Back from the Dead (PG-13/R)- CHAPTER 27 plus Epilogue (Aug 17, 2010)

[lexie]

What a nice way to return to reading fanfic. I ave not been ignoring you or anyone for that matter, but this summer and the early football season has been crazy. This is my first wkd home since May it seems. Anyway....

Yes, I knew "what you were up to" thanks to Twitter. No need to apologise, I knew you weren´t giving me the cold shoulder.

I love this new story. Very intriguing in who is trying to get to Lex through Chloe. I hope they can work through his father's meddling and hopefully get his family put back together.

I hope I´ll be able to keep your interest throughout. I´ve still got a few more chapters written. Let´s keep our fingers crossed for my muse to keep collaborating.

[ksa]

Haaaa I just knew it... Laura is his daughter! Great chapter. I like the way Lex talked to her about the whole thing and chloe´s reaction. The way you let Lex possesion shine through was great and Chloe´s fear and insecurity to show feelings towards Lex and her fear to lost Laura were very good written, too. Both reactions were very characteristic for the two of them.
And I really hate Lionel that bastard using his own granddaughter. That is so evil...
Lol sandra

[lexie]

I like the way Lex talked to her about the whole thing and chloe´s reaction. The way you let Lex possesion shine through was great and Chloe´s fear and insecurity to show feelings towards Lex and her fear to lost Laura were very good written, too. Both reactions were very characteristic for the two of them.

Thank you, Sandra. That´s exactly what I strove for, and I´m really pleased it comes across the way I intended.

And I really hate Lionel that bastard using his own granddaughter. That is so evil...

He was one sick bastard, wasn´t he?

[Kit Merlot]

So Laura is Lex's daughter, too--WOO HOO!!

And I really love the idea of Chloe's writing a book all about Lionel's past--he thought he got away with it all, but then this book comes out and he must have flipped.

I love it

[veronica525]

Yes! I am so thankful that Laura is Lex's baby girl! Sweet!

I was going to say that I can't believe Lionel would stoop so low as to using his own grandchild in such an awful way, but I can believe it. Lionel is a real bastard, I'm so glad he is dead!

Lex, Chloe and Laura all living together. I love how protective Lex is of them and how Chloe reacts to that protectiveness.

I can't wait to see what other surprises you have in store for us!

[lexie]

And I really love the idea of Chloe's writing a book all about Lionel's past--he thought he got away with it all, but then this book comes out and he must have flipped.

Chloe´s first and foremost a reporter, a writer, a teller of stories, a truth-seeker. That´s why it pisses me off how they´ve forgotten that on the show.Yes, I wish I could have seen Lionel´s face when he realised he hadn´t got away after all. Let´s keep our fingers crossed for Chloe and Lex to be able to escape his hurtful and vengeful legacy.

I was going to say that I can't believe Lionel would stoop so low as to using his own grandchild in such an awful way, but I can believe it. Lionel is a real bastard, I'm so glad he is dead!

No kitty Lionel like the one they wanted us to buy in the last seasons of SV.

[veronica525]

The 21st seems so far away! Patiently, ok totally lying here, waiting!

[daria_103]

I'm home now and finally got a chance to read your fic. I have to admit it took me a little while to get past the first chapter, there's something extremely creepy about a doctor playing husband to a patient with amnesia and trying to keep her from remembering her past, especially when it involves keeping her child from knowing her real family, I'm glad he was gotten rid of quickly.

Poor Lex being led to believe she was dead all this time, I hoped from the beginning that Laura would be his and was delighted when it came out that she was, but it's heartbreaking to know he missed out on so much of her life (and she missed out on having him in hers) through no fault of his own.

I can't wait to see where you go from here, it's been a brilliant read so far.

[lexie]

I'm home now and finally got a chance to read your fic.

I hope you´ve had a great time in Canada.

I have to admit it took me a little while to get past the first chapter, there's something extremely creepy about a doctor playing husband to a patient with amnesia and trying to keep her from remembering her past, especially when it involves keeping her child from knowing her real family, I'm glad he was gotten rid of quickly.

I really don´t like having a third wheel in my fics so I put him out of his misery really fast. I´m aware that starting a fic with no Chlex in the first instalment is a gamble because not everyone´s willing to come back- particularly if they develop a dislike towards the third party.

You´ll have to wait and see if there are any redeeming qualities in Phil or if he was as creepy as you deem him to be.

I can't wait to see where you go from here, it's been a brilliant read so far.

