What You Don't Know... (R) - Part Fourteen - August 31, 2009

[skauble]

Title: What You Don’t Know…
Rating: R (I haven’t decided how many NC-17 chapters I plan to include in this. If it’s more than one or two I’ll have it moved. Don’t worry, I will warn everyone before the smutty parts.)
Category: Angst, romance
Content: Chlex
Summary: She’s lost her memory. He’s lost his patience. Lex takes advantage of the opportunity that fate hands him, but how will he react to someone who doesn’t know enough to hate him?
Spoilers: The whole series is fair game here.
Disclaimer: Smallville and all its characters are owned by people who are not me. No profit is made and no infringement is intended.
A/N #1 – This goes pretty much AU towards the end of Season 5, so no Lana pr…pregn…I can’t type it, but you get the point. So I won’t be following S6 canon, but if I want to add something from it I will. I’m like that.
A/N #2 – This is for somethingeasy who gently encouraged me via breaking international law and seizing Australia. That’s someone who really wants something to read. Because she sent some koalas my way I have endeavored to provide the beginning of this story. But beware – this is the prologue; it’s all about teasing, not pleasing. :P
A/N #3 – Last one, I promise. I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. The only research I did for the medical part of this story was to look up a proper term for amnesia. Everything else I just made up. I've tried to make it all seem reasonable, but who knows. But I just wanted to fess up avoid the 8,000 posts telling me what a weenie I am for getting it all wrong. Remember – I'm not stupid, just incredibly lazy. ;)
**Warnings**: Given the fact that Chloe has amnesia, and the circumstances surrounding it, I'm putting a dub-con/non-con warning here that encompasses all sex during that time period. Please take that into consideration before reading.



Prologue


Metropolis 2008


She could see the door ahead of her. Unfortunately that welcome sight was accompanied by the sound of footsteps behind her. What she wouldn’t give to have super-speed…or longer legs.

But she wouldn’t give up. Chloe Sullivan didn’t know the meaning of the word quit. Although if she made it out of there she was pretty sure she’d be looking it up, because she had a feeling that a new Sullivan motto of “Quit breaking into Luthor research facilities” could only enhance the quality of her life. Probably more so if she’d adopted it two hours ago.

Glinting in the harsh florescent lights of the long hallway, the door, her steel portal to freedom, was nearly within reach. It was so close she could almost touch it when a large bulky form, at least twice her weight, barreled into her back propelling her forward.

And so, when she did finally make contact with the door, she had only the briefest of moments to appreciate the irony that it was face first, before darkness consumed her.


~*~*~*~*~

“Where is she?”

The doors to the infirmary flew open and the crowd of medical specialists in the room parted like the Red Sea before the imposing figure in the tuxedo. Lex Luthor was not a man in whose way you wanted to be, even if he wasn’t your boss.

Striding into a smaller room containing the only occupied bed, Lex looked down at a bruised face he knew all to well. When he had received the call from his security team informing him that a young blonde woman had been apprehended breaking into one of LuthorCorp’s more private facilities he’d known exactly who the culprit was. Needing to find out as much as he could about what she might have seen, he told them to hold her there pending his arrival.

It had taken him about two and a half hours to extricate himself from the charity ball he had been attending, divest himself of his date, and reach the lab only to then be informed that she had been injured in her flight from the guards and, unconscious, was transported to the state of the art medical wing. For that discrepancy heads were going to roll; a vow he reaffirmed at his sight of her, still unconscious after so much time.

He and Chloe had a complicated relationship that, to the outside observer would most likely be seen singularly adversarial but was, indeed, far more complex than that one facet. In fact, of all the people he’d met in his time in Smallville, none better suited his personality than Chloe Sullivan. Although circumstances had thrown them together and pulled them apart in a near endless cycle, Lex was certain that they would have come out of their trials and tribulations much closer if it hadn’t been for one thing – Clark Kent and whatever damned secret he was hiding that kept him at the center of everything both bizarre and dangerous.

Not that he and Chloe hadn’t had their differences on other matters. Stubborn and opinionated, they were the type of people who could manage to disagree on even the things that they agreed upon. But underneath it all was a kinship that outlasted their struggles towards contrary objectives.

For instance, he knew for a fact that Chloe’s earlier flight was not an attempt to avoid the legal consequences of her actions. There wouldn’t be any. There hadn’t been for a long time between them. No, Chloe was running because she found information that she didn’t want to let him know was now in her possession.

By the same token, he was certain that he had little to fear from whatever it was she had learned. While certainly the activities of this particular lab would only, after much falsifying of records and many, many bribes, be considered barely legal by the populace at large, there was nothing here to do with the meteors and, by extension it seemed, Clark. There was also nothing heinous such as human experimentation occurring. And Lex had learned over time that if Clark wasn’t in trouble and people weren’t in immediate danger, Chloe preferred not to create a tremendous amount of disruption in his life.

Clark might never believe that of his best friend and go to girl, but the boy would also never guess just exactly how much damaging information that Lex knew for a fact that Chloe had acquired over the years and about which she had never breathed a single word.

Sometimes he wondered what kind of friends they would have made had he won Chloe’s loyalties before she gave them to another. But that was destined to remain unknown and any true potential unexplored as he was so desperate to uncover the secret she was equally as determined to protect. Somehow, everything always seemed to come back to Clark. And that, more than animosities, jealousies, and betrayals was why Lex knew that he would never quit looking until all of his questions finally had answers.

Hearing Dr. Heideman’s voice, as the physician who oversaw the program came in leafing through Chloe’s chart, Lex pulled himself away from the injured form before him and confronted the most pressing issue.

“Why isn’t she awake?”

Lex had certainly had enough head injuries to know that sleeping after one severe enough to render you unconscious was rarely recommended. ‘Get a good night’s sleep’ was advice reserved for broken limbs and emotional upsets. If Chloe wasn’t awake then it was most likely the result of her injury and not the staff’s attempts to see to her comfort.

“Mr. Luthor, I have reason to believe that Miss Sullivan’s wakefulness or lack thereof is not the issue we need to address.” Crossing over to the opposite side of his patient’s bed, he glanced at the illuminated displays on the various beeping machinery and then reached out gently to turn Chloe’s head slightly to the right to allow him to check the swollen and discolored area at her temple. Finishing his cursory exam he turned back to his employer.

“Actually, she’s regained consciousness twice since the accident. No, I’m more concerned with the confusion she displayed during those occasions.”

Lex took in all of the physician’s actions as he processed this new information. “I thought that confusion was common in injuries of this type.”

“Yes, well, there's nearly always a level of thought disorder inherent in even slight damage to the brain but, typically brought on by shock, it dissipates rapidly. This was more than that.”

His explanations were interrupted by a slight sound of stirring from the bed that immediately drew the attention of both men. Knowing that patients were often able to absorb information in varying states of consciousness, and wanting to avoid that specific occurrence in this particular case, he waved a nurse over to check on his charge and gestured Lex toward the exit.

“I think that our conversation would be better had in an alternative location.”

Although Lex wanted to remain in the room and see for himself that Chloe was, indeed, waking up; he understood the doctor’s reasoning. And, as he wasn’t one to hire imbeciles for so important a position, he felt it best to follow the older man’s advice.

As they entered Dr. Heideman’s office Lex seated himself in one of the large, leather chairs placed in front of a bulky mahogany desk cluttered with files. He didn’t say anything; he didn’t have to. He was a Luthor,; it was most people’s natural inclinations to attempt to anticipate and then meet his needs. He wanted information and had no doubt that it would be immediately forthcoming. He wasn’t wrong.

“Usually in cases of trauma to the head, especially in those involving periods of unconsciousness, we see a certain amount of cognitive disorientation upon waking – difficulty processing or using language, inability to manage simple mental calculations, and a general sense of confusion in regards to one’s environment. What concerns me is that last one.

Both times that the patient regained consciousness she displayed an absence of memory recall that appeared quite substantial.”

“Didn’t you just say that such symptoms were not particularly extraordinary?” Lex questioned.

“Yes,” the doctor hurried to clarify. “But usually that type of difficulty in recollection is of extremely short duration and is less a consequence of the injury and more of a result of the temporary diminishment in cerebral capabilities.”

Grabbing the folder he’d brought in with him, Dr. Heideman began flipping through the pages of notes.

“The problem here is that Miss Sullivan was exceedingly coherent, given the circumstances. She was able to understand and execute both simple and complex commands and, in truth, the only sustained difficulty was her complete lack of memory.”

Dr. Heideman had delivered a great deal of unsettling news in his time in the medical profession and rarely, if ever, had he been greeted with smirking disbelief.

“Amnesia?” It was all Lex could do to keep from laughing at both Chloe’s audacity and the utter naiveté of the man behind the desk.

“That is the tentative diagnosis at this-”

“She’s faking.” Lex saw little point in allowing the man to finish and even less in wasting his time with Chloe’s quite brilliant, but ultimately doomed scheme to avoid interrogation.

Without another word to the doctor, Lex strode out of the office and back to the room currently housing the blonde troublemaker. Through the large, rectangular window looking into the space, he saw Chloe slowly sipping a glass of water that a nurse had just handed her.

“Chloe.” He called as he entered, and was not disappointed as she turned to face him at hearing her name. However his triumph was short lived as he jerked to a halt at seeing green eyes completely devoid of even the slightest hint of recognition.

Oh, it was still Chloe looking back at him; all agile intelligence and avid curiosity only slightly dimmed by pain. But it was as if the intricate layers of history had been stripped away, leaving the woman in her purest form.

“Yes?”

When he didn’t speak, Chloe gave him a visual once over before meeting his eyes. She’d been fairly certain that he had been addressing her. After all, he’d said Chloe and they’d been assuring her, repeatedly, that that was her name. But before she could call out to him again he turned on his heels and walked out.

“Well,” she said to no one in particular, “if that’s the kind of people I know, I’m not so sure I want to remember.”


~*~*~*~*~


Lex practically ran the good doctor down as he turned the corner.

“Your office,” he barked at the man without breaking his stride.

Upon entering, Lex didn’t bother with a chair, and simply turned towards the doctor in his demand for information.

“Explain.”

Dr. Heideman could see that whatever exchange he’d had with the young woman had been enough to convince his employer of the validity of his diagnosis. However, being no fool, he chose not to mention the man’s earlier doubt.

“Of course. What we believe that we’re dealing with is a case of traumatic, global amnesia.” Resuming his seat, he shuffled through his papers until he was once again holding the sheaf of notes he had been when they’d first had this discussion.

“Very little is actually known about amnesia, its causes, or its cure. The blow to the head that Miss Sullivan suffered caused a slight swelling in her brain. It was well within an acceptable range for this type of injury and, according to her second CT scan, seems to be subsiding. So, while it would seem that the pressure was the initial cause of the memory loss, I'm concerned that there is no rebound in that area as it diminishes.”

Skimming the first three pages, he finally settled on a section of the fourth and began reading aloud.

“The patient’s second bought of consciousness lasted approximately ten to fifteen minutes and was characterized by cogent interactions and lucid thought patterns. Patient displayed high levels of agitation at being unable to supply basic information such as name, age, and current location. Follow up questions ascertained that patient has retained social and intellectual knowledge relevant to her age such as an understanding of customs like marriage and laws, and a clear grasp of vocabulary and, at least, a rudimentary mathematical ability.”

Turning to the next page, he continued.

“Patient, although distraught, made pertinent inquiries and understood the importance of her lack of self knowledge. Patient even demonstrated a grasp of humor as she pointed out the irony of remembering amnesia when on was suffering from it.”

Placing the notes back on his desk, he struggled to keep his amusement from finding purchase on his face until he noted the quirked lips of the man across from him. However, the pervasive somberness quickly returned at the next question.

“So what does this mean?”

“Well, Mr. Luthor; unfortunately I can’t tell you that with any certainty. I’ve contacted a colleague of mine who specializes in disorders of the brain and he confirmed that cases such as these are extremely rare. While loss of memory is common in certain physical and mental traumas, it is generally specific to events surrounding the incident. A car accident or a rape could certainly cause a loss of those specific memories and, even then, it is often transient and a full recovery is made.

However, the type of amnesia from which Miss Sullivan is suffering is much more complex and far more difficult to treat. As Dr. Preston’s notes indicate, she has retained a great deal of general, generic knowledge. Upon further interviews we will most likely find a comprehension of things anywhere from the expectation that the sun will rise to an awareness that this country is lead by a president. And yet, those same interviews will probably show a complete lack of any information specific to Chloe Sullivan as a person.

We believe that it has to do with how our minds store memories. The brain is a very organized and partitioned organ. It tends to divide and subdivide data which makes for easier retrieval. With memory there seems to be four major groupings.

Instinctual memories; these include the basis for such things as the fight or flight response. Consensus memories; these would be common information that society deems all members should know, things like we all pay taxes or what a TV is. Skill memories; things anywhere from walking or reading to typing or sculpting. Anything a person has to learn to do. And the last are what are called self memories. These are the memories that take the raw material of a person – intelligence, humor, compassion, etc – and, over time, refine and focus them into the individual that they become.

We don’t really know why they’re divided along those lines or where they’re all stored, but preliminary tests are showing appropriate access to both her instinct and consensus memory. The functional shortfall seems primarily limited to her self memory and only further assessment will tell us if there is any impact on her skills memories.”

Lex listened carefully to the explanation of Chloe’s condition. However, each answer seemed to leave him with a hundred new questions. Organizing his thoughts, he decided to address them in order of importance.

“What are the treatment procedures?”

Lex had seen the chagrined expression that slid across Dr. Heideman’s face far too many times in his life; when his mother was ill, after the first meteor shower in Smallville. It was the look that acknowledged the fallibility of the medical profession; that denied them their self-proclaimed godhood.

“There are none, correct?”

“Sadly, at this time we simply know too little to do much other than wait for the brain to normalize its functions.” He confirmed, clearly wishing that he had a better prognosis to offer.

“So the memories will just suddenly come back on their own?”

“Not generally speaking, no. In cases such as this, it is far more likely that if the missing information is recovered, it will come back quite slowly, in hazy bits and pieces that turn the patients past into a puzzle.

You must understand that there are numerous mitigating factors in the recovery process. While familiar places and people may trigger memories, often the expectations of family and friends create a level of frustration that inhibits recovery. There is also the stressor of having flashes of information with little or no context with which to interpret them and the fact that, often, things of importance to the patient, will try to make themselves known, creating a sense of urgency in them that they lack the basic recollective framework to adequately manage.”

Dr. Heideman had heard people speak about the genius of Lex Luthor. Not even thirty and running a billion dollar multi-national conglomerate – well – it was impossible not to concede that the man was possessed of a staggering intellect. But sitting before him now, watching his mind in motion was an almost humbling experience. The driven intensity was palpable in the air as and he could see a world of possibilities rise and fall in the the steely eyes burning with force of his indomitable will.

“So the sum of experience tells us that Miss Sullivan has lost access to those memories which have given her a sense of identity but, other than that, there is no sign that her ability to reason has been harmed.”

Heideman knew that he was only being asked for confirmation when warranted and not exposition, and so nodded his head in affirmation of the man’s statement.

“This condition is likely to persist for some time as her memories return in a random and disjointed manner that will probably defy early attempts on her part to contextualize without the aid of someone who is also familiar with her past experiences.”

Again the doctor nodded.

“And it is probably those memories to which she assigned significant importance that will be those that will be first to surface.”

As the doctor once again corroborated his theory, Lex’s mind began calculating the pros and cons, the risks and complication intrinsic to the stratagem gaining form. He knew that what he was contemplating was not evil in the harshest sense of the word, but it was a level of immorality to which he certainly had never aspired. And yet, there was no real guilt within him.

What had started out as the reoccurring clashes between he and Clark over the boy’s constant deceit and Lex’s responding dishonesty had, over time, become an all out war as each tried to expose the other’s secrets. They were both arriving at the realization that there was an actual threat posed by their foe and, as such, their struggles took on both the instinctual need for security and a tone of righteousness from both sides equally.

Chloe Sullivan had chosen to throw herself in the midst of that volatile conflict and, like any good soldier, must have expected the occasional battle wound.

Besides, in spite of everything that had passed between them, or maybe because of it, he liked Chloe. He had no desire to harm her, he merely wanted access to information that she was one of the few people privileged to hold. And, if Dr. Heideman was correct, her knowledge of Clark’s secret would be beating frantically at her mental constraints and would be painfully easy to elicit in the absence of the realization that, while they were not strictly enemies, they were in no way allies. So, if luck were with them, this need not be a prolonged exercise.

But even if that were to be the case, he would wait it out. It was far past time for this distraction with Clark to end. If the mystery he so virulently guarded was truly benign, then Lex could finally expel his former friend from his life permanently. But if, as he suspected, this deception was something that could potentially endanger them all then, forewarned, he could finally begin to prepare for threat the younger man could pose.

For an end to the escalating madness between the two men, it was worth a little discomfort on Chloe’s part. And, in what was sure to be her righteous fury at his action, he would be certain to remind her that it was her activities alone that were responsible for her present circumstances.

“Mr. Luthor,” the doctor began, “we can-”

Lex didn’t even let him finish.

“No; this is what will be done…”


~*~*~*~*~


Chloe kept her eyes closed as she heard someone enter the room and approach the bed. She was tired of being poked and prodded; she was tired of being asked questions to which they knew she didn’t have any answers; but mostly, after an hour of straining to remember even the smallest of personal details, she was just tired.

“I know you’re awake.”

The deep voice in combination with the sound of a chair being pulled over stirred her curiosity and she opened her eyes. She remembered him. Well, not remembered remembered, but she recalled him from earlier. How could she possibly forget the tall, good looking man with such a forceful and commanding presence that came into her room, bellowed her name, and then just turned and left? Besides, she still wasn’t sure how she knew that she knew these things, but she was pretty sure that completely bald men, especially those in tuxedos, were hardly the norm.

“How did you know?”

“You snore.”

Outrage stiffened her spine as she answered such a mean spirited fabrication.

“I do not!”

“How would you know?”

Chloe itched to smack the smirk off of his smug face, but he actually had a point; she didn’t know if she snored. Giving up her plans of assault with a long suffering sigh, she looked closer at the man at her bedside.

Despite the fact that disheveled look incredibly sexy on him, he looked as if he’d had a difficult time while she was in and out of it. The jacket he had been wearing earlier had been discarded and his sleeved were uncuffed and rolled up around his forearms. Even his bow tie was undone, the black fabric hanging limply around his collar. It was incredibly reassuring and oddly touching to know that, while she was so cut off from so many things that she needed to know, there was someone with her who cared enough to be so concerned. With a slightly sad and apologetic smile she decided she should probably remake his acquaintance.

“So, I’m guessing that we know each other.”

Suddenly she felt long fingers wrap around the hand lying closest to him as his eyes warmed and his features softened.

“I would hope so; otherwise our wedding would have been a very awkward affair.”


TBC

~Sarah~

[purpleant]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. I can't wait to learn Lex's plans for Chloe! Please update soon.

Thank you;)

[Gaia]

That sneeky little.....Well the beginning is great- just keep it up!!
Update anytime soon:D?

[kimmie]

Oh my god you hve to continue this...please. Your writing is brilliant. I love the way you write Lex and i have to see what happens. Please, please, please come back with more, really, really SOON!!!

-K-

[Krysia]

Great begining, you totally have me hooked. I can't wait to see what happens next. I hope that Chloe will go with the idea that she and Lex are together, what else can she do. But a part of her won't believe it [ which now that I think about it Lex will probably think of and will think of a story why she mistrusts him] And also I wonder how Clark will fit in all of this. Please write more.

[deia]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! Where's the rest of it?? Where???? Oh, you ruined my day, I hope you know it! I was all mouse-happy ready to click away for the next chapter and then in a sick and twisted turn of fate...there wasn't one! Now that's just low! A story so good and with this grand cannyon-ic of a cliff hanger and I don't get to know what's on the other side? I'l jump! I'm telling you, I'll jump! So please come back as soon as possible and give us more? Yes, I knew you'd be reasonable!

[toryjhay]

Lex is a manipulative bastard! and I can't help but love him!!! i can't believe he's pretending to be her husband...well yeah I can!

great start! can't wait for the update.

[westwingwolf]

Perfect! In true Lex fashion, he takes advantage of Chloe's problem to promote his own needs and I honestly do love him for it. I inticipate heartache when the knowledge is all out in the open and how Lex might feel later is up for grabs, but right now he can only see the good so this will be wonderful.

I'm glad that you put the information on amnesia in the fic and admitted that this form is rare (despite what soap operas will have one believe) and because I love the premise so much I'm completely going to immerse myself into this fic no questions asked.

I love that Chloe still has her humor if nothing else. And there first real scene together was hilarious with Lex's 'how would you know?' comment. I also loved that Lex was upset that he wasn't informed of her condition until after he arrived. He obviously would have came sooner if he knew she was hurt. Nice little insight into how he thinks of her. I guess it will be a while until we know why Chloe was there in the first place, though I love that there are things about Lex that she keeps secret from Clark and Lex is aware of it.

[Nyx]

Great start!

Lex, Lex, Lex... what are we gonna do with you??? We are going to see hurricane Chloe in action when she regains her memories.

So we hope you won't make us wait to long until the next update.

[lj715]

Excellent beginning....can't wait to read more.

[celticangel]

Fantastic begining!! I can't wait to see how it all plays out. Update soon!!

[Kit Merlot]

Sarah, this is one hell of a beginning!

I have questions but I have decided to wait until your next chapter is posted before I start bombarding you with them:D

So please post soon.

[somethingeasy]

A/N #2 – This is for somethingeasy who gently encouraged me via breaking international law and seizing Australia. That’s someone who really wants something to read. Because she sent some koalas my way I have endeavored to provide the beginning of this story. But beware – this is the prologue; it’s all about teasing, not pleasing.

heh. This is the result I get from holding onto the ‘smallest’ continent for ransom? Next time, I’ll try nabbing South America, and see what kind of a deal I can cut.

I’ll be releasing some more koala bears tonight… but only the reeeally clingy ones. They have been getting on my nerves. Have a nice barbecue.


A/N #3 – Last one, I promise. I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. The only research I did for the medical part of this story was to look up a proper term for amnesia. Everything else I just made up. I've tried to make it all seem reasonable, but who knows. But I just wanted to fess up avoid the 8,000 posts telling me what a weenie I am for getting it all wrong. Remember – I'm not stupid, just incredibly lazy.

Somehow, I think sticking to only what would be medically sound and viable would have ‘ruined’ the fic. Making stuff up works just FINE with me ;)


But she wouldn’t give up. Chloe Sullivan didn’t know the meaning of the word quit. Although if she made it out of there she was pretty sure she’d be looking it up, because she had a feeling that a new Sullivan motto of “Quit breaking into Luthor research facilities” could only enhance the quality of her life. Probably more so if she’d adopted it two hours ago.

ROTFLMAO! Even in the middle of a chase scene, Chloe finds time to make snarky, ironic observations. Even if the ‘target’ of her snark is herself, she pulls no punches. LOVE that about Skauble’s Chloe. In this fic, as well as ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’.


And so, when she did finally make contact with the door, she had only the briefest of moments to appreciate the irony that it was face first, before darkness consumed her.

A LOVELY introduction to the new fic. Filled with suspense, drama and a healthy dose of humour. Not to mention the reader’s sense of outrage of having Chloe tackled and ‘damaged’ like that.

Here is me hoping that Lex makes life unspeakably miserable for the idiot guard who tackled the blonde.


The doors to the infirmary flew open and the crowd of medical specialists in the room parted like the Red Sea before the imposing figure in the tuxedo. Lex Luthor was not a man in whose way you wanted to be, even if he wasn’t your boss.

LOL! I loved this introduction to Lex too. He made a fabulous entrance, and the way Skauble described how other people perceive him and react to him? Instant classic!


It had taken him about two and a half hours to extricate himself from the charity ball he had been attending, divest himself of his date, and reach the lab only to then be informed that she had been injured in her flight from the guards and, unconscious, was transported to the state of the art medical wing. For that discrepancy heads were going to roll; a vow he reaffirmed at his sight of her, still unconscious after so much time.

Excellent! I know that Lex doesn’t have any special affection or fondness for Chloe, but he’s not a monster who would approve of having the mostly harmless and non-malicious reporter injured while investigating him.

I’m SO glad he’s outraged about how Chloe was treated, and that he’s already making plans of retribution amongst his employee/s.


Not that he and Chloe hadn’t had their differences on other matters. Stubborn and opinionated, they were the type of people who could manage to disagree on even the things that they agreed upon. But underneath it all was a kinship that outlasted their struggles towards contrary objectives.

‘type of people who managed to disagree on things that they even agreed upon’… ROTFLOL at the aptness of this summation of the Chlexy relationship.


By the same token, he was certain that he had little to fear from whatever it was she had learned. While certainly the activities of this particular lab would only, after much falsifying of records and many, many bribes, be considered barely legal by the populace at large, there was nothing here to do with the meteors and, by extension it seemed, Clark. There was also nothing heinous such as human experimentation occurring. And Lex had learned over time that if Clark wasn’t in trouble and people weren’t in immediate danger, Chloe preferred not to create a tremendous amount of disruption in his life.

Clark might never believe that of his best friend and go to girl, but the boy would also never guess just exactly how much damaging information that Lex knew for a fact that Chloe had acquired over the years and about which she had never breathed a single word.

This was VERY interesting take on the fact that Chloe NEVER gets onto trouble for hacking or breaking into LuthorCorp, and Lex NEVER suffers the consequences from whatever information Chloe managed to unearth (that doesn’t involve harm towards others). And it actually fits in perfectly well with their characters.

It’s almost as if they have an unspoken deal to keep challenging each other and keeping each other in check. Lex will never prosecute Chloe, because he knows she would never use any knowledge gained against him in a malicious manner. And perhaps vice versa?

What a pity the two of them must distrust and disagree so strenuously on this ONE little matter of a farmboy.


Sometimes he wondered what kind of friends they would have made had he won Chloe’s loyalties before she gave them to another. But that was destined to remain unknown and any true potential unexplored as he was so desperate to uncover the secret she was equally as determined to protect. Somehow, everything always seemed to come back to Clark. And that, more than animosities, jealousies, and betrayals was why Lex knew that he would never quit looking until all of his questions finally had answers.

Wow! In ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’, I got the picked up on the undertone that one of the reasons why Lex was so desperate and determined to find out about Clark’s secret was because he wanted to know HOW and WHY his father was bestowing paternal affection on Kent.

Now I see Lex might want to know how Clark keeps gaining and commanding the trust and loyalties of so many powerful, skilled and talented people (people like Lionel AND Chloe), while Lex can’t even get his own wives to be faithful and loyal to him.

Complicated reasons, and I have to wonder whether Lex has consciously acknowledged these reasons, or whether he’s just convinced himself he wants to know because of those ‘surface reasons’ of ‘preparing for the unknown’ and such motivations.

Heh. But it seems like Lex is FINALLY going to have a chance to find out what it’s like to have Chloe’s loyalties and attentions dedicated first and foremost to HIM.I get the feeling it’s going to be veritably addictive, and Lex is NOT going to want to let go even after he finds out Clark’s secrets.


Lex had certainly had enough head injuries to know that sleeping after one severe enough to render you unconscious was rarely recommended. ‘Get a good night’s sleep’ was advice reserved for broken limbs and emotional upsets. If Chloe wasn’t awake then it was most likely the result of her injury and not the staff’s attempts to see to her comfort.

hmmm. Interesting observation over here. Thanks Skauble, for verifying the difference between ‘restful slumber’ and ‘potential coma’.

It was also heartening to see that Lex seemed rather… concerned for Chloe’s wellbeing. It’s not because he has any special regard for her, but it DOES show that, despite his selfish and manipulative nature, Lex still has a significant amount of humanity and decency within him.


“Mr. Luthor, I have reason to believe that Miss Sullivan’s wakefulness or lack thereof is not the issue we need to address.” Crossing over to the opposite side of his patient’s bed, he glanced at the illuminated displays on the various beeping machinery and then reached out gently to turn Chloe’s head slightly to the right to allow him to check the swollen and discolored area at her temple. Finishing his cursory exam he turned back to his employer.

ooooh. Nice bit of detailed description over here. I could visualize the scene perfectly, and imagine all the nasty bruises Chloe must be sporting. Poor girl!


His explanations were interrupted by a slight sound of stirring from the bed that immediately drew the attention of both men. Knowing that patients were often able to absorb information in varying states of consciousness, and wanting to avoid that specific occurrence in this particular case, he waved a nurse over to check on his charge and gestured Lex toward the exit.

“I think that our conversation would be better had in an alternative location.”

Although Lex wanted to remain in the room and see for himself that Chloe was, indeed, waking up; he understood the doctor’s reasoning. And, as he wasn’t one to hire imbeciles for so important a position, he felt it best to follow the older man’s advice.

This was an excellent insight into ‘doctor-patient’ bedside manners. How the doctor was being SO careful to keep disquieting information from an already agitated patient. AND it provided an excellent reason about why the doctor was being so forthcoming about the ‘private’ and confidential details of Chloe’s health and possible treatment.

Well that, and he was on the Luthor payroll ;)


As they entered Dr. Heideman’s office Lex seated himself in one of the large, leather chairs placed in front of a bulky mahogany desk cluttered with files. He didn’t say anything; he didn’t have to. He was a Luthor,; it was most people’s natural inclinations to attempt to anticipate and then meet his needs. He wanted information and had no doubt that it would be immediately forthcoming. He wasn’t wrong.

ROTFLOL at this ‘expectation’ Lex has about how EVERY-one is the world is simply obliged to hand over sensitive and confidential information to him… Without him even asking for it. VERY nice insight into the Luthor mind and lifestyle. Excellent writing!


“Didn’t you just say that such symptoms were not particularly extraordinary?” Lex questioned.

“Yes,” the doctor hurried to clarify. “But usually that type of difficulty in recollection is of extremely short duration and is less a consequence of the injury and more of a result of the temporary diminishment in cerebral capabilities.”

Despite Skauble’s claim that she didn’t do much research. I thought all of this sounded exceedingly real and convincing. Fabulous writing, and excellent job in ‘bluffing’ your way through a diagnosis. You could play a TV doctor after all!


“Amnesia?” It was all Lex could do to keep from laughing at both Chloe’s audacity and the utter naiveté of the man behind the desk.

“That is the tentative diagnosis at this-”

“She’s faking.” Lex saw little point in allowing the man to finish and even less in wasting his time with Chloe’s quite brilliant, but ultimately doomed scheme to avoid interrogation.

I should have guessed Lex’s first reaction to hearing about Chloe’s ‘amnesia’ would be sheer disbelief. After all, her condition DID seem to arrive at a rather convenient moment for her. LOL!

I bow down in awed worship to Skauble’s very characteristic response to the situation. I would never have thought of it, even though it was the most obvious reaction.

Hilarious too! Especially in hindsight! LOL!


“Chloe.” He called as he entered, and was not disappointed as she turned to face him at hearing her name. However his triumph was short lived as he jerked to a halt at seeing green eyes completely devoid of even the slightest hint of recognition.

Oh, it was still Chloe looking back at him; all agile intelligence and avid curiosity only slightly dimmed by pain. But it was as if the intricate layers of history had been stripped away, leaving the woman in her purest form.

Lex really should have realized how much danger he was in from THIS very moment. He finds it difficult enough to deny his attraction to her when she’s hostile, HOW is he supposed to deny her irresistibility when she actually seems open to a potential friendship?

Then again, he’s not going to realize the danger he’s in, since he’s been DENYING the attraction he’s been feeling for her for such a long time.

It’s going to be interesting to find out how ‘differently’ Chloe acts and behaves without the support of her memories and ‘sense of self’ guiding her thoughts and reactions.


When he didn’t speak, Chloe gave him a visual once over before meeting his eyes. She’d been fairly certain that he had been addressing her. After all, he’d said Chloe and they’d been assuring her, repeatedly, that that was her name. But before she could call out to him again he turned on his heels and walked out.

“Well,” she said to no one in particular, “if that’s the kind of people I know, I’m not so sure I want to remember.”

LOL! It’s good to see that the loss of memory and self has not affected her attitude. She’s still going to be confrontational, contrary, direct, and cantankerous and all other qualities that make her a general DELIGHT to read.

But she’s still going to have the disadvantage of being dependent and vulnerable to manipulations that she had learned (through bitter experience) not to fall for. It seems like she’s going to have a lesson of ‘never trust Luthors’ all over again.


Dr. Heideman could see that whatever exchange he’d had with the young woman had been enough to convince his employer of the validity of his diagnosis. However, being no fool, he chose not to mention the man’s earlier doubt.

Lex seemed quite abrupt and brusque with the doctor after verifying that Chloe was actually NOT faking. Perhaps he was perturbed over the fact that Chloe was not faking her condition after all. Could it be possible that his feelings were ‘hurt’ about being forgotten by her?

I can hope that was the initial reaction. :D


“Of course. What we believe that we’re dealing with is a case of traumatic, global amnesia.” Resuming his seat, he shuffled through his papers until he was once again holding the sheaf of notes he had been when they’d first had this discussion.

“Very little is actually known about amnesia, its causes, or its cure. The blow to the head that Miss Sullivan suffered caused a slight swelling in her brain. It was well within an acceptable range for this type of injury and, according to her second CT scan, seems to be subsiding. So, while it would seem that the pressure was the initial cause of the memory loss, I'm concerned that there is no rebound in that area as it diminishes.”

WOW! I am amazed by the ‘doctor-speak’ over here. Even if it’s not authentic, it SOUNDS genuine enough to be taken seriously by the reader. In fact, this is quite similar to the seemingly ‘technical authenticity’ that also made the ‘experimentations’ documented during the earlier chapters of ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’ so interesting to read through.

Excellent writing, excellent work in ‘bluffing’ your way though made-up details in your Chlex world.


“Patient, although distraught, made pertinent inquiries and understood the importance of her lack of self knowledge. Patient even demonstrated a grasp of humor as she pointed out the irony of remembering amnesia when on was suffering from it.”

Placing the notes back on his desk, he struggled to keep his amusement from finding purchase on his face until he noted the quirked lips of the man across from him. However, the pervasive somberness quickly returned at the next question.

LOL! I was so pleased to see Chloe’s sense of humour, irony or cynicism had not faded by her lack of memories. I’m pretty sure Lex was also pleased to see that Chloe had not been ‘diminished’ despite her vulnerable condition.


“Well, Mr. Luthor; unfortunately I can’t tell you that with any certainty. I’ve contacted a colleague of mine who specializes in disorders of the brain and he confirmed that cases such as these are extremely rare. While loss of memory is common in certain physical and mental traumas, it is generally specific to events surrounding the incident. A car accident or a rape could certainly cause a loss of those specific memories and, even then, it is often transient and a full recovery is made.

This really helped in illustrating how incredibly rare total amnesia actually is… regardless of the fact that soap operas and TV sitcoms might say otherwise. Thanks for this bit of information, Skauble! I actually think I saw SOME research peeking through after all.


Instinctual memories; these include the basis for such things as the fight or flight response. Consensus memories; these would be common information that society deems all members should know, things like we all pay taxes or what a TV is. Skill memories; things anywhere from walking or reading to typing or sculpting. Anything a person has to learn to do. And the last are what are called self memories. These are the memories that take the raw material of a person – intelligence, humor, compassion, etc – and, over time, refine and focus them into the individual that they become.

We don’t really know why they’re divided along those lines or where they’re all stored, but preliminary tests are showing appropriate access to both her instinct and consensus memory. The functional shortfall seems primarily limited to her self memory and only further assessment will tell us if there is any impact on her skills memories.”

VERY interesting! I’m not sure whether any of this information was from an authentic medical source, but it SOUNDED genuine enough for me. So much that I wasn’t even tempted to do my own research to find out how much was true, and how much was Skauble’s exquisite form of bluffing. LOL!

And it really helps to show how a person can forget everything about themselves while still retaining hacking skills.

Of course, we have yet to find out whether Chloe still retains any of her investigative abilities, but I get the feeling her intensely intelligent and curious nature has not been diminished any more than her snarky attitude.

Lex is going to be running in circles to keep her from learning the truth… despite all the advantages he has in this situation.


“Not generally speaking, no. In cases such as this, it is far more likely that if the missing information is recovered, it will come back quite slowly, in hazy bits and pieces that turn the patients past into a puzzle.

You must understand that there are numerous mitigating factors in the recovery process. While familiar places and people may trigger memories, often the expectations of family and friends create a level of frustration that inhibits recovery. There is also the stressor of having flashes of information with little or no context with which to interpret them and the fact that, often, things of importance to the patient, will try to make themselves known, creating a sense of urgency in them that they lack the basic recollective framework to adequately manage.”

This makes sense, and it fits in with any information I ‘might’ have picked up on amnesia from TV and movies. AND I can see how this would work out in Lex’s favour with his scheme.

Poor Chloe! I don’t see how she’s going to get out of this tangle. Her only hope is to stay an amnesiac about EVERY-thing as long as possible… OR remember her antagonistic relationship with Lex before she remembers ANY-thing about Clark.


Dr. Heideman had heard people speak about the genius of Lex Luthor. Not even thirty and running a billion dollar multi-national conglomerate – well – it was impossible not to concede that the man was possessed of a staggering intellect. But sitting before him now, watching his mind in motion was an almost humbling experience. The driven intensity was palpable in the air as and he could see a world of possibilities rise and fall in the the steely eyes burning with force of his indomitable will.

I LOVED Heidman’s observation over here. It’s so easy to dismiss the intimidating force of Lex by chalking it up to ‘the luck of being born to wealth and power’, and the training he received from Lionel. But I think it’s possible that even if he had been born such resources, he STILL would have been one hell of a force to be reckoned with.


As the doctor once again corroborated his theory, Lex’s mind began calculating the pros and cons, the risks and complication intrinsic to the stratagem gaining form. He knew that what he was contemplating was not evil in the harshest sense of the word, but it was a level of immorality to which he certainly had never aspired. And yet, there was no real guilt within him.

I ADORED this version of Lex that Skauble keeps playing around in her fics. This man has all the brilliant, selfish, manipulative and morally ambiguous elements within his personality that makes him the ‘anti-hero’ character. But Skauble still manages to keep him away from being monstrous or even malicious… so he’s not ‘quite’ a villain either. Even if his actions might sometimes suggest otherwise.

He’s just too complex to be categorized. And this is all due to the magnificence of Skauble characterization of Lex Luthor,


What had started out as the reoccurring clashes between he and Clark over the boy’s constant deceit and Lex’s responding dishonesty had, over time, become an all out war as each tried to expose the other’s secrets. They were both arriving at the realization that there was an actual threat posed by their foe and, as such, their struggles took on both the instinctual need for security and a tone of righteousness from both sides equally.

Chloe Sullivan had chosen to throw herself in the midst of that volatile conflict and, like any good soldier, must have expected the occasional battle wound.

I REALLY liked this explanation about Lex’s obsession with Clark. I’m still going to believe that he has underlying motives of wanting to know how Clark keeps gathering all the friends, allies and resources that Lex is desperate for. But it’s good to see what kind of a ‘moral high ground’ he uses to justify his obsession.

I can also see how Lex would be able to rationalize using Chloe in this ‘end justifies the means’ scheme. He KNOWS that what is he doing is morally wrong, but he genuinely believes he’s doing all this for the right reasons.

I don’t think Chloe is going to have the same perspective when she finally ‘wakes up’. In fact, I wonder if Lex realizes how he’s jeopardizing the carefully balanced ‘truce’ he’s currently worked out with the reporter. Has he weighed the costs of making an outright enemy of Chloe, instead of a neutral non-ally?


Besides, in spite of everything that had passed between them, or maybe because of it, he liked Chloe. He had no desire to harm her, he merely wanted access to information that she was one of the few people privileged to hold. And, if Dr. Heideman was correct, her knowledge of Clark’s secret would be beating frantically at her mental constraints and would be painfully easy to elicit in the absence of the realization that, while they were not strictly enemies, they were in no way allies. So, if luck were with them, this need not be a prolonged exercise.

riiiight! And just how much time is Lex willing to invest in this scheme anyway? It ‘could’ take months until Chloe remembers and reveals the information Lex wants. How is he going to isolate and hide her away for that amount of time?

This is one really ambitious project. And one that could have serious consequences if it goes awry. Lex is taking quite a risk here. But then again, taking maximum risks for maximum rewards is part of what Lex Luthor is all about.


But even if that were to be the case, he would wait it out. It was far past time for this distraction with Clark to end. If the mystery he so virulently guarded was truly benign, then Lex could finally expel his former friend from his life permanently. But if, as he suspected, this deception was something that could potentially endanger them all then, forewarned, he could finally begin to prepare for threat the younger man could pose.

Again, thanks for the further insight into Lex’s motivations for wanting to know the truth behind Clark’s lies and evasive behaviour. It was also heartening to see more proof that, even though his actions might be selfish and shady, Lex still has a sense of integrity, humanity and decency that saves him from being an outright monster.

It’s a sense of integrity that might not make sense to most ‘normal people’, but it’s there! And I think it’s a sense of integrity that Chloe would be able to relate to… if only they didn’t have this contention between them.

But they DON’T have the contention between them anymore, do they? Ooooh, I’m looking SO forward to seeing how the two of them get along when setting aside all animosity and history. Lex is going to fall so hard for the reporter…

I wonder if he’s going to start making plans (midway through his original plans) to ensure Chloe’s memories STOP returning.


For an end to the escalating madness between the two men, it was worth a little discomfort on Chloe’s part. And, in what was sure to be her righteous fury at his action, he would be certain to remind her that it was her activities alone that were responsible for her present circumstances.

AAAARGH! Manipulative BASTARD!

He might not be outright malicious, but he’s still a sneaky bastard who is going to have a LOT of fast explaining to do later. And all the rationalizations in the world are not going to help when his plans change from ‘winning over Chloe to get at pertinent information’ to ‘winning over Chloe’ period.

This is going to be one FUN ride! And it’s running on themes similar to your other fic… but with completely different story lines. Please update soon.


“Mr. Luthor,” the doctor began, “we can-”

Lex didn’t even let him finish.

“No; this is what will be done…”

We all know that Lex felt no guilt over his decisions and subsequent actions, but I wonder if the doctor felt ANY twinges on his conscience after receiving Luthor’s instructions…?

Or was he just happy to have the opportunity to make a quick buck through Luthor bribes covering less than legal manoeuvrings?


“How did you know?”

“You snore.”

Outrage stiffened her spine as she answered such a mean spirited fabrication.

“I do not!”

“How would you know?”

ROTFLMAO! This was a stunning example of BRILLIANT and funny banter between them. And not only does it establish Lex’s advantage over Chloe from the very beginning, but it also serves to suggest ‘intimate relations’ between the two of them right here and now.

I just adore it when Lex demonstrates how brilliant he is with his strategic manipulations. Maximum rewards with minimum effort.


Chloe itched to smack the smirk off of his smug face, but he actually had a point; she didn’t know if she snored. Giving up her plans of assault with a long suffering sigh, she looked closer at the man at her bedside.

And I just love how contentious and difficult Chloe is, despite being stripped of her identity. It’s going to take a lot more than a case of non-selfhood to make a Sullivan roll over and ‘play nice’.

Despite the fact that Lex hold all the cards, advantages and negotiating power right now… he’s STILL not going to find this an easy job. I think Chloe is going to be as much of a challenge as she ever was, and once she regains her memories… Lex had better start sleeping lightly now.


Despite the fact that disheveled look incredibly sexy on him, he looked as if he’d had a difficult time while she was in and out of it. The jacket he had been wearing earlier had been discarded and his sleeved were uncuffed and rolled up around his forearms. Even his bow tie was undone, the black fabric hanging limply around his collar. It was incredibly reassuring and oddly touching to know that, while she was so cut off from so many things that she needed to know, there was someone with her who cared enough to be so concerned. With a slightly sad and apologetic smile she decided she should probably remake his acquaintance.

That sneaky, manipulative BASTARD!!!! All the readers know that he carefully ‘arranged’ his appearance beforehand to appear ‘rumpled and dishevelled’ in a overly concerned and anxiety ridden kind of way. He’s really not taking any chances when pulling on Chloe’s emotional puppet strings, is he?


“So, I’m guessing that we know each other.”

Suddenly she felt long fingers wrap around the hand lying closest to him as his eyes warmed and his features softened.

“I would hope so; otherwise our wedding would have been a very awkward affair.”

That insufferable, devious, conniving, unscrupulous, sly, calculating, slimeball, SKUNK!!! I could think of about a thousand more words along this vein, and I STILL wouldn’t come close to venting my outrage over his ACTING!!!

He’s even doing that soft sweet intimate touching, combining it with a soft look in his eyes. He’s using all the ‘tricks’ he picked up during his player years, and using them on poor helpless Chloe. I could just KICK him! KILL him! KISS him!

….

Ok, fine… so I find him irresistible like this. I can hate him at the same time too!

I can’t wait for Lex to meet with his comeuppance in this fic… AND in ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’ too. In fact, in both fics, we have a Lex Luthor who is far too arrogant and smug for his own good, and he really needs to be knocked down a couple of pegs, and have his face rubbed around in the muck for the sake of humility. For the reader’s satisfaction as well as for Chloe eventual heartbreak.

I think I’m more angry with THIS Lex than I am with ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’ (ATfK) Lex. Because, although both of them have made intricate plans to use Chloe as a ends to a means in their obsession with Clark Kent… ATfK-Lex doesn’t (yet) have plans to seduce Chloe into spilling her guts… but WYDK-Lex has a plan to (possibly) make Chloe fall for him while seducing information out of her. What happens after he gets what he wants… he drops the poor heartbroken girl like one of his brainless brunette toys?! Chloe deserves better than THAT kind of treatment!

Heh. I’m getting seriously invested and involved in this fic already, and it’s JUST the prologue… I’m almost afraid to see how far Skauble can get me emotionally engrossed in this fic midway through Lex’s various plans.

I might be afraid, but I’m still going to beg for fast updates. Please write quickly! Please post ASAP!

[Kitching]

Opps I smell trouble, Lex is so going to get more then he bargained for, isn’t he? Update soon please don’t leave us hanging!:P

[gecko]

great start, can't wait to see what happens next and chloe's reaction that her and lex are getting married, please come back and update soon

[malugargula]

I could swear I had reviewed your fic
Anyway great start. I can`t wait for more. It`s going to be funny seing Chloe thinking she`ll marry Lex
And about the others characters?? I`m eager to see their reactions

[staceytyler]

Loving it already. Please update soon, I can't wait to read Chloe's reaction to the marriage.

[Esther25jm]

Bwah! Lex friggin rocks!! Ooh, love the intro and can't wait for the next chapter!!

[kcsgirl82]

This fic is off to a fantastic start. I love the way Lex told her they were married. This is gonna be a great fic! Please update!!!!

[jedi]

excellent begining. you're really amazing. loved it.
keep it going..

[Augustine86]

This is so full of promise I can hardly wait for the next post. It's not only well written, but it makes sense and makes the "chloe has amnesia" pl,ot look so far from trite I can't even see trite from here.

[somethingeasy]

How strange. I truly felt like it had been MONTHS since this fic had been updated, but checking the posting dates, and the current calender... it's only been a little over a WEEK??!! How could I be so desperate for an update on a fic that was updated just one week ago?! How could the time have stretched by SO much, that I actually believed it had been at least a month since I got my last Skauble-fix??!!

I hate being so hopelessly dependent and addicted to outside stimuli and substances for my pleasure. But I hate being deprived of it even more.

For mercy's sake, have pity on your poor wretched fan... Update soon!

pretty please?

[welshy]

That was such an interesting start, I love the way you had Lex being with Chloe. I hopes there's going to be another chapter soon.

[skauble]

“So, I’m guessing that we know each other.”

Suddenly long fingers reached out and wrapped around the hand lying closest to him as his eyes warmed and his features softened.

“I would hope so; otherwise our wedding would have been a very awkward affair.”


Chapter One


Chloe’s gasp at the unexpected response turned into a brief coughing fit. When her lungs finally gave up there spasms a glass of cool water was pressed into her hand as the man who claimed to be her husband spoke.

“I’m sorry; but there really wouldn’t have been a good way to tell you would there.”

“That I’m married to an insensitive bastard? Guess not.”

Her words were harsh but her faint smile washed away any sting they might have held and Lex was both amazed and gratified to see that so much of the Chloe Sullivan he knew remained.

Taking a sip of the water, she set the glass aside and peered at him curiously. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course,” he replied, relieved by her seeming acceptance.

“What is your name?”

Lex’s deep, rich laughter filled the room and Chloe was glad to hear it. She loathed people who lacked a sense of humor. Not that she had recalled that about herself; more that after hours of the tight lipped, solemn medical staff she could honestly say that she’d kill for even a meager ‘knock, knock’ joke.

“Lex. Lex Luthor.”

She hadn’t been expecting that, and for a few moments Chloe silently pondered what it meant.

“Well, Mr. Luthor,” she inquired with an arch of her eyebrow, “is there any particular reason that I’ve been told, repeatedly, that my name is Chloe Sullivan?”

The smile he gave her was designed to inspire trust. Lex knew it worked well; he practiced it a lot before lying to people.

“Well, even if I could convince you to give up your maiden name, it hasn't become an issue just yet. We’re newly married.”

Chloe’s face twisted in horror and Lex quickly reclaimed her hand.

“Chloe! What is it? What’s wrong?”

Looking as if she was about to cry, she asked in a small voice, “Did I ruin our wedding?”

Realizing that he was apparently going to be as perplexed by the new Chloe as he had been by the old, he nevertheless hurried to soothe her.

“Of course you didn’t. Why would you even think such a thing?”

Thankful to hear that she hadn’t destroyed such a momentous occasion, even if she couldn’t remember it, she gestured weakly to his attire. “Well, everyone’s been calling me Sullivan, and we don’t seem to have exchanged rings, and you’re here in a tuxedo…I just kind of thought that maybe I’d done something stupid like tripped during the ceremony and knocked myself unconscious on the altar.”

Laughing again, Lex decided that he liked this side of Chloe. Previously, their humor had always found an outlet in the slightly acerbic banter that was often as guarded as it was entertaining. Unfortunately, they’d had the type of relationship that didn’t lend itself to prolonged periods of levity, as their time together was generally motivated by whatever dire emergency was taking place at the moment. It was nice to see the open, playful side that she reserved for those that she didn’t consider potential enemies.

He also had to admit that he was exceedingly impressed by her powers of observation. Evidently journalism wasn’t her just career choice, but an inherent part of who she was. Even after a head trauma and the resulting amnesia, she still managed to find the oddities in her situations and the inconsistencies in his story. No wonder Clark had managed to keep his secret for so long with Chloe covering for him, he thought in frustrated admiration.

“You didn’t ruin our wedding, Chloe. It was a very simple affair with no injurious altar in sight. We’ve only been married for seven weeks which is why everyone here was referring to you as Sullivan before my arrival, since that was the name on your identification. As for the rings…well, that’s a little more complex and I don’t want to upset you right now.”

Her brow furrowed in concentration and Lex could see that she was trying to recall anything that would help her decipher his last statement. He sat silently, waiting for her questions. He was counting on Chloe’s inability to deny her curiosity. Lex began to understand then that his plans might not be as difficult as he had believed. Apparently the baseline Chloe was very similar to the Chloe he had known; and while he was satisfied with the development, it caused an odd feeling inside of him to realize that he actually knew someone so genuine.

“Okay…Lex. Explain the ring thing.”

“Chloe,” her name a weary exclamation, “the doctors were very specific that I not fill your head with information that might interfere with the return of your memory.”

“Please, Lex,” she was surprised at how easy the name fell from her lips, “I know that you can’t tell me everything. Believe me; I’ve heard the lecture from three different doctors. But there has to be something that you can tell me. Doesn’t anyone get that maybe its more distressing for me to know that there are these “upsetting” things out there that I’m completely unprepared to deal with?”

With a sigh of resignation that he hoped was convincing, Lex arranged his features in a persuasive imitation of concern.

“Chloe, your best friend was a young man named Clark.” He knew that he had to be careful not to give her too much information. “You were very close, but when we started dating he took it badly. Although he and I had also been friends previously, he didn’t approve of me as your suitor.”

Rubbing gentle circles on her skin with his thumb, he allowed a small silence to build, conveying a sense of impending doom.

“But by then it was too late. Every second I spent with you found me more and more in love. Even your loyalty to Clark in the face of his rants and accusations towards you made me fall harder.”

His eyes locked with hers and he could see that she was absorbing his words; the frightening void in her mind lending them greater effect.

“I hated seeing you hurt, but you were determined to try to salvage your friendship, and so I agreed not to tell Clark how serious things had become between us. But I drew the line at us putting our lives entirely on hold because of the tantrums of one jealous boy. So we decided to elope, hoping that when we did tell Clark he would finally realize that our marriage was a fait accompli and that he had no choice but to accept it.”

Lex watched a number of emotions flit across her face until, finally, only confusion was left.

“Okay; that explains the lack of rings, but it doesn’t seem all that upsetting. I mean, it’s not like I remember this Clark guy, so I can’t say that I’m too bothered that he’s off having a conniption fit about something that doesn’t really seem like his business. So why did you seem so reluctant to tell me…apart from the whole misplaced memory deal?”

“Earlier today you called me. You sounded…” his pained voice briefly halted. “You sounded so upset. You were crying and all I could make out was something about Clark. I wanted to go to you right then. God, I should have just followed my instincts despite what you said.”

Even though she had no memories of the man before her or the things he was speaking of, he looked so consumed with guilt that she couldn’t resist the urge to offer him the same comfort he’d extended to her. Turning her hand in his, she gently squeezed it in a soothing gesture of reassurance.

His gaze snapped down in surprise as he felt Chloe’s warm hand clasp his. Knowing that, realistically, she had less than an hour of memories of him and yet was still trying to calm his distress revealed a great deal about her character that would be useful to him in this new endeavor. He heaved a heavy sigh and continued with his tale.

“You begged me not to leave work to find you. You said Clark was already gone and you were on your way to meet me here anyway.” He answered her question before she had time to ask. “We were going to a benefit tonight. You said that you were tired of hiding; that our real friends would be those that celebrated our happiness with us.”

“Wow, I’m pretty smart, huh?”

“Indeed,” he declared, bringing her hand to his lips for a soft kiss.

“Not that I want to discourage compliments and romantic gestures, but if we could get back to you telling me whatever it is that you’re trying to not tell me, that would be good, too.”

Years of practice allowed his features to remain impassive as Chloe did exactly as he’d predicted. It wasn’t that she was easy to manipulate; on the contrary. All of the observations she’d made and the conclusions she’d drawn were quite logical and signs of both her intelligence and perceptive nature. She just didn’t know him well enough to take everything he said with an entire salt mine.

And he planned to use all of those traits to his benefit. He would allow her clever mind to point out the purposefully hidden aspects of his accounting of her life, knowing that if she believed that she was learning about things he was reluctant to tell, she would give the information greater credence. Lex also understood that in her newly formed innocence she would see his hesitation to be forthcoming as an act of protection as opposed to manipulation.

“You wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened with Clark. You told me we’d talk about it tonight. But Chloe,” he leaned forward, to help convey the import of his words, “whatever he said, whatever he did, I haven't ever heard you that upset. For a few moments you seemed almost hysterical. I’ve never been so frightened in my life…until I saw you lying in this bed tonight.”

“Sounds like your day has been almost as bad as mine, huh? I’m sorry you were worried.”

And as he looked into her clear green eyes, he could see that she was. It had been a while since anyone had shown genuine concern for his well-being, emotional or otherwise. It was nice but, as it was destined to be short lived, he decided to pay little attention to the feeling.

“Worried doesn’t begin to encompass the dread I’ve experienced today. And frankly it’s a dread that I probably shouldn’t be sharing with you right now. But since I’ve already forsaken doctor’s orders, I need you to do something for me, Chloe.”

“Of course,” she agreed, thankful that he’d been willing to go against prevailing opinion and give her even a tiny glimpse of her life.

“Clark and I were friends for a long time, but Chloe – you’re everything to me and I won’t let anything jeopardize that. Not even Clark. I don’t know what happened today and you can’t tell me; but I know that it must have been bad to upset you as much as it did.”

Lex practically vibrated with intensity and determination as he delivered the coup de grâce .

“Dr. Heideman has suggested that you don’t struggle to remember anything, and despite the fact that I’ve just broken half of the medical directives I received before coming in here, I don’t disagree. However, if you remember anything about Clark – tall, dark hair, green eyes – anything dangerous, threatening, or that even just strikes you as out of the ordinary, I need you to promise that you’ll let me know. If anything ever happened to you…”

Oddly enough, the anxiety radiating from the man who she’d just learned was her husband was strangely comforting. Without any firsthand knowledge of her past everything she learned seemed a little surreal and mildly suspect. But this near tangible fear – for her, of losing her – made clear why they were together.

Untangling her hand from his, she brought her fingers up to brush the lines of worry from his face.

“I promise.”



Chapter Two


Lex no longer hired true believers. Fanatics were unruly and unpredictable; lead not by his instructions but by the courage of their convictions. No; now the people who surrounded him did so for money. Because he had more of that particular commodity than most it made his employees infinitely easier to manage.

And for this reason his instructions regarding Chloe had been followed to the letter. In fact, whatever shock, if any, that Dr. Heideman had felt at Lex’s dictates never showed on his face as the man seemed to take in stride the deception and veritable kidnapping of a vulnerable young woman.

Lex liked getting his money’s worth.

And so he’d sat in silent satisfaction as Heideman and his staff imparted to Chloe the information that he had approved. A mixture of medical fact and subtle fabrication, Lex was relatively confident that Chloe would be convinced of the necessity of the actions he would be taking to reach his objective in a timely manner.

First, they had explained to her the importance of avoiding direct interaction with people and places from her past, claiming that the popular myth of “jogging” one’s memory often left the patient feeling pressured and confused as their mind tried to create memories based on what they were told about their past.

Then they had emphasized how important it was that she alerted her “husband” of every memory so that they could begin to discern a pattern to her recollections so that they would be able to generate a more focused treatment plan.

Lastly, they absolutely forbid any kind of stress. No work, no school, and limited exposure to any kind of media. Of course, he smiled at the memory, Chloe had questioned that last order. Lex had expected nothing less, and Heideman had provided the answer that he had been given – every news item to which she was exposed would engender subconscious expectations that she should be able to place it contextually. The byproduct of such belief, no matter how unintentional, would be a growing sense of anxiety that would hinder her recovery.

Once again the old Chloe seemed to peek through as she balked at the restrictions being placed on her. It was only his refusal to take her home that assured her compliance.

But she had agreed, and now, three days after her foolhardy stunt, they were speeding their way out of the city, past the suburbs, to a small estate that he’d purchased little more than a year ago.

Glancing over at her seated across from him he couldn’t help but notice how much better she looked than she had even earlier that morning. It appeared that hospitals still didn’t agree with her. Lex suspected that was due to their inherent constraints on her naturally boundless energy. But now, away from there, her skin had regained a healthy glow from which even the fading bruising at her temple could not detract.

In keeping with the story they were husband and wife, Lex had purchased an entire wardrobe for her and, when he’d come to retrieve her, he’d brought with him a sleeveless silk blouse in a light spring green and a simple, knee length skirt in a darker, richer shade. The color enhanced that of her eyes, and he found himself drawn to them repeatedly as they gazed at him with an open curiosity, all hints of their former animosity missing.

They were nearing there destination when Chloe finally broke what had been the surprisingly companionable silence.

“I know that I’m supposed to be patient and rediscover myself at the pace my mind sets, but there really are some things that I have to know so I don’t drive myself crazy.”

“Well,” Lex said thoughtfully, “why don’t you tell me the questions you have and we’ll decide which ones are safe to answer.”

After days with what was fast becoming clear was her overprotective husband, Chloe realized that was the best offer she was going to get.

“My family. Aren’t they going to worry?”

“Of course they’re worried. But I explained Dr. Heideman’s orders, and since all they want is you to recover as quickly as possible, they’ve agreed to give you time.”

Which of course wasn’t even remotely true. Gabe had passed away late in the previous year; a good man, Lex had truly regretted his passing. But that just left Chloe’s uncle and cousins and, although they all loved her, only Lois was around enough to actually notice Chloe’s absence. So Lex had handled her in the same way that he had dealt with Clark.

He had his security team retrieve some personal items from Chloe’s apartment, along with her laptop and her car from near the facility to make it appear credible that she had left town. And then, with a computer expert to break through the rather remarkable security and a specialist in linguistics to compose two messages that would reflect her speaking pattern, he had emails sent to Lois and Clark detailing an amazing lead on a story in California and her desire to be the one who broke it. It would be abrupt, but not out of the realm of possibility, and Lex was hopeful that his plan would reach fruition far before any serious suspicions could be raised.

“Okay,” he prodded, seeing her still inquisitive look, “out with it. Let’s have the rest of the questions.”

“Dr. Heideman said no school or work. How big of a problem is this going to end up being for me when I finally remember everything?”

Not that Lex regretted his deception of Chloe, but he was still glad that he could genuinely set her mind at ease on these particular matters.

“Actually, you decided against taking classes during the summer semester so that you could focus on your internship, which I think is a subject that your doctor’s would rather you remember for yourself. I did, however, explain the situation to your superiors and they’ve agreed to hold your position indefinitely.”

Most of which was true. Oh, he had ensured that her internship would be waiting for her; he had no desire to truly damage Chloe’s life. But he made certain that his name was in no way connected with the matter. Instead, he had sent a few of the higher profile Metropolis lawyers who had done work for him before, but were not currently on the Luthor payroll, to meet with the owner of the Daily Planet. They had intimated that they were there on behalf of Chloe’s family, most notably her uncle, General Sam Lane.

Explaining to the man that Chloe had been injured investigating a story that was far to dangerous for an unsupervised intern, they had hinted about massive repercussions in the form of prolonged litigation. However, they had assured him that Miss Sullivan only wanted to be able to return to her position once she had recovered and that their employer was predisposed to allowing her her way and dropping the matter if her place was guaranteed to be waiting for her.

Not surprisingly, her position as a Daily Planet intern had been secured, in writing, within the hour.

Seeing that she still seemed slightly troubled, he reached over a clasped one of her hands in his. The doctors who had treated Chloe had all concurred that the best way to both achieve his goal of convincing her that he was her husband and lessen the chance that he himself would trigger memories, other than those of Clark, was to act in a manner that was appropriate to their current situation and with a marked difference than their previous interactions. As such, he took every reasonable opportunity to offer demonstrative touches or affectionate words.

“What else?”

The indulgent tone soothed her nerves as did the hand wrapped around hers. She had to admit that she appreciated the comfort that Lex had offered consistently since she’d awoken. But even more than that, she was grateful that Lex took her curiosity and consequent reflective inquiries as normal, if not expected behavior, whereas the doctors she’d been dealing with treated every display of intelligence on her part as if she were a dog who’d just learned how to roll over.

“We’re not poor, are we?” Chloe asked with a pointed look around the lush interior of their limousine.

A smirk tilted Lex’s lips at yet another question he’d been awaiting from his ever observant “wife” since he’d bundled her into the sleek, black vehicle. “Not particularly, no.”

He watched as her small white teeth began to worry her lower lip in an increasingly familiar gesture as he waited for her to come to some kind of decision regarding what he’d just revealed.

“Huh. I probably liked being rich, didn’t I?”

She smiled as Lex’s laughter filled the small space. She loved the husky sound and, sometimes by the look on his face when it subsided, she wondered if he’d had enough opportunities to indulge his sense of humor in his life. Not that it mattered. As his wife she would see to it that his very appealing smile made every possible appearance in the future.

“I can honestly say that you were one of the few people who couldn’t have cared less about my money.”

Chloe was relieved to hear the confirmation but couldn’t help reply, “Sure. I bet I was a scheming gold digger who’d just lulled you into a false sense of security so I could steal your fortune and now all my hard work is for nothing.”

No matter how long they may or may not have been married, Chloe couldn’t help the blush she could feel burning across her cheeks as Lex brought her hand up to his lips and, in a gesture far more intimate then the last time, turned it over and laid a gentle kiss on her palm.

“Chloe, everything I have is yours for the asking.”

Lex watched as her pink cheeks flushed an even deeper and quite pleasing color. The car slowed to a halt and he was surprised at how enjoyable the trip had been, especially when one considered the circumstances. As the driver opened his door, Lex kept hold of Chloe’s hand, using it to draw her out through his side.

He observed her somewhat stunned expression as she looked up at the house that was modest by Luthor standards, but not by that of any other reasonable person. Wrapping an arm around her back he pulled her into his side and bent to whisper in her ear.

“Welcome home.”

TBC

~sarah~

[dayamiracle]

I just discovered this fic and may i say it is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the plot line, cant wait to see how Chloe fits into Lex's life, and how hard it is for him to cover the things that dont make sense. UPDATE SOON!!!

[kimmie]

i love this and I can't wait til Lex realises he is actually falling in love with her!

-K-

[lj715]

Oh Lex, boy are you gonna be in trouble when you really start falling in love with her. Love this fic & can't wait for more. Excellent update!

[Gaia]

UPDATE!!!*dances happily around the room* Finally..I mean Ok you didn't really start this one that long ago,but it seems like ages!
SO- Lex has made sure-at least he thinks he has- that Chloe will be loyal to him and tell him Clark's secret... And I seriously doubt it.:)
But anyway- wonderful apdate....next one soon? Maybe? Like...I don't know- tomorrow?:D ...Most likely not...

[Kit Merlot]

This is just excellent Sarah!

I like that Lex realizes that Chloe is quite intelligent and observant, and that she is one of the reasons Clark has been able to hide so well.

Wonderful work:D

[sarahnicole]

He knew that what he was contemplating was not evil in the harshest sense of the word, but it was a level of immorality to which he certainly had never aspired. And yet, there was no real guilt within him.

I made a Homer Simpson-like gurgling noise in my head about how sexy it would be if this were the Lex that Smallville showed. And true to character--but then, it wouldn't be Smallville would it. Anyhow, your writing of Lex (who is a tough nut to crack) is fantastic. Your motivations and thought process for him are exactly what they should be, and you've truly created a Chloe who engenders all of her reputed traits to an incredible degree. Please, please, please post more soon!

[jedi]

It was terrific. I adore this fic. can't wait to see how things will be for Chloe. and Lex, he's really Evol. loved it so much

[toryjhay]

poor chloe, she's so trusting. but lex! man he is discovering a lot of things about her and i can't wait until he realizes that he doesn't want her to remember just so he can keep her! love this! seriously i love the welcome home part. this fic rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Augustine86]

It's so detailed, filling every gap, tying every knot that I can't help but like this fanfic. It's consistent, it gives us Chlexy goodness but it covers every base for the plotline.

Quite remarkable.

[Nyx]

Great update can't wait for more!!!

When Lex realizes he is in love with Chloe what is he going to do???
Chloe will be so furious when she found out the truth ohhhh, you sooooooo need to post another chapter.

[Kitching]

Loved the Update it was a very nice suprise, I can't wait to see how chloe reacts to the house and more importantly lex. Update soon!:grin3:

[itsjustXchar]

I can't wait for the next bit!
So far, so good!

[westwingwolf]

I love it when Lex is manipulative and he's doing a great job of planting the seeds of doubt for Clark in Chloe's mind and making it so she'll want to tell him everything. Though you never know if it will work or not.

I have a feeling that Lex is going to get use to the feeling of having Chloe as his wife and he'll do everything to keep it that way. However, when it blows up in his face, he'll have to do even more to get her back. And he has little chance of that happening but he's Lex Luthor, so it might work out.

I was wondering how he was going to get away with everyone else asking for her but he seems to have it covered, for now. Lex doesn't do anything half-ass so he would have his bases covered. Nice to see that even though he's looking out for himself, he at least made sure nothing would ruin Chloe's career. I guess he's not a total bastard.

I can't wait to see how things will get more complicated especially when they get more intimate. Can Lex truly be a bastard and continue for the sake of what he'll gain or will feelings start to hinder his work? You have my full attention.

[xxasaxx]

this is a seriously great story so far...i can't wait to see how it plays out:grin3:

[dayamiracle]

Hey i know i already posted but i had some more thoughts


Lex-

--How is he going to pull this off, i mean if Chloe ever goes into town she might realize things are werid.

--- Are they staying at the castle?

-- If they are I cant wait for all the staff to address her as Mrs. Luthor

-- Is it me or does anyone else want Lional to show up to mess with things? Maybe im just a little sad but i think that would be great fun!


Ok ok im done now really, at least until you post a new chapter!!!!

dayamiracle

[somethingeasy]

“I’m sorry; but there really wouldn’t have been a good way to tell you would there.”

“That I’m married to an insensitive bastard? Guess not.”

Her words were harsh but her faint smile washed away any sting they might have held and Lex was both amazed and gratified to see that so much of the Chloe Sullivan he knew remained.

I was ALSO so pleased to see that Chloe’s basic nature remained as amusing and snarky as ever before. It goes to show, Snark like this is born, not made :D


Taking a sip of the water, she set the glass aside and peered at him curiously. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course,” he replied, relieved by her seeming acceptance.

“What is your name?”

Lex’s deep, rich laughter filled the room and Chloe was glad to hear it. She loathed people who lacked a sense of humor. Not that she had recalled that about herself; more that after hours of the tight lipped, solemn medical staff she could honestly say that she’d kill for even a meager ‘knock, knock’ joke.

I actually think this was genuine amused and delighted laughter from Lex, and not just part of the ‘warm, approachable and friendly’ act he was putting on for Chloe’s benefit.

But I can’t really be certain about that considering the circumstances.

Damn that sneaky, lying, manipulative bastard, I’m going to be second guessing each and EVERY single one of his ‘warm and sincere’ reactions throughout the entirety of this fic!


The smile he gave her was designed to inspire trust. Lex knew it worked well; he practiced it a lot before lying to people.

I just had to give a shudder of revulsion at the idea of Lex actually PRACTICING a warm and sincere amile in front of a mirror. That seriously sounds like such a Lionel Luthor kind of thing to do. If Lionel has ever had any interest in cultivating a charming smile that is.


Looking as if she was about to cry, she asked in a small voice, “Did I ruin our wedding?”

Realizing that he was apparently going to be as perplexed by the new Chloe as he had been by the old, he nevertheless hurried to soothe her.

Even if Chloe is at a severe disadvantage over here, it’s good to know that she’s still unpredictable enough to keep Lex on his toes. I REALLY want to see him suffer throughout this nasty, underhanded trick he’s playing on Ms. Sullivan. Of course, he’s going to REALLY be in misery when Chloe regains her memories (and Lex has inevitably fallen in love with her), but I also like the idea of him suffering angst and frustration DURING the trick as well as after.


Thankful to hear that she hadn’t destroyed such a momentous occasion, even if she couldn’t remember it, she gestured weakly to his attire. “Well, everyone’s been calling me Sullivan, and we don’t seem to have exchanged rings, and you’re here in a tuxedo…I just kind of thought that maybe I’d done something stupid like tripped during the ceremony and knocked myself unconscious on the altar.”

ROTFLMAO! Oh! That girl is an absolute DELIGHT! Lex isn’t going to stand a chance now that she finally has a chance to be her open, charming self around him.


Laughing again, Lex decided that he liked this side of Chloe. Previously, their humor had always found an outlet in the slightly acerbic banter that was often as guarded as it was entertaining. Unfortunately, they’d had the type of relationship that didn’t lend itself to prolonged periods of levity, as their time together was generally motivated by whatever dire emergency was taking place at the moment. It was nice to see the open, playful side that she reserved for those that she didn’t consider potential enemies.

It was heartening to see that his laughter was not ‘completely’ a show he was putting on. He genuinely seems to enjoying Chloe’s banter, snark and playful comments. It’s going to be fantastic to see the kind of result we get when we expose Lex to this open, trusting and honest version of Chloe Sullivan. I can’t wait till his horror-struck realization that he never stood a chance in the first place.

Lex’s weakness has always been a search for ‘love and approval from a decent friend’. That is the reason why he fell so hard and fast for Helen… not to mention that VERY suspiciously quick best-bud relationship with Clark.

He really should have noted this ‘weakness’ of his, and taken proper measured to guard against it. As it is, when he finally falls in love with Chloe, he’s going to have noone to blame, but his own stupid self.

This is going to be SO much fun.


He also had to admit that he was exceedingly impressed by her powers of observation. Evidently journalism wasn’t her just career choice, but an inherent part of who she was. Even after a head trauma and the resulting amnesia, she still managed to find the oddities in her situations and the inconsistencies in his story. No wonder Clark had managed to keep his secret for so long with Chloe covering for him, he thought in frustrated admiration.

I really liked this observation about Chloe. How very similar she is to Lex in this ‘truth seeking’ regard… Not to mention how skilled that BOTH are at ‘truth-hiding’. This is definitely a match made in a very strange form of heaven. Excellent insight, amazing writing, Skauble!


“Chloe,” her name a weary exclamation, “the doctors were very specific that I not fill your head with information that might interfere with the return of your memory.”

“Please, Lex,” she was surprised at how easy the name fell from her lips, “I know that you can’t tell me everything. Believe me; I’ve heard the lecture from three different doctors. But there has to be something that you can tell me. Doesn’t anyone get that maybe its more distressing for me to know that there are these “upsetting” things out there that I’m completely unprepared to deal with?”

Despite how much I HATE Lex for his sneaky, corrupt and ‘bordering on evil’ plan. I have to say I am in absolute AWE as to how he arranged the information and circumstances to nest suit his needs. Now he doesn’t even need to lie to Chloe about hiding certain aspects of her life away from her, it’s just part of her ‘treatment’. That brilliant, slimy BASTARD!


“I hated seeing you hurt, but you were determined to try to salvage your friendship, and so I agreed not to tell Clark how serious things had become between us. But I drew the line at us putting our lives entirely on hold because of the tantrums of one jealous boy. So we decided to elope, hoping that when we did tell Clark he would finally realize that our marriage was a fait accompli and that he had no choice but to accept it.”

Lex watched a number of emotions flit across her face until, finally, only confusion was left.

“Okay; that explains the lack of rings, but it doesn’t seem all that upsetting. I mean, it’s not like I remember this Clark guy, so I can’t say that I’m too bothered that he’s off having a conniption fit about something that doesn’t really seem like his business. So why did you seem so reluctant to tell me…apart from the whole misplaced memory deal?”

I thought I was in awe of Lex’s plan (and planning) before, but he not only managed to arrange circumstances to make Chloe completely dependent on him, he even managed to plant suspicions of any memories that might arise of Clark. He is frighteningly cunning! And he’s going to deserve every bit of suffering that going to be heaped on him before this fic is finished.

In fact, can we get to the Lex suffering now, please?


Even though she had no memories of the man before her or the things he was speaking of, he looked so consumed with guilt that she couldn’t resist the urge to offer him the same comfort he’d extended to her. Turning her hand in his, she gently squeezed it in a soothing gesture of reassurance.

‘he looked so consumed with guilt’??!! That damned snake is ACTING, Chloe! Putting on a show! Pulling the wool over your innocent eyes! How DARE he act so concerned and loving while he is plotting behind her back?!


His gaze snapped down in surprise as he felt Chloe’s warm hand clasp his. Knowing that, realistically, she had less than an hour of memories of him and yet was still trying to calm his distress revealed a great deal about her character that would be useful to him in this new endeavor. He heaved a heavy sigh and continued with his tale.

A bit of basic human empathy impresses him? I can’t wait to see how much damage Chloe does to his emotional barriers before her memories come crashing down on both of them.

Heh. I’m sure you can tell, I’m already a ‘little’ bloodthirsty for Lex’s ‘pound of flesh’. I can’t imagine what kind of vengeance and retribution I might be howling for later.


“Wow, I’m pretty smart, huh?”

“Indeed,” he declared, bringing her hand to his lips for a soft kiss.

“Not that I want to discourage compliments and romantic gestures, but if we could get back to you telling me whatever it is that you’re trying to not tell me, that would be good, too.”

AAAAaaaaargh! That sweet, loving and sincere garbage he’s piling on Chloe… Doesn’t he have ANY concern about playing with her emotions like that? He doesn’t care that, in the end, even if he is victorious and successful in unearthing everything he wants to know from Chloe, he ‘might’ end up with her madly in love with him?!

Or does he just not care about that possibility?

Bastard!


Years of practice allowed his features to remain impassive as Chloe did exactly as he’d predicted. It wasn’t that she was easy to manipulate; on the contrary. All of the observations she’d made and the conclusions she’d drawn were quite logical and signs of both her intelligence and perceptive nature. She just didn’t know him well enough to take everything he said with an entire salt mine.

*sigh* Despite how outraged I am by his decisions and behaviour, I have to say I am seriously impressed by how Lex is executing this initial part of his plan. If I didn’t know what was really happening, I would have completely believed him to be genuine and sincere in his actions.

And I’m already weeping at the fact that Chloe is going to have to go through the lessons of ‘don’t trsut Luthors’ all over again. Once was more than enough for one lifetime… going through this more intimate form of betrayal might be enough to completely shatter Chloe’s basic trust and faith in humanity. Ans I HATE that Lex is going through all this, taking all these possibilities into account, without feeling the slightest twinge of guilt.

Make. Him. Suffer!


And he planned to use all of those traits to his benefit. He would allow her clever mind to point out the purposefully hidden aspects of his accounting of her life, knowing that if she believed that she was learning about things he was reluctant to tell, she would give the information greater credence. Lex also understood that in her newly formed innocence she would see his hesitation to be forthcoming as an act of protection as opposed to manipulation.

Like I mentioned, I might be mad-struck angry over the plan, but there is no denying the (seemingly) flawless brilliance and simplicity of the plan itself. It is a plan with rewards definitely worthy of Lex Luthor’s full attentions. And I cannot wait to see whether or not he succeeds in his objectives.

I’m almost tempted to start demanding spoilers about how it’s going to end…

Almost!

But really NOT! (no spoilers, please!)


And as he looked into her clear green eyes, he could see that she was. It had been a while since anyone had shown genuine concern for his well-being, emotional or otherwise. It was nice but, as it was destined to be short lived, he decided to pay little attention to the feeling.

heh. And again, I liked the insight about how much of a sucker Lex has always been for a sincerely concerned and sympathetic ear. If he was REALLY wise, he would have stopped the plan right here and now… But he’s not really ‘wise’, just a little too smart for his own good.

Heh… Suffering Lex! MWAA HA HA HA HAAAAA!

Lex practically vibrated with intensity and determination as he delivered the coup de grâce .


“Dr. Heideman has suggested that you don’t struggle to remember anything, and despite the fact that I’ve just broken half of the medical directives I received before coming in here, I don’t disagree. However, if you remember anything about Clark – tall, dark hair, green eyes – anything dangerous, threatening, or that even just strikes you as out of the ordinary, I need you to promise that you’ll let me know. If anything ever happened to you…”

I actually SPUTTERED in shock over the brilliant inevitability of this plan. EVERY-thing fell perfectly into place in this scheme. Lex managed to skilfully turn EVERY single possible result from this point onwards strictly in favour of him finding out about Clark’s secret. I gaped, I sputtered and gasped, I almost fell to my knees in awe of the seamless efficiency with which Lex managed to entrap Chloe.

I don’t want to imagine how long modern society would last if Skauble turned her talent for evil scheming onto the ‘real world’. But just in case she ever develops a taste for conquering… Can I have Seychelles for myself?


Oddly enough, the anxiety radiating from the man who she’d just learned was her husband was strangely comforting. Without any firsthand knowledge of her past everything she learned seemed a little surreal and mildly suspect. But this near tangible fear – for her, of losing her – made clear why they were together.

And my awe at Luthor’s planning fell away again to the OUTRAGE I felt over seeing Chloe played and manipulated in this cold and callous manner. All the acting that Lex has done has Chloe attributing even his genuine emotions to be on her behalf. I can’t believe Lex has fooled her so completely that she even mistook the momentary anxiety he felt about his PLAN falling through as anxiety for HER.

I have to say this is Luthor manipulation at it’s absolute best… or worst, depending on your perspective.

I confess, I adore reading the conscience-free version of brilliantly, scheming Lex that Skauble has conjured up. He might be a bastard, but he’s an extraordinarily compelling character, fully fleshed out and deep in thought and motivation (not to mention denial and self-delusion). He’s fantastic to read, and added in with this Chloe interaction and banter… undoubtedly one of my ABSOLUTE favourite stories of any fandom.


Lex no longer hired true believers. Fanatics were unruly and unpredictable; lead not by his instructions but by the courage of their convictions. No; now the people who surrounded him did so for money. Because he had more of that particular commodity than most it made his employees infinitely easier to manage.

And for this reason his instructions regarding Chloe had been followed to the letter. In fact, whatever shock, if any, that Dr. Heideman had felt at Lex’s dictates never showed on his face as the man seemed to take in stride the deception and veritable kidnapping of a vulnerable young woman.

Lex liked getting his money’s worth.

Heh. I remember asking whether at least the doctor felt a twinge of guilt over allowing his employer to effectively kidnap a decidedly sick and traumatized patient.

Sick and traumatized in the strictest technical sense of the word, but still applicable terms to describe Chloe’s situation.

I really enjoyed the insight over here about how Lex has decided hiring people with ideals does not make good business sense. How he noted that while ideals might inspire passion, it doesn’t necessarily inspire unchallenging loyalty.

I really enjoyed how he has acknowledged that the ONE unquestionable advantage he holds over the rest of humanity is monetary in nature… and the subsequent conclusion was obvious that the easiest and most efficient path to world domination through monetary greed of others. OR if greed wasn’t enough of a motivation, trick and manipulate.

A VERY nice insight into the philosophy of the Luthors. Lionel would be proud. And I think I actually mean that as a (backhanded) compliment.


Lastly, they absolutely forbid any kind of stress. No work, no school, and limited exposure to any kind of media. Of course, he smiled at the memory, Chloe had questioned that last order. Lex had expected nothing less, and Heideman had provided the answer that he had been given – every news item to which she was exposed would engender subconscious expectations that she should be able to place it contextually. The byproduct of such belief, no matter how unintentional, would be a growing sense of anxiety that would hinder her recovery.

Out of all the conditions that Lex had the doctor mouth to Chloe, I thought this was the most brilliant and strategic one. It makes PERFECT sense to give a good and proper reason as to why Chloe is not allowed to check newspapers or television. It wouldn’t do for Chloe to find herself reported ‘missing’ or something.

