"Back from the Dead" (Chlex Drama/Romance)- PG-13/R: Chapter 19
SUMMARY: Almost three years have gone by since Lionel´s murder trial but its effects are far from over for everyone involved. A mysterious meeting in Star City resurrects hidden skeletons and wakes up many ghosts.
AUTHOR: Lexie aka lillianschild
RATING: PG-13/R
Thanks to lone_starling88 for creating this awesome banner for my fic.
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A/N: The rating of this instalment jumps to mild-R once again. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 19: The Other Side
LEX`S PENTHOUSE- METROPOLIS- LATE EVENING
It was eight o’clock in the evening and Lex was getting dressed for dinner when he received Bruce’s confirmation that the data had arrived safe and sound at Gotham’s DA office. It was the first time in weeks he was able to breathe relieved; just a few hours ago his contact at Metropolis PD had informed him that a van driven by the Green Arrow- holding Edge and the heads of Intergang from The Big Apricot in handcuffs- had parked in front of the central headquarters. In addition, a man known by both criminals and law-enforcers as the Batman had delivered the district attorney a message to contact his Gotham counterpart, who had all the necessary information to prosecute the Crime Lords. Edge and his band were now in custody awaiting arraignment to set bail, which the local DA hoped wouldn`t be granted.
Neither Clark nor Lana had been mentioned by the detective, but the news of their well-being came through another very vocal source- Lois Lane- who was still on her mobile phone giving the farm boy an earful after the dressing-down Oliver Queen had had to endure for having disappeared on her. Lex knew he himself would be next on the list and that he’d have to pacify her to be able to enjoy a quiet family dinner of three without going to bed with a gigantic headache. Chloe was setting the table now that his security had delivered the takeaway he’d ordered from his favourite Italian restaurant and Laurie was already in bed after having a meal earlier. He couldn’t wait for dinner to be over because, then, Lois would leave and he’d have Chloe all to himself to celebrate the removal of another hurdle on their road to happiness.
Lex was finishing buttoning up his shirt when a blood-curdling scream came from their daughter’s nursery, interrupting his musings. He barged into the girl’s room with his heart in his mouth half-expecting to find her hurt or gone- maybe kidnapped by one of Edge’s emissaries- only to find her sitting up on her bed amidst tears.
“Daddy!” she sobbed, flinging herself into his arms as he sat down.
“It’s OK, honey,” he whispered in her ear, feeling the pricking of tears behind his eyelids on being called by the name he’d been yearning to hear on her lips. “It was just a bad dream. You’re safe,” he added huskily as she clung to him. “Daddy’s here, Laurie,” he told her, brushing her long golden hair with soothing fingers as she leant her head on his shoulder.“No one’ll hurt you,” he tightened his embrace, revelling in the feel of his baby’s small frame in his arms.
Chloe stood at the door of the nursery fighting back the tears which were threatening to spill. Who could mistake this amorous father so desperate to be loved by his baby for the monster Lionel Luthor had been? If only the world could see Lex the way she did. If only they could learn to understand him and see in him the man he could be- the man he was- instead of the man they expected him to be because of the surname he bore.
“I’m afraid of the clown. What if he comes for me?” Laurie hiccupped, her voice muffled by his blue dress shirt.
“That clown won’t come to get you because he isn’t real. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, OK?” he comforted her.
“Chlo`” murmured Lois, who had witnessed the whole scene standing in silence behind her baby cousin.
Chloe nodded with a small smile, understanding Lois’ gentle nudge to leave father and daughter alone.
Back in the kitchen both cousins worked plating the food in an unusually companionable silence.
“He adores that kid,” said the eldest woman after a while.
“You sound surprised,” replied Chloe with a hint of accusation in her voice.
“You haven’t been around to see him these past three years, Chlo’. You wouldn`t blame me for having my reservations if you’d been there to witness some of the things he did. It was starting to get very difficult to tell him from the old bastard.”