*blushes* I hope I´ll be able to live up to your expectations with my muse´s aid.

[lexie]

A/N: Here´s an update- a little earlier than promised.

CHAPTER 9: Knocking at the Door

CENTRAL KANSAS UNIVERSITY- EARLIER

Friday had been a really intense and busy heroic day for Clark. Even though he´d promised his parents he´d be careful and try not to use his powers away from home, he couldn´t just sit doing nothing when he knew he could be out there helping people and saving lives. He made his best to be discreet and always looked out for prospective Masons and Nixons that might be lurking around. So far he´d been lucky and he couldn´t deny being referred to as the mysterious hero on campus had raised his spirits the last couple of months, which had been particularly difficult with Lex and Lana´s engagement.

The farm boy had begun Friday by saving a bunch of primary school students from falling into the waters of the Elbow River when the driver suffered a heart attack at the wheel of the school bus. Then, his lunch had been cut short by a suicidal sophomore who jumped off the roof of the university on getting the results of a partial. And later, he was dragged away from his favourite Ancient History class by an armed robbery at Kregburne Tavern.

Now he was trying to catch up with the assignments he hadn´t been able to finish due to his weekly heroic escapades and was looking forward to getting home for the weekend since Martha would be coming from Washington to stay in Smallville until the end of the month.

He was finishing drafting his essay on Ethics in the World of Journalism when there was an energetic knock at the door of his dorm room, which made him jump and punch a hole through the paper pad.

“Hello there, Smallville,” Lois greeted him, inviting herself in. “So this is how the other half of Central Kansas live, eh?” she told a baffled Clark while inspecting the room.

“How did you get in?” he frowned, keeping the door open.

“Through the front door. Is there any other way in?” she asked with a lopsided grin.

“Lois,” he told her menacingly.

“OK.OK. I sneaked in. At least you could thank me for being worried enough to come visit you. How are you feeling?” she responded, placing a hand on his brow.

“Feeling?” he asked confused until it dawn on him Lois was also attending Ancient History and that she must have noticed his absence.

“Oh!” I´m feeling better now. I couldn´t stay until the end; that hamburger I had for lunch didn´t sit well on my stomach,” he lied to cover up his faux-pas.

“Must be your delicate farm boy constitution. I´m used to boot camp cooking... My stomach can digest the thickest motor oil. Aren´t you going to close the door?”

“You´re a ... girl;” he hesitated.

“Last time I checked, “ she cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, come on, Smallville!
Don´t be such a prude. I´m not going to jump you.”

“This is the boys´ dorm. You aren´t supposed to be here. You´ll put us both in trouble. Anyway, how did you know this was my room?”

“The doormat.”

“What?”

“Who else but a well-mannered farm boy raised by Martha Kent would have a `welcome´ mat?” she pointed at it, and Clark closed the door quietly with a grimace. “Ah! By the way,” she told him, unfolding what she had gripped in her hand and thrusting it into him as she walked to his desk,” you´ve got mail.”

“Where did you get this?” he asked her looking at the large manila envelope in his hands.

“It was on the mat when I got to the door,” she explained, picking up the pad and perusing what Clark had been working on. “My! Someone was frustrated!” she exclaimed, seeing the hole in the middle.

“Give me that,” Clark snarled, snatching it away from her.

“You´re grumpy, today. You´d better get ready because you aren´t gonna like this. I tried to talk Professor Stein out of it. Hell! I was really surprised when I didn´t see you jump off your chair to protest- that´s when I realised you were missing from your favourite class.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Clark with a puzzled frown.

“It seems we were the only two who had no partner for the hieroglyphic research. So, partner, we´ll have some work to do over the weekend,” she explained, resting her weight on her left foot and hooking her thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans.

“What?!” exploded the farm boy.

“My exact same reaction, Skippy. We´re stuck together. By the way, where´s your travelling bag?” she added, roaming the room with her eyes.

“My travelling bag?”

“You´re slow today, Kent. If you haven´t noticed, the calendar reads Saturday and there´s a storm brewing. I´d rather we hit the road before it starts raining. Don´t want to tempt fate when it comes to Hickville.”

“We?”

“You´ve got to have your hearing checked, Smallville. Yes, we. You´re giving me a lift. Your mum phoned me from D.C. yesterday. She invited me over, said she needs something or other... So... I´m shooting two birds with a stone.”

Clark sighed in defeat. Goodbye to the quiet family weekend he´d been looking forward to.

“So... aren´t you gonna open it?” she asked, pointing at the envelope he still had in his hands.

