CHAPTER 20: Trials and Miracles
METROPOLIS – MONDAY MORNING
After a quiet family weekend to help Moira get used to her new environment, Chloe and Lex prepared themselves for what they hoped would be the last step towards deliverance. Edge and his local accomplices appeared in court around nine o'clock on Monday morning, attracting the interest of the leading newspapers and TV stations from Metropolis and the most important cities in America. Judge Marcovich presided over the arraignment session and announced his verdict at midday, forty-five minutes after finishing hearing the DA and the Crime Lord's lawyers. When the gavel came down sealing the magistrate's decision to refuse bail, the tense silence which had seized the court was broken by both expletives and hurrahs while the cameras flashed snapping pictures of the defendants as they were taken into custody again before veering towards LuthorCorp's CEO and his blonde companion to register their reaction.
Chloe's joyful relief translated into an emotionally tearful display as she leant against Lex and let herself be wrapped in his arms under the attentive look of Clark Kent and Oliver Queen, who had witnessed the legal proceedings sitting on a bench on the other side of the courtroom. Now they only had to wait for Bruce to make his promised phone call once the arraignment of the Intergang's leaders in Gotham was over and a date was set for the federal trial.
On their way out of the courtroom the young couple was assailed by several hotshot reporters covering the exclusive. Lex talked briefly with them saying they had no comment for the time being and that LuthorCorp's PR department would release a statement for the press in the evening. Although Lex and his corporation had quite a lot to gain in terms of money and public image from their involvement in the arrest and prosecution of some of the most sought-after criminals in America, the young tycoon couldn't care less at the moment. His main concern was to get his family away from the spotlight and start to make arrangements for their future together.
Clark observed his two former best friends at a distance as they walked down the front stairs of the courthouse flanked by a couple of bodyguards. He still found it difficult to get used to the idea that they were an item, that they had loved each other for so long... and that they had a child. The news that Chloe's little girl wasn't Fairchild's offspring but Lex's had come out of Lois's mouth during their first face-to-face meeting on the farm, following their fallout over the phone. Martha had had to act as a mediator between the two when the General's daughter arrived to deliver a research she'd done for the senator. Even though the older woman had noticed the unusual tension in their rapport immediately, she had also discovered something which made her mother's heart warm; there was something more in the air which had always crackled with energy around them. Maybe the memory of Lana Lang and her ghost would be put to rest once and for all. What's more, Martha's sixth sense told her Lois knew something about Clark's secret and yet, for once, Jonathan's widow didn't feel threatened by that suspicion. Maybe it was time Clark shared his gift and his burden with someone else.
"Let's get away from this circus," murmured Lex with his arm around Chloe's waist, reaching the side of the limo, where Laurie and Moira were waiting for them.
"I hate admitting it, Clark, but they do look good together," said Oliver, standing next to the farm boy and seeing Lex turn around to meet both their gazes."And the bastard seems to love her," he added as Lionel's first born nodded at both superheroes in thankful acknowledgement. "A big part of me has trouble believing it but, maybe it takes the love of a good woman to redeem a man raised by a monster."
"I just hope you aren't wrong, Oliver. And pray nothing happens to her or their girl. Because, if he does love them as deep as he hates, we'll be in big trouble," replied Clark when Lex opened the back door to help Chloe get in.
"Lex!" screamed Chloe.
No sooner had the words left Clark's mouth than a commotion broke out on the pavement in front of the courthouse. Oliver looked at the spot next to him to see Clark gone amidst the shouts and the chaos that erupted when Luthor's bodyguards closed their ranks and, taking their automatics from their holsters, started shooting in the direction of the tall building across the street. Queen cursed the shortcomings of being a human; there was nothing he could do without his equipment. He tried to assess the situation, see if there was anyone down; however, Lex's security men were doing a damn good job blocking the view.
"Lex," cried Chloe, seeing the blood which was beginning to soak his white shirt.
"Get in the limo, Chloe," he told her, pushing her into the bullet-proof vehicle and ordering his chauffeur to drive away.
"God, Lex!" sobbed the blonde reporter, unbuttoning his shirt with shaky fingers.
"Are you OK?" he asked quietly, touching her bloodied blouse.
"I'm fine but," she replied, knowing full well she might have been the one bleeding if it hadn't been for his quick reflexes and the way he had sheltered her with his own body," you..." she added with trembling lips and tear-rimmed eyes while she pressed her fingers against the wound to his right flank.
"Don't cry, Laurie. Daddy'll be fine," he told their daughter, who tried to scramble off her grandmother's lap.
"Take this," said Moira, starting to undo the buttons of her own shirt.
"Mom."
"Just do it, Chlo'. There isn't much in this limo that can be used to stop the haemorrhage," insisted Moira, putting her jacket back on. "Thomas, pull over," she said to the chauffer through the intercom. "My granddaughter and I will travel in the front," she ordered the chauffeur.
