scifichick774
19th April 2003, 17:38
Title: The Gatehouse
Author: scifichick774
Rating: NC-17
Category: Hmm… Angst, Drama, Horror, Humor, Romance, and I think that just about covers it. Chloe/Lex (of course)
Spoilers: Anything through Nocturne is fair game.
Summary: Challenge fic. Halloween time. A costume party at a haunted house brings about surprising results.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no infringement intended, please don’t sue.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archival: Go ahead, just let me know where.
Author’s Note: Response to V’s challenge. The Smallville group must get stuck in a haunted house, whose doors are actually gates to alternate realities.
~*~*~*~*~
“What the hell was I thinking?” Chloe mumbled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Alison, Pete’s girlfriend du jour, had invited them all to her Halloween party, and Chloe shook her head as she gazed at her costumed reflection. ‘Oh, right. Clark,’ she thought. “Not that I’ll be able to tear his attention away from Lana,” she said bitterly.
“Chlo! Come on! Hurry up!” Pete yelled from the other room. She sighed. Pete, Clark, and Lana were all waiting in her living room for her.
“Hold on!” She yelled back. If she couldn’t get Clark’s attention, at least she could get a story for the Torch. Alison talked her parents into letting her have the party at the abandoned Victorian-style house on their property. The family had moved into a newer home a couple generations ago, but the rumor was that the old house was haunted. Chloe didn’t know whether to believe it or not. On one hand, a haunted house? Whatever. On the other hand, they did live in Smallville, the capital of weird. Chloe opened the door and made her way to the living room. Pete whistled as he looked at her body with appreciation. Lana’s eyes grew wide.
“You’re wearing that?!” She squeaked. Clark stood there with a stunned expression on his face.
“It’s not that bad,” Chloe argued and looked down at her costume. She was wearing a skintight dark red latex catsuit with an attached devil’s tail and a headband with horns. She wore four-inch high spiked heels to complete the look. “Okay, the heels aren’t really functional, but I can live with that.” Lana’s mouth gaped open and she shook her head. She quickly ran to the closet and grabbed the longest coat she could find to cover Chloe up. Chloe laughed and they made their way to the cars. “And your costume is any better?” She asked pointedly. Lana looked down at her princess costume.
“My costume isn’t hugging my curves like that,” Lana shot back. ‘Thank God,’ Chloe thought and laughed again.
“Great costume Pete,” Chloe commented in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Pete spun around for her to have a look at the whole thing. Both girls giggled. “I’ve seen you in your football uniform before you know.” Chloe looked over at Clark. “What are you supposed to be?” Lana smiled brightly and took his arm.
“He’s a superhero,” she answered cheerfully. Chloe smiled and nodded. Clark was wearing what could only be called a body hugging spandex suit with an ‘S’ on the front of it, complete with a cape in back. Chloe tried to look at Lana instead of Clark so she wouldn’t get flustered at the site of his muscles showing through the material.
“What’s the ‘S’ stand for?” She asked. Lana smiled again.
“Smallville of course,” Lana answered. Chloe rolled her eyes.
“So whom are you riding with?” Lana asked. Clark brought his parents’ truck and Pete brought his car.
“As tempting as it is to ride in the back of Clark’s truck,” Chloe said sarcastically, “I think I’ll ride with Pete.” Clark frowned.
“You wouldn’t have to ride in back,” he said. Chloe raised an eyebrow. ‘Yeah, right,’ she thought.
“Well I’m not going to be squished between Lana and the door either,” Chloe said pointedly. “Now are we going to this party or not?” Pete opened the door for her and she climbed in. As they drove, Pete looked at her through the corner of his eye. “What?” She finally asked in a somewhat irritated tone.
“You’re in a mood,” he observed. He grinned at him apologetically.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, it’s just,” she started.
“Clark,” he finished. She nodded. He smiled. “At least he noticed you.” She sighed.
“I can’t wear this outfit all the time Pete,” she said. “And anyway, that’s not what I wanted tonight to be about.”
“Oh, right.” Pete gave her a look of understanding. “The haunted house thing.” She laughed.
“That too,” she agreed. “But I was hoping that I might find a guy to talk to who’s not a candidate for my wall of weird too.” Pete smiled broadly.
“You’re going to be doing a lot more than talking in that outfit,” he said suggestively. She hit him playfully. “If it’s any consolation, I heard Luthor’s going solo too.” Chloe looked surprised.
“Lex is going to be there?” She asked. “Why is he going to be at a high school party?” Pete smiled again.
“There will be some college students there too. Alison invited her cousins and their friends. But to answer your question, Clark talked him into it, said he needed more of a social life,” he explained. Chloe laughed.
“Yeah, because screwing playmates can’t be doing anything for him,” she said sarcastically. Pete laughed and shook his head.
“I know. Sometimes I think Clark doesn’t have his head screwed on straight,” he said.
“Only sometimes?” She teased. They laughed together as they pulled up to the house. Chloe gave it a good look as she stepped out of the car. “Well, she certainly went all out for the creepy aspect.” Pete shrugged.
“It always looks like that,” he said. “You know, except for the balloons and lights and stuff.” Chloe nodded. They were supposed to be there early, but there were already a few cars there. Clark and Lana walked up to them as they walked toward the front door to the house. Lana placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder and Chloe arched her neck to look at her.
“If any of the guys get out of hand,” Lana started. Chloe smiled.
“I know,” she nodded. “Use my pepper spray or my whistle to call for Clark or Pete.” Lana smiled and nodded. Chloe and Pete walked ahead of them and into the house. Lana turned to Clark.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be hearing that whistle a lot tonight,” she said. Clark got a bemused smile on his face and nodded.
“I think so too,” he agreed.
“You think what too?” A voice came from behind them. Clark turned around.
“Hey Lex. Nice costume,” Clark said. Lex was wearing an old-fashioned baseball uniform. Lex nodded once.
“Thanks,” he responded. He arched a questioning eyebrow at what Clark was wearing.
“Superhero,” Lana answered his unspoken question. Lex smiled.
“You’re a braver man than I,” he said. Lana grinned. They heard a loud squeal of delight come from inside and they walked in. Pete and Chloe were standing with Alison, who was wearing a fairy costume. She seemed to be gushing over Chloe’s outfit.
“Oh my God! You look so awesome! You are so totally going to get lucky tonight,” Alison said, a smile beaming across her face. Chloe laughed. Lex took in her appearance and his mouth dropped open for a small moment. He turned to Clark and Lana.
“You let her wear that?” He asked. The accusing tone didn’t escape Lana’s attention and she looked thoughtful. Clark smiled and shrugged.
“I like it,” he said. Lana laughed as she clung to his arm.
“Yeah, and so will every other guy here. I think that was Lex’s point,” she said. Lex frowned and turned his attention back to Chloe, Pete, and Alison’s conversation.
“Do you mind if I look around a little before the party really gets started?” Chloe asked. Pete snickered.
“Chloe Sullivan, ghost hunter extraordinaire,” he said. Alison laughed and Chloe rolled her eyes.
“Sure, no problem. But you should probably take somebody with you, because,” Alison trailed off when she noticed Clark in his outfit. Her eyes grew wide. “Is that Clark Kent?” Chloe bit her lip when she noticed that Alison was practically drooling. Pete looked at Chloe.
“I knew I should have worn spandex,” he commented. Chloe laughed. Alison turned to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled her to him. She whispered in his ear.
“You’re not going to be wearing anything,” she said. Chloe didn’t catch what she said, but from the expression on Pete’s face, she guessed it was something sexual. She chuckled to herself and backed away from the couple to go snoop around. Lex eyed her suspiciously as she headed up the stairs.
“Don’t worry Lex,” Lana said when she saw who he was looking at. “She has a whistle and a small can of pepper spray in case some guy makes unwanted advances.” Lex frowned, but didn’t look over at her when she spoke. From the things he had heard about the house, a couple of teenage boys making passes at her wasn’t what she needed to worry about.
~*~*~
Ch. 2
~*~*~
Chloe walked down the long hallway at the top of the stairs. She noticed that there were only a couple of shabby pieces of furniture lining the hall and figured that Alison’s family had probably removed all of the good stuff. Chloe finally saw a door near the end of the hallway that seemed to call to her. She smiled.
“Okay ghosts, ready or not, here I come,” she said as she opened the door. She stepped inside the room and the door closed behind her. Her eyes grew wide in shock. There was another hallway, but it was well lit, and ornately furnished. “What the hell?” She said to herself. She heard voices coming from one of the rooms further down the new hall and decided to find out what was going on. She heard a familiar voice start yelling.