“Did you ever hear of something called privacy, Lois?”

“OK,” she raised her hands,” I´ll go back to the girls´ dorm to fetch my bag. Shall I wait for you at the parking lot?”

“Yes, give me twenty minutes,” he told her, grabbing a paper knife.

He´d need a few seconds to pack up and be on his way- that had been his plan before hurricane Lois arrived and turned his schedule upside down.


Fifteen minutes had elapsed since they left the campus in the Kents´ red truck and Clark had barely said two words when Lois decided she´d had enough.

“Lois!” shouted the farm boy when rock music started blaring out of the loudspeakers.

“Just checking if you were still among the living,” she told him, turning down the volume.” Geez, I thought I was in a mortuary for a while there.”

Clark gripped the steering-wheel and felt the heavy-duty plastic crack a little under his hands. He hadn´t noticed he´d gone without speaking for so long and hearing Lois´ last sentence only exacerbated the strange mood he was in.

“Are you sure you aren´t gonna puke? I´ve never seen you so pale,” she added, turning around in the seat.

“I´m fine,” he answered, thinking nothing could be further removed from the truth.

“If you say so,” she sighed not really convinced.” If I were you, I´d sue the university cafeteria for serving nuclear waste to the unsuspecting students who are trying to live on a shoe string.”

“Maybe it´s just a twenty-four-hour bug.”

“And maybe one day you´ll fly. Always trying to think the best of people, Clark. You´re gonna fall flat on your face one of these days.”

`If you only knew,´ he thought to himself.

LEX´S PENTHOUSE- SUNDAY MORNING

It´d been a long sleepless night for Lex and he was aware that Chloe hadn´t fared any better- he´d heard her get up in the middle of the night to have a shower before walking to the kitchen to plug in the coffee maker and make herself a cup. The sound of the shower coming from her bathroom had only worsened the hardly contained state of arousal Lex found himself in after waking up from a particularly heated dream- well, more than a dream, a treasured memory of making love to Chloe in the decadent bathroom of his master bedroom at the mansion.

He hated feeling like a horny hormone-driven adolescent because there were more pressing matters at hand and because Chloe meant more to him than someone to warm his bed. He loved her inquisitiveness, her passion, her loyalty, her integrity, that smile that could light up a room and make you feel as if there were no one more important or loved in her world. He loved all about her and, above all, he loved who he was when she was around. He´d missed her warmth, her constant challenges and yes... also the way she made him tremble with need when she touched him and looked at him in a certain way. He´d never been so lacking in control around any other partner. Chloe was the only woman with whom he´d allowed himself to feel and to let it show, maybe not in words but in deeds, both outside and inside the sanctity of his own bedroom.

Chloe had been the first woman to wake up in the morning and find him still beside her, and the only one he´d welcomed in his own bed. She was the one; she´d been the one from the moment he stepped into the office of the school newspaper and, in spite of his inability to say the three words he wanted to say to her each time her body opened to him and he got lost in those emerald eyes, he was sure she knew how deep his love for her was.

There were times he told himself he´d never uttered the words in the most intimate of moments because it´d have sounded clichéd, and he didn´t want her to think he was just a new toy to him. Still, deep inside he knew that what had stopped him had been his terror of admitting aloud there was someone who could make him feel weak. It was only when he realised he could lose her if something went wrong with his plan to keep her safe that he said the words. He would never forget that evening because it´d been their goodbye and the beginning of a new life- the life of the innocent child who lay asleep a few metres away from him.

Lex walked further into the room-turned-nursery to have a closer look at his daughter. He observed the girl´s even breathing and angelic features in repose and smiled at the memory of what Laura was like while awake- an intelligent and cheeky sprite. Overwhelmed by emotion, he fought hard against the tears that threatened to spill when he leant down to press a soft kiss on the girl´s brow only to hear her whisper in dreams: “Bye, daddy.” He knew she must have thought him to be Fairchild, and he could even imagine the man doing every morning what he´d just done. For now, Lex would just pretend it was he himself she´d said daddy to for, as God was his witness, he´d make everything in his power to earn the title he already had by right.

He raised his eyes and noticed the door connecting to Chloe´s room was ajar. The blonde writer seemed to be asleep; Lex thanked that fact because there was something he meant to do before noon and, knowing her, she´d have started bombarding him with questions or insisting on coming along with him. Therefore, he stepped quietly out of Laura´s room and, stopping at the dining-room table where he had laid everything ready for Chloe´s breakfast, he propped a short note against her mug before walking towards the front door.

