The Memoirs

After a quick stop at a twenty-four hour Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, Clark and Lex arrived at the hospital, heavy one purple blanket, one cherry slushy, and one fuzzy white teddy bear. They signed in, as... erm… Superman had given the cops and doctors permission to let Lex and Clark both in, and they scooted into the ER laden with gifts. After asking a few nurses, and walking through the maze that was the Metropolis General ER, they found the tiny little girl sitting by herself in a room near the back, with a cop standing in front of it. "Hi, we're here to see Victoria?"

The cop snorted. "You'n everybody else in creation." He looked at the list in his hand. "Lex Luthor, right. Says here you're going to take the kid home?"

Lex gave a delicate little cough. "That's yet to be determined, actually."

The little girl saw Clark's hulking silhouette in the door and gave a screech, and pelted towards him, but stopped when she saw him, and didn't recognize him. "You're not Superman," she said accusingly.

Thank God. Clark smiled, anyway. "Nope. I'm one of Superman's friends, Clark Kent. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Victoria," Clark answered, sagely offering his hand down to her which *happened* to be holding the cherry slushy. "Superman asked me to give this to you, because he got really busy, but said he'd come by to see you soon."

She gave a happy little squeal as she took the cherry slushy. "He membered!!! THANK YOU SUPERMAN!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, then smiled back up at Clark. "He said that he could hear things from longs ways off. So he heard me say thank you."

Lex tapped Clark on the shoulder, holding out the blanket. "I think this was requested, and would you like to explain to me how we have a four year old Victoria Hardwick?"

When she heard her name, Victoria peered around Clark at the tall bald man. "You're funny looking like Daddy said."

"Of course he did," Clark smiled like a besotted dork, and glanced over his shoulder at Lex, lips twitching up. "Baldy's very weird looking, you know. But? Superman told him to bring a blanket, in several types of purple," he said, pulling the blanket from Lex's hand and lifting her up on the bed, wrapping it up around her shoulders. "See? Warm and fuzzy. And Baldy brought you somethin' else too." He glanced at Lex, then down to the little girl.

"A pessant?" She looked very interested, at that. "I like pessants."

Lex gave a loud cough at "Baldy" and hauled his lover backwards. "Clark, not that I mind adopting strays for you, especially when they're on four legs, but in case you didn't notice? This is a child. Children do not, as a general rule, get along well with me."

Clark just *glared* at his lover, turned him, and gave him a shove toward the child. "Be nice to her or you shan't be allowed to have any!"

"Shan't be allowed," Lex mouthed. "You've been hanging around my father too long," he muttered, just a little bit louder, then turned around to the little girl with a false Luthor Smile plastered onto his face. "Here you are, Victoria," he said, nearly strangling it on it as he brandished the fuzzy white bear between them.

Victoria gave another little shriek of happiness as she snatched the bear, sending the cup of cherry slushy flying.

Lex's hand shot out and barely caught the cup, keeping the lid on by an act of sheer willpower--literally, in this case--as he righted it and set it far, far away from flailing appendages and white teddy bears.

"His name is... is... is... Superman!" she crowed, making the little bear fly.

Lex glared at Clark. "No, we're not buying the bear a costume."

Yeah right. Clark's eyes had misted over with absolute elation, and he beamed at the little girl like… well, back to being besotted. "You're naming him Superman? That's a great name," Clark answered, as he plopped on the bed beside her and peered at him. "You sure he's a boy, though? Cause… well, you said that boys don't have fairy godmothers, right? And I think your bear should have a fairy godmother... so what if we name her Wonder Woman instead?" he asked, eyes wide in elation at the thought. "We can even get her a tiara like Wonder Woman."

Victoria shook her little head stubbornly. "He is a he, and his name is Superman. And since he is a boy bear, boy bears can have fairy godmothers, cause they're not real boys. They're bear boys. So they have beary fairy godmothers and his name is SUPERMAN!"

Clark grinned, from ear to ear. "Now, that's a bit of logic I like. Listen, Victoria, Baldy and I are gonna go talk outside a sec, to talk to the detective and the doctors, okay?" He winced. "Superman said they might stick you. Did they stick you?"

She nodded, her lower lip drooping as she held out her arm. The little puncture site where they'd taken blood was covered with a bright blue Princess Jasmine bandaid.

