Freak - PG-13 - COMPLETE!

[AlabamaWorley]

Title: Freak
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Allison Mack's on the cast list for season 4. But what if Chloe really is dead?
Disclaimer: If someone was paying me to do this, I wouldn't be pimping it across the 'net for free!
Feedback: The amount I get will determine the length of this fic. Please let me know you're reading!
************************************************** ***********

Lex swallowed hard. He didn’t deal well with funerals, probably due to the circumstances surrounding his attendance at both his brother’s and his mother’s while still a young child. But even if he had been more at ease with the ceremonies, this one would still have been extremely difficult. He had promised to protect these people, and now they were both dead. In the blink of an eye, they’d been blown out of their living, breathing bodies and into the great unknown.

The loss of Gabe Sullivan was hard enough. The man had been completely innocent, yet he’d suffered the most. He’d lost his job and been blacklisted from finding anything more lucrative than a spot in the kitchen of the local McDonald’s. He’d been forced to give up his home to go into hiding with his daughter, all the while dealing with the terrifying knowledge that she’d pulled a stunt so stupid, she had to risk them both to get out of it. And he’d trusted their lives to the ill repute of Lex Luthor because it was the only chance he had to protect his baby girl from the devil himself.

But thanks to his failure, he’d also lost Chloe. She wasn’t only a business associate, she was his friend. She’d inadvertently learned his deepest secret, and she’d had the grace to never mention it again. She’d known just when to gently squeeze his hand when he thought he was masking his fears, and when to casually rub his shoulders when he hadn’t even noticed his muscles bunching up. He’d never had to keep up the façade of the person he wished he was when he was alone with Chloe, because she was the only person in Smallville that seemed to recognize that to achieve one’s goal by any means necessary meant to sometimes act unencumbered by the confines of moral conflict.

And where had he been when these two people had been extinguished forever? He’d been writhing in agony on the floor of his office, powerless to rise from the shattered glass of the table even as he felt it burrowing its way into his burning skin. He’d been completely helpless, unable to protect them as he’d promised, because he’d become too confident and underestimated the reach of his father’s grim sickle. His failure was absolute, and his sense of loss was more profound than he’d ever imagined grief could be.

Finally, the time came to lower the coffins into the ground. Lex concentrated on breathing deeply as he watched the elegant boxes simultaneously disappear into their final resting places. He was just trying to find something to concentrate on besides the audible sobs of the family when a sickening crack echoed across the cemetery. Everyone pretended not to notice that Chloe’s coffin had dropped halfway into hole, and had most likely just cracked open at the bottom. Lex tried very hard not to think of all the creatures that would easily find their way in to violate her decomposing body. By the time the service ended, he was struggling to maintain his composure long enough to retreat into the privacy of his limousine.

When he reached the mansion, he raced to the bathroom and emptied his stomach into the sparkling porcelain bowl. He pressed his fingers into his closed eyelids in an effort to erase the image of Chloe’s burned and decaying face from his mind. When that didn’t work, he knew there was really only one thing left to do: drink himself into oblivion. He’d had a new liquor cabinet installed in his office, and he had the only key. He’d stocked it the night before in preparation for this moment.

He strode purposefully down the hall and into his office - and got the shock of his life. Gulping for air, he pulled the doors shut behind him and hesitantly crossed to the figure sitting on his desk.

“Chloe? How… but… you’re… you’re…” He reached out to cup her cheek, and gasped as his fingers passed through her skin.

“Dead?” she asked with a smirk. “Yeah, I noticed.”

(TBC)

[asharnanae]

:huh: :biggrin: INTERESTING!!! me like. more please. :blinkkiss:

[hfce]

You have me interested. More please..


Hope :chlexsign2:

[sylvia]

“Chloe? How… but… you’re… you’re…” He reached out to cup her cheek, and gasped as his fingers passed through her skin.

“Dead?” she asked with a smirk. “Yeah, I noticed.”

Dead and still won't give up on the judo. I love it. I totally do. It kind of reminds me of Hamlet, and while I can see great possibilities for a revenge tragedy, I also see possibilities for a whole lot more than that. So it's an awesome idea, and I can't wait to see where you take this.

[Blackberry]

oooh! interesting! she's a ghost!!! :D

[Béatrice]

Ooooooooh she's a ghost! That's a good start!!! :lol: More please...

[autumngold]

Intriguing beginning!! The only problem is with her dead, no :smut: !! :crygreen: Please post again soon!! :chlexsign4:

[lexchloe]

The only problem is with her dead, no :smut:

That's exactly what I was thinking, no smoochies :crygreen: . That was a great start though. I can't wait for the next part. :chlexsign3:

[LarkLuthor]

Oh, facinating! I must have more! I can picture so many ways to weave this into cannon.

Lark

[sylvia]

Hey... update please?

[Jen1388]

Okay how could you leave it there?! Where is the next update? I scrolled down all excited... and I got nothing!

You'd best get your bottom back here NOW! Cause I wanna know what happens!

Great job;)

Jen x

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot to me. I'm sort of struggling with how in-depth I want this fic to be, so it's coming slowly. I have the two big scenes all planned, but I haven't decided for certain how to get there. Anyway, here's the next (short) bit, and hopefully I'll get my head wrapped around the rest soon. Thanks again! :)
**********************************************

Lex closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, then suddenly marched over to his liquor cabinet and proceeded to pour himself a very large glass of scotch. He drained it quickly, then poured another. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Chloe jumped off of the desk and walked over to him.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what’s going on?”

Lex jumped at the sound of her voice practically in his ear, spilling part of his drink down the front of him. Chloe instinctively reached for a napkin, but her hand fluttered back to her side after her fingers passed through the thin tissue she’d tried to grasp.

“Sorry. I’m still getting used to the whole insubstantial thing. You’d be surprised how much you take for granted until a little thing like the lack of sound from your footsteps scares the bejeezus out of a person.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

“How could it be your fault? You were just innocently trying to get plastered and I--”

“Because I made you up. You’re not really here.” Lex moved to his desk to sit, carrying the bottle with him. “You’re obviously another figment of my imagination, created as a reaction to my guilt over your death.”

“Another fig-- Yeah, like you could dream up anything as good as me.”

Lex cocked an eyebrow at her.

“You’d be surprised what my mind can do without consulting me first. I don’t suppose you’ve run into Louis anywhere?”

“Um, I don’t think so. Who’s Louis?”

“Another one of my imaginary friends.”

“You’re a weird drunk.”

“I’m not drunk… yet.” He poured himself another drink. “See, didn’t spill a drop.”

“You have guilt?”

“Pardon me?”

“You said you have guilt over my death. Why?”

“I was supposed to protect you.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, but he got you too.”

“That’s not an acceptable excuse.” Lex watched silently as Chloe sat down in the chair in front of his desk, idly noting that the leather upholstery didn’t move as her form appeared to sink into it. He took another drink.

“Lex, you had no control over what happened. You did what you thought was best, and so did I. Unfortunately for my dad…” Chloe drew a perfect facsimile of a shaky breath. “…we were both wrong.”

“For what it’s worth, you can’t know how sorry I am.”

Chloe started to speak, then seemed to think better of it. They sat in silence for several minutes, Lex drinking his scotch while she stared at the floor.

“Well, I guess your appearance is my psyche’s way of forcing me to avenge your death.” He started at the knock on the door. “Come in.” A servant entered and stood before the desk.

“Mr. Luthor, your supper is ready.”

“Thank you. I’ll be there shortly,” Lex replied, his words faintly slurred.

“Yes sir. Miss, shall I set a place for you as well?”

“Um, no thank you. I’m not really hungry.”

“Yes ma’am.” The man bowed slightly and left the room, closing the doors behind him.

“Thanks for not asking for a plate. My staff might desert me if they were forced to set places for people they couldn’t even see.” He took another drink while Chloe stared at him. Without warning, he sprayed the desk with the amber liquid. “He spoke to you.”

“You caught that, hunh? Way to go, lush.”

Lex blinked several times.

“Okay, I give. What’s going on?”

“See, I was waiting for you to ask me that.” She smiled happily.

“Again… what’s going on?”

Chloe’s smile fell.

“I was hoping you could tell me.” She shrugged at Lex’s glare. “I do know one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“If anyone’s going to be avenging, it’s going to be me.”


(TBC)

[asharnanae]

“You caught that, hunh? Way to go, lush.”




CLASSIC!!!!!! :biggrin: :blinkkiss:

[sylvia]

Yay I love how they're so cute, and how Chloe's being so characteristically flippant about being a ghost and all. I like Lex's self-psychoanalysis. I definitely wouldn't like to be his shrink.

So can they go haunt Lionel now? And, if it's not too much trouble, could you find a way to work in the smoochies?

[hfce]

Huh.. So Chloe is a ghost they can see. Interesting.... :devil:


Hope :)

[tiger04]

That was great. all smiles with the lush comment. You are doing a wonderful job. Chloe a ghost, with neither lex nor herself knowing whats going on. can't wait to see what happens next. Looking forward to the next update.
AT

[autumngold]

Originally posted by sylvia@Sep 12 2004, 06:23 AM
Yay I love how they're so cute, and how Chloe's being so characteristically flippant about being a ghost and all. I like Lex's self-psychoanalysis. I definitely wouldn't like to be his shrink.