Brilliant strategic detail for Lex to plan out. I’m actually starting to despair for Chloe, it honestly doesn’t seem like she has much of a chance here.

It’s basically her charm against Luthor cunning and defence mechanisms. Not much of a weapon, but Skauble’s readers will just have to hope for the best here.


Glancing over at her seated across from him he couldn’t help but notice how much better she looked than she had even earlier that morning. It appeared that hospitals still didn’t agree with her. Lex suspected that was due to their inherent constraints on her naturally boundless energy. But now, away from there, her skin had regained a healthy glow from which even the fading bruising at her temple could not detract.

In keeping with the story they were husband and wife, Lex had purchased an entire wardrobe for her and, when he’d come to retrieve her, he’d brought with him a sleeveless silk blouse in a light spring green and a simple, knee length skirt in a darker, richer shade. The color enhanced that of her eyes, and he found himself drawn to them repeatedly as they gazed at him with an open curiosity, all hints of their former animosity missing.

Hmmmm. Perhaps her weapons are not just limited to her charming personality… Perhaps her inherent attractiveness and (LOL) ‘feminine wiles’ will also help to distract Lex long enough for her to gain enough memories to regain an equal fighting chance.


“Of course they’re worried. But I explained Dr. Heideman’s orders, and since all they want is you to recover as quickly as possible, they’ve agreed to give you time.”

Which of course wasn’t even remotely true. Gabe had passed away late in the previous year; a good man, Lex had truly regretted his passing. But that just left Chloe’s uncle and cousins and, although they all loved her, only Lois was around enough to actually notice Chloe’s absence. So Lex had handled her in the same way that he had dealt with Clark.

He had his security team retrieve some personal items from Chloe’s apartment, along with her laptop and her car from near the facility to make it appear credible that she had left town. And then, with a computer expert to break through the rather remarkable security and a specialist in linguistics to compose two messages that would reflect her speaking pattern, he had emails sent to Lois and Clark detailing an amazing lead on a story in California and her desire to be the one who broke it. It would be abrupt, but not out of the realm of possibility, and Lex was hopeful that his plan would reach fruition far before any serious suspicions could be raised.

Again, I have to wonder how long Lex is expecting it’s going to take before he gets what he wants from Chloe. A myriad of television shows and contrived fiction novels inform me that regaining one’s memories can take as long as many months, if not years.

I suppose Lex has given himself a certain amount of time before finally ‘giving up’. Perhaps a month or three?

But despite whatever complications might rise, Lex seems to have covered the bases quite impressively well. AND with all the speed and efficiency that only a Luthor can command. LOL!


Not that Lex regretted his deception of Chloe, but he was still glad that he could genuinely set her mind at ease on these particular matters.

“Actually, you decided against taking classes during the summer semester so that you could focus on your internship, which I think is a subject that your doctor’s would rather you remember for yourself. I did, however, explain the situation to your superiors and they’ve agreed to hold your position indefinitely.”

Most of which was true. Oh, he had ensured that her internship would be waiting for her; he had no desire to truly damage Chloe’s life. But he made certain that his name was in no way connected with the matter. Instead, he had sent a few of the higher profile Metropolis lawyers who had done work for him before, but were not currently on the Luthor payroll, to meet with the owner of the Daily Planet. They had intimated that they were there on behalf of Chloe’s family, most notably her uncle, General Sam Lane.

Explaining to the man that Chloe had been injured investigating a story that was far to dangerous for an unsupervised intern, they had hinted about massive repercussions in the form of prolonged litigation. However, they had assured him that Miss Sullivan only wanted to be able to return to her position once she had recovered and that their employer was predisposed to allowing her her way and dropping the matter if her place was guaranteed to be waiting for her.

Not surprisingly, her position as a Daily Planet intern had been secured, in writing, within the hour.

I finally saw a trace of true humanity within Lex.

It was fantastic to see how he made sure Chloe’s future was secure with the same kind of Luthor attention-to-detail and obsessive planning that he puts into all the plans for his own personal gain. It was actually quite generous and considerate of him to make sure Chloe’s long-term plans were not damaged by him… kidnapping her?

All right, it doesn’t come close to making up for what he’s actually doing to her, but it was still a considerate move, and I’m going to take it as a hopeful sign that there’s a chance for Lex to become a better person after all.


Seeing that she still seemed slightly troubled, he reached over a clasped one of her hands in his. The doctors who had treated Chloe had all concurred that the best way to both achieve his goal of convincing her that he was her husband and lessen the chance that he himself would trigger memories, other than those of Clark, was to act in a manner that was appropriate to their current situation and with a marked difference than their previous interactions. As such, he took every reasonable opportunity to offer demonstrative touches or affectionate words.

Bastard! I’m going to be angry EVERY time he puts some of those cheap player moves on Chloe. She is not some floozy who is to have her emotions and hopes toyed with before being callously disregarded.

The worst part is that Lex has had YEARS of getting women to fall for him while he has maintained emotional detachment. Women a lot more jaded and experiences than Chloe. What kind of a chance does an innocent like her stand when Experienced-Playboy Lex rises to this occasion?


The indulgent tone soothed her nerves as did the hand wrapped around hers. She had to admit that she appreciated the comfort that Lex had offered consistently since she’d awoken. But even more than that, she was grateful that Lex took her curiosity and consequent reflective inquiries as normal, if not expected behavior, whereas the doctors she’d been dealing with treated every display of intelligence on her part as if she were a dog who’d just learned how to roll over.

This was an very interesting insight, that should have been obvious from the start. I feel slow!

Chloe’s overly emotional attachment (and currently dependent, clingy attitude) is not only because she’s falling for Lex’s soft looks and affectionate touches, but also because she really believes she has NO-one else to turn to. It makes sense that she would ‘cling’ to the one person that seems to be providing stability in her overturned life, AND a link to the person she used to be.

I didn’t realize the full extent of the advantage that THAT BASTARD is holding over Chloe. She’s in serious trouble here.


“Huh. I probably liked being rich, didn’t I?”

She smiled as Lex’s laughter filled the small space. She loved the husky sound and, sometimes by the look on his face when it subsided, she wondered if he’d had enough opportunities to indulge his sense of humor in his life. Not that it mattered. As his wife she would see to it that his very appealing smile made every possible appearance in the future.

“I can honestly say that you were one of the few people who couldn’t have cared less about my money.”

Chloe was relieved to hear the confirmation but couldn’t help reply, “Sure. I bet I was a scheming gold digger who’d just lulled you into a false sense of security so I could steal your fortune and now all my hard work is for nothing.”

ROTFLMOA at Chloe’s adorable and hilarious comments. She’s just LOVELY! And I DARE Lex to keep himself from falling for her when she’s being so delightfully irresistible. He doesn’t stand a chance.

It was a delightful surprise that Chloe is actually making ‘some’ accurate judgements about the kind of person Lex is. Like her noticing that he ‘might’ not be the kind of person who indulged in carefree laughter too often? And her subsequent resolve to make sure she sparked off that sense of humour of his as often as possible?

Chloe might stand a chance to come out the winner in this situation after all. Perhaps she’ll have Lex falling for her within the week?

I can hope, can’t I?

Heh, but honestly, I’d like to see how far along Lex gets in his scheme before the Truth comes out. After all, the further he digs himself into this hole, the more fun we’ll have watching him desperately trying to redeem himself.


No matter how long they may or may not have been married, Chloe couldn’t help the blush she could feel burning across her cheeks as Lex brought her hand up to his lips and, in a gesture far more intimate then the last time, turned it over and laid a gentle kiss on her palm.

“Chloe, everything I have is yours for the asking.”

Lex watched as her pink cheeks flushed an even deeper and quite pleasing color. The car slowed to a halt and he was surprised at how enjoyable the trip had been, especially when one considered the circumstances. As the driver opened his door, Lex kept hold of Chloe’s hand, using it to draw her out through his side.

And then, just as I was starting to entertain hope for Chloe, Lex brings out his OWN irresistible playboy act. There is a very good chance that Chloe is going to end up falling for Lex long before he even realizes his feelings for her. Especially since the act he’s putting on for her seems just So. Damned. Real!

Manipulative player! Callous Bastard! Cold, unfeeling, uncaring dickhead!

The scariest thing is that there are actually REAL people like this in the world. One of the reasons why so many women learn to mistrust and even hate men. What a pity!

THANK you for updating Skauble! It was a wonderful read. Every character description and observation was clever and insightful, the dialogue was engaging, amusing and really fun to read through. And I cannot wait to see how plot and character development turns out. I think it’s going to be a VERY interesting trip, and quite an experience. I look forward to the journey… Please update ASAP!

And I'm in agreement with dayamiracle. I would also like to see Lionel Luthor make an appearance (or two) while Lex is embroiled in this plan. Seeing the older Luthor making his snide and cutting comments should be quite amusing, AND he might even come up with some points in The Plan that Lex has overlooked or dismissed?

please update soon

[welshy]

That was such a fantastic chapter, Lex that dastardly man. I hope he gets some pain brought his way. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[deia]

I really wanna see this unfold but I really don't at the same time because it cannot be good. After Chloe finally gets her memory back (assuming she will) Lex might need to consider removing all sharp and blunt objects from the vicinity! I'm loving it all notheless please update soon!!!

[somethingeasy]

After Chloe finally gets her memory back (assuming she will) Lex might need to consider removing all sharp and blunt objects from the vicinity!

ROTFLOL at this image. I seem to remember from Angel that there are four torture elements. Sharp and Blunt and popular ones, but there's also hot (boiling oil, red hot pokers) and cold (use your imagination about what can be done with icicles and liquid nitrogen).

Lex might just want to move to another country for his own safety.

This is going to be SO satisfying, please update soon.

[Esther25jm]

I absolutely loved the update!! Loved that Lex is aware of Chloe's intelligence and other traits, just shows how closely he pays attention to her. Just an awesome story and can't wait for more!

[sarahnicole]

Please update this story! I love the idea of the slightly evil blank-slate plot! :)

[FroggyJump]

How scandalous to take advantage of Chloe like that, but such a great read.

I love Chloe's little quips that pop up through out this they're so funny.

This is fun and I can't wait to see how Lex spins their life and Chloe's reaction to it all.

Great work

[somethingeasy]

This is fun and I can't wait to see how Lex spins their life and Chloe's reaction to it all.

I can't wait to see the spinning either. But the most nefariously brilliant part of Lex's plan is the fact that he has a legitimate reason for not telling her anything about their 'past history'.... how they met... how they supposedly got together, went on dates, fell in love, popped the question. Lex can keep dodging any direct questions (that he doesn't want to answer) with the claim 'the doctor said it was best that you remembered on your own'.

But I am curious about their sleeping conditions. Despite what a cold, calculating, self-serving bastard Lex is being, I DON'T think he would actually be evil enough to want to take sexual advantage of Chloe. I'm guessing he's going to tell her that they were 'waiting till after they got married'... OR that he wants to wait until she regains her memories.

Right now, it's not much of a problem, because he's not really attracted to her. But let's wait a while until he finally starts noticing how desirable she is, and he reaaally starts suffering some painful lusty pangs. heh he heh... The thought of WYDK-Lex suffering makes me smile.

hmmm. But what about Lex's attractiveness and desirability. I know that if I was struck with amnesia, and had a fiancé like Lex who, on top of acting sweet, devoted, considerate and seemingly attentive to all my needs, oozed sex appeal the way Lex does... I'd jump him after the third night under the same roof as him.

And if he tried to resist... heh... you get the idea.

I can't wait to see Lex fighting off, not only his own growing urges, but also Chloe's growing desire to have sex with him ASAP!

heh heh he... Suffering Lex!

Please update soon. Any chance of Lionel making an appearance? And how goes 'A Thirst for Knowledge'... I'm DYING to know how that one is going to turn out. Please update... something... ANY-thing! (Anything Chlex!)

[zho9]

This is fantastic. Lex is such a bastard for doing this but you know it will bite him in the ass. Hmm... biting Lex's ass...sorry too delicious a mental image to ignore.
Love your writing and can't wait for the next update.

[skauble]

A/N: I want to thank everyone for the encouraging feedback. Also, I know that I've been focusing on this way more than ATfK. I'm sorry about that, but this story is written in smaller parts and so, unlike many things I've written, seems to have an end in sight. In fact, barring any surprises, I should be able to wrap this story up in about twelve or thirteen more parts. So the brisk pace has been kind of refreshing. However, I will try to work on some of ATfK tonight.

Also, please excuse any typos or glaring flaws in the story below – the dog ate my motivation to excel.


Part Two


Chapter Three


Lex had been the epitome of consideration for the last week and it was driving Chloe to the brink of insanity. She understood that he was simply trying to adhere to the medical advice they’d been given, but the kid glove routine was wearing thin. The doctors had told her that she’d have to be patient with regards to her absentee memories, but even without them she wanted to return to some semblance of a normal life. And she was remarkably certain that what she was experiencing wasn’t it.

For one thing, despite Lex’s “welcome home”, the house they were occupying hadn’t actually been their residence previous to the accident. Chloe couldn’t decide what had disturbed her more – that she was being denied the familiar surroundings that she’d secretly hoped would trigger the release of her hidden past, or that her husband was so wealthy that this mansion, this estate wasn’t their primary residence, wasn’t even a vacation home, was, instead, merely something he had picked up at the time because it was a sound investment that he was certain he’d have use for sometime in the future. She might not have remembered any more of her life than the last ten days, but she was fairly confident that she hadn’t been the type of person who could purchase manor homes as an impulse buy.

It wasn’t that she minded being rich, it was just a little disconcerting. She’d already gotten lost three times in the convoluted twist of hallways. The servants were nothing but helpful and polite, but she had trouble having others cater to her every need. Her husband was whisked of to work and the returned each evening by helicopter. It seemed like she was living every young girl’s dream, but like a dream it was slightly surrealistic; even more so given the blank spaces in her head. Still, they’d only been married two months, so even if she could remember everything about her life, she probably wouldn’t have accustomed herself to Lex’s standard of living yet.

Then, as if all of that wasn’t enough of a deviation from what she thought was probably her life pre-head injury, even her marriage was different. Not that she recalled her marriage, but she could almost guarantee that she and her husband hadn’t slept in separate rooms.

With a heavy sigh Chloe ran a hand through her hair; she was frustrated and unsure of what to do. She knew that Lex was just being considerate of her feelings, and she had to admit that sharing a bed with someone she, at this point, barely knew wasn’t the most comfortable of thoughts, but knowing nothing about anything around her, even her own husband, was making her nutty.

And it wasn’t just her history with her surroundings that she wanted, it was any information that would allow her to form reasonable judgments. Although Lex had been absolutely wonderful in every way, she felt odd with no real knowledge of him to back up her blind faith. She wondered briefly if she had been a cynic before, but knew that no one would tell her.
And so it was those things, her longing for context in which to place her life, her craving for understanding of the only representative of her past, her desperate need for some small awareness of who she was, who she should be, that brought her to her husband’s study early on a Saturday afternoon.

Knocking softly on the door, Chloe waited until Lex called to her before entering. She could see by the files spread out across his desk that he’d been immersed in his work, but she didn’t let that deter her from her purpose.

“Chloe,” he smiled as he rose from his desk, “to what do I owe this lovely distraction.”

“Well, if he can manage to tear himself away from the reams of what I’m sure is endlessly fascinating paperwork, I’d like to have lunch with my husband.”

Even though Lex has seen that beautiful, open smile dozens of times over the past week it still caught him slightly off guard on a face that had, for so long, housed only suspicion towards him. And though he wasn’t given to such frequent displays himself, he found her smile oddly infectious, and could rarely restrain a pleased grin in return. Of course, since Chloe believed him to be her loving husband, he found no need to censure the uncustomary action, although he drew the line at actually enjoying it. There was little to be gained and much to lose in letting himself grow used to the small pleasures of Chloe’s engaging presence, and, as Lex had learned long ago to weigh all decision in terms of cost and benefit, thinking about Chloe in anything other than the extremely short term would definitely come under the heading of cost.

“Of course; let me call the kitchen –”

“No need,” she said as she grabbed his hand and began leading him from the room. “I’m not an invalid, you know. I can manage to pull together lunch. By which I mean that I asked Mrs. Whitehead to whip something up. I’d have done it myself, by I couldn’t remember if I can cook or not and I’d hate to spoil our meal by poisoning us.”

Lex wasn’t actually sure himself whether Chloe had any culinary skills and so decided, for the sake of both of their health, to err on the side of caution.

“Though I’m not permitted to comment directly on your skills in that particular area, I will admit that I have never inquired as to the state of dinner with the hope that you had actually prepared it.”

Laughing, Chloe used her free hand to swat his arm. “While I have nothing on which to base my opinion, I’m sure that’s the nicest way anyone’s ever told me I was incompetent in my life.”

“Well,” Lex responded with mock thoughtfulness, “I think that’s a fairly glass half empty perspective. Though you may never ascend the ranks of legendary chefs you could always pursue a career as a culinary assassin. I’m certain that governments around the world would be vying for your services.”

“Remind me again why I didn’t leave you drowning in your flood of files?”

“Because clearly I am a ray of sunlight in your otherwise dreary day.”

Chloe nearly choked on her fit of giggles at the exaggerated sincerity that coated his words.

“Well, Sunshine,” she shot back as they entered the kitchen, “it’s good to know for sure that one of us loves you.”

Before she could approach the servants, Lex gave her hand a tug and spun her around to face him.

“Are you doubting your love for me?”

Looking into the fathomless depths of his gray eyes, Chloe could see that the question was only half asked in jest. Reaching out her, she cradled his cheek.

“Strangely enough, I’m not.”



Chapter Four


Spending great lengths of time with Chloe Sullivan was akin to drinking alcohol, Lex reflected. It was an acquired taste, but once attained it warm and relaxing and, without great effort, could easily become addictive.

It wasn’t one thing she did. Instead it was a hundred little things; things that seemed innocuous when considered individually, but taken as a whole, were entirely too engaging. Of course, they were things that he appreciated on an intellectual level as opposed to emotionally, as he knew that, for reasons to numerous to count, Chloe Sullivan would be the last woman on the face of the earth that he would ever consider in that manner.

Still, just because there were far too many complications between he and Chloe even being friends, much less anything more, it didn’t stop him from appreciating, now more than ever, what a fool Clark Kent was. There was absolutely nothing for his former friend to lose by going after the blonde and, quite frankly, everything to gain. And yet he still hadn’t pursued her; was, in fact, even now trying to make things work with Lana Lang, the fickle young woman whom Lex had lured away from Clark and then left when he realized that hurting him certainly wasn’t worth burdening himself with the self-centered, judgmental prima donna.

Not that Lex would ever be fool enough to mention that bit of wisdom to the oblivious farmboy. In all of the skirmishes between himself and Clark, he had always considered it one of his greatest victories to saddle the other man with Ms. Lang indefinitely. And that sense of triumph had only increased as he’d finally been allowed to see behind the animosity, past the banter and sarcasm to the surprisingly tender heart and sweet nature beneath Chloe Sullivan's brash exterior. How on earth Clark could be exposed to that kind of caring everyday and still consider Lana a worthwhile catch was beyond even his mental capabilities to understand.

“You know, if I wanted to spend the afternoon talking to myself I wouldn’t have dragged you out here with me.”

Lex snapped back to the present and realized that Chloe had finished setting their lunch out on the blanket before them. Certainly he had been on picnics before, but not often and definitely not for years. Still, the hour or so he was taking from work would be worth it in terms of advancing his plans with Chloe. Every minute that he spent with her was increasing her trust in and dependency on him. Not to mention the fact that she was imminently enjoyable company. Which made this excursion beneficial in a number of ways, despite knowing that his “wife” also had an ulterior motive.

“It won’t work.”

Chloe looked up as she reached over to hand him a plate piled high with a gourmet selection that would hardly be considered typical picnic fare.

“And may I ask what devious plan you think I’ve concocted that’s doomed to failure?”

“Are you telling me that you didn’t bring me here to pump me for information?” Lex smirked at remaining a step ahead of her. Even if she was unaware of their previous rivalry, he wasn’t, and he enjoyed winning their increasingly light hearted skirmishes.

“I’m not telling you anything of the sort.”

His smug grin slipped slightly at her admission. Over the last week he’d learned that some things about Chloe were apparently encoded in her DNA. The refusal to go down without a fight was certainly one of them.

“Chloe, you know that I’d love nothing more than to tell you everything about you, your life, our life. But I can’t. You know how specific the doctors were.”

With a good-natured sigh, Chloe set down her plate. She hadn’t done more than rearrange the food with her fork while they talked, because Lex was partially right; her main objective hadn’t been seeing them fed. She did want information. Just not the kind that he suspected.

“You know, Lex; if you’re going to play at omniscience you really should make sure you're right more often.”

“So, if you’re not trying to ferret out your past, just what secrets are you trying to uncover?”

Chloe wondered if she’d ever told Lex just how unbelievably sexy it was when his eyebrow cocked just so; demanding answers as if he owned the truths he was seeking.

“Yours,” she answered.

“Well, since we left the majority of my secrets back in the office from which you just liberated me, I’m afraid that you’re going to be disappointed.”

Leaning over slightly, Chloe bumped Lex with her shoulder at his mocking tone. “I’ll have you know that my husband has offered me all that he has, so I hardly think that I need to engage in corporate espionage, Mr. Luthor.”

With a small start, Lex’s eyes snapped to hers. It had been years since he’d heard that particular form of address fall playfully from her lips, and it caught him slightly off guard. Even though he wasn’t so foolish as to lose sight of his ultimate goal, he did have to admit that, in the last week, he’d established a division between what he considered Clark’s Chloe and the one that, for lack of a better term, was his.

It wasn’t that she was entirely different. In fact, he had a feeling that she was more Chloe now then she’d ever been before. The years of heartache, rejection, and genuine fear for her life had in no way dimmed her, but they had erected an elaborate labyrinth of walls around her innermost self. It was one of what he was coming to understand were the many ways in which they were so very similar.

The feel of Chloe’s hand on his arm as well as her hesitant, “Lex?” brought him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Well, if one could consider picnicking with his fake wife while he attempted to deter her questions about their make believe life together by citing false medical orders reality.

“Chloe, I can only imagine how hard this has been for you. Knowledge being power, I know that you must feel terribly out of control in the absence of so much that you feel you should know. But you have to understand, the doctor’s were very clear; I can’t tell you those things. It won’t return your memory; and more than anything, I want to help make you whole.”

The hand on his arm slipped into his to tangle their fingers together.

“I know that you’re doing everything you can to help me get better, Lex. And though the curiosity’s killing me, I wouldn’t ask you do something that you thought would be harmful to me.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “And, for the record, I may not have as much information as I’d like, but I hardly feel powerless. That sounds weak, and I don’t see myself as fragile or frail.

Obviously I don’t remember what our relationship was like before, but when I think about marriage I think about a team, so I find it hard to believe that I wouldn’t have expected as much from ours. Right now you’re kind of bearing the burden for both of us and you’ve been absolutely wonderful about it. Do I like being in the dark? No. But I don’t feel helpless. Here, now, with you, I feel…safe.”

Chloe watched as shock briefly flitted across his face. No matter what memories were missing or what her husband wouldn’t tell her, she wasn’t blind nor was she stupid. In the last week she’d come to learn a great deal about the man that she married. Lex was a veritable fortress. With one row of walls to keep things out and one to hold things in, Chloe wasn’t sure which he felt he needed the most, but knew, instinctively, that each brick was laid in the wake of terrible heartache.

She couldn’t tell if her feelings were the whispers of their forgotten love or the understandable connection one would feel for the only tie to the world around them, but she wanted to lessen the sorrow that she could read in the depths of his eyes, to ease the weight of losing the one person, no matter how temporarily, who should be able to banish those shadows. With every passing hour she spent in his company, she found herself simply wanting to know more about this man to whom she'd committed her life.

“This really isn’t about tricking you into reveal the deep dark secrets of either of our lives. But I’ve been thinking; we’ve only been married for two months. There must be plenty of things about you that I didn’t know before. It wouldn’t be breaking the rules to share some of that past with me.” Bright eyes lowered before rising to meet his shyly. “I just want to know more about you.”

Once again, Lex was surprised by the woman beside him; an odd reaction given that he generally found people’s motives simple to read and their behaviors easy to predict. But Chloe was different. She had been even before her injury, but since then it had been infinitely worse. A month ago he would have been able to reasonably anticipate approximately half of Chloe’s actions based on what he knew of her life experiences. He knew that she’d be protective of those she considered family because she’d lost her parents. That she’d be wary in matters of the heart because of the years of maltreatment by her oblivious best friend. And that she’d maintain a state of hyper-vigilance because of the hard lessons she’d learned at the hands of his family.

But now, all of those events held no sway. There was nothing calculating in her actions or manipulative in her requests. If she wanted to learn about him it wasn’t about gaining the upper hand in their relationship; it was simply an extension of her natural curiosity.

And that was the very thing that made her actions so difficult to anticipate. As a Luthor, Lex had never had dealings with anyone that was free of expectations or devoid of hidden agendas. Even his mother, who had been one of the only two people he’d ever believed truly cared for him, had been guided by the fear that he would grow into the man Lionel commanded, and the imperative to prevent such an atrocity. Clark had been no better, assuming him to be extraordinarily good or irredeemably evil by turns.

But no one had ever looked at him as Chloe was at that moment; with an openness that precluded subterfuge. And, although he would never admit the weakness, Lex felt the need to share with her some small part of himself as a kind of penance for seeing her so unguarded, so defenseless; for allowing her to trust in him, knowing that he was stealing that much more of whatever lingering innocence could be left to a Smallville survivor.

And so Lex found himself sharing with her. A holiday as a child, a memory of boarding school, a few of his clubbing experiences; it was nothing too personal, and certainly nothing to revealing for the woman who would soon know, once again, that he secretly longed for his father’s love.

And, surprisingly, it didn’t feel as wrenching as this type of disclosure, as mild as it may be, usually did. During his dalliance with Lana, she had both begged and demanded that he share himself with her. Lex had always resisted and now, talking with Chloe, he could see why.

Lana had wanted to know about him because she understood that he did not easily share. She had no true desire in seeing him as anything other than the image she’s created in her imagination but, instead, wanted proof of his devotion to her. But Chloe was willing to see him without prejudices, good or bad; to look at him as a blank slate that she wanted him to fill with the reality of who he was, not who she wanted him to be. And while it was clear that her amnesia was the reason that she carried no preconceived notions, the willingness to accept what he chose to share, to allow him to be the person that he was, was a part of her basic make up; an intrinsic piece of her character.

So lost in thought was Lex that he missed the shift in Chloe’s position that brought her side against his. The warmth of her hand burned through his shirt where she laid her hand, and his eyes captured his is their dazzling depths of greens and golds.

“It must have been lonely being you.”

Normally such a stark and accurate observation would send Lex deep within himself. But Chloe wasn't looking at him with pity, wasn't seeing him as pathetic. Instead, there was a sadness in her gaze that bled into a determination to rectify what she found to be an unacceptable situation. And suddenly Lex was struck with an understanding of why Clark cared so much for Chloe; why, even though he professed to love Lana he could let her go but kept Chloe so close.

As Chloe watched Lex’s silent contemplation, she nestled closer into his side, slipping her arm around his back in a partial embrace.

Lex knew that Chloe’s offer of comfort was genuine, but his response was a perfunctory reassuring squeeze of her knee. All tender sentiments had been banished by the unwelcomed thoughts of Clark. And, for once, his animosity towards his former friend was not motivated by secrets and lies, but by the vagaries of fate that had given the younger man a life with an overabundance of solace, with people of such compassion, and left him with the Lionels and Helens of the world.

But Lex knew that that kind of caring was never meant for men such as him. His lot in life had never been soft words and tender touches. No, those things were only briefly in his care; stolen from another. And at that moment, more than any other, Lex Luthor hated Clark Kent.


~*~*~*~*~


Oddly enough, for a man as enamored of control as Lex, the thing he loved most about the corporate world was its unpredictability. He had no question of his ability to convert unforeseen complications into unexpected dividends and, in recent years, he’d learned to apply that talent to his personal machinations as well. So, enjoying a cup of coffee in The Talon, Lex observed the unanticipated, yet quite welcome benefits of his design for Chloe.

It was in aid of that very plan that he’d ventured into Smallville at all, having spent the majority of the past year in Metropolis. While he knew that he’d covered well for Chloe’s abrupt “departure”, he had also learned to never underestimate Clark’s ability to stumble across answers when the boy hadn’t even been aware there was a question; although Lex had always had a sneaking suspicion that, while Clark might discover the 2 and the 2, it was Chloe who managed to make 4 out of them. Not that Clark wasn’t smart; he was, but Chloe was sharp. It was a difference primarily built on her journalistic intuition and cynicism.

So, knowing that it was best to leave no avenues of interest open, even those of mere coincidence, Lex decided that it would be best if he and Chloe weren’t both entirely out of sight at the same time. And there really was no better place to be seen than Smallville, where even a cursory glance by a single citizen would alert the entire town to one’s visit within days. Therefore, Lex could be assured that thirty minutes at a central table at The Talon would definitely make its way up the cornstalk and back to Clark.

However, upon entering the quaint establishment he realized that word of mouth would not be necessary for this particular project as there, tucked into a quiet booth in the corner, were Clark and Lana. He acknowledged their glares with a small nod and barely managed to restrain a smile as they quickly turned their heads away and shunned him with a dedicated intensity that would make them the envy of any Amish community.

What the self-absorbed duo failed to understand was that, far from offending him, they were merely offering him the chance to openly observe them. After all, because of their long and complicated history, the townsfolk were most likely prepared for any type of spectacle they chose to provide, so some minor staring would barely register. And he did have to admit that he was enjoying the view.

In the half hour that he sat there, reading through files and keeping an eye on the two brunettes so studiously ignoring him, he noted two very satisfying facts. The first was that Clark looked harried and distracted. The harried was new, and while Clark had often been distracted by Lana, it usually took an act of God to see him preoccupied by anything else in the presence of Lana. The second was that Clark had checked his cell phone no less than four times for messages. And Lex knew, without the need for any independent conformation, the cause of both of those observations.

Chloe.

Despite his declarations of love for Lana, it was the wise-cracking best friend who was truly the woman in Clark’s life. And though he might not be prepared to admit it, even to himself, it was perfectly clear to anyone who bothered to look that the young man was unraveling in her absence.

Lex had a team monitoring both Chloe’s email and cell phone. Barring any emergency contacts, he received a report each evening of the day’s activity so that he could provide his linguist with the content for appropriate responses via email. In the previous week he had addressed two calls from Chloe’s cousin Lois asking how her story was coming along, one call from Lana suggesting meeting for lunch on her return from California, and thirty seven messages from Clark, who called as few as three times a day, and as often as seven. An obsessive amount which didn’t even take into account his daily email.

The communications ranged from general inquiries about her day to near obsessive worries about her safety. Interspersed amongst the messages were repeated offers to go to California and assist her with her investigation. Lex found these offers to be of particular interest.

Although Martha Kent was a state senator, the cost of maintaining the farm and tuition for her son’s return to college didn’t leave the family with extensive amounts of disposable income. Yet Clark spoke with ease as if both the cost and the time constraints involved in a trek to the west coast were but minor inconveniences. And while the suggestion might simply have been the result of a ridiculously overdeveloped sense of responsibility, Lex couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that.

Smiling slightly, he considered the irony that, after the massive undertaking he’d set in motion to steal the information he wanted from Chloe, in the end it may very well be Clark himself who unintentionally gave some essential key to his secret away.

Draining the last of his coffee, Lex looked up to see that Clark had decided to abandon the cold shoulder in favor of outright disapproval and open hostility; and the complete and utter wrongness of the self-righteous loathing being sent his way angered him anew. But no matter how enraged he became at Clark’s judgmental nature, Lex was honest enough to admit, at least to himself, that it wasn’t just the hypocrisy that Clark saw himself as exempt from the standards to which he held others that incensed him, but the fact that Clark could deceive everyone he claimed to care about, yet was perceived as the personification of virtue, while Lex knew that he could heal a colony of lepers and people would still wonder what his angle was. And while the desire to learn Clark’s secret had recently gained importance for other reasons, there would always be that minuscule part of him that hated the people who had convinced the world that being a Luthor was an undeniable precursor to evil; people who had convinced his mother that their truth was so absolute that she took the life of her own son to save him from that fate.

Heated stares clashed as unspoken promises and threats were exchanged across the small distance that belied the gaping chasm separating the two men. With one last, hard look at the man who had, for years, been his greatest friend, Lex ended their stalemate with a slight, yet infinitely satisfied, smile. He was ready to once more shake the dirt of Smallville from his feet. He’d accomplished his mission and felt no need to waste his time hurling silent recriminations, mired in a flood of bitterness and betrayal.

After all, he thought as his smile grew, one of them was going to go home to an evening with the oddly soothing presence of Chloe Sullivan. And for once, it wasn’t Clark.


TBC

~Sarah~

[lj715]

Excellent two chapters!!!! I love Lex & Chloe trying to know each other. It's gonna be bad when it blows up in Lex's face but I hope they can still be together.

[westwingwolf]

Great to see that Chloe has her natural suspicions and that she knows things about Lex without really knowing him. I like that Lex is enjoying being around Chloe but I don't think he will be able to convince himself much longer that it's just for the benefit of what he'll get out of this. He's heading down that road of attachment. I would love it if Clark gave himself away, not that it would do anything to help the Chlex situation but it would serve him right if he betrayed himself. Love the insights into everyone and you are so right about why Lana wanted Lex or anyone to be open with her. I suspect that Chloe is going to bring up the fact that they aren't being intimate and would want to remedy that situation. At least I hope she will and I can't wait to see how Lex handles this.

[welshy]

This was a brilliant update, I'm certainly enjoying where this is going. I can't wait to find out Chloe's going to react when she gets her memory back.



After all, he thought as his smile grew, one of them was going to go home to an evening with the oddly soothing presence of Chloe Sullivan. And for once, it wasn’t Clark.

The end of the chapter for some reason has to be my favourite part, I hope there's going to be more soon.

[Esther25jm]

Absolutely love the new update!! It's nice to see that Chloe's still the same, regardless of the amnesia, and that Lex is finally seeing how great she is. Loved their picnic because there were so many revelations there about the two of them---separately and together---that just makes me root for them so much in this story. I know the crap will hit the fan when Lex's lies are exposed, but I truly hope that they still stay together in the end. Can't wait for more!

[jedi]

a wonderful update as always.
I hope you'll update more soon

[Nyx]

Great chapter!!!

I don't even want to think about how Chloe is going to react when she finds out that Lex have been lying all this time.

What if she falls in love with him before knowing the truth?? Will she be able to forgive???

Stupid Clark, well I guess thats good too Lex, so I think it's better to keep him oblivious.

OHHH!!!! you sooo need to post another chapter..... and soon please :D

[malugargula]

This fic is so interesting
Will Lex fall in love for Chloe???
When will she realize that Lex isn't her husband???
Please more soon

[zho9]

Another wonderful update.


“Remind me again why I didn’t leave you drowning in your flood of files?”

“Because clearly I am a ray of sunlight in your otherwise dreary day.”

Chloe nearly choked on her fit of giggles at the exaggerated sincerity that coated his words.

“Well, Sunshine,” she shot back as they entered the kitchen, “it’s good to know for sure that one of us loves you.”

That was wonderful teasing banter and a good example of one of the "hundred little things" that's going to make Lex suffer before long. I love how you have him trying to convince himself that he is just appreciating her on an "intellectual level." Yeah, right Lex.


The feel of Chloe’s hand on his arm as well as her hesitant, “Lex?” brought him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Well, if one could consider picnicking with his fake wife while he attempted to deter her questions about their make believe life together by citing false medical orders reality.
This was just plain hilarious and probably my favorite paragraph in this update.


But this was truly moving:
All tender sentiments had been banished by the unwelcomed thoughts of Clark. And, for once, his animosity towards his former friend was not motivated by secrets and lies, but by the vagaries of fate that had given filled the younger man a life with an overabundance of solace, with people of such compassion, and left him with the Lionels and Helens of the world.

But Lex knew that that kind of caring was never meant for men such as him. His lot in life had never been soft words and tender touches. No, those things were only briefly in his care; stolen from another. And at that moment, more than any other, Lex Luthor hated Clark Kent.
It made me hate Clark even more; he's never deserved Chloe! And Lex needs Chloe and would appreciate her more than Clark ever would. So sad and so Lex.


Can't wait for the next chapters!

[hfce]

That was an interesting but fun update. I am just ready for the fallout when Chloe eventually remembers. I so would not want to be Lex when Chloe finds out. :P

[Augustine86]

This is Lex in character. This is the Lex AlMiles should meet. Not the pathetic Lana-screwed wimp I can't stand nowadays. He is tough, he is mean and he is in love. And it makes sense.

Now this is good characterization.

[somethingeasy]

A/N: I want to thank everyone for the encouraging feedback. Also, I know that I've been focusing on this way more than ATfK. I'm sorry about that, but this story is written in smaller parts and so, unlike many things I've written, seems to have an end in sight. In fact, barring any surprises, I should be able to wrap this story up in about twelve or thirteen more parts. So the brisk pace has been kind of refreshing. However, I will try to work on some of ATfK tonight.

The news of the ‘brisk pace’ pleases me to no end. It’s great that I’m not going to be kept in suspense too long before all the fun stuff starts taking place (not the least of which is watching Lex suffer and twist on this pike he’s impaled himself on).

And… errr… do us a favour? DON’T torture your loyal Chlex readers by annoucing your intention to dedicating your fic writing attentions to… (gulp) Angel fics (shudder).


Lex had been the epitome of consideration for the last week and it was driving Chloe to the brink of insanity. She understood that he was simply trying to adhere to the medical advice they’d been given, but the kid glove routine was wearing thin. The doctors had told her that she’d have to be patient with regards to her absentee memories, but even without them she wanted to return to some semblance of a normal life. And she was remarkably certain that what she was experiencing wasn’t it.

heh. I remember noting, in my last review, that it would be VERY difficult for Chloe to resist the ‘attentive, devoted husband’ act that Lex was putting on. But it’s fantastic to see that she is still as sharp as ever. She might not have guessed the extent to which Lex’s current behaviour is an act, but she has noted the falseness of it, and she can’t stand it.

I am so impressed by her.


For one thing, despite Lex’s “welcome home”, the house they were occupying hadn’t actually been their residence previous to the accident. Chloe couldn’t decide what had disturbed her more – that she was being denied the familiar surroundings that she’d secretly hoped would trigger the release of her hidden past, or that her husband was so wealthy that this mansion, this estate wasn’t their primary residence, wasn’t even a vacation home, was, instead, merely something he had picked up at the time because it was a sound investment that he was certain he’d have use for sometime in the future. She might not have remembered any more of her life than the last ten days, but she was fairly confident that she hadn’t been the type of person who could purchase manor homes as an impulse buy.

LOL at the thought of purchasing mansions on impulse.

And I am very pleased to see Chloe still retains enough of her investigative savvy to be able to glean as much knowledge as possible from just a little bit of observation and imformation.

I also find it interesting that, even with her memories gone, Chloe has a VERY strong sense of self that goes beyond life experiences. She might not remember anything about the kind of person she used to be, but she KNOWS what she’s like and what her preferences are.

I love how Skauble made her so strong, even in her ‘delicate medical state’. Excellent writing, excellent characterization.


Then, as if all of that wasn’t enough of a deviation from what she thought was probably her life pre-head injury, even her marriage was different. Not that she recalled her marriage, but she could almost guarantee that she and her husband hadn’t slept in separate rooms.

With a heavy sigh Chloe ran a hand through her hair; she was frustrated and unsure of what to do. She knew that Lex was just being considerate of her feelings, and she had to admit that sharing a bed with someone she, at this point, barely knew wasn’t the most comfortable of thoughts, but knowing nothing about anything around her, even her own husband, was making her nutty.

*sigh* I DID expect Lex to insist on separate sleeping quarters. No matter what a bastard he’s being, he will not stoop to using sex to manipulate Chloe.

Hmmm. But is he really protecting Chloe’s ‘honour and virtue’ in her compromised state? Or did he make the callous decision that sharing a bed with her would only serve to confuse her incoming memories, and therefore prove to be a hindrance to his all important plans?

I’d like to think that Lex made the decision to not take advantage of Chloe because of a speck of empathy within him. But the truth is, I think he made the decision after weighing the proc and cons and consequences to his scheme.

Selfish, self-serving, manipulative BASTARD!


And it wasn’t just her history with her surroundings that she wanted, it was any information that would allow her to form reasonable judgments. Although Lex had been absolutely wonderful in every way, she felt odd with no real knowledge of him to back up her blind faith. She wondered briefly if she had been a cynic before, but knew that no one would tell her.
And so it was those things, her longing for context in which to place her life, her craving for understanding of the only representative of her past, her desperate need for some small awareness of who she was, who she should be, that brought her to her husband’s study early on a Saturday afternoon.

I REALLY liked Chloe’s errant thought when she wondered whether she had been a ‘cynic’ in her previous life. She has more of a connection to her past self than anyone could have imagined, and I’m really enjoying how all these ‘little flashes’ of the old’Chloe keep cropping up from time to time.


“Chloe,” he smiled as he rose from his desk, “to what do I owe this lovely distraction.”

“Well, if he can manage to tear himself away from the reams of what I’m sure is endlessly fascinating paperwork, I’d like to have lunch with my husband.”

awwww. I wanted to sigh in contentment at the sweetness of this exchange, and then I slapped myself upside the head, reminding myself that Lex. Is. ACTING!

How dare that bastard be so good at being so deceptively charming and loving! I don’t want to think about how many unsuspecting young woman he managed to seduce while honing in these particular skills.

Bastard!


Even though Lex has seen that beautiful, open smile dozens of times over the past week it still caught him slightly off guard on a face that had, for so long, housed only suspicion towards him. And though he wasn’t given to such frequent displays himself, he found her smile oddly infectious, and could rarely restrain a pleased grin in return. Of course, since Chloe believed him to be her loving husband, he found no need to censure the uncustomary action, although he drew the line at actually enjoying it. There was little to be gained and much to lose in letting himself grow used to the small pleasures of Chloe’s engaging presence, and, as Lex had learned long ago to weigh all decision in terms of cost and benefit, thinking about Chloe in anything other than the extremely short term would definitely come under the heading of cost.

heh. I really loved Skauble providing her reader’s with the early look into Lex’s inevitable downfall. The idiot still believes he is in complete control of the situation (and himself)?? I found it funny that Lex has consciously noted how easy it is to respond with smiles and playful banter to Chloe’s antics and comments, but he’s sternly telling himself ‘not to enjoy it’. ROTFLMAO! The poor fool doesn’t stand a chance.


“Though I’m not permitted to comment directly on your skills in that particular area, I will admit that I have never inquired as to the state of dinner with the hope that you had actually prepared it.”

Laughing, Chloe used her free hand to swat his arm. “While I have nothing on which to base my opinion, I’m sure that’s the nicest way anyone’s ever told me I was incompetent in my life.”

“Well,” Lex responded with mock thoughtfulness, “I think that’s a fairly glass half empty perspective. Though you may never ascend the ranks of legendary chefs you could always pursue a career as a culinary assassin. I’m certain that governments around the world would be vying for your services.”

“Remind me again why I didn’t leave you drowning in your flood of files?”

“Because clearly I am a ray of sunlight in your otherwise dreary day.”

Chloe nearly choked on her fit of giggles at the exaggerated sincerity that coated his words.

Oh WOW! I wanted to both swoon and laugh hysterically at the sheer cuteness of the Chlex banter. Lex is actually being… playful. Not a single one of those comments is snide, hostile or patronizing. He’s actually learning to have fun and tease another person, just for the sake of fun.

And he’s behaving so naturally, it’s difficult to remember (or even acknowledge) that he is not being genuine or sincere. Just HOW good a actor is he, that he can fake affectionate ineraction of THIS calibre?!

I can only hope it really is genuine, because if he’s faking this kind of a response…

Chloe is good for him. And it’s only a matter of time before he realizes how much he needs this kind of light heartedness in his life.


“Well, Sunshine,” she shot back as they entered the kitchen, “it’s good to know for sure that one of us loves you.”

Before she could approach the servants, Lex gave her hand a tug and spun her around to face him.

“Are you doubting your love for me?”

Looking into the fathomless depths of his gray eyes, Chloe could see that the question was only half asked in jest. Reaching out her, she cradled his cheek.

“Strangely enough, I’m not.”

Oh NOOOOOOooooo! Chloe is already falling with love with this PERSONA that Lex Luthor is presenting. Lex knows the kind of esteem and psyche damaging heartbreak Chloe has gone through, but he’s still not hesitating to making her fall. He truly is an unfeeling uncaring monster!!!

I only hope that every OUNCE of hurt he inflicts on Chloe is returned ten-fold on him.


Spending great lengths of time with Chloe Sullivan was akin to drinking alcohol, Lex reflected. It was an acquired taste, but once attained it warm and relaxing and, without great effort, could easily become addictive.

It wasn’t one thing she did. Instead it was a hundred little things; things that seemed innocuous when considered individually, but taken as a whole, were entirely too engaging. Of course, they were things that he appreciated on an intellectual level as opposed to emotionally, as he knew that, for reasons to numerous to count, Chloe Sullivan would be the last woman on the face of the earth that he would ever consider in that manner.

Heh. And he still believes he’s in control? Lex, of all people, should know the danger of playing with addictive substances. I really liked the comparison of Chloe to fine, expensive alcohol (perhaps scotch?), how it might seem too strong and abrasive to enjoy, until one develops a taste for the stuff... then nothing else (and nothing less) will suffice.

I ALSO liked the way Lex couldn’t really put his finger on the qualities in Chloe that made her so interesting, engaging and addictive. How he noted that ‘the sum of her parts were made up an infinitely (and unfathomably) greater whole’.

Heh. And I really enjoyed that final bit of denial, where he TRIES to reassure himself that he is not (repeat notNOT not) in any danger of becoming emotionally attached to her, no matter how much he ‘might’ be enjoying her company right now.

He is going to feel soooo satisfyingly stupid later. I look forward to seeing him get to that ‘I should have seen it coming! It was so obvious!’ stage in this fic. It’s going to be FUN!


Still, just because there were far too many complications between he and Chloe even being friends, much less anything more, it didn’t stop him from appreciating, now more than ever, what a fool Clark Kent was. There was absolutely nothing for his former friend to lose by going after the blonde and, quite frankly, everything to gain. And yet he still hadn’t pursued her; was, in fact, even now trying to make things work with Lana Lang, the fickle young woman whom Lex had lured away from Clark and then left when he realized that hurting him certainly wasn’t worth burdening himself with the self-centered, judgmental prima donna.

*sigh * considering how many fics indulge in this pattern, I SHOULD have gotten tired of ‘Lana-bashing’ by now. But the truth is, I just cannot get enough of it.

Especially when the Lana/Chloe comparison is made in such an interesting and unique way. I can’t believe I never saw it SO clearly before, but it IS obvious that Chloe would be the absolute perfect woman for Clark, if only he wasn’t so enthralled with the idea of ‘wanting what he could never have’.

Heh. Judgemental prima donna? Hear, HEAR!!!


Not that Lex would ever be fool enough to mention that bit of wisdom to the oblivious farmboy. In all of the skirmishes between himself and Clark, he had always considered it one of his greatest victories to saddle the other man with Ms. Lang indefinitely. And that sense of triumph had only increased as he’d finally been allowed to see behind the animosity, past the banter and sarcasm to the surprisingly tender heart and sweet nature beneath Chloe Sullivan's brash exterior. How on earth Clark could be exposed to that kind of caring everyday and still consider Lana a worthwhile catch was beyond even his mental capabilities to understand.

LOL at Lex considering it a victory to ‘inflict Lana’ on Clark. ROTFLOL!

And also…. awww on Lex being genuinely confused and shocked as to why ANY-one would prefer Lana after having the pleasure of Chloe’s uncompromising love, loyalty and friendship. I really liked how he’s getting accustomed (and addicted) to this version of Chloe who doesn’t know enough to act suspicious and wary around him.

Heh. He’s falling and he doesn’t even realize it. This is SO much fun!


“Are you telling me that you didn’t bring me here to pump me for information?” Lex smirked at remaining a step ahead of her. Even if she was unaware of their previous rivalry, he wasn’t, and he enjoyed winning their increasingly light hearted skirmishes.

“I’m not telling you anything of the sort.”

His smug grin slipped slightly at her admission. Over the last week he’d learned that some things about Chloe were apparently encoded in her DNA. The refusal to go down without a fight was certainly one of them.

Huh! I snorted with some minor contempt after hearing about the petty satisfaction Lex was taking in ‘finally’ being able to win at their verbal judo matches when Chloe was in her ‘disadvantaged state’.

But then I had to laugh when Chloe proved she wasn’t disadvantaged at all, and that she still retained enough of her sharp wits, stubbornness and competitive spirit to provide her with the edge needed to make ANY kind of skirmish a challenge for Lex.

It seems like Chloe has not really ‘lost’ anything or been diminished in ANY way since she forgot who she was. It’s great to see she’s still as witty, smart and challenging as ever.


Chloe wondered if she’d ever told Lex just how unbelievably sexy it was when his eyebrow cocked just so; demanding answers as if he owned the truths he was seeking.

I can’t help but wish Chloe would have told him her observations right now. Mostly because I wanted to know how Lex would have reacted. Would he have been disconcerted at being considered attractive and desirable by Chloe of all people? Or would he have been pleased that he had managed to fool her, and get under her defences so well?


“Well, since we left the majority of my secrets back in the office from which you just liberated me, I’m afraid that you’re going to be disappointed.”

Leaning over slightly, Chloe bumped Lex with her shoulder at his mocking tone. “I’ll have you know that my husband has offered me all that he has, so I hardly think that I need to engage in corporate espionage, Mr. Luthor.”

At first I laughed at Chloe’s parry. And then I frowned remembering that her perception and point of view is just a lie perpetuated by Lex while he’s putting on the ‘seductive, charming and suave’ act. She is so trusting, she’s going to be devastated later. I HATE him for doing this to her. Bastard!


With a small start, Lex’s eyes snapped to hers. It had been years since he’d heard that particular form of address fall playfully from her lips, and it caught him slightly off guard. Even though he wasn’t so foolish as to lose sight of his ultimate goal, he did have to admit that, in the last week, he’d established a division between what he considered Clark’s Chloe and the one that, for lack of a better term, was his.

It wasn’t that she was entirely different. In fact, he had a feeling that she was more Chloe now then she’d ever been before. The years of heartache, rejection, and genuine fear for her life had in no way dimmed her, but they had erected an elaborate labyrinth of walls around her innermost self. It was one of what he was coming to understand were the many ways in which they were so very similar.

I gave a little start at Lex describing Chloe as ‘his’. I know that he doesn’t mean it in the emotionally attached and sweetly possessive sense of the word. But it is a beginning.

And all of Lex’s observations about Chloe made perfect sense, and they went a long way to filling in the blanks about what kind of a character Chloe has become since she lost her memories and life experiences. Brilliant way of giving the viewer insight into Chloe, and summing up her character, Skauble. Thanks!

It makes me wonder what kind of a person Lex would have become if HE had been the one to have lost his memories and find himself separated from his ‘old way of life’. Oooh, the possibilities!


Obviously I don’t remember what our relationship was like before, but when I think about marriage I think about a team, so I find it hard to believe that I wouldn’t have expected as much from ours. Right now you’re kind of bearing the burden for both of us and you’ve been absolutely wonderful about it. Do I like being in the dark? No. But I don’t feel helpless. Here, now, with you, I feel…safe.”

This was a beautiful speech from Chloe. I like the eloquent way she’s demanding an equal partnership in this ‘marriage’ of theirs. But she’s doing it without reprimanding Lex for the rather stifling overprotective stance he’s taken since her accident.

And I can see why her speech might have had such a major affect on him. Lex’s character had always been a complex set paradoxes, one of them being the way he can be a self-serving, callous bastard, yet still have a deep-seated wish to be ‘the knight/hero that saves the day’. He also wants to feel powerful, self-sufficient and independent… but there is also a need in him to feel cared for and loved.

Chloe telling Lex that she feels ‘safe and protected’ around him would have aroused all those chivalric and protective instincts that he keeps drowning out with his desire to be powerful and in control of everything around him.


Chloe watched as shock briefly flitted across his face. No matter what memories were missing or what her husband wouldn’t tell her, she wasn’t blind nor was she stupid. In the last week she’d come to learn a great deal about the man that she married. Lex was a veritable fortress. With one row of walls to keep things out and one to hold things in, Chloe wasn’t sure which he felt he needed the most, but knew, instinctively, that each brick was laid in the wake of terrible heartache.

She couldn’t tell if her feelings were the whispers of their forgotten love or the understandable connection one would feel for the only tie to the world around them, but she wanted to lessen the sorrow that she could read in the depths of his eyes, to ease the weight of losing the one person, no matter how temporarily, who should be able to banish those shadows. With every passing hour she spent in his company, she found herself simply wanting to know more about this man to whom she'd committed her life.

I REALLY liked how Chloe’s observations about Lex mirror Lex’s earlier observations about her. The have both noticed that past experiences have forced the other into erecting protective barriers around their hearts and psyches. They both have noticed that the other had serious trust issues, and are figuring out ways to circumvent the barriers.

For completely different reasons of course. Lex is a bastard who is trying to get breach Chloe’s defences to ‘violate her’. And Chloe is just trying to ease some of the loneliness and unhappiness she can see so clearly within him.

I really liked the observation about how Lex has TWO sets of walls holding himself together. One to keep things in, and the other to keep things out. And even I’m not really sure which one is stronger.


But no one had ever looked at him as Chloe was at that moment; with an openness that precluded subterfuge. And, although he would never admit the weakness, Lex felt the need to share with her some small part of himself as a kind of penance for seeing her so unguarded, so defenseless; for allowing her to trust in him, knowing that he was stealing that much more of whatever lingering innocence could be left to a Smallville survivor.

heh. This paragraph comforted me in MANY ways. Not the least of which was seeing that Lex was capable of a ‘little’ bit of guilt while going into this scheme that he knows might end up destroying Chloe’s abilities to trust anyone ever again. Not enough to stop the scheme though… Bastard!

It was also nice seeing him falling further under Chloe’s undeniable charms.


And so Lex found himself sharing with her. A holiday as a child, a memory of boarding school, a few of his clubbing experiences; it was nothing too personal, and certainly nothing to revealing for the woman who would soon know, once again, that he secretly longed for his father’s love.

Lex might have all the advantages right now, but Chloe is sneaking past his barriers and under his skin. It’s just a matter of time until the tables are turned about WHICH of them is in the disadvantaged state.


And, surprisingly, it didn’t feel as wrenching as this type of disclosure, as mild as it may be, usually did. During his dalliance with Lana, she had both begged and demanded that he share himself with her. Lex had always resisted and now, talking with Chloe, he could see why.

Lana had wanted to know about him because she understood that he did not easily share. She had no true desire in seeing him as anything other than the image she’s created in her imagination but, instead, wanted proof of his devotion to her. But Chloe was willing to see him without prejudices, good or bad; to look at him as a blank slate that she wanted him to fill with the reality of who he was, not who she wanted him to be. And while it was clear that her amnesia was the reason that she carried no preconceived notions, the willingness to accept what he chose to share, to allow him to be the person that he was, was a part of her basic make up; an intrinsic piece of her character.

I really enjoyed Lex drawing up the comparison between Lana’s constant crying to ‘stop keeping secrets from me’, and Chloe obeying her deep-seated compulsion towards investigation and truth seeking.

And, from what I have gathered about Lex’s character, it seems like having someone approaching him without any preconceived notions, prejudices or expectations would be precious to him. Yet another reason why he would become addicted to having Chloe around. Excellent!


Normally such a stark and accurate observation would send Lex deep within himself. But Chloe wasn't looking at him with pity, wasn't seeing him as pathetic. Instead, there was a sadness in her gaze that bled into a determination to rectify what she found to be an unacceptable situation. And suddenly Lex was struck with an understanding of why Clark cared so much for Chloe; why, even though he professed to love Lana he could let her go but kept Chloe so close.

YES! Now we’re talking. I’m seeing a flash of genuine love springing up over here. Lex is finally seeing Chloe’s appeal, and why she is so important to Clark… not just as a handy research assistant and sidekick ally, but also as a caring, loving, generous and courageous person. He’s already falling in love with her, and doesn’t realize it.


Lex knew that Chloe’s offer of comfort was genuine, but his response was a perfunctory reassuring squeeze of her knee. All tender sentiments had been banished by the unwelcomed thoughts of Clark. And, for once, his animosity towards his former friend was not motivated by secrets and lies, but by the vagaries of fate that had given filled the younger man a life with an overabundance of solace, with people of such compassion, and left him with the Lionels and Helens of the world.

But Lex knew that that kind of caring was never meant for men such as him. His lot in life had never been soft words and tender touches. No, those things were only briefly in his care; stolen from another. And at that moment, more than any other, Lex Luthor hated Clark Kent.

I LOVED this part. I always had the impressions (in both of Skauble’s fics) that disgust over Clark’s secrecy and hypocrisy was only PART of the reason Lex was so obsessed with bringing the farmboy down a notch or two. Now we see the real reason and prime motivating factor for that hate. Clark always inspires the kind of unwavering loyalty and devotion that Lex can only dream about, and he hates Clark for the ease with which he beats Lex like this.

At this moment, I actually felt sorry for Lex. Especially during the line ‘briefly in his care; STOLEN from another’. Lex knows that the care, understanding and generosity Chloe is showing to him is UNDESERVED, and he cannot fool himself (not even for a moment) into believing that he could ever deserve such kindness and respect from another person.

All those betrayals Lex has gone through have made him believe he is actually incapable of inspiring love or loyalty from others. And that the only way he can enjoy such pleasures is to trick it out of someone… or pay them for it.


It was in aid of that very plan that he’d ventured into Smallville at all, having spent the majority of the past year in Metropolis. While he knew that he’d covered well for Chloe’s abrupt “departure”, he had also learned to never underestimate Clark’s ability to stumble across answers when the boy hadn’t even been aware there was a question; although Lex had always had a sneaking suspicion that, while Clark might discover the 2 and the 2, it was Chloe who managed to make 4 out of them. Not that Clark wasn’t smart; he was, but Chloe was sharp. It was a difference primarily built on her journalistic intuition and cynicism.

LOL! I really liked Lex’s assessment of the Chlark team. It’s comforting to see that, even though noble, stalwart Clark would have been credited with saving the day, Lex knew it was always Chloe who was the brains behind every one of their operations.


So, knowing that it was best to leave no avenues of interest open, even those of mere coincidence, Lex decided that it would be best if he and Chloe weren’t both entirely out of sight at the same time. And there really was no better place to be seen than Smallville, where even a cursory glance by a single citizen would alert the entire town to one’s visit within days. Therefore, Lex could be assured that thirty minutes at a central table at The Talon would definitely make its way up the cornstalk and back to Clark.

heh. Lex continues to impress me with his steadfast and finicky attention to detail. His plan might be skirting on the edges of evil, but it is being executed beautifully and flawlessly. You have to admire him for that.


However, upon entering the quaint establishment he realized that word of mouth would not be necessary for this particular project as there, tucked into a quiet booth in the corner, were Clark and Lana. He acknowledged their glares with a small nod and barely managed to restrain a smile as they quickly turned their heads away and shunned him with a dedicated intensity that would make them the envy of any Amish community.

ROTFLMAO at Clana’s immature behaviour. AND Lex’s amusement to said behaviour. That last line sent me into hysterics.

I also liked Lex’s observation about how Clana ‘shunning’ him enabled him to be able to watch them without fear of being caught staring. The sneaky basard really knows how to make the best of his opportunities, doesn’t he? LOL!


In the half hour that he sat there, reading through files and keeping an eye on the two brunettes so studiously ignoring him, he noted two very satisfying facts. The first was that Clark looked harried and distracted. The harried was new, and while Clark had often been distracted by Lana, it usually took an act of God to see him preoccupied by anything else in the presence of Lana. The second was that Clark had checked his cell phone no less than four times for messages. And Lex knew, without the need for any independent conformation, the cause of both of those observations.

This was an amazing twist, but something I really should have expected. It seems inevitable that Clark would be the type of person to ONLY start appreciating something when it has been removed from his life. The impression I’ve gathered from Skauble’s fic/s is that Clark only wanted Lana is because he regarded her a ‘untouchable’, and he ignored Chloe because he just took for granted that she would always be there for him.

Now that she’s missing, he’s finally beginning to understand how much she means to him. Typical! It would be truly ironic if Clark realized he was in love with Chloe all along, JUST as she fell in love with Lex.


Lex had a team monitoring both Chloe’s email and cell phone. Barring any emergency contacts, he received a report each evening of the day’s activity so that he could provide his linguist with the content for appropriate responses via email. In the previous week he had addressed two calls from Chloe’s cousin Lois asking how her story was coming along, one call from Lana suggesting meeting for lunch on her return from California, and thirty seven messages from Clark, who called as few as three times a day, and as often as seven. An obsessive amount which didn’t even take into account his daily email.

Oh. My GOD! Clark is actually skirting on the outskirts of STALKING Chloe??!! Oh, such delicious ironies. It seems like Lex isn’t the only character who turns into a obsessive control freak during times of vulnerability. ROTFLOL!

Of course, after I finished laughing, I was unbelievable angry at Clark’s behaviour. Suppose Chloe DID make a decision that she ‘needed space’ from being Clark’s second-choice sidekick pal? Suppose she decided that she needed some time away from Clark in order to FINALLY get over him, once and for all? Perhaps get herself a lovely, charming, handsome boyfriend?

How is Chloe supposed to accomplish any of this while Clark is calling for her like a clingy child? People keep saying that Chloe is nuts for carrying a torch for Clark for SUCH a long time, but the stark ugly truth is that Clark has been leading her on, keeping her hopeful while keeping her at a distance at the same time. Clark has been dangling her, and keeping her in EXACTLY the role he needed her by manipulating her emotions.

It seems like ALL the men in Chloe’s life are utter bastards. She really needs to move away.

Heh. I REALLY loved this insight into Clark’s behaviour. It was really revealing about his character, and the way he treats and regards Chloe. Excellent characterization!


Although Martha Kent was a state senator, the cost of maintaining the farm and tuition for her son’s return to college didn’t leave the family with extensive amounts of disposable income. Yet Clark spoke with ease as if both the cost and the time constraints involved in a trek to the west coast were but minor inconveniences. And while the suggestion might simply have been the result of a ridiculously overdeveloped sense of responsibility, Lex couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that.

Smiling slightly, he considered the irony that, after the massive undertaking he’d set in motion to steal the information he wanted from Chloe, in the end it may very well be Clark himself who unintentionally gave some essential key to his secret away.

And here was another twist that made me giggle at the ironies. And, like last time, this part also produced a mixed emotional response. On one hand it was amusing that Clark himself would end up giving away his precious secret in his obsessive need to get together with ‘Mama Chloe’ again. On the other hand, I hate the thought of Lex’s brilliant, but altogether cruel scheming actually succeeding in giving him what he wants.

I like bad guys to get punished, and good guys to win in the land of fiction, dammit! And I see how well Lex’s plan is working… it’s possible that he ‘might’ actually end up accomplishing all the goals he set for himself (at Chloe’s expense). I can only hope he considers ‘Clark’s big secret’ the most pitiful kind of reward possible compared to the cost of hurting and eventually losing Chloe’s trust.


Draining the last of his coffee, Lex looked up to see that Clark had decided to abandon the cold shoulder in favor of outright disapproval and open hostility; and the complete and utter wrongness of the self-righteous loathing being sent his way angered him anew. But no matter how enraged he became at Clark’s judgmental nature, Lex was honest enough to admit, at least to himself, that it wasn’t just the hypocrisy that Clark saw himself as exempt from the standards to which he held others that incensed him, but the fact that Clark could deceive everyone he claimed to care about, yet was perceived as the personification of virtue, while Lex knew that he could heal a colony of lepers and people would still wonder what his angle was. And while the desire to learn Clark’s secret had recently gained importance for other reasons, there would always be that minuscule part of him that hated the people who had convinced the world that being a Luthor was an undeniable precursor to evil; people who had convinced his mother that their truth was so absolute that she took the life of her own son to save him from that fate.

I REALLY enjoyed this summing up of all the real reasons why Lex is so obsessed with bringing down Clark. Pretty much the same reasons I’ve already observed. But also… there is the layer of public perception that lex can’t stand. Lex hates that he CANNOT be regarded as ‘the hero’ no matter how hard he tries to ‘be good’. And Clark is always respected (and even worshipped) as the sweet, lovable knight in shining armour… no matter HOW suspicious the circumstances he keeps falling into.

I can understand why something like this would drive Lex to the edge of irrational thought… perhaps even insanity.


After all, he thought as his smile grew, one of them was going to go home to an evening with the oddly soothing presence of Chloe Sullivan. And for once, it wasn’t Clark.

This was a FABULOUS ending to the chapter. It was really interesting seeing the kind of savage satisfaction Lex is getting, not only from knowing that his scheming is going exactly according to plan, but also knowing that he’s depriving Clark while enriching his own life. Of course, over here, he was regarding Chloe more as a ‘prize’ or ‘trophy’ that he has picked up during his battle with Kent, but I still feel like he appreciates Chloe as her own person as well as the victory prize she represents.

phew. It took me FOR-ever to write a review. And I still feel like I haven’t come close to expressing how much I enjoyed reading this chapter. All I can say is PLEASE, please, PLEASE update soon!!!

[jedi]

*sigh* I DID expect Lex to insist on separate sleeping quarters. No matter what a bastard he’s being, he will not stoop to using sex to manipulate Chloe.

Hmmm. But is he really protecting Chloe’s ‘honour and virtue’ in her compromised state? Or did he make the callous decision that sharing a bed with her would only serve to confuse her incoming memories, and therefore prove to be a hindrance to his all important plans?

I’d like to think that Lex made the decision to not take advantage of Chloe because of a speck of empathy within him. But the truth is, I think he made the decision after weighing the proc and cons and consequences to his scheme.

Selfish, self-serving, manipulative BASTARD!


But this is why we love him that much, isn't this? Personally i can't stand puppylove!Lex, it's just blasphemy.

[somethingeasy]

But this is why we love him that much, isn't this? Personally i can't stand puppylove!Lex, it's just blasphemy.

heh. I completely understand (and second) that sentiment. No matter how monstrous Lex might become in fanfic (and he's really scary in quite a few notable ones), it's nowhere near as creepy as the 'Yes, Lana dear!' behaviour he displays in current canon Smallville.

He's a bastard in Skauble's universe, but at least I understand what he's doing, why is he doing it and what he's hoping to achieve from it. Canon Lex simply defies all sense of logic and reason, and leaves the viewer feeling vaguely nauseated as if they have just been put through a sliding tunnel filled with revolving funfair mirrors and maniacal laughter through a loud speaker system.

Offensive and disorientating to one's sense of sight and sound.

phew... I'm still a little bitter about canon SV... I need some good, Machiavellian style Lex to get that nasty taste out of my mouth. Please update, Skauble?

[Kit Merlot]

This is such an intriguing story, Sarah!

I know that Lex is behaving appallingly, but there is a part of me that wants him to fall genuinely in love with Chloe, and really sweep her off her feet.

And if he funds out Clark's secret, more the better:D

But I also want Chloe to figure out what lex is doing, but she finds out that she can't hate him because she loves him too much.

Over-dramatic I know, but that is what this fic does to me.

More soon, okay?;)

[biscuits]

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE this fic. I love the harlequin-esque setup, the in character banter, the potential. I am literally salivating at the mouth to find out what happens next. Let me tell you, it's not a good look for me. And it's all your fault that I looked like a rabid, cracked-out version of myself.

The cure: more of this fantastic story, or Thirst for Knowledge. Really any skauble writing will at least temporarily stanch the outpouring of crazy and help rehabilitate me to once again interact with the outside world.

[somethingeasy]

And it's all your fault that I looked like a rabid, cracked-out version of myself.

I'll see your 'rabid cracked-out version' of self, and raise it by 'strained, red-eyed and drooling. All in all, a VERY distasteful state of being. Only one thing will abate the symptoms... guess what?

[Alizaleven]

Oooo this is such a good story... I can't wait to read more. I love the scenario.. such wonderful possibilities :D

[chrisrose]

You mean there's a chance Lex WON'T fall in love with Chloe for real?! They've got to! I love this story. He's in character, and he's got motivations that fit in fairly well with Smallville canon BUT it's so much better than the actual show, and the fact that Chloe's lost her memory opens up so many possibilities and sort of fulfills my fantasy of going back to season 1's innocence in a way. Y'know, where it was still possible that Lex and Chloe could get together without a lot of baggage... and I miss those days when I could imagine Chloe being the one who could "save" him from a dark angsty tragic life. Y'know, just by knowing her and having her as a true friend (to start with ;)) who understands him because they have so much in common as Smallville outsiders etc.

Okay I'm babbling. But I love this fic. Lovelovelove.

[somethingeasy]

You mean there's a chance Lex WON'T fall in love with Chloe for real?! They've got to!.

huh, what? Say... what??!! Who says there's a chance that Lex will NOT fall in love with Chloe??!! I suppose there is always the chance that this fic is going to end up a tragedy without the happy-Chlex-ending, but I would imagine the lack of Chlex would be from Chloe not being able to forgive Lex for his betrayal... despite how much he professes that 'Chloe, my love, the plan and everything I have learned about Clark is meaningless. All I want is a chance to make you fall in love with me for REAL'... heh... or something equally melodramatic.

Let's put chrisrose's fears to rest, and give her another couple of chapters to soothe away her fears, shall we? Please update soon, Skauble. I've been DYING for another chapter from you... on either one of your fabulous Chlex fics.

[skauble]

I'm really sorry that I've been dragging with this fic lately guys, but here's the deal. I had some stuff going on this week so I couldn't really work on it much. But I got back to it and it should be postable either late tomorrow or early Sunday.

As for A Thirst for Knowledge, I'm actually considering putting that on hold until I get the next 2 parts of this story done. I DVRed last night's SV, but didn't put myself through the trauma of watching it. However, just what I read from people who did was enough to make me want to hurl into an envelope and send it off to AlMiles. So I'd kind of like to get into writing about possibly evil, but certainly not pathetic Lex. And I thought that would be better achieved by just focusing on one story for the next few weeks.




Let's put chrisrose's fears to rest, and give her another couple of chapters to soothe away her fears, shall we?

*Or* I could just post gobs and gobs of spoilers about upcoming chapters so she wouldn't have to be surprised. ;)

*flees from somethingeasy's wrath* After all, a wise woman once said, "she who fights and runs away, lives to fight and run away another day."

~Sarah~

P.S. Don't worry, I only hand out spoilers via email just so as to not anger those who (unlike me) have the patience to enjoy delayed gratification. :)

[somethingeasy]

I'm really sorry that I've been dragging with this fic lately guys, but here's the deal. I had some stuff going on this week so I couldn't really work on it much. But I got back to it and it should be postable either late tomorrow or early Sunday.

YES... yesyesyesYES!!!
*pumps her hands into the air and does a celebratory cartwheel*

*falls flat on face and remembers that cartwheeling is NOT one of my acquired skills*

Despite the bruises on the face, I'm still smiling like a loon (it could be the concussion speaking though).


As for A Thirst for Knowledge, I'm actually considering putting that on hold until I get the next 2 parts of this story done. I DVRed last night's SV, but didn't put myself through the trauma of watching it. However, just what I read from people who did was enough to make me want to hurl into an envelope and send it off to AlMiles. So I'd kind of like to get into writing about possibly evil, but certainly not pathetic Lex. And I thought that would be better achieved by just focusing on one story for the next few weeks.

I will miss updates on ATfK, but your plan to focus on one fic makes sense. And truthfully, any means and strategy that gets me regular Skauble-Chlex-updates in ANY form is a smart, decent and wonderful idea.

And I completely understand Sarah's aversion to the pathetic prop they are trying to pass off as Lex Luthor in Smallville. I also find the almost-evil version of ATfK and WYDK-Lex to be greatly preferable to the whiny yes man who irritates the viewers on screen.

What the heck... I'll come out a say it... even fics that write Lex as a complete conscienceless psychopath... I prefer THOSE Lexes to the current model being trotted out on canon. At least those Lexes have some semblance of rational (or at least explainable) motivation behind their actions. Canon simply defies all sense of reason and logic and leaves the viewers curled up in a whimpering fetal position asking... 'why?'


*Or* I could just post gobs and gobs of spoilers about upcoming chapters so she wouldn't have to be surprised.

NOT LISTENING... LA LA LA LAAAA!


*flees from somethingeasy's wrath* After all, a wise woman once said, "she who fights and runs away, lives to fight and run away another day."

~Sarah~

P.S. Don't worry, I only hand out spoilers via email just so as to not anger those who (unlike me) have the patience to enjoy delayed gratification.

phew. That is comforting. If Sarah was to start posting up spoilers... even if she put them in that special 'spoilers' quoting box (which needs to be highlighted in order to be legible)... I wouldn't have been able to resist, and ALL the happy anticipation I get from speculating about the direction a character will jump will be gone.

heh... Thanks for not putting up temptations, Sarah. Luv ya! :D

I look forward to the next chapter... tomorrow morning? :D

[westwingwolf]

I DVRed last night's SV, but didn't put myself through the trauma of watching it. However, just what I read from people who did was enough to make me want to hurl into an envelope and send it off to AlMiles.


Interesting idea, I might just do that myself, in fact I think we all should even those who are currently not watching just so they know what a resounding effect this is having over everyone.

I will continue to wait however impatiently for updates because I only need spoilers to prepare me for bad writing (take a wild guess as to what I'm talking about).

But please hurry because I really need to see a bad ass, manipulative Lex.

[somethingeasy]

Interesting idea, I might just do that myself, in fact I think we all should even those who are currently not watching just so they know what a resounding effect this is having over everyone.

ROTFLOL! Sounds like an excellent plan. I'll start preparing my package with the appropriate note immediately... 'Greetings AlMiles, I might not suffer through your show anymore, but I still feel the sympathy-nausea inspired by all the people who are still forced to watch your horrendous writing'


I will continue to wait however impatiently for updates because I only need spoilers to prepare me for bad writing (take a wild guess as to what I'm talking about).

Clarification please? :D


But please hurry because I really need to see a bad ass, manipulative Lex.

I would like to support that statement with a huge 'Hell, YEAH!' and a 'me too'.

erm... weren't we supposed to get an update today? It's late Sunday afternoon for me, and I was looking SO forward to spending this day reading (and reviewing) the new chapter. oh please post soon...

ahem. Of course, I'll be patient and wait for however long Sarah needs to polish the chapter to her exacting standards. There would be no use to demanding an update until Sarah has decided it's ready for public viewing. At your convenience, darling! I'll just amuse myself stuffing kitten in a sack and seeing if they can still land on their collective feet after being thrown off a balcony. No pressure.

[chrisrose]

Hehehe... somebody somewhere upthread (vague enough, eh? ;)) said something about Lex *maybe* falling for Chloe for real and it freaked me out. It's quite possible I read it wrong in my hysteria. :) All is forgotten now that I await the next chapter in bliss. :D Don't need spoilers, nuh-uh. I have faith.

So...what's AlMiles' address? ;) This sounds like the best "letter-writing" fan campaign I've ever heard of! Even better than Roswell's Tobasco sauce mail-ins.

(Count me in as one of those who can no longer watch... but I can still wretch! Just reading about current episodes is enough. *shudder*)

[somethingeasy]

Hehehe... somebody somewhere upthread (vague enough, eh?) said something about Lex *maybe* falling for Chloe for real and it freaked me out. It's quite possible I read it wrong in my hysteria. All is forgotten now that I await the next chapter in bliss. Don't need spoilers, nuh-uh. I have faith.

he he heh... It's good to know that chrisrose doesn't need any more reassurance (especially in the form of spoilers). I just realized something. I'm a completely selfish brat. I definitely don't want spoilers, but I can't stand the thought of other viewers getting them when I don't have them. This is an offshoot from 'eldest child' syndrome, isn't it?

hmmm. And by any timezone on this planet, I'd say Sunday is long gone and finished by now. Wasn't something... special supposed to happen around Sunday-ish? If only I could remember what...

heh, don't worry, Skauble. I'm sure there's a very good explanation as to why the new chapter was delayed. I'm just hoping that it wasn't because you tortured your muse away by subjecting both your selves to the DV-recorded episode of 'Promise'? Because I already have MORE than enough reason to hate AlMiles and what's being allowed to happen to SV without adding on more animosity towards the show and the producers.

I look forward to the next chapter... whenever you're ready for posting it up :D

see! I CAN be patient ;)

[pipersmum]

What a great idea for a story! So Lex is finally getting a taste for life with Chloe then ;) I can't wait for her to bring up the sleeping arrangements because we all know she will ;);)

Clark it would seem has finally realized how much he depends and needs Chloe, too little too late I think

I have really enjoyed reading this I can't wait for you to post more :D

[westwingwolf]

Clarification please? :D

It begins with a Small and ends with a Ville.



At your convenience, darling! I'll just amuse myself stuffing kitten in a sack and seeing if they can still land on their collective feet after being thrown off a balcony. No pressure.

Waste of your time, everyone knows harming puppies brings more heartache.


I just realized something. I'm a completely selfish brat. I definitely don't want spoilers, but I can't stand the thought of other viewers getting them when I don't have them. This is an offshoot from 'eldest child' syndrome, isn't it?

No worries I believe it has more to do with human nature, speaking as a sufferer of 'youngest child' syndrome who would not be happy if someone got something that I didn't even if I don't want it.

Skauble do I have to resort back to my youngest child ways and throw a temper tantrum until we get a review. I'll sit right here and hold my breath until it comes, and if that doesn't work I'll scream bloody murder until we get one.

[skauble]

A/N: First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone for all the really kind feedback. It was very nice and I confer upon you all the following blessing -

May all of your stories have continuity, may none of your plots have holes, and may all of your Lanas be dead.

As for the "Gagging for Greatness" (or Puking for Progress - can't decide), campaign, count me in. After all, if they're going to insist on storylines that induce vomiting the least we can do is share the wealth.

Next, I know that I'm wicked late with this. I have reasons. Good reasons. Good but boring reasons and so I will spare you them. But, sufficed to say this is barely done now. So, for this update, any typos or blatant errors are not to be perceived as flaws, but as an homage to Smallville; the show that excels in lowering standards.

And you guys (you know who you are) - stop intimidating cuddly animals before the Humane Society shuts this thread down. :P



Chapter Five


“Your father is waiting in your office, Mr. Luthor.”

It was only by sheer force of will that Lex internalized his cringe at the unwelcome news. Forcing himself not to deviate from the path to his office, he consoled himself with the fact that a few years ago he wouldn’t have even received the warning. That he now did was a sign of just how well he’d managed to marginalize his father at LuthorCorp.

There had been a time, when Lex had first gained control of the company after his father’s brief stay in Belle Reve, that Lionel had nearly recouped his losses and recaptured his former glory. But he’d taught his son too well, and Lex’s time in exile had only expounded on those lessons; and, in the end, Lionel had been relegated to a symbolic position with little to no chance of advancing his true objectives.

Which, of course, didn’t preclude him from arriving unannounced in his increasingly desperate attempts to detect some kind of exploitable weakness in his heir.

“Hello, son.”

Lex momentarily ignored the greeting as he made his way to the large desk across the room. Settling behind the sleek, glass surface, he at last allowed his gaze to rest on his father. It was the one thing that he enjoyed about these visits – finally having the position of power; his father seated like a supplicant before him .

“Dad.”

Each was silent, waiting for the other to break and speak first. It was a fairly common gambit in the Luthor family playbook, but Lex had grown increasingly tired of it in recent years. And, frankly, now that the majority of control rested in his hands, he didn’t see the point in wasting his time with such childish games. He had realized what his father had never learned – needing to exude strength at all times was as detrimental as always seeming weak. There was power in humanity, even if it was merely assumed, and true control was rarely measured accurately by outward appearances. A man who never resembled the disadvantaged automatically strengthened the guard of those around him. It made managing people needlessly troublesome which ultimately lessened one’s command as opposed to enhancing it.

“Some of us have a schedule to keep,” while the subtle dig was certainly present, it emerged with surprisingly little acrimony, “so could we perhaps dispense what, for the sake of expediency, I’ll term “the pleasantries” and cut to the chase?”

“A question asked and answered, Lex.”

Lex’s eyebrow arched in a silent prompt for explanation.

“We’ve been in this office for over five minutes now, and I have yet to hear one accusation, one venom ladened aspersion, a single paranoia induced diatribe. I’d heard murmurings, of course, but I felt compelled to judge the truth of them for myself.”

Lex resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his father’s melodramatic speech, wishing that, for once, they could have a conversation that was light on innuendo and heavy on clarity. He generally had a higher tolerance for games of this nature, but at that moment it was fast wearing down his nerves and he had a feeling that he knew why.

It had been slightly more than two weeks since he’d brought Chloe to their new “home” and he was growing accustomed to her guileless nature and lack of artifice. He was actually rather surprised how easy it had been to shake of years of deep-seated suspicion and doubt in the face of such open acceptance. And while he never lost sight of his ultimate purpose, the warmth that had been lacking in his life for well over a decade was just too tempting to resist a moderate amount of indulgence.

The downside, of course, was that standing even briefly in the sun made the shadows that much colder.

“And what is your verdict?” Although Lex’s tone made clear his disinterest in any insight to which the older man laid claim.

“You. You seem almost…” Lionel hesitated, his voice taking on a tone of wonder as if he’d discovered the resting place of the ark, “happy.”

Lex forced himself to maintain his impassive expression despite the shock running through him. He knew that he had been more relaxed recently. Both the prospect of finally learning Clark’s secret and the time with Chloe had helped to ease years of building frustrations; but the thought that it had enough of a visible effect for his father to have heard of it disturbed him. Although he truly believed that it was necessary, at times, to show some emotion, he didn’t like the idea that it was unintentional. Not only did it leave him vulnerable to openly display his feelings, but it was also a waste of an opportunity to affect the sentiment necessary to maximize the rewards for him in a given situation.

