His cell phone. Which was probably still in his pants pocket. Somewhere on the floor. Out of force of habit, Lex pushed away the post-orgasmic euphoria and sat up, or tried to. Buffy and Clark had stopped kissing when the phone started. "Pants... Phone." Lex managed as he tried once more to rise, despite the fact that none of his extremities were obeying his brain.

"Oh, you. Stay right where you are. I'll get it." Buffy shook her head at him. She sent a look at Clark, who obligingly wrapped his arms around Lex, keeping him in place.

Leaning over the edge of the bed, one hand holding the bedpost to keep her from falling off, she grabbed Lex's pants from where she'd left them on the floor. It only took a minute for her to find the phone. She briefly debated opening it, but decided that since she didn't know who was calling it might be a very bad idea. So instead she handed it to Lex and let him answer his own phone.

Lex cleared his throat and flipped the phone open. The mask descended, leaving him cool and collected. The person on the other end of the line had no clue that he was lying in the middle of his bed with two very naked people holding him down. And kissing him, a situation which happened while not often, it had happened often enough that he knew how to conceal it. "Luthor here..."

The iciness faded immediately and Lex relaxed a little, his free hand skimming up and down Buffy's back. It was a truly lovely curve, the ball of the shoulder fitting into his palm perfectly. "Damien... We got delayed. No... hold on." He hit the mute button and asked, "Are you two still hungry?"

The thought of getting dressed and trooping down into the west garden held absolutely no appeal to Clark. He didn't want to leave the room... he didn't want to leave the bed, like ever. Yes, his stomach was growling but starvation wouldn't be that bad, would it? He shrugged his shoulders and decided if Buffy was hungry, then he'd go. Otherwise, he'd rather stay and find out what else they could do together.

Catching the look on Clark's face, Lex shook his head. There was no need for further explanation of that expression, Lex knew the candy store had just opened and Clark had a whole fistful of money he was itching to spend. "We don't have to leave the room. Damien can deliver it here. We can trust him... he's discreet."

"If he'll bring it up here, that'd be wonderful. I've had quite a bit of... exercise... this morning," Buffy said with a smile and a wink. Her stomach wasn't growling yet, not like Clark's, but if she didn't put something into it soon, her body was going to protest. It had been too long since her last meal, since she still hadn't gotten back into the habit of eating regularly, and even Slayer stamina only went so far.

"Clark?" Lex asked quietly, wanting to make sure it was all right with him. After all, Clark had the most to lose. Well... actually he had the most to lose but if Damien turned him in, the man would be out of a job. Lex knew Damien's loyalty was unshakable but Clark didn't.

"Yeah... that would be fine." Clark ran his hand through his hair. He didn't have to be home until nightfall, which was hours away, but maybe Lex didn't want to keep going. He was a really busy guy and had a lot of things to do. Lunch would be brought up and they'd get dressed and this would all be over. Probably never to happen again but well, at least it had happened.

Lex clicked the mute button again and brought the phone to his mouth. "Damien. Have it brought to my suite... The study... Good. No, don't knock... we'll come in our own time." He ended the call, tossing the phone onto the pillows and promptly forgetting about it.

"We'll go when we're ready... Clark, the study's through there." Lex pointed to a hidden alcove off to the right. The handle for the door blended into the paneling as did the seam. If Lex hadn't pointed it out, Clark wouldn't have noticed it, at least not without using his X-ray vision. "It's perfectly private and if you want... we don't even have to get dressed. Or I can find you two some robes..."

With that reassurance, Clark's natural tendency to brood dissipated, as did the fear that Lex was going to disappear. But Clark was still a little uneasy; he didn't want this to end. Not this soon. If they got dressed, that meant barriers and there were already so many barriers between him and Lex as it was.

Somehow, Lex understood perfectly and agreed. It was eerie how well he read Clark because he reached up to touch Clark's mouth with his fingertips. "Or I can go get the tray and bring it in here. I don't mind dining au natural if you don't." He sat up, kissing Buffy first and then Clark, his mouth lingering for long moments before murmuring, "I don't want this to end either, Clark. We still have so much more to discover... All of us."

"We really do," Buffy agreed. "Though I'll vote for eating in here. This is the warmest room I've been in, in this castle. If we go somewhere else, I'll have to put something on so I don't catch a cold." Not that she really ever got sick anymore... Maybe her immune system was boosted with her healing. But she didn't know for sure, because she'd never lived in a climate this cold before.

