Hey, guys!
I hope you've all been having a good life since the last time I posted. Hoooopefully things from here on out will try to write a bit easier and we can finish out this story in the new year.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Thirty One
Lex set an alarm for early in the morning.
From his very few Christmases as a child, he remembered the magic of waking up before the sun on Christmas Morning. There was something about it that was so special that he remembered it all of these years later.
So, when his alarm went off, he was wide awake almost instantly.
He rubbed his eyes, then reached over and gently shook his son. "Clark, Clark," he whispered. "Wake up! It's Christmas!"
After a few more shakes, Clark let out a soft whine and rubbed his eyes. A few seconds later, his big blue eyes were wide open.
"Christmas?" he asked excitedly.
Lex nodded. "Yeah!" he said, his own voice mirroring his son's excitement.
"Yay!" Clark exclaimed, then wiggled out from under the covers and began to run towards the door.
Lex watched with a smile as Clark ran and stumbled once his socks hit the wooden floors. Clark caught himself and continued to run, slowing down only when he reached the stairs.
It had been so long since Lex had seen Clark with so much energy. Even after he was miraculously healed, he had been more tired and weak. This was the first time Lex had seen his son running in a while.
When Lex made it down the stairs, he found himself as awestruck as the child beside him.
Sure, he had set up and decorated the tree, he had wrapped and placed the presents, but seeing the tree glowing with the presents around it…
It was more than what he had always imagined. More magical than what he had dreamt up all of those miserable and cold Christmases that he spent by himself.
Lex bit his lip to keep himself from tearing up.
Before Lex could actually start crying, Clark tugged on the side of his pants. "Daddy?"
Lex looked down at Clark and smiled. "Go ahead, Bubba."
Lex sat on the couch and watched as Clark began to open the different presents.
He watched as Clark opened the books, clothes, and toys he had bought him.
Each present was met with a grin and a tight squeeze to Clark's chest. Sometimes Clark would comb through the pages of a book, touch the soft fabric of the clothing, or play around with the toy.
But each time Clark opened something, he would look up at Lex for permission.
It broke Lex's heart that Clark had been subjected to such a horrible beginning here on earth. Every time his child would look at him with those big, hesitant eyes it made his stomach twist.
Halfway through all of the gifts, Clark climbed up onto Lex's lap and curled up to him.
Lex smiled and wrapped his arm around his tiny son. "Hey, Bubba," he greeted.
Clark handed Lex one of the books he had been gifted. "Read?" he asked.
"Of course."
The book was better than Lex had remembered. He had flipped through it at the store, but reading it to Clark made it so good.
He found himself tearing up by the end of the book. A book about how much the father loved his son.
He tightened his hold on Clark and pressed his face into his son's fluffy hair. "I love you so much, Clark."
Like always, Clark didn't respond with his own declaration of love. It hurt Lex when he didn't, but he understood. Clark had been through so much. While Lex could tell his child that all day, he knew that Clark might not be to that point yet. And that was okay. Even though it hurt more than the torture that Alistair had inflicted only about a month ago.
Clark stayed curled up to Lex for a few more minutes, then he squirmed himself out of Lex's hold and walked over to the pile of unopened gifts.
Lex sighed, then leaned back and continued to watch his child. Maybe all he wanted for Christmas was to hear Clark say those three little words, to hear that his son loved him.
But he knew it was too much to ask for.
That afternoon, Lex put Clark into the car and drove to the Kent Farm.
For the past couple days, Lex and Martha had been planning the perfect first Christmas for Clark. Even if it was a few days late, it was going to be the best day of Clark's life.
All of the food that hadn't been eaten on Christmas would be feasted on now, all of the unopened gifts would be given now. All of the festivities would happen, even if it was a few days late.
"Are you excited for the Christmas dinner?" Lex asked Clark as they pulled onto the long, gravel driveway.
Clark pulled his legs up to his chest and nodded hesitantly. "Uh huh."
Lex frowned. He hadn't expected this reaction from Clark. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.
Clark sniffled, then bit his lip as tears began to spill from his eyes. "Don't like it here…" he sobbed.
Lex pulled over, then turned so he was able to look at his son. "Why not?"
Clark wiped at his eyes, but it did little to help the tears. "You'll leave me…"
Lex's heart broke into a million painful was all his fault. "Oh, Bubba…" he said softly. He reached over and grabbed Clark's tiny hand. "I know that I left you here and that it scared you, but I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere tonight, okay?"
Clark sniffled again and shuddered. "Promise?"
Lex nodded. "I promise."
The rest of the drive was silent, but Lex let out a sigh of relief when he saw Jonathan standing on the porch and waving at them.
This was going to be good.
No. It was going to be better than good.
It was going to be the best Christmas ever.
Lex turned off the car, then unbuckled Clark and picked him up.
"Merry Christmas, Jonathan," Lex greeted.
Jonathan threw his arms around the two of them. "Merry Christmas."
They walked inside and Lex took off his and Clark's coats. While he did that, Jonathan walked into the kitchen and grabbed cups of steaming coffee for him and Lex.
"How is Clark doing?" Jonathan asked as he offered one of the cups to Lex.
Lex took the cup from him, but refrained from drinking it. It would definitely burn his tongue. "Still a bit weak at times, but doing much better."
Jonathan nodded. "That's good," he said. "It was really hard to see him so hurt…"
Lex shook away the memories of his son laying on the couch unable to wake up, the memories of having to use meteor rock to get nutrients into his son, memories of his son's dead body against him.
"Yeah, it was…" Lex agreed. He still hadn't told them the truth. They still didn't know that Clark had died in their home that morning after Christmas.
