Title: Unstoppable
Chapter 18
Once in the bathroom, Buffy paused in front of the mirror. She studied her reflection for a few minutes. Her hair was in complete disarray, but her skin seemed to glow in a way and her eyes... her eyes sparkled. She had a well-loved, or at least satiated, look about her. And it had been so long since she'd seen herself look like this that she almost didn't recognize herself.
The woman reflected in the glass had a contented expression and real happiness in her eyes. If she ignored the fact that she really needed a shower, she looked better than she had in a very long time. Better than she had since before her mom got sick, a year and a half ago.
It was really amazing what a difference was visible from just one day spent in the presence of special people...
"You look beautiful," Lex murmured as he watched Buffy study herself in the mirror. She was more than that, more than beautiful... she was stunning. Why hadn't he seen it when she first walked into his home? Yes, he'd noticed she was pretty but Lana was pretty and still did absolutely nothing for him.
Buffy... Buffy did a lot for him. Not his usual style at all. Lex knew his tastes. In women, he went for the leggy type and big breasts were always a plus. Buffy was the antithesis of his type and maybe that's why she was so appealing...
The others left him cold while she made him feel warm all over. Lex glanced at Clark and was tempted to tease him about drooling. He did run a finger under Clark's jaw and lift, closing his lover's mouth. "Shower, Kent. How do you two like your water?" There were separate controls for each of the four showerheads, they really could choose their own temperature.
Okay, moving past the naked girl thing which he really should be used to by now. Clark blushed and ducked his head while wiping surreptitiously at his lips. Good, no drool although the appraising look on Lex's face was enough to make him blush harder. "Hot..."
"Yes, you are." Spoken so quietly that Clark though he imagined it until Lex's mouth quirked up at one corner. "Beauty...? How do you like your shower?"
Buffy blinked and turned to Lex. Her eyes were wide in amazement and it took her a moment to be able to answer him. "Um... I... hot, but not too hot, I suppose," she finally managed. She shook herself and looked back at the mirror once more, then looked back at the pair still watching her.
And she blushed, realizing how long she must've been standing in front of the mirror. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to look vain or anything. I just... I haven't looked like this in a long time. Like, a year and a half or something. Since before my mom got sick. I almost didn't recognize myself, for a minute."
Apology wasn't part of his nature but Lex was willing to bend where she was concerned. He placed one hand on her hip and tilted his head down, his lips brushing her ear. " 'She walks in beauty like the night'..." One of his mother's favorite poems and therefore one of his. That was why he chose the name. He hoped the one line would be explanation enough.
Byron, something he'd read for English class a month ago. While Pete doodled in the margins and Chloe took furious notes in preparation for one of her scathing editorials about having to study 19th century poets on an empty stomach, Clark poured over those few lines and fit them to his image of Lana. There was a line about raven tress that fit her but the rest of it didn't.
But it did fit Buffy... at least what he remembered of it.
Buffy smiled and kissed Lex's cheek gently. Then she tipped her head back and continued in a light, lyrical voice, "'Of cloudless climes and starry skies; / and all that's best of dark and bright / meet in her aspect and her eyes...'" She canted her head slightly and added, "I wondered, back in high school when we studied that poem, if perhaps Lord Byron had known a Slayer. It seems to fit what a Slayer is supposed to be."
Another smile and she stood on her toes to kiss Lex lightly. "Thank you for the sentiment," she said softly. Moving aside, she gave Clark a hug and kiss of his own, aware that he'd been watching them quietly for the last few minutes.
"You're welcome," was the calm reply as Lex trailed his hand over her shoulder, then along Clark's arm. Allowing his lovers time to be with one another, he stepped into the shower and set the temperature for each of them. Just this side of scalding for Clark, a slight touch further down on the Kelvin scale for himself and the final at a few degrees lower than that. There were plenty of towels within arm's reach of the doors as well as a sufficient supply of soap. The only thing he was lacking in the shower itself was shampoo.