“You came all this way,” Lex questioned, alluding to the fact that his father’s primary residence of late had been the mansion in Smallville, “and disrupted LuthorCorp business to play mood ring?”

“It’s amazing how far one will trek to witness a miracle. In fact,” Lionel smirked, “if you smile I might request a laying on of hands.”

“It’s a tempting thought as I tend to leave hand laying to security.”

“Ah, there’s the Lex we all know and tolerate.”

“Dad, did it ever occur to you that the majority of happiness in my life is generated by your absence and that is why you’re so unfamiliar with it?”

Lionel paused as if considering the answer before scoffingly disregarding it.

“That might actually be believable if your behavior hadn’t been uncharacteristic enough to make it back to my ears.”

“Let’s not delude ourselves,” Lex replied, “that whatever information you think you’ve discovered had to make its way down a vast and circuitous grapevine; I’m sure you have more people watching me than the stock exchange.”

“Well, Lex, you do tend to have more crashes.”

Quickly growing tired of his father’s feeble attempts to goad him, and genuinely having business that needed tending, Lex resisted the futility of a rejoinder and began leafing through the phone messages his secretary had left on his desk so that he could make clear, both in actions and words, that their interlude was at an end.

“Well, as fascinating as this has been, this company isn’t going to run itself; so if you’ll excuse me. I’m sure that you can see yourself out.”

Lionel looked at his son, taking in the practiced calm of his form, the dismissively bent head before making his way to the door. Hand on the knob he momentarily stilled, not bothering to turn back.

“Enjoy the source of your newfound happiness, whatever it may be. Just remember Lex, something loved is merely something waiting to be lost.”

And with that he was gone.



Chapter Six


Lex nearly groaned with relief as he felt the Scotch burn its way down his throat. It had been a horrible day and he would be more than happy to see the end of it. What had started with the extremely unwelcome arrival of his father had culminated with a labor crisis at a plant in South Carolina that had taken him well into the early hours of the morning to resolve.

He’d called Chloe when it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to make it home in time for dinner. She’d been supportive and concerned, making him promise that he would find time to grab a quick bite to eat if his meeting went past 10:00. Still, Lex had found himself growing more and more frustrated as the negotiations progressed and he realized that by the time he returned Chloe would have been asleep for hours.

He was becoming habituated to spending his evenings with her. She was a surprisingly engaging dinner companion, given that she had less than a month of memories. Even more pleasing were the hours after when they’d retire to the study – he to finish work brought home from the office and she to read, curled up on the leather couch. Her quiet presence was soothing and sometimes he would find his attention drifting from the files before him to silently observe her.

In nearly all of Lex’s previous interactions with Chloe she had been a deeply driven force of nature. He'd never really given any thought to what she might be like in the moments where there was no epic catastrophe to ward off, no vital story to chase. It hadn’t really entered his mind that there might be another side to the young woman he’d always classified as “the brash, blonde reporter”. In the end he wondered who he’d done the greater disservice – Chloe for treating her as a one dimensional stereotype, or himself by missing his chance to win the loyalty and friendship that Clark enjoyed when it could have been his for the asking.

Setting his empty glass onto the nightstand, Lex shed his clothes with a tired yet graceful economy of movement and pulled on a burgundy pair of silk pajama pants. It was more than he was used to wearing, but with Chloe residing in the next room he thought that a measure of modesty was the most prudent policy.

And Lex was honest enough to admit that his actions weren’t solely to protect what could questionably be referred to as Chloe’s delicate sensibilities - Lord knew that he’d never seen any evidence of their fragile nature. No, it was more than that. He had always been aware that Chloe was a beautiful woman. That awareness hadn’t been a sign of interest, merely a basic and unavoidable observation. But these weeks with her, watching years of distrustful glances replaced by gracious smiles, hearing affectionate exchanges where accusations had formerly lingered, basking in his temporary place as the center of her world, had only served to infinitely increase her appeal. An appeal that could very easily produce extremely noticeable physical effects were he to bump into her, naked, in the middle of the night.

Of course, as they seemed to have little reason to be encountering the other in the wee hours of the morning, it was all simply theoretical. But, as procuring positive results in this endeavor was far more important than some random burst of hormones, he’d wear the damn pajamas as it was most certainly a theory he had no desire to test.

Fate was apparently never fond of Lex Luthor, for no sooner had he dismissed the likelihood of interacting with Chloe after normal waking hours than he heard a piercing scream emanating from the next room. Turning so quickly that he knocked the nightstand, sending his empty glass to the floor to rest in shattered pieces, he sprinted to the connecting door between their suites and threw it open, eyes scanning the darkness for danger.

There was none. Was instead Chloe, curled into a tight ball, rocking back and forth as trails of moonlit tears made their way down her cheeks. Without a thought to devious machinations or buried truths, Lex reached the bed in record time, settling next to the huddled figure before pulling her gently into his arms.

Feeling Chloe’s body stiffen, Lex thought, for one terrible moment, that despite what the doctors had told him she had remembered everything in one great burst and that her fear and horror were simply a befitting response to finding oneself abducted and deceived. But before that worry had time to take hold, he felt her body relax into his embrace as her arms snuck around his waist and she burrowed into the safety that he could see she still believed he represented.

“Sshhh,” he murmured as he smoothed her hair with one hand while making comforting circles on her back with the other. While Lex lacked many of the typical male limitations on dealing with crying women, possibly due to the early influence of his mother but more likely owing to his well honed ability to quickly and accurately discern what those around him wanted to hear and then use that information to his best advantage, this situation was far more complex than the typical feminine tearfest.

First was the fact that, because Lex had been so careful to screen out disturbing stimuli from their environment, it was almost guaranteed that her current upset had to do with her previous life. That meant the need for deft maneuvering as he tried to avoid the innumerable land mines concealed in each remembrance.

Then, of course, were the intricacies involved in taking the information that she had dredged from her subconscious, and given her reaction it seemed most likely to Lex that it involved one of her many brushes with Smallville’s myriad of meteor freaks, and redirecting it towards his ultimate goal of eliciting information about Clark.

And lastly, and by far the most disquieting for Lex, was the fact that something about the fear in Chloe’s muffled whimpers, the warmth of her tears burning into his chest, and the press of her body against his as she innocently sought comfort from the only person she truly trusted, all combined to form an uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach.

But as Chloe’s sobs began to subside he pushed the niggling sense of apprehension into the background. After all, he considered, caring about her distress was only natural under the circumstances. He had never actively disliked Chloe; indeed, he admired many things about her – her ill advised love of farmboys excepted. So it was to be expected that, considering the complete and utter cessation of hostilities between them, he would come to be concerned about her well being. Especially when he took absolute responsibility for his part in compromising that very well being in the first place. So, in that light, Lex found his actions to be acceptable, even reasonable…as long as he didn’t allow them to compromise his objectives. And he honestly didn’t, for one moment, believe that would be a problem. He was a Luthor; he’d spent a lifetime learning to disregard his emotions in the same way that most people sought to embrace them. Any loss he might feel for Chloe’s friendship when all was said and done was sure to be offset by the overwhelming satisfaction of finally solving the mysteries that had been plaguing him for so long.

“Chloe,” Lex spoke softly as she finally fell silent, “do you want to talk about it?”

He felt her head tilt until a pair of watery green eyes peered up at him.

“Oh, Lex…”

He hears the catch in her words, knew that the tears weren’t forgotten, and was about to stop her and allow her time to truly regain her composure, but all good intentions were halted by her next words.

“It was him.”

Clark.

Lex knew that had to be who she meant. The only thing that Chloe was even remotely aware of from her past besides himself was the description he’d given her of his former and her current best friend.

His skin prickled in anticipation. This is what he’d been waiting for. The doctor’s had told him that memories often began surfacing in the REM sleep, so the night’s events hadn’t been a complete surprise; although her obvious suffering threw him. True, he had expected that some of her slumberous visions might be slightly bizarre to someone who had no accessible knowledge of Smallville, but he never would have predicted that any of her recollections of Clark would send her into hysterics.

“Its okay, Chloe. You’re safe now.” He pulled her tighter to him knowing that she’d interpret his actions as an attempt at comfort and not an extension of his voracious need for knowledge that she had, until now, so jealously guarded.

“He looked just like you said – tall, dark hair, but his eyes…Oh God, Lex; he looked crazy.”

Her brow furrowed and he could see that she was replaying the images in her mind as if something deeper than the obvious trauma was bothering her.

“What is it?”

Lex’s question startled Chloe out of her contemplations, and she struggled to pin down exactly what was troubling her.

“It could just be a dream; it doesn’t have to have been a memory, right?”

Chloe grew quiet once more. This was really the first chance that she’d had to learn anything about her life other than what Lex had shared, and she had a feeling that even if her past had looked like a Rockwell painting she still would have been disconcerted. Unfortunately for her, her dream had seemed more like a Salvador Dali canvas. But, something had seemed off and a part of her simply wouldn’t let the inconsistency lie until she’d uncovered the exact nature of the discrepancy.

“He was young.”

As he took in the meaning of Chloe’s statement, Lex realized that she had already begun applying her agile mind to solving whatever problem her dream had presented her. It was yet another attribute he was coming to learn was a built in, factory issued component of the Chloe Sullivan model. She could experience pain and, unlike him, she could openly express it; but she didn’t wallow in it, didn’t build a shrine to it and worship at the altar of tragedy for the rest of her life. If it was a choice for her of living, cosseted and protected by those around her, in her problems or throwing herself in the path of untold danger to find a solution, Chloe would always take the latter. Although she was an endless source of comfort to those around her, she clearly fell into the “walk it off” camp when it came to her own life as was evidenced by the way that, even now, she was pushing through her anguish of just moments before to bring some order to her mental chaos. Knowing that process would benefit them both, Lex patiently waited for her to continue.

“He couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen. That’s what I don’t understand.”

Lex examined the window of time implied given her estimation of Clark’s age. It did seem more likely that if something unpleasant had happened between the two of them that it would be in the more distant past, relatively speaking. For even though they were now practically inseparable, there was a time in their friendship – a time that corresponded with that very period – that they seemed destined to be adversaries rather than confidantes.

“Without getting into specifics, there was a time, when you were both in high school, that you’d had a falling out of sorts. Your dream may correspond to those events.”

Her eyes refocused and met Lex’s as she forced herself back into the present.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong; I don’t doubt that…Clark,” she stumbled slightly over the name, “and I had problems. After all, from what you said he seemed like a jerk way before tonight’s revelation that he’s apparently borderline psychotic.”

Suddenly a wry smile brushed away the lingering unease.

“And I’ll admit that, despite the absence of concrete proof, I have a sneaking suspicion that I might, possibly, by some vast stretch of the imagination be considered moderately stubborn.”

Chloe’s smile widened as she felt Lex’s chest rumble beneath her cheek with the vibrations of his laughter. She’d adored the sound ever since she first remembered hearing it and often devoted random moments to orchestrating its return.

And, frankly, she was happy to see him amused by something that, amnesia or no, she knew to be entirely too true. Even if it hadn’t shown itself in a million little ways over the past few weeks, her obstinate nature would have been made perfectly obvious to her by the notebook she kept carefully tucked under the cushion of the large reading chair in the seating area of her room. Contained in its pages was everything that she had learned about Chloe Sullivan-Luthor in the past two weeks. From the miniscule catalog of facts to the enormous list of conjectures, no scrap of information was too minor to escape her attention.

She knew that neither the doctors nor her husband would be pleased with her trying to hurry nature along in that manner, but hey, that’s why God created hiding places. It was also why ‘impatient’ was in the fact column and not the speculation.

“Well,” Lex offered in a diplomatic tone, “you have been known to follow your own heart…mostly like a lemming off a cliff, but who am I to judge. After all, if it weren’t for you abundance of willfulness, we wouldn’t be here now.”

Which, Lex thought, was technically true. But as glad as he was that Chloe’s resilience hadn’t been damaged by either her accident of her dream, he had a feeling that at least part of this exchange was an attempt to distract them from their original topic. So, running his hands comfortingly over her back, he gently brought them back on track.

“What exactly did you see, Chloe?”

Pressing just a tiny bit closer, Chloe took a deep breath as she went back over the images that kept replaying in her mind.

“There was an apartment. It was nice. I was waiting there; I guess for Clark. He wasn’t happy to see me.” Chloe almost snorted at the understatement. “The words weren’t really clear. In fact, all I really remember is my heart pounding. God, it was so loud. I was so scared Lex.”

His arms tightened around her automatically and Lex frowned. By now he’d worked out that the altercation she was speaking of had most likely taken place during the summer of his not so welcomed island vacation. While he had never learned precisely what Clark had done during that summer, he knew that it hadn’t been anything good. The thought of Chloe having to deal with the darkness that he’d seen haunt Clark’s eyes for months after his return from the dead caused a small tremor of alarm to shiver through him and confirmed, yet again, his belief that the younger man had never been deserving of someone like Chloe in his life.

“I just knew that I had to get him to come home. Although where he was living seemed pretty upscale. In fact, now that I think about it, it seems a little too nice for some teenage runaway.” Once again concentration and curiosity shaped her face into the most fundamental of Chloe expressions; but before he had a chance to enjoy the endearing countenance her face scrunched up in a grimace of distaste. “You don’t think he was like…someone’s boy toy, do you?”

The disgust at the picture of teen-hooker Clark warred with absolute hilarity at the thought of the son of someone as pious as Jonathon Kent running off to the big city to be kept by a bevy of society matrons. Lex clamped down on both runaway trains of thought before he lost sight of the reason for this increasingly disconcerting conversation.

“Given his continuing propensity to blush in mixed company, I have faith that whatever Clark was up to, it didn’t involve frequent booty calls.”

So her friend was a big stuttering wuss who could apparently threaten women but not woo his way into their panties. Damn, she wanted her notebook.

“You know, this whole thing – the accident, the amnesia, the nightmare – all of it has been worth it just to hear you use the word “booty”.”

Lex watched Chloe’s bright smile dim a little as if the mere mention of her dream brought the images rushing back.

“He pushed me.”

“What?!”

“He grabbed me and pushed me to the door. He was so mad he was wild with it.”

Chloe was trembling beneath his hands and he could feel the fury in him swell. Clark, the terrorizer of women; just another facet of the man he’d once been fool enough to think he knew; another mystery to add to countless others.

But, if he were honest, Lex knew that wasn’t the only source of his anger. Clark had laid his hands on Chloe and hurt her, if not physically than mentally. Certainly he’d traumatized her enough to make this the first memory to free itself from the prison of her mind. It infuriated him that the boy would hurt a woman for whom, despite being a near rival, Lex was developing quite an appreciation, and it enraged him that Clark would treat with such contempt the very things that he himself had struggled for so long. And worse, that he could do so and yet still retain the friendships, loyalties, and love of those around him.

“What I can’t understand, is why on earth we’re still friends.” Chloe said in an eerie echo of Lex’s thoughts. “I mean, I don’t want to be a wimp, and I know it doesn’t sound so bad; but it was really scary.

He was so big and so angry, and he just kept yelling at me to leave, but I couldn’t seem to. I wanted to. God, I wanted to so badly, but my stupid feet kept taking me in the wrong direction. And then I was the one acting angry; and I guess I was mad. But inside, Lex; inside I was really afraid that he might hurt me.”

She was quiet for a moment and Lex wished he knew what she was thinking…until she told him.

“Was there something about me; something wrong with me? Did I have so much trouble making friends that I couldn’t do better than a guy that scared the crap out of me when we were kids and then, years later, was still apparently driving me into hysterics?”

Chloe’s self-esteem issues had never been a secret; loving your best friend who only had eyes for your roommate would be a massive blow to even the most robust of egos. Generally Lex found that type of weakness in others beneficial as it tended to make his interactions with them infinitely more fruitful; but at that moment, Chloe’s self-doubt struck him as faintly tragic.

Still, he had seen no signs of a deficit of self-worth over the last few weeks, so he had to believe that her question was simply an appropriate and insightful conclusion based on the evidence available to her as opposed to some intrinsic sense of insignificance.

With long, graceful fingers he caught her chin, lifting her face until their eyes met.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are, and have been in all the years that I’ve been fortunate enough to know you, smart, witty, and compassionate. But beyond all of those things,” his eyes seared her with their aching sincerity making it impossible to ignore his words, “I have found you to be loyal beyond all reasonable expectations. And believe me; I’m in a position to know.”

He could see by the near blinding smile that lit her face that Chloe not only took his words to heart, but believed that his assertions of her unfailing loyalty stemmed from experiences where she had kept his secrets, not kept another’s from him.

He was glad to see that, for now, the ordeal seemed to be over. Although gleaning information about Clark was going to require a certain amount of psychological discomfort on her part, he was hoping that he could keep the detriment to her sanity at a minimum. And although some of that was due to a genuine lack of desire to see Chloe suffer, the majority was motivated by the simple fact that if her memories of Clark were too painful or alarming, her mind might begin to repress anything to do with him. And although his preparations allowed him, at the very least, another month to see this plan through, he clearly didn’t have the kind of time that would be needed to maneuver around hastily constructed mental walls.

Returning her smile with one of his own, he tenderly swept the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“Was that everything?”

Chloe’s gaze dropped for a moment before slowly rising to meet his almost shyly.

“About the dream? Yes,” she nodded.

“But?” Lex asked, curious about her fleeting hesitation.

“I know that you’ve been concerned about me. Well,” she rolled her eyes at her nervous stating of the obvious, “of course you’ve been worried; I’ve sprained my brain. I just meant that I really appreciate how wonderful you’ve been.”

“But?” He asked again trying not to smile at how adorable she looked, flustered and exasperated with herself in equal measures.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Lex couldn’t be sure which troubled him more – Chloe’s request or the fact that it had caught him completely off guard. He would have loved to have time to weigh the pros and cons, ponder the ramification of this decision, but one look at her anxious face settled the issue.

“You won’t be.”


~*~*~*~*~


Fifteen minutes later Lex was damning every impulsive, non-Luthor like decision he’d ever made, the current one in particular.

Although when he’d first slid under the covers of her bed Chloe had nervously scooted back, allowing him room and maintaining a modest amount of space between them, after the first five minutes any apprehension she had was apparently relieved and she returned to her more natural, bolder Chloe state.

And so he found himself, arms full of a warm, soft blonde, spending half of his time desperately wishing himself to sleep or, barring that, wishing Chloe to sleep so that he could use the carafe on the bedside table to render himself unconscious, and the other half consigning himself to the depths of hell for allowing her closet to be filled with cascades of silk masquerading as proper nightclothes instead of the large, flannel, grandmother-inspired gowns that would have been far more conducive to a good night’s rest.

Not that Chloe seemed to be having any difficulty settling in for the night, he thought with childish envy. With every passing minute he could feel her body relax, sinking further into his embrace. And just as he thought she had finally succumbed for the night and he could commence with his hastily concocted but, he was certain, ingenious plan of rolling her over and depositing her on the far side of what was actually a very large bed, he felt soft words whisper across his skin.

“How did I get so lucky?”

The words were sleepy, but the affection was behind them was undeniably genuine; and it was a moment before he could reply, caught up in a sentiment that had, in his lifetime, been so rarely directed at him.

“You didn’t. Believe me; you’ve known better men than me.”

The seriousness of Lex’s tone pierced Chloe’s drowsy haze and she raised her head to look at him.

“Hey,” she nudged him gently with her elbow, “stop picking on my husband. Besides, who says there are men better than you?”

Turning her face into him, Lex felt her brush a kiss against his chest and settle herself against him once more. Only this time, instead of plans and strategies to push her away, he pulled her even closer.

He had been both surprised and warmed by her faith in him. Even though he knew that it was predicated on the worst of lies, he couldn’t help but revel, even briefly, in the unfamiliar sensation.

Slowly Lex found himself relaxing; calming to the sounds of Chloe’s deep, even breaths, the silky feel of her skin as he absently ran his fingers down the length of her arm. And in the end it was that wholly unfamiliar feeling of contentment that jarred him back to wakefulness.

As each successive day with Chloe had past, Lex had allowed himself to slip deeper in the fantasy world he had created for Chloe, choosing to indulge temporarily in a life that he knew would never really be his. It had been an uncharacteristic decision, based on emotion as opposed to logic, and only now was he seeing the hidden danger as he was all too quickly growing accustomed to the illusions he had designed and Chloe had given life.

But his awareness, belated as it was, had still arrived in a timely enough manner to allow Lex to put things to rights. As soon as they awoke, he resolved, he would arrange for Dr. Heideman to see Chloe. Now that her memories appeared ready to resurface, and given the encouraging sign that the first had centered on Clark, it was time to move to the next stage and begin identifying ways to coax more of the targeted information to the forefront. And beyond the necessity to his stratagem, the clinical setting would go far in reminding him that this was, although elaborate in the extreme, nothing more than an experiment in his continuing quest for the truth.

Forcing down a moment of regret, Lex instead chose to focus on the comforting familiarity of having his feet once more planted securely on the path of illumination. And in the anticipation of victory so close at hand he barely hesitated in following through with his original intention and easing Chloe out of his arms, settling her onto her own side of the bed.

He shivered slightly as cold air rushed into to fill the void left by Chloe’s warmth, and produced a sudden and sharp awareness of his body. And, in a night filled with discoveries, Lex was graced with one, final burst of insight – He was thankful that he had chosen the judicious course of donning nightwear; because a half an hour pressed against the lush form of his pseudo-wife had conclusively proven his earlier theory.



Chapter Seven


Lex listened with half an ear as Dr. Heideman droned on about the results of Chloe’s tests. Most of his attention was directed towards the medical charts in his hands that provided the same information in a far more concise and less tedious manner.

They’d already covered the majority of Lex’s concerns; Chloe’s nightmare, the reliability of dream-state memories, and the most effective method of further extraction. The interrogation had been intricate and exacting, and a little over an hour later, Lex felt that he had gathered as much information as the medical staff could, at that time, provide. Once duty had been attended, curiosity was left; and Lex had never been one to leave a mystery unsolved.

“There’s one more issue I’d like to discuss, Doctor.”

“Of course, Mr. Luthor.”

“When Miss Sullivan’s diagnosis was first explained to me, I was told that, while she retained a seemingly undamaged understanding of general knowledge such as basic laws and social customs, she lacked any personal knowledge.”

“Yes,” the older man confirmed, “that is the general consensus of the doctor’s treating her.”

“Matrimony, as an institution, is fairly straightforward; a man and a woman, united in a monogamous relationship by the laws of the land. Beliefs expounding on that basic concept, expectations of unending wedded bliss or anticipations of inevitable betrayal, would seem, being generally derived through experience, to be an extension of self-identifying memories.”

Lex’s intensity leapt across the small space separating the two men as he laid out the pieces of the puzzle to be assembled.

“Which makes me wonder why our patient has expressed what would appear to be highly subjective views on marriage.”

Dr. Heideman fought to suppress a sigh of relief. Everyone working on this case had been struggling with skyrocketing tension. Preston's blood pressure was on the rise, Jackson was having marital problems, and he was fairly certain he was developing an ulcer. The pervasive anxiety was quickly spreading to the rest of the staff and Rolaids had become a form of currency in the facility.

It wasn’t the fact that they had skipped ethical uncertainties and went straight for unquestionable immorality with this particular case that was bothering them. No; it was the very real, very personal involvement of Lex Luthor that was engendering the near constant trepidation.

And so, while it didn’t pay to ever entirely relax one’s guard around either of the Luthors, it was, with a sense of reprieve that he realized that not only was his employer not displeased, but that his inquiries would be easy enough to answer.

“Well, yes; I can see where that would seem quite contradictory, but I assure you, Mr. Luthor, that Miss Sullivan’s views all well within the parameters of the original diagnosis.”

He took a moment to gather his thoughts and plan out how best to explain the subtle intricacies involved in a disorder such as this. Not that he doubted the man’s obvious brilliance; it was simply that experience had taught him that when Lex Luthor asked a question the answers were expected to be thorough and to the point. Disappointing the man before him was not an option that Lawrence Heideman wanted to contemplate – ever.

“You see, consensus or societal memories, in simplistic terms, are like a page from a coloring book. Everyone has the same basic image, but it is colored by our experiences and so each is unique. These memories serve to both unite and individuate us. They're an understanding of widely held social norms, but those concepts will always be shaped by the model from which they were learned. They are the product of what we like to term ‘society major’ and ‘society minor’.”

He paused for a moment; not to let his words sink in, but simply to regroup from the strain being the center of such unrelenting focus.

“Take your example of marriage. The most general consensus memory will be of the prevailing custom – two people, legally bound, in an exclusive relationship. But you have to understand that that belief is an indication of this particular society. Were you to examine a member of a culture that supports polygamy, their base consensus memory would reflect the acceptance of multiple partners. This is the influence of society major.

But a person’s expectations of matrimony are also guided by society minor. Meaning that they have been shaped by the predominant paradigm, good or bad, of marriage in their immediate sphere of existence. Generally, that tends to be the relationship between a person's parents. A happy, healthy marriage will engender a similar outlook, while divorce can often leave one with the forgone conclusion that romantic endeavors always end in abandonment and sorrow.

So, Miss Sullivan’s impressions of marriage are not actual memories of her life, but merely the result of a form of social conditioning. Predicting what she will expect from you as a “husband” or, alternately what she will provide to you as a “wife”, should be a simple matter of ascertaining the identity of the principal couple in this regard. If she is acting in a hostile or even passive aggressive manner as if waiting to be discarded, look for the most prominent divorce in her past. However, if she’s approaching you as an equal, interested in a partnership of openness and sharing, then she’s playing out ideals gleaned from her most positive experience with marriage.”

Dr. Heideman had been pleased with his performance. He’d kept his remarks clear and succinct, and hadn’t been sidetracked once by the sheer fascination he’d developed for this particular disorder during his crash course over the past weeks. And yet the man across form him didn’t appear at all pleased. In fact, he seemed pale and slightly sick.

“Jesus Christ,” Lex all but spat out, “she thinks we’re the Kents.”


TBC


~Sarah~

[lj715]

Wow...3 excellent chapters. Love this fic. Lex is going to be in such trouble. He already wants more from Chloe in a relationship. She thinks they will have the same marriage as the Kents do. Oh Lex, you are really in for it now. I'm sure Lionel is going to throw a wrench in the works. Can't wait for more.

[Augustine86]

“Jesus Christ,” Lex all but spat out, “she thinks we’re the Kents.”

That was a low blow, poor Lex! And yet, it was funny. This chapter was funny, and angsty, and confrontational, and slightly forshadowing.

Awesome...

[pipersmum]

Fantastic updates. So Lionel has picked up on how happy Lex has been recently hhmmm that can only spell trouble I am sure Lionel will want to know what or whom is making his son happy!!!

So Chloe is starting to remember Clark or should I say Kal in that particular memory!! Now Chloe has asked him to sleep with her so she is not alone is that going to continue now I wonder??


“Jesus Christ,” Lex all but spat out, “she thinks we’re the Kents.”
I nearly spat my coffee out reading this bit!! LOL.

Absolutely loving this fic I can't wait for more :D:)

[jedi]

OH.MY.GOD. a update. before i actually begin to read it, i wanna squeeeeeee:D
thanks..thanks..

[Kit Merlot]

Sarah, excellent work on this update!

But I wonder how Lex will spin the events of the second meteor shower, especially Chloe's checking him into the cave wall?

And I wonder if Lionel will uncover what Lex is up to.

This story continues to intrigue me--wonderful work:D

[westwingwolf]

Great to see that Lex has power over his father and is shown as neither pathetic nor desperate. Why does the knowledge Lionel leaves Lex with always have to be insightful and depressing?

Damn Lex's foresight in wearing nightwear. He was great in handling Chloe, but I don't care how much he protests or backs away, living with Chloe is going to have a profound effect on him that he won't want to lose. I like that he's getting more and more pissed with Clark. I don't think I'd have any problem with Chloe only remembering bad things about Clark and letting that dictate how she approaches him. After all he has been ass, Red K or not, so she should start to see him differently and not her loyalty blind her to the fact that he is/has been a crappy friend. Still I'm glad to know that Chloe is still Chloe and she's taking matters into her own hands by keeping a journal. Yeah that will probably come back to haunt Lex, but she just wouldn't be Chloe if she didn't do everything in her power to fix herself instead of letting Lex and the doctors dictate her memory process.

LMAO that she sees them as the Kents though hopefully with less sanctimonious actions. Eventually Chloe is going to expect a real marriage and I hope Lex's plan has to go longer than he expects.

And there was a shout out to SC, not that it made Lex's day any better, but just a mention and I get happy.

[Esther25jm]

Absolutely fantastic chapter!!! And that last line, about them being like the Kents---OMG!!!!! Totally wasn't expecting it, but I absolutely love it!! LOL!! Lex is gonna have a whole lot more to deal with now, huh? <bg> Can't wait for some more!!

[somethingeasy]

And you guys (you know who you are) - stop intimidating cuddly animals before the Humane Society shuts this thread down.

Does this mean that non-cuddly animals are fair game? There is a pigeon on the roof adjacent to my window, and it’s giving me a funny look.
*goes to get a shotgun*

And for the record, kittens tied up together in a sack apparently DO NOT manage to cooperate enough to land on their collective feet after being thrown off a significant height.

The cooperation and ‘working together’ mentality comes in when you open the sack, and they attack en masse (ouch!).


“Your father is waiting in your office, Mr. Luthor.”

The very first sentence of the new update was enough to make me want to squeal with delight. I always have had a special fondness for seeing the Luthors engaging in battle, or even little skirmishes. It’s always so entertaining.


It was only by sheer force of will that Lex internalized his cringe at the unwelcome news. Forcing himself not to deviate from the path to his office, he consoled himself with the fact that a few years ago he wouldn’t have even received the warning. That he now did was a sign of just how well he’d managed to marginalize his father at LuthorCorp.

wow! I LOVED this little insight into Lex’s dealing at the office when it comes to power and status struggles between himself and his father. It never occurred to me how HARD poor Lex had to work to dethrone his father and win the respect of everyone at the office.

Heh. But he succeeded. Excellent!


There had been a time, when Lex had first gained control of the company after his father’s brief stay in Belle Reve, that Lionel had nearly recouped his losses and recaptured his former glory. But he’d taught his son too well, and Lex’s time in exile had only expounded on those lessons; and, in the end, Lionel had been relegated to a symbolic position with little to no chance of advancing his true objectives.

Which, of course, didn’t preclude him from arriving unannounced in his increasingly desperate attempts to detect some kind of exploitable weakness in his heir.

I loved this too. How Lex had it drilled into him that NO lieniency was to be expected or granted when it came to dealing with his father. The poor boy has had some very hard lessons, and he has suffered a lot from them. But in the end, he turned out diamond hard and clear in his resolve and will.

And Lionel is revealed to be so petty and small compared to the magnificence that is his son. Amazing bit of ‘compare and contrast’ here, Sarah.


Lex momentarily ignored the greeting as he made his way to the large desk across the room. Settling behind the sleek, glass surface, he at last allowed his gaze to rest on his father. It was the one thing that he enjoyed about these visits – finally having the position of power; his father seated like a supplicant before him.

heh. But it seems like Lex can ALSO take some petty pleasure and satisfaction from their skirmishes. How can two men be so scary and intimidating and yet so ridiculous at the same time?


Each was silent, waiting for the other to break and speak first. It was a fairly common gambit in the Luthor family playbook, but Lex had grown increasingly tired of it in recent years. And, frankly, now that the majority of control rested in his hands, he didn’t see the point in wasting his time with such childish games. He had realized what his father had never learned – needing to exude strength at all times was as detrimental as always seeming weak. There was power in humanity, even if it was merely assumed, and true control was rarely measured accurately by outward appearances. A man who never resembled the disadvantaged automatically strengthened the guard of those around him. It made managing people needlessly troublesome which ultimately lessened one’s command as opposed to enhancing it.

But I do like that Lex didn’t hold onto that petty satisfation of his too long to be intolerable. I love how Skauble kept up the compare and contrast between the two men, showing the ways by which Lex respects and maintains his own power in careful and subtle way that Lionel could never even begin to imagine.

And I love that it’s because of Lex’s connection to his own humanity that makes him BETTER at dealing with (and precisely manipulating) people as compared to Lionel’s heavy-handed style of management.


“We’ve been in this office for over five minutes now, and I have yet to hear one accusation, one venom ladened aspersion, a single paranoia induced diatribe. I’d heard murmurings, of course, but I felt compelled to judge the truth of them for myself.”

Lex resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his father’s melodramatic speech, wishing that, for once, they could have a conversation that was light on innuendo and heavy on clarity. He generally had a higher tolerance for games of this nature, but at that moment it was fast wearing down his nerves and he had a feeling that he knew why.

I also wanted to laugh at Lionel’s melodrama over here. I swear, the MB must spend a good twenty minutes practicing such pompous announcements and innuendos in front of a mirror before setting out to visit his son.

I can understand why Lex would get sick of the constant non-stop dramatics after a while. LOL!


It had been slightly more than two weeks since he’d brought Chloe to their new “home” and he was growing accustomed to her guileless nature and lack of artifice. He was actually rather surprised how easy it had been to shake of years of deep-seated suspicion and doubt in the face of such open acceptance. And while he never lost sight of his ultimate purpose, the warmth that had been lacking in his life for well over a decade was just too tempting to resist a moderate amount of indulgence.

The downside, of course, was that standing even briefly in the sun made the shadows that much colder.

ROTFLMAO! Oh my! I LOVED this part. It really tickled me that Lex was acknowledging ALL the signs of falling in love without putting the pieces together on how much trouble he was putting himself into.

I really liked how he was blissfully accepting that Chloe was making his life better and more bearable, and still had the gall to fool himself into believing that it was something he could very easily learn to live without once his objectives were achieved.

The poor fool KNOWS he has an addictive personality. So why does he believe that quitting on the ‘Chloe-high’ would be easy? Fool!


“You. You seem almost…” Lionel hesitated, his voice taking on a tone of wonder as if he’d discovered the resting place of the ark, “happy.”

oh dear &^*%(*& Hell! Even Lionel has noticed the state of ‘addicted bliss’ Lex has recently fallen into. ROTFLOL! Hilarious! I love it!!!


Lex forced himself to maintain his impassive expression despite the shock running through him. He knew that he had been more relaxed recently. Both the prospect of finally learning Clark’s secret and the time with Chloe had helped to ease years of building frustrations; but the thought that it had enough of a visible effect for his father to have heard of it disturbed him. Although he truly believed that it was necessary, at times, to show some emotion, he didn’t like the idea that it was unintentional. Not only did it leave him vulnerable to openly display his feelings, but it was also a waste of an opportunity to affect the sentiment necessary to maximize the rewards for him in a given situation.

LOL! I liked Lex’s philosophy that showing emotions unintentionally was not tolerable behaviour. I think BOTH Luthors prescribe to this rule of thunb… ‘only show emotions after practicing them in a mirror’. ROTFLOL!

Once again, I really enjoyed Lex acknowledging all the ways in which being with Chloe was making his life better, but he’s still in denial. Poor idiotic little fool! It’s going to be SO much fun when he finally acknowledges the full depths of his stupidity and lack of foresight and insight.


“You came all this way,” Lex questioned, alluding to the fact that his father’s primary residence of late had been the mansion in Smallville, “and disrupted LuthorCorp business to play mood ring?”

LOL! Lionel the mood ring! I’m going to go to sleep with a smile on my face from that visual. Thanks, Sarah!


“It’s amazing how far one will trek to witness a miracle. In fact,” Lionel smirked, “if you smile I might request a laying on of hands.”

“It’s a tempting thought as I tend to leave hand laying to security.”

“Ah, there’s the Lex we all know and tolerate.”

“Dad, did it ever occur to you that the majority of happiness in my life is generated by your absence and that is why you’re so unfamiliar with it?”

Lionel paused as if considering the answer before scoffingly disregarding it.

“That might actually be believable if your behavior hadn’t been uncharacteristic enough to make it back to my ears.”

Did I mention I ADORE Luthor interaction. The quick fire exchange of words designed to seek out weakness and emotionally painful pressure points. I just LOVE watching them weave into each other like this. It’s thrilling. Chlex banter might have chemistry, but Luthor verbal judo gives the chemistry of Chlex a good run for it’s money.


“Let’s not delude ourselves,” Lex replied, “that whatever information you think you’ve discovered had to make its way down a vast and circuitous grapevine; I’m sure you have more people watching me than the stock exchange.”

“Well, Lex, you do tend to have more crashes.”

LOL! I can just imagine Lionel’s sardonic and amused tone of voice over here. I’m not sure who is winning this skirmish, but, point to Lionel :D


“Enjoy the source of your newfound happiness, whatever it may be. Just remember Lex, something loved is merely something waiting to be lost.”

oh MY! It seems like Lionel has caught onto the fact that Lex is falling in love before Lex himself. Typical! And it’s also typical that Lex is not going to take Lionel’s words of warning as a check about what is happening to him. Nope, he’s ‘perfectly in control of his emotions’. LOL!


He’d called Chloe when it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to make it home in time for dinner. She’d been supportive and concerned, making him promise that he would find time to grab a quick bite to eat if his meeting went past 10:00. Still, Lex had found himself growing more and more frustrated as the negotiations progressed and he realized that by the time he returned Chloe would have been asleep for hours.

He was becoming habituated to spending his evenings with her. She was a surprisingly engaging dinner companion, given that she had less than a month of memories. Even more pleasing were the hours after when they’d retire to the study – he to finish work brought home from the office and she to read, curled up on the leather couch. Her quiet presence was soothing and sometimes he would find his attention drifting from the files before him to silently observe her.

Heh. And he STILL believes he is maintaining a proper amount of detachment from Chloe’s charms? I love how he’s becoming used to her presence, how he’s actually soothed by her, even when she’s just sitting around not even looking at him. And I love that he’s actually jittery when he doesn’t get his ‘now daily dose of Chloe’.

He really should have learned his lesson after seeing how Clark fell apart when Chloe’s ‘taken for granted’ presence was rudely taken away from the farmboy. Clark seems to be falling apart… just like Lex will, once Chloe regains her memories.

What fun! :D


In nearly all of Lex’s previous interactions with Chloe she had been a deeply driven force of nature. He'd never really given any thought to what she might be like in the moments where there was no epic catastrophe to ward off, no vital story to chase. It hadn’t really entered his mind that there might be another side to the young woman he’d always classified as “the brash, blonde reporter”. In the end he wondered who he’d done the greater disservice – Chloe for treating her as a one dimensional stereotype, or himself by missing his chance to win the loyalty and friendship that Clark enjoyed when it could have been his for the asking.

I love seeing evidence on how this girl who has been overlooked and ignored by EVERY-one can be so seductive and addictive without even trying, without even being aware of it. She’s made Superman dependant on her for… well, everything. And now Lex is also falling under her spell.

I can’t wait to see Lex suffer when he realizes that ‘keeping Chloe’ becomes the objective instead of the means to the objective.


And Lex was honest enough to admit that his actions weren’t solely to protect what could questionably be referred to as Chloe’s delicate sensibilities - Lord knew that he’d never seen any evidence of their fragile nature. No, it was more than that. He had always been aware that Chloe was a beautiful woman. That awareness hadn’t been a sign of interest, merely a basic and unavoidable observation. But these weeks with her, watching years of distrustful glances replaced by gracious smiles, hearing affectionate exchanges where accusations had formerly lingered, basking in his temporary place as the center of her world, had only served to infinitely increase her appeal. An appeal that could very easily produce extremely noticeable physical effects were he to bump into her, naked, in the middle of the night.

So he is not immune to her physical charms either. It’s great to see that he’s falling for EVERY aspect of Chloe. He not only respects her loyalty, wit, intelligence and strength of will… but he’s also beginning to acknowledge what an attractive package all that sharpness and curiosity is bundled into.

Like I mentioned, I think it’s hilariously ironic how Lex is objectively listing out all the ways he’s falling in love with her without acknowledging that he’s actually FALLING IN LOVE. The big doofus can see all the puzzle pieces, but has completely missed out on the bigger picture.


Of course, as they seemed to have little reason to be encountering the other in the wee hours of the morning, it was all simply theoretical. But, as procuring positive results in this endeavor was far more important than some random burst of hormones, he’d wear the damn pajamas as it was most certainly a theory he had no desire to test.

HA! I KNEW it! I made a note earlier that Lex was not using sex as a weapon against Chloe, not because it would have been morally reprehensible, but because he believed it would add confusion onto his plan, and add more time until he could achieve his objectives.

Bastard! If he had believed that seduction would have brought him the information sooner, Chloe would have been in his bed already.


There was none. Was instead Chloe, curled into a tight ball, rocking back and forth as trails of moonlit tears made their way down her cheeks. Without a thought to devious machinations or buried truths, Lex reached the bed in record time, settling next to the huddled figure before pulling her gently into his arms.

oooh Excellent reaction. Although, I’m going to believe that his speed and immediacy was driven more by chivalric instincts rather than affection. But the fact that he reacted so quickly to the lady’s distress speaks well of him, and his instincts.


Feeling Chloe’s body stiffen, Lex thought, for one terrible moment, that despite what the doctors had told him she had remembered everything in one great burst and that her fear and horror were simply a befitting response to finding oneself abducted and deceived. But before that worry had time to take hold, he felt her body relax into his embrace as her arms snuck around his waist and she burrowed into the safety that he could see she still believed he represented.

heh he he… Ok, so he’s safe from Chloe’s wrath… for now. What’s he going to do when she DOES remember? I hope he’s taken steps to hide away all the sharp objects and projectile weapons around the manor.


First was the fact that, because Lex had been so careful to screen out disturbing stimuli from their environment, it was almost guaranteed that her current upset had to do with her previous life. That meant the need for deft maneuvering as he tried to avoid the innumerable land mines concealed in each remembrance.

Then, of course, were the intricacies involved in taking the information that she had dredged from her subconscious, and given her reaction it seemed most likely to Lex that it involved one of her many brushes with Smallville’s myriad of meteor freaks, and redirecting it towards his ultimate goal of eliciting information about Clark.

Wow! He might be an utter bastard, but I really LOVE seeing Lex’s brain working in that coldly, analytical, super-fast frame of mind. THIS is the kind of Lex Luthor that would have grown up to become the nemesis of a Superman. Someone who had the brains and ruthlessness to be able to challenge the all-mighty brawn of a demi-god.


And lastly, and by far the most disquieting for Lex, was the fact that something about the fear in Chloe’s muffled whimpers, the warmth of her tears burning into his chest, and the press of her body against his as she innocently sought comfort from the only person she truly trusted, all combined to form an uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach.

heeeeee! One of the most distinct signs of emotional attachment, affection and LOVE. You hurt when the person you… ‘like’ is hurting. We’ve already seen how he’s actually soothed by her presence and company, how he’s ‘happier’ since she came into his life like this… NOW he’s feeling the ‘only happy when she’s happy’ state of a relationship.

The fool is falling so fast; I can actually see why he might be missing out on all the signs that are whizzing by too quickly for him to comprehend.


But as Chloe’s sobs began to subside he pushed the niggling sense of apprehension into the background. After all, he considered, caring about her distress was only natural under the circumstances. He had never actively disliked Chloe; indeed, he admired many things about her – her ill advised love of farmboys excepted. So it was to be expected that, considering the complete and utter cessation of hostilities between them, he would come to be concerned about her well being. Especially when he took absolute responsibility for his part in compromising that very well being in the first place. So, in that light, Lex found his actions to be acceptable, even reasonable…as long as he didn’t allow them to compromise his objectives. And he honestly didn’t, for one moment, believe that would be a problem. He was a Luthor; he’d spent a lifetime learning to disregard his emotions in the same way that most people sought to embrace them. Any loss he might feel for Chloe’s friendship when all was said and done was sure to be offset by the overwhelming satisfaction of finally solving the mysteries that had been plaguing him for so long.

riiight! Did I mention how much I’m enjoying reading Lex keep rationalizing his own emotions and reactions to himself? It’s just so much fun to see him making a complete fool of himself.

I can’t wait to see him TRY and ‘disregard’ the emotions that have been inspired by Chloe. It’s going to be SO much fun to see him flailing and failing miserably.


His skin prickled in anticipation. This is what he’d been waiting for. The doctor’s had told him that memories often began surfacing in the REM sleep, so the night’s events hadn’t been a complete surprise; although her obvious suffering threw him. True, he had expected that some of her slumberous visions might be slightly bizarre to someone who had no accessible knowledge of Smallville, but he never would have predicted that any of her recollections of Clark would send her into hysterics.

It also took me by surprise. But I (and Lex) should have expected something like this. He did warn her that memories of Clark were going to be dark and not to her liking, so she must have been subconsciously prepared to deal with that.


“Its okay, Chloe. You’re safe now.” He pulled her tighter to him knowing that she’d interpret his actions as an attempt at comfort and not an extension of his voracious need for knowledge that she had, until now, so jealously guarded.

heh, just when I was starting to soften towards the little bastard, he does something to reaffirm the fact that he IS a BASTARD! I just wanted to grab his throat and squeeze for how he was taking advantage of Chloe’s trust and abusing it to find out her most closely guarded secrets. Unscrupulous bastard! He worst part is that, when she regains her memories, Chloe is going to blame herself for everything that happened. Starting with getting caught and getting tripped up by the security guard, right up till trusting Lex enough to spill her guts out.


Chloe grew quiet once more. This was really the first chance that she’d had to learn anything about her life other than what Lex had shared, and she had a feeling that even if her past had looked like a Rockwell painting she still would have been disconcerted. Unfortunately for her, her dream had seemed more like a Salvador Dali canvas. But, something had seemed off and a part of her simply wouldn’t let the inconsistency lie until she’d uncovered the exact nature of the discrepancy.

I liked drawing the parallel between making sense of a dream was about as easy as trying to figure out all the nuances of a Dali painting.


As he took in the meaning of Chloe’s statement, Lex realized that she had already begun applying her agile mind to solving whatever problem her dream had presented her. It was yet another attribute he was coming to learn was a built in, factory issued component of the Chloe Sullivan model. She could experience pain and, unlike him, she could openly express it; but she didn’t wallow in it, didn’t build a shrine to it and worship at the altar of tragedy for the rest of her life. If it was a choice for her of living, cosseted and protected by those around her, in her problems or throwing herself in the path of untold danger to find a solution, Chloe would always take the latter. Although she was an endless source of comfort to those around her, she clearly fell into the “walk it off” camp when it came to her own life as was evidenced by the way that, even now, she was pushing through her anguish of just moments before to bring some order to her mental chaos. Knowing that process would benefit them both, Lex patiently waited for her to continue.

I really enjoyed Lex realizing just how strong Chloe really is.

Heh, and I enjoyed the little Blana jab about building a shrine to pain and tragedy, and how Chloe would never indulge in such useless and futile behaviour. But it would be nice if Chloe was the one being ‘taken care of’ instead of being the one others depended on to ‘handle the situation’.

This vacation from her life doesn’t really count. Although Lex has been coddling and pampering, his protection is only an vile act that will eventually cause more harm than good. Bastard!

Still, let’s give it time… Eventually he might move from ‘pretending’ to care and protect to actually wanting to care for and protect.


“Oh, don’t get me wrong; I don’t doubt that…Clark,” she stumbled slightly over the name, “and I had problems. After all, from what you said he seemed like a jerk way before tonight’s revelation that he’s apparently borderline psychotic.”

Very interesting. It is unfortunate that Chloe’s first burgeoning memory of Clark was one that only reinforced the lies that Lex has been feeding her. Or perhaps it was the lies that pricked up this memory? She’s all set, poised and ready to spill her guts about Clark. From Lex’s point of view, the plan is coming along splendidly.

Chloe’s secrets don’t seem to stand a chance at remaining secrets much longer.


“And I’ll admit that, despite the absence of concrete proof, I have a sneaking suspicion that I might, possibly, by some vast stretch of the imagination be considered moderately stubborn.”

Chloe’s smile widened as she felt Lex’s chest rumble beneath her cheek with the vibrations of his laughter. She’d adored the sound ever since she first remembered hearing it and often devoted random moments to orchestrating its return.

It was lovely seeing Lex gaining an appreciation for Chloe when she’s got her guard down, and it was equally lovely to see Chloe ALSO gaining an understanding of Lex’s hidden and intimate nature, and trying to accommodate her actions and behaviour to make him happy.

Even if she unintentionally spills her guts, she stands a fighting chance at keeping Clark safe by wrapping Lex around her finger… by making him as dependant on her as Clark is.

All this without even realizing what she’s doing… LOL! It’s really funny how Chloe can twist these powerful men around her without being aware of it.


And, frankly, she was happy to see him amused by something that, amnesia or no, she knew to be entirely too true. Even if it hadn’t shown itself in a million little ways over the past few weeks, her obstinate nature would have been made perfectly obvious to her by the notebook she kept carefully tucked under the cushion of the large reading chair in the seating area of her room. Contained in its pages was everything that she had learned about Chloe Sullivan-Luthor in the past two weeks. From the miniscule catalog of facts to the enormous list of conjectures, no scrap of information was too minor to escape her attention.

She knew that neither the doctors nor her husband would be pleased with her trying to hurry nature along in that manner, but hey, that’s why God created hiding places. It was also why ‘impatient’ was in the fact column and not the speculation.

ROTFLMAO! It figures that Chloe would find some proactive way of taking her care into her own hands and under her control. And it’s such a… ‘Chloe-way’ of handling her situation… Creating a series of stats and observations to note down trends, facts and speculations. It’s only a matter of time before she figures out that she was into some kind of research and investigative oriented career.

And LOL at the ‘impatient’ being in the fact column.


“Well,” Lex offered in a diplomatic tone, “you have been known to follow your own heart…mostly like a lemming off a cliff, but who am I to judge. After all, if it weren’t for you abundance of willfulness, we wouldn’t be here now.”

AAAaaargh! Why does he have to be so sweet, funny and charming with that seductively dry sense of humour of his. HATE HIM! I HATE that he’s only acting out a part. Did I mention that I. Want. Him. To. Suffer!!!

*snort* ‘lemming off a cliff’. LOL!


“I just knew that I had to get him to come home. Although where he was living seemed pretty upscale. In fact, now that I think about it, it seems a little too nice for some teenage runaway.” Once again concentration and curiosity shaped her face into the most fundamental of Chloe expressions; but before he had a chance to enjoy the endearing countenance her face scrunched up in a grimace of distaste. “You don’t think he was like…someone’s boy toy, do you?”

*blinks at Chloe’s theory*

*rubs eyes, reads again, and blinks a few more time*

ROTFLMAO!

Oh My! Clark Kent, male gigolo! I can feel the DC Universe falling apart. ROTFLOL!


The disgust at the picture of teen-hooker Clark warred with absolute hilarity at the thought of the son of someone as pious as Jonathon Kent running off to the big city to be kept by a bevy of society matrons. Lex clamped down on both runaway trains of thought before he lost sight of the reason for this increasingly disconcerting conversation.

“Given his continuing propensity to blush in mixed company, I have faith that whatever Clark was up to, it didn’t involve frequent booty calls.”

I can see Lex shares my feelings of surreal hilarity. It was comforting to see that even HE needed a few moments to recover from the disorientating image of Gigolo Kent. LOL!

I am glad that he was honourable enough to assure Chloe that Clark wouldn’t do such a thing. Of course, he probably didn’t want to taint her memories with ridiculously false impressions… no matter how (momentarily) tempting it might have been to have Chloe believing that her dorky protector was a man-ho.


So her friend was a big stuttering wuss who could apparently threaten women but not woo his way into their panties. Damn, she wanted her notebook.

I remember admiring Lex’s keen, analytical mind. I’m getting the same tingles from seeing Chloe carefully gathering all the facts together to form a whole picture in her head. Those two are really meant for each other. This amnesia thing (and Lex’s underhanded, obsessive scheme) turned out the greatest best, after all.


“You know, this whole thing – the accident, the amnesia, the nightmare – all of it has been worth it just to hear you use the word “booty”.”

And she’s still trying to make him smile. Excellent! She is going to be devastating to him.


Chloe was trembling beneath his hands and he could feel the fury in him swell. Clark, the terrorizer of women; just another facet of the man he’d once been fool enough to think he knew; another mystery to add to countless others.

But, if he were honest, Lex knew that wasn’t the only source of his anger. Clark had laid his hands on Chloe and hurt her, if not physically than mentally. Certainly he’d traumatized her enough to make this the first memory to free itself from the prison of her mind. It infuriated him that the boy would hurt a woman for whom, despite being a near rival, Lex was developing quite an appreciation, and it enraged him that Clark would treat with such contempt the very things that he himself had struggled for so long. And worse, that he could do so and yet still retain the friendships, loyalties, and love of those around him.

Oh dear. This information might not reveal Clark’s Big Secret/s, but it’s still dangerous knowledge for Lex to have. At least, before tonight, Lex was able to comfort himself that there were ‘certain’ limits that Clark would NEVER cross over. Physical violence towards women would have been one of the toppers on the list of ‘Clark would never…’ stuff. But now Lex is going to be reassessing EVERY-thing he ever believed about Clark and what he’s capable of.

What happens when he discovers this potentially violent and secretive boy has the super powers of a demi-god?

And I really enjoyed the reference to Lex being FURIOUS about how Clark would disregard the gift of Chloe’s friendship and unwavering loyalty with such cruel and callous disregard.

But it’s ironic that he’s right in the middle of committing the EXACT same crime himself. I wonder if he gets that…?


“What I can’t understand, is why on earth we’re still friends.” Chloe said in an eerie echo of Lex’s thoughts. “I mean, I don’t want to be a wimp, and I know it doesn’t sound so bad; but it was really scary.

He was so big and so angry, and he just kept yelling at me to leave, but I couldn’t seem to. I wanted to. God, I wanted to so badly, but my stupid feet kept taking me in the wrong direction. And then I was the one acting angry; and I guess I was mad. But inside, Lex; inside I was really afraid that he might hurt me.”

She was quiet for a moment and Lex wished he knew what she was thinking…until she told him.

“Was there something about me; something wrong with me? Did I have so much trouble making friends that I couldn’t do better than a guy that scared the crap out of me when we were kids and then, years later, was still apparently driving me into hysterics?”

I have to admit, I missed out on the ‘Clark gets hopped up on Red K’ episodes. So I don’t really know whether Chloe knew his secret during those episodes or not. Did she know that Clark couldn’t be held accountable for actions while under Kal’s influence? Or did she forgive him by assuming he was ‘high’ on more Earthly illegal substances? Or did he just apologise so sweetly afterwards that she just ‘couldn’t help’ but forgive him (typical Smallville ‘no consequences’ kind of justification).

Erm. Some help, please? Did Chloe know Clark’s secrets at this point?


Chloe’s self-esteem issues had never been a secret; loving your best friend who only had eyes for your roommate would be a massive blow to even the most robust of egos. Generally Lex found that type of weakness in others beneficial as it tended to make his interactions with them infinitely more fruitful; but at that moment, Chloe’s self-doubt struck him as faintly tragic.

I ALSO think it’s tragic that there are so many wonderful people in the world who end up selling themselves short and not achieving their goals, simply because they don’t believe they ‘deserve’ to succeed. I can understand why Lex would be so callously pleased about the existence of such people, since they are ridiculously easy to manipulate and intimidate… but I’m glad he finally sees how terrible and wasteful an attitude it really is… if only in just one person.

Perhaps Chloe will come to represent the rest of humanity for Lex, and he might get in touch with the deep-seated sense of generosity, empathy and selflessness that I’m convinced is his TRUE nature.

Damn Lionel!


“There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are, and have been in all the years that I’ve been fortunate enough to know you, smart, witty, and compassionate. But beyond all of those things,” his eyes seared her with their aching sincerity making it impossible to ignore his words, “I have found you to be loyal beyond all reasonable expectations. And believe me; I’m in a position to know.”

He could see by the near blinding smile that lit her face that Chloe not only took his words to heart, but believed that his assertions of her unfailing loyalty stemmed from experiences where she had kept his secrets, not kept another’s from him.

*sigh* I was all set to be indignant about any new lies and false reassurances he would be spouting at her. But he was actually speaking from the heart… albeit, he didn’t give the true facts of their relationship before, but the ‘impression’ was a true and genuine.

Darn it! Now I’m starting to like him again. No matter, I’ll just start listing out his crimes against Chloe again, and then I’ll be thinking of him as a bastard in no time.


He was glad to see that, for now, the ordeal seemed to be over. Although gleaning information about Clark was going to require a certain amount of psychological discomfort on her part, he was hoping that he could keep the detriment to her sanity at a minimum. And although some of that was due to a genuine lack of desire to see Chloe suffer, the majority was motivated by the simple fact that if her memories of Clark were too painful or alarming, her mind might begin to repress anything to do with him. And although his preparations allowed him, at the very least, another month to see this plan through, he clearly didn’t have the kind of time that would be needed to maneuver around hastily constructed mental walls.

ok, I’m back to thinking of him as the callous, heartless bastard again. Excellent! :D

I KNEW he had a cold and calculated reason for assuring Chloe about her self-esteem, and generally making her feel a ‘little’ better after her ordeal of a nightmare tonight.

Heh, but it’s only a matter of time before the scales start shifting from ‘keeping Chloe safe and happy to achieve the plan’ to ‘keeping Chloe safe and happy, period’.


“I know that you’ve been concerned about me. Well,” she rolled her eyes at her nervous stating of the obvious, “of course you’ve been worried; I’ve sprained my brain. I just meant that I really appreciate how wonderful you’ve been.”

LOL! ‘sprained my brain’. ROTFLOL! I really enjoy her sometimes self-depreciating sense of humour.


“But?” He asked again trying not to smile at how adorable she looked, flustered and exasperated with herself in equal measures.

She’s just irresistible, and Lex doesn’t stand a chance at this ‘emotional detachment’ stance he plans of keeping. Heh he heh.


Lex couldn’t be sure which troubled him more – Chloe’s request or the fact that it had caught him completely off guard. He would have loved to have time to weigh the pros and cons, ponder the ramification of this decision, but one look at her anxious face settled the issue.

“You won’t be.”

ROTFLMAO! Oh my GOD! I seriously adored this part. I LOVED that Lex didn’t even have time to weigh out the repercussions and consequences of Chloe’s request. He just followed his instincts, without thought, without question. Wonderful!

He’s already losing hold of that right, calculated control he keeps over himself. He’s falling so hard and fast, that it’s miraculous he doesn’t realize it.


Although when he’d first slid under the covers of her bed Chloe had nervously scooted back, allowing him room and maintaining a modest amount of space between them, after the first five minutes any apprehension she had was apparently relieved and she returned to her more natural, bolder Chloe state.

And so he found himself, arms full of a warm, soft blonde, spending half of his time desperately wishing himself to sleep or, barring that, wishing Chloe to sleep so that he could use the carafe on the bedside table to render himself unconscious, and the other half consigning himself to the depths of hell for allowing her closet to be filled with cascades of silk masquerading as proper nightclothes instead of the large, flannel, grandmother-inspired gowns that would have been far more conducive to a good night’s rest.

ROTFLMAO! Ooooh, the suffering is finally beginning. I love how disconcerted and uncomfortable he is right now. I love that he’s finding it increasingly difficult to deny his VERY strong attraction towards Chloe… and most of all, I love that he’s kicking himself for getting her lovely and sexy silk nightgowns instead of flannel. LOL!

Heh. And I should have known that Chloe would have been a cuddly sleeper. Her intrusive and bossy personality would demand nothing less.

‘render himself unconscious with the carafe on the bedside table’?! Oh. My. STARS! ROTFLMAO!


Not that Chloe seemed to be having any difficulty settling in for the night, he thought with childish envy. With every passing minute he could feel her body relax, sinking further into his embrace. And just as he thought she had finally succumbed for the night and he could commence with his hastily concocted but, he was certain, ingenious plan of rolling her over and depositing her on the far side of what was actually a very large bed, he felt soft words whisper across his skin.

I was momentarily indignant after hearing about Lex’s plan to roll and deposit Chloe on the OTHER side of the bed after she fell asleep… But, to be fair, he IS in a desperately awkward position, and this (undoubtedly) smoothly and oft practiced move of dislodging an unwanted companion was only going to be utilized in desperate self defense over here.

Basically, I’m just happy Lex was so uncomfortable and out of his depth tonight. It’s a start to him getting him comeuppance for the NASTY trick he’s playing on Chloe.


“How did I get so lucky?”

The words were sleepy, but the affection was behind them was undeniably genuine; and it was a moment before he could reply, caught up in a sentiment that had, in his lifetime, been so rarely directed at him.

“You didn’t. Believe me; you’ve known better men than me.”

*sigh* And once again, Sarah manages to pierce through my anger and indignation, and makes me melt for Lex all over again. WHY does he have to keep trotting in these sincere moments in between all the colossal lies and manipulations? It makes it SO hard to honestly hate him!


The seriousness of Lex’s tone pierced Chloe’s drowsy haze and she raised her head to look at him.

“Hey,” she nudged him gently with her elbow, “stop picking on my husband. Besides, who says there are men better than you?”

I can imagine that that last question ‘might’ have twisted a little into Lex’s gut. He knows the truth, after all. He KNOWS there are definitely better men, whom Chloe holds in higher regard as compared to him.

I like that Chloe immediately leapt to his defence over here. It’s just so typical of her… even when she’s defending a person against themselves and their own insecurities. It would be nice if SHE had a champion like that too. Not just someone who jumped in to save her from physical harm (any decent person would do that), but someone who would provide emotional support and bolster her mood when she’s feeling down and out.

Lex is doing a good job of providing the emotional support she needs… so it’s SUCH a damned shame that it’s only a ‘necessary evil’ he’s going through to achieve higher goals. Poor Chloe! She’s going to be devastated when the truth comes out… that the only person who actually acted like a champion and supportive friend was only ACTING out a role.

Bastard!


Turning her face into him, Lex felt her brush a kiss against his chest and settle herself against him once more. Only this time, instead of plans and strategies to push her away, he pulled her even closer.

He had been both surprised and warmed by her faith in him. Even though he knew that it was predicated on the worst of lies, he couldn’t help but revel, even briefly, in the unfamiliar sensation.

Ah-HA! Excellent! Once again, Chloe has foiled his evil plans…

…

Sorry! I just really wanted to have that said out loud ;)

But I love how she casually got under his skin, without even trying or being aware of the affect she’s having on him. Lex is giving in to a definite weakness to indulge, and he’s indulging despite the fact that it goes against his common sense and calculated logic. Perfect!


Slowly Lex found himself relaxing; calming to the sounds of Chloe’s deep, even breaths, the silky feel of her skin as he absently ran his fingers down the length of her arm. And in the end it was that wholly unfamiliar feeling of contentment that jarred him back to wakefulness.

‘contentment’??!! Holy *&%*%! I’m going to say we’ve gone past ‘falling’ and gotten into the ‘FALLEN in love’ state of being. I seriously adored how he was touching her without even being fully aware of what he was doing… and how the realization actually SHOCKED him.


As each successive day with Chloe had past, Lex had allowed himself to slip deeper in the fantasy world he had created for Chloe, choosing to indulge temporarily in a life that he knew would never really be his. It had been an uncharacteristic decision, based on emotion as opposed to logic, and only now was he seeing the hidden danger as he was all too quickly growing accustomed to the illusions he had designed and Chloe had given life.

The poor fool is finally getting an inkling on how much trouble he ‘might’ be getting himself into.

But it’s too late now… he he heh.


But his awareness, belated as it was, had still arrived in a timely enough manner to allow Lex to put things to rights. As soon as they awoke, he resolved, he would arrange for Dr. Heideman to see Chloe. Now that her memories appeared ready to resurface, and given the encouraging sign that the first had centered on Clark, it was time to move to the next stage and begin identifying ways to coax more of the targeted information to the forefront. And beyond the necessity to his stratagem, the clinical setting would go far in reminding him that this was, although elaborate in the extreme, nothing more than an experiment in his continuing quest for the truth.

LOL! Riiight! Let’s keep up the denial, and keep assuring ourselves that we’re still capable of being objective and emotionally detached about this venture, shall we? *snort* Idiot!

But I enjoyed this last ditch effort to distance himself. His futile and puny struggles will only make the inevitable defeat and failure all the more SATSIFYING… *gleefully looks forward to the upcoming crash and breakdown*


Forcing down a moment of regret, Lex instead chose to focus on the comforting familiarity of having his feet once more planted securely on the path of illumination. And in the anticipation of victory so close at hand he barely hesitated in following through with his original intention and easing Chloe out of his arms, settling her onto her own side of the bed.

He shivered slightly as cold air rushed into to fill the void left by Chloe’s warmth, and produced a sudden and sharp awareness of his body. And, in a night filled with discoveries, Lex was graced with one, final burst of insight – He was thankful that he had chosen the judicious course of donning nightwear; because a half an hour pressed against the lush form of his pseudo-wife had conclusively proven his earlier theory.

I actually don’t mind that Lex went through with his initial plan of dislodging Chloe. Mostly because I can see it was actually ‘difficult’ for him to do so, AND he disliked, regretted, perhaps even hated being separated from her form.

Heh… Not to mention that he actually got hard after a bit of cuddling?! How humiliating that must have been *sadistic glee*


Lex listened with half an ear as Dr. Heideman droned on about the results of Chloe’s tests. Most of his attention was directed towards the medical charts in his hands that provided the same information in a far more concise and less tedious manner.

LOL! I always enjoy the utter contempt with which Lex treats useless people. I suppose I shouldn’t be encouraging his rude and callous habits, but it’s so much fun to read, I can’t help it!!


Dr. Heideman fought to suppress a sigh of relief. Everyone working on this case had been struggling with skyrocketing tension. Preston's blood pressure was on the rise, Jackson was having marital problems, and he was fairly certain he was developing an ulcer. The pervasive anxiety was quickly spreading to the rest of the staff and Rolaids had become a form of currency in the facility.

It wasn’t the fact that they had skipped ethical uncertainties and went straight for unquestionable immorality with this particular case that was bothering them. No; it was the very real, very personal involvement of Lex Luthor that was engendering the near constant trepidation.

Hmmm. All this time, I have been on a ‘Make Lex Suffer for His Actions’ campaign, but I forgot that there were OTHER people also responsible for Chloe’s current captive status. Granted, the doctors and scientists are not the brains or perpetrators behind Chloe’s kidnapping, but they are responsible nonetheless. And I like that they are ALSO in a highly delicate and uncomfortable position because of their involvement

And I think it’s both funny and sad that it’s more fear of Lex Luthor rather than guilt of their own actions that makes them nervous about the situation as it stands.

Heh. Rolaid as currency? LOL!


And so, while it didn’t pay to ever entirely relax one’s guard around either of the Luthors, it was, with a sense of reprieve that he realized that not only was his employer not displeased, but that his inquiries would be easy enough to answer.

ppfffsh! Coward! No wonder Lex feels contempt for this man. He might be brilliant at his job, but his character is weak, and insipidly easy to intimidate.


But a person’s expectations of matrimony are also guided by society minor. Meaning that they have been shaped by the predominant paradigm, good or bad, of marriage in their immediate sphere of existence. Generally, that tends to be the relationship between a person's parents. A happy, healthy marriage will engender a similar outlook, while divorce can often leave one with the forgone conclusion that romantic endeavors always end in abandonment and sorrow.

So, Miss Sullivan’s impressions of marriage are not actual memories of her life, but merely the result of a form of social conditioning. Predicting what she will expect from you as a “husband” or, alternately what she will provide to you as a “wife”, should be a simple matter of ascertaining the identity of the principal couple in this regard. If she is acting in a hostile or even passive aggressive manner as if waiting to be discarded, look for the most prominent divorce in her past. However, if she’s approaching you as an equal, interested in a partnership of openness and sharing, then she’s playing out ideals gleaned from her most positive experience with marriage.”

Hmmm. Sarah mentioned that she was going to be ‘bluffing’ her way through all the medical jargon that this story needs? I have to say, I wouldn’t want to come against her in a Poker game :D

Excellent way of describing Chloe’s condition, explaining the difference between experience and factual knowledge… not to mention carefully leading up to that carefully plotted punch line waiting the readers at the end of the chapter. I was VERY impressed by Dr. Heidman’s explanation as to the where and why of Chloe’s expectations of marriage, commitment and relationships.

I also found the new phrases ‘society minor’ and ‘society major’ to be very interesting… and they certainly sounded real enough to seem genuine. Are they actual phrases from a Sociology textbook, or just excellent bluffing? ;)


Dr. Heideman had been pleased with his performance. He’d kept his remarks clear and succinct, and hadn’t been sidetracked once by the sheer fascination he’d developed for this particular disorder during his crash course over the past weeks. And yet the man across form him didn’t appear at all pleased. In fact, he seemed pale and slightly sick.

“Jesus Christ,” Lex all but spat out, “she thinks we’re the Kents.”

ROTFLMAO! Like I mentioned, this was an EXCELLENT lead up to and delivery of the final punch line. AMAZING writing, Sarah! I couldn’t imagine delivering such an intellectually stimulating conversation followed by the most ironic and hilarious observation possible.

Of course, Lex doesn’t see it as hilarious and ironic… He just finds the idea horrific. LOL!

But quite honestly, I don’t think he needs to worry. Chloe might be basing her expectations of marriage on the ‘trusting and equal give and take’ relationships of the Kents, but she’s definitely not going to be mistaking Lex Luthor for a character like Jonathan or Clark.

Chloe might have gotten the impression that Lex is a sweet, generous and loving husband. But she definitely sees that he has a LOT of barriers, emotional defences and secrets that he needs to hide from everyone… including her. That is why she has been trying so damned hard to break through those barriers, and reach within his defences. OR trying to draw him out through soothing conversation and gentle teasing… whichever works.

I look forward to seeing the wariness with which Lex approached Chloe, now that he has this new perspective. Like I mentioned, he really shouldn’t be afraid of being compared to a ‘Clark-like’ character, but I can see why he would be nervous that Chloe only trusts him because she might have the COMPLETELY wrong perspective and assessment of his nature and personality.

I can’t wait to see Chloe set the record straight and set his mind at ease that she really DOES see ‘the real him’… And THEN send him into a panic because she sees him so well, despite the memory loss.

This is going to be FUN!

*phew* this was a fairly long review. And yet one where I don’t think I managed to say enough. I HATE it when that happens!! I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter, and I really, REALLY hope to see more soon (ASAP?).

Please write quickly, please post soon… I’m dying to see how the situation progresses from this point onwards.

[chrisrose]

Wonderful! But is Chloe really approaching marriage in a Kent-like manner? Hmm... when the doctor was going on about your attitudes to marriage based on experiences with parents, etc, I kept thinking of Chloe's mom leaving her and Gabe...which should, in theory, cause Chloe to be fearful of abandonment with her "husband", right? (Or fear that *she* can't remain monogamous/committed) I guess I prefer to think that Chloe's being so open and trusting in this "marriage" because so far Lex hasn't behaved suspiciously in front of her, plus she's kind of a blank slate and doesn't remember all the bad experiences and times people let her down/left her.

But what do I know? I'm not the psychology expert 'round here. ;)

These lines really stood out for me...beautifully expressed insights:


The downside, of course, was that standing even briefly in the sun made the shadows that much colder.

"Just remember Lex, something loved is merely something waiting to be lost."

Oooh that Magnificent Bastard... but it's true...so true!

[skauble]

Wonderful! But is Chloe really approaching marriage in a Kent-like manner? Hmm... when the doctor was going on about your attitudes to marriage based on experiences with parents, etc, I kept thinking of Chloe's mom leaving her and Gabe...which should, in theory, cause Chloe to be fearful of abandonment with her "husband", right? (Or fear that *she* can't remain monogamous/committed) I guess I prefer to think that Chloe's being so open and trusting in this "marriage" because so far Lex hasn't behaved suspiciously in front of her, plus she's kind of a blank slate and doesn't remember all the bad experiences and times people let her down/left her.

But what do I know? I'm not the psychology expert 'round here. ;)

Well, I'm not a psych expert either...unless I get credit for being nuts. ;) But here's my take on Chloe.

I think that because Chloe was too young to really understand marriage, but old enough to realize that her mother was gone one day, she probably did what a lot of children her age did and internalized the blame. Children that age often see things only as it relates to them personally, and I can see her wondering what she did wrong to make her mother leave.

I also think that as she got older and it was only her and her father she would be less and less inclined to think about it possibly being his fault because he's the only parent she has and she loves him and doesn't want to vilify the one person whose always been there for her.

So I think that by the time she's old enough to understand more of the complexities of relationships that it didn't matter because she had gone for years without any major influence in the area of marriage. Then she moves to Smallville and becomes best friends with Clark whose parents have just about the best marriage ever. I think that, in the void left by her lack of experience with marriage, the Kents would naturally become her idealized version of the institution.

So, IMHO, if Chloe got married she would want a relationship based on equality, sharing each other's happiness and sorrows, and while a part of her might be afraid that she'd be left, I think that it would have less to do with her view of marriage and more to do with being left by her mother, jerked around by Clark, almost killed by guys she dated, always seeming second to Lana, etc.

But you're right, that Chloe is a blank slate, and she is responding to the fact that Lex is being caring and considerate. And by not having the memories of previous abandonments she's able to just enjoy being the amazing person that she is.





I also found the new phrases ‘society minor’ and ‘society major’ to be very interesting… and they certainly sounded real enough to seem genuine. Are they actual phrases from a Sociology textbook, or just excellent bluffing? ;)



I'm still totally making everything up. lolol I'm soooo lazy. Although I will say that I did take sociology, so who knows, some of it could have stuck by accident. :)

~Sarah~

[somethingeasy]

So, IMHO, if Chloe got married she would want a relationship based on equality, sharing each other's happiness and sorrows, and while a part of her might be afraid that she'd be left, I think that it would have less to do with her view of marriage and more to do with being left by her mother, jerked around by Clark, almost killed by guys she dated, always seeming second to Lana, etc.

But you're right, that Chloe is a blank slate, and she is responding to the fact that Lex is being caring and considerate. And by not having the memories of previous abandonments she's able to just enjoy being the amazing person that she is.

I got everything that you were saying. How Chloe would have demanded equality and sharing of emotional support within her marriage (hence the reason why she's trying so hard to make Lex smile, laugh and be generally at peace with himself while in her presence. She might not love him (not yet), but she's determined to 'be there' for him in the capacity that a marital partner is supposed to.

hmmm. I found it interesting that Chloe doesn't even have the subconscious fear about abandonment while in her amnesiac state. I think it's great, because that mean she can fully commit herself to the 'marriage' without being affected by her fears and acting out either by being too clingy (unlikely) OR pushing him away 'before he has a chance to hurt her' (more likely) OR leave her feeling like she's actually undeserving of loyalty and love (most likely one of all). (***added in edit***)

In fact, it's possible that her lack of abandonment issues will enable her to feel that she deserves loyalty, attention and love. In other words, it might make her realize that she's been allowing other people to take her for granted and treat her like a side-kick doormat. And she only needed a blow to the head to come up with this startling perspective ;)

(***added edit finished***)

Excellent! Without any of her insecurities and fears hanging her back, she can be as loving, kind and generous as her instincts would lead her to be... Lex doesn't stand a chance at keeping his emotional distance from all the 'loving acceptance' Chloe is going to be throwing his way... ESPECIALLY not a needy individual like him :D

You'd have thought Lex would have accepted the 'needy' and 'clingy' nature of his personality and tried to accommodate for these 'weaknesses'. As it is, he doesn't seem to have any real defense... EXCELLENT!


I'm still totally making everything up. lolol I'm soooo lazy. Although I will say that I did take sociology, so who knows, some of it could have stuck by accident.

LOL! I ALSO took Sociology (A' Levels... 2 year British thing, which is somewhere between highschool and college?), and I also remember a myriad of terms that sounded close enough to 'society major' and 'society minor' to make the two Skauble-coined terms sound quite authentic. You might be just 'making stuff up', but you have a good base to be bluffing from ;)

I am feeling SERIOUSLY deprived of Chlex fics... mostly because *shudder* the Forum has been down for so long. So I'm starting a begging call to all authors to 'FIX ME'... Just imagine me with an IV attached between myself and the laptop, waiting to be fed. Please update!!!

[chrisrose]

Oh boy I missed the forums too...what happened?! This is the first fic I checked for updates, btw. ;)

Thanks for your explanation skauble. :) You're still the psychology/sociology expert in my opinion! No matter if the terminology's correct...your insights into human behavior (especially the characters of Chloe & Lex of course) ring true to me!

[FroggyJump]

That last line was hilarious. Dear lord it made me teary.

I liked the forward movement in this chapter that a memory has surfaced and Lex is going to be back on track with his motives. I was happy for Chloe that she was comforted and reassured that she is a strong woman.

Lionel's appearance was good to read. I suppose Lionel's need to have the last jab can be taken as childish.

Those last two chapters were fabbo and can't wait for more memories to surface

[somethingeasy]

Lex is going to be back on track with his motives.

hmmm. I suppose this is going to be true. Lately, Lex has been allowing his need for acceptance and 'normalcy' distract him from his true purposes for/with Chloe. I can see WHY anyone would have allowed Chloe's charming, unassuming, generous and generally fun nature to suck them into 'temporarily' accepting the illusion of a happy relationship with her... And a needy person like Lex would be especially susceptible to such temptation.

But after this, he's got a scare from the way he reacted to Chloe's needs and clinginess after her nightmare, AND he's got a nasty taste in his mouth from thinking that Chloe is suck him into the 'Kent Perfect Family Life'. I'm curious about how he's going to react. Is he going to start emotionally pushing her away? It won't be easy, considering that Chloe is hard-core determined to get under his skin. Is he going to find new ways to start manipulating her memories to start coming in faster and with more coherency?

The scare Lex just had might make him desperate. And a desperate Lex Luthor is a stupid man who is a danger to himself as well as others. But it's thrilling and enthralling to watch... Kind of like seeing the huge wave from the disaster movies engulf cities and national landmarks.

Please update soon.

[somethingeasy]

hmmm. Prepare yourself, Skauble, because in this review, I'm going to be pulling out a major wild-card. My birthday is coming up soon, 9th April, and for a present, I'm going to be asking for a brand new sparkling chapter of either one of your fabulous chlex fics. I remember you said something about spending some time concentrating on this fic before updating 'A Thirst For Knowledge', so I'm going to be setting my birthday hat for an update on this one.

I know it's evil, but this card only comes around once a year, and what kind of a fool would I be if I didn't try to use it to get what I wanted :devil:

I'll be generous and allow you to follow 9th April according to your time zone ;)
pretty please? It would make me really, REALLY happy.

[biscuits]

I have been remiss. I'm so sorry that I didn't reply to this delicious update yet. I love this idea. I can't say it enough. And, as with all Skauble fanfictions, the level of precision in the finely-crafted writing makes it that much better.

I loved this insight that Lex had about Lionel:

He had realized what his father had never learned – needing to exude strength at all times was as detrimental as always seeming weak. There was power in humanity, even if it was merely assumed, and true control was rarely measured accurately by outward appearances. A man who never resembled the disadvantaged automatically strengthened the guard of those around him. It made managing people needlessly troublesome which ultimately lessened one’s command as opposed to enhancing it
Though I do hope that because of Chloe's presence in his life, Lex's humanity is more than just an appearance. I want to believe that he's been opening up, and chapters five through seven seemed to reinforce that fact.

Eeep! My inner thirteen year old girl is squealing with glee at all of the cute, domesticated Chlex scenes. Especially the part where Lex comforts Chloe after her nightmare. I'm allowing myself to be sucked into an alarming appreciation for societal constructs like marriage, but I'm enjoying it some much, I can't drum up the energy to be anything but thrilled.


“Jesus Christ,” Lex all but spat out, “she thinks we’re the Kents.”
Hehehehe. Oooh, this last bit was delicious. But it left me wanting more. A lot more, actually. I can't wait for your next update.

[leiseman04]

Sarah, Just wanted you to know that I find this story very compelling and believable in the realm of Smallville.

Some of what you are doing superbly here is showing Lex's reactions to Chloe and how her natural kindness/enthusiasm will spill into those around here. One of the main draws, for me, to Chlex is the fact that Chloe could have a major impact on Lex not going so far into the dark that is his destiny. While many could argue that Lana would be better in this role because of her 'pureness' I find that because of her *what I like to term 'unicorn' factor* she is too pure. But Chloe...Chloe has some darkness and 'real world' experience in her corner. Lex can be real, show his deviousness to her because she will understand it more fully. Lex and Chloe live in shades of grey...Clark and Lana are wholly black & white. Explaining my theory, you can see in this fic that Lex will be affected by Chloe...the interesting questions are how much will he be affected and how will Chloe truly feel when she regains all her memories...because now she'll remember everything but will know about Lex's humanness too.


Keep up the great work...and I'm encouraging you to update when you can. :blinkkiss

[somethingeasy]

well, I'll be returning home, back to reality and to the old grindstone by Monday. I think I'll be attending an afternoon class while recovering from plane-fatigue. Scary!

I don't suppose I can ask you to welcome me home with a lovely chapter (on EITHER one of your fabulous, brilliant fics) by Tuesday or so? I'd really, REALLY appreciate it, and I think I'm going to need something to wake me up and jar me out of jet lag... OR something to keep me busy while I'm trying to go to sleep at 3am in the morning, telling my body to shift into the PROPER time zone.

[Alizaleven]

Ooo wonderful story! I can't wait to read more :D

[dayamiracle]

THE KENTS!!! snicker...lol lol lol...snicker..lol thats all I have to say about that line.

[somethingeasy]

I'm back home... settled in and (sort of) adjusted to my own time zone. It took a will power beyons anything I could have dreamt myself capable of to stay awake for 35 and a half hours straight until I finally deemed it an 'acceptable' bedtime for my body... but I got over the jet-lag in record time.

It's a pity this iron will determination is not strong enough to keep me from collapsing into a pathetic heap because I'm not getting a Skauble-update. You have found my weak-spot... my Achilles Heel, the vulnerable location that is susceptible to danger, corruption, infection and sharp objects.

I NEED a Skauble-update, please post soon.

pssst *side note to other readers and reviewers*
you think the guilt trip is working?

[lj715]

Just thinking about this fic today. Really need an update soon please.