“He’s ashamed of a lot of things he’s done. I just wish people would give him a chance. He’s a good man, Lo’,” said Chloe, taking the cutlery from the top drawer.
“I`ve got to admit that hanging out with you guys these days has let me discover a different side to Lex. You’re good for him. Maybe it was losing you what pushed him down the dark path. It must be scary... for you, I mean. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle being someone’s everything. He`s always looked so... I can’t find the word to define him... “
“Unflappable? Self-sufficient? “ suggested Chloe with a small smile.
“Yeah. He always gave me the impression of not needing anyone.”
“Smoke and mirrors. But don’t you say that to him,” chuckled the blonde cousin.
“What am I not supposed to be told?” Lex butted in, grabbing a bottle from the wine rack.
“You aren’t the only guy in the universe, Luthor,” replied Lois, filling a basket with an assortment of spice-flavoured breadsticks.
“Speak for yourself, Lois,” smirked the billionaire, shooting a meaningful glance at Chloe.
“God, he’ll get a head as big as the Sharks Stadium if you let him, cuz!” exclaimed the General’s daughter, noticing the sudden blush on Chloe’s cheeks as she feigned being busy fetching the glasses.
“For all your independence, Lois, I’m sure you’re yearning to be someone’s ‘universe’ as you put it,” said Lex, uncorking the wine.
“Speaking of which, what was that about Clark and you?” asked Chloe, munching on a breadstick and looking at Lex with amusement when he cocked an eyebrow.
“Smallville and I?” frowned the brunette. “There’s no Clark and I. I can’t stand the guy. We keep fighting all the time. He’s a real pain in the butt,” she shook her head, taking the crockery and the place mats to lay the table. “Where in heaven’s name did you get that crazy idea from?”
“Well, it must have been something you said to Queen on the phone,” shrugged the youngest cousin.
“Me thinks the lady protests too much. Don’t you agree, Chloe? Or are you afraid of the competition, Lois?” added a poker-faced Lex, taking a sip of Chardonnay.
“You shut up, Luthor!” glared Lois, coming back to the kitchen.
“Competition?” echoed Chloe, knitting her eyebrows as she feigned ignorance. “Oooh, right! Lana Lang.”
“And you, Chloe, you should know better than to eavesdrop,” she told her baby cousin.
“Eavesdrop? I’d be surprised if the man at reception didn’t hear you give Queen and Clark a dressing-down,” chuckled Chloe.
“Say, Lois, weren’t you and Queen an item?” Lex cut in.
“Luthor,” replied Lois menacingly, “if you`d like to give the apple of your eyes a little sister or brother- and I saw you, Chlo’- I suggest you stop laughing at my expense. I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me so that I forget to ask you why you two took the one-sided decision not to inform me what you were planning to do about Edge. “
“Lo’, we were just trying to keep the people involved to a minimum in case something went wrong. Enough innocent people had got hurt already,” responded Chloe.
“I’m a big girl; I don’t need protecting. Besides, we were talking about my family too. You’re the closest thing I have to a sister and Aunt Moira’s the only Mom I’ve known since my mother died, Chlo’. And Smallville... well... ”
“It’s OK, Lois, you can admit you like him,” said Chloe with a smile.
“You could do much worse than Clark Kent,” added Lex as they sat down at the table.
“You knew he’d play Lana’s knight in shining armour and you used him,” Lois told him accusingly.
“He offered himself. Even if I hadn’t paved the way for him to get the device, he’d have stepped in to save the day, and deep down you know it, Lois. If you want to blame someone for putting him at risk, blame Edge and Clark`s own nature- I simply seized the opportunity. And, by the way, if I didn’t care about him, I wouldn’t have made sure he had someone to cover his back at all times,” replied the billionaire. “You seem to forget we were best friends once and- what’s more, he’s Martha’s son- and Senator Kent’s been nothing but kind to me ever since I came to Smallville. Her son and I might have our differences, but she means a lot to me... and Chloe. She was the only one that knew about us back in Smallville and never judged us. Her words and advice helped me a lot after the safe house explosion.”
