The Memoirs

"Grand. Central. Station." Dominic murmured, though he was delighted as he rose to his feet.

"What about my fuckin newspaper?!" Kal yelled, growling, though playfully, as he swat the paper at Lionel's butt. "You old codger, you promised!"

Lionel reached out, took the newspaper, and passed it over to Lex. "I'll be back as soon as I've finished with Mr. Ross, Kal. If Lex has finished the newspaper, then we'll start with books, all right?"

"Cool." At that, Kal physically brightened.

And Dominic just blinked. How this mouthy, arrogant, pompous little brat was excited about books, Dominic would never know. He just grinned, crookedly, at his husband, and took his hand in his own. "Hallo, Dogwood. Ahh! Emily."

Of whom swallowed down a huge lump in her throat and squeaked out a hello, waving her hand as she hid, timidly, behind Dogwood, carrying all of his crap.

"'Sup, Mr. Luthor. Luthors." He gave a wide grin, and shouldered one of the big design books from his studio. "Got the books here, and we just need a place to spread shit out, pref'ably near the room we gonna be painting."

"Wonderful. We'll take you upstairs." He looked down at the boys, at Jor-El's slightly miffed stare, and nodded to himself. Peace would reign, just for a little bit. "Lead the way, Lionel."

"Of course. Right this way, please. Mr. Ross, Ms. Anderson, this way please." Lionel led the way, refusing to be ruffled by Dogwood's familiar slang and haphazard appearance because he knew the man's work was of top caliber.

"We're right on your ass, Mr. L."

"Well, not right on." Emily squeaked, as she followed the men out of the room and up the stairs. She stumbled, almost fell, but righted herself and scrambled after the men. "Cause, cau-cause that would mean, right *on*, you know, and we are not those kind. I mean. I'm not. Charlie might be. Not that I don't love him! Cause I do!" A pause. "Shutting up." She whispered.

Dominic's lip twitched, quietly, but he did nothing but push the sleeves of his shirt further up, and gently tugged on his husbands elbow. "We have to talk, later." He murmured very quietly, for his ears only.

Dogwood laughed loud. "Emmie, girl, one of these days you gonna choke on them feet while you swallowin' 'em." He snickered again.

Lionel paused a half step and let Dominic catch up to him. "Really? What about? Is something wrong?"

"No. Just something about Lex. It can wait." Dominic said very quietly once more. "When we're alone. The walls have ears."

And if he smacked a palm, none too gently, against one of Shayla's secret passage ways as they walked past, he felt he didn't need to say more.

"HEY!" came a muffled yell.

Emily grinned, sheepishly, her cheeks reddening even as she took in the gorgeous house. Big, and... rich looking! And definitely suiting these two. Yep. Real swank. "Nice... very nice house, Mr. Luthor. Er. Lionel Luthor, not D-Dominic Luthor, cause you know how you're both Luthors and I just want to make sure the right Luthor gets. Talked to. Talked. Yes. Very nice."

Lionel's brow furrowed at his lover, but he took pity on the young girl. "You may call me Lionel, Ms. Anderson, if that will help to abate your... confusion."

"Ain't nothin' gonna fix that, Mr. L," Dogwood said, giving the little girl a bone-crushing one-armed hug. "But that's why she's my girl."

Emily didn't know whether to be put off or grin, so she just grinned, dimples winking on as they walked up the stairs. Then ooooh, a pretty, long carpet! And ooooh! Roses, and… and the wallpaper was so pretty! Oh, she wasn't going to squeal, but she wanted to. "This is so nice. I like it."

Dominic smiled crookedly at her as he squeezed Lionel's shoulder gently, and opened the library door.

It had already been emptied out, the sketches sketched on the wall and ceiling, and the carpet ripped out. after the mural was done they'd lay new carpet and begin to decorate, but for now... "What do you think?"

Oh, it was a total dream. The room had a flat ceiling all the way until it reached the window, and then it vaulted low and cozy around a white window seat. It was just... oh, and Sleeping Beauty! "How beautiful." Emily breathed.

