You know, one day I'm going to fuck you mid-air, Lex mused silently.
Clark faltered in his flight, almost dropping his lover in surprise. Jesus, Lex, give a guy a little warning, Clark gasped. Lex laughed loudly, the wind whipping his breath away. Seriously, Clark continued with a frown, I thought I was going to drop you! Sweetheart, you should have more faith in yourself. I do, Lex replied softly. Clark just pouted and shook his head. Whereabouts? he asked. 34th and Medina, Lex replied. They found the apartment building quickly and the doorman didn't even blink at Lex just striding past him with Clark to go inside. "You know, it's a definite advantage having you as a boyfriend sometimes," Clark commented with a chuckle. "I knew you were only after me for my influence," Lex sighed melodramatically. They exited the elevator on the fifth floor and walked to the second door. "Do your magic, love," Lex smirked. Sighing, Clark scanned the apartment to check it was empty before he forced the lock. As soon as they opened the door, a beeping sound broke the silence. "Shit, there's an alarm," Clark gasped. "That's okay," Lex smirked again, "I know a trick." Raising an eyebrow, Clark gestured into the apartment, "Be my guest." "Oh ye of little faith," Lex tsked. He hurried over to the control panel and ripped it off the wall. The beeping stopped. "That's your trick?" Clark snorted in disbelief. Lex blinked, "Does that look like a trick?" he asked as he grabbed two wires and twisted the ends together. He turned back to Clark and raised an eyebrow, "That would be my trick." Suitably embarrassed, Clark looked down and shuffled his feet. Lex grinned, "Come on, lover, let's get to work." Clark nodded. It was time to get serious, even if it did mean he wasn't distracted from how worried he was about Joseph. He started scanning the rooms, moving in the opposite direction to Lex. Watching his lover for a moment, Lex sighed. He knew how scared Clark was, he felt the same way. It was just that he contained it better and he could distract himself by trying to keep Clark positive. But it was wearing him down; if they didn't find a decent lead soon or if Jakey didn't come through, he wasn't sure what either of them would do. Lex was almost sure Clark would tear the city apart to find them and it was not quite scary to realise that he would probably help his lover do it. Shaking his head, Lex started a basic search, knowing Clark's would be more thorough, but needing to do something. Lex! Clark called him silently, sounding a little pained. Lex hurried to his lover, "What is it?" Clark leaned against the doorway of the bathroom, feeling a little sick and weak. Tiny green fragments glowed around the sink of the elegant bathroom. Lex peered round him and gasped. He pushed Clark back and went into the room, quickly washing every bit of kryptonite he could see, down the sink, refusing to worry about the effects it could have in the sewer system. That would be like locking the stable door after the horse had already bolted. "Oh God, Lex," Clark whispered. "What was she doing with kryptonite?" "I don't know, love," Lex sighed, "But I do know she shouldn't have been able to get hold of any." He frowned thoughtfully, "She has to be working with someone who had access to that kind of thing when my father was alive." "But kryptonite," Clark gasped, "Joseph's only a baby... oh God." He slumped heavily against the doorframe. "This is so, so... fuck!" "Easy, Clark," Lex moved back to his lover after quickly checking he didn't have any kryptonite on him, "We'll find them." "How can you be so sure?" Clark whispered despairingly. "I'm Lex Luthor, I always get what I want," Lex replied, attempting levity. Clark choked on a laugh, tears brimming in his eyes. Lex sighed, "I have to be sure, Clark, I can't even entertain the possibility that we might fail because I'm not sure I could take it." He wrapped his arms round Clark, pulling him into a tight hug. "I know," Clark sighed. "You're right, we will find them," he whispered into Lex's ear, then kissed his neck gently. "Come on, let's keep looking." Lex nodded and let his lover go reluctantly. Now the kryptonite was gone, Clark could scan the bathroom. He sighed again when he found nothing. In the bedroom, Lex's phone went off again and Clark held his breath in anticipation, but Lex just shook his head. "No joy," Lex said quietly, "No phone calls made to or from this apartment for the past week." "Great," Clark sighed despondantly. "Let's keep looking, sweetheart," Lex suggested quietly. Clark nodded, his face becoming intensely focused as he concentrated his X-ray on the room. "Nothing," Clark grunted in annoyance, stalking out of the bedroom to finish checking the rest of the apartment. Lex sighed and let him go for a moment, knowing he needed a little time to cool off. Sighing again, Lex stared at his cell phone, willing it to ring, willing Jakey to come through. Only a couple of minutes later, Clark rushed back into the room, Lex looked up expectantly, but found himself shoved back onto the bed, arms full of his lover. "Clark?" