The Memoirs

Saturday morning bloomed like a beautiful rose. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, and the horrible cold that had blanketed Smallville seemed to be breaking. The sun was shining and it was a warm, balmy sixty degrees. Dominic had awoken to the sun, hot and lovely, lying on his bare back, and he'd lounged in it like a truth slothful cat, stretching and all but purring his pleasure. Lionel was gone, but he said he would be, off to talk to judge Ross and her minions about the move and Dogwood.

He'd rolled out of bed, somehow, some way, and at the moment the shower was running, and Dominic was singing on top of his lungs. "IIiii... I love the cool clothes you wear, and the way the sunlight plays upon your haaaiiirrrrrrr." The shampoo bottle had become an impromptu mike, and he shook and shimmied as he rinsed, dancing under the spray. "I'm picking up gooood vibrations, she's giving me eexxciittaaattioonnsss, I'm picking up good vibrations, goooooood vibrations!"

He danced right out of the shower, stopping on the chorus as the music blared from the radio he'd perched on the porcelain sink, hooking a towel around his hips as he danced out into their bedroom, still singing in his break-your-heart brogue and bopping.

All the while, his little cellular phone was ringing off the hook.

Riley was pacing the office, tie discarded as soon as he'd found himself alone in the law office. "Pick up your bloody phone, you brainless sod!" he swore at his older brother.

Oh! Dominic heard it when the radio changed to another song, and he quickly dropped down to the floor, retrieving the pants he'd yanked off in his haste the night before, and picked it up. The little LCD screen said 'Vultures 567-2351' and Dominic quickly got to his feet, grabbing the remote from the bed and taking the stereo he'd put in the bathroom off as he picked up. "Senatori."

"About goddamn time, ye idiot!" Riley roared into the phone. "I only been yer brother for twenty odd years and some, I fucking well know who ye are! Where the farragin' hell have ye been???"

"Aye, and bloody hell, what are ya yellin' at meh for?!" Dominic snarled back, his temper coming out and licking at his heart as he glared. "And dunna' you be havin' disrespect for me, boy, as you're not yet too old for meh to put yeh over me knee!"

"Ye put me over ya knee an'll bite it off!" Riley dragged his hand through short cropped blond hair. "I'm yellin' at ye because I ha'only been ringin' ya phone off th'hook for twenny bloody minutes!!"

"Been showerin'. A body canna' have five fuckin' minutes to himself." Dominic groused right back, as he climbed to his feet and went into the closet. "What be wrong wit ya?" A moment. Oh, FUCK, and his entire demeanor changed, worry clogging his throat. "Is Marie alrigh'? The babies?"

"Th'babies be fine! Tis your bloody comp'ny that's worryin' me!!!!!!!"

Oh, shit. Oh. Shit. Dominic had to sit down. His brother, his good, honest brother, who had never freaked out a day in his life other than the seven times when his children were born, was bellowing at him. About LuthorCorp. FUCK.

Dominic plopped into the chair beside the bed, and blinked. "Oh, shite. Wha'happened?"

"Ye got seven bloody days from Mundy t'get yer arses out o'th' buildin!"

Dominic burst out laughing. Best. Joke. Ever. He snorted, holding a hand to his chest as his heart slammed in his chest. "Aye, idiot, now that'be a good one."

"I DINNA BE JOKIN' WITH YE, YE THICKHEADED ID'IT!" Riley bellowed, brandishing the paper he'd just retrieved from the fax machine. "Ye dinna own the buildin'! Twas on'y leased for nine-ey nine years! Tis runnin' out a week from Munny, and if ye dinna want another twen'y year lease, they're throwin' ye out!"

Oh. Shit. All the blood drained out of Dominic's face, and he fell silent. And he was positive, positive he'd never felt this furious in his life. He swallowed, carefully, controlling his temper with a grit of his teeth. Oh, and if he was sitting in a room of the city council right now, he'd have lost it so bad he'd be sitting in jail tonight.

He was furious. Enraged. But he carefully leveled his voice, and spoke calmly to his brother. "Sen' me all the pap'rw'rk. All of it. To the mansion. Sen'it now. I wan'it in five minutes. I wan'a know everything you have, and es'pect full documentation. Now."

"Aye, cause I just crawled out o'me diapers yestiddy! Copies are sittin' on my desk an'I'll b'there in a few hours! I hadda come b'here t'get these things b'fore I said anythin'!"

"No, Riley." Dominic said it carefully, explaining it to his brother. "Fax'em. Now. An' be 'ere quick as you can. I'fact, where be Arnold? Get tha' fat ass on tha phone." Dominic rose, and everything in his mind, all his problems, joys, pains... it all cleared as he went into business mode, yanking his towel off and tugging on his slacks of the day, forgoing underwear as he set the phone down for a half moment, pulling on a green short sleeve polo. He stepped into loafers and grabbed his briefcase, walking out of his bedroom door as he talked to his brother. "Now."

" 'Ow th'ell should I know where he be? Tha fucker's off t'day, like any sane man should be!!" Riley picked up the papers and shoved them in the fax machine. "Gi'me th'fax number there."

"426-888-0923." Dominic snapped, as he started down the steps to Lex's office. it had the best computer equipment, as well as the fax machine, and he pushed in as he dropped his suitcase on the glass tabletop, opening it up as he turned and put the fax machine on. "Riley, you be me broder, and I love ye a great deal. BUT IF YOU DUNNA GET ARNOLD IN RIGHT NOW I'M GON'TA FIRE YA." Dominic bellowed, slamming down into the seat as he booted his laptop up inside of his briefcase.

Riley dialed the fax number and started feeding the sheets in. "Al'right, ye pissy brute! They be on th'way! Soon as they come through to ye, I'm packin' them up to take wi'me on the helicopter, an'll have Arnold call ye when he gets inta the office!"

"No. I wan'. Him. NOW. How many tiems do I hafta be repeatin' meself?!" Dominic snarled. "Farking gimme his home phone number and I'll be callin' him! He's fired regardless, the arse! How dinna he know 'bout this?! How tha farkin' hell dinna he know?!"

"Th' damned Ross woman! Pull'd the carp't out from under alla'us!" Riley snarled. "Th'story hit in th'Planet and the Council went onta th'bloody warpath!"

Lionel is going to break my neck. "Fuckin'ell. FUCKIN'ELL." Dominic had not been this angry in a great long while. He was furious, his cheeks reddening and paling in his anger, as he yanked the papers out of the fax machine... and stared at them.

They had exactly nine days from this very moment to be out of Metropolis, and in Smallville. Or they would have to sign another twenty year contract to stay in Metropolis.

Not only was Lionel going to break his neck, he was going to run him over a few times, for good measure.

And it INFURIATED him, that they were now up against a deadline when there was NO NEED FOR IT. He was furious, shaking with his rage at the whole damn bloody city as he looked at the page.

"Damn." He said softly. "Riley, get'ere quick as you can. I'll be seein' ya soon."

"Aye, y'will." He rattled off Arnold's home phone number for his brother, and then paused as he shoved the papers into his briefcase. "Dunna know how yer gonna han'le this one, brother mine, but'll help ye where I c'n."