“I don’t care how much it costs! Just find her!” He sounded angry and Chloe looked into the room. A small group of men dressed in 1920’s gangster garb were sitting and standing. And behind the desk, Lex Luthor. ‘With hair?’ She thought to herself as she noticed his shortly trimmed red hair. ‘Interesting. What’s going on?’
“Find who?” She asked. All of the men looked over at her and their eyes grew wide, along with a few mouths dropping open.
“Whoa,” one of the men said.
“Good Lord,” said another. Lex eyed her with obvious appreciation and she furrowed her brow.
“You’re having a business meeting?” She asked. ‘Why is Lex having a meeting in Alison’s house?’ She thought. ‘Nice hairpiece though.’ Lex stood up from his chair.
“Out!” He ordered. She held up her hands in mock surrender and turned to leave from the room. Chloe felt a hand grab her arm and stopped to look at who had touched her. Lex stood inches away from her, his hand grasping onto her arm, and she felt her heart beating faster. “Not you,” he said in a quieter voice. The men who were in the room with him were filing out past her through the door. A few of them dared to look at her, but only for a fleeting glimpse before Lex growled at them. He slammed the door after they left. “Where have you been?” He asked. She crossed her arms at his angry tone.
“What do you mean?” She asked. “And by the way, I must compliment you on your Halloween costume. The early mob look really works for you.” It was an obvious attempt at a change in topic, but Chloe couldn’t help thinking that it was true. ‘Okay, not thinking bad thoughts about Lex Luthor,’ she mentally chided herself. He ran his hand down her latex covered arm and then smoothly slid it down her hip. “Uh, Lex?” He pulled her to him and smashed his mouth against hers. Her eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth in surprise, a fact that he took full advantage of. Lex plunged his tongue into her, exploring the warm recesses of her mouth. She tried to push him away, but his arms were locked around her. She finally gave into the sensation and ran her hands up his chest and around his neck. They finally pulled apart to breathe and she rested her forehead against his chest.
“What was that?” She asked. He moved a hand through her hair and spoke into her ear.
“I thought you left me,” he said in sorrowful tone. Chloe scrunched her face up in thought. “But you didn’t.”
“I, um, no,” she managed to get out. She looked up at him. “Are you feeling okay?” He nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. She returned the kiss, but the back of her mind was starting to ask a nagging question. ‘What the hell is going on?’
~*~*~*~*~*~
“I wonder where Chloe is?” Lana said out loud. “It’s been a long time.” Clark nodded in agreement.
“We should go look for her,” he said. Lana smiled and touched his arm.
“I think I can handle it,” she said. “You don’t have to come. Stay and enjoy the party.” Clark shook his head.
“No way,” he said. “Besides, we can cover more ground if I go with you.” She nodded.
“Good idea,” she replied. That was the answer she had been hoping for. “Did you see her come down the stairs?”
“No, she’s probably still up there somewhere,” he said. Clark saw Lex coming over to them. A girl who had too much to drink was following him around, and Lana and Clark gave him sympathetic looks. “Lex,” Clark greeted. “Chloe hasn’t come down yet, so Lana and I are going to look for her.” Lex gave a sigh of relief. The girl hadn’t gotten the hint, even when he had brutally rebuffed her advances.
“I’ll go with you,” he said. Lana gave Clark a look out of the corner of her eye, but he missed it. She wanted to find Chloe, but she also wanted to spend some time away from the crowd with Clark so they could talk. Things were getting better between them, but she still felt like he was keeping something from her. Lex turned to the girl and took her hand off of his arm. “My girlfriend is missing and I have to find her, so if you’ll excuse me?” She looked surprised.
“Oh yeah, of course, I didn’t know,” she stammered. He nodded and she weaved her way back through the crowd. He rubbed his face.
“God. I thought she would never leave,” he said. Lana smiled.
“Your girlfriend?” She asked in a teasing tone. He gave her a wince of a grin.
“It worked didn’t it?” He commented. “Now, where’s the last place you saw Chloe?” Lex asked, changing the subject.
“She was going upstairs,” Clark answered. Lex frowned.
“That was over an hour ago,” he said. “You haven’t seen her since then?” Lana and Clark shook their heads and Lex resisted the urge to scowl at them. They had probably just been too wrapped up in each other’s company to notice that their friend hadn’t come back down, which meant that his plan to get them together was working. He couldn’t fault them for something that was of his own design. He sighed. “Let’s go then.” They made their way up the stairs and looked down both sides of the hall.
“I think I saw her go this way,” Lana said, pointing to the right. Clark used his x-ray vision to quickly scan through the rooms, but there was no sign of her.
“I don’t see her,” Clark said. Lana rolled her eyes.
“Because we haven’t checked in any of the rooms yet Clark,” she said with a smile. He blushed a little.
“I’ll take this side, you two take that one,” Lex said and pointed in the direction that they should go. Lana and Clark nodded. Lex looked at his watch. “Meet back here in a half an hour if we can’t find her,” he said. Clark checked his watch as well and nodded.
“Okay,” he agreed. Clark and Lana started off in the direction they had agreed upon, and Lana looked at Clark.
“I’ll check the first three rooms and you can take the next three? We can go quicker that way,” she suggested. He smiled.
“Good idea,” he said and began to walk down the hallway. ‘Well this is pointless,’ he thought. I already scanned the rooms and nobody’s in them.’ But, he decided to humor Lana anyway, because he couldn’t very well tell her that he had the ability to see through walls. Clark saw Lana enter one of the rooms and the door closed behind her. Clark shrugged. Maybe she didn’t want Alison to know that they were looking around. He opened the door in front of him and walked in. The door closed behind him and he spun around to look at it, but it was no longer there. ‘This is bad,’ he thought. He looked around the room. It was light and decorated ornately in the fashion of the early 1800s. He frowned and turned around to see if maybe the door just wasn’t visible on his side of it. Clark tried to use his x-ray vision, but it didn’t work. ‘This is really bad.’
An older woman dressed in the same clothing of the era that the room was decorated for, came into the room and let out a scream when she saw Clark. His face flushed with embarrassment. The woman looked familiar, but Clark was having trouble placing her. Then it struck him.
“Grandma?” He asked. The woman clenched her hand at her heart.
“Clark. Goodness. You put a scare into me,” she said. He looked at her in complete surprise. He had only ever seen pictures of the woman, as she had died before his ship had crashed. So how did she know his name? And why did she look like she was very much alive? The sound of her voice snapped him back to attention. “Good heavens! What is that you’re dressed in?” The costume. He had forgotten about it. He blushed.
“I’m supposed to be a superhero for Halloween,” he explained. She stared at him blankly and then shook her head in a manner that indicated she didn’t approve.
“You’re entirely too old for that sort of nonsense,” she said and walked over to him. “Now go put on some decent attire. Lunch is to be served in less than a half hour.” Clark cringed at the thought that her words brought up. He was supposed to rejoin Lana and Lex in a half hour and he had no idea how to get out of there.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana looked around the room she just entered. It looked like the inside of a castle. Its walls were made of stone and it was very cold. There was a door on the opposite side of the room, but when she tried to open it, it was locked. She frowned. Something really weird was going on. Maybe Chloe hadn’t been too off when she said that the house might really be haunted. She saw a small slit of a window and walked over to it. There was daylight outside and her mouth dropped open. She saw people in medieval looking outfits walking around and there was a stench in the air that was just awful. She had to find a way out of there.
~*~*~*~*~
Lex opened and entered one of the rooms on his side of the hallway. The door closed behind him. When he looked back, the door was gone.
“This can’t be good,” he said out loud to himself. The room was almost space age in design. There were large windows and the sun appeared to just be rising. There was minimal furniture and lots of technical toys built into the walls. He shook his head at the site. Surely he was seeing things. He never could have prepared himself for what he saw next though. Chloe came out with only a small silk robe wrapped around her.
“What are you doing up so early?” She asked. His eyes were large, taking in her form, and she laughed. “If you’re looking at me like that, you need coffee more than I do.”
“I imagine most men look at you like that,” he replied. He didn’t know what was going on, but she seemed completely at ease with him. ‘May as well play along,’ he thought. ‘This could be fun.’
~*~*~
Ch. 3
~*~*~
Chloe closed her eyes as Lex nuzzled his mouth against her neck. She shouldn’t be doing this. She certainly shouldn’t like this. He blew in her ear and she let out a small whimper as she felt a shiver run down her spine. She ran her fingers up through his hair. ‘Okay, not a hairpiece. It’s like I’m in an alternate, uh oh.’ She gathered her strength and pushed against him.
