The Christmas Trap (PG-15) EPILOGUE Dec 25th, 2010 COMPLETE

[lexie]

I was a little squicked out that Julian assumed the same thing Lionel did in canon - that Lex slept with all those brunettes because he was looking for his mom in them. Yikes!

Well, the fact that Lex prefers brunettes is undeniable based on canon. As regards the reason behind his choice... it's true that we usually seek what we know and that we unconsciously feel attracted to people who have certain physical features which remind us either of us or ours. Julian making a reference to what Lionel used to say in canon is natural considering he was raised by the MB; there must have been a certain degree of "pollution" despite the great relationship Julian's got with his eldest brother.

[cbrunberg]

can't wait to see what happens.lex is definitely being set up

[hfce]

Lex is so being set up. I can't wait to see how Julian sets it up. LOL!!!

[lexie]

A/N: Thank you all for your encouraging feedback. Here's a new chapter.

By the way, I've also updated "Choices" so Chapter 6 is already up.

CHAPTER TWO

The Talon had been Smallville´s only cinema for almost sixty years when it closed down and Lana´s natural father, Henry Small- a descendant of the town´s founder, Ezra Small- helped her recycle the building and transform it into a coffee shop and popular teen hangout. Lex had to give the owners credit for the effort- the Egyptian decor and the warm colours gave the place a homely and welcoming feel. His business mind couldn´t help but start thinking about the potential of backing a chain of cafeterias moulded after The Talon in Metropolis and some other major towns in the state of Kansas. He´d phone Jennifer later to have her tell the Food Division of LexCorp to begin some market research and elaborate some projections. There was nothing like presenting a prospective partner with a business proposal holding all the cards in one´s hand.

“Nice, isn´t it?” Julian asked him, noticing Lex´s interest in the surroundings. “You should see the place with the lights on and the patrons sharing a latte and doing their homework or making plans for the weekend.”

“They´ve done a great job with the place, yes. Where´s the apartment? “

“Follow me. It´s up these stairs, “ he said, leading the way.

“Shouldn´t you go up first and warn her I´m here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

But Julian didn´t seem to have heard Lex for he eagerly rapped on the apartment door, and within seconds it was opened by Chloe... who wasn´t what LexCorp´s CEO had been expecting at all.

The young widow was several years his brother´s senior; and, although she looked exhausted and sleep-deprived, if the dark circles under her eyes were anything to go by, a sixth sense told him she was no weakling. It wasn´t that she didn´t look feminine- she was petite but well-endowed...And what eyes! Lex had never seen anything greener. She was delicate and strong at the same time. Chloe wasn´t Lex´s type and yet, he couldn´t deny she was an attractive young woman. Julian had good taste, but Lionel´s first-born couldn´t visualise them as a couple; the boy was too green yet to be a match for her.

“Damn!” she exclaimed, looking down at herself. “Come in, Jules, “ she added, scurrying back into the flat to put on something over her nightgown and brush her tousled blond hair. “ Timmy is asleep for the time being- thank God. I was just finishing my article for tomorrow to e-mail it to my editor. I´ll be with you in a minute. There´s a pot of freshly-made decaf on the stove if you care to have a cup. Or you can rummage the cupboard for some real coffee.”

“Thanks, that´d be nice,” Julian said brightly.

“Pour me a mug to the brim, will you? I ´d need a fortified dose of caffeine to keep me from dropping dead on my feet, but I´ll have to cheat my system with a decaf,” came Chloe´s answer from the bathroom.

Julian looked at his eldest brother with a smile on his face, but Lex was too busy studying the room and the knick-knacks on the shelves clustered with books. The decor was different from the one downstairs; the colours were different, more vibrant and passionate. Although the room wasn´t spacious, she had made an intelligent use of its limited dimensions. Yes, the bed-sitting room was small but not claustrophobic. It was a far cry from his Metropolis penthouse and still, it looked and felt like a real home; something he hadn´t experienced in a long time. The realisation made him feel nostalgic and, at the same time, scared him to death. Lex wondered where in heaven´s name he was supposed to sleep for a whole week and keep his treasured privacy. He was starting to think this was a very bad idea indeed.