"Prayin'." Dominic said, but sighed. "Thank yeh, Rye. Be seein' ya soon, take care on tha trip."

He set the phone down and leaned over, pressing the heels to his eyes as he felt the oncoming of a truly magnificent headache coming on. It was too early in the morning for corporate disasters. God, dammit.

And his gaze shot up, as he heard Enrique greet his lover.

"Hallo, e'sir." Enrique bowed, opening the door and offering it to his master.

"Good morning, Enrique." Lionel handed his jacket to the manservant. "I didn't need the jacket after all; it turned out to be a beautiful, warm day. Do you know where I might find my wayward little husband?"

"Yes, e'sir, he ees--" Enrique's face didn't even change as he saw Dominic appear from Lex's office, and motioned a palm out, smiling as he bowed again and disappeared with Lionel's coat.

Dominic's smile, on his face, was tight but beautiful. His loafers were quiet as he crossed the room to his lover, reaching for his hand and gently taking it in his own as he silently led him back to Lex's office.

Lionel didn't stop whistling the song he'd heard on the radio, Good Vibrations. "Dominic? I didn't think you'd be awake this time of the morning?"

"Eight thirty? Yes. Yes, I'm awake." Dominic said cheerfully, leading his lover into the office, locking the doors closed, and he lead Lionel over to the desk. "Very awake."

"And forward, I see," Lionel said, turning over and wrapping his leg around Dominic's hip. "You... must be in a very good mood this morning."

"I was." Dominic shoved Lionel's leg off his hip and spun him around, shoving him hard over the desk, so his chest lay flush with the wood and his ass was in the air. Dominic yanked his button and zipper down, thumbing his now mostly erect cock, and yanked Lionel's belt off, unbuttoning and unzipping him as he ignored the items on the desk falling and rolling everywhere. He shoved Lionel's pants down, his briefs, and spread beautiful ass cheeks wide, slamming himself home in one fluid, hard stroke.

He was furious. He was angry, unbelieving, PISSED. And he rammed it into his lover, beating the heat of his anger into his lovers unsuspecting ass with fast, unsteady, slamming strokes.

Lionel cried out loudly as Dominic spun him around. He braced himself on the desk as his lover undressed him and then slammed into him. Unstretched body, slick cock forcing it's way into him with hard strokes, and he pushed things off Lex's desk as he gripped the edge of the desk and rode the hard pushes. "Dominic!!"

Didn't hear his lover, at all, just grasping his slender, sturdy hips and slamming harder. The quick, fast slaps of skin slapping skin, cockhead slipping almost all the way out before slamming in. Dominic thrust as hard as he could, letting animal fury pour from his lips in roars, grunts, bellows as he thrust, pushing Lionel over further, his hips closer to his own, and he leaned over his clothed lover, lowering his mouth to give his neck a hard bite as he lay flush over him, fucking him raw. Mindless movements, the desk scraping with it as he moved, slamming in and out. His hips pistoned and he drew an unreal pleasure from it, moving harder as he snarled into his lovers ear.

Lionel grunted in response, pushing hard against the desk as he shoved back against his lover. He could feel the animal whatever that was driving his lover deep inside his ass with every stroke, and he just spread his legs further, riding the hard thrusts with pleasure and abandoning trying to figure out why. He just rode them, grunting loudly and squeezing Dominic's cock with his ass, shoving back just as hard as Dominic fucked him.

Close, close, because he couldn't continue like this and not be close. Dominic let out a hard roar, standing again. Hard bites through his lovers clothes... down his spine, his hip, and finally he bent over, nearly folded in half, and bit his lover on his ass cheek.

Hard.

Very, very hard.

The skin broke immediately and he didn't even notice, just fucking him, hard, as he slapped the opposite cheek as hard as he could.

The feel of broken skin was lost in the hard slap on his ass, and he growled loudly, arching his head back and sinking his teeth into the underside of Dominic's chin and bruising the skin. He sucked hard on his lover as he rode the hard strokes, yelling out in short cries.

Hoarse, screaming cry, and Dominic came. He erupted in his lovers barely stretched, tight sheath, back bowed as he came, letting out the cry of pleasure as he did so. He let out another sound of pleasure wretched from him as he thrust in deeper, slowly coming down from the amazing electric feeling as he worked his hips, thrusting out the rest of his orgasm and moaning in pleasure. His fingers moved around, under the desk where Lionel's cock was pressed, and squeezed in both hands, jacking him off as fast and tightly as he could.

The hard pounding in his ass ceased, turning into slow, easy strokes as Dominic came inside him. He rocked back onto the twitching, jerking cock as Dominic's hands wrapped around him, his knees going weak as talented hands pulled his orgasm out of him. Quick, hard, fast orgasm, quick and hard as the fuck they'd just had.

Groan. He toppled over his lover, gently laying himself down on the heaving back as he muttered his pleasure and his thank you with soft, tender kisses to the shell of his lovers ear. All the fury and anger from a moment ago was replaced by love and rapture, and he kissed Lionel's neck, ear, the back of his jaw, as he gently thrust in and out, doing the same with his hands as he let his lover thrust the powerful, blinding little orgasm out. "Muhmph."

Hard murmur of his lover's name as he rocked the last of his orgasm out, ass clenching around Dominic's cock. "Dominic? Are you all right, Jiminy?"

A nod...a shake of his head... a nod, and he nuzzled Lionel's hair softly, as his own come dripped down his hip. "Mmm'kay now." He muttered, licking and kissing as he gently rose from his lover, the sweet scent of delicious sex making him moan in pleasure, shuddering as his cock pulsed in post orgasmic pleasure. "Hurt you?"

Come? Dripping down his hip?

Dominic's eyebrows knit together as he looked down.

And let out a gasping cry.

"No, didn't hurt me." Lionel nuzzled back against his lover until the cry. "Dominic? What?" He tried to crane his head over his shoulder, but could see nothing but his own back and shoulder.

"You're..." BLEEDING! LOTS! The bite Dominic had laid on his lovers ass was bleeding, covering his ass cheek and rolling down his thigh and oh, my GOD! Dominic gasped and quickly but gently slipped out of his lover, crouching down in front of his lovers ass... and groaning, hard. "Lionel, shite."

"Dominic, tell me, this instant." Only then did he register the feel of something rolling down his ass and the back of his thigh. "Dominic, what is going on?"

"Looki'that, can't even fucking fuck my lover without makin' a big mess of it." Dominic muttered, darkly, as he reared up, going into Lionel's suit pocket to retrieve the handkerchief that he pressed tight to Lionel's ass. "Bit your arse, and you're bleedin' like a fuckin' pig." He said, sighing as he winced and helped his lover rise. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, beloved."

Lionel... just blinked. "You bit? And drew blood." He stood up, winced slightly as he felt the flow of blood increase, and then leaned back over the desk. "I think I shall remain here until the bleeding stops."

"Lionel, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just so mad, and you're a delicious outlet, and Im sorry. Baby, I'm sorry." Dominic winced, picking up the hanky, and...yeah, it didnt stop bleeding, only flowing harder.

