Never Is A Promise
Chapter 2
PG-13
Serenity Sea
(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)
Author's notes: Nothing much. Just review, let me know what you think of the story and the character. I'm easy.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them, except for the new character – she's all mine and so Lionel Luthor won't be coming after me with any lawsuits for that one. Marissa, Sage's best friend, is also mine.
DISTRIBUTION: You want it, it's yours. Just let me know where it's going.
SPOILERS: Through Heat. As mentioned in chapter 1, Principal Reynolds exists.
Summary: Lex Luthor becomes her temporary landlord and what was originally projected on being a short weekend trip somehow winds up as a lot more, and she reluctantly becomes interwoven in the close-knit town she thought she'd written off.
Update List:
***
"I don't believe this." Lex stared at the blonde woman.
One thing was for sure. She sure as hell wasn't 45 and her lips were certainly not droopy. If not for his anger building at having been forced into a child's game only moments ago, he would have taken the time to appreciate her appearance more.
"You're not the only one," she said. "How many bald men live in Smallville dressed like that…" she trailed off, not needing to finish her sentence. "I can't believe I didn't put two and two together at the coffee shop."
Well, that makes two of us, Lex thought sourly. "I'd like my seat back, now. I think you've made your dramatic entrance."
She stood up and rolled her green eyes. "How you choose to interpret that is up to you, Mr. Luthor." She walked around the glass desk lithely, and took the seat directly in front of him. "Since you've refused to answer any of my proposals sent by courier, it appears that I have to literally get into your life. Let's get this over with, shall we? The sooner I'm done, the sooner you're rid of me."
"How could I refuse an offer like that?" He sat fluidly, leaning back in his chair.
***
(Several hours later, well into the evening)
"Let me get this straight. You want the Brighton field five miles away from the heart of town because you think it's an ideal place for a… shelter? Why? And why Smallville?"
She gave him an incredulous look. "Did you even glance at the papers I've been sending you for the past three months?"
He folded his arms resolutely. "Pretend I'm stupid, Ms. Bristow. Enlighten me to the heart of your cause."
Sage glanced at him slowly, weighing how much of her story she could actually reveal. She began to speak slowly, her confidence faltering for the first time that day. "I once knew someone who liked to help people. But they were busy with other things and didn't have time to set up something without drawing a lot of attention and valuable time for their other obligations. I was new in town and needed work, but preferred technology. So they set up a company under my name, a tech branch, under one condition: At the end of the season, a third of the profits we'd totaled for the year would be used to construct a safe place for one area of the needy; orphans, widows, veterans, unemployed, homeless, etc, etc, etc."
She rose from her seat and became more animated, using her hands to gesture as her enthusiasm grew. "Each year, we choose prime sites for these buildings and then buy the land for them. We chose Smallville because of its idyllic setting and the convenient distance to Metropolis. If anything should fail, then we would be close to a place where they'd be more than able to handle it. The only problem is, Mr. Luthor… you currently own all the available land in Smallville."
"I do, don't I?" He smirked. "That's going to make your job a lot harder, isn't it?"
"But it's for a good cause. Why won't you consider selling?"
"Because frankly Ms. Bristow, I have no intention of letting Smallville become a haven for all the druggies and drunks that roam the streets of Metropolis. That type of crowd is not welcome in my town."
He was watching, as her expression grew from pleased – with her more than perfect delivery of her cause – to annoyed and frustrated, as he appeared unmovable with his decision. When she was about to speak, he held up a hand. "This may come as a bit of a shock to you, Ms. Bristow, but I have not changed my mind in the past few hours or weeks since your first proposal. I refuse to spend money on the good-for-nothings that would rather spend their lives in a cardboard box than with a roof over their head – just because they have to work hard – that is something I have never supported, and never will, because I don't support anything that puts money into the population of Metropolis."
Sage glared at him. "Look, I don't know what died and crawled up your ass, but some of us happen to live there – so if you would be so kind as to refrain from trashing our lovely city, I'd really appreciate it." Her eyes suddenly twinkled as she remembered something else. "As I recall, you yourself used to live there. Why the sudden aversion to what is widely recognized as one of the most successful cities in the country? And don't tell me it's because your father lives there."
Lex let his eyes grow blank at her approach, something he did when he wanted to intimidate the other person. "Leave him out of this. You can't honestly expect me to willingly give you land for the scum of Metropolis to visit, when they've done absolutely nothing for towns like Smallville. People come out here and avoid us like we're the plague. Now, I know I have reason for people to avoid me, but to help out a city – by getting the drunks off the streets – that would snap my city's neck in half… It's like throwing money down the proverbial sinkhole."