Holding Buffy felt right in a way that Lana probably never would. Lana was his ideal, up on a pedestal in the fairy princess costume that she hated. Clark knew he could never touch her and he was coming to appreciate being actually able to touch. To touch and to kiss and to hold close against his heart while Lex eased past him, the palm of his hand grazing his hip and curving around his butt.
There was shampoo in the cabinet left over from Vicky's rushed departure from his life. After a judicious fondling of Clark's ass, Lex retrieved the bottle and carried it into the shower with him. In a conversational tone that carried over the rushing water, he responded to Buffy's earlier musing about the poem, "You may be right, Byron did have the reputation. He could've known a Slayer as well as a vampire or two."
Buffy found the shower-head with the lowest temperature and stood under the spray for a few minutes, letting it beat down on her neck and warm her up. Then she reached back and adjusted the temperature so it was a little higher. "So I've heard. Quite a few of the British intellectual types might have been linked in one way or another with the Watchers' Council, anyway. Even if they didn't know a Slayer, they might have known about them."
Buffy wiped the water out of her eyes and opened them. Clark was still standing just outside the shower, watching them. "Um, Clark? Going to join us, maybe?" she asked. Without giving him a chance to answer, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her, getting him wet in the process.
Grinning, Clark closed the shower door behind him and slipped his hands around Buffy's waist. He nuzzled her hair for a minute or two while watching Lex lather up his hands and wash... everywhere. And that visual had him blushing again, he'd never be able to take a shower again without seeing Lex reach back between his legs, shudder and then look up with a slow smile. Clark never knew getting clean could be so dirty.
Pleasantly sore... in all the right places. Lex fixed Clark with a look before returning to the conversation. "Well, if Byron didn't... Stoker had a clue. Stake through the heart, holy water, crosses, sunlight - it all works, doesn't it?"
Buffy sputtered, then slowly started to laugh. "Stoker... him! He had more than a clue! Lex, Dracula is real. I've met him, fought him. His little 'thrall' didn't work so well on me after a little while..." She fell silent, pensive, remembering just how he'd shaken not only her but Riley as well. But... he'd also made her a little more willing to delve into the whole 'what is a Slayer' thing, too.
And really... the thrall thing had worked when he woke her up, that night. And he could've killed her, if he wanted to. Like Angelus could've killed her, the night he was in her bedroom while she slept.
Thank god no vampires had been invited into the apartment she and Dawn now lived in.
"Thrall?" Three steps and Lex was right in front on her, reaching out to touch her face. His eyes, which had been so unreadable when she first met him, blazed. There was jealousy there, quickly masked as he touched the scar on her throat while examining her for any other marks.
She'd been held in thrall and escaped it. Never mind that Dracula was real, Lex had already come to that conclusion after meeting Spike and then Angel. Stoker had been far too accurate not to have met the real thing so why not? But the thought of Buffy, his Buffy held in thrall by such a creature made him furious.
Up until today an angry Lex was something Clark had seen only once and that was mostly from a distance. During an argument with Lionel which escalated into a fencing match while Clark watched helplessly from outside the mansion. He'd come over to talk to Lex about something... he didn't remember what and was a witness to an epic battle between father and son.
Lex had been cool to start with but when Clark stood outside the door to the study and listened, his friend unraveled. His blows got less and less controlled, responding to his father's verbal taunts with slashes rather than lunges. In the end, Lex had ended up pinned to his desk with a sword-tip pressed against his throat and that's when Clark interceded by pushing open the door and walking in with Lex's name a question on his lips.
Lex didn't speak to him for two weeks. He waited until his father stripped off the mask and dropped the steel tip away from his throat before stalking out of the study, then out of the house. Clark made it to the front door in time to see the tail-lights of the Ferrari disappear at the end of the driveway.
He never wanted to see Lex like that again and here Lex was... angry. Very, very angry.
Buffy rolled her eyes and let him look her over, saying, "There aren't any other marks, Lex. I've only scarred twice since I became the Slayer, and one faded some six months later. Dracula was nearly two years ago, and yes he caused problems but I'm okay." Shaking her head, she sighed. "Lex, if Dracula was the worst thing I'd ever encountered, I wouldn't be nearly as traumatized as I have been."