SHIT.

"Here. Here." He reached for Lionel's hand, pressing it to his ass over the kerchief. "There, we are. Hold it tight, I'm going for bandage and alcohol. I'll be back."

He disappeared before Lionel could say anymore, skedaddling out the doors, closing them behind him, and running to the kitchen. He got out the first aid kit, quickly going through it for gauze, bandages, tape and alcohol swipes, and rushed back down the hall.

And nearly rammed into Lex.

"Holy shit, Dom!" Lex barely skipped out of the way before getting run over. "Where's the fire?" He snagged his friend's shoulder and stared at what was in his hands. "Okay, I know it's not me this time. Who's the patient?"

"I--...it--...mmm." The sound was high and wincing in Dominic's throat as he stared at his step son. "Can't tell you. Not bad. Might be bad, Will call. Bye!" He turned and ran back down the hall, scooting into Lex's office, and closing the door behind him.

Lionel's blood was rolling down his pants. "Fuck." He whimpered, opening the package of alcohol wipes and forgetting to tell his lover, moved the handkerchief and wiped at the bite. it was deep, too deep, and he winced as he rubbed at it, trying to clean it. No use, it welled more blood before he could see, and fuck.

Lex wasn't going to be stopped by that. "Right. Dominic, you sound like one of the three little--" He threw the door open and just blinked. "--pigs."

He blinked again. And was so very tempted to turn tail and leave the room. "Dominic? Would you like to... fill me in?"

Lionel cursed softly. "Fuck, Dominic, that hurt!" he snarled, as the alcohol stung the open wound.

"I bit your father!" He was desperate, wincing in terror. Not only was he going to get his ass chewed for the LuthorCorp thing, but he was going to be killed for biting his LOVERS CHEEK OPEN, wincing and biting his lip tightly as he tried to take in a deep breath. "Too hard, waaay too hard, sorry, I'm sorry!"

Lionel just took a deep breath. "Calm yourself, Jiminy. This is not a tragedy. We'll simply wait until it stops bleeding."

Lex was really, really trying not to snicker. The thought of his father's ass sobered him up quickly. He didn't want to know. Knowing that Dominic had bitten Lionel's ass was more information than he needed, but good Christ, he was still snickering. "Ah. Need... need some help there, Dominic?"

"Fuck you! FUCK you straight to hell! We're in the midst of corporate upheaval, I HAD A RIGHT TO IT!" Hysterical? A little. But he gave his step son the finger and turned back to Lionel, pressing the alcohol swab on the bite... until it soaked through, though the blood seemed to have been tapering off a little bit. "Fucking hell, I must have hit an artery. Something."

"I don't believe there are arteries in my ass, Dominic," Lionel said calmly. "What is this about corporate upheaval?"

Lex just lost it. "C'mon, Dominic. Relax. We'll take him to the hospital. Get him patched right up."

Chopping off the head of the messenger, who is at the moment holding an alcohol soaked cloth to ones ass? Not the best time to be jabbering. He turned, glaring at Lex before he soothed Lionel's other butt cheek, not even thinking about what he was doing as he looked down... winced. "There must be an artery of some kid, Lionel. Your ass is quite large. It needs blood, and as yours is all over your pants... you need stitches. Oh, my GOD. Baby, I'm so very, very sorry."

Lionel was ever calm. "I am sure there are smaller veins and capillaries, and considering most of my blood was in my cock not seconds ago, I'm not surprised that there was a great deal of blood." He paused. "I don't suppose Toni is in shape for a house call?"

"Toni is at work. Blasted woman, Lionel, beloved, I'm never fucking you again." Dominic all but sobbed, biting his lip tightly. He'd never caused another human being, outside of his immediate family, harm, and seeing his lover leaned over with Lionel's blood all over his hands was just... well, then. He swallowed, hard, biting his lip tighter as he winced, lifting the alcohol swab and setting the hanky back on it, as well as Lionel's hand. "You need stitches. We're going to the hospital."

"I am not going to the hospital and show the world my bitten ass. I have some measure of dignity that I would like to maintain."

Lex was collapsed, in full-blown hysterics outside the door. He managed to choke out one word. "TOBY!"

Lex was busting a gut, and Dominic was near tears, biting his lip harder before OH! YES! TOBY! He left Lionel and walked out the door, snagging Lex and his little amused ass, hauling him into the room and closing it as he got this close and gave him a warning glare. "Laugh one more time, and I'll kick your skinny little arse."

Humiliation had a whole new name.

"Go an' call Toby, little boy."

Lex was still dying of hysterics. "Oh--oh--okay," he choked out, stumbling for the phone in the main hallway. He knew Toby's number by heart, and waited for him to pick up.

Toby was in the middle of sleeping one off, when the phone rang. He woke slowly, and squinted at the number... Smallville? Fuckin' Lex Luthor. He reached over and dragged the phone off the hook, knocking the base to the floor. "Lex, you better be fuckin' dyin' to call me this early in the fuckin' morning."

Lex snickered into the phone. "No, I'm not dying. I have a special job for you, Toby, and for once, you're not sewing my ass up."

Toby swung his feet down. "So who's ass m'I stitchin' back together? That skinny-ass little blond fucker?" He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"My father."

Toby choked on his first inhalation of smoke. "You're shittin' me."

"Would I lie to you?"

"Inna goddamned heartbeat." He grunted as he got to his feet. "Still at that mausoleum?"

"Of course."

"Okay. I know where you are. Be there in... Christ, an hour."

"No good, Toby. He's bleeding out pretty good. Not life threatening, but... I'll have one of the drivers pick you up at the corner and bring you out. They drive faster."

"Long as it ain't you, Speed Racer." Toby sucked a drag off his cigarette. "See you soon." He hung up the phone, dropped it to the floor, and laughed hard as he got ready, packing his little black bag.

Dominic was busily having himself a cow, as he bit his lip tightly and winced at his lover, asking him carefully, "Would... ah... want to go up upstairs? Y... you might be more comfortable, until Toby comes to sew you up darling? Did I mention I was sorry? I'm sorry. You might have a scar. A Dominic teeth scar. I'm really, really sorry."

Lionel just sighed. "Dominic, if you apologize to me one more time, I think I will have to gag you with something. I am going to remain here, and whom, might I enquire, is this Toby person you are referring to?"

"I'm enormously sorry. I didn't mean to give you such a hard bite, but its been a frustrating morning, and then I saw you, and I was hard, and I didn’t' even think, and I bit you on the neck too, and I'm--I'm sorry! Sorry, is what I am." Dominic. Winced. Toby is Lex's doctor. He... ah... comes and fixes him up when he gets into scrapes. Or overdoses."

Lex picked himself up off the floor, where he'd fallen in his hysterics, and moseyed back down the hallway. "Toby should be here in about half an hour or so. Till he gets here... Dominic, you need to put ice on Dad's ass. Cold will slow the bleeding and numb it so he won't feel the needle when Toby gives him the local."

"Local?!" Dominic shrilled, his already big green eyes getting even bigger, all the skin under his goatee paling as he looked from Lionel, to Lex, to Lionel again. "Shots? Shots because I bit his ass?"