“I can’t do this,” she said. Lex looked confused. “I’m,” she shook her head, “I’m not your Chloe.” Lex arched an eyebrow and pulled her back into his arms. “No, no. I mean it,” she insisted. Then something came to her. “Have you ever seen this kind of material before?” She pinched up a bit of the latex on her costume. He partially released her and frowned.
“No,” he answered, running his fingers along the costume. “But it doesn’t matter.” Chloe could tell from the look in his eye that he was being driven completely by his hormones now. He kissed her again with a passion that made her knees threaten to buckle under her. She moaned a little in protest when it finally ended. He moved his lips against her ear and licked along the shell. Chloe closed her eyes as she felt his hands run along her body. “How do you get this thing off?” He murmured.
“Zipper,” she answered as her eyes flitted open. He kissed her again, but only briefly.
“Show me,” he whispered against her lips. Chloe wondered if he could hear her heart beating. She placed his hand on the zipper and he slowly pulled it down while he kissed her. His mouth moved to her earlobe and he took it between his teeth and gently nibbled on it. “What do you mean you’re not my Chloe?” She looked up at him with surprise.
“Do you believe me?” She asked. He shrugged off his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. He smirked at her.
“No, but I’d still like to hear it,” he said. She glared at him.
“Well I’m not going to tell you if you’re not going to believe me,” she said. She reached her hand around to the back of her costume and started to pull the zipper back up. His hand reached out and grabbed her wrist as he gave her a warning look. He pulled her to his body again and began running his tongue and teeth along her neck. Her fingernails gripped into his skin and she unconsciously started to rub against him. “Mmm.” Lex reached up and started to peel her costume off of her. “Lex,” she half moaned.
“Tell me,” he said. She was almost completely stripped of her costume, and he had somehow managed to remove his own clothing as well. ‘Quite a talent,’ she thought. “Tell me that you’re not my Chloe when you respond to my touch like this.” He slid the costume, along with her thong, off her legs. She felt his fingers along her silken folds and she gasped.
“Lex, I,” she said. Her speech cut off by the feeling of his tongue darting out and circling her clit. “Oh God.” She gripped his head with her hands. He stood up and picked her up, only to lie her down on the desk. His mouth moved between her legs again and she closed her eyes. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this,’ she thought. He moved one finger into her and her hips bucked. Soon, he had two fingers inside her, pumping furiously and rubbing her clit with his thumb with the rhythm. She was panting for air and moaning loudly. “Lex!” She screamed as she came.
Lex removed his fingers and quickly replaced them with his throbbing cock. She gasped at the sensation and he began to slowly move within her. She bit her lip as he went progressively faster and she came close to orgasm again. Chloe felt an amazing shudder throughout her body as her climax rolled over her. A few more thrusts and Lex lay down on top of her. They were both breathing heavily, but he started to kiss her cheek and then her neck again.
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He asked. Chloe said nothing. “I love you Chloe.” The amazing afterglow that Chloe had been feeling suddenly turned into substantial guilt. She wasn’t his Chloe. She should never have allowed things to progress even to the kissing stage. Her eyes started to well up with tears and he raised his head when he heard her sniffle. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she let her tears start rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not your Chloe.” She tried to push him away from her. “I should never have done this.” He wiped her tears away with his thumb.
“Sweetheart, what are you talking about?” He asked.
“One minute I was at Alison’s Halloween party, exploring the so-called haunted house, and the next minute I was in this different hallway and came down to this room,” she said. Saying it out loud only made her feel crazier than she did already. She sighed. “In my, um, where I’m from,” she stammered, “Lex and I aren’t involved.” Lex stared blankly at her. “I mean it.” She paused. The sexual energy between them was almost unbearable. She wondered why it was like that here and not back home. Of course, she hadn’t given Lex much of a chance back home, or let him get that close to her. She sat up to try and clear her mind. “Isn’t there something that only your Chloe would know?” Lex brought his right hand up to caress her cheek and she leaned into his touch. He frowned. His Chloe never did that. His left hand rose and she saw a ring on his wedding finger as he held the hand in front of her. ‘Oh God, he’s married. This is bad.’
“What does the inscription say?” He asked. She looked at him with a confused and panicked expression and then she shook her head.
“How should I know?” She asked.
“It’s the same as yours,” he said a little angrily and picked up her left hand, but there was no ring on her hand. He gazed at her hand in disbelief. “How did you get it off?” She looked up at him.
“I didn’t,” she said. “I’m not your Chloe.”
“You broke your knuckle when you slugged Bobby,” he said and then took a closer look at her hand. There was no swollen knuckle that would have kept the ring on her finger. She sighed again. Her eyes were starting to water with unshed tears.
“I’m not your Chloe,” she repeated in a choked voice.
~*~*~*~*~
After an embarrassing run in with a maid, Clark was pointed toward his room. He took off his costume and put on the clothing that was so foreign to him. He hoped he put everything on right, his grandma didn’t seem like she would be very forgiving about that sort of thing. The worst part though, in his estimation, was that he didn’t seem to be able to use any of his enhanced abilities here. His x-ray and heat vision didn’t work, nor did what he called his super speed. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and groaned. ‘I look like the biggest dork in the universe.’
He walked downstairs and saw his father, dressed in similar apparel to his own, standing in a parlor room. His dad caught his eye and smiled at him.
“Son!” He said excitedly and held out his hand for Clark to shake. Clark looked at him like he was crazy, but he shook his hand. “Your mother tells me you’ve been thinking about courting someone.” Clark opened his mouth to talk but Jonathan cut him off. “Well, all I can say is, it’s about time. You’re not getting any younger you know.” Clark furrowed his brow.
“I’m only sixteen,” Clark argued. Jonathan nodded with a stern face.
“Indeed. And you should have started wooing this young woman you have your eye on months ago. If it is who I think it is, then I’m surprised she hasn’t given in to Alexander Luthor’s proposals of marriage already,” Jonathan said. Clark frowned.
“Who do you think it is?” He asked hesitantly. His father smiled.
“Chloe Sullivan of course,” he said and patted his son on the back. “She’s a fine choice son. She comes from a good people and her personality doesn’t seem to have been affected by her family’s money.” Clark swallowed. ‘Chloe?’
~*~*~*~*~
Lana tried yelling to the people that she saw down below, but they just waved to her. She grumbled and sat down against one of the walls. How was she supposed to get out of there? How did she get there in the first place? She heard the sound of metal against metal and the scraping of stone against stone and turned to face the door. She rose as a servant woman was let in with a tray of food.
“Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how worried I was getting!” Lana exclaimed with a bright smile. The woman seemed nervous, but smiled in return.
“You should eat,” she replied in a heavy eastern European accent. Lana shook her head.
“No, no,” she argued. “I need to get out of here.” The woman looked at her like she was crazy.
“I don’t believe that the prince will allow you to leave until you are wed mistress,” she said. Lana frowned.
“What?”
“Only because of what happened the last time,” the woman explained. “Don’t worry though, your wedding is only three days hence.” Lana looked horrified.
“You don’t understand,” Lana started, but the woman cut her off.
“Eat,” she said and turned on her heel to leave through the door. Lana ran to the door, but it closed before she could get to it.
“No!”
~*~*~*~*~
Lex observed the strange expression that Chloe was giving him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked. Lex smirked and took a step closer to her.
“Like what?” He asked, feigning innocence. She put her hands on her hips.
“Like I’m on the menu,” she answered. She shook her head. “What’s gotten into you? You know this whole arranged marriage thing is just a big sham,” she said. He furrowed his brow.
“Arranged marriage thing?” He repeated. She glared at him.
“I’m not having this conversation with you again. It was bad enough to have my parents force me into this ‘marriage’ with you, but I’m not going to pretend to be your wife behind closed doors.” She stood her ground as he continued to move closer. “I’m not attracted to you. Remember?” He quickly brought her body to his and moved his lips to seal with her own. Her eyes were wide for a moment, but she relinquished to the sensation and began to return his kiss. He pulled back when he needed to breathe and took in her appearance with masculine satisfaction. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were half shut.
“I think you are,” he whispered in her ear.
TBC…
I know, not much for now, but hopefully I’ll get more time to write tomorrow. I’m sorry if everything is so confusing because of the format. I’m trying to go in the same order I did for the first part of when they all selected rooms, so if you go by that you should be fine.
