Blackberry
17th January 2004, 10:16
I was about to sleep one night just thinking on my bed and the Darkness/Light story sort of passed through my mind and I put it down roughly on a piece of paper... afterwards I didn't know how else to put it when it came to writing it so... I incorporated it into a mild Chlex fic. I hope it's okay....
******** End of Author's Note ********
Chloe sat against the tree trunk, staring listlessly across the clearing. Her mind had gone numb after an hour of feeling sorry for herself. Clark had finally shown what he truly thought. He had been insensitive about the entire situation; only marginally guilty for leaving her at the Spring Formal to save Lana, not realizing the impact it had on Chloe. One of the few faults that he had: being unaware… His agreeing to them being better as friends instead of anything more floated through her mind and she shook her head and groaned. She didn’t want to think! It hurt too much. Three years of wanting and finally she had the opportunity, but it was a useless chance. Blinking the resurfacing tears back tilted her head back and hit her head softly against the bark of the aging tree.
“You know that isn’t a very wise thing to do,” a quiet voice commented from somewhere behind her.
She whirled her head around and found Lex’s battered, but solemn face looking back at her. He, too, had gone through an ordeal. She had heard from one of the other citizens of Smallville that Lionel Luthor was in critical condition and was being held in the local hospital. That was all the more reason as to ask why he was there. But she could not speak. Instead, her eyes fell to the ground and she turned back to face the clearing. They were both silent for a moment, needing that stretched pause.
“What isn’t very wise, Mr. Luthor?” she finally asked. Her voice was scratchy and she hated that she sounded that way.
“Hitting your head against the tree… you know you lose brain cells that way… millions of them with each strike Wouldn’t want that, now would we?” His voice sounded forcibly light, and she could feel a tug at her stomach. He was making an effort to make her feel better.
“No… that would mean there would be no more verbal judo.” The smile on her lips was small, but genuine. It was soon lost as she glanced back at him. He still stood stiffly as he stared off in front of him, as she had been doing just moments before. “Why are you here?”
The piercing blue eyes of the young billionaire regarded her, but she did not shrink at the intensity. Instead it met him with a look that bore into him as well. “I needed time away from everything,” came his answer. “Unfortunately, I hadn’t counted on the company… not that I mind or anything,” he added quickly when he saw her face almost crumble.
After a slight hesitation, he moved forward and settled beside her. He noted the stiffening of her shoulders but he didn’t mind it. She was entitled to her wariness towards him. He was a Luthor after all, the snide voice said inside of him, but he shook that thought off. “If you don’t mind, may I ask why you are here as well?” It just slipped from his mouth and he almost regretted saying it.
“I thought it was the reporter’s duty, not the multi-billionaire’s, to do the interrogating,” she muttered under her breath. She was stalling, but she didn’t exactly want to answer the question.
“It helps to get things off your chest… share the burden so it wouldn’t be half as bad on you,” he pointed out giving her a sideward look.
At this close proximity he was able to note little things he hadn’t noticed when she initially turned around. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, though she struggled not to show it by hiding it behind a cloak of aloofness. Her eyelids were rimmed red, too; a clear indication of crying. He recalled something that Clark had said earlier… I went to find Lana… Yes, I left the Spring Formal… Chloe will understand.
“I’m sure you already know about it, considering Clark is your best friend,” she remarked harshly, her eyes becoming hard.
Stupid, insensitive prick... “Oh.”
“Yes, ‘oh’; my life has become a soap opera against my own will. I’ve become the poor little girl who wants the man she can’t have because there’s a more beautiful, more popular creature that he wants. I get to bite the dust because I’m cursed with the ‘I’ll-never-be-loved-by-the-one-I-love’ syndrome.” She felt the tears stream down her face once again and she let out an exasperated sound. “Damn these tears… damn my fucking feelings. And damn you for bringing it up again,” she spat at him. “I would have been perfectly fine if you didn’t come along and – and –” She couldn’t speak anymore for sobs were wracking her body.