FORT ADELSON- JUST OUTSIDE METROPOLIS

As a contractor for the military Lex had certain privileges, one of them being entering a base without much ado and, this time, he welcomed the prerogative for it gave him the advantage of surprise. Although the man he was about to call on might not have anything to do with the threat his family was under now, he had some answers Lex wanted to hear and- what´s more- the military man had enough pull and resources to help him get to the bottom of things concerning Project Argus.

Lex parked his silver BMW sedan in front of the base house he´d been directed to by the sentry, killed the engine and got out of the car. He walked along the paved garden path bordered by the well-trimmed lawn as the sprinklers scattered a thin veil of water that dampened both the soil and his expensive trousers and shoes. Lex grimaced in disgust when he stepped on some organic manure no doubt the owner of the house had been using to fertilise the freshly planted flower beds. Despite his authoritative personality and his trademark straightforwardness- character traits which made him a great though politically incorrect leader- the seasoned military man appeared to have green fingers and a “tame” hobby.

After scraping his dirty sole on the concrete driveway, the young billionaire climbed up a couple of steps and rang the bell. A shout and then a curse were heard as the Metropolis star sportscaster announced a touchdown scored by the Sharks- the colourful expletive told Lex his unsuspecting host wasn´t amongst the supporters of the LuthorCorp-owned football team. The truth of the matter was not even Lex was a fan; he had inherited the team as part of LuthorCorp´s assets and kept it because so far the numbers at the bottom of the spreadsheet were positive. In fact, he had never felt an inclination towards heavy-duty team sports- his arena had always been disciplines where he could make use of his two biggest assets, his intellectual power and his knack at strategising. He loved fencing with words just as much as cornering an opponent with his epée and found planning his moves on a chessboard just as challenging as devising a takeover.

The volume of the TV set was turned down and a few seconds later the front door opened to reveal the man Lex hadn´t seen for almost three years. The penetrating gaze he remembered so well locked with Lex´s intense blue-grey eyes through the mesh of the storm door before the decorated officer took the lit cigar out of his mouth to speak up.

“Luthor. I was wondering how long it´d take you to come knocking at my door.”

“May I?”

“You´ve come all this way on a Sunday, you might as well come in,” responded the older man, pushing the storm door open and inviting Lex to step inside.

“I hope I´m not interrupting anything,” said Lex smugly shooting a quick glance at the TV set and noticing the Sharks´ quarterback was giving the visitors a run for their money.

“Watching that thrashing wasn´t any good for my blood pressure anyway,” snarled the military man, dropping the remote on his armchair after turning off the TV. “So?”

“You´re an intelligent man, General. You must already know why I´m here.”

“I have an inkling, yes,” he responded, opening the drinks cupboard to take out a half-full bottle of scotch. “I´d offer you a beer, but you´ve never struck me as the type.”

“It´s all right, General. I don´t feel like drinking right now.”

“Nothing like being sober and alert to handle a third-degree questioning. Smart.”

“Let´s cut to the chase, shall we? I thought we had a deal. You lied to me, General.”

“That´s not exactly true. I abode by the spirit of the letter of our verbal contract. You asked me to ensure her safety, and that´s what I did. We were both right in our assumption that one of the Feds was dirty. The house was rigged with explosives. Unfortunately, we weren´t fast enough. I lost my best demolition man and saw my brother-in-law blow up in pieces in front of my eyes.”

“You knew how to contact me on a secure line. You should have told me Chloe was alive,” complained Lex, trying to get the image of Gabe´s death out of his mind and maintain his cool demeanour.

“The minute I found her bloodied and burnt but breathing under the debris I realised she´d be in no fit state to be seen or walk around for a few months- least of all testify at the trial. Without her testimony your father´d walk away...” he explained.

“I could have taken her far away, paid for the best surgeons and treatment...”

“Let´s say you managed to do that. Then what? Do you think for a minute your father would have let you both get away with it? I couldn´t let anything happen to her, Lex. She´s like a daughter to me; I love her as if she were my own. I knew her well enough to realise she was madly in love with you and, in spite of your Luthor impassive mask, I could tell she meant a lot more to you than a convenient witness to put your old man in prison and throw away the key. Your love for each other put you both in a very precarious position and ...”

“How did she get to Star City?” Lex cut him off with a set jaw, telling himself that as much as he wanted to choke the man and blame him for keeping them apart, he was aware he himself might have done the same in his shoes- take Chloe as far away from the Luthors as possible.

