Survival, NC-17, - Aug. 2, 2009 - Epilogue added

[hfce]

It took me a bit to remember this story. I love how you finished this. It was worth the wait and getting divorced to get married again only Chlex.

[somethingeasy]

It was wonderful seeing this fic completed, Nonky. While there WAS a sense of closure in the last posted chapter, there is still such a profound sense of satisfaction seeing the happy ending right above the official ‘The End’. Of course, I’m sure it must be doubly, triply satisfying for you

Her shoulder would bruise and Lex would be a bear when he heard about all this, but Chloe knew she didn't need a doctor. She groped for focus because there must be something she could do to help. No one was complaining she wasn't doing what she should, which was too bad.

I loved how the beginning of the chapter brought us immediately to the aftermath of the attack, and we can see Chloe just coming out of shock to her usual levels of intelligent awareness.

Most people would have stayed in shock, taking it as a perfectly acceptable excuse to stop thinking and let everyone else handle the work in putting the situation back into order again. But Chloe… oh CHLOE is NOT going to do that!

Did I mention how much I adored your portrayal of her in the beginning of this new chapter? She was magnificent! She would have made Lionel proud with her ‘Luthorish’ take-charge attitude to the chaotic situation.

It was her second chance to get out and Chloe couldn't believe she was going to turn it down. She was frightened and uncertain. It would be great to walk away from the hurtful shocks and feel safe. Her husband wouldn't leave his employees or his home. Since it was her home now she had to act as he would.

She met the eyes of their de facto head of security firmly. “I owe Mrs. Haring a call. Who do I talk to about using the helicopter to bring her to the Medical Center?”

Wow! Fantastic! I really liked how you made it clear that Chloe is well-aware that she’s not out of danger yet. That the safest thing for her to do is allow herself to be sequestered in some safe-house sanctuary again.

LOL! But although there’s no mention of it, I’ll bet that a subconscious part of her must have recoiled at the thought of yet another safehouse, and decided it’s much better to just stay at the mansion and help putting things right rather than hide away again.

Chloe made her bravest decision choosing to contact Mrs. Haring and tell her about her husband’s condition. I loved the way that Chloe handled the angry and semi-hysterical woman over the phone. Chloe was calm, soothing and cooperative with everything that the woman was saying… focusing her entire being on making Mrs. Haring as comfortable as possible while offering her help. VERY nicely done, Chloe! No-one would have guessed this was her first time, and she’s just ‘winging it’ over here.

Once again… Lionel would have been so proud! And Lex would ALSO have been proud in between the freaking out, LOL!

Lex watched Banks put a box of evidence into the trunk and nodded coolly to the former military man's acknowledgement before he walked away. The interrogations were over and all of the captives had admitted their guilt. They would be released and given twelve hours to turn themselves in voluntarily or the next time they were snatched they wouldn't be released alive. The hold out, James Crane, broke after his dominant hand did the same.

This was an excellent recap of the brutality that Lex has just indulged in in order to get his way. AND it was an excellent introduction showcasing how and why he feels so guilty and sick, even though he knows he’s completely safe from prosecution.

I loved how his conscience has pretty much taken the form of Chloe in his mind. He doesn’t really care about his own morality anymore. His only moral compass is Chloe’s opinion and standards. But, as far as consciences go, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Chloe.

Lex froze, his chin tilted down in an effort to brace for the news. He had been in the wrong place – doing the wrong thing to protect her. He should never have left her alone. He brought his head up and barked at the driver. “I have to get to the airport right away! Break any laws you have to,” Lex said. He held the phone tightly to his ear, despite his knowledge that the loud pounding of his heart was inside his body and couldn't be blocked out.

heh… poor Lex. It wasn’t bad enough that he was feeling sick about the brutality that he feels he needs to hide from his wife… now he finds out that his indulgence in that brutality distracted him away from Chloe long enough to get her attacked… again!

It was heart-wrenching… especially since Lex knew that he HAD all the people with him who could have told him about this impending attack as well as the name of their household agent… if only Lex had thought of asking the right questions!

Just like she expected, her eyes welled up and overflowed once he was with her. Chloe leaned on him and sobbed half a dozen times before she heard the other people in the room retreating to give them privacy.

