Six Days Later: Power House Studio
Psychologically speaking, Ashley should have been a mess; at least that was what Lex had expected. It was surreal for him that two women in as many months had shot and killed a man in his defense.
Unlike Amanda, who would never be the same again, Ashley was more at ease with what she had done then either of the men in her life. She said that she had laid to rest the demons of her past, the monster that killed her aunt and uncle, the junkie who chased her into the alley and this -Kurt' had all rolled into one conclusion for her.
Ash wrote a ballad about the kidnapping and added it to the list of songs for her début album. Bruce thought that was the healthiest thing she could do, he felt it gave her a way to vent the emotions. Bruce had gone back to Gotham City the next day, he said little but insisted they come for Christmas.
The record company was none the wiser, they were just happy she was in the studio recording the next six songs to add to the demo. Ashley insisted on the same musicians and venue, it was one of the great perks of her contract. The company had insisted she work with a choreographer/movement coach three times a week. They wanted her ready for touring by the time the recording was complete.
Lex stood watching her sing into the mic, the sound proof glass between them threw strange reflections. She had become unbelievably precious to him in so short a time. He knew he would do anything for her, give her the world if she asked. His soul ached over the act she had been forced to make and the fact that he had provided the means for her to carry it out.
Thinking about how she had changed his life so easily made his head spin. Lex wanted to make this holiday a wonderful one, one they would both remember. He still had to figure out the best way to confess his love to her. Going to Gotham was sure to be disconcerting but for Ashley he would do it. He would face her disapproving father and stay at the still being rebuilt manor with her 'batty' cousin, as long as it made her happy.
She had finished the song and now listened to the playback. Her green eyes flirted with him while her small hands pressed the headphones against her ears. Lex felt a rush of heat over his skin, how was it she could make him hot with just a look?
Though he had held her tight, unable to sleep that first night he had her back, they had not had sex since her abduction. He did not want to press her for intimacy she may not be ready for. After such a traumatic experience, she could be expected to be withdrawn and distant.
Sighing, he smiled when she waved to him before she disappeared into the control room. Lex had insisted on being there to pick her up, he was paranoid about her being out of his sight for too long. He was sure it was something he would get over soon.
Making his way toward the door, Lex pondered whether to take her to dinner or just home. He knew he was being selfish, but the knowledge that she would soon belong to the world at large made him greedy.
They walked out of the studio waving goodbyes and donning their warm coats. Winter had finally arrived in Metropolis, two nights prior. The snow fell thick all over the city making the impending holiday more apparent.
As they stepped onto the sidewalk Lex turned and adjusted the cashmere scarf around her neck. The sky was gray and heavy with more snow to come. The bustling crowds moved past them in Yuletide frenzy.
"What would you like to do?" he asked. Ashley smiled and clasped his hand tight.
"Let's walk down and see the tree in front of Wayne Tech." She replied her eyes glittering with child-like delight. He smiled indulgently at her and nodded to the limo driver who stood at attention.
"Wait an hour and pick us up at Wayne Square." He said tucking her hand into his arm and walking away.
The Metro had her Christmas glitz on and it made the walk truly enjoyable. Ashley asked Lex about his day at the lab, her cheeks were red with the cold. She was so beautiful, he thought before answering her question.
Lex talked about the finer points of Biochemistry, protein chains and DNA. Ash did not understand most of it, but listening to him speak about something he loved made her happy.
Her eyes danced over the sparkly window displays, Lex watched her, his heart swelling with all he wanted to say. They exchanged one of their long glances and turned the corner to Wayne Square.
The tall deco building stood to the left of the square, the stories high tree sat in the right corner. In the center of the square were a series of man-made snow hills for people to sled on.
It was a long-standing tradition that Bruce's grandfather had started many years ago. In all the major cities that Wayne Tech had a building and a climate to support snow, they created the winter wonderland for the public. One could bring their own sled, or for a few dollars that went to charity, they could rent a plastic disc to slide over the bunny hills on.
At the bottom of the contrived snow hills, sat booths and kiosks that sold hot drinks: cocoa, cider, coffee and tea. People bustled around in happy bunches while classic holiday music was played by costumed musicians. Standing at the railing, looking down on the Rockwellian scene, Ash and Lex could see a group of adolescent boys having a snowball fight while the girls watched and giggled.
Lex looked at his lover and noted that she was chewing her lip, the light was fading and the street lamps suddenly came to life bathing her in a warm yellow glow. He reached out one hand and ran his gloved fingers down her pink cheek.
"What are you thinking about, baby?" he asked in a gentle voice only she could hear. She looked at him her eyes large and dark. She stepped closer to him toying with the buttons of his overcoat.
"Do you regret me coming into your life?" she asked in a diminutive voice. Lex's lungs seized for a second and he caught her face in his hands with sudden force.