Her eyes flashed. "But you'd throw money down that same sinkhole if it'll place you in a good standing with your little farm town. Don't think I don't see what you're doing here, Mr. Luthor. The people of Smallville are yours to orchestrate and control, like a puppeteer, and you can't do that in Metropolis. Because of people like me."
He smirked, letting the insult roll off his back. He'd heard worse. "At least you don't suffer from a self-esteem problem, Ms. Bristow."
"I don't. I'm merely stating a fact."
Lex snorted, but was denied the pleasure of a response when someone knocked on the door. "Come in."
Clark Kent peered around the thick oak doors. "Is everything okay here? I came to get the shopping list for my mother and I heard shouting." His eyes swept the room and landed on the blonde in the chair, who had yet to turn around. He met Lex's eyes and the man nodded reluctantly.
That made Sage turn around to see who was there. When she saw it yielded only Clark, she smiled. "I saw you in the coffee-shop this morning. You were sitting with that pretty girl – she runs it, doesn't she?"
Slightly bashful, Clark nodded. "Yeah. Lana's part owner, but so is…" Lex shot him a wide-eyed warning look while her back was turned, which he blithely ignored. "…Lex. He's Lana's financial backer and lets her have a pretty free rein with the place. Isn't that right, Lex?"
He shot him a dirty look that changed before Sage could see it. "As a matter of fact, it is."
"Puppeteer," she sing-songed under her breath, meant only for Lex's ears.
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Not to be rude, Clark, but I have some business I'd like to finish up, so if there's nothing else…"
The good-natured high-schooler smiled. "Nope. That's it." He walked further into the room to shake the blonde's hand. "It was nice meeting you, Ms.…"
She bestowed a smile upon him and placed her smaller hand in his. "Bristow. It's Sage, actually, and I'd prefer if you called me that. Ms. Bristow makes me feel old."
They laughed and even though Clark was dying to see how the evening progressed, he knew when he was being dismissed. There were parts of Lex's life he didn't understand and wouldn't benefit from if he tried, but he knew when some things just went over his head. Besides. He had a feeling she was going to be here for a while. "See you guys later. Bye Lex. And Sage, it was very nice meeting you."
"Likewise!" She called after him as he closed the door. "I can see why you chose him as your friend in Smallville," she said, turning back to Lex. "He's got that wholesome look about him and the Kents are very well respected here, aren't they?"
"What do you know about the Kents?"
Her chin lifted challengingly, even as her eyes softened just a bit. "That you are fiercely protective of them, even though all Martha Kent does for you is get your groceries."
He walked around the desk, towards her. "The Kents are not to be disturbed, Ms. Bristow. Get them out of your sights, because if you so much as lay a finger in their business, I will devote everything I am in destroying your company." He put his hands on her shoulders firmly. "Are we clear on this matter?"
She squared her shoulders, trying to make him lose his grip; when he didn't, she stared straight back into his piercing eyes. "I am clear that you are threatening me right now. And I'm clear about the fact that it's a criminal offense to put your hands on someone in a threatening matter. And I'm also clear that if you don't get your hands off me, right now, you're going to have a really nasty lawsuit on your desk in the morning."
Grudgingly, he pulled his hands away. But he remained where he was, towering over her just slightly.
"However, I am also aware of the fact that everyone who's come here hasn't done so well when they've interfered with the Kents. And usually, you're behind that." Sage shook her head at him disbelievingly. "But I would never hurt them. So you don't have to worry about that."
Lex had to give her credit. She didn't back down in the face of a challenge, but she knew when to concede gracefully. And that was a worthy trait he admired, as so few had it these days.
Hiding a smile, she turned and gathered her papers into the same silver briefcase he'd seen earlier today. She clasped it, and stood up with a toss of her hair. "So do I get to pick a family in Smallville to put under my protection? Or is that a privilege for Luthors only?"
He smiled. "Touché, Ms. Bristow."
Halfway out the door, she paused. "I meant what I said to Clark. Ms. Bristow makes me feel old." She closed the door quietly and he knew she'd let herself out.
"Indeed." He murmured, shaking his head. "Indeed."
Lex turned back to tidy a few things on his desk and then he flicked the lights off, leaving moonlight the sole illumination in the dark room. For a moment, he caught a blurry glimpse of Sage as she got in her car through the stained glass window. Knowing she would be back in the morning, because things like this took days, and that he had tonight only to prepare for it, he closed the office doors and headed upstairs.