~*~*~
Ch. 4
~*~*~
Alison clung to Pete’s arm as they talked with what seemed like an endless stream of people. At first she thought having a Halloween party in a haunted house would be a kick, but now she wasn’t so sure. Every once and a while, she would catch something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, it wouldn’t be there. The house was starting to scare her, and although she was usually a social butterfly, she couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do now than just kick everyone out and leave with her date. Pete looked over at her.
“You okay?” He asked when he noticed the jittery expression on her face. She tried to smile, but it came out as more of a wince.
“Guess I just haven’t had enough to drink, because this place is kind of giving me the creeps,” she admitted. Pete laughed and wrapped his arm around her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” he said in his best valiant sounding voice. She rolled her eyes.
“Whatever.” Alison looked around the room again and frowned. “Where did your friends go?” Pete took a quick glance and then shrugged.
“Maybe they’re in one of the other rooms,” he suggested. “The party has pretty much taken over all of the lower level of this house.” She nodded and warily looked to the stairs.
“You don’t think they went upstairs do you?” She asked. That’s where most of the ‘sightings’ and ‘weird experiences’ were rumored to take place. Pete got an evil grin on his face.
“Not unless Clark finally got lucky,” he responded, waggling his eyebrows. Alison smiled, but her mind was reacting differently. ‘If they went upstairs, then he’s not going to be lucky,’ she thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex had some of ‘his Chloe’s’ clothes brought in for Chloe to change into. Even if she wasn’t his wife, she looked like it, and he didn’t want her walking around in the skintight devil costume she had been wearing. They sat together in a dining room while their dinner was brought in. It was an incredibly uncomfortable atmosphere for both of them. After all, she looked just like his missing wife, and they had slept together. Chloe refused to look up from her meal, but he stared intensely at her.
“May I ask you a question?” He asked. Her eyes peeked upward, but quickly looked down at her plate again when she saw his determined gaze. She nodded.
“Sure.”
“Why aren’t you married to,” he paused and frowned. The entire thing sounded ridiculous. “Why aren’t you married to the Lex in your ‘reality’?” The last word came out disdainful, as if he was still having trouble believing her. She looked up and grinned. This was good. She could do the whole talking thing, just as long as she didn’t have to be so close to him again, everything should be fine.
“Well, for starters, I’m only sixteen,” she answered, as if it were perfectly obvious. He nodded.
“And?” He asked. She glared at him.
“And, that’s not really an age that people get married at anymore,” she explained. He frowned, but nodded.
“I see. But you’re lovers?” He asked pointedly. She choked a little on some of her food and took a drink of water to clear her throat.
“Um, no,” she replied. This conversation could get incredibly uncomfortable if they started talking about that. “I doubt Lex has ever even seen me as a woman to be honest with you.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise and ran his eyes down her sitting form with a lustful gleam.
“I find that difficult to believe,” he said. She smiled.
“You can believe what you want,” Chloe answered. “But my Lex is more prone to dating supermodels and centerfolds, society bimbos and the like.” Lex smirked at her and she narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”
“You said ‘my Lex’,” he observed.
“That’s not what I meant,” she argued. He smiled.
“It’s what you said,” he replied and leaned forward. “Maybe you like him more than you think you do. Have you thought about that?” She smiled glibly and pushed herself away from the table. He stood up as he saw her doing the same.
“Okay, this dinner is over,” she announced. “And I’m not discussing you, er, him, anymore. Got it?” He chuckled.
“Are you sure you’re not ‘my’ Chloe?” He smirked as he watched her stomp out of the dining room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Clark sat at the table and picked at his food. His mother and grandmother had already reprimanded him for not using the correct silverware three times, and the food was, well, not what he was used to.
“You’re being awfully quiet,” Martha observed and smiled at Clark. “Is your mind on a certain young lady?” Jonathan grinned and looked over at his wife.
“Stop teasing the boy,” he said. “He’s probably trying to come up with a plan to woo her.” His eyes shot directly to Clark with a serious look. “And you’re going to need one. Your good looks and upbringing will only go so far.” Clark frowned as he looked back and forth between his parents.
“Um, what about Lana?” He asked with hesitation. Martha and Jonathan exchanged a look with Clark’s grandmother, and then his mother looked at him with pity.
“I thought we talked about this son,” Jonathan said. Clark gave him a blank expression, because he honestly didn’t know what they were talking about. Martha sighed.
“Your sister would have wanted you to be happy Clark, and she was fond of Chloe. If she were alive then I have no doubt that she would want you to court her,” Martha said. Clark looked confused.
“My sister?” He asked. His grandmother offered him a small grin and reached over to pat him on the hand.
“If it makes you feel better, we’ll go visit Lana’s grave this afternoon.” She paused and her face seemed to soften. “Some people find it comforting to speak to the dead.” ‘Like I’m doing right now?’ Clark thought. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“That would be great. Thanks,” he responded. Maybe if he could get out of the house, he could determine why his powers weren’t working, and possibly find a way to get back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana was ecstatic when a man opened the door. She rushed over to it and smiled at him.
“Please tell me I can leave now,” she said. He didn’t return her smile, but he nodded.
“Prince Whitney requests your presence,” he said. She stared at the man.
“Whitney?” She asked in confusion. Lana figured that she was either having a really bad dream, or she hit her head and was hallucinating or something. The possibility of another reality hadn’t struck her yet. If Whitney really were the prince, then he would help her get out of there. Despite the fact that she broke up with him, she knew in her heart that he would never deny her anything she asked for. She smiled again and nodded. “Lead the way.”
She followed him down a winding stone staircase. Her fantasies about being a princess had never been like this. This was much more real. It was cold, drafty, and it smelled like mold. She shook her head. ‘It’s just a bad dream, just go along with it until you wake up,’ she thought. The guard led her to an impressive room that had weapons and colorful banners hanging on the walls. She saw Whitney sitting in a chair and smiled brightly at him. He furrowed his brow.
“Why are you cheerful?” He asked in a suspicious voice. She noticed that he was speaking in the heavy accent too, but decided it would be best not to say anything about it. She shrugged.
“Just glad to be out of that room,” she said. He nodded once to indicate that he accepted her answer.
“Sit,” he said. She arched an eyebrow at the ordering tone his statement had to it, but she sat down in the chair across from him. He looked over her. “Where did you get that dress?” She looked down at it and then smiled up at him.
“Nice huh? They’re making Halloween costumes better and better,” she answered. He looked at her like she was crazy.
“Halloween?” He asked. She looked at Whitney like he was an idiot.
“Ye-ah,” she strung out. “Halloween. You know, trick or treating, candy, parties?” She responded. Whitney frowned at her.
“I may have sentenced you to too much time in isolation,” he pondered. He reached across the table and took her hand. “I apologize.” He let go of her hand and stood up, and then he started to walk to her side of the table. “Your behavior angered me, but I shouldn’t have forced you to insanity. Please forgive me.” She stared questioningly at him. ‘Should I ask?’ She thought.
“Behavior?” She asked. Whitney glared at her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand up. He leaned in to speak close to her ear.
“If I ever catch you with him again, I’ll kill both of you.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe pushed herself away from Lex and glared at him. Then she took a good look at his costume and crossed her arms.
“What are you wearing?” She asked. He briefly glanced at his apparel and then looked up at her.
“My Halloween costume,” he said dryly. “Like it?” She shook her head and started to walk away from him.
“You’ve lost your mind,” she commented. He saw her go over to a machine built into the wall that looked like it was straight off one of the Star Trek sets. She punched a few buttons and two cups of coffee appeared. He stared at the contraption in disbelief. Chloe walked over to him and handed him one of the cups of coffee. “You think I can use the whole ‘you going crazy’ thing to annul the marriage?” She smiled as she took a sip from her cup.
“I’m not crazy,” he responded. “And if you were indeed forced to marry me,” she cut him off.
“You know I was,” she said angrily. “You were there.” He stood in front of her with a stone-like expression on his face.
“Actually, I wasn’t,” he replied. She looked at him with confusion marring her features and he sighed.
“I’m not the Lex you know,” he said.
“Uh huh,” she said, indicating that she clearly didn’t believe him.
“I was at a Halloween party, one of my friends went missing, I went through a door and I ended up here,” he said. ‘You do sound crazy,’ he thought to himself. Chloe grinned and arched an eyebrow.
“So what are you saying?” She asked in a bemused tone.
“You and I aren’t married,” he said. A smile beamed across her lips. A bedroom door opened and Lex saw himself, or rather that reality’s version of himself, walking out into the hallway. He motioned to him with his head. “You and he are.”
