beautiful N' Bruised
26th August 2003, 23:58
ETA: Please don't read the FB first, it's likely to ruin it!
Summary: "All of my life, I'll love you." 1/1
Disclaimer: Not mine. No suing (that applies to readers as well as TPTB.) Please, no therapy bills.
Rating: G
Category: Angst all the way, baby.
A/N: This came to me suddenly at work today. Not sure where from. First time I’ve started and finished something in one day, so I’d love an opinion. Hate mail also welcome.
All My Life
Lex pretended to himself that he wasn’t nervous.
However, sat straight on his leather chair, his hands folded tightly together on the desk and his jaw slightly clenched, all evidence pointed to the contrary. The truth of the matter was, every cell in his body was poised in nervous tension and ready to pounce.
His eyes landed on a spot in the middle of the study’s large bookcase, where they fixated. Although he was too far to be able to make out the three people in the photograph that was there, his minds eye knew it well enough. He knew they were smiling widely, happy and relaxed and carefree.
Some distance away in the mansion, a doorbell rang. A special intercom system he had had especially set up, buzzed, alerting him to the fact.
Relaxing from his statue-like posture, he pushed his chair back slightly, and stood up, his eyes flicking away from the picture. Almost absently he threw a clean hanky onto the plate of cinnamon cookies that sat on his desk.
As he left the study, he carefully locked it’s large doors. He had dismissed all of the house-servants that day, so other than him and the guest at the door, the mansion should have been empty. But he had long since learnt that the platitude ‘better safe than sorry’ was not one of the ones to be scorned at.
***
From outside his study window, Chloe watched Lex leave the room. She had snuk into the mansion grounds (using her old secret route, that she still hadn’t gotton round to telling Lex about.) Wanting to surprise him, she had circled round the back of the house, until she came to the window of his first-floor study.
Finding him in there, she hadn’t been able to resist just standing and watching him for a few moments.
It was scary how much she loved him. Scary how much seeing him there, separated only by man-made brick and glass, yet really a world apart from her, actually *hurt.*
Maybe it was just her ego, but he looked so desolate without her. It seemed wrong that he could exist merely as Lex. He needed to always be part of the Lex-Chloe duo, with her.
Palm flat against the glass, and ignoring how maudlin being with Lex had made her, she whispered ‘I love you,’ at him. He choose that moment to get up and leave the room.
Laying her head against the glass, Chloe resigned herself to the fact that she would have to circle the house and ring the front bell. But the window slowly moved against her touch. Pushing it with both her hands, she found it opened wide enough for her to fit through. Climbing onto the window frame, she jumped down onto the wooden floor, and landed with her knees crouched. Almost immediately she frowned and laid her hands low against her stomach.
“I’m so sorry; mummy’s forgetful,” she said, looking down at where her hands were placed. But her lips curved into a smile once more, as she thought of the news she was bringing Lex.
It was almost three years they had been together. Three years since Lex had scooped her off the floor, and into his arms, when she had been thinking that life had no more to offer her. It took her breath away when she thought of the three years of bliss they had shared.
He had given her a new life, full of hope and joy and love. She owed him her life, and she planned to give him every day she had; the large engagement ring on her finger was testament to that.
Although having a baby wasn’t exactly part of her career plans, she had still been ecstatic from the moment she found out, for the simple reason that she knew Lex would be.
She was supposed to be in New York with Lois Lane for the week, covering an important medical conference. But when her test results had come back positive, she had cancelled her trip at the last minute, and let Clark go instead, and had travelled to Smallville to give the news to in person to her fiancé.
Making her way to Lex’s desk, she sat back against the soft leather that was still slightly warm with his body heat. Impatiently she tapped her fingers against the desk. Her eyes fell on the plate of covered food on his desk, and her stomach growled. In her rush to get to Lex, she had missed both breakfast and lunch, which definitely didn't sit well with her pregnant metabolism.
Finding a large bowl of freshly baked cookies underneath the cloth, she leaned close to sniff them. They were cinnamon and she wrinkled her nose. They had always been Clark’s favourites, and she had always hated them with a vengeance. She sniffed the cookies once more; her nose still crinkled up in distance.