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Clark muttered, stroking Lex's head gently. "It's okay," Lex said quietly, "I'm as frustrated as you are, you didn't take it out on me." Clark sighed, maybe he hadn't, but he'd kind of wanted to. Which was why he'd left the room and now apologised. He knew it wasn't Lex's fault that they still had no clue where they might find Helen and Joseph. Lex lifted Clark's chin and made him meet his eyes. "Clark, it's okay. You're allowed to be scared, angry, frustrated... I am too." "But I wanted to shout at you, Lex," Clark whispered, feeling ashamed. "I know." Lex smiled and dropped a kiss on Clark's forehead. Clark managed a smile. "You can be really annoying, you know that?" Chuckling, Lex nodded, "It's a talent. Did you finish up the apartment?" "Yeah," Clark nodded, "Found a couple of leather straps." He shuddered at the thought of what they might have been used for. "Jesus," Lex gasped, "Clark, I know you have dibs on Helen, but I am so killing whoever's helping her out. Clark nodded, mouth stretching in a humourless smile. Still, he couldn't resist asking, "Dibs?" "Ha ha," Lex snarked. "Feel better now?" "Sort of," Clark said with a nod. "Good." Lex dropped his head on Clark's shoulder and wrapped his arms round him. "Now what do we do, Lex?" Clark asked quietly. "We'll stay here, wait for Jakey to get back to us," Lex repied, "You never know, we might get lucky and someone will call round." Clark snorted but nodded anyway. They wandered back into the bedroom and lay down, quickly falling asleep; after all, they hadn't slept that night. @>*~ His cell phone ringing, jerked Lex awake. He sat up quickly and answered, gesturing at a sleepy Clark for quiet. "Jakey? What have you got for me?" Lex asked. Clark sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes and staring at his lover expectantly, hopefully. As Lex's eyes darkened with anger, Clark felt his chest tighten with worry. "Thanks, Jakey, I'll see you." Lex disconnected the call and took a deep breath, striving for control. "What is it?" Clark asked quietly. "The account belonged to my father," Lex said tightly. He clenched his jaw, shaking his head in angered disbelief. "I don't believe this!" he yelled suddenly, "Even in death, he can still hurt me. What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?" "No," Clark gasped, "Lex, no. You don't deserve this, you never deserved this." He dragged his lover into his arms and held on tight. "Don't let him do this to you anymore, please, please, baby." Lex choked on a sob, "Baby?" "Yeah," Clark whispered. Kissing Lex's temple, Clark pulled back again. "Come on, Lex, we beat him in life, we can definitely beat him in death." Swallowing hard, Lex nodded, "Yeah, I know. It's just... sometimes I'm afraid I'll never quite escape his legacy." "You already have," Clark whispered, "You've cleaned up LuthorCorp and already taken it further than Lionel could have dreamed. People trust you and I love you. You've surpassed him and you've done it right." "Thank you, sweetheart," Lex sighed, emphasisng the endearment slightly in response to Clark calling him baby. Clark smiled in relief. He hated how much Lionel had damaged Lex and that there wasn't much he could do to erase that, but at least he could comfort and reassure Lex, love him. "So, come on, who could have access to Lionel's secret accounts?" he asked Lex. Frowning thoughtfully, Lex shrugged, "And who would also have had access to kryptonite?" He sucked in a sudden breath. "Bastard," he whispered. "Who?" Clark asked. The cell phone rang. "Hang on," Lex said, checking his caller ID, he didn't know the number. "Hello?" Clark frowned worriedly, he wanted to know who Lex thought it might be. "Jill? What can I do for you?" Lex asked in surprise. He hadn't thought he'd ever hear from the young woman. "I remembered something," she replied, "A phone call." "Go on," Lex urged. "I'm sure I heard Helen call the person San- something," she continued. Lex