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hannagreen20
5th September 2005, 23:33
Ha! I remembered to put a rating without having to be reminded! Booya!

Summary: This story is based on the book by Marc Levy of the same name. It's out now under the title Just Like Heaven. It inspired the new movie with Reese Witherspoon.

Totally AU. Pretty much exactly like the book. I took out this and added that but it's still the same. All of our fav(and not so fav characters are here!)

Disclaimers: I don't own any characters from either Smallville or If Only It Were True. They belong to...all those other people. Please don't sue. I'm not making any money off of this. I just wanted to see my favorite story with my favorite characters.

Rating:PG

PART ONE: MAY

Chapter One: A New Day

Chloe Sullivan lay asleep in bed. Snuggled under her lavender, cotton covers, she enjoyed the novelty of sleeping in. For the last four years she attended the prestigous Whitmore College in Grandville, where she suffered one drama after the other before graduating, summa cum laude with a degree in journalism. She and her cousin, Lois Lane, where planning a week-long spa retreat at Levy, an exclusive spa in Metropolis. Both girls were going two start their new jobs in two weeks. Lois as a junior reporter with the Daily Planet and Chloe as a PR rep for LexCorp, a newly formed business. Suddenly, Krypto, Chloe's chocolate lab, rambled in. He held his leash in his mouth. He walked to the bed and not so gently dropped it on her face.

"Aaaargh," said Chloe, still half-asleep. "Don't look at me like that, I don't even feel human yet!"

At the sound of her voice, Krypto jumped onto the bed and rested his head on his owner's belly. Chloe stroked him and yawned. She glanced over at the clock. 9AM, it read. Just then her phone rang. Looking at her caller id, she answered.

"Hey Lois."

"Morning, Chloe. Are you excited? I can't wait! Are you all packed?"

"Lois, slow down. I just woke up."

"Sorry, I'm just so excited! Look, the reason I called is because I have one last appointment with Dr. Kline. Do you mind going to Metropolis by yourself and all meet you at Levy?"

Chloe smiled. "Sure. I have to drop Krypto off at his doggie camp and then check out my new apartment. So, I don't know how long I'll be."

"Great. See you at seven in Levy's lobby!"

"See you then! Love you."

"Love you too. Bye!"

"Bye."

hannagreen20
5th September 2005, 23:54
Chapter Two: Death Is Only the Beginning

Chloe eased the red VW Beetle onto the streets away from Ross' Doggie Camp. She felt silly at how teary she got saying goodbye to Krypto. Pete, the owner, assured her that this was the best place for him. If he was left all by himself in the new apartment he would just become more upset and be very withdrawn when she came back, as they had not moved into the new place, just sent their belongings over.

She turned her radio to 95.1 KBBY FM and turned up the volume. As the car sped through the streets the evening sun began to set. Chloe loved watching the sky becoming an interesting array of of pinks, oranges and yellows as it set.
As she made a tight left onto Bryce Ave., she heard an odd noise, a rattling, perhaps from the transmission. Probably nothing,she thought, as she zoomed down the steep Slope toward Atkins Square. It was near 7pm. She had almost three hours to make it to Metropolis. She would stop by her new apartment, check it out and then meet Lois at Levy. The Beetle was sailing. The lights were green all the way.

Chloe felt exhilarated as the evening air filled her senses. She shifted down to second as she turned onto Main Street in front of the Talon's vast facade. Perfect cornering, a soft squeal of tires, then a strange noise, a series of clicks. Everything was moving fast. The clicking became a blur of metallic sounds.

A sudden bang! Time stopped. All dialogue ceased between the steering and the wheels. The car swerved sideways and skidded on the damp surface. Chloe's hands gripped the useless steering wheel. It offered no resistance, spinning in a limbo of its own. The car continued to skid; the seconds passed in infinitely slow motion. Chloe felt her head spin. The Beetle turned like a tap on the slick asphalt until the wheels slammed into the curb. The front end skidded into the air and was stopped only by a fire hydrant's catching effort, the car rotated on its axis and ejected its driver, by now much to heavy for the gravity-defying piroouette.

Chloe's body was hurled into the air, falling back down to crash against the Talon's facade. The huge window exploded. Chloe lay in a blanket of glass, her blonde hair tangled amid the debris. She lay still, peaceful, at rest. Her features were calm, her breathing slow, even. Her eyes were closed. Her mid-length hair framed her face, her right hand lay across her midriff.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Let's get an EKG and start and IV. I've got a thready pulse and no pressure, respiration forty-eight, cut on head, looks like a closed fracture of the left femur with internal hemorrhage. Get me two units!" said Dr. Sean Owen

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"She's going. Pressure, eighty over sixty. Pulse, a hundred and forty; lips blue.

"...cardiac arrest," said Molly the paramedic.

"Don't do this to us. It's a fine day today. Don't be stupid. Come back!" Dr. Owen said. He told his partner to reload the machine.

"Let her go Sean it's no good."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Give another shot of epinephrine and go up to four hundred joules!"

"Sean, stop, this makes no sense. She's dead-"

"Shut up! Do it!"

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Damn, damn!" He pounded on Chloe's chest.

"Oh,my God!" Molly said. "She's breathing!"

"What?"

"She's breathing! Quick we've got to get her to the hospital!"

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"What shit were you medics playing at?" Dr. Garner asked Dr. Owen.

" Your handling of this resuscitation was unacceptable for someone of your experience."

"But how can you explain that she started breathing again?"

"I can't explain it and I don't have to. She's dead, Dr. Owen."

After Owen left, Dr. Garner turned to Alicia, the nurse and said, "Disconnect the respirator. I'll be down in a while."

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

At the end of the first hour, the EEG tracing began to wobble, very slightly at first. Suddenly, the needle jerked upward to delinate at a sharp peak, then fell sharply downward before returning to the horizontal.

Alicia the nurse picked up the phone to call Dr. Garner.

"It's me. We have a deep coma with vital signs stable."

Natasha
5th September 2005, 23:56
Great Start. I just seen the preview of the movie at yahoo. I haven't had the chance to read the book yet. Update Soon

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 00:14
Part Two: October

Chapter Three: Unexpected

Lex Luthor opened the door to the street level garage with his remote control and parked his Porsche. He climbed the staircase that led from the garge to his new 18th floor apartment, swung his door shut with his foot, put his briefcase down, took off his coat and collapsed on the couch. Only after his relationship with Helen ended had definitely fallen apart had he accepted that it was time to move on, out and in to his own place. It was time for him to start living his own life again.

He'd been lucky to find this apartment. As head of the newly formed, LexCorp, he was amazed at how comfortable he'd immediately felt when he entered this apartment. By no means what he was used to living in, it however had a keen sense of life. Whoever designed this place had created a home of taste and charm-and coming from Lex that was a supreme compliment. He hadn't wanted to change anything, just bought some linens and rudimentary kitchen supplies and he had an instant home.

He changed from his suit into a pair of gray slacks and a black sweater. He began to unpack his books and CDs, preferring to organize them the way he liked himself. He tuned the radio on the shelf above the fireplace to 95.1 KBBY FM. The tunes of Bruce Springsteen filtered through the air. He went to the bathroom and got in the shower. He stuck his bald head under the spray, letting the warm water wash away his stress and worries.