[somethingeasy]

Just thinking about this fic today. Really need an update soon please.

huh! You think you got it bad, I have to actually FORCE myself not to think about this fic every day, on the hour, every hour. It's sad to think the state I have been reduced to. But I know Skauble is just taking her time in making the next chapter as perfect as previous ones, this is NOT meant to be a guilt trip.... more like... a nudge? ;)

[jedi]

Yeah, an update would be fabulous..

[somethingeasy]

Is there ANY-thing I can do to encourage and coax an update out of this thread? Sacrifice a bull at the altar I've built up in my room? Perhaps perform a traditional rain-dance, only I can modify the steps to make it into a fic tap-dance... I'm sure it would be VERY effective.

Just tell me WHAT would do the trick, and it Will. Be. Done!

(preferably something that requires violence and mayhem)

[biscuits]

I too am at your mercy for the next update. I have nothing to offer except my own humble services, but say the word and they're at your disposal.

I hope real life is treating you well and that thsi delay is due to an abundance of happy occasions or good old fashioned wriiter's block as opposed to something more nefarious in nature. I hope to read more of the glorious misadventures of the happy couple

[skauble]

A/N – Well, this is a remarkably late update. I want to sincerely thank everyone who left little reminders about the story and thanks for hoping that I was away because life was overwhelming me with sweetness and light. Unfortunately, although I have many wonderful things in my life, I haven't updated because I've been really sick. But I stopped eating sugar, tapered off caffeine, and started taken iron supplements and I'm feeling much better and actually able to focus again.

I mention this for a reason (other than my inherently whiny nature ;) ). The following chapters kind of suck. The majority of it was written while I was sick and I'm just too tired (re: lazy) to change it right now. I'd like to believe that, eventually, I'll go back and fix the myriad of problems; but I probably won't. Sorry, but consider this an opportunity to be creative and adjust the plot and grammar in your head until it makes sense. :)



Part Four


Chapter Eight


Pulling a file out of his briefcase, Lex allowed himself to relax against the supple leather seat in the spacious interior of the LuthorCorp helicopter. But it wasn’t business that held his attention. No; for once he'd left business at the office. This was personal.

Shuffling through the various pages, both of gathered facts and speculative conclusions, he reviewed the comprehensive report he’d received that afternoon on the progress with Chloe. After nearly a month he felt confident that he had been correct in his original assessment of the benefits of his stratagem. Although he hadn't uncovered Clark’s secret, the information he had gathered had assured him that there was a cover-up in play and that the memories that were fighting through to Chloe’s consciousness were well on their way to revealing all to him.

Most of those memories had taken the form of dreams that left her confused and shaken. While Lex didn’t enjoy the sight of her distress, it did make it much easier to subtly imbue her with a growing fear of her best friend. Faint winces, quiet gasps, and tender embraces that tightened ever so slightly in regards to Chloe’s recollections were all creating an unspoken picture that she was too bright not to piece together – Clark Kent was dangerous.

And the doctors had been dead on in their prediction that engendering a fear of the young man in Chloe, crafting an image of him as abnormal, would lead to her recalling memories that supported that belief first. And while, thus far, the memories had only served to confirm facts he had already suspected, that confirmation had given him a direction in which to focus his efforts.

Probably the greatest revelation was the dream she’d had almost a week before in which she and Clark were surrounded by fields of ice. She had talked about feeling the cold tear through her and fearing that she might die. He had affected the appropriate tone of concern, but inside he’d been elated at the corroboration that Clark had, indeed, been with Chloe in the Yukon on the day of the second meteor shower. And although that told him nothing specific, it was significant in that not only was Clark once again at the epicenter of the impossible, but that the very event itself was crucial to his secret, otherwise Chloe wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to deny Clark’s presence there.

Yes, Lex was quite satisfied with the progress he’d made. In fact, he felt so convinced that he was close to a breakthrough that he had arranged for Chloe’s “absence” to be extended for approximately another month. It wasn’t difficult. With Lois’ journalistic delusions and frequent tendency to wander, she was relatively easy to convince of the importance of Chloe’s story and, subsequently, her abrupt disappearing act. Lex was aware of any number of illicit deals in the business world, and small hints and allusions as to some of his competitors misdeeds had Lois not only accepting everything she was told as gospel, but begging to be let in on the investigation. Deciding to kill an entire flock of birds with one stone, he had his men send her leads on various transgressions in the corporate world of Metropolis under the guise of assisting her cousin. This served the purpose of buying more time with Chloe, occupying Lois, creating a champion of Chloe’s cause to Clark, and disrupting his rivals’ business dealings. All in all, a very satisfying return on so minimal an investment.

Although he had no illusions that Clark would really be completely content with the situation. Despite the constant written reassurances that he received from “Chloe”, he seemed in a perpetual state of worry. Lex wasn’t sure if that was indicative of Clark’s penchant for ongoing angst or a sign of rousing suspicions. Either way Lex found it irritating and excessive. He resented having to constantly soothe Clark’s feathers, both on his own behalf and on Chloe’s, and it grated to know that, after all this time, the boy still couldn’t find satisfaction in just one woman. Not that Lex had discovered much to be satisfied with in his dealings with Lana, but after weeks with Chloe he found the fact that Clark required more than Chloe mind-boggling. And Luthor minds did not easily boggle.

Still, as annoying as he considered it to be, he couldn’t just ignore Clark’s concerns. He had too long standing a habit of appearing when his friends needed help for Lex not to perceive him as a serious threat to his plans. And so he’d gone on the defensive, providing apologies in the fabricated emails for not calling before Clark even had a chance to complain. By citing late nights, the time difference, and utter exhaustion from Chloe’s investigation, it made further demands on her time seem petty and unbecoming of her best friend. Of course, Lex truly believed that it was the seemingly casual statement that she had been hesitant to call knowing that once they began talking she wouldn’t want to let him go for hours that had done the trick. He knew never to underestimate the power of the ego, and Clark had, indeed, been somewhat placated by the clear admission that he was still needed by Chloe. And for reasons less clear to Lex, the fact that the younger man was necessary to her was also becoming aggravating.

With a quiet sigh Lex realized that it was for the best that the plan was gaining momentum. Even though he preferred to disavow any weakness within him, he was far too realistic to do so. And Lex knew that his longing for a true home was the greatest of his vulnerabilities. Even the craving of his father’s approval had simply been an extension of his desire to create a family that was based on more than merely shared genetics. That home would be far too easy to find in Chloe. And just as pointless.

Chloe’s caring and affection was genuine, but only within the context of the reality he had constructed. With her memories intact, any true relationship between them would be impossible for reasons too vast and varied to bother reciting. And, although given his recently acquired knowledge of her he found that fact deeply regretful, the circumstances of his life had engendered too much pragmatism in him to devote an overabundance of time to things that would never come to pass.

And so, as the helicopter touched down, Lex once again donned the mantle of loving husband, not for emotional gain or physical fulfillment, but simply for intellectual satisfaction.



Chapter Nine


Striding into the office, Lex set down his briefcase and removed his jacket and tie. He had discovered it was best to shed his business persona as soon as possible on arriving home. No matter how much information Chloe had lost she was still essentially Chloe, and the few times that her attention had been drawn specifically to his work had resulted in a myriad of questions he’d had to go to great lengths to avoid answering directly. After all, there was only so far that he could push the “doctor’s orders” excuse before Chloe would simply begin to search for answers on her own. That, too, had remained with her. Like him, she derived little joy in preserving the mysteries in life.

A movement in the open doorway caught his eye and, turning, he encountered a member of the imminently discreet staff he had hand picked for the duration of his time there.

“Yes?” Lex prompted the man.

“Pardon, Mr. Luthor, but your wife requests your presence in the library.”

He acknowledged the man’s words with a dismissive nod, any surprise at the request characteristically concealed. And Lex was surprised. Not that Chloe wanted to see him; she always wanted to see him. Indeed, he often arrived home to find her happily waiting to drag him off for a walk, escort him to dinner, or convince him to settle in and watch an old movie together. No, what had surprised him was that Chloe had communicated her request via the staff.

Although Chloe had nothing but the warmest regard for the various servants, she had the mentality of one unused to domestic help, and it rarely occurred to her to use their services for things that she could easily do herself. And though he’d planned on spending the evening engaging in carefully designed activities that he hoped would pull more of Chloe’s memories to the surface, he had to admit that he was undeniably curious about what the vivacious and unpredictable blonde was up to now.

Entering the library, he found her in front of the fireplace, seated on a large woolen blanket. Beside her sat a tray crowded with various fruits, cheeses, crackers, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. Although the evening was mild, the warmth of the fire allowed Chloe the luxury of a thin summer dress in a flattering soft mossy green.

Lex liked seeing her in green. The various shades were a perfect compliment to the swirling hazel hues in her eyes. Not that Chloe needed any external trappings; the myriad of emotions, determined set, and mischievous glint all guaranteed to draw one’s attention to her expressive face. Of course that hadn’t stopped him from ensuring that a large part of the wardrobe he’d provided her was in those natural, verdant shades.

Smiling at both the picture she made and the obvious effort she had put into pleasing him, he crossed the room to join her.

“This is a pleasant surprise. May I ask what the occasion is?”

A pretty pout curled Chloe’s lips as she gazed at him accusingly.

“Lex, how can you not recognize this? Don’t you remember our first date?”

Whatever Lex had been expecting it had definitely not been that. Hesitantly, almost unsure if he had heard correctly, he questioned, “Do you remember our first date?”

He silently cursed and resolved to fire each and every useless medical professional that he had on this project. He couldn’t fathom how they could have remotely believed that the possibility of Chloe spontaneously generating false memories wouldn’t be worth mentioning. Lex knew that this would change everything and he seethed at the sense of powerlessness that he always experienced when faced a situation for which he felt completely unprepared. If he could just –

Just as his internal ranting was picking up steam, Lex was distracted by the bright flash of white that caught the corner of his eye. Turning towards Chloe he saw that a wide smile had taken the place of her previous sulk.

“Of course I don’t remember our first date,” she teasingly chided. “Haven’t you heard, I have amnesia.”

Although the confirmation of her continuing unawareness of her past was reassuring, it did little to alleviate his still growing confusion.

“I don’t suppose tonight’s repast comes with an explanation?”

“Certainly. Would I be so cruel as to deny my beloved the answers he seeks?”

Though the statement was made completely without malice, it was a clear reference to her growing dissatisfaction at not being allowed more exposure to things relating to her past. Knowing that he couldn’t compromise on that decision, he pointedly ignored the reference and raised an eyebrow in expectation.

“When you called earlier you sounded as if your day was going as fantastically frustratingly as mine. Of course, I know why mine was so perfectly crappy.”

Visibly softening, Chloe shifted so that she was sitting closer to Lex. Her hand on his arm a silent declaration of sympathy and understanding.

Lex had, in the previous weeks, grown accustomed to the casual touches and spontaneous gestures of affection that seemed to be a part of Chloe’s nature. It was one of the few luxuries that had long been lacking in the Luthor household, and, because of its absence, he hadn’t really known how much he had desired it. So, when Chloe sighed a little and pulled her hand back to run it through her hair in exasperation, Lex immediately missed the soothing pressure; although he refused to acknowledge even to himself, that he had to fight, if only for an instant, the urge to recapture hand and return it to its previous position.

“I know that I haven’t made a secret of my frustration with how slowly my memories are returning.” Chloe’s soft words pulled Lex out of his thoughts. “But it wasn’t until I heard how tired you sounded today that I began to understand how difficult this must be for you, too.”

His immediate words of protest were waved away as she continued.

“Lex, we’re newlyweds. This is supposed to be the beginning of our life together, and instead of a blissful honeymoon period with your loving wife you’re stuck caring for a mental invalid.”

Finding himself at a rare loss for words, Lex was unsure of what to do; and for the first time since everything had been set in motion, he felt genuinely bad for what was happening. True, he'd had his moments of regret at Chloe’s distress throughout this process; he wasn’t a monster. But he’d never doubted his ultimate purpose or that his means would ultimately be justified. Until now.

Seeing her before him, the flickering flames causing light and shadow to dance across her face, both illuminating and deepening her heartfelt concern, he wondered just how much damage he might be causing to a woman who'd been nothing but brave and generous and so concerned for him. Lex had long grown used to finding the ulterior motivations in even the most genuine of women. It had only taken two or three attempts on his life for him to realize that it was simply safer to doubt the nature of those around him. And so many people in his life had confirmed that decision; his father, Helen, Clark. They had showed him, quite clearly, that no matter how one may initially appear, when you stripped a person down to the core, they were all basically self-serving.

Only they weren’t. Chloe wasn’t. She had been deprived of, not just the ability, but the desire to deceive; to hide behind carefully crafted façades. Chloe Sullivan was, at that moment, as devoid of subterfuge as was possible. That fact gave him not just access to the secrets she harbored, but a window into the undeniable truth of who she was. And that person was decent and kind; able to suffer the pain of her own recent loss and still find it in herself to worry about his.

In fact, in the past week Lex had come to acknowledge that Chloe was exactly the kind of woman that he had long ago despaired of finding. The realization had blindsided him during one of their more innocuous interactions, and Lex had found himself hurriedly making an excuse to leave Chloe’s engaging presence to examine the implications of his new insight. In the end he had decided that feeling close to Chloe was normal given the necessity of their current intimacy, and that he was fortunate to have discovered the potential for a dangerous level of attraction before it had a chance to develop. Had those feelings gone unchecked, had that attraction snuck up on him, Lex knew that he would have been in considerable trouble.

“Hey,” the warm touch once again capturing his attention. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t; you’re not.” He placed his hand over hers. “I just don’t want you to ever feel that you’re a burden to me. You’re my wife, Chloe; and every moment with you is precious no matter the circumstances.”

The words carried a bit more passion than Lex would have liked, but he let that thought pass as the blinding smile Chloe sent his way convinced him that he’d played the situation correctly.

“With lines like that I must’ve been a pathetically easy conquest.”

Turning her hand and entwining their fingers, Lex shot Chloe a smile of his own.

“I’ve never found anything pathetic about you. But as to my ease of wooing, why don’t you tell me, oh keeper of the first date.”

And so she did. In humorous and romantic monologues, in turn, Chloe related a night where two friends, sequestered in the library of a mansion, trapped by a terrible storm, found something in each other for which they hadn’t even known they’d been searching – love.

As the time passed and the food and wine consumed, Lex’s appreciation for Chloe’s ability to weave a spell with her words grew and he wondered if she’d perhaps ever considered fiction as an alternative to journalism. He was lulled by both her peaceful voice and the startlingly clear picture his mind was constructing of the two of them in the manor in Smallville. In fact, he’d grown so calm that it took him a minute to process her latest vignette.

“Excuse me,” indignation colored his tone. “I’ll have you know that I have never stuttered, bumped foreheads while making a romantic overture, or spilled wine on a potential paramour at a pivotal moment in my life.”

Falling against him in a fit of giggles, Chloe struggled to retain the collapsing integrity of her story.

“Don’t worry, as your wife it’s my duty to protect our family name, so your secret won’t pass my lips. Besides, I’m sure that you’ve gotten better over time or why would I have married you?”

Lex’s smile dimmed as the word secret lodged in his head and he realized that, once again, he was loosing his focus.

Noticing his sudden stillness, Chloe’s laughter subsided.

“Lex,” she murmured gently, “what happened today that has you so glum?”

Not that it was just today. Chloe might have lost her memory, but neither her powers of observation nor her intuition had vanished. While Lex had done everything possible to provide a safe and happy atmosphere, to be a warm and loving husband, Chloe knew that there was a darkness in his life that haunted him.

Although he hid it well, Chloe could see, in their quieter times, moments when he was unaware of her eyes upon him, that there was a pain deep inside of him that drove him, that shaped him in ways she knew she hadn’t begun to understand.

She had a strong suspicion that he was actively working to conceal this part of his nature from her. Whether his actions were motivated by shame or a desire to protect her she couldn’t tell, and honestly it didn’t matter. Whatever his reasons, Chloe would unearth this intently guarded side of her husband. Not because of idle curiosity or a need to relearn her past, but because, far from being repelled, she found his complexity mesmerizing. The fact that he could house such tightly leashed emotions, radiate so much power and, occasionally, danger in the same soul that gave her such tenderness and security made her feel special; loved.

Lex didn’t know why he bothered being surprised any longer by Chloe’s amazing perceptiveness. It was a widely held perception that he was a man possessed of an unnatural level of control, and yet, over and over in the past weeks she’d shown a sensitivity to his moods that belied that hard won reputation. And it was because of that very discernment that Lex stayed as closed to the truth as possible when answering her.

“I’ve been working on a rather delicate project and getting results has been more difficult than initially expected.”

Chloe knew that whatever it was that Lex did it was a large part of his identity; understood that he knew that too. But sometimes she wondered if he understood just how profound the impact of both his success and failure in those endeavors seemed to have on him. He was obsessive by nature, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as he made it work for him. Being driven wasn’t the worst thing in the world, as long as you were driving yourself somewhere other than crazy.

“But the results will make you happy, right?”

Happy? Lex gave a small start at the question. Happiness wasn’t a part of the Luthor vernacular, and he couldn’t remember the last time that he’d thought in those terms, that he’d envisioned an undertaking with that end as a primary concern.

“I’m not sure that happy is the term I’d choose. I’d say that this particular enterprise is more about satisfaction.”

Chloe pushed down a sigh that was equal parts fondness and frustration. Talking with Lex was an advanced course in the intricacies of semantics, and because the exhilarating sense of challenge generally compensated for the excess effort, she found it was usually just simpler to reword her meaning as opposed to getting bogged down defending her phrasing.

“But being satisfied…that’ll make you happy, right?”

Not only did Lex not have an answer for the question, he also couldn’t define the increasingly heavy feeling in his chest at the direction their conversation had taken. For a fleeting moment he almost wished that she had retained some of her memories about her interactions with the Luthors. If she had she certainly would have known better than to expect any of their ventures, be they business or personal, to be brimming with joy.

“Lex,” Chloe had taken his silence as her answer, “if, when all’s said and done, this doesn’t bring some kind of personal happiness, then why do you bother?”

If anyone else had asked him such a thing, Lex would have dismissed the thought outright. Of course people had broached the subject with him before. Not because they wanted him to be happy with himself, with his life, but because they wanted him to be different. They tried endlessly to craft him into what they saw as a better person, a more effective businessman, a more faithful lover. They wanted him to change so they could be happy.

But Chloe simply wanted him to have some kind of contentment in his life – wanted to help him find that. Although he’d been shocked when he’d initially recognized that Chloe was subconsciously patterning their marriage after that of the Kents, as time passed he’d come to appreciate that, to her, that couple personified a deep sharing and intimate partnership as opposed to the self-righteous posturing that the name Kent often conjured in his mind. If Chloe was asking him to examine his decisions, it wasn’t because she was angling for any personal gain, she was just trying to be the best wife that she could be

“Earth to Lex,” she laughed. “Sorry; I didn’t mean to spoil the mood.”

Though careful not to show it, Lex was cringing inside at his uncharacteristic lack of focus. Unused to losing himself so often to his thoughts, he was disturbed by the number of times the evening had seen his iron control slip. It was absolutely unacceptable, and although he planned to pursue the cause of this behavior at the soonest possible opportunity, he settled for diverting Chloe's attention from his lapse.

“You mean there were no perspicacious philosophical discussions concerning the elusive nature of self-fulfillment on our first date?”

“No,” she said with seeming deep thoughtfulness, “but there was a small yet sagacious debate during dessert about whether the normal puddings shunned tapioca in their superiority.”

“And what was the verdict?”

“Sadly we never did answer that age old question. But because I loved you even then I overlooked your elitist championing of flan. As if custard was even invited to the party!”

And Lex was struck by a dizzying truth. He’d long ago stopped pursuing happiness, because he believed himself incapable of experiencing it. Doubted that any Luthor ever truly could. But in that instant, staring down into Chloe’s face alight with humor, he realized that it wasn’t just possible for him to feel it, he actually was.

So for once in his life Lex decided to set aside his distrust of all things new, his need to dissect and analyze anything for which he’d been unprepared, and simply enjoy the moment, however fleeting. And even though he was giving himself over to Chloe’s night of make believe, he wasn’t any less of a Luthor than he had been the night before. He was still a realist, still understood that this was an anomaly in his life and not the beginning of some Hollywood happy ending. Even if that had been his destiny, it would never include Chloe. For every new memory that brought him closer to the truths he so desperately sought pushed him an equal distance from this extraordinary woman who was so quickly carving a place for herself in his life.

That, more than anything, was why he chose to grasp this one night; to hold these small hours for himself – outside of calculating plans and safe from old animosities – because he knew that he’d never know their like again. And although he’d already resigned himself to the necessity of that fact, it still made something deep inside him, something buried for so many years, ache in a manner he was certain would be slow to fade.

But that wasn’t for immediate dwelling. Lex had allowed himself this small pleasure and he’d be damned if he ruined it by worrying about things that he would have years to brood over. So with a warm and sincere smile, he let Chloe’s husky tones wash over him as he fell back under the spell that she was so artlessly weaving.



Chapter Ten


Despite a creeping exhaustion that was causing her to sway slightly on her feet, Chloe was loathe to see the door to her room come into view.

The evening had gone better than she had dared to hoped. Lex had graciously obliged her exercise in whimsy and the hours were filled with laughter, companionship, and a distinct sense of lightness, as if a heavy emotional weight had been slowly eased from her heart. While she hadn’t belabored the point with Lex when she’d seen how uncomfortable he was, she had been serious when she had told him that she worried about how her condition was affecting him.

Over the past week or so she’d noticed a growing tension in him at the onset of each new memory’s return. She had thought at first that the stress was due to the pointed reminder that she, and by extension their life, wasn’t normal. But, honestly, her illness affected so many aspects of their lives that she dismissed that idea almost immediately.

Next she considered that maybe Lex was upset that her memories were coming back to her so slowly. And that seemed like a reasonable answer except that she was remembering things more and more frequently as time went by. Which kind of blew that theory for her, too.

Then, earlier that day as she’d been tormenting herself over her lack of progress and its effect on both of their lives, it hit her. That maybe Lex’s discontentment had little to do with the inconvenience of her condition and was instead about the fact that the majority of her recollections revolved around her supposed best friend and not her wonderfully supportive husband.

And that thought broke her heart. Since her accident so many things seemed confusing; overwhelming. Her family, career, education – everything. Except Lex. Lex was the only thing about her life the she understood.

At first, despite his warmth towards her, Chloe had been taken slightly aback by the almost ruthless intensity she had sensed deep within him. But as each day passed she was learning that there was so much more to him then she ever could have imagined. And the more time she spent with him, be it at the heights of his adoration and concern or in the depths of his driven darkness, Chloe found that the one absolute truth to which she could cling was that she had loved Lex Luthor. Undeniable, not for crystalline memories, not because of romantic photographs or passionate letters. No; it was indisputable because Chloe had no knowledge of this man past a small handful of weeks and already her heart was so precariously balanced, so eager to fall, that she couldn’t conceive of years with him without drowning in devotion.

“So, here we are.”

Reaching the door, she turned to face Lex and her eyes widened in surprise to feel the hand that had been holding hers reach up to caress her cheek. Although they often shared soft, affectionate touches between them, there was an unspoken agreement that they not traverse any bridges that couldn't be uncrossed until things had become more stable with her memory. But she had to admit that that particular plan was getting harder for both of them to carry out. She couldn’t say if it was their natural attraction, the result of their time apart, or a byproduct of the nights that Chloe needed the warmth of Lex’s embrace to wash away the fear of her nightmares, but whatever the cause, their casual and easy physical contact was slowly being overrun with an ever growing sensual urgency and tension.

“I don’t suppose I got lucky?”

And as quickly as that monster awoke, it was slain by Lex’s words.

“You wish.” She chuckled as she nudged him playfully with her elbow.

“You can’t imagine.”

Chloe felt Lex’s hand fall away and realized that he hadn’t meant for his last statement to emerge with quite so much yearning. Since they seemed to be sharing the same boat she decided to help bail him out.

“Believe me,” her wry gaze caught his, “I can. Apparently, as tonight has shown, amnesia only inhibits my memories, not my imagination.”

Lex was grateful for to see that he wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by the illusory intimacy of the night. He was almost sad to see it come to an end, but knew that it was for the best. He’d had his respite from reality - and he’d enjoyed it - but it was time for him to return to pursuits that mattered, that were sustainable, not romantic clichés that rarely survived the harsh light of the morning after.

“So, how did it end?”

“You were a perfect gentleman. You kissed me and left me at my door.”

The next morning he’d blame her smile. Too sleepy to be anything other than adorable, it pulled at him in a way that the endless sultry, come hither looks he received from a multitude of women never had.

“Well, I’d hate to ruin your faithful recreation.”

And then his lips were on hers. Warm and yielding, they parted beneath his on a soft whimper that burned through last frayed thread of his control. His tongue swept in to the warmth beyond and, with an answering groan, the hand cupping her cheek slid through the silk of her hair to pull her closer into him. The feel of her, taste of her filled him and Lex shuddered as the need to fall into her and the need to breathe fought within him.

Breathing won and they slowly parted. Looking down into turbulent storm of emotions in Chloe’s eyes, Lex sincerely hoped that his were nowhere near as revealing. But even if his inner upheaval went somehow unnoticed by the woman before him, he knew that he had to get away, escape the onslaught of feelings before Chloe could see that something was definitely wrong. Or worse, before he swept her up and didn’t stop with just a kiss.

With a reluctance he refused to indulge, Lex reached behind Chloe and opened the door. He knew that, despite her confusion and exhaustion, she was smart enough to see that this wasn’t an act of rejection, but merely a way for them both to have time to regroup. Untangling his hand from her hair, he brought it back to her face, unable to resist the temptation to lightly brush the lips he had just tasted.

“Goodnight, Chloe.”

Her whispered reply was lost as she turned and stepped into her room, but he took comfort in the small, hesitant smile he caught before the door closed. Hearing her move deeper into the room, he let his head rest against the door and released a quiet sigh.

Lex now found himself in a position ludicrous for any Luthor to admit – hating the fact that he’d been right. He’d kissed Chloe. It had been spectacular. And he was in an astronomical amount of trouble.

TBC…


A/N #2 – I don't want to give anything away here, but because this is in the general section I did promise a great deal of warning about NC-17 material. So I'm giving some now because I don't want to blindside anyone.

The next chapter will be rated NC-17

I'll warn everyone at the beginning of the next part, also. And don't worry; if NC-17 material is not for you I'll also be writing a milder (although shorter) R rated version for another site that I'm willing to send to whoever prefers it.

~Sarah~

[lj715]

Sarah, sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well. Glad that you're better. How can you say these chapters suck? I thought they were perfect. LOVED THEM!!!!!! I really like how Lex is thinking about what damage he could be doing to Chloe & that they feel a lot more for each other. Loved Chloe's story of her & Lex's first date. My favorite part was their kiss @her door.

BRING ON THE NC-17!!!!!!!!! :D

[westwingwolf]

I don't understand how cutting back sugar and caffeine can help cure a sickness, but considering that I'm sick and I'm not giving up either of those things, I guess it's possible. It's just not going to happen for me. Glad you feel better and this was a wonderful update, no clue you were sick while writing it if you hadn't said anything.

I like that this is getting more difficult for Lex to deal with as it means he's becoming more caring of Chloe and her feelings. I think it's sad that Lex doesn't think about having happiness. Even more sad is the fact that being with Chloe can make him happy, but he can't really have it by keeping this secret nor can he have it once he tells her the truth.

I love how much Chloe can sense about Lex and that she's falling for him. I hope that stays with her through the fallout. I loved the idea of her remaking a fake first date. And that whole scene with the kiss was cute and passionate and perfect.

NC-17 hmm? Looks like something is about to happen that can't be taken back and I can't wait.

[zho9]

He’d kissed Chloe. It had been spectacular. And he was in an astronomical amount of trouble.

That was a perfect last sentence for these chapters.

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

[jedi]

Thanks to all goodness, evilness, YOU came back.
We missed you here.
I'm sorry to hear that your life wasn't so dandy recently but hope that it will be soon.

What an amazing chap.

Lex now found himself in a position ludicrous for any Luthor to admit – hating the fact that he’d been right. He’d kissed Chloe. It had been spectacular. And he was in an astronomical amount of trouble.

Killer last lines.
Please, hurry up and bring NC-17..

[jem]

i honestly cant believe ive never replied to this story before,

in fact, i think i may have had this story and another story
(theres one out here where chloe and lex ARE married and
shes just lost her memories and is reading her diary to
relearn everything)....

but WOW>>

lex, you idiot... its gonna blow up spectacularly in your
face.

chloe, poor thing, i hope she kicks his ass hard for the lying
and the scheming lex has put her through

but please bring on the nc17!!!!


amazing stuff! please continue!

[Kit Merlot]

I'm sorry to hear that you were sick Sarah, but I'm glad that you are feeling better:D

I truly enjoyed these chapters, especially Lex's thoughts on Chloe. He is very torn because he knows that what he's doing is wrong, yet he is still drawn to Chloe and wants her for himself.

Can't wait for the next update.

[Augustine86]

A NC-17 chapter... YAY!!!! I almost threw a tntrum over that kiss and cliffhanger thing but I guess I can forgive you if you give me smut...

[somethingeasy]

I'm sorry you got sick recently. But is it's any comfort, your distress doens't show in this new chapter. It was wonderful and a delight to read. And I cannot wait for the next one.


Most of those memories had taken the form of dreams that left her confused and shaken. While Lex didn’t enjoy the sight of her distress, it did make it much easier to subtly imbue her with a growing fear of her best friend. Faint winces, quiet gasps, and tender embraces that tightened ever so slightly in regards to Chloe’s recollections were all creating an unspoken picture that she was too bright not to piece together – Clark Kent was dangerous.

heh! That sneaky, cunning bastard! He never lets up on the stratagem, even for a moment… Even when he’s holding all the aces, and getting the results he wants, Lex is constantly planning, rethinking and staging all manners of disguises and plots to continue to be on top of everything. THIS is the Lex Luthor who is going to grow up to be a Master Machiavellian Villain.


Probably the greatest revelation was the dream she’d had almost a week before in which she and Clark were surrounded by fields of ice. She had talked about feeling the cold tear through her and fearing that she might die. He had affected the appropriate tone of concern, but inside he’d been elated at the corroboration that Clark had, indeed, been with Chloe in the Yukon on the day of the second meteor shower. And although that told him nothing specific, it was significant in that not only was Clark once again at the epicenter of the impossible, but that the very event itself was crucial to his secret, otherwise Chloe wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to deny Clark’s presence there.

I loved this! I wondered how could Skauble keep feeding Lex these ‘nuggets of revelations’ while still keeping Lex in the dark about Clark’s abilities and true origins. I can see why these little hints would be so satisfying to Lex as proof that he’s ‘on his way’ to answers… while still keeping The Truth away from him. Excellent plotting, Skauble!


Yes, Lex was quite satisfied with the progress he’d made. In fact, he felt so convinced that he was close to a breakthrough that he had arranged for Chloe’s “absence” to be extended for approximately another month. It wasn’t difficult. With Lois’ journalistic delusions and frequent tendency to wander, she was relatively easy to convince of the importance of Chloe’s story and, subsequently, her abrupt disappearing act. Lex was aware of any number of illicit deals in the business world, and small hints and allusions as to some of his competitors misdeeds had Lois not only accepting everything she was told as gospel, but begging to be let in on the investigation. Deciding to kill an entire flock of birds with one stone, he had his men send her leads on various transgressions in the corporate world of Metropolis under the guise of assisting her cousin. This served the purpose of buying more time with Chloe, occupying Lois, creating a champion of Chloe’s cause to Clark, and disrupting his rivals’ business dealings. All in all, a very satisfying return on so minimal an investment.

LOL! Did I mention how amazing Lex is with his constant plotting and evoloving of his plans to take in all kinds of ‘new factors’ in the equation and manipulate them to HIS best advantage. THIS was a classic example of that… How he took Lois’s concern and potential for meddling and churned out THREE separate ways for Lois’s (usually unpredictable) actions to benefit him.

The sneaky GENIUS!!!


Although he had no illusions that Clark would really be completely content with the situation. Despite the constant written reassurances that he received from “Chloe”, he seemed in a perpetual state of worry. Lex wasn’t sure if that was indicative of Clark’s penchant for ongoing angst or a sign of rousing suspicions. Either way Lex found it irritating and excessive. He resented having to constantly soothe Clark’s feathers, both on his own behalf and on Chloe’s, and it grated to know that, after all this time, the boy still couldn’t find satisfaction in just one woman. Not that Lex had discovered much to be satisfied with in his dealings with Lana, but after weeks with Chloe he found the fact that Clark required more than Chloe mind-boggling. And Luthor minds did not easily boggle.

LOL! I should have known Clark was still clucking after Chloe. And I’m ALSO puzzled whether Clark’s excessive paranoia is due to his concern about Chloe, or is it just because he wants his side-kick back… Probably both.

Heh, I love that Lex’s mind is actually ‘boggled’ from the wonderment about Clark’s obsession with Lana when he ‘could’ have Chloe instead.


Still, as annoying as he considered it to be, he couldn’t just ignore Clark’s concerns. He had too long standing a habit of appearing when his friends needed help for Lex not to perceive him as a serious threat to his plans. And so he’d gone on the defensive, providing apologies in the fabricated emails for not calling before Clark even had a chance to complain. By citing late nights, the time difference, and utter exhaustion from Chloe’s investigation, it made further demands on her time seem petty and unbecoming of her best friend. Of course, Lex truly believed that it was the seemingly casual statement that she had been hesitant to call knowing that once they began talking she wouldn’t want to let him go for hours that had done the trick. He knew never to underestimate the power of the ego, and Clark had, indeed, been somewhat placated by the clear admission that he was still needed by Chloe. And for reasons less clear to Lex, the fact that the younger man was necessary to her was also becoming aggravating.

And once again, I was smiling wryly at the skilfully smooth way Lex has managed to psychologically manipulate Clark by appealing to his ego. It also makes me shiver, because I can see what a master manipulative villain Lex has the potential to become.


With a quiet sigh Lex realized that it was for the best that the plan was gaining momentum. Even though he preferred to disavow any weakness within him, he was far too realistic to do so. And Lex knew that his longing for a true home was the greatest of his vulnerabilities. Even the craving of his father’s approval had simply been an extension of his desire to create a family that was based on more than merely shared genetics. That home would be far too easy to find in Chloe. And just as pointless.

Chloe’s caring and affection was genuine, but only within the context of the reality he had constructed. With her memories intact, any true relationship between them would be impossible for reasons too vast and varied to bother reciting. And, although given his recently acquired knowledge of her he found that fact deeply regretful, the circumstances of his life had engendered too much pragmatism in him to devote an overabundance of time to things that would never come to pass.

And so, as the helicopter touched down, Lex once again donned the mantle of loving husband, not for emotional gain or physical fulfillment, but simply for intellectual satisfaction.

I LOVED this part here. It sums up Lex’s contradictory nature perfectly. He has actually acknowledged all the weaknesses (a desperate clinging need for family, love and acceptance) within himself… but he’s STILL allowing himself to fall under Chloe’s spell. And he has the nerve to tell himself that it’s purely under ‘detached controlled intellectual’ curiousity rather than any ‘need’ or ‘desire’ from within.

He’s totally gone, and he knows it… but he doesn’t accept it! I LOVE your paradox of this Lex-character here, Skauble!


He acknowledged the man’s words with a dismissive nod, any surprise at the request characteristically concealed. And Lex was surprised. Not that Chloe wanted to see him; she always wanted to see him. Indeed, he often arrived home to find her happily waiting to drag him off for a walk, escort him to dinner, or convince him to settle in and watch an old movie together. No, what had surprised him was that Chloe had communicated her request via the staff.

Although Chloe had nothing but the warmest regard for the various servants, she had the mentality of one unused to domestic help, and it rarely occurred to her to use their services for things that she could easily do herself. And though he’d planned on spending the evening engaging in carefully designed activities that he hoped would pull more of Chloe’s memories to the surface, he had to admit that he was undeniably curious about what the vivacious and unpredictable blonde was up to now.

I enjoyed this new insight into how Chloe’s instincts and ‘learned behaviour’ comes through despite the lack of memories. She was never used to servants in her ‘past life’, so she cannot command them ‘properly’, even if she doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t have people waiting on her.

I also liked the hints given here about the Chlex ‘quality time’ that’s passing by while Chloe has been sequestered in Lex’s make-believe ‘happy household’.


Entering the library, he found her in front of the fireplace, seated on a large woolen blanket. Beside her sat a tray crowded with various fruits, cheeses, crackers, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. Although the evening was mild, the warmth of the fire allowed Chloe the luxury of a thin summer dress in a flattering soft mossy green.

Lex liked seeing her in green. The various shades were a perfect compliment to the swirling hazel hues in her eyes. Not that Chloe needed any external trappings; the myriad of emotions, determined set, and mischievous glint all guaranteed to draw one’s attention to her expressive face. Of course that hadn’t stopped him from ensuring that a large part of the wardrobe he’d provided her was in those natural, verdant shades.

Smiling at both the picture she made and the obvious effort she had put into pleasing him, he crossed the room to join her.

Ooooh, this made my eyes perk up! All the romantic trappings, AND Chloe is wearing some stunning clothes that Lex chose especially for her because he believed she looked vibrant and beautiful in them.

LOL! If Lex had the ‘slightest’ lick of sense, he would be running from this scene as hard and fast as possible… But noooo, he’s conducting a ‘detached, intellectual, scholarly’ study into his interaction and attraction towards Chloe…

How can someone so brilliant be engaged in such hubristic idiocy?


Whatever Lex had been expecting it had definitely not been that. Hesitantly, almost unsure if he had heard correctly, he questioned, “Do you remember our first date?”

He silently cursed and resolved to fire each and every useless medical professional that he had on this project. He couldn’t fathom how they could have remotely believed that the possibility of Chloe spontaneously generating false memories wouldn’t be worth mentioning. Lex knew that this would change everything and he seethed at the sense of powerlessness that he always experienced when faced a situation for which he felt completely unprepared. If he could just –

As much as I am enjoying seeing Lex at his scheming best, I have to admit to a HUGE amount of satisfaction at seeing him panic like this. It was SO good to see him suddenly reassessing and re-evaluating the viability of his plan… especially in such a panicky and anxiety-ridden state of mind.


Just as his internal ranting was picking up steam, Lex was distracted by the bright flash of white that caught the corner of his eye. Turning towards Chloe he saw that a wide smile had taken the place of her previous sulk.

“Of course I don’t remember our first date,” she teasingly chided. “Haven’t you heard, I have amnesia.”

LOL! Chloe-snark. LOVE it!


“Certainly. Would I be so cruel as to deny my beloved the answers he seeks?”

Though the statement was made completely without malice, it was a clear reference to her growing dissatisfaction at not being allowed more exposure to things relating to her past. Knowing that he couldn’t compromise on that decision, he pointedly ignored the reference and raised an eyebrow in expectation.

Heh, and more snark… but I really liked how this ‘could’ have been said in a bitter tone, but Chloe honestly meant it as a gentle tease. Quite a far cry from the banter they used to have BEFORE Chloe’s accident.


Lex had, in the previous weeks, grown accustomed to the casual touches and spontaneous gestures of affection that seemed to be a part of Chloe’s nature. It was one of the few luxuries that had long been lacking in the Luthor household, and, because of its absence, he hadn’t really known how much he had desired it. So, when Chloe sighed a little and pulled her hand back to run it through her hair in exasperation, Lex immediately missed the soothing pressure; although he refused to acknowledge even to himself, that he had to fight, if only for an instant, the urge to recapture hand and return it to its previous position.

heeee :D
The poor fool is falling so hard and so fast, and he’s still deluding himself into believing he’s in control.


“I know that I haven’t made a secret of my frustration with how slowly my memories are returning.” Chloe’s soft words pulled Lex out of his thoughts. “But it wasn’t until I heard how tired you sounded today that I began to understand how difficult this must be for you, too.”

His immediate words of protest were waved away as she continued.

“Lex, we’re newlyweds. This is supposed to be the beginning of our life together, and instead of a blissful honeymoon period with your loving wife you’re stuck caring for a mental invalid.”

This part made me blink in surprise (and to get rid of the sudden moisture that appeared in my eyes). Does Chloe actually believe herself to be a BOTHER and a nuisance??!!

DAMN that Lex!!!


Finding himself at a rare loss for words, Lex was unsure of what to do; and for the first time since everything had been set in motion, he felt genuinely bad for what was happening. True, he'd had his moments of regret at Chloe’s distress throughout this process; he wasn’t a monster. But he’d never doubted his ultimate purpose or that his means would ultimately be justified. Until now.

I was glad to see that Chloe managed to trigger a BIT of shame from Lex. He SHOULD feel guilty!

Heh, but then again, he has a considerable bit of guilt-filled suffering waiting for him in the near future. I guess I can be patient, and just enjoy him being ruthless for a little while longer.


Seeing her before him, the flickering flames causing light and shadow to dance across her face, both illuminating and deepening her heartfelt concern, he wondered just how much damage he might be causing to a woman who'd been nothing but brave and generous and so concerned for him. Lex had long grown used to finding the ulterior motivations in even the most genuine of women. It had only taken two or three attempts on his life for him to realize that it was simply safer to doubt the nature of those around him. And so many people in his life had confirmed that decision; his father, Helen, Clark. They had showed him, quite clearly, that no matter how one may initially appear, when you stripped a person down to the core, they were all basically self-serving.

I really loved this insight into how his life’s experiences have shaped Lex into this paranoid, self-serving person… who believes that deep down all people are BAD, and it’s a good idea to find weaknesses to exploit in others before they get around to attacking you. It’s a sad perspective, but is it any wonder that being betrayed so many times has taught Lex anything else?


Only they weren’t. Chloe wasn’t. She had been deprived of, not just the ability, but the desire to deceive; to hide behind carefully crafted façades. Chloe Sullivan was, at that moment, as devoid of subterfuge as was possible. That fact gave him not just access to the secrets she harbored, but a window into the undeniable truth of who she was. And that person was decent and kind; able to suffer the pain of her own recent loss and still find it in herself to worry about his.

In fact, in the past week Lex had come to acknowledge that Chloe was exactly the kind of woman that he had long ago despaired of finding. The realization had blindsided him during one of their more innocuous interactions, and Lex had found himself hurriedly making an excuse to leave Chloe’s engaging presence to examine the implications of his new insight. In the end he had decided that feeling close to Chloe was normal given the necessity of their current intimacy, and that he was fortunate to have discovered the potential for a dangerous level of attraction before it had a chance to develop. Had those feelings gone unchecked, had that attraction snuck up on him, Lex knew that he would have been in considerable trouble.

And then I really, REALLY loved this part about how Chloe was artlessly confounding all of Lex’s expectations and beliefs about the human race, just by being her loving, sweet, generous self. I can see why Lex would be falling for that… AND I loved that Lex actually realized that Chloe was exactly the kind of person he had been trying to find to love for all these years.

Heh, and LOL at the way Lex was acknowledging how easy it would be for him to fall in love with CHloe, and he was actually congratulating himself for being ‘smart enough’ to keep himself from falling into the spell Chloe was weaving over him.

It’s just so funny that he knows the trap, he sees the trap, but he doesn’t do anything to avoid it, because he thinks just knowing about it is enough to not get caught. LOL! The deluded, pride-filled fool!


“You didn’t; you’re not.” He placed his hand over hers. “I just don’t want you to ever feel that you’re a burden to me. You’re my wife, Chloe; and every moment with you is precious no matter the circumstances.”

The words carried a bit more passion than Lex would have liked, but he let that thought pass as the blinding smile Chloe sent his way convinced him that he’d played the situation correctly.

*giggles at the ‘passion’ with which Lex denies Chloe being a burden*


“With lines like that I must’ve been a pathetically easy conquest.”

ROTFLMAO at Chloe’s wry snarkiness.


As the time passed and the food and wine consumed, Lex’s appreciation for Chloe’s ability to weave a spell with her words grew and he wondered if she’d perhaps ever considered fiction as an alternative to journalism. He was lulled by both her peaceful voice and the startlingly clear picture his mind was constructing of the two of them in the manor in Smallville. In fact, he’d grown so calm that it took him a minute to process her latest vignette.

“Excuse me,” indignation colored his tone. “I’ll have you know that I have never stuttered, bumped foreheads while making a romantic overture, or spilled wine on a potential paramour at a pivotal moment in my life.”

Falling against him in a fit of giggles, Chloe struggled to retain the collapsing integrity of her story.

“Don’t worry, as your wife it’s my duty to protect our family name, so your secret won’t pass my lips. Besides, I’m sure that you’ve gotten better over time or why would I have married you?”

I really, REALLY enjoyed this playful interaction between them. It’s so clear that the two of them are falling in love. And I really enjoy the way Chloe manages to coax out all of Lex’s playful and even ‘fun-loving’ tendencies while he’s in her company. I can see why she would be so addictive. No wonder Clark’s freaking out after ‘losing her’.


Not that it was just today. Chloe might have lost her memory, but neither her powers of observation nor her intuition had vanished. While Lex had done everything possible to provide a safe and happy atmosphere, to be a warm and loving husband, Chloe knew that there was a darkness in his life that haunted him.

Although he hid it well, Chloe could see, in their quieter times, moments when he was unaware of her eyes upon him, that there was a pain deep inside of him that drove him, that shaped him in ways she knew she hadn’t begun to understand.

She had a strong suspicion that he was actively working to conceal this part of his nature from her. Whether his actions were motivated by shame or a desire to protect her she couldn’t tell, and honestly it didn’t matter. Whatever his reasons, Chloe would unearth this intently guarded side of her husband. Not because of idle curiosity or a need to relearn her past, but because, far from being repelled, she found his complexity mesmerizing. The fact that he could house such tightly leashed emotions, radiate so much power and, occasionally, danger in the same soul that gave her such tenderness and security made her feel special; loved.

Wow! Even more fascinating than seeing how Lex is seeing all kind of lovable qualities in Chloe, is seeing Chloe perceiving all kinds of similar irresistible qualities in Lex. The best part is that she hasn’t fallen for the ‘façade’ that Lex has constructed for her… instead, she’s falling for the complexities, paradoxes, secretive, moody, broody and dark parts of him, as well as the sweet, kind, tender and generous parts of his nature that he’s being careful to exhibit around her.

She’s going to be heartbroken when she finally remembers enough to understand that the tenderness he’s exhibiting is NOT because he loves her or regards her as anyone special, but he just did it because he wanted something from her.

She might never be able to trust anyone else ever again. She’s going to end up as paranoid and emotionally closed off as Lex himself. That is something that Lex could never be forgiven for. I hope he acknowledges this, and feels a proper amount of shame for this possibility.


Chloe pushed down a sigh that was equal parts fondness and frustration. Talking with Lex was an advanced course in the intricacies of semantics, and because the exhilarating sense of challenge generally compensated for the excess effort, she found it was usually just simpler to reword her meaning as opposed to getting bogged down defending her phrasing.

“But being satisfied…that’ll make you happy, right?”

heh, I really liked Chloe initial blunt and direct question… and how, when Lex tried to evade it with semantics, she just drove the question back to him again. Even with her memories gone, he doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to being interrogated by her. LOL!


Not only did Lex not have an answer for the question, he also couldn’t define the increasingly heavy feeling in his chest at the direction their conversation had taken. For a fleeting moment he almost wished that she had retained some of her memories about her interactions with the Luthors. If she had she certainly would have known better than to expect any of their ventures, be they business or personal, to be brimming with joy.

This part saddened me. It honestly seems like Lex doesn’t EXPECT happiness anymore. He completely taken out the possibility of joy, contentment and peace from his life. And he’s resigned himself to such a life filled with cold satisfaction at best.


If anyone else had asked him such a thing, Lex would have dismissed the thought outright. Of course people had broached the subject with him before. Not because they wanted him to be happy with himself, with his life, but because they wanted him to be different. They tried endlessly to craft him into what they saw as a better person, a more effective businessman, a more faithful lover. They wanted him to change so they could be happy.

But Chloe simply wanted him to have some kind of contentment in his life – wanted to help him find that. Although he’d been shocked when he’d initially recognized that Chloe was subconsciously patterning their marriage after that of the Kents, as time passed he’d come to appreciate that, to her, that couple personified a deep sharing and intimate partnership as opposed to the self-righteous posturing that the name Kent often conjured in his mind. If Chloe was asking him to examine his decisions, it wasn’t because she was angling for any personal gain, she was just trying to be the best wife that she could be.

I loved this insight into Lex’s character. Once again, it shows how (normally) he would view even an inquiry to his state of happiness as a ploy for manipulation and control. BUT he’s willing to give Chloe the benefit of the doubt. Excellent!


“Sadly we never did answer that age old question. But because I loved you even then I overlooked your elitist championing of flan. As if custard was even invited to the party!”

LOL at Chloe’s cute observation. That’s quite an adorably detailed fictional first date yarn she’s spinning here. Hilarious!


And Lex was struck by a dizzying truth. He’d long ago stopped pursuing happiness, because he believed himself incapable of experiencing it. Doubted that any Luthor ever truly could. But in that instant, staring down into Chloe’s face alight with humor, he realized that it wasn’t just possible for him to feel it, he actually was.

So for once in his life Lex decided to set aside his distrust of all things new, his need to dissect and analyze anything for which he’d been unprepared, and simply enjoy the moment, however fleeting. And even though he was giving himself over to Chloe’s night of make believe, he wasn’t any less of a Luthor than he had been the night before. He was still a realist, still understood that this was an anomaly in his life and not the beginning of some Hollywood happy ending. Even if that had been his destiny, it would never include Chloe. For every new memory that brought him closer to the truths he so desperately sought pushed him an equal distance from this extraordinary woman who was so quickly carving a place for herself in his life.

That, more than anything, was why he chose to grasp this one night; to hold these small hours for himself – outside of calculating plans and safe from old animosities – because he knew that he’d never know their like again. And although he’d already resigned himself to the necessity of that fact, it still made something deep inside him, something buried for so many years, ache in a manner he was certain would be slow to fade.

WOW! I LOVED this explanation about why Lex would be allowing himself to indulge in this kind of ‘bonding’ with Chloe… why he would allow himself to be actually open and vulnerable to her… why he would expose the truest and most hidden parts of his nature (his humour, playfulness, sweetness, etc) to her, even though he KNEW how dangerous it was to be doing so.

He’s actually resigned himself to a life without happiness. Whether it’s because he doesn’t believe true happiness doesn’t exist for anyone, or whether it just doesn’t exist for HIM… I’m not sure which one.

So he’s made a conscious decision to enjoy this ‘little’ bit of happiness that’s being afforded to him, even if he DOES realize that it’s partly fake and only temporary.

He’s holding onto the ‘better to have felt and lost, than never to have felt at all’ theory. But I don’t think he’s going to find it THAT easy to let go of this feeling of happiness and contentment once he becomes accustomed to it.


Over the past week or so she’d noticed a growing tension in him at the onset of each new memory’s return. She had thought at first that the stress was due to the pointed reminder that she, and by extension their life, wasn’t normal. But, honestly, her illness affected so many aspects of their lives that she dismissed that idea almost immediately.

Next she considered that maybe Lex was upset that her memories were coming back to her so slowly. And that seemed like a reasonable answer except that she was remembering things more and more frequently as time went by. Which kind of blew that theory for her, too.

Heh, I think it’s lovely and sweet that Chloe is getting stressed out over what might be Lex’s source of tenseness and anxiety around her. I don’t blame Chloe for being confused. There’s no way she would know that the return of her memories might be stressing Lex out because he’s getting everything he’s wanted from his plan, but getting closer to losing her company.

And too sudden a return of her memories would mean he would lose her WITHOUT getting everything he wants from his plan.


Then, earlier that day as she’d been tormenting herself over her lack of progress and its effect on both of their lives, it hit her. That maybe Lex’s discontentment had little to do with the inconvenience of her condition and was instead about the fact that the majority of her recollections revolved around her supposed best friend and not her wonderfully supportive husband.

And that thought broke her heart. Since her accident so many things seemed confusing; overwhelming. Her family, career, education – everything. Except Lex. Lex was the only thing about her life the she understood.

Wow! It actually broke her heart to imagine Lex being upset that she didn’t remember HIM?! If only she had told this to Lex, it ‘might’ have set off another twinge in his newly emerging conscience… OR he might have sussed out some way to use her guilt to his advantage. Bastard!


At first, despite his warmth towards her, Chloe had been taken slightly aback by the almost ruthless intensity she had sensed deep within him. But as each day passed she was learning that there was so much more to him then she ever could have imagined. And the more time she spent with him, be it at the heights of his adoration and concern or in the depths of his driven darkness, Chloe found that the one absolute truth to which she could cling was that she had loved Lex Luthor. Undeniable, not for crystalline memories, not because of romantic photographs or passionate letters. No; it was indisputable because Chloe had no knowledge of this man past a small handful of weeks and already her heart was so precariously balanced, so eager to fall, that she couldn’t conceive of years with him without drowning in devotion.

This was an extraordinary and AMAZING revelation. I suspected that this new version of Chloe was falling in love with this ‘new’ version of Lex… but to actually have her accepting the fact and admitting it so candidly to herself… That is AMAZING!

She really should have told Lex this little factoid. I can’t imagine how he would have reacted. Satisfaction that her devotion will have her all the more eager to cooperate? Joy that he’s capture her love? Insane guilt that he’s ‘tricked’ her into falling in love with him, and that she’s going to end up with a broken heart when this is all over?

I cannot WAIT to see how he reacts! Please make it soon. Is that what start the NC-17 part of the next chapter *waggles eyebrows*


Reaching the door, she turned to face Lex and her eyes widened in surprise to feel the hand that had been holding hers reach up to caress her cheek. Although they often shared soft, affectionate touches between them, there was an unspoken agreement that they not traverse any bridges that couldn't be uncrossed until things had become more stable with her memory. But she had to admit that that particular plan was getting harder for both of them to carry out. She couldn’t say if it was their natural attraction, the result of their time apart, or a byproduct of the nights that Chloe needed the warmth of Lex’s embrace to wash away the fear of her nightmares, but whatever the cause, their casual and easy physical contact was slowly being overrun with an ever growing sensual urgency and tension.

ooooh, and now we’re finally getting into the intense sexual tension between the two of them. Most excellent! And I have to say I am seriously impressed by how naturally their relationship is growing and developing. It seems… inevitable now.


“I don’t suppose I got lucky?”

And as quickly as that monster awoke, it was slain by Lex’s words.

“You wish.” She chuckled as she nudged him playfully with her elbow.

“You can’t imagine.”

Chloe felt Lex’s hand fall away and realized that he hadn’t meant for his last statement to emerge with quite so much yearning. Since they seemed to be sharing the same boat she decided to help bail him out.

“Believe me,” her wry gaze caught his, “I can. Apparently, as tonight has shown, amnesia only inhibits my memories, not my imagination.”

mmmm. Sexually charged banter. I have to say, both Lex and Chloe are stronger people than I am for being able to keep their hands off each other, despite the tension, yearning gazes and provocative words. JUMP HIM, Chloe!!!


Lex was grateful for to see that he wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by the illusory intimacy of the night. He was almost sad to see it come to an end, but knew that it was for the best. He’d had his respite from reality - and he’d enjoyed it - but it was time for him to return to pursuits that mattered, that were sustainable, not romantic clichés that rarely survived the harsh light of the morning after.

*sigh* It IS good to see that Lex retains enough of his rational thought process to realize that allowing his emotions to overcome his control would be a remarkably BAD idea… but it’s only a matter of time before rational thought takes a back-seat to a raging libido.

I really likes that last line ‘romantic clichés seldom survive the harsh light of the morning after’. It’s sad and cynical, but apt… especially in this case, where the ‘morning after’ would refer to Chloe returning to normal again.


“So, how did it end?”

“You were a perfect gentleman. You kissed me and left me at my door.”

The next morning he’d blame her smile. Too sleepy to be anything other than adorable, it pulled at him in a way that the endless sultry, come hither looks he received from a multitude of women never had.

I loved how Chloe ended the ‘date’ fiction. AND how Lex found her sleepy, unassuming smile to be more irresistible than any ‘coy’ glance she could have thrown his way.


“Well, I’d hate to ruin your faithful recreation.”

And then his lips were on hers. Warm and yielding, they parted beneath his on a soft whimper that burned through last frayed thread of his control. His tongue swept in to the warmth beyond and, with an answering groan, the hand cupping her cheek slid through the silk of her hair to pull her closer into him. The feel of her, taste of her filled him and Lex shuddered as the need to fall into her and the need to breathe fought within him.

Breathing won and they slowly parted. Looking down into turbulent storm of emotions in Chloe’s eyes, Lex sincerely hoped that his were nowhere near as revealing. But even if his inner upheaval went somehow unnoticed by the woman before him, he knew that he had to get away, escape the onslaught of feelings before Chloe could see that something was definitely wrong. Or worse, before he swept her up and didn’t stop with just a kiss.

*swoon* *gasp* The First KISS!!! And it was every bit as sweet and romantic as I could have imagined. It was lovely, beautiful. I actually heard violins and strumming guitars. It was PERFECT!


Her whispered reply was lost as she turned and stepped into her room, but he took comfort in the small, hesitant smile he caught before the door closed. Hearing her move deeper into the room, he let his head rest against the door and released a quiet sigh.

Lex now found himself in a position ludicrous for any Luthor to admit – hating the fact that he’d been right. He’d kissed Chloe. It had been spectacular. And he was in an astronomical amount of trouble.

ROTFLMAO! Finally! He’s FINALLY beginning to understand that he’s not ‘quite’ as under control of himself as he initially led himself to believe. Heh, but he’s not going to stop hanging out with Chloe… not if Skauble’s assurances for a NC-17 chapter up next is anything to go by.

HOW could you tell us the next chapter was going to be sexy, and leave us at this KISS??!! That is one of the most heartlessly cruel cliffhangers I have ever had the torturous pleasure of reading. Please update SOON! ASAP!!!

[dagney]

Love is in the air. I think lex is in for a rude awakining as his love for Chloe will eclipse any need to know. What is he willing to do to keep Chloe? Will he risk telling her his truth? You adoring fans need answers and bring on the erotica. LOL Dagney

[emnorth2002]

*bounces around in pure glee* I absolutely love this story and I'm *thrilled* beyond belief to see an update! Your Lex is phenomenal: a walking, talking, thinking dichotomy that displays all his flaws and virtues so perfectly that he's absolutely irrresistible. And your Chloe! Oh, your Chloe! This ranks among the freshest, realest, most appealing portrayals of her I've ever read. If this is how you write when you're sick, then I want to be sick, too! Thank you for infinitely brightening my day!
:-)
Em

[somethingeasy]

*bounces around in pure glee* I absolutely love this story and I'm *thrilled* beyond belief to see an update! Your Lex is phenomenal: a walking, talking, thinking dichotomy that displays all his flaws and virtues so perfectly that he's absolutely irrresistible.

EmNorth pretty much reiterated everything I kept saying about Lex's paradoxical nature in my review... only she phrased it MUCH better :D


And your Chloe! Oh, your Chloe! This ranks among the freshest, realest, most appealing portrayals of her I've ever read.

oh dear, I kept on going on and on about the way Skauble captured Lex's nature, that I completely forgot to praise the way she portrayed this very interesting and original perspective of Chloe. I can't imagine how difficult it was trying to imagine the reactions and thought-patterns of a strong character without them being under the influence of all the character-defining experiences that made them strong. But Skauble managed beautifully, and I am in awe of that.


If this is how you write when you're sick, then I want to be sick, too! Thank you for infinitely brightening my day!

LOL! Put me down for a side-order of Skauble-germs too.

Please update soon. That 'NC-17 warning' you gave at the end of the chapter... I know you claimed it was to prepare the readers for the change, but we ALL know it was really something you threw out to TEASE us! You sadist! PLEASE post soon!!!

[somethingeasy]

ok, I know I JUST said I would be fine with a G-rated chapter of 'A Thirst for Knowledge'... but the truth is that, now that I've thought about it... in fantastical detail, I realize that I. Want. SMUT!
Gimme the NC-17 chapter you have hidden away in your head! Don't even bother trying to hide him at the back of your mind, I can see Lex writhing around naked in there... Let me at him!!!

(pleeease?)

[gyhardin]

Ah, I found another brilliant story... months after losing touch of cyberreality, I'm glad that I can still get my healthy dose of chlex fics here in our forum.

Lex just can't help himself, our Chloe is so adorable and true. Well... bring on the smut! A smut an hour always makes me a happy camper :D.

[meeaz]

I'm seriously awaiting the smackdown that will occur once Chloe gets her memory back. Lex is in serious trouble if he thinks he's just going to kiss her and be done with it, but then again, you did promise us NC-17 scenes.

Your writing is beautiful and takes this plot to another level; no longer is it just "Chloe gets amnesia," but something much more intricate and well-written. I absolutely love this!

[Impress]

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. :nono: I so dislike you right now.

I finally make time to begin reimursing myself in Chelx and stumble across a fic by you. Having experienced your form of story telling with another mutual fandom I was drawn to the thread. How like you to engage me from the opening paragraph. How like you to make me willing to wade through pages and pages of people gushing about how talented you are (and deservedly so) just to get caught up on this fic. You should be ashamed. :blinkkiss


So...how much longer until the next update.:yeahbaby:

[somethingeasy]

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. :nono: I so dislike you right now.

I finally make time to begin reimursing myself in Chelx and stumble across a fic by you. Having experienced your form of story telling with another mutual fandom I was drawn to the thread. How like you to engage me from the opening paragraph. How like you to make me willing to wade through pages and pages of people gushing about how talented you are (and deservedly so) just to get caught up on this fic. You should be ashamed.

ROTFLMAO!
Yeah! What she said!

[biscuits]

I loved this chapter, and all the others before it. I loved Lex's denial, and his idiosyncracies. I loved the excuse Chloe had for Lex's foul mood and her determination to make him feel better. And I especially loved the promise of NC-17 to come.

I can't wait for more.

[jem]

still not NC17 yet?....

ok... waiting for the nc17 stuff....


......


please update!!

[somethingeasy]

*sigh* I'm another one of the filthy-minded multitudes who have been perked up and waiting for the long-awaited NC-17 chapter. Of course, I'm going to take the high road and claim that MY interest lies NOT in the thrusting, but actually in seeing what happens to make Lex lower his guard, sense of control and common sense long enough to START with the thrusting :grin3:

Of course, the thrusting itself will be highly appreciated too :yeahbaby: ;)

I can't wait to find out how and why the affair takes place. It's going to be stunning. And even more fun is the part where Lex starts flagellating himself for losing himself and giving into the temptation that Chloe offers. Just HOW terrible is he going to feel afterwards. I've been looking forward to seeing his suffering for a LOT of chapters now... And finally, we're right on the cusp on the beginning of Lex's tortured torment :D

I'm evil, aren't I?

[Impress]

*sigh* I'm another one of the filthy-minded multitudes who have been perked up and waiting for the long-awaited NC-17 chapter. Of course, I'm going to take the high road and claim that MY interest lies NOT in the thrusting, but actually in seeing what happens to make Lex lower his guard, sense of control and common sense long enough to START with the thrusting :yeahbaby: :grin3:

Of course, the thrusting itself will be highly appreciated too ;)

I can't wait to find out how and why the affair takes place. It's going to be stunning. And even more fun is the part where Lex starts flagellating himself for losing himself and giving into the temptation that Chloe offers. Just HOW terrible is he going to feel afterwards. I've been looking forward to seeing his suffering for a LOT of chapters now... And finally, we're right on the cusp on the beginning of Lex's tortured torment :D

I'm evil, aren't I?

:rofl:

This sums it up for me.

[somethingeasy]

:rofl:
This sums it up for me.

Mwaa ha ha HAAAA! I'm picking up evil minions to provide me with support in my ongoing campaign to nag and annoy an update out of Skauble! We have you surrounded, Sarah! Throw out the chapter-hostage, and nobody needs to get hurt.

[Impress]

Mwaa ha ha HAAAA! I'm picking up evil minions to provide me with support in my ongoing campaign to nag and annoy an update out of Skauble! We have you surrounded, Sarah! Throw out the chapter-hostage, and nobody needs to get hurt.

:wth: minion? *points to name* Hun I am so far above mere minion status. :blinkkiss

That said, I will gladly partner with you in your campaign to nag and annoy an update out of Skauble. I have the Special Ops Ninjas ready in case Sarah decides to be stubborn and not give up the chapter-hostage. Just give the word.

[jem]

count me in for any drastic action required to release the new chapter.. its nc17 and shes kept it on hold for nearly 3 weeks now..

either somethingeasy or impress, really i dont mind being minions to both, so long as we get the chappie..

jem

--so girls, what do we need to do? pitchforks? knives? flamethrowers? or find some MR lookalike and offer him as a human sacrifice to our cause??

[somethingeasy]

count me in for any drastic action required to release the new chapter.. its nc17 and shes kept it on hold for nearly 3 weeks now..

either somethingeasy or impress, really i dont mind being minions to both, so long as we get the chappie..

--so girls, what do we need to do? pitchforks? knives? flamethrowers? or find some MR lookalike and offer him as a human sacrifice to our cause??

I'll be more than happy to take Jem as part of my Subordinate Support Team... does she prefer the term 'minion' or 'goon'? Whatever the case... I think flame-thrower would be a bit overboard... we don't want to risk damaging the Fabled Hard-Drive with all the WIPs locked inside *shudder*

Knives and blunt objects will do just fine. heh, and as for the MR lookalike human sacrifice, we're keeping him for ourselves!!!
:devil: We ATTACK at dawn!!!!

*added edit*
we ATTACK in the evening.
(Dawn is waaay to early a time to enjoy a NC-17 chapter properly!)

[westwingwolf]

I don't actually want to be of the minion status, though I do want minions of my own. But I'm with the masses in that it is incredibly evil and torturous to dangle the promise of an NC-17 chapter in our faces and then not deliver. Statistics show that the people most likely to be cursed are ones who promise smut and then make their readers wait. You can't make this stuff up and the facts speak for themselves. Now I'm off to go get my skauble voodoo doll and pins.

[somethingeasy]

Statistics show that the people most likely to be cursed are ones who promise smut and then make their readers wait. You can't make this stuff up and the facts speak for themselves. Now I'm off to go get my skauble voodoo doll and pins.

No need to create a voodoo doll from scratch. I have one right here... lying around somewhere in my NS voodoo pile.
*pushes aside and uncovers Nonky-doll, Josi-doll, Zannie-doll, westwingwolf-doll, Blue and Sabby-dolls and a somethingeasy-doll to unearth the doll needed for the moment*

ah HA! See, here we are! A pretty little Skauble-doll, I knew I had one lying around somewhere. Now to use the timeless tool of Voodoo Acupuncture to stimulate the hands, and get them itching to start writing. MWAA HA HA HAAAA!

[westwingwolf]

*pushes aside and uncovers Nonky-doll, Josi-doll, Zannie-doll, westwingwolf-doll, Blue and Sabby-dolls and a somethingeasy-doll to unearth the doll needed for the moment*


You made a doll of yourself? That's taking masochism to a whole new level. And I warranted a doll without even being a fanfic writer, that makes me feel special to be included in this group. Also, now I know the reason I got sick a month ago without explanation.

Update now skauble, SE's brand of torture isn't pretty or fun. Well, maybe it's fun if you enjoy that stuff, in which case she'll stop until you update.

[skauble]

Update now skauble, SE's brand of torture isn't pretty or fun. Well, maybe it's fun if you enjoy that stuff, in which case she'll stop until you update.

Well, I have my share of masochistic tendencies, but being voodooed isn't really one of them.

And I have to agree that I was surprised that SE has a doll of herself. Maybe once all of the update ninjas get organized we can swipe her doll and use it to make her write us a story. Bwahahahahaha!

On an update note, I have to admit that NC-17 stuff is always the most difficult thing for me to write, which is why this has taken a while. For one, I'm just not much of a descriptive writer. I tend to be more about the characters thoughts and feelings, so scenes that are so heavy on action are not my forte. Two, no matter how far I get from my rather strict religious upbringing, some inhibitions remain. So I'll warn you all now, that while the next chapter does contain NC-17 material, don't expect anything on par with the amazing smut of say BlueSabby, or nonky, Zannie, Josi, etc.

I'm actually about a page and a half from finishing this update, so I'm going to get back to it now, and hopefully I'll have it up this evening. So no nijaing me.

~Sarah~

[somethingeasy]

AAAaaargh! I saw the name 'Skauble' as the latest bumper-poster (heee, I just made that up) on this thread. I was so pleased because I THOUGHT it meant an update... But no *watery sniff* it wasn't :(

heh, but on the good news side, we DID get a happy bit of reassurance...


And I have to agree that I was surprised that SE has a doll of herself. Maybe once all of the update ninjas get organized we can swipe her doll and use it to make her write us a story. Bwahahahahaha!

pffft! Not much use in trying anything with the SE-doll. I think the damned thing's defective. I've tried twisting it's little head, fingers... slamming it repeatedly against a wall screaming at it 'Get inspired, DAMN YOU!'... Nothing works.

On the other hand, the videos I have been making for my course have been turning out AMAZING, so perhaps... hmmm... nahhh!


On an update note, I have to admit that NC-17 stuff is always the most difficult thing for me to write, which is why this has taken a while. For one, I'm just not much of a descriptive writer. I tend to be more about the characters thoughts and feelings, so scenes that are so heavy on action are not my forte. Two, no matter how far I get from my rather strict religious upbringing, some inhibitions remain. So I'll warn you all now, that while the next chapter does contain NC-17 material, don't expect anything on par with the amazing smut of say BlueSabby, or nonky, Zannie, Josi, etc.

I'm actually about a page and a half from finishing this update, so I'm going to get back to it now, and hopefully I'll have it up this evening. So no nijaing me.

THANKS for the heads up, Skauble. Take your time finishing up the *ahem* 'descriptions' for the upcoming chapter :yeahbaby:
Seriously though, smut is nice and all, but I am (quite honestly) looking more forward to the 'before' and 'after' effects of the smut. Seeing exactly what happened to make Lex lowers his barriers and make the monumentally stupid mistake of sleeping with the girl he's in the midst of conning. And what happens AFTER he realizes he just took shameless advantage of Chloe while her judgement was impaired due to HIS manipulations.

heh, he's going to feel like the scum of the earth, isn't he? This Lex is quite ruthless, but I get the impression he DOES have a strong moral streak, and a heavy conscience dictating his behaviour... only AFTER he does something terrible, stupid and wrong of course :D

aaargh! Now I'm just waiting for evening to come around... I WANT MY UPDATE, DAMMIT!!!!
(ahem)... I meant to say... take your time :o

[westwingwolf]

Seriously though, smut is nice and all, but I am (quite honestly) looking more forward to the 'before' and 'after' effects of the smut. Seeing exactly what happened to make Lex lowers his barriers and make the monumentally stupid mistake of sleeping with the girl he's in the midst of conning. And what happens AFTER he realizes he just took shameless advantage of Chloe while her judgement was impaired due to HIS manipulations.


I have to admit that I'm looking forward to the lead in and the after effects of the smut as well. Smut is nice and all but it's really just icing on the cake. And as long as the cake is a well formed (preferably chocolate) cake, then I don't mind if the icing is a little sloppy. Now I've made myself hungry and will proceed to attack the cake that's in my fridge.

[Impress]

No need to create a voodoo doll from scratch. I have one right here... lying around somewhere in my NS voodoo pile.
*pushes aside and uncovers Nonky-doll, Josi-doll, Zannie-doll, westwingwolf-doll, Blue and Sabby-dolls and a somethingeasy-doll to unearth the doll needed for the moment*Just out of curiosity, do you have a Thessaly doll by any chance?


AAAaaargh!
Seriously though, smut is nice and all, but I am (quite honestly) looking more forward to the 'before' and 'after' effects of the smut. Seeing exactly what happened to make Lex lowers his barriers and make the monumentally stupid mistake of sleeping with the girl he's in the midst of conning. And what happens AFTER he realizes he just took shameless advantage of Chloe while her judgement was impaired due to HIS manipulations.

heh, he's going to feel like the scum of the earth, isn't he? This Lex is quite ruthless, but I get the impression he DOES have a strong moral streak, and a heavy conscience dictating his behaviour... only AFTER he does something terrible, stupid and wrong of course :D

aaargh! Now I'm just waiting for evening to come around... I WANT MY UPDATE, DAMMIT!!!!
(ahem)... I meant to say... take your time :o

*nods* I'm in agreement about the smut issue here. It really is more about the after that I'm looking forward to. the smut is just the whipped cream on top...*this comment has been breifly interrupted as thoughts of MR and whipped cream dance through Impress's head*...

sorry where was I? Oh yes. POST DAMMIT! :hug:

Oh and Sarah, in response to this
. So I'll warn you all now, that while the next chapter does contain NC-17 material, don't expect anything on par with the amazing smut of say BlueSabby, or nonky, Zannie, Josi, etc.I've read your smut, it's just as good as the above author's. You each put your own touch on smut scenes that (in combination with your talents as writeres) makes them each different and good.

[skauble]

Oh and Sarah, in response to this I've read your smut, it's just as good as the above author's. You each put your own touch on smut scenes that (in combination with your talents as writeres) makes them each different and good.


Awww, thanks Impress. :hug: And since you've all been so patient...aside from voodoo dolls and ninja armies...here we go.


Warning: This post contains adult content that surpasses the R rating of this story. If material of an NC-17 nature disturbs you, please read no further.

Having said that, these chapters are necessary to the overall plot of the story. For that reason (and because of FF.net's restrictions) I am creating an R rated version of part five of this fic. It should be ready tomorrow, and if you would prefer to read that, which will exclude the more graphic and sexually explicit portions of the update while leaving the plot in tact, PM me and I'll be more than happy to send you a copy. :)




Chapter Eleven


Chloe always wondered about her past. Amnesia did that to a person. But every once and a while something would happen that would push her thoughts beyond the normal “what was my favorite movie” and more into the realm of “what the hell was up with my life?!” Sneaking through the hallways of the massive mansion she called home, Chloe was fairly certain that this was one of those moments.

It wasn’t her furtive actions that gave her pause – she had good reason for her skulking. No; it was the almost unbearable thrill that her little covert missions gave her.

The sharp sounds of footfalls on the pristine wood floors alerted her to the approach of one of the various staff members and Chloe quickly stepped into a random room to conceal her presence. And there it was again; the burst of adrenaline that flooded her system as she pressed her ear tightly to the door, waiting for the steps to pass her by.

And she had to admit that she liked it. The slinking, the dodging; the rush she got being Covert Chloe was somewhat electrifying…and a little embarrassing given the nature of her “mission”.

Moving once again through the corridors, she could see her objective through the open doorway before her. Carefully she took in her surroundings. She saw no one in her line of sight, but still paused a few moments more. When the silence confirmed her observations, she dashed across the last of the open space separating her from her goal.

She made it. Chloe gave a small sigh of relief as she slipped through the narrow door, closing it behind her, before turning to survey her bounty. No matter how wealthy her husband might be, she knew that his true riches were there, laid out on the heavy shelves that lined the walls. Her eyes raced across the bright, multicolored packages before landing on the feature for the day.

Nutter Butters.

Yesterday had been mangoes, the day prior was Oreos, and the one before that, peanut brittle. And so it had been for the past three weeks as Chloe snuck down to the kitchen at least once a day to liberate a new delight. At times a sinfully expensive foreign delicacy and at others something as pedestrian as chunky peanut butter, each item consumed represented more than a tempting treat; it was one of the many small ways in which Chloe was relearning who she was regardless of her memory’s timetable.

She knew to most people it would seem like such a minor thing, but in the complete and utter void that was her past it was sometimes the missing minutiae that was the hardest to take. Losing the knowledge of her husband, her family, it was definitely difficult. But losing things like her favorite color, song, food - things so intrinsic to who she was, was for some reason a hundred times worse. While Lex’s presence confirmed the reality of her marriage, the inability to establish so few concrete facts about herself left her feeling almost non-existent, as if these tiny details had, in some ways, given her substance. And so, as with the rest of her memories, she sought to do something about the situation. Thus the covert treks to the kitchen.

Not that she had to creep like a thief through her own house. However, she had a feeling that Lex was getting suspicious of her various fact finding missions. There was no denying that the man was brilliant and Chloe knew that her days of slipping her active attempts at wellness under his radar were fast coming to an end.

Although, honestly, his awareness wouldn’t stop her. It was her mind, and her life she was dealing with. And though she had carefully considered all of the expert advice she was given, Chloe knew that, in the end, she would do what she considered best and not even what was sure to be an unpleasant confrontation with her husband would deter her.

And so the experiments began. It wasn’t that she had no knowledge of the foods she sampled. She knew what chocolate chip cookies were; understood, intellectually, the existence of an artichoke heart. It’s just that she had no recollection of any personal experience that told her how much she had enjoyed partaking of these things. But she had to acknowledge, at least to herself, that her plan wasn’t the rousing success that she’d hoped for.

Unfortunately, all she’d actually learned was that she really liked food. So far, instead of discerning a definite preference that she could call her own, Chloe found that every few days she’d find some new fare elbowing its way to the top of her list. In fact, at that point in time, she had already discovered twenty-three different foods that she was sure were her favorite until a new one came along and dumped her back at square one…delicious square one.

With her coveted cookies safely in her possession, Chloe was about to exit the pantry when she was stopped in her tracks by the growing sound of voices outside the door. With a silent curse she realized that it was Friday; the day that various deliveries of fresh produce, meats, and cheeses were delivered by what she was sure were the most exclusive of local merchants.

Having no choice but to wait them out Chloe couldn’t help but listen in. She needed no trials or testing to confirm that she was nosy.

“…and then they showed his helicopter landing.”

The rustle of boxes being opened briefly interrupted.

“You know, I’ve heard a lot of things about the Luthors – some of them not so nice, if you know what I mean. But seeing him just walk into that lab and take the place of those hostages…well, I certainly won’t be tarring him with his father’s brush again any time soon.”

In the silence of the small room the sound of Chloe’s pounding heart was deafening as the import of the man’s words washed over her. Minor pursuits forgotten, she threw open the door, ignoring the panicked expression on Mrs. Whitehead’s face, and rushed towards the bewildered delivery man who hastily stepped back from the wild-eyed blonde.

“Tell me what happened.”

Hands lifted in supplication, he looked over to the elderly lady for some clue as to what the agitated young woman wanted. His attention was brought abruptly back as he felt the fisting of hands in his shirt combined with a surprisingly strong shake for such a petite person.

“My husband! What happened to Lex?”

Understanding and no small amount of sympathy dawned in the man’s eyes as he realized that the woman in front of him was Mrs. Luthor. He hadn’t realized that the young tycoon had a wife, but then he hardly kept up with Metropolis’ high society. Wondering how the police could be so cruel as to not contact her in this type of situation, he prepared to offer all that he knew.

“Well, ma’am, a few hours ago –”

“That will be enough. You can go now, John.”

As head of the Luthor household staff, Conrad Haines radiated an undeniable sense of authority. And John Hutchins, as a simple delivery man who depended on his job to support his family, responded to it immediately. Besides, he thought, news of this type would be better left broken by someone who actually new the shaken woman before him.

By the tone of his voice Chloe knew that Haines had the news she sought and so she paid no attention as the other man departed.

“First you’re going to tell me what’s happened to my husband, and later we’ll discuss with the fact that no one saw fit to inform me that there was even a situation to begin with.”

“Mrs. Luthor,” he began placatingly “I really think it would be best if we waited for Mr. Luthor’s return.”

“Can you promise me that will happen?” she snarled.

The silence that met her harsh question was all the answer she needed. Pushing her way past the unaccommodating man, Chloe headed for the one place that she knew would provide the information for which she was becoming desperate.

The doors of Lex’s office opened easily, but the large mahogany armoire containing the house’s only television was locked. Intellectually Chloe could appreciate the precaution. Although, outside of trying to glean random facts about herself, she’d been very good about the doctors’ dictates, and regardless of the fact that she was routinely checked on by the staff, she knew that Lex’s near paranoia concerning her recovery would lead him to take such preventative measures. Not that those measures would stop her.

“Mrs. Luthor, please–”

“Give me the key.”

Bright eyes flashing with a fierce determination he wouldn’t have imagined from the normally sweet natured woman, her cold, hard tone cut his plea short and it was only his knowledge of the ruthlessness of the Luthor’s reputation that prompted his answer.

“I’m sorry; I don’t have it.”

Chloe didn’t know if Haines was lying or whether Lex truly hadn’t entrusted the man with the key. Both possibilities seemed equally probable, but neither mattered. She didn’t have time for his reticence.

A quick glance around the large room yielded what she needed and, walking over to the fireplace, Chloe grabbed the heavy iron poker. Ignoring the shocked and vaguely horrified look on the older man’s face, Chloe calmly moved back to the large cabinet and proceeded to beat it repeatedly until the wood cracked beneath her resolute blows.

The television, as always, was tuned to a twenty-four hour news station. And, while Chloe was gratified to be getting the full story, her chest was painfully tight as the large caption at the bottom of the screen proclaimed “LuthorCorp Hostage Crisis”. Turning up the volume, she listened as the broadcaster’s voice echoed in the stillness of the room.

“We’re now entering hour three of this terrible hostage situation. It was shortly after noon that the police were notified of gunfire at Addison Laboratories, a subsidiary of LuthorCorp.

Reports from those who had safely evacuated the facility were that ex-employee, Alan Milford, had entered the building heavily armed and made his way to his former work station where he barricaded himself and eleven staff members in one of the labs.

Shortly after, LuthorCorp CEO Lex Luthor arrived on scene.”

A short clip of Lex exiting his corporate helicopter was shown and Chloe’s heart clenched harder at the sight of his strong, resolved form. Pushing down her fast overwhelming sense of anxiety she tried to focus on the continuing story.

“At approximately 1:00 pm, the gunman communicated his single demand to the police – He would release all hostages in exchange for Lex Luthor.”

Chloe knew what was coming next; she knew and, collapsing into the nearest chair, she tried to hold back a terrified sob as her worst fears were confirmed.

“Sources within the police department have informed us that the idea was immediately rejected by officials on the scene despite Luthor’s apparent willingness to meet the demand. But calls from both the Mayor and Governor, whose campaigns were heavily financed with LuthorCorp donations, overruled the decision and Mr. Luthor was given authorization to enter the building. The eleven original hostages were released within minutes, sustaining only minor injuries from the initial conflict.