Author: scifichick774
Rating: NC-17
Category: Hmm… Angst, Drama, Horror, Humor, Romance, and I think that just about covers it. Chloe/Lex (of course)
Spoilers: Anything through Nocturne is fair game.
Summary: Challenge fic. Halloween time. A costume party at a haunted house brings about surprising results.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no infringement intended, please don’t sue.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archival: Go ahead, just let me know where.
Author’s Note: Response to V’s challenge. The Smallville group must get stuck in a haunted house, whose doors are actually gates to alternate realities.
~*~*~*~*~
“What the hell was I thinking?” Chloe mumbled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Alison, Pete’s girlfriend du jour, had invited them all to her Halloween party, and Chloe shook her head as she gazed at her costumed reflection. ‘Oh, right. Clark,’ she thought. “Not that I’ll be able to tear his attention away from Lana,” she said bitterly.
“Chlo! Come on! Hurry up!” Pete yelled from the other room. She sighed. Pete, Clark, and Lana were all waiting in her living room for her.
“Hold on!” She yelled back. If she couldn’t get Clark’s attention, at least she could get a story for the Torch. Alison talked her parents into letting her have the party at the abandoned Victorian-style house on their property. The family had moved into a newer home a couple generations ago, but the rumor was that the old house was haunted. Chloe didn’t know whether to believe it or not. On one hand, a haunted house? Whatever. On the other hand, they did live in Smallville, the capital of weird. Chloe opened the door and made her way to the living room. Pete whistled as he looked at her body with appreciation. Lana’s eyes grew wide.
“You’re wearing that?!” She squeaked. Clark stood there with a stunned expression on his face.
“It’s not that bad,” Chloe argued and looked down at her costume. She was wearing a skintight dark red latex catsuit with an attached devil’s tail and a headband with horns. She wore four-inch high spiked heels to complete the look. “Okay, the heels aren’t really functional, but I can live with that.” Lana’s mouth gaped open and she shook her head. She quickly ran to the closet and grabbed the longest coat she could find to cover Chloe up. Chloe laughed and they made their way to the cars. “And your costume is any better?” She asked pointedly. Lana looked down at her princess costume.
“My costume isn’t hugging my curves like that,” Lana shot back. ‘Thank God,’ Chloe thought and laughed again.
“Great costume Pete,” Chloe commented in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Pete spun around for her to have a look at the whole thing. Both girls giggled. “I’ve seen you in your football uniform before you know.” Chloe looked over at Clark. “What are you supposed to be?” Lana smiled brightly and took his arm.
“He’s a superhero,” she answered cheerfully. Chloe smiled and nodded. Clark was wearing what could only be called a body hugging spandex suit with an ‘S’ on the front of it, complete with a cape in back. Chloe tried to look at Lana instead of Clark so she wouldn’t get flustered at the site of his muscles showing through the material.
“What’s the ‘S’ stand for?” She asked. Lana smiled again.
“Smallville of course,” Lana answered. Chloe rolled her eyes.
“So whom are you riding with?” Lana asked. Clark brought his parents’ truck and Pete brought his car.
“As tempting as it is to ride in the back of Clark’s truck,” Chloe said sarcastically, “I think I’ll ride with Pete.” Clark frowned.
“You wouldn’t have to ride in back,” he said. Chloe raised an eyebrow. ‘Yeah, right,’ she thought.
“Well I’m not going to be squished between Lana and the door either,” Chloe said pointedly. “Now are we going to this party or not?” Pete opened the door for her and she climbed in. As they drove, Pete looked at her through the corner of his eye. “What?” She finally asked in a somewhat irritated tone.
“You’re in a mood,” he observed. He grinned at him apologetically.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, it’s just,” she started.
“Clark,” he finished. She nodded. He smiled. “At least he noticed you.” She sighed.
“I can’t wear this outfit all the time Pete,” she said. “And anyway, that’s not what I wanted tonight to be about.”
“Oh, right.” Pete gave her a look of understanding. “The haunted house thing.” She laughed.
“That too,” she agreed. “But I was hoping that I might find a guy to talk to who’s not a candidate for my wall of weird too.” Pete smiled broadly.
“You’re going to be doing a lot more than talking in that outfit,” he said suggestively. She hit him playfully. “If it’s any consolation, I heard Luthor’s going solo too.” Chloe looked surprised.
“Lex is going to be there?” She asked. “Why is he going to be at a high school party?” Pete smiled again.
“There will be some college students there too. Alison invited her cousins and their friends. But to answer your question, Clark talked him into it, said he needed more of a social life,” he explained. Chloe laughed.
“Yeah, because screwing playmates can’t be doing anything for him,” she said sarcastically. Pete laughed and shook his head.
“I know. Sometimes I think Clark doesn’t have his head screwed on straight,” he said.
“Only sometimes?” She teased. They laughed together as they pulled up to the house. Chloe gave it a good look as she stepped out of the car. “Well, she certainly went all out for the creepy aspect.” Pete shrugged.
“It always looks like that,” he said. “You know, except for the balloons and lights and stuff.” Chloe nodded. They were supposed to be there early, but there were already a few cars there. Clark and Lana walked up to them as they walked toward the front door to the house. Lana placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder and Chloe arched her neck to look at her.
“If any of the guys get out of hand,” Lana started. Chloe smiled.
“I know,” she nodded. “Use my pepper spray or my whistle to call for Clark or Pete.” Lana smiled and nodded. Chloe and Pete walked ahead of them and into the house. Lana turned to Clark.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be hearing that whistle a lot tonight,” she said. Clark got a bemused smile on his face and nodded.
“I think so too,” he agreed.
“You think what too?” A voice came from behind them. Clark turned around.
“Hey Lex. Nice costume,” Clark said. Lex was wearing an old-fashioned baseball uniform. Lex nodded once.
“Thanks,” he responded. He arched a questioning eyebrow at what Clark was wearing.
“Superhero,” Lana answered his unspoken question. Lex smiled.
“You’re a braver man than I,” he said. Lana grinned. They heard a loud squeal of delight come from inside and they walked in. Pete and Chloe were standing with Alison, who was wearing a fairy costume. She seemed to be gushing over Chloe’s outfit.
“Oh my God! You look so awesome! You are so totally going to get lucky tonight,” Alison said, a smile beaming across her face. Chloe laughed. Lex took in her appearance and his mouth dropped open for a small moment. He turned to Clark and Lana.
“You let her wear that?” He asked. The accusing tone didn’t escape Lana’s attention and she looked thoughtful. Clark smiled and shrugged.
“I like it,” he said. Lana laughed as she clung to his arm.
“Yeah, and so will every other guy here. I think that was Lex’s point,” she said. Lex frowned and turned his attention back to Chloe, Pete, and Alison’s conversation.
“Do you mind if I look around a little before the party really gets started?” Chloe asked. Pete snickered.
“Chloe Sullivan, ghost hunter extraordinaire,” he said. Alison laughed and Chloe rolled her eyes.
“Sure, no problem. But you should probably take somebody with you, because,” Alison trailed off when she noticed Clark in his outfit. Her eyes grew wide. “Is that Clark Kent?” Chloe bit her lip when she noticed that Alison was practically drooling. Pete looked at Chloe.
“I knew I should have worn spandex,” he commented. Chloe laughed. Alison turned to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled her to him. She whispered in his ear.
“You’re not going to be wearing anything,” she said. Chloe didn’t catch what she said, but from the expression on Pete’s face, she guessed it was something sexual. She chuckled to herself and backed away from the couple to go snoop around. Lex eyed her suspiciously as she headed up the stairs.
“Don’t worry Lex,” Lana said when she saw who he was looking at. “She has a whistle and a small can of pepper spray in case some guy makes unwanted advances.” Lex frowned, but didn’t look over at her when she spoke. From the things he had heard about the house, a couple of teenage boys making passes at her wasn’t what she needed to worry about.
~*~*~
Ch. 2
~*~*~
Chloe walked down the long hallway at the top of the stairs. She noticed that there were only a couple of shabby pieces of furniture lining the hall and figured that Alison’s family had probably removed all of the good stuff. Chloe finally saw a door near the end of the hallway that seemed to call to her. She smiled.
“Okay ghosts, ready or not, here I come,” she said as she opened the door. She stepped inside the room and the door closed behind her. Her eyes grew wide in shock. There was another hallway, but it was well lit, and ornately furnished. “What the hell?” She said to herself. She heard voices coming from one of the rooms further down the new hall and decided to find out what was going on. She heard a familiar voice start yelling.