"I'm sorry, honey," Clark answered, kissing his fingertips and touching the to the bandaid. "We'll be back in a sec, kay?"

"Okay. Me and Superman will finish the slushie." She cuddled back into the big purple blanket, tucking the bear in one corner of it and then picking up the cup in her other hand.

Clark nodded, smiled at her and fixed the blanket, before climbing to his feet and not meeting Lex's eyes yet, cause he knew he was gonna get yelled at, big time. Regardless, he stepped out of the room, and nodded to the cop sitting in front of the door. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

Lex was still just smiling reassuringly at the little girl, but it was starting to crack a little around the edges, because no explanations were forthcoming from his dear, darling little Clark. "After you," he said, following Clark out and then closing the flimsy door of the cubicle behind him. "No," was the first thing out of his mouth.

Clark winced hard but led his lover a little further off, into one of the rooms not in use, and tugged Lex in. "Something... she's not Victoria's daughter, and she kept calling Sir Harry "Daddy". His wife's dead, so unless he's got a mistress.." He winced again. "Lex, I have to talk to the detective, but what Turpin told me, they're going to release her to Child Protective Services. I don't want her to sleep in an orphanage."

Lex just brought his fingers to his temples and rubbed. "Okay. So this child, that may or may not be Harry's daughter, but is still named Victoria, is going to Child Protection and we object to this why, exactly?"

Oh, Clark felt a pout coming on. "Because I found her in the woods. Supposedly she ran away--I found her half buried in the forest, shaking and shuddering. She was out there for two days, she was covered in muck. See all the scratches on her? No little girl deserves that."

"I will agree with that, because I know how the elder Victoria turned out, and I don't think that Sir Harry has the redeeming qualities that my father does. So, yes, I agree, no child deserves to be raised by that. And you still haven't explained who she is, why you needed the pictures of Victoria from before, and why you want to keep her, which we cannot do, by the way."

"Just... just for a while, until they can find people to adopt her," Clark said, then rushed on, not able to listen to what his lover had else to say. "I don't know who she is. Her names Victoria Hardwick, I found her after Dick and I found a lab in Sir Harry's basement that was about ten times what yours is, and there was a patient room that looked like it had recently been in use. I went looking around the grounds, found the child. She keeps calling Hardwick her dad, and something is wrong about the whole thing, but I don't want her to have to go to CPS."

Lex could tell that "No," was falling on deaf super-ears. "Clark, even if we did take her home, where is she going to sleep? None of the rooms in the house are even appropriate, and no, she is not sleeping in our bed."

"We could make room for her--we could put her on a cot, or whatever, or let her sleep in the room with my dad, or use the fold out couch in the room beside ours, or something," Clark babbled, breathless. "She's so little, and alone, cause Hardwick's going to jail for a long time if he can't manage to make bail, which I doubt cause he's got all his accounts frozen, please oh please, Lex?"

Lex glared at his lover. "Yes, let's put her on the fold-out in the room with the puppies, and perhaps lay down some extra newspapers in the corner in case she has an accident during the night."

"That's not what I meant," Clark said, in exasperation. "You don't even have to take care of her. I will, alright? You won't even know she's there."

There was a quiet little sniffle from the doorway. "I's real little," Victoria said quietly, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and the bear half-dragging on the floor. "I won't take up much room at all."

Oh, there went the rest of Clark's heart. He gaped down at the little girl, staring, then looked up at Lex, mouth trembling open before he walked over and sank down to his knees. "I know you won't, baby, but its not about that. How'd you get out, wasn't the cop supposed to be watching you?"

"The lady from the Protection place is here, and he said I had to go and I ran down here cause I knew you were here," she said, still wrapped up in her little blanket. "I didn't want to go with her cause she was old and her face was wrinkly and mean."

Clark gathered her in his arms and stood, holding her tightly to his chest, and looked back at Lex without saying a word, but the pleading that was all but coming off of him in waves was right there in his eyes.

"Please, misser. I'm real little, won't take up no space at all." Her arms went tight around Clark's neck as she held on Superman Bear.

Lex just sighed, and walked over to Clark, rubbing the little girl on the back. "Let me go and talk to the woman, and make sure things get smoothed over," he said with a sigh.