"Goddamn, Bear did a better job at this than I thought." Dogwood came in and laid down on the hard floor, looking up at the ceiling first. "Gonna need... Emmie, honey, you're what, five nothin'? We're gonna need about a four foot flat scaffold in here, cause Ima have go the Sistine chapel route in here, little as it is."

Dominic had been about to speak, but then Dogwood had plunked on the floor, and he blinked down at him, then at Lionel, then down again. "You're so odd." But it was said with a grin, as he craned his neck up to look, too. "Your brother was fantastic. Took him four hours, Ms. Bird said. its just... its gorgeous, I don't think we could ever repay him enough. This room is going to be amazing."

Emily quickly dropped all of her things on the ground, and rustled up a notebook from the back pocket of her jean skirt, tongue catching between her teeth. "Four... foot... flat... got it!" She squeaked, and nodded.

"Artists ain't odd, my brother. We're eccentric. Or unique." He snorted. "Boy don't need repayin'. He's got more talent than he knows what to do with, and a boyfriend besides. He's gonna be just fine, don't you worry." More snorting. "We're gonna need... okay, Mr. L. You want matte, semi, or full gloss finish?"

"Semi-gloss, I should think," Lionel replied. "I believe that's what most of the other paint in the house is."

"Yeah, okay. Emmie, we're gonna need semi-gloss overcoat, the Behr Disney Princess base coat, and remin' me in the mornin' to get Brace to overnight me another set of those fresco colors." Dogwood kept studying the ceiling.

"Disney. Semi gloss. Fresco!" Emily squeaked, taking it all down quickly and shifting from foot to foot nervously as she peered at the walls. "Brushes?"

Dominic listened as well, quietly, sideglancing Lionel once and again but not speaking as he let the man on the floor of what was once his study peer at his ceiling and talk about painting. He saw Freddie move past the door, and he murmured, "C'mere, Freddie. Come over here, baby." He cooed softly.

Yeah. right. Like a cat comes when he's called. First order of business was to check out the new people, and he jumped on Dogwood's hip, parading over the man's side until Dogwood gently put him on the floor, and then he sniffed at Emily's shoe. Dumb dog scent was all over her shoes from where she'd walked through the yard, and then and ONLY then did he deign to claw his way up Dominic's leg and chest to curl purring on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Gonna need the fine ones, though, for this, with the details. Get the #10 and #20 sets, and if they're bigger'n a thirty mil, can't use 'em."

Dominic hefted him a little more comfortably on his shoulder, before peering down at Dogwood. "Ah. Lionel and I are going to go across the way to the library, hmm? Take all the time you need." He nodded without saying anything else, just motioning his husband to follow him as he stepped around Dogwood and past Emily.

"Bye, Kitty!" Emily waved at the little cat even as she wrote what Dogwood wanted.

Freddie barely flicked his tail in acknowledgement.

Lionel carefully picked his way over strewn papers, prone artists, and jumpy assistants, and followed his lover into the library, closing the door behind them, and raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you cold brute. Sit down already." But Dominic said it without a hint of feeling, as he took a seat on the couch and stroked one of Freddie's paws under his fingertips. "He's not dying. He's just... depressed."

"I'm not at all surprised that he's depressed," Lionel said softly. "Given the situation, I'd be surprised if he weren't."

"Yes. Well, you're his father, and you're a bloody brilliant scientist, so you need to talk to him." stout nod. "And explain to him just why this is terrible, but how we need to have Clark back. I like Kal, and I like CK, but he feels horridly guilty about letting them join back together."

"And, if I know my son, feels guilty about that as well, because it would seem to him that he doesn't appreciate them or Clark," he said, with bit of a question on the end.

"Of course. He's your flesh and blood." Dominic tipped his head. "You can talk to him better than I. Take him aside sometime today, love." An order. Not a plea. "He needs to hear it from you, because he knows you won't bullshit him."

"And he thinks you will?" Lionel raised his brow again. "What makes you think that Lex is going to listen to a single thing that I have to say to him, when he hasn't in... nearly the last decade of his existence?"

"No." Dominic said carefully, thinking it over for a moment. "But I coddle him entirely too much. He knows from you that you respect him enough to tell him how it is." Another nod. "He will listen. If not, I'll beat his ass black and blue. Then you can try again."