* * *
Sage cursed fluently. "I don't believe this." Her head fell forward onto the steering wheel. "Of all the nights." Rain streamed freely down the Porsche's windows and roof.
With a resigned groan, she peeled off her jacket and put it over her head. She opened the door and barely had enough time to clear it when the wind slammed it shut. "I'll just go in there and ask to use a phonebook. No reason why he can't spare me that. He may be a jerk, but he's a fair jerk."
Her resolve strengthened, she gripped her jacket tighter in the fierce thunderstorm, hoping that it wouldn't fly away in this wind. The path back to the massive front doors wasn't an easy one. The driveway was gravel and several times she nearly lost her footing. Wet rooftops in Gotham had nothing on this. She was almost to the steps when her numbed fingers couldn't do their job any more and her jacket flew away, never to be seen again.
"Dammit."
Sage stood there for a moment, wondering if it was worth it to try and look for the designer's piece, thereby getting herself soaked, and realized, with some effort, that she'd have to let it go. As she expected, the front doors opened before she mounted the last step and there was a warm towel waiting as she stepped inside.
"Thank you," she said to the doorman, feeling a twinge of regret for having been so brash towards him earlier. "Might I use a phone book?"
His eyebrows rose. "Perhaps I can make the call for you, Ms. Bristow."
Her shoulders slumped. "That would be… wonderful. My Porsche's busted. I don't know what happened, but the transmission is shot."
He smiled knowingly. "I understand. Master Luthor has done enough damage to his own Porsche that we have an in-house mechanic for those express purposes." Sage found herself beginning to smile. It wasn't that bad. With any luck, she could be back to her hotel in… an hour or so. But with this rain, even with her at the wheel, it was going to be tough.
"—Unfortunately, he's got the day off. He'll be back on Monday."
It was Saturday night. She threw her head back and groaned. "I should have known."
"Should have known what?"
Her head snapped up and she saw Lex leaning casually against the railing.
"Nothing. I just—nothing."
He nodded slowly. "So were you planning to sleep inside your broken car with wet clothes or do you have some luggage with you?"
"I brought my carryon from the plane which has a change of clothes, but—" In her jumbled state of mind, she failed to see Lex nod at the doorman and hear the front doors open again.
Trying to suppress the defeat she was feeling right now would have taken a miracle. She sat down on the marble steps and leaned her head against a spindle. "And my jacket's gone. I mean, I normally don't make that big of a deal out of my clothes, but that was one-of-a-kind. Armani came over to my penthouse and fitted me personally. And now it's gone."
The doors opened again, and she shivered against the wind. When she looked up, she saw Quincy standing there with her distinctive green leather bag. "What on earth?"
Lex walked down the rest of the steps until he was standing in front of her. "You will, of course, spend the night here. We'll get your car looked at in the morning, and we can continue our business over breakfast – I find that it goes much better when there is food present."
Sage looked at him as if he'd grown three heads. "You're kidding."
"I may be unreasonable, but I don't send women out into Kansas storms. They change like quicksilver and yours is not a death I want on my hands."
She gave him a look as if to say, Oh really? Whose would you like on your hands? "This is insane. I can't stay here."
He gave her a reprimanding look. "Oh come now, Ms. Bristow. I'm sure we can find a room to suit your tastes in this Mansion."
"It's Sage," she reminded him distractedly, "And that's not the issue."
"Then what is the issue? Because I'm dying to know."
With an effort, she cleared her head and focused on him. "Were you not just in that office for the past several hours? We're arguing over land, Mr. Luthor. I can't truly believe you let all potential business partners sleep over."
"That's true," he considered, watching as she seemed to slump in relief, "But then again, most of my business partners don't break sports cars I have an affinity for." Lex gave Quincy the 'go-ahead' to put Sage up in a room and watched out the corner of his eye to see if she noticed. She hadn't. She was staring at him like he'd grown another eye. "What are you really afraid of? Is it me? I wasn't aware my reputation preceded me to quite this extent. But if it makes you feel better, I promise I'll be a perfect gentlemen."
Now he was teasing her and she knew it. But the attempt at lightening the moment seemed to go right past her as she still hung on to a shred of denial, no doubt trying to come up with reasons as to why this was an implausible solution. "You know this will be front page on the Daily Planet tomorrow."
"Maybe the Inquisitor. The Planet doesn't do features about my private life on the weekends." When she remained silent, he frowned at her, leaning against the banister. "Oh, now I'm just disappointed in you. You came here, played hardball to get your foot in the door, and now you're backing down. I really thought you were more resilient than this. Come on." He took her by the arm and guided her up the stairs, clearly for this as much as she was against it.