The girl needed comfort, he thought panicked. Meaning only to help her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hoisted her against him, rocking them both back and forth as he murmured soothing words over the top of her head. She clung onto him with her hands fisted against his black jacket and accepted what he provided, though in the back of her mind the rational side of her shrieked ‘no!’ It was a long time before the storm passed and all that remained were the catches in her breath. Wiping away the remains of her tears, she pulled away from him and gave him a sad little smile. “Thank you.”
He shook his head. “It was no problem.”
“You know you didn’t have to do that. I mean, I barely know you, or you me for that matter.”
“It’s alright; I did it because I knew that you needed it, so let’s just leave it at that.” He in turn graced her with his rare genuine smile – which was just barely the upturn of his lips. Expelling a shaky breath, Chloe got up and brushed herself off. Lex followed suit, watching the sky as it slowly turned crimson. It was a beautiful thing, the sunset. Only an idiot would not think so, or so believed Lex, who reveled at the sight of the oncoming night.
“You know, I remember this old story about darkness and light,” Lex said after a while. “This -” indicating the skyline “reminded me of it.”
Chloe’s ears perked and she peered at him quizzically. “Is it one of those cliché types of stories that says with the darkness comes mystery and danger? Because, quite frankly, I’m quite tired of those.”
He shook his head, and all the more her curiosity grew. Noting the subtle change in her, he returned her look and smiled. “It’s actually about how darkness is often misunderstood – even by those who are believed to succumb to it. Would you like to hear about it?” At the rolling of her eyes, he chuckled. “Sorry I even asked. Very well. Once upon a time –”
“Oh no, not those words!” She stopped herself from speaking further at his pointed look and grinned bashfully at him. “Sorry… go on.”
Clearing his throat, he began again, staring up at the setting sun. “Once upon a time… actually…”
~~ o0o ~~
In the beginning, Darkness was the mistress of the known and unknown universe. It was a calm era of nothing; just the sense of being in Darkness’s embrace. Pain could not be in a place that didn’t have feeling. Right could not be possible in a place that had no contrasting wrong. Thus there were no problems in this kingdom of Darkness for there was no ill will, discontentment… or emotion. There was just the idea of being that was there. And because of this, there was a continuous link between all; a sense of balance.
However, just because these things – as they were given no shape, form, or unique characteristic to distinguish one from the other and therefore could not be given a more specific name – could not feel the differences didn’t mean that she was the same. On the contrary, Darkness had within her the capacity to love and because of this, other emotions existed as well within her. This certain ability became her undoing. One saw that, yes, she created the entities, but some thing was wrong with them – or at least it seemed that way through her perception.
She would create a few at a time, then would admire the fact that they were there. But when she moved to create more, the entities she created previously would deteriorate into nothing but dust. This was because they were cursed with mortality. Their destiny was to die, whereas hers was to live on for all eternity. This was the only difference that existed and within it sparked the creation of something that she had yearned for as she continuously created what was almost immediately lost.
The discontentment within her grew with each passing entity. She tried to nurture them; love them to her fullest capacity in hopes that they would stay longer than the previous ones, but they didn’t. Instead they dwindled away; back into her they went as if they never were created. With this mounting frustration was the creation of something that had unintentionally been created.
This thing was a tiny spark at first; too small to be noticed by the immortal. But grow it did with the sadness, dissatisfaction and frustration. It did not take long before Darkness came to notice that there was something amiss in the universe – something that had not existed previously. There was a noticeable imbalance that needed to be acknowledged. And acknowledge it, she did. Lo and behold, before her very being was a tiny ball of something… something that had just begun to define the universe.
Seeing this as a wondrous thing, she became fascinated with it – loved it for the marvel it represented. However, there grew within her a fear so great and powerful. What if this thing was to die just like the rest of them? But with her fear, this unintentional creation grew. She became entranced by it – finding it beautiful and perfect.
With her focus being solely on it – which she lovingly dubbed Light and a ‘he’ for Darkness was a she – she neglected to notice that the universe had changed drastically. Light – who seemed so harmless in the beginning – began to extend his fingers across space – defining the undefined; branding the entities – the existing with his touch; burning them. He began to tear down the bridges between those that existed – making them split into different paths from each other – some in the relatively same direction as other but most going their different ways.