Lex tried to keep a straight face. "You don't expect Toby to sew up his ass with him feeling everything do you? Speaking of shots, you have had yours, right Dom?"

Oh. Dominic's mouth fell open, and he just looked crushed, looking back at Lionel and letting out a wail. "WHAT IF I GAVE YOU SOMETHING?! What if I gave you... something! That's... I don't know, but Oh, GOD! LIONEL! I licked your asshole, you could be swimming in contagions right NOW!"

Lex promptly fell back on his ass, head between his knees as he whooped with uncontrollable laughter. Even the mention of Dominic licking his father's asshole couldn't stop the maniacal grin on Lex's face as his shoulders just shook.

"Lex, remind me to revoke your inheritance at the first possible moment. Dominic, calm down. If there is an infection, I will be given antibiotics for it and anything that might have contaminated the wound will be taken care of. However, as you've swabbed my ass with alcohol at least twice, I think we're quite all right with that."

"Three times." Dominic wrung his hands and bit his lip, tighter, as he winced at his lover... and decided that now was the best time to be telling him, when he couldn't chase him and beat his skull in. "We have to move in nine days."

"Nine... nine days? Where are we moving to, Jiminy?" Lionel was willing to humor his lover, as long as it took to keep him calm.

"We have to move LuthorCorp to Smallville in nine days, or be forced to sign the lease to your building for another twenty, which is unbreakable." A physical flinch, as he winced and peered at his lover. "That's why I was so mad... That's why I bit your ass too hard. Riley'll be here in about," Consulted to his watch. "Forty five minutes."

"WHAT!????" Lionel bellowed as he straightened up and he glared at Dominic. "When the hell did this happen? Why wasn't I notified???"

Oh shit, and Dominic flinched again, closing his eyes and wincing until he could crack one open. "I didn't know until about twenty minutes ago. No one was notified... Riley found out because Judge Ross did, and than the Daily Planet, and I'm not quite up to speed on what happened but the thing is, that's what the city council was going to sic on us, at the last minute so we'd be forced to stay in Metropolis. No one knew, and Riley only knew because he's got a lady friend, that woman Lois Lane, working over there, who told him what would be in tomorrow's newspaper. Its her story, I believe."

"It's actually already in the Ledger and the Torch," Lex added helpfully from his collapsed crumple on the floor. "Chloe showed it to me last night in the coffeehouse while I was waiting for Clark to get off work."

Dominic turned, and sicced a glare on Lex that could have dropped him dead had it been a physical blow. And he spoke, very calmly, as his temper peaked again, "And you withheld this information because?"

He shrugged. "I figured it wouldn't have been in the papers if you didn't already know." He conveniently withheld the part where Chloe had told him Judge Ross had sprung it on everyone.

Oh. Shit. He lifted his fingers to his nose... winced at the blood, and used the other hand, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he glanced at Lionel... saw him showing his balls to the free world, and moved to stand in front of him and give him some modesty. Not that holding a cloth to your bleeding ass as very modest, but alas. "Lionel, we're firing Arnold. The bastard is a little fucking prick with no sense of business, and his face in the donuts. He should have seen this fucking coming. Alrigh'? If it wasn't for Riley and the good block of a head on his shoulders, and little bastard scared me, he did, carrying on the way he did. He didn't even have a nervous breakdown during the births of his children, and he called me screaming and yelling like the sky had suddenly turned purple."

"The young man apparently has a sense of his own priorities!" Lionel snapped. "Fire anyone you like, and Lex, I'd like to speak to Ms. Sullivan as soon as possible about why she didn't see fit to bring this information to me instead of you!!!"

"Hold it right there, Pops. You're not going to terrorize my friends; I won't have it." Lex glared at that. "And for the love of Christ, Dominic, would you please pull his pants up because I'm sick of looking at his ass!!"

"Because she's terrified of you." Dominic shot back, and his eyes glittered for a moment before sobering. "She's terrified of you. That's why she didn't tell you." And he swiftly, and easily, lifted Lionel's pants onto his hips, though his fingers were gentle as he kissed the back of his shoulder. "I'm firing him. Twice, if I can manage it. And Lex, stop looking at your father's bloody ass, aye?"

"There is no reason for that young woman to be terrified of me if she has kept her mouth shut as she is supposed to!" Lionel snapped back.

"Okay, what?" Lex pulled himself up. "What the hell is going on here, Dom? What don't I know here?"

"She has kept her mouth shut. She hasn't said a word to anyone, and if you weren't such a brute to her sixteen year old soul, perhaps maybe she would bring vital information to you such as this. She hasna' a single reason to be nice to you, and Lex, stay out of this." He flicked him a look that said it, firmly, before glaring at his lover again. "I'm no' having this argument with you again."

"I'll be damned." Lex stalked over and shook Dom gently by the shoulder. "Why is my father threatening Chloe and I want it stopped right now."

"Lex, read my lips. Stay out of this." Dominic looked at him, and his eyes pleaded even as his voice stayed firm. "Stay out of it." For your sake, for the renewed relationship with your father, just shut UP. And he looked back at Lionel, sighing softly. "I'm sorry I snapped. I just don't react well to having you bleeding out every which where."

Lex saw, and he didn't care. Protecting his sha'nauch was of the most importance right now. "Dominic... There's a lot of things going with Chloe and Clark and Whitney and I that I'm not sure you understand, and when you threaten her, you're threatening Clark and myself. Now I want to know, and I want to know right fucking now and if I have to, I'll go to her to find it out, and I think I'd much rather know from you."

A shake of his head. It wasn't Lex's fucking business, and for the first time he realized the irritation his mother would go through when she told them not to ask her those types of questions. He shook his head again, sighing, and went to Lionel's side, offering his hand and arm. "Come on. Lets go upstairs, beloved."

"Fine." Lex moved and blocked the office door and picked up the cordless phone from the table by the door where he'd dropped it. Chloe's number he knew from memory, and he dialed it quickly.

"Lex, stop being a snot." Dominic snarled, holding his lover to him as he glared. "Just stop. Stop it. Alright? Stop. You act like a spoiled fucking brat when someone tells you to STAY OUT OF THEIR BUSINESS. So you know what? Stay out of it. Its your fathers business, and my own, and when we tell you to stay out of it, stay out of it. Don't presume everything can include you. Do I push myself upon yours and Clark's relationship? Ask the who's, what's, and whys of what's going on, and if not, threaten to call your friends to find out?"

Lex kept the phone to his ear. "If it involves my friends, then it's not my father's business, it's mine. Especially if it means them being afraid of him."

"Its called being an adult. Look it up. Its right there, next to 'maturity' and 'common sense'." Dominic grit his teeth, hard, his hand vicing around his lovers waist as his eyes slit and he glowered at the young man. "Everyone's scared of your father. Its not your business. Stay out of it."

"Right. It's not my business that the young woman who stood by Clark and I and nearly gave up her own sanity to do it is terrified--" Lex snapped his mouth shut. "That's it, isn't it?"