"Why does it have to be so darn cold here, anyway," she complained in a petulant voice, but with a smile to show she wasn't entirely serious. "I swear, the weather has to be one of the few things I miss about Sunnydale."

Lex was actually smiling, not the sideways smirk he used when he was hiding something, but a genuinely contented smile as he responded. "Mmmm-hmm. I see I've been a terrible host. Why don't I go light the fireplace while you two keep each other occupied?" The tone was smooth as glass, but much warmer. With the phone had gone the mask, leaving behind nothing but pure Lex Luthor.

Clark wanted to pounce on him when he smiled like that. This was a Lex that he barely knew but one he really liked. This was the person he'd glimpsed behind all the facades, the one he'd defended to his father and to his friends.

This was the Lex he loved...

"Lex, you're a darling," Buffy said with a smile. "I love fireplaces. We used to light a fire every Christmas in Sunnydale, even though it was usually at least 60 degrees outside. I think it snowed once in the six years I lived there."

Christmas with her mom was a nice memory. Even the year that it snowed, the miracle that saved Angel from the sunrise. With a barely audible sigh, Buffy pushed that memory away. She did not want to think of Angel anymore. It was enough that she could use her knowledge of him to help her understand Lex.

"Snow is something you'll see a lot of here, Buffy," Lex commented even as he slid out from between them. He rose to his feet and moved easily across the room, unaware that both Clark and Buffy were watching him. Lex didn't walk so much as glided, his feet skimming along the floor in one of the smoothest motions either of them had even seen.

"Sometimes we get snowed in," Clark managed to keep his voice even although he felt his throat tighten. He'd never really watched Lex move before and now he wondered why he hadn't. The man was sex personified and a quick glance at Buffy confirmed she was having the exact same thoughts. "Okay," Clark dropped his voice, whispering to her. "So I was blind. I just never thought..."

Buffy shook her head and put a finger on his lips with a reassuring smile. She shifted so she could lean against Clark's chest and watch Lex at the same time. Tipping her head back to place her lips near his ear, she whispered back, "It doesn't matter anymore... now that you see clearly, you'll never go back to being blind. And I'm sure he would agree that it was worth waiting for you to be ready to see... the best things come to those who wait, you know."

Clark held her close, his legs flanking hers, and she leaned back into him. She barely came to his shoulder but she was strong enough to toss him across the room. And they were both strong enough to cause Lex serious damage if they weren't careful. Lex didn't look fragile but compared to them, he was.

****

The fireplace was a gas-start model, which Lex appreciated. There was no kindling or paper needed to start it up. He turned the knob beside it and lit a long fireplace match. A moment later, the flames licked upward - flames that were reflected on his pale skin. He watched them dance, taking a moment to bask in his good fortune.

The impossible had occurred. He'd finally broached his desire for Clark and, to his complete surprise, that desire was returned. Clark didn't love him, at least Lex didn't think so, but it was enough that Clark wanted him. Desire he could deal with... love was a whole different matter.

Lex had loved only two women in his life - his mother, who had died when he was twelve, and Pamela, his nanny who was currently dying of cancer in Metropolis General. He visited her every chance he could get, praying for a cure but he'd gone through this sort of thing with his mother. Lex knew it was hopeless. All he could do was be there for her when the end finally came, something he hadn't done for his own mother.

Beyond them, the only other people he cared about were his father - who was a lost cause. Clark's parents - Martha seemed to return a little of the affection while Jonathan still held him in contempt... And then there was Clark. Who he loved with all his heart and would do anything for.

Absolutely anything.

Buffy was a new addition to the list. He liked her, he liked her a good deal despite only knowing of her for a few hours. Given half the chance, he could fall in love with her. She had a generous heart and a loving nature and she accepted Clark as well as Clark's place in his heart and in his bed.

He could do a lot worse.

****

Buffy reflected quietly on her feelings as she watched the firelight play over Lex's pale skin. She knew that she loved them both. It might be too soon for people who were not used to loving - and she already knew that Lex was not used to loving or being loved - but for her, it was true. Having opened herself up to them, falling in love happened fast.

Perhaps that was the nature of a Slayer's emotions.