Lionel had to snicker at that. "All right, I will try talking to him. But do not expect miracles."

"I expect more than that from you." Dominic rose an arch brow, as if daring him to argue. "Honestly. A Luthor, not succeeding. Rubbish."

"There's a difference in not succeeding and not performing a miracle," Lionel huffed. "I will be speaking to him. Whether or not he listens is out of my hands."

Freddie kneaded the shoulder he was perched on with his claws, getting it more comfortable as he purred.

"Are you saying then, Mr. Luthor, that you believe, honestly, truly believe, you might fail?" Dominic pretended to look shocked, even as he glared at the cat sitting on his shoulder.

Yeah, so what. He gave Dominic's cheek a little lick, and went back to kneading.

"I believe that I'm going to be wasting every breath I use to speak to my son, yes," Lionel answered, snorting softly.

At the little lick Dominic grinned, broadly, and turned his head to peer at his cat as he moved and wriggled. "I do love you, little kitty." He murmured, before shifting his eyes to his husband. "You'll do fine." He shifted, comfortably. "I'll talk to Lex again later this afternoon, get him to eat. He did drink some tea at Toni's, but that was before she and Felicia fell apart, and OH!" He glared at his husband. "She confronted me!"

"Well, we'll attempt to have a dinner together, though with CK being gone and the situation being what it is, I don't hold out much optimism for anyone consuming a meal." Then the sheer outrage in Dominic's tone got to him, and Lionel had to snicker. "She confronted you?"

"She did, and its your bloody fault! I don't know how, but I shall make it so." He glared at him again, and though they were sitting across from one another, he could still see his lover's amusement. "You ass. She told me I had it all wrong, she didn't still harbor feeling for me, then Toni went in and they were screaming and crying and oh, dear God, almighty in heaven."

Lionel gave another soft laugh. "For a woman who doesn't have feelings for you, she's very emotional where you're concerned."

Dominic. Just. Glared.

Lionel beamed innocently back.

"You prick. You know she's still all… all..." He made a face. "And with the wedding, and Ethan. He's going to hate me." But he just sighed, deeply, and put one foot up on the coffee table. "Why is it only nine, darling, and I'm already exhausted?"

Lionel shrugged. "Ethan is only going to hate you if you punch Jonathan during the ceremony, which I really wish you wouldn't do. You know how much I abhor a public scene."

"Yes, your majesty." Dominic teased. "I promise I'll be good. I swear." Innocent little nod, even as he gave Freddie a scratch and a stroke. A comfortable silence fell between them, with Dominic just thinking, and he smiled, crookedly, at his lover. "As all things go, you're a Senatori now. Public scenes are our forte."

Freddie purred at the little scratch, and kicked his kneading up a notch, as well as his purring. Scratchings were good things.

"Ah, but you, my dear darling husband, are also a Luthor, and we do not do public scenes," Lionel countered with a small grin.

"Too true." He paused for a moment. "Does it seem to you that the paparazzi are not particularly anxious to be in Smallville?"

"After the unfortunate Diane Sawyer incident, and the fact that our lawyers are still in court and refusing to settle out of court? I rather think they're playing things safely for a while."

"For a while." Dominic murmured, as he grinned across at Freddie and kept scratching gently. "He's gotten good at being a good cat since we got back, hasn't he? Calmed down a bit, I'd wager."

"Now, if we could just convince him to use the litterbox instead of the floor, then he will be the perfect cat," Lionel admitted. "But yes, he's been a perfect gentleman, and that worries me, because I cannot quite fathom what he is planning."

Freddie just flicked his tail off at the both of them. Stupid people talking. You're supposed to SLEEP. And EAT. Not... waste time doing other stupid things.

"Ahh. He's only had a few accidents," Dominic muttered. He had to defend his kitty, after all. "And only two since the week began. I think he's getting better. Though last week he had... what, six accidents in total?"

"Yes, and three of them in his favorite spot--the carpet at the top of the stairs," Lionel grumbled. "Enrique's had to steam it four times to remove all the stains."

Dominic couldn't help the very immature snickers at that. 'Enrique' and 'steaming' in the same sentence was really damn funny, and he kept snickering as he gently stroked over that flicking tail.