As Bruce turned into Coldplay he noticed the odd, acoustic quality of the song. He stood rim rod straight. It sounded as though the finger-snapping accompaning the song came from his linen closet. Intriuged, he stepped out of the shower and crept over to investigate. As he got closer the sound became more and more distinct. He abruptly threw open the doors. His eyes widened and he stumbled back.

Huddled on the floor was a petite blonde woman with shoulder length hair. She wore a black button up shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and a gray, knee length skirt. Her eyes were closed, humming and snapping along her fingers.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" he asked, shocked.

The woman jumped and her eyes flew open. She looked at him with wide, startled green eyes. "You can see me?" She seemed astonished that he should be looking at her.

"Of course I can see you."

"You can hear me?"

"Seeing as I'm neither blind nor deaf, yes I can. What are you doing here?"

"This is wonderful, amazing!"

Lex saw nothing wonderful about this situation.

"What, I repeat, are you doing in my bathroom closet?"

"I don't think you realize. Here, touch my arm."

"No, I don't want to touch your arm. What's going on here?"

She touched his arm instead. "This is amazing!" He could see, hear and feel her! "This is fabulous!"

Lex was in no mood for games. "Okay, this is enough! What is this a practical joke? Maybe a nightmare?! A call girl from my VP as a housewarming gift?"

"Are you always this rude? Do I look like a hooker?"

Lex sighed. "No you don't. You're just hiding in my closet in the middle of the night."

She slid her eyes down his body, "And yet your the one who's naked, not me."

Lex followed her eyes. Startled, he grabbed a dark purple towel and wrapped it around his waist. He fought for composure.

"All right now the joke is over. You can come out of there, go home, tell Clark it was a dumb joke. A very, very dumb joke."

She told him she knew no Clark and to stop yelling. "Other people may not hear me, but my ears are working just fine."

Lex sighed again. "It seems you're very disturbed, that's not my problem. Please stop whatever your playing and go home. And come out of that closet for God's sake!"

Chloe looked at him sadly, "I'm afraid it's not that easy."

kimmie
6th September 2005, 00:31
Oh, update, update, update, I'm really intrigued!!!

Kimmie

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 00:56
Chapter Four: I Like the Movie Better

While in the closet, Chloe explained that she hadn't quite gotten the hang of moving, just yet. She convinced him to give her a minute to focus. Suddenly, she was in another room, on the floor next to the couch.

"This is completely insane!" Lex followed her to the living room and sat beside her on the couch.

She went on explain that this had been her apartment. She had only just moved in. Her father is her legal guardian while she was in her "present condition".

"Are you under hospital care?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"Are you a nutcase that escaped from Belle Reeve?"

"First you call me a whore and now you say I'm a nutcase. That's a lot for a first meeting, don't you think?"

"Fine. Look. I'm exhausted and need some sleep."

She ignored him. "How do I seem to you?"

"Insane."

She rolled her eyes. "I mean physically. How do I look?"

Lex hesitated in speaking while he raked his eyes over her form. "You're about average height, rather slender-long legs, your eyes," he paused. She had the most beautiful, sparkling green eyes he had ever seen. Like emeralds. "Er-you have a full mouth, pale skin and a pleasing face whose sweetness is in total contrast to your behavior. Your hair is a mess and needs a good brushing, but it's a fascinating color. A mixture of white and gold."

She laughed. "Do you always describe women so minutely?"

Lex scowled. "Can you tell me who you are and how you got here? Do you have a set of keys?"

Chloe took a deep breath. Did she have the energy to get this all out? She told him her name, Chloe Amelia Sullivan. She was set to start working in the PR part of his firm, six months ago. She told him she bought this apartment and was going to share it with her cousin, Lois Lane, who worked at the Daily Planet. However, she, Chloe, was in an accident and left in a deep coma.

"This isn't a joke Lex. Go to the hospital and see for yourself."

"All right. Let's go then."

"Really? What changed your mind?"

"Since my nights already wasted I might as well settle this now."

"You should change into clothes first."

Lex glanced down.

"Yeah."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Thirty minutes later......................

The only sound in the hospital room was the constant beep-beep of the heart monitor. Chloe, the other Chloe, Lex thought, lay ashen on the bed. Eyes closed, there was no trace of movement.

"I believe you," Lex said sympathetically, seeing the sad look on Chloe's face.

Chloe never took eyes of herself. Her other self.

"It's like I'm sort of living that Patrick Swayze movie, where he dies but doesn't leave this world. Ghost? I like watching the movie, rather than living it."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

An hour later, back in the apartment, Chloe convinced Lex to go to sleep. He offered her the bed, but she insisted the couch was fine. Not mentioning to him that she didn't sleep. Before he left, she asked timidly, "Would you mind giving me a hug? It's been six months since anyone touched me."

He did. She rested her head against his chest. Lex felt awkward. After a few minutes she clumsily dropped her hands to her waist.

"Thanks Lex," she said. "For everything. I'll wake you at eight o'clock."

He went to his bedroom, peeled off his sweater, shirt and pants and crawled under the covers. Moments later he was asleep.

Chloe made a wobbily landing on the arm of the chair in his room.
She watched him sleep. How good it felt to connect with another human being at last. She gazed at him until slumber overwhelmed her too.

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 01:15
Chapter Five: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

Chloe sat up on the couch suddenly. She looked at the clock above the fireplace. It read: 10AM.

"Shoot!"

She burst through Lex's bedroom door. "Wake up!"

Lex rolled over protesting, "Take it easy Helen."

"Wake up. This isn't Helen and it's already past ten."

Lex's eyelids parted slowly, then snapped wide open and he jolted upright.

"It's you, so it wasn't a dream?"

"No. You'd better hurry, you're late for work."

"You were supposed to wake me."

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep, which hasn't happened since the accident. What a relief! I was hoping we could celebrate, but you're obviously not in the mood."

Lex scowled. "Would you mind leaving so I can have a little privacy."

"Since when are you a prude?"

He pleaded with her to spare him the household drama and was foolish enough to finish his sentence with "or else".

Chloe sneered. "Sometimes, 'or else', is two words too many." She coldly wished him a good day and vanished.

Lex went to shower and change but not before checking around the room to make sure he was alone.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

When Lex reached the office, Clark was standing in the reception area. He
looked aghast at Lex.

"Uh, maybe you should take a few days off."

"Eat it. Don't piss me off this morning Clark."

"Too late. Your a real charmer today. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"What is it with everyone? Don't start with me too!"

"Have you seen Helen again?"

" No, I haven't. It's over and you know it."

"So is it someone new?"

"No there isn't anyone new. Now move. I'm late enough as it is."

"No kidding. It's a quarter of eleven. What's her name?"

"Whose?"

"Have you looked in a mirror this morning? Look at your face!"

"What's the matter with it?"

"Come on. How was it? Tell me!"

"There's nothing to tell."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Lex entered his office , put his briefcase on the desk, sat down and called his secretary for coffee. He swivled in his chair and turned to the window, leaned backwards and tried to think.

A few moments later Lana tapped on the door. She was dressed in a professional, pale pink suit and sensible shoes. She carried a thick folder in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in another.

"It's black," she said. " I imagine it's the first of your day."

