Rebuilding (Sequel to Crossing Paths) PG-13/R Upd. 9/26/08 (COMPLETE)

[Shy Butterfly]

I'm happy to see a sequel to Crossing Paths!

The first chapter was really good!

[lexie]

A/N: Thanks for your lovely feedback girls. Enjoy the new chapter.

CHAPTER 2: Learning to Live Again

METROPOLIS CITY CENTRE- SATURDAY 10 a.m.

A month had gone by since the day Chloe had barged into Lex´s office at LuthorCorp Plaza, and their sometimes stormy relationship was back on track. She told herself the place they were in now was exactly what she wanted- he seemed to have accepted her plea for him not to interfere in the only thing she could claim hers, and his request that she share Lillian´s sessions with the therapist had been the perfect olive branch.

However, being part of the girl´s rehabilitation was hastening Chloe´s breaking point- something had to change and soon before she made a fool of herself in front of Lex. Running away now was out of the question; she would never do that to the children, and she knew that she was being a masochist, but she couldn´t give up Lex again. She´d rather have him as a friend than not have him in her life at all-anything was better than the years of resentment that had kept them apart for so long.

Chloe had always been a realist; she was aware that getting to the heart of someone who had been hurt so many times, wouldn´t be an easy feat; still, she had faith. There were times when she thought she was deluding herself, times when he closed up like a clam and erected that cold barrier she wanted to break with a hammer, but there were also occasions on which she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes when he thought she wasn´t looking - she was afraid to give it a name lest it vanish into thin air.

Today was Saturday morning and Chloe had got a call from Lois the night before, inviting her to go on a shopping spree and have a chat over coffee- decaf for the expecting mum. Chloe had almost turned her down with the excuse of having to finish an article, only to change her mind at the last minute.

¨Hey, cuz, how about that one? ¨ asked Lois, pursing her lips in front of the shop window of an excellent boutique.

¨Yeah, right, ¨ responded the blonde reporter, eying the black velvet dress on display. ¨Where would I find the money to buy that dress? ¨

¨What are credit cards for? Don´t worry about expenses, Chlo´. You´ll need it for one night, right? You just have to be careful not to pull off the tags, and you can return it on Monday alleging you´re not satisfied with the purchase,¨Lois cocked an eyebrow.

¨Lo´, that´d be dishonest! ¨exclaimed Chloe, taking her cousin by the arm and trying to drag her away from the window.

¨Look who´s talking- the girl who´s hanging around with the Prince of Subterfuge! ¨snorted the brunette.

¨That was low, Lois, ¨glared Chloe, releasing her arm.

¨OK, OK, ¨Lois raised her arms in defeat. ¨I agree he´s trying to change, and that he´s been on his best behaviour of late. But, do you honestly believe he would let something as small as a price tag stand in his way to get what he wants? ¨

¨He´s never had to worry about his budget, Lo´! He´s a freaking billionaire! ¨exclaimed Chloe, shooting a sidelong glance at the dress.

¨You love it, don´t you? ¨smirked the eldest young woman.

¨It´s not a question of loving it or not. It´s... ¨Chloe shook her head.

¨Come on, cuz! With your hips and your boo... OK, no need to frown! Your natural endowments... you´ll have him eating out of your hand, ¨she smiled conspiratorially.

¨You make it sound as if I were trying to jump him, ¨frowned the petite blonde.

¨And aren´t you? Be honest, cuz, I´ve seen the way you look at him when you think he isn´t watching, and you should see your face when you talk about him and those kids, ¨responded Lois gravely.

¨I´m not looking for a rumple on his sheets or to be anyone´s second best, ¨Chloe replied coldly.

¨You´ve taken my words the wrong way, Chlo´. I know he means more to you than that, and as to your being second-best... any man who could ever consider you second to any bimbo deserves to be hanged. Lex and I may not see eye to eye on most things, but he isn´t a fool. Don´t you think he knows you´re worth a thousand Lanas? After what that bitch did to him and their babies... I´m sure he knows he hit the jackpot when you walked back into his life, ¨said Lois passionately.

¨I never thought I´d see the day when Lois Lane would stand up for a Luthor, ¨murmured Chloe with a small smile.

¨Don´t tell him I said that. I´ll deny it to my dying day. Besides... my speech was an attempt to sing your praises not to boost his already inflated ego, ¨stated Clark Kent´s wife with a grimace.

