"You'd better not walk me up to the door," Steph sighed to Lex as Mercy pulled the limo through the slowly opening Wayne Manor gates. "Bruce and Tim are probably waiting to pounce on me and I'll be here all night if they start yelling at you first."
"I did get the impression that Bruce had a full-on fatherly meltdown when you told him you were pregnant," Lex chuckled. "He's no doubt spent the afternoon composing an incredibly detailed shovel talk for me," he said with his dry humor that Steph was beginning to adore. Lex loved to tease, she was learning, but his humor was gentle and full of affection.
Tim's sense of humor ran more into full on sassy sarcasm, which gave him a witheringly brutal hilarity. Lex's aura was softer, though, and Steph had found this weekend that she truly appreciated the quiet restfulness of his spirit.
Thank God he was staying with her tonight, Steph decided as the limo pulled to a halt in front of the elaborately columned entrance to Wayne Manor, because she had a feeling that her evening with Bruce and Tim was going to be anything but restful.
"Steph!" Tim cried, flinging the front door open before she'd even rung the bell. He'd probably been watching the security cameras, waiting for her arrival. Bruce was right behind him, and - yep - was leaning over Steph's shoulder to glare over at Lex, whose manners had driven him out of the limo, but whose common sense had thankfully kept his feet rooted right next to it.
Steph glanced back over her shoulder at him, just in time to see him toss a jaunty two-fingered salute to Bruce, who growled under his breath. Lex threw her a wink and a grin, though, before getting back inside the limo and fleeing the scene. Bruce groaned in a way that made him sound old.
"Come in, Steph," he said in a heavy voice. Oh, fuck. He had tears in his eyes, Steph saw.
"It's ok, B," she gently comforted, like she was the parent and he was the broken child.
"We both know it's not," he sighed as Tim pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm so, so sorry," Tim mumbled into her hair. Shit, he was crying, too.
"It's my own fault," Steph muttered, blinking away her own tears now.
"But we love you, so we're still sorry for you," Tim insisted, wiping his eyes on his sleeve as he finally let Steph go. "Even if you did do the dumbest thing on the planet by fucking Lex Luthor," he sulked.
"He was hot!" Steph protested with a grin. "And B said to distract him!"
"I did not say to distract him with sex," B huffed as he wrapped Steph up in his own bear hug.
"I was trying to be like Brucie," Steph guilelessly beamed at him.
"Oh, God," B groaned, but he was finally chuckling some.
"Anyway, we used a condom and I was on the pill," Steph sighed in frustration. "I wasn't a total idiot. This shouldn't have happened."
"Maybe you're not actually pregnant?" Tim said hopefully, but Steph shook her head as Bruce began to walk them through the house.
"Lex took me to see a GYN on Saturday and she did a blood test. I'm definitely pregnant. She thinks I probably missed a night of my pill at some point this past cycle, which made it ineffective," Steph said sourly. "And condoms aren't a hundred percent effective, so. Bad luck," she grumbled, except - she'd had a real change of heart about her supposed bad luck this weekend, hadn't she?
Sorry, Little One, she silently apologized to her baby, laying a hand on her low belly as they walked. I really am so glad you're here. Steph caught Bruce's eyes on her hand, thoughtful and sweet, and she flushed.
"How are you feeling about having a baby?" Bruce asked her as he led them into his study and shut the door behind them. Steph was pleasantly surprised to see it empty of other Batfamily members. "It's not good timing, I know, with you in your last year of school."
"Yeah," Steph swallowed as she sunk down into the brown leather couch and curled up next to Tim, who slung an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss into her head. "That part sucks. I'm not going to be able to take my spring semester so I'll have to push back graduating by at least a year."
"Only that part sucks?" Tim frowned down at her suspiciously. Shit.
"Well, I'll have to quit patrolling effective immediately, of course," Steph deflected. "I was hoping I could still help out on comms with Oracle or in the BatCave though?" she asked B, who immediately nodded.
"Of course," he said. "You're not off the team, Steph," he assured her. "And God knows you're not the only one of
us to sleep with a villain," he coughed in self-amused guilt. "I get the appeal," he wearily chuckled. "But - I am deeply concerned about the fact that it's Lex," he said, leveling Steph with a penetrating gaze. "And about how smitten he is with you. And if the feeling is mutual?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Steph blushed bright red.
"Maybe?" she squeaked. B didn't break eye contact. "He's really nice," Steph mumbled, turning even redder. "And he really likes me," she said to her suddenly nervously fiddling hands. "Like, a lot," she tried to explain.
