Couple(s): Chloe/Lex

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me. The title comes from the Smiths' song of the same name.

Spoilers: for 'Save Me', I guess

Feedback: If you're going to be sweet, sure; if not, keep your flames to yourself. Thanks.

Author's Note: Thanks for the kind reviews! I now know where I'm taking this, I'm simply not at all sure how I'm going to get there. It will all come together eventually, regardless of how pointless this chapter turns out to be. I apologize for all the schmoop; the two of them really do have minds of their own. Instead of getting the plot going, Lex insisted that he and his wife have more tender moments. *rolls eyes* I'm such a push-over when it comes to sexy men like him. Next chapter will definitely have a point, I swear on the chunk of meteor that killed Lana's parents.

Bigmouth Strikes Again

******

Since she started working at home, it had evolved into a tradition of sorts; around lunchtime every day, Chloe and Lex would stop whatever work in which they were engrossed, and spend time together. Usually she would be the first to take a break, but he sometimes surprised her.

At the beginning, they would fool around. Though they still did occasionally--like on their anniversary--the Luthors began to prefer discussions and coffee to acts of physical intimacy. (This is not to say that the passion had left their marriage; they simply saved those activities for later.)

The day after their anniversary was no exception. Lex set down his disgustingly expensive black pen and glanced at his high tech watch. (He still had the Napoleon watch from his mother, but he rarely wore it. Instead, it rested in a locked case in the top drawer of his desk.)

According to his other timepiece, it was noon exactly. Smiling to himself, he shut the door to his office quietly, and then crept into the next room.

Chloe was hunched over the keyboard of her iMac, writing furiously, the tip of her tongue protruding from her lips as she concentrated. In lieu of a verbal greeting, he leaned over and gently lifted her hands off the keys.

She swiveled around in her chair, startled. After a beat, her face visibly relaxed. "Hey, Lex. Let me just finish this paragraph." Before she could face the desk again, he'd tapped the 'save' key and shut the lid of her computer.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," he said firmly. "You and I both know that if I let you finish a paragraph, you'll never stop writing. And frankly, my dear, I've been waiting three hours to see you again." Even though they were in the house together all day, they made a point to act like they weren't; seeing each other more than once during the normal work hours could have proven disruptive and distracting.

Chloe relented and returned his smile. "I like keeping you waiting, darling." The couple kissed for a moment or two, getting the passionate stuff out of the way for a while. "Wow," she whispered when they headed for the living room. "How the *hell* did I survive without your damn good kisses throughout college?"

"Suck up," he shot back. His wife grinned and perched on the black leather couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Lex dropped onto the matching chair that rested on the other side of the blue Oriental rug. Each studied the other intensely for several minutes, almost memorizing the sight of his or her spouse.

"How's business going?" she wondered finally.

"Fabulous," he returned wryly, his usual smirk forming on his lips. He used to not discuss work with her; had thought it was better to leave that stuff in his office. He had decided later that, if she asked a direct question about what he was doing, he'd tell her.

"Great." The silence that filled the entire room wasn't necessarily bad; it just proved, again, that they didn't have to converse in order to enjoy each other.

"Does Guy bother you?"

Lex's blunt question caught her off-guard. Once she collected herself, Chloe shrugged. "Not particularly. Why do you ask?"

His turn to shrug, though he looked unconvincing. "I don't know. There's something about him that really...worries me."

It was rare for him to speak so frankly about feelings that didn't revolve around her or their children. Suddenly concerned, she left the couch and rested on his lap; their loose, unspoken 'rule' against touching during their discussions was thrown out the proverbial window. His arms instantly clasped around her jeans-clad waist, and he let his hands drift up the back of her white button down shirt.

"Need to talk about it?"

Lex's forehead found its way to her shoulder. "I don't know. He just *bothers* me. There's something disturbing about the way he smiles and asks about you."