straightened, "Sanatori?" "Yeah! Yes that was it," Jill said excitedly, "Does that help any?" "Very much," Lex confirmed, "Thank you." "No problem, I hope you find the baby," she replied. "So do I." Lex hung up and turned to Clark. "Well, that confirms it." "Dominic," Clark growled angrily, "What, was your father fucking him or something? Why is he doing this?" Lex almost laughed in shock at Clark's language and question. "I doubt it. Dominic's just a sycophantic little shit with no mind of his own." Lex grinned, suddenly feeling maliciously glad that it had turned out to be his father's little lapdog. He would enjoy killing the bastard. "And do we know where he is?" Clark asked, feeling the vengeful turn his lover's mind had taken and not caring because he felt the same way. "It won't take me a moment to find out," Lex replied with a smirk. One quick phone call later and the couple were hurrying out of the apartment complex to somewhere Clark could take off safely. @>*~ They landed outside a house in one of the extremely upmarket suburbs of Metropolis. The house was surrounded by landscaped gardens and protected by razorwire topped walls and electrified fences. Security cameras scanned the grounds. "Wow, that's a little excessive," Clark commented. "Not if he has something to be afraid of," Lex replied darkly. "Why are we stopping here, Lex, why can't we just go in?" Clark asked. "We will, but I want to make sure we won't be seen, so you need to check for additional security measures and camera positions, that sort of thing," Lex replied, "Then we can fly straight in and find Dominic." "The prick," Clark growled. "Nickname, sweetheart?" Lex smirked. "Why not? It suits him," Clark half smiled, half grimaced. He switched his attention to the grounds and house, scanning the entire area. Lex watched his lover, whilst keeping an eye out around them. There was still, after over nine months, something so compelling about Clark using his powers. Most of the time, he didn't even think about the fact that Clark wasn't human, especially after the revelation that he wasn't really human either; but when Clark used his powers, it still fascinated him. "Okay, got the layout," Clark said with a nod, "There aren't too many cameras inside. If we fly in, we can avoid security outside and we can get past the cameras inside if I run. I think Dominic's in an office." Clark sighed, "Everyone else in the building appeared to be servants." "Don't worry, he'll tell us where Joseph is and what's going on if I have to beat it out of him," Lex growled softly. "Here's hoping," Clark said, eyes dark with anger. "Ready?" Lex nodded solemnly. "Clark, no matter what, you know I..." "Yeah," Clark said quietly, "Me too." "Okay then." Lex let himself be lifted into Clark's arms, burying his face in his lover's neck as he knew they'd be going exceptionally fast. With barely a pause, Clark shot up into the air and flew over the fence and grounds to the roof. He hit the ground running, carrying Lex down into the building, straight for Dominic's office. Clark stopped right in front of Dominic's desk, setting Lex on his feet in seconds. "L-Lex," Dominic squeaked in complete shock, his face draining of all colour. "Hello, Dominic," Lex drawled, smiling blandly at the slimy little man. "You remember Clark, don't you?" Clark bared his teeth maliciously. Dominic nodded shakily. "Of course. Um, so, what can I do for you?" he asked. "Oh, I think you know what you can do for us," Lex said quietly, with a small half smirk. Dominic's eyelid twitched, "I, well, I'm not in business anymore..." "Now, Dominic," Lex tsked, leaning against the mahogany topped desk and tapping his fingers on it lightly. The flinch from the PA was telling and Clark cracked his knuckles, enjoying the way Dominic started to sweat and shift in his seat. "Let's skip the cliche and jump straight to doing this the hard way," Lex said softly. Clark, grab him for me. Clark nodded and moved behind Dominic, placing firm, heavy hands on the older man's shoulders. Gasping, Dominic twisted to look up at Clark in fear. "P-please," he started. "Shut up," Clark snapped, "Get rid of your staff, prick." "But, I, but..." "Do it, Dominic," Lex said firmly, "Wouldn't want Clark to get really annoyed, would you?" "No," Dominic squeaked. He reached for his phone and quickly dismissed his staff for the day. "Good boy." Lex smirked, "Now, let's get back to the business in hand." "I still," Dominic stopped and cleared his throat, "I still don't know what it is you want from me." Tutting