Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or the characters, and make no money writing them.
Spoilers: For an AU Season Eight, and Chloe's first wedding.
A/N: I found this on a USB drive. It seems like I wrote it for some specific purpose but never did anything with it. If I'm mistaken and it's been posted before I'll remove it.
Glossy, nearly fatuous presentation presided over Smallville, on a tiny farm that typically stood for simplicity and humble function.
It took a super-powered alien and a very military-minded cousin, but Chloe Sullivan's wedding was going to happen without a single issue needing attention all day. Everything was going to be prepared expertly and in exactly the right time. Lois and Clark were seeing to it personally, with the promise of absolutely perfect results.
Or as Lois put it in her rallying cry, “Hitches are for bitches! Get it done right the first time or surrender your man-sac to me!”
“Just do your best,” Clark had added, conciliatory remarks always on the tip of his tongue as he worked side-by-side with Lois. “We know you're working very hard, and the bride and groom are grateful.”
Chloe took her father's arm and dragged her organza down the aisle, with Lois leading the pace from the side aisle. She pantomimed all the motions the bride should do, and stuck an unlit cigarette in her mouth when the vows began. The hard parts were over and the wine was about to start flowing to drown the stresses they had suffered together. Jimmy would be a part of the family, like it or lump it; or toast it with one of her signature blue jagerbombs.
So it was on that wave of relaxation and sentimentality that Lex Luthor let himself into the church, his dark shoes thumping as he hurried up the aisle. He said nothing as all eyes turned to him, this guest who wasn't quietly tiptoeing to take a seat and looking bashful about it. An innate grace and elegance in his walk gave his rudeness the facade of delicacy. It confused most of the people watching, and gave them pause before they said or did anything to respond.
Clark took a step toward him, but Gabe held the younger man back. The guests took their cues from the father of the bride; assuming some connection still existed that made the intruder welcome. Perhaps it was aboveboard. Maybe all could be well for Chloe's special day.
Lex left a few feet between his shoes and the hem of Chloe's dress, his eyes fixed on the bride as she turned to regard him wryly. “You look like you're going to bust up my wedding, Lex,” she said, and the crowd laughed nervously. Maybe it was all okay, dramatic events that led nowhere but to the reception and the open bar.
He nodded. She shot an amused, reassuring look at the boyish groom. His neck was lost in the tuxedo, and he looked sweaty. “I didn't receive an invitation,” he remarked, almost casually, sliding his hands into his pockets. Guests squirmed and murmured. With the Luthors it was touchy – many people still worked for them.
Chloe's hand slipped away from Jimmy, and she gathered her skirt to step toward the guest she'd not invited. Somehow she'd known Lex's eyes would be on her today, dead or not. It turned out she was correct in thinking he was alive, but that was hardly the major issue. He had shown up at her wedding and he wasn't looking at Clark or even scanning the crowd for no-show Lana. Lex was looking at her, and she knew that look.
“You didn't put on a formal suit because that would legitimize this day,” Chloe said. “But you didn't want to look under dressed or sloppy in a room full of tuxes, so you dressed up. And you wore the slate blue shirt because you knew I liked it. You're trying to give me a reason to be okay with you. What if you hadn't made it until after the vows?”
He shrugged. She wasn't wrong. “Most people don't know there's a hold on marriage documents. The typical couple is a few days into the honeymoon before they're filed and official. I have heard,” he said, lightly, “Of couples whose marriages didn't go through because the papers were lost. Errors happen in bureaucracies.”
“Lex, you can't just come in here and threaten us-!” Clark pushed forward, but Lex was ready. He opened the box in his pocket and the alien wavered on his feet.
"Clark, this is not about you. When you wedge yourself into my dealings with Chloe, she is the one who gets hurt. You're old enough now to know this is true. It's not your fault sometimes, but it's a proven effect, and the cause is your leaping in the middle. So stay out. She can speak and she will tell you what she wants if you are required.”
Chloe helped her friend sit down, and glared mildly at Lex's hidden hand. “Yes, Clark, I can handle him. Lex, quit it. Say what you have to say and get out.”
He closed the box of kryptonite and held out his hand. “Not here, in the car. It's right out front. I'm sure things can wait a few minutes. Really, I think it might be bad luck for a wedding to be running on time.”