“Have you finished your top and lofty perusal, bro´?” Julian asked under his breath, nudging him in the ribs as Chloe came back into the multipurpose room.

Chloe noticed the tall and handsome patrician man standing in the middle of her open-plan living-room and felt it suddenly shrink. She had always praised herself on her ability to keep her cool when faced with the unexpected- a pre-requisite for any investigative reporter fond of snooping- not that she could do much of that now. However, those blue-grey eyes of his, which looked so peaceful in Julian, had a stormy and intense quality in him that unsettled her and made her feel things she hadn´t in a long time.

“Do I have baby food on my face? “ she quipped, trying to hide her nervousness.

“This is my cousin Joseph,” Julian was saying. “You remember him, don´t you? He´s the cousin I told you about. He’d be eternally grateful if you could put him up until his heart mends.”

Lex schooled his features not to give away Julian´s words had taken him by surprise, but the youngest Luthor knew his big brother well enough to perceive the coiled energy that emanated from him and which made the hairs on Julian´s nape stand on end.

“Nice to meet you, Joseph,” Chloe said, stretching out an arm to shake hands with Lex. ´Snob, ´ she said to herself.

“Nice to meet you, Chloe,” he clasped her hand in a firm grip, repressing the smug smile that threatened to appear on his face when he felt the slight tremor that revealed she wasn´t immune to him either.

“Please, do sit down. I´m afraid Timmy is still asleep, so formal introductions´ll have to wait. He´ll be awake and definitely make himself heard in a couple of hours, “ she said laughing.

Lex was starting to have the distinct feeling that he´d been duped by his own flesh and blood. The little brother who´d helped in part fill the void Lillian´s passing had left in his heart; the one person for whom he´d have died or killed for... had done a real number on him.

If there was something he´d learnt from his old man was how to read people and situations, and all his instincts told him there was a rat here, a big one.

“I´m afraid I haven´t got any alcoholic beverages to offer you. But I can prepare you a cup of strong coffee; they say I make the best in the state of Kansas,” she told Lex with a luminous smile that made him start to question his preference for brunettes.

“I´m OK, thanks, ¨replied Lex with the ghost of a smile as his eyes continued to roam and noticed a few tell-tale details- a dummy and a rattle on the coffee-table, and a burp cloth on the armrest of the rocking chair under the window.

“How old is your son?” Lex asked her in a neutral tone.

“Six months,” she answered, noticing the way he inspected the flat as if it were a bug under a microscope.

Lex started to boil but only someone who really knew him could tell what was actually going on inside him for his poker face was firmly in place. “Would you excuse us, Chloe? I need to have a word with... Julian. “ he told the blond reporter before standing up and looking down to meet his brother´s eyes. “Shall we?” he asked ´Angel Face´.

“We’ll be back in a minute,” said Julian with a smile as he stepped out and closed the door behind him..

Lex was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs with a look on his face that didn´t bode anything good. “A six-month-old baby. Have you gone completely nuts? ”

“You promised, Lex. “

“Well, you can forget about it. “

“You gave me your word that...”

“That was when I thought the kid was... not a baby. I might be able to look after a two-year-old but a baby... one who´s still in diapers and nursing. No way! “

“Is it so hard to do something when it doesn´t involve your chequebook, Lex? I know you better than that. You aren´t that heartless, bro`. This is the first time I´ve ever asked you to do something just for me.”

“If I say ´no´, you´ll never let me live it down, will you? “ Lex clenched his teeth, and buried his fists deep in the pockets of his trousers. “OK. I´ll do it, only to prove you I´m not halfway down the path to hell. But, mark my words, this is a one-time only favour. “

“I swear, I won´t ask you for anything more,” he said Julian beaming.

“Stop swearing, Jules, before that nose of yours starts to grow,” Lex said coolly. “One last thing before I enter that apartment again. What did you tell her about me- apart from the fact that I´m your heartbroken cousin and that my name´s Joseph? “

“Well... she thinks you´re nursing a broken heart and that this is your first Christmas away from your lover, so you´re feeling particularly lonely. I told her your apartment had been invaded by termites and that the exterminators needed a week to eliminate the threat, so you didn´t have any place to stay. I told her you loved kids and that she´d be doing you a huge favour if she let you lodge with her for a week. At least, she would be able to catch up some sleep and maybe sort things out... you know... find a better way to organise her work schedule and her role as a new mom.”

