Thank you for the kind reviews. I am glad that people are enjoying reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This particular segment (and season) is my personal favorite. Hopefully you will like it as well.
Title: Seasons of Change
Author: Lucy Mars
Rating: PG
Summary: The fallen leaves of autumn remind us all of the choices we made in the seasons past. Decisions that were once stellar and pure are now tainted by our infinite regrets.
Pairings: Chloe/Lex, Lex/Lana, Chloe/Bruce
Disclaimer: If they belonged to me, I would not be so ruthless.
3. Metropolis - Fall 2017
Their reunion is accidental, and yet, it is not. You cannot share so many years of your life with another and not expect to find him hovering around the circle of friends that defined so much of who you are.
Amidst a flurry of flowers, curtains of white lace and mindless chatter, they find each again other as strangers within a cocoon of memories.
She is different from how he remembers her, and yet, she is exactly the same. Standing beneath a halo of shimmering light, glowing with the same mysterious smile that drew him to her all those years ago, she is everything he recalls her to be.
However, the face that is smiling in return to the laughter that was once meant only for him distorts his image of her.
A smile that once belonged exclusively to him was now meant for another.
It occurred to him that the woman that stood before him now distorted all the memories he had of the girl that he had met all those years ago in a small cow town in the middle of Nowhere, USA and the woman he had found once more in the chaos of Metropolis.
She was still as breathtaking as ever, the various appreciative stares she was receiving from the richest men of Metropolis and the glares of their respective female companions proof enough, but she was also different. There was a time when she shone in brilliant hues of blues, vibrant shades of crimson and throbbed an array of jaded greens.
The Chloe he remembered lived and breathed color. However, the Chloe that stood before him now didn't draw you in with her color or energy. The woman that hovered within reach commanded attention with her smoky eyes and stark ebony dress. The silk of her gown only served to highlight the alabaster glow of her skin as it moved with the same liquid grace that woman who wore it possessed. Her gown hung off and hugged every curve that he remembered memorizing with silent appreciation, as her hair rained soft sunlit kisses around the room.
In the few seconds that he lost all the poise he'd acquired in the span of a lifetime of training, Lex came to the realization that the two years that had passed since he'd last seen her were nothing in comparison to the milliseconds that stretched on for eternity as he waited for her to turn her face a fraction of an inch and meet his gaze with her own.
Whatever acknowledgment Lex had been waiting for from Chloe was pushed aside as reality resurfaced and his fiancée smoothly came to his aide and picked up the conversation he had let end abruptly when he'd caught site of Chloe. More specifically, when he had caught site of Chloe sweep across the room with a flute of champagne in her hand and one smiling Bruce Wayne holding her other hand protectively with his own. Uncurling his fists at the wave of possessiveness that washed over him when he caught sight of the hand that had held Chloe's move to wrap itself around her svelte waist and pull her close, Lex focused his attention on his charming fiancée and the obviously smitten Senator that couldn't stop beaming at her.
His eyes speak of the betrayal he feels but his lips make no movement to voice the flurry of emotion that is drowning him. He cannot find the words to express the confusion that he is immersed in. He wants to hold her, he wants to laugh with her, he wants her – but yet, he cannot have her.
He never had her.
"Lex?"
Bringing his attention back to the woman that holds his arm with such grace and care, Lex pushes down the pang of guilt he can feel touching the corner of his lips.
"More champagne?" he asks, deftly plucking a flute from the waiters dancing silently around them.
Taking the delicate piece of crystal from Lex, Lana knows what it is that has caused her usually unflappable fiancé to lose his control but she says nothing. She had mastered saying nothing over the years and she knew her delicate silence was something that Lex loved about her. But as silent as she was, that did not mean she did not see what others saw. It did not mean that she did not understand that which had always gone unsaid.
Lana knew that Chloe Sullivan was something that had always gone unsaid and was someone who she desperately did not want to see.
Standing nervously where Bruce had left her as he rushed off to answer an important call, Chloe smoothed a shaking hand against the side of her dress. She waited with equal parts hesitation and impatience for the reunion that had been two years in the making to finally come to fruition.
She had caught site of Lex earlier and it had made her falter in her steps. He had been exactly as she remembered him, all the good and bad sliding to the surface. It had been hard to see Lana standing so perfectly beside him but it was harder waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.
