Disclaimer: If I owned Smallville, I would've made sure Michael Rosenbaum stayed on the show.

Author's note: EllyDee27 on LJ convinced me to do a sequel for this and since I had some inspiration, I figured, why not? It didn't turn out anything like I had planned though. This chapter takes place a year after the previous one. EllyDee, this one's for you!

One year later

Lex snuggled closer to the warm body next to him and could feel Clark's arms momentarily tighten around him, a clear sign that his boyfriend was also awake. Lex refused to open his eyes although hiding the fact that he was awake was impossible. Clark could pick up on these things thanks to his gifts. Clark sometimes didn't see them as gifts but Lex definitely did. He draped a leg over Clark's so that he was laying half on-top of him. His morning erection was pressing against his lover's thigh and he heard a little moan coming from Clark's lips. He smiled a bit but still didn't acknowledge his own needs –or Clark's for that matter. He was entirely too comfortable and warm to move.

"Lex? We should get up."

Those were really his least favorite words. He opened one eye and peeked at the alarm clock. It said nine a.m. They probably should get up. They had loads to do. They would be going over to the Kent's Christmas party and they still had to wrap up the gifts they had bought. Lex had been entirely too lazy and had put it off until the last moment. Sally, the cook, had offered him many times to wrap them up but he wanted to do it himself. Clark also wanted to go do something else this morning but had not been willing to tell Lex which usually meant he might not like the idea but would end up agreeing because Clark used the damn puppy eyes he couldn't resist.

So no, the thought of leaving the bed didn't seem all that appealing. He pressed in closer to Clark which only made him slip more on top of his very muscular boyfriend.

Clark laughed. "We're going to have to get up at some point."

"But not now." Lex mumbled against Clark's neck. It was rare that they got to sleep in and so he fully intended on spending as long as possible in bed with his lover. They had actually gone to bed early last night so they could just cuddle. They might have had some sex too but it was mostly cuddling.

Clark had been kind of surprised he liked to cuddle to which Lex had just smirked. He might come across as the cold and calculating business man but it was an act for the better part. At least, thanks to Clark it was still an act. He needed him more than Clark knew. There was a goodness and innocence in him that kept the evil inside of himself at bay.

"Hey, Lex?"

"Hmm?" Clark really couldn't shut up when he knew he was awake. It was kind of cute but right now, he wanted to go back to that happy place between sleep and full awareness. It was peaceful there.

"It's our one year anniversary today." Clark replied and Lex could clearly hear the smile in his words.

His own smile widened at the thought and he raised his head to look up at his boyfriend. The love shining from his blue eyes took Lex's breath away.

"I know. Happy anniversary." He said smiling.

Clark echoed the words and then drew him in for a kiss. It was slow and lazy, exactly the way Lex liked it. He could feel Clark's erection twitch against his leg. He straddled Clark and aligned their erections. The friction was exactly what they needed and it drew a moan from both of them. Their release came soon.

"Shower?" Lex suggested. He didn't want to get out of bed but he didn't particularly like the stickiness either.

Clark nodded.

Clark's jaw dropped when they entered the dining area and Lex grinned. The room was filled with red roses and red and pink balloons. A line of candles stood in the middle of the table and the fire place was lit. There even was a banner that said 'happy anniversary.' He might have gone overboard a little but he has never before felt the strong urge to celebrate an anniversary.

"I know we agreed that we wouldn't get each other presents but technically, this doesn't qualify as one. It's merely a symbol of my love."

Clark looked at him and Lex could see he was touched. Before he could see Clark move, he was enveloped into a bear hug. He laughed and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. His breathing was pretty much getting cut off but it was worth it. Clark pulled away and kissed him passionately.

"Love you, Lex, love you so much." Clark whispered against his lips.

Hearing those words made Lex's heart flutter and his stomach fill with butterflies. It had that effect every time Clark said it because he simply couldn't believe he was in a relationship with the most wonderful man in the world.

