It's amazing how the simplest most common event can lead turn into a life altering experience but that's just what happened one fateful week in Kansas to two young lovers.
The news----
Lex was driving home from LuthorCorp headquarters in Metropolis, he and his father just had their now weekly business lunch. That's when Lionel told Lex the news. LuthorCorp was holding a charity even on Saturday and Lex's presence was mandatory to say the least. "Dad are you sure about this? I mean I'm still re-acclimating to corporate life." Lex tried to gracefully lie his way out of the situation, he didn't want to go, he just wanted to finish getting back to his normal life. Well as normal as life gets in Smallville but normal for him at least.
Lionel chuckled and shook his head in dismissal. "Nonsense son. You are stronger and more productive then ever. Besides you are at the forefront of the new generation of LuthorCorp, shouldn't our public know you?"
"You're under the impression that the public isn't aware of me?" Les said raising an eyebrow.
Lionel just smiled ruefully. "Lex you know what I am saying. You are a Luthor and as part of LuthorCorp you are expected to come to these events, I'm sorry but it is mandatory. No questions asked no deals to be made." Lionel shrugged.
Lex let out a sigh. "Fine." He knew fighting Lionel on this matter would be both frustrating and fruitless.
"Oh I'm sure you and Paris will have a lovely time. Besides if you two get too bored there are plenty of things to do in Metropolis."
Paris, shit he had completely forgotten about Paris, she hated these events. Not because she hated charity, she was all for charities she just had no use for the galas and dinners. People with unlimited funds patting themselves on the back for giving a few dollars to the less fortunate just left a bad taste in her mouth. Paris was going to skin him alive if he dragged her to this dog and pony show. "We'll see."
"Has she told Malcolm that you two are dating again?"
"What she tells her father is her business." In other words 'no'. Was all he said on the subject as they finished their lunch with meaningless chit chat about the company and world affairs. Now Lex was going to have to tell Paris that they were going to a charity event this weekend and she had to go because he had to go, as decreed by Lionel himself. Well he didn't have to tell her right away it could wait until after dinner, definitely until later that evening, he could tell her when they were in bed. No one argues in bed, right? He was most certainly going to tell Paris sometime between dinner and tomorrow morning. Why did this have to be such an ordeal? He should just be able to tell her what they were doing Saturday night and not have any argument about it. Lex mentally chuckled at the thought of him dominating his relationship with Paris. Paris was a lot of things but easily manipulated and ordered around were most certainly not on the list. Hence starting her own company. Lex was nowhere near pussy whipped, well maybe, okay so a little bit he'd admit to a little bit. Oh well, they'd find a compromise somewhere he just had to make sure he lived to find it. After Lex pulled into the garage he headed straight for his office to finish his office to finish some work he hadn't finished before going to Metropolis that morning. When he walked in the door connecting the garage to the house Cicero nearly knocked him down, because he was happy to see Lex and wanted to play, Cicero being over meant that Paris was in the house. How had he missed seeing her car? 'Damn! I thought I had more time,' Lex thought as he walked to his office, followed by Cicero. When Lex walked into his office he saw Paris sitting on the floor of the upper library, Indian style, surrounded by books, her lap top, and a notebook, talking on her cell phone. He walked up the stairs and leaned against the railing, waiting for her to finish up. Cicero came up to him with a toy in his mouth, Lex complied and threw it across the room so the dog could fetch. He liked listening to her conversations, they were usually happier than his.
"She did not say that in the middle of Harvard Law!" Paris said with a laugh. "Alright well Lex is home so I'll call you back later. Alright Mack, love you too. Bye." She snapped the cell phone shut and chuckled. "Hi." She said brightly to Lex, with a smile.
"Hello." Lex stopped to think for a minute. "You say 'I love you' to Mackenzie?'"
"Have since forever. It doesn't bother you does it?"
"No I just never thought about it before. So you do love her?"
"Yes, but not in the same way I love you. Mack's my best friend, I love her like a sister."
"And me?" He teased.
"I love you in a way that I couldn't imagine sharing with anyone else. Well accept a couple choice directors, a producer or two…" She trailed off, giving him a playful smile.