"Thanks," he paused. "How do I look?"

"You've got a 'Haven't-had-my-first-coffee-yet look."

" I haven't had my first coffee yet!"

"Okay, okay. Relax. There's nothing urgent. Are you okay?"

"Fine just a bit tired is all."

At that moment Chloe appeared in the room. Narrowly missing the corner of the desk, she disappeared from Lex's line of sight, falling on the rug beyond his desk. He lept to his feet.

"Did you hurt yourself," he asked her.

"No, I'm okay," Chloe replied.

"Why would I hurt myself?" asked Lana.

"No, not you," Lex said.

Lana looked around the room. "There aren't many of us here."

"I was thinking out loud."

"You were thinking out loud that I'd hurt myself?"

"No, I was thinking of someone else, and I said my thoughts out loud. Doesn't that ever happen to you?"

Chloe, now sitting with legs crossed on the edge of the table, decided to have a little fun. "You know," she said to Lex, "You didn't have to say I was a nightmare."

Exasperated, Lex spoke, "I never said you were a nightmare!"

"I'm glad to hear it," said Lana. "How many nightmares bring you coffee?"

"Lana! I'm not talking to you!"

It was going to be a very long day indeed.

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 01:41
Chapter Six: Vacation

Alone in his office, Lex stared at Chloe. "You've got to stop this Bewitched act. You're going to get me committed to an asylum."

"I wanted to apologize for this morning," she said. "I shouldn't have gone off in a huff like that. I know how hard this must be for you to understand."

"I was in a lousy mood. It's just a lot to take in in a very short time."

Just then Clark opened the door and walked in. "Can I have a word with you?"

"You already are, aren't you?"

"I just spoke to Lana, Lex," Clark said without any trace of a smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just because I'm tired and arrived a little late for once doesn't mean I'm having a nervous breakdown."

"I didn't say that."

"No, but that's the implication isn't it?"

"It's just-you look, well, like you had a really rough night."

"It was a bit wild," Lex admitted, unsure of how much to tell Clark.

"I knew it! I knew there was a woman involved! Who is she? When do I get to meet her?"

"It's tricky Clark. This will sound strange, she's-she's a kind of ghost. My apartment is-well haunted. I accidently found out last night. She-we spent the night together-it was innocent," he said at Clark's look. "She's pretty. Well as ghosts go. Not like some zombie or someone who came back from the dead. Are things clearer now?"

Clark was looking sympathetically at him. "Right, Lex. Look, I think we should get you to a doctor. Right. Now."

"Stop it Clark. I'm really fine," he turned to Chloe. " I told you this wasn't going to be easy."

"What's not going to be easy?" asked Clark.

"I wasn't talking to you."

"You were talking to the ghost? Is it here in the room?"

" 'It' is a 'she' and she's sitting next to me on the edge of the table."

"Listen to yourself! It's mind blowing! Maybe you should take a vacation. Just a few days off. Moving is always stressful."

He walked Lex to the door. "Don't worry. I'll make sure everything's taken care of."

Lex thanked Clark sarcastically and left the room. He ran down the stairs. when he stepped around the sidewalk he looked around.

"Chloe?"

She appeared, sitting on the hood of his Porsche. "I'm really sorry. I'm creating a load of problems for you."

"No don't be. I haven't done this for ages!"

"What?"

"Skipped work. Just think, an entire day playing hooky?"

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

From his office window, Clark watched his friend talk to the hood of his car. He decided to call Lex on his cell phone. When he saw that he answered he told him not to start the car, he would be right down and to wait for him. Clark ran down the steps, crossed the street and opened the Porsche's passenger door. He pushed Lex towards it until the latter was sitting.

"Buckle up Lex."

Chloe appeared next to Lex's window. "I'm going to take a little walk. When you're done meet me at Hardwick Point. If it's too complicated you don't need to tell him the truth."

"He's my best friend. I can't lie to him."

"Go ahead discuss me with your glove compartment."

Chloe vanished.

Clark moved to the drivers seat, buckled up and started the car. He drove off.
He launched into a long tirade. Helen wasn't right for Lex. She had hurt Lex, and she wasn't worth it. When all was said and done, the woman was emotionally handicapped and didn't know how to be happy. Was she honestly worth what Lex had gone through since their separation? He hadn't been wasted this way since Desiree. Now Desiree , she was a real loss, whereas Helen...

Lex pointed out at the time of the famous Desiree they were only nineteen, and for the record, he never hit on her. For almost fifteen years now Clark had been bringing her up on the slimmest of pretexts, simply because Lex saw her first. Clark denied ever mentioning her.

"At least two or thrree times a year!" Lex retorted. "Presto, and out she pops, a flash from the past. I can't even remember her face!"

"Then why won't you admit you went out with her? It's been fifteen years, as you say. The statue of limitations has expired, my friend."

"Your getting on my nerves Clark! We're not driving across town because all of a sudden you want to discuss Desiree Atkins!"

"You can't remember her face but you haven't forgotten her last name!"

The car came to a stop in fron tof a generic downtown building.

"Come on," Clark said, getting out of the car. "Follow me. We're going to put my mind to resst now."

Lex let himself be dragged by the arm, non too gently, to the clinic reception area. Clark walked up to the desk and said urgently, "This is an emergency!"

"What kind of emergency?" Victoria asked in a casual tone.

"Cranial shock."

"How did it happen?"

"Love is blind and repeated blows to the head with a long white cane seem to have rattled his head. We need to see Dr. Iman."

Amused, she replied, " Dr. Iman is at a conference. I'll be happy to make you an appointment for tomorrow, though."

"Nevermind," Clark said.

They walked out and towards the car. Clark said he'd take a cab to a meeting. Lex replied that he would call him later so they could talk.

Krysia
6th September 2005, 01:43
:) I wasn't sure if I want to see the movie or not but you just maight help me make up my mind and I will see it,with this story. It's just so sweet. I like how Chloe is playing with Lex, poor guy I'm sure a couple more tricks like that and everyone will think he's overworked. So I wonder what happened with Helen. More, please.

kcsgirl82
6th September 2005, 01:45
I love this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please update again as soon as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 01:51
Hey in case you guys didn't notice I added little inside jokes her and there. I changed every person and place's name to that of something from smallville. Let me know how many you find per chapter. My little bro wants the computer so I probably will have this done (at the latest) at the end of the week or as soon as tomorrow, who knows?
Johanna

darkangel
6th September 2005, 02:03
Great story so far. Come back soon.

teejei
6th September 2005, 02:58
Hardwick Point, Atkins Square, and even Ross' Doggie Camp. go me! *LoL*

i've seen bits and pieces of the movie's trailer, and i think i like the Chlex version better. :clapclap:

thanks for the first 6 chapters...so come back soon with an update! :D

hfce
6th September 2005, 04:09
Oh my that wa some good updates. I love this story already. And I might even see the movie now.


Hope ;)

Sandy
6th September 2005, 04:22
You drew me in, and I love the story! You write it so well. I want to see the movie but I agree with teejei. I like the Chlex version better. I hope they get together, and that would be a sight to see if Chloe's body ever woke up. Update soon! :)

planetcal
6th September 2005, 04:26
Wow great story! please update soon!!!!

star del mar
6th September 2005, 04:30
This is really cute. I have to admit that when I saw the coming attractions to the movie I wasn't all that jazzed about it...mainly because Reese Witherspoon irks me but that's a whole other thing :) I like seeing Chloe and Lex in the story much more. Great job so far!