"What?" gasped Chloe, looking at her mother oddly and increasing the pressure on Lex's wound.
"Tell Laurie everything will be all right, Chlo`," whispered Moira.
"Everything will be all right, sweetheart," Chloe found herself saying.
"Go with your grandma," added Mrs Sullivan.
"Go with your grandma," said Gabe's only daughter.
"Chlo', sweetheart, I love you," she told her, cupping her cheek gently. "Everything will be all right, " smiled Moira stepping out of the limo and walking around it to sit next to Thomas who, thanks to the glass partition being up, wasn't aware of the state of affairs at the back. "Hi, Thomas. Working for your boss must be quite an adventure."
"Grandma Moira?" sobbed Laurie. "Is daddy going to die?"
"Did any of the projectiles injure Mr Luthor?" asked the chauffeur concerned.
"Nothing serious. Your boss is a very lucky man. Daddy'll be all right, Laurie. It was just a scratch," said Moira calmly, kissing the crown of her head and holding her tight. "Mommy will fix him. You'll see," she murmured.
"Should I drive you to the mansion as planned?"
"Yes. I'm sure Mr Luthor will ask his own physician to make a house call once we get there. We'll all need the peace and quiet of the countryside after today."
"Lex," whimpered Chloe. "Lex, don't.." she said frantically when he suddenly fainted in her arms. "God, Lex," she cried amidst tears, rocking his immobile body and throwing away her mother`s blood-soaked shirt to put direct pressure on the bullet orifices with her own hands. "Don't you dare leave us. Not now," she begged, pressing her lips on his forehead.
And it was amongst tears, sobs and words of love and desperation that a miracle happened in the back seat of the Luthors' limousine.
OLIVER QUEEN'S PENTHOUSE- SIX HOURS LATER
"How dare you two keep me in the dark?" shouted Lois Lane, slamming the lift door and barging into the flat.
"Good evening, Lois," said Oliver, raising his can of beer in salute. "Clark, why don't you fetch her one?"
"I'd better bring another six pack, " mumbled Clark. "It'll be a long evening."
"How come I had to hear the news of the shooting when I turned on the television? You were there for Christ's sake, didn't you think I'd be interested to know what had happened to my own freaking cousin and her family... MY family?" exploded the General's daughter.
"Lois," said Clark, opening the beer and walking towards her.
"Don't you 'Lois' me, Smallville. I have more right than you two to be involved in this."
"Nobody's hurt."
"Chloe hasn't been picking up my calls and Luthor's cell has kept diverting the ones I've made him to his damn voicemail. How was I supposed to know they were OK if neither of you dimwits had the decency to pick up a phone and tell me?" she glared, snatching the can from the farm boy's hand and taking a big gulp. "So, you'd better start speaking. I've been to every hospital and clinic in Metro, even call the damn Morgue. Where the hell are they?"
"They're in Smallville," Oliver butted in.
"Smallville? " she frowned.
"Mom called," explained Clark. "She said she got a call from the mansion asking her to deliver some produce in the morning now that the master and his family are back home."
"Geez, I'm going to throttle cue ball. He promised he'd call as soon as the arraignment was over," she hissed, taking her mobile out of her pocket. "Do you remember the mansion's number, Smallville?"
"He's changed his private number several times. I really wouldn't know."
"Stalkers, right? Never mind. I'll phone your mother," she shook her head, dialling the Kents` phone number. "Hi, Mrs K?" she smiled.
"Lois, would you join us for a pizza? Double cheese?" suggested Oliver.
"Oliver," hissed Clark under his breath.
"Do you happen to have Lex's phone at the mansion, Mrs K? Great!"
"Cheer up, Clark. Let Lex handle her now," smirked Queen. "Lois, we're going out for a pizza. I'm leaving you a spare key. Leave it in the usual place when you show yourself out."
"OK," she said distractedly. "Yes, Mrs K, shoot."
"Come on, Clark."
"What about your equipment, Oliver?" murmured the farm boy as Queen opened the front door.
"We'll have to make a stop at my office on the way. With your speed we can make it to Smallville in no time," smiled the billionaire smugly.
LUTHOR MANSION- SMALLVILLE
Six hours had gone by since they climbed down the steps of the courthouse and he got two bullets from a sniper positioned somewhere in the building across the street, over five hours and a half since he lost consciousness in the limo to wake up in a daze a few minutes later and find Chloe comatose and he without a scathe. Had it not been for Moira's cold head and her finally opening up to him about Chloe's hidden powers, he would have gone mad on the spot. He had to give it to Gabe's widow; she'd manoeuvred the situation in the limo in a fashion worthy of a Luthor.
