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scifichick774
3rd December 2003, 16:16
Title: Secrets
Author: scifichick774
Rating: PG
Category: Drama/Angst Chloe/Lex; Chloe/Lionel partnership reflection
Spoilers: Everything through the spoilers for season 3 at Kryptonsite is fair game.
Summary: Response to Humbuggirl’s ‘death’ challenge. Chloe reflects over Lionel’s recent death.
Disclaimer: Obviously not mine. I’m just playing with the imaginary characters’ lives for fun and not for profit.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archival: Sure – just let me know where.
Author’s Note: Carmen, you were probably looking for more of an introspective piece, but this is what my muse offered up. Hopefully it’s still okay. Challenge requirements: 1) There must be an argument. 2) Someone should say “I thought I was helping”. 3) A mention of all three Luthors – Lionel, Lex, and Lucas.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, shivering not because of the snow that had just started to fall again and was sticking in fat flakes against her clothing, but because of the grave she was staring down at.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s been a month already,” a familiar male voice said, his footsteps crunching lightly in the already fallen snow until he came to stand directly beside her.

Chloe closed her eyes and tried to steel herself for a conversation with him, but she knew she wasn’t at the top of her game and hadn’t been since Lionel Luthor was killed a month ago. What was worse was that she knew the man beside her knew it as well.

“It’s surreal,” he continued, a hint of joy to his voice.

“What are you doing here, Lex?”

“Same as you – paying my respects,” Lex answered with teasing sarcasm. They were both silent for a moment until Lex turned his eyes away from the grave to face her. “I never got a chance to thank you properly for getting me out of the hospital.”

“I found out that Dr. Foster and your dad were drugging you…I thought I was helping,” Chloe replied defensively.

“And you were – immensely. I would still be in there if it wasn’t for you.”

Chloe glared at him, but the twitching in her jaw muscles betray her feelings of fear of the man in front of her; no matter how brave the front was that she put on.

“If I had known…I should have left you in there.”

“Why? So my father could continue terrorizing you? So he could continue to run your life into the ground until you were a shell of a human being like he did with me?”

“Don’t you *dare* act like you killed him for me!” Chloe half-yelled through gritted teeth.

“No. I killed him for *me*,” Lex admitted calmly. “A person can only take so many years of emotional abuse before they snap, Chloe. He’s just lucky it wasn’t Lucas. He’d have tortured him first. Besides, my father killed his father – so I figure in the grand scheme of things, it evens out somehow.”

He said the last part with a crooked grin, but Chloe was far from amused. By helping to release Lex from the insane asylum that Lionel had housed him in, she had unwittingly played a role in someone’s death. And even though that someone was Lionel, who had fast become the bane of her existence, she still found the guilt a terribly heavy burden to bear – especially when the only person she could talk to about it was the man beside her and he didn’t seem to feel even a twinge of remorse over his actions.

“He killed your grandfather, you killed him – must run in the family. Better hope you don’t have a son,” she said snidely and with considerably more control than she felt.

Lex smiled and a chuckle released from his throat.

“I don’t know why, but I have this feeling that I’m only going to have daughters,” he said with somewhat dismissive joking. He looked back at the grave with a pleased expression and after a long pause, he spoke again. “I will say this for him, his interference with my mind ended up giving me one hell of a defense for killing him…So, thanks for that, Dad.”

“Are you taking all of your court-ordered medication?” Chloe asked, already knowing the answer.

Lex smirked evilly.

“What’s the matter, Chloe? Don’t you trust me?” he teased, shrugging nonchalantly when Chloe shot a quick glare at him. “That’s okay. I understand that trust is something that needs to be earned – and we have the rest of our lives for me to earn it.”

Chloe looked at him with wary questioning and he reached out to finger the flip of her hair that her hat didn’t cover. He ran the back of his gloved hand along the soft skin of her cheek and jaw and Chloe found herself nervous, unable to make of his now serious – mixed with something else – expression.

“Knowing someone’s secrets is the tie that binds,” he said. “So make no mistake – we’re bound together forever now.” Chloe’s heart raced in her chest as Lex’s fingers skimmed down her neck and arm and then gradually rested with his hand pressed flat against her belly. “As if this wasn’t enough.”

Chloe’s eyes widened in panic. He couldn’t know.