Lois hauled off to hit him, but Lex was turning to take Chloe's arm. He walked them across the white carpet like they had just been joined, slow and steady. They wasn't a hint of nervous tension from him.
“You know, a woman likes to see a bit of fear from a man suggesting she run off with him,” Chloe told him quietly. “It makes her feel like she's not a foregone conclusion.”
“Oh, you're the furthest thing from a foregone conclusion. You're more like the ultimate mystery. Even when I line everything up to have you drift toward me for help, you wiggle enough space to do something different. I don't know how you manage, but you surprise me.”
She nodded, taking the compliment. “Let me try to surprise you again. I want your chauffeur to give me the keys before I get in.”
The driver smiled politely. “I'm sorry, Ma'am. I can't give the keys to anyone. Insurance.”
Chloe smiled back. “Oh? I think Mr. Luthor is pulling a fast one here. But okay, insurance. You should know driving away with me in the car would be kidnapping. So I'm sure you won't.” Her smile became sweeter, and she hopped in gamely with two handfuls of dress. Lex followed.
They sat near each other on the bench facing forward, the dress spilling in all directions. He touched it gently, feeling the smooth silk reverently. The groom was wrong, but Chloe was perfect.
“People think I have a lot of things – more than my share. I know you're one of the few who understands how much I sacrifice to have the company and the money. I don't want pity, but you need to know how little I feel it's actually mine. It's all in flux. I can feel the money flow through my accounts, but it doesn't stay with me. It keeps moving. I can feel the influence and the decisions rest on me, but I have to drive them away to make them worth anything. Everything I have is meant to slide between my fingers and leave me.” His fingers slid down the fabric and let go. “I want you to be the exception.”
She slapped him. It bounced his face to the side, but he immediately turned back to her, eyes bright and hopeful.
Chloe sighed, her eyes rolling back as she flounced away. “You emotional vampire. You talk about things flowing through you, but you pretend it's not my blood sometimes. You act like I never died for you. I let you suck me in and spit me out more times than I care to recall, and you went and died on me – maybe for good! And all this shit happened, without you around! With no answers or comfort for me.”
Her sincerity and genuine feelings made her soft to insult and neglect. He had known he was leaving her behind with Clark's wavering attentions to help her. He had known being away for so long might mean his return was more of a nuisance to Chloe than a relief.
“I can't repay that,” he said sadly. “I'll never be able to give you my life the same way you've been willing to do for me. I love you and I'll stop being so draining . . . most of the time. I can give you screwed up babies. They'll help me create a world around you where you can be as bright and curious as you like. When all you are gets too big for you, flow in me. That's all I can offer.”
Chloe had been so near giving up on him, she could almost curse his sudden and pivotal reappearance. She teared up before the conflicting emotions could be sorted, which seemed to be a kind of decision on its own. She had walked, more or less willingly, away from a wedding that had taken months of planning. Thinking back only a few minutes, she couldn't recall if she'd looked at Jimmy to make sure he wasn't upset.
“That's not insignificant,” she choked, sniffling. “I think we should discuss it further.”
He nodded, finding a handkerchief and giving it to her gently. “I think we should do so somewhere with food and a change of clothes for you. I've missed my fireplace and Enrique will want to get know whether we need a guest room set up.”
Nestling to his side as he put an arm around her, Chloe stiffened for a moment and put her hand on his thigh. The thrill of it chased down his spine, though it wasn't sexual. "I'll need time - months probably - and space. I don't want guilt or pity, or anything like that. You have to explain yourself. I'll have to believe what you say," she said hurriedly. "And you're not going to fight with Clark anymore."
He grinned and rubbed her arm with his fingertips.
"I think I'll be saving my energy for you," Lex told her tenderly. "I missed you, Chloe."
The car was pulling away, automatic door locks snapping into place as a few people outside started yelling her name. She rolled her eyes and dialled Jimmy's phone to break up with him.
"I missed you, too. This - with the dramatic exits and entrances and everything in between - I could do fine without, by the way. Because Lois? Is going to kill us both."
Lex managed to restrain his smug triumph to a loose cuddle and a glance back as they pulled away from the farm lane. He felt more alive already.
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