She caught his hands in hers and held them. "It's okay to be concerned, if you want to. I understand that, and it's nice to know someone really cares. But don't let something like this get to you... it's really not worth it. Trust me, you'll know when you hear about the stuff worth getting angry over. Okay?"
His detailed examination of her body continued for a few more moments while Lex digested what she'd said. He was angry she'd been placed in that sort of danger but it was part of her duty, her destiny as a Slayer. As Clark was fond of saying, the past was the past and it was something they needed to put behind them.
He did want to hear the full story, preferably some evening while Clark was tied up with his friends or his chores or the myriad of other things that occupied the time that he didn't spend with Lex. A lot of what she had to say was going to make him angry but at least he didn't have the power to tear open the roof of a car. The thought of Clark angry, truly angry was frightening. And potentially lethal.
Lex nodded, his thumb ghosting over her scar. "All right. I'll wait for the full story... some other day." He leaned over and kissed her gently, then kissed Clark over her shoulder. Thick raven hair dampened by spray made a great hand-hold.
Buffy nodded and returned Lex's kiss, then watched him kiss Clark. Without thinking about it, one of her hands drifted to the spot on her hip where her one other scar had been. Painful experience, and probably one of the most embarrassing things that could possibly happen to a Slayer. Underestimate a vamp and be staked with her own stake. Fortunately, it was non-lethal... and help had shown up when it did.
Thank God for Riley... that he'd still been there, at that point. Both to rescue her, and to stitch her up afterward.
Lex was tugging at his hair, which didn't hurt at all. It tingled, sending little shocks down to his brain and then the rest of his body. Shocks translated into shivers and a moan into Lex's mouth. Nobody should be that good at kissing... nobody.
Clark was about to melt. Simply turn into a puddle in the middle of the shower and slide on down the drain. That's when Lex let him go. Let him go and stepped back with a final caress along Buffy's shoulder.
Food, food was in order and he'd forgotten to tell Damien to liberate the Dom. Play-time could come later. Now it was time to finish the task at hand, which included getting Kent underneath the spray that was threatening to boil Lex's skin off when he stepped into it. "Clark? Shower now..."
Shaking herself, Buffy picked up the soap that Lex used earlier. She lathered up her hands and, for the sake of actually making it to dinner on time, began to wash herself. It could be fun to wash each other, but then they would most certainly be late for dinner. Very late.
It only took a minute to get herself clean, although she lingered briefly between her legs in order to be sure. She also determined that her body wasn't sore yet, though there was a distinct possibility that it could be by the end of the day if things kept up as they had been.
Buffy rinsed off and grabbed the shampoo bottle from where Lex had set it. She scanned it, noting that it was a shampoo/conditioner combination; that much she was grateful for. As much of a mess as her hair was, untangling it was going to be trouble enough. But if this was going to be a regular thing, she'd have to get herself a shampoo and conditioner to keep here. The kind she used was better for her hair-type.
And honestly... Buffy decided that she didn't really want to know where the shampoo in her hands came from.
Following Lex's directions, Clark stepped into the hottest stream. He accepted the soap that was handed to him by Lex, washed dutifully while trying not to stare too openly at the other occupants of the shower. They'd been naked, all of them, for hours but it was different here. Water slicked Buffy's hair back and darkened it, as she slung the mass over one shoulder he was reminded of Lana... and that was not good.
His crush over Lana was a thing of the past, ever since he found out that she was just as human as the rest of the world. And there was the promise Whitney made him give right before he left town, which made her completely off-limits. So thinking of Lana while he was in the shower with someone else... two someone else's was cheating. Or at least that's how it felt.
Shaking off his thoughts of Whitney and Lana and that whole mess, Clark finished with the soap. He snuck another glimpse at Buffy when she tilted her head back into the spray and Clark found himself whimpering. This was no girl next door, not someone to put up on a pedestal. Buffy was someone who loved him and that made all the difference in the world.