Lex's features brightened a bit. "Alright I guess that'll do. Can I ask what's so funny?" He said with a smirk.
She smiled and laughed. "They were discussing the legality of banning gay marriage in Mack's legal ethics class, which is a contradiction of terms to begin with. Anyway this girl says 'Like it matters guys won't use it anyway. All men are afraid of commitment.' Mack said her professor almost had a heart attack."
Lex gave a light hearted laugh. "So what's going on up here? I looks like you were attacked by the stacks."
Cicero came back with the now slobbery toy and dropped it at Paris' side waiting for her to throw it, which she did. It went over the railing landing straight across the room. "I was just doing some historical research. Thanks to your father's obsessive compulsive need to know everything about everything you have a more extensive collection of history than the New York Public Library."
"Well he's not all bad all the time."
"Lex Luthor that sounds almost like a compliment." She said with fake astonishment.
"Don't let it get out. It'll ruin my street cred."
"I wouldn't dare." She said with a wink.
"So are you writing something?"
"Yes."
"Don't you have a research department to do fact finding?"
"I do, but I prefer handling some things myself."
"Are you going to let me read it when you're done?"
"Maybe." Paris said nonchalantly.
Truth be told Lex wasn't surprised that she would hesitate to let him read what she wrote. Her letting him read and judge her script would be very intimate and raw. She respected his opinion more than anyone's and the thought of his criticism frightened her to no end. He remembered finding her journal once in high school and reading it, she walked in on him doing it and had a conniption fit, she almost broke up with him right then and there. He couldn't blame her, if he caught someone reading his most private thoughts and feelings he would have destroyed them. They had to write poems for class once and their teacher's nominated certain ones to be read aloud at an assembly, Paris' was chosen and she refused to read it. Lex didn't know at the time but later she told him that she wrote the poem about him and didn't think anyone else deserved to hear it. "So I see you have set up your office here. You know you can use your old one instead of sitting on the floor. I'd imagine it's more comfortable."
"Do you ever need to leave your work space to get actual work done?"
"Sometimes. But I usually go to the talon."
"Well today I was feeling restless and needed to get out of my office. You are okay with me being here when you're not, right?"
"Of course. I was just letting you know that you can set your office back up if you'd like."
"Thanks."
"Well I have some work to do before dinner so I'll get to that."
"What time is it?"
"Almost 6:00."
"Wow, I lost track of time."
Lex gave her a quick kiss that spoke promises of things to come and then headed back down the stairs. He got half way down before she called his name.
"Oh Lex."
He stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
"Can you come back up here?"
"Sure." He complied and went back up to where she was, completely unaware of the trap he was walking into.
"When were you going to tell me that we were going to a LuthorCorp charity function in Metropolis this weekend?"
Lex opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly, not knowing what to say. "How…who told you?"
"Your phone rang and I answered it. Your father's secretary called to see if we would be arriving in the same limousine as your father. I told her I'd ask you when you got home." She looked at him expecting an answer.
Lex put up his hands in surrender. "He just told me about it today, I swear."
"I believe you."
"And we have to go."
She shook her head 'no'. "I'm not going."
"You have to."
"Oh really." She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for an explanation. "Please clarify your command."
"I have to be there and I can't arrive alone. Besides he already told people we were going."
"Ugh. Please Lex. Come on! You actually expect me to behave myself in a room full of self righteous hypocrites. People who pat themselves on the back for donating a few thousand dollars to charity when they make millions by exploiting the non-existent labor laws of third world countries. Besides all those creepy old business guys have been hitting on me since I was 15."
"Not all of them are like that."
"Okay, I'll go willingly if you can name 5."
He thought for a minute before giving up. "I'm not." He gave her a look of innocence and hope, one he would never admit to using even under the most horrible torture.
She softened. "Fine. When do we leave?"
"Saturday morning."
"Friday night. I'll meet you at the penthouse after I leave the studio."
"Friday?"