Oh, Clark beamed. BEAMED. He hugged Victoria tightly, smiling up at her so hard his dimples all but caved in, eyes twinkling. "Heeey. I think that was a yes," he said, snuggling her close to his shoulder as he walked out of the room with her.

- = - = -

Lex was... a really, really big sucker. Just a big, Lex-shaped sucker.

Evidenced by the fact that he was holding the front door of the penthouse open for Clark, who was currently carrying in one sleeping little four year old girl, one cherry-slushie-stained purple blanket, and one sticky-furred white teddy bear named Superman.

In addition to three fat (but now fixed, thank Christ for small favors!) puppies. And Dominic's cat. And he was sure there were probably more animals around there he didn't know about.

Did he mention they'd just acquired a child?

He couldn't wait to see his father's reaction to that.

Clark was in nirvana. For one, he felt totally and completely justified in his life and his world by the fact that he'd saved this child from a different fate she could have had somewhere else. Two, she was adorable, and he was already in love with her and wanted to keep her. Three... did he mention the loving part? Whatever. He hugged her close, stickiness and all, as he walked into the apartment quietly.

Victoria was just... flat out asleep. Earthquake? No problem, she was sleeping through it. Nuclear blast? Wake her when it's over. Wasn't anything waking this girl up.

Lex dropped onto the couch in the penthouse, and rolled his head back, wishing desperately that he'd remembered to bring the alcohol with him before he sat down.

Lionel just... blinked. And blinked a second time, as Clark came in carrying a little girl, wrapped in a blanket. And he waited for an explanation. And none was forthcoming, so he very calmly closed his laptop, put it on the floor, and settled back in the chair, because he knew it was going to be good.

Clark didn't say anything to either of them, just gently walking into the back rooms, choosing the room right beside the one he was sharing with Lex, and carefully set her on the enormous bed. "Victoria?" he murmured, gently laying her on the pillows and pulling the blankets up, to cover her tiny frame. He didn't dare moving the bear or the blanket, as he tucked her in.

Victoria gave a little snore, but otherwise, didn't wake up.

At all.

Lex just pointed towards Clark's retreating back. "Ask him when he gets back. She's his kid."

Lionel blinked. Looked at the now-empty hallway, then back at his son. "This explanation is really going to be good, isn't it, Lex?"

Lex snorted. "How the hell should I know? I haven't heard one yet."

Clark smiled at the girl, kissed her forehead, and made sure to leave a little light on, before closing the door halfway and walking back to the living room with a truly idiotic smile on his face. He toed his shoes off and plunked down at the couch, beaming at the two glowering men.

Into the pregnant silence, Lionel finally had to say something. "So Lex tells me that's your daughter."

"No. She's Victoria. I saved her," Clark said, euphoric beam on his face as he sighed and lay his head back.

"Vic... toria?" Lionel questioned.

"Yes, Victoria," Lex confirmed. "Victoria Hardwick, to be exact."

"Victoria Hardwick?" Lionel repeated.

"Yep."

"How?"

Lex pointed to Clark.

"Erm… dunno that part. Batm--" He looked at Lionel from under his lashes. "Bruce and I went to Hardwick mansion. We found him, and while Bruce was torturing him a little bit, I went around looking. Dick found a lab down under the house, that had a room in it, a hospital room, that someone had been in. The blankets were still mussed. Anyway, I went out looking in case someone was hurt, and found her, Victoria, half buried. Been out there for a few days, she was shaking and dirty and covered in much and scratches. So... I brought her to the hospital, Hardwick's being hauled off to jail...Bruce is gonna call later on tonight or tomorrow morning to give me the specs going on there."

"And you... just decided on the spur of the moment to bring this little girl home with you?" Lionel questioned.

Lex's finger continued to point at Clark.

"Yes. Because I didn't want her being handed over to Child Protective Services. Its not exactly well known for its humane environment in Metropolis."

"Ah." That was all Lionel could say, because for once in his life, he was speechless.

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too," Lex agreed.

Clark frowned. "Only for a while. They won't let me keep her, obviously, but if I can save her a few days of hell, then I'd do it. For anyone."

"Clark, you are aware that barring outside interference, the process for finding this child a foster family or an adoptive family could take years? Or could possibly not happen, considering the girl's age and the fact that most families want a younger child?"

"Then she can stay with me," Clark said, stubbornly, raising his chin.

Lionel took a deep breath to keep talking. Lex stopped him.

