NS Advent Calendar 2010 - Married for Christmas

[somethingeasy]

Chapter Six

heh… and we have another plane ride to yet another wonderful, amazing destination. I did predict, in my last review, that it might actually be pretty awesome being ‘forced’ to travel from place to place in order to keep one step ahead of Lionel the whole time. Yes, it’s decidedly inconvenient that Lex and Chloe are rushed at unexpected times, BUT the private jet giving you access to any destination you want is pretty darned awesome!

That being said, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lex. The poor man was obviously harried, rushed and stressed out… and probably has been in such a state ever since that encounter with the photographer the previous evening. I did like how Chloe couldn’t help but feel concerned and protective of Lex as she saw how stressed and frustrated he’s been all morning.

I loved how she arranged for a full, hearty and healthy breakfast for Lex, after discovering that the silly, obsessive man had not eaten anything at ALL for the whole day. Coffee does not count as sustenance!

And although Lex didn’t thank Chloe, or really show his appreciation in any overt manner… I’m absolutely certain that he was touched by her concern and efforts for him. Lex is just the type of person who responds to the smallest signs of kindness and concern with extraordinary gratitude and surprise. This doesn’t speak well of the company he’s generally kept throughout his life, but at least it does mean that he appreciates basic kindness and decency whenever he comes into contact with it.

Oh, by the way, I LOVED that small moment where Lex’s attention was actually taken away from his phone conversation because a small portion of Chloe’s abdomen (of all body parts) suddenly showed itself. ROTFL! Lex really had it bad if he’s distracted by an innocuous piece of flesh like that, ROTFLMAO!

And even THEN, Chloe didn’t acknowledge the full extent of Lex’s attraction towards her. Does Chloe really think that Lex gets distracted and ogles every woman’s random abdomen whenever they happen to stretch up?

“I know. Thanks for everything.”

“I thought we covered that there’s no need for you to thank me every other minute.” He actually sounded grumpy, even as he swallowed down the last of his juice.

Chloe scowled at him. “Why shouldn’t I thank you? You’re doing a lot to help me.”

“I’ve told you now multiple times that I’m getting something—“

“I know you’re getting something out of it,” she interrupted sharply. “But I still want to thank you.”

“Well, you have now. So let it go.”

heh… Lex is showing himself to be inordinately touchy whenever Chloe tries to thank him. I believe this kind of touchiness is a sign of guilt of some sort. I’ve mentioned before that Lex feels guilty because he’s not being completely honest with Chloe, and believes that she’s making him out to be a lot more selfless and noble than he knows himself to be.

Or perhaps some other reason…? Perhaps he doesn’t like the idea that Chloe thinks kindness is so alien a concept to him that she feels the urge to thank him EVERY time he does something [I]nice[I] for her.

heh… I guess I’ll have to wait and see to find out the true reason, eh? I look forward to it!

The picture she saw on the screen wasn’t perfectly clear, but it revealed a man who was obviously Lex Luthor, looking relaxed and attractive as he sat at a rustic table in a Quebec restaurant. And Chloe, his new bride, was gazing up at him with what seemed to Chloe to be an embarrassingly besotted expression. Her hand was on his face, and they appeared to be moments from a kiss.

Her cheeks burned, and she mumbled, “I’d clearly drunk too much wine.”

squeee! What an awesome picture. How much do you want to bet that it’s going to end up as Lex’s computer wallpaper and screensaver… and possibly the background on his smartphone as well, LOL!

“Didn’t I say good morning?”

She stared, wondering if he was being genuine or if he was teasing her again. “You didn’t,” she said carefully.

When he drew his eyebrows together, as if he were thinking over the events of the morning, she decided he honestly hadn’t realized his rudeness.

I was quite impressed that Lex has acknowledged that neglecting to say ‘good morning’ to Chloe this morning was a rude move on his part. I actually suspected that he would have defended his rudeness, proclaiming that he was a little busy this morning, and couldn’t spend any time making polite small talk with Chloe.

Instead, it turns out that Lex is well aware that his neglect of Chloe throughout this whole morning was a trifle rude. This is a great sign, because it means that Lex will put some serous effort into NOT doing it again. Say what you will about Lex, but he DOES learn from his mistakes, and puts serious effort into not repeating them.
erm… his multiple divorces notwithstanding

She was getting annoyed again at his obtuseness. He seemed to be going out of his way not to tell her what she wanted to know. “So where are we going now?” When he hesitated before responding, she snapped, “You’ve got to work on these control-freak tendencies. Really. I know we’re doing this on your resources, but I’m not a child or a fool, you know. And I don’t like being treated like one.”

