A/N: And in the darkness, there came light - Chlex ahoy! ;-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

Lex ended a long and almost entirely pointless call and hung up the phone, still glad he'd had those scramble lines installed years ago. He didn't use them much, didn't have a need to, but when calling certain contacts from the wrong side of town or whom he wouldn't ever want to meet face to face, Lex Luthor was not going to take chances. Now more than ever, his safety was paramount, if only so he would be around to see no harm came to Chloe and her child.

Despite the trauma in their lives right now, Lex couldn't help but smile as he looked across at the blonde in question, sleeping on the couch by the fire. It had been a long day of going over all kinds of information, both useful and useless, that Chloe and Jason had collated on Intergang. A whole lot was stored on the one remaining memory stick that she'd kept all this time, but by her own admission there were great chunks of it that were little or no use alone.

Even when she had all her files and papers, Chloe admitted there was a distinct lack of hard evidence regarding the members of Intergang and their activities. Such a thing was not easy to come by and the more the reporter discovered, the more she started to wish she hadn't as she fell deeper and deeper into a situation she could not easily get out of.

Lex turned the laptop around on his desk and cast an eye over the screen. With what he and Chloe had on Intergang, together they had a decent chance of taking them on, but whether or not it was worth the risk remained to be seen. Double-crossing his fellow businessman was one of the things Lex Luthor lived for, but Bill Church and his cronies were by no means easily played. If they were, he had no doubt that Chloe would never have needed his help like this. She was a capable woman, as she had always been, even when he first met her at fourteen years old. Still, she did have a tendency for throwing herself into difficult and dangerous situations, and it seemed that had never changed either.

A tiny noise from the bassinet beside the couch caught Lex's attention immediately, his eyes shifting from where the baby lay to Chloe and back. The blonde did not stir and, on deciding she needed the rest she was getting, Lex took it upon himself to go to the as yet nameless child. With so much going on, it was hardly any wonder that Baby Sullivan was still lacking a name, though such a thing ought to be important.

Looking down on the recently awake child now, a smile found its way to Lex's lips, though no-one would have expected it. He didn't necessarily come off as the fatherly type, little or no wonder since he hardly had a decent role model in Lionel. To be completely honest, of all the women and wives to pass through Lex's life, he'd really not considered raising a family with any of them. Perhaps that was because he'd never really loved them, not like he loved her...

Lex's eyes drifted from the baby to her mother, Chloe sleeping still on the couch, calm and quiet for a short while at least. In dreams she could be free of all her troubles, unknowing that in his own dreams, Lex saw only her. If only they had met up once again under better circumstances, or if they had never drifted apart. For the latter, Lex blamed himself entirely, and yet that did not change the situation. They had parted ways a long time ago, it was miracle enough they had found each other again. Unfortunately, Lex was far too used to the highs and lows of his life, he anticipated the worst outcome to this situation. Surely after the happiness of finding Chloe, or rather of her finding him, only badness could follow, and it had. He could only pray that God, the Powers, or whomever it was that controlled the universe, would look down on his own earthly angel with a smile and save her if this whole thing was blown to hell. Lex knew he'd earnt no favours with those that governed fate, and desired no particular help from them, but perhaps his own happiness would be sealed by them smiling favourably on two innocents as Chloe and her baby were.

A gurgle from the crib caught Lex's attention again and he smiled as he put a hand towards the child who's tiny fist clamped onto one finger of his. She looked up at him then, as innocent as any person could ever be, and Lex only prayed she would always be so.

"You know, I could say I'm sorry you'll never know your father" he told her softly, knowing she wouldn't understand a word but caring even less, "but then maybe my life would have turned out for the better if I'd never met mine" he sighed, "You have an amazing mother, and... and you have me" he told the little girl who shared Chloe's eyes already and would doubtless be the very image of her as she grew up.

She would grow up too, and Chloe would live to be old one day, Lex would see to it somehow that they came through this as unscathed as possible. They were putting their trust in him, and that was enough to kick-start something inside of Lex. Had he not known better, he'd have said it was his heart or maybe even his soul that began ticking in a way it hadn't in years. He had a family here, ready made, and though Chloe had professed no love for him and the child that lay between them was not his own by biology, they could be his. Together they could be a perfect little family. If things had been different they might be already, the baby might be his, this might be a perfectly sweet afternoon spent with his wife and child. Of course, that kind of thing was a fantasy, for now if not forever, and Lex had to put it out of his head, concentrate on what was important right now.