Steph*

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 04:47
Chapter Seven: Some Truly Important

The restuarant was busy, yet quiet. Chloe and Lex sat at a very discreet table, next to the window. Their waitress was a tall, busty brunette. She flirtatiously asked him what he wanted to drink. Before he could respond, when he was startled by a tickling sensation. Suddenly, Chloe was stroking his leg with her bare foot, eyes filled with mischief and a triumphant smile on her face. Responding in kind, her ankle and ran his hand up the length of her leg.

"I can feel you too!" he exclaimed.

"I wanted to be sure," Chloe said.

"You are now."

The waitress looked at him, dubiously. "What can you feel?"

"Nothing. I don't feel anything."

"You just said, 'I can feel you too'."

Lex turned to Chloe, now flashing a brillant smile.

"I could get locked up for this."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," said the waitress. "I'll send Bob over to take your order. We'll see if you can feel him too."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Lex listened to Chloe avidly. She told him how she moved around in space, transparent. She could do anything, go anywhere. She could sit in the Oval Office, listening to state secrets. She could cuddle Jude Law's lap or take a shower with Colin Farrell.

Lex asked whether she tried any of those things. She told him no, because what was the point if she couldn't touch anything. However, it was no fun being a ghost. She looked serious. She was miserable. She missed her dad, friends, work and the routine of her life. She do nothing to comfort her dad or cousin when they came to visit.

"I no longer exist. I can see and hear but I can't touch them. That hurts the most. This is purgatory, everlasting loneliness, neither dead nor truly alive.

"Your not really a ghost."

"I'm not?"

"Your not dead, Chloe. Your heart is beating in one place, and your spirit is alive somewhere else. They've temporarily separated, amazing as it seems. We have to find out why, then try to bring them back together."

"I believe you've made a breathough in your research, Doctor!"

He ignored her sarcasm and suggested they go home and do some research.

"Why are you doing this," she asked.

"Because you can't."

"But why?"

"Because I've always wanted to do something truly important. So lets say your my opportunity, the one I've been waiting for, the one I've been waiting for , for more than twenty years.

Chloe was silent. She simply smiled at Lex and reached over across the table and took both of his hands in hers.

Sandy
6th September 2005, 04:51
Great update! Please update soon!

Natasha
6th September 2005, 04:57
Excellent Update! Update Soon.

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 05:13
Hi all! The story is completely written out. I just need to type it all out. I'll post as many updates as I can. Just so you know, this is based on the book, not the movie. I haven't seen it yet. I don't know how different it is from the movie.

Thanks so much for the kind reviews. A lot of this is due to Marc Levy the author. He is SUCH an awesome writer!!

Chapter Eight: Part I-Research
Back at home, Lex sat down at his desk in his home office. He turned on his laptop and logged on to the internet. Their first step was to link up to the Memorial Hospital's web page, where they selected the article with the heading, "Neuropathology and Cerebral Traumatology".

Lex ordered pizza and two beers and announced that there was nothing left to do but read. They spent two days and two nights trying to understand and come up with a key to the enigma confronting them. They concluded that, in spite of the advances of modern medicine, coma remained a mystery, a dark zone in which the body lived divorced from the mind that animated and gave it soul.

Chloe broached the subject by saying, "I think it may be time for you to go back to your real life. You're lucky to have one, and I of all people, know you should live life to the fullest. You can't just drop everything like this. I can visit you after work."

"Don't get dramatic on me,Chloe. I'm simply taking a few days off, doing something I want to do."

"Your embarking on a dangerous and ultimately pointless course."

Angrily, Lex said, "Don't say that!"

"You shouldn't get attached to me, I have nothing to offer you, nothing to share, nothing to give!"

"I'm not doing this only for you, Chloe. I'm doing it for me too. I didn't ask to find you in my closet, bu there you were! I'm the only one who can help you and it's the right thing to do. No one but me can see, hear or talk to you. I can't abandon you now."

"You should have been a lawyer," Chloe said shaking her head.

"I should have been a doctor."

"Why didn't you become one?"

"Because my mom died to early."

"How old were you?"

"Much too young," he said quietly. "Let's drop the subject, okay?"

Part II-Lovesick

"Have you loved many women?" Chloe asked them as they sat on the couch.

"Who counts when your in love!"

"And have there been many who 'counted'?"

Lex told her he had three lovers: one as a teenager, one as a young man, and one as a "not so young man". That struck her as a fair answer, but she wanted to know why it didn't work with Helen. He thought it was because he was too complete. She thought he meant too possessive.

"No, I mean complete. My mother filled me with stories about ideal love...Having such ideals is a heaven burden, at times."

"Why?"

"I set my standards much too hight."

"For your women?"

"For myself." He refused to elaborate.

"So Helen left you?"

Lex didn't reply.

"And you haven't quite healed?"

"Oh, I've healed all right; perhaps the problem was I was never sick. What about you? Have you ever been in love."

"You want to know if I loved anyone? No. Well, yes and no."

"Who was he?"

"He still is:twenty-two, journalist and former farmboy, good-looking, a bit selfish, the ideal guy..."

"And?"

" It was a thousands of light years away from the sort of love your talking about."

"Tell me about him."

So she did. She shared eight years of her life with her "farmboy". Four years as friend and faithful sidekick in highschool, then four years of stormy on-again and off-again college drama in which the actors tore one another to pieces then glued themselves back again time after time. She said it was a selfish relationship kept alive by her desire to feel loved.

"He eventually went back to his highschool girlfriend. A small-town girl with big hopes and dreams that will never lead her any further than the coffee counter at the cafe she worked at."

"Do you miss him?"

"I missed him when we first broke up in January. I've been attracted to the opposite of my ideal man for far too long. Men at the opposite extreme from what would make me happy, that's all."

Lex took Chloe's hand.

"Your being much too serious. Let's get some air."

Author's Note: If you find any typos don't worry. Once I post the whole story I will go back and fix anything I messed up.

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 05:33
Chapter Nine: The end?

Lex spent the next two weeks in the city library. The texts gave him a clearer understanding of Chloe's problem, it brought him no closer to figuring out of how to help her get back to her body. Each afternoon he called Clark to keep up with the details at the office and to reassure him he hadn't yet had a nervous breakdown or a massive stroke.

Clark took this reassurances at face value. "Just do what you need to buddy," he told Lex. "I'm holding the fort at this end. But I miss you. Let me know when you want to get together."

Each evening Lex returned to find Chloe waiting for him. He'd make himself dinner and tell her about the day's research, trying to put the most positive spin on it he could. They argued and counter argued deep into the nights and past the point of exhaustion. Finally, Lex would retreat to his bedroom.

A few days later Lex saw Chloe sitting on the window seat in the living room. She did not rise to greet him, like she normally did, or even turn around to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Lex asked as he walked over towards her. As he reached down to put a hand on her shoulder, she suddenly disappeared. Lex heard her grumbling from the bedroom.

"Jesus, I can't even slam a door!"

"Did something happnen," he called to her as he walked towards the bedroom.