Her stomach rumbled again.
***
Walking back to the study, Lex glanced at his watch and frowned. The person at the door had turned out to be a confused maid, who finding the staff entrance locked had chanced the front door instead. The terrified look on her face at seeing the door opened by her boss, had been reprimand enough, and Lex had let her off with a stern warning to pay better attention to schedules next time.
But Clark was now so late, Lex was being to wonder if he was going to turn up at all.
After unlocking the door of the study, he was startled to find someone in the room. But seeing it was Chloe his surprised expression quickly changed to a grin. She was drinking water from a bottle from the mini fridge next to his desk. It was a few moments before she saw him, but then the bottle was quickly discarded, as she ran towards him.
Reaching him, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling their bodies close, and pressed a kiss to his lips. Before he could respond, she was peppering closed and open mouth kisses down his neck.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she whispered over and over.
“I love you too,” he whispered back, laughing at her endearing passionate outburst. His hands moved up her back and onto her shoulders, pulling her even tighter against him. His fingers tangled in her hair. Gently angling her head towards him, he leaned down to kiss her. But she coyly side-stepped him, turning her head to the side, extracting his fingers, and moving a small step back.
“Happy to see me?” she asked. Both the question and the smile that accompanied it, were slightly shy, and seemed almost out of character for Chloe.
Smiling back he touched a hand to her cheek and she leaned into his touch, her eyes closing.
“Always,” he affirmed. “Was the New York trip cancelled?”
Her eyes opened and she moved closer again, putting her arms around his waist, and pulling their lower bodies together.
“No, but something more important came up; something that I have to tell you.”
“What?” he asked, matching her teasing tone.
“We’re going to be parents!”
There was a pause while he took this in. “You mean eventually?” he asked finally.
“No silly,” she batted his arm lightly, “I mean within the next nine months!”
Parents. Nine months. Baby. Chloe and Lex. Whilst his mind babbled incoherently, his arms picked her up, swinging around in a circle. She giggled as they spun round and fell into each other as they stopped
“Parent’s I can’t believe it!” he knew he was grinning like a fool, but he didn’t care, “God, I love you, so much!” Lowering his head, he placed a tender kiss against her lips, and then she was deepening it. Eventually, out of breath, they broke apart.
“Let’s go celebrate.” she told him, her voice husky. Taking his hand, she lead him towards the door.
***
Hours later, Lex left the bedroom and made his way back to the study. His eyes were closed as he approached the desk.
Cinnamon flavoured cookies were Clark’s favourites. But Clark had never turned up, Chloe coming to him instead. Infatuated with her, Lex had forgotten about them.
Fed up with Clark’s games and lies, Lex had had the cookies laced with enough poison to kill ten men. After eating them, Clark would no longer be able to deny the facts. He would survive it just as Superman had, when Lex had tried to kill him.
But no human being would.
He opened his eyes.
The white hanky lay discarded, next to a scattering of crumbs.
His knees felt weak, and he grabbed onto the side of the desk.
“Lex?”
He turned to her, awash with horror. Chloe wore a short white kimono dressing gown. Her hands gripped her stomach.
“Lex, I don’t feel too good.” She made one step towards him, and stumbled. He ran towards her, but was too slow. She fell to the ground, and he dropped down next to her, scooping her into his arms and laying her head against his shoulder.
“My stomach hurts,” she whispered. Her face was pale, her creamy skin drenched with sweat. “Must have been, something I ate.”
“It’ll be okay, shh. I’ll get you a doctor. I’ll get you a hundred. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.” Lex didn’t know how he got his mouth to work, but his voice sounded so strange, a million miles away, and awash with desperation.
“I know, and that’s why I love you,” she told him. Then she was stuttering, her voice a mere whisper. “Love. You. All of. My life. Always”
Her hand reached up slowly to touch his cheek, but it faltered mere millimetres away and then dropped limp to her side.
He said nothing, pressing the love of his life to his chest.