“Martha’s a great woman,” agreed Lois. “He’s one lucky guy to have such a cool mom.”
“He certainly is,” said Lex. “I know you meant well when you started digging into the Edge affair, Lois. But the situation demanded a cold-headed approach to minimise the damage.”
“Afraid I was going to turn into a loose cannon? You should have told me anyway. I hate not being kept in the loop,” grumbled Lois.
“Truce?” asked Chloe, squeezing her eldest cousin’s hand.
“Only because I wouldn’t like to leave Pooh’s fan an orphan. Now how about serving me a double portion of lasagne with extra cheese to appease my hidden warrior?” replied Lois, unfolding the napkin on her lap.
Their first family dinner went quite well after the initial tension, and Chloe was happy both her cousin and Lex were doing their best to reach a compromise for her sake. Although she was just starting to reacquaint herself with Lois, Chloe felt a strong sisterly affection towards her, and the thought of having to choose between the General’s daughter and Lex was simply too painful.
Talks of Laurie virtually monopolised their conversation; the little girl once again proved to be the Heaven-sent angel who might heal the slights Lex had been submitted to by the prejudiced world that had never been able to see beyond his name. Laurie had been God’s blessing for Chloe at a time when the blonde reporter had lost everything, and the girl was now the blessing Lex needed to be the man Chloe knew he could be.
Lois was just a speck of dust in the hostile world that was Lex’s; however, seeing the brunette warming up to him gave Chloe hope and added to her joy. Even though she wouldn’t mind living with Lex and Laurie forever in their small loving cocoon, she knew the little hurt boy who inhabited behind his mask craved human affection and acceptance; he might believe Laurie`s love and hers was enough but Chloe wanted him to have a loving safe net in case something ever happened to them. Lex needed friends now more than ever after making himself vulnerable by opening his heart to let her and their baby in.
It was past midnight when Chloe closed the front door having seen Lois to the lift. Lex had finished loading the dishwasher and was sitting in his favourite armchair savouring the last dregs of bourbon from his snifter with the lights of the living room now dimmed.
“Exhausting, isn’t she?” smirked he as she kicked off her shoes and crossed the Aubosson carpet to sit on his lap with a sigh.
“It felt like defusing a bomb,“ she chuckled when he nuzzled her neck. “Thanks for being so patient.”
“Anything to make you happy and have you all to myself before sunrise,“ he smiled, sliding down the strap of her dress and pressing a kiss on her shoulder.
“Oh, Lex Luthor and his secret agendas!” she murmured, starting to undo the buttons of his dress shirt.
“I got the impression you were counting the minutes too,” he tugged at her earlobe, letting his hands slide up her thighs as he bunched up her knee-length purple dress to reveal a very sexy pair of black lace knickers. “Tell me it was your foot that played with my leg and a distinct part of my anatomy under the table and not that your cousin was hitting on me,” he nibbled at her lower lip.
“You got me,” she replied mischievously, rearranging her legs to straddle him. “Now, the question is...” she cocked an eyebrow as she untucked the shirt out of his trousers and leant forward to splay her hands over his chest and bring their mouths closer again,”... are you too tired for a little entert..”
The taunting question died on her lips as he cupped the back of her head and drew her instantly to his mouth. She opened to the passionate onslaught of his tongue and responded in fashion, meeting him stroke for stroke. Soon she found her dress had somehow ended up bunched around her hips and that Lex’s dexterous fingers had unclasped her matching strapless bra to have better access to her luscious curves.
“You were saying?” he murmured huskily, peppering kisses on her breasts and avoiding the pebbled peaks which were yearning to be suckled.
“You’re mean,” she gasped when his lips made a sudden detour and, instead of attending to her straining nipples, they brushed the underside of her heavy breasts.