“I took one of my men´s cars and drove her to the medical centre myself. I phoned Fairchild Jr from my cell phone and told him it was time he paid back the favour he owed me no questions asked, and he complied. A few years ago when he was in Med School he got involved in some nasty business. Some of his classmates were using the faculty´s labs to process methamphetamines. He started using and then gave up, but his roommate and best friend wasn´t that lucky. Phil wanted to pull him out and one night he followed his mate to a joint. Things got out of hand and he ended up calling me from a payphone. I used to be friends with his dad back in the old days- when I fought in Nam and Fairchild Sr had just graduated from Med School and volunteered for the front. I called a couple of my most trusted men and we made an incursion into the joint. We got the kid away, broke a few bones and started a fireworks display,” smiled General Lane.

“What kind of a man was Fairchild?” asked Lex, trying to leave the tinge of jealousy out of his voice.

“A good kid fighting to get from under his dad´s shadow. He used to be a problem child and gave Fairchild Sr some very hard headaches, but the old man more than deserved them. He treated him like crap, always comparing him with his eldest brother, who was the perfect student and son in his eyes. No matter what Phil did, his father always found him lacking. I really loved the boy... I was sorry when I had to sever all ties with him,” he said wistfully.” You know, your father had me followed for months... after he was set free. The old devil... he had a sixth sense.”

Lex listened to Chloe´s uncle without interruption as a myriad of emotions flowed through him. Phil´s life sounded a lot like his own but, apparently, Lane had thought Young Fairchild more deserving. The General had not only lied to Lex and betrayed his trust, he had served Chloe- the love of his life- on a silver platter to another man; he had virtually pushed her into Fairchild´s arms and kept Lex away from her and their child. He clenched his fists into two tight balls, curving his urge to pummel the older man´s face and kept reminding himself the older man had something he needed.

“A good Christian shouldn´t wish someone´s death. I´ve never been one, though,” smiled Lane ironically.” Wished I had killed the bastard with my own hands.”

“Don´t we all?” asked Lex tersely.

“A pity so many had to die and suffer for him to enter Hades. I know there was no love lost between you and your father. So why stand on ceremony? How is she?”

“Chloe and our daughter are fine,” answered Lex, observing Lane´s reaction.

“Daughter?” asked the General visibly shaken.

“Chloe was carrying our child when you handed her over to Fairchild. Is that surprise on your face? Or are you an accomplished actor?”

“I swear to you I didn´t know,” confessed Lois´ father.

“Would knowing have changed anything?” asked Lex gravely. “ I didn´t think so,” he added when the General took a minute too long to respond.

“I wish I...” Sam began to say only to be interrupted by the billionaire.

“The past can´t be undone, General. What´s done is done. I can´t pretend to like you right now, and I really don´t know if I´ll ever be able to forgive you. However, you can start making amends. There´s something you can do for me... us. I´m afraid my father´s death hasn´t brought us the peace and quiet we´ve been hoping for. As you must already know, ever since I took the helm of the corporation I´ve had to deal with my dad´s plots to seize the control by having his old friends buy stock using suspicious manoeuvres or by sabotaging my plans resorting to dirty laundry to have the members vote against me. I´ve managed to deter several of them by using my own methods and enjoyed a streak of successful deals until a month ago when two new shareholders earned a place on the board. LuthorCorp´s always done business with the military, and I´ve been personally supervising a project with the idea of selling it to the Armed Forces. I´ve had some secret meetings with the Army, but it appears my father´s secret associates have a different plan and they´ve been trying to force my arm at the voting in vein. Our last attempt ended up a tie, but my father had a secret weapon I knew nothing about.”

“That´s why he went to Star City...”

“Yes, he was planning to use Chloe and Laura against me... force me to vote against the deal with the military.”

“Who did they want to sell to?”

“Actually, I don´t know who these people are or what their plan for this project is. And this is where your help would come in handy. Let´s say somebody decided he´d be better off by speaking... He gave us the name of someone in the military who´s working for my father´s associates. I want you to have this man tell you who his boss is and who´s responsible for the leaking of classified LuthorCorp information.”

“I´m not in Intelligence, Lex.”

“You´ve got contacts and the training to get people to talk. Don´t sell yourself short, General. Look at this as an olive branch. I´ll stay in touch,” he finished, walking purposefully towards the front door without waiting for an answer. He knew the General´s love for his own flesh and blood and didn´t doubt for a minute the man would do what he´d been asked.

TBC

A/N: A new update will arrive on November 11th.