Watching Clark was one of his favorite pastimes and here in the shower was a perfect place to indulge. Already done with his own ablutions, Lex stood under the spray and while the hot water soothed slightly sore muscles, he observed Clark. He caught each of the little glances in Buffy's direction as well as the confusion that melted into longing and then into acceptance. Clark was coming to terms with everything that had happened today.
And there was a lot to deal with, especially for a sixteen-year-old boy. Alien or not, Clark was still very, very young.
Buffy sighed happily as the hot water ran in trails down her body. She nudged the temperature up a little higher, just to the point where her skin would start to turn red in a few minutes. God, it felt good, though. She ran her hands from her face over the back of her head, pushing the water away from her face. Then she wiped her eyes and opened them.
A smile lit her face when she saw Clark watching her. He seemed calm, accepting. But happy... definitely happy. And... appreciative. Like he was studying the way the water ran down her body and the way the heat was beginning to turn her skin pink. With another smile, carefully innocent, and a gleam of mischief in her eyes, Buffy stretched.
A full-body stretch, raising up onto her toes, arms lifted over her head and her head tipped back as far as it could be. She heard a couple of muted cracks as the stretch loosened joints and her whole body realigned itself. Ahh... that felt good. Really good.
Tease. Good solid tease and yes... Clark was responding to it. Amused by the interchange between the two of them, Lex leaned back against the tile and watched, his eyes intent on Clark. Four times already and Clark was getting hard again. It was all Lex could do to keep from laughing or grabbing Clark or grabbing both of them and starting the next round.
The last time he'd had sex in this particular shower had been far from spectacular. While the idea of wiping away the memory of Vicky's lack-luster performance was appealing, they really did need to eat. Shower sexcapades could wait for another time.
Finally, Buffy relaxed her body and opened her eyes again. She couldn't help but grin when she saw Clark staring. She also noted the amusement clearly written in Lex's expression as she shut off the water. Small hands ran through her hair once more, squeezing as much water as possible out while still in the shower.
"As much fun as this whole shower thing could be," she said into the quiet, the sound of falling water her only competition, "we probably don't want to be late for another meal. And we all probably need to eat..." She leaned back against the wall, almost carelessly. "I'm done whenever you are."
"I'm finished. Clark?" In response, Lex got a nod for Clark who came to his senses long enough to rinse the last of the soap off his body. Leaning over, Lex turned off first Clark's showerhead, wincing as a portion of the spray seared one shoulder before turning off his own. The burn wasn't bad and would heal in the matter of a few minutes but it stung. Important safety tip, teach Kent to tolerate a cooler shower.
Clark caught the wince. Instantly concerned, he reached for Lex, caught him by one hip and reeled him in. His eyes scanned the shoulder, noting the reddened area and resisted the urge to touch. First degree burn, no sign of blistering which was good. Relief first and then guilt washed through him because Lex had gotten hurt because of him... Again...
Buffy shook her head and walked over to them slowly. Her hand hovered briefly over Lex's shoulder, then she shook her head again. "It's not that bad," she said lightly. "It'll be fine in just a little while. I think that, in getting used to sharing showers, we're going to have to find a temperature compromise. That's all... it's nothing to worry about, love."
She rested one hand on Lex's arm and one on Clark's, gently touching but not moving close enough to even appear to be between them. "Come on... let's go get dried off. Oh, Lex? I realize this is probably a very stupid question, but would you happen to have a comb or a brush or something around here somewhere? I left mine in my car, which is back at the Kents'...."
"I can come up with something." Lex tried to move but Clark wasn't letting go. His lover was still studying his arm and given the intent look on Clark's face, that study might go as far was the cellular level. Rather than disturb Clark, Lex reached out with his other hand and lifted the weighty mass of Buffy's hair with one hand. Thick and rich, even in its tangled state and all he wanted to do was bury his face in it.
Even though he was always the first one to deny it, Lex missed having hair. Missed the silken slide across forehead or temple, the seductive brush of it over bare shoulders. One of the only things he enjoyed about Vicky was her hair and she used that to her advantage. Wrapping thick locks of it around his cock while sucking on him, trailing it down his chest and arms and legs. That made the weeks spent with her a lot more pleasant...
