Title: Whispers of the Future

Author: Angelee

Fandom: Smallville

Pairing: Lex/Clark

Rating: Adult

Summary: Whispers can change.

Note: Sequel to Thief in the Night and Paying to Piper. Haven’t written a Smallville in a while. I though it was time. (o:

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

Whispers of the Future

“What do you think?”

Lex looked around the fortress. “Nice.”

“Nice? Just nice?” Clark asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

Lex smiled at him. “Well, how about I like what you’ve done with the place?”

Clark rolled his eyes. “Like you’ve ever been here before.”

The smile vanished from Lex’s face. “That’s hardly my fault is it?”

“Lex…”

“Where are the babies?”

Clark sighed unhappily. “Lex, please?”

“Please, what?”

“I’m sorry. For everything I’ve done.”

Lex tilted his head to the side, contemplating Clark quietly. “Including the babies?”

“No, not them. Never them. I regret having snuck around to make them. But I don’t regret them.”

“Can I see them?”

Clark let Lex down some steps and into a huge ice covered room. Oddly enough it wasn’t all that cold in the fortress.

“There’s not much to see. At least not right now.” He stood in front of a glass enclosure. “Here. Our babies are in here.”

“You don’t have them separated?”

“No. The AI and I thought it would be better to have the babies together. For them to understand from the very beginning that they’re family.”

Lex nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He touched the glass enclosure, unable to stop the wave of intense longing that almost knocked him off his feet.

Clark moved closer. “Lex, are you alright?”

The bold man waved him away with a shaky hand. “I’m alright.”

Clark didn’t move away, instead moving closer. “What is it?” he asked softly.

Lex pressed his face against the glass. “Where do I fit in?”

“What?”

“Where do I fit in?”

“In their lives?”

“Yes.”

“You fit in anywhere you want to fit in. You are as much a part of their life as I am.”

“I wonder.”

Clark raised his hand placing it on Lex’s trembling shoulder. “You do.”

Lex turned toward Clark, displacing his hand. “If I asked you to give me the babies, would you?”

“What are you saying?”

“If I wanted to raise them as Luthor’s would you let me?”

“Lex…”

“Clark, answer the fucking question.”

Clark looked into the enclosure containing their children. Heart breaking at Lex’s question. “I was hoping that we’d be able to raise them together.”

“As a family?”

Clark nodded. “Yeah. As a family.”

“How? When you’re here at the fortress or in Smallville. And I’m in Metropolis. That’s not family.”

“No. That’s not.”

Lex turned to face him fully. “Then how? I want to be a part of their lives. I have a right to be a part of their lives. They’re part mine.”

Clark nodded again. “Yes, you do and yes they are. I want to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Marry me.”

“What?”

Clark moved closer. “Marry me. Then we would be together,” He whispered softly.

Lex eyed Clark as if he’d gone completely mad. “Clark…”

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. That’s why I did what I did. I thought we couldn’t be together. We can. We can even be happy together. A family. Is that what you want?”

“Are you saying that because you think that’s what I want?”

Clark looked into the enclosure. “I wanted a family. I still do. I want to raise our children together. Have holidays, birthdays together. Screaming and yelling together. Love and be happy together. Everything that families do together, I want to do that with you and our children.”

“Whispers of the future.”

“Huh?”

Lex smiled at Clark. “Whispers of the future. Very tempting. At least compared to the whispers of the future I’d been hearing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lonely penthouse. Even lonelier castle. Lots and lots of money. Beautiful women or men as the case may be. All trying to get close. Trying to get a taste of what it’s like to be rich.”

Clark tentatively ran his hand over a thin back. “Not what you want?”

Lex looked into the enclosure containing his babies. “It has its high points. But doesn’t compare to snuggling with your child. And no way in hell does it compare to a child’s hug. Or even their kisses. Know what I do at times?”

“What?”

“I go to the park and watch the children playing. Seeing the love in their eyes when they spot their parents. Seeing the hugs and the kisses…” his voice caught. “I want that so badly sometimes I could die with the want of it,” he admitted so very softly.

“You can have it, Lex. You can have it all.”

Lex turned to look at Clark, his blue eyes shimmering with tears. “Can I? How?”

Clark went down on to his knees, his own green eyes filled with tears. Whispers of the future. He offered his left hand to Lex. “Marry me. Marry me, Lex?”

“Clark, I don’t know what to tell you,” Lex replied, closing his eyes tightly. Tears breaking free to course down his pale face.

“It’s not that hard, Lex. Say yes. Say you’ll marry me. Make your whispers so loud there’ll be no denying them.”

Lex opened his eyes to looking down at the most powerful being on the planet. Who looked not so much like a demi-god but more like the sixteen year old boy he’d met so long ago. Hazel eyes full of hope and longing. Tears running unchecked down his face.

“A child’s arms?”

“Yes.”

“A child’s kisses?”

“Yes.”

“A child’s laughter?”

Clark nodded. “Filling all those empty places in the penthouse and at the castle. Or wherever you want to live. It can all be yours, Lex. Yours for the taking. As well as all the dirty diapers, rashes, runny noses you could ever hope for.”

Lex laughed. “I would love that.”

“No nannies?”

“Fuck no. I want to be a part of my babies life’s. All of it.”

Clark smiled up at him. “Cool. Me, too.” The smile vanished. “Lex?”

Lex tilted his bald head as he looked down at Clark. “Yes?”

“It’s cold down here.”

Lex gave a small chuckle. “Oh, please-like you can feel the cold.”

“No, not really. But my hand is getting kinda tired from being held up.”

“Oh?”

Clark nodded. “Yup. Marry me, Lex. Let’s make the whispers no longer whispers. Let’s change the ones you’d been hearing. To one we both can hear. We can have it all, Lex. We can.”

Lex took Clark’s hand as he went to his knees. “My money, my penthouse, my castle,” He murmured contently when he was gathered close in very, strong arms. He smiled at Clark. “What are you bringing into this relationship?” he teased gently.

“Love. All the love you could ever hope for and then some.”

Lex looked up at the enclosure containing their children. “That’s good enough for me.”