“Payback for putting me in this state when you knew Lois wouldn’t leave until after dessert,” he replied as he brought the evidence of his arousal in contact with her now damp panties. “Didn’t you wonder why I didn’t do the gentlemanly thing and just remained seated when Lois got up to leave?”
“And me that thought you just wanted to piss her off,” she panted, rocking her hips gently to get some friction on her still clad bundle of nerves. “Lex,” she moaned when he slipped off her lacy lingerie and his expert hands tended to her.
“You’re beautiful like this, Chloe. Passionate and uninhibited only in my arms,” he murmured next to her lips.”Don’t be afraid to let go, baby,” he told her, hearing her laboured breathing and feeling her flutter around his fingers.
“Laurie,” she choked, trying to stave off her climax but too far gone to stop his intimate caresses.
“Let go, Chloe. I’ve got you,” he encouraged her, leaning forward to press his mouth against hers in time to swallow her powerful release.
“It’s not fair,” she said breathless a few moments afterwards as her feminine core still fluttered seeking in vain to keep him enveloped in her warmth. “Why am I the only one who’s virtually nude?”
“Logistics?” he smirked.
“You don’t need to be always the selfless one, Lex,” she told him, realising he’d kept his trousers on to delay his satisfaction and take care of hers first. “We’ll have to do something about this soon,” she smiled, brushing his crotch as she unbuckled his belt to start working on his zipper.
“We’d better move this to the bedroom,” he said huskily, stopping her hand before she could touch him more intimately and put a sudden end to what he hoped would be a celebration of their first giant step towards deliverance.
“Yes, you’re right,” she agreed, scrambling off his lap to pull up her dress and cover up her nakedness. Karen Fairchild would have never got blind by desire and be so risqué as to make love in an armchair. What would they have done if Laurie had woken up after a nightmare and sought them out?
“Chloe,” he murmured, noticing the blush on her cheeks as he stood up with the discarded blue dress shirt in his hands.
“God, I never lose my head this way,” she said shakily, raking her fingers through her hair.
“That isn’t true, Chloe. This is you. This is us. We’ll just have to remember we’re three now,” he cupped her cheek before pressing a soft kiss on her lips.
“I love you, Lex,” she told him when he closed the door of his bedroom.”Did I use to say it aloud?” she asked him when he stopped in front of her.
“We were too afraid of the farewell to say the words aloud,” he replied.
“I never told you I loved you?” she said appalled.
“I didn’t confess my feelings until our last time together either, Chloe, so don’t beat yourself about it.”
“Don’t try to make me feel better, Lex.”
“I’m not...”
“Yes, you are. “
“Chloe, there were extenuating circumst....”
“Well, to hell with them,” she snapped, putting her fingers on his lips to stop him from completing the sentence. “I’ll have to compensate you for all those times I didn’t tell you how much I love you,” she added, standing on tiptoe to brush her lips against his as she released the hold on her dress and it pooled around her feet.
“That is something I could get used to,” he smiled, deepening the kiss she initiated. “Chloe,” he said in a raspy voice as she helped him shimmy out of his trousers and boxers.
“I love you, Lex,” she repeated when he picked her up effortlessly and she wrapped her legs round his middle.
He laid her gently on the king-sized bed and let out a strangled moan as gravity pulled him a couple of centimetres into Chloe’s warm and tight glove. She looked into his stormy blue grey eyes and saw the internal struggle he was wielding to keep his darker half at bay. Every time they’d made love since their reunion he’d been nothing but tender and gentle with her, but Chloe had always noticed he fought for restraint as if he were afraid of hurting her or of scaring her away. She loved him for it and still, yearned for Lex to share all of him with her and that included embracing that part which had tormented him for years.
“This is for you, Lex. Let me love you, all of you,” she told him, lifting her hips off the mattress a little bit to bring him deeper. “Don’t hold back.”