"Love you too," Lex replied.

Breakfast consisted of pancakes and waffles, something Lex normally didn't do but Clark loved the food for breakfast and so he had his cook prepare it for them. The smile that lit up his boyfriend's beautiful face upon seeing the food made Lex's heart swell with love.

After breakfast, Clark was quick to usher him towards the garage.

"Where are we going?" Lex asked wearily as he slid in the driver's seat of Clark's truck. Clark was still driving the damn thing, wouldn't accept the black jaguar Lex had wanted to give him. He still preferred the truck. Lex was sure though it was going to die one of these days.

"I'm not telling you." Clark replied, smiling wickedly.

Lex sighed just as the engine purred to life and they left the estate. After thirty minutes, it became clear they were heading towards Metropolis and Lex really wished they would have taken a faster car. It was a two hour drive but with one of his cars and him behind the wheels, they would have made it faster.

"What's in Metropolis?" Lex asked, hoping Clark would just tell him.

"Buildings, houses, streets, you know, city stuff."

"Smart ass." Lex muttered under his breath and Clark laughed.

"We're almost there," Clark said as soon as they reached Metropolis. Lex was definitely getting more curious.

Clark parked the car and Lex expected to see some kind of sign of where they were and what they were going to do but Clark informed with a smile they would have to walk five more minutes. Lex was about ready to kill him. All this sneaky stuff couldn't mean anything good for him.

After five minutes, realization dawns when a kennel comes in sight.

"You want to get a dog?" Lex asked, amused. Clark had always said he wanted one but Lex had never thought he would actually get one. He was not such an animal lover but he had long ago made peace with the idea that if Clark wanted a dog, they would get one. It was as simple as that. He was whipped and they both knew it.

"Yes! Come on, it's perfect. We can adopt an abandoned dog and shower it with love."

"Clark, the poor animal will get lost in the mansion. As soon as it gets away from us, we won't be able to find it." Lex didn't know why he was putting up a fight. They could work around that. He knew that.

"We'll figure something out." Clark replied, turning the puppy eyes look on him. "Come on, Lex, you'll love the little dog, I swear."

Lex huffed out a laugh and ran a hand over his face. "We haven't got anything for a dog, no food, no toys."

"All taken care of." Clark countered proudly.

Lex groaned. He had told his staff that if Clark asked them to do something or help him with something, then they had to help. He was pretty sure Clark finally took them up on the offer because there was no chance in hell Clark could've gotten the stuff on his own without him knowing it.

"Okay, we'll go take a look."

Clark's smile widened impossibly more and they entered the building. They were immediately greeted by a lot of barking. The man behind the counter greeted them and they walked through to the dogs. Some were barking excitedly, others were just sitting there staring sadly. Lex felt the strong urge to buy them all. They had plenty of room in the mansion. He quickly discarded that as a bad idea. But it did make him realize that these dogs deserved to find a happy home. He could do something to raise awareness for abused dogs. He would have to work on that.

He followed Clark around as he tried to choose a dog. Lex could see he was quite torn. He was pretty sure Clark wouldn't mind getting all the dogs either.

Clark stopped in front of a golden retriever puppy. It was sitting as far away from them as possible. Lex wasn't sure if dogs had an expression of fear but if they did, the expression on the dog's face would be it.

"Hey, little fella. Come here, it's okay." Clark whispered, kneeling in front of the cage. The dog just stared but then hesitantly came closer. It definitely wasn't full grown yet and Lex couldn't believe that a dog that young could already be traumatized. It made him angry.

Clark stuck a finger through the bars and the dog sniffed it.

"I'm guessing we're getting this one." Lex said. Clark looked up at him and nodded. His expression was sort of sad, no doubt for the dog. He squeezed Clark's shoulder and got the man from the counter to get the dog out.