¨That´s more like the Lois I know and love, ¨laughed the younger cousin, wrapping an arm around Lois´ waist and placing a hand on the already rounded womb. ¨Was that a kick? ¨she cocked an eyebrow.

¨No, that was just a flutter, ¨sighed the pregnant reporter. ¨I hope the boy´s sensible enough to wait until I´ve delivered him to show all his might, ¨she shuddered.

¨How´s daddy? ¨ asked Chloe with a tremor in her voice.

¨Chlo´, it kills me to see you two so distant. You know he´s pig-headed; I swear, if I didn´t know what I know, I´d bet my life the blood that flows through his veins is 100% unadulterated Kent. Still, you know that he loves you and only wants what´s best for you, ¨responded Lois, covering Chloe´s hand with hers.

¨He hurt me, Lo´. What he said shows he has no faith in me and my ability to see things as they really are. He treated me the same way he used to treat Lana, and I´m not like her- I don´t need to be sheltered like a stupid kid. I´m not an egotistic girl who can´t see or face the ugly truths of life. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to let Lex back into my life, but it was my choice to make, ¨said Chloe with tears in her eyes.

¨Give him some time. He´ll come around eventually, ¨Lois hugged her.

¨I´m not so sure. He hates Lex and still resents him for what he thinks Lex did to Lana, ¨said the blonde curtly.

¨I wouldn´t bet on that, ¨smirked Superman´s wife.

¨You mean he doesn´t hate Lex anymore? ¨frowned Chloe.

¨No, he hasn´t turned a Lex-lover overnight, but let´s just say Lana´s no longer on Clark Kent´s pedestal, ¨grinned Lois wolfishly.

¨Lo´, what have you done! ¨exclaimed Gabe´s only daughter with a mischievous smile.

¨Do you want Luthor or not, cuz? ´Cause I can tell you there´s a long queue of brunettes waiting to put their clutches on him, ¨Lois prodded her on. ¨Come on! ¨she nudged her in the ribs. ¨You get the dress, and I´ll take care of the rest. ¨

¨OK, you win, ¨responded Chloe resignedly.

¨Luthor won´t know what´s hit him, ¨whispered General Lane´s army brat, pushing the glass door open.

LEX´S PENTHOUSE- SATURDAY 5 p.m.

Chloe had arrived at Lex´s penthouse around four and found him in his private study amidst heaps of dossiers and scribbled notes; it seemed heavy artillery would be needed to drag him away from that damn LuthorCorp paperwork.

After preparing a carafe of freshly-made coffee and pouring him a cup, she left him to his world- domination plans to check on the kids. Lilly was taking her daily nap and Alex was with his nose in an old encyclopaedia- leave it to a son of Lex´s to prefer musty books to playing cops and robbers.

´Well, Lois. You´ve promised to help me, so you´d better have an idea other than me doing a striptease in the middle of Lex´s study to make him stop work for the weekend,´ she told herself as she fished in her bag for her mobile phone. ¨Hi, Lo´! Remember what we talked about this morning? Yeah... well, I´ve decided to go along with it... The problem is... I need a little help... I won´t do that! Who do you take me for? Besides, you seem to forget I´ve never... you know, ¨she blushed, shrugging her shoulders. ¨She´s there? Could you ask her if she´d do me that favour? I know it´s a lot to ask... OK... I´ll wait, ¨ she continued, biting her lower lip and counting the minutes. ¨Yes, I´m here. She said ´yes´? Oh, Lois, thanks! Tell her I´ll see they let her go up. And Lois? I´ll buy you lunch next time, ¨she smiled, flipping the mobile shut and taking a deep breath.

Lex was typing the reply to the last e-mail in his inbox when he heard Chloe quietly open the double doors of his inner sanctum.

¨It´s five o´clock on a Saturday afternoon, Lex. I know you´ve got plans to rule the world before you turn forty, but don´t you think it´s time to call it a day? ¨she chastised him as she lowered in the chair across his desk.

¨I´ve got to go over some papers for next week´s board meeting, ¨he responded calmly, stretching an arm to grab a blue folder only to be stopped by the hand of the relentless blonde who had turned his life upside down.

¨Lex, there won´t be a board meeting but a funeral next week if you don´t learnt to wind down, ¨ she snapped, snatching the dossier away from him.

¨Chloe... ¨he said coldly.

¨It´s been five months, Lex. When do you plan to start living again? ¨she interrupted him, holding his stormy blue-grey eyes.

¨The children need me, and a corporation like the one I run won´t survive unless there´s someone at the helm, ¨he responded tensely.