“I don’t care how much it costs! Just find her!” He sounded angry and Chloe looked into the room. A small group of men dressed in 1920’s gangster garb were sitting and standing. And behind the desk, Lex Luthor. ‘With hair?’ She thought to herself as she noticed his shortly trimmed red hair. ‘Interesting. What’s going on?’
“Find who?” She asked. All of the men looked over at her and their eyes grew wide, along with a few mouths dropping open.
“Whoa,” one of the men said.
“Good Lord,” said another. Lex eyed her with obvious appreciation and she furrowed her brow.
“You’re having a business meeting?” She asked. ‘Why is Lex having a meeting in Alison’s house?’ She thought. ‘Nice hairpiece though.’ Lex stood up from his chair.
“Out!” He ordered. She held up her hands in mock surrender and turned to leave from the room. Chloe felt a hand grab her arm and stopped to look at who had touched her. Lex stood inches away from her, his hand grasping onto her arm, and she felt her heart beating faster. “Not you,” he said in a quieter voice. The men who were in the room with him were filing out past her through the door. A few of them dared to look at her, but only for a fleeting glimpse before Lex growled at them. He slammed the door after they left. “Where have you been?” He asked. She crossed her arms at his angry tone.
“What do you mean?” She asked. “And by the way, I must compliment you on your Halloween costume. The early mob look really works for you.” It was an obvious attempt at a change in topic, but Chloe couldn’t help thinking that it was true. ‘Okay, not thinking bad thoughts about Lex Luthor,’ she mentally chided herself. He ran his hand down her latex covered arm and then smoothly slid it down her hip. “Uh, Lex?” He pulled her to him and smashed his mouth against hers. Her eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth in surprise, a fact that he took full advantage of. Lex plunged his tongue into her, exploring the warm recesses of her mouth. She tried to push him away, but his arms were locked around her. She finally gave into the sensation and ran her hands up his chest and around his neck. They finally pulled apart to breathe and she rested her forehead against his chest.
“What was that?” She asked. He moved a hand through her hair and spoke into her ear.
“I thought you left me,” he said in sorrowful tone. Chloe scrunched her face up in thought. “But you didn’t.”
“I, um, no,” she managed to get out. She looked up at him. “Are you feeling okay?” He nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. She returned the kiss, but the back of her mind was starting to ask a nagging question. ‘What the hell is going on?’
~*~*~*~*~*~
“I wonder where Chloe is?” Lana said out loud. “It’s been a long time.” Clark nodded in agreement.
“We should go look for her,” he said. Lana smiled and touched his arm.
“I think I can handle it,” she said. “You don’t have to come. Stay and enjoy the party.” Clark shook his head.
“No way,” he said. “Besides, we can cover more ground if I go with you.” She nodded.
“Good idea,” she replied. That was the answer she had been hoping for. “Did you see her come down the stairs?”
“No, she’s probably still up there somewhere,” he said. Clark saw Lex coming over to them. A girl who had too much to drink was following him around, and Lana and Clark gave him sympathetic looks. “Lex,” Clark greeted. “Chloe hasn’t come down yet, so Lana and I are going to look for her.” Lex gave a sigh of relief. The girl hadn’t gotten the hint, even when he had brutally rebuffed her advances.
“I’ll go with you,” he said. Lana gave Clark a look out of the corner of her eye, but he missed it. She wanted to find Chloe, but she also wanted to spend some time away from the crowd with Clark so they could talk. Things were getting better between them, but she still felt like he was keeping something from her. Lex turned to the girl and took her hand off of his arm. “My girlfriend is missing and I have to find her, so if you’ll excuse me?” She looked surprised.
“Oh yeah, of course, I didn’t know,” she stammered. He nodded and she weaved her way back through the crowd. He rubbed his face.
“God. I thought she would never leave,” he said. Lana smiled.
“Your girlfriend?” She asked in a teasing tone. He gave her a wince of a grin.
“It worked didn’t it?” He commented. “Now, where’s the last place you saw Chloe?” Lex asked, changing the subject.
“She was going upstairs,” Clark answered. Lex frowned.
“That was over an hour ago,” he said. “You haven’t seen her since then?” Lana and Clark shook their heads and Lex resisted the urge to scowl at them. They had probably just been too wrapped up in each other’s company to notice that their friend hadn’t come back down, which meant that his plan to get them together was working. He couldn’t fault them for something that was of his own design. He sighed. “Let’s go then.” They made their way up the stairs and looked down both sides of the hall.
“I think I saw her go this way,” Lana said, pointing to the right. Clark used his x-ray vision to quickly scan through the rooms, but there was no sign of her.
“I don’t see her,” Clark said. Lana rolled her eyes.
“Because we haven’t checked in any of the rooms yet Clark,” she said with a smile. He blushed a little.
“I’ll take this side, you two take that one,” Lex said and pointed in the direction that they should go. Lana and Clark nodded. Lex looked at his watch. “Meet back here in a half an hour if we can’t find her,” he said. Clark checked his watch as well and nodded.
“Okay,” he agreed. Clark and Lana started off in the direction they had agreed upon, and Lana looked at Clark.
“I’ll check the first three rooms and you can take the next three? We can go quicker that way,” she suggested. He smiled.
“Good idea,” he said and began to walk down the hallway. ‘Well this is pointless,’ he thought. I already scanned the rooms and nobody’s in them.’ But, he decided to humor Lana anyway, because he couldn’t very well tell her that he had the ability to see through walls. Clark saw Lana enter one of the rooms and the door closed behind her. Clark shrugged. Maybe she didn’t want Alison to know that they were looking around. He opened the door in front of him and walked in. The door closed behind him and he spun around to look at it, but it was no longer there. ‘This is bad,’ he thought. He looked around the room. It was light and decorated ornately in the fashion of the early 1800s. He frowned and turned around to see if maybe the door just wasn’t visible on his side of it. Clark tried to use his x-ray vision, but it didn’t work. ‘This is really bad.’
An older woman dressed in the same clothing of the era that the room was decorated for, came into the room and let out a scream when she saw Clark. His face flushed with embarrassment. The woman looked familiar, but Clark was having trouble placing her. Then it struck him.
“Grandma?” He asked. The woman clenched her hand at her heart.
“Clark. Goodness. You put a scare into me,” she said. He looked at her in complete surprise. He had only ever seen pictures of the woman, as she had died before his ship had crashed. So how did she know his name? And why did she look like she was very much alive? The sound of her voice snapped him back to attention. “Good heavens! What is that you’re dressed in?” The costume. He had forgotten about it. He blushed.
“I’m supposed to be a superhero for Halloween,” he explained. She stared at him blankly and then shook her head in a manner that indicated she didn’t approve.
“You’re entirely too old for that sort of nonsense,” she said and walked over to him. “Now go put on some decent attire. Lunch is to be served in less than a half hour.” Clark cringed at the thought that her words brought up. He was supposed to rejoin Lana and Lex in a half hour and he had no idea how to get out of there.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana looked around the room she just entered. It looked like the inside of a castle. Its walls were made of stone and it was very cold. There was a door on the opposite side of the room, but when she tried to open it, it was locked. She frowned. Something really weird was going on. Maybe Chloe hadn’t been too off when she said that the house might really be haunted. She saw a small slit of a window and walked over to it. There was daylight outside and her mouth dropped open. She saw people in medieval looking outfits walking around and there was a stench in the air that was just awful. She had to find a way out of there.
~*~*~*~*~
Lex opened and entered one of the rooms on his side of the hallway. The door closed behind him. When he looked back, the door was gone.
“This can’t be good,” he said out loud to himself. The room was almost space age in design. There were large windows and the sun appeared to just be rising. There was minimal furniture and lots of technical toys built into the walls. He shook his head at the site. Surely he was seeing things. He never could have prepared himself for what he saw next though. Chloe came out with only a small silk robe wrapped around her.
“What are you doing up so early?” She asked. His eyes were large, taking in her form, and she laughed. “If you’re looking at me like that, you need coffee more than I do.”
“I imagine most men look at you like that,” he replied. He didn’t know what was going on, but she seemed completely at ease with him. ‘May as well play along,’ he thought. ‘This could be fun.’
~*~*~
Ch. 3
~*~*~
Chloe closed her eyes as Lex nuzzled his mouth against her neck. She shouldn’t be doing this. She certainly shouldn’t like this. He blew in her ear and she let out a small whimper as she felt a shiver run down her spine. She ran her fingers up through his hair. ‘Okay, not a hairpiece. It’s like I’m in an alternate, uh oh.’ She gathered her strength and pushed against him.
