Title: New Game.
Author: Lucy Mars
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: see Prologue.
Summary: It was a new game now. New rules. New players and new losers.
A.N: Thanks for all the great feedback.
Chapter #2:
Five Days Ago.
Armed with an extra large bouquet and a box of her favorite chocolates, Lex prepared himself for the glares and annoyed pouts that his fiancée would be armed with when he passed over the threshold and into the land of punishment. After hours of convincing Chloe to go to the doctor, Lex had finally won her over when he'd promised to go with her. They had consulted their schedules while lying naked in bed as the sun set below them and managed to negotiate a time that would be convenient for both of them. Of course to seal the deal, Lex had no choice but to show Chloe just how far he was willing to go to convince her to go to the doctor.
"You can do this," Lex reminded himself as he stood outside his penthouse door, "Just walk in and duck whatever comes flying at your head."
Successfully psyching himself up and managing to delude himself into believing that he would escape Chloe's impending wrath somewhat unscathed, Lex pushed the door open and walked into the dark foyer. Confusion marring his features, Lex glanced around for any signs of Chloe and her anger with him. Looking down the hallway encased with shadows that danced under the spell that the candles that had been lit, Lex ventured on unsure of his steps.
"Chloe?" he called out, his voice echoing through the silent apartment. Stepping past the candles that littered the hallways and windowsills, Lex found himself immersed in a warm golden scented glow. The gentle light that filled the rooms played across the confusion on his face and beckoned him to follow the internal compass that always led him to Chloe.
Walking past the fire that flickered in his study, moving beyond the candles that swayed in the library and gliding past the music that drifted past their open bedroom door, Lex found himself watching Chloe stand in the middle of the only empty room in the penthouse as she hummed a forgotten song to herself.
"Hey," he whispered gently, so not to surprise her.
Turning around to face Lex, Chloe smiled softly at the peace offering he held out to her.
The gentle candles tucked into the hidden corners of the spacious room illuminated the soft smile that danced across her ruby lips and successfully stole Lex's heart away. The low light danced over the freckles that adorned the soft skin that Lex spent hours exploring and discovering and summoned him closer to the woman who effortlessly held his heart in the palm of her hand.
"Hey," Lex repeated closing the distance between himself and Chloe.
Silently accepting the flowers and chocolate that Lex handed her, Chloe set them onto the ground without a second glance.
Watching Chloe as she set his gifts aside, Lex felt dread pass over him. She must really be mad if she wasn't even going to check to see what kind of chocolates he got. "You're mad." It was more a statement than a question.
Looking up at Lex and the anxiety that tinted the corner of his lips, Chloe mutely shook her head. Wrapping her arms around her fiancé, Chloe buried her face in his chest and inhaled deeply. He was so warm and solid against her, she didn't know if she could ever let go.
Returning the embrace, Lex leaned down to kiss the top of her head as he held her close. Silence wasn't something that Chloe was famous for, but right now it seemed like all she was capable of. "Chloe?"
"Shh," she urged burrowing deeper into Lex. Pressing her flushed cheek against his beating heart, Chloe let the steady rhythm lull her into a blissful oblivion that consisted of nothing but him and her.
"Chloe?" Lex whispered against her silken strands, concern filling his voice now, "What's wrong?"
Floating in that wonderful place between contentment and perfection, Chloe murmured breathlessly against Lex's sudden racing heart, "I love you."
Irrational fear clenching his chest and seizing all air from his lungs, Lex abruptly pulled Chloe back so that he could look into her dazed eyes. "Chloe, what happened at the doctor today? What did he tell you?"
The faintest smile catching hold of her lips, Chloe let her eyes drift over Lex's shoulder at the flame that danced seductively and cast an eternal glow over them both. "I like the color yellow. It's subtle, yet inviting. It would look good in this room. What do you think?"
"You can decorate the room however you like." Lex hastily answered, "Chloe, tell me what the doctor told you today. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Chloe assured Lex, cradling his face in her hands lovingly. "I'm more than fine."
Doubt cast over his cloudy eyes, Lex leaned into her addictive touch. "Promise?"
Brushing her lips across his, a tease of a kiss, Chloe nodded. "Promise," she whispered as she stroked his tense face lovingly. "Nothing's wrong, I promise."
Letting out the breath that he didn't know he'd been holding, Lex pulled Chloe back against him and buried his face in her soft hair. "You're not mad that I had to cancel today?"
"Oh, I'm totally pissed." Chloe assured Lex, tucking her head beneath his chin, "If you think that brining home some flowers and a box of chocolates is going to get you out of the dog house, you're dreaming, but I'm in a good mood right now and I'm willing to let you try again later."