The picture of Lex walking without hesitation into the hands of a clearly deranged and violent criminal was in no way offset for Chloe by the sight of the people his actions had saved. Feeling sick as she watched the station cut back to a live view of the building, Chloe was on the verge of demanding access to a car when a barrage of loud burst that, despite her amnesia, she clearly recognized as gunfire, broke through the droning of the station’s correspondent.

Momentarily unable to breathe, Chloe could do nothing but sit frozen, waiting to learn if her life as she knew it had just been taken from her.



Chapter Twelve


Back in his helicopter, this time on his way home, Lex listened to the hypnotic hum of the blades above him and tried to fight the pull of exhaustion. The adrenaline rush that had sustained him throughout the extreme trials of the day had finally dissipated leaving a crashing sensation that he knew all too well from his imperiled days in Smallville.

Then there had been the call from Haines, explaining that Chloe had violently commandeered the television in his office and saw most of the coverage only pulling herself away upon seeing him actually entering the helicopter and it subsequently leaving the ground.

Lex wasn’t sure what to make of that particular development. The first thing he’d done was obtain a copy of the coverage for the channel she had been watching. As he had suspected there was nothing in the broadcast that would be of any danger to his plans with Chloe. There had been enough sensationalism in the day’s actual events for them to have little need to resort to endless speculation about his personal life or a recitation of ancient scandals. Not that those things wouldn’t raise their heads in the sleazier publications in the weeks to follow, but they certainly hadn’t been pressing enough to warrant inclusion in the earlier airings.

What had caught him off guard was the odd sense of relief upon hearing that Chloe had been exposed to most of the story.

Despite the Luthor stoicism, Lex was man enough to admit that, while he didn’t overly worry about dying, actual circumstances in which that was a distinct possibility bothered him. Though the press might never think to suggest it, he was only human. When his personal security team had burst into the lab in which he was being held and bullets had begun hurling through the air, he hadn’t cowered. He’d kept his cool and let his men do the job that they were trained to do without either unnecessary heroics or frantic attempts to escape. He had, unfortunately, been at the center enough life threatening circumstances to handle himself with enviable aplomb.

But they were still traumatic.

Yet, in the midst of the turbulent aftermath, there was an unfamiliar warmth in Lex at the thought of having someone to go home to who would help soothe away the day’s distress. And although his relationship with Chloe wasn’t physically intimate, they shared an emotional connection that he was no longer able to deny.

The large front doors were opened by an anxious Haines, but Lex merely handed over his coat and addressed his own concern. “Where is my wife?”

“In the office sir, but–”

Whatever he was going to say was lost to Lex as a small blur hurled towards him and he found himself with a sobbing blonde buried in his arms. Whatever he had been expecting upon his homecoming, this hadn’t been it. Despite her emotional reaction to her first nightmare, his image of Chloe had always been that of the hardened, intrepid reporter who scoffed at danger. Even her amnesia had been accepted with what he considered her characteristic optimism and determination to triumph over adversity. Of course, those situations had always involved peril to herself. He’d never really stopped to consider how she handled the possibility of harm to those she cared for. He’d never really had a reason to until that moment.

“Chloe; hush honey, its okay.”

And as quickly as she’d appeared in his arms she pulled back, and the warm embrace was replaced with a flurry of desperate blows. A release of emotion as opposed to an agent of any real pain, Lex stood quietly as Chloe poured out her fear.

“Okay? Okay!” Her eyes shot green fire as she spit the words at him. “What were you thinking? He could have killed you!”

Lex watched as his steward edged his way out of the foyer and Chloe’s cries died down as she buried her face in her hands. At a loss of how to best handle such an excess of emotion, Lex stepped forward, placing comforting hands on her shaking shoulders.

Chloe’s wet gaze met his as she moved to grasp his shirt, pulling closer to his touch.

“You could have died.”

His breath caught at her words. She was afraid, was crying, for him. She was so distraught at the very thought of him being hurt that she was trembling with it. And that, more than the danger, more than the adrenaline, shook Lex to his very core.

In only his time as a young child so briefly under his mother’s wing had he known the pleasure of having someone care for him so much that his state well being was imperative to their happiness. And, in the years since his her death, it was a feeling he’d steadily been convinced that he’d never know again.

But there it was – Chloe’s anguish, so naked and raw that it couldn’t be anything other than real. His head reeled and his heart clenched at the flood of sensations for which he’d secretly craved so long. Lost as he was in the new awareness, he was unprepared for the shift of Chloe’s body as her hands rose to caress his face and draw his lips down to hers.

Her mouth, warm and soft beneath his own, stripped away his shock and stress and bathed his strained nerves in the tenderness of her kiss. As her tongue slipped over his lower lip, tentatively searching out his own, Lex lost all sense of past or future and gave himself over to this one exquisite moment that had so effortlessly captured him.

Chloe moaned as her advance was met and answered as Lex’s tongue moved to tangle with her own and then push forward to the warm recess beyond. More than anything, the taste of him, that intimate connection to him, began to convince her that he was actually there, in her arms, alive and safe.

But it wasn’t enough. Chloe needed to be closer; much, much closer. She needed to touch him, to hold him, to take him in and make him a part of her. She understood the reason that Lex had kept a modicum of physical distance between them; knew that he was being considerate of all she’d suffered. But this suffering was worse. Every day that passed saw the space between them grow from a blessing to a burden, and almost losing him had brought that fact into startling clarity.

As she had waited through each agonizing minute to see if Lex would live or die, Chloe finally realized that her life didn’t have to end because her memories had. Fate had given her a second chance to fall in love with her husband once again and she was tired of wasting that miracle.

The smooth silk of his shirt was cool against her hands as they slid down to free the material from his pants only to journey upwards over his heated flesh. Her whisper soft touch grazed along the firm muscle of his stomach before drawing the fabric with her to explore the counters of his chest.

The deep, guttural groan that rumbled through Lex brought them both momentarily back to reality. Stunned at far he’d let things go, Lex caught Chloe’s hands in his and gently interrupted their caress. He swallowed heavily at both the loss of her warm touch and in regret for what he had to say.

“Chloe, we can’t –”

Surprise halted his words as Chloe tugged a hand free and pressed a finger to his lips.

“If you don’t want me, Lex…if I’m too broken or not enough of the woman you married, you can tell me. You don’t have to make it anything other than what it is.”

Chloe was sure that wasn’t the problem. The way he’d kissed her left little doubt that he wanted her, but she had to ask, needed to be certain that she wasn’t the only one feeling this way. The thought of wanting him when he didn’t want her in return tugged at something just beyond her reach; but she knew, with absolute certainty, that if that were the case she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Fortunately, the emotions so uncharacteristically emblazoned on Lex’s face – shock and appalled disbelief – did much to calm her fears.

“Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.” Agitated hands wrapped tightly round her arms and she could feel the sincerity in the tremor that ran through him as he spoke. “You’re not broken. The memories you lost are just moments of thought, they’re not you; not the things that make you who you are. They’re not important.”

“I know,” she said as she smiled tremulously up at him. “I finally realized that today. If I never recall my past, if I never get back my time with you; it doesn’t matter. Remembering this - us, isn’t necessary because I fallen in love with you all over again.”

Looking down into her tearstained eyes, Lex found himself tumbling headlong into the gold tinged depths and the truth they contained, the same conviction that rang in her voice.

“I love you, Lex Luthor,” she passionately declared. “I love every minute I’m with you. When we talk, when we laugh, when we fight, or when we just sit quietly, because I feel you with me.”

She moved close to him again, and Lex was unable to summon the will to deny her need to be near or his to have her so.

“I love how you tease me when I’m disheartened and comfort me when I’m scared.”

A shaky laugh emerged as her hand gently cupped his cheek.

“I even love when you’re moody and secretive. When you come home all dark and brooding and hiding behind the walls you’ve built. God,” she cried, “I even love those stupid walls because it makes me feel so precious every time you let me in. Let me in now.”

His lips crashed into hers as Lex gathered her fiercely to him. For so many years he’d used hard logic and cold reasoning as weapons against the world. It suited his intellectual nature and insulated him against some small part of the emotional destruction that was inherent in being Lionel Luthor’s son. But a part of him, the part that he hid, that he tried to force away into oblivion, understood that so many of his stratagems and machinations were a tremendous overcompensation brought on by his compulsive need for someone to honestly want him; to love him. The way that Chloe was offering her love to him.

And the overpowering feeling of finding something that had seemed so irreversibly lost crashed like a wave upon him, drowning him in depths of a passion that he couldn’t have begun to battle even if he’d wanted to; even if his greatest of hidden desires wasn’t being fulfilled.

The kiss broke as suddenly as it started and Lex was left wanting and confused as Chloe drew back only to bury her head in his chest. The thought that she didn’t want him, had merely been caught in the moment and had finally come to her senses, speared pain through his very being and left his heart weak and bleeding. Yet what in one instant seemed shattered was in the next healed as the words she sobbed into his chest washed through him and soothed the ragged edges of his soul.

“I could have lost you. Oh God, I love you so much and I could have lost you. And I never would have had the chance to tell you. I wouldn’t have even had the memory of it…of anything.”

Her face lifted and he read a kind of frantic need that he was certain must echo his own.

“Give me new memories, Lex. Don’t leave me with this nothingness where our love should be. I want to know your touch, how it feels when you move inside me. I’m tired of searching for the past. I want to start creating our future.”

For every choice Lex had made in his life there had been a reason, a rationale. Even his reckless and misspent youth had been about more than just wild parties and easy women. For all that it had been a distraction from endless emptiness of his life, it was more than that. It was a way to force his father to notice him, to take an interest. And although it had gotten him exiled to Smallville, it had still been successful. So it had been with all of his ventures – desire combined with purpose.

But standing there with Chloe in his arms begging him to love her, to let her love him, Lex was, for once, at a loss for the fortitude to focus on grand schemes or ulterior motives. The world could go to hell and take all that he’d worked for with it and it wouldn’t turn him from this unrelenting need that could only be sated together.

Logic fled, knowing that it could not prevail, and desire rushed to fill the void , and Lex let one dream briefly go to grasp, for just a moment, another far more precious. And before good sense could hope to rally, Lex swept Chloe up into his arms a made for the stairs.



Chapter Thirteen


As the last of their clothing fluttered to the floor, Lex was met with an immutable truth - Chloe Sullivan was breathtaking.

Not in the trite or banal manner with which the phrase was all too often used. No; as Lex gazed at the lush curves and tempting hollows laid out before him, the air momentarily caught in his chest. Her tousled hair spread out across the pillow, and the contrast of the golden waves and ivory flesh against the dark silk of the sheets was mesmerizing.

Under his heated stare Chloe could feel her skin pinken and couldn‘t prevent a brief moment of hesitation from whispering through her mind. It wasn’t Lex she doubted. She wanted him so badly, knew that this was right. It was herself. Deep inside Chloe worried that, with no memory of their previous times together, she wouldn’t know what Lex expected, what he liked, what gave him pleasure. She worried that she would disappoint him.

“Chloe?”

A small sigh escaped her as her arms moved without thought to cover herself. She hated feeling neurotic and took that as a good sign that she most likely wasn’t, in general, overly dramatic. In fact, the more she thought about it the more she realized just how foolish she was being.

Whatever else Lex was - friend, husband, entrepreneur - he was, first and foremost, a man. A man who was currently pressing a very flattering hardness against her thigh. There was no questioning that he wanted her, and as for learning what he liked, well, she could cite that as her extremely valid reason for ample practice.

“I’m sorry,” her lips curved wryly. “I’m blowing it, aren’t I?”

Seeing that the storm had passed, Lex’s own smile tilted in response. “You could be,” he replied suggestively.

Shaking with laughter she reached up and pulled Lex down, winding her arms around him and whispering into his ear, “God, I love you.”

As her voice penetrated the sensual fog created by the crush of her breasts against his chest, Lex couldn’t prevent the small roll of his hips as humor fled and intensity returned in response to her words; to her utter belief in them.

Crushing her mouth under his, Lex swallowed Chloe’s low moan as his hand slipped between them to palm her breast. Long fingers skillfully found the tightening nipple and gently tugged it into a peak. His lips left hers to trail soft, reverent kisses across her jaw and down her neck until finally they met and replaced his fingers, drawing the taught nub into the warmth of his mouth.

Chloe’s hands flew to Lex’s head, wanting to prolong the sensations he was creating. She was almost glad that she had no personal memory of this as every touch, no matter how brief, how slight, was overwhelming in its newness and fervor. Her small sound of discontent as he pulled away ended in breathy gasp of pleasure as Lex merely moved to lavish her other breast in equal measure.

Lex increased the suction of his mouth at the erotic sounds that spilled from Chloe’s lips. Every murmur urged him onward and he savored the sweet sounds of her ardor. Her responses, so honest and genuine, were unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his years of ill fated romances with woman who wanted so many things, but never just him.

Tasting a path over the smooth planes of her stomach, he reached the silky curls at the juncture of her thighs and paused to look up at her. Seeing the stark anticipation swallow any trepidation she was still harboring was all the encouragement he needed as he gently opened her legs and settled between them.

The scent of her arousal hung heavy in the air and he breathed deep the proof of her need for him. Drawn like a magnet to the moist heat before him, Lex placed a tender kiss upon her before sweeping his tongue across her. His harsh groan rivaled hers as her taste, hot and tangy, burst through him.

Chloe’s hips rose up to meet the steady thrusts he was making, and Lex was forced to grasp them and anchor them to the bed to prevent their movement from disrupting such a thoroughly enjoyable past time. Her frenetic motions gave him momentary pause to wonder if it was simply the absence of any specific memory of sex that made her so hyper sensitive to his ministrations, or whether it had been so long since Chloe had enjoyed such attentions.

The idea of her with another man made his stomach clench and so he tuned out that choice in favor of another, far more satisfying explanation - maybe it was being with him specifically that made her so ravenous for his touch.

And that thought made him ache with hardness and he couldn’t wait a second more to be inside of her. Sliding up over her body, scorching flesh against flesh, he settled above her, his firm length pulsing against her. Looking down into her flushed and radiant face, Lex found himself hesitating. The trauma of his earlier ordeal, the soul soothing confession of her love, and the heady intoxication of her body so ripe and ready for his own combined to making stopping a near impossibility. But he wondered if maybe-

“Lex, please.”

And with that achingly heartfelt plea he was done in and he plunged deep inside her. She was like liquid fire as she tightened around him and he longed to sink further into her. He stilled himself instead, unsure of her readiness to proceed and loathe to cause her any pain.

Chloe, however, had no such concerns and arched her hips forward until Lex slid into her fully. Her eyes slammed shut as she felt herself stretch to accommodate his not unimpressive size. But it was more than worth the small discomfort as, for the first time since her accident, she truly felt whole.

At Chloe’s clear sign of readiness, Lex could no longer hold back and began to move within her. Setting a slow and steady rhythm, he allowed all of his misgivings to slide away as he sought to ensure the return of the limitless pleasure she was giving. Slightly shifting the angle of his thrusts, Lex was rewarded with a sharp cry from Chloe and he felt her hands grab his hips and urge him faster.

She buried her face in his shoulder as, suddenly, the sensations assailing her, lifting her higher and higher, crested, leaving her hanging for a dazzling eternity in a bliss so intense that everything faded save for the feel of him filling her and the raw strains of her voice.

“Love you. I love you.”

That was all it took to send Lex, too, falling over the edge as spasms of ecstasy rocked through him. His arms could no longer hold him above her and he collapsed, careful to land to the side of her before gathering her in his arms and pulling her flush against him.

The exhaustion of the day had clearly taken its toll on her as she managed only a brief yet blinding smile as she snuggled into him and her heavy lids slid closed. As Lex was about to join her he heard her words of love whispered once more across his chest before her breathing deepened and evened out and sleep, which had been poised to envelope him, slipped from his grasp.

He’d just made love to Chloe Sullivan. Chloe Sullivan, not Luthor. Not his wife, not even his friend. But now most definitely his lover.

He’d never meant for things to go so far, to become so serious. Of course he’d known that what his original plans had been, affording them the greatest of leeways, ethically dubious. But it hadn’t been irreparable. Sure, it would have garnered Chloe’s enmity for all time, but it wouldn’t have broken her. She was too strong for that. But this…

She’d said she loved him. And she’d meant it. From every fiber of her being Chloe had radiated love for him. And though it might damn him to hell to admit it, he couldn’t bring himself to regret that fact.

Taking advantage of her injuries, the lies, the deceptions, all of it he could find it somewhere in him to repent. But knowing that a woman as amazing, as wonderful and giving as Chloe could honestly care for him, love him; he just couldn’t bring himself to lament such an extraordinary gift. It had been too long since someone, anyone, had loved him and he hadn’t honestly been certain that he was still able to inspire that emotion.

The heat from the soft body curled into him was drugging and sleep was once again tugging at his mind as the twists and turns of his thoughts wore him down. As his eyes closed he resolved that morning would see some kind of change. For all that Lex knew that he was a bastard, he’d never considered himself a sadist. Although Clark’s secret still eluded him, he had a number of new leads to follow, and while he could use the analogy of a soldier’s battle wounds to justify Chloe’s kidnapping, there was little that would possibly excuse him using her in such a personal manner.

But those were issues for the new day. And, knowing that nothing could be accomplished that night, Lex allowed himself to enjoy the twining of their bodies; the closeness of a women who truly cared for him. Remorse was for the morning; this night was meant for peace.


tbc


~Sarah~

[westwingwolf]

I love that Chloe's inner sneakyness is coming through and I honestly thought she was going to sneak into Lex's room to convice him to have his wicked way with her, but Nutter Butters are just as important. Okay maybe not but it certainly was funny.

I'm really starting to identify with Chloe in that it sucks not to know even the smallest detail. That would drive me nuts and with her inner curiosity so strong it's got to be so many times worse.

I love that she's immediately worried for Lex and he's such a great guy for exchanging himself as a hostage.

Chloe's speech of love was so sweet and incredible and moving that I was actually thinking for a moment that it could work with her never finding out the truth, but I know real world is going creep back in at some point. I could certainly see how it broke through Lex's defenses and made him feel so loved.

The smut was spectacular and it was because it was emotional and knowing how much of an effect this is going to have on the two of them. Chloe really is in love and I know that it's wrong of Lex to lie about the marriage but a marriage isn't going to automatically make her fall in love with him. This whole ordeal just proves that if they didn't have to take sides on the Clark issue, a relationship would have worked.

Now, I wonder what exactly is Lex going to do. Will he admit to everything or do his best to keep up the charade because that seems difficult if not entirely impossible, but either way finding out is going to hurt Chloe. It's great that his acknowledging these feelings and has guilt, but does that mean he's going to forget about his plans to uncover Clark's secret and just focus on being with Chloe? I think the truth about Clark will come to him whether he continues to actively persue it through this plan or not, but the key to whether or not Lex truely cares about Chloe is in how he acts. If he tells the truth, then her needs are coming first. Actually, I'm a little on the fence about this because on one side she needs to know and on the other side telling her will cause her pain and the fact that she doesn't remember so if he tells her, she'll have no one for support and trust because it would be strange for her to go to Clark and Lois after feeling so much comfort with Lex. And even if he doesn't tell her and just concentrates on wanting to help her with her memories for her sake or just wanting to be with her until the inevitable crashing down moment, I'd still admire him more for that then if he actively tried to get Chloe to remember what she knows about Clark. That is what make this story so amazing because there are so many paths it can take and I feel just as worried for Lex as I do for Chloe, and there is no absolutely right or wrong answer because these all could lead to good and bad things which just makes the story more real to life.

P.S. I think I've got about 10 to 20 run-on sentences in this reply. Sorry about that!
P.P.S. I just realized that I think like Vizzini in The Princess Bride during the Iocane Powder incident. I always go back and forth on the possible right choice.

[Kit Merlot]

Excellent updates Sarah!

Chloe's horrified reaction to Lex's being involved in a hostage situation was just wonderfully described. And good for her for asking Lex to help her build a future, instead of just thinking about the past.

And I loved how overwhelmed Lex was at Chloe's declaration of love. After his mom's death, it's heartbreaking that he doubted if anyone would ever be able to love him again.

And the scene where they sleep together was just gorgeously described.

Well done:D

[Gaia]

Great update!
I'm really getting to the point were I don't want Chloe to get her memories back, and for her to stay the way she is, because when she gets her memories back....the emotions over this....well it is going to be heartbreaking.
More please

[biscuits]

I love this. The smut was wonderful, yes, but the update on the whole left me simultaneously giddy and aching. You are a master of characterization and plot, and I love every insight you offer. While I can't wait for more, I will clamp down on my violent tendencies -for now- and try to catch more flies with honey. Wonderful work, as always

[lj715]

Excellent, excellent chapter. I've been waiting for this chapter for a long time. I agree with Gaia, I sort of like the charade but I know , when she gets her memory back , it won;t be pretty. Hopefeully things will work out though.

[hfce]

Oh that was beautiful but sad. Sad because Lex is deceiving her. :puppydog:

[dagney]

Sarah, i was hyperventalating when i saw the update. I about stopped breathing entirely when i read it. The emotional wall Chloe has broken through with Lex. MMMM me thinks that Lex may try and actually bind Chloe to him by getting married for real under the guise of creating new memories. I think his agenda is about to change from Clark to Chloe. I forsee major angst comming up but i do so wish for a happy ending.

PS Doesn't Lex realize he's in love iwth her too? Dagney

[Augustine86]

Gosh, this story is lovely as long as one doesn't remember that Chloe is not in fact Mrs. Luthor and that sooner or later everything is going to blow up in his face...

Damn

[Esther25jm]

Wow, how to reply....splendid, just splendid update! Covert!Chloe had me laughing, then almost in tears with the knowledge of Lex's situation. And those Chlex scenes---all of them---so powerful!! Man, I'm with WWF, I almost wish that Chloe's memories wouldn't come back, but I know they have to and it'll be so hard to read what will happen then. Still, I believe it'll all work out, somehow, in the end. I hope. Love this and can't wait for another amazing chapter!

[Impress]

that was well done Chica. I really think the smut worked being more emotional rather than descriptive. This story is more about the characters and their thoughts/feelings so to make it less about them and more about the sex it self would have taken away from the story.

It seems very in character of Lex to allow himself the pleasure of being with a woman who really does love him and worry about the consequences tomorrow. I'm curious to see how Lex is going to change the way things are and how Chloe is going to handle everything once her memory returns. Can this have a happy Chelx ending? I certainly hope so.

More soon.

[xxasaxx]

wonderful, wonderful chapter!

you really captured the intensity of the situation!

i'm looking forward to the next chapter

[somethingeasy]

This was an AMAZING, stunning and jaw-dropping update, Skauble. The BEST one so far… and considering the quality of the fic up to this point, that is saying a LOT!


Chloe always wondered about her past. Amnesia did that to a person. But every once and a while something would happen that would push her thoughts beyond the normal “what was my favorite movie” and more into the realm of “what the hell was up with my life?!” Sneaking through the hallways of the massive mansion she called home, Chloe was fairly certain that this was one of those moments.

heh, I loved this explanation about how Chloe wonders about both the mundane aspects of her former-life as well as the major philosophical overviews. It’s really quite fascinating to see her trying to find and fit all the pieces together like a puzzle.


And she had to admit that she liked it. The slinking, the dodging; the rush she got being Covert Chloe was somewhat electrifying…and a little embarrassing given the nature of her “mission”.

ROTFLMAO! We’ve already established, in earlier chapters, how Chloe’s intense sense of curiosity and intelligent ‘puzzle-solving’ skills had not been diminished by a lack of memories and experiences. BUT it is amazing to see that her investigative instincts were inspired more by the ‘thrill of the sneaky predatory hunt’ rather than ‘just’ a need to reach the truth of every situation. It’s downright fascinating to see her getting an ‘electrifying thrill’ out of being covert, sneaky and engaging in subterfuge… even when her sneaking around is relatively harmless.


She made it. Chloe gave a small sigh of relief as she slipped through the narrow door, closing it behind her, before turning to survey her bounty. No matter how wealthy her husband might be, she knew that his true riches were there, laid out on the heavy shelves that lined the walls. Her eyes raced across the bright, multicolored packages before landing on the feature for the day.

Nutter Butters.

:rofl: I was ROTFLMAO when we got to the punchline of Chloe’s sneaky, covert mission right now. She’s looking for calorie-laden snack-food? THAT is her thrilling adventure? LOL!

I love how she was able to make mock-hazard out of going to the kitchen for a snack.


Yesterday had been mangoes, the day prior was Oreos, and the one before that, peanut brittle. And so it had been for the past three weeks as Chloe snuck down to the kitchen at least once a day to liberate a new delight. At times a sinfully expensive foreign delicacy and at others something as pedestrian as chunky peanut butter, each item consumed represented more than a tempting treat; it was one of the many small ways in which Chloe was relearning who she was regardless of her memory’s timetable.

She knew to most people it would seem like such a minor thing, but in the complete and utter void that was her past it was sometimes the missing minutiae that was the hardest to take. Losing the knowledge of her husband, her family, it was definitely difficult. But losing things like her favorite color, song, food - things so intrinsic to who she was, was for some reason a hundred times worse. While Lex’s presence confirmed the reality of her marriage, the inability to establish so few concrete facts about herself left her feeling almost non-existent, as if these tiny details had, in some ways, given her substance. And so, as with the rest of her memories, she sought to do something about the situation. Thus the covert treks to the kitchen.

This part was fascinating, and I found myself reading it several times over to digest it properly. I thought it was interesting that Chloe found it much harder to cope with the loss of her ‘personal tastes and preferences’ as compared to forgetting the details of past history, family and friends.

But I can imagine how disconcerting it must be to not know ‘little’ things about yourself… like what kind of lipstick you liked wearing? What hairstyle you preferred? How about jewellery? Movies? Food? So many things that you SHOULD know and prefer, but you feel empty of the experiences that led you to experiment and obtain the knowledge of ‘things you likes best’.

Excellent writing, Skauble. This part gave me a whole new perspective on total-amnesia. The idea of ‘starting anew’ might be exciting and interesting, but it’s also mostly scary.


Not that she had to creep like a thief through her own house. However, she had a feeling that Lex was getting suspicious of her various fact finding missions. There was no denying that the man was brilliant and Chloe knew that her days of slipping her active attempts at wellness under his radar were fast coming to an end.

Although, honestly, his awareness wouldn’t stop her. It was her mind, and her life she was dealing with. And though she had carefully considered all of the expert advice she was given, Chloe knew that, in the end, she would do what she considered best and not even what was sure to be an unpleasant confrontation with her husband would deter her.

Heh, I thought it was rather funny that Chloe is STILL as contrary and stubborn as always. Even stripped of her memories and identity, she wasn’t going to let Lex push her around or present himself as an obstacle to anything she REALLY wanted.

Hmmm, I wonder how the after effects of this chapter is going to affect Lex’s determination to keep Chloe ‘protected’ from finding the key to her memories again. It’s possible that he might become more obsessed than ever with the idea of keeping her an amnesiac for as long as possible. Not because he wants to keep her until she spills the beans about Clark, but because he wants to just KEEP her, period!

Heh, there might be a fight coming up even before Chloe’s memories return. Lex is going to become more obsessive with keeping Chloe ignorant, and Chloe determination to find out MORE is growing with every passing day.


And so the experiments began. It wasn’t that she had no knowledge of the foods she sampled. She knew what chocolate chip cookies were; understood, intellectually, the existence of an artichoke heart. It’s just that she had no recollection of any personal experience that told her how much she had enjoyed partaking of these things. But she had to acknowledge, at least to herself, that her plan wasn’t the rousing success that she’d hoped for.

Unfortunately, all she’d actually learned was that she really liked food. So far, instead of discerning a definite preference that she could call her own, Chloe found that every few days she’d find some new fare elbowing its way to the top of her list. In fact, at that point in time, she had already discovered twenty-three different foods that she was sure were her favorite until a new one came along and dumped her back at square one…delicious square one.

LOL! It must actually be fun discovering a ‘new favourite’ food every day… in a frustrating sort of way :P
23 favourites? ROFLOL!


“You know, I’ve heard a lot of things about the Luthors – some of them not so nice, if you know what I mean. But seeing him just walk into that lab and take the place of those hostages…well, I certainly won’t be tarring him with his father’s brush again any time soon.”

In the silence of the small room the sound of Chloe’s pounding heart was deafening as the import of the man’s words washed over her. Minor pursuits forgotten, she threw open the door, ignoring the panicked expression on Mrs. Whitehead’s face, and rushed towards the bewildered delivery man who hastily stepped back from the wild-eyed blonde.

Heh, it seems like Chloe still has the uncanny knack of snooping in the right place at the right time for important information to fall into her lap. Excellent!

I did think the ‘panicked expression’ on Mrs. Whitehead’s face was very interesting. Are ALL the servant aware of the illegal and unethical activities (like kidnapping, conning and emotional manipulation) that their employer is up to? Have they been (very harshly) informed that they should keep Chloe from coming into contact with news and information concerning the outside world? Did Mrs. Whitehead have a moment of panic at the thought that she had failed in keeping Chloe away from outside contact… even if it WAS interaction with a fairly harmless delivery guy?


“My husband! What happened to Lex?”

Understanding and no small amount of sympathy dawned in the man’s eyes as he realized that the woman in front of him was Mrs. Luthor. He hadn’t realized that the young tycoon had a wife, but then he hardly kept up with Metropolis’ high society. Wondering how the police could be so cruel as to not contact her in this type of situation, he prepared to offer all that he knew.

It’s also possible that Lex’s staff were ordered to keep Chloe’s contact with the outside world to a minimum, not only because he didn’t want to jog her memory in any unpredictable way, but also because he did NOT want anyone to know about her presence here.

Hmmm, I wonder who John is going to tell about ‘the pretty, short, curvaceous blonde’ Lex has taken as his bride. Heh, this has the potential to blow up in Lex’s face quite spectacularly… IF John happens to spill the beans to the wrong person… like a reporter?


“First you’re going to tell me what’s happened to my husband, and later we’ll discuss with the fact that no one saw fit to inform me that there was even a situation to begin with.”

“Mrs. Luthor,” he began placatingly “I really think it would be best if we waited for Mr. Luthor’s return.”

“Can you promise me that will happen?” she snarled.

heee :D Chloe actually SNARLED at the man. I loved the way she started interrogating the man in such a strong, no-nonsense manner. Any other man (who hadn’t been threatened by Lex Luthor) probably would have caved into her demands without thinking.


The doors of Lex’s office opened easily, but the large mahogany armoire containing the house’s only television was locked. Intellectually Chloe could appreciate the precaution. Although, outside of trying to glean random facts about herself, she’d been very good about the doctors’ dictates, and regardless of the fact that she was routinely checked on by the staff, she knew that Lex’s near paranoia concerning her recovery would lead him to take such preventative measures. Not that those measures would stop her.

LOL! Nice try from Lex to lock up the television… but if he had really wanted to cover all the bases. He should have had all television sets completely removed from the household. Or at least, disconnected from a satellite hookup.

*gasp* Does this mean that Chloe doesn’t have access to an Internet Connection??!! :eek: The horror, oh the HORROR!


“Mrs. Luthor, please–”

“Give me the key.”

Bright eyes flashing with a fierce determination he wouldn’t have imagined from the normally sweet natured woman, her cold, hard tone cut his plea short and it was only his knowledge of the ruthlessness of the Luthor’s reputation that prompted his answer.

“I’m sorry; I don’t have it.”

ROTFLOL! I loved how Conrad was so SHOCKED by Chloe’s forceful nature asserting itself. He was completely cowed by her… heh, the poor man was stuck between the orders of two very strong individuals over here, but it seems like (at the moment) he is still more intimidated by Lex rather than Chloe.


A quick glance around the large room yielded what she needed and, walking over to the fireplace, Chloe grabbed the heavy iron poker. Ignoring the shocked and vaguely horrified look on the older man’s face, Chloe calmly moved back to the large cabinet and proceeded to beat it repeatedly until the wood cracked beneath her resolute blows.

:rofl: Oh MY! I would like to say I was shocked by this… but I was actually expecting Chloe to do something outrageous like this the moment I heard about the existence of a television locked in a cabinet. Chloe is NOT the kind of person who lets little things like ‘locks’ get in the way of what she wants. ROTFLMAO!

I thought it was very wise of Conrad to not try and stop her. I have no doubt that he would have been the recepient of a very painful blow from an iron poker if he had been foolish enough to present himself as an obstacle.


A short clip of Lex exiting his corporate helicopter was shown and Chloe’s heart clenched harder at the sight of his strong, resolved form. Pushing down her fast overwhelming sense of anxiety she tried to focus on the continuing story.

I liked this part… hearing about Chloe’s reaction just from an image of Lex on the TV. Hmmm, his ‘strong, resolved form’… she IS quite gone on him, isn’t she? Not that I blame her of course… she’s seeing her husband being strong, calm, capable and brave in the face of chaos and terror. What woman WOULDN’T be deeply affected seeing her husband like this?


“Sources within the police department have informed us that the idea was immediately rejected by officials on the scene despite Luthor’s apparent willingness to meet the demand. But calls from both the Mayor and Governor, whose campaigns were heavily financed with LuthorCorp donations, overruled the decision and Mr. Luthor was given authorization to enter the building. The eleven original hostages were released within minutes, sustaining only minor injuries from the initial conflict.

The picture of Lex walking without hesitation into the hands of a clearly deranged and violent criminal was in no way offset for Chloe by the sight of the people his actions had saved. Feeling sick as she watched the station cut back to a live view of the building, Chloe was on the verge of demanding access to a car when a barrage of loud burst that, despite her amnesia, she clearly recognized as gunfire, broke through the droning of the station’s correspondent.

Hmmm, I (kind of) remember an episode of Smallville based around Lex (and assorted others) being taken hostage by a meteor infected Freak at the SV Plant. Are these events taking place during THAT episode? Or does Lex have the colossal bad luck of being stuck in yet ANOTHER hostage situation. You’d think once would be more than enough for a lifetime… heh, leave it to a Luthor to take an experience to an excess :P

I have to say, I was VERY impressed by Lex. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? This same man who can kidnap an innocent girl, isolate her, take advantage of her mental illness and use it to emotionally manipulate her is ALSO capable of walking unarmed into the hands of a psychopath so that ‘other’ innocent people could be set free in his stead. How can a man so brave, courageous and noble be such a bastard RAT!

Heh, one of the many, MANY reasons we love Lex so much. He’s a walking mass of contradictions.


Back in his helicopter, this time on his way home, Lex listened to the hypnotic hum of the blades above him and tried to fight the pull of exhaustion. The adrenaline rush that had sustained him throughout the extreme trials of the day had finally dissipated leaving a crashing sensation that he knew all too well from his imperiled days in Smallville.

I thought it was very interesting seeing this point of view of one of Lex’s Traumatic Experiences. I’ve never really thought about how strung out and exhausted he must be at the end of every single one of those ordeals he goes through. Heh, it also helped establish that ‘Lex is Tired’, and therefore not in the best position to be making rational decisions tonight.


Lex wasn’t sure what to make of that particular development. The first thing he’d done was obtain a copy of the coverage for the channel she had been watching. As he had suspected there was nothing in the broadcast that would be of any danger to his plans with Chloe. There had been enough sensationalism in the day’s actual events for them to have little need to resort to endless speculation about his personal life or a recitation of ancient scandals. Not that those things wouldn’t raise their heads in the sleazier publications in the weeks to follow, but they certainly hadn’t been pressing enough to warrant inclusion in the earlier airings.

I was really impressed with Lex’s cool, collected efficiency over here. He didn’t waste time panicking or shouting recrimination at Conrad… instead, he went about quickly collecting information about everything Chloe ‘could’ have learned to try to figure out a way to spin it in his favour.

Heh, and it IS quite fortunate (and reasonable) that the news didn’t go into Lex’s past history/scandals or current bio… instead choosing to focus on the sensational events that happened on THIS day.

Heh, I did enjoy Lex’s sardonic observation about how his ‘Tainted Past Luthot Exploits’ are going to be rehashed and gossiped about in later viewing of the news. Poor man acts like a hero, but he doesn’t have any illusions of maintaining the ‘hero-image’ for much longer. It’s even sadder that he’s so mater-pf-fact about it. Excellent detailing and insight, Skauble!


Despite the Luthor stoicism, Lex was man enough to admit that, while he didn’t overly worry about dying, actual circumstances in which that was a distinct possibility bothered him. Though the press might never think to suggest it, he was only human. When his personal security team had burst into the lab in which he was being held and bullets had begun hurling through the air, he hadn’t cowered. He’d kept his cool and let his men do the job that they were trained to do without either unnecessary heroics or frantic attempts to escape. He had, unfortunately, been at the center enough life threatening circumstances to handle himself with enviable aplomb.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Lex’s wry observation about how being the central victim of SO many bizarre and terror-filled events has rendered him capable of acting with ‘an enviable amount’ of coolness and calmness when faced with similarly horrible situations. The poor man has actually become used to (even numb to) situations involving life-threatening terrors.


But they were still traumatic.

Yet, in the midst of the turbulent aftermath, there was an unfamiliar warmth in Lex at the thought of having someone to go home to who would help soothe away the day’s distress. And although his relationship with Chloe wasn’t physically intimate, they shared an emotional connection that he was no longer able to deny.

I thought this was WONDERFUL! This is most definitely wonderful progress for the emotionally closed off man that is Lex Luthor. He’s not only letting someone through his emotional barriers, but he’s relishing the idea of having Chloe close to him. He’s looking forward to ‘returning home’ and having her ‘comfort him’ through his exhaustion, trauma and ordeal.


Whatever he was going to say was lost to Lex as a small blur hurled towards him and he found himself with a sobbing blonde buried in his arms. Whatever he had been expecting upon his homecoming, this hadn’t been it. Despite her emotional reaction to her first nightmare, his image of Chloe had always been that of the hardened, intrepid reporter who scoffed at danger. Even her amnesia had been accepted with what he considered her characteristic optimism and determination to triumph over adversity. Of course, those situations had always involved peril to herself. He’d never really stopped to consider how she handled the possibility of harm to those she cared for. He’d never really had a reason to until that moment.

LOVED this! I LOVED how Lex was shocked and stunned by the greeting he got within moments of entering his home. He was amazed by this very real and visceral evidence of how MUCh Chloe cared for him.


And as quickly as she’d appeared in his arms she pulled back, and the warm embrace was replaced with a flurry of desperate blows. A release of emotion as opposed to an agent of any real pain, Lex stood quietly as Chloe poured out her fear.

“Okay? Okay!” Her eyes shot green fire as she spit the words at him. “What were you thinking? He could have killed you!”

ROTFLMAO! Isn’t that a typical Chloe-type reaction to hearing that a beloved one has returned home safe from a life-threatening event? She starts raging at them for putting themselves in danger and making her worry. I loved this. LOL!


“You could have died.”

His breath caught at her words. She was afraid, was crying, for him. She was so distraught at the very thought of him being hurt that she was trembling with it. And that, more than the danger, more than the adrenaline, shook Lex to his very core.

In only his time as a young child so briefly under his mother’s wing had he known the pleasure of having someone care for him so much that his state well being was imperative to their happiness. And, in the years since his her death, it was a feeling he’d steadily been convinced that he’d never know again.

I’m still loving how Lex has yet to get over the stunning revelation that Chloe cares enough to hysterically weep for him when he’s in danger. In fact, the shock seems to be mounting with every passing moment.


But there it was – Chloe’s anguish, so naked and raw that it couldn’t be anything other than real. His head reeled and his heart clenched at the flood of sensations for which he’d secretly craved so long. Lost as he was in the new awareness, he was unprepared for the shift of Chloe’s body as her hands rose to caress his face and draw his lips down to hers.

Her mouth, warm and soft beneath his own, stripped away his shock and stress and bathed his strained nerves in the tenderness of her kiss. As her tongue slipped over his lower lip, tentatively searching out his own, Lex lost all sense of past or future and gave himself over to this one exquisite moment that had so effortlessly captured him.

Of course, we all know that Lex only becomes stupid when something comes along that triggers off his deep-rooted emotional neediness. I can see how this would have knocked him right out of his naturally rational state equilibrium, and made him do something really stupid tonight.

I especially loved the phrasing ‘gave himself over to the moment that so effortlessly captured him’. It REALLY summed up exactly how and why he would have disregarded all common sense and morals to enjoy being ‘in the moment’ this one time.


Chloe moaned as her advance was met and answered as Lex’s tongue moved to tangle with her own and then push forward to the warm recess beyond. More than anything, the taste of him, that intimate connection to him, began to convince her that he was actually there, in her arms, alive and safe.

But it wasn’t enough. Chloe needed to be closer; much, much closer. She needed to touch him, to hold him, to take him in and make him a part of her. She understood the reason that Lex had kept a modicum of physical distance between them; knew that he was being considerate of all she’d suffered. But this suffering was worse. Every day that passed saw the space between them grow from a blessing to a burden, and almost losing him had brought that fact into startling clarity.

As she had waited through each agonizing minute to see if Lex would live or die, Chloe finally realized that her life didn’t have to end because her memories had. Fate had given her a second chance to fall in love with her husband once again and she was tired of wasting that miracle.

I can understand why Chloe would desperately need physical contact to reassure herself and establish that Lex was REALLY HERE, safe, out of harm’s way.

It’s also painfully easy to see how the need for simply physical contact can grow immediately to a need for physical and emotional intimacy. Especially considering how close she came to losing her only ‘real’ connection to the world, her past, and any semblance of an identity she has right now. If Lex had died, Chloe would have been just… lost. And not only because he was her only identifiable landmark and anchor in a world that is unfamiliar, but also because he’s the only thing she has a deep emotional bond (of love) with.

And I LOVED the revelation she just had about how losing her memories can be viewed with a sense of adventure rather than despair. Instead of trying to remember how she felt about her husband, she can just enjoy the sensation of falling in love with her husband all over again.


The smooth silk of his shirt was cool against her hands as they slid down to free the material from his pants only to journey upwards over his heated flesh. Her whisper soft touch grazed along the firm muscle of his stomach before drawing the fabric with her to explore the counters of his chest.

The deep, guttural groan that rumbled through Lex brought them both momentarily back to reality. Stunned at far he’d let things go, Lex caught Chloe’s hands in his and gently interrupted their caress. He swallowed heavily at both the loss of her warm touch and in regret for what he had to say.

Oh this was AMAZINGLY hot! I know they haven’t done anything yet, but it was amazing seeing them right on the threshold of losing control. It was thrilling!


“If you don’t want me, Lex…if I’m too broken or not enough of the woman you married, you can tell me. You don’t have to make it anything other than what it is.”

Chloe was sure that wasn’t the problem. The way he’d kissed her left little doubt that he wanted her, but she had to ask, needed to be certain that she wasn’t the only one feeling this way. The thought of wanting him when he didn’t want her in return tugged at something just beyond her reach; but she knew, with absolute certainty, that if that were the case she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

I thought this was heartbreaking in its insight. I remember Chloe was wondering about this in an earlier chapter… whether Lex, in even the smallest way, resented the need to be ‘babysitting’ his wife when he was supposed to be enjoying his new newlywed status. It’s good that she got this fear out in the open.

I also thought it was interesting that SOME part of Chloe still remembers rejection from someone who didn’t reciprocate her feelings, and therefore has a more than common fear of it.


Fortunately, the emotions so uncharacteristically emblazoned on Lex’s face – shock and appalled disbelief – did much to calm her fears.

“Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.” Agitated hands wrapped tightly round her arms and she could feel the sincerity in the tremor that ran through him as he spoke. “You’re not broken. The memories you lost are just moments of thought, they’re not you; not the things that make you who you are. They’re not important.”

I was SO pleased by Lex’s near brutal denial of Chloe’s supposition. He was actually APPALLED by her theory. And I loved how he reassured her that the loss of her memories doesn’t make her any less ‘Chloe’. He truly believes it too, his sincerity shone through with the firmness with which he reassured her.


“I love you, Lex Luthor,” she passionately declared. “I love every minute I’m with you. When we talk, when we laugh, when we fight, or when we just sit quietly, because I feel you with me.”

She moved close to him again, and Lex was unable to summon the will to deny her need to be near or his to have her so.

“I love how you tease me when I’m disheartened and comfort me when I’m scared.”

A shaky laugh emerged as her hand gently cupped his cheek.

“I even love when you’re moody and secretive. When you come home all dark and brooding and hiding behind the walls you’ve built. God,” she cried, “I even love those stupid walls because it makes me feel so precious every time you let me in. Let me in now.”

This was AMAZING! I thought it was the most courageous thing I have ever seen Chloe do. The way she stated her love for Lex without any preamble coyness, hesitation or timidity. She felt it, and she spoke it… with every fibre of conviction she could muster up and put into the words. She stated her love so vehemently, that Lex had no choice but to believe her.


His lips crashed into hers as Lex gathered her fiercely to him. For so many years he’d used hard logic and cold reasoning as weapons against the world. It suited his intellectual nature and insulated him against some small part of the emotional destruction that was inherent in being Lionel Luthor’s son. But a part of him, the part that he hid, that he tried to force away into oblivion, understood that so many of his stratagems and machinations were a tremendous overcompensation brought on by his compulsive need for someone to honestly want him; to love him. The way that Chloe was offering her love to him.

And the overpowering feeling of finding something that had seemed so irreversibly lost crashed like a wave upon him, drowning him in depths of a passion that he couldn’t have begun to battle even if he’d wanted to; even if his greatest of hidden desires wasn’t being fulfilled.

And of course, how else could Lex have reacted when faced with such conviction, faith, love and devotion all directed AT HIM? What could be do but helplessly cling to it?

Hmmm, I don’t think he loves Chloe yet… certainly not the way she loves him. But Lex has a certain way of becoming emotionally attached (even obsessed) with everything VERY quickly… And now that he knows how Chloe feels about him, he’s a goner.


For every choice Lex had made in his life there had been a reason, a rationale. Even his reckless and misspent youth had been about more than just wild parties and easy women. For all that it had been a distraction from endless emptiness of his life, it was more than that. It was a way to force his father to notice him, to take an interest. And although it had gotten him exiled to Smallville, it had still been successful. So it had been with all of his ventures – desire combined with purpose.

But standing there with Chloe in his arms begging him to love her, to let her love him, Lex was, for once, at a loss for the fortitude to focus on grand schemes or ulterior motives. The world could go to hell and take all that he’d worked for with it and it wouldn’t turn him from this unrelenting need that could only be sated together.

Logic fled, knowing that it could not prevail, and desire rushed to fill the void , and Lex let one dream briefly go to grasp, for just a moment, another far more precious. And before good sense could hope to rally, Lex swept Chloe up into his arms a made for the stairs.

I was going NUTS trying to figure out how Skauble was going to get Lex to abandon all sense of logic, reason, morals and integrity (what little he does possess) and actually ‘take advantage’ of the mentally incapacitated girl that he kidnapped and is in the midst of conning.

But it all happened very naturally, even beautifully and sweetly. I can see how SO many factors (like the trauma Lex was involved in earlier today, right up to Chloe stunning declaration of love) would have slammed the sense right out of Lex. The best part was that, this didn’t happen because she happened to catch him during a ‘lusty, horny’ moment… but because he needed to experience every level of emotional intimacy with her. He wasn’t just fucking her on a whim… he was making love to her.


As the last of their clothing fluttered to the floor, Lex was met with an immutable truth - Chloe Sullivan was breathtaking.

Not in the trite or banal manner with which the phrase was all too often used. No; as Lex gazed at the lush curves and tempting hollows laid out before him, the air momentarily caught in his chest. Her tousled hair spread out across the pillow, and the contrast of the golden waves and ivory flesh against the dark silk of the sheets was mesmerizing.

*swoon* Beautiful! Loved this!!! I thought it was wonderful how Lex found Chloe to be an amazing (and actually ‘breathtaking’ sight to behold. He might not be in love with her now… but by morning… or the next evening at the VERY latest…

heh, he is in SO much trouble… in for a world of angst. I can’t wait!


Under his heated stare Chloe could feel her skin pinken and couldn‘t prevent a brief moment of hesitation from whispering through her mind. It wasn’t Lex she doubted. She wanted him so badly, knew that this was right. It was herself. Deep inside Chloe worried that, with no memory of their previous times together, she wouldn’t know what Lex expected, what he liked, what gave him pleasure. She worried that she would disappoint him.

“Chloe?”

A small sigh escaped her as her arms moved without thought to cover herself. She hated feeling neurotic and took that as a good sign that she most likely wasn’t, in general, overly dramatic. In fact, the more she thought about it the more she realized just how foolish she was being.

Whatever else Lex was - friend, husband, entrepreneur - he was, first and foremost, a man. A man who was currently pressing a very flattering hardness against her thigh. There was no questioning that he wanted her, and as for learning what he liked, well, she could cite that as her extremely valid reason for ample practice.

Awww. I liked this part too. It was interesting hearing about Chloe’s insecurities… it’s interesting to see how those have clung to her despite her memory loss… and seeing how the last of them were finally blown away.

The REALLY loved the phrase ‘pressing a very flattering hardness against her’… It shouldn’t have been eloquent, but it was. LOL!


“I’m sorry,” her lips curved wryly. “I’m blowing it, aren’t I?”

Seeing that the storm had passed, Lex’s own smile tilted in response. “You could be,” he replied suggestively.

I giggled at this cute byplay of words between them. It’s good to see that they can still ‘play’ while engaging in such fundamentally world changing activities (well, it changes THEIR worlds) :P


Shaking with laughter she reached up and pulled Lex down, winding her arms around him and whispering into his ear, “God, I love you.”

As her voice penetrated the sensual fog created by the crush of her breasts against his chest, Lex couldn’t prevent the small roll of his hips as humor fled and intensity returned in response to her words; to her utter belief in them.

Wow! This really helped to reinforce how MUCH Lex is effected by hearing Chloe telling him of her love. It underlined the lack of control he has in the face of such sincere devotion.


Crushing her mouth under his, Lex swallowed Chloe’s low moan as his hand slipped between them to palm her breast. Long fingers skillfully found the tightening nipple and gently tugged it into a peak. His lips left hers to trail soft, reverent kisses across her jaw and down her neck until finally they met and replaced his fingers, drawing the taught nub into the warmth of his mouth.

mmm, HOT!


Chloe’s hands flew to Lex’s head, wanting to prolong the sensations he was creating. She was almost glad that she had no personal memory of this as every touch, no matter how brief, how slight, was overwhelming in its newness and fervor. Her small sound of discontent as he pulled away ended in breathy gasp of pleasure as Lex merely moved to lavish her other breast in equal measure.

hotter! And I really liked the mention about how Chloe was enjoying this ‘as if this was her first time with Lex’… ooooh, the ironies of THAT thought!!!


Lex increased the suction of his mouth at the erotic sounds that spilled from Chloe’s lips. Every murmur urged him onward and he savored the sweet sounds of her ardor. Her responses, so honest and genuine, were unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his years of ill fated romances with woman who wanted so many things, but never just him.

It’s getting hotter still. YUM! I LOVED this… especially the ending phrase ‘women (spelling mistake up there by the way… You used WOMAN singular, then it should have been WOMEN, plural)…

Ahem. Anyhow, the phrase ‘women who wanted so many things, but never just him’. It was really amazing seeing how Chloe’s sincerity and genuine expression and purity of her emotions has touched Lex. It’s EXACTLY what he has been craving all his life… and he got it through trickery. The poor bastard!


Tasting a path over the smooth planes of her stomach, he reached the silky curls at the juncture of her thighs and paused to look up at her. Seeing the stark anticipation swallow any trepidation she was still harboring was all the encouragement he needed as he gently opened her legs and settled between them.

The scent of her arousal hung heavy in the air and he breathed deep the proof of her need for him. Drawn like a magnet to the moist heat before him, Lex placed a tender kiss upon her before sweeping his tongue across her. His harsh groan rivaled hers as her taste, hot and tangy, burst through him.

I swooned that how gentle, considerate and LOVING he is being…. And I drooled :drool: at his actions over here. WHAT were you talking about, Skauble, when you said you were not going to deliver Good Smut! This is Excellent!

Hmph! I’m never going to believe your silly statement about lack of quality in any aspect of your writing EVER again!!! So there!


Chloe’s hips rose up to meet the steady thrusts he was making, and Lex was forced to grasp them and anchor them to the bed to prevent their movement from disrupting such a thoroughly enjoyable past time. Her frenetic motions gave him momentary pause to wonder if it was simply the absence of any specific memory of sex that made her so hyper sensitive to his ministrations, or whether it had been so long since Chloe had enjoyed such attentions.

The idea of her with another man made his stomach clench and so he tuned out that choice in favor of another, far more satisfying explanation - maybe it was being with him specifically that made her so ravenous for his touch.

LOL! Even in a moment like Lex, Lex cannot completely shut his brain off. I was ROTFLOL at the way he was actually ‘analysing’ Chloe’s excitement, and processing her reactions to come up with ‘most likely conclusions’.

Heh, also LOL at the way he was momentarily jealous by said conclusions… only to soothe himself with alternate explanations. He might be a borderline-evil, near-mad genius, but he’s such a nerdy goof at times.


And that thought made him ache with hardness and he couldn’t wait a second more to be inside of her. Sliding up over her body, scorching flesh against flesh, he settled above her, his firm length pulsing against her. Looking down into her flushed and radiant face, Lex found himself hesitating. The trauma of his earlier ordeal, the soul soothing confession of her love, and the heady intoxication of her body so ripe and ready for his own combined to making stopping a near impossibility. But he wondered if maybe-

heh, nice summation over here about all the things that screwed up his sense of logic and control today. AND I liked how, just for one moment, he tried to regain control before the irrevocable happened… and how he failed.


Chloe, however, had no such concerns and arched her hips forward until Lex slid into her fully. Her eyes slammed shut as she felt herself stretch to accommodate his not unimpressive size. But it was more than worth the small discomfort as, for the first time since her accident, she truly felt whole.

At Chloe’s clear sign of readiness, Lex could no longer hold back and began to move within her. Setting a slow and steady rhythm, he allowed all of his misgivings to slide away as he sought to ensure the return of the limitless pleasure she was giving. Slightly shifting the angle of his thrusts, Lex was rewarded with a sharp cry from Chloe and he felt her hands grab his hips and urge him faster.

She buried her face in his shoulder as, suddenly, the sensations assailing her, lifting her higher and higher, crested, leaving her hanging for a dazzling eternity in a bliss so intense that everything faded save for the feel of him filling her and the raw strains of her voice.

Unbelievably stunningly HOT! And lovely too. Especially the description of Chloe’s orgasm… it was just… BEAUTIFUL, Skauble! Gorgeous description!


“Love you. I love you.”

That was all it took to send Lex, too, falling over the edge as spasms of ecstasy rocked through him. His arms could no longer hold him above her and he collapsed, careful to land to the side of her before gathering her in his arms and pulling her flush against him.

Heh, Lex’s orgasm didn’t have the same ‘poetic description’, but it was also fantastic. And I really liked how it was, once again, Chloe’s declarations of love that pushed him over the edge. Niiice!


He’d never meant for things to go so far, to become so serious. Of course he’d known that what his original plans had been, affording them the greatest of leeways, ethically dubious. But it hadn’t been irreparable. Sure, it would have garnered Chloe’s enmity for all time, but it wouldn’t have broken her. She was too strong for that. But this…

She’d said she loved him. And she’d meant it. From every fiber of her being Chloe had radiated love for him. And though it might damn him to hell to admit it, he couldn’t bring himself to regret that fact.

This part was VERY interesting. I fully expected Lex to feel guilty about taking advantage of Chloe sexually… using her body while she was NOT in full charge of her decision making abilites. I also thought he would be terrified about imagining the way CHloe is sure to scream bloody vengeance and murder at him AFTER she regained he memories… but I thought it was interesting that he was ALSO worried about her emotional and spiritual state after she regains her senses. He’s worried that being betrayed to such a deep and fundamental degree might end up breaking her… and he might be right too.

I’m glad he thought of that possibility. It shows a surprising, But welcome, level of empathy that does him credit.


Taking advantage of her injuries, the lies, the deceptions, all of it he could find it somewhere in him to repent. But knowing that a woman as amazing, as wonderful and giving as Chloe could honestly care for him, love him; he just couldn’t bring himself to lament such an extraordinary gift. It had been too long since someone, anyone, had loved him and he hadn’t honestly been certain that he was still able to inspire that emotion.

The way that he talks about ‘not having any regrets’… I can’t really muster up hate for him, because he says it in such a lost and yearning kind of way. Granted, what he did was reprehensible on SO many levels, but he did it, not because he was evil, but because he was too weak to resist.


The heat from the soft body curled into him was drugging and sleep was once again tugging at his mind as the twists and turns of his thoughts wore him down. As his eyes closed he resolved that morning would see some kind of change. For all that Lex knew that he was a bastard, he’d never considered himself a sadist. Although Clark’s secret still eluded him, he had a number of new leads to follow, and while he could use the analogy of a soldier’s battle wounds to justify Chloe’s kidnapping, there was little that would possibly excuse him using her in such a personal manner.

hmmmm, this was quite fascinating. I wonder what kind of changes he’s thinking about over here. Is he going to alter his behaviour towards Chloe while she’s in captivity… become more cold towards her… or more affectionate and closer? Or is he going to do something really drastic and send her home?

Hmmph! Personally, I don’t think he should have found it easy to dismiss using Chloe BEFORE she fell in love with him… but he’s right when he’s thinking that continuing to use her now would be a sign of the purest kind of evil.


But those were issues for the new day. And, knowing that nothing could be accomplished that night, Lex allowed himself to enjoy the twining of their bodies; the closeness of a women who truly cared for him. Remorse was for the morning; this night was meant for peace.

Granted, I have been looking forward to the ‘Lex Suffering’ for a VERY long time in this fic. But I was actually quite delighted with the ending over here. How Lex has this moment of pure happiness, peace, calm and quiet before the…. Heh… storm hits. Kind of like the eye of the cyclone before his guilt, self-recriminations and extreme sense of self-loathing sets in. In fact, the guilt complex will be all the more striking and difficult BECAUSE he has this ‘moment of peace’ to contrast it against. He’s going to have the added torture of having experienced this kind of happiness, and later know that he’ll NEVER knew that beautiful feeling again.

So, basically, I’m happy with the ‘peaceful’ note that this chapter ended on, because I know it’s only going to intensify his torment and angst later. Heh, *points to self* Evil Sadistic Drama Ho, remember?

Heh, and now we’re going to come to the topic that has been nagging at me since I finished reading this… CONDOMS!!!! They didn’t use any!!! I think it’s really serious, not only because of the whole ‘disease might happen’ factor… quite honestly, I think Lex is too paranoid to get any kind of sexually transmitted diseases…

My MAIN concern is BIRTH CONTROL. It’s just a gut feeling that I have, but I don’t think Chloe is on the Pill. She wasn’t involved in any relationship at the time of her abduction… hence might not have needed to go through the trouble, expense and inconvenience of such precautions… and also, I don’t think Lex would have thought of supplying her with Pills during her stay. He certainly had no intention of having sex with her, and telling his amnesiac wife to take Birth Control Pills might have led to an awkward discussion.

Hmmm. Sooooo…? Is Skauble evil enough to get Chloe pregnant while she was kidnapped and conned by Lex Luthor? Oooooh, the inhumanity, the evil, the drama, the ANGST!!!!

Please, dear GOD, please update soon!!!

Your Evil Overlord Lord DH commands it!!!

[skauble]

Thanks so much for the kind words, guys. But I have to say that with all the great ideas everyone throws out -



MMMM me thinks that Lex may try and actually bind Chloe to him by getting married for real under the guise of creating new memories.

and


Is Skauble evil enough to get Chloe pregnant while she was kidnapped and conned by Lex Luthor? Oooooh, the inhumanity, the evil, the drama, the ANGST!!!!

I almost want to split the story from here and write multiple endings with all the ideas that we all conceive. If nothing else it'd be interesting to have a multi-ending fic. lol Unfortunately it sounds like a lot of work.

~Sarah~

[somethingeasy]

I almost want to split the story from here and write multiple endings with all the ideas that we all conceive. If nothing else it'd be interesting to have a multi-ending fic. lol Unfortunately it sounds like a lot of work.

:rofl:
Sounds like a good idea to me. An EXCELLENT idea. Go with it :D :rofl:

[westwingwolf]

I almost want to split the story from here and write multiple endings with all the ideas that we all conceive. If nothing else it'd be interesting to have a multi-ending fic. lol Unfortunately it sounds like a lot of work.



Come on! It will be like the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books except with only good, happy endings and no bad ones.

Or like at the end of the Wayne's World movies. Let's do the Scooby-Doo ending!

[kitten]

I love this story, Skauble, and not just because you're my only convert. It's smart and it takes a shot at the the ambivalent dynamic Chloe and Lex have from being two reasonable people in unreasonable circumstances. They know they're both existing in a grey area where they're both out of line sometimes, so they can judge each other fairly. Lex isn't all bad but he's acting mostly bad, and Chloe acts mostly good but she's bad as well.

Your Lex has a good mix of that good/bad artifice. He's willing to give himself up in a hostage situation but he will also take away several months of Chloe's life to find out the secrets she knows. He comforts her and stays within some moral guidelines even after she's at his mercy. And he's really sexy when he's intimidating employees. During all those decisions that make him an utter bastard, the sex most notable, he's also clearly forcing himself to keep to his plans - acting the part of the evil billionaire instead of feeling and living it.

Chloe has preserved her innate snarky, humorous and loving nature, but she doesn't have the darkness of her past. Her willingness and ability to give to a man she barely knows isn't all that different from her season 3 interactions with Lex. Just shows how amazing Chloe has always been, and it's making Lex think things he'd rather were left out of his plans. They don't have a relationship that fits on a greeting card because it's too immense and consuming.

I'm not organized with quotes but the love scene was great. It got to all the inner conflicts without losing the mood, and it underlined the the tragedy that has to be on the way. I'm worried and I'm almost never worried about Chloe and Lex. I tend to be heartless in the face of angst. This is going to hurt both of them - possibly all of the characters you've named in the story.

Who else smells blood in the water?:devil:

[dmax8608]

I've really enjoyed reading this story and catching up to your last post. What I like most is how in character they both are, Chloe especially. Now that Chloe has confessed her love, I can't wait to see what happens when it all hits the fans. I'm looking forward to your next update.

[somethingeasy]

Your Lex has a good mix of that good/bad artifice. He's willing to give himself up in a hostage situation but he will also take away several months of Chloe's life to find out the secrets she knows. He comforts her and stays within some moral guidelines even after she's at his mercy. And he's really sexy when he's intimidating employees. During all those decisions that make him an utter bastard, the sex most notable, he's also clearly forcing himself to keep to his plans - acting the part of the evil billionaire instead of feeling and living it.

heh, I LOVE it too when Lex is a paradox wrapped in a contradiction. When all his actions and motivations make it IMPOSSIBLE to 'pigeon-hole' him into one single category of the 'kind of person' he's supposed to be. This multi-faceted version of Lex is so fascinating, I feel like I can keep obsessively observing him for years and never get a handle on what he's going to do next. Doesn't means I'm going to give him watching him though... the tag that I put on him to track his movements stays ON.


Chloe has preserved her innate snarky, humorous and loving nature, but she doesn't have the darkness of her past. Her willingness and ability to give to a man she barely knows isn't all that different from her season 3 interactions with Lex. Just shows how amazing Chloe has always been, and it's making Lex think things he'd rather were left out of his plans. They don't have a relationship that fits on a greeting card because it's too immense and consuming.

As much as I adore Skauble's Lex, I LOVE her Chloe too. It's equally fascinating seeing how her personality shines through even after she has been robbed of everything that makes her a 'person'.... memories, home, freinds, family... everything has been removed and replaced with something fake, but she still remains fundamentally Chloe!


I'm not organized with quotes but the love scene was great. It got to all the inner conflicts without losing the mood, and it underlined the the tragedy that has to be on the way. I'm worried and I'm almost never worried about Chloe and Lex. I tend to be heartless in the face of angst. This is going to hurt both of them - possibly all of the characters you've named in the story.

Who else smells blood in the water?

heeeee :D :D :D
I do, I do!!!! the scent of blood is strong on this thread... let's hunt the prey down and feast!!!

Can we please, please, PLEASE have the drama-stricken morning after, Skauble. heh, it should be interesting to watch their reactions... Chloe's going to wake up glowing and humming, and Lex is going to wake up in an extremely 'oh, CRAP! What have I done?' state of mind... it should be interesting to see how these two moods collide and react to each other.

[sarahnicole]

I started reading this months and months ago, but I stopped reading fanfic for awhile so it was such a pleasure to come back and find so many updates to a story I'd been thinking about for such a long time! Please continue!

[sparrow]

Originally Posted by somethingeasy
Is Skauble evil enough to get Chloe pregnant while she was kidnapped and conned by Lex Luthor? Oooooh, the inhumanity, the evil, the drama, the ANGST!!!!



I really like this suggestion for the continuation of the story. Who knows, following this thread might give more credence to Chloe's disappearance in the series plot, unlike that shit CW tried to pass off as a season finale.

[somethingeasy]

Originally Posted by somethingeasy
Is Skauble evil enough to get Chloe pregnant while she was kidnapped and conned by Lex Luthor? Oooooh, the inhumanity, the evil, the drama, the ANGST!!!!

I really like this suggestion for the continuation of the story. Who knows, following this thread might give more credence to Chloe's disappearance in the series plot, unlike that shit CW tried to pass off as a season finale.

heeee :D
this possibility is gather quite a bit of support... How about following through, Skauble? oh, pretty please? Just IMAGINE all the lovely suffering that's going to happen. Think about how satisfying it's going to be to twist the characters into angsty knots of hatred, self-loathing, desperation and confusion. The DRAMA!

of course I know you have planned out the ending waaaay in advance, and I'm sure it's going to be wonderful, and most probably not involve any kind of pregnancy (drats!)... and I'm sure I'm going to LOVE it... If only I get to read it :puppydog: Please update soon?

[Marie]

Wonderful update. Please write more soon!

[somethingeasy]

oh PLEASE update soon, Skauble! I remember you mentioning that the issue of 'no condom being used' is going to be addressed later... Now I'm DYING to know exactly what the repercussions are going to be. I don't think it's going to result in the drama-ridden, angsty possibility of a pregnancy (although that would be IMMENSELY fun to see), but I do think there are going to be some consequences about that... heh, perhaps Lex has a bad couple of days where he has a pregnancy scare for the both of them? Or does he do something really stupid and desperate, like mix a morning-after pill into Chloe's breakfast cereal?

Please update!

[skauble]

Please update!


As much as I'd love to say that I'm on the cusp of an update, Sabrina, I unfortunately can't. I'm doing that Chloe meteor power fic challenge and it has to be done by the July 10th. And while it would be nice to believe that I'll be finished with it long before then I'm not counting on it.

So, sadly, you probably won't need to bother checking here for an update until then.

And everyone needs to stop making fantastic storyline suggestions in this thread before I end up spending my life writing nothing but a hundred different versions of this story.

Now, don't you have some nonky stalking to do. ;)

~Sarah~

[somethingeasy]

As much as I'd love to say that I'm on the cusp of an update, Sabrina, I unfortunately can't. I'm doing that Chloe meteor power fic challenge and it has to be done by the July 10th. And while it would be nice to believe that I'll be finished with it long before then I'm not counting on it.

So, sadly, you probably won't need to bother checking here for an update until then.

And everyone needs to stop making fantastic storyline suggestions in this thread before I end up spending my life writing nothing but a hundred different versions of this story.

Now, don't you have some nonky stalking to do. ;)

~Sarah~

*sigh* fine! I'll stop poking this thread like a particularly fascinating sore wound... at least until July 10th.

heh, and I LIKE the idea of Skauble being bugged into writing about a hundred different versions of this story. It would end up like one of those 'pick your own adventure' books that I used to read. Ahhh, the nostalgia ;)

I take it you liked the idea of the morning-after pill in Chloe's cereal? You're an evil, EVIL person, Skauble! That's what I love about you.

hmmm, and speaking of evil people... I think you're right that it's about time I went to start bugging Nonky for an update or three. Thanks for reminding me :grin3:

[Impress]

I'm gone for nearly a month and there is no new update. How wrong is that. As intrigued as I am about amnesiacLex, I want to read more on amnesiacChloe and the mornign after. update woman, update.

[kitten]

Your Lex is making my Lexes depressed, and that includes Trauma Lex and the one who's going to lose a ball. Please update. :)

[skauble]

A/N: First of all, I know this part is shorter than previous parts, but it had to be. Frankly, all the parts were supposed to be about this length to encourage me to update more often. And apparently that plan would have worked because I've already started on the next part.

Secondly, this is a little different than the other chapters. I hope it's not confusing although I felt that it turned out much better than I thought it was going when I was bitching about it in the shoutbox. Mainly it's Lex-centric although there is Chlex interaction. I guess I just like spending time in Lex's head.




Chapter Fourteen


A week. Seven days since that fateful night that had changed his relationship with Chloe irrevocably and Lex Luthor sat in his office just as confused as he had been the morning after. And he hated it.

That night he’d let himself have something that he had refused for so long to admit that he needed, and now he found himself unable to give it up.

He had sworn to himself as he’d held her that the next morning would see a change in the state of affairs; and it had, just not in any of the ways he’d considered. Instead of stepping up his plans and bringing the situation to a swift end or, at the very least, putting some emotional distance between the two of them, he found himself drifting further and further away from his original goal and closer and closer to the blissful contentment he found with Chloe.

She was fast become a necessity in his life and that made her a weakness. And with his time split between running a multinational conglomerate, fending off his father, and the unending battle raging with Clark, any vulnerability was unacceptable.

The one thing he could be grateful for, in what was fast becoming a train wreck in the making, was that there wouldn’t be complications in the form of a child from the alteration in their relationship.
He’d been fortunate in that he knew for certain they were both healthy and that birth control was seen to; not that that excused the risk. As first the son of a powerful man and then a powerful man in his own right, he could never be safe enough when it came to sex. His use of condoms was a near paranoid self-dictate that had been overlooked in the tumult of their first night, but not in the nights since. With his genes and Chloe’s amnesia, pregnancy was a disaster that didn’t bear contemplating.

When he’d first decided to keep Chloe for the time it took to unearth Clark’s secret, he’d had her medical records tracked down and discreetly copied. Although he knew that the fallout from his actions would be massive, he’d definitely wanted to mitigate whatever damages he could while still achieving his goal and that had made Chloe’s physical well being a prime concern. And so he’d sought out information on possible health concerns she might have had, so that any treatment could be continued.

Recent records had shown that Chloe had an on going prescription for birth control pills and was receiving monthly B-12 shots. He’d been surprised by the contraceptive measures, knowing that Chloe was neither in a relationship nor promiscuous, but his doctors had determined that they primarily appeared to be a regimen to regulate her cycle and that pregnancy prevention seemed to be of secondary concern.

Chloe also had an as needed prescription for a migraine medication. He couldn’t help but note with satisfaction that, although he’d kept some on hand, she hadn’t had even the stirrings of a headache since her accident. It confirmed his belief that her life was too stressful. Just one more thing that wouldn’t have even remotely concerned him 2 months ago, but now bothered him immensely.

It was unacceptable.

Unbearable.

Intolerable.

And yet he was at a loss as how to change it. Ever since he’d woken with Chloe in his arms he’d felt a sense of completion he’d never imagined could exist and so he’d never known what he’d been missing or how badly he’d ache to keep it.




He’d watched her. For an hour he’d simply held her in his arms and drank her in. She was soft and warm and comforting and while he could clearly see the harm in indulging in any fantasies of happily ever after, he couldn’t keep himself from savoring the moment.

But he’d forced himself to regain some perspective. What had happened was the result of a kind of post traumatic stress on both their parts. Chloe had turned to him because he was all she had in her world and she’d almost lost that. And he’d more than reciprocated because in a moment where near death still clung to him, Chloe’s love made him feel alive in ways he’d never known.

When her eyes had slowly fluttered open, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep, and her still slightly swollen lips had curved in a gentle smile, he’d felt the first tremor in the resolve he’d felt sure was iron.

But when those lips brushed his and whispered her love against them, his determination or lack thereof became irrelevant as Lex realized, with dawning horror, that the words that had come so easily to her wouldn’t even take shape within the confines of his mind.

Which was funny when he’d considered it. A week before the lie wasn’t necessary but, had he needed it, the words would have spilled from him with a seeming sincerity unparalleled. And yet now that his feelings, as jumbled and confused as they were, had become involved, he found he couldn’t utter that particular phrase had his life depended upon it.

The words in the absence of feelings gave him control. The declaration in light of them left him defenseless.

“It’s okay, Lex,” she said as she tenderly placed a finger against his lips. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s so hard for you. I don’t know if I remember or I just know, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve accepted me as I am; I can accept you, too.”

And in an instant it happened; his elaborate construction of stratagems and designs crashed to the ground.

The fact that she knew his limitations, acknowledged his daunting emotional reserve and embrace them as an intrinsic part of who he was, without question, shattered something inside him, something he’d managed to hold safe from her vows of love. Because without this unvarnished evidence of her depth of understanding he could allow himself to believe that she loved the illusion; the caring husband who stood by his injured wife. But now he knew. It wasn’t the lies she loved, it was the reality. It was the broken man whose damaged soul couldn’t even choke out three simple words.




With a frustrated sigh Lex forced his sightless gaze to focus again on the engineering report lying open on his desk. He’d wasted over an hour so far on his ever growing personal dilemma. It was time he couldn’t afford to spare and yet he was fairly certain that if he didn’t soon determine a resolution no work of any usable quality would be forthcoming.

And to make matters worse, and Lex had been taught by time and tragedy that matters could always be worse, Chloe had begun having more neutral dreams; memories of unremarkable events that demonstrated a growing inclination of her mind to access a more basic class of information.




“Do I know someone named Lois?”

The question froze his fork in mid air.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

“You’ve remembered something?” He’d strove for casual, but even Lex could here the stiffness in his stilted words.

“Not exactly,” she answered looking for all the world like a child who’d just demonstrated some new and hard won talent to the adults around her. “I had a dream. But it wasn’t just a dream, was it? I do know a Lois, don’t I?”

As she related the rather benign dream of her and her cousin having coffee at what, from her somewhat bewildered description of the décor, could only be the Talon, Lex felt a pressure building in his chest. Dr. Heideman had told him that the appearance of mundane remembrances was a sign of the brains reconstruction of neural pathways to non-emergency areas of memory and was generally thought to be a precursor to a major recovery of memories. Although he could offer no timeline, the man was certain that Chloe would eventually see a complete absence of any mental deficit due to her injury.

It was what he’d wanted all along. Lex had never intended for Chloe to be impaired for life. But the fact that she was progressing so quickly disturbed him. And though he wanted to believe that it was because he hadn’t learned all that she knew about Clark, a small voice in the back of his mind taunted him with the incompleteness of that truth.

And so, as Chloe continued her ebullient description of every moment of her dream, Lex attempted to feign an appropriate enthusiasm and returned to eating a meal made tasteless by something he refused to name as anxiety.




And he’d maintained that self-deception until the previous evening.

Chloe hadn’t talked about his hostage experience since the night it had happened; the night his deceptions had begun to take on the beginnings of truth. The ordeal had been harrowing for them both in different ways and neither seemed eager to relive the draining experience.

But yesterday, as she’d reclined on the couch in his office, her silent company soothing as he poured over the excess of facts and figures that never quite seemed to fit into normal business hours, she seemed to have finally come to terms with the near tragedy enough to address something that had clearly been weighing on her mind.




“Lex,” Chloe’s soft voice drew his attention from the papers before him. “That day…”

He didn’t need to ask which day she meant. Lex knew that there was only one in her limited memory that she would speak of with such hesitation.

“That day,” she started again, “something odd happened.”

“You mean besides my brief captivity and the unwarranted beating death of an innocent armoire.”

Lex could see that, although Chloe was willing to discuss that day, she was in no way ready to make light of it. Adopting a more somber expression he waited for her to continue.

“I was watching you walk into that building, so scared you’d never walk back out, and the one thought that burned through me was that I wished Clark was there.” Her eyes raised to meat his and he could see the confusion swirling in their depths. “Why would I want that, Lex, when what you’ve told me, what my own memories have shown me about him is so very alarming?”

Lex knew the answer to that, of course. Clark had an uncanny knack for showing up at the height of a crisis and bringing things to a swift resolution. No matter how much their relationship had deteriorated, Lex was man enough to acknowledge that Clark had saved them all more times than he could count…probably more times than he knew. It wasn’t any wonder that Chloe’s subconscious clung to that hope when danger had loomed.

Of course there was a difference between silent recognition and open approval. He’d be damned if he’d spend his evening deifying Clark. Whatever abilities the younger man had that allowed him to constantly play the hero also made him dangerous. Chloe’s own memories supported that.

But it was more than that, more than just a virulent dislike of Clark Kent. It wasn’t the customary dull throbbing that came with knowing that he was continually being lied to, constantly being judged and found wanting. No; this was sharp and stabbing. It was the heated lick of flames, burning across his mind, reducing all rational thought to cinders in its wake.

It was jealousy. And it caught Lex completely off guard.

Not because he’d never experienced the feeling before. He was human and his life was filled with more tragedy than a Russian novel; he’d been envious of many people over the years. Their family, their friends, their simple existence devoid of negative expectations; he’d longed for them all. And before he’d truly embraced his purpose, his place in life, he’d often pondered what life would have been like being a Queen or a Kent as opposed to a Luthor.

However this wasn’t that familiar sense of want, or some yearning for an abstract ideal he’d held in his heart. This was about Chloe; about his need for her. Not some nebulous concept of love, but the beautiful, passionate woman before him.

Lex didn’t want her thinking about Clark with anything other then the disdain he himself felt for his former friend. In fact he didn’t want her thinking of any other man at all. He’d been spoiled by being the sole focus of her attention for nearly two months and he was loathe to give that up, even if it were just to a vague memory.

Pushing those new and disturbing feelings aside, Lex set out to answer Chloe’s questions in a manner that would ease her mind without giving away his plans or the turbulent state of his emotions.




But those feelings didn’t go quietly and they refused to stay buried for long. And another night of passion and a morning of waking up wound tightly around Chloe hadn’t helped as, instead of any sense of reassurance, there was simply the inexorable ticking of the clock counting down the seconds until she was lost to him for good.

If there was one thing Lex despised more than confusion it was fear. But he could no longer deny the trepidation consuming him. In fact, the dread was so pervasive that the first thing he’d done when he’d reached the office that morning was to call Dr. Heideman.

Circumstances were changing; he was changing, and since Lex was at a temporary loss as to how to stop it, all he could do was increase his options so that whatever came about he was prepared.




“Dr. Heideman, Lex Luthor here.”

“Yes, Mr. Luthor?” The slightly nervous voice of Chloe’s primary physician came over the line.

“I have some questions about Ms. Sullivan’s memory.”

The word Sullivan felt strange on Lex’s tongue and it strengthened his resolve to follow through with his current line of inquiry.

“Of course. Although I really have no new information since I last examined her. As I said it’s impossible to predict when her memories–”

“Heideman,” Lex barked. He had very little time for blathering employees and absolutely none for those who were prattling on about things in which he had no interest. “I want to know if there’s a way to prevent her memories from returning all together.”

“P-permanently?”

“Yes, doctor. Permanently.” Lex was already doubting his sanity in this matter, he didn’t need any questioning from his subordinates.

“Well, I’m really not qualified to even speculate on that topic, Mr. Luthor, much less give a definitive answer.”

Lex knew the man must have sensed his escalating impatience for he rushed onward.

“But, if it were possible, then Dr. Karlsson, the colleague I’ve been consulting in this matter, would be the best source of information as to how to go about such a procedure. I can contact him immediately.”

With a terse, “Do so.” Lex ended the conversation, unsatisfied and uneasy.




Lex ran a hand over his head in a gesture of weariness he rarely indulged as he contemplated the sheer impossibility of the endeavor he’d posed to Heideman.

Even if there were some procedure, even if the process had been medically achievable, the idea was completely infeasible. He couldn’t keep up the excuses forever; Chloe’s absence was already being far too keenly felt by those closest to her. And those very people would most certainly go to any lengths to secure her return. So the only way to keep her with him would be to hide her from the world indefinitely which, even were he inclined to try, Chloe would never accept. She was barely tolerating the restrictions the doctors had given her as it was, and he had the ruined furniture to prove it. She’d never go along with any plan that kept her a virtual prisoner in her own home.

Even without her memories, Chloe had a drive and a focus that had to be funneled into something productive. Right now that energy was directed towards cataloguing whatever information she could divine about her previous life. Lex knew she believed him unaware her activities, and though he was sure that some had escaped his attentions, his plans had demanded a substantial monitoring of Chloe at all times. He was informed of most of the moves she made.

Still, he’d been assured by Dr. Heideman that most of her activities were self-soothing in that they gave her the feeling of being proactive in her recovery while actually doing very little to actually jog any memories.

No, Chloe would never be the kind of woman who was satisfied to live a life of quiet luxury, ensconced in a gilded cage.

Which left Lex with two choices.

One, he could see his original plan through, using every moment left with Chloe to squeeze out what information could be had before her memories were restored.

Or two, he could go to her now, while her heart was full of her new love and her mind was empty of her old animosity, and he could tell her the truth. Well, he could tell her a version of the truth, carefully spun so that when she did finally recover, it would be difficult, but the situation with her would possibly be salvageable.

The latter seemed rife with so many hazards and pitfalls as to make it nearly impossible. And yet it was, by far, the more attractive of the two options for the former meant losing her for good. And that; that was a risk he was no longer willing to take.

Because finally, after all the weeks of togetherness; the days of cherished companionship, the nights of heated passion, Lex was ready to face the terrifying truth –

He was desperately in love with his wife.

TBC


~Sarah~

[westwingwolf]

That was an amazing update. I'm glad to see no chance of pregnancy because that would be too complicated and frankly getting Chloe pregnant as a way to keep her connected to Lex would be a cheat (Remember that!).

I like Lex's deliciously evil plan. In some ways, it's more helpful to her because her life with Clark was too stressful as evident by the headaches. It's not her personality will change, just loss of specific memories, but she make new better memories with Lex and she already seems to be happier in this life that she leads with him.

