Epilogue
Lex opened his eyes and rolled over to look for Lana. The nightmare he'd been living for the past 24 hours had finally seeped into his dreams, and for a moment he was sure she hadn't made it home. Through the dark though, he saw her, curled up on her side of the bed with an arm placed protectively near their baby who also slept. When the call had come in the morning before that Lana was gone, he'd never been so goddamn scared in his life. He had an army out looking for her, but she had disappeared without a trace and as the hours ticked by, he grew more and more desperate. It wasn't just her that he had failed to protect, it was Alexander, who knew his father's voice already. He stayed as business like as possible, screaming at servants and secret service agents for the smallest wrongs and tried his best not to think about his unborn son. Just solve the problem- no time to get emotional about it. A family trait that for once he wasn't annoyed to have inherited from his father.
They heard nothing. No ransom demand, no clues at all, just nothing. As dusk fell, Lex began to face the fact that he might actually have to go to bed not knowing where his wife and child were, if they were hurt, or even alive at all. Nothing he had ever been through in his life even compared. The pain he'd thought he felt before was almost laughable compared to the hell he was in now. He couldn't face their bedroom, and locked himself away in his study instead, where he fell on his knees and stared deeply into the fire. At that moment he truly did believe that he was damned.
And then the call came. Her voice was all he could hear, and he stayed on the line with her until she was safely back in his arms. With a pang of regret, he realized that he had missed the birth of his child, but incredible pride overshadowed that. Lana was a fighter, a survivor, fierce and undefeatable and no one would ever be able to stand on her neck in triumph. She was more fully his match than anyone else could ever be. His soul mate. His Goddess.
After stopping at the hospital to be checked out, they went home. Lana was mostly quiet, though she did answer questions put to her by the police. With enormous difficulty, Alexander was taken away by the nannies so that Lex could get Lana into the bath. She sat in silence, allowing him to wash her hair and lightly scrub her body clean. He coaxed her to eat a little and then listened in agony as she whispered her story, tears slipping down her cheeks. More than anything, he wished he'd broken Helen's neck when he had the chance. He burned the bloody gown Lana had been wearing.
Now she slept, and how he wasn't sure. Did she feel safe? Was she alright? Time would only tell.
Lex was happy that they were both home where they belonged, and for the first time in his life, he felt like things might actually be okay. Regardless of what the future has in store for them, they will meet it head on, and nothing will stop them.
Lex smiled at that thought, and leaned over to kiss his family goodnight.
THE END