Chapter 8 [Sunday afternoon
[Luthor Mansion—3:15 PM
After taking Maggie for a walk around the grounds, Lex put his files together as Maggie packed her things. While he hadn't done as much work as he would've liked that weekend, he really didn't care. Maggie had fun. That's what counts. He smirked and leaned back in his chair while considering his mother's portrait on the far wall. Mom, you'd really like her. I hope I did you proud this weekend.
Maybe it was a trick of the light but the sun caught Lillian's eyes, making them sparkle at him.
He took a deep breath in amazement, recognizing a sign when he saw it. He got up from his seat and headed down to Maggie's room. He knocked.
"Oh hi, Mr. Lex. Is it time already?" Maggie asked while frowning at the thought.
"Yeah. I wanted to leave early." He smirked. "Miss Chloe wanted to ride with us. I figured you wouldn't mind."
"Yeah! I just wish I didn't have to go back!" she protested. "Mr. Lex, sorry I was so mean to you."
His eyes watered. "I was the one being dumb, Maggie. Don't worry about it. You're a good kid and don't let them tell you otherwise." He hugged her. "If you need anything, you call me personally."
"'Kay," she agreed although she still didn't want to go back. She hopped off of the bed and hauled her bag. "I'm all packed."
Her sense of organization and detail floored him. For a second, he had to remind himself that she was only seven years old. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I have to watch my stuff," she told him. "Thanks."
As they passed by Rollins, he turned to them. "Heading back already, Miss Maggie?"
"Yes, Mr. Rollins. Thanks," she expressed.
"My pleasure. You have a good trip back. Perhaps you might come back to visit?" Rollins supposed while glancing expectantly at his master.
"Count on it," Lex agreed while rubbing her shoulder as they headed down the stairs toward the Lexus. He made sure that Maggie was in the back seat and strapped in before he got in himself. "All set?"
"Yes, Mr. Lex," she indicated moodily.
"Hey, no frowns, okay? Let's give those people something to remember now. This is what Maggie Richards is like when she's treated like a lady. Ok?" he directed gently. After she nodded, he added, "Good girl."
[Kansas State Orphanage, Metropolis—three and a half hours later
Contrary to Lex's usual flair for doing the Smallville to Metro warp express, he and Chloe dawdled their way back, choosing to extend their time with Maggie as long as possible. After a stop out at the Kent Farm so that she could thank Clark, Lana and the Kents for the hayride, Lex and Chloe took Maggie shopping for new clothes and shoes.
And that's not including the three course meal Lex surprised them with at Noonigans.
The time, despite their attempts to slow it down, passed by way too quickly. And before they knew it, they were at the front door.
"Here we are," Lex noted while pulling to a stop. "You okay, Maggie?"
"I guess," the little girl replied although she didn't pout or sulk at least on the outside.
Chloe smiled at her. "We'll be by to see you, okay?" She squeezed the little girl's hand gently in her own.
"Don't forget me," Maggie begged while hugging them. Seeing the director, a slender balding man with small beady eyes and a hawk like nose approaching, she shrugged. "That's Mr. Giles. Gotta go."
"You hang in there. Remember what I told you," Lex insisted while hugging her. He got out of the car and helped Maggie out as well. "Be strong. Call if you need anything."
"And we mean anything," Chloe added while giving Maggie a hug of her own.
They watched as the elder man took Maggie's hand and helped her carry the bags inside of the building. After the building closed, they got back into the car and drove off back toward the interstate. With each passing block, their respective feelings weighed down more and more on them.
Just before they got to the onramp, Chloe yelled, "Stop! I can't do this, Lex!" Her eyes were watering.
He pulled over. "Chloe, what? It's Maggie, isn't it?"
"I can't….She can't be in that place, Lex!" She bowed her head. "I won't let her be there!"
"I know." He took a deep breath and glanced in the rear view mirror to collect his thoughts. "You think she's special too, huh?"
"Yeah, I do. I mean…I knew we had something before this weekend but it seemed like we could go on the way things were going forever," she explained while wiping her eyes with a tissue. "It's crazy but it's almost like Maggie was a wake up call."
