He kissed those lips and felt as if his mind would fall into a senseless void......
He became one with the body and felt as if he could fly....
And he would never, ever, feel any of it again.
Please, don't take him away from me.
*************************
Clark left just before the light faded completely from the sky, despite several subtle, and not so subtle hints from Lex for him to stay.
Lying alone in the darkness, Lex breathed deeply of the remnants of Clark's scent and felt the heat of Clark's body slowly fade from the bedding. The tightness in his chest started to return as he again felt the ache of loss.
How had he allowed himself to be so stupid?
How could he have been so arrogant to assume he would ever be allowed to have anything for his own?
At the very last moment, just as Clark turned from him to go out the door, Lex had almost called him back. Lex had almost threatened him:
Stay with me. Go to Europe with me. If you don't I'll tell the world about you.
Clark had paused in the doorway, given him that wry smile, and bade him good night.
Goodbye.
Lex let him go.
It didn't matter. It wouldn't have worked. He had the memory of Phalen's blackmail attempt to remind him. Lionel would immediately cut off the money to fund such an endeavor anyway, and there was no way Lex would involve his father in such a scheme. Lionel would have Clark dissected immediately and to hell with what Lex wanted.
Lionel Luthor.
It all came back to Lionel.
Always.
Lex rolled over to his other side, and he saw - illuminated by the light from the alarm clock on the bedside table - the book he'd been reading.
It was a new book for his Greek history collection.
His breath caught, and his heart began to beat a bit faster.
Five minutes later he was in the library on the phone.
By eight o'clock that evening Lex's Jaguar pulled into a Metropolis parking lot.
By eight-oh-seven a black Mercedes eased itself into the same lot....
And Lex slipped out of Martha's snare.