Daughter of the Night - R - Chloe/Lex, Chloe/Lucas - completed Apr19

[Catheryne]

AN: For all my previous fandoms, I have written a story that worked along with these lines. This is somewhat like vampire fics I've written before for other ships, but I did not just replace names in this story. I am rewriting the story to fit this pairing. Hope you will enjoy this the way it should be enjoyed. :-)




Daughter of the Night


Part 1

“How long will you be gone?” Her voice was faint and thin in the cool midnight air. She shivered when a soft breeze curled around her shoulders. “Will you even come back?”

He took off his jacket and laid it gently over her shoulders. “Of course I will. I won’t ever let them take me away from you.” Then, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, and in silence they watched the tempestuous sea smash against the rocks. “Do you see how the rocks crumble beneath the waves?”

Chloe looked up at him, meeting his eyes for a long moment then she shook her head.

“Because against such powerful force, the rocks remain strong and steady. Like you and me.”

His vow was fervent, but did not comfort her. Lucas loved to speak of dreams as if they were within reach. His fingertips brushed the corners of her eyes to dry the moisture that had begun to seep out.

He said softly, “This is not the woman I love. Have you seen her? She is brave and spontaneous and would never ever show me that she cries.”

His words brought a smile to her lips, albeit one so obviously sad. “When you talk, Lucas, it’s almost as if your family had not engaged you to another woman.”

Her response was enough to shatter his armor of denial. Lucas’ arms tightened around her. “They engaged me to a woman I do not know.”

“Her name is Lana,” she said, her voice tinged with hurt.

“I don’t love her!”

Chloe moved out of his embrace and faced him. “But you will be married. Do you want me then to wait for you in bed for the moments that you can slip away from your wife?”

Lucas turned to a faceless figure in the darkness. “Tell her, Lex.”

The man in the shadows stepped forward and nodded. "She hopes, Lucas. But she doesn't want to hurt, so she's trying to convince herself now."

Lucas took a deep breath. "Have faith, Chloe. You know that we were meant to be together, don't you?" She nodded. "Then you'll see. Look at me." She did, and all at once her breath caught in her throat. It was always like this. Deep in his eyes, there was a flame that burned when she met it with her own fire. No one else could see it. No one but she recognized it. And it was only she who would battle and lose. Her arms rose to his neck, and she tiptoed to reach his lips. Then he would lean and cup her head, mash her mouth to his.

"We need to stop this, Lucas," she murmured against his lips.

"Why? We're not hurting anyone."

"But we’re just going to end up both destroyed by this!" She pushed away and stumbled backwards. Lex caught her by her arm and steadied her. "I love you too much, Lucas! I’ve got to wean myself out of this because there’s no way I’m going to ever have you for myself.”

"You do have me!"

"No!" she cried. "You're Lana's. And I'm stealing every minute I have with you."

"I don't love Lana," he said softly.

"You're engaged. And I might be the one you love, but I'm still the sinner in this twisted triangle," she whispered. "She has your ring."

"You have my heart," he protested.

"What do I do with your heart when she’s going to have your name and your children?"

"Chloe, I love you."

"That's not enough anymore. It doesn’t mean anything.”

"I’ll give you my soul then. You can't deny that.”

She nodded. “Tell me when we’ll be together.”

"Soon."

Chloe caught his hand in hers and wrapped her fingers around his. Then, she placed a kiss on his fingertips. "Will you swear?” she whispered passionately. “Will you promise that you will do everything within your power so that we will be together?”

Behind them, Lucas’ brother straightened. Promises were such a curious lot. Often they did not get fulfilled. Knowing his brother though, and how passionate he was in all he did, Lex had no doubt that Lucas would probably fight heaven and hell to fulfill his promise to Chloe.

"I swear, Chloe."

She smiled and approached him. Tenderly, Lucas's arms opened, and she stepped into his embrace. Chloe laid her head against his heart and sighed. "Why is it so hard?”

“There is no greater love than one that has withstood the torments of time," replied Lex. "It can’t ever be any other way.”

"I don’t know if we should be comforted by that," Lucas murmured. He offered his hand, and Lex clasped it tightly. "You truly are my brother. I am going to break off this engagement with the Lang girl.” He squeezed Lex’s hand. “Take care of Chloe."

"I always do," was Lex’s reply.

Lucas brushed a kiss on top of her head. "Go on with my brother. I'll keep my promise." He turned and walked away. To Chloe, the image represented the slow healing inside her heart.

She felt raindrops on her arms, and wondered if Lucas thought to bring a coat or an umbrella with him. "Come on, Chloe. We can't let you get wet. I'll take you home."

He opened the black umbrella and held it over their heads. And then he took her arms and guided her through the puddles. Silently they walked. He noticed that she was crying, and his arm rose to wrap around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, honey."

"I don’t know what I’ll do without him,” she whispered.

As reassurance, Lex rubbed his hand against her arm and said, “If I know my brother, he will move heaven and earth to make sure you never have to find out.”


~~


Lex Luthor stood unmoving at the rocks, silent and expressionless. When he was roused from his sleep just hours an hour ago, Lex had not known that it was the beginning of the world’s demise. He had been led to a cliff and made to stand at the edge. Below him was a countless foot drop. It was then that the news had been broken to him in the tempest of the storm. At once, a feeling of betrayal came. He would not believe that Lucas had done this to her. And so Lex had hurried down to the rocks of the sea.

A man called out to him. Lex vaguely remembered stepping closer to the cold wet man. He lived in a nightmare. He sought to wake himself out of it. However, talons of evil clawed at his consciousness. The sharp wind was cold, blistering his skin.

"Master Lex." He turned to face the old man who had been working for their family for generations. "They almost have it pulled up."

Lex’s lips were cracked and dry. He nodded, without saying anything, because he was afraid that when words tumbled out of his mouth, he would not be able to stop them. And he needed to be strong.

The men, up to their knees in the freezing ocean, erupted into yells, and grunts, and roars. Together they pulled in with all their might, counting simultaneously. From out of the turbid waters rose the dark wooden vehicle that looked like the one that had carried his brother away. It's not him. It's not him, he repeated to himself like a litany. A lot of coaches were this dark a brown. But, he realized, as the entire coach rose from the water and lay in the rocky shore, not all of them had their family crest on the door. "No," he whispered.

"Master Lex," Kirk began when he looked up at his master.

Lex held up a hand and shook his head. He turned and walked away.

"Master Lex, we need to know what you-"

"I need time alone, Kirk. Please," he pleaded hoarsely. He strode away from the overturned coach that lay wet and destroyed on the shore.


Part 2


A smile played on her lips as she waited for the coach to stop in front of her. She had been waiting for days to hear from him. And now finally he had come home to her. The wheels rolled to a halt in front of her house, and Chloe stood from the rocking chair on her porch.

The door swung open, and the masculine boot that stepped out stopped the beating of her heart. "Lucas," she murmured. She was unable to wait there. Chloe gathered her skirts and ran to the coach. To her surprise and dismay, it was Lex who emerged from the coach. "Lex! Where's-"

The look in his eyes caught her off guard. Lex held his hat in his hands, but said nothing to her. "I'll walk you up."

She shook her head. "Tell me, Lex."

He smiled sadly at her, hoping to lighten the blow his words would strike on her. One look into her eyes and he realized there would be no way to lighten news of a lover’s demise. "He's gone, Chloe." She stared back at him, not even a flicker in the intent green eyes. "He didn't even make it to Lana's home. There was a storm last night. The horses must have gone out of control when lightning struck a tree close by. I went to the scene. There was a collapsed tree on the road. The coach fell off the cliff. Chloe, Lucas's gone."

Her hand rose to clasp the ring that hung from the chain around her neck. There was time to grieve later. When Lex saw the courage that flickered in her eyes, he realized that he would now witness so many of the things that had made Lucas Luthor fall in love with Chloe Sullivan. Unlike all the other young women who belonged to the circle where his family had found Lana Lang, she had her feet on the ground, her head out of the clouds. She knew her priorities, and she was a pragmatist. She was practical before she was a woman.

"Where is he? Take me to him."

"There was no body. You know these waters, Chloe. It could have drifted away. Or the sharks-"

She slapped her hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare say it! When is the funeral?”

"Tomorrow."

"Take me."

Lex shook his head. "Chloe, I can't—for all the reasons why the two of you were never able to be together when he was alive. He's told you about mother, hasn't he? And father? Chloe, Lana's family is there."

"Why would Lana’s family have more right than I to be there when I'm the one he loved?" she demanded.

"You know the answer to that." Lex took her by the elbow and nudged her towards the house. "Go on, Chloe. It looks like it's going to rain."

And it did. She didn't budge from her place, just faced him stubbornly. “I will not move from here until you take me to the funeral. So help me, Lex, even if you don’t take me, I swear I am going to barge in there uninvited and announce to your visitors exactly why I should be given a seat.” Lex shook his head and took a deep breath. "Come on. I'll take you. But we'll stay in the back. Don't talk to anybody." He propelled her towards his own coach. As they settled in, he tossed a thick blanket over to her.

