Title: The end of the life as you know it

Author: Anonymus

Beta: the wonderful Val, aka Danceswithgary

Rating: R

Challenge #24 "3. Mr. and Mrs. Kent, excuse me while I kill your son."

Summary: Clark had a big secret but Lex finds out about it.

The baby was sweet.

There was no other way to put it. A sweet little baby girl with black hair and baby-blue eyes, wrapped up in light-pink blankets, resting in a little basket. A pacifier was laying next to her, with the words "Daddy's sunshine" on it.

Lex frowned.

Then he looked around. Left. Right. No one was there. Carefully, he took a step outside, and glanced around.

"Hello?" he called out. No answer.

He looked down at the baby that gurgled peacefully. She wasn't very old. Two weeks at the most. He bent down next to her. "Hey, you," he said gently. Those incredibly big eyes turned towards him, and two tiny hands, curled in fists, that seemed to reach out for him. It was then that he saw the note.

And sighed.

Okay. This wasn't the first baby showing up on his doorstep. Normally, they were accompanied by their respective mothers, demanding money from him to take care of his child.

None of those babies had EVER been his. He highly doubted that this one was an exception, but the note was something new. He took it and unfolded it carefully.

"I'm Marian. Please, take care of me. My other parent can't."

That was it.

Marian.

Again, he looked down at her. She was cute, sweet, and beautiful.

And he wondered exactly how long it would take the mother to follow her up, and ask for his money. But, first things first. He pulled out his cell, called his office, and cancelled all schedules for the day. Then he made an appointment at a child's doctor. He wanted to make sure the little one was all right.

With soft, cooing noises, he lifted the basket, and went inside again.

Across from the door at the other side of the castle, a pair of green eyes closed, almost as if in pain. A heartbeat later, they were gone.

~*~

"So. Is she mine?"

Dr. Mellner smiled at the baby in his arms, and nodded. "Without any doubt, Mr. Luthor. This little precious here is definitely yours."

Then he frowned, and involuntarily, Lex frowned, too. "What?"

Dr. Mellner looked down the chart on his desk. "There is something very strange about the mother's DNA."

"Is she sick?" That would explain the baby on his doorsteps. A sick mother wouldn't be able to care for the child. But the doctor shook his head.

"No. The baby is perfectly healthy. It's just ... I can't identify the second DNA. It's very strange. Almost ... alien. I'll have to send it to another lab. Maybe they'll be able to help ...."

"No!"

Dr. Mellner looked up. "Excuse me?"

Lex took the baby out of Mellner's arms, and cradled her gently. "I said no. You will not send her DNA throughout the land. She is mine. That is all I needed to know. So please, hand me the files and everything you have on her."

Dr. Mellner looked as confused as he no doubt felt, but without another word, he handed the file over. Lex took it, thanked the doctor, and left.

It was in the limousine that he realized that he had almost held his breath. With a sigh, he reached for his cell again, and called the castle. There were certain things that needed to be done.

~*~

A hand on his shoulder once gave him comfort. The presence of his mother used to calm his troubled soul. A pat from his father used to make him proud ... sometimes, even cheer him up. Made dark things look a little less dark.

But not this time.

He sat alone in the barn. Every attempt of his parents to lighten his mood had been cut off by him. He was wounded. Inside. Deeply. And just for once, he wanted to wallow in his grief. Silent tears were running down his face. The shouting had subsided. He had flown to the Rockies, and had yelled, cried, shouted, until his voice had broken, and he couldn't say anything at all anymore. Now he was simply crying.

"Clark, I .... "

"No, Mom," he interrupted her before she could go on. "Just ... leave me alone, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, and could hear her leaving. It wouldn't take long, and his father ....

"Son?"

...would try to talk to him. With a sigh, he bowed his head. "Dad. Please."

"It was just ...."

He jumped up before his father could finish the sentence. "WHAT?" he yelled. "THE BEST FOR HER?"

He slumped down again, as if this few words had taken all of his strength away. "I can't hear it anymore, Dad. Just leave me alone. Go. I ... have to think."