¨I´m not saying you should neglect your duties. I´m just saying there´s more to life than work. You don´t need to prove anything, Lex, ¨she continued as he walked to the wet bar to uncap a bottle of Tŷ Nant.

¨Don´t I?¨ he smiled ironically, taking a swing at the bottle.

¨Your father´s been dead... how long, Lex? You don´t have to prove anything to him anymore. And if you´re doing this for your children, let me tell you they know who you are; al least, Alex does. He knows you´ve always been there for him and Lilly. You shouldn´t be afraid of ever being mistaken for an unnatural father like yours, ¨she told Lex, coming closer to him.

¨Sometimes I think no matter what I do, it´ll never be enough to compensate them for what Lana did to them both, ¨he croaked, tightening the hold on the blue bottle.

¨They know they have a dad who loves them and, you´re right, they need you. That´s why you´ve got to learn when to stop. If I don´t remember incorrectly, you asked me to teach you how to do it a few months ago. Don´t tell me you´ve changed your mind, ¨she finished, seeing something flicker in his eyes before he took a last swing at the bottle of spring water.

¨What did you have in mind? ¨he smirked, seeing her flush. ¨I´m open to suggestions, ¨he said in a seductive tone.

¨Dinner. Maybe going to the theatre,¨ she shrugged her shoulders.

¨Really? ¨he cocked an eyebrow.

¨Lex, ¨she warned him.

¨It sounds nice, Chloe, but I´m afraid I´ll have to take a rain check. Mrs Robertson´s out of town and the only person I´d trust my children to would be otherwise occupied, ¨he answered, throwing the empty bottle in the wastepaper basket. ¨Still, we could... ¨

¨I´ve got that covered, ¨she cut him off.

¨You´ve got what covered? ¨he frowned, boring his eyes into her.

¨Saved by the bell! ¨she laughed, walking towards the double doors.

¨I´m not leaving my children with Lois, Chloe. God knows what vocabulary Alex might pick up from her, ¨he shouted at her receding back.

¨God, Lex! I´d never taken you for a prude, ¨she chuckled on her way to the penthouse´s front door.

¨Chloe, I´m not kidding. We´ll stay here. I´ll cook you dinner if you want, and let you pick a movie from my DVD collection. Just keep your cou... ¨he went on as he tagged along.

¨Hello, Martha! ¨exclaimed a beaming Chloe, swinging the door open and hugging the older woman tightly.

¨Hello, sweetie, ¨responded a motherly Martha, kissing her son´s best high school friend affectionately. ¨How are you, Lex? ¨she smiled over Chloe´s shoulder at the tall lean young man, who was standing a few feet away from them, with his hands deep in the pockets.

¨Mrs Kent, ¨he responded with a sincere smile.

Once again Chloe had beaten him. Clark´s mum. There was no one more suitable in the world to be entrusted the care of two of his most valuable treasures.

[Shy Butterfly]

Great update!!!!

[karila]

Another great chapter!
I still like your Lois. And Clark should really stop being so stupid and stubborn. He can be friend with Chloe even if she is friend with Lex, it's two different things.
I agree with Chloe, Lex should live a little.
And Martha as a baby-sitter was a brilliant idea!
I can't wait to read the next chapter.

[Gaia]

Oh I just loved how Lex got scared about the possibility of Lois taking care of his children. That was just hilarious!!!
More please!

[tatie87]

I love that Chloe is having Martha Kent watch Lex' kids. That gave me a chuckle. I can't wait to see what happens when Chloe goes out with Lex. I'm hoping for some lust and heavy makingout, at least.

[hfce]

Chloe should just tell him. She will be surprised the answer she would get. Lex knows what a gem he has and won't let it go. More please....

[planetcal]

Great update. I love that Lex freaked a little bit at the thought of Lois baby sitting his kids. And having Martha watch the kids was fantastic. I can't wait to read more soon!

[lkedino]

I love the update ... Update soon

[purplemoon123]

OMG!! I love your Lois!!! You should let the SV writers borrow her.

I knew that Lois has an inner Chlex fangirl.

¨I´m not leaving my children with Lois, Chloe. God knows what vocabulary Alex might pick up from her, ¨he shouted at her receding back.

LOL!!!!! I wouldn't worry what vocabulary Alex might pick up from Lois but if he was in one piece. So, Lois got Mama Kent to babysit, yay, Lex can't say no. Now let's get on with the date.