This was the last thing Dominic wanted to talk about. He was near enough a nervous breakdown, and talking about THIS wasn't helping. At all. But the little bastard was so insistent, and he looked up at Lionel helplessly.

"Dominic... fuck my dad, okay? I'm asking you, not him. Because I want the truth and not some bullshit version of it." He glared. "Please."

"I can't. I'm not going to betray your father." Dominic said softly, and frowned deeply, looking away.

"Then that's answer enough." Lex slammed the phone down, and glared at his father. "Whatever you said to her, I want you to take it back and apologize. Because you don't want to fight me on it."

"I will not," Lionel said firmly. His eyes were hard and cold. "I will not have my family exposed."

"This isn't over." Lex just crossed his arms over his chest and glared in return.

"Your safety, and Clark's safety, means more than the world." Dominic just said, quietly.

Toby picked that moment to walk in. Not being a stupid man, he felt the tension as soon as he walked in. "Tough room." He looked like he'd been on a week-long bender, with dirty gray hair that was thinning at the top, a ten o'clock shadow, and ragged clothes that matched the beat-up little black bag.

"Toby, 'ello." Dominic greeted, looking up from the safety of Lionel's arms, where he'd been leading him towards their bedroom. But now that the doctor was here... he sighed, softly, and looked at the man helplessly.

"Yo." He looked around. "Okay, put him on the couch there and drop 'em."

Lex snorted.

"Excuse me?" Lionel asked, eyebrow raised to his hairline.

"Get on the couch and drop your pants so I can look at your ass. Or was Lex speaking figuratively when he said I needed to sew your ass up?"

Dominic shot the little shit a look, as he looked at Lionel, shaking his head and just starting to mosey him over to the couch. "Darling, its better just to do what the man says." Dominic said almost under his breath, quietly wincing at Toby's words.

"Darling?" Toby threw a look at Lex. "Fuck you, you little shit. I owe you ten grand."

"Yes, you do." Lex just kept smirking. "And no, I was being literal. Dominic bit Dad on the ass, and he refused to go to the hospital."

"Smart man. Overpriced sons of bitches." He looked up at Dom. "Get me an ashtray, will ya?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit it as he sat beside the couch. "Ain't got all day, old man."

"Old man?" Lionel asked furiously. "I will have you know--"

"You're older'n I am. Lay down and show your ass."

Lex was shaking in the doorway, holding out one of the large metal bowls that decorated the room. "You can use this, Toby."

"Great. Give me another one, and we'll be cookin'."

Dominic was going to be paying for this for the next twenty years. He was positive of it. He helped Lionel across the thick carpet that had cost more than his education, and helped Lionel onto the couch. Wince, as he looked at the man, his lover, the man, and breathed very deeply.

Say it with me now, Dominic. I will never fuck my lover raw over a desk ever again. I will never--OH! HAHAH!

"Oh, Lex?"

"Yeah, Dom?"

Lionel gritted his teeth as Dominic laid him on the couch and rolled down his pants to expose the wound.

"Those smears on the bottom of the glass table? You might want to have Ms. Bird Windex it, darling. I'm sure you don't want to accidentally get your father's come all over your hands." Accompanied with a very sweet, pleasant smile.

And back to Lionel, as he adjusted him on the thick couch and helped lower the pants, sitting on the edge next to him as he tipped his head and winced at the wound.

Toby gave a low whistle. "Christ, what the hell bit you like that?" He started digging in his bag. "You never send me the easy shit, do you, Lex?"

"Where'd be the fun in that?" Lex grimaced at Dominic. "Next time, fuck in your own room and keep your dick out of my office."

"Twas I." Dominic winced, visibly, and blushed just a little. "We got a little... Overexcited. As it is, your fathers is on your leather couch."

"You had your shots, Dom?" Toby went to work, pulling out a white cloth and dipping it in the alcohol he'd poured into one of the basins, tapping cigarette ash into the other one. "Make yourself useful, man. hold this." He held out the ashtray to Dominic, and then started scrubbing blood away.

"People keep asking me this. Its mildly insulting." Dominic cocked a brow, and set the ash tray on the table next to Toby. Okay? He did anything, but he wasn't anybody's ash tray. And he gently touched Lionel's thigh, wincing at the bite. It was… yeah. "And yes, every six months. Company policy, for all the times we go to the middle east."

"Well, that's good. Hear that? Means no tetanus for you." He got the blood all scrubbed away. "Well, Dom? If you ever go missing, we gonna have your teeth prints right here on Big Daddy's ass." He pulled a bottle of clear liquid out of his bag, and a three inch needle. "All right. Shot in the ass oughta take about ten minutes to get you all numbed up, and then we'll get you sewn up good as new."

"We should get you a rabies tag, Dom. Just in case this ever happens again."

Dominic turned and glared at Lex, furiously, before looking back at Lionel, making I'm sorry noises as he gently touched his leg, wincing. Yeah. Ow. "Shots? And… and stitches? How many, you think? Will it hurt a lot?"

"Stitches?" Toby leaned forward. "Bout... fifteen or twenty, to go all the way round. Gonna hurt? Not if I give him the shot in the ass. You keep bitchin' like a Mama Hen, and he's not gonna get the shot and it's gonna hurt like a motherfucker."

Lex had to die. He just had to. "Don't you love his bedside manner??"

Dominic's chin trembled, and he turned to glare at Lex, giving him the most evil face on the face of the planet. "Stop teasin'! You'll be tellin' me this when you bite Clark and rip off bits of skin! ASS!" His brogue was thick on his words in his upset, and he… yeah. Just yeah.

"He has before." Clark murmured from the door, smiling in understanding as he came in with double snifters of brandy. The hubbub had roused him from sleep and he'd brought Lionel and Dominic's favorite brandy, walking over to hand Dominic one, and one to poor Lionel, propped on the sofa. "Here, you go. Hi, Toby, its nice to see you."

"Hey, Clark. Still with this loser?" Toby nodded to him. "How's that friend of yours doin'... Tippett, was it?" He put his cigarette out as he filled the needle from the bottle. "Take a deep breath, Lionel."

Lionel silently accepted the brandy from Clark, drank it in a single gulp and passed the empty glass back. "I am quite ready, Mr. ..."

"Jus' call me Toby," he answered back, swiftly jabbing the needle into the fattest part of Lionel's lean buttocks, pushing down the plunger, and pulling it back out again.

"Doing alright. He emailed me a month or two ago." Clark peaked over Toby's shoulder, wincing at the wound with a grimace on his face. "Well, that's kinda gross. If you don't mind my saying, Mr. Senatori, you're part blood hound."

Dominic. Just. Glared.

And Clark cracked an innocent grin, winking back at his lover before sitting himself next to Toby. "Anything I can do?"

Lex broke out into more peals of laughter, leaning back against his lover for support.

"Yeah, take Mama Hen here and get him laid." Toby pulled out his suture needle, and then cursed. "Motherfucker. Lex, you got any 3-0 silk layin' around? Or #30 sutures? I don't wanna drag my ass out here again for this."

"Yeah, I think I got some 30s left downstairs," Lex said, straightening up. "I'll go look."