He could hear his father's heartbeat. He knew that he was still standing on the top of the stairs, waiting for him to turn around. To say sorry. To say SOMETHING. But he didn't. He took his old place by the window, and looked out into the darkness. After a few minutes, he heard the noise of the steps as his father made his way downwards.

For the best.

How often had he heard those words in the last few months? You can't keep her. What would the people say? What would Lex say? What about your secret? Go to the fortress. Ask Jor-El what you can do against it.

He had gone to the fortress. Had flown up to the arctic. Only to be told by Jor-El that he should be happy. That is was rare for a male Kryptonian to be this deeply in love with someone that he was able to conceive a child. That those Kryptonians were highly valued on Krypton.

But that was the point, wasn't it? He WASN'T on Krypton. He was on Earth. And down here, a pregnant male was a freak. Not a hero.

Marian.

He thought back to his daughter. It had been too late to abort the child growing inside him. He was too far along. He was almost in the fourth month, and Kryptonian pregnancies used to be only six months. He had flown home, his height a clear advantage in this case for no one noticed the additional twenty pounds he put on. He had wanted to talk to Lex. He was the baby's father after all. But he couldn't. The last time he went to the castle, Lex seduced him with sweet words, soft touches and whispered promises until he was unable to remember his own name. He hadn't been there ever since.

Then Marian was born. Her mother had been at his side when his body suddenly developed a new opening through which Marian came into this world. Two hours later, everything was back to normal – so to speak – and he was the sobbing, desperate father of a tiny, wailing baby girl. He remembered her angelic little face. Her blue eyes. He had smiled through his tears when he had seen her black hair. Just like his.

Now she was gone.

She was with the only man who had the resources to protect the half – alien child. He was certain that the first thing Lex would arrange would be a paternity test. As soon as Lex found out that she was truly his, he would protect her with his life.

That didn't lessen the pain he felt or relieve the emptiness inside where about three weeks earlier Marian had been.

With a sob, he broke down again. He wanted her back. He missed her so much that it almost tore him apart.

And yet he knew that there was no way he would ever see her again.

~*~

The bottle was ready as soon as Marian opened her eyes and started to wail. Very carefully, Lex took her out of the cradle, and changed her diaper. Over the last few weeks, he had become kind of an expert at that, and about three minutes later, Marian was resting in the crook of his arm with the milk bottle in her little hands, drinking peaceful.

She was three months old now, and Lex still wasn't any closer in finding out the identity of her mother. He had made a list of all the woman he'd had unprotected sex with about a year ago, and had been surprised at the outcome.

Zero. None.

Not because he hadn't had sex at all, but because the ONLY sex he'd had in the last year had been with a man. A man he hadn't seen in a while. A man he missed fiercely.

Clark.

Apparently, he'd heard about the new member of his household, and instead of talking to him, and letting him explain things – which were, considered closely, pretty much unexplainable – he had most certainly jumped to the conclusion that Lex had cheated on him.

So he hadn't seen him since ... well, it had been a while. It was the first time that Lex had the time to think. To REALLY think. Marian was his. No power on earth would be able to take her away from him. No judge would DARE to do so.

Her mother didn't want her. He loved her. So!

Clark.

He hadn't seen Clark since about two weeks before Marian had shown up. And their last meeting had been a bit ... strange, now that he thought back to it. Clark had wanted to tell him something. But Lex had been too preoccupied in seducing his beautiful farmer to really listen to him. One year – plus or minus one week – they'd been together by then, and still he couldn't get enough of this man. So he had more or less jumped him, never listening to what Clark was really saying.

Except for later, when the 'Lex, we need to talk' had turned to 'God, Lex, don't stop'. He really should go over on the next weekend. He could hand Marian to the Kents, and maybe that way he could have a few moments with Clark. Preferably alone.

The bottle was empty, and with a happy smile Marian looked up at him. Gently, he lifted her up, put her over his shoulder, and rubbed her back until the air in her stomach came out with a loud burp. He smiled when he laid her down again. She was asleep within a few minutes. He stood by her cradle for a long time, simply looking at her.

She was a miracle. Simply a miracle. A dream come to life. Now if he just could add Clark into this equation, he would be the happiest man on earth.