"Yeah, see, Dad, this is the same brick wall that I came up against here," he said with a sigh. "But, I actually know better than to argue with him. Mainly because I'd like to get laid in the next century," he added.

Clark glared. Darkly. At Lex, then turned his eyes to the other man "What, Lionel?"

"You realize that it's also possible this child could be seriously ill, or even dying, depending on what has been done to her in the laboratory?" Lionel said softly. "Are you sure that you want to put yourself in this position again?"

Clark chose to ignore every single thing Lionel just said, because the memories simmering right under the surface were suddenly much too painful. "There's something else. I don't know if she's Victoria's daughter."

Lionel just sighed and determined to come back to it later. "I seriously doubt she is, in fact."

"She kept calling Hardwick "Daddy", even though I asked her if she was his granddaddy, and she said no. Its her dad."

Lionel just sat back, stroking his fingers through his beard. "Lex, have you taken into consideration the TCPs that were stolen from Cadmus during... well, during the first Victoria's foray into your life?"

Lex lifted his head up at that. "Actually, no, I hadn't. You don't think... not even Hardwick would do something like that."

Lionel gave a little enigmatic shrug. "What thoughts went through your mind, Lex, when you had lost your son?"

"What're you guys talking about?" Clark asked, sitting up a little more and again, ignoring Lionel talking about his son. He'd have a cry later. For now... "I hate it when you talk Scientific mumbo jumbo."

"TCPs, Clark, are Therapeutic Cloning Protocols. Cadmus Labs has, for the past two years, been one of the foremost laboratories in the United States working on embryonic stem-cell cloning. The idea behind it," he explained, leaning forward and cupping his hands as though he was holding the idea between them, "is that the stem cells--the basic building block cells of the human body--are cloned from a developing embryo, so that they aren't stamped yet, with anyone's DNA. They're blank sheets of paper, if you like, ready to be loaded into a copier.

Once the stem cells are viable, they are injected into the host, and they begin to regenerate, copying the whole, undamaged host DNA. Paralysis patients, burn patients, even those suffering from Parkinson's Disease have been able to benefit from this, because while dead and severed cells can't regenerate, the new stem cells can and do, replacing the damaged cells with brand new, undamaged cells." He sat back in his chair. "And that's as far as current research bans allow us to go. However," he said, steepling his fingers. "If you're unethical, or simply don't care, it is possible to clone an embryo, and bring it to quick term using liberal doses of HGH and a mix of other chemicals and nutrients for a shorter delivery."

Clark heard "cloning", then everything went over his head after that until the end. He spent the few seconds Lionel was explaining it to him--despite it falling on deaf ears--to think about Victoria. It made sense. Daddy, why the picture made sense, why she said she came from her mommy even though Hardwick had told her to call them sisters. It made sense, and it was desperately, darkly disturbing, so much so that he felt bile rise in his throat as Lionel spoke. "God," he whispered.

"God, I'm afraid, has very little to do with this, Clark," Lionel cautioned softly.

"You think... she's Victoria, Lex's fuck buddy Victoria?" Clark whispered.

"Thank you, Clark, for that colorfully vivid and tasteless reminder of my prior liaisons," Lex growled.

Lionel shook his head. "I don't know. I only posit it as a possible theory, given the facts you have provided me."

"Is there anything that we could see, that Victoria and... and Victoria, would have? A birth mark, or something?" Clark cheerfully ignored his lover's comment, shooting him a glare as if daring him to deny it.

Just to spite it, Lex answered before Lionel did. "There's a strawberry-shaped one on the inside of her right thigh," Lex answered. "Though she'd have to be naked and spread open for you to see it, and no, Clark, I'm not going to look, nor am I thinking of that little girl in that way, thank you very much."

"When she wakes up, I'll get her in the bath and look for it, kay?" Clark answered, before rubbing his face. "Anything else?"

Lionel shot his son a dirty glare. "Clark, you shouldn't have to look for it. Look in her medical records from the hospital; I'm sure that they'd have made a note of it. Or ask her if she has it, and she can tell you."

"Lionel? I don't trust anything or anyone other then my own two eyes and Lex. And possibly you."

Lionel sighed. "Clark... that young girl in there is going to be under a lot of scrutiny and any hint of impropriety is going to be a very, very bad thing. Having a young man touching her in that sensitive area would not be good."