With a small smile, Buffy watched Lex's expression as he played with her hair. He had an almost wistful expression on his face, and she wondered if he missed having hair. She didn't know if she could picture him any other way than he was now, but he might miss it. Even if he wouldn't admit it.
She stepped around to stand right in front of him, her head rested against his chest and beneath his chin. "I'm trying to grow it out again. I cut it off a while ago... and regretted it, especially because it didn't accomplish what I wanted it to. I miss having long hair, really. It was prettier that way."
"I can imagine." Lex leaned forward, kissing her forehead before lifting his eyes to meet Clark's. Who was relaxing, obviously convinced that the damage done wasn't permanent. "I look forward to seeing it long. And I'm sure there's a comb around here somewhere."
Clark turned his head and scanned the bathroom cabinets and cupboards. X-ray vision, very handy skill. "There's one in the fourth drawer on the right hand side... And I'm not going to ask about the handcuffs." He flashed Lex a sunny smile. Clark knew he was showing off but what good was it to have super-powers and not be able to show them off occasionally. Especially when it made Lex's eyes go wide and his mouth drop open.
Regaining his composure only took a moment. Lex closed his mouth firmly and his customary smirk lifted one corner. "I'll tell you later... Much later. Like when you're eighteen."
Buffy's eyes went wide at the mention of handcuffs. But the exchange between the two guys set her to giggling and she shook her head slightly. "Okay, guys. You banter. I'm going to find that comb and attempt to get the tangles out of my hair." She gave them a sunny smile and a wink and pulled away gently.
She opened the shower door and grabbed a towel; the softness of the fluffy towel felt wonderful against her skin, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation as thick cotton slid over her body. Finally, she wrapped it around her body, under her arms, and tucked the end in so it would hold itself up.
In the fourth drawer on the right, she did indeed find a comb. She wiped steam off a section of the mirror with a washcloth and went to work on her hair.
But when she hit the first tangle immediately, she knew it was going to be a long job.
Lex appeared behind her in the mirror, droplets of water gleamed on his cheeks and starred his eyelashes as he reached for the comb. "Here, let me." He took it from Buffy and patiently started to work through the tangles.
A towel was rubbed along his back, catching the water that he'd missed. Lex smiled to himself - enjoying the combination of Clark taking care of him while he took care of Buffy. It gave him a glimpse of their possible future and for once, he liked what he saw. Smallville was no longer a dead-end. It hadn't been since he met Clark and now with the addition this beautiful girl, the future was looking brighter and brighter.
Buffy both blushed and smiled when Lex took the comb from her. Her hands dropped to rest on the edge of the sink in front of her and her eyes fell closed. She let herself be caught up in the feeling of really being taken care of, in a completely non-sexual sense. She hadn't felt this cared for in so long...
"Mmmm... thank you," she murmured after a few minutes. "This is so nice..."
Long sweeps of the comb through her hair and the motion was hypnotic. His mother used to let him do this for her, especially after he lost his hair. She'd come to his room in the evening and they'd sit and talk about everything and nothing. She'd sit on the floor and he'd comb his fingers through her hair at first, then use the brush or tortoise-shell comb that she'd hand to him. They spent many happy hours that way.
It was before Julian was born and before she got sick. The last time Lex did this was a week before she died. He showed up outside her door carrying his own comb and climbed into bed beside her, avoiding the tubes and the needles that ran in every direction. At that point, his mother could no longer speak, so he was the one who talked. For hours and hours and hours while he combed her hair and tried to ignore the aching in his chest.
And the tears that trickled down his face, silvered drops pattering on the paper-thin skin stretched so tight across her cheek-bones... to join with her own. Sorrow and love intermingled.
Similar memories passed through Buffy's mind's eye, gentler but almost as sad. The difference was, she shared them. "When I was little," she said softly, just loud enough to be heard by both her lovers. Even though they were behind her. "My mom used to sit me down before bed and she'd brush my hair and then I'd do hers. My mother had such pretty curls..." She paused, needing a moment to control her emotions, then she went on.