"Yeah we're spending the weekend in Metropolis and I don't mean a working weekend. We haven't had a real weekend together since we got back here. We are spending Friday to Sunday night together, no cell phones, no e-mail, no fax machines. And, this may hurt me more than it hurts you but no computers. We're going out for dinner Friday and we're going to a Sharks game Sunday."
"I can try to reconcile myself with the fact that you've outlawed all forms of 20th century communications technology, especially since you'll probably break out into a cold sweat when I take your cell phone away, but It's only pre-season."
"Yeah well they're playing the Titans and we all know how I feel about the Titans. I'd really like to go."
"Your father owns the team, aren't you required to like them?"
"And yours owns the Sharks. Think of the PR." She gave him a mischievous smile. "Pwease Lexy." She gave a pout.
Lex knew he'd been had and he was getting off pretty light with a weekend in Metropolis and a football game in exchange for a few hours of mind numbing torture at a society charity event, well at least there would be an open bar. "Fine." He crouched down to give her another kiss. "You Ms. Stratford are a very tough negotiator." He said as he leaned in.
"Let's just say I learned from the best." She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him on the floor on top of her.
Their kiss was cut short when Cicero dropped his wet slobbery toy on Lex's neck. "Oh gross." Lex groaned as he detangled himself from Paris and dried off his neck with his sleeve.
Paris was giggling so he tossed the toy at her. "Ewwww." She squealed then threw it across the room where it bounced off a wall and landed with a splat.
The Weekend----
Friday night started off with a candle lit dinner at the most exclusive restaurant in Metropolis. Chez Francoise, it had a revolving dining room that overlooked the Metropolis skyline. They sat in a private area away from the rest of the patrons, and any possible reporters, or even worse paparazzi, that may be lurking about trying to expose them. They had decided to go public with their relationship on Saturday night. At least they'd have some fun at the charity event. Plus there'd be no way to get through the press line without doing so. After dinner they went club hopping until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday, for the most part, was spent sleeping off the night before, with some bedroom activities intermixed. Finally it was time to go.
Lex was waiting in the foyer of the penthouse impatiently looking at his watch, they were supposed to be half way to the dinner by now. "Paris let's go!"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that the CEO's son and his girlfriend are supposed to arrive fashionably late?" Paris asked as she appeared in the entryway.
Lex's jaw dropped when he saw her. She was wearing a dark plum, floor length, backless silk dress with a deep v-neck and spaghetti straps that criss-crossed over her back. To add to the enjoyment the slit on the left side went from floor to hip. Her hair was down in curls, perfectly framing her face and shoulders. "Oh my…" Lex stopped. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Paris walked over and gave him a kiss, thanks to her heels they were just about eye level.
Lex helped her with her coat and they were on their way. Thank god for stretch limos and drivers because Lex could barely keep his eyes off Paris, let alone his hands. But they had to restrain themselves until after the evening was done.
As soon as they got out of the limo the press corps surrounded them. Shouts of "Mr. Luthor, Paris, over here." Could barely be heard over the clicks of cameras as he stood with Paris. He finally found the one reporter he could count on to ask him the question of the evening. "Mr. Luthor, Anastasia Merriwether of the Daily Planet. All of Metropolis wants to know, now you have been spotted all around town with the fetching Paris Stratford, are you two a couple or not?"
Lex pretended to give the question some thought. "Well Anastasia there's only one way to answer that question." That said Lex slid his arms around Paris' waist, pulling her close to him. She slid her arms around his neck and they kissed passionately in front of the press for all to see. The reporters went nuts, flash bulbs went off and people were scrambling to get their attention. When they were done they rested their foreheads together and smiled.
"That was fun." Paris whispered against his mouth.
"I know." Lex answered with a smile. "C'mon let's go inside."
"Alright."
They went inside leaving behind the throng of reporters shouting questions their way.
They made it through the dinner unscathed. Unfortunately for Paris' dress it did not fare so well during the second limo ride, nor did Lex's shirt. After getting home at an almost reasonable hour from the dinner they spent the rest of the night in bed.
Sunday for the most part was relaxing. They got up around 10:00 and took the limo to the football game and enjoyed their view from the owners box.