~~

"AAAAGGGHHHH!!!"

The still, unmoving body atop the cold gray slab rose with a gargled cry. His harsh voice echoed in the moist dripping darkness of what seemed like a dungeon. He took in his surroundings, as an unnamed energy pumped in his temples. The room was strangely cold, but not freezing. With the ice-cold air licking at his skin he felt hot viscosity pumping in his veins, and the contrast merged into the most erotic teasing he had ever felt.

His breathing felt unnatural. Curious, he raised his palm to his nose and exhaled. It was still the same process he had been used to all his life. He tried breathing through his mouth. Still the same, yet so different.

His fingers caressed the skin of his arms, and marveled at the silky smoothness that he suddenly found. Even the hair there seemed like down. He breathed hot air at his arm.

The most apparent was the last he took note of. Repeatedly, he blinked to clear his sight, yet he could not seem to. Each and every piece of old furniture, box, barrel, glowed a deep red. "I must have died and wandered to the edges of limbo," he murmured. There was no way he could have survived that accident. He could still feel the electricity hum through the air and lightning strike merely feet away from him. The next moments converged into a blurred scene to him. But the crash of the carriage into the icy waters hundreds of feet below was all too real.

"Died? I wouldn't say that exactly." He glanced towards the source of the voice. A beautiful woman, so pale, with hair so blonde it was almost the color of moonlight, sat at the foot of the slab. "You are very much alive. More alive than you have ever been in your inferior mortal existence."

She was breathtaking. He watched in awe as the slender hand went down to his thigh. When she moved, she revealed the full-length mirror behind her. The reflection caught his eyes, and he shoved her away and strode towards it. "What the-" He grabbed the edges of the mirror and easily lifted it closer to him. Even as he marveled at the strength of his arms, he was horrified at the sight. "My eyes! What happened to my eyes?"

Within a millisecond the woman was behind him, hands moving up and down his upper arms, voice soothing. "Calm down, my love. Calm down." He took deep breaths. As he faced his reflection the redness of his eyes abated, and they returned to their natural blue.
He whipped around to face the woman. "Who are you? What's going on?"

Her lips curved into a welcoming smile. "I'm your mother," she answered carefully.

Lucas took several steps back. "I don't know what the hell is going on here but you are definitely not my mother!" He gulped in a large amount of air and coughed.

"You don't need to breathe," she told him. She eerily leaned so close to him that he felt her lips touch his skin with every word. "You are beyond breath, beyond heartbeat, beyond any mortal affectations." He did not answer. Lucas stared back dully at her. "I have created you as you are now. You are a child of the night." He did not have a response. Nor could he have responded. She continued, "You washed ashore almost dead, but you were too beautiful to die. I revived you the only way I knew. I fed you with my blood."

Lucas had heard of such demonic acts, had read them in books so evil they had to be burned. "You are the devil!" he spat out.

She laughed. "I wouldn't go so far, my love. I am what I am. And now you are too."

"I don't want to be a living dead. I do not wish to be a walking blight, an immortal curse!"

"Were you by any chance a poet in your lifetime?" she taunted him.

Lucas walked up to the woman. His memories have not fully returned to him. He prayed they would. "You have destroyed me!" Fully rejuvenated from his sleep, with the strength from her blood in his body, rage fueling his every movement, Lucas drew back his arm and backhanded the lovely monster. "I will not be a vampire!"

He ran to the door and tried to twist the knob, but it was locked. He smashed his fist right through and kicked the door open. The people in the house screamed at the sight of him, shirtless, his mouth still smeared with the female vampire's blood, fury reddening his eyes, hair wildly mussed.

The female vampire bounded up to the door of the basement and yelled at him to come back. He did not even turn around to face her. "You can't do anything!" she screamed. "You have not even learned to master the creature you're become! Without my guidance, you are bound to destroy all that you loved!"

tbc

[welshy]

That was an interesting start, I hope there's going to be more soon :)

[meeaz]

ooh. i want more. this was a lovely start. more soon, please.

[Kit Merlot]

This is a great beginning--more please :D

[kimmie]

Great beginning, really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more...

Kimmie

[Krysia]

I loved the begining. After reading the title I was sure that it was Chloe who is the vampire and is seducing the Luthor brothers [ yes I have a naughty mind ;)] But this is so much better than anything I came up with. I love all the twists and turns, and can't wait all the drama that is to come. How long will vampire Lucas wait until he thinks he is able to make himself known to Chloe? And will she, in her grief, turn to Lex and this is how they will end up together? Who is Lucas sire? Please, update soon.

[pipersmum]

This story is off to a great start i can't wait to read more. Love the idea of Chlex and Chlucas all in one story and vampires thrown in as well fantastic. Please update really soon.

[planetcal]

Great beginning!!!! Can't wait for your next update!

[darkangel]

Interesting start, update soon.

[star del mar]

Hmmm...interesting. This is pretty good so far and very different in the sense that Lucas becomes a vampire which is something that he is definitely going to have to get used to. That last line needed a 'dun dun dun' you know the scary music, lol. I'm thinking things are going to get messy. This is great! I can't wait to read more.

Steph*

[Dailyplanet28]

The beginning sounds incredibly good so plzzz update. The Chlucas was very sweet and the slight Chlex even sweeter.

Luca is a vampire, so who is this beatiful sire of his, and when will the chlex kick in.

Hmmmm its very intriging soo hurry up :P

[squeezumstang]

more, please!!!

[teb85]

Sounds good, can't wait to see where this goes.
Please update!

[Blackberry]

What? Lucas? huh? wait!! Lex!! I don't know who to like more now....

[Catheryne]

Thanks for leaving your fb.


Part 3


"Lex, would you check outside to see if Pete has arrived with the vegetables?" Chloe looked up from the sink and peeked at Lex through the hair that had fallen over her face.

It had been so hot that week. She had constantly found herself crossing her fingers so that it would rain. If it rained, at least it wouldn’t be this sweltering.

“Don’t worry,” Lex said, as if able to read her mind. In about two weeks it’s going to start raining again.”

She grinned. “And then we’d tiptoe around the pans on the floor.” Lex had seen her house like that a few times. The pans and buckets would litter the floor to catch dripping rain.

He took a deep breath. “This place is hopeless.” The resolution was so obvious. He would have offered long ago, but he did not want to step over his brother’s toes. “Listen to me. I’ll send my men over here to patch up your roof.”

“You can do that next month, when I get my percentage of the farm profit,” she advised. “I’m just so happy that the Kents allowed me to invest on their crop this year. I can at least start letting the money roll.”

“The men will be here this afternoon,” Lex told her. “You don’t need to pay them.” Truly, he had no idea why Lucas had never done this for her before.

“Are you insane?” she hissed. “I’m not going to take charity from the Luthors.”

And then he understood. Knowing his brother, he probably already offered to fix Chloe’s place up. Lucas could even have already offered to buy an entirely new, bigger and better place for her. And Chloe would have just ended up being insulted. “It’s not charity from the Luthors,” he reasoned. “It’s help from a friend.”

Chloe shook his head. “And where does my friend get the money?” Before Lex could speak, she continued, “I’ll come to you when I really need it, alright Lex? But don’t expect me to accept anything that’s associated to your parents.”

Many men would have been offended at her words. However, Lex merely nodded. Truth be told, he understood. Gabe Sullivan had been a loyal worker of his parents’ until Lionel had decided to take him down. After fifteen loyal years of service, Gabe had been terminated and had been blacklisted from all other employment. The man did not even receive financial help from his previous employer when his illness began two years ago. Thus, Gabe had perished just two years ago brokenhearted and hopeless.

“If I find a source of income that has nothing to do with my family’s money, will you accept my help?”

His persistence made her chuckle. “Why not,” she responded, to end the wheedling.

He approached her and focused on her busy hands as she tossed the dishrag on the sink and picked up a piece of paper. When she reached for a pencil and sat down on the table, he sat down beside her. Chloe scribbled some numbers and dates. Lex peered at the sheet of paper.

“Ten percent?” he asked.

She looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

“The Kents are giving you ten percent of your investment as interest?”

Chloe nodded. “It’s a generous deal. Other farms could promise me five.”

“Businesses in Metropolis can give you as much as thirty,” he advised. “I can get you sixty.”

“Lex—“

“It’s not my family’s business. I do have my own talent, you know,” he said.

“Oh, I know you have talent, Lex. But I have very little, and Metropolis businesses that offer even twenty percent interest require so much more than what I can invest.”

“I’ll lend it to you.”

Chloe breathed deeply to calm herself, and then placed the pencil down. “I’m not a kept woman.”

At those words, he stilled. “Who said you were?” Since Lucas’ death a year ago, he had been obsessed with his brother’s girlfriend—her health, her safety, her happiness. He had always believed Chloe to be a gorgeous woman far more than any Luthor had a right to, but after Lucas’ death, Lex felt doubly enraptured with her. Lex was also very aware that his parents knew about his activities. They had once sighed in relief when they believed that their other’s son’s untimely death would be the end of Lex’s association with Chloe. After all, the Luthor heir could not be seen with the Sullivan girl. Finding out that Lex had even more become drawn to her after Lucas’ funeral riled them to no end. He would not put it past his parents to take matters into their own hands. “I never said you were. I never treated you like you were,” he said quietly.