This got her attention. Tilting his chin so she could see his face, Chloe frowned. "He asks about me." It was more a statement than a question.

*Now you've done it, Lex* He swallowed, nervous. He was rarely ever nervous. "Yeah. About a week ago he wondered how things were going at the Ledger; I never told him where you worked, I never told him what you even did for a living. I don't think you did, either; did you?"

"No, I didn't. I've never said anything about myself to him. Maybe Lena or John mentioned something?" She was determined to not let Guy's...bizarreness get to her.

The smirk was back on his mouth. "I adore our kids, but I don't think they're aware enough to know what either of us does. And even if they are, why would they talk to their tutor about our jobs? It doesn't make sense."

Her nimble hands began to massage his shoulders. "I'm married to you, Lex; you are, whether or not you acknowledge it, a Luthor--these things get out. You more or less warned me about that the day you proposed."

When the memory came back to him, he broke into a sincere smile. "That's right; I guess I did."

"Remember what you said?" she asked with a sly grin, forgetting about the other topic of conversation for a second. When he shook his head, obviously baffled, she cleared her throat. "You said, 'Clo, darling, I want you to know that, whatever happens, I won't let the press make a mockery of you. No matter how many people I have to pay, how many strings I have to pull, your reputation was stay in tact.' Then you paused and became apprehensive. You! It was fabulous."

Her words elicited a warm chuckle. "Then I proposed, right? I wish like hell that I could recall the rest of what I said; perhaps, however, I was too worried that you'd say 'no' to memorize my speech."

Chloe laughed, her eyes glittering. "That kind of *was* your proposal; I asked you what the hell you were talking about; you got all serious again, then said, 'if you don't agree to marry me, I won't hold anything against you; I will, however, go through the rest of my life a heartbroken, lovesick man. And at the age of twenty-eight, that's not exactly how I want to carry on. I won't pressure you into making a decision immediately.' And that was it."

Lex let out an undignified snort. "Wow; what a bloody romantic I was back then. How did you stand me?"

"Nobody said I did, or that I do." She kissed his smiling mouth quickly. "Maybe I'm using you for your body." Her voice lowered. "Since you are, after all, entirely too sexy. I think it's the fact that you're prematurely bald; there's something irresistible about a young business man who has no hair. Maybe that makes me crazy, but..." She trailed off, very much aware that she was murmuring nonsense into his ear.

In a flash they were on the plush, carpeted floor, giggling like high schoolers; though neither really knew how they got there in the first place.

"Why is it," Lex began thoughtfully after half an hour of passionate making out that resulted in their respective shirts becoming mostly unbuttoned, "that whenever we try to have a normal, serious conversations like two mature adults, we end up rolling around on the floor?" He wasn't being cute; he really did want to know.

Her eyebrows raised and she smirked. "Wow, I guess this time we actually made it to the floor. Huh. In response to your question: I blame it on the fact that you're just an incredibly amazing kisser. Forget this business stuff; you could make us billions by charging all the women in Kansas five cents a minute."

A mock gasp escaped him and he grinned down at her. "Why, Chloe, I'm shocked that you'd suggest turning me into a whore! I haven't so much as touched another woman for at least fifteen years!"

"Wouldn't want you to get bored by little, ol' me."

"Is that insecurity I hear, my love?"

"You aren't denying that I could, someday, bore you."

And then he gave her so firm and loving a kiss that she was speechless for a good, long time afterward. "You haven't...kissed me like that...for years," she gasped, licking her lips as if to remember the sensation his mouth and tongue caused inside her.

Brushing hair off her forehead with the fingers of his left hand, Lex used his right one to stroke her face. "I should do it more often, especially if it'll make you look at me like that again. I want you to know that I will never, ever cheat on you, or lie about anything. You have my word that you never have and never will bore me; no matter what you do or say, you'll always be the most fascinating creature to walk the earth; I will always love and adore you with my entire person."