"Thinking of him and your mother, are you?" Lionel's face was carefully innocent again.

"Not like that, of course. But Enrique, he's so... I mean, I never would have thought him straight." Dominic admitted, grinning at that careful face in front of him. "He's so damn fruity, but dear god, the amusement." But his lips twitched, gently. "He and my mother seem very happy."

"Yes, they do, and I'm very glad they are. I'm also glad they are happy together on the other side of town, and not here underfoot."

Dominic smiled, softly, and gave a heaving yawn as he shifted. "Lionel, love? After everyone leaves? lets find somewhere to cuddle."

Lionel gave a little nod, and then held out his arms. "Come over here now, why don't you, and we can get a head start on things."

"Really?" He lifted Freddie from his shoulder, giving his head a kiss, and then walked around the small coffee table before sliding onto the couch, and into his lovers arms. They fit so damn well, arms linking, Dominic's head fitting right there on Lionel's shoulder, and he smiled up at him as he snuggled in.

"Yes, really." Lionel snuggled his lover close, pressing soft kisses to his forehead as he listened to the noises coming from across the hall. "How is Toni and our daughter doing?"

"Good. Aurora has yet to start moving around..." He glanced up then, a smile on his lips. "You never told me that Lex and Julian were little Olympians."

Lionel gave a quiet little smile at that. "They were both very enthusiastic boys," Lionel reminisced softly. "I remember feeling Lex kick me quite violently at the time, and Lillian teased that he was too eager to get out into the world." Another quiet smile. "I can remember Lex lying for hours with his cheek against his mother's stomach, waiting to feel Julian kick and then lecturing him through her skin that he mustn't kick and hurt her."

"Well, if Lex and Julian were, can you imagine Aurora? With both her daddies inherent enthusiasm? She's going to be doing cartwheels. Speaking of..." A little glance upwards. "I know its extremely early to be thinking about such things, and I told you what rubbish it all was before, but.. I talked to a talent specialist a few days ago, and she told me that the sooner we get her into a program, the better. Ballet, dancing, gymnastics, whatever she wants." A little shift, and a hard little blush. "Swimming. She might be good."

"Of course she'll be good, with both of our skill sets. I can't wait until she's grown enough to hold a sword, because with my ability, and your body's grace and speed, she'll make an incredible fencer."

Dominic glanced up again, and his lips quirked. "We're stereotypical, if two gay men having a child and picking between Julliard and a fencing and swimming coach. God, we're ghastly." All of the light chatter was enough to cover the dark worry that was like a cloud sitting in his hard for his step son. There was time later to go over all of this, all of the ethical pain Lex must be going through. Right now, it was good to distract both himself and his husband, as he gently stroked Lionel's chest with his thumb, leaning as he was against his husbands shoulder.

"Who says we have to choose between?" Lionel gave a soft little chuckle. "Most of the schools, even Julliard geared as it is towards acting, will offer, at the least, stage combat classes, which are a step in the right direction, at the least." He gave Dominic a soft kiss on the forehead as Freddie curled up in his lover's lap and purred.

"Julliard is towards the arts." Dominic murmured, his eyes fogging over a little in thought. "Megan wanted to go there, for dancing. She was an excellent dancer. Had the body for it, as she's tall and graceful. Willowy enough for dancing, but strong enough in temperament to really sell it, you know? But it all came back to the money. She was accepted, on a partial scholarship, but even on a partial my mother couldn't afford to let her go. So Megan came to the states to sell her body, instead, and I suppose she's very successful." He shifted. "I just wish sometimes instead of her beauty, she'd sold her art. But, alas. perhaps her daughter will have that happiness." He paused, then blinked. "You know, all of that cock and bull about how money isn't everything? It is everything, when you want something so bad you can taste it, and you can't do it because there's barely enough to put on the table, let alone go anywhere."

"I never had that problem," Lionel mused quietly. "Anything that I wanted was given to me, and any school that would not accept me on my own merits, I was purchased a spot for." He was silent, as he thought. "In the end, that is why I chose Princeton, and then later, Yale. Both schools accepted me on my merits, not on the money that my father used to purchase my way in."