She was looking down at the figures on the sheet of paper. Chloe’s eyes burned. “Never mind,” she whispered. “I’m just tired.”

Lex took his white handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “Did my father come here?”

She shook her head. “I told you. I’m tired.”

It was then that he knew. His eyes scanned the small hovel, looking for signs of the crime that his parents had committed. He had never really paid attention to the small details of her home. After all, whenever he was inside, his eyes were immediately drawn only to her. And that was when he saw a lavender sheet of paper lying on top of the counter. He stood up and proceeded over to it.

“Lex.” Chloe saw where he was looking. “Leave it. I was going to burn it.”

He paid no mind to her words. Instead, he snatched the stationery that he recognized was his father’s. “Five thousand dollars,” he read. He folded the stationery and looked up at Chloe’s terrified face. “That’s too little an amount. I would have expected more.”

He could see that she wanted to cry, but she held the tears back. “I never took it,” she whispered. “Please don’t think that I—“

Realization dawned on him. He strode over to Chloe and took her hands. “I never thought you would,” he assured her. “I’m angry at my parents. They had no right to even approach you, after what they did to you and Lucas.”

She shook her head. “Don’t, Lex. Don’t start blaming your parents for your brother’s death. They lost him too.” Sadly, Chloe knew that she was also as much to blame. She was the reason he left that night to end his engagement with Lana. She was the reason that he was out in the storm instead of in the safety of his grand castle.

The hands holding hers squeezed tightly. “Chloe, Lucas’ death took so much from you. He would have given you the world. You know that I can still do that. I’ve told you, over and over again. Why won’t you consider?”

“We’ve been over this.” Chloe took her hands out of his. “It’s not right, Lex.”

“You will have everything you’ve always deserved when you become Chloe Luthor. I know you hate the name.”

“You know I don’t.”

“You have been Chloe Luthor,” he remembered. “In your plans with my brother. You just can’t picture yourself as my wife.”

“Please, Lex, I wouldn’t know what to do if you become mad. It’s just… I loved Lucas first. You don’t deserve to hear this and be hurt by this, but I know that in my heart I know I will always love him.” To soothe away the hurt she was certain she would cause him, Chloe reached for his hand and kissed his knuckles.

Lex watched silently as she placed loving kisses on his skin. And then he said, “I would never take that from you. But Lucas is gone, Chloe. You love me now.” When she nodded her agreement to his words, his heart lightened a little. “Why can't you put the past behind you and let us live our life?"

She leaned forward and looped her arms around him. For the past months, she and Lex had shared every moment that they could remembering Lucas. He let her cry on his shoulder, and she was there to listen to his own reminiscing when his family was so stoic and reserved that it would not speak about the lost member. Through those weeks, their need and anguish brought them closer together. To a great extent, Chloe knew her relationship with Lex had surpassed her fantasy life with Lucas. This love she found with Lex was as close to reality as she could get, because it was a mix of pain and hope, of new and shattered dreams. When she was with Lucas, they spent their moments planning for a fantasy. With Lex, she found herself needing to plot out her life. “Because you are an amazing man, and it wouldn’t be fair because I still love someone else.”

“It’s alright,” he murmured, running his hand through her hair as she leaned her head on his chest. “I'm not taking that against you. I’m glad you still love him. You can always love him, Chloe. He was a good man. But nothing changes. He was, Chloe. I am.”

“I know, Lex,” she agreed. “And I know you know that loving Lucas doesn’t mean I love you less. But I need time.”

“All right.” Lex pulled away and turned to leave. “I'll give you time.” She walked him to the door. Before he stepped out, he dropped a kiss on her nose. “All the time you need,” he told her, rubbing circles on her cheekbone with his thumb. “In one condition.”

She smiled. Lucas would have probably persisted until he got what he wanted. He would have likely blown goosebumps on her skin until she relented, and they would have ended up laughing and she would have agreed. Lex… he gave her the freedom to make her decisions. In the end, Lucas got what he set out to get, leaving Chloe giggling and giving it no thought. Lex, however, would brood during the time he gave Chloe and Chloe would be mulling over her own decision. “Anything.”

“You will allow my men to fix your roof this afternoon.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he quieted her with a finger on her lips. “I won't have you prolonging your decision because of the damnable patter of rain on your floor.”

Maybe Lex knew how to get his way too.

~~

The tattered coat hung loosely around his legs, but almost popped at the seams on his shoulders. He emerged from the smoky alley clutching the clothing around him, as though he was shivering from the cold. He kept his eyes down. And so he did not see the approaching figure of another man, and they bumped into each other.

"What the fu-Don't you look at where you're going!?" The man was clearly inebriated. He pushed Lucas to the wall. "Shit! Louts like you should be kicked out of this country!" Lucas did not struggle, merely kept his sight down. "Look at me when I'm talkin' to you! Y' think yer too good fer me?" Lucas still did not move. The man was incensed at Lucas's lack of response. He gathered his spit and released it on Lucas's stolen boots.

And he finally got his wish. Lucas's flaming eyes rose to pierce him. Upon taking one look at the blood red centers, the man stumbled backwards. He started to run, but fell. Behind him Lucas stalked the panicked drunk. Once more he fell to his knees, and Lucas towered over him. "Oh fucking shit! Don't kill me!" the man screamed. He moved away, dragging himself through the ground. "Get away from me. Devil! Devil! Y' git!"

Lucas's arm reached out to grasp the man by his hair. He would not drink this man's poison blood even if he were dying of thirst. Swiftly, he placed his hands on his forehead and nape and twisted. And then he let go, and left the wide-eyed corpse staring at the night sky.

He walked on. He was searching for something. He did not know what. But there was one memory niggling at his subconscious. He could remember nothing earlier than waking at that devil woman's basement. Yet from his day sleep he had images of other people, other places, other... stirrings. She called for him in his dreams, this faceless, nameless woman. She screamed for him in those horrific unconscious moments. She needed him. And Lucas suspected that he needed her too. Maybe she was what he needed to be complete.


~~

tbc

[Kit Merlot]

This is an intriguing story.

I like that Lex is looking out for Chloe, and I'm glad that she won't use him as a rebound relationship, but they have such great potential as a couple.

And now Lucas is going to go look for Chloe--that can't be good.

Excellent job, Catheryne :grin3:

[meeaz]

it just keeps getting better and better. chloe should just listen to lex already lol. especially now that lucas is on the hunt for chloe. great update. more soon, please!!!

[Krysia]

Wow. Great update. On one hand I feel bad for Chloe because she is still in love with Lucas and probably a part of her feels it's to soon to love someone else, be happy again [ and i'm dreding how hard it will be to see the "new" Lucas once she and Lex do get together]. But on the other I can't wait for her to be with Lex. I loved the whole interaction between them. How he can't see anything other than her in his world. I can't wait to see what he will do about the letter. Grr!
I also adored the ending. More, please.
:respect:

[star del mar]

I feel like Lex has really backed himself into a corner. He loves a woman that is still technically in love with his brother, I just don't think it really bodes well for anyone. Lucas is going to start remembering and I'm thinking he's not going to let anything stop him from finding Chloe. Great update!

Steph*

[purpleant]

I love this story! I'm glad that Lex and Chloe are so close, and that he is trying to help her. Also, it's very sweet that he isn't pressuiring her to marry him. I can't wait for the next update.

Thank you ;)

[pipersmum]

This is really good :D I love that Lex has managed to captivate Chloe and they are becoming really close :grin3:
Lucas, poor Lucas he will stop at nothing to find Chloe and what will happen to Lex then????
Will he remember his brother or will he just be an obstacle in the way of what he wants????
I can't wait to find out so please update soon :D

[Dailyplanet28]

Did I mention that I love this story? I don't know who I want Chloe to be with more. Lex or Lucas? Lucas or Lex?? Arghh. I want her to be with them both.

On the one hand, Lex and Chloe seem more realistic. Thier love seems strong yet plagued with Lucas's death hanging above them.

Lucas and Chloe have a love that transcends death, its a fantasy love. But one of passion and longing.

Which one will she choose and how will Chloe react when she realises that Lucas is now a vampire. How will Lex react?

Hurry Up plzzzz with the next update!! YOU ROCK!!!

Yasietha

[kcsgirl82]

Please update again as soon as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[teejei]

only just caught up with this fic. and, i say, it's moving along just fine. features two of my favorite 'ships...what more could i ask for? :D

[teb85]

Great update, I like the way this story is progressing.So keep up the good work and looking forward to the next chapter.

[eternitychlex]

I just found this story............and it is amazing............Please continue with this story.........I am already hooked..........I love it.........Please update soon!!!!!!!!!

[starmoon]

great so far i just hope chloe is going to be ok and her and lex fall in love and lucas is put to rest. please update soon i really can't wait for more.