Having got rid of his bloodied clothes and made Chloe as comfortable as possible to wait for her reawakening, he now looked at the slightly ashen-coloured blonde lying in his four-poster and raised his eyes to meet Moira's across the room.
"You'd better not be playing me or I swear to God, Mrs Sullivan... " he gritted in a moment of desperation, taking Chloe's hand in his and leaning forward to press a kiss on her forehead. "She's cold, damn it! Give me another blanket," she spat at the older woman.
"Here," said Moira, helping him to tuck Chloe in. "Lex," she added calmly, lying a hand on his arm, "we should better step out of the room to talk."
"I'm not leaving her. And I don't care if she hears us talk, maybe it's exactly what she needs to bring her back."
"I thought..."
"She isn't like the others... She needs to know that... " he cut her off.
"I've just put Laurie to bed, Lex. She needs her daddy to tell her everything's fine. Go. Nature's got to follow its course and there's nothing we can do to hasten it. You CAN step out a few minutes, my daughter knows that she's loved and that you will come back," said Moira in a soothing voice.
"Are you trying to use your persuasive skills on me, Mrs Sullivan?" he cocked an eyebrow.
"Are they working?" she asked with a small smile.
"OK. You're right," he sighed. "I'll be back," he murmured close to Chloe's ear as he kissed her cheek and moved towards the door.
Walking quietly into Laura's room, Lex found her curled up in a small tight ball in her new bed and clutching at the teddy bear he had bought for her as a present. He berated himself for having put his own selfish needs first; she was as important to him, as loved as Chloe was, and she was suffering just like him, wondering what was wrong with her mum and if she'd lose yet another person in her young life. Lex remembered all those times when he'd been kept in the dark about Lillian's illness, when he had been either consciously or unconsciously forgotten by his own father, and experienced a sudden clench in his gut. He wanted so much for his little girl to love him and to show her how much she meant to him.
"Laurie, " he murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed and combing her golden hair with his fingers. "Laurie, baby, will you forgive me?" he added in a slightly shaky voice when he saw her teary deep emerald eyes."What do you need?" he asked her when she stretched out an arm and grabbed his clean shirt near his waist.
"I want to look," she sniffled, trying to untuck it out of his trousers.
"OK," he replied calmly, complying with her wishes and pulling up the shirt so she could see and touch.
"Does it hurt?" she asked, touching the already fading bruise just a couple of centimetres away from his spleen, the place where two bullets had pierced his flesh to exit through his back- only there were no traces of any projectiles having hit him.
"Not really," he confessed, covering her small hand with his.
"Grandma says Mommy's sleeping," she went on hesitantly, and he immediately realised she was actually asking him a question.
"Mommy's worn out, Laurie. She's just resting to recover her energy," he replied quietly, trying to give her as much of the truth as she could handle. "Would you like to kiss her goodnight?" he offered in an attempt to reassure her.
"It's OK. She's tired," she answered, taking his word at face value. "Can I kiss her in the morning?"
"Sure, honey," he smiled, revelling in her trust in him."Are you ready for bed now?"
"Can you stay? Lexy Bear's still a bit afraid," she murmured, wiping her eyes.
"Of course I'll stay. We have to make sure he feels safe, right?" he smirked, tucking her in and stretching out next to her."You can both sleep tight now," he said, kissing the girl's brow.
"Night, daddy," she yawned, snuggling down the sheets and closing her eyes.
Lex swallowed the big lump lodged in his throat as he looked at their baby and wondered how many more tests they'd be put through to prove they were finally ready to be together. He resisted the thought that assaulted him whenever he let his guard down, that maybe he would never be worthy enough to have these two women in his life- God couldn't be so cruel as to snatch away from him the one chance to be happy because he'd had the misfortune of having been born a Luthor. Being Laura's father and Chloe's husband, the kind of parent and spouse Lionel had never been, was his last chance to prove everyone and himself that the apple could fall far from the tree.
It was seven o'clock in the evening when Lex left Laurie's room and came across his butler in the corridor.
"Good evening, sir. I was on the way to inform you that Mr Wayne is on the line with some urgent business," said Johnson in a hushed tone.
"Thanks. I'll take the call in my study. Could you prepare something light for me and Mrs Sullivan? Bring two trays to the anteroom in half an hour," he ordered the butler on the way to his den.
"Certainly, sir."
Once in the study he walked to his glass and chrome desk and, taking a deep breath, picked up the receiver.
"Bruce."
"Good evening, Lex. How's everything going?"
"It seems neither God nor the Devil wants me yet," he chuckled. "Chloe's still in shock, but with her mom's and our pampering I'm sure she'll get over it soon. Johnson told me you had some urgent news to share with me."
