A/N: here we are, heading into Smallville era...
xxxxxxx
Ashley had a complete breakdown. She had to be heavily sedated most of the time; every time the drugs wore off, she would become wildly hysterical once more. She was put under special watch and access to her was limited. The only coherent thought that had come out of her was that she wanted to go home to Gotham.
That statement was a knife in Lex's heart; he could only let her go. Bruce made all the arrangements; the best psychologists that could be found were put on call. It was awful, the press was clamoring for information and no one was talking.
Lex had disappeared for several days; Bruce suspected he was holed up somewhere working things out in his head. He felt so bad for Lex; this was not how things should have gone.
Bruce knew he could not walk away from the younger Luthor completely. He left messages on Lex's voice mail telling him to keep in contact, but no response had come back.
The day of departure arrived and Bruce had one last thing to do. He left Ashley in Vi's care as they headed in a limo to the airport. He took a cab to the loft and knocked on Lex's door.
The missing Luthor had surfaced a few days before, in time to give the movers access to the loft to collect Ashley's things. Bruce was sick at heart with what he had to do, but for Ashley he would do this. He waited as the sound of shuffling footsteps moved closer. The door opened to reveal Lex. Bruce was shocked at the state he was in.
His wrinkled clothes and red eyes told of sleepless nights, the reek of scotch told of attempts to drown his pain. Bruce steeled himself to the hurt he was about to add to Lex's already aching heart. Lex blinked at him and opened the door wider.
"Come on in." he said drunkenly. He spun on his heel and swaggered into the room. Bruce followed him to the bar and cleared his throat a few times.
"Lex," He started, voice low and sympathetic. "I can't tell you how bad I feel for the way things have gone." He attempted to catch Lex's eye but Lex gave him his profile. Bruce went on. "I am taking her back to Gotham today. She is very ill, Lex. She will need a lot of care, but she could come out of this and change her mind." He said offering Lex that small hope. Lex sneered and shook his head.
"Bruce, we both know that is never going to happen. She will never get past what I did and what we lost because of it. Let it go." He downed another shot and slammed the glass on the countertop. Bruce hardened and reached into the pocket of his coat.
"Well, then I guess all I have left to say is...my cousin asked me to return this." He spoke the words slowly, knowing the blow it had to be. He held out the ring pinched between his fingers. Lex snarled and knocked over several bottles as he backed away from Bruce.
"NO!" he hollered shaking his head. "Hell no, I will not take it back. It's hers and I will not accept it." He turned his back and waved Bruce off. "Just leave, Bruce. Take it with you. If you leave it I will just have it sent to her." he said coldly. Bruce closed his eyes and sighed. He made his way to the door and stopped to look back .
"Lex, I just want you to know that no matter how this plays out, you can still consider me a friend." He watched Lex's head drop and he knew he had been heard. As he slipped out the door, he heard Lex softly say,
"Thanks, Batman."
XXXXXX
December: Gotham City
The winter snow had covered Gotham once again in a blanket of pristine whiteness. The cozy fire in the sitting room of Wayne manor cast a cheery light on the room. Ashley was curled into a ball on the sofa, a warm afghan tucked around her.
The therapy had gone well, she was no longer a mess all the time. However, she had become more reserved. Bruce and Vi were the only people she confided in. She had opted to take a break from her music, but that was getting boring. Sitting around feeling sorry for herself was really beginning to make even her sick.
'Dark Angel' had become her biggest hit; the fans loved her humanizing of this dark hero. She could tell that at first Bruce was not happy about the song. Over time and she suspected much listening, he grew to like it.
Bruce would not let her know that he was greatly moved by the song and secretly he loved the tee shirts. They had become all the rage since the video came out. It was frivolous but because it came from her, he could accept it. She had been writing and spending her time on the estate. He knew she was hiding, she was afraid to face the world again after so much heartache.
Lex was another story all together. His downward spiral was very dark and very public. Everyday the tabloids screamed with the newest night of debauchery and drug use. Always had a different girl on his arm, always a new party. Anyone who asked what had happened with Ashley usually got punched. He was heading for a spin out, Bruce was afraid Lex was going to get himself killed.