So can they go haunt Lionel now? And, if it's not too much trouble, could you find a way to work in the smoochies?
I like your new chapter also, but I would love some Chlex smoochies!! Please!! :biggrin: Please post another chapter soon!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: You guys soooo rock! Your wonderful feedback has inspired some direction for this fic, so hopefully I will be able to really go with it now. Thanks for all your kind words :) As for smoochies... my lips are sealed...

******************************************

Lex ate in silence. If he hadn’t occasionally given her one of his characteristically unreadable looks, Chloe would have thought he had forgotten she was even there. Mourning her lack of laptop, she finally closed her eyes to contemplate how she might best get back at Lionel Luthor. A few minutes later, she opened them again at the sound of Lex’s chair scraping across the hardwood floor of the informal dining room.

“I’m going to bed,” he told her curtly. “Goodnight, Chloe.”

“Sleep tight. I’ll let you know if I spot anything weird while I’m haunting about the castle.”

“I suppose it’s too much to ask that you stay in the public areas of my home.”

“Pretty much, yeah. I mean, what are you going to do, kill me?” She grinned at his annoyed look. “Relax, I might be the best security you’ve ever had.”

Her carefree countenance faded as Lex disappeared down the hall. Security indeed. Other than screaming at the top of her ethereal lungs, there was nothing she could do to protect Lex from the next attack from his father. Her tears slid down her cheeks unchecked and she wrapped her arms around herself. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she remembered the last conversation she’d had with her own father.

”Well, this is quite an adventure isn’t it?”

“Dad, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I can tell you--”

Gabe had hugged his daughter.

“Shh… I know, honey. I blame myself too, you know. I should have been paying more attention to what was going on with you, where you were… I never should have given you the opportunity to get into this mess.”

“I’m going to get us out of it, I promise you.”

“Don’t worry about that now. We’re going someplace safe, and you can just let Lex worry about everything else. Other than the trial, it’s not our problem anymore.”

She had sighed softly.

“Part of me thinks he should be coming with us.”

“Chloe, Lionel raised him. I’m sure he can handle himself. Besides, he’s not exactly the sort of influence I want for my young, innocent, impressionable daughter.”

“Hey!” she’d said, laughing, as she’d swatted at him.

“Oh, look at that, we’re here. Saved by the arrival!”

Chloe had stopped laughing and furrowed her brows.

“But we’re still in Smallville…”

Her longing for her father was almost palpable. Sobs shook her shoulders as her guilt crashed down on her, but a sudden movement near her foot caught her attention. She looked down and saw that a frightened squirrel had darted away across the grass. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she fell from her seated pose to the ground.

“What the hell…” She gasped as she realized that she was next to a fresh pile of dirt. Her eyes followed the mound to its end with trepidation, and she scrambled backwards in horror as her fear was confirmed. She was at her father’s final resting place, which meant that on her other side was…

…her own grave. She screamed and covered her face, unconsciously crying out.

“Lex!”

**************************************

Hours later, her reverie was interrupted by a stirring on the bed above her. Subsequent to screaming his name in the cemetery, Chloe had found herself transported to Lex’s bedside immediately. After she’d confirmed that he was still deep in his drunken sleep, she slumped against the bed and considered her situation. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that she could go wherever she desired, and she’d tested the theory with quick jaunts to the former Talon and the Torch office. That didn’t seem too unusual for a ghost, she supposed; more like an extension of the mindset that allowed her to rest against surfaces when she could just as easily slide right through them. In fact, it could be very useful in her plans concerning Lionel – and if she focussed on that, she wouldn’t have to think about why her subconscious had chosen Lex’s side for a place to run when she was scared out of her wits.

But now Lex was moving around, muttering incoherently in his sleep.

Great, she thought. Like Lex Luthor’s wet dreams are something I really want to be privy to. She rose and started to leave the room, hoping it was really something so innocent.

“Chloe!” Lex called out. She stopped and turned slowly, wracking her brain for a plausible explanation for her presence in his bedroom. “Chloe! Stop!”

He was still asleep, and he had begun thrashing in his silk sheets. His face was contorted with some emotion she could only guess at, and he was gripping the edge of his pillow tightly. It was the same nightmare she’d seen him have every night since he’d learned of her death, and she felt just as helpless as she had before.

“Chloe!” His cry was laced with agony and grief. She suddenly realized her new form gave her the ability to do something after all. She rushed to his side and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.

“Lex, I’m here. It’s okay, I’m… I’m safe. I’m right here with you.” His face relaxed and he slowly eased his grip on the bedding. He mumbled softly as he drifted back into peaceful slumber, and all she caught was her name and the word “stay.” She bit her lip. “Don’t worry, Lex. I’m not going anywhere tonight.” She stretched out beside him to watch him sleep.

**********************************

The next morning, Lex awoke to a dull ache in the back of his head, a slightly queasy feeling in his stomach… and the certainty that he was not alone. After careful consideration, he realized that his recollection of the events of the previous evening was very hazy. He vaguely remembered being with Chloe, but he chalked it up to his recurring nightmare that had deterred from its usual course to end with her in his arms instead of in a cold and lonely grave. Without opening his eyes, he gently patted the bed beside him, hoping for some clue as to who the body he sensed next to him belonged to.

There was no one there. He sat up quickly, but there was no sign anyone had been in his room at all. He groaned as he rubbed his face with his hands, then dragged himself from the sheets to stagger toward the bathroom, home of aspirin, water, and the shower.

Suppressing her sudden urge to peek in once she heard the water running, Chloe willed herself away from her position under the bed. That had been close.

****************************************

Lex was on his way to the terrace when a servant stopped him.

“Mr. Luthor, your breakfast is served and your morning papers are on the table. Your… er… guest is waiting for you also, but she did not require anything.”

Lex sighed. He’d remembered a bit more about the previous evening while he’d showered. Either he really had been with Chloe, or he really needed to check himself in somewhere. Possibly both.

As a result, he was not surprised to find the blonde apparition seated at the table when he walked outside.

“Could you turn this over, please?” she asked as he sat down.

“Pardon?”

“Could you turn the Times over? The rest of this article is on the other side.” Shaking his head, he did as she’d asked before choosing another paper for himself.

“Will you require the entire paper spread out across the floor before I leave?”

“Yes, in duplicate. Can’t miss the things on the back.”

“Of course. Shall I leave the television on for you as well?”

“No, but you could download a voice-activated browser if you don’t mind.”

“No trouble at all.” Lex finished perusing the stock numbers he was interested in, then folded down the top of his paper. As he’d suspected, Chloe was grinning broadly. He smirked his reply, then started on his breakfast.

“Actually,” she said, “I’ve got plans for the day.”

“Oh?”

“I’m going to get to work on gathering more information for the case against your father. I think it will actually turn out pretty well – I can find the information without anyone knowing I was there, and you can send in a goon to retrieve it after I tell you what to look for.”

“A goon? Are we Mafia now?”

“You know what I mean,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The point is, we can find all the information we need without putting you in danger.”

Lex put his fork down and leaned back in his chair.

“Chloe, I don’t know how to tell you this… but there really isn’t a case against my father at this point. With you gone and Clark missing, the judge declared the case closed for lack of evidence.”

“What? That’s insane! Lex, it is so obvious that your father had me killed and tried to poison you, the judge would have to be blind not to see--” She stopped, her jaw frozen mid-speech. Slowly, she sank back into the chair. “Your father got to him too. He paid him off, or threatened his family.”

“It would seem that way.”

“Fuck!” Chloe slammed her hands down. Had she been corporeal, the table would surely have tipped, but instead her fists landed ineffectually against her knees. Her outburst brought a servant running, however.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Luthor?” the matronly woman asked.

“Yes, we’re fine,” Lex replied, shooting Chloe a warning look.

“Oh. Well, let me get you more coffee while I’m here.” The woman hurried to the table, picking up a pot from the warmer by the door on her way by. As she poured, she gave the shadows that lay across the granite floor an idle glance. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked at Chloe, then back down at the ground. She backed away from the table and hurried into the house.

“Geez, Lex, that’s pretty good, your mere presence scares away the help,” Chloe said sarcastically. He looked down at the ground near the table, then back up at her.

“It wasn’t me, oh transparent one.”

Chloe looked down at the ground, where the wrought-iron breakfast table and chairs were perfectly outlined in shadow. Lex’s figure was more abstract, but also plainly visible. But where she should have been… there was nothing. Heaving a sigh, she flopped back in her chair. Lex chuckled and returned to eating.

“Did you say Clark’s missing?” she asked after a few minutes of silence. She'd known he hadn't been around, but she hadn't realized he'd actually disappeared again.

“Apparently. I haven’t spoken to the Kents. As best I can tell, though, it has nothing to do with my father.”

Chloe remembered the cup Jonathan had given to her to have investigated. She knew Clark’s disappearance probably had everything to do with that mysterious girl.

Maybe she had plans for the day after all.