“She had a gun – and the poison, Lex, I don't understand,” his wife murmured to him brokenly. Lex closed his eyes and rubbed her back until she sighed. “I'm okay. I'm just shocked. I don't think I'll ever get what happened today out of my head.”

Chloe has been so strong in the aftermath of the attack, that her breakdown took me by surprise. But, after considering it, I rather liked the idea that Chloe felt only safe and comfortable enough to allow herself to break down only after Lex had returned. The only sad thing is that Lex doesn’t know what a compliment has just been given to him, with Chloe flinging herself into his arms and crying like on of those ‘damsels’ that she despises.

Lex nodded. “I understand. And I hope you understand that protecting her might mean disobeying her orders in the future. This place and everything in it can burn before I'll consider it an acceptable risk to have her in danger. If security ever becomes impossible to verify she's the first one out.”

I was actually wincing as Lex approached his security head, fully expecting a loud, screaming freak-out session. So it was a very pleasant surprise to see Lex actually being reasonable as he talked to his employee about how a mistake had been made, and it should not be repeated in the future.

LOL! I really hope Eddie is not faced with a situation like this again, because it’s going to be damned HARD to get Chloe to some kind of sanctuary if she feels her duties require her to stay in the middle of danger.

She pushed the robe off her shoulder to show him a broad, round bruise. It was still hot to the touch, swollen. Her arms lifted to let the robe fall back from her wrists. Small, deep bruises marked her, some of them with a crescent moon gouge in the centre. He had been away at the wrong time, and no number of security guards would make up for that. Something would have to be done to keep her protected, other than chaining her to his side as he went about his life and she followed like a child bride. Lex pressed dry lips to each one, feeling her body tremble as she let him comfort her. Her eyes closed, she took one hand down and pulled her robe over her hip. The bruise there was larger than his fist, making her poor leg look exceptionally pale.

I loved the visual of Lex soothing away Chloe’s bruises with caresses. It’s such a perfectly… survival-Lex kind of thing to do, isn’t it? LOL! Anyhow, it was beautiful, wonderful and romantic… and even though it was sappy, I couldn’t help swooning! I don’t know how you manage to do that, Nonky.

LOL! And I was highly amused by Lex’s completely candid comment about how he’s going to feel guilty about this, and there’s nothing Chloe can do about that, LOL! So cute!

She grabbed a towel and scrubbed her hair dry, trying not to stare at her husband. The shower curtain was translucent, a pearly coloured fabric that showed his skin when it brushed his limbs. She put on the nightgown he brought. The bed creaked with newness, and she hated it. For all the unfamiliarity of their own bedroom, in Metropolis and at the castle, those felt like bedrooms. The guest room was nicely furnished. It had everything, except the kind of sacred privacy she felt in a room where Lex had slept.

It's only one night, she thought. Don't bother him with this. He'll be out in a minute and you'll feel better.

LOL! And I thought Lex was pathologically clingy to Chloe. I guess it’s catching, eh? ROTFL! I’ll bet Lex would have been heartened and gratified knowing that he’s not the only one who can’t function too long out of sight of one’s partner. And it’s so cute that, just like Lex does with his wife, Chloe is trying to hide the worst of her clinginess, for fear of freaking Lex out. They both are too CUTE (in a matching pathological kind of way), LOL!

“I saw the gun,” she told him, her expression neutral. “Go get it if it will make you feel better.”

squeee! She knows her husband so well. She knows about the shady and ‘complicated’ bits as well as the parts of him that are sweet, romantic and beautiful. Excellent! AND she’s letting Lex know that she knows too. I love how a single sentence can carry so much meaning and emotional content, Nonky!

“I think we'll use security men only, and three of the SUVs,” Dave replied. “No offense sir, but at least the SUVs are black. Your cars all spot fairly easily.”

All this preparation for a simple visit to the hospital. Even if it IS in the aftermath of an attack, it speaks volumes about how restricted a Luthor life can be quite a lot of the time. Their movements are watched and restricted in a manner similar to a president’s… if not more.