"Leave me alone!"

He entered to see Chloe leaning against the window. Her shoulders shook as if she were sobbing.

"Are you crying?"

"I have no tears! How can I cry?"

"Your sobbing! What's going on? Tell me what's wrong."

"I went to the hospital this morning. Dad was there talking to me. He's been meeting with the ethical committee. They've decided it's time to remove my feeding tube."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm going to die."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Chloe lowered her head. "I came back here to the window seat. I wanted to soak in all the sights, the lights, all the views, smells and all the excitement of the city. Today's Thursday. I have only a few more day's to live."

Lex took her in his arms, eveloping her in tenderness. "I won't let them do it."

"How will you stop them?"

"Give me time to think. Something will come pop out at me."

" Maybe this is all for the best."

"How can you say that? Do you believe your dad could ever fill the empty space you leave behind? What about Lois? You mention, quite a lot, how devestated she is over you. What would good would your dying for good do to her? What about me?"

She looked up at him inquiringly, "What about you?"

"I'll be there when you wake up. You may be invisible to other people but not to me."

"Is that a declaration?"

"Don't be so full of yourself," he said dryly.

"Why are you hanging around me, making plans, fighting on my behalf? what's wrong in that brain of yours? What's your motive?" She was practically screaming at him.

"You know what my motive is Chloe."

She said nothing, muttering something inaudible.

"I need to try to talk to your father."

Chloe thought for a minute. "She walks my dog, Krypto, at the park every morning.

"Yes but then I'd have to have a dog to walk too."

"Why?"

"Because if I take a leash on a walk without a dog attached to it, my credibility would be shot."

"Ha, ha, ha. Just go jogging then."

He liked the idea. He could time his run to coincide with Krypto's walk. After he made a fuss over the dog, it would be easier to strike up a conversation with Chloe's dog.

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 05:53
Chapter Ten: Miracles Happen

Early the next morning he put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Before leaving, he asked a Chloe to hold him tight in his arms..

"What's with you today?" she asked shyly.

"Nothing. I dont' have time to explain. It's for the dog."

She complied, laying her head on his shoulder.

"That's fine," he said briskly, and pulled away. "Now I"m off or I'll miss him. Without even saying goodbye, he rushed out of the apartment. The door closed behind him. Chloe shrugged and sighed, "He hugged me because of the dog."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Lex spotted Chloe's father from a long way off, matching perfectly the description she had given him. Krypto trotted a few steps ahead of Gabe
Sullivan, who looked as though he carried the weight of the worlds on his shoulders.

Approaching Lex, Krypto stopped short, sniffing the air with with a circling movement, of his muzzle and head. He came closer to Lex, sniffing the bottom of Lex's leg, and then he lay down at his feet, whimpering, his tail thumping the ground. Krypto was trembling with joy and excitement. Lex knelt down and began to stroke him gently.

Chloe's father drew near, looking surprised.

"Do you know each other," he asked Lex.

"Why do you ask?" Lex responded as he rose.

"He's usually so fearful. But he's falling all over you."

"He looks unbelievably like the dog of a friend who was very dear to me."

"Yes," said Gabe Sullivan.

Lex stuck out his hand and introduced himself.

"I know," Lex said suddenly. "Krypto! Of course, he Chloe's dog!"

"You know my daughter?"
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"How did it go," Chloe asked when he returned.

He sighed. "Not well." He went to explain that her father would not be swayed.

"You never really had much of a chance. He never changes his mind, especially if it's a decision he's taken a long, hard time to come to. He's a stubborn as a mule."

"Like someone else I know," he mumbled.

"I heard that!"
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"What are you thinking?" Chloe asked him later.

Lex had been sitting in his office for over an hour, thinking. It could be done, he thought. He didn't want to do it this way. But he couldn't let Chloe die. He had the means and the way. He could make a few calls to a few people that owed him, and have Lionel open the house in Smallville.

"Hello? Earth to Lex. What's going on?"

Lex took a deep breath and preceded to tell Chloe his plan.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"But that's kidnapping!" Chloe exclaimed.

"What else can we do Chloe? Do you want to die? I know I don't want you too! I can hire doctors to go to the hospital and sign your body over to "paramedics" and have you discharged. Clark and I can pose as the ambulance drivers and take you to my place in Smallville."

"But they'll get in trouble. They-"

"Don't worry. They won't know who ordered it. As far as they law is concerned they we're just doing their job. Besides that's not the hardest part."

"What is?"

"Convincing Clark."

hannagreen20
6th September 2005, 06:13
Chapter Eleven: What the Hell?

A half an hour later, Lex invited Clark to sit down.

"What's up," Clark asked.

" I need you to do a favor with no questions asked."

"And that would be..."

"I want you to help me kidnap a body from the hospital."

" What?! No more ghosts, so now you want a corpse? I can give you mine if you keep this up!"

"It isn't a corpse."

"What is it then? A hospital patient in the peak of health?"

"Seriously Clark, I'm in a hurry."

"I'm not allowed to ask any questions?"

"You'd have a hard time understanding the answers."

"Because I'm too dumb."

"Because no one could believe what I'm going through."

"Try me."

"I want you to help me remove the body of a woman in a coma. They're going to terminate her on Monday and I can't let that happen."

"You've fallen in love with a woman in a coma? Is that what the ghost business was all about?"

Lex mumbled a vague, "Uh-huh."

"Your mind's made up?"

"With or without you I'm doing it. I know I'm asking a lot but I swear on my mother's grave, Clark, I have to do this. I have to do this more than I've had to do anything in my life."

That got Clark's attention. He knew Lex would never invoke hi mother's name except in matters life and death."

"Okay, when do you need it?"

Lex's plan called for an initial detour to transfer of Chloe's body from the ambulance to his car. While Clark was returning the "borrowed" vehicle, Lex brought everything down he had prepared for the drive to Smallville. The medical supplies had been carefully wrapped and stored in the front section of his refridgerator.

"Seriously," Clark said to Lex as they eased away from Lex's apartment.

"I'm thinking of this as a dream, verging on a nightmare. On the bright side, I've found Sunday evenings to be dull; at least this will be memorable."

Chloe laughed.

"You find that funny?"

"Stop talking to yourself!"

"I'm not talking to myself."

"Okay, there's a ghost! But stop having a conversations with it.It makes me nervous!"

"Not 'it'. 'Her!' She's a woman and she can hear everything you say!"

"Are you two always like this?" asked Chloe.

"Pretty much."

"What did you say?" asked Clark.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

Clark broke abruptly. "Stop this! You're going too far, I swear!"

"Just drive. Drive! I'll explain everything." As the car wound its way across the city, Lex told Clark everything-from the beginning, from the bathroom closet to that very night in the car.

"She's beautiful, Clark. She's funny, and witty and we talk about everything. Oh, we disagree and bicker sometimes,but an amazing tender has grown between us. I feel at home with her."

Clark cut in, "If she's really here, you've landed yourself in deep trouble."

"How so?"

"Because," Clark said. "I think you just told her you love her. And I swear you just blushed and I've never seen you blush before." Clark called out, his voice echoing in the car. "Are you here, the lady whose body we've stolen? If you are, you can take it from me that my buddy here has it bad."