[Catheryne]

I read the dead fanfic policy...

Please be advised that this story is sleeping as well. The plot is written until the end, but I need to get back some Chlex love because the show has killed it for me.

Soon...

[Kit Merlot]

I love this fic, Catheryne, and I can't wait for you to update:grin3:

[Catheryne]

Slowly... slowly... the fics are sputtering the last signs of life until they're completed and they can rest in peace...

Part 4

She opened the door to reveal a dashing Lex Luthor leaning against the frame, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a smile on his lips. “Good morning,” she greeted.

Chloe reached for the flowers. “Good morning.”

Right before she closed her hand around the stems, he pulled them away. “Who said these were for you?”

“So you parade right in from of my eyes that you’re courting another girl?” she inquired teasingly.

She had not giggled for a long time, yet now she did. She had not even laughed so lightheartedly even when Lucas had been alive. Everything between herself and her beloved departed Lucas had been somber, had been their star-crossed love of tears and heartbreak. Her source of delight had then been Lucas’ older brother, who would, in the event of a lovers’ spat, would drop by her humble home and tell that that he came bearing fun. On those days, Lex made her laugh enough to bring down her defenses. Sufficiently calmed down, she would then listen to Lex defending his brother.

“No wonder your mother does not like me,” she told him. “You keep on stealing flowers from her garden!”

“Do they make you happy?” he asked with an arched brow.

Chloe grabbed the bouquet and brought the blossoms to her nose, smelling the vibrant fragrance. “They do.”

“Then it’s worth it,” he told her. “I’ll take care of mother.”

And those were words she had repeatedly confided in Lex she wanted to hear Lucas say. He must have remembered, because he looked at her reaction and whispered an apology.

Chloe shook her head with a sad smile. Lucas had a lifetime of a chance to choose to defend her from his mother. He had planned to do so, but death got the better of him. The universe did not want them together and made the decision for them. “Come in,” she invited. Lex strode into her kitchen as if he owned her home. He did it often. Chloe did not doubt that he would own any room he walked into. Her movements were measured as she took a can from under the sink, filled it with water and then placed the flowers in. She then put it at the center of the table. “Would you like something to eat?”

“I’ve eaten,” he assured her. Lex took a seat on one of the rickety chairs. Truth to tell, he had always adored eating at Chloe’s. She had such a delightful way of burning the edges off everything. It was not until Lucas had reminded him that Chloe often did not have enough food for herself that Lex told himself to refuse her offer of food.

His gaze rested on the half eaten plate at the other end of the table, where one piece of bread lay. Beside it sat a cup a coffee.

Chloe must have noticed where he was looking. She hurriedly set aside the plate and placed the cup of coffee

“Let’s take a walk,” he suggested. “On my way here I felt dew in the air.”

Chloe looked at him from the corner of her eye, then nodded. She went outside with him and said, “You’re right.” The sun was warm on her skin. The air kissed her cheeks coolly. “Lucas loved this temperature. He would have enjoyed walking with us this morning. He liked riding this time of the year.” She did not notice when Lex’s hand closed around her own. “He would have probably ridden his black mare to my house and taken me with him, and we would ride with the wind in our hair—“

“Chloe,” he interrupted quickly, “I didn’t come to talk about Lucas.”

She turned to him and looked up into his eyes. “Lex,” she said, smiling, “you always come to talk about Lucas.”

He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. “Not for some time now, if you haven’t noticed.” Lex noted her eyes flickering, as if repeating in her head the last few visits they had had. “I’ve been coming for us,” he reminded her.

Softly, she agreed, “You have.”

“I want you to marry me,” he admitted. “And if you will just look back without Lucas’ face clouding your vision, you’d know I’ve wanted that for a long time.”

Swallowing deeply, she nodded ever so slowly.

“And I’m going to need your answer, Chloe, because Lucas is gone and I’m here.”

She took a deep breath, trying not to be angry that he would dare talk like that to her.

“How long has it been, Chloe?” he voiced, leaning closer to her and placing his lips ever so softly on hers.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she sucked in her breath at the first touch of his lips. How long has it been since someone else touched her like this? “Too long,” Chloe whispered.

“Will you, Chloe?” he asked against her skin. “Will you marry me?”

She closed her eyes completely and surrendered herself to the feel of someone’s kiss, his arms wrapping around her felt to her like a heaven she had not visited for so many months. Tears edged their way to seep at the corners of her eyes. Lucas had told her one thing that she would soon find out if it was the truth. She knew it as well as she knew that the faint voices in the distance were the sound of children practicing their carols. “Someone always told me I’d be an exquisite December bride,” she said softly.

Lex trailed his kissed across the line of her jaw, to her temple, to drink in the tears in her eyes, then to the top of her head. Lucas. It would always be Lucas. Lucas had told her that because once upon a time, over dinner, Lex had told his brother that Chloe would be beautiful in a wedding dress, with its long train drawing a furrow on the snow outside. “Then we will be married in a week,” he promised.

~~

The vampire crouched low outside her home, right under the tress, his tattered coat staining the pure snow pink with strangers’ blood. Too long, too many nights. Such a long time it took to remember who she was and now that he did, the vampire would not let her go. She was the dream he needed to be human, or to feel as close to human as was possible. “Chloe,” he grunted. He repeated the name, and flowed through his lips like the benedictions he heard as a child, before he was damned.

Lucas straightened, the snow falling from the back of his coat to the ground. He dragged his feet through the snow. He raised his fist and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Above him were flashes of light. Lucas looked up at the black sky and registered the sparkling lights and raining colors streaking the night sky. Muted noises tore at the silence.

High above the sky, exactly above the ancient castle where he had taken his first mortal steps.

A celebration right on the heels of a dead son.

Lucas closed his eyes and felt the air surround him. Then he watched the earth fall off from beneath his feet. Soon he was floating, soaring, going towards the majestic fireworks just above the house he grew up in, and wondered, what celebration was calling to him.

~~

The two ran, giggling like children as they stumbled through the long corridors that led to their new bedroom. He grabbed for her, but she narrowly escaped his hands. "No!" she squealed. "Not yet!" Chloe turned around and saw him bearing down on her with a large smile. She gathered the train of her gown in her arms and scampered through the carpeted halls.

His laughter echoed through the walls, enfolding Chloe in its warmth. "You're mine now." Lex easily covered the distance with his long stride and he grabbed her by the waist, capturing her in his arms. He drew her close and buried his lips in the crook of her neck. “I will have you tonight, Chloe.”

Chloe gasped for breath, and then rested her palms against his chest. “Lex,” she gasped. He drew her up against his body and she felt the evidence of his arousal. “I see that. Rather, I feel that.”

With a low growl he lifted her up in his arms, carrying her towards the door. Chloe looped her arms around his neck. He placed a kiss on her forehead. He walked across the threshold of their bedroom and then went to stand in front of the bed. Gingerly, he placed her on the sheets. “Thank you,” he rasped, his voice heavy with emotion.

Chloe reached up a gloved hand and ran it down his cheek. “For what?”

“You consented to marry me,” was his simple reply.

“Oh Lex.”

“I don't care if you don't love me, Chloe. I love you enough for both of us." He knelt beside her on the bed, taking her hand in his and gripping it to him. He placed her hand on his heart.”

Chloe lifted herself up off the bed on one elbow, then drew him down with her so that his chest rested on her breasts. “I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear, her lips on his skin sending delicious shivers through his body. "I apologize for never saying the words, but I've loved you for a long time now,” she assured him. “Guilt eats me alive when I think of Lucas dead and alone and myself giving my heart to you,” she confessed. “He has only been gone for a little while.”

The door to their bedroom swung open, but neither noticed. Lex closed his eyes for a moment. She could hear the soft words coming out of his lips, and she could make out a prayer of thanks. "I love you," she whispered, and she felt the smile that curved his lips.

~~

The vampire in the shadow of darkness trembled. He did not move. Lucas stood, watching the horror unfold before his very eyes. His brother reached and buried his hands in the pristine white foam of her gown, lifting the cloud off of her skin. He bared the shoulders that Lucas had long desired to taste. The man on the bed pushed the dress off of her, running a fiery hungry tongue across the coral nipples that puckered at the cold air. With searching hands, the man fumbled with the buttons until the dress was free and was easily lifted off the bed and tossed on the floor.

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness and he watched. The naked bodies moved over the silk sheets, reflecting what little moonlight entered the room. Her silken thighs parted to make room for the slim figure of the man, and he rested between her legs. She rested her legs on his hips and the man buried his fingers in his hair as he hovered above her, then took her lips in a deep bruising kiss right before he thrust inside her. A cry of pain, and Lucas’ sensitive ears caught the faint sound of her hymen tearing at the brute force the man applied. Lucas’ hands fisted at his sides as the strong scent of her blood wafted from the marriage bed to his nostrils, taunting him. The moans that rose from the bed sent a chill through his bones. The sighs of pleasure screamed into his ears. His lips parted to let out the silent, tearing growl. Their ecstasy proved to be his undoing. Their loving burned his eyes, but he could not make himself turn around, or even shut his eyes.