He studied her face, looking for signs of vulnerability. If Elsie hurt her again, he would have to kill the old hag, and it would be a publicity nightmare. Green eyes looked at him clearly, her mouth held in a determined line. She put both hands on his, and they were dry and steady. Her heart beat normally. She wasn't even flushed. Not quite a Luthor mask, but a professional facade. She was a survivor of many crises, and she knew how this day would go. They would tread carefully, words chosen with great pains, hands still, bodies tense, faces blank. They would not descend into hysteria. Yesterday the world tried to end them, and today they were still in the world, so they would try to shape it into order. They were not going to assume each step would pitch them into the void. They would not forget the void was waiting to exist.

This is wonderful! I was slightly afraid that, after Chloe’s breakdown yesterday, Lex might end up believing his wife to be fragile and in need of constant watching. So it’s very satisfying to see Lex acknowledging that the breakdown was only a temporary thing, and now Chloe’s gone back to normal… and ready to start re-shaping the world in an image pleasing to her. He’s acknowledging that his wife is as ‘Luthorish’ as him… if not more so.

LOL! I can only imagine the rueful, proud bemused conversations Lionel and Lex are going to have in the future about how this latest addition to the family actually ‘out-Luthors’ everyone.

Their kids are going to be damned scary! LOL!

Chloe almost wanted to leave it to police and doctors, but she knew there was something wrong. Elsie hadn't been insincere in her affection for the Luthor family. She had genuinely loved her work. Not everyone hated them just for their last name, and assuming her to be a disgruntled employee was a mistake. Elsie had bits of a story that would add to finding the people who killed her father. There was no comfort until she was confronted.

I was really surprised that Chloe was stretching out on one heck of a limb assuming that Elsie was being pressured into hurting her. But, in light of all these observations (Elsie’s sincerity, etc), it DOES seem like a good bet. I really admire Chloe for being objective, clear-eyed, level-headed and merciful enough to come to this conclusion. Only a spirit as generous as Chloe’s would have been willing to open her mind to this possibility… and she doesn’t even realize how very remarkable her attitude is.

Chloe’s employees are going to ADORE her!! Not a single one of them will be willing to stand up to Lionel or Lex against her… not matter how much they were paid, LOL!

I also liked the way that Chloe was able to talk her way through a very protective doctor to talk to Elsie. Very nicely done!

“I have to, because she had to,” the blond said sadly. “I have to because all the horrors recently come back to me somehow. This is my only peace right now. It's the only way to save myself from breaking. I love that you want to protect me. I appreciate all of it, but this is mine because it happened to me.”

oh, excellent! I love it whenever Chloe every so gently (but firmly) asserts herself around her husband when he’s being too suffocating over-protective. It’s wonderful to see that she can manage him.

“I think they killed my father, in cold blood, just to get me,” she said. “You're a good person, but I can't take too much time in here waiting for you to stop being afraid to cross them. It's already done, but you can help stop them, too.”

Oh that was VERY nicely done. I loved the clever way that Chloe delivered an ultimatum (cooperative now, otherwise lose your chance forever) without alienating Elise. Most ultimatums result in people saying ‘no’ just because they don’t like being pressured, but Chloe has acquired a lot of skill when it comes to managing and handling people since her marriage into the Luthor clan. It’s almost like those skills got transferred through osmosis! There was no way that Elise was going to refuse Chloe’s beautifully phrased offer.

I was really happy to see Elise finally break and confess on what leverage was used against her. It had to be tearing the poor woman apart to know that her vulnerable, defenseless drug-addicted daughter was in horrible danger. AND her grandkids too? How could ANY grand/mother have resisted against leverage like that.

It was really heartening getting this proof that, at the core of her, Elise is NOT a viper after all… but a victim of circumstance. I had grown rather fond of her.

Lex took her hand firmly, his face set into confidence. “We say we're sorry they got caught up in what was meant to hurt us. We tell them we'll do as much as we can for them, and they are welcome back to their jobs whenever they are ready. We offer them early retirement, on a full pension. And we don't apologize for the men who use us as targets, because being a Luthor is not a crime.”

Hard lessons, ones he'd learned from grovelling through several industrial accidents, and more than a few inexplicable events that harmed his workers. Lex was sorry people were hurt, but he refused to take the blame for his enemies, just because he was in the spotlight while they hid in shadows. What he was didn't make him inhuman, and he deserved success as much as anyone. To apologize for that would negate all the suffering his employees went through during bad times, and their triumphs when they helped LuthorCorp thrive.