(TBC)

[LarkLuthor]

I'm loving this! It's so intreging! I'd love some more about Lex's reaction to all of this now that he's sober. Update soon!

Lark

[Blackberry]

woot :) :) awesome!! I missed just abit but... woohoo! :)

Chloe - reporter in life and in afterlife... :)

[sylvia]

“Pretty much, yeah. I mean, what are you going to do, kill me?” She grinned at his annoyed look. “Relax, I might be the best security you’ve ever had.”
Heh. Nice one.

Other than that, it's cool the way you have Chloe trying to adjust to her... un-aliveness, I suppose you could call it, for want of a better word. And, like Lark, I can't wait to see how Lex reacts when the shock wears off and the truth finally sets in.

One question, though... how come Gabe's not a ghost? But then again it might be asking a bit much to resolve the entire afterlife flowchart in a fic, so maybe I'll just forget that detail. ;)

Looking forward to the Chlex snooping!

[hfce]

Ok I loved this update but how come Gab is not with her? It would be nice if she had him there. That way she would have company and they can be a father and daughter sleuth team with Lex's help.


Hope :)

[gyhardin]

I absolutely love this story! :yay: Chloe as a ghost is an entirely new plot to venture into.

I think I understand why she's the only one who became a spectre. She still has some unfinished business and Lex have subconsciously called for her...probably :goof: . Anyways, Gabe basically led a sedentary life that his spirit didn't have much of a problem in passing on.

Please keep the updates coming :biggrin: .

[autumngold]

I feel so sorry for Chloe!! She must feel so helpless to help all the people she loves!! In a way I'm glad that Gabe isn't with her!! I like to think of him peaceful in heaven!! Can't wait for more!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: awesome awesome!!!!! man you have to update this like EVERY DAY!!! Well, no, but will you as soon as you can, it just fantastic! :worship2:

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: *squees* Loving the feedback, y'all! Except, I'm a little embarrassed... I think some of you have better ideas than I do :lol: Rest assured, however, there is a reason for Gabe's absence - but I can't tell you what it is without giving away the end. ;) Ash, I will do my best to update everyday. I want to get this story out before I burn out on it! For those of you asking for more from Lex, it's coming, slowly but surely.

Thanks again for reading!

************************************************** *****************

Lex entered his office and stopped at his assistant’s desk. She shifted the phone to her shoulder and handed him his messages and some files he’d requested the previous afternoon.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Luthor is not available for comment at this time. Yes, I realize there are several rumors floating around concerning his father’s case, but you will need to direct all questions to the prosecutor’s office.” She rolled her eyes at Lex.

“Hold my calls,” he mouthed to her. She nodded and stabbed a button on the phone to answer the next call.

Lex walked calmly into his office, glancing through his messages to see if there was anything of major importance. After he’d determined that there was nothing that need his immediate attention, he tossed the entire stack on his desk and flopped down in his chair. It rolled a few inches across the floor, and he allowed his momentum to turn him towards the windows overlooking the various buildings that comprised the Smallville division of LuthorCorp.

One got used to dealing with unusual events living in Smallville. By all rights, nothing should have surprised him. But being haunted was a bit unexpected, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

On the one hand, his ghost was perfectly friendly, and he had to admit that having Chloe around after he thought she was gone forever was something of a relief. Since his entire staff could see her, he didn’t feel like there was any danger stemming from her presence. As she had pointed out, she now held certain advantages when it came to investigation that he could think of plenty of uses for.

But on the other hand, it was just downright unnerving. When he ‘d questioned how she intended to get around before he left, she’d explained that she could simply go – whenever and wherever she wanted. Plus, there was the whole issue of why she’d returned. Was it a random occurrence, or was she sent specifically to him for a reason?

He sighed and rolled his chair back to his desk. When he returned home that night, he was going to have to dig a little deeper into how she came to be sitting in his study on the same day he’d seen her put into the ground forever.

************************************************** **************

Chloe stood in the middle of Clark’s bedroom. She was having a crisis of conscience. On the one hand, she didn’t want to do anything that might infringe on her promise to Clark to let him tell her his secrets when he was ready. But on the other hand, it was important that she do whatever she could to find out where he went. Unsure of where to start, she dropped to her knees to look under the bed.

“Geez, not even a dust bunny,” she muttered to herself. “Go Mrs. Kent!" She walked over to the small desk and considered how best to look in the drawers. Crinkling her nose, she finally bent over and simply stuck her face through the front. She was pleasantly surprised to find that she no longer needed light to see.
But even at her up-close range, there was nothing to see in the drawers besides pencils and extra paper. Chloe stood up, frustrated.

“Come on, Clark, one little clue…” she said to the empty room.

“Who’s there?” she suddenly heard from down the hall. Silently cursing her stupidity, she looked frantically around for a good hiding place. Martha cautiously entered the room just as Chloe charged through the closet door. “Hello? Is someone here?”

Chloe heard the soft creak of the bedsprings, then there was silence. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she carefully leaned her face through the heavy wood of the door. Martha’s back was to her, her face buried in her hands. As Chloe helplessly watched, she caught the barely perceptible shake of the older woman’s shoulders.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there when Jonathan entered the room.

“Martha? Sweetheart, what is it?”

“I… I thought I heard Chloe… talking to Clark! God, Jonathan, this is making me crazy!” She collapsed into the arms her husband wrapped around her and sobbed into his chest.

Chloe slipped away from the door, her heart breaking. She was right there, but there was nothing she could do to ease Martha’s worries. The sight of her ghost wouldn’t help the woman’s sanity or her grief. If only she could find Clark…

Chloe slapped her forehead. Of course she could find him. All she had to do was desire it. Let’s get with the program, Dorothy, she thought. All you have to do it click those shoes… Squeezing her rolling eyes shut, she pictured his endearing smile, his flannel shirt, his broad shoulders…

The cold, unlike anything she’d ever felt, was made all the more remarkable by the fact that the last thing she had actually felt was the burn of the inferno that had taken her life. She shivered as she tried to peer through the fog that surrounded her. Unable to see anything beyond her hand in front of her, she stepped carefully forward.

She had only taken a couple of steps when she tripped and fell flat on her face. She gasped. Wherever she was, she had actual form. She scrambled to her hands and knees and felt for whatever she had stumbled over. Just a few inches in front of her, she felt skin - warm, living skin.

“Clark?” she asked frantically. Bending closer, she could see her friend curled into a fetal position, his face a mask of agony. She nearly blushed when she discovered he was naked, but she was more interested in rousing him from his seemingly catatonic state. “Clark, can you hear me? Clark, you have to wake up, I have to get you home!” She grabbed him under the arms and attempted to drag him into a sitting position, but she couldn’t budge his still form.

Without warning, the platform they were on began to quake and spark. Chloe screamed as a jolt of energy coursed through her veins. Holding onto Clark, she wished for home.

In the next instant, she found herself in her own bedroom, unfortunately without Clark. She blinked in surprise, and realized she was looking directly at someone who appeared to be packing her things.

“Chloe?” Lois asked in disbelief.

Chloe’s jaw dropped. Panicking, she sent herself back to the mansion. Her cousin's scream still echoing in her ears, she ran to the study and threw herself onto the couch, where Lex found her when he returned home several hours later. Taking in her dazed state, he carefully sat down beside her.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

She offered him a faint smile.

“Today was a really bad day.”

(TBC)

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: this just gets better and better!!!!! :blinkkiss:

[autumngold]

I think it's interesting that Chloe was actually back in her own body when she was in the caves!! I think she should go back to Clark soon, maybe it will make her human again? Please!! I really enjoyed this update!! Please post again soon!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[LarkLuthor]

Whoa! Talk about extreme! As usual, I'll take an more you post with relish.

Lark

[sylvia]

Yikes, the Chloe ghost is scaring a lot of people, isn't it? It's nice how you have Lex calmly and rationally trying to analyse this new "freak". I'm hoping to see a nice long truthful Chlex chat between them soon, in addition to the Lionel-destroying.

Update soon :)

[hfce]

:lol: she did have a bad day but it was exciting. :lol:



Hope :)

[Béatrice]

G-R-E-A-T!!! :biggrin: Can we have more please?

[tiger04]

Can't wait for more. i really really want to know what is going to happen.
Please please update soon

AT

[Kit Merlot]

How did I miss this fic?

This is a wonderful concept, and I like how you've captured Chloe's feistiness.

Can't wait for more :biggrin:

[carebear72884]

This is great, I can't belive I missed it, Chloe as a ghost, what a great idea...more soon please.

[chrisrose]

Very interesting! But so sad that she and Lex can't really be "together". :/ You're really writing the characters well, and I can't wait for them to discuss how they feel about this whole situation. Hey, all they *can* do is talk, right? ;) Please write more soon!

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: As always, the feedback is wonderful! I'm so glad y'all are feeling the story, I'm kind of stepping carefully with this one - it could easily go on for eons, but I want to make it sort of short. However, I don't want to be totally cold about their emotions, either.