I'm so glad that he admits to himself that he fell in love and doesn't want to let her go. I like Lex's obsessive ways when they are pointed in the direction of Chloe.

So what is his plan to keep Chloe hidden from the world? Will Chloe understand? Will she agree? Will he succeed? Will we get an update soon? (I was on a roll.)

[xxasaxx]

Because finally, after all the weeks of togetherness; the days of cherished companionship, the nights of heated passion, Lex was ready to face the terrifying truth –

He was desperately in love with his wife.

wow!

can't wait for the next part!:D

[lj715]

OMG!!! I have so much agida over Lex's situation. The last line was so perfect. I hope this can work out in some way, I always like the happy ending even when Lex's motives weren't good to begin with. More please, love this story.

[malugargula]

Wonderful update
Will he be able to keep her memories away from her???
:)
Will she forgive him after he tells her the "truth"???
Please more soon

[Avalanche]

I suppose it's time for me to say that it was totally worth the wait; and as per our shoutbox agreement, you can call me what you have been calling except this time, there will be truth to it.:D

At any rate, this is an awesome update and I am on the edge of my seat for the next part! Don't make me wait so long or I'll have to channel the Inner Nag! :D

[superag]

Wonderful update! I am looking forward to Lex trying to hold onto her but the plan is not full proof. I'm expecting some issues to crop up with it especially if he really loves her. Does the man have any remorse for anything??? We shall see.

[Impress]

Chica that was a wonderful update. I like the foray into Lex's thoughts. You really showed his struggle, desperation, annoyance, and several other emotions. I think you covered the morning after very well without actually having to have a morning after scene. Looking forward to the next update.

[somethingeasy]

A/N: First of all, I know this part is shorter than previous parts, but it had to be. Frankly, all the parts were supposed to be about this length to encourage me to update more often. And apparently that plan would have worked because I've already started on the next part.

Well, THAT’S excellent news… the starting on the next part of the chapter. Although you needn’t have worried about this chapter being too short. It wasn’t as lengthy as your earlier updates, but I assure you it was VERY satisfying and filling.


Secondly, this is a little different than the other chapters. I hope it's not confusing although I felt that it turned out much better than I thought it was going when I was bitching about it in the shoutbox. Mainly it's Lex-centric although there is Chlex interaction. I guess I just like spending time in Lex's head.

Seriously, I felt like HITTING you after I finished reading this chapter. All that moaning about how it’s not good enough, about how I should prepare myself for substandard work, and I find out it was a load of inferiority complex bull! I am VERY angry at you!!! And I will never listen to such nonsensical self-depreciating statements from you EVER again!!! *goes off to brood and grumble*

*returns* oh… yeah! The review :rolleyes:


A week. Seven days since that fateful night that had changed his relationship with Chloe irrevocably and Lex Luthor sat in his office just as confused as he had been the morning after. And he hated it.

That night he’d let himself have something that he had refused for so long to admit that he needed, and now he found himself unable to give it up.

I was really, VERY happy with the structuring of this update. I really enjoyed the way that Lex’s thoughts kept obsessively running back to Chloe, the night he spent with her, the way she responded to him, the way she’s so pleased with the way her memories are re-emerging… I loved that he couldn’t stop thinking about her no matter how he tried to distract himself with dry business affairs, and coming up with a way to adjust to this change in circumstances.


He had sworn to himself as he’d held her that the next morning would see a change in the state of affairs; and it had, just not in any of the ways he’d considered. Instead of stepping up his plans and bringing the situation to a swift end or, at the very least, putting some emotional distance between the two of them, he found himself drifting further and further away from his original goal and closer and closer to the blissful contentment he found with Chloe.

heee. I was curious about what Lex meant when he said that he was ‘going to making some changes in his approach to Chloe’… now I’ve gotten an inkling on what his plans was ‘supposed’ to be, and how he just couldn’t follow through with it…

His addiction to Chloe prevailed even over his instincts for self-protection and self-preservation. Excellent!


She was fast become a necessity in his life and that made her a weakness. And with his time split between running a multinational conglomerate, fending off his father, and the unending battle raging with Clark, any vulnerability was unacceptable.

LOL! I LOVED this! I really enjoyed how Lex was berating himself that Chloe was a weakness and a distraction that he just Could. Not. Afford right now… but even THAT particular truth was not enough to convince him to give her up. He’s truly lost and gone on her! Love it!


He’d been fortunate in that he knew for certain they were both healthy and that birth control was seen to; not that that excused the risk. As first the son of a powerful man and then a powerful man in his own right, he could never be safe enough when it came to sex. His use of condoms was a near paranoid self-dictate that had been overlooked in the tumult of their first night, but not in the nights since. With his genes and Chloe’s amnesia, pregnancy was a disaster that didn’t bear contemplating.

heh, I enjoyed this little session of Lex beating himself up about not using a condom during this intense moment of passion. He deserved to give himself a good thrashing about that. But I was pleased to see that there was no danger of a pregnancy to add onto all other complications.. or AM I?

hmm, you know… birth control does tend to fail from time to time…?

Heh, I also appreciated the explanation on the how and why of Chloe’s birth control medicine. Thanks for that!


Chloe also had an as needed prescription for a migraine medication. He couldn’t help but note with satisfaction that, although he’d kept some on hand, she hadn’t had even the stirrings of a headache since her accident. It confirmed his belief that her life was too stressful. Just one more thing that wouldn’t have even remotely concerned him 2 months ago, but now bothered him immensely.

It was unacceptable.

Unbearable.

Intolerable.

I think this was my favourite part in the update. Most of this chapter has detailed Lex’s love, but only in the way on how HIS love has changed him, and how Chloe has affected HIS life. It’s been a very self-centred train of thought… which makes sense considering it’s Lex’s POV :P

Which is why I cherished this part because Lex spared some thought for CHLOE’S well-being over here. He was actually livid that the stresses of her ‘normal life’ were driving her to pain and ill-health, and he took pleasure in knowing that (in this small way) Chloe’s life was better with him. It showed a sense of consideration, and unselfish concern that proved to me that he genuinely LOVED her!


And yet he was at a loss as how to change it. Ever since he’d woken with Chloe in his arms he’d felt a sense of completion he’d never imagined could exist and so he’d never known what he’d been missing or how badly he’d ache to keep it.

I liked this part, and also the phrase that came later… ‘made him feel alive in ways he’s never known’. It seems like certain basic human traits (like empathy, compassion, love, hope) in Lex have been lying dormant and asleep within him. It makes sense that, once triggered, Lex would find it near impossible to let go of these emotions… or the stimulation (Chloe) that inspired their awakening.


He’d watched her. For an hour he’d simply held her in his arms and drank her in. She was soft and warm and comforting and while he could clearly see the harm in indulging in any fantasies of happily ever after, he couldn’t keep himself from savoring the moment.

*swoon* This was a really sweet moment. I very seldom get the pleasure of seeing Lex just enjoying the feeling of ‘contentment’. I think he’s far to driven and too smart to be able to enjoy a moment of happiness without about a three completely trains of thoughts running through his head. Chloe lets him… well… just take a moment to rest. Which is a kind of peace he’s probably been craving forever.


But he’d forced himself to regain some perspective. What had happened was the result of a kind of post traumatic stress on both their parts. Chloe had turned to him because he was all she had in her world and she’d almost lost that. And he’d more than reciprocated because in a moment where near death still clung to him, Chloe’s love made him feel alive in ways he’d never known.

Heh, I enjoyed him trying to frantically rationalize and ‘gain some perspective’ on his situation. Mostly because I knew he was bound to fail. He might think that he’s strong enough to repress those newly awakened feelings back into whatever compartment they had been closed in, but he doesn’t have a hope in hell.


When her eyes had slowly fluttered open, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep, and her still slightly swollen lips had curved in a gentle smile, he’d felt the first tremor in the resolve he’d felt sure was iron.

LOL! Like I said… hope in hell! And it was hilarious how she managed to decimate his defences even half-asleep and not even trying. He’s SO the lost puppy!


But when those lips brushed his and whispered her love against them, his determination or lack thereof became irrelevant as Lex realized, with dawning horror, that the words that had come so easily to her wouldn’t even take shape within the confines of his mind.

Which was funny when he’d considered it. A week before the lie wasn’t necessary but, had he needed it, the words would have spilled from him with a seeming sincerity unparalleled. And yet now that his feelings, as jumbled and confused as they were, had become involved, he found he couldn’t utter that particular phrase had his life depended upon it.

The words in the absence of feelings gave him control. The declaration in light of them left him defenseless.

Oh wow! Just… WOW!

This part… It killed me.

I think THIS was the moment when Lex finally realized that he was in love with Chloe, isn’t it? Amazing! Incredible! VERY well done epiphany, Skauble!


“It’s okay, Lex,” she said as she tenderly placed a finger against his lips. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s so hard for you. I don’t know if I remember or I just know, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve accepted me as I am; I can accept you, too.”

And in an instant it happened; his elaborate construction of stratagems and designs crashed to the ground.

The fact that she knew his limitations, acknowledged his daunting emotional reserve and embrace them as an intrinsic part of who he was, without question, shattered something inside him, something he’d managed to hold safe from her vows of love. Because without this unvarnished evidence of her depth of understanding he could allow himself to believe that she loved the illusion; the caring husband who stood by his injured wife. But now he knew. It wasn’t the lies she loved, it was the reality. It was the broken man whose damaged soul couldn’t even choke out three simple words.

And I thought the part earlier killed me… you keep piling on the blows, Skauble. I’m quite sure that Chloe had already told Lex before this moment that she loved him for all his flaws, faults, darkness, dubious morals; that she accepted the kind of man he was and loved him regardless. But I can see that her point didn’t sink in until THIS very moment, when Lex saw that Chloe was still accepting, understanding and loving, even when he couldn’t give her something that would have pleased her. Even if he hurt her, a little bit, by not being able to say ‘I love you’ to her, she understood, and was willing to accept him anyway. It was a beautifully moment when Lex finally realized that he finally, FINALLY found a woman who would love him for himself, with all his flaws.


And to make matters worse, and Lex had been taught by time and tragedy that matter could always be worse, Chloe had begun having more neutral dreams; memories of unremarkable events that demonstrated a growing inclination of her mind to access a more basic class of information.

hee, heee… And on top of making Lex suffer through emotional upheaval, Skauble was also good enough to give him cause to panic over Chloe’s re-emerging memory. Excellent! It seems like all his troubles are gather together to steamroll all over him.


As she related the rather benign dream of her and her cousin having coffee at what, from her somewhat bewildered description of the décor, could only be the Talon, Lex felt a pressure building in his chest. Dr. Heideman had told him that the appearance of mundane remembrances was a sign of the brains reconstruction of neural pathways to non-emergency areas of memory and was generally thought to be a precursor to a major recovery of memories. Although he could offer no timeline, the man was certain that Chloe would eventually see a complete absence of any mental deficit due to her injury.

I’m still continually impressed by Skauble’s skill in just ‘making up’ viable and plausible sounding medical jargon and diagnosis. VERY nicely done, and it adds a nice layer of reality to the situation.


It was what he’d wanted all along. Lex had never intended for Chloe to be impaired for life. But the fact that she was progressing so quickly disturbed him. And though he wanted to believe that it was because he hadn’t learned all that she knew about Clark, a small voice in the back of his mind taunted him with the incompleteness of that truth.

And so, as Chloe continued her ebullient description of every moment of her dream, Lex attempted to feign an appropriate enthusiasm and returned to eating a meal made tasteless by something he refused to name as anxiety.


I really liked the contrasting moods between them over here. How Chloe was so happy, pleased and bubbling with enthusiasm about her memories returning… while Lex was desperately trying to hide his rising dread. And I also liked how he tried to tell himself (unsuccessfully) that he was only disappointed because she was regaining her memories before he had a chance to find out the truth about Clark.


“That day,” she started again, “something odd happened.”

“You mean besides my brief captivity and the unwarranted beating death of an innocent armoire.”

LOL! I really love his dry sense of humour. It’s lovely!


Lex knew the answer to that, of course. Clark had an uncanny knack for showing up at the height of a crisis and bringing things to a swift resolution. No matter how much their relationship had deteriorated, Lex was man enough to acknowledge that Clark had saved them all more times than he could count…probably more times than he knew. It wasn’t any wonder that Chloe’s subconscious clung to that hope when danger had loomed.

Of course there was a difference between silent recognition and open approval. He’d be damned if he’d spend his evening deifying Clark. Whatever abilities the younger man had that allowed him to constantly play the hero also made him dangerous. Chloe’s own memories supported that.

Hmmm, it was VERY interesting and intriguing that Chloe managed to access the part of her memory that instinctively cries out to Clark during moments of physical peril. I’m not sure how much was memory and how much was trained instinct… but it was fascinating, and definitely a sign that her memories are coming back faster than ever.

I also thought it was very interesting seeing how Lex views Clark. He knows that Clark most probably has special abilities, and Lex even acknowledges that Clark’s intentions are mostly noble, but he’s still paranoid about someone having that level of power, and he wants to find a way to ensure that, should Clark ever turn rogue and psychotic, then Lex will have SOME means of stopping him. He’s paranoid, but I can understand why he would have legitimate reasons for being like this.


But it was more than that, more than just a virulent dislike of Clark Kent. It wasn’t the customary dull throbbing that came with knowing that he was continually being lied to, constantly being judged and found wanting. No; this was sharp and stabbing. It was the heated lick of flames, burning across his mind, reducing all rational thought to cinders in its wake.

wow! I LOVED the description of Lex’s intense emotions over here. It would have been far too easy to say ‘Lex realized he was jealous’, but Skauble made it clear how intense, powerful and all-consuming Lex’s moment of jealousy was. Amazing writing!


It was jealousy. And it caught Lex completely off guard.

Not because he’d never experienced the feeling before. He was human and his life was filled with more tragedy than a Russian novel; he’d been envious of many people over the years. Their family, their friends, their simple existence devoid of negative expectations; he’d longed for them all. And before he’d truly embraced his purpose, his place in life, he’d often pondered what life would have been like being a Queen or a Kent as opposed to a Luthor.

However this wasn’t that familiar sense of want, or some yearning for an abstract ideal he’d held in his heart. This was about Chloe; about his need for her. Not some nebulous concept of love, but the beautiful, passionate woman before him.

Lex didn’t want her thinking about Clark with anything other then the disdain he himself felt for his former friend. In fact he didn’t want her thinking of any other man at all. He’d been spoiled by being the sole focus of her attention for nearly two months and he was loathe to give that up, even if it were just to a vague memory.

Loved this… I really liked the way that this part covered how Lex has always coveted things that are commonplace and/or precious to others… like love, acceptance, family. How Lex has ALWAYS had this vague sense of envy and wanting all kinds of beautiful ideals. But NOW, all his jealousy has been focused on this one person, and it’s amazing to see all his envious, obsessive attention focused on Chloe like this. Thrilling, and rather hot too.


But those feelings didn’t go quietly and they refused to stay buried for long. And another night of passion and a morning of waking up wound tightly around Chloe hadn’t helped as, instead of any sense of reassurance, there was simply the inexorable ticking of the clock counting down the seconds until she was lost to him for good.

If there was one thing Lex despised more than confusion it was fear. But he could no longer deny the trepidation consuming him. In fact, the dread was so pervasive that the first thing he’d done when he’d reached the office that morning was to call Dr. Heideman.

Circumstances were changing; he was changing, and since Lex was at a temporary loss as to how to stop it, all he could do was increase his options so that whatever came about he was prepared.

Very nicely done, SKauble. I loved the description and building tension over here. How every passing moment only adds onto Lex’s growing fears, concerns, anxieties and desperation. I could almost see him looking at the clock with loathing as every ticking moment increased his panic that Chloe was being taken away from him, a little bit at a time. I can understand why he would have given into the urge to look into some desperate and EVIL planning to secure his future with her.


“Heideman,” Lex barked. He had very little time for blathering employees and absolutely none for those who were prattling on about things in which he had no interest. “I want to know if there’s a way to prevent her memories from returning all together.”

“P-permanently?”

“Yes, doctor. Permanently.” Lex was already doubting his sanity in this matter, he didn’t need any questioning from his subordinates.

I do appreciate the fact that Lex never planned to actually HARM Chloe by actively keeping her memories away from her. His morals allowed him to use her amnesia to his advantage, but not to limit her progress in healing and treatment. Heh, but I can see how his change in priorities would make him desperate… and how the desperation ‘might’ convince him to step over the moral boundaries he had set earlier for himself.

Hmmm, I don’t think Lex is going to seriously follow through with this plan. But it would be interesting to see how he reacts if Dr. Karlsson tells Lex that ‘permanent’ memory loss IS possible after all. Would Lex give in to such a horrible temptation?


Even without her memories, Chloe had a drive and a focus that had to be funneled into something productive. Right now that energy was directed towards cataloguing whatever information she could divine about her previous life. Lex knew she believed him unaware her activities, and though he was sure that some had escaped his attentions, his plans had demanded a substantial monitoring of Chloe at all times. He was informed of most of the moves she made.

Still, he’d been assured by Dr. Heideman that most of her activities were self-soothing in that they gave her the feeling of being proactive in her recovery while actually doing very little to actually jog any memories.

No, Chloe would never be the kind of woman who was satisfied to live a life of quiet luxury, ensconced in a gilded cage.

Very nice! It seems like Lex is beginning to understand and appreciate Chloe’s personality similar to the way she appreciates his.

I really liked the explanation about how and why Lex’s desperate plan over here was carefully considered and rejected as ‘not viable’. Very nice description and summation of Chloe’s behaviour and driving personality, and I’m really pleased that Lex has got such incredible insight into the workings of her mind and motivations.

Heh, I have to admit, I find it MUCH more satisfying that Lex rejected the plan because it was impractical and impossible to follow through rather than from ethical concerns.


One, he could see his original plan through, using every moment left with Chloe to squeeze out what information could be had before her memories were restored.

Or two, he could go to her now, while her heart was full of her new love and her mind was empty of her old animosity, and he could tell her the truth. Well, he could tell her a version of the truth, carefully spun so that when she did finally recover, it would be difficult, but the situation with her would possibly be salvageable.

Oh. My. GOD! I swear, my jaw dropped agape from this new twist. Lex was actually considering telling Chloe (the abridged version of) the truth… it was such an anti-Lexlike move to make… not just him using truth as a means to an end, but actually counting on forgiveness and mercy from another person as a way of getting what he desperately wanted. This part truly highlighted, more than his talk with Dr. Heideman, how incredibly screwed and desperate he REALLY is


The latter seemed rife with so many hazards and pitfalls as to make it nearly impossible. And yet it was, by far, the more attractive of the two options for the former meant losing her for good. And that; that was a risk he was no longer willing to take.

Because finally, after all the weeks of togetherness; the days of cherished companionship, the nights of heated passion, Lex was ready to face the terrifying truth –

He was desperately in love with his wife.

He admitted it… He actually admitted it to himself!!! It was only this last desperate plan that really cemented how very frantic, distressed and wretched a state he was really in. This plan is actually the best option he could have come up with… but, under normal circumstances, Lex would have jeered at anyone suggesting such a pathetic plan that would place him at so badly disadvantaged a negotiating position. He really IS in love with her… and he probably can’t imagine life without her, now that he’s tasted how addictive she can be.

Amazing writing, Skauble. I was SO pleased and happy about this update. It was beautiful, and I really appreciated how it was mostly Lex-centric to satisfy all curiosity about how Lex reacted to this change in dynamics between him and Chloe.

Now it’s confession time? Next chapter? Coming soon? Please. Write. Quickly!!!

[Kit Merlot]

This was a gorgeous update!

Good for Lex for finally admitting to himself that he is in love with Chloe.

And this:


Or two, he could go to her now, while her heart was full of her new love and her mind was empty of her old animosity, and he could tell her the truth. Well, he could tell her a version of the truth, carefully spun so that when she did finally recover, it would be difficult, but the situation with her would possibly be salvageable.

just about killed me.

WHat will happen when Chloe starts to regain her memories?

Please let us know as soon as you cam:D

[sparrow]

Beautiful.

"It was the broken man whose damaged soul couldn’t even choke out three simple words."

This line had me sobbing into a tub of ice cream. In a good way of course.

More please.

[biscuits]

Oh dear god.

I thought I was adequately coping with my addiction for angsty, well-written, character driven Chlex fic. I had almost convinced myself that I didn't need a Skauble update to continue functioning normally, and then you post an update like this. Guh.

I loved the insight into Lex's head. I loved the pacing and slow build up to Lex's revelation. I loved basically everything about this update except for the end. Because leaving me with a cliffhanger like that, with Lex teetering on the cusp of doing the closest thing to right he can in this the situation he manufactured, has just set me back months in my Skauble rehab.

I am at your mercy for more.

[Gaia]

He was desperately in love with his wife.


Good Lex- admitting is half of the solution.
And the permanent memory- can't say I didn't see it coming. That was just obvious.
More soon please

[dagney]

The update packed quite a punch. Powerful thoughts Lex is having. To admit Chloe is a weakness Yet realize he loves her and he knows she loves him. How does he come clean w/out destroying her trust. Dagney

[hfce]

Wow that was so intense and I feel so bad for both of them. :eek:

[skauble]

A/N: Here’s the next part in a fairly timely manner. Not because I have a work ethic, mind you. But because I like getting to call Ava a giant perv and she only lets me do so when I update.

So, I guess I’m only updating because I’m a mean-spirited, moral degenerate…and because Ava’s a giant perv.




Chapter Fifteen



Shrugging of his coat and handing it off to the ever efficient Haines, Lex wondered at the irony that he was finally home from the office and yet the day’s true work had only just begun.

It had been three days since he’d realized that he was going to have to tell Chloe some form of the truth while damage control was still a viable possibility. He would’ve liked to have been able to claim that he was waiting for the perfect time, the kindest moment to shatter her world; but he knew that wasn’t the case.

The truth was he simply wasn’t ready to let Chloe go.

This plan, his last ditch effort to salvage something of the amazing connection they had, was so fraught with disaster, so ripe with the possibility of failure, that he’d found himself wanting just a little more time to enjoy the wonder of having Chloe Sullivan as his wife.

But Lex knew even that, although accurate, was not the entire story. No, the truth was much darker. Although he’d known that it would be impossible for him to simply keep Chloe, regardless of his suggestion to Dr. Heideman, he had waited until he’d heard back from the man; until the eminent Dr. Karlsson had confirmed the futility of the idea before he’d faced, absolutely, that he would need to tell Chloe as soon as possible.

That phone call from Heideman had come the previous evening and Lex had lain awake, Chloe in his arms, the entire night crafting facts and fabrications into a construct of plausibility.

It had to be perfect. It had to be something that he might be unable to prove but neither would her true memory or those around her be able to definitively contradict. Most importantly, his story had to rouse enough sympathy in her to impel her to give him the time between then and the moment her memory returned to prove his love to her, to show her that her love for him was not some manipulation of her mind, but an inevitability inhibited only by the existence in their lives of Clark Kent.

He’d decided that the best course of action would be to use the one thing between them in which Clark was merely peripheral – their time fighting Lionel.

And even when Chloe regained her memories she would be unable to deny that that period in their lives, their struggles to right old wrongs, to survive a madman’s wrath, had created the kinship that had kept them in an unspoken state of détente even after all this time. It had engendered the kind of closeness that only life and death situations can, even for those who are subjected to them so frequently.

He planned to tell her that he had loved her then; that her bravery, her loyalty, her beauty of face and of spirit had set her so deep in his heart that he’d never been able to extract her. Oh, he was sure she’d have questions – demand to know why he’d never acted on those feelings – but he’d gone carefully over his options; choosing those that would both fit in with her memories as they reemerged and well suit those things she had learned about him over their weeks together.

He’d have to tell her why, if he’d honestly loved her, they had never been together. His answer would be simple and, had he genuinely developed feelings for her at the time, most likely true. Fear for her safety.

After explaining the things his father had done, the way he’d hurt and manipulated them, the attempts on their lives, he knew he’d be able to convince her that the risk of being with him was just too great. For both their sakes.

And her new insights into his character would only help to confirm his emotional reticence. Chloe was not only aware, but had completely accepted his vast limitations in matters of the heart. If anyone were willing to entertain the idea that he would love silently until, after years of suffering, fate gave him both the secure circumstances and the extraordinary chance to make right what he’d allowed to go wrong, it would be her.

Perhaps the hardest task, Lex acknowledged, would be her friendship with Clark. He knew that Chloe’s affection for his former friend was nearly indestructible; despite actions on both sides, including the odd revelations in Chloe’s dreams, that would have demolished a lesser bond. If he wanted to keep Chloe once her memories returned he would have to be honest about the matter now.

But, in his defense, he had fairly conclusive proof that his position was correct. Absent the overshadowing specter of his father in all his former glory, and without the cloying presence of her insanely over protective best friend, they had managed to find their way to each other, to fall in love. And Lex knew that that, their love, would be his strongest defense.

Even before he’d loved her, Lex had been more than aware of Chloe’s tireless propensity to love others. He’d watched over the years as that very fact brought her untold anguish, and he’d often wondered why she just didn’t give up on those so clearly undeserving of her endless emotional outpouring. But he’d finally come to realize, after he’d basked in that same love and concern, that it was simply who she was. It was intrinsic to her nature and she could no more shut off that part of herself than she could stop breathing.

And if it kept her with him, kept her in his life, he’d exploit that trait ruthlessly.

Steadying himself for what was, even if all went flawlessly, sure to be a draining ordeal, Lex entered his study where Chloe generally waited for him to arrive home.

Seeing her customary space in the corner of the large leather sofa on which she liked to read empty, his eyes searched the room for her. There, in front of one of the floor length panels of glass that overlooked the gardens, was her small figure, seeming lost in the view before her.

“Chloe?”

She turned slowly, the movements displaying a concentrated effort that caused Lex a brief flutter of anxiety. Anxiety, however, quickly transformed itself to full scale worry as her gaze finally met his own.

Tears spilled from wide, pain filled eyes following the path of what appeared to have been many predecessors. As if her stillness had been restraining her anguish, it was suddenly brought forth and her body trembled with its force.

“Chloe?”

The anxiety that had grown to worry was fast becoming overwhelming dread as he rushed towards her. And as she flinched at his nearness, the dread became a choking sense horror that settled over his heart.

He was so close to her now; close enough to see the strains of gold in her mossy eyes, close enough to see the truth seep through the cracks in the windows to her soul.

She knew.

“I just wanted some coffee,” her voice was as hollow, as broken as the rest of her. “It was so good, and I thought ‘Why couldn’t Lana ever make it like this?’. And then it was all there. All that nothing and suddenly – everything.”

Lex’s head was spinning and he couldn’t seem to pull enough air into his lungs. He hadn’t been ready for this; hadn’t prepared. He needed more time with her, to fix this, to make it right, to be with her. Lex Luthor wasn’t a man geared for desperation, but at that moment it was all he had; all he was.

“You have to believe me, Chloe,” he ignored the cringe as his hand reached out to her. “I was on my way home to tell you everything.”

His movements seemed to pull Chloe from her dazed state of shock.

“Believe you? Believe you?!” She could feel the hysteria bubbling up inside of her, but was helpless to contain it. “I wouldn’t believe you if you said the sky was blue, if you said water was wet, if you said never trust a Luthor – Oh, wait,” her voice was brimming with scorn, “I guess you’ve proven that last one fairly conclusively.”

Lex moved again but Chloe was ready and lurched unsteadily out of his reach. She couldn’t bear to have him touch her. If he did she knew that she’d crumble into a million tiny pieces and she couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t know how anything could ever be okay again, but she was certain that any chance there was involved getting out of there, getting back to–

“Oh my God.” The blood slowly drained from her face, leaving her a sickly pale. “Everybody must be frantic.”

Lex was worried about Chloe’s sudden pallor and the slight sway of her body but resisted reaching for her again. He needed to explain things to her, to make her understand. And that couldn’t happen if he was chasing her all over the room.

“No, they’re alright. Everyone’s okay. They’re under the impression that you’re investigating a story.”

The small amount of relief that his explanation brought her was drown in a wrenching sob as her mind played out the full ramifications of his words.

“A story?” Soft and shattered, the question was harder than she’d ever though possible, yet not as difficult as the next. “My internship?”

This time Lex didn’t even try to stop himself as he stepped forward and caught her arms.

“It’s waiting. Whenever you’re ready it’s there,” he assured her. “I’d never do that to you, Chloe. They’re holding it for you; don’t worry.”

The harsh sound of her incredulous laughter broke on a disconsolate cry.

“Don’t worry?” She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. Not again. Not when she’d worked so hard to earn everything this time around. “You’ve made sure that, once again, I have a job at the Daily Planet because someone pulled some strings.”

She couldn’t even find the strength to struggle against his hold. “You’ve ruined everything.”

His hands tightened convulsively and Lex swallowed hard at the thought that she might be right. The idea that the plans he’d made hadn’t been thorough enough, that he’d missed something because he hadn’t understood when this had started how much she deserved all of his focus, all of his care; the thought that she’d lose her dreams because of his miscalculation was unendurable.

Feeling Chloe tremble under his hands, Lex put an end to that line of thought. Things would be fine, and if they weren’t he’d make them. He had power and influence and more money than most of the world’s governments. Chloe would have her place at the Daily Planet if he had to buy the damn thing for her.

“Chloe, I never meant to–”

“Never meant to what, Lex?” Fire replaced the lethargy in her veins and she struck out blindly against him. “Never meant to hurt me? To lie to me? To ruin my life? What was it that you never meant to do?”

Seeing the streams of silver trailing down her pale cheeks as sobs wracked her small form leveled something inside Lex and, ignoring her ineffectual blows, he pulled her into his arms. He merely tightened his hold in response to her struggles and, finally, he felt her strength leave her in a rush.

Although she was silent and appeared calm in his arms, Lex still held her close against him. The notion that this might be the last chance he had to do so flashed through his mind but he pushed it out with all the other thought he couldn’t afford to entertain.

“Why?”

The question was muffled but to Lex it boomed in his ears with the echo of impending doom. He tried to focus, reminding himself that her memory return was always in his plans; that the half-truths he’d devised would still work. But as he was ready to give them voice her sad eyes, tired and reddened from so many tears, crept up to meet his gaze.

“Oh God,” Chloe shuddered and for one, terrible moment was afraid she might be ill. “It’s Clark.”

She watched as Lex tried to cover up his moment of shock – the fleeting widening of his eyes, the slight tightening of his mouth. It was rare to see, but apparently even Luthor’s had their tells. Never in her life had Chloe so hated her beloved truth than at that moment, when she understood that not only was everything she’d believed a lie, but that it hadn’t even been lies about her.

If she’d been Lana, Chloe knew that all of it – Lex, the kidnapping, the marriage – would have been some twisted attempt to win her love. But she was Chloe, so it was all about Clark.

She was so tired she couldn’t think for it. The only thought she could hold was that she couldn’t be there; she needed to leave.

“Let me go.”

The words carried a wealth of meanings for Lex. Let her go. Out of his arms, out of his life. It didn’t matter; he wasn’t sure he could grant her either of those requests.

His eyes pierced hers with a frantic distress he didn’t even attempt to hide.

“I love you.”

She reeled back as if she’d been struck and only too late did Lex realize the cruelty of his words. When she’d longed for them he couldn’t bring himself to utter them. Now that he could they were like daggers he’d thrust into her heart.

Unwilling to twist them any further, Lex forced his arms to release her; made himself step away.

“Keys.”

Chloe watched as her words were met by a blank and impenetrable look far more common to Lex than his previous alarm. She could almost see him gathering his thoughts, building his resolve and she knew she had to act. She had to leave before his clever, agile mind took everything in and devised some new torture, some plan of attack she couldn’t possibly hope to fend off in her current condition.

“I want to go home.” She could feel the last of her reason, her restraint, slip away. “Give me some goddamn keys!”

Lex knew she was distraught, but she’d have to be mad if she thought he would let her drive in her present state.

“You aren’t in any shape to drive.” He walked over to his desk and picked up the phone. “I’ll have Mitchell take you.”

“No,” she all but shouted. “I don’t want anything more from you.”

He felt his jaw clench and his hands hovered over the phone’s buttons as he forced out a tight reply.

“I’m not going to let you kill yourself just to prove something to me. You want to leave here,” his tone was uncompromising at best, “it will be with Mitchell. Take it or leave it.”

Chloe could feel herself shaking, but knew that this time it was with rage.

“Fine,” she spat. “Anything that gets me away from you.”

Disregarding everything except the fact that he’d succeeded, Lex put the call through, ordering his driver to bring the car around immediately. In the brief moment that task had required, Chloe had already made her way over to the door.

“Chloe.”

The sound of her name from his lips froze her hand on the cool polished metal of the knob.

“This isn’t over.”

He was wrong. She knew it with every fiber of her being. Because he was Lex Luthor and she was Chloe Sullivan and everything was, would always be about someone else.

“No, Lex” she choked on his name as she pulled the door open, “there was never anything to end.”



TBC



A/N: I didn’t mean have Lana ruin it all, it just sort of worked out that way. Darn subconscious.

~Sarah~

[lj715]

Excellent update but I liked the fantasy. I mean, I know Chloe had to find out some time but, like Lex, I was hoping it'd be later rather than sooner. Please find some way for LEx to fix this because I want them back in love together. Please.

[Gaia]

Is it hopeless of be to hope for a happy ending?
More soon-really soon.

[Kit Merlot]

This was just such an emotional and gorgeous update!

I loved how Chloe's memory just came back from such an innocuous memory.

This line:


If she’d been Lana, Chloe knew that all of it – Lex, the kidnapping, the marriage – would have been some twisted attempt to win her love. But she was Chloe, so it was all about Clark.

damn near killed me. The worst part about all of this is that Lex's plan HAD been all about Clark, and Chloe knows Lex's obsessive nature.

But now the question remains: how will Lex win her back to him?

Please let us know soon.

[somethingeasy]

Heartbreaking, gut wrenching, soul rending update!!! And you’re EVIL!

There, now that all the formalities are out of the way, let’s continue with the review? ;)


It had been three days since he’d realized that he was going to have to tell Chloe some form of the truth while damage control was still a viable possibility. He would’ve liked to have been able to claim that he was waiting for the perfect time, the kindest moment to shatter her world; but he knew that wasn’t the case.

The truth was he simply wasn’t ready to let Chloe go.

This plan, his last ditch effort to salvage something of the amazing connection they had, was so fraught with disaster, so ripe with the possibility of failure, that he’d found himself wanting just a little more time to enjoy the wonder of having Chloe Sullivan as his wife.

LOL! I really liked this. About how Lex was puttering about and stalling because he can’t bear to follow through with his plan of action. It really shows how distraught he is about the situation when he is incapable of action for fear of consequences.


But Lex knew even that, although accurate, was not the entire story. No, the truth was much darker. Although he’d known that it would be impossible for him to simply keep Chloe, regardless of his suggestion to Dr. Heideman, he had waited until he’d heard back from the man; until the eminent Dr. Karlsson had confirmed the futility of the idea before he’d faced, absolutely, that he would need to tell Chloe as soon as possible.

hhe, and I should have known that part of the reason for the dilly-dallying stall was because Lex was hoping that THIS course of action would actually prove to be a viable plan. Of course he wouldn’t want to follow through with the strategy that relies on ‘mercy and pity’ from an ‘opponent’. He’s want the plan where he manages to secure what he wants through formidable, controlled force.

I did like that Heideman finally told him that the ‘keep Chloe amnesiac forever’ idea was a bust. It wouldn’t do to make things too easy for Lex. He’s die for a lot of loneliness and pain, and he’s going to SUFFER!


And even when Chloe regained her memories she would be unable to deny that that period in their lives, their struggles to right old wrongs, to survive a madman’s wrath, had created the kinship that had kept them in an unspoken state of détente even after all this time. It had engendered the kind of closeness that only life and death situations can, even for those who are subjected to them so frequently.

He planned to tell her that he had loved her then; that her bravery, her loyalty, her beauty of face and of spirit had set her so deep in his heart that he’d never been able to extract her. Oh, he was sure she’d have questions – demand to know why he’d never acted on those feelings – but he’d gone carefully over his options; choosing those that would both fit in with her memories as they reemerged and well suit those things she had learned about him over their weeks together.

He’d have to tell her why, if he’d honestly loved her, they had never been together. His answer would be simple and, had he genuinely developed feelings for her at the time, most likely true. Fear for her safety.

After explaining the things his father had done, the way he’d hurt and manipulated them, the attempts on their lives, he knew he’d be able to convince her that the risk of being with him was just too great. For both their sakes.

*awed voice* That. Was. Brilliant!!! That would have worked too! This particular lie might actually have been successful in convincing Chloe that all Lex wanted was some isolated time with her to win her love. That him kidnapping her, using her illness to his advantage… he did it all because he was desperately in love with her from the very beginning.

And she would have been livid about him lying and everything, but a part of her might have been flattered by his drastic measures… all for her sake. She would have forgiven him, in time. ROTFLMAO! I should have known that Lex would have one VERY twisted idea of ‘coming clean’ when he resolved to ‘be truthful’ with Chloe. LOL!

Ooooh, if only, if ONLY he had followed through with this plan three days ago when he first thought of it. Heh, but then again, we would have missed out on a lot of Lex-Suffering. AND there’s a good part of us that would have been disappointed in Chloe not figuring out the real truth of his intentions.


But, in his defense, he had fairly conclusive proof that his position was correct. Absent the overshadowing specter of his father in all his former glory, and without the cloying presence of her insanely over protective best friend, they had managed to find their way to each other, to fall in love. And Lex knew that that, their love, would be his strongest defense.

LOL! I just loved how Lex is rationalizing away these latest sets of lies that he’s preparing to share with Chloe by telling himself that it’s right and just, and his way of restoring ‘order and balance’ to what ‘should have been so’ in the first place.

Isn’t it amazing when he can make all these evil moves with great conviction in everything he does by telling himself that he’s being noble?


Even before he’d loved her, Lex had been more than aware of Chloe’s tireless propensity to love others. He’d watched over the years as that very fact brought her untold anguish, and he’d often wondered why she just didn’t give up on those so clearly undeserving of her endless emotional outpouring. But he’d finally come to realize, after he’d basked in that same love and concern, that it was simply who she was. It was intrinsic to her nature and she could no more shut off that part of herself than she could stop breathing.

And if it kept her with him, kept her in his life, he’d exploit that trait ruthlessly.

It made me shiver to see that, even though it’s one of the things that made him fall in love with her, he still sees her capacity for devotion, loyalty, compassion and understanding as a ‘weakness’ to be exploited. Even when he’s in love, he’s chilly and frightening in the way he can assess and analyse people, and be able to spot their weaknesses for his advantage.


She turned slowly, the movements displaying a concentrated effort that caused Lex a brief flutter of anxiety. Anxiety, however, quickly transformed itself to full scale worry as her gaze finally met his own.

Tears spilled from wide, pain filled eyes following the path of what appeared to have been many predecessors. As if her stillness had been restraining her anguish, it was suddenly brought forth and her body trembled with its force.

*gasp* oh, no! nonoNOnonoNO!!! Tell me this isn’t happening? I should have known that Skauble was preparing us for a fall when she outlined Lex’s latest seamless plan for our admiring inspection.


The anxiety that had grown to worry was fast becoming overwhelming dread as he rushed towards her. And as she flinched at his nearness, the dread became a choking sense horror that settled over his heart.

He was so close to her now; close enough to see the strains of gold in her mossy eyes, close enough to see the truth seep through the cracks in the windows to her soul.

She knew.

NOW! Just when he was on the verge of ‘winning her over’ with her new pack of lies, she regains her memories NOW?!! Ooooh, that irony of the timing has got to be KILLING Lex. LOL! You’re eeeevil, Skauble! I love how you milked every bit of suffering from Lex that was possible from this moment. You made him create a backup plan, only to be too cowardly to use it until it was too late to implement it.


“I just wanted some coffee,” her voice was as hollow, as broken as the rest of her. “It was so good, and I thought ‘Why couldn’t Lana ever make it like this?’. And then it was all there. All that nothing and suddenly – everything.”

LOL! I should have known that coffee would have saved Chloe, and brought her back like no other substance. Delicious, Skauble!


Lex’s head was spinning and he couldn’t seem to pull enough air into his lungs. He hadn’t been ready for this; hadn’t prepared. He needed more time with her, to fix this, to make it right, to be with her. Lex Luthor wasn’t a man geared for desperation, but at that moment it was all he had; all he was.

“You have to believe me, Chloe,” he ignored the cringe as his hand reached out to her. “I was on my way home to tell you everything.”

love it, LOVE it! I can practically see the desperation and despair coming off from him. It’s intoxicating to watch!


“Believe you? Believe you?!” She could feel the hysteria bubbling up inside of her, but was helpless to contain it. “I wouldn’t believe you if you said the sky was blue, if you said water was wet, if you said never trust a Luthor – Oh, wait,” her voice was brimming with scorn, “I guess you’ve proven that last one fairly conclusively.”

ooh, ouch, ouch, OUCH! Chloe’s most formidable weapons have always been her tongue and the truth, and she wields them both to cut very sharply and viciously over here. VERY nice! Let’s have more!


Lex was worried about Chloe’s sudden pallor and the slight sway of her body but resisted reaching for her again. He needed to explain things to her, to make her understand. And that couldn’t happen if he was chasing her all over the room.

I liked this part. About how Lex desperately wanted to hold, comfort and protect Chloe… even though he himself was the cause of her suffering.


“Don’t worry?” She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. Not again. Not when she’d worked so hard to earn everything this time around. “You’ve made sure that, once again, I have a job at the Daily Planet because someone pulled some strings.”

She couldn’t even find the strength to struggle against his hold. “You’ve ruined everything.”

His hands tightened convulsively and Lex swallowed hard at the thought that she might be right. The idea that the plans he’d made hadn’t been thorough enough, that he’d missed something because he hadn’t understood when this had started how much she deserved all of his focus, all of his care; the thought that she’d lose her dreams because of his miscalculation was unendurable.

Oh dear god! This part KILLED me! I myself only just realized how Chloe’s career would have been freshly ruined by having her reputation tainted by having ANOTHER Luthor pressuring her work place to keep her job for her. And it was tragic how Lex understood that he not only broke Chloe’s heart and spirit, but he also might have committed irreparable damage on her professional career, and THAT is something that she would NEVER forgive.

And I loved how he wasn’t really worried about Chloe’s forgiveness when thinking about her career, but he was honestly wounded and distraught to think about the damage and suffering he had caused her professionally… all because he didn’t place enough importance/priority on making sure her dreams were secure.

The guilt, OH the guilt he’s feeling… It’s delicious and beautiful to behold!


Feeling Chloe tremble under his hands, Lex put an end to that line of thought. Things would be fine, and if they weren’t he’d make them. He had power and influence and more money than most of the world’s governments. Chloe would have her place at the Daily Planet if he had to buy the damn thing for her.

And I had to laugh at this Luthor-logic. He destroys her reputation and career by publicly ‘pulling strings’ for her, so his way to make amends was the buy her her way back into the job? Talk about trying to put out flames with gasoline. LOL!


Seeing the streams of silver trailing down her pale cheeks as sobs wracked her small form leveled something inside Lex and, ignoring her ineffectual blows, he pulled her into his arms. He merely tightened his hold in response to her struggles and, finally, he felt her strength leave her in a rush.

Although she was silent and appeared calm in his arms, Lex still held her close against him. The notion that this might be the last chance he had to do so flashed through his mind but he pushed it out with all the other thought he couldn’t afford to entertain.

I swooned at this part. How Lex was trying to convey his care and love through a ‘desperate tight embrace’. Typical way for him to try to express himself… AND be able to reaffirm her physical presence one last time before she left.


“Why?”

The question was muffled but to Lex it boomed in his ears with the echo of impending doom. He tried to focus, reminding himself that her memory return was always in his plans; that the half-truths he’d devised would still work. But as he was ready to give them voice her sad eyes, tired and reddened from so many tears, crept up to meet his gaze.

Heh, he hesitated again! Just for a moment he had a chance to start overwhelming her with lies designed to win her favour, but he hesitated…


“Oh God,” Chloe shuddered and for one, terrible moment was afraid she might be ill. “It’s Clark.”

She watched as Lex tried to cover up his moment of shock – the fleeting widening of his eyes, the slight tightening of his mouth. It was rare to see, but apparently even Luthor’s had their tells. Never in her life had Chloe so hated her beloved truth than at that moment, when she understood that not only was everything she’d believed a lie, but that it hadn’t even been lies about her.

… and in that hesitation, Chloe figured it all out in a flash. I loved that she managed to deduce what and WHY, confronted Lex, and got confirmation from him… all within a moment. Her truth-seeking skills are as sharp as ever, even in the moment of despair and confusion.


If she’d been Lana, Chloe knew that all of it – Lex, the kidnapping, the marriage – would have been some twisted attempt to win her love. But she was Chloe, so it was all about Clark.

There is something very sad and very satisfying about this. It’s satisfying that Chloe figured out the truth, and indeed would probably NOT have fallen for Lex’s lies. But it’s also sad that she would not have fallen for Lex’s lies because she would have known (rightfully so) that she was NOT the centre of a plot which involved her being kidnapped and sequestered by an evil genius.


“Let me go.”

The words carried a wealth of meanings for Lex. Let her go. Out of his arms, out of his life. It didn’t matter; he wasn’t sure he could grant her either of those requests.

Loved this part… how Lex can see Chloe disappearing on him, right in front of his eyes.


His eyes pierced hers with a frantic distress he didn’t even attempt to hide.

“I love you.”

She reeled back as if she’d been struck and only too late did Lex realize the cruelty of his words. When she’d longed for them he couldn’t bring himself to utter them. Now that he could they were like daggers he’d thrust into her heart.

You kill me, Skauble! It’s agony how you manage to make those beautiful words into another form of torture. Beautiful heart wrenching angst!


Unwilling to twist them any further, Lex forced his arms to release her; made himself step away.

And I really liked this too. How Lex truly loved Chloe too much to keep inflicting this kind of pain on her. Even though he knows she’s about to leave him, he can’t bring himself to keep hurting her by trying to convince her to stay… heh, not yet anyway, I think his desperation for wanting her back will soon overwhelm any qualms he has about hurting her with his words and presence soon.


Chloe watched as her words were met by a blank and impenetrable look far more common to Lex than his previous alarm. She could almost see him gathering his thoughts, building his resolve and she knew she had to act. She had to leave before his clever, agile mind took everything in and devised some new torture, some plan of attack she couldn’t possibly hope to fend off in her current condition.

I really, REALLY loved this interesting insight into the Chlex dynamic. I was quite impressed by how well CHloe knows Lex. She has guessed that giving Lex time to regroup would only mean a new line of attack and persuasion to win her over. She doesn’t know WHY he’s trying to win her trust now, she can’t believe that he loves her, but she knows he wants it. And, if given a moment to plan, he’ll start thinking of ways to start conning her again.


“I’m not going to let you kill yourself just to prove something to me. You want to leave here,” his tone was uncompromising at best, “it will be with Mitchell. Take it or leave it.”

Chloe could feel herself shaking, but knew that this time it was with rage.

“Fine,” she spat. “Anything that gets me away from you.”

heeee :D I really liked how she was so vicious over here.


Disregarding everything except the fact that he’d succeeded, Lex put the call through, ordering his driver to bring the car around immediately. In the brief moment that task had required, Chloe had already made her way over to the door.

LOL! It was rather amusing how Lex takes satisfaction at even the smallest and pettiest of victories. I guess small, petty satisfaction is all he has to hold himself together with right now.


“This isn’t over.”

He was wrong. She knew it with every fiber of her being. Because he was Lex Luthor and she was Chloe Sullivan and everything was, would always be about someone else.

“No, Lex” she choked on his name as she pulled the door open, “there was never anything to end.”

heh… so now the stage is set for Sullivan stubbornness set against Luthor ruthlessness? We KNOW that he’s not going to leave it at this. He’s not going to let go of the woman he’s desperately in love with without one HELL of a fight. I can’t wait to see what Lex does to try and win Chloe’s trust, and how Chloe withstands all pressures he sets against her. What happens when an irrepressible force sets itself against an immovable object? Let’s see and find out?

Squeeee! This was a wonderful, amazing, jaw-dropping ending to the new chapter. And I know that I promised not to nag you in the shoutbox.. But over here… Please, please PLEASE update!!!

Hmmm, or there is that ‘other’ story that would also satisfy me just as well… perhaps even better? :D

[westwingwolf]

Break my heart why don't you?! He had his plan all ready and she just had to get her memory back. Yeah that's sounds really twisted of me, but damn it, I want them together. She was so much happier being with Lex and not knowing about Clark. Something inseide of her really wanted Lex's love. He's got to be able to prove himself to her. Yes this started out about Clark but it ended so much better with him wanting her love and needing her love and he's got to make her understand that.

[Nyx]

UAUUUUUU!!!!

Two updates in a week!!!!!

Well that was bound to happen, Lex was not born under a lucky star so he should have told Chloe the truth as soon as he made the decision.

Now what??? Chloe is hurt and pissed off beyond belief. And Lex with his awful timing told her his real fillings. I doubt Chloe is going to forgive him that quick.

Chloe is confused thinking was it all a lie or Lex actually felt something for her, I guess he is going to have to go after her and prove his feeling right.

[Avalanche]

Girlie, I'm more than a little flattered that you updated so quick simply to have the privilege of calling me a giant perv. Truly, it warms the very cockles of my heart. THE COCKLES!

At any rate, this part was fantastic! Oh how you pull the noose around the heart and squeeze until it burts into this red and meaty mess! I particularly liked the events surrounding her memory's return. Coffee and Lana...ones gives her delight and the other absolute torment. Bravo, I says.

Oh and the "I love you' spoken by Lex! Absolutely brilliant. I can't wait to see where you'll take it from here. Man, will she have some 'splainin' to do.

Btw, you got another week of unfettered giant perv name calling. Use your week wisely, grasshopper! :D

[summer_enchanted]

I hope everything works out for Lex and Chloe they deserve a happy ending.
Please update again soon. This is a great fic.:)





Chlex forever :nsparty:

[xxasaxx]

i somehow had a feeling that she'd remember everything before he's get a chance to enact his plan....i can't wait for the next chap!

:grin3:

[dagney]

Sarah, Oh My GUT Wrenching once again. Chloe is crushed. How things appear to be about everyone but her. Lex uttering I love you and it feeling like another lie. Chloe wants to be loved but her record is horrible. Lex MOG he caused all this and yet I can't help but feel sorry for him. He is such a tragic tortoured figure. Perhaps Lex need to go to Clark and confess all and Beg Clark for help trying to start anew. dagney

[skauble]

Yes, it’s that time again – time for author’s notes!

And yet I hear no cheering.

Actually, this note doesn’t have to be read. It doesn’t affect the plot. It’s just a note on Clark as I’ve chosen to portray him in this story.

I know that there’s a lot of Clark hate out there. Believe me, when I watch SV I hate him, too.

However, almost everything that I hate about Clark is because of Lana. Sure, sometimes his self-righteousness and hypocrisy annoy me, but I’ve always felt that Superman needs to have a certain sense of moral rigidity in order to keep such boundless power in check.

My real problems with Clark – his obliviousness to the things around him (especially Chloe), his debilitating need to be normal, his serial moping, his newfound moral ambiguity – all seem to stem, for the most part, from his interactions with Lana.

Lana is simply the lowest common denominator on the show and in order for her not to seem even more out of place than she already does, every other character has to be written down to her level. And I hate it. I don’t like watching it on SV and I don’t see why I should expend any effort at all writing out such obnoxious scenarios.

So, instead of trying for complete AU behavior from the other characters, I try to imagine what they would be like if the didn’t have some sort of Lana adoration shoved on them all of the time.

Taking that into consideration, the Clark that you read in this story is not going to be canon Clark, necessarily. But I think that if the Lana anomaly were edited out of the equation, this is actually who canon Clark might be. So if he seems different, that’s why. Frankly, I don’t know if I could even write a character with a Lana obsession because, contextually, it has no foundation. So it’s probably best that we try it this way.

But any comments or complaints are welcome. :)

Also, beware of mistakes. I didn’t read this over with as much care as it most likely needed.





Chapter Sixteen



Clark was lying on the worn sofa in his loft…again. Staring at the ceiling…again. He wondered what had happened to his life. Then he remembered – it was in California; with Chloe.

He’d always been aware that Chloe was above and beyond when it came to best friends, but he’d never realized how much her presence filled up his life. And the hardest part of all – despite the loneliness, the restlessness, the sheer boredom – was that Lana was making it worse.

Not that she meant to. No, Lana had been there for him whenever he’d called her over the last two months. Both cautiously trying to reconnect, to perhaps rekindle some small part of the spark that had been extinguished during Lana’s disastrous relationship with Lex, they had been meeting regularly for coffee, lunch, the occasional movie. But instead of being overjoyed at this second chance with the girl of his dreams, he was finding himself more and more convinced that their painful breakup had been a blessing in disguise.

Of course he still cared about her. He would always consider Lana a friend. But it seemed that, recently, their conversations were shallow and unfulfilling, lacking any real depth or substance. And, looking back, Clark began to wonder if that had always been the case.

As long as Clark could remember, his conversations with Lana had centered primarily around their relationship. The years they’d spent dancing around their feelings had been marked by discussions filled with veiled allusions to their interest in each other, and when they’d actually gotten together their talks had been laden with fantasies about the future and bitter recriminations about the present in a never ending cycle that, by the time Lex had made his move, had clearly exhausted them both.

And so the more time that Clark spent with Lana, the more he was beginning to suspect that they couldn’t recapture their great love because it had been nothing but an illusion to begin with. And though a part of him was pained by the loss of his childhood dreams of a normal existence and the realization of so much wasted time, a larger part was glad that that period of his life, the folly of his youth, was finally being laid to rest.

Sadly, the downside of this new insight into his relationship with Lana was that it had come at the cost of hours and hours of monotonous and tedious heart to hearts. And it was those often stilted and awkward conversations that made him miss Chloe with an agonizing intensity.

He could barely remember the last time a day had gone by without at least hearing Chloe’s voice. Now he’d had been two months without that luxury. Well, if one didn’t count the message on her voicemail. A number which Clark pitifully acknowledged he had been pathetic enough to call, sometimes more than once a day, just hear her voice.

Not that they’d been out of touch. Chloe emailed him at least once a day; but her messages seemed distant and perfunctory, without the customary warmth that she brought to everything she did. It worried Clark, and he’d offered his assistance time and again just for the chance to see her and make sure that she was okay only to be graciously but firmly rebuffed.

And if her remoteness had worried him, her refusal to allow him to help her absolutely terrified him. He hadn’t realized until she been out of reach just how much he had come to rely on Chloe over the years. It wasn’t just that she knew his secrets and still remained steadfast beside him; it was that Chloe helped him make sense of things. When life seemed hopeless and overwhelming, Chloe’s tough love always pulled everything back into perspective for him. She was the grounding force in his peculiar reality and Clark was coming to understand that he’d taken that for granted for quite a while.

Worst of all was the fact that he was very afraid that he wasn’t any of those things to Chloe. Although he tried to be supportive of her, Clark was beginning to comprehend the painful fact that he had often been quite oblivious to the times when that very support was most urgently required. So often he’d been caught up in his own drama with Lana that he hadn’t recognized her need until her crisis was over and she’d found her comfort in someone else.

When she’d first left and these epiphanies had begun to bombard him, Clark had consoled himself with the fact that, even if he had been emotionally deficient in their friendship, he’d always been there for her when the chips were down and she needed someone to have her back, to save her. He’d routinely been her first stop when she required a partner in crime. Only now he wasn’t. And that thought scared him in ways nothing else ever had.

What if she didn’t need him anymore? What if she was off investigating stories and tracking down leads all on her own because she preferred it that way? What if her minimal communication for eight awful weeks was her way of easing him out of her life? The thought of losing his best friend was unbearable and as each passing day increased his desire to have her home, his fear grew that Chloe was learning to live without him.

Clark’s morose musings were interrupted by the sound of a car making its way towards the house. Jogging down the stairs, he stepped outside to see a dark limousine approaching. The license plate read LC1 and Clark wondered what would bring either of the Luthor men to his door. With his mother in Topeka he doubted that, given his minimal tolerance of the man, Lionel would be eager to talk to him. And even less likely was a visit from Lex with whom he was engaged in outright hostilities.

On the verge of using his abilities to see exactly what kind of ordeal he was about to be subject, the vehicle came to a stop in front of him and the door flew open before the chauffer even had a chance to shut off the engine.

Utter shock held Clark still as, instead of either man he’d been dreading, Chloe exited the car. So grateful to finally see her again, it took a moment for him to recognize her distress. She looked exhausted. She’d clearly been crying and her body swayed slightly as she stood there, staring back at him.

Her unconcealed suffering broke through his astonishment and he moved quickly to her side. Before he quite made it, Chloe threw herself forward and into his arms. They closed automatically around her, and her obvious need for the warm embrace was the only thing that stopped him from dragging the driver out of the car and shaking him until he explained the traumatic state of his best friend.

Clark had seen Chloe cry before. They’d been too close for too long not to have shared some tears; but the only other time he’d watched her breakdown like this, witnessed such grief-stricken weeping was after the death of her father. He needed to know what had led her to this state once again, but could see that right then she didn’t need an interrogation, only reassurance.

“Clark.”

Chloe wanted to say more, wanted to rant, to scream, to pour out everything; but in the familiar shelter of Clark’s arms her reserve finally shattered and all that escaped was his name and her broken sobs. Suddenly she felt herself picked up and held tight as Clark turned towards the loft. The sound of the car pulling away rang in her ears and she wept all the harder at the realization that it was over; her life with Lex was truly at an end.

He lowered them both to the couch and as he began to rub her back in a gentle, soothing motion, Chloe was thankful that, for once, Clark seemed to understand intuitively what she needed from him. Slowly, as the minutes passed, her breathing calmed and her tears began to dry.

“Chloe?” Clark asked hesitantly, desperate to know what had hurt her but afraid to upset her all over again. She nodded silently against his chest and he took it as a sign to continue. “What happened?”

A choked sob was his only answer until Chloe finally managed a single, whispered word that chilled him to the depths of his soul.

“Lex.”

Chloe heard her voice break on the name and wasn’t sure that she could say any more. Weighed down by the fatigue of gaining and losing a life in an instant, all she wanted was to sleep for hours, maybe days. She just wanted to wake up and find this had all been a dream; but the fact that she wasn’t sure which life she wanted to awaken to find brought new tears to her eyes.

She heard Clark curse above her and the foreign sound was as shocking as his next question.

“Lex was with you in California?” He didn’t understand why on earth she wouldn’t have mentioned something like that in her emails.

“California?”

Clark’s stomach fell as her genuine confusion penetrated his mind and the ramifications roared through him.

If Chloe hadn’t been in California then all of those messages from her talking about stories and leads on the west coast had been fake. If someone had been lying about her being there it was because they had a vested interest in keeping her real whereabouts a secret; and the dark possibilities of what that interest was and where Lex came in made him almost fearful of the explanations to come.

As she began to shake anew under his hands Clark wondered if maybe he wasn’t the best comfort for her at that point. After all, no matter how deeply he cared for her and how close they’d been for years, he still was a guy and he was cursed with all of those guy limitations that would eventually show through and make him say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing.

“Chloe, do you want me to call Lois? Or Lana? I know they’d come over as soon as they heard you were home.”

Chloe’s head snapped up and Clark was taken aback by the wild shaking of her head.

“No!” Chloe knew she sounded desperate, but she needed him to understand before he did something stupid on her behalf that couldn’t be taken back. “Clark, you can’t call them. They can’t know anything.”

She could see that he was going to argue with her and she was simply too weary to consider the prospect. As much as she would have loved to have had Lois’ ever supportive shoulder to cry on, if her cousin knew that Lex had kidnapped her and kept her for two months she’d never let it go until she understood why. And that was the one thing that Chloe could never tell her.

And, although she wasn’t yearning for Lana’s presence, the same held true for her the other girl. Clark was her best friend, and he was more than worth the effort, but his unique circumstances often had a way of narrowing her options.

“Clark,” she reasoned with the last of her energy, “it’s too dangerous to tell them. Your secret…”

As she trailed off and her head fell against him once again, Clark thought he might be sick.

His secret.

Lex had taken her to learn his secret. All the times he had worried about putting Lana in danger by sharing his true identity came back to mock him as he realized that it had been Chloe at risk all along and he’d never really taken any steps to prevent it. He went to her with all of his troubles no matter how hazardous and let her help with all of the solutions no matter how risky.

The fact was that he’d been so happy to finally have someone to share that part of his life with, a confidant who was so exceptionally enthusiastic and supportive, that Clark wondered if maybe he hadn’t pushed those thoughts away on purpose to be able to keep her. It wasn’t a possibility of which he was particularly proud and, in light of his recent revelations about Chloe and this new development with Lex, Clark thought he might choke on the guilt swelling within him.

And suddenly the reality of it all began to set in. Two months. Clark’s jaw tightened as anger warred with his remorse at the thought of the damage that a Luthor could do it that amount of time. Despite every principle his father had instilled in him, he wanted nothing more than find Lex, beat every detail out of him and then break him into a thousand pieces for the way he’d obviously hurt the woman in his arms desperately trying to hold back her tears.

Chloe could feel the muscles beneath her bunch as Clark’s entire body clenched. It didn’t require any great leap of logic to see where her friend’s mind was headed.

“I’m so tired, Clark,” she whispered as she looked up to find a pain that mirrored her own. “Please, stay here. Don’t leave,” she begged, “please.”

Before her mind could even comprehend the change, Chloe found herself in the Kent’s home, tucked snuggly into Clark’s bed. Unable to struggle against the lure of sleep any longer, she drifted off with Clark’s promise hanging in the air.

“I won’t leave you, Chloe.”





Chapter Seventeen



Chloe awoke to the tantalizing aroma of coffee wafting up the stairs. For a moment she savored the familiar scent until the memory of her last cup flooded her mind and her stomach turned at the smell.

Not ready to face Clark and secure in his promise not to leave, Chloe headed to the shower instead of the kitchen. She’d cried herself and ocean of tears and slept in her clothes. She felt gross on a multitude of levels and knew that the upcoming conversation would be hard enough without any added discomfort.

Stepping out of the shower she wrapped herself up in Clark’s ridiculously large robe and wondered why she hadn’t thought to have a shorter best friend. The thought brought a small smile to her lips until her eyes fell on the pile of green material lying haphazardly on the floor.

An outfit it would have taken her a year of saving to afford, bought because Lex told her it matched her eyes. And for a moment she wanted to tear the fragile fabric to shreds. Instead, she picked it up, smoothing out the wrinkles as best she could and folded it carefully, setting it on Clark’s dresser. It was the only thing she had left of her time with Lex. Except for her shattered heart.

Her eyes stung but she couldn’t afford new tears just yet. Not when there was still so much to be done.

She had to explain everything to Clark and find out exactly what kind of story Lex had told everyone to cover for her absence. Then, when that trial was over, she was going to have to figure out how to keep him from killing Lex. She’d never seen Clark as angry as he’d been last night; not even when Lana and Lex had started dating. And while his fury on her behalf was both sweet and flattering, she didn’t want him doing anything stupid.

Clark was usually fairly good at remembering not to use his powers. His parent’s reasonable paranoia and his dislike at being different generally deterred recreational use of his abilities. But Clark didn’t always make the best decisions when in the grip of strong emotions and she knew that if he ran off to confront Lex, what he didn’t end up exposing on his own, his former friend would manipulate him into showing.

And because all of those reasons were true, she chose to focus on them and not the fact that just the idea of Lex being seriously hurt by Clark made it difficult for her to breathe.

Clark had heard Chloe wake up and, despite his urgent need for answers, he’d waited while Chloe showered and, he assumed, gathered herself together.

He’d kept his promise to her and hadn’t left the house, but he’d been up all night alternately pacing the floors and returning to his room just to stare at her and convince himself that she was truly back.

He’d been plagued by countless scenarios during the night, each worse than the last, and by the time the sun lit the sky his head had been bursting with visions of dungeons and images of interrogations. Clark had wanted to wake her up, to demand to know what had happened to her, but he’d restrained himself. Partly because he could see that Chloe desperately needed the sleep, and in part because he was so afraid of what she might say.

It was killing him. Knowing that she’d spent two months at the mercy of a monster; that he hadn’t helped her, hadn’t even suspected something was wrong. When Clark remembered that he’d seen Lex at the Talon when Chloe had first disappeared he felt nauseous.

That Lex had sat there, drinking coffee with that superior smirk on his face while doing God knew what to his best friend had almost been the straw that had driven him out of the house. But it hadn’t. Looking back, Clark cursed himself for not sensing that something was wrong, for failing Chloe. He wouldn’t do so again. So he’d kept his promise and stayed.

Of course, his vow ended with the night and once he found out exactly what had been done to her, he had every intention of taking the matter up with Lex.

“Whatever you’re planning, stop.”

Clark whirled at the sound of Chloe’s voice. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. She was wearing his robe and the large garment swallowed her smaller figure. She’d borrowed it a number of times before when she’d stayed over for various reasons and the sight of it had always brought a smile to his face; but, at that moment, it tugged at his heart to see her looking so tiny, so fragile.

“What makes you think I’m planning something?” It was eerie how well she knew him, Clark thought.
“Because you wouldn’t be Clark Kent if you hadn’t already come up with a hundred ways this was all your fault and decided only you could fix it” she told him bluntly.

Handing her a cup of coffee, Clark watched in surprise as, for the first time since he’d met her, Chloe waved off what she had once referred to as “the elixir of life”. Instead, she made her way to the sofa in the living room. Tucking her feet up beneath her she appeared even smaller than she had before and he found himself almost reluctant to join her now that the time for had arrived for his questions to have answers and his fears given voice. With a deep breath he followed, sitting on the other end; far enough away to give her space but close enough should she need his comfort.

“I broke into a LuthorCorp lab,” Chloe told him, deciding to get the confessional part of her story out of the way.

“What?!” He barked. “Why didn’t you call me? I could’ve-”

“Clark!” She interrupted him before he could wind himself up into a full blown lecture. “It wasn’t a meteor rock thing, or a Kryptonian thing, or even a standard Smallville bizarre type thing. It was just a lead I had for a story, so there didn’t seem to be a reason to bring in the big guns.”

Although she could tell he didn’t like it, she watched as he relaxed a little at being told her decisions was made only because he was overqualified for the job. Men, Chloe thought, just barely restraining an eye roll, were so very easy.

“I found the information I needed and almost made it out. Darn short legs.”

Clark would have smiled at the familiar complaint if it didn’t seem so much like a harbinger of doom.

“Some overzealous security guard caught up with me and showed me the exit face first,” Chloe winced slightly at the memory of hitting the steel door.

All those weeks struggling against the void that was her memory and there she sat, willing to give almost anything not to remember what came next; not to have to say the words.

“The blow to the head knocked me out for a while,” she ignored Clark’s small gasp, knowing that she wouldn’t get through the recitation if she had to stop to assuage his sure to be escalating shock. “When I woke up in the medical section of the lab I didn’t remember anything.”

“About the accident?” He asked.

“About everything,” her voice caught at the memory of the fear and confusion she’d felt when she’d awoken to find all that she knew erased. “I didn’t have any idea where I was, who I was. Blank; all of it.”

Chloe skipped the lengthy explanations she’d been given about her condition. Clark understood the basic concept of amnesia and, frankly, she wasn’t sure how much of what Lex’s doctors had told her was even true.

“Lex was there,” she swallowed heavily, pushing back the tide of emotions that threatened to smother her as she thought of what had happened next.

“Did he hurt you?” Clark’s kept his voice was soft and soothing even though he wanted to scream and break things; a temptation he feared would only increase as Chloe’s story continued.

“He said we were married.”

“What?” His hearing was exceptional. Super-hearing, Chloe always called it. But Clark was certain that it must not have been working properly, that he must have misheard her.

Chloe understood her friend’s shock, had experienced it first hand when she’d realized the extent of what Lex had done; but she almost hated Clark for making her say it again.

“He told me that he was my husband,” she clarified, “that we’d been married almost two months.”

Of all the possibilities that Clark’s mind had spent hours conjuring, what Chloe had revealed hadn’t even been a consideration. It was incomprehensible, it was unbelievable and for the life of him he just couldn’t understand –

“Why?”

Chloe understood the question. She had a lot of those, too. Why did Lex have to take his ruse so very far? Why did he have to make her love him? Why had he been so cruel as to tell her he loved her? But instead of letting those mysteries consume her she focused on the answer Clark was seeking.

“He told me about you; said you were my best friend but that we’d been fighting because you didn’t approve of my relationship with Lex.” The day before that had been her reality and it was so hard for her think of it now as a lie. “He said you were out of control and because of your erratic behavior we’d decided to keep our marriage a secret.”

Even without looking at him, Chloe could feel Clark’s tension as his anger mounted. She hoped he could keep it in check because it was all she could do to deal with her own tangled mass of emotions; she just didn’t have the energy right then to be Clark’s therapist.

Realizing that he’d managed to rein his temper in, Chloe continued. “He said,” she took a deep breath, “he said that we’d had some kind of fight that day; that I was scared of you, hysterical. He told me he was worried and that I had to tell him if I remembered anything that could help him deal with you – anything strange or out of the ordinary.”

And suddenly Lex’s plan came into focus with a crystal clarity.

Lex had filled Chloe’s mind with fears and then waited for her inevitable memories of his bizarre behavior to surface so he could pluck out the secrets Chloe had always so jealously guarded on his behalf.

It was odd; all those years of hiding who he was and what he could do from Lex and at that moment he could care less what the other man had learned. Whatever it was he would deal with it later. But Chloe; Chloe needed him now.

When he’d first learned that she’d been with Lex, he’d imagined the third degree in a small holding cell or captivity in some laboratory. When she said that Lex had, instead, fabricated some tale of a marriage between them he’d been shocked and horrified, but it was only just beginning to sink in exactly what that meant; how horribly Lex could have taken advantage of her.

“So you lived with him as his wife?”

“Yes,” her voice was hardly more than a whisper. The memories of her time with Lex were so sharp that she missed the barely leashed violence in Clark’s question.

“Did he touch you?”

Her stricken gaze flew to his. She knew that she should have anticipated the question; but she hadn’t let her own mind drift back to those beautiful nights in the arms of the man she thought had loved her, much less steeled herself to share those memories with Clark.

“That son of a bitch!” Clark didn’t need her words to confirm what he could so clearly read in his eyes. “He raped you.”

“No!” It erupted from Chloe before she could consider what her answer would reveal. But she couldn’t lie to Clark. Lex’s cold and callous plan had been unforgivable, but she didn’t think he’d meant for it to go that far.

“He didn’t– We didn’t–” with a deep shuddering breath, Chloe tried again. “Nothing happened until a little over a week ago. There were extenuating circumstance; things that–”

“You’re defending him?” The minute the words left his mouth, Clark cringed at his stupidity. Chloe was hurt and confused and had literally begun shivering with the strain of reliving the whole experience and he knew that his thoughtless accusations would only cause her more pain.

“I’m sorry, Chlo,” shifting closer to her Clark pulled her into his arms, unable to bear the sight of the new tears sliding silently down her face. “I’m being a complete jerk. It doesn’t matter what happened.”

Chloe burrowed into the warmth and acceptance Clark offered. No matter how much she slept she didn’t ever think she’d feel rested again and the temptation to simply float away in the arms of someone on whose caring she could absolutely reply was almost too much for her too resist.

And yet she had to.

“Clark,” she mumbled into his chest knowing that he could hear her perfectly, “it does matter. There were things I remembered about you. Things I told…” a small sob choked her for a moment, “Lex.”

Holding Chloe tighter against him, Clark was torn. It had been ingrained into his very subconscious that his powers, his origins must remain hidden at nearly all cost. But, for the first time in his life, without the corrupting influence of red kryptonite, he found himself almost hoping that his secret was out. He wanted Lex to know what he was capable of so that he could personally demonstrate every lethal ability he possessed to the bastard.

“He doesn’t know about where you come from or the things you can do.”

Chloe’s assurance left relief and disappointment in its wake and Clark ran his hand softly through the silky, golden strands of her hair. “Then whatever it was wasn’t important.”

“It was.” She lifted her face to his. She needed him to grasp the gravity of what Lex knew. Even if she hadn’t given Lex what he’d wanted, she’d certainly confirmed some of his suspicions and most likely raised some new ones.

“I didn’t remember things like my best friend’s an alien. Things didn’t come back to me like that. In fact,” she was thoughtful for a moment, “most of my memories were just strings of images in disjointed dreams.”

It was hard for Chloe to force herself to focus on her dreams when everything seemed so unreal. But she knew that Clark needed to understand what he was up against and she had to find a way to keep him as far from Lex as possible.

“I remembered the summer I ran into you in Metropolis.”

Clark grimaced at her statement. She didn’t need to elaborate. He knew exactly the incident she was referring to. The way he’d treated her when she was nothing but concerned for him, the way he’d manhandled her still made him cringe. That Chloe had seen that side of him, knew that there was always a risk that it could reemerge, and still chose to let him into her life was something that he treasured. And the fact that Lex made her live that trauma all over again filled him with a hate the likes of which he’d never dreamed himself capable.

“And…” Chloe paused. There were other, minor bits of information Lex had gleaned from her that they’d have to go over, but those could wait. This was the most important thing he had plundered from her broken mind. “I had a dream of us, surrounded by snow and ice.”

“The fortress,” Clark breathed.

“No, I didn’t remember that part,” she rushed to ease his mind. “I didn’t have a lot of details. But,” she continued, “Lex isn’t stupid; he knows now that I lied, that you were with me that day.”

Clark was already shaking his head. “It’s not important, Chloe. I don’t care what Lex does or doesn’t figure out right now.” Large hands gently wiped new tears away. “All I care about is that you’re home. You’re safe now and I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

His drying her tears had been wasted as they only fell harder with the realization that Clark wasn’t angry, wasn’t worried, and regardless of the rage she could feel inside of him for Lex, she could see that he wasn’t going to do anything right now that would add to her agony.

As she rested against him, listened to the strong beat of his heart under her ear, she released all of her worries, all of her concerns, if only for a little while. And, finally, Chloe stopped taking care of Clark Kent and let him care for her; trusted that he could carry the heaviest of her burdens for a brief time.

“I loved him”

It was the single greatest act of cruelty Clark had ever beheld. Of all the lies Lex could have told her, all the ways he could have used her, he simply couldn’t have chosen one more damaging to her very soul.

Chloe never loved halfway. When she gave her heart it was with the same exuberance with which she approached all of life. And Clark knew that, even if she’d had no idea of her identity, no memories of herself or her past, she would still have been, basically, Chloe. And Chloe, basic or otherwise, could never just shut her feelings off, regardless of how bad things got or how much she wanted to.

It was a trait he would have cursed if it hadn’t kept him in her life after so many of his selfish blunders.

“It’ll be okay, Chloe. It’ll take time but I swear it will get better.”

She closed her eyes and let herself pretend that she believed him. But already she was wishing that the arms that held her, the voice that soothed her belonged to someone else. And, deep down, Chloe knew that Clark was wrong – time wouldn’t make this better; nothing would.




Lex studied the amber liquid in his glass as he contemplated the myriad of errors he’d made over the previous months. Somehow the only regret he could arouse was for the mistake of letting her go.

All else he’d done, each lie told, every sin committed had given him Chloe to love; had brought her love in return. He couldn’t lament that; wasn’t even sure why he’d invest any effort in the attempt.

Right now she was furious. She had every reason to be. If someone had done to him even half of what he had to her, he would have ensured that it was the last miscalculation they ever made.

But Chloe was nothing like him.

It was what had drawn him in, captivated him; the truth that he’d overlooked so long. Chloe was an infinite wellspring of love and hope. It was her very nature to care and, because her love for him had been genuine, despite how it had come about, it remained. Lex knew it with every fiber of his being. And what’s more, he was certain that Chloe knew it, too.

So he’d give her time. He’d let her pass through her shock and disillusionment until she realized the true depths of her feelings underneath.

And he suffered no delusions as to where Chloe would go during this process; to whom she would turn. But it by no means meant that he approved of her choice. Honestly, the very thought sent such waves of savage hatred pulsing through him that he might have actually killed Clark had he been sure of exactly what it would take to do so.

With far more force than necessary, Lex slammed his glass on the table before him. It was that or have it shatter in his hand. Flipping open his phone he punched out a number he knew well.

“Spencer.”

“She’s at the Kent farm.” There was no need for excessive details. Spencer had the dossier Lex had sent, and there was no one better in this particular line of work. “Keep a wide distance from the house; she’ll be safe enough there. But when she leaves, stay close. I want to know every move that she makes.”

Ending the call, Lex tilted his head back and closed his eyes. It had been a long and exhausting night. He hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of going to the bed he’d shared with Chloe alone and, although he knew that he should probably relocate to either his penthouse in Metropolis or the mansion in Smallville, he couldn’t quite force himself to leave the one place he’d experienced a true sense of home in years.

Thoughts of Chloe filled his head as he remembered her words as she’d left the room he was loathe to vacate.

She’d said there was nothing between them to end. He knew that she believed it. He also knew that she was wrong.

It wasn’t over. He wouldn’t let it be.


TBC


~Sarah~

P.S. Ava is a giant perv!

[Gaia]

Idiot. All of this was his fault anyway. And second- Lex should know how loyal Chloe is. Once she gives loyalty she sticks to it.
More please

[lj715]

Omg, how sad. I know it;s Lex's fault but I can;t help but feel bad & angry with him all @ once. I have no idea how this is gonna turn around ( I hope it does...right). Ugh!

[kimmie]

this is one of my fave fics and i'm thrilled u updated. I'm kinda lookin forward to the confrontation between Clark and Lex. Please update really soon, i have no patience!!!

-K-

[dagney]

Truely heart pounding, and Oh I so want to cry with Chloe. I'm glad your writing Clark as the mature man he can be. I 'm not sure how you can bring Lex/ Chloe back together. The breach of trust is like the grand caynon. I do suspect that Clark will unwittling help Lex/Chloe back towards each other. Chloe will doubt Lex's love and I'm sure after Clark let loose his inner rage LOL he will see how much Chloe broke through to Lex. Clark in his new found insight won't doubt how anyone wouldn't love his best friend. Oh but Mr Lex Luthor your gonna have to grovel lol. I love your writing, your plot Oh I get so excited to see your updates. dagney

[Nyx]

Stupid, stupid Lex.

Now what? Chloe might still love him but that doesn't mean that she'll forgive him.

And of course Clark would have an epiphany while Chloe was gone, men!

Doesn't matter how charming they are, they still all stupid.

Next update!

[somethingeasy]

Yes, it’s that time again – time for author’s notes!
And yet I hear no cheering.

Fans all over the Forum start cheering… granted some of the cheers have a nervous desperate edge to them as they eye SE pointing a semi-automatic weapon at them…

But most of them cheer just cause they luv ya! :D


However, almost everything that I hate about Clark is because of Lana. Sure, sometimes his self-righteousness and hypocrisy annoy me, but I’ve always felt that Superman needs to have a certain sense of moral rigidity in order to keep such boundless power in check.

My real problems with Clark – his obliviousness to the things around him (especially Chloe), his debilitating need to be normal, his serial moping, his newfound moral ambiguity – all seem to stem, for the most part, from his interactions with Lana.

Lana is simply the lowest common denominator on the show and in order for her not to seem even more out of place than she already does, every other character has to be written down to her level. And I hate it. I don’t like watching it on SV and I don’t see why I should expend any effort at all writing out such obnoxious scenarios.

I completely agree with this fact that Lana dumbs down ALL the other character on SV (Clark, Chloe, Lex, Lionel, everyone!), and I completely understand and appreciate how their personalities and motives would exponentially improve if only they were allowed to let go of this contrived, inexplicable devotion to her.


But any comments or complaints are welcome.

Also, beware of mistakes. I didn’t read this over with as much care as it most likely needed.

Pffft! This old thing again?! I would throttle you for this bit of self-depreciation over here… but I’ll just settle for swooning over this new chapter instead ;)
Fantastic work… they are seriously getting better with every passing update.


Clark was lying on the worn sofa in his loft…again. Staring at the ceiling…again. He wondered what had happened to his life. Then he remembered – it was in California; with Chloe.

LOL! And also swooning from the poignant sweetness of this opening scene. It’s very lovely to see Clark associating Chloe with ‘life and home’.


He’d always been aware that Chloe was above and beyond when it came to best friends, but he’d never realized how much her presence filled up his life. And the hardest part of all – despite the loneliness, the restlessness, the sheer boredom – was that Lana was making it worse.

ROTFLMAO at the closing sentence in this paragraph! Finally! Hallelujah! Someone finally admitted that Lana makes life in Smallville for the WORSE!

And I do love how Clark is finally appreciating what a huge part of his life his ‘simple friendship’ with Chloe really was. He’s finally starting to realize what a gift and treasure she was, and how much he depends on her.

Heh, it figures he only appreciates all this AFTER she leaves his life. But to come to this realization after only two months… very impressive for Clark. LOL!


As long as Clark could remember, his conversations with Lana had centered primarily around their relationship. The years they’d spent dancing around their feelings had been marked by discussions filled with veiled allusions to their interest in each other, and when they’d actually gotten together their talks had been laden with fantasies about the future and bitter recriminations about the present in a never ending cycle that, by the time Lex had made his move, had clearly exhausted them both.

squeeee! I really liked how Clark finally had a chance to spend some ‘quality time’ without any distractions (like the stimulating and exciting conversations provided by Chloe or Lex) with Lana, and THAT is what it took for him to realize how incredibly DULL, boring, superficial and shallow Lana really is. And how incredibly boring, monotonous and tedious their conversations really are. About time. LOL!


And so the more time that Clark spent with Lana, the more he was beginning to suspect that they couldn’t recapture their great love because it had been nothing but an illusion to begin with. And though a part of him was pained by the loss of his childhood dreams of a normal existence and the realization of so much wasted time, a larger part was glad that that period of his life, the folly of his youth, was finally being laid to rest.