“And did she buy that? She didn´t strike me as someone that could be easily fooled. Didn´t she ask you why I couldn´t stay at the mansion, where there are plenty of rooms?” frowned the bald billionaire.

“I just told her you and dad can´t stand each other. I didn´t see the need to lie, “ Julian said sheepishly.

¨No, you´ve already made up enough, “ smirked Lex.

Julian breathed relieved; Lex was going to do it. “You won´t regret this, Lex. “

“Let´s get back before she falls asleep on her feet, or starts wondering if I´m safe enough to be around her son,” said Lex, starting to climb up the stairs.

“What? Do you think she´s wondering where you´ve hidden the corpse?” asked Julian jokingly.

“Don´t give me any ideas. “

Five minutes later the youngest Luthor made a sudden and quick escape leaving Chloe and Lex on their own. An uncomfortable silence followed as Chloe stood in the middle of the room looking at him as if she were expecting him to say or do something.

“Could you show me where... ?” began Lex.

“Oh, sorry! How silly of me! I´m afraid there´s only one bedroom, ¨she blushed- something that Lex found quite endearing; the women he usually dealt with had long forgotten how to blush.” I mean... Jules said you´d make do with the sofa. “

Lex turned around and looked at the piece of furniture on which he and Julian had sat a little while ago and wondered if his long limbs would fit there.

“It´s a davenport, “ explained Chloe. “ I bought it second-hand at an antiques store and had the upholstery redone to match the armchair and the rest of the furniture. “

“It looks sturdy enough for someone of my built, “ he smirked; and Chloe had to look away when a series of very sensual images assaulted her mind unannounced.

`Damn, Julian! You forgot to tell me your cousin was devastatingly handsome and that the nuances of his voice could charm even a stone. If I didn´t know what I know... You´re mad, Sullivan! Safe topic... safe topic... Ask him about his luggage. ´


“ Er... have you left your bags downstairs? “

“I´m afraid there was a mix-up at the airport, “ he lied, telling himself he´d have to contact Jennifer and ask her to send him some clothes and toiletries to last him a week.

“Will you manage for the night? I have no pyjamas to lend you, “ she told him, opening her wardrobe and taking out some freshly laundered sheets and a handmade quilt that Martha Kent had given her when she moved back to the rural town.

“I´ll be fine, Chloe. I assume there´s only one bathroom. Would you rather use it first? “ he said when she came back with the linen.

“No, you go first. There´s an unopened toothbrush in the cabinet, and here´s a clean bath towel. We´ve got hot water and central heating twenty-four hours a day. The owners of The Talon had the boiler changed a couple of years ago, “ she added, kicking herself for her stupid need to make the flat look better- it was clean and cosy and, if he found fault with it, he could take his arrogant snobbish... cute butt down the stairs, swallow his pride and ask Julian to smuggle him into the mansion. After all, that old relic was immense, wasn´t it?

“Thanks. I won´t take long, “ he responded and disappeared in the bathroom. “By the way, leave the linen on the sofa. I´ll make the bed myself, “ he added, his voice muffled by the sound of water running.

“It´s OK, I´ll..” she began.

“ Listen, “ he cut her off, opening the door just a crack. “You can barely keep yourself standing. “

“But...”

“I´ll make the damn bed. Go to bed, Chloe,” he stated sternly.

“Do you always get your way, Mr Luthor? “ she asked, her green orbs flashing with Irish stubbornness.

“I do. And my name´s Joseph. Mr Luthor´s my father, “ he finished, closing the door behind him.