"I'm not going to touch her!" Clark roared, mouth falling open. "LIONEL!"

"I know you aren't, Clark. But someone else, especially someone who is out to hurt you, or my son, might not look upon it so generously. Doubly so if they're working for Sir Harry."

He glared, darkly. "Fine. I'll just ask her." You sick old fuck. "I'm going to bed."

"Clark, glare at me all you like, but would you like to be dragged through some very dirty accusations of what you might have done to that little girl? Because, and I hate to be the one to tell you this, Clark, the fact that you and my son are a couple, and that Dominic and I are a couple, people are going to be looking for reasons and accusations to make. That's ugly, and that's not fair, but you know as well as I do that that is the way things are."

"Fine. I agree. I'm not going to hurt her." The feelings were stewing too close to the surface tonight, too much about his dead son, and he glared at the both of them as he rose. "Good night."

"If you want to move her into our bedroom, Clark, go ahead." Lex sat forward and glared at his father. "Dad and I have a few things to talk about, and it's too late for sleep."

Clark sat down again, abruptly. "What time is it?"

Lex consulted his watch. "Going on three in the morning," he said. "I'll be up in three or four hours anyway, and there's no use in it. Go ahead, move her into our room tonight."

"Alright. What time are we going to go see Dominic?"

"Nine," Lex answered before his father, sensing Clark's upset with Lionel. "That's when visiting hours start. After we go visit Dominic, we're going to need to go shopping, and let Victoria pick out some new clothes and make sure we've got whatever she wants to eat here, for as long as we're here, then figure out when we're going back to Smallville so I can inform the authorities that she's going with us."

"Alright." Clark stood up again, and glared at Lex. He was mad at the both of them, but it was also positive he was exhausted. So he walked out of the room, shoes in hand, and dropped them in the room he was sharing with Lex before going into the bedroom and looking at the raven haired beauty snuggled like a little lump against the sheets. He carefully, ever so carefully, wrapped her in the warm purple blanket and lifted her into his arms, tucking her head close under his chin and walking into his room with her. He didn't bother undressing, just unbuttoning the button on his jeans to let himself breathe a bit better, before laying the little girl in bed, and got in behind her.

He flicked off the light sand stretched out in the warm bed, eyes closing on their own violation, as he looked at the dark haired child before him, and hot, scalding tears scorched his eyelids as he closed them.

Victoria gave a little sigh and snuggled back, the arm that was looped over Superman bear holding him in a death grip as she snored softly.

Out in the living room, Lex glared at his father. "I'm you could have come up with a more offensive tactic if you'd tried," he snarled. "You managed to not only insult Clark, but me, the memory of our child, imply that Clark was some kind of child molester and lastly that he's some kind of freak for wanting to take care of that little girl. Good job, Dad."

Lionel just sighed tiredly as he sat back and looked at his furious son. "Lex, you are, for whatever reason, quite unable to tell Clark the brutal facts of life. Why this is I don't know but until you find it within yourself to do that, it's going to be my responsibility, as unpleasant as it is." A pause. "I notice you're not disagreeing with anything that I said."

"No, Dad, I'm not. Because yes, you're right, there are people out there who are going to look at this and think sleazy thoughts because Clark and I are gay. But you know what? I don't care. People can think I'm a freak all they want to, but they know that Clark is above reproach. Anyone that counts, knows," he corrected quickly.

Clark carefully stroked one warm curl on the little girls head, which fell to the bed like silk, and reminded him of all he had lost, and all he had yet to have. There was a yearning, bone deep inside of him, to have children just like this in his image, daughters and sons to continue the legacy on. A race all their own, Kryptonian and human to the core, and from them his heritage and his ancestry would begin anew. Something in him screamed for babies of his own, and having this little girl to take care of reminded him of that.

Of all the poor children who didn't have anything like this, who didn't have any family to take care of them. And if this little creation was a clone... Christ.

He felt bile rise, to nearly choke him as he forcefully swallowed at it, and lay on his belly, looking at her before closing his eyes to sleep.

Lionel's fingers were still steepled together as Lex shouted at him, and let the young man vent until he fell silent.

"Yes, Lex. Anyone who counts knows this. I won't argue you that. But can you argue that Hardwick is going to leave this little girl alone? Especially if she is what we think? Or do you think that he is going to do anything, cast aspersions on anyone that he has to so that she is brought back under his control?"