*gasp* I loved this… LOVED it! I really loved how Skauble arranged events so Clark was forced to grow up during the time of Chloe’s absence. He grew up just in time to be able to provide HER with emotional support during HER time of need. And I think it’s wonderful that the Chlark friendship has finally evolved to a state where it can be an equal relationship of give and take. Wonderful!


Sadly, the downside of this new insight into his relationship with Lana was that it had come at the cost of hours and hours of monotonous and tedious heart to hearts. And it was those often stilted and awkward conversations that made him miss Chloe with an agonizing intensity.

LOL! It figures that the boring, lacklustre conversation with Lana would have Clark desperate for something a little more intellectually stimulating and challenging… Even if Chloe frustrates him, and out-leaps him most of the time, at least he’s never bored with her.


He could barely remember the last time a day had gone by without at least hearing Chloe’s voice. Now he’d had been two months without that luxury. Well, if one didn’t count the message on her voicemail. A number which Clark pitifully acknowledged he had been pathetic enough to call, sometimes more than once a day, just hear her voice.

That IS rather sad and pathetic. LOL! I’d say that Clark was right on the edge of falling obsessively in love with Chloe. But so far, it seems like ‘only’ intense friendship.


And if her remoteness had worried him, her refusal to allow him to help her absolutely terrified him. He hadn’t realized until she been out of reach just how much he had come to rely on Chloe over the years. It wasn’t just that she knew his secrets and still remained steadfast beside him; it was that Chloe helped him make sense of things. When life seemed hopeless and overwhelming, Chloe’s tough love always pulled everything back into perspective for him. She was the grounding force in his peculiar reality and Clark was coming to understand that he’d taken that for granted for quite a while.

Worst of all was the fact that he was very afraid that he wasn’t any of those things to Chloe. Although he tried to be supportive of her, Clark was beginning to comprehend the painful fact that he had often been quite oblivious to the times when that very support was most urgently required. So often he’d been caught up in his own drama with Lana that he hadn’t recognized her need until her crisis was over and she’d found her comfort in someone else.

Squeeee! I’m finally beginning to understand the attraction of Chlark romance… it might not have the same kind of deliciously dark, complicated drama of Chlex, but there IS a certain sweet intensity to it that could be very addictive.

I loved how Clark’s finally realized what a true and stalwart friend Chloe has been to him for all these years. That she’s always been there for him as his emotional rock, ready to set aside her own life, desires and concerns to put him and HIS needs first. AND he’s also beginning to understand that he’s been selfishly taking advantage of her generous, loving nature by just ‘taking’ everything she has to give without ‘giving’ any of equal value in return.


When she’d first left and these epiphanies had begun to bombard him, Clark had consoled himself with the fact that, even if he had been emotionally deficient in their friendship, he’d always been there for her when the chips were down and she needed someone to have her back, to save her. He’d routinely been her first stop when she required a partner in crime. Only now he wasn’t. And that thought scared him in ways nothing else ever had.

What if she didn’t need him anymore? What if she was off investigating stories and tracking down leads all on her own because she preferred it that way? What if her minimal communication for eight awful weeks was her way of easing him out of her life? The thought of losing his best friend was unbearable and as each passing day increased his desire to have her home, his fear grew that Chloe was learning to live without him.

I loved the haunted note in that question ‘What if she didn’t need him anymore?’ I could sense Clark’s despair and desperation as that horrible thought penetrated, and made him realize that Chloe might have FINALLY come to her senses and decided to seek out someone more ‘worthy’ of the status of her best friend.

Heh, all this time, I had the feeling that Clark might have been getting irritated whenever Chloe ‘rudely interrupted’ his brooding and moping with her energetic ‘let’s go find out why…’ attitude. Now he’s finally beginning to cherish the fact that Chloe (used to) trust him to accompany her on her missions and provide much needed back up to her. About time the boy had an attitude change like this.

Fabulous character evolution, Skauble. I LOVED how you brought Clark to this place… and you managed to do it so that you linked whiny canon Clark and made him GROW UP to this lovely mature version of Clark. I’m actually looking forward to seeing his playing out his part in this fic :D


Clark’s morose musings were interrupted by the sound of a car making its way towards the house. Jogging down the stairs, he stepped outside to see a dark limousine approaching. The license plate read LC1 and Clark wondered what would bring either of the Luthor men to his door. With his mother in Topeka he doubted that, given his minimal tolerance of the man, Lionel would be eager to talk to him. And even less likely was a visit from Lex with whom he was engaged in outright hostilities.

I should be giving comments and credit to Clark for observing and assessing the situation relatively quickly and efficiently… But I’m just going to giggle over the vanity plate of the car. LC1? LOL! Did Lex run out of all the different version of LEX1, LEXL01 and even LX001 that he has to settle for substitutes like ‘C’ for ‘X’? ROTFLMAO!


Her unconcealed suffering broke through his astonishment and he moved quickly to her side. Before he quite made it, Chloe threw herself forward and into his arms. They closed automatically around her, and her obvious need for the warm embrace was the only thing that stopped him from dragging the driver out of the car and shaking him until he explained the traumatic state of his best friend.

Clark had seen Chloe cry before. They’d been too close for too long not to have shared some tears; but the only other time he’d watched her breakdown like this, witnessed such grief-stricken weeping was after the death of her father. He needed to know what had led her to this state once again, but could see that right then she didn’t need an interrogation, only reassurance.

Oh MY! Such a lovely, happy reunion! I loved how Chlark finally entered the scene in this beautiful bonding moment. It was poignantly sad, but also wonderful how Clark took in Chloe’s devastation, and he immediately followed his instincts to clutch her in a protective embrace. It was beautiful, wonderful… and I love how this sets the tone for the rest of the chapter.


Chloe wanted to say more, wanted to rant, to scream, to pour out everything; but in the familiar shelter of Clark’s arms her reserve finally shattered and all that escaped was his name and her broken sobs. Suddenly she felt herself picked up and held tight as Clark turned towards the loft. The sound of the car pulling away rang in her ears and she wept all the harder at the realization that it was over; her life with Lex was truly at an end.

Poor Chloe… The part where she’s actually SAD about this final connection to Lex leaving was just tragic. She’s enraged about what Lex did her, but she also grieves about his loss… or more like the loss of the illusion she believes he was projecting for his manipulative benefit. What’s worse for Chloe? Losing everything she had, or realizing that she never had to begin with in the first place?


He lowered them both to the couch and as he began to rub her back in a gentle, soothing motion, Chloe was thankful that, for once, Clark seemed to understand intuitively what she needed from him. Slowly, as the minutes passed, her breathing calmed and her tears began to dry.

At last Chloe is not alone is dealing with her grief. She has Clark to help her through it… and it’s not just Clark, but a version of Clark who has been forced to grow up and mature in her absence, and finally become the kind of friend that she deserves. Perfect timing.


“Chloe?” Clark asked hesitantly, desperate to know what had hurt her but afraid to upset her all over again. She nodded silently against his chest and he took it as a sign to continue. “What happened?”

A choked sob was his only answer until Chloe finally managed a single, whispered word that chilled him to the depths of his soul.

“Lex.”

heh, without a doubt, this is the absolute WORST thing Chloe could have told Clark in a single word, especially under these circumstances.


She heard Clark curse above her and the foreign sound was as shocking as his next question.

LOL! Now I want to know just how nasty a curse word did Clark fling to the roof over here. Was it something like ‘Goddamnit’? Or would it be a word that would require astericks even in the forum, like motherf***er?

Heh, I’d prefer to think it was something as nasty and shocking as possible.


“Lex was with you in California?” He didn’t understand why on earth she wouldn’t have mentioned something like that in her emails.

“California?”

Clark’s stomach fell as her genuine confusion penetrated his mind and the ramifications roared through him.

If Chloe hadn’t been in California then all of those messages from her talking about stories and leads on the west coast had been fake. If someone had been lying about her being there it was because they had a vested interest in keeping her real whereabouts a secret; and the dark possibilities of what that interest was and where Lex came in made him almost fearful of the explanations to come.

Oh niiiice! VERY nice! I am seriously impressed by Clark’s deductive skills over here. He managed to get a very accurate picture from this one single vague bit of information from Chloe. VERY nice! It seems like absence from his ‘mother hen Chloe’ has actually been good for him in several ways.


As she began to shake anew under his hands Clark wondered if maybe he wasn’t the best comfort for her at that point. After all, no matter how deeply he cared for her and how close they’d been for years, he still was a guy and he was cursed with all of those guy limitations that would eventually show through and make him say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing.

“Chloe, do you want me to call Lois? Or Lana? I know they’d come over as soon as they heard you were home.”

awww, this was so sweet of Clark. THIS is something that he can do that Lex is just not capable of. If Clark knows that he cannot provide adequate support for someone he loves, he brings in trusted, outside help… Lex would have only tried harder to BE whatever kind of support was needed, even if he acknowledged himself woefully inadequate for the task.

I really liked Clark’s panicked self-doubt… ‘guy limitations… make him say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing’. It’s a very strong guy who can admit to such limitations in the first place. He’s such a sweetheart!

Chloe’s head snapped up and Clark was taken aback by the wild shaking of her head.


“No!” Chloe knew she sounded desperate, but she needed him to understand before he did something stupid on her behalf that couldn’t be taken back. “Clark, you can’t call them. They can’t know anything.”

She could see that he was going to argue with her and she was simply too weary to consider the prospect. As much as she would have loved to have had Lois’ ever supportive shoulder to cry on, if her cousin knew that Lex had kidnapped her and kept her for two months she’d never let it go until she understood why. And that was the one thing that Chloe could never tell her.

I can understand why Chloe ‘might’ want to keep the full disclosure of her humiliation to as few people as possible. She’s just not ready for people to start questioning and interrogating her with ‘What did he do? You fell in love? What the hell were you thinking?’.


And, although she wasn’t yearning for Lana’s presence, the same held true for her the other girl. Clark was her best friend, and he was more than worth the effort, but his unique circumstances often had a way of narrowing her options.

heh, as if there was the slightest doubt that Lana would only make the situation worse with her whiny ‘Lex AND Clark were keeping secrets from me?’ :P


As she trailed off and her head fell against him once again, Clark thought he might be sick.

His secret.

Lex had taken her to learn his secret. All the times he had worried about putting Lana in danger by sharing his true identity came back to mock him as he realized that it had been Chloe at risk all along and he’d never really taken any steps to prevent it. He went to her with all of his troubles no matter how hazardous and let her help with all of the solutions no matter how risky.

The fact was that he’d been so happy to finally have someone to share that part of his life with, a confidant who was so exceptionally enthusiastic and supportive, that Clark wondered if maybe he hadn’t pushed those thoughts away on purpose to be able to keep her. It wasn’t a possibility of which he was particularly proud and, in light of his recent revelations about Chloe and this new development with Lex, Clark thought he might choke on the guilt swelling within him.

Oh dear! I should have known that Clark would have felt this kind of horrible guilt when he realized that HE was the cause for Chloe being kidnapped and possibly tortured for information. He’s been obsessed with the idea of keeping people ‘safe’ by keeping them ignorant of his origins and abilities… and now he realizes that he concentrated all his enemies attentions onto this one solitary person that he depends on so much.


And suddenly the reality of it all began to set in. Two months. Clark’s jaw tightened as anger warred with his remorse at the thought of the damage that a Luthor could do it that amount of time. Despite every principle his father had instilled in him, he wanted nothing more than find Lex, beat every detail out of him and then break him into a thousand pieces for the way he’d obviously hurt the woman in his arms desperately trying to hold back her tears.

woo hooo! Clark is in a state of wanting bloody vengeance. Lex is very lucky that Chloe is such a wonderful forgiving person. Even if I had ALSO fallen in love with him under such circumstances, I wouldn’t have hesitated to tell Clark to go out and tear him apart. (hell hath no fury and all that).

But Chloe’s a much better person than someone who would use her friend as a means to commit assault and murder for the sake of personal revenge. (darn it!)


Chloe could feel the muscles beneath her bunch as Clark’s entire body clenched. It didn’t require any great leap of logic to see where her friend’s mind was headed.

“I’m so tired, Clark,” she whispered as she looked up to find a pain that mirrored her own. “Please, stay here. Don’t leave,” she begged, “please.”

heh, very smart. She knew precisely the right way to appeal to Clark’s protective and chivalric instincts to overcome his thirst for revenge and blood.


Before her mind could even comprehend the change, Chloe found herself in the Kent’s home, tucked snuggly into Clark’s bed. Unable to struggle against the lure of sleep any longer, she drifted off with Clark’s promise hanging in the air.

“I won’t leave you, Chloe.”

*swoon* so sweet and beautiful! Loved this ending to the chapter.


Chloe awoke to the tantalizing aroma of coffee wafting up the stairs. For a moment she savored the familiar scent until the memory of her last cup flooded her mind and her stomach turned at the smell.

*outraged gasp* Amongst all the other things he did to her, Lex also tainted Chloe’s perception and taste for her beloved coffee?! Bastard!


Not ready to face Clark and secure in his promise not to leave, Chloe headed to the shower instead of the kitchen. She’d cried herself and ocean of tears and slept in her clothes. She felt gross on a multitude of levels and knew that the upcoming conversation would be hard enough without any added discomfort.

very nice phrasing over here… about how Chloe felt filthy on so many levels. The poor used and abused soul.


Stepping out of the shower she wrapped herself up in Clark’s ridiculously large robe and wondered why she hadn’t thought to have a shorter best friend. The thought brought a small smile to her lips until her eyes fell on the pile of green material lying haphazardly on the floor.

An outfit it would have taken her a year of saving to afford, bought because Lex told her it matched her eyes. And for a moment she wanted to tear the fragile fabric to shreds. Instead, she picked it up, smoothing out the wrinkles as best she could and folded it carefully, setting it on Clark’s dresser. It was the only thing she had left of her time with Lex. Except for her shattered heart.

It’s just so tragic, that even after everything that happened, she STILL wants to sling onto whatever is left of Lex and her former fake-life with him. Even thought she believes that he felt nothing for her after all, she still can’t help but love him still. She must feel so pathetic.


Clark was usually fairly good at remembering not to use his powers. His parent’s reasonable paranoia and his dislike at being different generally deterred recreational use of his abilities. But Clark didn’t always make the best decisions when in the grip of strong emotions and she knew that if he ran off to confront Lex, what he didn’t end up exposing on his own, his former friend would manipulate him into showing.

And because all of those reasons were true, she chose to focus on them and not the fact that just the idea of Lex being seriously hurt by Clark made it difficult for her to breathe.

It’s just so typical that, even such a horrible traumatic experience, Chloe’s first thoughts and concerns are for OTHER people, and keeping them safe (even if they most definitely don’t deserve her concern or mercy). No wonder everyone loves this beautiful soul of a character… especially your version of her, Skauble.


He’d kept his promise to her and hadn’t left the house, but he’d been up all night alternately pacing the floors and returning to his room just to stare at her and convince himself that she was truly back.

heh, a little creepy, but mostly sweet. Lovely image.


He’d been plagued by countless scenarios during the night, each worse than the last, and by the time the sun lit the sky his head had been bursting with visions of dungeons and images of interrogations. Clark had wanted to wake her up, to demand to know what had happened to her, but he’d restrained himself. Partly because he could see that Chloe desperately needed the sleep, and in part because he was so afraid of what she might say.

ouch! It would have been kinder for Chloe to have given Clark ‘some’ indication on what happened to her last night. It seems like he tortured himself with really gruesome, horrific images on what ‘might have been’. Granted, it seems like Clark has a very gory idea of the kind of monster Lex is capable of being, but the fact that Chloe was KIDNAPPED and held captive doesn’t speak well of the limits that Lex would stop himself at.


It was killing him. Knowing that she’d spent two months at the mercy of a monster; that he hadn’t helped her, hadn’t even suspected something was wrong. When Clark remembered that he’d seen Lex at the Talon when Chloe had first disappeared he felt nauseous.

That Lex had sat there, drinking coffee with that superior smirk on his face while doing God knew what to his best friend had almost been the straw that had driven him out of the house. But it hadn’t. Looking back, Clark cursed himself for not sensing that something was wrong, for failing Chloe. He wouldn’t do so again. So he’d kept his promise and stayed.

The guilt is to be expected over here. Even though Lex covered the bases in hiding away Chloe, and keeping her friends placated really well… I imagine Clark is killing himself thinking about how he ‘could’ have saved he, if only he had applied even a fraction of his superpowers to look for her.

Heh, and I remember the reason why Lex had been smirking at Clark during those times at the Talon. Lex had been revelling in the fact that HE got to partake in Chloe’s attentions and delightful company, while Clark had been suffering most acutely from her absence. Of course, Clark probably thinks that the smirk was partially derived from Lex taking satisfaction in hurting Chloe too… which was something that Lex wasn’t ‘quite’ willing to stoop down to, not even in the earliest days when he didn’t have any real, personal regard for Chloe’s well-being. But I can see why Clark would be driven to homicidal rage by the memory of that smirk under his current set of beliefs on what happened.


Of course, his vow ended with the night and once he found out exactly what had been done to her, he had every intention of taking the matter up with Lex.

hee hee… That’s it Clark… let’s go and pound the marrow out of Lex.


Clark whirled at the sound of Chloe’s voice. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. She was wearing his robe and the large garment swallowed her smaller figure. She’d borrowed it a number of times before when she’d stayed over for various reasons and the sight of it had always brought a smile to his face; but, at that moment, it tugged at his heart to see her looking so tiny, so fragile.

This part was both sweet and sad. I really liked the sweet idea of Clark being amused whenever he used to see the adorable figure Chloe made in his oversized bathrobe… but that makes it all the more sad that now he only sees how small and vulnerable she really is.


“What makes you think I’m planning something?” It was eerie how well she knew him, Clark thought.

“Because you wouldn’t be Clark Kent if you hadn’t already come up with a hundred ways this was all your fault and decided only you could fix it” she told him bluntly.

heh, good ol Chlar friendship, nothing like it in the whole world (in all worlds)


“Clark!” She interrupted him before he could wind himself up into a full blown lecture. “It wasn’t a meteor rock thing, or a Kryptonian thing, or even a standard Smallville bizarre type thing. It was just a lead I had for a story, so there didn’t seem to be a reason to bring in the big guns.”

Although she could tell he didn’t like it, she watched as he relaxed a little at being told her decisions was made only because he was overqualified for the job. Men, Chloe thought, just barely restraining an eye roll, were so very easy.

LOL! I love the way Chloe has applied subtle manipulation over here to soothe Clark. She’s really good at that. And it’s really merciful of her to hide away what I suspect is the real reason that she didn’t invite Clark… probably because he had started to make her feel like she had been ‘intruding’ on his private ‘mope time’ with her incessant missions.


“I found the information I needed and almost made it out. Darn short legs.”

Clark would have smiled at the familiar complaint if it didn’t seem so much like a harbinger of doom.

I smiled, but was immediately saddened by how Chloe’s little joke didn’t lighten the situation.


“Lex was there,” she swallowed heavily, pushing back the tide of emotions that threatened to smother her as she thought of what had happened next.

Poor Chloe, it must be torture for her to live through this whole ordeal all over again in it’s re-telling.


“Did he hurt you?” Clark’s kept his voice was soft and soothing even though he wanted to scream and break things; a temptation he feared would only increase as Chloe’s story continued.

heh, I really like how Clark is just ‘barely’ holding in his temper by a thread. I love how outraged he getting on Chloe’s behalf… and the story’s barely begun.


“He said we were married.”

“What?” His hearing was exceptional. Super-hearing, Chloe always called it. But Clark was certain that it must not have been working properly, that he must have misheard her.

Chloe understood her friend’s shock, had experienced it first hand when she’d realized the extent of what Lex had done; but she almost hated Clark for making her say it again.

“He told me that he was my husband,” she clarified, “that we’d been married almost two months.”

Of all the possibilities that Clark’s mind had spent hours conjuring, what Chloe had revealed hadn’t even been a consideration. It was incomprehensible, it was unbelievable and for the life of him he just couldn’t understand –

On thing I really, REALLY loved about bringing in Clark at this stage in the story is being able to get a brand new perspective on the Chlex drama that’s taken place. It’s only when you see it from an outside and (kind of) unbiased perspective that you come to appreciate how utterly ridiculous, and yet completely heartless and ruthless Lex’s plans and manipulations really were. That horrible, near-evil bastard!


Chloe understood the question. She had a lot of those, too. Why did Lex have to take his ruse so very far? Why did he have to make her love him? Why had he been so cruel as to tell her he loved her? But instead of letting those mysteries consume her she focused on the answer Clark was seeking.

Chloe’s got all the answers to everything that happened right until the point that Lex’s motivations and objectives changed into something completely alien and inexplicable to her. She just cannot believe, or even imagine that Lex actually fell in love with her, for REAL. Therefore she cannot explain these manifestations of his love during his time with her.

I have no doubt that Lex and Chloe started to fall in love with each other, at pretty much the same time. I don’t think it would have been POSSIBLE for Chloe to have fallen in love with Lex, unless he started opening himself up to her, revealing his deepest desires and vulnerabilities… his playfulness and sense of whimsy to her. She fell in love with the ‘real’ Lex Luthor, because that’s how he revealed himself to her.


Realizing that he’d managed to rein his temper in, Chloe continued. “He said,” she took a deep breath, “he said that we’d had some kind of fight that day; that I was scared of you, hysterical. He told me he was worried and that I had to tell him if I remembered anything that could help him deal with you – anything strange or out of the ordinary.”

And suddenly Lex’s plan came into focus with a crystal clarity.

Lex had filled Chloe’s mind with fears and then waited for her inevitable memories of his bizarre behavior to surface so he could pluck out the secrets Chloe had always so jealously guarded on his behalf.

Damn! That really WAS a brilliant plan. I am in awe all over again for Lex’s cunning, ruthlessness and his ability to adapt to circumstances and manipulate them to his best advantage (unless his feelings and heart get involved, after which everything gets shot to hell).

Heh, I really like that Clark managed to catch on quite quickly to the convoluted, complicated brilliance of Lex’s plans. It’s nice when Chloe doesn’t need to spell everything out for him in small, tiny words. LOL!


It was odd; all those years of hiding who he was and what he could do from Lex and at that moment he could care less what the other man had learned. Whatever it was he would deal with it later. But Chloe; Chloe needed him now.

I have to say. I’m loving Clark’s priorities right now. I really like how he’s putting Chloe first, even above his own secret and his life.


When he’d first learned that she’d been with Lex, he’d imagined the third degree in a small holding cell or captivity in some laboratory. When she said that Lex had, instead, fabricated some tale of a marriage between them he’d been shocked and horrified, but it was only just beginning to sink in exactly what that meant; how horribly Lex could have taken advantage of her.

“So you lived with him as his wife?”

“Yes,” her voice was hardly more than a whisper. The memories of her time with Lex were so sharp that she missed the barely leashed violence in Clark’s question.

“Did he touch you?”

oh dear GOD! It’s really fascinating how an outside perspective can really drive him the true horror of the atrocities that Lex committed against Chloe. When seeing everything happening so slowly, naturally and organically over the course of the Chlex interactions, it was really easy to forgive all of Lex’s transgressions and lapses in judgement… but with all his crimes laid out in the open like this… he really does seem monstrous.


Her stricken gaze flew to his. She knew that she should have anticipated the question; but she hadn’t let her own mind drift back to those beautiful nights in the arms of the man she thought had loved her, much less steeled herself to share those memories with Clark.

The ONLY thing that ‘saves’ and redeems Lex (kind of), is the fact that Chloe only thinks of those moments with Lex as special and beautiful, rather than filled with hurt and abuse.


“That son of a bitch!” Clark didn’t need her words to confirm what he could so clearly read in his eyes. “He raped you.”

“No!” It erupted from Chloe before she could consider what her answer would reveal. But she couldn’t lie to Clark. Lex’s cold and callous plan had been unforgivable, but she didn’t think he’d meant for it to go that far.

“He didn’t– We didn’t–” with a deep shuddering breath, Chloe tried again. “Nothing happened until a little over a week ago. There were extenuating circumstance; things that–”

“You’re defending him?” The minute the words left his mouth, Clark cringed at his stupidity. Chloe was hurt and confused and had literally begun shivering with the strain of reliving the whole experience and he knew that his thoughtless accusations would only cause her more pain.

I can see that this is going to mark the start of a bit of a conflict between Clark and Chloe. He’s going to insist on seeing Chloe as a rape victim, while Chloe is going to keep arguing that it was her choice… and while she wasn’t acting with full and complete knowledge of the complete situation, it WAS still her choice to sleep with Lex. He manipulated her into bed, but he didn’t force her.

I also think it’s interesting that Chloe realizes that Lex never really meant to sleep with her. I wonder why she thinks he agreed to go to bed with her… Because she was willing and ‘convenient’? ugh! Now there’s an ugly thought.


“I’m sorry, Chlo,” shifting closer to her Clark pulled her into his arms, unable to bear the sight of the new tears sliding silently down her face. “I’m being a complete jerk. It doesn’t matter what happened.”

awww, Again, I am SO impressed on how grown up Clark is behaving. He’s setting aside his sense of judgement and recriminations… setting aside the argument that was on the verge of springing up, and letting Chloe know that he’s there to support her in whatever capacity she needs him. What a wonderful, deal friend he’s become.


Chloe burrowed into the warmth and acceptance Clark offered. No matter how much she slept she didn’t ever think she’d feel rested again and the temptation to simply float away in the arms of someone on whose caring she could absolutely reply was almost too much for her too resist.

And yet she had to.

I am in complete AWE of Chloe. Even in the face of her most horrible moment, she still finds the strength to focus her attentions on her friend, and provide him with warning about what happened, and what danger she unwittingly exposed him to. She’s SUCH a wonderful friend… no wonder both of these powerful men are so nuts about her.


Holding Chloe tighter against him, Clark was torn. It had been ingrained into his very subconscious that his powers, his origins must remain hidden at nearly all cost. But, for the first time in his life, without the corrupting influence of red kryptonite, he found himself almost hoping that his secret was out. He wanted Lex to know what he was capable of so that he could personally demonstrate every lethal ability he possessed to the bastard.

heh, definitely an unexpected reaction… but something I SHOULD have known. VERY astute psychological reaction, Skauble. I am very impressed by how you captured Clark’s intense desire for Lex to be ‘terrified’ by what Clark is capable of doing. It makes perfect sense, and it a very apt reaction to him finding out about how Lex made someone he love suffer.


“He doesn’t know about where you come from or the things you can do.”

Chloe’s assurance left relief and disappointment in its wake and Clark ran his hand softly through the silky, golden strands of her hair. “Then whatever it was wasn’t important.”

Heh, also loved Clark’s reaction of ‘mingled relief and disappointment’ over here. VERY apt and fitting! I seriously think you should have gone into psychology, Skauble. Or are all people who have seen therapists as smart as you?


“I remembered the summer I ran into you in Metropolis.”

Clark grimaced at her statement. She didn’t need to elaborate. He knew exactly the incident she was referring to. The way he’d treated her when she was nothing but concerned for him, the way he’d manhandled her still made him cringe. That Chloe had seen that side of him, knew that there was always a risk that it could reemerge, and still chose to let him into her life was something that he treasured. And the fact that Lex made her live that trauma all over again filled him with a hate the likes of which he’d never dreamed himself capable.

I can’t imagine how much more guilty Clark would have felt if he had known that Chloe had woken up from those memories posing as scream-inducing nightmares… hmmm, is Lex going to throw this bit of information back into Clark’s face? I imagine there IS going to be a Clex confrontation sometime soon(ish), and I imagine both of them will turn very quickly into arguing about who hurt Chloe more during the course of her life.

Heh, I bet Lex is also going to be bringing up the fact of the headaches that Chloe gets from the stress of being Clark Kent’s only friend and confidante.


“And…” Chloe paused. There were other, minor bits of information Lex had gleaned from her that they’d have to go over, but those could wait. This was the most important thing he had plundered from her broken mind. “I had a dream of us, surrounded by snow and ice.”

“The fortress,” Clark breathed.

“No, I didn’t remember that part,” she rushed to ease his mind. “I didn’t have a lot of details. But,” she continued, “Lex isn’t stupid; he knows now that I lied, that you were with me that day.”

hmmm, I also wonder whether Lex is going to be making use of this information too? Going for a visit to the Yukon to find out what was over there? Or is he going to focus his attentions on staying as close as possible to Chloe, and trying to get a way in to her without Clark posing as an impenetrable barrier.


Clark was already shaking his head. “It’s not important, Chloe. I don’t care what Lex does or doesn’t figure out right now.” Large hands gently wiped new tears away. “All I care about is that you’re home. You’re safe now and I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

LOVE his priorities. Such a dear, sweet boy!


As she rested against him, listened to the strong beat of his heart under her ear, she released all of her worries, all of her concerns, if only for a little while. And, finally, Chloe stopped taking care of Clark Kent and let him care for her; trusted that he could carry the greatest of her burdens for a brief time.

I loved this part too… how Chloe was finally, FINALLY able to let go of the ruthless grip she keeps over herself, and finally allow herself to break down and be comforted by someone. She’s very similar to Lex, in the sense that she doesn’t like showing herself completely vulnerable to anyone… the fact that she’s finally allowing Clark to comfort her… it shows a beautiful level of trust.


“I loved him”

It was the single greatest act of cruelty Clark had ever beheld. Of all the lies Lex could have told her, all the ways he could have used her, he simply couldn’t have chosen one more damaging to her very soul.

Chloe never loved halfway. When she gave her heart it was with the same exuberance with which she approached all of life. And Clark knew that, even if she’d had no idea of her identity, no memories of herself or her past, she would still have been, basically, Chloe. And Chloe, basic or otherwise, could never just shut her feelings off, regardless of how bad things got or how much she wanted to.

It was a trait he would have cursed if it hadn’t kept him in her life after so many of his selfish blunders.

I am so delightedly surprised and pleased when Chloe admitted this final bit of anguish to Clark. I seriously thought she would be too stubborn, pride filled and even humiliated to admit this final embarrassment about what happened to her. But I’m really, REALLY glad that she decided to share this horrible burden.

I’m also really glad that Clark was able to appreciate and understand the burden for everything that it represented to Chloe. He didn’t ask any ridiculous questions like ‘How could you have done THAT?!’, or even assure her ‘It wasn’t real!’… he simply accepted Chloe’s torture, and made a decision to help her through it as best he could.

I also like how even Clark shared Lex’s equal parts exasperation and gratitude for Chloe’s ability to love intensely and unwaveringly. It seems like both men know how lucky they are, AND how unlucky Chloe is that her ability to love can be used against her better judgement.


“It’ll be okay, Chloe. It’ll take time but I swear it will get better.”

She closed her eyes and let herself pretend that she believed him. But already she was wishing that the arms that held her, the voice that soothed her belonged to someone else. And, deep down, Chloe knew that Clark was wrong – time wouldn’t make this better; nothing would.

I appreciate Clark trying to make her feel better like this. But I think they both know that Chloe doesn’t fall out of love so easily. But, perhaps she can try… and Clark can help her cope.


Lex studied the amber liquid in his glass as he contemplated the myriad of errors he’d made over the previous months. Somehow the only regret he could arouse was for the mistake of letting her go.

All else he’d done, each lie told, every sin committed had given him Chloe to love; had brought her love in return. He couldn’t lament that; wasn’t even sure why he’d invest any effort in the attempt.

I LOVED Lex’s opening scene in this chapter. I really liked how Lex cannot bring himself to regret anything… not kidnapping Chloe and using her in such a thoughtless appalling fashion… not even falling in love with Chloe and opening himself to such pain and breakup. The only thing he DOES regret is the only ‘decent’ act that he committed since the start of this farce… which was so let Chloe go, and have her escorted safely home to recover.


Right now she was furious. She had every reason to be. If someone had done to him even half of what he had to her, he would have ensured that it was the last miscalculation they ever made.

But Chloe was nothing like him.

It was what had drawn him in, captivated him; the truth that he’d overlooked so long. Chloe was an infinite wellspring of love and hope. It was her very nature to care and, because her love for him had been genuine, despite how it had come about, it remained. Lex knew it with every fiber of his being. And what’s more, he was certain that Chloe knew it, too.

So he’d give her time. He’d let her pass through her shock and disillusionment until she realized the true depths of her feelings underneath.

I really, REALLY enjoyed this whole observation from Lex. I don’t know whether to be appalled by his sense of denial and delusion, or be impressed by his insight into Chloe’s personality. Because I actually think he’s RIGHT to believe that Chloe would eventually come back to him, once she realizes that his feelings for her are genuine.

Heh, but it’s going to be absolute HELL for Lex to prove to Chloe that he was sincere when he told her he loves her. He admitted that this whole kidnapping plan was motivated by an obsession about Clark, and it’s going to be near-impossibly difficult to convince her about his change in heart and motivations.

I also enjoyed the part where he admitted that Chloe was nothing like him… that she was capable of strength, mercy and forgiveness that was patently beyond him. He admitted that she’s a better person than him, that he’s obviously unworthy of her… but he’s also convinced that her love for him will bring him a second chance, whether he deserves it or not…

Gotta love that Luthor confidence (or is it denial?)… or perhaps we should fear it?


And he suffered no delusions as to where Chloe would go during this process; to whom she would turn. But it by no means meant that he approved of her choice. Honestly, the very thought sent such waves of savage hatred pulsing through him that he might have actually killed Clark had he been sure of exactly what it would take to do so.

hmmm, I remember that sharp, intense feeling of jealousy Lex felt during the few times Chloe mentioned Clark’s memory in a semi-positive light. It’s only inevitable that the same jealousy, loathing and hatred should return ten-fold now that he knows Chloe is holding onto Clark in body as well as in mind.

*shiver* I’m feeling a more intense kind of homicidal rage emanating from Lex than I did even from Clark a few sections earlier. Wow! Is THIS going to be the final straw that’s going to drive them to become mortal, unrelenting enemies?


“She’s at the Kent farm.” There was no need for excessive details. Spencer had the dossier Lex had sent, and there was no one better in this particular line of work. “Keep a wide distance from the house; she’ll be safe enough there. But when she leaves, stay close. I want to know every move that she makes.”

squeeeee! There’s something so thrilling about Lex when he’s being precise and controlled when issuing orders of a dubious nature. He becomes all cold and emotionless… as if he trying to detach himself from whatever unethical actions he’s embroiling himself in. It’s fascinating to watch.


Ending the call, Lex tilted his head back and closed his eyes. It had been a long and exhausting night. He hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of going to the bed he’d shared with Chloe alone and, although he knew that he should probably relocate to either his penthouse in Metropolis or the mansion in Smallville, he couldn’t quite force himself to leave the one place he’d experienced a true sense of home in years.

Thoughts of Chloe filled his head as he remembered her words as she’d left the room he was loathe to vacate.

*sigh* underneath all the ruthless planning and confidence, the hatred towards Clark… I can still see Lex grieving for his loss of Chloe. He’s finding it impossible to function properly without her presence. He’s become seriously dependant on her, and it’s only been a day since she’s been gone… what kind of a mad, desperate state is he going to fall into once he hasn’t had a ‘Chloe-fix’ for a couple of days… perhaps even weeks.


She’d said there was nothing between them to end. He knew that she believed it. He also knew that she was wrong.

It wasn’t over. He wouldn’t let it be.

*shiver and swoon* I can’t wait to find out what he does next… Please, please, PLEEEEEEASE update soon. Let’s see what kind of dastardly, dark and despicable lengths Lex is willing to lower stretch and lower himself to get Chloe back into his life.

You think Lex is going to be in a bad state after not getting his ‘Chloe-fic’… you cannot imagine the state that I’M going to be in if I don’t get another beautiful Skauble chapter! Pleeeeeasse… something… soon!!!

[westwingwolf]

I love it when Clark gets smart and realizes where he went wrong. Clark away from Lana is always a good Clark. He behaved exactly the way he should have behaved and I can't fault him for wanting to kill Lex because of course he would and he deserves to feel that way.

I completely understand why Chloe is not ready to let go of Lex, and I hope she never will be. Because Lex is right, despite the circumstances surrounding it, they are in love. So of course neither of them could regret it. I love it when Lex has a goal and that goal is to make sure that Chloe is back with him.

[malugargula]

I like your Clark
:)
Poor Chloe, she`s suffering so much
I hope Lex can make her feel better soon

[somethingeasy]

is it too early to start begging for an update on this marvelous, addictive, enthralling fic? Another chapter pleeeeease!! The fic is getting more exciting, and I can't wait to see what kinds of nafarious, desperate actions Lex takes to 'prove' to Chloe that he was actually 'making love' to Chloe all those times rather than just using her as a convenient fuck.

I can't imagine how he's going to manage to get past Chloe's suspicions (not to mention her inferiority complex), but she IS in love with him... which might work in his favour. I know that he's depending on that emotion to eventually get through to her.

Just please update soon.
hmm, and how about that other fic that you're also working on. How is that coming along? :D

[somethingeasy]

*wistful sigh* I really, REALLY miss you, Skauble. I miss the traumatizing conversations in the shoutbox, and I really, REALLY miss your writing. Any chance of an update on your stories? Pretty pleeease? :beg: :puppydog:

Just a little something sweet and heart-warming... like Lex scheming, plotting and acting out his ruthless, cunning insidious plans to get Chloe to love him the way he wants her to (or would it be more accurate to say to admit that she loves him the way he wants her to?).

I think you messed up my idea of 'sweet and heartwarming' a long time ago... Just gimme what I want! (please?)

[skauble]

I think you messed up my idea of 'sweet and heartwarming' a long time ago... Just gimme what I want! (please?)


Oh please; you think Lex dislocating Chloe's body parts is 'sweet and heartwarming'. You were damaged long before I began writing.

But, because I miss you too, I'll try to post an update tonight.

~Sarah~

P.S. Any luck on the stable net connection front?

P.P.S. Just to clarify for those who don't hang out in the shoutbox, I'm a *victim* of the traumatizing sb conversations, not the instigator.

[skauble]

A/N: I occasionally dedicate chapters of a story to someone, but not generally speaking. However, today I have a special dedication to make –

I dedicate this story to me. That’s right. I don’t know how many people have noticed certain posters penchant for calling me a jerkface or suggesting that I’m the love child of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, but it’s just plain rude.

And so, I’m using this update to promote awareness that I have declared Friday, September 28th to be “Try to treat Skauble with an ounce of human kindness” Day. I’m sure a Hallmark card will be forthcoming.

If this doesn’t work I’ll check with Julie about a telethon to raise awareness of this noble cause.

~Sarah~





Chapter Eighteen



Martha Kent stared at her son, her mouth slightly open in her shock.

Poor Chloe.

Clark could relate to the stunned look on his mother’s face; he was fairly certain he’d been wearing a similar expression since Chloe’s return five days before.

“Lex has had her all this time.” Martha still couldn’t believe it. Not that she doubted the truth of it, she’d just always had a soft spot for the young man who’d once been so close to Clark; it was hard for her to conceive of him doing something so damaging to someone as lovely as Chloe.

“And she still has feelings for him,” Clark burst out. “How can she still care about him after what he did to her?”

It felt good - giving voice to the frustrations that he couldn’t in front of Chloe, the words he could never say; because the last thing Clark ever wanted to see again was Chloe broken the way she’d been when she stepped out of that limousine.

“Clark,” she reached out and laid her hand comfortingly over his, “you know better than anyone how large Chloe’s heart is. She’s not the kind of person who can ignore her emotions; even if she has good reason.”

Martha watched as Clark squirmed at the unspoken reminder that Chloe had never been able to turn off her feelings for him. But she knew that, despite her son’s discomfort, it was time to address the elephant far too long in their midst. Chloe had done so much for their family and she wouldn’t let her suffer anymore if she could help it; and if that required gently knocking some sense into her oblivious son, well it was long overdue.

“So,” she said, subtly changing the focus of their conversation though not the topic, “how are things going with you and Lana?”

She knew that something had happened between her son and the beautiful brunette as he hadn’t so much as mentioned her name since she’d arrived home a few hours earlier; surely a record.

“I don’t think things are going to work out between Lana and me.” Clark ran a weary hand through his hair, “I just wanted a simple, ordinary life; like you and dad. But everything seems to have gone wrong.”

Shock burst through her and a small laugh bubbled up and spilled over. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but neither was she prepared to enable such a ludicrous delusion.

“Clark, honey, as deeply as your father and I loved each other, our life was hardly uncomplicated. The city girl and the farm boy is a cliché because it’s always rife with enough drama to fill a novel. And though it was well worth the effort, we were no different.”

She knew that Clark was aware of many of the difficulties that she and Jonathan had faced, but she was only just beginning to realize that in his mind they were an abstract footnote to what he saw as a perfect life, and she knew that if he didn’t contextualize the lessons to be found in their marriage then he would continue to make decisions based on completely unrealistic standards.

“Then we were blessed with the greatest son two people could ever hope for. “But,” she continued, smiling gently to remove any possible sting from her words, “he did happen to come to us by way of another planet.”

Seeing Clark’s small smile, she knew that he was taking in what she said instead of letting himself be distracted by his unease with his origins.

“The strength that your father and I had was never in being simple or ordinary. It was in our love; in knowing that we would be there for each other no matter what happened and regardless of whatever came our way.” Martha’s voice deepened as it filled with affection and grief in equal measure. “There was a faith, strong and unshakable, that no matter what mistakes were made we’d see each other through – no punishments, no lingering, silent reproofs; just loving support.”

Feeling Clark’s hand grasp her own, she experienced the sense of peace that always came with quiet moments with her son. She loved him so much, had since the first moment she’d laid eyes on him all those years ago, and she wished as all parents did, that she could give him the world wrapped in a bow. But she couldn’t. All she could do was try her best to help him discover what it was he wanted out of life and then trust that he had the strength and fortitude to achieve it.

“That’s what your dad and I had, Clark; and if that’s what you want then you need to do some hard thinking and ask yourself if that’s what you’re building with Lana.”

A small snort escaped Clark. He’d been doing little else but thinking about the relationships in his life over the last few months and had come to the sad conclusion that whatever he’d had with Lana would never lead to the kind of connection his parents had shared.

“Actually, that sounds more like me and…” His eyes widened as he trailed off.

“Chloe?” Martha asked, although she already knew the answer.

“Clark, you’re a good man and your father and I were always proud of you,” she assured him. “And, for the most part, we believed in letting you make your own choices, learn from your own mistakes.”

She turned her hand in his, wrapping her fingers securely around his.

“But Chloe’s been an extraordinary friend to you and she deserves the same. She’s going to need you right now; 100% of you.”

“Of course I’ll be there for her,” he exclaimed; shocked that there would even be a question.

“I know that you want to be, sweetheart; but you can’t do that until you figure out exactly what it is that you want from Chloe.”

“But-”

“I’ve always cared for Lana, Clark. That’s not what this is about. But sometimes it seemed as though things like infatuation and a certain amount of physical attraction,” she smiled at his small blush, “took the place of a deeper, more enduring intimacy that’s the basis for truly sharing your life with someone…everything in your life.” Martha added significantly.

Hearing those thoughts whirling in his head for weeks had been bad, but hearing his mother spell things out so clearly was even more difficult and his shoulders slumped under the weight of finally having no choice but to reexamine all that he’d ever believe he’d wanted for his life.

“I know. I know,” he sighed the last. “These past months without Chloe, I’ve started to see things that I hadn’t really noticed before. I always thought it was just my secret that I couldn’t tell Lana. But it’s not; it’s everything.”

And truly, that had been the hardest revelation that Clark had had to face – that he wasn’t waiting to find the right words or the perfect time to tell Lana; he was just waiting. And he saw now that he never would have stopped because, on some level, he’d always known that what really drew him to her was the Lana he had created in his mind, and he couldn’t help but think that the reverse might be true. He’d never feared her betrayal, but he dreaded her revulsion.

“It’s just that,” he struggled for the right words, “Lana always made me feel like a regular guy – no mysterious origins, no dangerous powers, no crushing destiny. Just Clark Kent, small town farmer.”

“And Chloe?” She encouraged gently.

“With Chloe I’m always aware of who I really am. There’s no pretending, no hiding. But the funny thing is that I don’t mind. When Chloe’s around my differences don’t seem like such a burden; they feel like a gift.” His gaze drifted off and his voice took on a tinge of awe at the memory he often relieved. “She said I’m amazing.”

“And that’s why you keep leading her on.” Not a question or an accusation, just a simple certainty.

“What?” Clark cried. “No!”

“Son, I love you, but I’ve watched you with Chloe for years.” Although she knew that blame was generally a useless endeavor, Martha couldn’t stop a tinge of disappointment from coloring her words. “You know very well how she’s felt about you and yet you’ve persisted in sending her mixed messages.”

She pulled her hand from his; not to hurt him but because she knew that it was time for Clark to face his problems like the man she’d raised him to be. A process rarely aided by a coddling mother.

“You were able to play at being normal with Lana because you had the confidence in yourself and who you are that came with Chloe’s unwavering love. But is Lana honestly the woman that you want to be with or is she simply the mask you’ve worn over the relationship that you’ve been denying for years that you have with Chloe?”

Mind reeling at the implications of his mother’s words, Clark stared as both a sense enormity and rightness within him grew. In a moment it seemed as if his whole world had shifted and yet he knew that it was far more likely that he was just finally seeing it as it truly was.

“What do I do now?”

Martha rose and placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder. She knew what he was asking; what he’d finally come to understand. Sharing her final piece of motherly advice, she left him the space she knew he’d need to figure out what it all meant.

“You give her time. You be there for her as her friend. You do for her what she’s done for you for years.”




Clark rested once more on the sofa in his loft and for the first time in what seemed like forever things felt good; the future seemed…bright. So instead of his customary moping and brooding he found himself in the unusual position of anticipating what tomorrow might hold for him.

For so long he’d been trying to be what he thought Lana needed so that he could secure her love. In retrospect he wondered in maybe he hadn’t been terribly unfair to her to deny her the chance to accept him. But after the day that he’d taken back time and lost his father he hadn’t been able to completely silence that tiny whisper in his mind that said that no matter why Lana believed she needed to go see Lex that evening, subconsciously she might have done so because she knew that Lex would pick up on what she’d either been unable or reluctant to hide and demand the truth from her.

Of course he never thought for a moment that Lana would consciously betray him, which is also why he believed that she’d called to warn him when she’d realized how serious Lex was about punishing him for the years of secrets. But Lana was always a damsel in need of rescuing – largely by choice; and a part of him had come to accept that her actions may have been her way of compelling Lex to “save” her instead of having to face his alien heritage and the complexities it would bring to their relationship.

But Chloe; before she knew, after she knew, her love never changed. She loved him for who he was. She always had.

She always had.

And suddenly Clark was choked by an oppressive wave of guilt. All that time that Chloe had loved him, been there for him regardless of the bizarre circumstances that made up his life, and he’d used that love and acceptance to shore up his relationship with Lana. He didn’t understand how she could stand to look at him, much less be such a giving friend.

Hands clenching with resolve, Clark swore to himself that he would make it up to her; all of it. With Lana out of the picture and Lex no longer an issue, he could dedicate all of his energy to showing Chloe how much she meant to him. Whatever it took, however long she needed, he was committed; because finally Clark had realized what he should have seen years ago – Chloe was more than worth the wait.




Chapter Nineteen


Chloe stepped off the elevator onto the highest floor of the LuthorCorp building. The ludicrously expensive décor, clearly meant to intimidate all but its owners, was lost on her as she turned towards the office she knew that Lex now occupied.

Before she reached the large mahogany desk, at which she was certain she’d find a sleek and stunning brunette, she paused, leaning against a cool granite wall and desperately trying to prepare herself for the coming confrontation.

She wasn’t sure that she was ready for this; didn’t think she’d ever be. But, honestly, Chloe was getting tired of hiding.

No matter how reassuring Clark had tried to be, she knew that there would be no significant recovery to her heart in the near future. Her plan was far more limited in scope than her friend’s; she just wanted to piece together enough of the shattered fragments of her soul to be capable of pretending to be the person she’d been two months before.

She had the feeling that, so far, she’d been failing fairly miserably.

She’d called the Planet to let them know that she’d be back the following week, figuring that the cover Lex had provided would be good for another few days. Whatever he told them had been enough to ensure a warm welcome from her supervisor as well as sincere congratulations on her recovery. She didn’t worry about that mystery. Newspapers were a hot bed of gossip and the reason given for her absence would have certainly made the rounds; extracting the story from an unsuspecting colleague would be painfully easy.

She’d also forced herself to go out and have lunch with both Lois and Lana. The time with Lois was to soothe any worries her cousin might have concerning her time away and to try to determine exactly what story Lex had crafted for her so that she could keep up the charade.

The meeting with Lana was less urgent, as she knew that her friend had long ago resigned herself to Chloe’s journalistic bent and would be more than willing to believe that she had been caught up for weeks on end in chasing a story. Still, she cared about Lana, and didn’t want her to feel slighted if it became known that Chloe had returned home and hadn’t immediately called her.

Of course, there had been a small ulterior motive to her second foray into Smallville. During her lunch with Lois she’d had the eerie sensation that she was being watched. She could have chalked it up to any number of things – the stares that attractive women commonly drew, the simple curiosity that came with her sudden reappearance, the looks that, even after all her years in the small town, she still received as an outsider…a nosy outsider. Any one of those reasons would have explained the feeling that refused to go away. But the weirdness of her adolescence had left its mark and she was reluctant to dismiss all other possibilities out of hand; so she’d arranged a date with Lana.

Once she’d begun to indulge her paranoia she’d quickly come to realize that her anxiety hadn’t been unreasonable after all and, knowing what she was looking for, she’d identified the man trailing her before she and Lana had made it all the way across the park to the ice cream parlor for dessert.

It took no great leap of deduction to determine who was responsible for this newest intrusion in her life. Which is why she’d called Clark and told him that she and Lana had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up and then grab some dinner and maybe see a movie. She hadn’t even gotten her phone back in her bag before she was on the road for Metropolis.

And there she stood, closer to Lex Luthor then she’d ever thought she’d be again; and the only thing she knew with any certainty was that she wasn’t ready for this. After a week of Clark’s endless comfort and support, Chloe had thought she could handle this. Now, with just a few walls between them, she knew she’d been wrong.

Pulling in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. It had to be done. She wouldn’t let Lex have anymore of her life than he’d already taken.




Lex tossed the file he’d been reading on his desk as he heard loud, angry voices approach the large doors of his office. Most businessmen would worry about professional rivals or disgruntled employees, but his security had improved over the years and those generally weren’t pressing concerns for the young tycoon.

But Lex wasn’t most businessmen, and he rose from behind his desk, reaching towards the drawer containing a small firearm. He’d learned after far too many run in with meteor freaks that, when in doubt, shoot first and create plausible deniability later. However his hand froze on the handle as his secretary rushed in chasing a blonde he hadn’t dreamed he’d see so soon.

“You can’t go in there,” the brunette practically shouted.

As his gazed clashed with Chloe’s, he watched as she came to a sudden stop. The woman behind her took advantage of her adversary’s distraction and moved to grab her arm.

“Don’t touch her.”

The words whipped across the room and filled his startled employee with a cold terror as she instinctively stepped back in response to the menace they contained.

“Miss Sullivan’s visits are always to be given the highest of priorities.”

Lex spoke to his secretary, but Chloe felt sure the message was for her. It was as confusing as her jumbled feelings at seeing him again and she strove with everything in her to push all her emotions down as deep as they could go so that she could do what needed to be done and then go home and cry herself to sleep as she had for days.

“Of course, Mr. Luthor.”

The exquisite woman beside her seemed nearly as mystified as Chloe was herself and, even in such wrenching circumstances, she found herself almost smiling at the forlorn figure she made as she exited the office. But all humor fled as the sound of Lex’s voice once again filled the space.

“Chloe,” Lex said warmly, a softness filling his gaze. “This is a lovely surprise.”

Her eyes closed and she forced back a small gasp of pain as she remembered the last time he’d said that to her – the night that they’d recreated their imaginary first date. Her utter gullibility galled her anew and despite Clark’s insistence that none of it was her fault, she shook slightly with the shame that she, the future Daily Planet star reporter, hadn’t been able to figure out that every facet of her life was a lie.

“Chloe?”

Her eyes snapped open just in time to see that Lex had moved from behind his desk and was reaching out to steady her.

“No!” Chloe threw her hands out, desperate to ward him off as she stepped back. Her body recognized his as safety and comfort no matter how her mind screamed to the contrary. Right now her brain was winning the war raging inside her, but if he touched her she had no idea what would happen; except that she might not be able to survive again.

Lex pulled back as pain surged through him. He knew she was hurting. His dreams were split by moments of the bliss that was his short time with Chloe interspersed with an agonizingly vivid recount of their final confrontation. The last thing he ever wanted was to wound her again. She was there and it was more of a miracle then he’d ever expected, and jeopardizing it was the last thing he planned to do.

“You have people following me.” It was a statement, not a question. Chloe knew that the only way to cut this final tie was with strength, even if it felt so illusory.

“Yes,” Lex confirmed. “Although, I was supposed to have inconspicuous people following you.”

“Yeah well,” she rebounded quickly from the shock of his easy admittance, “you live with Lana for a few years and you develop a sixth stalking sense.”

Lex’s lips tilted in a small smirk at what had to be the most unlikely reason anyone had ever spotted surveillance. Not that he doubted for one moment the truth of her statement; but he did briefly wonder how on earth Lana could have escaped establishing her own internal warning system.

“Still,” he sobered, “your aptitude is hardly an excuse for unsatisfactory results.”

“Whatever.” Chloe’s eyes rolled at his unqualified arrogance. “There’s no point in this debate. Your spies have been spotted and are, therefore, ineffective. So call them off.”

“Chloe,” he soothed, “they aren’t spies; they’re security.”

“You say potato, I say massive invasion of privacy. It doesn’t matter how you spin it, Lex. Call – Them – Off.”

“I can’t do that,” he asserted as steel bled into his earlier tone of appeasement.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Chloe, it’s no secret that, over the years, my family has made enemies both personally and professionally.” He paused, giving her a pointed look. “You know that better than most. Do you have any idea what some of those people would do to my wife?”

As his words penetrated, her spine stiffened and a dangerous fire lit in her eyes.

“Newsflash for the reality impaired – I’m not your wife.”

Lex took a step forward and had to focus on keeping himself from crossing the small space between them and shaking some sense into her.

“And I’m sure any potential kidnappers who learn that we lived as man and wife for two months will just take your word on that.”

Despite the biting sarcasm, Lex’s words seemed laced with a concern so deep and genuine that it terrified her. She knew that it had to be another ploy, and if she let herself believe him - let herself be weak - even for a moment, she wouldn’t be able to withstand the pain that would inevitably follow.

“This is still about Clark.”

At her accusation, Lex didn’t even try to stop himself, and closed the distance between them, grasping her arms before she had a chance to step away.

“I know that I’ve destroyed any trust that you had in me. And believe me,” his lips twisted in a bitter smile, “I pay for it every day that I’m without you. But this isn’t about Clark Kent.”

Being so close to her, touching her after what felt like an eternity apart was driving Lex mad, and he couldn’t stop his fingers from moving over the warm skin beneath them in a gentle caress.

“Whether you accept it or not, I love you,” his voice was fierce and his gazed burned with a torrent of emotions. “I won’t let anything happen to you again. And just because you doubt that right now doesn’t mean that I’m willing to let you risk your wellbeing.”

“My wellbeing?!” Chloe was too enraged that he’d continue with such a painful lie to even attempt to escape Lex’s hold. “You’re the one who kidnapped me, who kept me away from my family and friends. If anyone’s a threat to my wellbeing it’s you.”

She was glorious; her cheeks flushed in anger, her heavy breaths pushing her breasts against the thin white cotton of her blouse. His hands tightened as he fought the urge to pull her to him and prove how real his feelings for her were.

Instead, he uncurled his fingers from her arms; forced himself to turn away.

“The security stays.”

Chloe had known Lex for years; intimately for eight weeks. She knew his moods, the lines of his body, the tones of his voice; and she recognized in all of those things his absolute determination. There would be no swaying him, no making him see reason.

Just the idea that he believed he had a right to any part of her life incensed her and robbed her of her ability to speak. With an inarticulate and highly embarrassing cry of fury she turned and stomped out of the office, her dramatic exit only slightly diminished by her inability to slam the impossibly heavy door.

In her general loathing of the world at large and sexy, devious billionaires with unwieldy doors in particular, Chloe missed the figure concealed by a nearby alcove observing her departure with avid curiosity.

Stepping into the light as the elevator doors closed on the angry young woman, Lionel decided to forgo his impromptu visit with his son. Something was going on – had been for months – and he was certain that Chloe Sullivan was, once again, the key to a major Luthor intrigue.




“Spencer.”

“Tell all your men they’re fired. I want a new team in place by morning.”

Lex’s voice was cold, icy like the rest of him. It was how he had functioned throughout the constant crises that had plagued him in recent years. And this was a far greater disaster than most.

He’d planned to give Chloe space; to let time dull the sharpest edges of his betrayal of her faith. And now, because of one fool’s incompetence, he’d been forced into a confrontation far too early and had driven her even further away with actions that infuriated her and demands with which he’d had no choice but to refuse to comply.

“Of course. May I ask the reason for the change?”

“One of your men was identified.” He didn’t need to justify his decision and knew that Spencer would acquiesce regardless of his rationale. However, the man was the best in his particular profession and Lex could hardly blame him for underestimating Chloe when he himself had spent years doing the same thing. Of course that didn’t mean that he would abide any future missteps.

“Do we know who?”

“No,” the response was curt. “And it doesn’t matter. I want people, with no preconceived notions of their target. They need to be made aware, as do you apparently, that Chloe is in no way an ordinary college student. She has a sense of self preservation honed by years of danger and journalistic observational skills second to none. You need to take every precaution.”

“Consider it done.”

And he did. Lex expected no less than absolute obedience. Still, he’d found that it never hurt to make himself perfectly clear.

“And Spencer,” the silk of his voice only amplified the underlying danger, “the rewards for success in this endeavor are great, but the consequences for failure are staggering.”

Lex paused a moment to let every unpleasant possibility play through the man’s mind before ending the call.

“Don’t disappoint me.”


TBC

[malugargula]

Great update
Will Lex recover Chloe`s faith in him???
:)
I hope so... but he has to suffer first
LOL

[Krysia]

I wonder is this the "good" , I'm going to help you get Chloe back Lionel, or the "bad" love will be your downfall so I have to kill Chloe Lionel. I love your Martha and how she talked with Clark, I adore the whole talk :), i hope it will help him be a good friend to Chloe, and he won't be all selfish I want you now and you have to drop everything and be with me. Great confrontation between Chloe and Lex. My heart aches for both of them, and i hope they can overcome everything. I also wonder what you have in store for them, so Lex can prove his feelings are real.

[lj715]

Excellent update but this is driving me crazy!!! How is this gonna be resolved? How is Chloe gonna love Lex again? ARGH!! Loved the talk between Martha & Clark too. Can;t wait for more.

[hfce]

That was a great update. I am still wondering how this will end up Chlex if at all... Good Lord Lionel sheesh I hate that man. :wth:

[Kit Merlot]

Sarah, excellent update! And while I don't frequent the Shout Box, please know that I don't think you're a jerkface:P

Wonderful Martha/Clark converastion--she certainly told him what was what. And I'm loving that Clark realizes that Chloe is the right woman for him, but he wasted his opportunity in pining for Lana. Take that, BDA!

The Chlex confrontation was just gorgeous--Lex loves her, is deeply concerned for her, and wants what is best for her, but Chloe is convinced that it is all just a ploy.

And now Lionel knows that there is something between Chloe and Lex--that doesn't bode well for anyone. Unless Lionel helps to bring Chloe and Lex together, then he's okay in my book:D

This fic continues to rock--well done;)

[Gaia]

I saw badly want for them to get back together, while at the same time I hate Lex foe doing what he did.
More please soon

[lexie]

An update after so long! Highly satisfying as well. You´ve whetted my appetite for more. Hope you post another instalment very soon.:blinkkiss

[westwingwolf]

Who are these awful people who call you names and make rude insinuations? Certainly not your good friends in the shoutbox.

I'm all for Clark realizing that he's been an idiot but I can't see this change making any difference. Yes, Clark never intentionally meant to hurt Chloe but the fact that he never knew he was hurting her just means that he can hurt her in the future and not realize it. On the other hand, Lex knew from the beginning what he did was wrong which means now that he's fallen in love with her, he won't accidentally hurt her again. Lex, like Chloe, has always been more aware of people's feelings, he just choosing to sometimes not care. I don't believe Clark notices these things.

I believe that Lex is now all about protecting Chloe and not thinking about Clark's secret. I also believe that Lex and Chloe can have and do have the relationship that Martha was talking about. They won't think that life has to be perfect, which both Clark and Lana are stuck on. Chloe and Lex realize that life brings problems and things have to be dealt with and you just keep loving that person. I know it will be difficult, but I think somehow they will get through this.

I wonder new angle Lionel is going to bring to the story.

[dagney]

Sarah,


The richness you write the charcter dialog. The realizations Clark has.. Ohhh I cant wait for the confrontation btw him and Lex. Lex he needs to stop and listen to Chloe. Lional the MB always a wonderfull abet evil addition. Dagney

PS any bullies picking on you will have to face the naughty-seduction possee. Lets ride ladies.

[somethingeasy]

I dedicate this story to me. That’s right. I don’t know how many people have noticed certain posters penchant for calling me a jerkface or suggesting that I’m the love child of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, but it’s just plain rude.

And so, I’m using this update to promote awareness that I have declared Friday, September 28th to be “Try to treat Skauble with an ounce of human kindness” Day. I’m sure a Hallmark card will be forthcoming.

Oh the poor dear… I disappear for a couple of weeks and the poor authors start falling apart… I’ll have to return immediately to start applying my gentle petting, soothing and coddling treatment to them. I’m on my way back, Skauble… don’t worry :D

LOL! I think it’s a lovely thought to dedicate a chapter to yourself, although I usually think it’s a ‘given’ that every Skauble-chapter would be dedicated to Skauble… the same way it’s implied that a Nonky-update is dedicated to the Angst-Queen and every BlueSabby-chapter would be dedicated to the delightful duo, etc, etc.

I’m pretty sure that with a bit of perseverance, Julie can be nagge… erm… enticed and convinced to form a Telethon/Webathon event for your worthy cause. Or perhaps we can nag… erm… persuade her to make a Skauble-dedicated theme for the forum? ;)

Anyhow… onto the review of this wonderful new chapter. Up till the last chapter, the story has been centred around two main characters only… Lex and Chloe. Which was great and delicious, but now that you’re adding in more characters (like Clark, Martha, Lois and various others) to the drama, it’s becoming all the more complex, intriguing and breathtaking to watch. It’s becoming seriously exciting, and I can’t wait to see how this complicating drama ends up.


Martha Kent stared at her son, her mouth slightly open in her shock.

Poor Chloe.

Clark could relate to the stunned look on his mother’s face; he was fairly certain he’d been wearing a similar expression since Chloe’s return five days before.

“Lex has had her all this time.” Martha still couldn’t believe it. Not that she doubted the truth of it, she’d just always had a soft spot for the young man who’d once been so close to Clark; it was hard for her to conceive of him doing something so damaging to someone as lovely as Chloe.

squeee! I was so pleased to see Martha make an appearance. She’s such a lovely character, who rarely gets a chance to make a huge appearance and impact onto Chlex fics, and it’s always wonderful to see her playing an integral role in fic and character development.

I really liked how Clark noted the stunned look on his mother’s face, and observed that her expression was an apt reflection of his own feelings. It really helps to see (anew) the truly horrible thing Lex did… especially when seeing it through the eyes of lovely, honourable and gentle Martha Kent.

I also found it so interesting that it seemed like this moment had shattered (or at least bent) Martha’s view of Lex’s ‘inner goodness’. It seems like, all this time, she always wanted to believe that he wasn’t actually as bad as everyone said, but now, with the evidence on what he did to Chloe, her faith in his inherent ‘goodness’ has been destroyed.

VERY nice, Skauble. I’d like to see a little Martha/Lex confrontation too… if possible? I can imagine her giving HIM some sensible home-truth advice and reality checks, and I’d like to see how he responds to such things (probably ignores, disregards everything that doesn’t fit into HIS idea of reality, but it would be fun to watch).


“And she still has feelings for him,” Clark burst out. “How can she still care about him after what he did to her?”

It felt good - giving voice to the frustrations that he couldn’t in front of Chloe, the words he could never say; because the last thing Clark ever wanted to see again was Chloe broken the way she’d been when she stepped out of that limousine.

I am VERY impressed by Clark in this fic. He is displaying a level of tact and consideration that always seemed beyond him in canon-SV. I guess all that time away from Chloe REALLY forced him to grow up on so many levels. Not to mention that he knows that HE has to play the ‘supportive, cheerleading friend’ now, instead of depending on Chloe to be the ‘strong one’.

It was great that he wasn’t judging and bugging Chloe with this question. He probably knew that she just wouldn’t have an answer for him, and would probably feel all the more foolish and stupid for having such feelings.


“Clark,” she reached out and laid her hand comfortingly over his, “you know better than anyone how large Chloe’s heart is. She’s not the kind of person who can ignore her emotions; even if she has good reason.”

Martha watched as Clark squirmed at the unspoken reminder that Chloe had never been able to turn off her feelings for him. But she knew that, despite her son’s discomfort, it was time to address the elephant far too long in their midst. Chloe had done so much for their family and she wouldn’t let her suffer anymore if she could help it; and if that required gently knocking some sense into her oblivious son, well it was long overdue.

Hee heeee! Yay, Martha! About time someone took the time to stand up for Chloe and her poor down-trodden used and abused heart. The girl can take a lot, but I’m glad she finally has someone speaking on her behalf when she really needs it.

I love Martha all the more for it :D


“So,” she said, subtly changing the focus of their conversation though not the topic, “how are things going with you and Lana?”

She knew that something had happened between her son and the beautiful brunette as he hadn’t so much as mentioned her name since she’d arrived home a few hours earlier; surely a record.

LOL! Sneaky Mrs. Kent! Who would have thought it? I honestly didn’t see where this conversation would be going, and I can see that the topic change ambushed Clark nicely, and led him down the direction that Martha wanted him to go. Yay Martha!!!


“I don’t think things are going to work out between Lana and me.” Clark ran a weary hand through his hair, “I just wanted a simple, ordinary life; like you and dad. But everything seems to have gone wrong.”

Shock burst through her and a small laugh bubbled up and spilled over. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but neither was she prepared to enable such a ludicrous delusion.

“Clark, honey, as deeply as your father and I loved each other, our life was hardly uncomplicated. The city girl and the farm boy is a cliché because it’s always rife with enough drama to fill a novel. And though it was well worth the effort, we were no different.”

She knew that Clark was aware of many of the difficulties that she and Jonathan had faced, but she was only just beginning to realize that in his mind they were an abstract footnote to what he saw as a perfect life, and she knew that if he didn’t contextualize the lessons to be found in their marriage then he would continue to make decisions based on completely unrealistic standards.

“Then we were blessed with the greatest son two people could ever hope for. “But,” she continued, smiling gently to remove any possible sting from her words, “he did happen to come to us by way of another planet.”

oh! Oh WOW! This was another typical mindblowing Skauble revelation. One of those simple insights into characters which seem so obvious and simple, but which COMPLETELY reassesses my view of a particular character or situation in SV. AMAZING, Skauble!

I’ll admit that I also took Clark’s simplistic and childlike perspective of the Kent marriage. That it was perfect, and was ‘simple and easy’ to maintain. But I realize now how stupid that view is… It was only Martha’s and Jonathan’s grace, love and dignity that made the marriage ‘seem’ perfect and simple, but there was obviously a lot of work that had to put into it to make it go through the difficult and hard times.

Especially considering that Martha was probably a high society city lady who had to really struggle to adjust to a hard and slightly impoverished life as a beloved farmer’s wife. And Jonathan probably ALSO has so many moments when he just so frustrated whenever she found it difficult to adjust. Wanting her to adjust quickly, and wishing he could provide her with the life she was accustomed to.

Amazing writing and insight, Skauble. I love how you manage to blow me away… seemingly without any effort (seemingly that is… I cannot imagine how hard you must work to make your writing seem so elegant and easy).


“The strength that your father and I had was never in being simple or ordinary. It was in our love; in knowing that we would be there for each other no matter what happened and regardless of whatever came our way.” Martha’s voice deepened as it filled with affection and grief in equal measure. “There was a faith, strong and unshakable, that no matter what mistakes were made we’d see each other through – no punishments, no lingering, silent reproofs; just loving support.”

LOL! ‘punishing, lingering, silent reproofs’… I know Martha’s too classy to mention Lana by name, but damn if she wasn’t describing Pinkie so perfectly. ROTFLOL!


“That’s what your dad and I had, Clark; and if that’s what you want then you need to do some hard thinking and ask yourself if that’s what you’re building with Lana.”

A small snort escaped Clark. He’d been doing little else but thinking about the relationships in his life over the last few months and had come to the sad conclusion that whatever he’d had with Lana would never lead to the kind of connection his parents had shared.

LOL! He snorted? Oh MY Heavens!!! He actually snorted with disdain and laughter at the idea of Lana being the perfectly trustworthy, supportive partner that his mother was describing? I cannot describe how delighted I was by this reaction. ROTFLMAO! He snorted! LOL!


“Actually, that sounds more like me and…” His eyes widened as he trailed off.

“Chloe?” Martha asked, although she already knew the answer.

LOL! It seems like the boy has caught onto the point that his mommy was leading his towards. Honestly, Martha should have had this conversation with her slightly dim son a long time ago.


“Clark, you’re a good man and your father and I were always proud of you,” she assured him. “And, for the most part, we believed in letting you make your own choices, learn from your own mistakes.”

I guess this is true… It would have been great if Martha had pointed out Clark’s ‘correct choices’ for him. But I respect her decision to allow him to make his own mistakes first before learning to reach for something real and valuable rather than something ‘shiny’.


“But Chloe’s been an extraordinary friend to you and she deserves the same. She’s going to need you right now; 100% of you.”

“Of course I’ll be there for her,” he exclaimed; shocked that there would even be a question.

“I know that you want to be, sweetheart; but you can’t do that until you figure out exactly what it is that you want from Chloe.”

oh, oh, OH! I suspected that Clark’s feelings towards Chloe had changed… that he had finally let go of his Lana fantasy and started appreciating Chloe in that ‘the most wonderful girl in the world’ kind of light. I am SO glad that Martha caught onto that and forced him to acknowledge it. YAY Martha!!!

The best part is that she forced this acknowledgement for Chloe’s good as well as for Clark’s. Because she knew that had to aware of his changed feeling if he was to act as a good friend to Chloe rather than inadvertently start pressuring her for something she definitely wasn’t ready for.


“I’ve always cared for Lana, Clark. That’s not what this is about. But sometimes it seemed as though things like infatuation and a certain amount of physical attraction,” she smiled at his small blush, “took the place of a deeper, more enduring intimacy that’s the basis for truly sharing your life with someone…everything in your life.” Martha added significantly.

That was a beautiful summation of the entire point of the conversation. I adore your Martha Kent. Can we please, Please, PLEASE see more of her in future chapters? Pretty please?

ONLY if she fits in of course.


Hearing those thoughts whirling in his head for weeks had been bad, but hearing his mother spell things out so clearly was even more difficult and his shoulders slumped under the weight of finally having no choice but to reexamine all that he’d ever believe he’d wanted for his life.

heh, it figures that even after he had a series of epiphanies during Chloe’s absence, it took another person to help him figure out what all those insights really meant. Clark ‘needs’ the help of smarter and sharper women to help him figure out what 2 plus 2 is. ROTFLOL!

At least he’s an earnest student… That’s his saving grace. LOL!


“I know. I know,” he sighed the last. “These past months without Chloe, I’ve started to see things that I hadn’t really noticed before. I always thought it was just my secret that I couldn’t tell Lana. But it’s not; it’s everything.”

And truly, that had been the hardest revelation that Clark had had to face – that he wasn’t waiting to find the right words or the perfect time to tell Lana; he was just waiting. And he saw now that he never would have stopped because, on some level, he’d always known that what really drew him to her was the Lana he had created in his mind, and he couldn’t help but think that the reverse might be true. He’d never feared her betrayal, but he dreaded her revulsion.

Oh GOOD! Finally! Someone finally said it… Lana is NOT trustworthy! Granted, it hasn’t been said with such bluntness, but the gist of that observation is there. And it’s about time Clark figured out that the reason he never told Lana his secret is not because he wanted to ‘protect’ her, but because he just didn’t trust her to handle it (or protect it).

LOL! It seems like Lana was right all along… Noone trusts her after all. Perhaps she should start looking for the fault in herself rather than in the people who choose not to believe in her?


“With Chloe I’m always aware of who I really am. There’s no pretending, no hiding. But the funny thing is that I don’t mind. When Chloe’s around my differences don’t seem like such a burden; they feel like a gift.” His gaze drifted off and his voice took on a tinge of awe at the memory he often relieved. “She said I’m amazing.”

aww, that’s beautiful and sweet. And I can see Clark is barely inches away from finally admitting the magic words… ‘I’m in love with Chloe’.


“And that’s why you keep leading her on.” Not a question or an accusation, just a simple certainty.

YES! Oh YES!!! *gives Martha a big smooch*
yesyesYES!!! Finally, Martha has also gone into the truly ugly truth behind Clark’s behaviour towards Chloe.


“What?” Clark cried. “No!”

“Son, I love you, but I’ve watched you with Chloe for years.” Although she knew that blame was generally a useless endeavor, Martha couldn’t stop a tinge of disappointment from coloring her words. “You know very well how she’s felt about you and yet you’ve persisted in sending her mixed messages.”

She pulled her hand from his; not to hurt him but because she knew that it was time for Clark to face his problems like the man she’d raised him to be. A process rarely aided by a coddling mother.

Can I say I ADORE this ‘tough love’ lady over here. Now perhaps she’ll also talk to Clark about moving out of the farm and doing the thing that everyone has been screaming at him to do forever…? which is to grow up and start using his powers in a responsible and worthy fashion! Yay Yay YAY Martha Kent!!!


“You were able to play at being normal with Lana because you had the confidence in yourself and who you are that came with Chloe’s unwavering love. But is Lana honestly the woman that you want to be with or is she simply the mask you’ve worn over the relationship that you’ve been denying for years that you have with Chloe?”

Mind reeling at the implications of his mother’s words, Clark stared as both a sense enormity and rightness within him grew. In a moment it seemed as if his whole world had shifted and yet he knew that it was far more likely that he was just finally seeing it as it truly was.

Oooh, ouch! Some very nasty truths over there. And there’s something so tragic about the fact that it was Chloe’s steadfast love for Clark that gave him the confidence (or would it be more like arrogance?) to continue to ignore his ‘perfect match’ and keep chasing after an infatuating dream.


“What do I do now?”

Martha rose and placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder. She knew what he was asking; what he’d finally come to understand. Sharing her final piece of motherly advice, she left him the space she knew he’d need to figure out what it all meant.

“You give her time. You be there for her as her friend. You do for her what she’s done for you for years.”

Excellent advice, and I adore that she basically told him to place Chloe FIRST from now on. I only hope Clark follows Martha’s advice of giving Chloe time before he blurts out that he’s in love with her.


Clark rested once more on the sofa in his loft and for the first time in what seemed like forever things felt good; the future seemed…bright. So instead of his customary moping and brooding he found himself in the unusual position of anticipating what tomorrow might hold for him.

heh, I love this description of Clark ‘finally’ getting out of his mopey, self-absorbed, ‘emo’, depressed mode. It’s about time he finally started putting value on everything he has (and could get) instead of focusing on everything that he can’t have.


For so long he’d been trying to be what he thought Lana needed so that he could secure her love. In retrospect he wondered in maybe he hadn’t been terribly unfair to her to deny her the chance to accept him. But after the day that he’d taken back time and lost his father he hadn’t been able to completely silence that tiny whisper in his mind that said that no matter why Lana believed she needed to go see Lex that evening, subconsciously she might have done so because she knew that Lex would pick up on what she’d either been unable or reluctant to hide and demand the truth from her.

Of course he never thought for a moment that Lana would consciously betray him, which is also why he believed that she’d called to warn him when she’d realized how serious Lex was about punishing him for the years of secrets. But Lana was always a damsel in need of rescuing – largely by choice; and a part of him had come to accept that her actions may have been her way of compelling Lex to “save” her instead of having to face his alien heritage and the complexities it would bring to their relationship.

Oh WOW! Has Hell frozen over? Has the sky fallen? Has George Bush managed to sound ‘intelligent’ in front of the camera? Something drastic must have happened in the world before Clark actually critically analysed Lana’s behaviour, judged her according to her actions and found her greatly wanting in terms of loyalty and affection??!!!

This was an EXCELLENT bit of insight from Clark, Skauble. I’m so darned proud of the boy. The best part is that he’s not exactly condemning her, just finally accepting the basic flaws in her personality that he refused to see before. How wonderful!


But Chloe; before she knew, after she knew, her love never changed. She loved him for who he was. She always had.

She always had.

And suddenly Clark was choked by an oppressive wave of guilt. All that time that Chloe had loved him, been there for him regardless of the bizarre circumstances that made up his life, and he’d used that love and acceptance to shore up his relationship with Lana. He didn’t understand how she could stand to look at him, much less be such a giving friend.

*swoon* I loved this part too. Where he drew a comparison and contrast between Lana’s double-dealing, mixed signals behaviour and Chloe’s steadfast, loyal devotion… and realized that the differences between the two women was so clear, it was laughable. AND he felt guilty about the horrendous way he’s been ignoring Chloe, disregarding her and taking her for granted in his life, when he should have made her the very centre of his life.

But NOW he realizes this, NOW???? When it might be too late?


Hands clenching with resolve, Clark swore to himself that he would make it up to her; all of it. With Lana out of the picture and Lex no longer an issue, he could dedicate all of his energy to showing Chloe how much she meant to him. Whatever it took, however long she needed, he was committed; because finally Clark had realized what he should have seen years ago – Chloe was more than worth the wait.

uh oh! I see a huge problem building up now. ‘Lex is no longer an issue’??!! Does Clark really think that it’s going to be easy to knock Chloe’s love for Lex out of her, just because Clark finally got on with the programme and decided she’s the most wonderful girl in the world? I think it’s quite likely that Clark was far too late in his realizations, because there’s a good chance that he’s lost his shot with Chloe.

She’s certainly not going to be ready to start opening her heart to another man for a long time now. Especially not someone who has already broken it countless times before.

It’s really such a tragedy… Chloe would never have been kidnapped and seduced by Lex if she and Clark had gotten together before her amnesia… For one thing, Clark would most definioetely have NOT taken ‘no’ for an answer when trying to track her down.

So it’s ironic that Clark only realized Chloe’s value and worth in his life only after she has been kidnapped and seduced into loving another man. Poor Clark, poor Chloe… and poor Lex too.

What a tragedy! What angst and torture! What a DELIGHT! :D


Chloe stepped off the elevator onto the highest floor of the LuthorCorp building. The ludicrously expensive décor, clearly meant to intimidate all but their owners, was lost on her as she turned towards the office she knew that Lex now occupied.

woah… now this was interesting, I certainly didn’t expect Chloe to force a confrontation between herself and Lex so soon.


Before she reached the large mahogany desk, at which she was certain she’d find a sleek and stunning brunette, she paused, leaning against a cool granite wall and desperately trying to prepare herself for the coming confrontation.

I liked that mention of Chloe’s dread and exasperation about being greeted by another ‘perfect from the mould’ brunette secretary. It’s really interesting seeing her insecurities, resentment and jealousy already rearing it’s ugly head… even before meeting up with Lex face to face.


She wasn’t sure that she was ready for this; didn’t think she’d ever be. But, honestly, Chloe was getting tired of hiding.

Now there’s the ludicrously mad, brave and courageous Chloe we know and adore. Going up to face Lex alone in the state she’s in. heh, Clark is going to be SO mad at her for doing this to herself.


No matter how reassuring Clark had tried to be, she knew that there would be no significant recovery to her heart in the near future. Her plan was far more limited in scope than her friend’s; she just wanted to piece together enough of the shattered fragments of her soul to be capable of pretending to be the person she’d been two months before.

She had the feeling that, so far, she’d been failing fairly miserably.

Poor Chloe. It seems mightily unfair that everyone (two very powerful men like Clark and Lex) is plotting and scheming all these plans with her at the centre, while she’s just figuring out a way to get her own little life, heart and spirit back into balance again. Let’s hope Clark and Lex don’t manage to break by tearing her apart between them… she’s already frayed enough.


She’d called the Planet to let them know that she’d be back the following week, figuring that the cover Lex had provided would be good for another few days. Whatever he told them had been enough to ensure a warm welcome from her supervisor as well as sincere congratulations on her recovery. She didn’t worry about that mystery. Newspapers were a hot bed of gossip and the reason given for her absence would have certainly made the rounds; extracting the story from an unsuspecting colleague would be painfully easy.

She’d also forced herself to go out and have lunch with both Lois and Lana. The time with Lois was to soothe any worries her cousin might have concerning her time away and to try to determine exactly what story Lex had crafted for her so that she could keep up the charade.

Despite her relatively fragile and vulnerable state, it seems like Chloe is doing in EXCELLENT job in pulling herself together again. All to the point where she’s integrating and carrying on her life from whatever convenient cover-story Lex had set up for her. I am seriously impressed by her resilience and strength. She’s shattered, but she’s still a ten times stronger than any other average person. Amazing… No wonder those two incredible men are madly in love with her.


The meeting with Lana was less urgent, as she knew that her friend had long ago resigned herself to Chloe’s journalistic bent and would be more than willing to believe that she had been caught up for weeks on end in chasing a story. Still, she cared about Lana, and didn’t want her to feel slighted if it became known that Chloe had returned home and hadn’t immediately called her.

LOL over the reason that Chloe ‘had’ to meet Lana. How sad is it that Lana’s closest friend only agrees to a get-together to keep Lana’s nagging and whining to a minimum. It’s actually quite pathetic, and it makes me feel a ‘little’ sorry for Pinkie… A ‘little’ bit.