Bruce walked into the sitting room and smiled at his cousin and to his happiness she returned it.
"How are you today?" he asked. It had become a ritual for them. He would ask how she was doing that day and she would tell him the truth. It had worked very well for the past three months.
"I am a little shitty today." She said but smiled nonetheless. Bruce sat beside her and put a hand to her shoulder.
"What is bothering you?" he asked with concern in his tone. She shrugged and placed her hand over his.
"Just the usual, I didn't get the closure, yet I am terrified to even cross that smoking bridge." She tossed a copy of the tattler at him.
"Especially now." The blaring headline read:
LEX AND SUPER MODEL BUSTED FOR INDECENT EXPOSURE!
Bruce made a disgusted face and threw the paper into the fire.
"How do you keep getting those? I have tried to keep that crap from you, you know." He shook his head in irritation. Ashley laughed and patted him on the knee.
"Bruce, I am a big girl and I know how to get my own trashy newspapers." She stood slowly and stretched like a cat.
"There is one good thing though." She said looking down on her cousin. "I think I am ready to go back to work." Bruce jumped up and grabbed her in a hug.
"That is good to hear!" He said squeezing her close. She laughed again and he found that the sound made his heart lighter then it had been in months.
xxxxxx
The year passed away and spring came. Ashley went beck into the studio and churned out another smash hit album. She had moved from star to superstar, the fans loved that she had comeback from her accident and the end of her fairytale romance with a strong voice. Summer came and she was the top of the world, Grammies and video awards abounded. Everyone loved Ashley.
Lex was nearing the end of his rope. Everywhere he turned, something brought her to mind. The billboards on Main Street, the mural on the Virgin Mega Store, the endless magazines and the TV spots all making him remember the woman that got away, the one he had wanted to keep.
He had nearly wrapped his new Porsche around a telephone pole one night, he was driving with his latest conquest and he flipped through the stations on the radio. Suddenly the car was filled with Her voice singing 'Redemption', that fucking song! Luckily, he had regained his composure before he killed them both.
Lex's bad behavior had become so disgraceful that Lionel had to make an appearance. He found Lex in a tangle of models in the loft. He kicked Lex's foot to rouse him from his stupor. Opening his eyes to see his father glaring down at him did nothing to improve Lex's mood.
"Son, get up, it's time for your little friends to go home." Lionel's voice left no room to argue. Once the girls had gone Lex slumped into a chair and gave his father a look filled with daggers. Lionel snorted and shook his head.
"Lex, let go of this petty resentment you bear me. I did you a favor." He shrugged as Lex shot up out of the chair and began to shout.
"FAVOR? THAT WAS A FAVOR?" Lex was seething with rage. "YOU COST ME THE ONE THING THAT MADE ME HAPPY, AND YOU CONSIDER IT A FAVOR!"
Lionel waved a hand and raised his own voice.
"Lex, I did not force you to fornicate with that girl." He smiled evilly. "And that is fact you cannot debate." He watched his son's shoulders fall as the truth settled in.
"Look Alexander, I know you have taken this hard, but I want you to think about your future." He straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him. "You're 21 now. I want you to pull yourself together and take some responsibility." Lex made a distasteful face and turned his back on his father. Lionel's tone got darker.
"You have a great destiny, Lex and I want to see if you can rise up to the challenges ahead. I am willing to offer you a position running one of LuthorCorp's plants." He put forth the idea. "I want you to go to Smallville. You can use the castle, it will be a good break for you."
"You want me to go run a crap factory." Lex sneered. Lionel gave him a condescending chuckle. He patted his son on the back a little too firmly
"Think about it, Lex. You need to stop wallowing in this and be a man." He said before walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Lex stared at the wall and mulled over his father's offer. Getting out of Metropolis would be a welcome thing, but going to Smallville...that place had taken so much from him.
But in honesty what did he have here? Maybe he needed to go back to that place and see if it could give him a new beginning rather than an end.