"Ashley, why would you think I regret that?" his eyes blazed bright and fierce. She cast her gaze away for a moment and chewed her lip again.
"I bring so much chaos and drama into your life just by being here..." Her words were cut off by his deep kiss. The passion he expressed to her made her body feel light and floaty.
His search was not just of her mouth but of her being as well. Lex had kissed her with intensity before but never like this. Never had he shared so much of himself with her. Her body reacted to him instantaneously, desire whip lashing thru every cell making her cling to him afraid her legs would give way.
Lex broke from her and looked directly in her dazed eyes. She made him feel complete and whole something he had never felt before. He was short of breath as he formed the words.
"Ashley, I am so utterly in love with you." He spoke slowly, his breath hot against her swollen lips. "Never think I regret having you with me. Never." Her chest felt tight and she gasped like a small bird, her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh Lex!" she quavered. "I have been afraid to say it myself, afraid you would...not feel the same." She pressed her cheek to his, her heart thumping in her throat. "I am in love with you, Lex Luthor." She whispered. He closed his eyes and crushed her body to his tightly.
The moment lasted for a long time, two lovers entwined in love's embrace. Lex pressed his lips to her ear and blinked looking up. It had started to snow, the pristine flakes drifted down, frosting them and everything around them. He pulled back and looked down at her lovely face, streaked with happy tears and dotted with melting snowflakes. Lex kissed her again, comfortable in their new love.
"How about I buy you a hot chocolate and then we go home so I can make love to you?' he asked with that crooked grin. Ashley felt her stomach clench at his words and nodded her blush making the pink of her cheeks brighter.
That she still blushed when he spoke of sex made Lex love her even more, she was so dear to him, nothing was going to take her from him now.
Nothing.
xxxxxx
The two young lovers walked passed Phillips, completely immersed in each other, he smiled at them and held the door. They stumbled into the elevator unwilling to be separated. Lex ran his hands down her back and pushed her against the wall as the lift moved rapidly upwards. His mouth found hers, devouring her with teasing pulses. S
he hungrily bit at his lips, her hands gripping his belt tight like a lifeline. The blood pounding in her ears easily drowning out any other sound as Ashley ran her tongue down his throat, her teeth grazing his jugular. Lex growled and wished she did not have so many clothes on. The elevator ground to a halt and Lex tore himself from her.
"We would do better to take this inside." He said smiling wickedly. Ashley fluttered her eyelids and nodded. Laughing, Lex took her hand and led her out of the lift. They crossed the hall, pausing while he fumbled with the keys; Ash let her hands roam up under his coat to caress his back.
"You are distracting me." He mumbled shoving the key into the lock and giving it a twist. They almost fell thru the door, laughing.
Ashley dashed across the room tossing her bag on the sofa and pulling her coat off. Lex closed and locked the door behind him. He drew his scarf off slowly and dropped it to the floor, his tongue slipped over his bottom lip lasciviously. He dropped his coat on a chair and looked at her with one raised brow.
"Little girl," his voice was deep. "I am going to make you scream my name." He said moving toward her swiftly. Ashley let out a yelping giggle and ran for the stairs.
"Only if you can catch me." She tossed the challenge back over her shoulder. He grinned and chased after her.
Lex reached the top of the stairs and moving down the small hall into the bedroom. She grinned at him from the far side of the bed, her body tensed ready to run again. He walked slowly into the room and watched her closely.
Ash's heart was thumping so loud she was sure he could hear it; she kept her eyes trained on him waiting for him to make a move. Lex stood stone still his hands held behind his back.
She quivered in anticipation, torn between wanting him to catch her and wanting to get away. With a sudden fluid movement, Lex charged at her across the bed, Ash squealed and stumbled back. He stopped on the bed braced on his knees hands outstretched, his eyes glittered with lust.
"I 'will' catch you, Ashley." He said with unsuppressed laughter. "Oh and when I do..."
He let the words trail off and slid back across the bed. Ashley stood clutching the drapes in both hands, her breathing rapid; the desire she felt was so strong she wondered if she would swoon from it.
She did not think she could love him any more then she did at that moment, everything about him. The color of his eyes, the curve of his mouth, the way he mumbled in his sleep, the way he looked at her when he wanted her, how he moved, his wicked sense of humor, his need to be a good man. It all came to a fine point making her give in, rush back to the bed, and fling herself across the mattress.
Lex watched her run to him, his mind like quicksilver, he moved to meet her. He caught her in his arms as she landed on the bed, her scent enveloping him and driving his blood higher. His zealous hands gliding over her back and pulling at the simple tee shirt making it clear he wanted her naked. He undressed her with ease, tossing the clothes off the bed until she was bare before him.