Afterwards, they lay sprawled on the bed, twisted sweaty limbs locked in a puzzle he wished to tear into with his bare hands. Their heavy breathing his sign of wakefulness. Silently Lucas listened, cradled by the shadow that was his only remaining friend.

Finally, the two were asleep. He walked towards the bed. The bare bodies gleamed back moonbeams as they sprawled on the bed, limbs entwined, wrapped in each other's arms. Her beautiful golden hair was fanned on the pillow, and some spilled on his brother's cheek. The man’s breathing made the strands rise and fall.

He was filled with the urge to avenge himself. The betrayal was more than he could have imagined. His lips parted, and his fangs grew sharp and long, prepared to sink into soft flesh and suck the life out of the human form. He wanted to kill her first, because she was still as lovely and ethereal as the day he left her. He wanted to kill her, because he had believed that she really loved him. He wanted to kill her, because she dared to love again.

Lucas bent and moved the hair away from her neck. The scent of her drifted and flared his nostrils, and he was reminded of days in the meadows, stealing kisses, laughing at antics, swearing forever. Chloe moved and mumbled something in her sleep, and Lex's arms tightened around her. Lucas's consciousness drifted into a world where she was meant to be his own.

He straightened and walked away, melting into the shadows at the corner of the room. Behind him, Chloe's eyes fluttered open, and with a smile, she turned to face her sleeping husband. She rose on her elbow and watched as he peacefully rested. And then she decided that he was strong enough to be disturbed in his sleep. Her hand cupped his cheek and she kissed his eyelids open. He grinned and held her by the waist, pulling her body to his. Her limbs wrapped around his thighs.

And then a movement of the shadows caught her eye. She sat up and glanced at the corner of the room. Lex lit the lamp and saw nothing. The flame was blown out of the lamp. And then the newlyweds began once more their dance on top of the silk sheets.

Lucas watched his brother’s hands as they moved over the milky white skin of his destined mate, the pale flesh that he longed to run his tongue over, then sink his fangs into. Lucas shuddered in his corner as Lex groaned when he sank once more into Chloe’s warm channel. Whatever pleasure he took in the warmth of Chloe’s body now, Lucas swore that he would experience a thousandfold when Chloe’s hot blood flooded his mouth.

His mother had taught him one truth that she had learned in her three hundred years of existence. The cycle of life, the reincarnation of spirits within the same circle. Someday he would catch these two people he had loved most in his life, these two whose betrayal would have crushed his heart had that muscle still been alive, and he would step in and claim what should have been his.

He would wait decades, centuries, millennia. He did not care. Lucas would take what was meant for him.

tbc

[eternitychlex]

I am so hooked................that was amazing............Please update soon.....I can not wait to see what happens next; the suspense is killing me.......I am at the edge of my seat wanting more........I can not wait to see what happens with Lucas/Chloe/Lex...............Please continue soon!!!!!! I love this story!!!!

[pipersmum]

You updated fantastic I just love this story:D So Chloe and Lex are now married I wonder if their happiness will last?? Poor Lucas to remember her and find her again only to find her on her wedding day and marrying his brother no less!!! Please update as soon as you can.

[teb85]

So pleased to see you have updated this fic, I love it. I felt bad for Lucas turning up on Chloe's wedding nite but pleased Chloe and Lex married. I wonder what Lucas has in store to get Chloe back ?? look forward to the next update !!!

[meeaz]

well, that doesn't sound too good. great update!

[Catheryne]

Part 5

A century later Lucas bode his time in the darkness still, waiting for her. From all the decades that he existed he learned a lesson he held close to his heart, foremost in his mind. Mortals died the way plants withered away, sinking into the earth and blending with the elements. Throughout her life with Lex, Lucas had been fleeing to the farthest ends of the world, where the sun could not follow, yet no matter how much the distance, Lucas cursed the heightened senses that allowed him to wallow in her scent.

Nine months to the night he watched them in his brother’s bed, the scent he best associated with Chloe mixed with the stale scent of metal that called to him—blood.

It was the scent that sent him back to the old house, days later, with the sinking realization that her scent was growing fainter with each of his artificial breath.

It was late at night when he arrived. Lucas treaded softly down the hauntingly familiar corridors. He strode straight to the bedroom. The bed was empty, and if an immortal every sighed in relief, he would have done so. Another sight such as the one he had witnessed the last time would tear him apart.

In the darkness Lucas made his way down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks on his way downstairs, because the voices that rose were unfamiliar and unexpected. Remaining in the shadows, Lucas observed the people milling about, some from his old life and the rest strangers. In one corner there stood his brother and again his cold black heart rebelled. He searched the room for her. Chloe, who would have been his bride once upon a time, was nowhere to be found.

He was going to taste her blood yet.

Lucas’ eyes drifted shut, and he took a deep breath, searching the air for the memory of her scent. It was faint, but he latched on to her, then let his feet take him. He found himself in a bare room, near where the people milled about. He wondered why she would stay so isolated. She was behind him. He lowered his eyes then slowly turned, a cold grim smile set on his mouth. Lucas turned and looked.

And there she lay motionless, on display.

So the murmurs became recognizable as he filtered the voices from the next room. “Childbed fever,” the voices said sadly.

“She’s with Lucas,” Lex’s voice said with finality.

The vampire smiled, no twinge of sadness in his sharp eyes. Ashes to ashes—at least for mere mortals. Soon she would rise again from the earth after this rest, and he would be waiting still. In her other life there would be no question, no loss, no love wasted on a thieving brother.

Then her blood would pulse and drench his throat.

Then his fulfillment.

“Soon, love,” was his promise, then cold lips brushed on lips even colder still.


Smallville, Kansas
10:00 pm
2007


She ran into the night. Blindly she stumbled through the darkness. She had forgotten it, denied there was a moment one summer that she had believed everything that he had to offer. In the cloak of refuge, she had given herself to his need, and reveled in his touch. She denied remembering or longing for him. She had trusted him with her life, and received nothing in return.

The wind was harsh as it blew dry the tear tracks on her cheeks. All she wanted was to stumble into her bed and be blanketed by the sheets. Perhaps if she was lucky they would suffocate her before morning came.

He was the second one. He and Clark managed to be ensnared by the same woman she could not even bear to hate, and she hated herself for knowing that if they came to her door again tonight, she would let them in.

They belonged to her first.

“We need to talk,” he told her over the phone.

Try as she might, she could not stop the tears that filled her eyes. “What else do you want?” she demanded bitingly. “I stood with you. I wore the dress. I smiled at her. I watched the wedding, Lex. What else do you need from me?”

Silence from him. It was completely expected. Silence was all he gave her since the night he decided she could home to Smallville.

Defeated, she asked, "Just stay away from me.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow morning,” he told her, as if he still had the right.

Chloe shook her head furiously. "No! I will never give you the chance to walk all over me again.” She hung up the phone and slid it into her jeans pocket.

She stood gasping for breath under the moonlight, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes.

Muted applause came from behind her, and she whirled around. From the dark alley came footsteps that sent her taking several steps back, prepared to flee. She had been prepared for attacks since her first encounter with a meteor mutant at fifteen.

He stepped out of the shadows in his long coat and gleaming black boots. With a playful grin, he greeted her, “So we meet again, finally. This is absolutely delicious.” His lips did not move, but she was certain she heard him speak.

She sucked in her breath at the raw malice in his voice. Chloe knew she had to leave, to run, to call Clark to save her. Instead, she was rooted to the spot, still, unable to even move or speak. He was a stranger to her now, although he vaguely recognized him in the deepest recesses of her mind. He was not man. It was a creature.

He walked towards her, but his movement was so smooth that it seemed like he floated. He placed a hand on her cheek, and Chloe’s eyes fluttered shut. Slowly, he leaned down towards her.

“Tears, my love?” he said softly.

He was so close. She opened her eyes slightly and saw him so near her, his lips hovering an inch over her skin but she could not feel a breath of air. Suddenly his tongue snaked out and he lapped her skin, clearing the tracks on her cheeks. Roughly. Slowly.

It sent a shiver through her body.

Then he was nipping a path to her earlobe, going down to the pulse on her neck.

The pain of ice cold fangs sinking into her flesh released a cry from her throat. The moment the creature pierced the skin above the pulse of her neck, the tension that held her body stiffly up was relieved, and her limbs gave way.

“Lucas,” she said with her last breath.

Strong arms broke her fall, and she dimly realized that she was being held against his chest. Pressed against him, she knew there was no heartbeat. She was lifted up and then she was floating with the creature in the air, and they soared into the thick pregnant blanket of the starless night.

~~

This was ecstasy, her piece of nirvana, the only heaven she would even reach, she realized as consciousness warred against her deathly still sleep. Apart from the throbbing pain at the vicinity of her neck, and which quickly disappeared, there was none of the burning ache that she had been fighting for years. She lifted her hand and marveled at the whiteness, the pristine smoothness. She felt no anguish, she was beautiful. For the first time, she was flawless.