Lex crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath. It could be a fresh start for him, a way to move past his pain. The walls were finally in place, mentally Lex reached out and donned his armor.
Yes, he could go to Smallville.
Go to Smallville and forget about Ashley, for good.
xxxxxx
As the year passed so did, Ashley's father Joseph. His body finally giving into the abuse he had done it over the years.
Ashley came home from the road and faced another part of her past coming to a close. She buried her father and hoped that he had found some peace at last.
She was surprise to find that Lex sent flowers and a card. She opened the small plum colored card, reading his sloping script.'I am sorry for your loss. Lex.' she placed it back among the flowers. It was nice, he did not have to do it but he still had.
xxxxxx
In Smallville Lex found more of a new beginning then he bargained for. Within hours of taking over the plant, he had crashed his Porsche off a bridge and would have drowned had it not been for a courageous local farm boy.
The teenager jumped in and pulled Lex to safety. The story in the Gotham Gazette had told how Lex and the young man, whose name was Clark Kent, had become fast friends. Ashley hoped he was happy. She had begun to regret how harsh she had been with him, but could not give in to believing she was totally in the wrong.
Life in the sleepy little town was more exciting then Lex had expected it to be. The mysteries that popped up time and again kept him intrigued. Especially the mystery of Clark Kent, the teenager was more then he appeared to be, Lex was sure of that much.
Also keeping his attention was the ambitious Miss Lana Lang. Lex had listened to her proposal to turn the ageing movie house into a artsy coffee spot, her large hazel/green eyes flashing her hopes. He was powerfully reminded of another green eyed girl who's dreams he had assisted.
The night The Talon opened, after he had tied up those nasty strings left from the Club Zero debacle, was an enjoyable experience. That was until, in the middle of explaining the renovations to a Main Street merchant, the music had shifted and the cords of 'Dark Angel' filled the room. He actually stuttered.
Lex excused himself and stepped outside to clear his head. It was aggravating that she still effected him so. He stood in the cold autumn night air and processed the pain. Clark had found him leaning against the brick wall, of course he had. Clark, who could be so oblivious to most things right in front of him, at times could read Lex as if he were a book.
"Lex, are you ok?" the expressive eyes gave him a look of consern. Lex chuckled and patted the boy on his wide shoulder.
"I'm fine, Clark. Just some ghosts giving me a little grief." Lex said. Clark smiled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"This is a great party. Lana seems tickled." the boy said in a nonchalant voice. Lex smiled wryly and nodded.
"Yes, Clark. She does." He put his hands in his pockets and tipped his head toward the door. "Go back, have a great time." He began walking to his car. Clark's beautific fetures creased for a moment.
"Lex, you're leaving so soon?" he was worried once more. Lex shrugged and unlocked the door.
"I need a little time to myself. Get things back into perspective, so to speak." He gave his friend a crooked smiled and got into the car.
xxxxx
While Lex was learning about the hidden aspects of being a big fish in a little pond, Ashley was perplexing the most eligible men in the world.
Movie stars, politicians, and royalty all attempted to court the alluring star. She rebuffed all men, keeping company with women most of the time. That secret had been spilled while she was still with Lex, the public did not mind that she had a taste for women as well as men.
But as one boisterous shock jock pointed out, it seemed Ashley had a taste for women and man, singular. She ignored the subject, she did not like to dwell on what that meant. She put her energy into her work and her family, such as it was.
Bruce was increasingly a worry for her. There had been one night while she was staying with him that Alfred had woken her up. He was as close to frantic as Alfred could get, he kept saying he needed her assistance, Bruce had been poisoned again.
AGAIN? When the fuck was the first time? Never mind she did not want to know.
It had taken him nearly a week to recover, but she stayed by his side and cared for him. Seeing her powerful cousin so weak made her look at his crusade in a entirely new light. She valued her time with him much more after that.
Bruce had decided she needed to learn some self-defense. Her close brush with a stalker had left him extremely distressed. He took her into the 'Bat Gym' as she insisted on calling it, much to Bruce's irritation, and he taught her how to kick some ass. They had a lot of fun together and it became her favorite part of every visit.