Deliberately avoiding eye contact with Chloe, Lex interjected, "Shut up and drive."

Chloe, blushing, couldn't remain silent any longer. "You two are like Abbott and Costello. She was smiling radiantly.

When they reached Clark's apartment building, he got out of the drivers seat and met Lex in front of the car.

"Three top models, a couple of weeks in Hawii, a Ferrari and a yacht," Clark said.

"What are you talking about?" Lex asked.

"My fee. Where are you 'two' off to?"

"A place that's also in a deep coma. Smallville."

kimmie
6th September 2005, 12:21
This is a really brilliant fic and I can't wait for more!!!

Kimmie

welshy
6th September 2005, 13:37
This is a great story, I hope there's going to be more soon :)

Kit Merlot
6th September 2005, 15:34
I just started reading this story, and I have to say that it is wonderful :D

Please update soon!

teejei
6th September 2005, 17:01
squee! update soon! *at a loss for more words* :P

Krysia
6th September 2005, 19:06
What would Clark do with three models? ;)
Great update. I like the fact that Lex has feelings towards her and isn't afraid to admit to them. I wonder how Gabe is going to react, and I can't wait to see how Lex is going to react to having to take care of Chloe's body. More, please.

leik2
8th September 2005, 08:16
This is exactly what the doctor ordered. Thank you, enjoying your rendition.

hannagreen20
9th September 2005, 16:32
Okay, so I took out a lot of stuff from the original chapter from the book. But it was basically how Arthur (Lex) was really close to his mom, Lili. The idea is the same, just really, really shortened. I also, skipped the part where they go the hospital and kidnap the body. It just didn't fit in with this story. Lauren (Chloe) in the book was a doctor but it didn't make sense for this story. Don't worry though. It's still all good.

Chapter Twelve: Smallville

After Lex got Chloe's body situated and taken care of, he went to see Lionel, the groundskeeper. Lionel had married Lillian a few years after Lex's own father, Lucas, passed away.

"I have a letter from your mother," Lionel told Lex.

He handed him a medium-sized, cream-colored envelope and left Lex alone with his mother's words.

My dearest Lex,

If you are reading these words, it means you've finally made up your mind to set out for Smallville. You're holding the keys to the house where we spendt such wonderful years together.

Your life is before you. You alone are master of it. Be worthy of "all the things I loved about you."

Your loving mother, Lillian

While Lex was reading the letter, Chloe cautiously approached him.

"Lex, is everything alright?"

Not looking at her, Lex folded the letter, returned it to the envelope and stuck it in his front pocket. He cleared his throat and looked up.

"Yes, everything's fine."

Chloe stood behind him and whispered in his ear, "I like this place. I feel good here, it's soothing."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I can't wait to see the grounds."

"I can't wait to show you everything."

"Lex?" Chloe paused, unsure of what to say. "Did your mother die suddenly?"

"No, she died of heart disease. But, for me, it was sudden. Come on, I'll show you around."

Chloe took his hand, "You know, my mother's not dead," she said softly. " She left when I was five. She's never come back. Not even now."

Lex wrapped his arms around Chloe and the proceeded to walk to his homemade "lake".

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A little while later the two sat on a small boulder on the grass in front of Lex's "lake".

"Did you live here long?" Chloed asked.

" Until I was thirteen. That's when she died."

"Tonight, you'll show me the sunset?"

"In this neck of the woods it's a must," he smiled.

"Lionel, he's more than just a groundskeepr, isn't he?"

"He married my mother a few years after my father died, but he still insisted on taking care of this place. He's a friend, a male presence that was lacking since my dad's death."

"The house is in pretty good shape given that it's been empty for so long," she replied.

" Lionel is an obsessive caretaker. He's a gardener, a repairman, fisherman, nanny and watchman. He was always in love with Mom," Lex broke off, embarassed by his emotion.

Chloe saw he was crying. She moved closer to him and collected his tears on the back of her forefinger. She let her finger drop to his chin. In turn he laid his hand on her cheek, then around the nape of her neck, bringing her face close to his. As soon as their lips brushed lightly, she pulled away.

"Why are you doing this for me Lex?"

"Because I love you."

He took her hand and they stood.

"Where are we going?"

"To the house."

"No, here. Now." She stepped in front of him and unbuttoned his shirt.

"But how did you-? I thought you couldn't-?"

"Don't ask questions." She let his shirt slide down over his shoulders and ran her hands across his back. He felt at loss-how did you undress a ghost? Chloe smiled, closed her eyes and was instantly naked.


AN:Corny, I know. But I fell for it, cheese and all. Don't blame me. Blame the author!

hannagreen20
9th September 2005, 16:49
PART THREE

Chapter Thirteen: Legal Eagles

Detective Jonathan Kent found the missing person report waiting for him on his desk when he arrived at work. A supervisor from the hospital had called-a patient in a coma had vanished from the hospital:a clear case of kidnapping.

He cursed and grumbled at his more than good friend and colleague, Martha Clark, who dispatched the calls that came to the central switchboard.

"What did I do to deserve this first thing in the morning?" he asked her.

"You could've at least shaved, considering this is the beginning of the week," she countered with a broad but guilty smile.

"I don't suppose you feel up to getting some doughnuts?"

"Nope."

"Oh, come on. I'm not going to be here much longer."

"Jonathan, the only way I'd get you doughnuts was if you were retiring tonight."

"Now that's hitting below the belt."

"I thought that's were you liked it."

"I know where I'm going to shove those doughnuts-"

"I have work to do, you need to get to the hospital. They sounded frantic."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"If its a kidnapping," Jonathan asked the doctor, "what would anyone stand to gain?"

"What does that matter?"

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Detective Kent requested the names and phone numbers of all the staff on duty at the time of the crime and called Martha and asked her to request all the people he named to drop by the precinct on their way to work.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tuesday, was a productive day. Jonathan had an awkward, painful meeting with Gabe Sullivan. He told Kent the weird converstation he had with a stranger a few days ago. The one who was so earnest about the sanctity of life. He repeated every detail of the encounter. He was a businessman who claimed to have met Chloe and struck up a friendship with her, though Chloe never once mentioned him.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Jonathan returned to the police station and made a request to a trainee.

"Why don't you stake out the house belonging to the guy who lives in this area. One, Lex Luthor."

A few hours later the trainee reported back. He had drawn a blank. The man had not come home.

"Bingo," Kent replied. "By tonight I want you to know everything about this guy. How old he is, is he on drugs, was he in the service, where'd he go to school, where does he work, does he have a girlfriend, boyfriend, dog or cat. We have to know everything."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

On Wednesday morning, Chloe woke early. She left the bedroom to avoid waking Lex. She was infinitely grateful that he had been somehow been able to touch her, to feel her and to love her as if she were a full woman in full possession of life.

She took herself over to the lake.

Lex woke shortly after she left. He searched throughout the house, then put on a coat and strolled out to the back. He spotted her sitting in "their" spot by the lake. His arms were around her before she even realized he was there.

"Quite a sight," he whispered in her ear.

"It is, isn't it?" she replied not taking her eyes off the lake.

He held her tighter, not seeing anyone or anything else but her.

"Yeah, it is."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"You belive it's him? Lex Luthor?" asked Martha.