She let her hands drift down to unbuckle his belt, her pliable mouth leaving small kisses on his neck. She pulled the shirttails out of his pants and undid the buttons one by one. Her slender fingers danced over his skin, savoring the smooth expanse of his chest. He caressed her shoulders while he nuzzled her neck; the sensation sweeping thru him was palpable. He was not sure his heart could contain it all.
She yanked the shirt off his shoulders and ran her nails along his arms. Lex shook his hands free of the sleeves and pushed her down to the pillows. The next kiss was long and slow, he took his time moving his mouth against hers, engaging her tongue with his, while his hands held her face tenderly.
The need for her mixed with the shared declaration and the near fatal kidnapping gave him more then enough reason to want this to last. She arched against him, causing his cock to harden even more, her deft little hands pushing the point by sliding his pants farther off. He grabbed her hands and brought them up next to their heads. Pulling back, he looked at her.
"So eager are we?" he smirked at her. In answer, she bucked her hips and wrapped her legs around him. Her full breasts pushing against his bare chest, she gave him a deeply sexual gaze. The look took his breath away, he found himself reaching down to divest him self of the offending garments. Ash giggled and helped him. Her warm hands gliding over his flesh earning her a shiver from him.
As he settled back over her he could feel the heat of her against his cock, but he would not give in that easily. His hands traveled down her body massaging the supple skin as they went. His mouth bending to kiss a track from her chin to her navel, sending her nerves dancing and skipping. She let her fingers drift up his back, caressing the strong muscled shoulders and up over his head. She traced the edges of his face with her fingers while he kissed her belly.
His head continued lower, his hands parting her thighs gently to give him access to her sex. When he breached her folds, she gasped loudly digging her heels into the bedding. His mouth worked her meticulously while his hands held her hips down.
She arched up off the bed as the first shockwave hit her. She moaned long and loud making him grin. She released the pillow her hands had clenched in a death grip and attempted to pull him back up. Lex drifted slowly up her body, leaving bites and kisses where ever he felt needed it.
He kissed her mouth softly and ran the back of his hand down her side reveling in the tender skin on her ribs. Ashley drifted back to reality and sank her nails into his shoulders. Her knees gripped him by the hips leaving now doubt what she want of him. Snickering at her wanton ways Lex shifted his position to enter her. She held her breath waiting for the pressure and the stretch that so she craved.
Still teasing he pressed into her but only slightly, the taunting causing her to growl. With a laugh of pure pleasure, Lex thrust into her. Ash moaned against his shoulder and lifted her hips to meet him. The awareness she felt as he moved gradually in and out of her was astounding. She lifted her head and looked him in the eye.
Her newfound boldness floored him and the heat in her green gaze branded him. Lex returned her stare watching her face as he penetrated her again and again. She made that sound he loved so much and Lex broke the gaze. Lowering his face to her neck, he pushed harder, the flush of his raw emotions giving way to his desire.
Ashley encircled him, her soft heated sheath and long loving limbs holding him intimately. Neither had ever felt this connected to another person; the power of the link was enough to bring them to a gasping and concurrent climax.
Lex felt his body tense and the pleasure roll like a storm over him. Ashley clung to him; her head back against the pillows screaming one word. Gasping alongside her Lex could not hold back the chuckle. Ashley turned her face to his, puzzled. Lex kissed her before leaning close to her ear.
"I told you I would make you scream my name."
xxxxxxx
Gotham City: Christmas Eve; Wayne Manor
Lex stood next to Ashley, trying his best to seem interested in the collection of socially acceptable people that filled the new Wayne ballroom. It was not easy, most of them being vapid, inbred morons with no imagination what so ever, they did not get his sarcasm or witty remarks.
If he had to listen to one more condescending society matron ask Ashley why she was wasting her time in the silly pursuit of music and was not at Vassar as befit a young lady of her station, he was going to slap someone. What the fuck gave them the right to dictate her life?
Joseph Embers was another problem all together.
Ashley had asked that they keep the nature of their relationship subdued around her father, only because she did not want to deal with his crap. But everyone knows when you try to keep a secret like that from a parent they always find out.
Joseph had caught them kissing in the solarium and not just a small kiss or a peck a "real" kiss. He had not yelled or freaked out, he cleared his throat and asked his daughter to speak with him in private. Lex refused to let him pull her away to bully. With the greatest deference he could muster, Lex had addressed the aging, ill man.
"Mr. Embers, I mean no disrespect, but if you wish to speak with Ashley about her involvement with me then I believe you can do that with me in the room." Lex kept his face serine and his arm around Ash's shoulders holding her with affection.
He looked the man straight in the eye unwavering in his will. Joseph had studied Lex for several minutes before looking at his daughter with vast disapproval.