Monday evening: The Aftermath----
Malcolm and Lionel sat across from each other on the sofas in Lex's study. Malcolm's face was fixed in a hard angry stare while Lionel smirked at him.
"I don't know what you think this is going to accomplish Malcolm. You said it yourself, Paris does what Paris wants and there's no reasoning with the girl. You can't fight nature." Lionel sat back and chuckled.
"This situation is nothing to be amused with Lionel. I will put a stop to this so fast they won't even remember that they know each other. Do you understand me?"
"What I understand old chum, is that you are making a complete and utter ass out of yourself. No matter how much you hate the thought of the names Luthor and Stratford being linked romantically or in the press for that matter, you are not going to be able to stop this." Lionel let out a chuckle.
"Who's stopping what dad?" Lex asked as he walked into the room with Paris.
"Malcolm actually, he seems to have some kind of aversion to you two dating." Lionel said as he stood up.
Lex walked over to the bar to get a drink for himself and Paris.
"Well dad, I heard you stormed the castle walls with all your horses and men but I had no idea you were hell bent on sabotaging my happiness." Paris said dryly. "Then again this is you we're talking about. I swear you have us mixed up with some Shakespearian play. Just remember, in Shakespeare everyone goes crazy and dies."
Malcolm stood up and walked over to Paris, who was leaning against Lex's desk. "When exactly did you lose your mind?"
"What, do you want like a date or something? Cause I'd start looking somewhere around 1995." She said dryly. Lex had to stifle a laugh across the room.
"Paris, when were you planning on telling me about this?" He shoved a copy of the Daily Planet at her with the headline 'Happy couple has a night on the town'. "Or this." He handed her the sports page of the New York Post with a picture of her and Lex in the owner's box at the Sharks Stadium.
She took the paper and pretended to study the pictures. "Well this picture isn't exactly my best. They caught me by surprise, and that's my bad side. And this one, well I'd only had a few hours of sleep."
"I didn't know you had a bad side." Lex said handing her a glass.
"I don't really. But look honey we made the society page." She said with mock enthusiasm and then put the paper in the desk behind her.
"Be serious, both of you! I am referring to the headline. You two can't be serious about dating."
"Give it up dad. A: I let you and Lionel ruin us six years ago, I'm not going to make that mistake again. And B: If it weren't for Lex I'd still be in France drinking my way through the wine cellar. So instead of berating me you should be thanking him."
"Look, Malcolm I know you and my father don't get along but I don't think Paris and I should continue to pay the price for your mistakes. My father is taking this surprisingly well, and I suggest you do the same."
"Well Malcolm I think they've made themselves clear. Why don't you just give it up?"
"You stay out of this Lionel! You have done enough to destroy my family. I won't let you do any more damage!"
"Dad what's he talking about?" Lex asked, clueless.
"Don't fucking lecture anyone about destroying families dad! You were just as bad and I have proof!"
"Will someone in this room please tell me what the hell is going on?" Lex was losing his patience.
"You only know what you've dreamed up in your head. I know the truth."
"No dad you know your warped version of something that doesn't even remotely resemble the truth. Let's take a field trip to my house to see the real truth."
They followed her out of the room and took their respective cars to Paris' residence. They were all standing in Paris' private office, she came out of the closet juggling a large box and an envelope.
"Do you know what's in here dad?" She asked as she dropped the box on her desk. "This is chronological proof that you never loved my mother. And that she isn't the only one who had been unfaithful. In fact she was the last one, after a long history of infidelity on your part." She opened the box and started throwing pictures out on the desk, all of Malcolm with different women during his marriage to Yvonne. "Tell me I imagined these too."
He picked a few up and paled. "Where did you get these?" He asked astonished.
"Mum left them to me. She left them with Grandpere and I was given them on my 20th birthday. Not that I didn't know of your infidelities before hand."
"Well dad you've been conspicuously quiet during whatever the hell they're talking about. Maybe you could fill in the blanks." Lex said looking up from the collage littering Paris' desk top.
Lionel swallowed hard before starting. "Malcolm is referring to an affair. Paris I'm sorry. I know how much your mother meant to you I never wanted to ruin your memory of her."