Before Darkness knew it, there was large, small, tall and short; round or square. There were different hues – strange pinks, soft lavender, striking yellows and angry reds as well as the lush greens and sad blues. And to her dismay, the entities – in particular those that were named ‘humans’ – began to worship Light as their savior – a god to venerate; he, who gave differences, dissatisfaction and pleasure and pain; he who reached his greedy hands out to all the corners that he could, leaving Darkness to stay in those that he couldn’t.
She became the evil one; something to fear for within her embrace came ignorance as one could not see what was beyond them; behind them. During the reign of Darkness, there was only the need to know that one existed. Therein lay the ability of contentment. With the worship of Light, however, came the need to know everything. This constant dissatisfaction was what Light fed upon – for that was what he was created with: dissatisfaction and greed and selfishness. He was the embodiment of all that was evil, yet he became the epitome of beauty and happiness.
Light reveled in his high position, trying to influence as many as he could to see him as the good. Those that did not follow his rule were seen as followers of Darkness – an evil title to the human entities and were shunned from their society. Bad people lost in the clutches of Darkness… insane individuals with no proper sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. They did not see, however, that this bad; this view of insanity was merely the work of Light and his influence on all those who followed him; he the epitome of greed, dissatisfaction and difference. Without him, there would only be Darkness and her reign. A reign that bridged all lives together, keeping those in her rule indefinite, ignorant, but most importantly content. If only she would see the good in herself, but she was too ignorant to look inside of her being. So she existed for the sole reason that she loved her creations despite the fact that they hated her in return.
Light and Darkness – the basic contrast; the evil and good; these two immortals silently clash in the midst of their worshippers. Even to this day, they clash for utter control. They ask for a universe of one-sidedness – utter dissatisfaction with no hope or utter satisfaction with ignorance. And this is an end that even Time cannot tell… It could tell you how it was; It could tell you how it is now. But It will never be able to tell you how it will be… for this battle for control is driven by fear and love and both emotions within the immortals are too powerful to tell which will finally overwhelm the other. Time just knows that one would give in sooner or later… and then at that point, the entire system known and unknown will plunge into absolute darkness… or light.
~~ o0o ~~
Conversation lapsed after his little tale, and by the time he finished, night had fallen and the sky was twinkling with small stars and the bright moon. All of a sudden, Chloe was faced with a different world; a different view. What he said rang true, she thought and felt disgusted with herself; her race, for being so generally dissatisfied by what they have and finding measures to get more and more.
She looked at Lex then; watched how the darkness caressed one side of his face, while the other bore the still harsh light, no matter that it was dimmed in the limited darkness. He turned to gaze back at her and she felt the effects of his story really churned inside her. For that moment, both reporter and notorious multi-billionaire were connected; they both understood each other. It was as if time had turned back its hands to when Darkness laved the universe all on its own.
Her blink brought them both out of their stupor and Lex peered at his phone. “I believe that it’s time we got back to civilization, don’t you?” At her nod, he frowned and looked around. “You have a ride home?”
She blinked, then, realized that she had told Pete to leave without her. She looked at him somewhat sheepishly and shook her head. “Um… would it be possible for you to, uh, bring me home? I know it’s kind of out of the way from where you’re headed, but –”
“I don’t mind,” he interjected, cutting off her rambling.
The relieved look on her face tugged a chord in him that was hard to place as of yet. Not giving the feeling a second thought, he indicated for her to follow him to where his sleek car awaited for their arrival. It didn’t take long for them to get back to her house – what with Lex’s tendency to over-speed. As he stopped in front of the Sullivan’s yard, Chloe turned to him and cocked her head to the side. He raised a brow at her look, which bordered between curiosity and admiration. Now that was a first… admiration; heh. “You know, you’d make a girl lucky one day… Lex.”
Their eyes met for one instant and there therein lay that same bridge that connected the two internally. It was only for a fleeting moment and soon she was looking down again to take off her seat belt. He watched as she got out of his car and walked tiredly back to the front porch where she paused to look back and smile at him. He returned it once again and as she disappeared behind the door, he drove off, feeling oddly lighter, despite the fact that he didn’t even reveal a thing about his problems.