She was floating in the cool air and allowed her body to fall limp. Naked, the breeze touching on her body pleased her. Below the creature of the night stood watching. He was pleased at the sight of her so bare and pure, limbs limply falling away from her figure, her soft hair falling in careless abandon in the air.

“You were always meant for this.”

Her response was a moan of pleasure.

She stayed afloat, relishing the ultimate sense of freedom of her new existence. She basked in the darkness and let the energy of the night flow through her body. Hours later, he whispered into the wind, "Come."

And she did. Slowly she touched the ground and approached him gracefully and it pleased him. "You are perfect," he told her, to which she bowed her head. He tipped her chin up to meet his eyes. "Look me in the eye when I speak to you, my love."

"I can’t.”

He frowned. “Look at me.” When she did, her eyes were sad. “Are you not happy?” It puzzled him. On his transformation he had been taken from the warmth of her love and thrown into isolation, and he was enraged. He had taken her from hell and given her eternal life.

“I feel unworthy of you. I don’t remember anything but I feel like I’ve committed a sin against you.”

And his dead heart seemed to beat for a moment. “You and I are mates from now. You and I will be mates until the end of this earth, because we will live forever.”

She nodded at his words.

“Just like it was meant to be,” he told her. He took her hand. "Then kiss me and seal the vow, Chloe." They did not break their gaze as his lips touched hers. They were looking at each other when his mouth opened and the kiss deepened to the point of ravishment.

His head lifted, and her bruised lips and shining eyes delighted him. "Take what you will," he told her, and she brightened. She clasped his neck with her soft hands and brought him closer to her level. She rose at the tip of her toes and gently at first, then hungrily later, she bit into his neck and drank from him. She let out an excited squeal when he grabbed her wrist and bit the pulse at her wrist. Together, simultaneously, they drank from each other.

As powerful and old as he was, Chloe had not need to feed for four days after she drank for him. Four days later, it was time for her first feeding, and her lesson for survival. She hid the darkness, breathing in deeply not for oxygen but in search for that fragrant surge that would awaken her cells with craving.

“You must kill them all,” he told her sagely.

“What for?” she asked softly. “I don’t remember them.”

A full century and still he desired her. He brushed away her hair so he could stare down at her beautiful eyes. Lucas bent towards her and licked her moist lips. Even up to now he could taste his own blood on her. “They’re imprinted on your brain. Sooner or later you will remember them. I want them dead before they infect you again. Do this for us, Chloe.”

With his fang, Lucas slit a long line on his arm, then licked the blood that seeped. He spread a thin veil on Chloe’s lips, which she hungrily licked off. She smiled and reached for his wound before it healed, but he drew back. Her eyes flashed angrily. “You cannot resist me. This is who you are now.” He then offered the wound to her and she laved hungrily at it.

When she finished, she looked at him with baleful eyes. Tenderly, he tongued the corners of her mouth for the excess blood. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" she gasped out.

"Then don’t deny me,” he answered. “Kill the ones who hurt you.”

And so tonight she walked inside a strange magnificent castle. Her feet silently tread the carpet towards a bedroom that he whispered directions to. He had been left at home but he was ever present to her. Chloe placed her hand on the doorknob and turned.

A firm hand gripped her shoulder, then she felt herself pulled away from the door. She had inhuman strength, but her shock sent her slamming back onto the wall. The man who had found her glared down at her and grabbed her by the upper arms.

“Do you know how long I’ve been searching for you?”

She cocked her head to the side, exerting some effort in breaking down reasons why one man would be furious about her days away as she gained strength with Lucas. She blinked up at him. With her lead lopsided like this, she recognized some similarities between this man and her Lucas.

The light shone on her face, and Lex drew in a sharp breath then took a step back. “Chloe,” he said in disbelief. Beautiful even then, the stark perfection of her flawless skin, red-speckled eyes and smooth red lips sent his heart thundering. His fingers reached for the hollow at the base of her neck. He closed his eyes. “What did you do?”

For some reason his question angered her. “Let me go now and I won’t hurt you,” she warned.

He shook his head. He had heard of them of course, and he believed many things. One of the longest and strongest legends of the Luthor clan is of the second son whose death was haunted by rumors of turning into a vampire. “If you leave now there will be no turning back.”

Her eyebrow arched. “You stupid fool,” she said softly. “There’s already no way back. Whoever you think I am, I’m not anymore."

He told her brokenly, “You were mine.”

"She's dead.” She pushed away and walked towards the door. He caught her arm. She turned to him with and looked him up and down. “Do you really believe your meager human body can stop me? I can snap your neck with a flick of my finger.”

He pulled her close. "Do it."

She narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Kill me."

"Go to hell."

He glanced towards the bedroom door, where the woman he had traded Chloe for lay sleeping. Then he looked back down at Chloe. “I’m already there.”

She took it as a challenge. Chloe grabbed the neck of his shirt then pulled him down easily. He did not resist. He bared his neck. Her exhilaration rose at the prospect of feeding again, for the first time finding the prey herself. “You’ll die,” she found herself warning him needlessly.

He turned to look her in the eye. “I know I’ve not said this yet, Chloe. But I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you.”

The moments passed as they met each other’s gaze. The world spun, and their eyes locked, hers fearful, his hopeful. As fog clearing for the light of day, her memory came flooding back. “I despise you,” she spat. “I remember now. I hate you and I hate myself for wanting you to love me.” He let him go, throwing him against the opposite wall of the corridor.

In relief, he straightened. His hands caught her face, and he pressed his lips on hers. When he raised his head, she looked like the same Chloe whom he held in his arms during those nights at the safehouse.

He confessed, "Leaving you is the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life. Now I choose you."

“It’s too late,” she told him, shaking her head. “Now let me leave before I kill you.”

“I know you won’t."

She drew away from him. “I might not want to, Lex, but I can. I’m no longer myself. Please... Once upon a time you loved me, so please…”

“Let me help you.” He financed all the most impossible studies and research in the world, bordering on madness and the supernatural. This was possible.

“I can’t—“

Come.

“Lex, I’ve got to go,” she said urgently, after hearing Lucas in her mind. He was close by. He could not see this, what she’d done, what she’d become. He would abandon her or kill Lex himself.

“Nothing’s impossible to me,” he assured her.

“I’ll lose myself,” she told him.

He gripped her hand tightly. “I’ll get you back,” he promised.

And despite his actions to turn her from him, she gave him her trust.

The day later had her screaming at the top of her lungs, ripping the night air with the pain burning her body. Chloe curled into a small ball at his feet. Lex knelt in front of her and gathered her to his chest. He dropped the bottle of green liquid onto the floor.

“It hurts,” she cried.

“Easy.” He opened her fists, then saw the blood on her palms. “You’re hurting yourself,” he murmured.

“It’s inside me,” she sobbed.

“What is?”

"Him."

"Who?"

"Lucas."

"Lucas?"

"He's inside me," she whispered. Her entire body trembled at the effort. “I can’t keep him there longer. He’s threatening to get out, Lex. And he will. He’s so strong.”

He shook his head. “You're stronger,” he told her in encouragement. “He can't control you.”

Come.

And she was strong. She snatched her hands away from him. “I need him,” she rasped. “I need Lucas.” She bounded up and faced him, flaring up. “Go back to your wife, human. You drove her to this. Live your life and let us be. It’s too late.”

"No," he replied quietly. "It won't be too late until I'm dead."

Chloe, who seemed no longer Chloe, drew her arm back and slammed it hard onto his jaw, sending him flying back towards the wall and crumpling to the floor. “Come, Chloe,” she said. “Come home to me.”

tbc

[Kit Merlot]

This was awesome Catheryne!

So Lex married Lana, even though he loves Chloe, and now he's vowed to win her back from Lucas. And he also thinks he can help cure Chloe's vampirism--very cool twist.

I'm so glad that you are continuing this excellent fic:D

[Queen Of Tact]

wow this is really good... I can't wait to read more...

CC

[westwingwolf]

I just caught up with this and it's very interesting. Is it possible that Lex can save Chloe, does this story work on the idea that a vampire's not really a vampire until they've had their first kill? Why would the idiot marry Lana if he still loves Chloe? Perhaps this Lex doesn't deserve Chloe, but the older one wasn't trying to betray Lucas, and neither Chloes should be blamed so Lucas needs to calm down. But he's a vengeful vampire so I doubt that will be happening.

[Alizaleven]

OOo this is wonderful! I love it! Please update soon... such awesome interaction between Chloe and Lex.. and Chloe and Lucas. I'm excited to see how it unfolds :D

[malugargula]

Wonderful fic
:)
Man, Chloe is a vampire now... Could Lex help her to become human again???
Well I wan`t to see them together but before that he needs to suffer a lot because he married that stupid Lana and it`s disgusting

[Catheryne]

Part 7

Still warm though fast draining of its life, the mortal body dropped onto the dusty ground. She swallowed deeply, then stretched her neck to feel the energy restored slowly to her dead veins. Chloe’s head bowed and she met the steady eyes of the woman lying there, lips blue and bloodless. For a brief moment, the woman’s eyes were filled with grief, then pain, and finally, acceptance.