"I know." Dominic murmured, softly, as he stroked over Lionel's nipple softly, tracing the ring in comfort, not sexual appeals. "It was the right thing to do, you know. You're a good man for choosing those things over other things." A little smile, then. "I won a scholarship. A full one, for my swimming. Though after I stepped foot on American soil, I never swam for my pleasure again. I just let it go...I was eventually dropped from the team, and I took out a sixty thousand dollar loan I only finished paying the year before past."

"I should have followed Lillian's advice, and allowed Lex to pursue what he was good at; she had an eye for decoration, but Lex... Lex picked up the talent for matching colors, and he drew a few magnificent charcoal sketches. Mostly for his classes at the academies; for some reason, they required it as part of their curriculum. I would see him show the drawings to his mother, but never to me, perhaps sensing that I would have disapproved. I've never seen him draw since her death," he mused. And then he shook his head. "You should never have stopped swimming, Dominic. Never stop what you are good at; follow your abilities wherever they will take you." A pause. "I believe Clark will be finding that out shortly, if CK hasn't already."

"Lex is gifted in every way possible, and I think only he doesn't see. He thrives in music, in art, in science, in language. He is a genius, and yet, has the emotional intelligence of an armadillo." Dominic muttered, even as he pressed closer to Lionel and looked past him at the wall. "He is unbelievable. I wish he'd see it." A quiet pause, then. "There are many reasons I stopped swimming. One being I simply lost interest in it. I, unlike my sister, would be known for my mind and not how fast I could swim or how nice I looked in a bathing suit. I would stretch my mind to every limit, and would thrive." A pause, before Dominic glanced up. "Oh, sure, Clark will be known for being a hero, but darling, Clark will be famous for what he writes."

"Of an armadillo?" Lionel snickered softly. "Are you saying that my parenting skills turned my son into an armored rodent?"

"Yes." Dominic said stoutly, daring him to argue. "He hides in his shell. And he's bald. It all works."

"But he lacks a tail," Lionel pointed out.

"That's true. As they're fine things, I suppose he can't be an armadillo. Maybe a...those tiny slug things you Americans have, what are they called? That have the shell?"

"A snail?" Lionel hazarded.

"There you are." Dominic made a face. "Gross little buggers, I step on them everywhere here. Its disgusting. Alright… so perhaps Lex isn't a snail." A yawn, then. "But I'm a bit too fuzzy brained to think about what he might be. I've a ton of work to do this afternoon, by the by, and so have you. The party is this coming Sunday, right after Felicia's wedding."

"Party?" Lionel asked blankly. "I haven't thought any farther ahead than surviving the wedding with you and Jonathan in the same area."

"Party." Amused. "Children's Library The Wiggles. Surely you haven't forgotten." But then he glared and poked Lionel in the ribs. "You arse. I will be perfectly civilized while we are before the priest." After, of course, was another story, but he kept his face carefully innocent.

"Oh, dearest God. I hadn't just forgotten; I had blocked the horrid thought out of my memory entirely." He flinched from the poke, and then caught Dominic's chin in his hand. "It's not while you're in front of the priest that worries me, my dear little cricket. It's after the fact."

Dominic's big green eyes bat innocently, even as he smiled and brought his hand to the one under his chin, moving it so he could gently kiss the palm. "Don't you know me by now. Have you decided what you'll be wearing?"

"You mean, did I decide on the tuxedo, or the tuxedo?"

Dominic wrinkled his nose lightly, and set Lionel's hand on his chest, so Dominic could lace their fingers, his palm to the back of Lionel's hand. "The black or the dark blue bow, is what I'd meant. I hate tuxedos."

"I think that, in honor of the bride's choice of navy for her bridesmaids, I will stick to the classic black, so as not to take away from her beauty." Lionel looked down at their joined fingers. "Hate it you might, but you are going to wear it, and buy it, because there are going to be many, many functions we are going on that will require one."

Dominic. Made. A. Face. "You are a terrible influence, I hope you're knowing."

"Yes, well, I think that where your wardrobe is concerned, I could stand to be a bad influence. You need a tuxedo. You need more than one, actually, preferably by different designers, so that you will have a choice of what to wear for which occasion." He smiled. "For example, I will be wearing the Ralph Lauren to Felicia's wedding."