Which brought another thought to mind.

While Lex was still across the room, Buffy whispered almost inaudibly to Clark, "Have you thought about telling him your secret, Clark? I'm going to tell him mine... but what you tell him is up to you, and I'll keep it if you choose to keep it yourself. But... I need to know one way or the other. And secrets really will hurt him..." She shook her head a bit. She would respect Clark's decision, because he was the only one who could make it.

Even if she thought it was a mistake.

That brought Clark up short. He'd thought about telling Lex on more than one occasion. But every time he seriously considered it, he remembered what his dad had to say about the Luthors. Clark honestly didn't think that Lex would turn him over to a lab but Lex was a scientist and scientists liked to poke and prod and figure out how the universe worked. The thought of ending up on a slab while Lex cut him open was usually more than enough to keep him from telling the truth.

But it would be so nice not to hide. To have someone close to his age that he could talk to about things, which was why he'd told Buffy. And now that he'd been here, in Lex's bed, he didn't want to hide it any more. If anybody would understand, it'd be Lex.

Lex, who had been different from everybody else since he was nine. Lex, who knew what it was like to be called a freak. Lex, who treated him like he was the most wonderful person in the world even though Clark was aware that Lex knew when he was lying.

"I know. He hates secrets and I'm tired of trying to hide from him. And... if I get too excited, I could really hurt him and so could you. So..." His head dipped down a little more until his mouth was right against her ear. Clark resisted the urge to lick that gentle curve and asked, "How do we tell him? I mean, I'm not sure that 'Hey, Lex, about your car' would be a good starting point."

"Why don't you let me start?" she murmured softly. "I've told people before. And I really do think he'll understand why you had to hide it, especially given your parents' protectiveness." She turned her head to place a gentle kiss on Clark's cheek. "It'll work out."

Buffy very gently pulled away from Clark and slid off the bed. She was about to ask Lex if they could talk when her stomach growled. Loudly. And she blushed bright pink and very much regretted that her hair was too short to hide behind anymore. Through her embarrassment, she hoped that neither of them actually asked when she'd last eaten. The fact that she actually would have to stop and think about it was bad enough.

"Lex, do you think Damien has brought lunch up yet? I could go get it..." she offered, trying to forestall any embarrassing questions. Hopefully Lex would be just as much a gentleman about this as he'd been about everything else.

"Oh, please, let me." Lex turned, pushing away from the fireplace. "He should be here by now." The glide was back in his step as he moved to her side. Lex tilted her chin up while leaning down to claim a kiss. He'd meant it to be nothing more that a polite touch of lips, something that one could share easily with a sibling or a maiden aunt. Instead, he found himself sliding his tongue eagerly into the mouth that opened under his own.

Clark watched both of them, squirming in his seat. He looked around for a pillow to cover his lap, embarrassed by how quickly his erection sprang back to life. The sight of Lex kissing Buffy and the extremely recent knowledge of how good Lex's mouth felt was enough to send every bit of spare blood into his lap.

"If you'd rather," Buffy conceded when Lex finally released her from the kiss. She smiled up at him from her place in his arms; a sweet, caring, genuine smile of the kind she suspected Lex's past lovers hadn't been capable of. And from the brightness of his answering smile, Buffy began to realize that she and Clark really would be good for him...

"You are... the most beautiful girl I've ever met." His hand brushed along the side of her face before he moved away. Lex's eyebrow quirked at the sight of the pillow in Clark's lap as well as his young lover's blush. Lex stopped beside the bed, sinking one hand into Clark's hair. He tugged hard enough that a normal person would have cried out but Clark only smiled.

The kiss Lex gave him was just this side of brutal. A devouring kiss that left nothing to the imagination. He wanted Clark again... very, very soon. "Let me go see about lunch," Lex murmured against lips that should have been bruised but remained soft and pliant and gorgeous. With that said, he was gone, slinking away toward the recessed door and then through it.

****

Buffy smiled at a slightly dazed looking Clark as she crossed back over to the bed. She held her hands out to him, asking silently for him to help her up. "Lex really needs to get a ladder for this thing. Or something. I suppose I could jump, but I'd slide on the comforter..."

She settled herself on the bed again with Clark's assistance and leaned back against his chest. She gave him an odd look about the pillow but decided not to tease for the moment. Let the poor kid have a little time to get used to the idea that embarrassment and modesty of that sort didn't have much point anymore.