"Well that's comforting." Paris said sarcastically.
"Dad you had an affair with Mrs. Stratford! Was this before or after mom died?" Lex was upset.
"After son, and I'm sorry both of you had to find out this way."
"No Lionel you're sorry they found out at all. You wanted my daughter to think I was lying to her just to be spiteful and you didn't want your son's image of you to be blown anymore than it already is."
"I already knew." Paris opened the folder and put some of the pictures on the desk. "I found out a few weeks ago."
"Who told you?" Lionel asked.
"An admirer of mine and an enemy of yours." She answered cryptically.
"Well there's half of the United States and most of the countries in the U.N." Lex said sarcastically. "There was only two years between mom's death and Mrs. Stratford's. It didn't take you very long did it! I can't believe we've been paying for something you did! But then again that's par for the fucking course!"
"It wasn't like that son I assure you. Yvonne had come to me for some help, she and Malcolm were thinking about divorcing and she wanted my help ensuring that she was protected legally. One thing led to another and we developed a relationship. I'm sorry Lex but it's ancient history. This shouldn't effect you and Paris any further."
"No you're right about that Lionel, and it won't, not anymore! Dad I'm not letting you win this round." Paris crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Mom may have slept with Lionel but she only did it because of what you did to her."
Malcolm turned to face Lionel. "My wife never would have filed for divorce if she had not gone to see you."
"Be real Malcolm. She was too good for you. You never treated her the way she deserved. The only reason you didn't want a divorce is because she was entitled to over half of your net worth."
Lex turned to Paris. "You never told me your parents got a divorce."
"That's because it was never finalized. When we found out mum was sick they decided to drop it." She turned to Malcolm and stared him in the eye. "After all you can't divorce someone when they're in the middle of chemo. It's bad PR. Isn't that right dad?"
"Paris!" Malcolm was angry.
Paris was sufficiently riled up, she started pacing and talking with her hands. "What? Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you and mum decided to stay married because you begged her forgiveness for cheating on her for so long and she for some inexplicable reason forgave you."
"I can't."
"That's right, you can't. You slept with half the women from Metropolis to London and you had the gall to use my mother's illness in order to avoid a messy divorce and bad PR!"
"Paris stop this right now. You don't understand what you're talking about." Malcolm warned her in a last ditch effort to regain some control of the situation.
Paris started shaking with anger. "I don't understand what I'm talking about? How dare you say that. You weren't around ever, not before she was sick, not during her treatment, and definitely not after she died. You were always away on business, or another woman. She was sick and you left her alone in that penthouse with the staff. I came home every weekend, and I even stayed there during most weeks to be with her. Bet you didn't know that did you? I hardly went to class that entire semester, I did all my work from home. The only time I left the house was when she made me. She was sick, and dying, and scared and the only person who actually took care of her, that loved her was her was a teenage kid! The only time you came home was during that last week. Guess what, being home to hold someone's hand while they die does not make up for being absent for the year leading up to that moment, or the fourteen years before that." Tears were in her eyes but she refused to cry.
"I will not stand here and submit to a character attack by you. You're not old enough to understand marriage or anything else life has to throw at you. You are a child."
Paris pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration. "I understand a lot more than you think. Like the fact that two weeks before mum died you were supposed to be in Japan on business when in fact you were in Italy with a woman named Linda." She looked between Lex and Lionel. "For everyone who is foreign to the concept of Linda I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version." She pulled the Linda file and threw it on the desk. "Linda is a woman whom my father has been having an affair with for the last twenty years. She's his mistress, who has been living comfortably in Tuscany, paid for by none other than dear old dad."
"How did you know where I was? Who told you about her?" Malcolm asked in a low angry tone.
"Mum, before she died. She wanted me to know who you really were. As for knowing where you were. I called your office looking for your number in Japan because you had conveniently forgotten to leave it for me in case something happened. Your secretary told me where you really were. She thought I knew you were in Italy. I didn't want to tell mum because she was so sick but she made me. Do you know what it's like to have to tell your mother, the only person in the world who you love and trust and who feels the same way about you that her 'loving' husband is with another woman? To have to tell her that while she's lying in a bed with god knows what dripping into her arm, dying? That's when she told me about Linda, the sick thing is she wasn't even surprised, hell she wasn't even sad. She wanted me to know what kind of heartless bastard you really are. That's when she gave me the best piece of advice ever."