"Couldn't some of that - or most of it - be due to the fact that he learned that you're having his child?" B asked. Steph should have sat in the unlit fireplace instead of on the couch, because her cheeks were on fire.
"No," she whispered. "Lex got my number at the gala and wanted to see me again." Tim's arm around her shoulders tensed. "And he invited me up for the weekend before I even told him I was pregnant," Steph reluctantly added. She wasn't going to give B and Tim her detailed inventory of Reasons Why Lex Luthor Thought Stephanie Brown Was Amazing, though. Some things were private.
"Steph," B said seriously. She didn't look up until he repeated her name. "Steph. This is Lex Luthor," he stressed.
"I know," Steph whispered hopelessly. B sighed and rubbed his jaw.
"You said you're going to date him," B persisted. "And then what? He said he wants to get married."
"I don't know," Steph mumbled over the churning knots in her stomach.
"You really like him," Tim gasped in wonder. Steph blinked back some tears.
"I know I shouldn't," she said miserably, sliding out from under Tim's arm and curling into the less judgmental arm of the couch, instead.
"Being attracted to Lex isn't a question of should or shouldn't," B said surprisingly gently. "But you need to think through the longterm consequences before you start making decisions about a relationship with him."
"I've been trying to," Steph sighed. "I know it'll take me forever to get back into shape after having the baby, plus I'll have so much school to make up, not to mention relearning stuff for my board exams, but I was thinking that eventually, when I'm back up to fighting form, maybe I could do more daytime Batgirl stuff, during the hours when Lex is working. I could get a nanny or put my kid in daycare," she said. "And even further down the road they'll have school to keep them occupied."
"Stephanie," B said, looking shocked and concerned.
"What?" Steph said in confusion. She swiveled her head to look at Tim, who was also looking at her in horror.
"Steph -" Tim started to say, but he cut off and gave B a pleading glance.
"Being in a longterm romantic relationship with Lex Luthor is incompatible with being Batgirl," B said quietly but firmly. Steph blinked.
"But he works in Metropolis and I could do daytime stuff," she repeated. "And get childcare." It was a good plan. Why wasn't B getting it?
"What I'm saying," B slowly enunciated, "is that the level of risk to yourself and the team if you decide to pursue a relationship with Lex is unacceptable. To me," he clarified, "but I believe I'm speaking for most if not all of your teammates."
All the air left the room.
"Tim?" Steph gaped at him, fighting for breath and hoping for a savior. But Tim was looking at her grimly.
"If you can't see the risks, then I'm worried that you're already compromised," he said regretfully.
"I'm not compromised!" Steph spat. "I'm having a baby! With someone who actually wants it this time, and wants me! Do you have any idea what it was like going through my pregnancy alone last time?" she yelled at Tim. He stared at her.
"You weren't alone," he said like she was crazy. "We were dating."
"I didn't even know your name!" Steph screamed at him. "And you didn't want me to keep it!"
"You were fifteen!" Tim yelled back. "I wanted what was best for both of you!"
"Yeah? Is that what you want now? Or you want what's best for you? Huh?"
"Steph, you can't be a Bat and marry Lex Luthor!" Tim yelped in frustration. "That's insane! How can you not see that?"
"I could make it work! And Lex wouldn't hurt me, anyway, even if he did find out!" Steph argued.
"Oh, my God," Tim uttered in disbelief. "Please tell me you don't honestly believe that," he said flatly.
"You don't know him!" Steph yelled. "Or how he feels about me!"
"Steph, one hookup and one weekend is perhaps not enough time for you to fully evaluate how Lex feels about you, either," B interjected. And he was trying to be respectful. He was. Steph could hear it in the patient tone of voice that he so rarely pulled out. But fuck B and fuck his opinions, too.
He hadn't seen the adoring way that Lex had looked at her all weekend. He hadn't witnessed how beyond over-protective Lex was, but with every action smothered in sweetness. He hadn't heard their heart-to-heart about both losing their children. He didn't know how achingly tender Lex could be when he touched her, or how downright delighted he got whenever she was silly before coming right back at her with his playful wit.
Steph didn't realize she was sobbing until her mouth was muffled in B's shoulder, pretzeled in the hug he'd trapped her in.