After a minute or two, Clark removed the pillow and set it aside. He moaned when he felt Buffy settle in even closer, wondering if he should apologize for the erection that was pressing into her back. So many things had happened today that he wasn't sure what he should be apologizing for or what he should just accept or really... what had just happened between the three of them.

His imagination was running in every single direction at once, leaving him unsure of what to say. But he had some thing that he was curious about and there was no time like the present. "Buffy, while Lex is gone, can I ask you a question? I don't want to sound like a dumb kid."

****

Damien was actually still in the room when Lex strolled in. To his assistant's credit, the older man didn't even raise an eyebrow or make a comment about his state of complete undress. He simply handed his employer the tray and then disappeared.

Amused by Damien's utter unflappability, Lex lifted the cover off the tray and perused the contents. He definitely approved of their meal. Just enough to take the edge off without leaving any of them feeling bloated. Or unable to perform. He idly considered ordering down to the kitchen for oysters but doubted they'd be able to get fresh ones in time.

****

"Clark, you can ask me anything at anytime. I will never make fun of you or call you dumb or anything... you'll understand more about why later, but trust me. You can ask me anything you want." Gentle assurances flowed from her lips almost without thought as she twisted enough to wrap her arms around him. "What's on your mind?"

"When I was... ummm... licking you." He could feel the blush, it was hotter than standing in the middle of a fire but somehow Clark forged on. "That spot that Lex pointed out, the one that felt so good... It did feel good, right?" When Buffy nodded, Clark took a deep breath and much like he'd done earlier, plunged right on in. "Does it have a name?"

Buffy blushed lightly, but she nodded. "Yeah, and they kinda gloss over some of that in anatomy, don't they?" She shook her head slightly, then continued. "It's called a clitoris. Or clit, for short. If you're really curious about it, we can do the anatomy lesson later. Okay?"

So he asked some interesting questions. That was okay. It meant that he really did want to know what he was doing and how to make her feel good. And she could live with that, certainly.

"Oh. They mentioned it in sex-ed but we only got one chapter on it and the rest was all about how you should never do it unless you're married. And having sex with someone who's the same sex... that didn't even get mentioned." Clark's hands were on her stomach, sliding downward as he spoke. He would like to explore some more, get some hands-on experience if she'd let him.

"Sounds like the public school system. Make you wonder where our taxes are actually being spent." The indolent voice came from over their shoulders and the tone was dry, laced with a sharp sense of humor. Lex stood there holding a tray and his smile was nowhere near as sharp as his words. "Trust me, Clark. We'll see to your education."

Buffy blushed, suddenly realizing just what she'd been missing. A piece of the puzzle that had left her feeling very alone in Smallville. "I should've realized that things were different here. I'd heard of the 'Bible belt' of course, but it never occurred to me that I'd be living in it. God, no wonder people stared at me until I toned down my wardrobe..." She shook her head, berating herself mentally for being an idiot.

"They stared at you because you're a beautiful woman, as anyone would," Lex replied smoothly as he carried the tray over to a table in front of the fireplace. There was an occasional table that would nicely for their minor repast. "Had I met you before this, you would have been hard pressed to get rid of me. I know beauty when I see it."

The look he directed at Buffy was intended for both of them and Clark felt himself blushing again. It was one thing to suspect that Lex was interested in him and quite another to know it. He was going to have to ban Lex from looking at him like that in public. Unless he wanted to spend all his time explaining to Chloe why his backpack was never going to leave his lap again.

Buffy blushed too, but she raised an eyebrow. "Which comment begs two questions. One," she held up a finger as she spoke, "if not for my looks, I would've been okay walking through small-town Kansas in a miniskirt and halter top without embarrassing people like our farm boy here?" She turned a smile on Clark, relatively sure that calling him a farm boy wouldn't be offensive. "And two, I wouldn't be hard pressed to get rid of you now? Or are you simply assuming that I have no desire to try anymore? It would be a correct assumption, but still."

"Oh, the miniskirt would definitely draw attention and I'd very much like you to model it for us sometime. And there are some women who wear them. Mainly reporters trying to get my attention." Lex's eyes grew cold for a moment and then cleared as he considered the second question. Carrie Kastle had no place in this discussion, nor did any of the other women in his sordid past.