She was dying to respond because he'd openly baited her, but was worried it might get her kicked out. They traveled down a long hallway, stopping in front of a distinct set of doors with unusual carvings along the sides.
Lex opened them and turned on the lights, illuminating a room decorated in pale shades of green and yellow, sometimes mixing the two together. A king-sized, canopied bed rested on a platform in the center of the room and other ivory pieces of furniture resided in the room. It was, by far, one of the most beautiful rooms she'd ever seen in her life.
She had unknowingly smiled when viewing the room and for some reason, that made him inordinately pleased. "I'll have food sent up, but for now, I think you should change out of your wet clothes before you get sick. I'd hate for you to catch a cold… it would make negotiating awfully difficult if you were blowing your nose every five minutes."
She looked over her shoulder and granted him a tiny smile. "Thank you. For this," her hand swept the room, "and for being a big enough person to get past our business difficulties."
He met her gaze straight on. "I'll have to remember that tomorrow when your lawsuit arrives."
For the first time since she'd left the sanctuary of her beloved car, a full-fledged smile broke out on her face. "I might have to put a call into my attorney about that one." Her smile fell suddenly. "Oh my god. I was supposed to call Marissa when I got in my hotel room tonight; she probably thinks I'm dead or something."
Sage reached down to her waistband and opened her phone. She shook it experimentally, and then raced all her fingers over the buttons at once, finally resorting to tossing it past Lex's head and land on the bed.
"It's broken," she said by way of explanation.
"Here." He reached in his pocket and threw his.
She dialed the number easily, and bit her lip as she held it pressed to her ear. "Mariss? You there? It's Sage, pick up if you're—" Suddenly she winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. Lex could hear the person shouting on the other end.
He had to give her credit though, because she made another attempt to speak despite the fact that she was met with the same response. He chuckled and left her in the battle of wills.
* * *
When he had seen her standing in the foyer, dripping rainwater miserably on the black marble floor, something had just clicked inside him. Seeing her with the white button down shirt plastered to her body, while her previously wavy hair began to spring up with a slight curl and her green eyes full of defeat, cinched the deal.
Not knowing why or even how, he had made the decision that he was still in shock about. He put the plans into motion for Sage to spend the night here, and for her car to be worked on by his private mechanic, who was being flown back to Smallville this very moment.
He was in his bed, still wondering the level of sanity he had when someone knocked lightly on the door. "Come in."
Sage stepped inside, dwarfed in a large hunter green robe and waved his cell phone in her left hand. "I just wanted to return this. Sorry it took so long – Marissa was pretty upset."
Lex climbed out of bed, and walked over to her. When he took the phone, he felt a small shock touch him. "She's okay now?"
Sage was having trouble focusing on his face and not the fact that he was naked from the waist up. "Um, yeah. She's fine. I managed to keep her from calling the police and sending them here."
"Is that normal behavior for Marissa?"
For a minute she was distracted by the easy way he spoke her best friend's name, like he'd known her all his life. "Sadly enough, yes. She worries about me way more than she should."
Thinking of her earlier predicament, he murmured, "Someone has to."
She blushed faintly. "Anyway. I guess I'll see you in the morning, then."
"Morning it is." Offhandedly, he asked, "Are you a morning person?"
She cringed. "Hope springs eternal, right? I try to avoid them at all costs, unless there's a Starbucks nearby."
He made a mental note to head into the Talon early tomorrow morning. "Do you want to make it later, then? I can always use the extra hours for some LexCorp matters."
Absently, she wondered why he was being so accommodating. This was not the Lex Luthor she'd met with earlier in the afternoon, nor was it the one she'd heard about from business acquaintances. "No, that's okay. I can be presentable around 7:30, if that's good for you."
"That's fine."
There was an awkward silence and she moved back towards the door. "Night."
"Goodnight." He turned to go back to bed when the door closed and he felt a hand on his back.
"I just wanted to say thanks. For everything. You don't have to do this, and frankly, I'm a little confused as to why you are, but thanks."
Lex turned so swiftly that her hand was now on the front of his chest. With a start, she pulled it away. "Sorry."
"It's okay. Get some rest, Ms.—" She shot him a glare. "—Sage."
"I will."
* * *
Well? Is it okay? Do you hate her? Is she a totally hateable character? Suggestions, please!! Oh, and I dropped a few hints in there… yes, it is a slight Batman crossover. Just wait and see!