******** End of Author's Note ********
Chloe sat against the tree trunk, staring listlessly across the clearing. Her mind had gone numb after an hour of feeling sorry for herself. Clark had finally shown what he truly thought. He had been insensitive about the entire situation; only marginally guilty for leaving her at the Spring Formal to save Lana, not realizing the impact it had on Chloe. One of the few faults that he had: being unaware… His agreeing to them being better as friends instead of anything more floated through her mind and she shook her head and groaned. She didn’t want to think! It hurt too much. Three years of wanting and finally she had the opportunity, but it was a useless chance. Blinking the resurfacing tears back tilted her head back and hit her head softly against the bark of the aging tree.
“You know that isn’t a very wise thing to do,” a quiet voice commented from somewhere behind her.
She whirled her head around and found Lex’s battered, but solemn face looking back at her. He, too, had gone through an ordeal. She had heard from one of the other citizens of Smallville that Lionel Luthor was in critical condition and was being held in the local hospital. That was all the more reason as to ask why he was there. But she could not speak. Instead, her eyes fell to the ground and she turned back to face the clearing. They were both silent for a moment, needing that stretched pause.
“What isn’t very wise, Mr. Luthor?” she finally asked. Her voice was scratchy and she hated that she sounded that way.
“Hitting your head against the tree… you know you lose brain cells that way… millions of them with each strike Wouldn’t want that, now would we?” His voice sounded forcibly light, and she could feel a tug at her stomach. He was making an effort to make her feel better.
“No… that would mean there would be no more verbal judo.” The smile on her lips was small, but genuine. It was soon lost as she glanced back at him. He still stood stiffly as he stared off in front of him, as she had been doing just moments before. “Why are you here?”
The piercing blue eyes of the young billionaire regarded her, but she did not shrink at the intensity. Instead it met him with a look that bore into him as well. “I needed time away from everything,” came his answer. “Unfortunately, I hadn’t counted on the company… not that I mind or anything,” he added quickly when he saw her face almost crumble.
After a slight hesitation, he moved forward and settled beside her. He noted the stiffening of her shoulders but he didn’t mind it. She was entitled to her wariness towards him. He was a Luthor after all, the snide voice said inside of him, but he shook that thought off. “If you don’t mind, may I ask why you are here as well?” It just slipped from his mouth and he almost regretted saying it.
“I thought it was the reporter’s duty, not the multi-billionaire’s, to do the interrogating,” she muttered under her breath. She was stalling, but she didn’t exactly want to answer the question.
“It helps to get things off your chest… share the burden so it wouldn’t be half as bad on you,” he pointed out giving her a sideward look.
At this close proximity he was able to note little things he hadn’t noticed when she initially turned around. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, though she struggled not to show it by hiding it behind a cloak of aloofness. Her eyelids were rimmed red, too; a clear indication of crying. He recalled something that Clark had said earlier… I went to find Lana… Yes, I left the Spring Formal… Chloe will understand.
“I’m sure you already know about it, considering Clark is your best friend,” she remarked harshly, her eyes becoming hard.
Stupid, insensitive prick... “Oh.”
“Yes, ‘oh’; my life has become a soap opera against my own will. I’ve become the poor little girl who wants the man she can’t have because there’s a more beautiful, more popular creature that he wants. I get to bite the dust because I’m cursed with the ‘I’ll-never-be-loved-by-the-one-I-love’ syndrome.” She felt the tears stream down her face once again and she let out an exasperated sound. “Damn these tears… damn my fucking feelings. And damn you for bringing it up again,” she spat at him. “I would have been perfectly fine if you didn’t come along and – and –” She couldn’t speak anymore for sobs were wracking her body.
The girl needed comfort, he thought panicked. Meaning only to help her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hoisted her against him, rocking them both back and forth as he murmured soothing words over the top of her head. She clung onto him with her hands fisted against his black jacket and accepted what he provided, though in the back of her mind the rational side of her shrieked ‘no!’ It was a long time before the storm passed and all that remained were the catches in her breath. Wiping away the remains of her tears, she pulled away from him and gave him a sad little smile. “Thank you.”