Wow! I never thought of it, but it makes sense that Lex Luthor might have been in danger of developing a huge guilt-complex some years ago… ever since he started seeing people hurt just for being associated with him (either as bodyguards, or even as friends).

I loved Lex’s rationalization to Chloe about how neither of them should ever, EVER fall into the trap where they apologize merely for existing. People get hurt from being close to them, but as long as the Luthors themselves never instigate the hurting, then they shouldn’t hold themselves responsible for it.

Chloe really needed to hear that… otherwise her conscience would have torn her apart. Excellent work, Lex!

“I was the one he didn't approve of, Chloe. Eddie Haring was a transfer from a company LuthorCorp bought out. He didn't want to come work for me, but he couldn't afford to let his insurance lapse. He has a sick child who needs to be near Metropolis General. It's why he and his wife live separately,” he said. “I forced his hand, and he was bitter. I assumed he had all sorts of horrible ideas how I got you to marry me.”

It was good to see the visit with Deidre went really well. It was quite funny and delightful seeing how the woman was joking and teasing despite being in a hospital bed. Although it IS a pity that Eddie Haring wasn’t in a similarly welcoming mood to the Luthor visit. I really liked the guy (as a person as well as an employee), and it’s rather tragic that this attack was the last straw… and he won’t be returning back to the Luthor household.

hmmmm… but honestly, I should have seen Eddie quitting a long time ago. He disapproved of his employer very intensely, and obviously did not like working under those conditions… even if he was always professional about his performance and manners.

At home, the guards dispersed and Lex excused himself to make some calls. Chloe escaped to the guest room and turned on the television. She flipped past the soap channels she'd always suspected the maids of loving to watch while they did the rounds of the never-used guest rooms, and landed on a breaking news item. She watched exactly four minutes before she turned it off and started to cry. She had seen nothing very graphic, only a series of faces, a series of men. Her father, his killers, and her husband, tied together in a cruel, poetic story she didn't even need words to understand.

omigosh! She figured it out! And from relatively little clues too. I LOVE how Chloe is portrayed as observant, sharp, clear-eyed and with brilliant deductive skills.

“They declared war,” he insisted. “They killed, but I didn't kill. It was war, and I took prisoners. I've never taken prisoners before, Chloe, no one taught me how. Justice will be served. I would have done it for your father alone.”

He hadn't killed them for her. He would have called it self-defense, the prerogative of an enemy soldier, but he'd thought of her and done less. Chloe knew it was wrong, almost as wrong as killing them, but she also knew it wasn't done out of evil. Lex had gone to the people who marked her for death and made them contrite. He'd set up a way for the legal system to take over punishment.

I’ll admit, I was seriously worried about how Lex was going to explain himself to Chloe about his brutal tactics in bringing justice to his attackers. I was so sure that it was going to end up as a deal-breaker for Chloe, and she was going to demand a divorce from the man who would do such a thing, and (even more damning) keep it a secret from her.

So I was extremely grateful to see Lex’s eloquence in explaining his actions. Calling his brutality a ‘tactic of war’ was actually a brilliant spin. It even sounds true enough to be taken as a valid explanation.

AND, the fact that Lex did choose to let the justice system deal with the tormentors went a long way to excusing all his actions. It would have been one thing for Lex to have tortured the men, and then killed them after getting the truth… but forcing them to turn themselves in for their crimes… that’s true justice!

Beautifully handled, Nonky!!

I especially liked how Chloe admitted to herself that she might not have been so ‘kind and merciful’ as to have released the men (even to be surrendered to prison) if SHE had been the one handling the capture and interrogation.

“Lex? I'm sorry, I just had to tell you,” she said, looking at the shadows of his features. “I love you. I'm sure of it.”

squee! She finally said it! Truth to tell, I had actually forgotten that Chloe hadn’t yet told Lex that she loved him. I took it as a casual fact that she just did. And apparently even Lex had taken the view that her actions spoke louder than any words could that she DID love him.

I really liked how these words sprang out of Chloe, NOT in the middle of some life and death situation, but during a time when their life had gotten into a boring routine (or as boring as a Luthor routine can be at least… I between assassination attempts and reporter dodging, LOL!).