Clark didn't immediately pick up the dog but waited until it had come out on its own and then gently picked it up. The poor animal was trembling but seemed to calm down a little as Clark gently rubbed the soft fur.

Lex paid and then they left. Clark had the dog protectively cradled against his body.

"He likes you." Lex noted. The dog had stopped trembling and was resting its head on Clark's arm. People trusted Clark when they saw him, apparently animals did too.

Clark nodded happily.

"You got a name yet?" Lex asked.

"Sam."

"Sam?"

"Not good?"

"It's good." Lex rushed to assure him. They reached the truck.

"You're going to have to hold him."

"Or I can drive." Lex suggested. He wasn't too fond of sitting with a dog in his lap for two hours, especially not with an abused dog. He wasn't sure how it was going to react to him.

"You're going to have to get to know him." Clark reasoned.

"Fine but if it craps on me, you can buy me new pants." Lex threatened.

Clark laughed and nodded. They slid in the car before Clark placed Sam in his lap. He immediately started shaking again but stayed where he was.

Clark watched him expectantly.

Lex rolled his eyes. "It's okay." He gently petted the little furry creature. "I'm not going to hurt you." He couldn't believe he was talking to a dog. Sam calmed down a little.

Clark started the engine and Sam let out a startled bark.

"Just the car engine." Lex said automatically. "Nothing to worry about."

He continued petting Sam for two hours because it was the only thing that would stop him from shaking. Clark hadn't stopped grinning since Metropolis.

"He likes you too." Clark remarked when they reached the mansion. Lex lifted the little creature and held it up in front of his eyes. The dog's curious eyes stared back at him before it barked and licked his nose. Clark laughed, loud and clear. Lex made a yuck face but couldn't fight a smile.

"He's alright." He handed Sam back to Clark.

"This is your new house." Clark said, leading the way back into the mansion. Lex shook his head and followed.

An hour later, they were sitting in their bedroom. Lex was wrapping presents at the desk while Clark was playing with Sam. Clark had stolen some ribbon and both man and dog were having fun with it.

"Are we taking Sam with us tonight?" Lex asked unnecessarily.

"Of course! We can't leave him here alone."

"Instead you're going to bring him into a room full of people?"

"It's not a room full of people! Just my parents, Chloe, Lana, Lois, Oliver, Chloe and Jimmy."

"Like I said, a room full of people." Lex said with a grin. Clark smiled sheepishly, admitting defeat.

Lex returned to his task at hand. He didn't particularly mind doing this on his own. Clark was good at a lot of things but wrapping presents wasn't one of them. He smiled fondly. Half the time, he just ended up ripping the paper and ended up sticking it all together with tape. It usually wasn't a pretty sight but it amused the hell out of Lex. Still, he wanted the presents to be nicely wrapped.

The sounds behind him died down and he turned his head to watch. Clark was resting with his back against the bed and with Sam in his lap.

"He's tired." Clark explained, smiling down at the ball of fur.

Lex was amazed by Clark's ability to get attached to the little creature in a matter of hours. He got up and sat down next to Clark.

"He's cute." Lex remarked.

Clark wrapped an arm around his shoulder and tugged him closer. Lex rested his head against Clark's shoulder.

"Our little baby." Clark said laughing.

"Yeah, that's always been my dream. Boyfriend, house, 2.4 dogs." Lex chuckled.

"Oh, Lex, I don't think I'm quite ready for another little one yet." Clark said seriously. Lex smacked his boyfriend's chest with the back of his hand which he realized had no effect but it was the thought that counted.

"Are you done wrapping the presents?"

Lex nodded.

"Good. You know, I'm actually really good at wrapping presents. The screwing it up is just an act to not have to do it."

Lex snorted. "I just bet." He yawned and closed his eyes. Last year, he had hated Christmas but this year, he was particularly looking forward to it. This year, he had Clark and that's really all he needed.

The end

End? Well, maybe there will be another sequel next year, hahaha.
Anyway, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!