"I'm sorry," he said helplessly as he rubbed the back of her head. "There's no option here that won't cause you pain, and I'm truly so sorry for that, Steph," he said against her hair. "All I can advise you to do is to carefully consider what's most important to you before making your final decision," he said. "But there's no need to rush," he soothed her. "You have plenty of time to decide what to do about Lex."
Time wasn't going to make her choice any easier, though, was it? Either she lost Lex or she lost the Bats. Steph wasn't dumb enough to think that her relationship with Tim and Babs and B wouldn't change significantly if she was out of the team. Not to mention her friendship with Damian, Jason, and Dick, who she pretty much only interacted with on Bat business.
The Bats were her whole world. Steph hadn't made a lot of friends in school - not real friends. Not friends she'd keep hanging out with after college, and they'd probably fall away sooner rather than later once she dropped out in the spring and had a baby eating up her time and brain cells and sleep.
But to give up her frankly awesome baby daddy who she very much was failing for, dammit? As of right now, Steph couldn't imagine ever wanting to say good-bye to Lex.
Back in Steph's pitiful and frankly dismal apartment, which he'd bravely declared as charming as she was (Which was not a total lie. If one ignored the size of the unit - or lack thereof - and the appalling Gothamness of the neighborhood and the ghastly cardboard furniture and the horrendously outdated kitchen and the revolting plastic floors that made a disgusting, sticky, squelching sound as one trod upon them, despite being basically clean, then his Stephanie's apartment could indeed be considered charming. Her personal accessories were lovely and quirky and very, very purple in a way that was utterly adorable) Lex opened his laptop.
He hummed with satisfaction as he pulled up the video feeds from his newly installed and quite well-hidden miniature cameras, carefully trained on every door, window, and potentially-human-sized vent in the wretched place. He pushed open a window to test his secretly embedded silent trip wires that would instantly alert him every time an access point moved, enabling him to ensure that the mother of his child and their baby weren't under attack.
Naturally, he'd made sure to link the video feeds solely to his private server which was, Lex admitted to himself with no small amount of pride, unhackable. He'd defy even the mysterious and highly irritating Oracle to access the video feeds of his love and her abode. Which was only as it should be, as he would unavoidably be capturing video of his Stephanie in the nude. If he wasn't Lex Luthor, that might have given him pause, but Lex was confident that his beloved's privacy would remain safe and secure under his watchful eyes and technological genius.
It was regrettable that Steph would no doubt fail to trust his internet security as much as Lex knew that she could, but it was just as well. She might become self-conscious if she knew that Lex had cameras trained all around her apartment, and the last thing that Lex wanted was to make his darling baby mama uncomfortable. No, he wouldn't burden Stephanie with his worries over her safety any more than he must. Secrecy once again proved itself the superior option.
Mercy would, of course, be moving in across the hall from Steph, which his delightfully independent and self-confident dearheart would no doubt protest enough as it was. However, Lex was sure that Steph would agree that she preferred Mercy Graves to Deathstroke as her new bodyguard, who Lex had considered the better option.
Mercy had vetoed that suggestion, however, pointing out that it would look far less obvious for Steph to be seen out and about with another woman, especially once Mercy went shopping for some tight jeans and graphic t-shirts to better fit in with the college crowd. She had made a good point, and Lex did want Steph to be happy - almost more than anything, but her safety would always be his number one priority.
He smiled to himself with grim satisfaction as he thought over Perry's desperate, spluttering defense of Cat and his grandiose apologies and his pleas to let his star gossip columnist be. As if Lex Luthor would ever leave an attack unanswered. Cat could say what she liked about why she was leaving the Daily Planet, but the rest of the world would correctly intuit that Lex Luthor had struck and they would take proper heed to show his woman the respect that she was due, lest they lose their own livelihoods - or lives.
Letting Cat live was a grand generosity on Lex's part, and a concession that he had only made to please his dear, adoring Stephanie, who happily trusted him and believed his every word. For someone who'd come from such difficult circumstances, his Stephanie had retained a remarkable sweetness of spirit. Lex was determined not to shatter her innocence with the brutal ugliness that it took to survive unscathed in his world.
The fact that Cat Grant had a young son had nothing at all to do with why Lex chose to let her live. It was simply the practical choice, the decision that Steph would find most palatable.
It wasn't like he'd been determined to call Deathstroke until the quick Google search he'd ordered Mercy to make of Cat had given him pause.
Nonsense.
Lex Luthor was as hard as they came.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice when his screensaver of Conner quietly came to life.
A/N - Much more to come! Comments are always much appreciated.
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