She sat up and he touched her face, probably loving her post-cry splotches. Moonlight was falling on her upper half and she was sure it looked very ethereal and lovely, as a Mrs. Luthor should. Chloe grinned. “I bet you wish you'd waited until now to propose, right? We had the emotional time bomb going off and now there's straddling and moonlight,” she teased. “Could have been quite the moment to immortalize our love.”

ROTFLMAO! Even at a time like this… the snark never lies flat. Excellent! LOL!

He was so delighted with her he couldn't imagine having any demands, but she looked quite serious. “I want the kiss I was trying to get a minute ago,” he said, meekly shutting his eyes. “Please?”

He even flopped his hands back over his head in a swooning posture, feeling her shake with laughter.

“Disgusting,” Chloe muttered. “You used to be a steely negotiator. You used to be intimidating and get everything you wanted. You're going to have to practice much more.”

LOL! They are so darned cute, delightful and FUN to read when they’re both in a playful mood. It’s lovely whenever Chloe coaxes Lex to just act his age. I think marrying a younger woman was quite good for him.

“I'm not going let you win,” she told him, trying to be stern while beaming up into his own broad smile.

“Never, never let me win! Make me work for every,” he pressed himself between her legs, “-single inch.”

She was giddy and charmed by Lex flirting like an idiot. He was excited, but at least half of it was stunned affection. His hurried words were the opposite of his usual careful replies. She cupped his face and felt how warm his cheeks were.

I was as charmed and giddy as Chloe, watching Lex making such ridiculous puns as he flirted with her. It is heartening to see that Lex is looking forward to the challenge that Chloe offers him.

“I am showing you the opportunities I had to learn, while I was waiting,” he husked. “Even if you weren't saying it, I felt you love me. With your smile.”

I suspected that Lex had already known about Chloe already being in love with him. But I’m sure it was still wonderful for him to actually hear her say it out loud.

She was ready for more teasing and fooling around, but his face went serious and hungry. Lex got to his knees and picked her up, turning them back toward the head of the bed. He set her down softly and followed. His fingers combed her hair out on the pillow, tugging pleasantly. She brushed her nose along his neck, inhaling his cologne and his unique Lex smell.

She loved when he was happy. It created a funny lightness in her belly, rising and building alongside desire. It felt like he grew happier as the warm energy filled her, driving them both higher and higher, like a feedback loop that wouldn't burn out. She had things to say, big things that had waited months to shove past her mental walls. She had a lot of things that didn't need to be thought to death before she could do them.

I liked how Chloe is aware on how her earlier reluctance to tell her husband how she felt was a sign of her over thinking the situation. Now she feels much more relaxed around Lex, and therefore doesn’t have to consider and reconsider every little thing that she says to him. She feels comfortable enough to even be foolish in front of him and make mistakes in what she says. Hopefully next Lex feels the same.

In the midst of rocketing hormones and uncharacteristically free emotions, Lex let himself do as he felt. He pumped his hips in time to Chloe's clenching squeezes, looking into her eyes as she came. They fluttered to stay open, jewel-bright flashes of passion softening to green like a soft lawn. He breathed through his nose, his nose and mouth filling with her. He tensed for a brief, deaf moment, then turned to rubber.

They did a kind of slow dance lying down, still joined as they swayed. He kissed the pulse in her neck and traced her skin randomly.

I had forgotten how much I missed your smut writing, Nonky. It’s amazing how you make smut sound like poetry. Actually that’s wrong… you make it sound like love-making, which is precisely what would be expected in this kind of a scene at this stage in the fic.

“I love you,” she told him, sniffling as the waves of nerves and happiness dwindled just to the latter. “When I get used to it, I will be able to say it without crying all over you.”

Trust Chloe to make the light jokes even in the after-glow of beautiful lovemaking.

“I love your son,” Chloe said postively, her body language daring Lionel to question it. Lex said nothing, his hands shuffling papers as if he wasn't paying attention to his father and wife.

“I'm glad to hear it, Chloe,” the prisoner replied agreeably. “I love my son, too. We should get along famously, though I think I should disclose your love was a poorly kept secret.”

Damn, I really missed Lionel during his time away. I love that he is agreeing so casually and wholeheartedly with Chloe as if her proclamation is the most obvious and known fact in the world. Everyone already knew, so no need to make a big deal about it. I noted how Chloe was too happy to even be peeved off about his cavalier attitude.