Unfortunately, real life conspired against me updating as often as I wanted, so now I'm in a bind to finsh it before the premiere wipes away all of my inspiration for taking the story this direction! I'm going to try my hardest to write the last ?three? scenes before tomorrow night, but if I don't make it... well, at least I got this much done :)

This shortish scene is all Chlex, I hope you enjoy it - thanks again for reading.
************************************************** *****

Later that night, Lex found Chloe sitting outside in the garden muttering to herself.

“Am I interrupting?”

She jumped, then put her hand over her still chest.

“God Lex, I’m supposed to be the scary one!”

“Sorry.” He sat down next to her on the marble bench. “Though I have to say, I find the fact that you are having such an intense conversation with yourself mildly disturbing.”

“How do you know I’m not talking to Elvis?”

“I have it on very good authority from one of the custodial technicians at the plant that Elvis is alive, so unless he is hiding in the rose bushes, I have to assume you are not.”

“Okay, I am the reigning expert on all things conspiratorial and weird, and even I know Elvis is dead. You should screen your employees more carefully.”

Lex smirked at her.

“Which is completely unrelated to the fact that you were talking to yourself… rather animatedly.”

She gave him a dirty look.

“I have no paper, no laptop, and no tape recorder… I have to work through my thoughts somehow.”

“I see.” He tried to sound serious, but the smirk was joined by a raised eyebrow. Chloe very pointedly scratched her temple with her middle finger, and Lex’s face melted into a real smile.

“I’ll take that as a concession of defeat.” When Chloe tried to make an indignant protest, he raised his hand. “Kidding. But I really do need to talk with you.”

Sighing dramatically, she nodded.

“Truce then… for now.” She shifted to straddle the bench so she could look at him without turning her head. “What’s up?”

“Have you had form since the moment you died?”

“Um… no.” Chloe shifted uncomfortably.

“When did it happen? And how did you wind up in my office?”

“I was… uh… already there. Sort of. I… My body appeared about thirty minutes before you found me. There was no warning. It just happened.”

Lex raised his eyebrows. She winced and continued.

“Well… God, this is kind of embarrassing.” She rose and began to pace in front of the bench. “When the house exploded, my first thought… my first thought was that I had to get to you, because I knew you would keep me safe. I was halfway here before I realized that I’d left without my body. I had no form at all. It was like… it was like my thoughts and my eyes and my ears were blasted free of my body. So I went back, because I knew I had to be misunderstanding something.” She fell silent and stared off into the garden. Lex waited patiently for her to speak again. “After I realized that I was actually dead, I thought I might be able to find my dad nearby, but... I guess it doesn’t work that way. So, I figured I might as well come here anyway. I… I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“So you’ve been in the mansion… the whole time?”

She hesitated before answering.

“Pretty much. I did go to the Kent Farm once, that’s how I knew Clark wasn’t around. I didn’t know he was actually missing until you told me, though. I didn’t go to the funeral because… I just couldn’t. It was too much.”

“You were here…” The meaning in his unfinished query was clear.

“I was here when you were lying in a pile of glass on the floor. I was by your side in the emergency room. I was there when you found out about my father and me. I was here every night when you woke up from your nightmares calling my name. And I was completely helpless… all I could do was watch.” The sparkle of unshed tears reflected some otherworldly light, framing her eyes in lashes that glittered like diamonds. Lex couldn’t tear his attention from them as he slowly replied.

“You were there this morning. You spoke to me while I was dreaming.” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yes.” She returned to her place beside him and they sat for several long minutes, allowing their shared silence to wrap around them in lieu of a comforting embrace that they both might have shunned even if contact had been possible. Finally, Lex spoke.

“You said you have no idea where Clark was today?”

“I couldn’t even see more than a couple of feet around us.”

“You were corporeal there. Do you think he was also…”

“No, he was alive, I’m sure of it. Breathing, pulse, warm skin… all the usual suspects.”

Lex rubbed his face and sighed.

“It would really be helpful if we could get him home.”

“For the case, you mean? Don’t worry, Lex, I’m going to find something on your dad to keep him behind bars.” She smiled reassuringly, wishing she could squeeze his hand.

“I don’t think we have that kind of time, Chloe. Barring any new developments, my father is scheduled to be released in 48 hours.” He glanced at his watch. “Actually, make that about 37.”

“Oh.” They sat in silence for several moments before she continued. “Well, okay, I just have to figure out how to get Clark here before then. I can go back and try to wake him up and--”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Lex, I’m already dead, I don’t think--”

“If you have a body there, you could get hurt. Then you’d both be trapped… or worse.” Lex’s voice was suddenly flat and tired, and Chloe realized she wasn’t going to come up with any solutions that he hadn’t been over a thousand times already in his head. She closed her eyes and rested her head in her hands.

“If your dad gets out, it will only be a matter of time before he either kills you or forces you to kill him.”

“I know.” His cellphone rang and he stood to answer it. “Luthor. Yeah, what do the numbers look like?” Still talking, he raised a finger to Chloe before walking back toward the house, signaling her to wait.

When he returned, she was gone.

(TBC)

[hfce]

Oh this is so good. More please...


Hope ;)

[tiger04]

really good. hope you write more soon
AT

[LarkLuthor]

Hey! No leaving the poor guy! Breaking his heart once is excusible only because of death, but leaving him like that is unexceptable.

Lark

[autumngold]

I wish that Chloe didn't have to leave Lex, but she doesn't have that much time!! She has to get Clark out before Lionel is released!! Thank you for the update!! I am really enjoying this story!! :biggrin: :chlexsign3: :biggrin:

[sylvia]

Wow I really feel bad for both of them. Poor tired-out (and not in the good way, either) Lexy.

Anyway, can't wait to see what solutions or complications you come up with next. Update soon!

[LarkLuthor]

Please update!

Lark

[AlabamaWorley]

Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful reviews! I swear I had this all planned out before the premiere. It was kind of funny how my plans for Lionel and Lex's dialysis ended up being similar. Anyway, I think this is the next to last update.
********************************************

When Chloe arrived in Lionel’s cell, she immediately dove into the wall. Luckily, the prisoner was dozing and the guard was entranced by whatever was staring back at him from his laptop display. She carefully positioned herself so she could watch the cell without being seen and settled in to wait for a plan to develop.

About an hour later, a member of the medical staff came in. He roughly poked Lionel’s shoulder.

“Luthor! I have to check your vitals before I bring your meds.”

Lionel stirred and sat up. He offered his arm to the orderly and waited while his pulse and blood pressure were obtained.

“You know, if I were facing the sentence you’ve got over your head, I would just skip the drugs and let the disease take me quickly.”

“Perhaps you haven’t heard. The charges against me are about to be dropped.”

“I wish I had a dollar for everytime I heard that one.”

Lionel chuckled.

“They’ve come to realize that they have no case against me, as they should have. I’m seriously considering filing suit over my wrongful imprisonment.”

The orderly stood and considered his patient carefully. Finally, he turned away.

“I’ll be back with your shot in a minute.”

Chloe glided easily through the walls as she followed the man down to the infirmary. He led her into a dark room and opened a large refrigerated cabinet, then started to slide a tray of glass vials out of its slot. Chloe was struck with inspiration.

“Boo!” she screamed as she leapt into the man’s line of vision. He yelped and dropped the tray, then jumped backwards as glass shattered around his feet.

“Oh God. Oh no. What have you done?” he asked in a panic. He quickly skimmed the names on the remaining trays in the refrigerator unit; finding no more bearing the Luthor name, he knelt helplessly amid the broken vials. “This was the last we had until tomorrow afternoon. He’ll be dead by breakfast without it.” The man looked up at Chloe. “Where the hell did you even come from?”

Chloe bit her lip. Lex probably wouldn’t approve of her turning herself into an urban legend, but it was really for his own good.

“My name is Chloe Sullivan. Lionel Luthor had my father and me killed because I was going to provide testimony that would get him convicted of murdering his parents.” She stepped closer to the orderly and glanced down at his name tag. “Mr… Holbeck. Do you believe me?”

“Uh, no. You’re wasting my time. I’m calling a guard.” He reached for Chloe’s arm, and she smiled politely. His reaction as his hand passed through her flesh was too good to miss, and far more convincing than anything she could possibly say to him. He drew a shaky breath as he crossed himself. “What do you want from me?”

“Just think of me as an avenging angel. That man has destroyed countless lives, he killed his family, he killed my family, he tried to kill his own son… what have you got to lose from cleaning up this mess, filling some vials with saline, and never telling anyone you saw me?”

The man blinked in surprise.

“There would be an autopsy. People would know.”

“Tell me something. Is that drug FDA approved? How much is Luthorcorp paying the warden to have it administered to him in the first place?”

“I… uh…” He sighed. “Probably a lot.”

“Then who’s going to raise a stink about it?”

Holbeck picked up a broom from the corner and carefully began sweeping up the broken shards on the floor. Chloe started to speak again, but he held up a hand to silence her. She waited patiently while he mopped up the remaining liquid and placed the empty tray back in the refrigerator. He then crossed to another large cabinet and began pulling out empty vials and filling them from a large bottle. After he’d labeled them and put them on Lionel’s tray, he turned to Chloe.