The glare only darkened on Dominic's face. "You vicious, evil man." But he sniffed hoitily anyway, and snuggled in closer to him, gently rubbing his chest again and playing lightly with the buttons of his dress shirt. "Lionel? Everything's changed, hasn't it?"

"I'm vicious and evil because I want to update your wardrobe?" He smiled down at the fingers playing with his buttons. "What do you mean, changed?"

Dominic smiled back up at him. "The things between us. They're... better. Things don't seem so hell bent and dark anymore. They're not so desperate. Perhaps I'm being silly, though." A little grin, shaking his head and looking down again.

"They're not desperate." He looked down at his lover again, and smiled. "They are indeed better, if you're talking about that. They're much better, and yes, they have changed. for the positive, one would hope." He stroked gently through Dominic's hair. "You're not being silly. Don't ever think you're silly for speaking to me."

"Okay." He blinked, then sent another big smile up at him, eyes dancing. "See? I told you. Things are better. I suppose that vacations can be good for you, and I believe Ireland was that for us. We just needed to be alone for a few days and do nothing but rut. Although neither your ass or mine has recovered from it, its what we needed."

Lionel laughed heartily at that. "I rather think it had more to do with the week and half away from everyone and everything having to do with business or anything not specifically related to our family. You said we needed a vacation, and you were right; we needed to escape from everything. So does my son, come to think of it."

Dominic flashed a smile up at him as he lifted his head when Lionel cracked up. "I think so, too. Seeing nothing but the house and the shops, and my Gran occasionally. It did us a world of good, in every way possible. We needed to be alone, and we needed to have time for ourselves. And look where it brought us." Another grin. "Its almost like… being lazy, but not. Its comfortable."

"Comfortable," Lionel echoed. "I don't think I've ever been so comfortable with anyone ever before."

"That's because its easy being comfortable with me." Wicked, wicked little grin. "Even with the threat of a good pouncing once in a bit. In fact.." A little glance at the door, and a raised brow at his husband.

"In fact, they're outfitting our daughter's nursery across the way, and unless you've decided that you want to be an exhibitionist and actually don't mind if people walk in while you're in my lap riding my cock, we're going to have to wait."

Dominic grinned wickedly. "I am an exhibitionist, you silly man. You should know that by now. But yes, I suppose we'll have to wait." A put upon sigh, even as he sat up a bit and gently stroked Freddie, who'd made it over onto his lap. He leaned in and kissed his husband chastely on the lips, before smiling again.

Lionel returned the chaste kiss softly, with one of his own, and then followed Dominic's glance down to Freddie. "One of these days, little kitten, we will train you to use the litter box," he muttered. And then he looked back up to his lover. "You can wait; you're quite capable of keeping a hold on your libido."

"Only as of late." Dominic murmured, but he was smiling anyway down at Freddie, gently. "He's a good baby. He does as he's told, even though he is the king and we should all obey him as such. He's a good boy, aren't you my darling?" He gently scritched his soft ears. "He is, after all, the king of his castle."

Blah, blah, baby, blah blah, king of the castle, blah blah, obey the Freddie already. He fluffed out his fur a little bit and started licking his feet, chewing between the toes to get to an itch before getting up and arching his back, purring as he rubbed against the stupidhead's scritching hand. Keep it up already.

One paw reached out and hooked Lionel's shirt cuff with little claws and tugged. C'mon, furry stupidhead. Get on the ball.

Dominic smiled down at him again, gently unhooked his claws from Lionel's shirt, and set Freddie up on his shoulder again as he rose. "Come on, darling. Lets go downstairs again... were you able to talk to Kal at all? What were you doing, talking to him?"

"No, I was actually reading the newspaper to him. I had promised to keep him abreast of the world as long as he was in it, and it's quite easier to read the newspaper to him than to try and read it myself and then condense it for him. If he and Lex have finished the paper, I've promised to start reading him whatever books he'd like to hear."

"He's a smart boy." Dominic murmured. "Has Jor-El come around at all?"

"Not at all," Lionel said softly. "He's spent the entire morning in the library glaring at Kal, and there's been some situation, so Kal has alluded to, where Jor-El seems to have disowned Lex."