"Yes, it isn't bad news. I just thought you might want to hear it as soon as possible. I've had lunch with Rache and her boss. They have a very strong case, Lex. Judge Reynolds refused to grant bail at today's arraignment and the DA's office believes the federal trial will start in a month's time. In the meantime, the detainees have been packed off to Gotham's high-security prison."
"I got a call from the Metropolis Commissioner a couple of hours ago. It seems the sniper that shot us today wore a clown costume like the one Chloe saw in Star City when Edge made his first threat. The man's boss is someone you Gotham citizens are very familiar with."
"The Clown Prince of Crime," sighed Bruce, pinching his nose.
"The Joker himself. It seems he's been working for the mobster boss Salvatore Maroni. Maroni and Falcone," explained Lex gravely, knowing the latter was responsible for the deaths of Bruce's parents, "were doing business with Edge and ... yes, my dad. Do you imagine what these guys could have done with the information Argus would have provided them with?"
" I'm so sorry your young family got involved in this, Lex."
"If there's anyone to blame, that'd be my late father. By the way, the Metropolis DA has contacted Dent to inform him about the clown sniper."
"I'll phone Commissioner Gordon to see if they have already managed to arrest the Joker and his gang. For the time being, I suggest keeping a low profile and doubling your security, Lex. This psychopath at large is really dangerous."
"Don't worry, Bruce, I have that covered," he smiled, knowing Boy Scout Clark and his friends would be on the alert making sure nothing happened to Chloe and by extension to her family- including their so-far enemy, Lex Luthor. "Thanks for calling. And keep me posted."
"You're welcome, my friend. Send your girls my regards. I hope to meet them once this ugly affair's over. "
"I'll pass your greetings on. Goodnight, Bruce," finished Lex, hanging up only to get a new incoming call. "Miss Lane," he answered, checking the caller ID.
"I thought your plan was to walk my baby cousin down the aisle, Lex," replied the General's daughter tersely.
"Meaning?" he asked with a poker face.
"For a wedding to happen there must be a bride and a... groom, and I'm seriously considering at least putting you in a cast, Luthor," fumed the brunette.
"I'm sorry, Lois. I know I should have called you sooner. "
"You bet. Damn it, Lex! We aren't exactly bosom buddies but we've been making an effort for Chloe and Laurie's sake. They... and whether I like it or not... you are my family and I..." she stuttered.
"I get what you mean, Lois. There's no need to include me in that 'I love you' you couldn't utter, at least not yet," he chuckled.
"That'll be the day," snorted Lois.
"Oh, you never know! You should know better than to underestimate my charms, Lane," said Lex smugly.
"I prefer more rural charms."
"Is that a confession, Lois? " he cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you said we were seeing things that weren't there."
"I was talking generically, Luthor, You seem to forget I used to have a billionaire boyfriend."
"Are you comparing me to Queen?"
"Oh, you're all the same! Trying to prove who's more macho and behaving like boys with expensive toys."
"You might have gone out with him, but you don't know him the way I do. It's not all gold that glitters, Lois."
"Nobody better than you to talk about appearances being deceptive. Oliver can be a pompous ass, I can give you that, but you're also some piece of work, Lex. Still, I'm getting to know another side to you and I must confess... grudgingly, mind you, that I might come to ..."
"Like me?"
"Tolerate you. Let's not exaggerate," she huffed. "So how's Chlo'? Can I talk to her?"
"She's in bed, Lois. It's been a very long and trying day for all of us."
"I can't imagine what she must have gone through today after everything that's happened to her recently..."
"You have no idea," murmured Lex, wondering what Lois' reaction would have been if she had got her way and accompanied them to court.
"How's Brainy?"
"Lois, my daughter happens to have a name."
"It's a term of endearment, Luthor. Jeez, aren't we touchy! I love the girl, so don't aim your gun at me."
"I just don't want you to refer to her as if she were some kind of freak. The fact that her IQ is higher than that of other children her age makes..."
"... your daddy's heart burst. I know, I know. So... how is she?"
"A bit scared. She's asleep now."
"Poor baby... And Aunt Moira?"
"She's been very ... motherly..."
"You're surprised, aren't you? After the way she abandoned her and Gabe. You know, I always knew she hadn't wanted to leave."
"After talking to her these last few days I'm starting to think the same."
"Who would have thought it possible? You and I thinking the same thoughts," laughed Lois.
"Now that would be really scary. Lois, as entertaining as this little chat's been I still have to eat and your Aunt Moira must be waiting for me to start."
"My stomach's making some very funny noises, too."
"Too much information, Lane."
"Goodnight, Luthor. I'll call in the morning."
"Goodnight, Lois," he smiled and hung up. "Well, that went quite well," he said in a low voice, getting up from his swivel chair to head to the master bedroom, where he'd await Chloe's awakening and what he was sure would be a very challenging session of verbal judo.