After Ashley turned 18, the record company turned up the heat. She was an adult now, legal for everyone, not just billionaires. To announce that fact they pushed her to do a rather racy video for a very personal song she had not been sure she was even going to release. It became the first Ashley Embers video to be banned from daytime airplay.
Lex had developed a rather bad habit, a secret fixation, if you will. It started out that night after The Talon opening, at first harmless enough. He went back to the mansion and did a web search for the video to -Dark Angel'. He hoped, watching it would purge him of his sensitivity to her and her voice. He found so many available files of her videos that he ended up downloading them all and burning them to a disc.
Then whenever he felt a little melancholy or he found himself missing her a bit too much he would put it in the player and watch her. The initial intent was as a sort of self applied therapy.
Originally, it was just every now and then. But it soon became something he did just about every night. No longer, something with which he hoped to desensitize himself. He began to collect clips of her on talk shows and in tabloid TV interviews. Anything that showed her moving and singing or talking, he had to add it to his collection.
The night he settled in his chair with his scotch to watch the newest one, he was not expecting what unfolded before him. He had doubled talked himself mentally, he had turned his heart off to his feelings for her but there was one thing he could not control and that was how his body responded to her.
The song was titled 'The Way You Touched Me'. The video depicted Ash going about her regular day, being a rock star and then out of nowhere the images shifted to her and a man. They were rolling over a bed, the camera shots leading one to assume they were nude. The video was practically soft-core porn.
The man's face was always shadowed and the fact that it was a man was not lost on Lex. His body reacted almost instantaneously. He felt the flush of raw desire, watching the camera pan down her taut abdomen following the man's hand. The scene cut before he reached her sex.
Cut to a shot of Ashley, head thrown back, lips parted as in climax, an image he was very familiar with. Then more of her being a rock star and thinking about the things she had done with the man, which led once more to the explicit images.
Lex had to shut the player off before it was half way thru, the experience was far too intense for him. He had gone upstairs and taken Victoria roughly without any explanation. As he came, he vowed he would stop this obsessing, but the next night he was right back in that chair and this time he watched the whole thing, twice
xxxxxx
Learning about the astounding effects the meteor rocks had on the residents of Smallville had altered Lex's focus for a while. These were the same meteors that had distorted his own life, changed his appearance and advanced his immune system.
He took the long-standing passion for his father's downfall and turned it to unlocking the secrets of these strange rocks. Every step forward was punctuated by three steps back. There was something he kept missing something that was right under his nose and he needed to find it, needed on a primal level. Slowly a new aspect of Lex Luthor began to take shape. He had fought to not be that man for so long, but fate it seemed had far too many plans for him.
Time marched on and Lex found himself wondering if he needed professional help. If he stopped to count the number of times his life had been in danger over the past two and a half years, he would develop a phobia of other people. He was beginning to think maybe he deserved it, he had taken part in some truly despicable acts as of late. Yet, every time he was looking death in eye something happened to save his sorry ass.
That something was, more often then not, Clark Kent. The boy was a compelling mix of innocent hokum and earth shattering intrigue. Lex had not failed to notice that every time the Kents, Lana, the effervescent Chloe Sullivan or even Lex himself came into the path of some new danger, Clark had a hand in their salvation.
Lex was perturbed that Clark would not trust him, though he called Lex his best friend. It cut deeper every time Lex asked him for the truth and Clark would lie, badly.
Between his father's ever increasing interest in what Lex was doing, and the mysteries that surrounded him, Lex felt sure he was losing his grip.
That is until Dr. Helen Bryce walked into his life. She brought a feeling of sanity and calm to his space. He fell for her, not as hard as he fell for Ashley, but hard enough. He stopped torturing himself with his ex's images and gave all his emotional attention to this new woman in his life.
Lionel hated her, just like every other woman in Lex's life. It would seem no one was good enough for him, in his father's eyes. Which was a double-edged sword really, none passed muster, yet the man did not really wish Lex to be happy. And while he was on that subject, why did his father want him miserable? Was it the competition or was it something darker?