Still, as he stood there watching Chloe sleep peacefully, Lex couldn't help but let his mind wander, couldn't resist imagining a world where every day began and ended with her sunny smile and infectious laughter. He had seen and heard too little of these things since they ran into each other a few days ago and got reacquainted amongst death threats and labour pains.

"I can make this right" he said, unsure after the words were spoken just exactly who they were meant for - Chloe, the baby, himself, it didn't matter, they were as true as anything ever had been, Lex realised, as he moved closer to the couch and knelt before Chloe who slept on.

"I don't know how I'm going to fix this yet, Chloe" he whispered, reaching out a tentative hand and gently pushing misplaced strands of hair from her forehead, "but I'll do it, whatever it takes, to keep you safe"

She sighed, contended in her slumbering state. It was almost as if she'd heard him and was comforted by his words, but Lex highly doubted that were true. His finger tips lingered about her face, an overwhelming feeling coming over him to wake her with a kiss, like some kind of fairy tale. That thought at least snapped him back to reality in an instant as he was reminded in no uncertain terms that this was no story from a child's book of enchanted tales. Chloe wasn't a princess, and Lex was by no means a prince. Intergang would not be slain as easily as a mythical dragon or similar. Real life didn't work out to happily ever afters, seldom if ever anyway.

The baby, now probably feeling neglected, began to cry and Lex stood abruptly, moving towards the crib on automatic. It was just seconds before Chloe was wide awake and for a moment apparently unaware of her surroundings.

"What was I...?" she muttered as she came too, sitting up abruptly and looking across at where Lex had just lifted her daughter into his arms.

"It's okay, she's fine" he assured the worried mother, passing the infant to her immediately, "Probably just lonely..." he said, with the oddest look on his face, Chloe noticed as she glanced his way.

"How long was I out?" she checked, cradling her baby close to her chest and attempting to comfort her, wondering why Lex looked so out of it somehow.

She was the one who had just woken up, and yet she'd swear Lex had been the one dreaming away in another world.

"Not long" he waved away her concern, honestly not entirely sure that he'd even heard her question since his brain was in a whole different place to the rest of him.

He snapped out of it in a minute, and Chloe was too distracted by the baby to really pay attention to the strange moment that quickly passed.

"Y'know job one when this is over has to be registering her" she said with a smile that came naturally as she looked down at her daughter, stroking her head as she calmed down quickly in her mothers arms.

"I think you need a name for her before you can do that" Lex suggested as he moved to sit beside her on the couch.

"That's one thing I am certain of" Chloe smiled as she glanced sideways at him, "I was thinking about it a lot last night, and again this morning, and now I'm sure" she said, moving up closer, "Lex Luthor, meet Alexis Gabrielle Sullivan"

Then came an occurrence that was almost as rare as a solar eclipse - Lex was speechless. For a full minute he looked between the newly named Alexis and her mother, trying to take in what he thought this meant, what that smile Chloe was giving him really meant.

"Chloe..." he wasn't really sure where to begin even when he did finally speak, "I'm guessing the middle name is for your father, but if you think..."

"Before you say it, Lex, just don't, please" she said definitely as she got up from the couch and moved to lay Alexis down, "I can't ever forget what you're doing for me, I never want to forget, and I want her to know too" she said, as she glanced over and realised Lex had got up too, following her over to the side of the crib, "One day I'm going to tell her about you, Lex Luthor, and all that you've done for us" she said seriously as they faced each other and she met his eyes, determined he understand her clearly, "You have no idea how much it means to me, everything you're doing and risking, after everything I've done, I..." she shook her head as tears came to her eyes and words wouldn't come anymore.

It didn't matter, Lex didn't need to hear anymore, and he had no verbal reply to her words either. In a moment he would never be able to properly explain, he leaned down and kissed her.

Maybe it was to make her feel better, maybe because the way she was talking suggested that Chloe planned to be out of his life when all this was over, but honestly, the most likely explanation was simply that he kissed her just because he wanted to, and apparently she was not at all adverse to being kissed. For a few seconds, she kissed him back, revelling in a moment that, on some level, she's been waiting for since she was just a kid.

When the couple were finally forced to break for air, Chloe was smiling but that look faded just as soon as she opened her eyes. The look on Lex's face was unreadable and she barely had time to process it before he moved past her, muttering what sounded like an apology before practically bolting from the room.

"Lex..." she started to call behind him, but Chloe realised all too soon he really wasn't going to answer or turn back.

Glancing between Alexis and the door that swung on its hinges still, Chloe's fingers went to her lips and she replayed the events that had just occurred in her mind. Though there was no-one there who could answer, she still couldn't help but ask aloud the one over-riding question in her head;

"What just happened here?"

To Be Continued...