The trainee had come back with very important information. Lex Luthor's address was the kidnapped victim's former home. He was an orphan whose parents left him a home in Smallville. Coincidently, the power and water were turned on two days before the kidnapping. Altogether too many clues for Lex not to be deeply involved.

hannagreen20
9th September 2005, 16:57
Chapter Fourteen: Slippery Slope

Little by little, the house came back to life again. Chloe and Lex went from room to room, opening shutters, stripping dust sheets from the furniture, polishing and throwing open closet after closet. Later, Lex watched amusedly as Chloe put on another outfit.

"You realize this is the ninth time you've changed since breakfast?"

"It's because of that magazine you bought! I can't make up my mind"

"There's not a woman on earth who doesn't fantasize at the chance to shop the way you do," he eyed her from head to toe. "You may look great in that but come here."

Later, wrapped around each other, bodies and minds at rest, they snuggled close and then fell sleep.

The next day while Lex tuned the piano Chloe asked him,"How long di you intend to go on neglecting the rest of your life?"

"Do we really have to talk about this now?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. Tomorrow's a mystery for everyone, a mystery that should bring us laughter and curiosity, not fear and rejection." He took her had in his hands, kissed her eyelids and pressed her to him. "We have now, we have today, and that's everything to me."

They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Lex sighed and after giving Chloe another kiss, went to answer it.

"Can I help you?" Lex asked after opening the door and greeting the flannel clad stranger.

"I know its you. I don't have proof and I don't understandy you did it. But I know you did it."

"Did what?"

"Kidnapped Chloe Sullivan's body."

teejei
11th September 2005, 01:04
argh. to have Jonathan Kent as the detective was all too Season1-ish for me.


Corny, I know. But I fell for it, cheese and all. Don't blame me. Blame the author!don't worry. i fell for it too! although the concept about lasting the time of an embrace and magic of an eclipse just went over my head. :confuse2:

hannagreen20
11th September 2005, 01:05
Chapter Fifteen: Near the End

"You have to tell him the truth and try to cut a deal!" Chloe said.

"No, we have to hurry and find a new place to hide your body."

"No, you can't! He'll be watching and he'll catch you in the act! Stop it, Lex, this is your life. You heard him, your risking years in prison!"

After his not-so-surprising statement, Detective Kent informed Lex that he was on to him. He asked to come in, Lex replied that if he got a warrent he'd let Kent in. Jonathan told him he knew about the hired doctors, the ambulance but what really interested in why Lex would do something like this. What would Lex gain? He asked to see the room that had closed shutters.

"Not, without a search warrant," Lex replied.

"Why not if you have nothing to hide?"

"Because that room was my mother's and ever since her death it's been locked. It's sacred to me, like a shrine, it's just as she left it. I'm certainly not going to open it up for some crazy cop who think's I'm a criminal. I hope I've made myself clear," Lex gestured with his hand to Kent's car, "I think it's time for you to leave."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Lex had a hunch the cop was bluffing. Without evidence he would never get a warrant.

"Please Lex, before it's too late," Chloe pleaded.

"It's your life that's at stake!"

"Honey, you have to accept this. You're just postponing the inevitable."

He gazed at her tenderly," I can't let them take you, can't you understand that?"

She understood but she couldn't let him put himself at more risk.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Chloe convinced Lex to invite Kent to the house. Lex served the detective lunch and showed him around their home. Whey they reached his mother's room , he asked the detective to leave.

The door suddenly opened.

Lex was shocked. "Why did you do that?" He murmured to Chloe, his voice choked.

"Because I love you."

Jonathan Kent said, "Thank God she's alive."

Chloe put her arms around Les and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

"I couldn't let you ruin the rest of your life for me. I want you to live free, I want you to be happy," she told him.

"Your are my happiness."

"Who are you talking to?" asked the detective.

"You have to tell him the truth," Chloe begged. "He may believe you or he may mot but you have to try."

Lex turned to the detective. "Come on, let's go to the living room. I'm going to tell you everything."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

When he finished his story Lex looked at the detective challengingly, "So?"

"Is she here? Is she nearby?"

"She's sitting on the chair across from you and she's looking at you."

"Of course, of course," Jonathan said as he rubbed his chin.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Lex.

"I'm going to believe you, "Kent said. "Because to make up such a story and take all these risks you would have to have lost your mind completely, and your story has to be incredibly true for you. Anyway, I'm five days shy of retirement and I want more than anything to believe you, crazy though it seems."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Can I take her back to the hospital in my car without hurting her?"

"Yes, if your careful," said Lex, his voice full of distress.

"In that case, I'll keep my end of the bargain: I'll get you out of this mess."

"But I don't want to be separated from her, I don't want to let her die!"

"That's a whole different battle my friend."

hannagreen20
11th September 2005, 01:27
Chapter Sixteen: Goodbye

Lex could not sleep and at first light he went to get Chloe's body ready for the journey, then went to their bedroom to pack. He told Chloe,"We'll follow Kent back to the city. I know you can't be away from your body for more than a few hours without feeling tired. We'll go back to our apartment. We'll just have to go on as we were before and hope this has convinced your father to keep you alive."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Their life together seemed to assume a normal course. In the mornings Lex dropped in at his office to sign papers. He and Chloe would spend the rest of the day together. They went to the movies, took long walks, and went to performances at the Opera House. Time passed by the way it does during a lazy vacation.

They lived in the moment. They thought of nothing except what was happening in the present. Strangers passing by assumed Lex was crazy when they saw him walking with one arm outstreched and talking to himself. Some thought he lost his mind, others thought he was a widower living in the shadow of his deceased wife. They were now lovers, friends and companions for life.

The couple's idyll continued for a few weeks. After making love, they shared the last lines of a novel they were reading together because Lex had to turn the pages for Chloe. They fell asleep in each other's arms. About six in the morning Chloe suddenly sat up in bed and called Lex's name. He woke with a start. Chloe was sitting cross-legged on their bed, , her skin pale, almost transparent.

"What's wrong? Chloe?"

"Hold me Lex, quickly. Don't let go."

He did as she asked and wrapped his arms around her. Lex felt her body become solid in his arms.

"Chloe," he said alarmed, "do yo feel anything?"


"Keep holding me Lex," her eyes were wide with fear.

"It's time. I'm fading-disappearing."

"No!" He tightened his hold.

"God, Lex. I don't want to leave you. I wanted this life with you before it began."

"You can't leave. Fight it, Chloe. You can't go."

"Ssh, don't say anything. Just listen. You have me what I didn't know existed. I never imagined that love could bring so many simple things. I want you to remember how much I love you. I'll love you wherever I am, with all the strength and all the joy you filled me with."

As she spoke she became more and more transparent. Her skin became clear as water. Even as he held her, he felt his arms begin to close on a void that was gradually gaining.

"Baby, please," he said brokenly.

"Live when I'm gone Lex. Live every second."

"Don't leave. Don't, please. Fight back."

"I can't. I'm not in any pain, but it's stronger than I am. I'm scared Lex. You're getting farther and farther away. Hold me tighter."

They began to weep together, softly. Quietly. They embraced. During a kiss that never finished, she vanished. Lex's arms enclosed on himself. He curled up in pain. His weeping intensified into loud sobs and cries of anguish.