He replied with a couple of short and tentative pushes into her clinging channel to find the angle that would give her the most pleasure. And when he did, he held her gaze to ascertain this was really what she wanted.
”Don’t be afraid to let me love you, the whole of you. I won’t break, and I have no intention of leaving your side,” she murmured, looking into his eyes as she responded with an eager rocking of her hips. “We`ve come to stay, Lex. You won’t scare me away. You asked me to let go just a few minutes ago. Now it’s your turn.”
And he did. He poured into their coming together all the love and passion he had bottled up inside not to frighten her with his overwhelming feelings and his neediness. And as he came undone and she reached the second peak of the night, he shed the final plate of his armour.
“Marry me,” he croaked reluctant to leave her warmth. “It’s OK. You don’t have to answer now,” he added when the silence dragged on. “I’m sorry, Chloe. God, did I hurt you?” he asked with panic in his voice as he saw two big tears roll down her cheeks.
“Yes,” she gasped. “Don’t...” she stopped him when he started to pull away and she noticed the look of self-loath in his expressive eyes. “You didn’t hurt me, Lex. I meant my answer to your proposal is yes,” she smiled, cupping his cheek and feeling him immediately relax.
“Are you sure? Maybe I’ve been selfish to pop the question all of a sudden. Believe me, there’s nothing in this world I want more than for us to be married- it`s what I’ve wanted ever since that summer and was the one thing I couldn`t offer you then. But I don’t want to rush you into anything, Chloe. There are people who think of me in much the same way they thought of my father and their feelings invariably end up reflected on those closest to me. I’d hate for you and Laurie to get hurt because of me. I’m not an easy person to live with and I wouldn’t like you to feel pressured to tie yourself to me out of some misguided belief you owe me anything.”
“I’m not a romantic fool. I know living in your world won’t be a bed of roses and that we’ll fight over many things. I’m sure us being married will be anything but boring,” she chuckled, drawing a smile out of him.
“I count on it. We’ll wait until this business is officially over and then we`ll make the arrangements. I’ll give you carte blanche. I’m sure your mother will like to help and you can even involve Lois if you want.”
“OK, but you have to promise me you won’t kill each other before the wedding. I need my groom and, at least, a bridesmaid to make it to the altar,” she laughed good-humouredly. “Do you think they’ll refuse them bail?” she asked, veering the conversation after he rolled them on their side not to crush her under his weight.
“The arraignment’s on Monday. The judge who’s been appointed has a reputation for being incorruptible, according to Bruce. We’re optimistic. The evidence presented is over-whelming and sending such big sharks to prison can make many people’s careers.”
“I cannot wait for this thing to be over. I’m tired of hiding. Don’t get me wrong... I’m enjoying certain perks,” she smiled seductively, sliding one of her legs along his thigh and feeling the sparks starting to ignite once again as she taunted him with a tentative pump.
“Why am I getting the feeling you’re only interested in my body?” he smirked, rolling on his back.
“We`ve got to catch up on the three years we lost. And... I enjoy being shallow from time to time, love discovering new ways to have you remove your shirt so I can see the shapely arms and abs you work so hard for at that gym of yours. I love knowing I’m the only one that gets to see them,” she purred into his ear, stretching her body on top of his and rubbing the sensitive tips of her breasts against his chest.
“And I’m the one people refer to as possessive?” he moaned, pressing a trail of warm kisses along the column of her throat and sliding both of his hands under her buttocks to encourage and guide her.
“I love possessive you. I think it’s sexy and tender when it’s triggered by your instinct to protect me and Laurie.”
“Well, I like your possessiveness too. It means no one’s managed to lure you away from me,” he murmured against her lips.
“It’s nice to be the centre of someone’s universe for a change, isn’t it?” she replied, pressing a few short kisses on his lips.
“Yes, it is,” he said, cupping the back of her head and devouring her in a hungry kiss.
CHAPTER 20