She ruined his romantic statement by asking a perfectly unromantic question. "Have you been this sappy all along and I've ignored it, or what?"

It made him laugh, so it didn't entirely wreck the mood. "Depends on your definition of, 'all along'."

To avoid his, 'you've made me a better, more complete person' speech, she asked another question. "Back up a minute: how was I looking at you before?" Her forehead furrowed, and he stopped short of telling her how lovely she was.

*'Like I completely opened up to you'; 'Like I made the most profound statement ever'; 'Like you were shocked that I would touch you.'* Nothing sounded sincere enough. "You were looking at me like I was the only person who mattered. It's an over-used expression, but that's the only way I can describe it."

Chloe nodded slowly, smiled shyly. "We should get back to work."

"This isn't work?"

"Get up, damnit!" she insisted with a laugh.

He feigned annoyance. "If I must."

******

The newspaper clipping was yellowed and brittle from age. Guy knew he shouldn't have taken it out while his students were still in the room, but he couldn't help himself. John and Lena were bent over math worksheets at the coffee table, completely ignoring him; he had a few moments to himself.

'LEX LUTHOR WEDS LONG-TIME GIRLFRIEND', read the large, bold caption above the black and white photo. Guy let his eyes wash over the image, drinking in the sight of a grinning Lex and his laughing wife. *They're so unbelievably happy* he told himself sternly. *So beautiful together*

"Guy, I'm done!" Lena tugged on the sleeve of his forest green dress shirt. "Can you check it?" She thrust a paper into his unoccupied left hand. With his right, he carefully slid the old photo into his desk drawer again.

"Sure, Lena," he replied with false cheerfulness. He grabbed his red pen and focused on the twenty problems. *Wow, she's good*. Lena missed two questions, and Guy was extremely proud. "That a girl, Lena!" She beamed. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

The girl chewed anxiously on her lower lip; she wanted desperately to please him by understanding her errors. The first incorrect problem was, 'eight plus two hundred and three equals ___'. She had said, 'two hundred and twenty-one', though she didn't remember why.

"Um, the answer is...two hundred and eleven?" she guessed, darting her eyes to his expectant face. When he nodded, she broke into a grin again.

"Very good! What about the other one?" he continued calmly.

'Nine times eight equals ___'; Lena was less sure about that one, as they had only begun the multiplication tables two days before. She wrote 'sixty-four' in a moment of panic. "I don't know that one," she admitted, her face falling.

Sighing, Guy rubbed her back. "Don't worry; you'll get it. How about you draw nine sets of eight lines and then count them?" He pressed his pen into her tiny hand.

Her jaw set and she turned to the paper, determined. Guy was struck by how much she looked like her mother... *Stop it! Pay attention to the kids.*

Leaving Lena to her task, he moved to the table where John was busy. "How's it going, John?"

He whipped his head around, his concentration broken. "Okay, I guess. I need a little help with my multiplication." John's voice was barely above a whisper and his face was red, like he was about to cry. He took his work much seriously than his sister; Guy had to wonder if, just maybe, Lex hurt his children when they did poorly.

*If he does, I'll kill him. If he touches Chloe, I'll torture him* The dark thoughts no longer concerned him; he let them come when they did. "What are you having trouble with?" Kneeling down, he peered over his younger charge's shoulder. 'Seven times six' was giving him problems.

"What do you think the answer is?" Guy prompted gently.

John took a deep breath. "I know seven multiplied by five is thirty-five, but I can't get this one!" His hand banged against the table.

A smile crossed Guy's firm mouth; kids were cute when they were angry. "Well, John, you know what five sevens make, right? What do you get when you add another seven?"

His face scrunched up and he held up his hands. "Lemme see." He started at thirty-five and ticked off seven fingers, counting silently. "Oh! Forty-two!"

Ruffling John's hair, Guy chuckled. "There you go."

"Seventy-two!" Lena yelped, having solved her own difficult question. He congratulated her with a hug.