His voice was quieter than it had been when he asked, “You think that’s how I’m treating you?”

“Well, not always.” She felt kind of bad about her outburst, even though it was a real frustration. So she tempered it by saying, “I’m sorry to bite your head off. But I really would appreciate it if you could try a little harder to treat me like a partner rather than an underling.”

Lex didn’t answer for a long time. Too long. Then finally he said, “I’m not used to having partners.”

squeee! Excellent! More progress! Lex’s complete surprise and shock about how to treat his WIFE like a partner rather than a subordinate makes me wonder how the heck did he treat all of his previous wives. He set up separate bedrooms from them during travelling (even during honeymoons), and now it turns out that he never really discussed long-term (or even short-term) plans with them.

All I can say is that no wonder all of Lex’s previous marriages turned out as abysmal failures. Granted, quite a bit of the blame goes onto the wives for being homicidal, greedy, deceitful gold-diggers… but still, I’m now wondering how much did Lex contribute to the problem of his disintegrated marriages.

I’m actually surprised that Chloe is not having a discussion with Lex about his previous marriages, and what he expected from them… when he believes they were genuine. At least Chloe is now helping Lex by providing him with some basic tips as to how to best treat a wife… as a partner and trusted companion above all things.

In her own way, Chloe is providing training and therapy to Lex for his [I]next[I] marriage. At least, that might be Chloe’s perspective as she comes to acknowledge that their own marriage is a temporary thing only. It still hasn’t seemed to have hit her fully that she and Lex will be separating after a month. She’s treating this alliance almost like a long-term investment.

Anyhow, I also squealed with delight right alongside Chloe when I discovered that Lex was taking her to South Africa. How awesome and WONDERFUL!!! And I loved how it was Chloe’s avid interest in the documentary some nights before that inspired this decision. Lex truly has the most wonderful mind, doesn’t he?

heee! And I was so, SO pleased to see that Chloe hugged Lex tightly and enthusiastically after hearing this news. I’m sure Lex relished that!

squeee! South Africa in future chapters! I can’t wait!!!!

[Zannie]

heee! Chapter two was fascinating, because we got to see Chloe adjust to becoming ‘Mrs. Luthor’. I wonder whether she felt a little anxiety ridden about losing her identity, and being known purely as Lex Luthor’s wife from here on in? But, I guess she hasn’t really thought that far ahead as yet

I actually hadn't even thought about that in this story for some reason. I'm not sure why because it's certainly come up in other of my stories. I guess maybe it didn't feel like something Chloe would be mulling over quite yet, since she's only expecting the marriage to be temporary (however silly such an expectation might be!).

heeee! What was that last word?!? Oh, are we EVER going to find out?!? Amazing? Sexy? Perfect?! What was on the top of Lex’s tongue there?!?

I'm sorry to say that I never actually answer that question. At least not directly. But you'll definitely get the spirit of the answer later in the story.

Lex’s plans to accompany Chloe on a roam around the city was a sweet, lovely gesture. BUT, dammit, six friggen thirty in the morning?!?? Are you kidding me?!? And more than that, Lex actually claims that Chloe is lucky that he didn’t wake her up at five-thirty or something. I’m impressed that Chloe restrained herself to only throwing a pillow after him, rather than a show… or a bedside table lamp.

Heh. I think Lex's standards in reasonable wake-up times might be different from the general population. But his main purpose in getting her up so early is so they could go explore the city before the streets got too crowded, since it would be too difficult to keep Chloe safe in too many crowds.

I noticed a couple of lines (about Chloe walking down a set of stairs, and feeling great accomplishment at her achievement) that I remembered from another story. Perhaps from Irrevocable? I enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed it now

Yes, there are a few from Irrevocable and a few from In Experience. And a couple I used in both of those stories.

wow! Until Lex started this line of questioning I always believed that Chloe had only accidentally stumbled across the sensitive information that she had picked up about Lionel. I really thought that she was investigating some random line of inquiry, and then surprisingly and shockingly came across Lionel’s involvement in whatever sordid affair she was looking into.

But now, after Lex’s interrogation, I find myself wondering whether Chloe somehow went looking into something that she knew was connected to Lionel…? His suspicions and certainty that Chloe was looking deliberately into Lionel’s dealings now makes me wonder whether Chloe was targeting Lionel’s dirty dealings on purpose… but found a little more than she bargained for…?

