 |
|
Prologue Smallville, The Beanery October 10 8 PM, Three Years Ago “Hey Lex,” Clark murmured, dropping an arm over his new friend’s shoulder. “What are you staring at?” Lex turned from his view of Main Street through the Beanery’s window and met Clark’s eyes, “My wife.” Clark gasped, but Lex barely heard him. He couldn’t help watching her any more than he could have stopped himself from marrying her. And now, she was angry with him. Disappointed. He’d hurt her. Why did Victoria Hardwick have to pick this time to reenter his life? Who was he kidding? This infraction wasn’t Victoria’s. It wasn’t really his, either. But Buffy didn’t see it that way. And now that he knew she was still alive… If someone had told him that his wife was about to walk back into his life, he would have laughed derisively and sent them away with an abrupt, dismissive brush-off, but he would have investigated the claim. If only someone, like his sister-in-law for example, had bothered to tell him that she was alive, everything would be different now. Victoria would be who cared where and Buffy would be under his roof and his protection, and if he had anything to say about it, in his bed right now – not climbing into a cab, surrounded by the others who loved her, the ones she allowed in her life, those she loved enough to trust with the risk. She wouldn’t be running away from him. Again. Of course, Buffy had never stopped surprising him. That was a part of what he loved about her most. That and her strength. She was the strongest person he had ever met. Stronger even than death it seemed. Just like him. Hours later, their encounter still shook him. His mind kept wandering back to earlier in the day. It had started as such an ordinary morning. He and Victoria had been talking in his office. Smallville, Luthor Mansion October 10 10 AM He prepared and poured a grapefruit juice mimosa for Victoria, and handed it to her. Despite her effervescent conversation, he really was growing quite bored. “I missed you, Lex,” Victoria murmured unconvincingly. He allowed her to lean closer. “I’m touched,” he remarked, his voice flirting with sarcasm. “Do you have a proposal?” “First, I think I’d like… something else,” Victoria whispered. Then she kissed him. From behind Victoria, a softly strangled, half-moan, half-laugh tore through him. A ghost called his name, clawed at his heart. “Lex,” the ghost ventured tremulously. The voice that haunted his dreams floated through his office and wrapped tightly around his throat. He swallowed painfully and pushed Victoria aside, just in time to see his dead wife turn away and rush back down the hall. “Buffy?” he whispered. As reason returned, his frozen muscles finally began to thaw and he cried out ,“Buffy!” He pursued Buffy as quickly as he could while still walking sedately, turning a corner just in time to catch a glimpse of her long golden hair flowing around the next one. Why did it have to be his wife who could find her way back through the maze of halls with disturbing accuracy? Everyone else he had brought here needed his help or the help of one of the servants to retrace their steps back from his office to the front door the first time, with the exception of the remarkable Clark Kent. Breaking into a run, Lex trailed her out of the house, where she was walking swiftly to the gate separating the main road from his front drive. She was calling someone on her cell phone. “Hi!” she spoke a little too brightly into the silver device clutched tightly in her hand. “I’m at 2116 Beresford Lane. Yeah, the Luthor Mansion. I need a ride to the nearest…” “Buffy, wait!" Lex shouted. "How can you be here? I thought… Buffy, I saw your grave.” She tensed and whirled around. “Glad to see the mourning period has finally passed, oh, let’s see… What is it? Ten minutes later?” Lex grabbed her by the upper arm to stop her from turning back to the gate. “Buffy, that’s not fair. You’ve been gone… Christ, you’ve been gone for over three months. Without an explanation... And this,” he said, motioning to the front door. “This is not what you think. Victoria is… This is business, a game, not…” She was finished listening. She had borrowed money from her mother's insurance fund to fly all the way to Kansas to find him, dragging Spike, Willow and Dawn along with her. She had just wanted to see him. She needed him to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. Only to find that he was holding someone else now. Roughly, she wrenched away from him and started toward the edge of the drive. Over her shoulder, she shouted, “God… Lex, business? You must think I’m the stupidest, most gullible… Have the guts to tell me you’ve moved on. If you’re going to break my... have the decency to make it clean.” Lex chased after her, but she continued to outpace him. “Guess I should have called,” she confessed. “I just didn’t think. All I thought about was being near you… touching you… All I could do was come here…” “Buffy! Stop!” She halted, skidding a little as she came to a complete stop. She turned, and the tears welling in her eyes pinned him to the spot. Then the tears slipped down her cheeks and she started to babble incoherenty, “All my friends, except maybe Xander… They were right… I keep thinking I know who you are… what you are, but I didn’t want to know. I’m … it’s enough. Sorry I interrupted…” “Buffy don’t be ridiculous!” he protested. “I’m done. I can’t do this, Lex. I can’t think of you… With her. I’ll find a lawyer. No you do it. You’ve probably got tons of them hanging around, waiting on your whim to do some… business… Just send the papers to me at home.” Lex growled and pulled her backwards into the stone alcove near the front gate. “This wasn’t the deal. This was never our deal. You said as long as we were apart we were both free to… I read the just-in-case-you-died letter you wrote. Your sister, my sister-in-law who didn’t bother to invite me to your funeral, sent it to me. You said you wanted me to try and move on.” Swallowing, choking down the emotion, he faltered, “To find a way to live without you. To find a way to live…” Suddenly, brakes screamed and a black car with blacked out windows careened around the corner and bolted through the open side of the front gates. The driver thrust open the passenger door and spoke to Buffy. “Had a feeling the boy would disappoint. Wanted to be here just in case. Offer you a ride, luv?” “I do need a ride, actually,” she nodded dully. “No. You don’t. We have to talk,” Lex bit out. Buffy dropped down on the black leather seat and lifted her feet into the car. Lex positioned himself in front of the door, so she couldn’t close it. Accepting the square of worn, white cotton fabric dangling from Spike’s outstretched hand, she sighed, “Lex. Let it go. Let me go. We can’t be together and we can’t keep doing this to each other.” “No. Not unless you can tell me that you don’t love me… or that you’re in love with someone else.” Wiping her eyes, she returned the handkerchief to the man with the sardonic grin next to her. He couldn’t fail to notice that the bleached blonde Englishman held her hand a little too long. “Please Lex…” Reaching across Buffy, Spike winked at Lex and shoved him back out of the way. Hard. Spiraling backward, Lex landed with a thud on the ground. “Piss off, suck bait. The girl said it’s over.” “Spike! Don’t hurt him. He’s…” Buffy objected, but before she could finish, the driver reached for and snapped the door shut. The next instant, he slammed the car in reverse and raced down the street. She was gone, probably for the last time. And he was cold again. The Price We Pay Menu Next Chapter |