"When Dawn was old enough, mom used to brush my hair while I brushed Dawn's. Dawn usually had a doll in her lap and she played with its hair. It was like... a nightly ritual. And if my dad was actually around, he'd make some kind of comment about his girls playing with their hair... Not that he was ever really around much. It all kind of stopped around the time of the divorce, but when mom got sick we started again. Because she wanted us to."
"How'd she die?" Smooth voice, completely controlled as he locked his own emotions away to be examined at another time. Lex continued to work the comb through Buffy's hair even though most of the tangles were gone. He looked over his shoulder at Clark who was leaning against the counter with a towel wrapped casually around his waist.
Taking that as a signal, Clark pushed off from the counter and eased into place behind Lex. With a great deal more confidence than he'd exhibited when this all started, he slid one arm around Lex with his hand coming to rest on his lover's hip. The other arm went around Buffy and Clark held onto both of them. He didn't nuzzle or kiss but was content to give both of them silent support.
Clark couldn't imagine going through life without his parents. He'd be so lost. Lex's mom died when he was 13 and his relationship with his dad... twisted was the only way Clark could describe it. Each of them pacing around each other like wolves, looking for an opening where they could rend and tear the other to pieces.
Lex's parents were basically gone and he managed to survive. Buffy's mom was dead, her dad non-existent in her life and somehow she was managing too. While Clark never wanted to lose his parents, it was nice to know that the loss could be overcome.
God... he would want to know that. "Aneurysm. She had a tumor in her brain, and it was successfully removed. She was getting better, then... then she was gone. I came home from school and she was lying slumped on the couch. Her eyes open, staring, and her body was cold." Buffy shivered. Tears seeped out from beneath closed eyelids and trailed slowly down her face.
"I panicked, I know I did. Called 911. Then I called Giles..." She paused and took a deep breath. "The doctors said it was probably instant and painless. That she never knew what happened, couldn't have been in pain. And by that point... I was numb. I... I dunno. I don't know what I would've done without Giles. My dad didn't call or show up for the funeral or anything. Didn't answer our messages. I think he was in Spain or something."
Bitter edge to her voice, as she finished... of all the times to abandon his children, their mother's funeral had to have been the worst.
Lex laid the comb down on the counter and turned her toward him. Rather than murmuring 'sorrys' and 'poor babys', he kissed her. Slowly and gently, tasting tears on her cheeks and then her lips. At least his father had attended his mother's funeral and showed the proper amount of respect. Exactly the proper amount of respect. No more, no less...
He even left his mistress at home.
Quite the feat for Lionel Luthor. His public show of mourning made all of the society pages. Lionel Luthor, now the most eligible bachelor in the world with his arm around the shoulders of his grieving son. The whole time his father had been whispering him about being too emotional when it was all Lex could do to stay upright.
Behind him, he could feel the solid support provided by Clark. Warm arms around both of them, warm lips on his shoulder and then the nape of his neck. Offering comfort where he could, just like he offered to everyone in his life. The kid was just too good to be true and Lex wouldn't have him any other way.
Buffy melted into Lex's arms, into his kiss. Felt his support and Clark's... and finally felt the grief overwhelm her. The grief she hadn't had time to feel because Glory was trying to get Dawn. Then she'd died herself... and since she'd been back, she hasn't been capable of grief for another. The months behind her have been all about trying to get her own head on straight again. And now... now, finally talking about her mother's death...
Now the grief hit her. And hit her hard. Buffy had only had the briefest of periods to mourn, so the sadness had never been put behind her. She and repression were close friends... but it didn't work forever, and eventually the emotions had to be faced. Whether or not she wanted to... and it seemed that now, she had no choice.
There were even more tears and Buffy was shaking against him. Lex stepped out of the kiss, grateful that Clark caught onto what was going to happen without having to be told. She weighed almost nothing as Lex lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom.
Clark went ahead, opening the doors and pulling back the covers so Lex could lay her down in the bed. Silently, they climbed in beside Buffy, cradling her between them while the tears turned into sobs. While Clark soothed her with his hands, Lex pulled the covers up over all three of them and waited for the storm to pass.