Your first instinct was correct. Chloe did only accidentally stumble on the information. Lex's insistence that there's more to it is based on his own emotional investment in the issue and his paranoid perspective. I'm only explaining this now because I actually considered going back and rewriting that whole scene next to the river in Quebec because I was afraid it hinted at a whole complex backstory that never gets followed through. But I left it as it was because I think the behavior is realistic for Lex, given his nature and this part of the story. But the whole thing is in Lex's mind - not based on a reality of the plot. And, as you mentioned later in your review, Chloe's response is based on her refusal to be bullied by Lex. She's not actually trying to hide anything significant from Lex.

Thanks for the great reviews!

[becky]

Hey Zannie!

Just wanted to apologise for not being diligent with my feedback lately - England has basically been crippled by snow (which is a bit pathetic, really) and I've spent most of the week either on train platforms or desperately trying to work from home to catch up... I managed to get up to date with everything last night and wrote all the feedback for you on my laptop, so I'll upload it as soon as I get it online!!

For now, let me say that I'm absolutely loving the fic so far - it's so cute and funny with just a little twinge of angst for them to work through in time for Christmas!

x

[cbrunberg]

can't wait to see what happens next.great story so far

[ChloeLovesLex]

Got home from my Disney vacation and got to enjoy 2 updates. It really doesn't get much better than that!!

Loved the interaction at dinner before the photographer showed up.

Can't wait to see how it goes in South Africa!

[lj715]

Great update!

[somethingeasy]

Chapter Seven

She and Lex had a private, detached suite furnished in an elegant, exotic mix of Colonial and African styles with foldaway glass walls on two sides of their suite that opened to expose the entire place to the outdoors. There was a plunge infinity pool on their private deck, an expansive view of the African bush, and the marble bathroom of her dreams.

oh wow! Lex’s and Chloe’s villa seemed just… amazing! It has just about everything that a beautiful, luxuriantly expensive villa in South Africa can offer. I was HUGELY impressed, and I shared in Chloe’s delight.

LOL! Actually, spoiled brat that I am, I have spent time in luxurious villas similar to this one. So the description of Chloe’s and Lex’s living space brought back a lot of memories of different vacations and trips for me Just like Chloe, I ALSO spend about half an hour during each trip, just relishing the size and luxuries that the hotel room and/or villa has to offer. What an excellent vacation holiday Chloe is getting for herself.

And Chloe’s tour was similarly amazing, fantastic and luxuriantly arranged. It’s obvious that Lex arranged for her to get the most competent and experienced of all the rangers at the resort. The fact that Michael was easy on the eyes was a happy, unexpected bonus on top of his competency, lol!

In any case, I LOVED getting all the details of Chloe’s morning tour, looking at South Africa through her eyes, and enjoying the lecture that she received from her ranger guide about the plants, animals and various sights during the tour. And I squealed with delight watching Chloe enjoying her first sight of rhinos and elephants and lions in the wild! AWESOME!

“Shame to miss out on this.” Michael gave a broad wave toward the lush African bush to indicate what he meant by “this.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “I know. But I’m sure he’ll come out this afternoon or tomorrow morning.” Then, feeling a little awkward, as if she had to justify Lex’s choices since he was supposed to be her husband, she added with a sheepish smile, “This trip was mostly for me.”

“Then as long as you enjoy yourself, I guess he’ll be happy.”

I’m sure Lex WILL be pleased to hear that Chloe had a good time. But it still made me feel sorry for Lex thinking about everything that he’s missing out on today. Granted, he’s seen all of this before (perhaps? maybe? probably?)… But you can’t tell me that looking at wild animals in South Africa is a ‘been there, done that’ kind of experience. You can keep enjoying it multiple times, every time you go to South Africa. You never get tired of such a thing!!!

And Lex has never experienced South Africa, travelling with a person that he liked and trusted (and loved) like Chloe Sullivan. It would have been amazing for him, I’m sure, to have enjoyed HER first sight of the South African wildlife reserves. He would have loved seeing her first look at the animals, and enjoying all the delights of the sights through her eyes.

Overall, I felt HUGELY sorry for Lex… and I found myself wondering why, Why, WHY wasn’t he accompanying Chloe on these tours!

She thought Michael had the most gorgeous dark eyes she’d ever seen. He was big and masculine and attractive. And she liked his voice and his smile. In another situation, she would have been really interested in him and would have gotten a thrill out of the slightly flirtatious glint in his eyes.

Of course, he probably cultivated that non-intrusive flirtatiousness with female guests as a matter of routine. Another way to make sure he was popular with the resort’s clientele. She probably shouldn’t take it personally.