“I forgive you,” were the last words she uttered before her eyes went vacant.

The soft, whispered words would not have been audible save for the heightened hearing she had inherited along with her immortal life. She started and her gaze drifted down to the dead fingers, where strung beads were draped. Chloe slowly reached down and moved aside the yielding hand.

She looked up at the establishment in front of her and saw a small chapel with its wide open doors.

Loud smattering applause beat into the quiet night and hammered one thought into her mind gone dull--she was in too deep, she was in too hot. She was irreversibly converted. Chloe glared up at Lucas. "Damn your soul to bloody everlasting hell," she murmured.

Lucas's white teeth flashed with his smile. "You're a little too late there, love. The soul I had was sent there long ago, and it's dancing on top of burning coals."

Slowly, she picked up the beads and hissed at the pain. “Where were you?”

“Feeding,” was his easy answer.

“I needed you,” she spat.

“You didn’t seem to when you cavorted with Lex.”

“I needed to drink from you, Lucas.”

“It was time you nourished yourself on your own,” he answered. “I watched, and you were beautiful, my love.”

“You were watching me?” she demanded. In her fury she leapt from her place at the other side of the alley, and landed on her feet right in front of him. "You were here all along?”

“You needed this, love.” He took her arm. “Now you're mine. Forever."

Chloe snatched her arm away, then whipped her victim’s rosary at him. He hissed in pain, then grabbed the rosary and tossed it far from him. He smirked at the sight of the burnt skin of her palm. "I killed an innocent woman," she whispered.

"So fresh, isn't it?"

She closed her eyes, furiously fighting away the memory of how wonderful it was. The taste of her blood was far sweeter than Lucas's, and the energy that pumped into her body after slaughtering the woman was heightened. “My first kill.”

"And you will crave to kill more," he told her, but she shook her head in denial. He cupped her cheek with his cold hand. "There's no use running away from it. I gave you the only gift I could give." He ran his hand softly over her cheek. "Come closer, love," he soothed. "Share some of it with me." Paralyzed as she stared at him, she offered her moist lips to Lucas. The vampire bent to take her lips, and started sucking the remaining sweetness first from her lower lip, and then the upper. His tongue plunged in to consume whatever metallic taste remained inside her mouth.

Slowly, while he partook of the blood, tears trickled down her cheeks. She did not move, merely allowed him to do what he must, what being her master, father and lover gave him leave to do. And then when at last he lifted his head to proudly tell her how marvelous her first kill was, she turned around and walked away.

"I won't stop you," he called out. "Because I know you'll come home to me. You can't run, Chloe. I'm inside you. I am you!"

“No,” she threw back at him.

It was cold, biting cold. She bowed down her head and allowed the night to blanket her. “I will not come to you again,” she muttered silently.

~~

Lex had been searching for most of the night. He found her outside his castle grounds, sitting on a marble bench in front of the fountain. Her legs were up on the seat, and she was curled so that her face was hidden.

“Chloe,” he called for her. It still hurt to speak through the swollen jaw he received from her earlier attack.

He fell onto his knees in front of her. Slowly, her head rose from its shelter between her knees, and she blearily looked up at him. "Let's go home." She shook her head. "I'll take you back with me to the castle," he offered.

“Lana,” she croaked.

“Will be gone by morning,” Lex assured her.

She shook her head again. “I’m not asking for that.”

“But she will be gone, Chloe. It’s not fair to any one of us.”

“I can’t, Lex. As long as there are people inside the castle, I can’t.”

“It’s almost morning,” he reminded her. “I won’t let you stay out here.”

Aware of the impending sunrise because her skin was beginning to crawl at the heat that was starting to flavor the air, Chloe told him, "I'll stay." She did not want to remember it. She sniffled, then confessed, "I killed someone." Pain flickered in his gaze. "I don’t deserve to be shielding from the sun.”

“I will not let you die." He held her arms firmly. "Do you love me?" She nodded. "Then help me help you."

"I killed."

“Lex, if you care for me you will leave me here to die or drive a stake through my heart!”

Lex shook his head. Softly, he asked, "Do you love me?"

It was impossible. Her heart was dead. Yet it was still true. "I love you."

The sun started to rise, and she hissed in pain. “You will not take me away for this. I deserve to be here.”

Lex met her eyes, then nodded. "All right." He climbed onto the bench, then draped himself over her entire form, shading her from the light and stayed there, unmoving. The day lulled her into the sleep of the dead, and still Lex did not move. The sun would not kiss her skin. Not as long as he was there to shade her.

~~

Chloe woke to find herself suffocated and limp. She tried to move, and when her full consciousness returned she realized what had happened. Lex was on top of her, having fallen asleep as well from the lack of movement. She reached up and touched his face, waking him. "You’re crazy," she murmured. He merely smiled.

He groaned as he straightened. His muscles were stiff. Instead of leaving, she took his shoulders in her arms and pressed heavily with her fingers, massaging him.

“You need to eat,” he remembered.

After seeing those vacant eyes and hearing the woman’s words of forgiveness, Chloe shuddered at the thought of having to feed again. She shook her head. “I can’t,” she told him. “I can’t kill anyone else.”

He swallowed and her gaze drifted down to the beating pulse at the base of his neck. She met his gaze, then read his wordless plea. Chloe stood and stumbled backwards, away from him.

“I wouldn’t,” she gasped.

“It’s the only way,” he told her.

The air was slowly turning cool from the night. She turned at the sound of footsteps and met the cold eyes of the arrival. “How lucky for us. We’re got a meal ready and willing.” He stepped towards Lex. In the blink of an eye, Chloe was in front of Lucas with her palm against his chest.

“Take a step back,” she whispered in command.

Lucas’ fingers wrapped around her wrist, then twisted and pushed until he had her kneeling on the ground in front of him. She glared up at Lucas, but he merely smirked in response. “You may have forgotten, Chloe. I have a hundred years ahead of you. I’m stronger. I turned you. I can easily destroy you,” he warned.

“Let her go,” came Lex’s quiet voice. He took a step towards them, but Chloe stilled him with her eyes. “Get out of here, Lex.”

“And leave you with him?”

Lucas bared his teeth at the man. His fangs shone in the moonlight. “Lex,” he repeated, relishing the syllable as it rolled off his tongue. He used to be his brother, Lucas recognized in his brain. “Come to take you back?” he inquired, speaking about more than this lifetime although they would never know it.

Chloe closed her eyes. The sound of Lucas’ voice still called to her, still wrapped her in a comfort that warred with her entire being now. Lucas’ cold eyes turned to Lex. “And do you know that she’s killed?” he taunted. “You can’t turn that back.”

Despite her warning, Lex walked over to the two vampires then placed his hands on her shoulders. “So have I and will for her.”

Chloe flinched.

“And have you told him, my love,” Lucas asked of Chloe, “about how I taste in your mouth?” Chloe moaned in protest. “How hot my blood is when it floods into every crevice inside you? Have you told him I satisfy you more than he ever could?”

Lex hands tightened around her shoulders.

“Have you told him,” Lucas continued, “how you take me inside your body and squeeze me then realize that your soul has been crying out for mine for decades?”

“You’re making this all up,” Lex rumbled.

He was surprised when she stepped out of his arms and remained just beyond his reach.

“Does he know that your soul will live over and over but will never find a suitable mate because mine is dancing on the coals of Hell?”

“You lie so well,” Lex told Lucas coldly.

The vampire’s smile was cold like burning fire. “Do I lie?” he repeated to Lex. Chloe stumbled away from the two. “Did you not know that your destiny is with your wife?” Chloe’s gaze slammed onto Lex’s face. Lucas turned to Chloe’s stricken face. “He has another destiny with someone else. Just as you do.”

Lucas slowly floated over to her it seemed, his movement was so smooth. He cupped her cheek. “You know it as well as I. You knew the truth when you lay in my arms the first time, suckling on my wrist. You’ve lived before, with me, and I had never hurt you the way he has in this short lifetime.”

Like drizzle, memories from deep inside her trickled through the fog of her present life, then furious rain drenched her in the truth of his words. “Destiny ripped me away from you a hundred years ago. I scoured the world waiting for your return.

Her eyes darted from Lucas to Lex, and then back. "Chloe." Lex whispered her name. Only that.

She turned her back on the two and fled into the dark night.

Lex burst into a run towards the direction in which she had fled. He ran after her until his legs gave out, then glared at the vampire beside him who had seemed to transport effortlessly. “Aren’t you going after her?” Lex demanded.

“She has only one place to go,” Lucas assured him. “Soon enough I’ll be with her.” Lex turned away to stare at the darkness, wondering if there would be a flicker of light that could tell him she was there. When he turned back to Lucas, he was gone.

~~

Lex raised his face up to face the sky, wondering what secrets it held that would help him take her back. It was so silent, and he would believe he was alone except that it was utterly silent that he had to be there. His eyes snapped open and he saw Lucas standing there, his feet not quite touching the ground. “You’re still here.”