He went back to his own bed that was only a few feet away, and pulled his covers up again. Listening to Marian's soft breathing lulled him into sleep. In the last waking moment, he thought he saw a movement at the window, but when he turned his head, there was nothing.

~*~

She was as beautiful as he had remembered her. Her hair had grown a little, and he would LOVE to see the color of her eyes. Her mother had said that babies usually had blue eyes and that in most of the cases the color changed. Had her eyes changed? Would they ever? Or were they still blue and would stay that way?

He didn't dare to float closer, afraid to be detected by one of Lex's alarm systems. He found it adorable that Lex had put the baby's bed in his own bedroom. Wistfully, he glanced at the bed that held so many memories. He thought back to the first time they'd made love in that bed. He wondered in which night Marian had been conceived. And – a slow, sad smile skittered over his face – in which room, for they had christened almost every room of the castle.

Marian moved in her sleep, and his heart cried out for her. He fled before he could do anything stupid.

Flew away into the night.

Never noticing that Lex woke up with a start as Marian started to cry in the exact moment that Clark was out of reach.

~*~

The car that stopped in front of the Kent's house was as different from the usual Lex Luthor car as it could ever be. It was a deep-red truck, and with a start Clark realized that it was the truck Lex had bought for him so many years ago. The gift he'd had to give back by orders of his father.

Lex had kept it.

Clark was stunned, and slowly walked outside. But before he reached the car, he could feel it. Could feel her. There was still the connection between himself and Marian, and he could sense every single heartbeat of her, could hear the blood pumping through her veins. It took him all of his willpower not to run over, tear the car's door off its hinges, and pull the baby out.

It didn't help that he visited her almost every night. He watched Lex care for her, feeding her, changing her diaper, even singing her to sleep, and every night he died inside a little more.

It should be him doing all of these things for his daughter. Him, not Lex. Or they should be able to take turns. He walked over to Lex who was busy unstrapping his daughter from the child's seat.

"Hey, Lex." He greeted Lex ,though his eyes never left Marian.

Her eyes were still blue. As blue as Lex's. And without thinking, he blurted out, "She has your eyes."

Lex's gaze was proud when he answered, "Yes, she does. And she has my hair. Isn't she a beauty?"

Clark wanted to hold her but he didn't dare. He was afraid that once he had her in his arms he would be unable to let go of her. So he simply stared at her.

And she looked back at him. Her gaze was unwavering, unusually intense for a baby her age. Must be her Kryptonian half, Clark thought without humor.

"Wow. I've never seen her look like that before," Lex murmured. And Clark had to pull himself together to keep from laughing hysterically. Of course not. Because Lex had never seen Marian look at her father before. Her mother. He sighed quietly. Her ... whatever.

"Why are you here, Lex?" he asked, suddenly feeling very tired.

Lex frowned slightly. Apparently, he had expected a warmer welcome. "I'm here to see you, Clark."

Clark cocked his head slightly and said nothing.

Lex shifted Marian in his arms, and said quietly, "I've missed you, love. You haven't been to the castle for over four months now. And you know the saying about the mountain and Mohammed."

Clark didn't know how to reply. His head knew that he had to tell Lex to go, that he should send him away, scare him off, tell him to go to hell and never come back.

His heart gave a happy flip, sang in joy and woke up the butterflies in his stomach, which immediately started a crazy dance.

His heart won.

He reached out his hand, stroked the soft cheek of his daughter tenderly, and gestured to the house. "Come in. I'm sure Mom would love to see Ma ... the baby." Not, he added in his mind.

He turned around, not caring if Lex and his daughter followed him.

They did.

But Clark missed the thoughtful expression that crossed Lex's face.

~*~

Something was wrong!

Lex could almost smell it in the air. His lover was acting weird. More than weird. Slowly, he followed Clark to the house where Martha would be waiting inside, probably with freshly brewed coffee and a still-warm apple pie.

But something in his lover's behavior was puzzling. And in Marian's, too. Never before had he seen his daughter staring at someone like that. She was a sweet, quiet child. People came into his office all the day, and nearly no one left without looking into the crib where Marian lay, touching her hand, stroking her cheek or making some soft noises.