Shaking the though away Lex placed his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. The black velvet box in his hand felt heavy. He could not help but reflect on the fact that he had been here before, in this place of excitement and terror, but it was different now.
He could breath and he could think, something he had struggled to do the last time. He pushed open the door; looking at the fire lit room he saw her sitting waiting for him. Lex smiled and closed the door behind him. He hoped this time his father would not be able to interfere.
xxxxxx
Spring came again and promised a hot summer. Ash was in Gotham for one of her visits, wanting get a little time in with Bruce before she started rehearsals for her next tour. If this one went as well as the record company hoped, she would be heading to Europe in the fall. That would keep her out of the country over the holidays, a fact she was not really happy about.
Bruce found her sitting in the solarium staring at the sunset. He watched her for a while, assessing her mood. By now she had to have heard the news, they were talking about on the radio and every gossip show on TV.
As if to answer his wondering she set aside a news paper and pulled her knees up to her chest wrapping her arms around her legs. She laid her cheek on one knee and Bruce could see her eyes were wet. Not that she was crying, just a little misty. He moved into the bright glassed in room and coughed quietly.
Ashley looked up and gave him a halfhearted smile. Bruce slipped something into his pocket and crossed to sit next to her on the bench. He picked up the paper; it was folded to the announcement section showing a picture of Lex and his bride-to-be standing close and smiling bright.
"How you holding up?" he asked gently. Ash shrugged and chuckled softly.
"Ah, I'm ok, I guess. Just facing up to the fact that closure is something I lost when I pushed him away like I did." She made a face as if she was fighting not to cry. Bruce put his arm around her shoulders. "I just wish I had taken the time to let him know I didn't hate him, I don't like what he did and I know he would have changed it if he could have. But..." she trailed off and her bottom lip began to quiver. She shrugged again and ran a hand over her eyes.
"But Lionel must be pleased, she's a 'Doctor'." Her voice dipping sarcastically. "Bet that made his day." She leaned her head against him and let a few small tears escape. He comforted her and listened to her vent. She kept saying she wanted resolution, closure, but without surrender. The detective got to thinking.
Bruce gently rocked her as his mind worked rapidly. He had an idea of how she could do this but he had to present it to her just right. He pulled his arm free and stood in front of her. She gazed up at her cousin and noted the mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"What are you up to, Bruce?" she asked feeling anxious. He held out a staying hand.
"Hear me out before you react, that is all I ask." He said warming to his idea. Ash gave him a wary look but nodded. He reached into his pocket and closed his fingers over an envelope, holding it while he pitched his idea.
"Ok, you know how I assisted Lex when he started LexCorp, right? One of my little fuck-yous to his father." His lips curled as he spoke the words making him think of how he hated Lionel Luthor. He let that go and continued with his plan.
"Well, being that I am a silent partner in many of Lex's financial endeavors, I made the list." He said handing her the lavender rectangle. Ashley took the object and inspected it. She heart pounded hard and she looked at Bruce with hurt in her eyes. He held out the hand again.
"I'm not done." he said keeping eye contact. "Now, this one of the most coveted wedding invitations of the year. It entitles me and a guest to attend. Rather then taking some bubbled headed bimbo, which I could find anywhere. I think I should take my gorgeous cousin, who is harder to find. Who happens to be a rock star adored the world over." His eyes flashed and Ashley felt herself blush at the idea. "Who happens to be the groom's ex fiancée, one he had a very hard and very public time getting over." She looked back down at the card in her hands. Bruce laughed and went on.
"Wait for it, there is more. By going with me you can get the closure you need and let him know you no longer despise him and..." he caught her chin and brought it up to look at him.
"I think you should wear a red dress." His grin was huge. "That way you can also let him know that you still feel you had the right to your outrage." He watched her eyes as she thought about it.
There was a long pause while she settled the thought into her mind. Her laughter filled the solarium with it's deep rich sound. Ashley grabbed her cousin's hand and nodded.
"Oh yes Bruce, let's do just that!"