Disclaimer: read Chapter 1 for a complete disclaimer.

A/N: a huge thank you to those of you who always take the time to leave your review. I appreciate the wonderful comments you've made so far. Here's a two- part installment I hope you'll find to your liking.

Enjoy and keep on feeding my muse with your reviews !

CHAPTER 11: Comfort

It was a grey rainy day in Gotham, befitting the mournful mood the Luthors were in. At Chloe's insistence Lucas' body was set to rest in Gotham's cemetery, a wish that was respected by Lex and not overriden by Lionel. Despite her husband's famous surname, the ceremony was a private one, attended only by the closest family and friends- Lucas' father and half brother, Martha and Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale.

Chloe had been to two funerals in her twenty-seven years, Gabe and Jonathan Kent's, but she hadn't felt like this- not even at her father's. The whole ordeal was surreal, as if she were disembodied and watching the whole affair from afar. She was numb, and couldn't shed a tear. Years later, the only thing she'd remember of the ceremony would be Lex's cold serenity and the strength he had provided her to go through it all.

Once the funeral was over, Bruce Wayne offered them to stay the night at his mansion, an offer that was accepted by all except Chloe.

" Would you rather Vicki or I stayed with you, Chloe ? " asked Lois.

" You shouldn't be alone, sweetie, " said Martha Kent warmly. " Why don't you let Lois keep you company, Chloe ? "

" I know you mean well, Mrs Kent, but I'll be all right, " responded a collected Chloe.

" Lex, honey, " murmured Martha when she saw Chloe engaged in conversation with Vicki.

" Yes, Mrs Kent, " answered the eldest of Lionel's offspring, taking off his shades.

" Will you watch over her ? She may not know it yet, but... you of all people must know what she's going through now, Lex. She needs someone to be there for her. When Jonathan died, I wanted to be left alone, but it was Clark's warmth that helped me through the first night. "

" Set your mind at rest, Martha, " responded Lex, squeezing her hand tightly.

" Call me at any time, Chloe. I mean it, " Vicki entreated her.

" Thanks, Vicki, " answered Chloe, accepting her best friend's embrace.

" Lex, take the Beemer. Use it as long as you need it, " said Bruce, handing him the keys. " Alfred's coming for us. "

"I appreciate the gesture, Bruce, " he responded, grabbing them.

The drive to Chloe's apartment was smooth and quiet. Neither she nor Lex had uttered a word since they left the cemetery, but it was a pregnant silence. There was a deep empathy between the two, a strong connection like the one they'd established ten years before- albeit for different reasons.

Being with Lex in that car gradually tore down the defences she had carefully put up to get a grip on herself during the burial. Once they had got out of the vehicle, Chloe allowed her pent-up emotions to show and, by the time they got to the flat door, she was so shaky that her brother-in-law had to take the keys from her hands to unlock it. As soon as Lex opened the door for her to come in, Chloe made a plunge for the bathroom, where she emptied her stomach.

Meanwhile, he shut the door quietly and made his way to the kitchen to put on a kettle. Personally, he'd have had a bottle of vintage scotch, but Chloe's upset stomach called for a cup of tea or chamomile.

To suit the hurting that both were nursing, the grey skies of Gotham turned even darker, and a strong thunderstorm broke. The thunder and lightning reminded him of a heavy storm from his childhood days at Excelsior. He would never forget that storm for it signalled the night he had had his very first nervous breakdown-the night he had almost jumped off a roof, when a teacher and Lionel had found him rocking a blanket he thought was his dead brother Julian.

Lex's reveries were suddenly interrupted by the opening of the bathroom door.

" Why don't you lie down, Chloe ? " suggested Lex. " I'll bring you something hot in a couple of minutes, " he added when he saw his distraught sister-in-law nod her assent.

" I know coffee's your favourite infusion, but I think tea will agree with your stomach better now, " said Lex a while later, setting the cup on the bedside table.

" Lex ? " whispered Chloe to his receding figure.

" Yes ? " he asked, turning around.

" Could you... would you mind ... ? " she asked chokingly.

" Sure, Chloe, " he responded, sitting down in an armchair next to the bedroom door. " Rest, Chloe. I'll be right here. "

" Thanks, " she murmured, resting her head on the pillow and lying in foetal position.

Ten years had elapsed since they last saw each other, but it had taken less than a day for them to come back to what their relationship had been like before he chose to put an end to it. He had felt more than a fleeting attraction towards Clark's close friend, and he was quite sure the girl had had feelings for him that went beyond friendship. It was precisely for that reason that he had made up his mind to distance himself from her. Chloe was an amazing young woman who was destined for greater things than a high school paper, and Lex knew himself well enough to realise his emotional demands would have hampered her dreams.

Unlike Lana, who needed someone to guide her and give her the security she lacked, Chloe required a partner who could be her equal in life, someone who could challenge her and, at the same time, support her even if they had different views on a subject. Lex had once thought he could be that man- and deep inside there was a part of him who still believed that- but that autumn, he had reached the conclusion that her dangerous association with Lionel had been more than enough. A romantic entanglement with another Luthor would have made her vulnerable to harm and Lex was not prepared to live with that.

Lying on her bed, with her eyes wide open and locked with those of Lucas' elder brother, Chloe allowed herself to cry silent tears until she fell asleep. In spite of the raging passions she knew Lex was capable of, she had always admired his ability to appear calm in the face of misfortune, and this night of all nights she found that comforting. The Lord knew she would need her strength, as well as his, to deal with what was to come.

This isn't all folks ! Go ahead to chapter 12.