"No!" he continued to wail, like a wounded animal. It resonated in the room, making the window panes shake. He tried to get up but swayed and fell to the ground. He dragged himself to the window, where she loved to sit, and sat there, numb and devestated. He sat there all day and barely noticed the sunset.

hannagreen20
11th September 2005, 01:45
AN: Teejei, I deleted that sentence about the eclipse, 'cause it was too cheesy and I didn't understand it either.


Chapter Seventeen: Hello Again

The Monday after Chloe vanished, Lex was lying on the living room rug where she loved to sit during their talks, while he would stroke her stomach, when suddenly there was a hammering at the door. He did not get up.

"Lex! Lex are you there? Open up!" Clark yelled. "Open up or I'll break the door down." The door shuddered under the impact of Clark's shoulder.

"Shit! That hurt like hell! I think I've broken my collarbone! Open the damn door, Lex!"

Lex got up and went to the door, flipped the lock and returned to collapse on the couch. When Clark came in, he was amazed at the devestation. Dozens of scraps of paper were strewn across the floor, all covered with handwritten notes scribbled by his friend.

"So I guess there's been a war and you lost?"

Lex didn't answer.

"You look like shit. You were supposed to come in today, and when you didn't show, I got worried."

Again, Lex didn't answer.

"Okay, they tortured you. Hello? Are you catatonic?"

Clark saw that Lex began to sob. He sat down beside him and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Lex, what's going on?"

"She's dead, she died. She began to disappear, just like that. They killed her. I can't get over this, Clark. I can't."

"I can see that. Go on buddy, cry all you want."

"That's all I've been doing!"

"Well keep going," Clark noticed the phone lying with the receiver off the cradle. He got up and replaced it.

"I've called you two hundred times, but it didn't occur to you to put the phone back on the hook?!" Clark asked Lex.

"Screw the phone, Clark!"

"You have to snap out this pal! You had a crazy ride. This whole nightmare is over!"

"It's just begun," Lex mumbled.

"That's it. I'm not leaving you like this. You need help my friend. You-" he was interrupted by ringing of the phone. He picked it up, then he handed it to Lex.

"It's some cop, he's pissed as hell. Say's it's urgent."

"Speak to him or I'll shove the phone down the throat."

Lex took the phone. Lex listened, his expression changing. He thanked Kent for calling.

"Where are my keys?" Lex was frantic.

"What's going on?" Clark wanted to know.

Lex found his keys, apologized to Clark and raced down the stairs to the garage without even saying goodbye.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Gabe Sullivan was sitting in a chair outside Chloe's room. As soon as he saw Lex, he was taken aback by the young man's appearance. He brushed the thoughts aside and pulled the young man into a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry," Gabe told him. "I know we only met once and I don't understand everything but-thank you. For whatever reason, you prevented me from letting her die. I owe you so much!"

He then filled Lex on the details Kent omitted on the phone. Chloe emerged from a coma, last Friday. They day she left Lex. Suddenly, she began to mover her fingers and hands. She was still unable to speak-it would take time for her vocal cords to heal.

Lex smiled and hugged Mr. Sullivan. He went into Chloe's room without hearing the rest of the story. He sat down beside her bed and took Chloe's hand in his.

The next morning she opened her eyes Those beautiful green eyes.

"Hello," he said to her. "Everything's going to be fine. I'm here," he said softly.

She frowned, hesitated and gave him a smile, then fell back asleep.

hannagreen20
11th September 2005, 01:55
Epilogue: Happily Ever After

Lex returned to the hospital everyday. He spoke to Chloe constantly, telling her what was happening in the outside world. She still could not speak, so she stared at him, while he spoke to her.

Lex and Gabe took turns: one was always with Chloe at all times. Even when Lois, her sister, Lucy or their father, Sam came to see her.

One day, when Lex was arriving, Mr. Sullivan came out of Chloe's room to give him good news. That morning, Chloe recovered her power of speech. She had spoken a few words in a hoarse, rasping voice.

Lex went in and sat down beside her. She was sleeping. He ran his hand over her hair and softly stroked her forehead, whispering, "How I've missed the sound of your voice."

Chloe opened her eyes and place her hand over his. She looked at him with her wondering, green eyes as she asked, "Who are you? Why are you here everyday?"

Lex instantly understood. His hear skipped a beat, then he smiled with great tenderness and love and replied:

"What I have to tell you is not easy to understand, impossible to accept. But if you will listen to our story-if you are willing to trust me-then maybe in the end you'll believe me. And it's very important that you, in particular, should believe me. For without knowing it, you are the only person in the world I can share our secret with."

END

AN: Okay, you may be unhappy or disappointed with this ending but that's how it was in the book. I was disappointed at first too, but after rereading I accepted it. It leaves the imagination open to hundreds of possiblities. Thanks for all the great feedback.

I can't belive I have a complete story hurray!

AN2:I may have some more of the Chlex Scenes up in a couple of days. I still haven't seen Reality Bites or The Wedding Date but there are several other movies I have ideas for.

teejei
11th September 2005, 02:14
*hee* and i thought i'm the only who got confused. :D

btw, about Reality Bites...i strongly recommend it. do you need a copy of the movie? i only have the vcd. wanna borrow it? ;) oh, and if you need some Chlex angles in the movie, you could read Chloe's flashback in my fic (http://forums.naughty-seduction.net/showthread.php?t=2802). shameless self-pimpage, i know. but i totally heart that movie, so i'd do anything to get it made into a Chlex fic. :o

starmoon
28th October 2005, 20:13
great story and i know everything will work out because i just have a good feeling about this story.

littlepearl
30th October 2005, 21:32
Allright, that was really great...

I absolutely adored Marc Levy's book ( Si c'était vrai in French ). He is just a great writer and I have read all of his books. He even wrote the following of If only it were true ( I don't know if this book had been published in the Us...).
And I met him once, this man is just so adorable...:P

Anyway, the story of Arthur and Lauren changed into somethin Chlex was a great idea... And it was the same atmosphere of the book...
I liked it very much !!

PMD
27th December 2005, 13:51
Hey Hannagreen:

I loved this piece, hon. :) I should see if the book is at the library---you have peeked my interest. And as to your next endevour---if you haven't started it yet---might I suggest that you try to do The Wedding Date. Snort---Lex as one of the main characters---well, you do know what the guy did for a living, right. <g> I just saw the movie yesterday and I loved it. Something about a wedding that just brings the romance out of writers. :: sigh :: Well, off to bed and dreaming up my next How We Never Met piece---Thanks to you and so many other great writers on this list. :)

teb85
30th December 2005, 00:39
brilliant fic ! I loved it!

Thaís
8th January 2006, 06:30
Ok, I just have to say it's really, really wonderfull.
Didn't like the ending, tough as you said, I understand it.
Just want to congratulate you for a job well done.
Keep writting this wonderfull things for us, will you??

Goldielocks
9th January 2006, 01:30
this is amazing, i laghed and cried through this amazing fic...

kel722
10th January 2006, 22:09
This was my first story in a long time and Im glad i read this story as my comeback.

Ami Rose
19th January 2006, 07:45
I loved it! I probably shouldn't have read this before reading the book or watching the movie, but oh well. Great job!
Ami Rose