"Ahh. The disownment. How typical." But Dominic snorted instead of anything else, and offered a hand to help his lover to his feet. "He'll get over it. He can't hate Lex for long, no one can."

"You'd be surprised, Dominic," Lionel said softly. "You'd be surprised how long you can hold hate for someone who's hurt a loved one."

"Oh, pish." Dominic gave a roll of his eyes. "Please. My mother had kittens when she found out I was dating you, didn't talk to me for months, and only recently decided she loved me again. Darling, Jor-El will get over it. Clark will make him."

"Yes, but your mother never hated me. Mr. Ross, perhaps, and I understand that she's still not recovered from Easter dinner." A small smirk as he took Dominic's hand and pulled himself to his feet. "I do hope you're right; I'm worried as to how Jor-El's rejection might affect Lex, as he seems to react as... an alien, I suppose, to many stimuli."

"I've heard about Easter. You remember Christmas? Now add my racist bigot of a mother and the Ross's, and you've got an explosion. Not to mention the African American woman carrying our child. My mother can't decide whether to hate her or love her, so Toni's said, and fluctuates on it at every chance."

"There is a very sadistic part of me that would have loved to have been here for that holiday," Lionel said. "But that's simply the part of me that takes pleasure in the suffering of others." But he couldn't hide the smirk. "I am sure Toni is perfectly capable of telling your mother... I think the term is, where to get off?"

Dominic just grinned. "I think so. But yes, Toni is quite capable of it, so my mother has bitched at me about in the last week. She's called four times to complain, and needle." He rose his voice to a thicker brogue, and nasaled, "Where is my grand daughter sleeping? oh, don't tell me you haven't gotten the crib ready! Why, when your father and I had Graham, we were prepared a year before! A YEAR! Where is my granddaughter's crib?! Tell that Little Boy to get one! With a soft mattress! And sheets! He's money, let him pay for three hundred count!"

Lionel couldn't help laughing. "We've got the cradle, the bassinet, the clothing, the sheets, everything else but, and you ca tell your mother, from me, she is cordially invited to keep her nose out of our affairs."

"I did." Dominic grinned. "And she's dead set on linen diapers. As if I'm changing linen diapers, you've got to be insane."

"Then tell her that if she wishes to be at all involved in Aurora's life, to stop pushing herself where she isn't wanted." Lionel couldn't help his dislike of the woman at all.

Dominic rolled his eyes and took his husbands hand in his own, squeezed, and let go to open the door. "Come on, let's check on the two before going down. Only for a moment love… I think we should leave them alone today, what do you think?"

Lionel paused to think. "I don't know if leaving them alone is quite the thing to do, actually," he said after a moment of contemplation. "Because if they are alone, all they are going to do is remember that they are torn apart as it is, and lament the time that will be wasted instead of working with what remains."

"Do you underestimate Kal?" Dominic asked, his eyebrow lifting quietly.

"I know my son," Lionel said.

"I do too, come to think of it. For all his brains, as I've said, emotional intelligence of an armadillo. And yes, before you ask, I went back to an armadillo, so hush." A little joke because he loved to see Lionel smile, and he motioned him out before stepping after him, Freddie firmly entrenched, nails and all, on his shoulder.

"My son is not a shelled rodent," Lionel protested. "But I do know that Lex will continue to feel guilty until the choice is either made for him, taken out of his hands, or entirely ignored. If you get him wrapped up in an activity with Kal, Lex will put his best face on and enjoy it, so as not to trouble his lover, and I predict that Kal will do the same."

"You're the expert on Lex, after all...what do you expect we should do, then?"

"I'd say entertain them, if they weren't both adults capable of entertaining themselves." A deep sigh. "Perhaps I can entice Kal into fencing, if he retains that knowledge and ability."

"Hmm. Now that could be interesting. We could take them out, you know, for a movie and dinner later this evening." Dominic suggested it as he rubbed his fingers through his hair, trying to assert some sort of order before he opened the door to the nursery.

Lionel shook his head. "With CK gone? I don't think either of them are going to be willing to leave the house. But you can suggest it; perhaps you can coerce Lex into cooking dinner after the fencing lessons."