“My older brother worked for Luthorcorp for years. He was a good man, he had a family. Then he went crazy one day. He beat my sister-in-law pretty good, but she got out with the kids. A few minutes later, he put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.” Holbeck paused, thinking. “They said he’d been embezzling funds for months. I know they were lying.” He took a vial and a syringe and left the room.

After he’d gone, Chloe checked the label on the large bottle he’d poured from. It was normal saline. She sat down on the counter to wait.



After Holbeck returned from giving Lionel his 4:00 am dose several hours later, he nodded at Chloe.

“If you have any final words for him, you’d better get down there. He’s going to be unconscious soon, and I’ll have to sound the alarm when I check his vitals in thirty minutes.”

“You’ve done the world a favor, Mr. Holbeck.”

He smiled grimly.

“Rest in peace, Chloe Sullivan.”

Chloe reappeared in Lionel’s cell and hid in the shadows near the wall. From a distance, he looked fine, but closer examination showed that he was clammy and pale. As she paused to collect her thoughts, the guard rose and stretched. He glanced in at his prisoner, then moved down the hall towards the restroom. Chloe knew divine intervention when she saw it, and she darted over to sit on the edge of Lionel’s cot.

“Mr. Luthor,” she hissed. He stirred and opened his eyes.

“Miss Sullivan?” he asked. His words were slightly slurred.

“Yes, Mr. Luthor, it’s me, in the not-flesh. I just wanted to stop by and say thanks for that.”

“I… how… I’m dreaming.”

“No, you’re awake for now, but you’ll be out soon. You see, Mr. Luthor, you’re dying. I made sure of that, because I don’t want you to ever have the chance to hurt anyone I care about again. The Kents are safe, the Rosses are safe, and most importantly, your son is safe.”

“No…” He shifted weakly, but he didn’t have the energy to sit up.

“No one will question your death, Mr. Luthor. No one gives a damn whether you live or die, so long as your money lives on. You’re going to hell, and no one will mourn your passing.” She heard the bathroom door opening and rose to return to her hiding place. Lionel no longer had the strength to speak, but his terrified eyes told her all she needed to know. She leaned in close to his ear. “For my father, you twisted son of a bitch. Checkmate.”



Lex was straightening his tie later that morning when his private line rang in his bedroom. After a very brief conversation, he hung up and walked down to the breakfast terrace. Chloe faced away from him, staring out at the grounds.

“You never told me what you were really talking to yourself about last night,” he said as he settled into his chair.

“It was complicated.” She didn’t turn around.

“My father’s dead.”

“I know.”

He picked up a newspaper and started to skim the headlines.

“Thank you, Chloe.”

“You’re welcome.” She sat down and waited for him to pass her the front page.

(TBC)

[tiger04]

That was a really cool chapter. I can't wait to see how it ends. please update soon
AT

[hfce]

Wow :ohmy: that was good. :devil:


Hope :biggrin:

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: Fantastic!! Loved it to bits!!! more more more! :blinkkiss:

[TheDragonLady]

*Moans in pleasure* I love this!

I adore this!

I need more of this!


Please.
;)

[newbatgirl]

This. Chapter. Rocked.

We. Need. More. Now.

Awesome job, 'bama. Can't wait to see where you go with this. Your Chloe has a helluva set of brass ones. I love that! :biggrin:

[sylvia]

Thanks for the new chapter, it was awesome. I'm glad Chloe's just as sharp, smart, and quick as she was in her human incarnation. Can't wait to see how everything's resolved :biggrin: Update soon!

[hateSmallvilleLoveChlex]

update soon, Please!

[autumngold]

I love Chloe's revenge!! :yay: Awesome new chapter!! I can't wait for more!! :chlexsign3:

[Béatrice]

Please I want more. Please! Please! Please! :worship2:

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: You guys give such fabulous feedback, I'm always afraid I'm going to let y'all down with my new updates :huh: Thank you so very much!!

I had intended to post everything in one final update, but I don't think I'm going to get the last part finished today. I was at a good stopping point, so I figured I'd go ahead and post this part - I ended up kind of liking this as a break anyway. I hope you enjoy!

************************************************** **************

The following days fell into a pattern. Chloe joined Lex at breakfast every morning and they chatted over the paper. While Lex was at work, Chloe explored. She’d been to Paris to check on Lana and found her very happy with a handsome young man. She’d been to Wichita to check on Pete and found him miserable, but coping. She’d been to Rome, to Cairo, to Athens. She’d spent one entire week drifting under the ocean, excited at the thought of all the money Lex could pour into excavating the ruins of Atlantis if she could only discover them. She didn’t even find pirate treasure.

But no matter her plans, she stopped in to watch Martha Kent wash the breakfast dishes every day; that was the time when the house was always empty, and Martha cried in great gulping sobs that shook her whole body. Chloe didn’t want her to be alone. But one particularly harrowing day, Jonathan walked in on his wife’s private time. Chloe knew that if her heart had been real, it would have split right open at the sight of the strong farmer breaking down and shedding his own tears all over the kitchen table. She hid away in Lex’s bedroom for the rest of the day, and when he returned home, she was still there.

“If you were any other woman, I’d say you’d come to seduce me,” he said, eyebrows raised. He’d never actually said she should stay out of his bedroom, but he’d assumed she respected his privacy when he wasn’t home.

“I needed-- Wait, what do you mean ‘if I were any other woman’? You don’t think I could seduce you?”

“You can’t touch me,” he replied as he hung up his jacket.

“So? Strippers can’t touch customers either, but lots of men like them.”

“No, customers can’t touch strippers. They can touch the men all they want.”

Chloe cocked an eyebrow.

“So you know about strippers?”

“A shocking revelation, I know, but I am male.”

“Yeah. And I could totally seduce you.”

Lex shoved his hands in his pockets as he considered her with amusement.

“Can you even take your clothes off?”

Chloe opened her mouth to reply, then paused for a moment to fumble with her clothing. Lex watched in amusement as she struggled to slide her jacket off of her shoulders. The material would seem to give, then reappear in its original position when she looked the other direction. Unable to suppress his laughter any longer, Lex held up his hand.

“Please, Chloe, your erotic dance is just too much. I’m going to have to take a cold shower immediately.”

“Oh, this sucks! It’s not fair!” She flopped down on the bed in defeat. He folded his arms over his chest.

“Please tell me that wasn’t really why you were here.”

“No,” she replied glumly. “I just needed a place to hide so I wouldn’t freak out the servants while I practiced.”

“Practiced?”

“Yeah.” She perked up a bit when she remembered what she wanted to show him. “If I’m not actually on Clark’s little platform, it can’t shock me.” Grinning proudly, she suddenly drifted up off of the bed and floated in midair. Lex applauded, impressed.

“You’ll be a scary ghoul yet, Miss Sullivan. Does it tire you out?”

“Nope. Once I figured out how to do it, it was easy. I just sit on the air, you know?”

“I see. One thing, though.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you corporeal wherever Clark is?”

Chloe drifted back down to the bed, disappointed.

“I can’t believe I forgot that.”

Lex smiled sympathetically before heading into the bathroom to wash up for dinner.

“Try it anyway. You never know.”

She’d returned by the time he was ready to head downstairs. He didn’t have to ask to know that she’d been unsuccessful.

“Come on,” he said, holding open the door. “After supper, you can talk dirty to me. I’ll bet you’ll seduce me in no time.”

She rolled her eyes as she walked past, but he saw the smile that briefly flitted over her features. He wondered if she knew she’d all but seduced him the first time she’d opened her mouth in his presence. With a sigh, he followed her to the dining room.





Several nights later, Lex still had seen no sign of Chloe by the time he finished his supper. He wandered through the rooms of the mansion, but she wasn’t in his office, the billiard room, or the art gallery she seemed to enjoy.

He finally found her in the living room that contained his home theater system. She was hunched over the coffee table with a very determined look on her face; closer inspection revealed that she was concentrating intently on the remote control. As he watched, she closed her eyes and appeared to take several deep breaths, then stared hard at the power button before jabbing at it with her finger. She nearly fell off the couch when the digit went clear through the table.

“Dammit!” she cried, righting herself.

“Would it help if I hired Vincent Schiavelli to come talk you through it?” Lex asked with a grin. She glared at him.

“It’s not funny! I can’t go on for literally eternity not being able to manipulate anything around me!”

“You manipulate me on a regular basis.” When she merely huffed at him, he sat down beside her. “I’m serious! Do you think I would let just anyone guilt me into turning every page of the Sunday edition of the Planet? Do you think I enjoyed clicking the mouse for an entire afternoon while you trained the very expensive voice command software I purchased for you?”

“Well excuse me for being such a burden! All you had to do was tell me no!” she spat with a fake pout.

“Stop it, you know I was kidding. I enjoy spending time with you.”

“You should. You’ve got the exclusive, you know.” She returned to her attack on the remote control. After several minutes, Lex glanced at his watch and sighed.
“Am I keeping you from something, Luthor?”

“There’s a program on ancient Egypt on the History Channel that I’d really like to see.”

“Oh, so your entertainment is more important than my quest to affect my world?”

“Can’t you practice on the light switch?”

Chloe cocked an eyebrow and leaned back on the couch in temporary defeat.

“Watch your back, Luthor.”

