Title: Paying the Piper

Author: Angelee

Fandom: Smallville

Pairing: Lex/Clark

Rating: Adult

Summary: There comes a time when it’s time to pay the piper.

Beta: By my sister Anna. All remaining errors are mine. With apologies.

Paying the Piper

“Mr. Kent, a word if you please.”

Clark looked up so startled at hearing a voice he hadn’t heard in so long he knocked over his coffee on to his just finished reports.

He quickly grabbed a bunch of tissues in the hope of saving them. Making matters worse by knocking the coffee cup over again.

“L…Lex.”

“A word. Now,” Lex told him serenely.

“W…why?”

“I have something I wish to discuss with you. I have been trying to get a hold of you for two weeks now,” Lex told him unable to totally hide his annoyance.

“T…Two weeks?” Clark blanched. That was when he’d committed ‘the deed’. “W…why?” Clark asked, stalling for time.

“Not here. Let’s go.”

“And if I say no?”

Lex gave him a smile that Clark had never seen aimed at him. Not even when he was Superman. “You really don’t want to say no, Clark. I will make you regret it. And you really won’t like it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Clark rose from his chair. Soggy reports forgotten he trailed Lex meekly. Not responding to Lois high pitch voice asking him where he was going.

He entered Lex’s limo, sitting across from him. “Lex?”

“Not a word. Not here,” Lex told him quietly.

During the ride to wherever Lex’s was taking him, Clark gave Lex fugitive looks from beneath his lashes. Trying to gauge his emotions.

Lex gave away nothing as he stared out the window. Totally ignoring Clark.

It was the same thing as they entered the building that housed Lex’s penthouse and the elevator ride up so quiet Clark could have screamed.

Lex used a card to open the door ushering him in still without saying a word.

Clark waited for his one time friend by the door. Not knowing what to expect he followed Lex when silently motioned to.

Paling further when he was led into the bedroom. “Lex.”

“Have a seat, Clark,” Lex told him, motioning toward the bed.

“Hmm, alright. W…why have you brought me here, Lex?”

“I think you know why?”

Clark shook his head. “N…no, I don’t,” he denied softly. Knowing he was in a world of trouble with a capital T.

“Don’t play fucking games with me, Clark,” Lex told him harshly.

“L…Lex, truly I don’t know why you’ve brought me here.”

“Fine. You want to play it that way. Have a look inside the cabinet over there in the corner. Use your Superman powers if you have too.”

Clark swallowed heavily. “Lex.”

“Do you see it, Clark?”

“Lex…”

“Do you see the camera inside the fucking cabinet, Clark?”

“L…Lex.”

“Do you, Clark?”

“L…Lex. P…please.”

“Answer me.”

Clark ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Yes, Lex,”

“I had that installed after the last kidnapping attempt. It seems the threat comes from the most unexpected places. And in ways one would not expect.”

“I…I can explain.”

Lex raised an elegant eyebrow. “Please do. It should be quite entertaining.”

“You hate me.”

“Yes.”

“You try and kill me ever chance you get.”

“Yes. It’s to bad I haven’t succeeded,” Lex told him coldly. So coldly it froze Clark’s very soul.

“L…Lex,” Clark gasped, hoarsely. “You can’t really mean that.”

“Can’t I? And don’t try the hurt puppy look. That hasn’t worked in five years. I never took you for a rapist.”

“I’m not a rapist.”

“Then what do you consider what you did to me, here in my own bed two weeks ago. And without my consent, I might add.”

“I…I c…can e…explain.”

“Then fucking well DO it.”

Clark ran his still shaking hand through his hair again. “Oh, God, Lex.”

“I’m waiting.”

Clark stared down at the carpeted floor. “I…I d…don’t know where to s…start,” he whispered softly.

“Start with why.”

“I missed you,” Clark said, looking up to see Lex’s reaction.

Nothing passed across Lex’s pale face. “So?”

“Very much.”

Lex tilted his head to the side as he contemplated Clark. “You pushed me away.”

“I never realized that you were mine, Lex. Not until it was too late.”

“And that made you sneak in here in the middle of the night and take what wasn’t yours to take? And do things you have no right to be doing.”

“Yes.” Clark lifted his eyes toward Lex’s allowing him to see the pain he was in. He thought he saw a slight softening, but it vanished so quickly he wasn’t sure he’d seen right. For all Clark knew it could have been wishful thinking on his part.

“Why, Clark?”

Clark ran his hand over a invisible thread on comforter. “I was lonely. I have no friends, no life. Nothing.”

“You’re a fucking super hero Clark. I’d figure you’d be surrounded by groupies.”

“Yes, but that’s hardly the same.”

“The same as what, Clark?”

“The love of a friend. Someone to go home to at night.” Clark’s voice hitched. “Someone to call your very own.”

Lex tilted his head again. “I’m not yours. And haven’t been in a long time.”

“I love you, Lex.”

“To late, Clark. Way to late.”

Clark rubbed at his face, spreading the tears coursing down his cheeks. “Please, Lex,” He pleaded softly. “give me another chance.”

“No, Clark.”

“I’ll beg if I have to.”

Lex rubbed his neck tiredly. “It won’t get you anywhere.”

Before he could stopped himself Clark flung himself at Lex, burying his face against his legs. “Lex,” he said, putting all his hopes and dreams in the word that meant it all.

“Clark!” Lex winced, but didn’t pull away.

“I missed you so much. More than I ever thought possible.”