This was a wonderful way to set the tone on what the tone and the dynamics of the Luthor family is going to be from now on. They are never going to be normal, but perhaps they can still aim for something less than homicidal relations.

Chloe looked over her desk in the little office she'd decorated near the library. She was riding the high of beating Lex in a bidding war for Deidre. Since it was all Lex's money, they had resorted to wooing her with perks. Weekly spa days from Lex were trumped with monthly spa weekends by Chloe. He suggested flex-time, and Chloe introduced margarita Fridays. He started stacking up medical benefits and charitable donations, but Chloe made herself a kitchen assistant. As Lex was distracted by freshly-glazed lemon buns, his wife whispered a final offer.

And so, she and Deidre sat across from each other, their laptops in complementary shades. Chloe's was a custom shade of green, and Deidre's had a purple case with butterflies. Gold wallpaper with filigree shone in the abundant sunlight nourishing the wall of flowering plants. It was the prettiest office they'd ever seen, and female sensibilities had beaten Lex's best ideas.

I was laughing out loud at the idea of Chloe and Lex engaged in a ridiculous bidding war over the perfect receptionist. The most ridiculous thing was watching them both offering non-monetary perks until it took a simple female to female understanding that Lex could not possibly have hoped to have competed against.

He was getting more and more confused, increasingly hurt as she went on like it was nothing. Her last words made Lex reach out and grasp her by the arms. “I don't understand, Chloe. I thought you loved me. How could there be anyone else,” he breathed. “Who is he?”

She gaped at him and pulled back, shaking her head. “The lawyer?”

“The groom?!”

I remember how some time ago Nonky dropped the possibility of a divorce in survival during a chat session. I thought that she was simply teasing, but now I see that she was quite serious. Or at least semi-serious.

I was rolling on the floor laughing out loud why the conversation unfolded in front of my eyes. I loved how Chloe was being so earnest about her legal request while Lex was just doing his best to hide his panic. I especially liked how Chloe was actually quite clear to the readers about why she wanted the lawyer. She wanted an authentic ceremony, and the chance to accept Lex and her husband in front of family and friends. It was obvious to anyone who was actually listening to her. But it seems like Lex’s panic prevented him from making an accurate assessment of the situation.

It was without a doubt the cutest scene in the fic. I wonder what ever Lex would have done if Chloe had actually mentioned the name of some groom.

“Chloe,” he groaned. “Am I to understand you want to divorce me so you can marry me again?”

Poor Lex! But then again, he did invite Chloe to bring on more challenges into his life, didn’t he?

“Do you want to have the wedding here,” he asked peacefully.

Her smile beamed with the promise of many future upsets, and he resisted a chuckle. He could take it.

It’s the perfect ending to your long epic story, Nonky. It exactly the sweet hopeful ending that I had been waiting for. It must be a huge relief to put an end to this fic. Or perhaps it makes you cry just like the rest of us to say goodbye to this story? Feel free to start something new if you feel anything similar to empty nest syndrome.

[~*~Tasha~*~]

Great start to this one. I am hoping to read it all the way through. This looks like a really good story.

[gamanstar]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for finishing this fic. Once I started reading I could not stop. It made for a verrrrrrrrry long day at work the next day.

[Historianic]

I've just stumbled upon this fic and after only two chapters, I'm already hooked! I'm really loving your interpretation of Chloe and Lex. This is very beautifully written .

[Historianic]

Re Chapter 3:

I love the way Lex is suddenly addressing Chloe with affectionate terms of endearment now that they've been intimate.

[Historianic]

WOW. Just WOW. I've read the first thirteen chapters of this and that's the word that keeps running through my head. Your writing is wonderfully perceptive. You have such incredible insights into these characters. Just WOW.

[lkedino]

I love this story

[Loveslave2Lex]

Just throwing in my two cents on how fab this story is! Great job and well worth a reread!

[Historianic]

Regarding Chapter 22:

Absolutely brilliant! I am completely bowled over. Intelligent and insightful, and just so incredibly well written. An amazing chapter, truly masterful.

PS I loved the tiger analogy for Lionel. Very appropriate.