Daylight left, and darkness consumed the room, as his world collapsed.
(IN) FINI (TE)
Summary: "All of my life, I'll love you." 1/1
Disclaimer: Not mine. No suing (that applies to readers as well as TPTB.) Please, no therapy bills.
Rating: G
Category: Angst all the way, baby.
A/N: This came to me suddenly at work today. Not sure where from. First time I’ve started and finished something in one day, so I’d love an opinion. Hate mail also welcome.
All My Life
Lex pretended to himself that he wasn’t nervous.
However, sat straight on his leather chair, his hands folded tightly together on the desk and his jaw slightly clenched, all evidence pointed to the contrary. The truth of the matter was, every cell in his body was poised in nervous tension and ready to pounce.
His eyes landed on a spot in the middle of the study’s large bookcase, where they fixated. Although he was too far to be able to make out the three people in the photograph that was there, his minds eye knew it well enough. He knew they were smiling widely, happy and relaxed and carefree.
Some distance away in the mansion, a doorbell rang. A special intercom system he had had especially set up, buzzed, alerting him to the fact.
Relaxing from his statue-like posture, he pushed his chair back slightly, and stood up, his eyes flicking away from the picture. Almost absently he threw a clean hanky onto the plate of cinnamon cookies that sat on his desk.
As he left the study, he carefully locked it’s large doors. He had dismissed all of the house-servants that day, so other than him and the guest at the door, the mansion should have been empty. But he had long since learnt that the platitude ‘better safe than sorry’ was not one of the ones to be scorned at.
***
From outside his study window, Chloe watched Lex leave the room. She had snuk into the mansion grounds (using her old secret route, that she still hadn’t gotton round to telling Lex about.) Wanting to surprise him, she had circled round the back of the house, until she came to the window of his first-floor study.
Finding him in there, she hadn’t been able to resist just standing and watching him for a few moments.
It was scary how much she loved him. Scary how much seeing him there, separated only by man-made brick and glass, yet really a world apart from her, actually *hurt.*
Maybe it was just her ego, but he looked so desolate without her. It seemed wrong that he could exist merely as Lex. He needed to always be part of the Lex-Chloe duo, with her.
Palm flat against the glass, and ignoring how maudlin being with Lex had made her, she whispered ‘I love you,’ at him. He choose that moment to get up and leave the room.
Laying her head against the glass, Chloe resigned herself to the fact that she would have to circle the house and ring the front bell. But the window slowly moved against her touch. Pushing it with both her hands, she found it opened wide enough for her to fit through. Climbing onto the window frame, she jumped down onto the wooden floor, and landed with her knees crouched. Almost immediately she frowned and laid her hands low against her stomach.
“I’m so sorry; mummy’s forgetful,” she said, looking down at where her hands were placed. But her lips curved into a smile once more, as she thought of the news she was bringing Lex.
It was almost three years they had been together. Three years since Lex had scooped her off the floor, and into his arms, when she had been thinking that life had no more to offer her. It took her breath away when she thought of the three years of bliss they had shared.
He had given her a new life, full of hope and joy and love. She owed him her life, and she planned to give him every day she had; the large engagement ring on her finger was testament to that.
Although having a baby wasn’t exactly part of her career plans, she had still been ecstatic from the moment she found out, for the simple reason that she knew Lex would be.
She was supposed to be in New York with Lois Lane for the week, covering an important medical conference. But when her test results had come back positive, she had cancelled her trip at the last minute, and let Clark go instead, and had travelled to Smallville to give the news to in person to her fiancé.
Making her way to Lex’s desk, she sat back against the soft leather that was still slightly warm with his body heat. Impatiently she tapped her fingers against the desk. Her eyes fell on the plate of covered food on his desk, and her stomach growled. In her rush to get to Lex, she had missed both breakfast and lunch, which definitely didn't sit well with her pregnant metabolism.
Finding a large bowl of freshly baked cookies underneath the cloth, she leaned close to sniff them. They were cinnamon and she wrinkled her nose. They had always been Clark’s favourites, and she had always hated them with a vengeance. She sniffed the cookies once more; her nose still crinkled up in distance.