Even Chloe wasn't sure what it was she expected from Lex when they finally spoke after all this time. Since the day she had agreed to accompany Bruce to this wedding, knowing full well that both Lex and Lana would be in attendance, she had been running countless scenarios through her mind. Of all the scenes she had envisioned, she had never thought that Lex would merely appear behind her and greet her as if she were still a daily part of his life.
"Chloe,"
Spinning around to find the eyes of Kansas blue skies caressing her with the same warmth she ached for in the dead cold of Gotham nights, Chloe felt breathless with joy and apprehension. Hands flying reflectively to her chest, Chloe could not help the breathless exclamation that fell from her lips. "Lex,"
Drinking her in like a man dying of thirst, Lex reached out and touched her with infinite care. His fingers lacing through the silk of her hair, the noise of the reception was not loud enough to drown out the gasp of surprise that escaped her cherry lips. Pulling away slowly, he could not help the detour his fingers took as they brushed past the scarlet that stained her cheeks.
"Confetti," Lex offered as way of explanation as Chloe watched him with eyes so suddenly dark with emotion that he thought he would happily drown in them.
Lowering her eyes for a moment, Chloe quickly brought them back to his and smiled softly. "Thank you."
Watching her as if he was afraid she would disappear at the slightest intrusion, Lex pushed aside the torrent of emotions churning through him and wordlessly held his hand out in question.
Granting his request without hesitation, Chloe found herself drifting across the ballroom as if in a dream. His grasp warm and solid, Chloe felt everything around them fall away as Lex deftly spun her close and pulled her into an embrace that felt like the sweetest absolution.
Eyes of forest green swayed slowly with a gaze of azure ray blue, as two became one under a haunting melody of promises.
His touch gentle and light, Chloe sank readily into his embrace as Lex traced solemn vows over the skin her gown bared. Securely wrapped in arms that felt nothing like the arms that had promised to love her forever, Chloe longed for all the courage she did not have to tell Lex what it was her heart loved more than life itself.
Marking her with his caress, Lex found peace with each inch of skin he explored and every ounce of warmth Chloe filled him with.
There were so many things that they both wanted to say but time had never been a friend to either of them.
Before Lex could find the courage to tell her of the degree to which he had missed her over the years or let her know about the countless moments he had found himself dialing her phone number, Bruce was striding towards them with a friendly, if not knowing, smile on his face.
Feeling Lex step away, Chloe was left bereft until she realized that the other couples had separated as well and were politely applauding the band. Confused by the suddenly indifferent expression on his face, Chloe followed his gaze until she found what it was that had caused the air around them to shift so dramatically.
"Lex, it's good to see you." Bruce grinned with over enthusiasm, "Where is your lovely fiancée? I haven't had a chance to say hello to her."
The brightness of Chloe's eyes dimming significantly, Lex fought against the wave of contempt that filled him as he watched Bruce wrap an arm around Chloe and hold her close. "Lana is with the bride. The two are discussing something I could not bear to stay and listen to."
Laughing, Bruce nodded in understanding. "You must be sick of hearing about weddings, with your own still in the planning stage. Have you and Lana set a date yet?"
Forcing himself to resist against the urge to pull Chloe away from everything around them, Lex never had a chance to respond.
Emerging out of a crowd laughing women, Lana slid her hand easily around Lex's arm. It was an action that spoke of comfort and familiarity, as well as subtle reminder of possession. Her diamond engagement ring shinning brilliantly under the muted light of the ballroom, Lana was as flawless as Chloe remembered. "Sometime in the spring, we think. It's nice to see you again, Mr. Wayne. Hello Chloe."
Lost beneath the chatter that filled them, Chloe didn't believe it herself but she found herself longing for the loneliness of Gotham over the company of Metropolis. The misery of trying to forget was easier to bear than the reminder of how easily she was forgotten.
Lifting her eyes to find Lex watching her as their respective others filled the silence the two of them left hanging in the air, Chloe didn't know if it was her own anguish she saw reflected in his eyes or if it was his own brand of despair gazing down at her.
Autumn ushers in contemplation of all the days gone past, as the leaves turn from a soft emerald of comfort to an alarming crimson regret.
TBC.
Just one more part left. All comments are welcome and cherished.