He burst out laughing as he grabbed the remote and turned on the massive television.

“That’s what I have you for, Miss Sullivan.”

She grinned.

“Yeah. And don’t you forget it.”

They watched in companionable silence until the first commercial break.

“Maybe you could possess someone,” Lex said.

Chloe’s jaw dropped slightly.

“Well color me speechless.”

“Think about it. You could just pick someone whose life you could easily take over and… take it.”

“You are a creepy, creepy man.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you could jump around.”

“I’m not that kind of girl!”

“Then let me be your first.”

And suddenly they weren’t joking anymore. Chloe’s smile faded slightly and she nearly shivered.

“You want to be the first to possess me?”

“No, I want to be your first possession.” Lex’s eyes were dark as he watched her reaction, and he held her gaze for several long seconds.

“Show’s back,” she said softly. They each retreated into their own thoughts until the program ended.

Chloe stared at a spot on the floor, willing herself to speak. What was it that had made the idea of taking over another person’s body change from disturbing to intensely personal when that person became Lex? Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at him. He had turned off the television and was fixated on some unknown place on the opposite wall, his face an impassive mask as usual. But she recognized the stress where it barely creased the thin skin around his eyes, and where it tensed his shoulders into a position that couldn’t be comfortable. His jaw was tight, and she longed to run her finger down the hard line, just to see if he’d flinch, or if he’d take her hand and kiss her fingertips the way she’d always sort of hoped he might. She just wanted to touch him one more time…

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s try it.”

He looked up, and she could have sworn she saw a flicker of relief in his eyes.

“How do you propose we begin?”

“Um… well, I guess I could just will myself inside of you.” He nodded, and she closed her eyes. “Okay, just sit still.”

A full ten seconds passed before Chloe opened one eye and sighed.

“How about if you just sort of sit into me?” he asked helpfully.

“I can try,” she replied, her voice doubtful. She allowed herself to drift over Lex, then settled into his lap. Slowly, she sank through his clothing and into his body. Shortly after she disappeared, her voice came from somewhere under the couch.

“This isn’t working.” She suddenly reappeared in her original position on the couch and slumped against the cushions.

“And here I was all prepared for my body to go into caffeine overload after a three day bender in the Beanery,” Lex said dryly. He regretted his jest when he saw the disappointment in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”

“You know that day at the Courthouse?” she asked sadly.

“Yes.”

“I really wish I would have kissed you goodbye.” She turned away from him and stared out the window into the darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard him shift on the couch.

“Chloe,” he said softly. “Come here.” She looked to find he had one arm along the back of the couch and one leg across the cushions. His other arm rested at his side, his other foot on the floor. Silently, she crawled to him and rested her head against his chest. Though neither could feel the other, her head rose and fell with his breath, and she heard the steady beat of his heart through the silk of his shirt. Lex sighed deeply, his arms aching to hold her.

“I really wish you had too.”


(TBC)

[LarkLuthor]

:crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen: WAH!

Quit making me cry! Poor Lex! :crygreen:

Lark

[autumngold]

Oh!! :crygreen: I really wish that Chloe could touch Lex!! :crygreen: Excellent update!! I really hope you write more soon!! :yay2: :chlexsign4: :yay2:

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: that was a seriously great chappy, but so sad!!!!

[hfce]

Aww I feel so bad for them. :crygreen:


Hope :cryblue:

[newbatgirl]

Awww 'Bama that last part killed me. So sad! Please post some more to cheer me up!!!


Edited to add: LOVED the Ghost reference. I was on the floor!

[tiger04]

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH that was great. I wish that lex could hold chloe. I hope that there is another update soon.
AT

[sylvia]

“Come on,” he said, holding open the door. “After supper, you can talk dirty to me. I’ll bet you’ll seduce me in no time.”

Aww.... that was so sweet, but I felt really bad for the two of them. But I'm sure you've got some brilliant way of, uh, solidifying Chloe, so they can get some resolution.

Oh, and the thing about Lex wanting Chloe to possess him? That was just beautiful, in an absolutely screwed up Luthor way. :)

Update soon!

[kezz]

They absolutely have to find some way to make her corporeal. :worship2:

That was a fantastic update, please let Chloe get Clark back, the bit about Martha and Jonathon was heart wrenching. :cryblue:

More soon please?

Kezz......x.x.x.

[Béatrice]

That was funny :lol: but in the same time sad :crygreen: . That was GREAT!!! :chlexsign3:

[FroggyJump]

That was good. I think it's sad that Chloe seems to be felling more isolated in this story. I thought though that after Lionel was gone that that would be it, but I'm happy that it wasn't the end.

I liked the seduction conversation; nice and light. It was a good read.

[Kit Merlot]

This story is very original, and also very gut wrenching. I like the part where Lex asked Chloe to try to possess him. Very nice.


Please update--SOON!!

[hateSmallvilleLoveChlex]

“Think about it. You could just pick someone whose life you could easily take over and… take it.”

“You are a creepy, creepy man.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you could jump around.”

“I’m not that kind of girl!”

:blinkkiss: Soo cute! and then SOOOO SAD! :cryblue: :cryblue:
You have to update!

[AlabamaWorley]

A/N: Okay, here it is - the final update to this story. I tried to work in a love scene, but it was all just a bit too necrophiliacish... actually, I'm kidding, but I did have a good giggle thinking about trying to work in a love scene! :lol: Thank you so very much to everyone who read and left such wonderful reviews... I hope you like the way it turns out. As for those of you lurking along, now would be a swell time to let me know :blinkkiss:

To reiterate, I do own nothing to do with Smallville, and additionally, my last name is not Bronte. Enjoy!
************************************************** ***************

The next morning, Chloe sat quietly on the terrace for some time after Lex left for work. She’d spent the entire night previous staring into the darkness, desperately trying to think of a way out of her current predicament.

Lex was her only connection to her former life. The only chance he had to be with her would be if he was also dead… which was unthinkable, especially considering how unlikely it was that they’d ever find each other again.

If she left him, she could find a new way of living. If he let her go, it might kill him.
She couldn’t burden anyone else with her bizarre existence, and he had no one else to turn to. When she came down to it, all either of them really had was each other – and they barely had that.

Her mind wandered, and she thought of all the times in the past that she’d been in an impossible predicament. She’d been buried alive, she’d been thrown out of a window, she’d been in the clutches of countless meteor freaks… how had she made it as far as she had?

How else?

Heaving a sigh, Chloe closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was once more seated next to Clark. To her chagrin, he’d moved from his curled position to lie flat on his back, and was suddenly fully exposed. She hastily took off her jacket and covered him, then glanced around herself in a panic. She knew she had but a few seconds before the shock attack began, and the only plan she’d come up with was a definite last resort. Unfortunately, it also appeared to be her only option. Carefully, so as not to disturb the placement of her jacket, she scrambled onto Clark’s body and stretched out.

Thanks to the near foot difference between them, Chloe’s head rested comfortably on his chest. She sighed a bit, remembering how she’d felt the previous night in a similar pose with Lex, and closed her eyes. If she couldn’t see her surroundings, couldn’t see the soft, dark curls just above her head, couldn’t see the eyes sealed in unconsciousness… she could pretend they were the dark leather of a couch, a silky smooth scalp, and blue-gray eyes that focussed on her with an intensity that made her stomach flutter. After weeks of no feeling, the skin beneath her cheek practically burned, and her whole body tingled in relief at the contact. Her tears trickled onto her still friend, and she opened her eyes in resignation. She couldn’t have Lex, but Clark was here, and he needed her help.

Chloe propped herself up on her elbows and wiggled them slightly.

“Clark!” she hissed. “Clark, come on, wake up!” She shifted her weight to catch a clump of his hair between her fingers and gave it a sharp yank. When she got no reaction, she pinched his nostrils shut with her fingers.

She was about to give up and try something else when his head jerked and his mouth opened to gasp for air. Chloe lost her balance and nearly rolled back onto the platform, but strong arms were suddenly around her, holding her in place.

“Clark?” She was half-sobbing and half-laughing as she watched him struggle to open his eyes.

“Chloe?” he whispered. She could feel him shifting beneath her, stretching muscles that had been all but frozen for nearly three months. “What are you doing here?”

“I have to figure out how to get you home.”

“My… my dad. Is he okay?” His voice was scratchy from disuse, and he’d given up on his eyes.

“Yeah, your dad is fine, so is your mom. They really miss you, though.”

“How did you get here?”

“I… well, it’s a long story, and it’s not important now. We’ll worry about that when we get you out of here.”

“No, I… Chloe, I can’t leave.”

“Clark, you have to come home.”

He fought his eyelids again, and finally managed to open them wide enough to look into her desperate countenance.

“I’m sorry… I can’t.” Chloe laid her head down and burst into tears. “Please don’t cry. It’ll be okay, I promise.” He gently stroked her hair with his stiff hands, struggling to speak past his suddenly tight throat. “Just stay with me for a while… it’ll be okay…”

Clinging to each other, they both drifted off to sleep – the first peaceful rest either of them had had in months. They stayed that way for hours, until Chloe woke to the sound of Clark screaming. He pushed her away, and his eyes begged her to go.