He shook his head. “It was no problem.”
“You know you didn’t have to do that. I mean, I barely know you, or you me for that matter.”
“It’s alright; I did it because I knew that you needed it, so let’s just leave it at that.” He in turn graced her with his rare genuine smile – which was just barely the upturn of his lips. Expelling a shaky breath, Chloe got up and brushed herself off. Lex followed suit, watching the sky as it slowly turned crimson. It was a beautiful thing, the sunset. Only an idiot would not think so, or so believed Lex, who reveled at the sight of the oncoming night.
“You know, I remember this old story about darkness and light,” Lex said after a while. “This -” indicating the skyline “reminded me of it.”
Chloe’s ears perked and she peered at him quizzically. “Is it one of those cliché types of stories that says with the darkness comes mystery and danger? Because, quite frankly, I’m quite tired of those.”
He shook his head, and all the more her curiosity grew. Noting the subtle change in her, he returned her look and smiled. “It’s actually about how darkness is often misunderstood – even by those who are believed to succumb to it. Would you like to hear about it?” At the rolling of her eyes, he chuckled. “Sorry I even asked. Very well. Once upon a time –”
“Oh no, not those words!” She stopped herself from speaking further at his pointed look and grinned bashfully at him. “Sorry… go on.”
Clearing his throat, he began again, staring up at the setting sun. “Once upon a time… actually…”
~~ o0o ~~
In the beginning, Darkness was the mistress of the known and unknown universe. It was a calm era of nothing; just the sense of being in Darkness’s embrace. Pain could not be in a place that didn’t have feeling. Right could not be possible in a place that had no contrasting wrong. Thus there were no problems in this kingdom of Darkness for there was no ill will, discontentment… or emotion. There was just the idea of being that was there. And because of this, there was a continuous link between all; a sense of balance.
However, just because these things – as they were given no shape, form, or unique characteristic to distinguish one from the other and therefore could not be given a more specific name – could not feel the differences didn’t mean that she was the same. On the contrary, Darkness had within her the capacity to love and because of this, other emotions existed as well within her. This certain ability became her undoing. One saw that, yes, she created the entities, but some thing was wrong with them – or at least it seemed that way through her perception.
She would create a few at a time, then would admire the fact that they were there. But when she moved to create more, the entities she created previously would deteriorate into nothing but dust. This was because they were cursed with mortality. Their destiny was to die, whereas hers was to live on for all eternity. This was the only difference that existed and within it sparked the creation of something that she had yearned for as she continuously created what was almost immediately lost.
The discontentment within her grew with each passing entity. She tried to nurture them; love them to her fullest capacity in hopes that they would stay longer than the previous ones, but they didn’t. Instead they dwindled away; back into her they went as if they never were created. With this mounting frustration was the creation of something that had unintentionally been created.
This thing was a tiny spark at first; too small to be noticed by the immortal. But grow it did with the sadness, dissatisfaction and frustration. It did not take long before Darkness came to notice that there was something amiss in the universe – something that had not existed previously. There was a noticeable imbalance that needed to be acknowledged. And acknowledge it, she did. Lo and behold, before her very being was a tiny ball of something… something that had just begun to define the universe.
Seeing this as a wondrous thing, she became fascinated with it – loved it for the marvel it represented. However, there grew within her a fear so great and powerful. What if this thing was to die just like the rest of them? But with her fear, this unintentional creation grew. She became entranced by it – finding it beautiful and perfect.
With her focus being solely on it – which she lovingly dubbed Light and a ‘he’ for Darkness was a she – she neglected to notice that the universe had changed drastically. Light – who seemed so harmless in the beginning – began to extend his fingers across space – defining the undefined; branding the entities – the existing with his touch; burning them. He began to tear down the bridges between those that existed – making them split into different paths from each other – some in the relatively same direction as other but most going their different ways.