Buffy spent a few moments struggling with her emotions, barely even noticing that she was being carried to bed. But she gave it up as hopeless when the storm of tears continued to rise up within her. Her grief couldn't be repressed again; she had no choice but to let it out. And so she did.
Sobs wracked her body, shaking her violently with their intensity. She clung to Lex, who was still in front of her, and leaned into Clark's soothing caresses. It helped, knowing that she wasn't alone. That she didn't have to cope by herself. Eventually, after God only knew how long, the storm tapered off to a drizzle, then subsided completely. She felt spent, exhausted, and barely able to breathe or open her eyes.
"Sleep," a soft murmur in her ear, velvet voice that could only be Lex. That one word was followed by the brush of lips on her forehead and then down her cheeks. First the right and then the left as he tasted her tears.
There was no mistaking that she was just as exhausted as Clark had been a few hours ago.
And the best thing for her now would be sleep. Dinner could be brought in from the salon and they could eat when she awoke. There was nothing either he or Clark could do to change her past and Lex was coming to accept that. The only thing they could do was be a part of her future.
"Sleep," Clark echoed, curling up behind her. He watched Lex over Buffy's shoulder and received a smile and a quick touch from his friend before Lex turned to look at the clock.
"Will you still be here when I wake up? Please?" She managed to open her eyes, and the expression in them was... almost frightened. She didn't need to wake up to another nightmare... and they didn't know enough about her past to know just how badly she'd freak if she woke up alone. She needed at least one of them to be there, with her, when she woke up and her eyes pleaded with Lex to be sure someone was there.
He almost volunteered Clark for the job until he saw the desperation in her eyes. Buffy didn't want just Clark with her, she wanted both of them. Something in his chest tightened and Lex swallowed to clear his throat. "We'll be here, Beauty. I promise."
It would only take a quick call to Damien to set dinner to rights. He'd have it brought directly in so neither he nor Clark would have to leave the bed... other than to retrieve the phone. "Let me call down to the kitchen. Clark will hold you until I get back."
Buffy nodded slowly and allowed her eyes to close. She snuggled against Clark and her mind began to drift. They would be there when she woke up... and maybe then, everything would be okay again. Deep down, she knew the pain wasn't going to just go away. But she'd be able to cope again... she hoped.
Very faintly, she heard the sound of Lex's voice on the phone... but it seemed very far away. Finally, she fell asleep... and didn't hear voices anymore at all. For a change.
*****
Go back to the Smallville page.
Authors: Lex's Lady & Mistress Ace
E-mail: vicedragonv@msn.com & rosewood@inreach.com
Feedback: It's the icing on the cake. We write because the story demands to be told. Feedback lets us know if we struck a chord with you.
Distribution: Our website, of course, www.fandomwriters.com. The list archives are welcome to it also. Anyone else, please ask first. We'd like to know where our fic is going.
Rating: NC-17 (eventually – or maybe quickly depending on the whim of the muses)
Category: Crossover, Romance, Angst
Spoilers: All of season 1 of Smallville and season 6 of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
Pairings: Buffy/Clark/Lex, m/f, m/m
Disclaimer: We don't own the characters at all (however much we might wish we did). Buffy and all references to BTVS are property of the great god Joss Whedon, et al. Clark, Lex and the Smallville storyline belong to Miller-Gough et al. We're just borrowing them for a while. We promise to put them back unharmed and perhaps a little happier.
Notes: ** denotes internal thought, * = italics.
Summary: What if the Summers girls moved to Smallville? What if Buffy discovered that Clark had a secret and thought he could use a confidant?
Dedications: From Em: To Ace, for her never-ending support and her willingness to work on this with me. She writes both Clark and Lex in a way I could never hope to achieve, and I couldn't possibly have done this on my own.
From Ace: To Em for reminding me why I love Buffy. To Beth for being my Smallville watching partner even when the scripts were awful. To the whole Clark/Lex list for opening my eyes to the potential here. And finally to Christina for her great story; Runaway Trains at 3 A.M. which was part of our inspiration. You can find it at: this site.