"Goddammit, Dad! This isn't about Sir Harry!" Lex forced himself to lower his voice as he felt a swell of his anger feeding a swell of his powers behind their safe walls. "This *isn't* about Sir Harry. This is about Clark, and that little girl that's sleeping in the bedroom. I don't give a *fuck* about Harry Hardwick--I care about *Clark.*"

"And so do I, Lex," Lionel reminded softly.

Victoria rolled onto her other side, sleepy eyes batting as she pulled the bear up between them. "They's yelling," she whispered softly, yawning as she did.

Clark didn't trust his voice for a moment, but when he found it, he cleared his throat gruffly. "I know. They like to yell--don't let it bother you, kay baby?"

She peered blearily at him. "Is they yelling about me?"

"Nah. About me." He stopped for a moment. "I had to make sure they knew you weren't a tentacled, polka dotted alien from Jupiter." He peered at her in the near darkness. "Are you a tentacled, polka dotted alien from Jupiter?"

She gave a little giggle. "Course not, silly. I's from a... tessube! That's what Daddy called it."

Clark closed his eyes for a moment. "Test tube?"

"Yeah!" She snuggled up closer to him cause he was warm. "Tessube."

He pulled her close to his side, side by side with her, her little legs barely reaching his waist. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh huh." Her eyes were drooping, but she was listening. "I'm listenin'."

"You can sleep after you answer me, kay? And elbow me if I snore too loud." He quieted for a moment. "Have you got any birthmarks?"

She screwed up her face. "What's a birfmark?"

"Um... well... kinda like a spot on your skin, that's a different color from the rest. A dark one, or a brown one."

"Oh!" A beam. "I gots one of those." Her voice dropped to even more of a whisper than it was before. "It's down there."

"Ohhh." He lowered his voice with the conspiracy of it, and didn't know if he wanted to cry or throw up first. "Very private, I understand. I've got some too, I'll show you tomorrow, kay? I got one on my arm. And nifty scars too."

She shook her head. "Scars is bad. Dey mean somebody hurt you."

"Not always." He pushed a lock of hair off of her forehead. "Tomorrow, we're going to go out and buy you some clothes, and go talk to the police men, and get snacks and pizza and stuff, okay? We've got to stay here for a few days before we can go home... I live in Smallville. We're just waiting, cause Baldy's dad's husband is in the hospital."

She made a face. "Eww, doctors." But she nodded. "Tell Baldy I won'ts need much, cause I don't think he likes me and I don't want to have to go away like Daddy did."

"He likes you, baby. He's just..." How to explain this to a four year old? "Lex and I had a baby a coupla months ago, but the baby died. Just because he was too sick to stay alive. So... Lex gets sad, very sad sometimes, when he sees little kids, you understand? And you have dark hair, like our baby did, and pretty eyes, too. It just makes him sad that we couldn't have our baby, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like you. It just means we'll have to be really nice to him until he isn't sad anymore, and then things will be okay, okay? I'm going to try as hard as I can to keep you here with me--Superman put his trust in me, you know."

She nodded. "Okay." Victoria was quiet for a minute, blinking drowsy eyes. "I'm sorry your baby died. But I'll be nice to Baldy so he'll like me."

Clark swallowed at the lump in his throat. "That would make me really happy, baby. Why don't you go to sleep, now? I'll watch over you, okay?"

She yawned again, and barely remembered to cover her mouth in time. "Why don't you tell me a story?"

Lex had, at some point in this whispered discussion, stopped yelling at his father and come down the hall, and was leaning in the dark doorway, just watching. He could barely hear the little girl's voice, but he listened to her through his lover, and he closed the door very softly when she asked for a story, because he didn't want to disturb her.

"Mmmm. What kind of story would you like to hear? another one like CinderBaldy?" Clark asked, as he stroked her hair softly from her face, smiling a little when she covered her mouth, and then letting his eyes close when she snuggled against him.

Victoria shrugged. "Tell me a story about Superman."

"Mmm. You like Superman, don't you?" he asked, a smile twitching his lips.

"Yeah. He was nice to me. We played picture games, and he promised me a slushy and a purple blanky!"

"He sure did," Clark murmured, but lifted his head at the barely audible sound at the door. "Lex? You can come in."