“How dare he close my own bathroom door in my face? “ she hissed under her breath not to wake up Timmy, who was still miraculously asleep. “Calm down, Sullivan. Remember you need this arrangement. You need a few hours of sleep if you want to keep that job. You can do this. It´s just a week until Lois comes to visit for the holidays. She can help you with the kid and, once Martha´s term´s over, she promised to give you a hand with the baby-sitting. Damn! I can´t believe what Julian´s told me... Why do the best-looking guys have to be gay? Well, it doesn´t matter. Even if he weren´t, I´d never have anything with someone with his airs. I hope he´s good with kids, Julian, or I swear to God I´ll wring your Luthor neck. “

Ten minutes later, Lex emerged from the bathroom barefoot but still wearing his trousers and an unbuttoned light-blue dress shirt. He was going to tell Chloe that the bathroom was all hers when he noticed she had lain down on her bed and fallen asleep while waiting for him to finish his ablutions. He smiled softly and, switching off the light of the bathroom, took the blanket from the foot of her bed and covered her with it. It was then that he saw the handcrafted crib a few feet away, where the baby was sleeping soundly; she had said the boy wouldn´t wake up for another two hours, but that had been over an hour ago. Well, he´d better try to get some sleep now that the apartment was still silent.

Lex had always been a light sleeper- bordering on insomniac- and the fact that he was now in an unfamiliar house made matters even worse. Less than an hour had gone by when the baby´s wailing disrupted the quietness of the room, and Lex heard Chloe leave the bed to pick up the child. She cradled Timmy in her arms and unfastened a few buttons of her nightgown to start nursing him, but the boy refused to latch on her breast and kept wailing like a siren. The young mother looked at the screen she had set up in the living-room to give Lex and her some privacy and, then, tried more time to encourage the baby to suck with no success. She had feared something like this would happen. Timmy was used to being fed in the rocking chair under the window, and she hadn´t been able to move the seat to her bedroom, where there was so little space available.

Lex heard the cries getting closer and adjusted his eyes to the dark to see Chloe walk to the chair he had observed during his close inspection earlier. As if by magic, the wailing stopped and was replaced by the gentle rocking of the chair and the quiet sound of the baby suckling. Overwhelmed by the memories of his own infancy the scenes stirred back to life, Lex closed his eyes and gave Chloe privacy for the most sacred bonding moment between mother and child.

Timmy made fast work of latching on and Chloe smiled warmly as he lay there looking up at her intently. Stroking the baby´s cheek she stole a glance at Lex and wondered if he was faking it or if he was indeed a fast sleeper. Seeing him lying on her second-hand sofa was like watching a king sleep on a mat in a hut- the guy should have been named something more regal than Joseph.

The sun was filtering through the curtains when Lex woke up somewhat disoriented. It took him just a few seconds to remember he wasn´t lying on the Egyptian cotton sheets of his penthouse and that the warmth the bedclothes provided him with didn´t come from the goose-feathered duvets he preferred in winter but from a handmade patched quilt.

“Seven o´clock, “ he murmured, looking at the Napoleon-franc watch Lillian had given him as a gift. He usually awoke at five, even at weekends, but the baby had had a difficult night and Lex´s sleep patterns were disrupted. At four o´clock, when it seemed Timmy would never stop crying, Lex had sat up on the sofa and asked Chloe to let him give it a try.

“He´s teething, “ she said with a quivery voice that showed she was on the verge of bursting into tears. “He usually quietens after a while when he chews on his teething ring, but I don´t know what´s wrong tonight,” she rocked her son as she walked to and fro.

“If it hurts as much as those useless wisdom teeth, I can certainly understand him, “ Lex smirked, reaching out to grab the bundle from Chloe´s arms. “Loosen the grip on him. I promise I won´t drop him. “

“Are you sure...?” she eyed the billionaire with a questioning look.

“You´ll have to start trusting me, Miss Sullivan. If Timmy and I are going to be alone for a few hours a day, we´ve got to start bonding, and this time´s as good as any,” he told her with his practised poker face. He cursed Julian for having placed him in this position and he himself for giving in to his puppy eyes. He didn´t feel prepared for this, he doubted he´d ever be.

Even though he had been more than just an elder brother to Julian, he still felt uncomfortable and ill-equipped in situations which involved human connection and making himself vulnerable. One-night stands were the safest way to preserve intact what was left of his heart after being abandoned by everyone that had ever meant something to him. He still had Julian- he was actually the only person who remained loyal in his affections to him, but Lex found it difficult to open up to new people and to members of the opposite sex in particular. Developing a bond with this young woman and her baby that was going to be broken in a few days was a challenging and daunting experience for a man who wasn´t used to accepting defeat, but Lex would never admit to being scared witless.