"You know, fuck the both of you." Dominic glared, before looking back down at his lover… and up, as his brother walked in through the door. "YES. Lets bring in a bright FUCKING party, why don't we? Lionel, have you showed your ass to this brother yet? HE MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONE LEFT." Dominic dropped his head into his hands, pinching his nose, hard, as he gazed at his brother.

"Hi, Riley." Clark waved, as he winced again at Lionel's ass, and since he was sitting on the part of the coffee table near Lionel's face, he bent over and looked at him crookedly. "At least you have a nice ass."

"And I am disturbed that you're noticing my father's ass, Clark." Lex paused. "However, if I forget the fact that it does belong to my father, I agree. It is a nice ass." He said that on the way out. "Hey, Riley. Come on in."

"ALEXANDER!" Lionel thundered.

"Seen better, seen worse," Toby commented.

"Chris'Jesus, Morgan!" Riley exclaimed. "What in th'bloody 'ell is goin' on?"

"Bloody hell does seem tha way of'i, doesnit?" Dominic commented, rubbing his eyes as he climbed to his feet, patting Lionel's leg as he walked over to his brother and gave him the normal introduction amongst Senatori's... a tight hug. "Come on... over here." Lionel moved around the couch so Lionel could see them both over the arm of the couch, and took out two chairs... his moving juuust out of Lionel's reach as he motioned Riley into the one beside him.

Clark grinned up at Lex before he lowered his eyes, peering at Toby working. "How big is that needle? Its look... like the size of my arm. Lionel, you should see it."

Riley sat down. "Li'nel. Nice to see ya, though I didna expect t'see so much of ye."

"Big enough to get through that thick skin of his, if Lex'd bring my goddamned sutures already," Toby groused.

"Riley... a pleasure as always. Clark, you do remember we have a fencing match later, don't you?"

"Not on this ass you don't, mister. Not unless you want to rip every stitch you got open." He looked up at Dominic. "No more hide the hot dog until this thing's cleared up."

Lex was rifling through the contents of his lab, which he hadn't been in since Mar-El's funeral. "Goddammit, I had ten boxes of those 30s, what the hell happened to them?" He picked up the last two boxes and headed back up the steps. "Clark!! Remind me to do an inventory in the lab later!" he yelled up, knowing his lover would hear him.

Dominic turned six shades of pink and dropped his head into his hands, elbows propped on his knees.

Clark nodded, then winced and shook his head, though he startled, glancing up as he listened to his lover, and sighed softly. "Only two boxes of sutures left. Don't tell Lex... I used them to make toys for my puppies." Wince, but he beamed a minute later. "Lionel usually kicks my ass, Toby. I might get to win this time."

"Didn't know you were a dog man, Clark." Toby had a gruff affection for this kid who had grabbed hold of Lex so strongly and hadn't let go. Clark'd lasted longer than anyone else Toby'd ever seen with Lex, and he was kind of glad. "Know a good vet in Metropolis--my ex brother-in-law. Bitch of a sister, but she married a good guy."

Riley's eyebrow shot up. "Ya did tha' to him? When ye were... brother, I'm impressed. Didna think anyone got on the wrong side of Li'nel Luthor, if ye know what I mean."

Lionel remained stoically mute. It was the only way to survive this humiliating ordeal.

"Oh, yeah. My three dogs… pups, still. Beagles. My oldest one...he's fat as all hell. But you know, Lex and I needed to take the other two to the vet...give me the name of this guy later? I want a good guy for my pups, you know, and if you know him, he's got to be."

Dominic smacked Riley's arm with the back of his hand. Hard. And glared at him. "Yeah, 'nd Im sure tha' Marie hasna seen your wrong side, eh? As your spouse? My spouse." He pointed to Lionel. "Come on...we're to be goin up the steps and get thin's in order. Lionel, you stay here, eh? Let Toby fix you up, and be on your way up when ya can."

"Course Marie's seen th'wrong side o'me, just never been in it," Riley pointed out. "Doesna work that way."

Toby snickered at the new guy, Riley. "Sure thing, kid. I'll give you the guy's name and number before I leave. LEX!!!! GET YOUR SKINNY LITTLE ASS UP HERE RIGHT NOW WITH MY SUTURES!" he bellowed.

Lex rubbed his ear as he walked in the door. "Shut the fuck up!" he yelled back, tossing the two boxes at Toby. "There! My last two boxes of 30s. Use 'em in Dad's good health."

"You'd be surprised." Dominic muttered, and heaved a sigh. Too many people, dammit, and he pointed at Lex, and he pointed at Clark, then pointed at the door. "We'll call you in in a bit. Get lost."

Clark heaved a dramatic sigh, though he rose and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Me? Insulted?! Never." He grabbed Lex's hand, and dragged him to the door.

Lex planted his feet in the carpet. "Miss this? Hell no. These are my sutures, Dom. I wanna see 'em at work."

"Get out, Lex. You're cloudin' my aura. You don't want your dad's ass to have crooked stitches, d'ya?" Toby demanded as he threaded the suture needle.

"Miss this? Hell yes. This is my husband, and you aren't staring at his ass anymore. Ge' the bloody 'ell out." Dominic glared, climbing to his feet and, grasping Lex under one elbow and Clark under the other, shoved them out the door, snarled, and shut the door behind them.

He was not in a pleasant mood. Whatsoever. And he calmly stepped back over to the chair settled in front of the arm of the couch, plopping down and looking at his lover. "There, now. Ahh. See, the peace?"

"Close 'nuff." Toby started threading the needle with the sutures Lex had given him, and then he pinched Lionel's ass. "Feel that, big daddy?"

Lionel was breathing deeply. "No, I did not. I have not been able to feel my ass for the last five minutes. Do get on with it."

"Bitch." But Toby started sewing anyway, lighting another cigarette as he worked.

Dominic choked on the snicker, swallowing it back down before he could let it come out. He was stressed beyond imagining... tired just thinking of the daunting task that faced them, and he gazed at his lover with a wince. "Nine days."

Lionel just stared at his lover. "Yes. Nine days. Which should be doable, if we double the current workforce, temporarily abandon our plan of not flooding Smallville's economy with money, and have twice the work force working on the buildings here and hire a new cadre of men in Metropolis to pack up the tower."

"Li'nel, fa'give me for sayin' so, but yer out o'yer bloody mind." Riley just sighed.

"And build houses. And get the city permits. And finalize the lease. And get the art finished." Dominic had turned a soft shade of pale just thinking about it, and he winced, visibly, swallowing hard.

"I'm not quite as worried about the art as I am the homes, because I have no doubt that the esteemed Mr. Dogwood Ross can function around the movers and the people setting up the equipment. That is the point of restorationists, to restore around whatever is already there." He raised his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. "The places to begin are the entire boardwalk of homes beside the facility. The multiple level homes especially, they should not take much work to convert each level into a habitable apartment."