Lex cracked the door open at that. "No, I just wanted to check and see how you were doing; I'm going to go borrow Dad's shower and try to unwind a little."

Clark lowered his voice. "Would it be okay if Baldy came in here, Victoria?"

She nodded, in the middle of a big yawn, and her teeth clacked together. "He can come in if he wants to," she said shyly. "I's don't mind."

"You can come in, Lex," Clark called, softly, as he pulled the blanket up a little more over very tiny shoulders. "Shhh. Go to sleep, baby, okay? Tomorrow I'll tell you all the Superman stories you like."

"Okay," she said with a yawn, dragging Superman bear over closer to her chest and cuddling up around it.

Lex slid into the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him. He came to sit Clark's side of the bed, and rested his hand on Clark's hip. "How's she doing?"

"Okay," Clark said, shifting into his lover's touch a little bit as he looked down at the child beside him. "She's a very good girl," he said a little louder, so she would hear. He looked up at his lover, then, quietly. "Did you and your dad talk?"

"Talk... yes, that's one word for what my father and I do. Yell, that would be another, and possibly more accurate." He stroked his hand on Clark's hip as he sat there, giving his lover a reassuring smile.

Clark didn't give one in return. "He thinks I'm crazy. I don't care," he hissed, vehemently. "She's only a little girl, and I'll be damned." But then he lowered his voice even more. "She has the birth mark. She told me, it's 'down there'."

"I heard," Lex said, bringing his other hand up to stroke through Clark's hair, and gently tapped his head. "I listened in here. I hope you don't mind; I don't always do it, it's just... I got angry with Dad, and suddenly, I could hear you and her through the link. Don't be angry; I won't do it again, because I don't know how it happened this time." He leaned over and kissed Clark's neck. "I heard her say she was a test tube baby too."

Clark didn't mind, and he sent soft reassurance through the link even as he lowered his eyes sadly. "It broke my heart. Aurora, is, too, but she wasn't raised by science, you know?" he reached up, to gently stroke over the bald head, and brought him close for a soft kiss. "Go shower. Get some sleep... we've got to be up in a few hours."

There was a very soft, very tiny giggle as they kissed. "ewwwwww."

Lex somehow managed to roll his eyes even when he was kissing Clark, and then turned his cheek so that his rested on Clark's. "Hush, you, or I'll kiss you next," he threatened.

Clark let go with a soft pop, looking to the side and he couldn't help giggling back. "We'll cover you with gooey, ooey boy cootie kisses," Clark corrected, waggling his eyebrows at her just to see if she'd giggle again.

Even though her eyes were closed and she looked completely angelic, she giggled again. "ewwwwww!" she said again.

A smile crossed Clark's lips that could have lit up the sun, and he buried his face in Lex's neck, lifting his arms to hug him tightly a second before giving him an unceremonious shove toward the bathroom. "Shower! You stink like cottage cheese. We're gonna sleep."

"You're not a bucket of roses yourself either, pal," Lex said, returning the tight hug and then heading towards the shower. "I won't be long." He detoured to the dresser long enough to pick up clean clothes and underwear, and carried them all into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Victoria wrinkled her nose then. "Ew. Kisses are gross."

"Why are they gross?" Clark asked in amusement. "Lex is my boyfriend. Is that okay?"

"Oh, sure. That's okay. But they're just gross. They just are."

"Doesn't anyone ever give you kisses?" he asked, the line of his eyebrows furrowing. He'd never heard of a little girl who didn't like kisses.... boys, maybe, but certainly not girls. "Doesn't your daddy give you kisses?"

"Yeah, sometimes, but they're like this." She pushed up on one tiny elbow and gave Clark a kiss on the cheek. "It's not all... wet tonguey stuff. Ew."

"Well, wet tonguey stuff is only for boyfriends and girlfriends and mommies and daddies, right?" Clark asked, though his cheek tingled from where she'd kissed him.

"Yeah, and it's still gross," she pointed out with her four year old logic.

"Well, okay then," Clark said, sleepily, grinning at her as he closed his eyes. "Sleep, baby."

"Okay," she said with another yawn, and she smacked a sticky kiss to Superman bear. "Night." She closed her eyes again and got comfortable, burrowing down under all the blankets and cuddling up with the bear.

 

-fin-

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