"And in answer to the second, you'll never be rid of me. Either of you. I'll take whatever you're willing to offer. Be it friendship or more." He was giving them an out, something his father would consider a weakness. But Lex preferred to think of it as a strength. If Clark or Buffy had second thoughts come tomorrow, he'd simply have to be man enough to accept that.

"Lex, I'll always be your friend. No matter what." Clark had remained silent during their flirting, mainly because he wasn't very good at it. But there was a flash of pain in Lex's eyes, followed by a resurgence that desperate hunger along with an overwhelming need to be accepted that Clark understood far too well. He lived with that feeling every day of his life.

"I know that, Clark. And I'll always be yours. No matter what." Lex wanted nothing more that to tell Clark how he really felt but this was probably not the time. Declarations of undying love laid at the feet of a partially debauched virgin were rarely to be believed. They were the stock in trade of those who preyed on the young and the innocent. Lex himself would have laughed such a declaration off if it had been offered to him at that particular point in his life.

"And neither of you is saying what you really want to say." Buffy shook her head and sighed. Men. They were such idiots at times. "Come over here, please, Lex?" She waited for him to join them on the bed and reached out to take hold of Lex's hands from her place against Clark's chest.

If they weren't able to tell the truth to each other, at least she could. And she would... right now. While she had the chance. Such opportunities rarely came more than once, and if she didn't begin this now she might never have a chance again. She could die tomorrow, regretting that she hadn't spoken. So speak she would.

"I can't honestly say that you will never lose me, because I have come too close to dying more times than I can count. It's one of those things that you need to know about me, and I promise to give you the whole story soon. But I can promise that I will never leave willingly, either of you. Because I love you both, more than I can say. And even if you don't feel the same way about me," Buffy paused, looked from Lex to Clark and back again, "I still want you to know that. No matter what happens to me, I'll always love you both."

****

There were too many different threads and undertones in what she'd just said for Lex to take in all at once. So he broke it down. Somehow she'd figured out how he really felt about Clark. But since she'd already figured out about the rest of it, that part didn't come as a surprise.

Hearing a declaration of love from her was. They'd only just met and Lex usually held his feelings in reserve until he figured out how someone ticked. The only person he'd fallen in love with at first sight was Clark and... that hadn't turned out badly, had it?

Then there was the dying thing. He'd already died once. Twice if you counted the meteor shower so the concept wasn't foreign to him. Although the thought that anyone would want to harm this exquisite, delicate girl roused every single one of his protective instincts.

Lex wanted a list of names and he wanted them right now.

He'd destroy their lives and not blink an eye.

****

Clark was the one who finally spoke. He ducked his head down for a minute and then raised it. "I love you, Buffy. You're sweet and you're kind and you're beautiful." He looked down at his hands, then raised his eyes until they met Lex's and locked there.

This was his destiny. Despite his parents always urging him to be cautious around Lex and not to trust him, Clark knew one day he would find the courage to tell Lex how he really felt. For the longest time, he felt his steadfast avowals of friendship were enough.

Not any more.

"Lex, the way I feel about you is different." As those words left Clark's mouth, Lex felt his heart plummet to his feet. Here came the rejection, the same words he'd heard so damned many times: 'but I can't love a freak' or 'you're a guy and I'm straight. Sure, I sucked your dick but it didn't mean anything'. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow and mourning what might have been.

Tragedy was his stock in trade. He was a Luthor and Luthors were meant to walk alone. Unwanted, feared, reviled... alone.

He was so tied up in his maudlin thoughts that he didn't hear Clark for a moment or two, his hearing finally kicked back in at, "... always. Probably for the first minute I saw you, it just took me this long to figure it out."

"Excuse me," Lex ran his hand up over his scalp and then fixed his eyes on Clark. "I missed part of that. Could you please repeat what you just said?" He waited, hoping that what his subconscious mind had picked up was the truth and not his imagination.

"I love you, Lex. I always have. And not like a brother. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out and tell you." Clark's eyes, which Lex had always thought were so innocent, held the wisdom of the ages. Silent and gentle and accepting of everything he was and everything that he would ever be. Lex stared at him, unable to speak, blinking away tears. Swallowing them back like he'd been taught to do since the day of his mother's death.

*****

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