“You have Lana.”

Clark buried his face deeper against Lex’s warmth. “Lana’s not you.”

“I could very easily kill you,” Lex said, conversationally. “Right here. Right now. I know how.”

“You won’t.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Clark sighed contently when he felt a hand begin to gently stroke his hair. “Because you miss me as much as I miss you.”

“That’s very arrogant of you and also not true.”

“I haven’t been that in a long time. Not since I realized it’d costed me-you. I never meant to hurt you, Lex.”

“You did.”

Clark sighed unhappily. “I will regret that for the rest of my life.”

“You could have moved on, Clark. I have.”

Hands, warm hands gently eased the tension in his neck. “Not with out you,” he whispered against Lex’s leg. Wanting desperately to look up. Afraid what he would see in Lex’s blue eyes. “and no you haven’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t be trying to get my attention by trying and I emphasis the ‘trying’ to kill me.”

“You have Lana, your parents, Lois. You could have started a family. Had the house with the white picket fence and your 2.3 children.”

“I don’t want a house with a picket fence at least not with Lana or Lois. And I haven’t talked to my parents in years. And it’s three.”

The hands stopped. Clark could have cried with the loss. “Three what, Clark?”

“Lex…”

“Three what, Clark? No bullshit. No evasion. Truth. Tell me the truth for the first time in your fucking life.”

Clark looked up. “I tried to tell you the truth a long time ago, but you wouldn’t listen to me,” he said in a slightly accusatory tone.

“Stopped it, Clark. Three what?”

“Children,” Clark replied, closing his eyes tightly as he waited for the explosion to happen. It never came. “Lex? Are you alright?” he asked hesitantly.

“No. Clark, I’m not. I’m going to ask you another question and I want the truth. Hard a concept as that is for you. Is that what you did with my semen? Did you go to your Fortress and make babies?”

“Yes?”

“Three?”

“Yes, Lex?”

Lex blinked. “Mine?”

Clark nodded. “And mine.”

“How, Clark? I’m sterile. The Doctor’s claiming it was caused by the meteor shower. I can’t make babies.”

Clark looked up, shyly. “You can-with me. The AI found enough of what he needed in your semen to give me what I desperately wanted since I couldn’t have you.”

“I should hate you for what you’ve done.”

Clark rubbed his face wearily against the soft material of Lex’s pants. “I know.”

“You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you saved me.”

“I know.”

Hands, oh-so gentle hands began stroking Clark’s hair again. “What you did was wrong.”

“I know. But I couldn’t have you to love and I desperately wanted a part of you. I’m sorry I went behind your back. But I was desperate and not really thinking straight. I love you, Lex.”

“Are you thinking straight now, Clark? I wouldn’t want you attacking me in the middle of the night again,” Lex told him with a tiny smile.

“I…I didn’t attack you. I was real gentle,” Clark replied, returning the smile tentatively.

“Yeah, you were. You left me all tingly,” Lex said, rubbing the left side of his chest. “That’s what set off warning bells.” His smiled turned rueful. “That and the overwhelming sense of contentment. I couldn’t figure out where it’d from. Considering all I’d done that night was reports and as much as I like doing them they aren’t all that much of a turn on.”

Clark reached with shaking hands and cupped Lex’s face, sighing softly, happily, when Lex didn’t try and shove him away.

“I’m sorry, Lex. About everything.”

“So am I, Clark. Were you ever going to tell me about the babies?”

Clark nodded. “Yes. If I was ever able to get you to quit being mad at me.”

Lex nuzzled into Clark’s right palm. “Our babies?”

“Yes. The Al said that if you ever quit hating me that there’s a way for me to carry our children if we decided to have more.”

“Babies? Our babies?”

Clark nodded. “Lots of them if you want.”

“I want.”

Clark smiled at the wistful faraway look in Lex’s pale face. “Do you want to see them?”

“Can I?” Lex asked, eagerly.

Clark nodded. “Yes. Their still very little. Only two weeks old, but you can see them.”

“What are they?”

Standing up Clark carefully gathered an unresisting Lex into his arms. “Two boys and a girl.”

“Oh.”

Lex’s voice held such wonder it brought renewed tears into Clark’s eyes. “I love you, Lex.”

Lex wrapped his arms around Clark’s body. “I know-now. Even if you have a really weird way of showing it.”

“Lex?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you still hate me?” Clark asked, fearfully. “Will you stop trying to kill me now?”

“I never really hated you, Clark. And if I had wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

“Lex? Say it. I need you to say it,” Clark pleaded, softly. “I’ve waited for so very long.”

Lex didn’t even try to deny what was being asking. “I love you, Clark. I always have.”

“Oh, Lex,” Clark replied, gently kissing him on the lips. “I love you too. I’ll tell you every hour of every day if you let me and our children be a part of your life.”

Lex returned the kiss. “That is a given, Clark. I’ve already started thinking about our future. We need to buy a house. The castle is to cold, damp and dreary to raise children. I can have one built. Just outside Metropolis. What do you think?” He asked, looking at Clark blue eyes sparkling happily.

“I think that’s great,” Clark replied, never having seen Lex so happy. “Lex?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you like to see our children now?”

“Oh, yes. I have never wanted anything more in my life.”

Clark rose to his feet. Changing into his Superman mode, blushing a bright pink at the appreciative look it earned him. Carefully gathering Lex to him he went to the patio door. Opening it he smiled at him. “Let’s go.”