“I can’t do this,” she said. Lex looked confused. “I’m,” she shook her head, “I’m not your Chloe.” Lex arched an eyebrow and pulled her back into his arms. “No, no. I mean it,” she insisted. Then something came to her. “Have you ever seen this kind of material before?” She pinched up a bit of the latex on her costume. He partially released her and frowned.
“No,” he answered, running his fingers along the costume. “But it doesn’t matter.” Chloe could tell from the look in his eye that he was being driven completely by his hormones now. He kissed her again with a passion that made her knees threaten to buckle under her. She moaned a little in protest when it finally ended. He moved his lips against her ear and licked along the shell. Chloe closed her eyes as she felt his hands run along her body. “How do you get this thing off?” He murmured.
“Zipper,” she answered as her eyes flitted open. He kissed her again, but only briefly.
“Show me,” he whispered against her lips. Chloe wondered if he could hear her heart beating. She placed his hand on the zipper and he slowly pulled it down while he kissed her. His mouth moved to her earlobe and he took it between his teeth and gently nibbled on it. “What do you mean you’re not my Chloe?” She looked up at him with surprise.
“Do you believe me?” She asked. He shrugged off his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. He smirked at her.
“No, but I’d still like to hear it,” he said. She glared at him.
“Well I’m not going to tell you if you’re not going to believe me,” she said. She reached her hand around to the back of her costume and started to pull the zipper back up. His hand reached out and grabbed her wrist as he gave her a warning look. He pulled her to his body again and began running his tongue and teeth along her neck. Her fingernails gripped into his skin and she unconsciously started to rub against him. “Mmm.” Lex reached up and started to peel her costume off of her. “Lex,” she half moaned.
“Tell me,” he said. She was almost completely stripped of her costume, and he had somehow managed to remove his own clothing as well. ‘Quite a talent,’ she thought. “Tell me that you’re not my Chloe when you respond to my touch like this.” He slid the costume, along with her thong, off her legs. She felt his fingers along her silken folds and she gasped.
“Lex, I,” she said. Her speech cut off by the feeling of his tongue darting out and circling her clit. “Oh God.” She gripped his head with her hands. He stood up and picked her up, only to lie her down on the desk. His mouth moved between her legs again and she closed her eyes. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this,’ she thought. He moved one finger into her and her hips bucked. Soon, he had two fingers inside her, pumping furiously and rubbing her clit with his thumb with the rhythm. She was panting for air and moaning loudly. “Lex!” She screamed as she came.
Lex removed his fingers and quickly replaced them with his throbbing cock. She gasped at the sensation and he began to slowly move within her. She bit her lip as he went progressively faster and she came close to orgasm again. Chloe felt an amazing shudder throughout her body as her climax rolled over her. A few more thrusts and Lex lay down on top of her. They were both breathing heavily, but he started to kiss her cheek and then her neck again.
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He asked. Chloe said nothing. “I love you Chloe.” The amazing afterglow that Chloe had been feeling suddenly turned into substantial guilt. She wasn’t his Chloe. She should never have allowed things to progress even to the kissing stage. Her eyes started to well up with tears and he raised his head when he heard her sniffle. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she let her tears start rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not your Chloe.” She tried to push him away from her. “I should never have done this.” He wiped her tears away with his thumb.
“Sweetheart, what are you talking about?” He asked.
“One minute I was at Alison’s Halloween party, exploring the so-called haunted house, and the next minute I was in this different hallway and came down to this room,” she said. Saying it out loud only made her feel crazier than she did already. She sighed. “In my, um, where I’m from,” she stammered, “Lex and I aren’t involved.” Lex stared blankly at her. “I mean it.” She paused. The sexual energy between them was almost unbearable. She wondered why it was like that here and not back home. Of course, she hadn’t given Lex much of a chance back home, or let him get that close to her. She sat up to try and clear her mind. “Isn’t there something that only your Chloe would know?” Lex brought his right hand up to caress her cheek and she leaned into his touch. He frowned. His Chloe never did that. His left hand rose and she saw a ring on his wedding finger as he held the hand in front of her. ‘Oh God, he’s married. This is bad.’
“What does the inscription say?” He asked. She looked at him with a confused and panicked expression and then she shook her head.
“How should I know?” She asked.
“It’s the same as yours,” he said a little angrily and picked up her left hand, but there was no ring on her hand. He gazed at her hand in disbelief. “How did you get it off?” She looked up at him.
“I didn’t,” she said. “I’m not your Chloe.”
“You broke your knuckle when you slugged Bobby,” he said and then took a closer look at her hand. There was no swollen knuckle that would have kept the ring on her finger. She sighed again. Her eyes were starting to water with unshed tears.
“I’m not your Chloe,” she repeated in a choked voice.
~*~*~*~*~
After an embarrassing run in with a maid, Clark was pointed toward his room. He took off his costume and put on the clothing that was so foreign to him. He hoped he put everything on right, his grandma didn’t seem like she would be very forgiving about that sort of thing. The worst part though, in his estimation, was that he didn’t seem to be able to use any of his enhanced abilities here. His x-ray and heat vision didn’t work, nor did what he called his super speed. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and groaned. ‘I look like the biggest dork in the universe.’
He walked downstairs and saw his father, dressed in similar apparel to his own, standing in a parlor room. His dad caught his eye and smiled at him.
“Son!” He said excitedly and held out his hand for Clark to shake. Clark looked at him like he was crazy, but he shook his hand. “Your mother tells me you’ve been thinking about courting someone.” Clark opened his mouth to talk but Jonathan cut him off. “Well, all I can say is, it’s about time. You’re not getting any younger you know.” Clark furrowed his brow.
“I’m only sixteen,” Clark argued. Jonathan nodded with a stern face.
“Indeed. And you should have started wooing this young woman you have your eye on months ago. If it is who I think it is, then I’m surprised she hasn’t given in to Alexander Luthor’s proposals of marriage already,” Jonathan said. Clark frowned.
“Who do you think it is?” He asked hesitantly. His father smiled.
“Chloe Sullivan of course,” he said and patted his son on the back. “She’s a fine choice son. She comes from a good people and her personality doesn’t seem to have been affected by her family’s money.” Clark swallowed. ‘Chloe?’
~*~*~*~*~
Lana tried yelling to the people that she saw down below, but they just waved to her. She grumbled and sat down against one of the walls. How was she supposed to get out of there? How did she get there in the first place? She heard the sound of metal against metal and the scraping of stone against stone and turned to face the door. She rose as a servant woman was let in with a tray of food.
“Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how worried I was getting!” Lana exclaimed with a bright smile. The woman seemed nervous, but smiled in return.
“You should eat,” she replied in a heavy eastern European accent. Lana shook her head.
“No, no,” she argued. “I need to get out of here.” The woman looked at her like she was crazy.
“I don’t believe that the prince will allow you to leave until you are wed mistress,” she said. Lana frowned.
“What?”
“Only because of what happened the last time,” the woman explained. “Don’t worry though, your wedding is only three days hence.” Lana looked horrified.
“You don’t understand,” Lana started, but the woman cut her off.
“Eat,” she said and turned on her heel to leave through the door. Lana ran to the door, but it closed before she could get to it.
“No!”
~*~*~*~*~
Lex observed the strange expression that Chloe was giving him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked. Lex smirked and took a step closer to her.
“Like what?” He asked, feigning innocence. She put her hands on her hips.
“Like I’m on the menu,” she answered. She shook her head. “What’s gotten into you? You know this whole arranged marriage thing is just a big sham,” she said. He furrowed his brow.
“Arranged marriage thing?” He repeated. She glared at him.
“I’m not having this conversation with you again. It was bad enough to have my parents force me into this ‘marriage’ with you, but I’m not going to pretend to be your wife behind closed doors.” She stood her ground as he continued to move closer. “I’m not attracted to you. Remember?” He quickly brought her body to his and moved his lips to seal with her own. Her eyes were wide for a moment, but she relinquished to the sensation and began to return his kiss. He pulled back when he needed to breathe and took in her appearance with masculine satisfaction. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were half shut.
“I think you are,” he whispered in her ear.
TBC…
I know, not much for now, but hopefully I’ll get more time to write tomorrow. I’m sorry if everything is so confusing because of the format. I’m trying to go in the same order I did for the first part of when they all selected rooms, so if you go by that you should be fine.