He *couldn’t*.

She had only just found out herself.

Seeing her shock at his statement, Lex smirked again.

“You didn’t really think I was so drunk that I didn’t remember sleeping with you, did you?”

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but when the words didn’t come out right away, she closed it again. A bad feeling built in her stomach and traveled to her throat as a sick suspicion dawned on her.

“You did this on purpose,” she said quietly and in horrified disbelief. “I thought you were upset about your dad – that you didn’t know or realize what had happened and were trying to cope by getting drunk, but ---”

“See it from my point of view, Chloe. I needed insurance that you wouldn’t betray me.”

“So you slept with me to get me pregnant?!”

“I knew that no matter how angry you were, or how much guilt you felt, you wouldn’t turn in the father of your child. And now you know another one of my secrets,” Lex said, leaning forward to brush his lips against her forehead. “The tie that binds,” he murmured. “You know my secrets and I know yours, and as long as we both can agree, I see no reason why they can’t just stay between us.”

“By agree you mean cooperate?”

Lex grinned.

“I must say, it’ll be nice to finally have a wife I can trust. Now, come on, let’s get you out of the cold.”

Chloe swallowed down the lump of nausea in her throat and stole one last glance at Lionel’s grave. Her arms wrapped around herself once again and a slow tear slid down her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out in little more than a whisper.

But whether she was apologizing to Lionel or to herself, she could not say; as even her subconscious had its secrets.




The End

hfce
3rd December 2003, 16:48
Interesting......


Hope :huh:

sara_noele
3rd December 2003, 17:17
Ahmm...yeah.

What a plot!! :clap:

Béatrice
3rd December 2003, 18:31
Only one word to describe it. PERFECT! :worship2:

beautiful N' Bruised
3rd December 2003, 19:14
I was thinking about writing something for the challenge, but you beat me to it...I just read this on the Chlionel mail group thing. And just *wow*!!

It's a well known fact that I love dark Chlex, but this is just amazing...

I adore Lex's deviousness, I adore Chloe's fear and reluctance.

It doesn't matter to me that they don't love each other (yet?) the chemistry is still there, and Lex's line ."I must say, it’ll be nice to finally have a wife I can trust."

*Shiver*

Perfect.

Yay dark!

Clannadlvr
4th December 2003, 00:19
Wow.... that was awesome. I love that you didn't hold back with showing how Lex is quite overjoyed at his father's death. It makes him harder, colder, but no less interesting.

Nice job!

Clannadlvr

tigerbaby
4th December 2003, 00:44
I loved it!!!

Devious manipulative Lex is a-okay in my books!! I love how you've got them on opposite ends of the spectrum. Lex, cold, hard, remorseless. Chloe, not yet a part of the dark, still able to feel, still redeemable but for how long?

Beautiful.

Gea
4th December 2003, 01:53
Such a perfect manipulative Lex! Chloe, between regret and fear...


Originally posted by scifichick774@Dec 3 2003, 03:16 PM
But whether she was apologizing to Lionel or to herself, she could not say; as even her subconscious had its secrets.
Loved this last line! She's submitting now, but in the future...her subconscious still has cards to play maybe? Motivations still unknown?

Great!

Gaia

sosostris
4th December 2003, 02:12
ohhh, I love machiavellian!Lex... great job! Any chance of a sequel/continuance? I'd like to see (married?) life between Chloe and Lex, where Lex is evil/pyscho and Chloe is scared of him and baby is on the way. I like it when things are messed up. :biggrin:

Lulucifer
4th December 2003, 03:36
Devious Lex....but i wonder if Lex is actually in love with Chloe, even a little bit. I mean, all this trouble just so she won't betray him.
:chlexsign4:

Susie Q
4th December 2003, 03:57
Ok, add one more fan to the devious, manipulative, machiavellian Lex-fest. Nicely done. Interesting take of the beginning of Lex’s descent into evil? Er, into magnificent bastardom? And how long before Chloe succumbs? http://www.angelfire.com/emo2/emoticons0/images/wenkbrauw001.gif This is a wonderful stand-alone, but I would also love to see a continuation of this. http://www.angelfire.com/emo2/emoticons0/images/character09.gif

happy bunny
4th December 2003, 05:49
I love it! I absolutely love it! It's perfect. Another fan of slighty evil Lex and slightly scared and hesitant Chloe. Love how Lex does what he does best, and quietly manipulates everything until it's exactly how he wants it. Wonderful job.