But she liked him, and she was glad he was her guide.

ROTFLMAO! Right after this description of Michael, I knew immediately that his handsome looks and flirtatious attitude was going to make him the trigger for a HUGE jealousy attack from Lex. I was just waiting for the inevitable attack at this point, wondering how and when it was going to happen, lol!

Since she was starving, she went down to the main patio of their exclusive section of the resort where the staff was serving a hot breakfast buffet. She chatted with some of the other guests. They were all rich and mostly stuffy, but she found them all highly entertaining.

Lex was still working when she came back up to the suite, so she took a plunge in the infinity pool and then lay out on a chaise on their private deck, enjoying the sun and the scent of nature and the gorgeous landscape.

She actually dozed off and woke up just in time for lunch.

They ordered room service—just sandwiches and salads—and, since Lex went right back to work afterwards, Chloe decided to visit the spa, where she greatly enjoyed an aroma essence massage.

She returned to the suite near the time for the afternoon game ride.

“You aren’t going to come on this ride either?” she asked Lex, feeling ridiculously disappointed.

At this point, I was just gaping at the screen and going WTF over Lex’s anti-social, workaholic regiment. He’s in a friggen luxury resort, surrounded by wild beauty… and the only thing he’s looking at is work on his laptop?!? WTF?!???

I was not only annoyed and exasperated, but also completely bewildered by Lex’s behaviour. He’s not even leaving the villa in order to enjoy the lunch or breakfast buffets. Or even to get himself a lovely massage? He’s completely holed himself up in his room like a hermit. It just didn’t make any sense.

It especially didn’t make any sense in the light of their time in Quebec, when Lex seemed to have a genuine good time roaming the city with Chloe. He liked exploring the city with her, visiting the museums and galleries and the older parts of the city. So why wasn’t he enjoying the sights of South Africa with her as well?

I was really glad to see Chloe actually yelling at Lex a little about his hermit like behaviour. I was glad to see that she made her displeasure clear, because I was hoping that he would see exactly how ridiculous he was acting once he saw how mad he was making Chloe. But he STILL didn’t catch the hint, and only agreed to move to the patio of the villa in acquiesce of Chloe’s outrage.

Suddenly, it occurred to her what might be happening. The last time he’d ventured out in Quebec he’d been recognized and photographed.

Maybe—maybe—he was afraid he’d be recognized here too and they’d have to leave prematurely.

Chloe sipped the last of her wine and gazed up at the bright stars as she reflected on that possibility. And, as she realized that must be exactly what he was thinking, she was overwhelmed with gratitude, fondness, and annoyance—all mingling in her chest together.

It was so Lex-like that he’d think of that. And so Lex-like that he wouldn’t bother to tell her that’s why he wasn’t venturing out.

It was here where the pieces finally clicked together and made sense. I was so darned grateful to Chloe for putting the pieces together, and deducing the real reason behind Lex’s self-imposed isolation and exile. The dear, sweet man is sacrificing all the fun, pleasure and delight in exploring South Africa with Chloe because he wants to make sure that Chloe manages to FULLY enjoy her time in the country.

What a beautiful, selfless, amazing man! And the worst/best of it is that I’m sure Lex knows what he’s missing out on. I’m sure he desperately wanted to experience, first hand, Chloe’s thrills and delights in seeing Africa for the first time. He knows he’s missing out on something amazing… but he’s willing to make that sacrifice for Chloe’s sake. What a beautiful, WONDERFUL man!

In another situation, she would have been totally swept off her feet by him—handsome, manly, engaging, intelligent, and paying special attention to her.

For some reason, however, she wasn’t. And even if she had been, she naturally wouldn’t do anything while she was married to Lex. Even if it wasn’t a genuine marriage, she just wasn’t that kind of a person.

I really liked this quick summation of Chloe’s thoughts about Michael. She enjoys his competency and knowledge, and she appreciates that he’s a very attractive and desirable man… BUT it’s made clear that she doesn’t feel any personal, irresistible attraction for him.
heh…. gee, I wonder why… LOL!

And it’s also good to see that Chloe prides herself on being a little more classy than hopping into bed with random men when she’s on a honeymoon with her new husband. Even if it’s a pretend honeymoon for a fake marriage, Chloe still respects Lex enough not to cuckold and humiliate him… just like she knows that HE wouldn’t embarrass her by having a quickie with some random brunette.

Lex arched his eyebrows. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said, stepping forward and extending a hand to Michael. “I’m Chloe’s husband.”