~*~*~
Ch. 4
~*~*~
Alison clung to Pete’s arm as they talked with what seemed like an endless stream of people. At first she thought having a Halloween party in a haunted house would be a kick, but now she wasn’t so sure. Every once and a while, she would catch something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, it wouldn’t be there. The house was starting to scare her, and although she was usually a social butterfly, she couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do now than just kick everyone out and leave with her date. Pete looked over at her.
“You okay?” He asked when he noticed the jittery expression on her face. She tried to smile, but it came out as more of a wince.
“Guess I just haven’t had enough to drink, because this place is kind of giving me the creeps,” she admitted. Pete laughed and wrapped his arm around her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” he said in his best valiant sounding voice. She rolled her eyes.
“Whatever.” Alison looked around the room again and frowned. “Where did your friends go?” Pete took a quick glance and then shrugged.
“Maybe they’re in one of the other rooms,” he suggested. “The party has pretty much taken over all of the lower level of this house.” She nodded and warily looked to the stairs.
“You don’t think they went upstairs do you?” She asked. That’s where most of the ‘sightings’ and ‘weird experiences’ were rumored to take place. Pete got an evil grin on his face.
“Not unless Clark finally got lucky,” he responded, waggling his eyebrows. Alison smiled, but her mind was reacting differently. ‘If they went upstairs, then he’s not going to be lucky,’ she thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex had some of ‘his Chloe’s’ clothes brought in for Chloe to change into. Even if she wasn’t his wife, she looked like it, and he didn’t want her walking around in the skintight devil costume she had been wearing. They sat together in a dining room while their dinner was brought in. It was an incredibly uncomfortable atmosphere for both of them. After all, she looked just like his missing wife, and they had slept together. Chloe refused to look up from her meal, but he stared intensely at her.
“May I ask you a question?” He asked. Her eyes peeked upward, but quickly looked down at her plate again when she saw his determined gaze. She nodded.
“Sure.”
“Why aren’t you married to,” he paused and frowned. The entire thing sounded ridiculous. “Why aren’t you married to the Lex in your ‘reality’?” The last word came out disdainful, as if he was still having trouble believing her. She looked up and grinned. This was good. She could do the whole talking thing, just as long as she didn’t have to be so close to him again, everything should be fine.
“Well, for starters, I’m only sixteen,” she answered, as if it were perfectly obvious. He nodded.
“And?” He asked. She glared at him.
“And, that’s not really an age that people get married at anymore,” she explained. He frowned, but nodded.
“I see. But you’re lovers?” He asked pointedly. She choked a little on some of her food and took a drink of water to clear her throat.
“Um, no,” she replied. This conversation could get incredibly uncomfortable if they started talking about that. “I doubt Lex has ever even seen me as a woman to be honest with you.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise and ran his eyes down her sitting form with a lustful gleam.
“I find that difficult to believe,” he said. She smiled.
“You can believe what you want,” Chloe answered. “But my Lex is more prone to dating supermodels and centerfolds, society bimbos and the like.” Lex smirked at her and she narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”
“You said ‘my Lex’,” he observed.
“That’s not what I meant,” she argued. He smiled.
“It’s what you said,” he replied and leaned forward. “Maybe you like him more than you think you do. Have you thought about that?” She smiled glibly and pushed herself away from the table. He stood up as he saw her doing the same.
“Okay, this dinner is over,” she announced. “And I’m not discussing you, er, him, anymore. Got it?” He chuckled.
“Are you sure you’re not ‘my’ Chloe?” He smirked as he watched her stomp out of the dining room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Clark sat at the table and picked at his food. His mother and grandmother had already reprimanded him for not using the correct silverware three times, and the food was, well, not what he was used to.
“You’re being awfully quiet,” Martha observed and smiled at Clark. “Is your mind on a certain young lady?” Jonathan grinned and looked over at his wife.
“Stop teasing the boy,” he said. “He’s probably trying to come up with a plan to woo her.” His eyes shot directly to Clark with a serious look. “And you’re going to need one. Your good looks and upbringing will only go so far.” Clark frowned as he looked back and forth between his parents.
“Um, what about Lana?” He asked with hesitation. Martha and Jonathan exchanged a look with Clark’s grandmother, and then his mother looked at him with pity.
“I thought we talked about this son,” Jonathan said. Clark gave him a blank expression, because he honestly didn’t know what they were talking about. Martha sighed.
“Your sister would have wanted you to be happy Clark, and she was fond of Chloe. If she were alive then I have no doubt that she would want you to court her,” Martha said. Clark looked confused.
“My sister?” He asked. His grandmother offered him a small grin and reached over to pat him on the hand.
“If it makes you feel better, we’ll go visit Lana’s grave this afternoon.” She paused and her face seemed to soften. “Some people find it comforting to speak to the dead.” ‘Like I’m doing right now?’ Clark thought. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“That would be great. Thanks,” he responded. Maybe if he could get out of the house, he could determine why his powers weren’t working, and possibly find a way to get back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lana was ecstatic when a man opened the door. She rushed over to it and smiled at him.
“Please tell me I can leave now,” she said. He didn’t return her smile, but he nodded.
“Prince Whitney requests your presence,” he said. She stared at the man.
“Whitney?” She asked in confusion. Lana figured that she was either having a really bad dream, or she hit her head and was hallucinating or something. The possibility of another reality hadn’t struck her yet. If Whitney really were the prince, then he would help her get out of there. Despite the fact that she broke up with him, she knew in her heart that he would never deny her anything she asked for. She smiled again and nodded. “Lead the way.”
She followed him down a winding stone staircase. Her fantasies about being a princess had never been like this. This was much more real. It was cold, drafty, and it smelled like mold. She shook her head. ‘It’s just a bad dream, just go along with it until you wake up,’ she thought. The guard led her to an impressive room that had weapons and colorful banners hanging on the walls. She saw Whitney sitting in a chair and smiled brightly at him. He furrowed his brow.
“Why are you cheerful?” He asked in a suspicious voice. She noticed that he was speaking in the heavy accent too, but decided it would be best not to say anything about it. She shrugged.
“Just glad to be out of that room,” she said. He nodded once to indicate that he accepted her answer.
“Sit,” he said. She arched an eyebrow at the ordering tone his statement had to it, but she sat down in the chair across from him. He looked over her. “Where did you get that dress?” She looked down at it and then smiled up at him.
“Nice huh? They’re making Halloween costumes better and better,” she answered. He looked at her like she was crazy.
“Halloween?” He asked. She looked at Whitney like he was an idiot.
“Ye-ah,” she strung out. “Halloween. You know, trick or treating, candy, parties?” She responded. Whitney frowned at her.
“I may have sentenced you to too much time in isolation,” he pondered. He reached across the table and took her hand. “I apologize.” He let go of her hand and stood up, and then he started to walk to her side of the table. “Your behavior angered me, but I shouldn’t have forced you to insanity. Please forgive me.” She stared questioningly at him. ‘Should I ask?’ She thought.
“Behavior?” She asked. Whitney glared at her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand up. He leaned in to speak close to her ear.
“If I ever catch you with him again, I’ll kill both of you.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe pushed herself away from Lex and glared at him. Then she took a good look at his costume and crossed her arms.
“What are you wearing?” She asked. He briefly glanced at his apparel and then looked up at her.
“My Halloween costume,” he said dryly. “Like it?” She shook her head and started to walk away from him.
“You’ve lost your mind,” she commented. He saw her go over to a machine built into the wall that looked like it was straight off one of the Star Trek sets. She punched a few buttons and two cups of coffee appeared. He stared at the contraption in disbelief. Chloe walked over to him and handed him one of the cups of coffee. “You think I can use the whole ‘you going crazy’ thing to annul the marriage?” She smiled as she took a sip from her cup.
“I’m not crazy,” he responded. “And if you were indeed forced to marry me,” she cut him off.
“You know I was,” she said angrily. “You were there.” He stood in front of her with a stone-like expression on his face.
“Actually, I wasn’t,” he replied. She looked at him with confusion marring her features and he sighed.
“I’m not the Lex you know,” he said.
“Uh huh,” she said, indicating that she clearly didn’t believe him.
“I was at a Halloween party, one of my friends went missing, I went through a door and I ended up here,” he said. ‘You do sound crazy,’ he thought to himself. Chloe grinned and arched an eyebrow.
“So what are you saying?” She asked in a bemused tone.
“You and I aren’t married,” he said. A smile beamed across her lips. A bedroom door opened and Lex saw himself, or rather that reality’s version of himself, walking out into the hallway. He motioned to him with his head. “You and he are.”