“OK, “ Chloe whispered, handing him the baby and observing how deftly he cradled Timmy in his arms. “You know how to do this. “

“You sound surprised, “ responded Lex smugly, looking into the baby´s green eyes, which were a replica of his mum´s.

“I´m sorry, but you can´t blame me. You look so... . Well... “ she mumbled, trying to find the best term to describe him.

“A reporter out of words. I thought I´d never see the day. Don´t worry; I´m used to being misjudged. The story of my life, “ he smiled when the baby´s wailing and sobbing stopped and the boy started chewing on the ring. “Well, it seems we´ll be able to sleep after all. ”

“Traitor, “ Chloe told the baby as she saw Timmy suddenly grin at the tall attractive man standing in the middle of her apartment. Why did Jules´ gay cousin have to smell so good?

Lex saw the baby flash him a smile and felt a pressure settle on his chest. He prayed Jennifer could find something in this woman´s past that he could use to extricate himself of this uncomfortable conundrum. Yes, he´d phone his assistant first thing in the morning and order an in-depth background check. He told himself his decision was primarily due to protect his youngest brother- he´d never let Jules get close to a woman he knew nothing about- but the truth was he also wanted to have something dug up to shelter his own fragility.

Jules had lied to Chloe through his teeth, but one thing was true, Lex was nursing a broken heart- he had been nursing it for almost twenty-one years. His heart had shattered the day Lillian left him and Julian to be raised by a man in whose eyes he´d never be good or worthy enough. Lex had thought Helen would help him put the pieces back together, but she had trampled on his heart almost ten years ago and since then, he had gone back to his old trustworthy routine of dating long-legged brunettes whom he´d bed once and dump before things started to get awkward. He´d never dated women with children- too many scars had been inflicted on his soul by adults during his childhood to feel comfortable with submitting any innocent boy or girl to a similar experience. He couldn´t offer any woman the kind of stability a child would need while growing up, not when he himself was so needy and broken.

Lex wondered what was happening to him. He barely knew this woman, and she was making him feel things he´d thought he´d never feel again. It was too soon to let himself feel anything- he was no longer an adolescent driven by his hormones- and he had worked too hard to armour his heart to now let a baby break down his defences and make him want things he knew he could never have.

“Jennifer, “ said the billionaire on the phone, “I´ve got a job for you. “

TBC

[Historianic]

Lexie, you've just made my day! A wonderful update that had me laughing out loud in some places . You've got all the right ingredients here for all kinds of hilarity and romance in this. I can't wait to see Lex's reaction when he finds out that Julian told Chloe he's gay. Let the fun begin! Great work Lexie.

PS Just a side note, but I have to agree with Lex. I find it a little odd that Chloe would so readily buy Julian's story, considering how sharp and observant she is. However, if it works for this gorgeous story, I will suspend my disbelief . Can't wait to read what happens next!

[Fouzia]

This is Really good^^
You success to make the story funny and at the same time sad!!
Thank you so much for this wonderful story^^ I am Already addicte and I hope you Update SOON SOON^^

[emms14]

So...Lex taking care of a baby???...Lex taking care of Chloe's baby???...Chloe doesn't know that Lex is Lex??? What on Earth is going on here?? Only joking, I love the new direction you are taking this is and I can't wait to see what happens. I wonder who Timmy's father is...hmmm...

-emms14

[hfce]

Bless his heart he is already falling for Chloe. LOL!! Jennifer will not find anything and you will fall for her even more. LOL! Priceless!

[chloedreamer]

Aww Lex is a soften in this with having been not left completely alone with his Father having his little brother in his life has made him more open. Thanks of the update and PM.

[jcassy]

So cute when a man can take care of a bay especially Lex. I was laughing when I learnt that Julian portrayed Lex as gays. I'm sure the situations will be epic because lex is a manly man , no? Great update to start my day. Thank you Lexie.