Her stomach rumbled again.
***
Walking back to the study, Lex glanced at his watch and frowned. The person at the door had turned out to be a confused maid, who finding the staff entrance locked had chanced the front door instead. The terrified look on her face at seeing the door opened by her boss, had been reprimand enough, and Lex had let her off with a stern warning to pay better attention to schedules next time.
But Clark was now so late, Lex was being to wonder if he was going to turn up at all.
After unlocking the door of the study, he was startled to find someone in the room. But seeing it was Chloe his surprised expression quickly changed to a grin. She was drinking water from a bottle from the mini fridge next to his desk. It was a few moments before she saw him, but then the bottle was quickly discarded, as she ran towards him.
Reaching him, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling their bodies close, and pressed a kiss to his lips. Before he could respond, she was peppering closed and open mouth kisses down his neck.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she whispered over and over.
“I love you too,” he whispered back, laughing at her endearing passionate outburst. His hands moved up her back and onto her shoulders, pulling her even tighter against him. His fingers tangled in her hair. Gently angling her head towards him, he leaned down to kiss her. But she coyly side-stepped him, turning her head to the side, extracting his fingers, and moving a small step back.
“Happy to see me?” she asked. Both the question and the smile that accompanied it, were slightly shy, and seemed almost out of character for Chloe.
Smiling back he touched a hand to her cheek and she leaned into his touch, her eyes closing.
“Always,” he affirmed. “Was the New York trip cancelled?”
Her eyes opened and she moved closer again, putting her arms around his waist, and pulling their lower bodies together.
“No, but something more important came up; something that I have to tell you.”
“What?” he asked, matching her teasing tone.
“We’re going to be parents!”
There was a pause while he took this in. “You mean eventually?” he asked finally.
“No silly,” she batted his arm lightly, “I mean within the next nine months!”
Parents. Nine months. Baby. Chloe and Lex. Whilst his mind babbled incoherently, his arms picked her up, swinging around in a circle. She giggled as they spun round and fell into each other as they stopped
“Parent’s I can’t believe it!” he knew he was grinning like a fool, but he didn’t care, “God, I love you, so much!” Lowering his head, he placed a tender kiss against her lips, and then she was deepening it. Eventually, out of breath, they broke apart.
“Let’s go celebrate.” she told him, her voice husky. Taking his hand, she lead him towards the door.
***
Hours later, Lex left the bedroom and made his way back to the study. His eyes were closed as he approached the desk.
Cinnamon flavoured cookies were Clark’s favourites. But Clark had never turned up, Chloe coming to him instead. Infatuated with her, Lex had forgotten about them.
Fed up with Clark’s games and lies, Lex had had the cookies laced with enough poison to kill ten men. After eating them, Clark would no longer be able to deny the facts. He would survive it just as Superman had, when Lex had tried to kill him.
But no human being would.
He opened his eyes.
The white hanky lay discarded, next to a scattering of crumbs.
His knees felt weak, and he grabbed onto the side of the desk.
“Lex?”
He turned to her, awash with horror. Chloe wore a short white kimono dressing gown. Her hands gripped her stomach.
“Lex, I don’t feel too good.” She made one step towards him, and stumbled. He ran towards her, but was too slow. She fell to the ground, and he dropped down next to her, scooping her into his arms and laying her head against his shoulder.
“My stomach hurts,” she whispered. Her face was pale, her creamy skin drenched with sweat. “Must have been, something I ate.”
“It’ll be okay, shh. I’ll get you a doctor. I’ll get you a hundred. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.” Lex didn’t know how he got his mouth to work, but his voice sounded so strange, a million miles away, and awash with desperation.
“I know, and that’s why I love you,” she told him. Then she was stuttering, her voice a mere whisper. “Love. You. All of. My life. Always”
Her hand reached up slowly to touch his cheek, but it faltered mere millimetres away and then dropped limp to her side.
He said nothing, pressing the love of his life to his chest.
Daylight left, and darkness consumed the room, as his world collapsed.
(IN) FINI (TE)