He leapt to his feet and began to pace. Across the room, one hand rubbing his goatee as was one of Dominic's nervous habits. He walked up and down the room, rubbing his face as he thought. Numbers were whirring in his mind at breakneck speed, and he was muttering to himself, before he reached over into Riley's shirt pocket, taking out one of the pens always there and writing on the back of the magazine on the table. The woman was half naked in the ad but he didn't mind, writing around her as he began to list. "The homes. Forty thousand a piece, restorations about 10 thousand a piece, 80 homes..." Dominic rose, opened the door, peaked out, and bellowed on top of his lungs. "BRUCE! COME DOWN!"

Back in, plopping back in his seat as he thought, writing quickly. " Get'bout 2000 homes built.... bought Anderson field already, next to the housing we already own, up from the forties... town houses..." He glanced up at his lover. "Getting all the houses ready in Smallville, for over 2500 employees, will cost us roughly 600,000 dollars." Dominic nodded. "Not counting what's already here. We need to call Allen Construction... Trens Inc Construction, and the one out of Richardsonville, Werbert and Wright. That puts us at roughly 600 construction workers, not including the ones putting the finishing on the plant. So, about 700 all together. 700 workers... three thousand homes."

"Morgan!!" Riley snatched the magazine out of Dominic's hand. "Y'be writin' on Meggie's bare arse!!!" He held the magazine up and pointed at the woman's face.

"I've already moved liquid assets into all of the accounts," Lionel said calmly. "There's nearly a million dollars in the outgoing accounts, and I have my private lawyer working to free up more of the assets that are not quite solid. He will hopefully be shunting those funds into the accounts as well, which will cover all expenses that we need to consider." He sighed again. "Town homes are all well and good, as are apartments and condominiums and the like, but those with larger families will require actual homes." He considered a moment, and Riley burst in with a suggestion.

"No' that ye know it, but LuthorCorp's funded lots o'the Habitat fer Humanity homes. Th'foremen o'those teams can build them houses in a day with inexperiened teams. See if you can woo 'em away, or have them lent to ye, for a donation a'course."

Dominic blinked... paled. Put the magazine back on its back, and covered his sisters Estee Lauder ass. "Tha floor plans are finished for the houses...they were going to begin building next month." Dominic sighed, softly, rubbing his neck with pen still in hand....and looked up at his brother. "The kids at the high school were going to have their community project early...we might ask the school board if they'll bring that date back, and have them do it next week. Six hundred students is a work force we could use, and a house a day? Aye, that would be just what we need."

"Aye, y'bloody id'it!" Riley snatched the magazine away, and shoved it in his briefcase. "Y'shouldna be so strange, ye've seen Meggie's ass a hundred times!" He snorted. "Leave th'board to Marie 'n me. We've got a brood of our own, and th'yll listen to parents."

"There." Toby patted his patient's ass. "Good as new. Stay on your stomach for the rest of the day, no fucking for about a week, and if the stitches don't fall out on their own, call me and I'll cut 'em out."

"Thank you so much for filling the entire house in the on the state of my ass!!!" Lionel gritted out.

"It's what I'm here for." Toby slapped a bandage over the stitches so it wouldn't rub against Lionel's clothing. "Wouldn't hurt if you switched to boxers for a couple weeks, either, just so it's not so tight in there. Air needs to circulate and help close up the wound."

"Aye, but I've no'assepted that I see--" Dominic paled again, looking at Toby, then at his lovers stitched ass, wincing as he bit hit lip and cringed at his lover.

"Stitches in the ass?" Bruce asked from the door, strolling in. He looked confident, casual, comfortable, and he noted the three men, all with worry lines on their faces. Worry lines, on young men such as the Senatori brothers was never good, and he cocked an innocent brow as he walked in and hovered over them. "Hmm. Always thought he was a boxers man."

Dominic winced, all but slouching behind his lover. He was never taking him like that again. Ever. He got rough, and there were stitches involved. Nope. Never again.

"Not today he's not." He motioned to the black briefs that hung off the bottom of Lionel's ass. "If he's a boxer man, he needs to damn well stick to 'em."

"Hello, Bruce. Come in, have a seat. Toby was just finishing," Lionel ground out.

Riley grinned. "What's there to assept? It's Meggie, it's her bare arse, and we've all seen it. Nothin' else t'know." He nodded. "Mr. Wayne."

Toby slapped a bottle of pills in Lionel's hand. "Take one of those every... oh, six hours oughta be good."

"What are they?" Lionel held the bottle with two fingertips.

"Antibiotics. Keep infection out, unless you want your ass to be leakin' pus for the next month. If you need painkillers, tell Lex, and he'll get in touch with me."

"Hello, Mr. Senatori." Bruce pulled up one of the slender seats behind the table in the office, setting it beside the couch as he cocked a brow at the scene. Well, this was oddly amusing, and his lips quirked once as he crossed his legs. He was dressed casually, but the cost of his clothing was obvious. All Gucci and Armani, in a deep blue polo shirt and black slacks, with expensive shoes. He cocked a brow, watching the exchange, and wishing for a glass of cognac and his lovers sexy little body. Which he'd been in the middle of scrubbing down with soap in the shower when Dominic bellowed.

Dominic cringed, some more, and winced at his brother hard as he peaked at Lionel's face. "I'll... I'll make sure he takes them, Toby."

"Toby... not that I don't appreciate your assistance from the bottom of my heart--"

"More like the heart of your bottom."

"--but could you please get the hell out of my house?" Lionel spoke calmly, as though he hadn't even been interrupted. "I have some business I need to take care of, rather urgently."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be seein' you, Big Daddy." He slapped Lionel on the ass again, just to piss the man off, and then started packing his things into his little black bag.

Alright, Bruce was full out grinning, though he hid it quickly when Lionel lanced at him, and looked demurely right back at him, glancing at the other two men easily. "What's going on?"

"Oh, just the end of the world." Dominic replied. "Except the end of the world would be so MUCH more fun then what this is."

"Though I'm not yet aware of the details of exactly how, Metropolis is evicting us from the LuthorCorp tower--I am assuming that there is a clause in the contracts somewhere that allows them to do this. They are attempting to force us into a twenty-year lease, and refusing that, we have nine days to move the totality of our operation here." He held up a hand. "Riley, I'm sorry, but I think Bruce needed to hear that in English first, not Gaelic."

Dominic cracked a grin at that, giving it to his brother and shaking his head, patting Riley's leg. "Dunna worry, he does it to me too."

Hmm. To his credit, Bruce's face didn't change. His eyes, which had been light with mirth, however, darkened in thought and anger. "That's interesting. Sons of bitches." He lowered his leg carefully, re-crossing them to the other side. "Your grand father had the building rented for ninety nine years. He built it from a three story hovel to the over hundred floors it has now. It was because of him, and your father, that it looks the way it does today, and you and yours own more of the building than Metropolis does, Lionel." Bruce said quietly, carefully. "If you want to fight it, we can try. But if your grandfather took the lease out for... what was it, a hundred years? There's not much we can fight about it, I'm afraid."

"Ya'see, Riley?" Dominic motioned towards Bruce. "He knows more'n that asshole does."

"I wasn't aware that Julian rented the building, and in fact, I know that Philip--my father--was under the impression that we owned the building, as we were allowed to renovate and rebuild and add on to our heart's content." Lionel scowled. "No, it's no use fighting for it. I'm sure that we could win it by we're leaving anyway. This merely accelerates our timetable a great deal."