A small silence lapsed between the two of them, then Martha walked in. There was a huge grin on her face as she carried Clark on her hip.
"Merry Christmas, Lex," she told him.
Lex smiled. Sure, it was the 29th, but he was so happy that the Kents had decided to go along with his wild plan.
"Merry Christmas, Martha."
Martha adjusted Clark on her hip. "The food won't be ready for a bit, but there's some presents under the tree for Clark and we can always turn on a movie too," she said.
Lex nodded. "Thank you." He knew that she would understand the deeper meaning of his words. How he wasn't just thanking them for the food or the time spent together, but for everything. He could never, ever repay them for everything they've done.
Martha put Clark down on the floor and bent down to his level. "There's something for you under the tree," she told him. "Wanna go find it?"
Lex watched as Clark ran off and began to open the gifts that were under the tree. After a few minutes though, he turned to Martha and Jonathan.
He pulled a small envelope out of his suit pocket and offered it to them. "Merry Christmas."
Jonathan took the envelope, then opened it. He looked up at Lex as he pulled out two plane tickets. "Lex…" he began.
"Please," Lex said. "You've done so much for me and Clark, you deserve a vacation."
Martha looked over Jonathan's shoulder and the tickets, then smiled at Lex. "Thank you," she said as she reached over and hugged him.
Lex smiled, then shook his head. "No. Thank you."
Lex was already on his third cup of coffee by the time Clark was done opening his gifts.
He watched as Jonathan got down into the floor and began to play with Clark. At first, Clark had frozen and gone silent, but now he was giggling and seemingly enjoying playing with Jonathan.
It was adorable to watch.
"Lex?" Martha asked as she walked in from the kitchen. "Can I have your help in the kitchen?"
Lex nodded. "Of course," he said, then followed her into the kitchen.
"Can you peel and slice the apples while I make the pie crust?" she asked.
Lex nodded again, then washed his hands and began to peel the apples.
After a moment, Martha cleared her throat. "I was hoping we could talk…"
Lex looked up at her as he stopped cutting the apple. "About?"
"Have you talked to Clark?" Martha asked.
Lex hesitated, then shook his head. "No, not really…"
"Lex, you need to," she said. "What he did… He almost died. He needs to know that he can't run away or hurt people. Something like that… It can't ever happen again."
Lex bowed his head. "I know…"
Martha sighed. "Lex, you know I'm not his mom, but he needs some structure, some boundaries," she said. "That's what's going to help him. It's what he needs."
"Really?" Lex asked as he looked back up at her. Whether she was a mom or not it didn't matter to Lex. He valued her opinion. She had helped more than most people when it came to Clark.
"Yeah," she told him. "He's been through so much, he needs you to be a constant in his life. As a father, not just as a friend."
Lex nodded. "Right…"
Clark had been through so much. Way more than any child his age should have had to go through.
"I've noticed that he's been really clingy," she said. "Has it been like that since you came back."
Lex nodded again. "Yeah," he said. He still remembered that first day after he woke up. Clark hadn't left his side all day, and it never really changed from there.
"I can babysit at your house, but…" Martha hesitated for a moment. "Have you considered maybe delegating more of your tasks to some of your employees?"
"Clark has been through so much and even if he's safe now, things still haven't really settled down," she explained. "He needs time to recover from all of that trauma, and he'll need you to be present during it."
Lex didn't hesitate to nod in agreement. "You're right," he said. "I'll definitely see what I can do."
"And… On the other hand, you've been through a lot too, Lex," she said. "I mean, you haven't really had a break since you met him."
"Do any parents get breaks?"
Martha let out a soft chuckle. "Most parents aren't tortured for information about their children," she reminded, then became more serious. "You need rest, Lex. And maybe even a therapist."
A therapist was something that Lex had thought about in the past, but never really considered seriously. If it would help Clark though…
"And it'll help me be a better parent?" he asked.
"It can," she said.
Lex nodded as he allowed himself to take in all of her information. "What about discipline?" he asked. "What do I do about that?"
Martha sighed as she leaned forward on her elbows. "It's gonna be tough," she said. "But honestly? Just try a timeout. It should be more than enough for a kid his age."
Lex nodded again. When he had been Clark's age, he definitely hadn't been given a timeout, but Lex would never hit Clark. It was a promise to himself that he would never break. But he could put Clark in a timeout.
"Thanks," he said.
Martha smiled back at him. "You're welcome."
By the time they got back to their house, Lex was exhausted. Just like a regular Christmas, fake Christmas was just as tiring.
Lex slowly made his way out of the car, then walked over to the other side and picked up Clark.
Clark let out a soft whine as he rubbed at his eyes, then curled up to Clark.
"Shhhh…" Lex soothed, gently bouncing his son as he shut the car door. There was no reason to wake Clark up. It was already way past his bedtime and he was probably more worn out than Lex was.
Lex held him close, like if he loosened his hold his child would disappear.
What Martha had said was right. Clark needed boundaries, structure, support. And Lex would do anything in his power to provide that to him.
He had read the horrible things Clark had gone through, he had seen firsthand what Alistair had been like, and he knew the nightmares Clark got from all of it.
As he held Clark a little closer, he thought more about what Martha had said.
He couldn't run away again, but neither could Lex. Lex needed to be there for Clark, he needed to be a good role model and father, he needed to show Clark that he wasn't going to leave again.
As Lex tucked Clark into bed and gently brushed his son's hair away from his eyes, he made a promise to himself.
Tomorrow would be better, and so would he.
And that's Christmas and the end of Part Three! I hope you all enjoyed!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!