again, Lex stood up and walked round the desk as Clark turned the chair so that the older man was facing him. "Is that right?" Lex asked quietly. Lex leaned forward, putting his hands on the arms of the chair. "I don't believe you." "But I..." Dominic started. "Please, keep denying it," Lex said silkily, "I've been looking forward to this." "T-to what?" Dominic stuttered. Lex breathed out, letting his body go through its full transformation to Wolfbreed form. Lifting one taloned hand, he wrapped it round Dominic's throat, digging in hard with his claws. "Beating the living shit out of you," Lex growled. Dominic whimpered, the smell of fear filling Lex's nostrils. He grinned, showing off his mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. "I... please don't," Dominic begged, pale, eyes wide with terror. "Don't what?" Lex asked, smacking the older man casually across the face with almost all his strength. Dominic's head whipped sideways, the force of the blow making his neck crack. He gasped in pain. "Feeling a bit more forthcoming?" Lex asked, "No?" he continued, not really giving the older man a chance to reply. Lex slid a finger down the opening of Dominic's shirt, easily cutting off the buttons with one sharp claw. He pulled the flaps of the shirt aside and used the same claw to trace a line down Dominic's chest. A trail of blood seeped out of the razor-thin cut as the PA squealed and struggled against them both. "D-don't, oh God, don't, please!" Dominic groaned. "You're going to have to be a little more precise, Dominic," Lex said carefully. The scent of blood and fear combined was putting his control to the test. All Lex really wanted to do was tear Dominic's throat out and drain him dry. Clark, be prepared to stop me from killing him before we get all the information, he whispered silently. Clark looked sharply at his lover, only just realising how close to the edge Lex was. He'd been absorbed in what his lover was doing to Dominic; relishing it in a way, but also horrified, despite what Dominic had done to deserve it. He nodded, I will, Lex. "I'll tell you," Dominic gasped, "If you stop." Lex frowned and raked a hand over the older man's chest, digging his claws in hard. Dominic screamed, blood oozing from deep gashes across one pectoral muscle. "I thought you didn't know what it was I wanted," Lex commented. Unable to help it, Lex brought his hand to his mouth and licked it clean of blood. It made him shiver but it was no comparison to Clark's beautifully rich blood. Dominic shuddered, exuding terror and pain. "I'm sorry," he breathed, "I'm sorry, please stop." With a growl, Lex lunged at the PA and bit down hard on his shoulder, near Clark's hand and he sucked at the gush of blood. Lex! Clark's voice thundered through his mind and Lex looked up with an inquiring growl at his mate. Making a quick decision, Clark pushed Lex back, momentarily ignoring the snarl, and sat on Dominic's lap to make sure the older man couldn't escape. Then he bared his neck. Take from me, he growled silently, You only take from me! Lex grunted in satisfaction. He would rather feed from his mate anyway. Leaning forward again, Lex bit into Clark's neck with a moan. The blood was incomparible, bursting onto his tongue like the finest wine or a hundred year old brandy, sweet, sharp, strong. Sorry, Lex murmured, Love you. Love you too, Clark replied, trying to concentrate on not getting turned on while he was sitting in Dominic's lap. Lex drank till he was sure he could control himself, then licked Clark's neck with a sigh. Clark got up and moved behind the chair again. "Oh God," Dominic sobbed, "Oh God." "So," Lex grinned maliciously, "You were saying?" "Y-your father left instructions in case he died," Dominic gasped. "Oh, this ought to be good," Lex said with a grimace, glancing up at Clark for reassurance. Clark stared back solemnly, just the tiniest upturn of his lips indicating a smile. He nodded. "Well?" Lex turned his attention to Dominic again. "Once the clone was born, it was to be taken to the lab to be grown," Dominic continued breathlessly, his body sagging in the chair. "His name is Joseph," Clark growled. Dominic squeaked. "What do you mean grown?" Lex demanded. "He was always intended to replace you," Dominic struggled to get the words out, "But... this time it was going to... to..." Lex growled and slapped the older man. "Wake up!" Dominic gasped, head lolling back, eyes glassy. "Lionel's memories... engrams, so he could... live." His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.