"And that would be?"
"Never marry a man who cares more about the bottom line than his family. Because in the end all you're left with is stuff and no real marriage is based on material possessions."
"You know what Paris, I'm tired of this argument. You want the truth? Fine here's the truth. I loved your mother but I never wanted to marry her, I had to." Lex and Lionel were both shocked at what Malcolm just said.
Paris to say the least was speechless, almost. "Excuse me."
"The only reason I married your mum is because we found out she was pregnant with you."
"It was 1979, shotgun weddings went out with poodle skirts and sock hops."
"Not in our families, people with our standing didn't share joint custody of children unless they were divorced. So there you have it. I never wanted to marry your mother and it goes without saying that I never wanted a family."
"Well this is just great. You have made my life hell for the past twenty-three years because you couldn't keep your pants on!" Paris white knuckled the back of her chair. The room fell silent as everyone gathered their thoughts and digested the information. Paris leaned off the chair and crossed her arms over her chest, when she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper, she. "Do you have any other kids?"
"What?" Malcolm asked surprised.
"Do you have any more kids?" She asked more forcefully. "I think it's a reasonable question!"
"No." His tone was short and clipped.
"Are you sure?" She asked snidely
"Yes I'm sure…"
She cut him off, "Well I was just making sure, since I was such a surprise and all. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any little Stratford mistakes running around out there wondering who their father is. We surely don't want another situation like the one with Lucas now do we?" She shot a glare Lionel's way after the last sentence. Truth be told she had a soft spot for Lucas but she wanted to make this as painful as possible for Lionel and her father.
"Paris we may have our disagreements but I never said you were a mistake…"
"You didn't have to dad. I can read the subtext as clearly as anyone else." She said flatly. "And you." She glared at Lionel. "I'm in no way pleased with your hand in this whole conspiracy and I think it goes without saying that we are far from pleasant territory."
"I wouldn't imagine anything less." Lionel looked over to Lex. "Son you've been pretty silent during this whole ordeal, surely you have another log to throw onto the fire."
"No I'm pretty well set where I'm at dad."
"Paris what do you want?" Malcolm asked tiredly.
"Excuse me."
"What do you want? What do you hope to gain from this inquisition?"
"I don't want anything. I proved my point."
"That being?"
"You're both hypocrites and liars and you don't get to tell us what to do anymore, period. From this day forward the little Greek tragedy playing in your minds is over! We will date and do whatever we damn well please and I don't expect to hear a peep from either of you. Ever!"
"Fine have it your way. It doesn't matter because in the end neither of you is capable of having a real relationship with another person. Not the kind you're thinking of, these romanticized, storybook, notions of marriage and love. It doesn't exist."
"I'm not naïve dad."
"You will date, and maybe marry, but then you'll grow tired of each other and you will cheat and fight and divorce. And no one's going to feel sorry for you or care for that matter because that's how it was always going to be. And when it's all over I will have been right all along."
"Touching really." Lex said dryly.
"It doesn't surprise me that you'd say that dad. Other fathers look out for their daughters. Love them, nurture them, make sure they find the right person who will continue that process throughout their lives but all you care about is being right no matter what the cost to me. You've never supported any of my decisions because they don't coincide with yours and I'm doing pretty well. I've basically raised my self since mum died and I think I turned out alright."
"Not without some major deal making on my end when you somehow became obliterated by your own careless acts."
"I'm not saying I'm perfect I'm just saying that you can't expect me to see things your way when you've never taken the time to see them mine."
"Paris you never needed a guide through life. You have been independent since you taught yourself to read at the age of four."
"That's not the point dad. I needed a father and you were more interested in what you wanted. I used to despise so called daddy's girls and it took me along time to realize that I didn't hate them but I was jealous of them because for once someone had something I never would. I've gotten used to that but it hurt like hell at the time."