Chuckling, Lex stroked her hair tenderly. "Not that I'm not grateful for being allowed a second chance to redeem myself, I have to say that I'm curious to what put you in such high spirits."
"Going to the doctor doesn't seem so bad anymore,"
"What caused this change of heart?" Lex inquired, titling Chloe's chin up to look at him. Studying the glow that seemed to rise from within her and encompass them both, Lex ran his thumb over the rosy blush that stained her cheek and marveled at the softness that never ceased to intoxicate him with desire. "Well? Are you going to keep me in suspense?"
"Even I'm not that cruel," Chloe murmured as caught Lex's hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. Beaming him a smile that spoke volumes of the nerves and excitement that were pulsing through her at a dizzying rate, Chloe brought Lex's hand down to her abdomen and pressed his palm flat against the invisible swell that she still couldn't find and logically couldn't feel, but felt impossibly connected to.
His voice hoarse and unsure as he breathed her name, Lex found his eyes glued to the small hand pressing his against the yielding skin that he'd spent hours tracing invisible patterns on as they lay together a tangle of limbs and sheets.
"Say something," Chloe demanded impatiently as she tried to read her fiancé's frozen expression.
Swallowing in a vain attempt to try and find his voice, Lex shook his head dumbly as he pressed his fingers against her warm skin. "I don't know what to say,"
"Say you're happy,"
His head snapping up at the desperation and hesitance he could hear lacing her words, Lex furrowed his brow at the sight of Chloe's usually smiling and laughing face weighted down with anxiety and fear. Pulling her mouth to his, Lex had her doubts about how he felt puddle around her feet as she leaned her weight against his. Coaxing her tongue out to play with his, Lex poured more passion into that one kiss then most people felt in a lifetime.
Whimpering when he pulled away, Chloe let Lex hold her up as she tried to refill her deprived lungs with the air that they desperately needed.
"I'm drunk with happiness." Lex declared breathlessly as he pressed his lips against Chloe's once more. "Dizzy with it, intoxicated with sheer joy. To the point where I think I'm slight nauseous I'm on such a sudden high."
Laughing, Chloe slipped her arms beneath Lex's jacket and held him close as she marveled at how strong and real he felt against her. "I think we're going to need to ban the word 'nausea' for the next couple months."
Fascinated by the way his hand automatically came to rest protectively over Chloe's stomach, Lex revealed in the warmth that spread through him at the simple touch. "How many months?"
Resting her hand over his, Chloe tangled their fingers together. "About seven," she answered.
"I feel like I'm dreaming," Lex confessed as they swayed to an unheard melody, "Like any second now I'm going to wake up and find myself slumped over a pile of folders in my office."
"Not dreaming," Chloe laughed feeling her excitement spike again as she pictured the little baby that would be a mixture of the two of them, "This is as real as it gets."
Picking Chloe up and spinning her around in a moment of sheer insanity, Lex set her down as abruptly as he had swept her up. "Oh god, are you okay? Did I hurt the baby?"
The laughter bursting from a place deep and pure within her, Chloe wrapped her arms around Lex and kissed his face ecstatically. "Oh Lex, aren't you supposed to be brilliant, or something? The baby's fine." Her face softening as she brushed butterfly kisses over his concerned brow, Chloe didn't cease her ministrations as she reassured him, "You can't hurt us, daddy."
Succumbing to her touch as she soothed the fear from his body, Lex had never felt such sudden concern before. Even the worry he felt for Chloe never felt that raw or powerful.
"You're going to be an amazing father," Chloe grinned as she pressed a soothing kiss to his temple and magically banished the lines from his face.
His response immediate and genuine, Lex caught Chloe's chin and held her eyes with the intensity of his. "You're going to be a remarkable mother, Chloe. No one's going to love this baby as much as you."
"I don't know. You're looking to be some stiff competition, Luthor."
"Would you have it any other way?"
Her eyes filling with love as their lives mapped itself out as he held her and she basked in a glow that spoke of a love and commitment that wrote itself and carried them along for the ride, Chloe shook her head. "No," she smiled nestling her head against Lex's chest.
Cradling Chloe in his arms as they both drifted into the future they would build together on the foundation of today, Lex chuckled softly as he grasped Chloe's hand and brought it to his lips.
"What?" Chloe inquired, mirroring Lex's adorably wide smile.
Laying a tender kiss over her sparkling engagement ring, Lex comment wryly, "I guess I have no choice but to marry you now."