A quick glance at his old-fashioned watch alerted him that it was time for them to leave. "Great job today, you two. Since it's Friday, no homework." They were diligent workers, so he liked giving them a break occasionally.

He received hugs and exuberant, 'thank you's before they scrambled for their coats and empty lunchboxes. Once Lena and John were zipped into their jeans jackets, he ushered them to the door.

"Stay in your own seat, Lena!" John shrieked when the car started moving. "Don't squish me!"

His sister, Guy noted from the mirror, was shoving John against the door and laughing with delight. "Lena," Guy said so firmly that her eyes widened, "don't do that to your brother. What would your parents say?"

At that statement, she gasped. Guy *knew* then that Lex must have hurt her at some point. The thought of the stuck-up, ungrateful billionaire slapping his family was infuriating. "Lena, I'm sorry," he added, his tone softer. "Be honest with me: does your father hit you?" It was wrong to ask, but he had to find out.

Lena frowned. "No way. Daddy wouldn't do that; he told us that he loves us to much to do anything like that."

"Does he hit your mother?"

John, who had instantly gotten over his issue with his sister, spoke up. "No! Daddy and Mommy *love* each other!"

Something seemed off to Guy; as he turned onto their street, he ventured another inquiry. "Did he tell you to say that if anyone asked?"

"Nope. His daddy hit him, though, and he tells us all the time that he'll never hurt us or Mommy."

*They're in denial. Poor things* "Okay. I just had to ask. Don't tell them, all right?" He pulled into the Luthors; long, winding driveway then faced his students. "Have a good weekend; see you on Monday."

They smiled, wished him the same, then bounced up the front door. After a second, he unbuckled his seat belt and followed them. They weren't tall enough to reach the brass, lion-shaped doorknocker, so he banged it twice.

Lex threw open the ominous door almost immediately. When he saw his children, his face glowed. "Hey, you two." Hugs and kisses were exchanged, then he sent them off to find Chloe.

"There they are," Guy said dumbly, his vision turning red when he noticed the smug way Lex was glancing at him.

"Yeah, thanks again. See you in a couple days." The door was shut before he could say anything else.

Annoyed--he knew Lex didn't like him, but Guy didn't understand why--he strode back to his car and roared away. *How does Chloe live with that ass? Poor woman. I bet he forced her into the marriage*

******

Lex found his family in the living room; Chloe was in the middle of the couch, Lena and John on either side of her. They were describing what they'd learned--complete with gesticulations--and telling her how much fun they'd had.

"Glad to hear it, my dears."

He leaned against the wall, frowning inwardly. Guy still bothered him, no matter how much the kids insisted they loved him. Shrugging, he decided to let it go; he was certain there was nothing really wrong with the tutor.

Chloe smiled down at him when he settled on the floor and rested against her legs. "Have any homework today?" Lex wondered, fully prepared to help them if necessary.

John answered in the negative. "Um, Daddy?" he then began softly.

Twisting around, Lex glanced at him. "Yeah, John? What's up?"

"Guy told us not to tell you that he asked..."

Chloe's eyes grew large. "What did he ask you, John?" There was obvious fear in her tone, Lex noticed. He hoped that his earlier worrying hadn't been the cause of it.

"He asked if Daddy ever hit us or you," Lena chimed in, her own voice curious. "I dunno why."

Swearing under her breath, Chloe stared at her husband; Lex moved himself onto the couch and slung his arm around her shoulder. "That *bastard*!" she muttered before thinking. Ignoring Lex's shocked glance--they tried to never curse in front of their children--she went off on a rant. "Who the *hell* does he think he is, anyway? We're rich so we abuse our kids? That's just bloody wonderful; I'm tempted to go over to his apartment and give him a piece of my mind. Some nerve he has to accuse you of such a thing. Wow, I'm shocked." She would have said more had Lex not gently placed his finger on her lips.