"Is this how you feel as well, Ashley Lynn?" he asked using her middle name to make her feel her age. The dig had made Lex's jaw twitch but he did not say anything, waited instead for his lover to answer the question. Ashley felt the silent support he gave and lifted her chin defiantly.
"Daddy, you need to let go of the past. Lex is not his father." She said letting the words sink in for a moment before continuing. "I want you to understand that I do not need your approval but I would like you to accept that we are together." She held out a hand to her father, hoping he would love her enough to let it go.
The old man dropped his eyes, a nasty expression creasing his features and mumbled as he walked away.
"Well, at least he's male."
The hurt written on Ashley's face made Lex outrageously angry. He turned her to face him and lifted her chin with one hand. She kept her gaze down; the thick lashes veiling her magnificent eyes.
"Look at me." He said. Her lids drew back, eyes brimming with tears. "Do not let that bitter old man's words touch you. I understand he is your father but he does not know you. That much I can tell." His hands moved to smooth her hair, coming to rest on the back of her neck.
"I love you." He smiled and returned to kissing her. The urge to protect her was still strong, he was not sure it was going to ebb at all.
Sighing, Lex brought his attention back to the babbling gin soaked blond who had Ash clutched by the arm. He looked at Ashley; the honest smile that spread over his face was not lost on Bruce who stood a few feet away.
After his first misgivings, Bruce had settled into the idea of his beloved cousin involved with a Luthor. The unwavering desperation he had showed in getting Ashley back safe had made Bruce look at him in a whole new way. How Lex hand handled her after the ghastly scene in the park left Bruce with no doubt that Lex Luthor loved his cousin very much.
The fact that he had come to Gotham for this insufferable holiday party and had put up with his uncle's rudeness brought Lex's credibility up even more in Bruce's books. He decided to take pity on the couple and save them from Mimi Vander Hoff's drunken tirade. Bruce's wide shoulders gently brushed the woman aside as he cut thru the conversation.
"I am sorry to interrupt but I need to steal Ashley and Lex." He gave the woman a dazzling smile and took his cousin's arm. As the three walked away, Bruce smirked at Ashley.
"I thought you two might die of boredom in another few minutes. So instead you get to help me with the gift handout." His smirk grew into a full-blown evil grin. Ashley snaked one small hand up under his arm and pinched him hard. Bruce flinched and laughed. Lex sighed but did not say anything. Maybe having no family obligations was not such a bad thing after all, he mused to himself.
xxxxxx
When the night finally ended and the last soused guest had been politely sent home, Bruce wondered thru the long hall helping Alfred turn out lights. He walked into the newly furnished library and found Ashley and Lex asleep on the long Victorian couch.
She was curled on her side her stocking feet tucked up under her skirt, her head on his lap. Lex leaned back against the couch his head resting on one hand, the fingers of the other threaded in her hair. Bruce walked softly over the Persian rug and stood over them for a brief moment. Ashley's face was placid; her white fingers lay across Lex's leg. Bruce leaned down keeping his voice low.
"Lex." He said. The younger man opened his eyes slowly and blinked. He stifled a yawn and smiled wryly at Bruce.
"Party over?" Lex asked. Bruce nodded and Lex gave a bemused look before his eyes dropped to the sleeping girl on his lap.
"Sweetheart, wake up." He said tenderly. His hand caressing her face while he urged her to sit up. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, her head turned and she squinted at Bruce.
He was reminded of her as a small child, she would always fall asleep at the Christmas party and when woken to go home she would make the same face. He chuckled softly as Lex helped her to her feet. She pulled free for a moment and wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck.
"Merry Christmas, Bruce." Ashley whispered and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He hugged her tight; having her back was the best gift he had gotten in years. He released her, stepping back with reserved emotions. Ash slipped under Lex's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. He nodded to Bruce and they headed for bed.
Bruce stood in the empty library for a while after they had gone. His head mulling over many different issues while his heart felt, for the first time in a very long time, almost light.
The snow was falling silently outside as he walked to the window. His gaze fell on the blanketed lawns, the peacefulness of the landscape gave him a moment's hope that tonight he would not have to go out into the streets.
Alfred stepped into the room and cleared his throat. Bruce turned from the window and his light thoughts to face his friend. The look on the butler's face told him his hopes were in vein.
"Who is it?" he asked the darkness creeping into his voice. Alfred sighed, frustrated that his young master could not have even this one night free from costumed freaks.
"The Joker, Master Bruce. In Downtown Gotham." Alfred let Bruce brush past him as they headed for the massive Grandfather clock at the end of the hall.
"Merry Christmas, Alfred. I'll be home in time for breakfast." Bruce said slipping into the black door behind the clock. Alfred watched the clock slid back into position and sighed again.
"Merry Christmas to you as well, Master Bruce."