Before Darkness knew it, there was large, small, tall and short; round or square. There were different hues – strange pinks, soft lavender, striking yellows and angry reds as well as the lush greens and sad blues. And to her dismay, the entities – in particular those that were named ‘humans’ – began to worship Light as their savior – a god to venerate; he, who gave differences, dissatisfaction and pleasure and pain; he who reached his greedy hands out to all the corners that he could, leaving Darkness to stay in those that he couldn’t.
She became the evil one; something to fear for within her embrace came ignorance as one could not see what was beyond them; behind them. During the reign of Darkness, there was only the need to know that one existed. Therein lay the ability of contentment. With the worship of Light, however, came the need to know everything. This constant dissatisfaction was what Light fed upon – for that was what he was created with: dissatisfaction and greed and selfishness. He was the embodiment of all that was evil, yet he became the epitome of beauty and happiness.
Light reveled in his high position, trying to influence as many as he could to see him as the good. Those that did not follow his rule were seen as followers of Darkness – an evil title to the human entities and were shunned from their society. Bad people lost in the clutches of Darkness… insane individuals with no proper sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. They did not see, however, that this bad; this view of insanity was merely the work of Light and his influence on all those who followed him; he the epitome of greed, dissatisfaction and difference. Without him, there would only be Darkness and her reign. A reign that bridged all lives together, keeping those in her rule indefinite, ignorant, but most importantly content. If only she would see the good in herself, but she was too ignorant to look inside of her being. So she existed for the sole reason that she loved her creations despite the fact that they hated her in return.
Light and Darkness – the basic contrast; the evil and good; these two immortals silently clash in the midst of their worshippers. Even to this day, they clash for utter control. They ask for a universe of one-sidedness – utter dissatisfaction with no hope or utter satisfaction with ignorance. And this is an end that even Time cannot tell… It could tell you how it was; It could tell you how it is now. But It will never be able to tell you how it will be… for this battle for control is driven by fear and love and both emotions within the immortals are too powerful to tell which will finally overwhelm the other. Time just knows that one would give in sooner or later… and then at that point, the entire system known and unknown will plunge into absolute darkness… or light.
~~ o0o ~~
Conversation lapsed after his little tale, and by the time he finished, night had fallen and the sky was twinkling with small stars and the bright moon. All of a sudden, Chloe was faced with a different world; a different view. What he said rang true, she thought and felt disgusted with herself; her race, for being so generally dissatisfied by what they have and finding measures to get more and more.
She looked at Lex then; watched how the darkness caressed one side of his face, while the other bore the still harsh light, no matter that it was dimmed in the limited darkness. He turned to gaze back at her and she felt the effects of his story really churned inside her. For that moment, both reporter and notorious multi-billionaire were connected; they both understood each other. It was as if time had turned back its hands to when Darkness laved the universe all on its own.
Her blink brought them both out of their stupor and Lex peered at his phone. “I believe that it’s time we got back to civilization, don’t you?” At her nod, he frowned and looked around. “You have a ride home?”
She blinked, then, realized that she had told Pete to leave without her. She looked at him somewhat sheepishly and shook her head. “Um… would it be possible for you to, uh, bring me home? I know it’s kind of out of the way from where you’re headed, but –”
“I don’t mind,” he interjected, cutting off her rambling.
The relieved look on her face tugged a chord in him that was hard to place as of yet. Not giving the feeling a second thought, he indicated for her to follow him to where his sleek car awaited for their arrival. It didn’t take long for them to get back to her house – what with Lex’s tendency to over-speed. As he stopped in front of the Sullivan’s yard, Chloe turned to him and cocked her head to the side. He raised a brow at her look, which bordered between curiosity and admiration. Now that was a first… admiration; heh. “You know, you’d make a girl lucky one day… Lex.”
Their eyes met for one instant and there therein lay that same bridge that connected the two internally. It was only for a fleeting moment and soon she was looking down again to take off her seat belt. He watched as she got out of his car and walked tiredly back to the front porch where she paused to look back and smile at him. He returned it once again and as she disappeared behind the door, he drove off, feeling oddly lighter, despite the fact that he didn’t even reveal a thing about his problems.