"Lionel... sir, not that I mean disrespect, but how the living hell do you think you're going to be able to move a business of your size, its many employees, your sub businesses, and those employees, to Smallville in nine days? Its madness. What of families, children, schools? Sir, its almost impossible."

"We've already taken care of most of the housing and moving logistics. The structures are already in place here, including a large level under my son's fertilizer plant that can be used for temporary storage and server housing if necessary. Riley is going to be speaking to the school board tonight about the students' senior project date being moved up to coincide with our move. Dominic and I are going to be contacting Habitat for Humanity and borrowing several of their people, if possible, to advise our building teams in building the simple homes in a day. We are already expanding Pleasant Meadows, and once the developments are built and in place, the homes we've built with Habitat will be donated to them, moved if necessary to where homes are needed."

"Yes, sir, but I don't think you've thought of the children these people have. Smallville Elementary has two hundred students. In this move, you'll have at least five thousand children, with various ages. As for that, what of collegiates living at home? What of privately owned businesses? Sir, you're asking three thousand employees to pack their lives up and leave their homes, where their children were born. Many will do it, but at the same time, many won't. Sir... I propose you hold a meeting, inviting all of your employees, and explain to them just what is going to happen, what's expected of them."

Lionel shook his head. "If they want to keep their jobs, they will move. If they want to stay in Metropolis, they can find employment elsewhere. I don't have time to coddle people, Bruce. I don't have time to deal with the niceties of the situation. This move is not a secret, and it has not been for quite some time. Anyone who chooses not to move will of course be provided with an adequate severance package designed by Dominic himself."

Bruce ground his teeth. Hard. "Yes, sir. I understand. I am simply saying, make the facilities available. Build more schools. That will be the main concern of everyone. If their children will be able to continue school here. Medical facilities, as well. You cannot simply ask three thousand people to pick up their lives and move to a town where they will not be able to use the hospital, or have their children attend school. You must think of these types of things, sir. Mr. Senatori, for instance." Bruce motioned towards Riley. "He has quite a number of children, of varying ages. I'm sure he wouldn't want to move to a town where there was two grocery stores for this large a number of people. I am just asking you to look at what will be available for those who do make the move. And I believe many will, sir."

"Bruce, I chose Smallville because that is where my family is. It is a very small, very quiet town of less than fifty thousand people, and I intend for it to stay that way. I refuse to have this place become a carbon copy of Metropolis because that is precisely what I am attempting to escape. Our company will move right away. I am not insisting that my employees make the immediate move either. I fully intend to temporarily outsource most of the functions of the Metropolis office to the other offices I have around the world, and will keep my employees on retainer until such time as it is feasible for them to move. I will not have shopping malls and chain stores here. Dominic has been working on partnership agreements with the local stores in the area to expand with LuthorCorp financial backing."

He hissed out a low breath, and nodded. The man was frustrating as true fuck. "Sir, I believe you are not understanding what I'm trying to tell you. I did not imply shopping centers, nor chain stores. I do, however, believe that more schools should be built. More elementary schools, more middle schools, and another high school. A daycare center. Another super market. With families and such, I believe at least eight thousand people will be moving here. Eight thousand. There has to be facilities which they can use when they get here. Which was my original point." But you're too fucking thick headed to listen to me. "Peter Ross, your sister in laws significant other, gave quite a presentation the week before last, on the community project. It seems a very good idea, and as Mr. Senatori said, a good way to get houses built in the area, as well as bring the community closer together."

"The day care center is part of the plaza development. If you mean a stand-alone child development center, we are in negotiations with one of the many Rubenstein descendants to purchase their defunct recreational center and expand it." He sighed. "Schools, Mr. Wayne, are an entirely different matter. I cannot personally fund the building of schools. That must be done by the city, through state funding and voter-passed referendums. While I can call for said vote, and while I can ensure that the funding does arrive at Smallville through the state channels, I cannot take the building of them into my own hands. It is simply not possible."

"Yes, sir, I understand that." He wasn't going to argue with the man anymore. he was having a good day, and as ruining it seemed to be in the works regardless, he quieted.

Dominic chimed in, once there was a lull in the two men's conversation. He and Riley had been up, getting faxes and information through the web while Bruce and Lionel spoke, and he spoke from the desk as he was put on hold. "Riley and I are taking care of getting the construction teams. The project heads will be here in an hour... I'm just--" He looked back down at the phone. "Yes, hullo, Mr. Wright. Wonderful to hear from you, as well. Yes, sir, we seem to be having a bit of an emergency, would it be at all possible for you to be here in Smallville in the next hour? ...Yes? Wonderful. Luthor Estate....yes, sir. Wonderful. Bye." He glanced back up. "All three project heads. Riley's talking to Habitat for Humanity. I'm going to go give Judge Ross a visit here in a moment."

Lionel just closed his eyes. "All right. Give me the paperwork and let me read it; I want to get familiar with the situation so that I can get a better idea of just what we're dealing with. When you talk to Mrs. Ross, see if you can get her to use her influence to set up the school referendum for the vote. Also, ask her if there is a possible legal injunction that could be applied to this case, as the schools need to be built as soon as possible. We will also be willing to provide mobile classrooms for the current schools, if needed."

"Indeed." Dominic rose, as Bruce walked to the desk and lifted his own briefcase, and walked to the couch... crouching to nuzzle his lover's nose with his own, his fingertips stroking gently through a few locks that had fallen. "I'm sorry, Lionel."

Lionel reached forward and kissed his lover softly, touching Dominic's cheek with his fingertips. "Don't be sorry, Dominic. It was the best welcome I could have imagined this morning. I will have to put you over my knee later for the humiliation of everyone seeing my bare bitten ass, but I am a Luthor and I can endure a great many things without losing my composure," he teased.

"You've my lovely… and I've marred you." He gently slipped his fingers down to Lionel's skivvies and his pants, drawing them up a little to cover the nakedness. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." But he grinned, kissing him back as he pressed their faces close, hidden behind the back of the couch from the other two men. He set Lionel's palm gently on his cheek, squeezing it there on his face, and smiled as he pressed his lips to the center of his lovers palm. "Promise me you'll take the medicine Toby left?"

"Only if I figure out what in the name of God it is and whether or not it will kill me combined with the Effexor that Dr. Nacheyez put me on." He smiled as he looked at his beloved husband. "We will live."

"Indeed, that. As much fun as meeting your Herbert would be, I don't think either of us would enjoy explaining to the press why you're high as a kite." Though he grinned, eyes dancing behind his little silver glasses as he kissed his lover again, setting the paperwork there on the cushion with him. "Would you like some tea? I was on my way to get some."

"I think tea would be a lovely idea. With honey, if possible, and a splash of whiskey."

"More than'a splash, I should think." He chuckled back, kissing his lovers nose as he rose to his feet and let go of his lovers palm. He strode out of the room and into the hall, calling up the steps to Lex as he walked to the kitchen.

~ * ~ * ~

-fin-

go on to the next part