au_with_me | We Ought Not... - Winds Up...For Now

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Love you!

Lex smiled, feeling deep contentment, and went on reading his book for five minutes before it slowly dawned on him that the words hadn't been spoken aloud.

He looked over at Connor, who was wide-awake in his crib, smiling, kicking his legs with great enthusiasm.

Love you!

"Is that..." Lex put his book down on the floor, and eased himself out of the nursery rocking chair. "Connor?"

Although Clark insisted that Lex had "conversations" with their son, Lex was equally insistent that the fact Connor responded so well to Lex's voice, as he told the baby stories, did not mean he - literally, at any rate - understood what Lex was saying.

"Healthy babies respond to vocal tones, Clark," Lex explained, fresh with knowledge gained from reading every baby book he could order, "and I'm glad he's obviously a bright kid, but that doesn't mean he's talking with me."

When Clark started to protest, Lex held up a hand, "Not like he communicates with you and Helga and Martha and the AI."

"Lex, he doesn't love you any less because he hasn't sent you thoughts," Clark insisted, and Lex outwardly agreed, but somewhere, deep down, as the weeks passed, his fear persisted - that there must be something wrong with Lex, that maybe his own son didn't like him that much. Why else would Connor communicate telepathically with everyone but Lex?

Now he looked at his son and found the baby staring back, expression intent.

You're a tough one to get through to, Dad.

Lex gripped the crib railing, feeling light-headed. Warmth flooded his senses, and there was this feeling of amused love washing trhough him.

It took me this long to be able to seep through your mental defenses. I sure hope negotiating my future allowance to chores ratio isn't this difficult.

Lex really wished he was sitting down, but he managed to say, "When you're older I'll tell you about your other gra...my father."

Connor tilted his head and regarded Lex with an expression which could only be described as fond and esasperated at the same time. He was a bad man. I don't like him. But he's gone. Mama and I take care of you now.

Once more, Lex felt the surge of emotion that didn't belong to him - this time grim determination that hell would freeze over before Connor allowed anything or anyone "bad" to get to his father. "And you guys do a very good job," he said, relaxing his hold on the crib and reaching out to slip a finger into Connor's small hand.

Connor's grasp was firm. Just so you know, I love you. And you could pick me up and we could rock for a while. I like that.

Laughing, he scooped Connor up and did as suggested. "What else do you like?"

Stories. Lots of stories. I like the ones about the geek heros."

"Um, do you mean Greek heros?"

Them too. I like when you read me the newspaper, and I love Mama's books. I love you and Mama, and Grandma and Aunt Helga and Flash the Dog. And I'm fond of cows. And I really like Mandy, your receptionist. She has pretty hair and she smells nice.

Lex blinked. "Really?"

Does she have a daughter my age?

Lex said, dryly, "You're too young to be dating."

I'm just trying to plan ahead, Dad. I don't want to hit sixteen and find all the cute ones are taken.

"Let's worry about you running out of suitable date candidates a few years down the line."

Long-range planning and goal setting are the keys to success in life.

"Connor, you don't need to worry about that kind of stuff - Clark and I love you no matter what you do or don't do."

I know, Mama said so too. I was just messing with you.

"Very funny," Lex grumbled, "scaring your poor elderly father with MBA-speak."

Do people really do that? I like cows better.

"Let me tell you about some of the Greek heros," Lex said.

Are there any of those stories with cows?

"It's going to be an interesting life, I see," Lex smiled. "Once upon a time, there was an island. . ."

The End...(for now)...