autumngold
4th December 2003, 06:17
Wow! I love how honest Lex is with Chloe, and how manipulative!! She must feel more trapped now than when she was dealing with Lionel! And now she has no one she can turn to!! Excellent story!! :chlexsign3:

Pufkinz
4th December 2003, 18:08
:biggrin: :love: < = = See that, that is me loving it. :chlexsign1:

:blush: < == This is me wondering if you&#39;ll give me a continuation in the not so distant future

Not An Addict
4th December 2003, 19:14
Hmmm . . . well, that is deliciously dark, now isn&#39;t it? ^_~ Actually gave me the shivers, more so than any of the more overtly dark or violent stories do. To be forever tied to a man that you know is insane, who you know didn&#39;t scruple to kill his own father . . . that would be hella scary. Of course, we know that there must be some amound of chemistry between them, so it could still all turn out ok. Beautifully crafted; you really captured that essence of very focused, driven insanity in Lex. And let&#39;s face it--this is completely something that Lex would do in the comic books. Great job, Kris&#33;

vardaquareien
5th December 2003, 17:00
Wow&#33; I&#39;m at a loss for words&#33; (and believe me taht rarely happens&#33;) The atmosphere...and the whole...just really...wow&#33;&#33;&#33;

I&#39;d also really like to see a sequal to this on their married life. I&#39;ve gotta say it again...Wow&#33;&#33;&#33;

nessa
5th December 2003, 17:13
Short, a little bit angsty and with a much needed dose of Chlex for an addict like me. :biggrin: I have only one world in mind which could desribe this fic _perfect_ :chlexsign1: Great work&#33;&#33;&#33;

sylvia
7th December 2003, 14:08
:huh: Wow. Brilliant.

starmoon
29th April 2005, 06:23
wow!!!!!!!!!!1 that was great but evil. i feel bad for chloe because she dosen't love lex like she should. i hope chloe and the baby will be ok.

txalb
17th November 2005, 00:02
Wow! That was really really depressing but at the same time really beautifully done. I mean really, the contrast between what was written and the way it was written is interesting and makes it slightly surreal. And the fact that Lex seems to be edging into insanity territory made it even more interesting. Although I didn’t get the impression that there was anything other than an ulterior motive on Lex’s part in getting her pregnant I could easily see an obsession.

This was an interesting read. Thanks for writing.

txalb

darkangel
26th November 2005, 21:38
Great short fic.

Natural_angel1000
16th February 2006, 14:04
WOW short but great!

persephone47
16th February 2006, 23:31
Taht was a great story, I say sequel, because you know Chloe wouldn't leave it at that.

niala85
18th February 2006, 23:21
Excellent. That fic was absolutly brilliant.

I loved the way you wrote Lex - Chloe's right he better hope he has no sons who feel to continue the family tradition.

stwbrrydelight
13th March 2006, 13:10
ohh....that is good...so good it shouldnt be a short story...i think it would be good with some extra chapters attached

persephone47
13th March 2006, 22:00
ohh....that is good...so good it shouldnt be a short story...i think it would be good with some extra chapters attached

What she said... come on, that's such an interesting *start* of a fic... where's that announcement that you were goint to make about a sequel?

sadie kate
13th March 2006, 23:01
I really do like this piece. I find it dark and utterly believable.

Ainur
29th March 2006, 19:28
That was so intense, messed up and scary. Lex was kinda crazy in this story and poor Chloe, Lex trapped her good. Great story!

Pieper
18th May 2006, 00:00
Great story.

starmoon
24th February 2008, 02:50
i love this story it is one of my favorites. evil lex is so sexy :drool:. i like that chloe can't get away but i think lex will be good to them as long as chloe does what he wants and i think she will. you are such a great writter and i can't wait for another one of your stories :respect:

bklyangel
20th April 2008, 14:18
I hope there is more to this!!!

Tanschana
9th June 2008, 05:53
Nice! Different, but still interesting!
Good job!

Ami Rose
18th March 2018, 10:03
Wow that was... I don't know what... Lmao great fic!