Michael grinned and introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet you. I was beginning to think your existence was fictitious.”

“It’s not.”

squeee, and also LOL! Just look at Lex obtrusively, overtly and even obnoxiously staking out his claim over Chloe. ROTFL! I can practically see Lex bristling with jealousy and possessive anger over here. Not that I blame him. He’s juts discovered that the ranger that Chloe has been raving about all day is actually a VERY handsome young man… who has just been caught dancing with Lex’s wife. LOL! Brilliant!

LOL! I loved how even Chloe noted, with quite a bit of unnerved shock, that Lex was acting like a jealous husband. I liked how she was quite bewildered by the display, because of course Lex wouldn’t be jealous about other men paying attention to her. He just wouldn’t care, since Chloe is ‘obviously’ not his type. LOL! Oh, Chloe, you poor, oblivious fool! ROTFL!

“You’re being ridiculous. It was perfectly innocent. And it’s not like there’s anything real between us anyway.” Even though there wasn’t anything between them, she wouldn’t have dreamed of having an affair while she was married to Lex. But she didn’t like his high-handed manner, and she didn’t like that he was so rude to Michael.

“So that means I should simply accept without complaint my wife sneaking off in the dark to embrace another man.”

How dare he think she would be so cheap and crass as to sneak off and kiss another man? How dare he think she was so sleazy that she’d jump into bed with a virtual stranger while she was married to him?

It makes sense that Chloe would think this harsh and ugly assessment to be the truth behind Lex’s behaviour. She ‘knows’ that Lex doesn’t actually find her desirable or attractive, and therefore wouldn’t actually be jealous of other men paying attention to her. This can only lead her to the conclusion that Lex was only being jealous and protective of his own reputation and image. That he was angry because he thought that Chloe was weak and sleazy enough to tarnish his precious reputation, and put the horns of a cuckold on his head.

His over-reaction and rudeness to Michael was nothing about Chloe herself, but only the damage that she could bring to his image. Poor Chloe has no idea that Lex’s over-reaction was all about her alone… that the thought of her in another man’s arms just drove him INSANE with jealousy. It’s not a judgement of her will and integrity, but actually an acknowledgement that she’s so amazingly desirable, that every man in her vicinity would wish to woo and seduce her.

Not knowing the truth, I can see that Chloe’s feeling were quite hurt. I think she might be slightly snippy at Lex tomorrow morning. But, hopefully she’ll be able to forgive him… because I still remember his sweetness from this morning, and he serves some leeway for that display of selflessness.

Thanks for the excellent chapter, Zannie. I look forward to the next one.

And I’ve happily caught up on all my Chlex reviews. Which leaves me to focus on the ten-thousand other fics from other canon shows and stories that require my attention Wish me luck with the pile!

[JosiCuervo]

Anther great update, Zannie!! Keep 'em comin'!

(That sounds silly, but *shrug*)

[lj715]

Love the newest update. Nothing like a little jealousy to get the blood pumping. (lol)

[Zannie]

All I can say is that no wonder all of Lex’s previous marriages turned out as abysmal failures. Granted, quite a bit of the blame goes onto the wives for being homicidal, greedy, deceitful gold-diggers… but still, I’m now wondering how much did Lex contribute to the problem of his disintegrated marriages.

I’m actually surprised that Chloe is not having a discussion with Lex about his previous marriages, and what he expected from them… when he believes they were genuine. At least Chloe is now helping Lex by providing him with some basic tips as to how to best treat a wife… as a partner and trusted companion above all things.

As much as we love him, I can't help but thing Lex's learned behavior would make for a terrible husband. While he may naturally be committed, loving, and almost chivalrous, he's learned to be cold, isolated, and insensitive. So I completely agree that he would have contributed to his past failed relationships!

And, in regard to your second comment there, perhaps it hasn't occurred to Chloe to talk to Lex about his past marriages because she's not acknowledging that their current marriage is anything but temporary!

And I’ve happily caught up on all my Chlex reviews. Which leaves me to focus on the ten-thousand other fics from other canon shows and stories that require my attention Wish me luck with the pile!

Congratulations, excellent work, and good luck!

Just wanted to apologise for not being diligent with my feedback lately - England has basically been crippled by snow (which is a bit pathetic, really) and I've spent most of the week either on train platforms or desperately trying to work from home to catch up... I managed to get up to date with everything last night and wrote all the feedback for you on my laptop, so I'll upload it as soon as I get it online!!

Thanks, Becky! I've heard other grumbles about the snow in the UK recently. Hope things get back to normal soon!