Horrified and helpless, she did.

**********************************

Lex silently paced his office the next day. Chloe had told him all about her visit to Clark. He’d bristled a bit with jealousy when he’d realized that Clark had not only been able to touch her, but had been naked while doing so. But the way she’d curled up in his lap and hid her face in his neck when she’d told him how she’d tried to pretend it was his body that she could feel in the eerily charged air of Clark’s prison had wiped away any envy he’d felt.

He’d spent the morning locked in his office, searching the internet for information about successful resurrections, seances, possessions, and even exorcisms. He’d found nothing that seemed legitimate. He’d considered having Chloe’s body exhumed, but he knew there wasn’t much there to work with. The body had been badly charred, and they hadn’t needed to bother with make-up or clothing at the mortuary – there wasn’t enough left.

So, he was left with two choices: he could either spend his life with the woman he loved, never touching her or knowing when she might disappear from his life as suddenly as she’d appeared; or, he could ask her to leave him and never return, and spend the rest of his life hoping he’d forget her.

He flopped down on his small office couch and stared at the ceiling. Really, there was only one choice; he could never forget Chloe Sullivan.

***************************

The windows rattled gently in the wind as the raindrops pounded a soothing rhythm on the panes. Lex reclined on his bed reading aloud from Wuthering Heights and Chloe leaned on his shoulder, listening quietly. She’d asked him to read the novel to her after they’d debated whether they were more or less demented than Heathcliff and Catherine. She’d insisted that she would never allow her presence to drive him insane; he’d argued that he would definitely beg her to continue haunting him if he had to, because to be without her would be far worse. To his credit, he’d been on the downhill side of a bottle of wine when he’d admitted that fact, but she knew he meant it. She’d laughed and told him she never would have guessed he was such a sappy romantic, but the next evening they’d started the book. That was three night ago, and he was now on the last chapter.

After he closed the book, he turned his head slightly to look at her.

“So, what do you think?”

“You should be in charge of storytime at the high school.”

He snorted and sat up.

“I was talking about our debate, Miss Sullivan.”

“Oh, that,” she said, grinning. “You should be more specific, Mr. Luthor.”

“Fine. After rereading the book, what do you think about the comparison between Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship and our own?”

“Um… I think we are much better off.”

“How so?”

“You don’t?”

“I do, but I want to hear your opinion.”

“Well, first of all, I’m practically still here, except for the whole insubstantial thing. Everyone can see me and talk to me, so you don’t have to feel like I’m haunting you personally or anything.” Lex nodded his agreement. “And secondly, they never played in the rain.”

“We’ve never played in the rain,” he replied, his brow furrowed. If she was confusing him with some ex-boyfriend…

“Not yet,” she said playfully. She jumped off the bed and flitted toward the door. “Come on!”

By the time Lex got outside, Chloe was dancing across the tops of the puddles in the drive. Her laughter reverberated off of the castle when she saw him step hesitantly out the front door with a gigantic black umbrella over his head.

“That’s cheating!”

“Chloe, there’s lightning everywhere. This isn’t safe.”

“Who knew Lex Luthor was such a sissy? That storm is clear over by the highway!”

“But-”

“But nothing! Put that tent down and come play with me!” She resumed her twirling prance. With his vision partially obscured by the pounding rain, it almost looked as though she was truly there, splashing in the puddles and drenched from the downpour. He tossed the umbrella towards the door and ran out to join her. Before long, he was laughing with her, mimicking her movements across the thoroughly saturated yard. When he slipped and fell in the grass, she threw herself down beside him and crowed at his muddy pants and shoes. His ruined silk shirt clung to him and the rain streamed down his scalp and across his face.

“See?” she said breathlessly. “We are far healthier than that pair.”

“Only because I literally can’t get pneumonia,” he replied with a chuckle. He was about to rise when three forks of lightning suddenly collided in the sky near where he knew the highway lay. The combined force of the angry looking arcs slammed down to the earth, and he felt the ground shake beneath him from the impact. He turned to ask Chloe if she’d seen them, and winced as another giant bolt touched down near Smallville itself.

Chloe screamed in pain.

Lex felt terror seep into every part of his body when he looked at the figure before him. Her chest and part of her stomach had disappeared. Her hands clenched and unclenched in agony and she screamed again.

“My body,” she sobbed between cries. Her shoulders disappeared while he watched, and he realized most of her legs were already gone. “My body, Lex!” She reached for him, but her hand dissipated before she made contact. He held her eyes with his own until they too left him, her last scream still echoing across the tearing wind.

Help me… my body…

Lex leapt from the ground and raced toward the garage. He climbed into the first vehicle he encountered, his Lexus, and peeled off into the night as soon as the door had opened wide enough to let him through. The car fishtailed across the roads between the mansion and the cemetery, but he didn’t slow until he’d driven as close to Chloe’s grave as possible. He popped the trunk and grabbed the crowbar from the emergency compartment, then ran towards her tombstone.

The ground above her coffin was smoking and burnt despite the continuing rain. A large hole marked the center, and the top of the box was barely visible in the dim moonlight. He frantically began prying the muddy earth away, widening the cavity.

“Chloe! Chloe can you hear me?” He wasn’t certain, but he thought he could hear a faint pounding from below. “Hang on, I’m going to get you out!” Frustrated with the crowbar, he tossed it to the side and began pawing with his hands. Once he got closer to the coffin, he realized that the lid was actually burned away in places. Gritting his teeth in trepidation, he reached through the hole.

The body beneath his hand jerked and suddenly his fingers were caught in an iron grip. He squeezed back, his stomach lurching, then climbed out of the hole to retrieve the crowbar. Moments later, she was gasping for clean air as he dragged her from the casket, and then they were tangled together on the grass, tears flowing into the downpour as they clung to each other. His fingertips found her throat, and he marveled at the strong pulse that throbbed beneath the skin. Her body shook in his arms, and he soothed her with his touch, gently stroking her back, her arms, her hair…

And finally, she kissed him, just in case she never got the chance again. His lips on hers promised that she would.

*******************************************

Two weeks after school started, Lex entered the Torch office to find Chloe pinning a picture of herself to the center of the Wall of Weird. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and bent to kiss her cheek. Neither of them had a prominent history of PDA, but since Chloe’s return, they’d both been very conscious of the dangers of taking contact for granted.

“Dare I ask?” he queried, squinting at the picture.

“I was resurrected from the dead by meteor rock intervention. I think that qualifies me as a bona fide freak of the week.”

“I think you were a bona fide freak long before any meteor rocks were involved,” said a voice from the door. Lois tossed a disk onto Chloe’s desk. “My article’s finished, can I go play now?”

“Did you run spellcheck?”

“That’s the editor’s job. Besides, I’m a good speller!”

Chloe was still laughing after Lois had flipped her off and stalked out of the office. Lex had one arm wrapped around her, and she leaned against him contentedly.

“Okay, Heathcliff, let’s go home.”

“I thought you said we weren’t like them,” he said as he led her down the hall by the hand.

“Well, we weren’t really. But we could have been.”

“How so?”

“What if they hadn’t dropped my coffin that day? Or, what if there hadn’t been a vein of meteor rock under it? Or, what if lightning hadn’t somehow managed to strike that exact spot? You never would have known I was there with you all the time.”

Lex stopped at the edge of the parking lot to look at her.

“Sometimes, Chloe, it is best not to question fate. Just say thank you and move on.” He kissed her forehead and she smiled.

“Thank you.”

He swatted her bottom.

“Move on,” he said, laughing. His cell phone rang, and he stepped away to answer it while Chloe headed for the Porsche he’d brought that day. She was about to get in when she heard someone calling her name. Clark jogged up beside her.

Chloe wasn’t really sure how to act around her friend. He’d apparently returned to Smallville the same night she’d returned from the dead, but no one had offered any explanation of where he’d been. He hadn’t mentioned the afternoon she’d spent with him, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to hint around it– largely due to the fact that he and Lex were not currently on speaking terms. She had finally decided he remembered nothing and let it go.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I’ll get my article done tonight. I have an interview with Coach Teague after practice.”

“You better. If the year is half over before we run it, it doesn’t really count as a story on new staff anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll see you first thing in the morning, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Clark glanced warily at Lex, who was on the phone with his back to them. He grabbed Chloe’s hand and squeezed it. “Listen, I just wanted to tell you… I’m really glad we both made it home after all.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came to mind as an adequate reply. Instead, she launched herself at him and hugged him tight.

“Thanks for coming for me, Chlo,” he whispered. He released her and smoothed a piece of hair from her face, then walked away. She quickly blinked back her tears when she heard Lex’s phone snap shut.

“Ready?” he asked as he unlocked the car.

“Yep.”

“How was school?” he asked once they were on their way.

“You know, it might not have been a coincidence that they just happened to break my casket. Maybe they break a lot of them. That’s probably some sort of health code violation. Maybe I should look into…”

Lex smirked at the road before him and squeezed her leg as she prattled on. Chloe Sullivan was definitely home.


(end)

[hateSmallvilleLoveChlex]

:worship2: :yay: :worship2: That was so awesome. Wuthering Heights always weirded me out but the juxtaposition of chlex and it was perfect.