She accepted it but never reacted in any other way that babies normally do.

The way she had stared at Clark had irritated Lex. It had almost scared him. Now she was back to gurgling and making soft noises.

It was just as Clark opened the door that Lex suddenly realized Clark's little glitch. What was it he had said? 'I'm sure Mom wants to see Ma ... the baby.' Or something like that.

He had almost said Marian. How could he possibly know his daughter's name? He hadn't mentioned it before, had he?

Or was the gossip in town so good that not only his fatherhood but also his daughter's name was common knowledge?

He didn't know what to think about this whole situation, but he realized that just being near Clark again made him feel so much better.

In the kitchen, it was just as Lex had predicted, including Martha's joy on seeing Marian. Before he could react, she had taken the baby out of his arms and was carrying her through the kitchen, all the while talking to her, explaining to her what it was exactly she was doing, and why she was doing it.

Within a few minutes, the table was set – despite her being able to use only one hand – the pie was ready, the coffee mugs filled. They sat down together but before Lex could even take the fork in his hand, the front door opened again, and Jonathan came in.

He saw Lex, looked accusingly at Clark – who only shrugged almost helplessly – gazed at the baby in his wife's arms ... and suddenly something happened to him. His expression softened, he smiled, walked over to Martha, and took Marian from her. He gently rested her in the crook of his arm, played little hide-and-seek games with her and her blanket, and seemed to forget about the rest of the people in the kitchen.

For a few moments, Lex had the feeling as if he had stepped into some kind of twilight zone. He expected the big bad monster to come out every second now.

But on the other hand, it was the best thing that could have happened. With a blink, a little nod in the vague direction of the barn, and a smile to Martha, he managed to lure his lover away from the family who was busy telling Marian that she was the sweetest baby ever, and wasn't she just a cutie, and didn't her hair look exactly like a raven's wing ...

Lex would have rolled his eyes, if he didn't already do the same every waking hour he spent with Marian.

~*~

Up in the barn, Clark walked over to the window. He wanted to tell Lex with kind words that they couldn't see each other any more. That it was impossible for them to ever have sex again. If need be, he would even lie and tell him that he didn't love him any more. After all, it wouldn't be the first lie he'd ever told him.

But then he felt Lex's arms around his waist, felt the way he rested his head between his shoulder blades in this unique, trusting gesture that was so un-Luthor-like that Clark loved him a bit more every time the older man did this.

With a deep sigh, he put his hands over Lex's and moved just the few centimeters back that brought him in full-body contact with his lover.

"I've missed you, Clark."

A small whisper, barely audible although it was totally quiet in the barn. Clark didn't think ... he just reacted, and answered, "I missed you, too."

"Why didn't you come to talk to me, love?"

Love. Clark closed his eyes against the pain in his heart. Suddenly, he knew that he couldn't do it. He had fought so hard to be allowed inside Lex's life ... he simply couldn't just give it up. He wanted to say something, but Lex continued without waiting for an answer.

"I knew that you had to be ... angry ... because you must think that I cheated on you. And I know that this sounds highly unbelievable, but you have to believe me when I tell you I didn't. I never would hurt you like this."

It took three tries before Clark gathered enough courage – and spit – to ask, "Did you ... did you have a blood test? Is she really yours?"

A little voice inside Clark's head was laughing hysterically at this question. He simply ignored it.

"I did."

He did? Did what? Oh yes ... the blood test.

"And?"

Did you find your DNA? Did you find mine? Did you notice something is off with our daughter's DNA because she's half alien? Half Kryptonian?

"She is mine. There is no doubt about that. But ..."

"But?"

He could feel a kiss through the cotton of his shirt, and barely suppressed a shiver as he remembered the feeling of those lips on his skin.

"But there was something strange. Weird. The doctor couldn't quite place the second DNA."

With a sigh close to resignation, he asked the question he knew that was expected from him. "Did your doctors at your labs find out whose DNA it was?"

The arms vanished, leaving Clark feeling bereft. A heartbeat later, Lex stood next to him. "I took the samples they had taken from Marian, said a very nice thank you to the doctor and left. I