"I'm leaving." Malcolm turned to leave. "You two do whatever you want."
"Oh dad." Paris called in a voice that Lex knew signaled trouble.
He stopped and turned to look at her. "Yes?"
"I think it goes without saying that I'm going to outlive you and someday you're not going to be here. But if she is I will make sure she is in no way taken care of or comfortable. In fact I plan on making sure she gets absolutely nothing. And I will devote every resource I have to making sure that happens."
Lex was shocked at her coldness, he knew Paris had a dark side, but she rarely if ever invoked it.
Malcolm just shook his head and left.
All that remained were them and Lionel. "Get out."
"Excuse me." Lionel said shocked at Paris' rudeness.
"I said get out. Get out of my house right now before I have you removed, or stab you myself. At this point jail is a welcome change from your presence in my life."
Lionel didn't say anything, he just left.
The room was completely silent. Lex looked over at Paris who was staring at the door, shaking. He walked over and gathered her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin while he held her. At first she was stiff and unresponsive but after a few seconds she leaned into him and let him hold her tighter as she grabbed the front of his shirt and sobbed letting out 23 years of frustration as she clung to him like a life raft. "It's okay. Let it out." He murmured comforting words in her ear and rubbed soothing circles on her back.
After half an hour she finally calmed down. He let her go and she looked up at him. "I ruined your shirt." She said with a sniffle.
"I have more." He gave her a reassuring smile.
She grabbed a Kleenex from her desk and wiped her nose. "Yeah but this one looked really good on you. And I like wearing it to bed."
"Maybe the dry cleaner can save it then." He said with a comforting smile.
"I love you."
"I love you too, and nothing in this world is ever going to change that no matter what they say."
"Thank you." She leaned in and kissed him.
"Come on let's get out of here."
"Good idea." As they turned to leave the pictures on her desk caught her eye. "Help me with these." She started to gather the pictures into a pile.
"Where do you want them?"
She looked around the room for a minute while she thought. "In the fireplace."
They walked over and threw all the pictures in the fireplace. "How are we going to light this?"
"Easy." She found a bottle of butane lighter fluid and doused the pictures, then lit a match and threw it in. The pile went up with a woosh. Paris and Lex watched as the evidence of their father's betrayal toward them burned.
Later the evening Paris and Lex were in her large Jacuzzi tub, with her laying in between his legs, and her head laying on his chest, and his arms wrapped around her.
"How are you?" He asked as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder.
"Numb." She answered as she blew a handful of bubbles across the tub. "How about you?"
"I'm still in shock."
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I really had no idea how I was going to let you know but this never even made the list. You know, screaming match and all."
"It's okay. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. Is that what you we're talking about a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah, like I said before I had all that stuff on my dad for years. But I just found that envelope with all that crap about your dad and my mom a few weeks ago. It freaked me the out. I'm sorry I talked around it with you instead of being straight forward."
"I understand you didn't know what the hell to do with it, truthfully I probably would have done what you did. Who sent it to you?"
"Perry White." She could feel Lex go completely rigid and still beneath her, and she could feel his jaw tick against her head. "Lex…" She used a 'not now' tone.
He cut her off. "That son of a bitch!"
Lex moved to climb out of the tub but Paris quickly turned around and grabbed his shoulder to sit him back down, he plopped back into the water. She quickly straddled his lap, and meshed her fingers with his. She looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke. "No. Lex I know what he did to you was wrong, and just randomly leaving those pictures in my possession with almost no explanation as to why was also wrong. And his actions when he was here were deplorable, but this gave us something. Our fathers now know that no matter what reservations they have about us, they can't say anything. They know we're not going to take it and nothing they can say or do to us will drive us apart ever again."
"Well yeah but he was still way out of line just laying that on you like that."
"I know, but it doesn't matter now. I have you and that's all I want, and if it took me having to learn a few hard truths to make sure that no one can ever drive us apart then that's fine." She dropped a kiss on his forehead, right between his eyebrows.