[hfce]

I loved the ending. It was great but I am so confused. How did Chloe come to life again? Please explain to this poor confused girl... :blush:



Hope ;)

[autumngold]

Such a perfect ending to a great story!! I'm so glad that Lex realized what Chloe was trying to tell him!! Hope you write more Chlex soon!! Please!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[FroggyJump]

Nice chapter, great ending. It was nice to read that she was able to stay then have to leave. I also thought that the recognition that Clark gave to their situation was sweet.

Nice story.

[AlabamaWorley]

Thanks for the feedback, y'all! For those of you that are thoroughly confused, I'm sorry! I was afraid when I was writing it that I wasn't being clear enough. In the very first part, they dropped Chloe's casket when they were lowering it into the ground and Lex heard it crack open at the bottom. As it turned out, since it was Smallville and all, they dropped it on some kryptonite and it came up into the casket through the crack. Chloe had reappeared by the time Lex returned to the mansion. On the night that Lois (and in my story, Lex) saw the fabulous lightning show that brought Kal-el back, another bolt of lightning struck the grave, blew a hole in the ground and the coffin, and ran thorugh Chloe's body into the kryptonite, thereby bringing her back to life. The question, of course, is whether there was some divine influence to it that allowed Chloe to kill Lionel and return to her life instead of silently haunting Lex forevermore, or if it was just fate - which I'm sure will provide hours of debate for our happy couple in their future beyond the story :)

[hfce]

Originally posted by AlabamaWorley@Oct 11 2004, 02:45 AM
Thanks for the feedback, y'all! For those of you that are thoroughly confused, I'm sorry! I was afraid when I was writing it that I wasn't being clear enough. In the very first part, they dropped Chloe's casket when they were lowering it into the ground and Lex heard it crack open at the bottom. As it turned out, since it was Smallville and all, they dropped it on some kryptonite and it came up into the casket through the crack. Chloe had reappeared by the time Lex returned to the mansion. On the night that Lois (and in my story, Lex) saw the fabulous lightning show that brought Kal-el back, another bolt of lightning struck the grave, blew a hole in the ground and the coffin, and ran thorugh Chloe's body into the kryptonite, thereby bringing her back to life. The question, of course, is whether there was some divine influence to it that allowed Chloe to kill Lionel and return to her life instead of silently haunting Lex forevermore, or if it was just fate - which I'm sure will provide hours of debate for our happy couple in their future beyond the story :)
Ok so you are saying her spirit was with Lex in the thunder and rain and her body was in the broken coffin. But once the thunder struck it hit both her body in the grave and her spirit which was with Lex. Making her spirit come back to life in the coffin. Did I get that right. :lol: Oh did I just confuse you as well? :lol:


Hope ;)

[sylvia]

She’d asked him to read the novel to her after they’d debated whether they were more or less demented than Heathcliff and Catherine.
I just loved that quote. "More or less demented" is such a perfectly Chlex line!

Anyway. Such an awesome final chapter!! I love how it changed pace so many times, and your explanation for Chloe's 'death and resurrection' was also pretty cool, I wouldn't have thought of it! Love how there was action, sci-fi, romance and good ol' Chlex banter -- a little of everything mixed together with a good plot and great storytelling. Wonderful work. Write another one soon!

[Kit Merlot]

Great ending! I love that Lex is the one to get CHloe out of her grave :biggrin:

[AlwaysPretending]

This was a great fic, I really enjoyed reading it. The idea of Chloe as a ghost...Lex took it a lot better than I would!

Great job :)

Kerry

[Rae]

I'm so in awe of you right now that I can barely leave this feedback. Don't expect complete sentences.

Beautifully written. Right on with characterizations. So creative! Loved the "Checkmate." Take that, Lionel!

And you brought her back to life. Yaaay!

Excellent fic, AlabamaWorley. :worship2:

[Zannie]

This was great. I loved how you mingled the Gothic elements with the Smallville freak elements. The relationship you established between Chloe and Lex was plausible, well-developed, and very sweet. I was worried the whole time that it wasn't going to end happily, and I was actually getting teary at the thought of poor Lex all alone after Chloe had dissipated or whatever. So I'm so, so glad that she came back to life--for some reason, it never even occurred to me that that's how it would end.

You had, as always, a lot of great lines of dialogue:


“How could it be your fault? You were just innocently trying to get plastered and I--”
and

“You caught that, hunh? Way to go, lush.”
and

“Please, Chloe, your erotic dance is just too much. I’m going to have to take a cold shower immediately.”
and

“Come on,” he said, holding open the door. “After supper, you can talk dirty to me. I’ll bet you’ll seduce me in no time.”
and

"Think about it. You could just pick someone whose life you could easily take over and… take it.”

“You are a creepy, creepy man.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you could jump around.”

“I’m not that kind of girl!”

“Then let me be your first.”

And this was so sweet it made me achey:


“Chloe,” he said softly. “Come here.” She looked to find he had one arm along the back of the couch and one leg across the cushions. His other arm rested at his side, his other foot on the floor. Silently, she crawled to him and rested her head against his chest. Though neither could feel the other, her head rose and fell with his breath, and she heard the steady beat of his heart through the silk of his shirt. Lex sighed deeply, his arms aching to hold her.

"I really wish you had too.”

And I loved the Wuthering Heights discussion--it fit perfectly and seemed totally in character.

Great fic all around.

[welshy]

This is one of my favourite CHLEX fics, I really enjoyed reading it :)

[darkangel]

the end of this fic is perfect. i love it.

[zho9]

This was great. Your idea for Chloe's ressurection and comparing their situation to Heathcliff and Catherine was very inventive. This was an enjoyable read.

[Esther25jm]

Awesome story!! I absolutely love it!! Wonderful plot---especially in using the meteor rocks and Clark---and so sweet with Chlex. Excellent job!

[Alizaleven]

OH my goodness!!!! HOw could I have missed this?! I dont know how lol! It is such a good fic, I'm glad I ran across it.. and now I will go to bed.. maybe sleep and have good dreams with lex in them hehe

[ggdoll18]

very interesting story! thanks for sharing

[westwingwolf]

That was an amazing story. I love the humor which is spot on Chloe and Lex. Love that Chloe got to avenge her death and all the trouble Lionel caused. Nice little reference to Ghost. Great comparison of them to Catherine and Heathcliff. The regret of not kissing each other before she died, and the sadness of not being able to touch one another was so heartbreaking. I'm glad it had a happy ending though, and it ends with Chloe still wanting to chase a story.

[chrisrose]

Hey, good thing this fic got bumped up! I didn't know it was finished. :P Hard to keep track sometimes.

I reeeeeeally enjoyed this. Very creative, and the ending was immensely satisfying...as was Lionel's demise. :) If only they had the guts to tell this kind of story on Smallville!

Clever use of kryptonite, my friend. :D

[darkangel]

When I first read this I missed that the casket had cracked open. Wow, who knew that such a small thing could have such a large impact on her life.

[Augustine86]

I can't believe this is the first time I read this! It was both AWWWW and OHHH and wonderful. Thanks

[leiseman04]

I just wanted to say how fabulous this story is. The fact that you had me believing right until the last chapter that there was no way Chloe and Lex would be able to be together, just proves how excellently it was written.

A lot of folks have already quoted my favorite lines, and I usually don't have favorite lines in stories.

Thanks for the wonderful read!

Now, I'm going to check out more of your stories.

[~*~Tasha~*~]

Chapter 1: Heart wrenching. Lex is really guilt tripping himself.

Chapter 2: Oh man. That would totally freak me out to see after I just attended the funeral. Then to have the butler see her as well? Wow. This is very interesting.

Chapter 4: Dang, a really bad day indeed. Martha, Lois and Clark. Eek. I hope she figures out a way to get him to come with since she's at least found him ... sort of.

Chapter 5: Awww ... Chloe was with him the whole time even though she didn't have a "form" until about the time the casket cracked ... least that is the timing I'm figuring. Excellent chapter. The whole story is great.

Chapter 6: Whoa ... Chloe definitely wanted her vengeance. Glad it's over though. Murdering monster.

Chapter 7: The possession bit was kind of funny. It was also bittersweet and touching with their conversation about her wishing she'd kissed him then him saying he wished she had too. That was very tender.

Cute ending of the story. {Smirks}

[starmoon]

i loved the story it was just wonderful!!!

[Zannie]

Hi Amy, I've been rereading this story. It's such a good one. You have such a great, distinctive style. And the dialogue here is just sparkling. You really handled the mingling of Gothic elements and Smallville elements perfectly. I really love this story. Thanks for writing it.

[Rachet]

A very cool take on the story, thanks.

[Historianic]

A thoroughly enjoyable, original fic! Thanks so much :)

[kibi8]

I'm glad they ended up together at the end!

[ladyfayerie]

i love it! i was actually worried that she won't get resurrected.. hehe.. this is just great!!! :D i love lex here.. they're the best!

[Ami Rose]

I'm glad they ended up together at the end!

Me too! I was half dreading reading this because I thought she was going to stay dead and Lex would have to live with out her! Loved it!