"That's enough, Clo," he ordered softly. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but I don't want to mention it to him. Maybe he had a reason for asking; you've seen how many child abuse cases are in the papers these days."

He forced himself to smile at his beloved children; he didn't want them to be concerned. "You did a good thing by telling us." When they tentatively smiled back, he grasped their tiny, cool hands in his large, warm ones. "You know I'd never hurt any of you, don't you?"

They nodded quickly. "Of course, Daddy! We know you love us and Mommy," Lena replied.

"Yes, Daddy. We love you," John assured him. Then they were climbing into his lap, hugging him.

Chloe kissed his cheek, whispered that she loved him, and hugged him as well. After returning the sentiment, Lex felt himself relax a bit. *No reason to bring it up again. Guy was just looking out for his students. I have to admire him for that*

******

Dinner was long over, and Chloe was busy reading Lena a story in her room. Lex passed by the master bedroom on the way to find their son; John was a genius when it came to avoiding bedtime. When he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the door was open a crack, he knew he'd discovered John's newest hiding place.

With a sly grin--he almost enjoyed playing 'hide and seek' with his boy every night--Lex snuck into the room. "Oh, John? Are you in here somewhere?"

Instead of the giggles that usually greeted him when he located John, Lex saw the boy standing in front of Chloe's dresser, staring intently at a framed photograph.

"Buddy, what's up? You're not hiding." He rested a hand on John's shoulder and was surprised when he jumped.

"Daddy, why does Guy have a copy of this picture?" John's eyes, though betraying the sleepiness he usually tried to cover up, were filled with confusion.

Lex didn't need to see the photo to know which one it was; he and Chloe were standing on the mansion's porch, fresh from their wedding ceremony. His arms were around her waist and he was grinning like an idiot. Her hands were on his chest and she was laughing at something he'd whispered to her. Clark, who was Lex's best man, had snapped the picture to be used for their wedding announcement in the Daily Planet.

*Why 'does' Guy have this picture? It only ran in the Planet for a day, then Clark pulled it* Lex hadn't wanted an announcement at all; he was concerned that the tabloids would talk trash about Chloe because she married him. She, however, had persuaded him that it would be all right.

"How do you know that, John?" Lex calmly wondered. Scooping up his younger child, he carried him to his room.

John waited to answer until the door was shut and he was tucked safely underneath his race car comforter. "He was looking at it while we were working. He was lookin' at it like you look at Mommy when you think we aren't paying attention."

The second sentence made Lex smirk, but then he focused on the rest of what John said. "Okay," he said softly, bending down to kiss his son's forehead. "Thank you for telling me, but don't think about it anymore; it's nothing. I love you, sweetheart."

"I won't. Love you too, Daddy."

Switching off the race car lamp that rested on top of John's headboard, Lex let himself out.

When he and Chloe were in bed a few moments later, he decided to tell her. "Clo?"

She set down the murder mystery she had been engrossed in, using her index finger to keep her place. "Yeah?"

*You have to tell her. She has to be aware* He slid a bookmark into his own book--a biography of President Nixon--and sighed. "John says that Guy has a copy of our wedding photo."

Her forehead furrowed. "I'm sure lots of people do."

He agreed silently, then forged ahead. "He also said Guy was staring at it like I stare at you when the kids aren't looking."

This piqued her interest. "Huh."

Lex shifted so he was resting on his pillow. Through a yawn, he remarked, "you're determined to not let this bug you, aren't you?"

Facing him, she blew a stream of air through her lips. "I didn't say it didn't bother me; I just don't feel like thinking about it. Maybe in the morning it'll get to me." She kissed him warmly, putting an end to their discussion. "'Night, Lex." She turned off her lamp, bathing the room in darkness.

He smiled, stroked her cheek. "'Night, Clo. Love you."

She pulled him closer and settled into his comforting arms. "Love you, too."

The mansion was quiet as its occupants slept, enveloped in a blanket of safety and warmth.