He sighed and dropped his head on her shoulder then took his arms and wrapped them around her waist, just reveling in her essence. "It was kinda fun to watch you bitch them out and just watch their expressions change to abject horror as you pulled out more and more evidence against them." He kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm not my father and I'm not like your father. I love you, and I will never, ever, cheat on you or leave you."
"I know." She kissed him back.
Lex swallowed hard, against his emotions. "Please say it." Then looked at her with those blue eyes, filled with so much sadness and fear.
"Lex you know…"
"I know I know. I just need to hear it."
She could kick herself. Her Lex, the beautiful loving man in front of her who would never deny her anything why was she so hesitant to assure him of something they both knew to be true. Her Lex who had been wounded and manipulated by those around him for so long that she was lucky he was so open and honest with her and willing to love her in a way that has proved to be his downfall so many times before. He was so strong and certain in so many ways and so vulnerable and unsure of himself in so many others. God she loved him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and locked eyes with him again. "I Paris Margaret Stratford, love you Alexander Joesph Luthor more than anything in the world and I will never cheat on you, leave you or hurt you in any way ever. You are the only one in this world that matters to me and nothing will ever change that or make me forget that."
"I don't want anyone to ever go through what we've had to go through for so long now."
"Yeah especially our kids." The words were out of Paris' mouth before she realized what she said.
A smile crossed Lex's features. "You've thought about kids with me? Let me rephrase that, you want kids?"
"Well not today, but eventually yes. Why, you don't want kids?"
"No, I. I've just never really thought about it. But the thought of you driving a mini van is kind of amusing."
Paris breathed a laugh. "Very funny, but I will be driving an SUV an expensive one. Didn't Porche just come out with one? Seriously though, do you want kids?"
"I guess. I just." Lex stopped.
"What?"
Lex took a second to compose his thoughts. "Let's just say I don't usually have relationships with women who stick around long enough to have this discussion."
"Yeah, you have more weddings than Elizabeth Taylor don't you?"
"Very funny. I've never had to think about having kids with anyone before. They either got bored and left or they tried to have me killed before it came up."
They shared a laugh.
"Well I've been around you a long, long time. If you haven't noticed. So I think it's safe to say that I am not the kind of woman who is going to get bored and leave you or try to have you killed five minutes after we say 'I do' so I think this subject may come up again in the future."
"Well for this conversation and all future one's that may center around this subject the answer is yes. I would love it if you and I had kids together."
"Good. I think we'd have good looking kids. As long as they get my hair."
"Oh that dry British wit is just coming screaming through today isn't it." Lex said as he poked her in the side.
"Hey." She laughed. "Stop."
"Stop what?" Lex asked as he continued to poke her, then moving on to a full tickle.
"L-Lex. Hey. Hahahaha." She continued to thrash about in the water around them. "Okay I surrender. I'm sorry about the hair remark."
"Good." He gave her a kiss on the forehead as she caught her breath. "So what are our kids like?"
"I don't know, people who have their kids names picked out and their personalities mapped out before conception kind of scare me."
"I agree."
"But I figured we'd start off with one and see how we like parenthood." She teased.
"You and I both know how hard it is to be an only. Can we have 2 at least?"
"I think we can negotiate that."
"So you won't mind getting all disproportioned, and moody, and have weird cravings twice."
"Aww you said disproportioned instead of fat. You do love me."
"Yeah that and your knee is centimeters from a very sensitive area."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Aww you're afraid of me, that's so cute."
"Cute huh." Lex joked.
"Very." She accentuated it with a poke at his ribs causing him to twitch.
"Let's see how cute I am now." With that he slid his hands under her thighs and flipped her backward into the water.
She came up sputtering water, and had bubbles all over her head. "You are so evil." She shoved a wave of water his way.
He coughed as he caught a mouthful of water and bubbles. "You got bubbles in my mouth." He went over to where she was sitting on the other side.
"You got bubbles in my hair." She pouted.
"You know what that means." He looked at her with a predatory look.
"That I now have to re-wash my hair."
"Yes, and that means it's shower time."
Her eyes lit up. "Ooh shower time. I love it."
"Let's go." He scooped her up and took her to the shower.
"I love shower time with Lex."
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