"It's not crazy. When Maggie was packing today, I was looking at Mom's portrait and thinking of how she'd like Maggie." He smirked. "The eyes in her portrait sparkled at me, Chloe. I'm not kidding."
"I know. Luthor, it was a sign," she asserted.
"Damn straight it was," he agreed. "What do we do now, Sullivan?"
"I think it's obvious," she asserted while kissing him firmly. "We take the next step." She looked him straight in the eye. "Marry me, Lex."
He coughed. "Is that what I think it is?"
"I'm serious," she insisted. "Hey, we love each other. We can have a family."
"And you'd be satisfied with that?" He pondered the thought for a second. "Maybe in addition to that editorship on the Ledger?"
"That's what I'm saying. Put up with Maggie and me?" she told him.
"You drive a hard bargain, Sullivan." He grinned at her. "No way I can refuse that though." He did a hard U-turn, dodging several cars as he did so. "Let's rescue the princess from the evil tower." He drove back toward the orphanage.
[Fifteen minutes later
Lex and Chloe parked the Lexus and rang the front door bell. They paced impatiently while they waited for an answer.
Finally, Mr. Giles opened it, peering out at them. "Mr. Luthor? What is it? Did Maggie forget something?"
Lex and Chloe looked at each other purposefully before she answered, "You can say so. She forgot her new parents."
"Excuse me?" the old man demanded. "You just can't come off the street and say that!"
Lex shrugged. "Who's coming off the street? We just spent a weekend with Maggie. She's a great kid. She likes us. Can we see her?"
"After the mess over at the Robinson Corporation, she's in time out. I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor," Giles declined.
"You locked her up again? She hasn't been in there for ten minutes!" she protested. She took out the cell phone. "Either you let us see her or I'm calling Social Services right now!"
"Right," Giles doubted.
"Oh she'll do it. And you're in enough trouble, Giles, as it is. Either you let us in or I'll go talk to the Chief of Police about this," Lex advised firmly; his eyes glinting a menacing steel blue into the bureaucrat's pools. "The reason Maggie made the mess is because you locked her up there too."
"Fine!" Giles relented, remembering that he was talking to a billionaire with resources. "You want her, take her!"
"With pleasure," Chloe growled while storming down the hall.
"Where is that room?" Lex insisted.
"322B. All the way down the hall to the left. I'll fetch the papers," Giles spat.
"You do that," Lex replied. "After you let us into that room."
The administrator led them to the room in question while unlocking the door. "Be at my office in five minutes!"
"We'll be there!" Chloe vowed intensely.
"Come on," Lex advised while squeezing her hand. "Let's do this." He opened the door to find a dimly lit room with only a foot stool in the corner. Brown splotches stained the walls. The floor stank of mildew.
Maggie's sobbing shattered the silence. She huddled in the corner, head between her legs and shuddering in anguish. "Why'd they leave me?"
Chloe grabbed onto him, not being able to deal with her horror, sadness and outrage.
He held her tightly, supporting her and letting her do the same for him.
"Who's there?" Maggie asked fearfully. As she picked her face up, she revealed a nasty bruise across her left cheek and a swelling eye. "Mr. Lex? Ms. Chloe?"
"It's us, Kiddo," Chloe assured her while rushing in and holding her tightly. "Who did this to you?"
"The other kids…and….Mr. Giles," she admitted. "Don't leave me! Please! I'll be good!"
"We know that," Lex assured her. "Maggie, this weekend we've both done a lot of thinking about things. It's not always going to be fun. They are going to be chores and school work."
"But we will do fun stuff too," Chloe added. "Lex and I just decided to get married. You know what that means?"
Maggie nodded. "You can get the stork to bring you a kid!"
The adults chuckled warmly at her.
"Maybe in a little while. Right now, we've already decided on a daughter and was wondering if she'd like to come home with us?" he offered.
"Oh! Please take me! Please! Please!" Maggie begged them.
"You betcha. Now let's go talk to Mr. Giles. Then we'll get that eye looked at. Hold still, Sweetie," Chloe assured her. Holding out her cell phone, she snapped a couple of pictures of the room and Maggie's face.
"Now we can go as a family," he concurred as the two adults each took one of Maggie's hands and led her toward Giles' office.