"A shotgun wedding," Chloe laughed, as the reality of the situation dawned on her, "The horror,"
"Not even," Lex pointed out, "The wedding isn't planned for another year."
"Can you just picture the look on Camellia's face when she realizes her carefully made plans have just been shot to hell?" Chloe giggled, feeling intense glee at the realization that their wedding planner was just going to die when she heard the news.
His smile becoming just as evil as Chloe's, Lex couldn't stop the laugh that escaped from within him. "Can I tell her?"
"Hell no!" Chloe objected vehemently, "If I'm going to be carrying this baby for 9 months and suffering through morning sickness that lasts all day, I'm going to be the one to break the news to Cruelella."
'And mood swings,' Lex realized. 'Massive mood swings that will entail ducking first and asking questions later.'
"What are you thinking about?"
Meeting Chloe's suspicious eyes, Lex smiled lovingly as he smoothly lied. "Just picturing this room painted yellow and full of toys. Our baby's going to have the best of everything, Chloe. I promise."
"We just need you, Lex. Just you,"
It's the mark of an amazing woman when she can whisper those words to you and make you believe it with all your heart. His heart constricting as he looked down at Chloe's wide eyes, Lex just knew that her convictions were more powerful than any of the doubts he harbored. Seizing her lips with his own, Lex showed her what he could never be able to truly tell her, no matter how many times he uttered the words. Just how much he loved her.
***
Idly playing with her golden tresses, Lex looked down at Chloe's content face as she nestled against his bare chest. "What about bunnies? Don't all kids like stuffed bunnies?"
"Hmm," Chloe mumbled incoherently as she lay wonderfully worn and sated against Lex's smooth skin.
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Nope,"
"Good to know," Lex grinned as Chloe propped her chin on his chest and glanced up at him.
"I aim to please," she quipped, tossing him a wonton smile, "Anyways, isn't it a little early to already be compiling shopping lists for the baby?"
"Do you know how many things baby require?"
Wrinkling her nose, Chloe rolled the question around before answering truthfully, "I have no idea."
Small children had never been a big part of her life. Random small town mutants she could deal with. Cunning and unrelenting reporters yielding a camera that never stopped flashing she could handle without a second glance. Grown men with complexes, issues and scarred pasts were her forte. Little helpless children who didn't have an off button? Not so much, no.
After a slight pause, Lex frowned. "Me neither," Relishing in the amused laughter that shook Chloe's body in a delightful way, Lex ran his hand down her sweaty back. "Not a problem though. We'll just buy everything."
"Such a guy thing to say," Chloe replied sarcastically, "All you ever want to do is shop."
"Wrong," Lex pointed out, rolling them over so that he hovered over Chloe and her amused smile.
Bringing his body down so that it was flush with hers, Chloe grinned shamelessly. "Why Mr. Luthor, whatever are you implying?"
Brushing her hair aside, Lex tangled his fingers in the downy softness and held Chloe firmly in place as he teasingly nipped on her swollen lips.
"Lex," she breathed, trying to catch his lips for a more satisfying kiss, "Don't tease the pregnant lady."
His breath hitching at her reminder of what precious cargo he held in his arms, Lex trailed wet kisses down Chloe's writhing body before finally coming to a stop over where he just knew their child was growing.
Raising her head to watch Lex as he pressed the tenderest kiss to the exact spot where she too felt most connected to their baby, Chloe lovingly ran her hand over Lex's head and brushed her fingers over his flushed cheeks.
Crawling back up Chloe's body, Lex rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as she swept him up into her arms and cradled him in her soothing embrace. "All I ever want to do," Lex whispered for only Chloe to hear, "is to hold you and never let go."
The tears already spilling from her eyes before she had a chance to even fully process his words, Chloe smiled shyly as Lex gently caught her tears with his thumb. "I guess we don't need to wonder whether or not I'm hormonal."
His adorning smile not lost on Chloe, Lex leaned down and lazily kissed away the stray tears that streaked her glowing face. "It still doesn't feel real,"
"I know,"
"What if I can't do this?"
"There isn't anything you can't do."
"Why do you believe that when even I don't?" Lex asked, holding his breath as Chloe brought his hand down to her stomach.
"Because," Chloe whispered like it explained everything, "I just know. Think of it as mother's intuition."
"What else does your mother's intuition tell you?" Lex inquired, trying to clear the sudden catch in his throat.
Her eyes sparkling with amusement, Chloe couldn't help but laugh, "That Louis is just going to die when we tell him."
***
TBC.