The vampire shook his head. “I’m here again,” he corrected. “Are you mulling over your pathetic existence?”

“Give her back to me,” Lex demanded.

“The process is unfortunately irreversible,” Lucas managed carefully.

“Then why are you still here?” Lex turned his back on the vampire and walked away. There was a brush of wind above his head, and there the vampire stood once again, untouchable, searching.

“It’s been a long time, Lex. I wanted to see how this life was treating you this time.”

His nostrils flared as light from the castle window hit the vampire’s face. In his head a flicker of recognition nagged. “Who are you?” he whispered.

“I thought you would recognize your own brother.”

Lex stepped back. “I don’t have a brother.”

“Not this time, no,” Lucas answered. “But we used to so close, Lex. What was mine was yours, and yours mine.” Lucas shook his head bitterly. “Until we grew up and you still never knew the difference.” Lucas moved forward and reached a pale hand to touch his cheek. He leaned close and asked, “Do you want to see it?”

Lex turned his head and observed the pale skin, the ruby lips. Against his will Lex nodded, and squeezed his eyes shut against the barrage of images flooding him. Afterwards, he opened his eyes to meet Lucas’s, whose forehead rested on his. “How could you betray me like that?”

For the first time his death over a hundred years ago, Lucas’ dead eyes now seemed to live fire and emotion. Seeing through it all, to show his brother, reminded him of what it was like to be… alive.

Lex breathed harshly. “I loved her.”

“She loved me,” Lucas whispered furiously, still dangerously close. “And I was your brother.”

“You were dead,” was Lex’s defense.

“Do I look dead to you?”

Lex looked the vampire over from glorious head to magnificent feet. “Yes.”

Lucas lifted his forehead from Lex’s and stared at his brother. “Is it true? I know it from her blood. Her blood can’t hide anything from me. She loves you now,” Lucas said in wonder. Lex nodded. Lucas’s eyes were sad when he told him, “But I’m inside her now, Lex. As long as I’m a vampire, and you are not, she’s mine.”

“I’ll despise you for eternity.”

It was a known fact. Lucas felt the same about his brother. Lucas extended his hand to him. “Come.”

Lex felt the cape wrap around him and they blinked out of the air and into a damp room. At first it was deafeningly quiet. And then he heard them—the mewling, pathetic sounds. His head whipped around until it rested on the figure curled at the far side of the room, against the wall.

“I loathe you both, and still I have a pathetic human inside my head that demands this.”

Lex walked quietly towards her and lifted her chin up. She took one look at him and held on tight. “I don’t want this. I can’t kill.”

Lex turned to look at the corner, where on a stone slab his wife lay pale and beautiful, her dark hair falling down the side. He turned to Chloe again, then shook his head. “I won’t let you.”

“Then you’re going to kill her.” Lex glanced at the speaker. Lucas was slouched against the wall, looking at the two of them. He held tenderness in his eyes for Chloe. “She needs to feed, same as any living creature. And she needs to feed on human blood. Feeding on your wife will solve two of our biggest problems.”

“No!” Chloe protested, remembering only too well the haunting eyes of her last victim. “I won’t kill another innocent human being, Lucas. I’m not made for this.”

Lucas knew her words for the truth. After the hundred years of longing, he was unwilling to lose her simply because she could not be nourished. Was this really the choice that he was given? Resigned, he asked, “If he was with you, will you survive?”

Lex’s hand tightened around Chloe’s. “Sooner or later he will die. I can’t take that.”

Lucas’s hand shot out and grabbed Lex’s shirt, and then pulled him. “If he so tells me, I will make it so he will live with you forever,” he spat.

“Lucas, no!” Chloe screamed. She stumbled on jelly legs and turned agonized eyes at her ‘father.’ “Don’t do this to him!”

“Then feed on his wife,” was Lucas’ answer.

Chloe stumbled towards the stone slab and looked down at Lana’s porcelain face. She hurriedly brushed the hair aside and revealed the smooth neck. She dipped her head and positioned her mouth against her neck. She trembled as she prepared to bite down, then back off. Her eyes brimming with tears, she turned to where Lex and Lucas stood watching her.

Lucas’s gaze met hers and read what she would not do. His hand shot out to grip Lex’s shirt, then pulled his brother towards him. “Lucas, don’t!” she screamed. Lex groaned in combined pleasure and pain as sensation pulsed through his body. Lucas broke through the skin of his neck and Lex felt the electrifying heat as the surging blood was sucked out of the tiny holes the vampire had created. His entire world dimmed. And then he was dropped unceremoniously in front of Chloe, who cradled his head close to her breast. “Why would you kill him?!” she demanded, her eyes brimming with very human tears. “I left him so he would be safe from me!”

“Do it,” Lucas commanded. “The choice is yours, Chloe. Finish it and make him live forever with you. Or let him die of your lover’s bite.” He paused, and Chloe understood the choice that he had made. “This is how I love you.”

He bowed his head and in front of her Lucas turned into a black wolf. On all fours he came to her and licked away her tears. Chloe buried her face in its fur. And then the wolf nudged Lex’s prone form and sniffed, then tongued the remaining blood on his neck. The wolf ran up the steps leading out of the basement.

Chloe looked down at Lex’s unseeing eyes. She laid her lips on his. His mouth was so dry and his lips were cracked from staying out in the cold night. Tentatively her tongue darted out to wet his lips. From one end to the other, she licked his full bottom lip, and then moved to the upper. “Lex,” she murmured. There were tear tracks down his cheeks. Like a mother cat, she folded her body over his and kissed away the moisture there. “I’ll remember you.”

He gasped, choking on his own breath, “I want to be with you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“I won’t leave you alone to fend for yourself,” Lex said softly.

Chloe laid her hands on both sides of his face. “I’ll manage on my own, Lex. Just rest.”

“Turn me into you.” She hesitated. “Curse me. Curse me so I can spend forever with you. I can’t think of any other way I’d spend eternity.”

Chloe took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

“I will be for the next thousand years.”

She raised her wrist to her mouth and broke the skin where her pulse thundered. She watched the blood run for a few moments and then placed it on his mouth. “Drink from me.” Weakly, he steadied her hand and sucked the blood. Chloe winced in pain when he sucked harder. He was unconscious to her reaction as he raised himself from the floor, energized and fuelled by the life he drank from her body. Finally he let go, and rested his head on her lap. “You need more,” she told him weakly. He had taken a lot from her, but he was so much bigger, and would need more blood. Holding his head firmly, she led his mouth to her breast, where hesitantly at first, he closed over her nipple. Chloe let out a mewled shriek of pain when his tiny fangs bit into the tender flesh of her right breast.

“I’m hurting you,” he gasped when he left her breast to gulp in air. He looked up at her with concern.

She smiled down at him faintly. Her vision was beginning to darken, but they needed to finish the change. “Drink, Lex,” she said, drawing him down to her once more.

Long moments later, Lex was charged with enough blood. Chloe was cold and had fallen asleep while he fed from her. He picked up the limp body and held her close to him. With his mouth still flush with blood, he kissed her in gratefulness, and although asleep, her tongue darted out to taste the blood on his.

With one last look towards his sleeping wife, and deciding to send out other men to take her back, he held Chloe tight against him as he focused all his energy into getting to the castle quickly. There he raced to his bedroom, all black and red silk. It was an empty room now, and had been since he had asked his wife to leave. He walked over to the bed and laid Chloe down to rest. Then he lay down beside her and drew her close. The morning rays of the sun would soon break through the sky. He pulled her to him so that each part of her body that could possibly touch him would be flush against his. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. Tonight. Tonight he would figure out how they would live without exposing her to the evil that was now their legacy. He had no doubt his wealth and power would allow them this life without questions. Tonight he would carefully plan eternity with his new bride. But this morning, they would rest.

End.

[westwingwolf]

I like the vampire end for the two of them because i don't think there was a true way to save Chloe from that. I think Lucas was wrong in his perception that Chloe was his mate, so I'm glad that she can now spend eternity with Lex.

[Alizaleven]

I really liked the end of this... I'm also glad that Lex and Chloe are both going to be vampires that way they can be together, and I didn't like how Lucas went crazy... but I'm glad that in that other life it made Chloe able to love and be with Lex :D

[malugargula]

Wow!!! Wonderful end
I'm sorry that Lucas was cursed to suffer for eternity but he made a good deed when he let Chloe and Lex be together forever
:)

[Kit Merlot]

This was a great ending--Lucas loves Chloe enough to want her happiness, eve if it is with another man.

And I liked that you had Lucas and Lex talking about their sibling relationship and how Chloe fit into all of it.

Great work, Catheryne!

[Sunflower]

All I can say is wow! You're definitely one of my favorite Chlex writer! I was not sure about the story in the beginning, mixing Smallville and vampires... but I began to read and again I couldn't stop because your writing is superb and the characters were just... alive. Thank you for this wonderful story, again!

[Ami Rose]

Loved it! Im big on vamps and love the whole Chloe and Lex vamps