Dominic rose a brow. "You know, that might not be a bad idea. Clark enjoys cooking...I'd bet you anything Kal loves it. It might do them good to do it together." then he rose his voice as he opened the door. "Dogwood! Everything going alright, love?"

"Yo," Dogwood answered, still flat on his back, but this time, up against the wall and staring at the ceiling crevices. "You guys gonna stick anything in here? Like a ceilin' fan or lamp up there? Cause if you know you're gonna have a mounting, I c'n paint round it, kinda design the ceilin' around so your boys don't fuck up my work with their wiring."

"I... well." He glanced at Lionel, then back at Dogwood. "We hadn't discussed it, actually. I... well, I don't know." He looked at his husband again. "Perhaps a lamp. And perhaps some of those artisans lights, that can shine down on the window seat, right there in the arch of the wall.

Dogwood gave a snort. "Kay. Here's the deal. You guys still got the sconces for torches in this joint. I can pull 'em down when I paint, or I can paint around 'em, and your boys can use 'em as supports for the light fixtures when you get 'em put in. Thing you gotta remember is, tell 'em you want incandescent, cause anything else is gonna superheat the paint and make it crack, even under the gloss coat we're gonna slap on over it."

Dominic stared. "You know, that's insulting. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I know anything at all even resembling home decor and such." But he said it with a smile. "Lionel will know what to do. He's smart in that way."

Dogwood gave a huge snort. "You kiddin? That man wouldn't know granite from grayhelm if you didn't tell him. You, my man, you're the one who takes care of the details and knows the shit. That's why I'm tellin' you."

"I believe I should be mildly offended," Lionel said, with a small grin.

Dominic looked slightly pained, but he looked at the wall, too. "Sconces. Torches. Yes, it was once a creepy old castle, now its a creepy old haunted castle." Muttered under his breath, though apparently not low enough, because Emily giggled. "Incandescent. Check."

"Right, incandescent. Now get your asses outta here, so we can get back to work. Emmie'll bring by the do-list to your office on Monday, a'right?"

"The... do-list?" Lionel asked, blinking once.

Dogwood rolled his eyes. "The do-list. The list of shit I gotta do in here, then once it's finished, the list of things you gotta do to make sure it's kept in prime condition. Mostly? It's cleaning and dusting rules, what kind of lights to put on the paint, shit like that."

"Got it. Cleaning and dusting. Check. And oh, something for crayons and puke." Dominic added, as he grasped his lover's hand and tugged before Dogwood got any more ideas. He led his husband out of the room, closing it behind him, and sighed as he leaned down and set Freddie on the floor in front of them.

Put him down? that was fine. Freddie paused just long enough to spray Dominic's shoe to show his displeasure, and he streaked off.

"YOU bastard!" Dominic yelled after him, and glared down at his shoe as he toed it off. "That little hellion! He'd better not show his face for the rest of the day." Dominic growled, darkly, and let go of Lionel's hand to disappear a door down into the bedroom he shared with his husband. He set the tennies in a sheet to take down for washing, and shoved on a pair of sneakers before reemerging.

Lionel was snickering. Loudly. He couldn't help it, but by the time Dominic came back out, he was... somewhat more in control of himself, but still grinning wildly. "We shall have to send Enrique and his steamer back up here again."

Dominic, though he was trying his best to glare, felt his lips twitch without his permission. "Now, you stop that, you terrible man. He pissed on my favorite shoes! On purpose! For no other reason than to spite me!"

"You did put him down, after all," Lionel said, stepping delicately over the puddle of cat piss and putting his hand on the banister as they started down the stairs.

Dominic stepped over it too, glaring, and started down beside his husband with his shoes wrapped in the sheet under his arm. "Damn little bastard. I'll get Enrique… I've got to get these soaking."

Lionel just gave a sad nod. "Now you know, next time you won't put him down until he's ready to go."

"And you, Lionel?" Dominic teased again, because he was in that kind of mood, his lips twitching as he met Lionel's. "You won't put me down, will you?"

Lionel gave a little grin. "Only if you decide to piss on my shoes."

 

-fin-

go on to the next part