Of course, there had been a small ulterior motive to her second foray into Smallville. During her lunch with Lois she’d had the eerie sensation that she was being watched. She could have chalked it up to any number of things – the stares that attractive women commonly drew, the simple curiosity that came with her sudden reappearance, the looks that, even after all her years in the small town, she still received as an outsider…a nosy outsider. Any one of those reasons would have explained the feeling that refused to go away. But the weirdness of her adolescence had left its mark and she was reluctant to dismiss all other possibilities out of hand; so she’d arranged a date with Lana.

Once she’d begun to indulge her paranoia she’d quickly come to realize that her anxiety hadn’t been unreasonable after all and, knowing what she was looking for, she’d identified the man trailing her before she and Lana had made it all the way across the park to the ice cream parlor for dessert.

I loved, LOVED the description about how Chloe felt the general ‘itching’ feeling about being watched and stalked. I especially enjoyed the observation about how this feeling of being watched was something different from all the ‘normal stares’ that Chloe is accustomed to. You have to admire a girl who can discern one malevolent set of eyes from the dozens of constant curious looks. LOL! Nice survival instincts!


It took no great leap of deduction to determine who was responsible for this newest intrusion in her life. Which is why she’d called Clark and told him that she and Lana had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up and then grab some dinner and maybe see a movie. She hadn’t even gotten her phone back in her bag before she was on the road for Metropolis.

squeeee! And now I see what led to Chloe hasty charge onto Lex’s turf. I really enjoyed seeing how smoothly she managed to ditch the guards that were watching her. The poor saps probably had no idea she ever left Smallville.

Ouch! Lex is going to demand serious retribution for this kind of carelessness. LOL!


And there she stood, closer to Lex Luthor then she’d ever thought she’d be again; and the only thing she knew with any certainty was that she wasn’t ready for this. After a week of Clark’s endless comfort and support, Chloe had thought she could handle this. Now, with just a few walls between them, she knew she’d been wrong.

heh, like I mentioned… Chloe’s decision to charge Lex was hasty and perhaps ill-advised… especially her decision to go for the confrontation alone. She’s just really lucky that Lex was not ‘pure evil’ as she believed him to be… otherwise heaven knows what he could have done to her… when she’d visited him alone, without telling anyone where she was going.


Pulling in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. It had to be done. She wouldn’t let Lex have anymore of her life than he’d already taken.

Despite the fact that I think it was ill-advised, I HAVE to admire her guts and nerve. There’s something so amazing about her determination to not surrender any more of herself to Lex ever again. Lex is going to have a hell of a task ahead of him to win her over, because she’s never going to give him so much as an inch again.

And I think back to the earlier chapters, where Lex had already accounted that this kidnapping would finally make a bitter, unforgiving enemy out of Chloe… and he considered it an ‘acceptable risk’ against the opportunity to learn Clark’s secret. Wow! How far the story and characters have turned since then.


Lex tossed the file he’d been reading on his desk as he heard loud, angry voices approach the large doors of his office. Most businessmen would worry about professional rivals or disgruntled employees, but his security had improved over the years and those generally weren’t pressing concerns for the young tycoon.

But Lex wasn’t most businessmen, and he rose from behind his desk, reaching towards the drawer containing a small firearm. He’d learned after far too many run in with meteor freaks that, when in doubt, shoot first and create plausible deniability later. However his hand froze on the handle as his secretary rushed in chasing a blonde he hadn’t dreamed he’d see so soon.

LOL! I had to give a giggle about poor Lex’s response to this situation. Considering how many concussions and near-fatalities the poor man has suffered, can anyone really blame him for adopting the ‘shoot first, cover it up later’ attitude’. ROTFLOL! No wonder he was so desperate to learn Clark’s secret and hence the ‘final explanation’ behind all the strangeness in his life. It must have been horrible for him to have lived in fear at the centre of such uncontrolled chaos.


As his gazed clashed with Chloe’s, he watched as she came to a sudden stop. The woman behind her took advantage of her adversary’s distraction and moved to grab her arm.

“Don’t touch her.”

The words whipped across the room and filled his startled employee with a cold terror as she instinctively stepped back in response to the menace they contained.

Squeeeee!!! And *swooon* Oh, I LOVE Lex when he’s being a scary bad-ass on behalf of a loved one. It’s just so thrilling to see him striking instant cold fear into the hearts of everyone when he’s being protective. Even if it IS a pretty, size-zero secretary.


“Miss Sullivan’s visits are always to be given the highest of priorities.”

Lex spoke to his secretary, but Chloe felt sure the message was for her. It was as confusing as her jumbled feelings at seeing him again and she strove with everything in her to push all her emotions down as deep as they could go so that she could do what needed to be done and then go home and cry herself to sleep as she had for days.

Heh heh… Even during a moment like this, he always picks his words so carefully for maximum effect for his own benefit. Sneaky bastard! Not that Chloe’s going to believe him when he tells her WHY she’s allowed full access to him anytime, anywhere (and any position).


The exquisite woman beside her seemed nearly as mystified as Chloe was herself and, even in such wrenching circumstances, she found herself almost smiling at the forlorn figure she made as she exited the office. But all humor fled as the sound of Lex’s voice once again filled the space.

LOL at the bit of genuine pettiness Chloe felt over ‘besting’ the obnoxious secretary. ROTFLOL! I guess we never grow out of that phase of wanting to knock size-zero model type people in their ‘proper place’.


“Chloe,” Lex said warmly, a softness filling his gaze. “This is a lovely surprise.”

Her eyes closed and she forced back a small gasp of pain as she remembered the last time he’d said that to her – the night that they’d recreated their imaginary first date. Her utter gullibility galled her anew and despite Clark’s insistence that none of it was her fault, she shook slightly with the shame that she, the future Daily Planet star reporter, hadn’t been able to figure out that every facet of her life was a lie.

Oh, the poor dears! I can tell Lex was genuinely delighted and warmed from seeing Chloe again… It wasn’t just a ‘line’ he was using on her. But his happy words only twisted the pain, heartache and humiliation in Chloe. The poor Chlex couple… both of them so miserable, and unable to do anything about it, despite the fact that it would be so SIMPLE for them to be happy together… If only they ‘got’ together.

I can see why this is frustrating the hell out of Lex. He knows that the only thing keeping him and Chloe apart is her disbelief about his declarations of love.


“Chloe?”

Her eyes snapped open just in time to see that Lex had moved from behind his desk and was reaching out to steady her.

“No!” Chloe threw her hands out, desperate to ward him off as she stepped back. Her body recognized his as safety and comfort no matter how her mind screamed to the contrary. Right now her brain was winning the war raging inside her, but if he touched her she had no idea what would happen; except that she might not be able to survive again.

wow! This was just… wow! Perhaps Lex is ‘not’ a completely delusional idiot for believing that he can win over Chloe again. It seems like Chloe dearly WANTS to be won over again. If only she can allow herself to trust him this One. Last. Time.

I really loved the part where she wanted to run into his embrace for his comfort and support against her pain, even though HE was the one causing her pain in the first place. Poor confused girl.


Lex pulled back as pain surged through him. He knew she was hurting. His dreams were split by moments of the bliss that was his short time with Chloe interspersed with an agonizingly vivid recount of their final confrontation. The last thing he ever wanted was to wound her again. She was there and it was more of a miracle then he’d ever expected, and jeopardizing it was the last thing he planned to do.

And I loved seeing Lex’s perspective of this whole situation too. The poor man is in absolute agony over here… It must be all the worse for him to know that he himself is the cause of all his suffering. Hmm, but how mush longer before he decides to start blaming someone else? Like Clark perhaps?

I really loved how, even while Chloe obviously hated him, Lex was still cherishing these moments in his presence. AND he was being so careful to fight against his instincts to come closer to her, because he knew that it would only pain her. He’s putting her needs first and foremost, and that’s lovely… but he’s still making manipulative plans to get her back into his life… which is just… Lex :P


“You have people following me.” It was a statement, not a question. Chloe knew that the only way to cut this final tie was with strength, even if it felt so illusory.

“Yes,” Lex confirmed. “Although, I was supposed to have inconspicuous people following you.”

I was LOL at the completely unapologetic way with which Lex responded to Chloe’s accusations. It’s obvious that the ‘only’ thing he was sorry about was that she spotted the team… he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about putting a team on her in the first place. ROTFLOL… oh Lex!


“Yeah well,” she rebounded quickly from the shock of his easy admittance, “you live with Lana for a few years and you develop a sixth stalking sense.”

Lex’s lips tilted in a small smirk at what had to be the most unlikely reason anyone had ever spotted surveillance. Not that he doubted for one moment the truth of her statement; but he did briefly wonder how on earth Lana could have escaped establishing her own internal warning system.

“Still,” he sobered, “your aptitude is hardly an excuse for unsatisfactory results.”

LOL at this cute little comparison between Lana and Chloe… and also LOL at how people just ‘hanging out’ with Lana get a better survival instinct than Lana herself does.

And I’m still giggling over how the ‘only’ thing that upsets Lex right now is that the team performed ‘unsatisfactorily’ while stalking Chloe. He not the ‘slightest’ bit sorry about setting watchers on Chloe’s tail. LOL! You’ve gotta love the Luthor sense of morals and righteousness.


“You say potato, I say massive invasion of privacy. It doesn’t matter how you spin it, Lex. Call – Them – Off.”

ROTFLMAO at Chloe’s retort. Loved it!!! But her quick wit is only going to make Lex adore her all the more. Even when she’s being shrewish, she won’t be able to shake him off.


“Chloe, it’s no secret that, over the years, my family has made enemies both personally and professionally.” He paused, giving her a pointed look. “You know that better than most. Do you have any idea what some of those people would do to my wife?”

As his words penetrated, her spine stiffened and a dangerous fire lit in her eyes.

“Newsflash for the reality impaired – I’m not your wife.”

I gaped in disbelief, because I couldn’t believe his unbelievable nerve and audacity over here. HOW could he have something like this? Something that would only have enraged Chloe further, and reminded her all over again about his betrayal.


Lex took a step forward and had to focus on keeping himself from crossing the small space between them and shaking some sense into her.

Wow! it seems like Lex is most definitely operating on a completely different sense of reality from Chloe. He truly believes and thinks of Chloe as his lawfully wedded wife, rather than a manipulated captive. And he’s probably just so frustrated and confused that Chloe doesn’t see it from his perspective.


“And I’m sure any potential kidnappers who learn that we lived as man and wife for two months will just take your word on that.”

Despite the biting sarcasm, Lex’s words seemed laced with a concern so deep and genuine that it terrified her. She knew that it had to be another ploy, and if she let herself believe him - let herself be weak - even for a moment, she wouldn’t be able to withstand the pain that would inevitably follow.

Hmmm, his statement actually made some sense… although I don’t believe it for a second. I’m quite sure that the primary reason for the watcher teams is just to keep an eye on Chloe and check on her comings and going… keeping her ‘safe and protected’ is just an added bonus that he’s using for rationalization now.

*sigh* And it’s just so sad how Chloe is so terrified of being hurt, and so insecure about her value that she’s just NOT willing to believe that everything Lex is doing is all about her now.


“This is still about Clark.”

At her accusation, Lex didn’t even try to stop himself, and closed the distance between them, grasping her arms before she had a chance to step away.

“I know that I’ve destroyed any trust that you had in me. And believe me,” his lips twisted in a bitter smile, “I pay for it every day that I’m without you. But this isn’t about Clark Kent.”

loved this part… How Lex couldn’t ‘stand’ Chloe thinking, much less saying that he was still trying to get to Clark through her, when he was just trying to get through to HER. And I loved, LOVED how Lex bared his heart open to her right now. He’s trying SO hard to be honest, and will her to understand and BELIEVE. It’s heartbreaking to watch… But then again, I have always been carrying the banner for the ‘Make Lex Suffer’ campaign in this fic, haven’t I? ;)


Being so close to her, touching her after what felt like an eternity apart was driving Lex mad, and he couldn’t stop his fingers from moving over the warm skin beneath them in a gentle caress.

ooooh, I felt thrilled shivers running down my body at this part. How Lex couldn’t stop himself from touching her, feeling her skin again… I really, truly can’t wait to see how the ‘little bit of smut’ goes in the next chapter. Lex is going to be enraptured from any kind of contact, even a hug or a handshake… I can’t imagine what kind of ecstasy he’s going to experience from sexual intimacy again.


“Whether you accept it or not, I love you,” his voice was fierce and his gazed burned with a torrent of emotions. “I won’t let anything happen to you again. And just because you doubt that right now doesn’t mean that I’m willing to let you risk your wellbeing.”

“My wellbeing?!” Chloe was too enraged that he’d continue with such a painful lie to even attempt to escape Lex’s hold. “You’re the one who kidnapped me, who kept me away from my family and friends. If anyone’s a threat to my wellbeing it’s you.”

Both Lex and Chloe are absolutely right. Lex only wants to protect her, but the one person that Chloe needs desperate protection from is LEX. What a paradox!


She was glorious; her cheeks flushed in anger, her heavy breaths pushing her breasts against the thin white cotton of her blouse. His hands tightened as he fought the urge to pull her to him and prove how real his feelings for her were.

You have to adore him… and pity him a little bit. He’s so entranced by her that even her spitting anger seems ‘glorious’ and heaven sent to him. I can very easily imagine Lex being a completely whipped doormat for Chloe if she ever DOES decide to forgive him and commit herself to a relationship with him. He’s never going to be able to say ‘no’ to her EVER!


Instead, he uncurled his fingers from her arms; forced himself to turn away.

“The security stays.”

Chloe had known Lex for years; intimately for eight weeks. She knew his moods, the lines of his body, the tones of his voice; and she recognized in all of those things his absolute determination. There would be no swaying him, no making him see reason.

Hmmm, then again… I guess he CAN say ‘no’ to some demands from her. I’m still going to stick by my original assessment that he’s going to be a completely whipped excuse of a billionaire boytoy IF Chloe even decides to give him a shot.


Just the idea that he believed he had a right to any part of her life incensed her and robbed her of her ability to speak. With an inarticulate and highly embarrassing cry of fury she turned and stomped out of the office, her dramatic exit only slightly diminished by her inability to slam the impossibly heavy door.

LOL! I really enjoyed the ‘dramatic exit’ that Chloe made over here. Regardless of the non-slamming door, I’m sure it was still spectacular. ROTFLOL!


In her general loathing of the world at large and sexy, devious billionaires with unwieldy doors in particular, Chloe missed the figure concealed by a nearby alcove observing her departure with avid curiosity.

Stepping into the light as the elevator doors closed on the angry young woman, Lionel decided to forgo his impromptu visit with his son. Something was going on – had been for months – and he was certain that Chloe Sullivan was, once again, the key to a major Luthor intrigue.

Heeee. And speaking of dramatic entrances and exits… it seems like we have a brand new player who has ALSO made an appearance into this ever-complicating fic.

I remember Lionel approaching Lex in an earlier chapter and asking him about why Lex was acting so ‘happy’ these days… I guess he’s found the source of Lex’s inexplicable contentment… Now, let’s see what he does to turn this situation to his advantage.

It seems like Chloe has now become the centre of THREE powerful men’s planning and scheming (although Lionel’s plans are going to be nowhere near as gentle and careful as Clark’s and Lex’s plotting actions).

Squeeeee! I can’t WAIT to find out what happens next!!


“Spencer.”

“Tell all your men they’re fired. I want a new team in place by morning.”

Lex’s voice was cold, icy like the rest of him. It was how he had functioned throughout the constant crises that had plagued him in recent years. And this was a far greater disaster than most.

He’d planned to give Chloe space; to let time dull the sharpest edges of his betrayal of her faith. And now, because of one fool’s incompetence, he’d been forced into a confrontation far too early and had driven her even further away with actions that infuriated her and demands with which he’d had no choice but to refuse to comply.

Squeee! I still find it so thrilling to see Lex being all cold, heartless, ruthless and unforgiving of mistakes… especially since it’s all about Chloe. I also liked how incredibly ENRAGED he was by this early confrontation because it didn’t fit into his carefully structured plans for Chloe… in fact it seems like this meeting dropped some complications and difficulties in his plans…

I wonder how he planned to convince Chloe that he truly DID love her. Heh, it’s going to be interesting to see.


“No,” the response was curt. “And it doesn’t matter. I want people, with no preconceived notions of their target. They need to be made aware, as do you apparently, that Chloe is in no way an ordinary college student. She has a sense of self preservation honed by years of danger and journalistic observational skills second to none. You need to take every precaution.”

heh, I do like how Lex made some ‘slight’ allowances to the team for underestimating Chloe this first time around, but it’s great to see that he’s making it clear that he will NOT tolerate such carelessness and laxness in the future.


And he did. Lex expected no less than absolute obedience. Still, he’d found that it never hurt to make himself perfectly clear.

“And Spencer,” the silk of his voice only amplified the underlying danger, “the rewards for success in this endeavor are great, but the consequences for failure are staggering.”

Lex paused a moment to let every unpleasant possibility play through the man’s mind before ending the call.

“Don’t disappoint me.”

heeee :D
I’m still loving how VERY scary and bad-ass he’s being over here. When he’s being all cruel, scary, intimidating and cold-hard towards other people, it only makes me appreciate the vulnerable softness he shows ‘only’ around Chloe all the more.

:ecstatic: Let’s have some more heavily contrasting scenes like this, Skauble!!!

Hmmm, I’m also waiting for Lex to ‘perhaps’ figure out that since kidnapping worked so well the first time around… perhaps he should try it again to win Chloe over. LOL! I can imagine him thinking like that too. I even remember in the last chapter how Lex thought to himself that the ONLY thing he regretted was letting Chloe LEAVE the home where they’d loved together. He didn’t regret the kidnapping, the lying or even the falling in love with and sleeping with her… he was only sorry that he let her leave. What happens when he carries that line of thought further into convincing himself that it would be a good idea to repeat that ‘successful experiment’ all over again, but this time with the right priorities in order.

Heh, I can’t wait to see what happens next… please, PLEASE update soon. You’ve got all your characters balanced on the edge of serious angst, despair and desperation over here… and it’s only going to take the slightest tip to send them hurtling towards darkness and oblivion.

What happens when Clark (prematurely) sets in motion his plan to woo Chloe BEFORE she’s gotten over Lex? What if she responds in a desperate attempt to forget about Lex? What happens when Lex finds out that Chloe’s becoming involved with his most hated rival?

Squeeee… so many exciting possibilities… and I have not even STARTED considering what Lionel is going to do when added into the mix. Eeee! Sooo thrilling!!!

[skauble]

Important A/N: Made you look! No, seriously; despite the fact that this story has been completely planned out, it was suggested to me by nonky and westwingwolf that I try to squeeze in a little more smut.

This is a tiny bit of smut. Miniscule actually. But, because it exists I have to warn that this chapter is rated –

NC-17

If such material offends you, please do not read. I completely respect that point of view and because the rating for this story is and R and because there is a small amount of plot momentum in these chapters, I have written an edited version of Part Ten. It is posted over at FanFiction.net, as are all my stories that I can clean up.

Part Ten (http://www.fanfiction.net/secure/live_preview.php?storyid=3372385&chapter=11/)

This part is particularly short, but I start a Halloween challenge for another fandom tomorrow and I promised somethingeasy that I would try to write something before then.

~Sarah~




Chapter Twenty



Chloe opened the Kent’s front door quietly with respect for the lateness of the hour. Not that she thought Clark would be asleep. With all of his hovering the past week she figured he’d been waiting up for her to get back from her “evening with Lana”. But she knew that Mrs. Kent was due back earlier that day and she certainly deserved all the rest she could manage to squeeze into her busy, unpredictable life.

And she was right. She’d no more then stepped across the threshold when Clark was there in front of her, checking her over so thoroughly that she wondered, for a moment, if she’d been x-rayed.

She knew that she’d need to tell Clark about her trip to Metropolis; had never meant to lie about it longer than it took to get there without him beating her to LuthorCorp and killing Lex. But the whole ordeal had exhausted her, mentally and physically, and more than anything she just wanted the day to end. Still, Clark was her best friend, a role at which he’d definitely excelled since her return, and he deserved the truth.

Stepping around him, Chloe caught his hand and led him towards the couch. Pushing him gently onto the cushions, she sat down next to him and rested her head on his warm, sturdy shoulder.

Clark was worried. A Chloe who didn’t talk…a lot, was a Chloe who was clearly hurting. Not that she’d been particularly chatty lately, but she’d seemed to be getting better. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened during her afternoon with Lana. Whatever his reasons for letting things with Lana die out, she wasn’t an inherently cruel person. She might not notice Chloe’s suffering, especially if Chloe was trying to conceal it, but she wouldn’t do anything to purposefully hurt her. Which left him, once again at a loss for–

“I saw Lex.”

And there was his answer. The thought that, after what he did, Lex would have the nerve to show his face in Smallville, much less confront Chloe, left him seething with rage.

“Where?” He asked, not really caring, but needing a moment to regain control of his volatile emotions before hearing what had occurred.

“In his office,” she offered, hesitantly. “I went to Metropolis.”

She cringed in anticipation of the explosion she was certain would follow such a confession. What came instead both shocked and warmed her.

“Chloe.”

Not a reprimand, not a prelude to a lecture, but a single word that seemed almost too small to carry the sympathy, concern, and bewilderment with which he imbued it.

“It wasn’t like that Clark,” here eyes rose to meet his, to sooth his worries. “He has people following me.”

The relief Clark felt that Chloe hadn’t gone to Lex because of any misplaced, lingering feelings was quickly replaced by confusion at her revelation.

“Why?”

Chloe was still wondering the same thing, although she gave Clark the official party line. “Lex says that they’re security. He says I could be in danger from any of those people, besides me, whose lives the Luthors have ruined if it became known that I lived with him as his,” her voice choked slightly, “wife.”

Clark knew that, with his powers, it was dangerous for him to carry so much hate, and yet it swelled anew as Chloe’s scarcely healing wounds were ripped back open. And it wasn’t just that. Something about the situation, about Lex’s behavior, was starting to bother him on a deeper level. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it; it was simply a vague, but growing presence in the back of his mind. But before he could pin it down, Chloe continued.

“Whatever he claims, Clark, I think this is about your secret.” But she didn’t; not really.

Despite what she had said to Lex, Chloe knew that if he wanted to have her, Clark, or anyone else on the face of the Earth followed then he would, and he wouldn’t bother to justify himself. It left her at a loss for a way to explain his actions; his reasoning not even a consideration in her mind.

“Maybe I should leave.”

“No,” the denial shot from Clark before the sentence had fully left her mouth. “Chloe, no.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close as if he could keep her there where she was safe; where he could protect her. “It’s not fair, Chloe. I know that the farm has always made you feel safe. Lex has done enough to you; he doesn’t get to take this from you to.”

His willingness to protect her, even if it might reveal things he’d done so much to keep hidden brought tears to her eyes and she burrowed into his chest until they passed. When the emotions receded, if only a little, she felt obliged to at least attempt to embody the voice of reason.

“Clark, you know I’ll be going home Monday when I start back to work.”

He did, but he tried not to dwell on it. It was silly because he knew that it would be good for Chloe to get back to work and, more than that, that he could be there, any time he chose or she needed, within seconds. And yet it wasn’t the same as having her there within arms reach.

Then, of course, was the troubling thought that not only would she be further away from him, but she’d be closer to Lex. Lex, who was clearly still playing some kind of game.

“I know,” he conceded, despite his misgivings. “But that still leaves you a few days of relaxation before it’s back to the Daily Planet grind. How ‘bout we don’t worry about anything ‘til then?”

Chloe nodded her silent assent against his chest and Clark’s arms tightened ever so slightly. He’d held her hundreds of times, but it had never felt like this. Suddenly his mind was flooded with moments where he could have said something, done something different; made other choices and changed everything.

But he wasn’t going to make the mistake of getting mired in useless wishing again. Chloe was there with him now. He’d been miraculously granted a second chance; and, this time, he wasn’t going to waste it.




Chapter Twenty One


His eyes – they always mesmerized her. No matter what Lex couldn’t bring himself to say there was a wealth of words in those beautiful eyes.

She watched his head move down until his lips whispered over hers, tongue skating across her lower lip before slipping past to dance along her own.

As his hands moved to the thin, lacy straps of her nightdress she felt them fall as his fingers followed, sending shivers to racing across her skin. His gentle kisses moved to her newly bared shoulder and Chloe whimpered out her need for more.

The smile he gave her sent flutters through her stomach as he stepped back and let the gown pool at her feet. His unwavering stare would have embarrassed her but there was a reverence in his gaze that stole her breath.

He pulled her to him once more and kissed her with an urgency that she couldn’t understand, as if he thought at any moment she would disappear. She wondered, briefly, where else he could possibly imagine she would want to be, but his mouth, so demanding on hers, made coherent thought impossible; and when she was next able to process her surroundings, she was lying on the bed while Lex stripped off the last of his clothes.

She watched in anticipation as he knelt next to her and gently parted her legs, leaning down to place tender kisses along the inside of her thighs. Shuddered with longing as he worked his way upward, she cried out at the shockwaves that rippled through her body as his tongue rasped over her sensitive flesh.

She couldn’t still her hips as he increased the pace of his caress, but every time Chloe reached the edge of fulfillment he pulled back until she was almost incoherent with need. Finally Lex moved over her and her legs spread further, desperate to have him inside of her.

She felt him capture a straining nipple with his lips and draw it into the warmth of his mouth. The desire began to pool within her, and as he positioned himself against her, her hips rose up to meet him.

Releasing her breast, he looked up at her. The need was written clearly on his face and Chloe knew what to do.

“I love you.”

With a gasp, Chloe’s eyes flew open. It always ended there in her dreams as it did in her life; because the awful truth was that she did still love Lex.

She’d never been good at not caring for the people, even when they’d hurt her; and figuring out how to stop loving someone was almost entirely beyond her capability. After all, it had taken years of flogging herself with Clark’s love for Lana before she’d managed to put her feelings for him behind her.

With Lex it was even harder because they’d actually been together and she couldn’t exorcise the memories of him holding her, touching her from her head. And worse than that, Lex didn’t seem to be willing to let go.

She couldn’t understand what he hoped to gain by continuing his charade. He couldn’t actually think that he could get anymore information from her about Clark. And that left her at a complete and utter loss as to his real motivations.

A small, dark part of her whispered that it might be possible; he could be sincere. And Chloe hated that voice; hated Lex for encouraging it.

But, most of all, she hated herself. Because even though he’d kidnapped her, lied to her, and shattered her heart, she so badly wanted it to be true.




“I love you.”

It always started there for him; with the words he cherished with everything in him and desperately longed to hear again.

In those hazy moments between wakefulness and sleep they came to him; bewitching memories in dreams he ached to live and from which he dreaded waking. And so he let the images swallow him as he fell headlong into the only thing keeping him sane.

Being inside of Chloe was the bliss he’d searched for for years in drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t just the feel of her – hot and slick, pulling him ever deeper – it was the wonder that went with being a part of someone who loved him with no ulterior motive, no subterfuge.

Looking down into her face he felt the burning desire within him crest higher as he watched passion play across her face. Her eyes were glazed with pleasure, her skin flushed with their exertions, and her teeth worried her lush, lower lip as sensations seemed to roll across her in soft shudders.

Leaning close, he replaced her teeth with his and drew her tender lip in, soothing the delicate flesh with his tongue. As he deepened the kiss, Chloe moaned lowly into his mouth and the soft sound – proof of her need for him – stripped him of his customary discipline and his thrusts took on a near frantic quality as he drove himself further into her; her own surging hips echoing his fervor.

Suddenly he felt the building tension in his body snap as cries of satisfaction and barely intelligible words of love fell from her lips. The unconscious declarations pushed him past the point of ecstasy into completion and with a few, last, uncontrolled movements he felt his release spill from him.

It was his own voice that woke him and Lex laid there silently, trying to will away the demand in aching shaft. There was no pleasure to be found in other women and although he could give himself an immediate relief the lack of emotion, the lack of Chloe left him unsatisfied in ways that were merely heightened by physical release.

As he finally began to calm, to regain control of his body, he realized that the time to actively pursue Chloe had arrived. It had to be now, because he honestly didn’t know how much longer he could function without her.


TBC

[Kit Merlot]

This was a beautiful update Sarah, and I especially loved this part:


She couldn’t understand what he hoped to gain by continuing his charade. He couldn’t actually think that he could get anymore information from her about Clark. And that left her at a complete and utter loss as to his real motivations.

A small, dark part of her whispered that it might be possible; he could be sincere. And Chloe hated that voice; hated Lex for encouraging it.

But, most of all, she hated herself. Because even though he’d kidnapped her, lied to her, and shattered her heart, she so badly wanted it to be true.


This is just heart-breaking: Chloe wants Lex to be sincere in his love for her. He is in fact quite sincere, but she refuses to believe it. How will Lex win her back?

Despite their being enemies now, Clark knows that Lex is truly in love with Chloe. Is he going to have a face to face "conversation" with Lex?

Continued excellent work on this fic, Sarah:grin3:

[lj715]

Excellent update but you are killing me here. I hope that Chloe & Lex can make it back to one another despite everything. More please.

[dagney]

thanks for the update. The love/angst/passion is building up I'm still waiting for the blow up btw Lex/ clark. wonderful job as always. Dagney

[malugargula]

Wonderful update
:)
They love each other so much
I can`t wait to see Lex pursue Chloe

[lexie]

I saw the update on FF.net, and let me tell you that this still remains one of my favourite fics.

Although I saw the new chapter there, I thought of leaving you a few words here.Call me prude, but I´ve always preferred purged versions when it comes to characters I identify so strongly with someone in real life.

I can´t wait for your next update, skauble. I´m dying to see what Lex´s next steps will be to get Chloe back in his life once and for all. Great work.:blinkkiss

[westwingwolf]

Excellent memory smut but more than that is the emotions that goes with the memory. It's so sad that these two actually do love each other it's just outside forces that keep them apart. Yes, I know what Lex did to her was wrong, but if he hadn't have done it, Chloe and him would have never gotten together. Chloe would never know what it had been like to be loved and neither would Lex. The circumstances suck but the emotions and love are well worth that deception and pain, and if Chloe could just learn to focus on that then all will be well. I'm glad that Lex is ready to act becuase listening to Clark whine about what a mistake he made is honestly driving me insane. I want to shove a kryptonite rock down his throat to shut him up and sove another one up his ass just so he will feel pain, but he's probably like it, the freak.

[hfce]

For a minute there I thought the smut was her and Clark. :rofl: I was like :coffee: thank goodness I was wrong. :grin3: I feel bad for Chloe but I can
wait to see how Lex wins her over. This was a great chapter.

[somethingeasy]

Skauble, I was SO pleased by this update… and not only because of the lovely smut in it ;)
It seems like the precipice you were building up in the last update has been made, sharper and more jagged in this chapter. All the characters have been set with their hearts, desires and desperation right on the edge, and they are all on the verge of hurtling towards each other… I can’t wait to see what happens during and in the aftermath of the horrible collision.


Chloe opened the Kent’s front door quietly with respect for the lateness of the hour. Not that she thought Clark would be asleep. With all of his hovering the past week she figured he’d been waiting up for her to get back from her “evening with Lana”. But she knew that Mrs. Kent was due back earlier that day and she certainly deserved all the rest she could manage to squeeze into her busy, unpredictable life.

And she was right. She’d no more then stepped across the threshold when Clark was there in front of her, checking her over so thoroughly that she wondered, for a moment, if she’d been x-rayed.

Awww, this was lovely and so sweet. I really liked how Chloe came home KNOWING that there was someone anxiously waiting for her arrival. Someone waiting to offer her the comfort and support she desperately needed. And Clark more than delivered. It’s so GREAT seeing Chloe being taken care of for once during HER time of need.


She knew that she’d need to tell Clark about her trip to Metropolis; had never meant to lie about it longer than it took to get there without him beating her to LuthorCorp and killing Lex. But the whole ordeal had exhausted her, mentally and physically, and more than anything she just wanted the day to end. Still, Clark was her best friend, a role at which he’d definitely excelled since her return, and he deserved the truth.

I was very pleased about this too. Granted, Chloe is confiding in Clark more out of a sense of obligation rather than her actually ‘wanting’ to tell him about what happened, but I’m still glad that she didn’t try to keep today’s happenings bottled up inside like a secret. Clark needs to know what happened so he can take care of her properly.


Clark was worried. A Chloe who didn’t talk…a lot, was a Chloe who was clearly hurting. Not that she’d been particularly chatty lately, but she’d seemed to be getting better. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened during her afternoon with Lana. Whatever his reasons for letting things with Lana die out, she wasn’t an inherently cruel person. She might not notice Chloe’s suffering, especially if Chloe was trying to conceal it, but she wouldn’t do anything to purposefully hurt her. Which left him, once again at a loss for–

squeee! I love how Clark’s mind is running so damned franctically over how, when, why and what happened to upset Chloe today. LOL! He even (briefly) considered the possibility that Lana did something in her thoughtless, tactless fashion. I LOVE how Clark is seeing Lana in all her true colours now. Happy me!!!


“I saw Lex.”

And there was his answer. The thought that, after what he did, Lex would have the nerve to show his face in Smallville, much less confront Chloe, left him seething with rage.

“Where?” He asked, not really caring, but needing a moment to regain control of his volatile emotions before hearing what had occurred.

heeee :D
He is so OUTRAGED on her behalf. I adore this Clark who becomes to enraged whenever anyone or anything hurts his cherished Chloe.


“In his office,” she offered, hesitantly. “I went to Metropolis.”

She cringed in anticipation of the explosion she was certain would follow such a confession. What came instead both shocked and warmed her.

“Chloe.”

Not a reprimand, not a prelude to a lecture, but a single word that seemed almost too small to carry the sympathy, concern, and bewilderment with which he imbued it.

Oh, Oh, OH!!! That was beautiful! I was fully expecting Clark to explode, and launch into a huge lecture about how Chloe shouldn’t be doing things to endanger herself or expose herself to yet more pain. But he reacted in a beautiful, caring, considerate ‘Chloe comes first’ kind of way that was breathtaking to behold. I LOVE how he’s grown into a man who can actually be worthy of Chloe now…

Granted, that (Chlark) ship has sailed, but it’s still good to see Clark all grownup now. He’s finally acting like a man!


“It wasn’t like that Clark,” here eyes rose to meet his, to sooth his worries. “He has people following me.”

The relief Clark felt that Chloe hadn’t gone to Lex because of any misplaced, lingering feelings was quickly replaced by confusion at her revelation.

Heh, very interesting. But it makes sense that Clark’s first reaction (and horrible concern) would be that Chloe went to Lex because she needed to reconcile with the man she was in love with… no matter how horrible, dangerous and painful that love was. Kind of like the concern any person would have when a woman keeps going back to her abusive husband even after people keep telling her to leave and forget about him.

Fortunately Chloe’s not that weak. Although, in this particular situation, we all wish she was :P


Chloe was still wondering the same thing, although she gave Clark the official party line. “Lex says that they’re security. He says I could be in danger from any of those people, besides me, whose lives the Luthors have ruined if it became known that I lived with him as his,” her voice choked slightly, “wife.”

Clark knew that, with his powers, it was dangerous for him to carry so much hate, and yet it swelled anew as Chloe’s scarcely healing wounds were ripped back open. And it wasn’t just that. Something about the situation, about Lex’s behavior, was starting to bother him on a deeper level. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it; it was simply a vague, but growing presence in the back of his mind. But before he could pin it down, Chloe continued.

I loved that line where Clark acknowledges that a person with her powers should NOT carry such levels of hate within him. It’s one of the first signs I’ve seen of Clark being worthy of the mantle of Superman. If ONLY those stupid producers of SV could also realize this same thing… instead of sending Clark off willy-nilly on a mission to kill people whenever he gets ticked off (usually on Blana’s behalf).

Ugh! The worst part is how people always EXCUSE Clark for his hatred and dreams of vengeance… telling him it’s all normal, and that it’s only a ‘part of being human’… It’s not a GOOD part of being human, dammit… Start telling him that!!!

It was also interesting how Lex’s pattern of behaviour was also ‘bothering’ and confusing Clark at a level that he didn’t really understand. Perhaps he’s going to (eventually) get that Lex is genuinely in love with Chloe? How will he react knowing that he has a real and genuine rival for Chloe’s affections? Things are going to get even uglier than they are right now…

Especially when BOTH Lex and Clark confront each other for their past sins which prove that BOTH of them are unworthy of Chloe’s love. Seriously, Lex can also point out quite a few instances where Clark has wronged, frightened and hurt Chloe… and you can bet he’s going to dredge everything up to show how Clark is trying to gain something that he is completely undeserving of…. AGAIN!


“Whatever he claims, Clark, I think this is about your secret.” But she didn’t; not really.

Despite what she had said to Lex, Chloe knew that if he wanted to have her, Clark, or anyone else on the face of the Earth followed then he would, and he wouldn’t bother to justify himself. It left her at a loss for a way to explain his actions; his reasoning not even a consideration in her mind.

Heh, it seems like Chloe is ALSO confused about Lex’s behaviour. Eventually she might also have to admit that the only reason he’s focusing on her (with no other kind of reward in sight) is because he was telling the truth about loving her?

But where’s the fun in that? LOL! Bring on the angst!


“Maybe I should leave.”

“No,” the denial shot from Clark before the sentence had fully left her mouth. “Chloe, no.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close as if he could keep her there where she was safe; where he could protect her. “It’s not fair, Chloe. I know that the farm has always made you feel safe. Lex has done enough to you; he doesn’t get to take this from you to.”

LOL! Uh huh! Not to mention the fact that Chloe is going to be taken away from you if she leaves, Clark? He’s given a good, genuine reason about why Chloe shouldn’t cut herself away from his life, but I think his primary motivation is to keep clinging to Chloe until she falls in love with him again.


His willingness to protect her, even if it might reveal things he’d done so much to keep hidden brought tears to her eyes and she burrowed into his chest until they passed. When the emotions receded, if only a little, she felt obliged to at least attempt to embody the voice of reason.

LOL! I can see Chloe is touched by Clark’s vehemence that she should stay where he can support and protect her… But I do wonder how she’d react if she knew about that Clark was hoping for a Chlarky future. Poor Chloe… she’s stuck in the middle of being manipulated by two men vying for her affections, and she’s just trying o get through the days without having a nervous breakdown.


“Clark, you know I’ll be going home Monday when I start back to work.”

He did, but he tried not to dwell on it. It was silly because he knew that it would be good for Chloe to get back to work and, more than that, that he could be there, any time he chose or she needed, within seconds. And yet it wasn’t the same as having her there within arms reach.

Then, of course, was the troubling thought that not only would she be further away from him, but she’d be closer to Lex. Lex, who was clearly still playing some kind of game.

Awwww, I really, REALLY adore Clark’s strong protective instincts over here… Under other circumstances, I would have called this protectiveness to be paranoid and unreasonable, but the sad truth is that Clark is RIGHT… that Chloe does need special protection and attention as long as she has Lex’s obsessive eyes on her (for a plot that’s yet to revealed to Clark).


Chloe nodded her silent assent against his chest and Clark’s arms tightened ever so slightly. He’d held her hundreds of times, but it had never felt like this. Suddenly his mind was flooded with moments where he could have said something, done something different; made other choices and changed everything.

But he wasn’t going to make the mistake of getting mired in useless wishing again. Chloe was there with him now. He’d been miraculously granted a second chance; and, this time, he wasn’t going to waste it.

I’m still a little sceptical about Clark’s belief that he’s gotten his ‘second chance’ with Chloe… It seems to me like he had thrown away his last chance before Chloe was kidnapped, and now he’s just going to have to get used to being designated as the ‘safe, supportive, undemanding friend’. LOL! Oh HOW the tables have turned. I did enjoy the guilt and regret he felt over here about the ‘if onlys’ he had missed out on. I suppose there’s still a small, petty part of me that LIKES seeing Clark suffering the awareness of the missed opportunities because he took Chloe for granted for so long.


His eyes – they always mesmerized her. No matter what Lex couldn’t bring himself to say there was a wealth of words in those beautiful eyes.

Beautiful beginning to the smut! I can truly see how MUCH Chloe loved Lex… I love how she was so enthralled by the emotions in his eyes… even when he couldn’t say the words out loud.


She watched his head move down until his lips whispered over hers, tongue skating across her lower lip before slipping past to dance along her own.

*swoon* Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL!!! Seriously, you write smut like it’s a lovely ballad… a sonnet!


As his hands moved to the thin, lacy straps of her nightdress she felt them fall as his fingers followed, sending shivers to racing across her skin. His gentle kisses moved to her newly bared shoulder and Chloe whimpered out her need for more.

more swooning!!! Can I say how GRATEFUL I am to the people who nagged Skauble into including this lovely sliver of smut? I am SO grateful, you guys! :D


The smile he gave her sent flutters through her stomach as he stepped back and let the gown pool at her feet. His unwavering stare would have embarrassed her but there was a reverence in his gaze that stole her breath.

SO gorgeously written. AND this bit of smut helped me to see that, even though Lex might have been incapable of the actual words, I can see why Chloe would have found it enough to accept the implied ‘I love you’ through his touches, caresses and ‘looks of devotion’.


He pulled her to him once more and kissed her with an urgency that she couldn’t understand, as if he thought at any moment she would disappear. She wondered, briefly, where else he could possibly imagine she would want to be, but his mouth, so demanding on hers, made coherent thought impossible; and when she was next able to process her surroundings, she was lying on the bed while Lex stripped off the last of his clothes.

hmmm, I can imagine where Lex’s sense of urgency came from during his love-making. Every moment he had with Chloe… he was always painfully aware on how it was only a ‘stolen moment’ that could (and would) disappear at any given time.

I REALLY loved the details on how sex was between Lex and Chloe after he admitted to himself how much he loved her. It’s wonderful, and really interesting in terms of gauging character development and reaction!


She watched in anticipation as he knelt next to her and gently parted her legs, leaning down to place tender kisses along the inside of her thighs. Shuddered with longing as he worked his way upward, she cried out at the shockwaves that rippled through her body as his tongue rasped over her sensitive flesh.

She couldn’t still her hips as he increased the pace of his caress, but every time Chloe reached the edge of fulfillment he pulled back until she was almost incoherent with need. Finally Lex moved over her and her legs spread further, desperate to have him inside of her.

She felt him capture a straining nipple with his lips and draw it into the warmth of his mouth. The desire began to pool within her, and as he positioned himself against her, her hips rose up to meet him.

My swooning has given way to drooling! Hot hot, HOT!!! It’s amazing how you make smut writing seem so effortless, Skauble.. Even thought I know you really don’t like writing it… it’s hard to see that dislike in your smooth, flowing words.


Releasing her breast, he looked up at her. The need was written clearly on his face and Chloe knew what to do.

“I love you.”

This was the most fascinating and revealing part of Chloe’s dream… Not only does it underline how devastatingly in love with Lex she was… but it also emphasizes how much Lex loved HER… how he needed to hear those words from her, every time before he penetrated her. It was as if her words were the absolute best part of making love to her, even better than his orgasm inside her.


With a gasp, Chloe’s eyes flew open. It always ended there in her dreams as it did in her life; because the awful truth was that she did still love Lex.

She’d never been good at not caring for the people, even when they’d hurt her; and figuring out how to stop loving someone was almost entirely beyond her capability. After all, it had taken years of flogging herself with Clark’s love for Lana before she’d managed to put her feelings for him behind her.

With Lex it was even harder because they’d actually been together and she couldn’t exorcise the memories of him holding her, touching her from her head. And worse than that, Lex didn’t seem to be willing to let go.

Poor Chloe. It must be awful being so realistic to the extent that you’re all too aware of the ‘flaws’ in your own personality. In this case, Chloe knows that she has a rough, painful road ahead of her, and things are probably going to get a lot more difficult before they get better.

Also, that part about Chloe finding it so much harder to get over THIS love for a man who is apparently not in love with her, how it’s so much harder because she actually experienced experienced the bliss of loving (and being loved) by Lex, only to have to snatched away from her.

It’s horrible to see proof that the old saying ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ is pure nonsense.


She couldn’t understand what he hoped to gain by continuing his charade. He couldn’t actually think that he could get anymore information from her about Clark. And that left her at a complete and utter loss as to his real motivations.

A small, dark part of her whispered that it might be possible; he could be sincere. And Chloe hated that voice; hated Lex for encouraging it.

But, most of all, she hated herself. Because even though he’d kidnapped her, lied to her, and shattered her heart, she so badly wanted it to be true.

It’s still very interesting to see Chloe seeing proof that Lex was actually telling the truth about being in love with… she KNOWS that, right now, Lex’s obsession with her makes no sense... except in context of the truth that he’s told her. But she still refuses to believe it!

Hmmm, I think it’s partially because of her inferiority complex, but it’s ironically because she so desperately WANTS it to be true, that she’s stubbornly closing her eyes to all the signs, telling herself she’s only seeing what she desperately ‘wants’ to see.


“I love you.”

It always started there for him; with the words he cherished with everything in him and desperately longed to hear again.

I LOVED this segue into the next sequence. I loved how you used the beautiful love-making scenes to link the two ex-lovers together like this. Brilliant!

Heh, and there’s something inside me that giggles that Chloe was dreaming of foreplay up to penetration while Lex dreamt of actual penetration and onwards. Are you trying to make a point about what men and women view ‘the best part’ of sex to be? LOL!

That line about Lex cherishing Chloe’s words, and how he was ‘desperately longing’ to hear them again… it killed me. I can feel BOTH of their pain, Skauble… The angst! I love it!!! :D


In those hazy moments between wakefulness and sleep they came to him; bewitching memories in dreams he ached to live and from which he dreaded waking. And so he let the images swallow him as he fell headlong into the only thing keeping him sane.

Loved this observation that it was only these cherished memories of Chloe that kept Lex from curling himself and weeping in a foetal position every day (that’s what you meant, right? LOL!)

There is something very interesting about the ways the two of them are handling this separation. Chloe keeps trying to distance herself from those hurtful, humiliating memories, while Lex is pulling them closer inwards to sustain himself.


Being inside of Chloe was the bliss he’d searched for for years in drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t just the feel of her – hot and slick, pulling him ever deeper – it was the wonder that went with being a part of someone who loved him with no ulterior motive, no subterfuge.

Beautiful! I LOVED this note about everything that Lex loved, adored, worshipped and cherished about Chloe above all the other females he’s ever had sex with. This smut sequence did a WORLD of good for your readers and their understanding of the WYDK-Chlex love, Skauble.


Looking down into her face he felt the burning desire within him crest higher as he watched passion play across her face. Her eyes were glazed with pleasure, her skin flushed with their exertions, and her teeth worried her lush, lower lip as sensations seemed to roll across her in soft shudders.

Leaning close, he replaced her teeth with his and drew her tender lip in, soothing the delicate flesh with his tongue. As he deepened the kiss, Chloe moaned lowly into his mouth and the soft sound – proof of her need for him – stripped him of his customary discipline and his thrusts took on a near frantic quality as he drove himself further into her; her own surging hips echoing his fervor.

Suddenly he felt the building tension in his body snap as cries of satisfaction and barely intelligible words of love fell from her lips. The unconscious declarations pushed him past the point of ecstasy into completion and with a few, last, uncontrolled movements he felt his release spill from him.

It’s still so beautiful. I actually feel a little dirty calling it by the lowly name of ‘smut’… I HAVE to give it the exalted term of ‘lovemaking sequence’, because it’s obvious that it’s nothing less than that. Beautifully written love-sequence, Skauble… and I’m just so sad that there are probably not going to be anymore for a while now *sniff*.


It was his own voice that woke him and Lex laid there silently, trying to will away the demand in aching shaft. There was no pleasure to be found in other women and although he could give himself an immediate relief the lack of emotion, the lack of Chloe left him unsatisfied in ways that were merely heightened by physical release.

I also loved this part.. it really shows how desperate Lex is… not only for relief from his frustration, but also solace from the loneliness that his life used to be (and has returned to). I still find it so fascinating that he’s not the slightest bit resentful about having his entire life and world turned inside-out like this… he’s just ‘grateful’ for any and all changes Chloe’s love brought into his life… even if it HAS left him in pain and misery right now.


As he finally began to calm, to regain control of his body, he realized that the time to actively pursue Chloe had arrived. It had to be now, because he honestly didn’t know how much longer he could function without her.

I adored, loved, WORSHIPPED this part. Obviously I liked how Lex made the decision to start taking action… but more than that, I loved his REASON for that decision. It wasn’t because he had coolly analysed the situation and decided this was the strategic moment to start pressuring Chloe into returning (or more like expressing) love for him… it was more because he just couldn’t stand to wait any longer. Consequences of a hasty action be damned, he needed to act now! And I loved how this emphasized how desperate and needy he is for Chloe to come back into his life again. Poor Lex…

Heh, and poor Chloe too (very soon now). What the heck, let’s also have a moment of sympathy for poor Clark, who’s about to get hit by a VERY nasty and vicious rival any day now :D

Oooh, and what’s Lionel up to now? oh PLEASE update soon. Those unworthy Angel-fandom heathens are undeserving of your talents, and I guarantee that they will NOT appreciate you the same way your Chlex fanatic public does.

*sigh* oh well, it was worth a shot. Please update whenever you can.

[Gaia]

More updates please!!! I really want to see what Lex is going to do to get her back!

[buffiy18]

Hello! I did not know you had posted your wonderful fic here as well... just wanted to say "hi". Although you just posted the latest chapter... I'm still waiting for the next. Hopefully it will come soon. This story is just starting to get really jucie.

Sorry I can't spell it's been a long day for me. :wub:

[skauble]

A/N: I never wrote this and you never saw it. I certainly wasn’t doing this instead of my homework or working on the challenge I’m supposed to be writing.

I know that these latest parts are shorter, but the whole fic was supposed to be in sections like this because I thought I’d be able to update more often that way. And look! I was right. This is the most I’ve updated in…ever.

~Sarah~




Chapter Twenty Two


Even as she finished off her third cup of coffee in the last half hour, Chloe knew it was a mistake. Not that she’d regret the caffeine rush that was sure to hit her soon, but Lois might. Then again, her cousin had planned to meet her there 20 minutes before, so she had had no one to blame but herself.

But she couldn’t deny that the relative privacy had been nice. The Kents were being wonderful, but with Mrs. Kent’s propensity to comfort her with baked goods and Clark’s need to hover, she had a legitimate fear of ending up a three hundred pound basket case in no time. As much as Chloe would miss them she was glad that she’d be heading back to Metropolis in the morning; back to her apartment, her job, her life.

Of course it helped that Clark was a highly portable best friend. She had no doubt that, for the foreseeable future, she’d be receiving “friendly” visits once, twice…twenty times a day. His over protectiveness had scaled new heights since her return, but somehow everything that had happened had brought them even closer. It was one of the very few positive things to come from the whole ordeal.

The other had been completely out of leftfield. Apparently, in an attempt to excuse her ever lengthening absence, Lex had given Lois a number of solid leads regarding many of Metropolis’ prominent corporations. And Lois had done her best to follow them up; but even she, with all of her dogged determination, had to admit that she was in a bit over her head.

Which was why Chloe was meeting with her. They had decided that the most effective approach to the matter would be for them to investigate the leads together and then, once they’d mapped out the basics of the myriad of conspiracies, learned how the players were interwoven, they would spilt the story, each of them covering a different angle for their respective papers.

The development pleased Chloe in a variety of ways. Not only did it provide a distraction from her personal life, something journalism had always done for her with the sheer amount of focus it required, but it would also be a bonus to land such a high profile story for the Planet.

Regardless of the tales Lex or his lackeys had spun or how understanding her immediate superior was about her sabbatical, Chloe was left in the frustrating position of feeling as if she had to prove herself all over again. It was maddening because she’d put her heart and soul into pursuing her dream, and it was only her absolute faith in her talent and drive that kept her from weeping at the unfairness of it all.

The door chimed, and Chloe looked up to see yet another person who was not her cousin. She would have been irritated, but the pressure of more than twenty ounces of coffee on her bladder left her with a modest sense of relief that she had time to use the restroom before Lois arrived and began to take off in twenty different directions, only three of which would lead anywhere.

As she exited the bathroom she glanced down the narrow corridor to see if there was either a Lois or more coffee waiting for her. The distraction was one she regretted as she felt strong arms close around her and pull her into a large supply room off the hallway.

Released immediately, she whirled around at the sound of the lock clicking into place and was only mildly surprised to see Lex’s tall frame leaning against her only means of escape. Unless she wanted to shimmy out of the half window set so high on the wall that she would barely be able to reach the sill if she stood on her toes; which, given the single-minded look on Lex’s face, she might be willing to try.

“I guess I don’t have to ask how you knew where I was,” she said, the derision clear in her voice at the pointed reminder that he still had men following her.

Lex simply looked at her; drank her in. It had only been days since he’d seen her last without the lens of a camera between them, but the wait had been interminable. Seeing her now, dressed casually in jeans and a light sweater in a soft burgundy hue she seemed lovelier than ever; her righteous indignation lending a fiery glow to her skin that he found irresistible, even as the target of her wrath.

“Look Lex; as I’m sure you’ve been informed, I start my internship tomorrow.” She’d observed his interest and knew that it was best for her shaky peace of mind to end their encounter as quickly as possible. “I have a lot of things to do, so just tell me what you want so we can get this over with.”

This time there was no mistaking the heat that flared to life in his eyes.

“You know what I want, Chloe.”

His words were a caress and she covered her spark of need with anger. “Do you have any decency at all? Aren’t you even remotely sorry?”

“Of course I’m sorry,” the pain in his tone matched the sorrow on his face lending an honest intensity to his words. “I have a million things to apologize for; but loving you isn’t one of them.”

Chloe closed her eyes as if she could keep the words from slipping into her mind and crafting fantasies of things that could never be. She had to stem his promises of happily ever after before she was pulled once more into his intrigues and deceit.

“What’s wrong with you?” She demanded. “We weren’t in a real relationship. I wasn’t your wife. God, Lex,” her hands flew up in exasperation, “leave it to you to develop some weird, reverse Stockholm syndrome.”

With a deep sigh, Chloe leaned against the wall. She looked at Lex – really looked at him, and what she saw in his eyes, his face, in the resolve carved into every line of his body, shook her. She needed to hold on to her belief that this wasn’t personal for him; that he’d never stopped using her, never had the change of heart he claimed. But convincing herself of that was getting harder with every new confrontation.

And, suddenly, it was all too much. He cared, he didn’t care; did it really matter? She knew that the answer was, sadly, no. Some things, once broken, could never be repaired.

“I can’t keep doing this with you,” she needed him to see reason, to understand. “You want me to believe that you have feelings for me, fine. Maybe in your twisted, Luthor way you do. But what do you expect me to do about it?”

He made to answer her, but now that she had started, Chloe wasn’t done by any means. “I have nothing left to give you, Lex. You’ve taken it all.”

Lex had been elated to hear Chloe finally open herself to at least the possibility that his feelings were real, but there was a resignation is her voice that tore at him for the depth of the doubts and insecurities that he’d known lived within her and had undoubtedly encouraged. He wanted to reach out, to hold her and assure her of her limitless worth, but her eyes were shimmering with tears and he loathed thinking of how many had already spilled because of him.

“I was happy,” she continued, unaware the impact of her trembling words on the tenuous control of the man before her. “For once in all of my miserable experience with love I was actually happy. And you,” she hated the fact that she couldn’t disguise the vulnerability in her voice, “with your lies and your stupid plans, you took that from me.”

Her growing sobs beat at his soul and Lex couldn’t help but step towards her. He wanted so desperately to pull her into him, to soothe her, but the insight that had come with loving her allowed him to acknowledge that the move would be as much for him as it was for her…maybe more so.

“I know, Chloe,” his regret was sincere; he just needed her to hear it, believe it. “I know I did. But it can be yours – ours again. Let me give that back to you.”

“You can’t,” she cried. “It’s too late.”

And he gave into his impulse, no matter how selfish; because to see her there, to watch her weeping and do nothing, was beyond him. “I love you,” he declared, pulling her shaking form against his chest, “we love each other. It will never be too late.”

“I can’t.” Though she meant the words she couldn’t help but lean into the warmth he offered. “I just can’t. I’m never right; not about these things.”

In that moment, Lex realized something that had never before even entered his mind. After all the pain and disappointment that Chloe had suffered in connection with her few attempts at relationships, she’d grown far more distrustful, far more afraid of herself then she ever could be of him.

“Chloe–”

Before he could finish, a jarring crash echoed through the room and Lex spun, pushing Chloe behind him, in time to feel a large fist to slam into his jaw and send him hurtling into a high row of boxes along the wall.




Chapter Twenty Three


Clark had somehow managed to rein in the majority of his strength when he’d hit Lex but, as angry as he was, he had no idea how, or even if he was particularly grateful for the restraint.

When Chloe’s cell phone had rung earlier that afternoon, he’d been surprised to see that she had left it on the kitchen counter. A reporter to her very bones, she never went anywhere without her phone. But her focus had been understandably scattered over the past week and so he’d answered it, figuring he could simply run it to her if the call were important.

And it had been. Lois had been hung up with some kind of lead, which she was sure Chloe would understand, and had informed him that she wouldn’t be able to meet with her until later that evening. Clark had assured her that he would go to the Talon and deliver the message in person; partially because he wanted to get Lois off the phone, and partly because he wanted to take advantage of the legitimate excuse to check on Chloe in person.

He’d been hesitant to let her go into town on her own, although certainly smart enough not to say so to her face. Everything in her life seemed so precarious, and even if she wasn’t his best friend, and even if he hadn’t discovered how much deeper his feelings for her went, the fact was that her life had, once again, been turned upside down by his secret. It made him feel almost irrationally protective of her, but he didn’t no how else to deal with the fear that came with having her out of his sight.

Clark knew it was ridiculous; knew that she’d be moving back to her own place the very next day. And yet he couldn’t help but view everything up to the minute she was gone as his time with her; and he was reluctant to relinquish a moment of it, even to Lois.

Entering the Talon he’d been surprised not to see Chloe at the table which, despite her being in Metropolis the majority of the time, was still accepted as hers. Linda, a waitress who’d been in their graduating class, waved him towards the booth and told him that Chloe would be back momentarily. But just as he’d been about to sit, a noise had caught his attention.

It was Chloe’s voice; Chloe’s sobs. He’d know them anywhere as he’d spent the last week listening to her cry herself to sleep.

Looking past wall after wall he finally saw her – her tears falling and shoulders shaking as Lex held her trapped against him. He didn’t remember moving or destroying the door, didn’t know if he’d displayed his speed or strength for all to see, was aware of nothing except the satisfying feeling of his fist connecting with Lex’s face.

But as Clark watched him fly into a row of boxes and slide to the floor, awareness rushed over him and he turned to Chloe only to watch in horror as she ran to kneel over the fallen man.

“Lex!” Chloe was frantic. She knew how dangerous Clark had the potential to be, especially when he was protecting someone he cared about. The thought that that massive power might have been focused on Lex made her stomach clench and her heart skip in terror.

Running her hands gently over his face, careful to avoid the area that was already showing signs of bruising, she asked, “Are you alright?”

Lex had no idea how Clark had found them or how he had managed to completely annihilate the door, and at that moment he couldn’t have cared less. To have Chloe touching him again, not through tears and anguish, but with tenderness because she cared, wiped away all other concerns, leaving nothing in his world but her gentle fingers and love filled eyes.

“It was worth it,” his smile became a slightly pained wince somewhere in the attempt. “To see you look at me like this again; it was worth anything.”

“Lex, don’t–”

She made to move her hand but he grasped it, held it against his skin. “Tell me you don’t love me Chloe.” He pressed a brief kiss against her palm. “Look in my eyes and say the words.”

And she looked deep, drown in the stormy ocean of his gaze, and found that there was little point in trying to force the lie. After her painfully obvious display of fear and apprehension, Lex wasn’t asking her a question, he was demanding confirmation and Chloe knew that all she could do was hope to minimize the damage.

“Loving you doesn’t change anything.”

The quiet words shot a physical pain through Clark’s chest that made him feel nearly human in its intensity. And he knew then that he truly loved Chloe Sullivan, because the sharpest part of the ache was for her – for all the times she had loved him and he’d gone to her to talk of loving Lana; their problems, their plans even, he was horrified to admit if only to himself, their sex life.

As Chloe stood and stepped towards him, Clark pulled her into his side and guided her out of the room. Wherever her heart lay, whatever his feelings for her, Chloe was, and always would be, his best friend and the only thing that mattered at that moment was that she was hurting. But for all of his abilities, all of the advancements of his true race, the power to heal a broken heart wasn’t one of them.

However any plans he’d been considering to help Chloe through this latest trial in her tumultuous life were brought to a screeching halt by a sound that frightened him to the marrow. As they were stepping into the main room of the Talon Clark’s sensitive hearing picked up Lex’s voice, not full of the disdain or menace that he’d grown so used to in recent years, but filled with unshakable promise laced with the all too familiar tone of Luthor obsession.

“You’re wrong, Chloe; this changes everything.”


TBC

[Kit Merlot]

Sarah, this was a gorgeous update!


This time there was no mistaking the heat that flared to life in his eyes. “You know what I want, Chloe.”

This was such an awesome line! Good for Lex for not giving up and convincing Chloe that he does truly love her. And now he knows that she still loves him just as passionately, so he now has renewed hope. That is just beautiful:blinkkiss

And I'm glad that Clark finally realizes just how much pain he put Chloe through when he was dicussing his Lana-obsession with her.

Continued excellent work on this story Sarah:D

[dagney]

:nsparty: Oh Sarah, loved this part. I really like how you are writing Clark. Lex come on you have to work a lot harder than that. Lex is lucky Clark didn't pop his head right off. Great reveal in Chloe doesn't trust her own feelings. Dagney

[lj715]

OMG I love this fic but when are you gonna let them be happy? Can't wait for more.

[Avalanche]

I am suitably impressed, skauble. All these quality updates...you're spoiling me!

[hfce]

Bravo!! :clapclap: That was a fantastic update. I am so glad Lex and Chloe had it out again. I wish Clark would back off. He is just as bad as he says Lex is in not giving her space.

Go Lex get your girl. :D

[lexie]

Ooooh!!! So much angst but so much promise. I can´t wait to see what Lex´s next step will be and how long it´ll take Chloe to meet him half way. They are clearly so in love with each other... I love the fact that Chloe has admitted to Lex´s face that she loves him, albeit reluctantly. It certainly won´t be an easy feat for Lex to get her trust back but he has her love and that should mean half of the battle if he plays his hand right.

I can´t wait for an update.:blinkkiss

[somethingeasy]

This was a wonderful, stunning update. I really like this new practice of doling out shorter chapters at a higher frequency of updating. It’s great! Keep it up :D


Even as she finished off her third cup of coffee in the last half hour, Chloe knew it was a mistake. Not that she’d regret the caffeine rush that was sure to hit her soon, but Lois might. Then again, her cousin had planned to meet her there 20 minutes before, so she had had no one to blame but herself.

But she couldn’t deny that the relative privacy had been nice. The Kents were being wonderful, but with Mrs. Kent’s propensity to comfort her with baked goods and Clark’s need to hover, she had a legitimate fear of ending up a three hundred pound basket case in no time. As much as Chloe would miss them she was glad that she’d be heading back to Metropolis in the morning; back to her apartment, her job, her life.

Lovely start to the new chapter. I loved seeing how Chloe is actually chafing and getting frustrated from being coddled so. The dear girl might deserve (and even need) some coddling and pampering, but she’s just not used to it… which is one of the many things that I adore about her. It’s great to see her grabbing back the reins of her life again. And I was giggling at her wry, sardonic observation about Martha Kent ‘fattening’ her to obese proportions through all the comfort food that was being funnelled into her.

Damn it, why couldn’t Lana have gotten fat with HER constant cry for pampering, comforting and coddling?


Of course it helped that Clark was a highly portable best friend. She had no doubt that, for the foreseeable future, she’d be receiving “friendly” visits once, twice…twenty times a day. His over protectiveness had scaled new heights since her return, but somehow everything that had happened had brought them even closer. It was one of the very few positive things to come from the whole ordeal.

I was LOL at the description of Clark as a ‘portable friend’. ROTFLOL, that is very apt. And it’s just so sweet that Clark is really coming through for Chloe. I can tell she’s really enjoying the attention and bonding, even if it IS smothering her a little bit.


The other had been completely out of leftfield. Apparently, in an attempt to excuse her ever lengthening absence, Lex had given Lois a number of solid leads regarding many of Metropolis’ prominent corporations. And Lois had done her best to follow them up; but even she, with all of her dogged determination, had to admit that she was in a bit over her head.

Which was why Chloe was meeting with her. They had decided that the most effective approach to the matter would be for them to investigate the leads together and then, once they’d mapped out the basics of the myriad of conspiracies, learned how the players were interwoven, they would spilt the story, each of them covering a different angle for their respective papers.

LOL! Brilliant, Skauble! This was an amazing side-effect of Lex’s distraction technique on Lois. I don’t think even he would have expected this to have happened. Now I really hope he didn’t give Lois anything really ‘dangerous’ to follow up on, otherwise he’s going to end up beating himself on indirectly leading Chloe to danger.


The development pleased Chloe in a variety of ways. Not only did it provide a distraction from her personal life, something journalism had always done for her with the sheer amount of focus it required, but it would also be a bonus to land such a high profile story for the Planet.

Regardless of the tales Lex or his lackeys had spun or how understanding her immediate superior was about her sabbatical, Chloe was left in the frustrating position of feeling as if she had to prove herself all over again. It was maddening because she’d put her heart and soul into pursuing her dream, and it was only her absolute faith in her talent and drive that kept her from weeping at the unfairness of it all.

I do like how Chloe had this very convenient source of major news articles waiting for her during a time when she really needs to re-validate her status as a reporter. It’s Lex’s fault that Chloe has to prove herself as a reporter all over again, it’s only right that he provided her with the means to do so. Heh, and you KNOW that Chloe’s going to milk every source for all it’s worth… she’s going to come up with some amazing work, and prove, once and for all, that she doesn’t NEED a Luthor’s endorsement to become a star-journalist.


The door chimed, and Chloe looked up to see yet another person who was not her cousin. She would have been irritated, but the pressure of more than twenty ounces of coffee on her bladder left her with a modest sense of relief that she had time to use the restroom before Lois arrived and began to take off in twenty different directions, only three of which would lead anywhere.

LOL at this adorable and apt assessment of Lois’s scatter-brained, unfocused personality. It’s all SO true. Lois has a lot of energy and intelligence, but she lacks the laser focus that Chloe has spent years honing in. hmmm, kind of similar to Clark actually now that I think about it. Brilliant insight into character personality, Skauble :D


As she exited the bathroom she glanced down the narrow corridor to see if there was either a Lois or more coffee waiting for her. The distraction was one she regretted as she felt strong arms close around her and pull her into a large supply room off the hallway.

Released immediately, she whirled around at the sound of the lock clicking into place and was only mildly surprised to see Lex’s tall frame leaning against her only means of escape. Unless she wanted to shimmy out of the half window set so high on the wall that she would barely be able to reach the sill if she stood on her toes; which, given the single-minded look on Lex’s face, she might be willing to try.

ROTFLMAO! Oh DEAR! I was shocked, but really NOT surprised by what happened right now. I was fully expecting Lex to do something drastic, stupid (but still hotly romantic) to get Chloe’s attention, and ‘kidnapping her again’ was on the top five on the list of options.

Granted, it’s not really a kidnapping as much as a ‘temporary grab and snatch’, but the principle is the same. LOL! Poor Lex, isn’t it fun when his emotions lead him to do desperate, stupid, dangerous things to ‘prove’ his love for another?


“I guess I don’t have to ask how you knew where I was,” she said, the derision clear in her voice at the pointed reminder that he still had men following her.

That’s it, Chloe! Come out fighting and put him on the defensive! I adore how she’s refusing to show even the ‘slightest’ indication of being scared or intimidated over here.

LOL! And it seems like it was quite useless for Lex to hire a whole new team that was ‘better prepared’ to hide itself from Chloe’s sharp eyes. She already knows she’s being followed… whats the use of hiding them from her sight NOW? LOL!


Lex simply looked at her; drank her in. It had only been days since he’d seen her last without the lens of a camera between them, but the wait had been interminable. Seeing her now, dressed casually in jeans and a light sweater in a soft burgundy hue she seemed lovelier than ever; her righteous indignation lending a fiery glow to her skin that he found irresistible, even as the target of her wrath.

oh swoon! Beautiful! I loved Lex’s intense reaction to Chloe. Even when she’s spitting with rage at him, he’s STILL savouring her. He’s intoxicated by her when she’s tense and angry, how would he respond once she turned soft, tender and loving?


“Look Lex; as I’m sure you’ve been informed, I start my internship tomorrow.” She’d observed his interest and knew that it was best for her shaky peace of mind to end their encounter as quickly as possible. “I have a lot of things to do, so just tell me what you want so we can get this over with.”

This time there was no mistaking the heat that flared to life in his eyes.

“You know what I want, Chloe.”

LOL! I can see what Skauble meant when she said that Lex chooses to view whatever is convenient to HIS reality. It’s typical that he focuses on choice words, and shifts them around in his head to make them ‘inviting’ rather than accusatory. *sigh* Yet I still see so much hot sexiness in this delusional man who insists on carrying on with his obsession, no matter that common sense tells him to just STOP!


His words were a caress and she covered her spark of need with anger. “Do you have and decency at all? Aren’t you even remotely sorry?”

“Of course I’m sorry,” the pain in his tone matched the sorrow on his face lending an honest intensity to his words. “I have a million things to apologize for; but loving you isn’t one of them.”

swoon!!! I LOVE this man. How much longer can Chloe keep resisting his endearing, loving, remorseful, devoted attention?


Chloe closed her eyes as if she could keep the words from slipping into her mind and crafting fantasies of things that could never be. She had to stem his promises of happily ever after before she was pulled once more into his intrigues and deceit.

Very nice. I can see Chloe is physically stopping herself from falling headfirst into Lex’s arms and under the spell he’s casting. Poor girl, it must be horrible to be fighting against believing something that you SO desperately want to believe in.


“What’s wrong with you?” She demanded. “We weren’t in a real relationship. I wasn’t your wife. God, Lex,” her hands flew up in exasperation, “leave it to you to develop some weird, reverse Stockholm syndrome.”

ROTFLMAO! Oh, I LOVED this snarky snipe from Chloe. Hilarious!

Hmmm, is she going to start considering this to be a possibility? That Lex only wants her back because he misses having his ‘devoted pet of a wife’ in his life? Surely Chloe can figure out it’s intoxicating to have someone utterly devoted to you. So much that, even if you don’t return their feelings, you still don’t want them to stop loving you.


With a deep sigh, Chloe leaned against the wall. She looked at Lex – really looked at him, and what she saw in his eyes, his face, in the resolve carved into every line of his body, shook her. She needed to hold on to her belief that this wasn’t personal for him; that he’d never stopped using her, never had the change of heart he claimed. But convincing herself of that was getting harder with every new confrontation.

And, suddenly, it was all too much. He cared, he didn’t care; did it really matter? She knew that the answer was, sadly, no. Some things, once broken, could never be repaired.

Heh, it seems like Chloe is actually starting to acknowledge that Lex ‘might’, ‘possibly’ have had some genuine feelings about her. But she still can’t bring herself to trust him unconditionally the way that she was able to before… She knows that there’s always going to be the bit of doubt in her that prevents her from giving him her whole heart again. *sniff, sob* What a pity!!!

How the heck is this going to be resolved in just four more chapters?!


“I can’t keep doing this with you,” she needed him to see reason, to understand. “You want me to believe that you have feelings for me, fine. Maybe in your twisted, Luthor way you do. But what do you expect me to do about it?”

He made to answer her, but now that she had started, Chloe wasn’t done by any means. “I have nothing left to give you, Lex. You’ve taken it all.”

Lex had been elated to hear Chloe finally open herself to at least the possibility that his feelings were real, but there was a resignation is her voice that tore at him for the depth of the doubts and insecurities that he’d known lived within her and had undoubtedly encouraged. He wanted to reach out, to hold her and assure her of her limitless worth, but her eyes were shimmering with tears and he loathed thinking of how many had already spilled because of him.

It tugged at my heartstrings to see Lex actually ‘elated’ at this little bone that Chloe had just tossed at him. He’s seriously like a starving dog, snatching greedily and desperately at every scrap of hope that’s thrown in his direction.

Even though Chloe’s basically telling him that he killed any chances the two of them had to be together, he’s STILL only hearing that she cares for him, that she loves him.


“I was happy,” she continued, unaware the impact of her trembling words on the tenuous control of the man before her. “For once in all of my miserable experience with love I was actually happy. And you,” she hated the fact that she couldn’t disguise the vulnerability in her voice, “with your lies and your stupid plans, you took that from me.”

I wanted to cry for Chloe over here. Lex really killed a good part of her soul with this cruel, horrible trick he played with her life and emotions. She’s beyond devastated… I think a part of her might have been broken… perhaps irrevocably?


Her growing sobs beat at his soul and Lex couldn’t help but step towards her. He wanted so desperately to pull her into him, to soothe her, but the insight that had come with loving her allowed him to acknowledge that the move would be as much for him as it was for her…maybe more so.

“I know, Chloe,” his regret was sincere; he just needed her to hear it, believe it. “I know I did. But it can be yours – ours again. Let me give that back to you.”

“You can’t,” she cried. “It’s too late.”

And he gave into his impulse, no matter how selfish; because to see her there, to watch her weeping and do nothing, was beyond him. “I love you,” he declared, pulling her shaking form against his chest, “we love each other. It will never be too late.”

Hmmm, then again, perhaps not irrevocably. After all, despite how he’s basically stalking and ‘assaulting’ Chloe with his presence, it’s obvious that Lex genuinely loved Chloe, and hurting her like this is killing him… the only way he’s allowing himself to keeping paining her like this is because he’s constantly justifying that it’s all for HER happiness (as well as his own). I really think he loves her more than he loves himself, and that alone proves that he’s worthy of her… now he only has to prove it.


“I can’t.” Though she meant the words she couldn’t help but lean into the warmth he offered. “I just can’t. I’m never right; not about these things.”

In that moment, Lex realized something that had never before even entered his mind. After all the pain and disappointment that Chloe had suffered in connection with her few attempts at relationships, she’d grown far more distrustful, far more afraid of herself then she ever could be of him.

Interesting! I wonder how this insight is going to factor into Lex’s plans on ‘getting Chloe’. I wonder if he thinks this makes the situation more difficult or less. Probably more… How would he go about asking Chloe to follow her instinct to love him (which is the biggest thing in his favour) when she’s going to be distrusting and fighting that instinct every step of the way?


Before he could finish, a jarring crash echoed through the room and Lex spun, pushing Chloe behind him, in time to feel a large fist to slam into his jaw and send him hurtling into a high row of boxes along the wall.

ROTFLMAO! Hell of an entrance for Clark. LOL! Very nicely done, Skauble.


Clark had somehow managed to rein in the majority of his strength when he’d hit Lex but, as angry as he was, he had no idea how, or even if he was particularly grateful for the restraint.

well, this was an immense relief. Not even for Chloe’s sake am I prepared to accept Superman killing someone. On the other hand, the idea of Lex killing to protect his beloved doesn’t bother me ‘that’ much. I’m judging by double standards, aren’t I?


And it had been. Lois had been hung up with some kind of lead, which she was sure Chloe would understand, and had informed him that she wouldn’t be able to meet with her until later that evening. Clark had assured her that he would go to the Talon and deliver the message in person; partially because he wanted to get Lois off the phone, and partly because he wanted to take advantage of the legitimate excuse to check on Chloe in person.

LOL! So he’s also been noticing that he’s been smothering Chloe a little bit. So much that he’s started needing excuses to check up on her instead of just at his usual ‘random intervals’. I LOVE how grown up he’s become.


He’d been hesitant to let her go into town on her own, although certainly smart enough not to say so to her face. Everything in her life seemed so precarious, and even if she wasn’t his best friend, and even if he hadn’t discovered how much deeper his feelings for her went, the fact was that her life had, once again, been turned upside down by his secret. It made him feel almost irrationally protective of her, but he didn’t no how else to deal with the fear that came with having her out of his sight.

Clark knew it was ridiculous; knew that she’d be moving back to her own place the very next day. And yet he couldn’t help but view everything up to the minute she was gone as his time with her; and he was reluctant to relinquish a moment of it, even to Lois.

I really liked the mention about how Clark would have probably also have been as protective of Chloe even if hadn’t discovered his feelings about her. But I’m sure him finding out he’s in love with her probably played havoc on already spiking levels of anxiety. Poor Clark.

Heh, and I rather enjoyed how he’s feeling a tad possessive about her… even to the extent that he begrudges the time she spends with Lois because she’s not with him. Poor Clark… he chooses to recognize his feeling NOW, after it’s all too late. He’s skirting right on the edge of heartbreak over here.


It was Chloe’s voice; Chloe’s sobs. He’d know them anywhere as he’d spent the last week listening to her cry herself to sleep.

Looking past wall after wall he finally saw her – her tears falling and shoulders shaking as Lex held her trapped against him. He didn’t remember moving or destroying the door, didn’t know if he’d displayed his speed or strength for all to see, was aware of nothing except the satisfying feeling of his fist connecting with Lex’s face.

I cannot IMAGINE how furious he must have been seeing Lex, the man who has spent the last few months mentally torturing Chloe, now assaulting her in a locked closet. It’s miraculous that he managed to maintain enough control to keep from BREAKING Lex with a single satisfying punch.


But as Clark watched him fly into a row of boxes and slide to the floor, awareness rushed over him and he turned to Chloe only to watch in horror as she ran to kneel over the fallen man.

I’m REALLY curious about this… Clark’s sense of horror, was it caused by a sudden bout of regret and guilt about using his superpowers to harm a human being? Or was it from seeing Chloe rushing to the defence of a man that she SHOULD hate? Perhaps both, but more of the latter.


“Lex!” Chloe was frantic. She knew how dangerous Clark had the potential to be, especially when he was protecting someone he cared about. The thought that that massive power might have been focused on Lex made her stomach clench and her heart skip in terror.

Running her hands gently over his face, careful to avoid the area that was already showing signs of bruising, she asked, “Are you alright?”

Chloe also… I think her similar feeling of horror came from the possibility of Clark using his powers to cause horrible harm to another person, as well as the fact that the person was Lex. I think she was horrified by the whole notion of both her beloved men fighting like this… she’d better get used to the idea though, I think this is something very minor compared to the Big Showdown that’s going to be coming up soon between Kent and Luthor… it’s inevitable.

And I’m not even going to try and imagine how bad it’s going to get once Lionel gets HIS sticky fingers involved in this powderkeg of a situation.


Lex had no idea how Clark had found them or how he had managed to completely annihilate the door, and at that moment he couldn’t have cared less. To have Chloe touching him again, not through tears and anguish, but with tenderness because she cared, wiped away all other concerns, leaving nothing in his world but her gentle fingers and love filled eyes.

“It was worth it,” his smile became a slightly pained wince somewhere in the attempt. “To see you look at me like this again; it was worth anything.”

Oh dear HEAVENS!!! *swoon* HOW is Chloe supposed to keep up her resistance against such beautiful, devoted sincerity? He’s actually serious over here too! I think he would have happily borne a concussion, broken arm, fractured spine, anything… as long as he got a few moments of Chloe playing nursemaid (preferably in a naughty outfit).


She made to move her hand but he grasped it, held it against his skin. “Tell me you don’t love me Chloe.” He pressed a brief kiss against her palm. “Look in my eyes and say the words.”

And she looked deep, drown in the stormy ocean of his gaze, and found that there was little point in trying to force the lie. After her painfully obvious display of fear and apprehension, Lex wasn’t asking her a question, he was demanding confirmation and Chloe knew that all she could do was hope to minimize the damage.

“Loving you doesn’t change anything.”

I do wonder what Lex would have said if Chloe had tried to deny it. But I think there wasn’t even a chance of that happening… Lex would have known she was obviously lying. Chloe made the wise decision in trying to ‘minimize the consequences’ of her answer with her careful phrasing… Not that it’s going to stop Lex, but good effort.


The quiet words shot a physical pain through Clark’s chest that made him feel nearly human in its intensity. And he knew then that he truly loved Chloe Sullivan, because the sharpest part of the ache was for her – for all the times she had loved him and he’d gone to her to talk of loving Lana; their problems, their plans even, he was horrified to admit if only to himself, their sex life.

Loved, Loved, LOVED this part. I REALLY enjoyed Clark finally getting a taste of his own medicine over here. I know that I’ve been making ‘tut tut’ noises about how he’s headed towards inevitable heartbreak in this fic, but it’s still VERY satisfying to see him getting a ‘small’ dose of the treatment he’s been handing Chloe for years now.

But I’m so damned proud of him about how he took the blow, and realized that was exactly the same kind of pain he’s been carelessly dealing Chloe for so many years. Not only that, but he’s so sorry about it… feeling more sorry for her than for himself. He genuinely DOES love her.

Damn it! Can Clark and Lex just agree to share Chloe? I think they BOTH can be fantastic, worthy partners to her. How about it, Skauble? Imagine the happy ending that a threesome smut fest of an ending would make. LOL! :D


As Chloe stood and stepped towards him, Clark pulled her into his side and guided her out of the room. Wherever her heart lay, whatever his feelings for her, Chloe was, and always would be, his best friend and the only thing that mattered at that moment was that she was hurting. But for all of his abilities, all of the advancements of his true race, the power to heal a broken heart wasn’t one of them.

awwww, I’m still swooning over Clark’s determination to continue protecting, supporting and comforting Chloe in whatever way she needs until she’s healed again. It’s beautiful… and now I’m starting to believe that he can actually be a good friend to her without pressuring her about loving him back in return.

Heh, of course the news about him being in love with her is bound to come out sooner or later. It only makes for more dramatic story-telling, and therefore MUST be done (hintHintHINT)


However any plans he’d been considering to help Chloe through this latest trial in her tumultuous life were brought to a screeching halt by a sound that frightened him to the marrow. As they were stepping into the main room of the Talon Clark’s sensitive hearing picked up Lex’s voice, not full of the disdain or menace that he’d grown so used to in recent years, but filled with unshakable promise laced with the all too familiar tone of Luthor obsession.

“You’re wrong, Chloe; this changes everything.”

It definitely was not a good thing that Chloe gave Lex this new bit of hope. It’s only going to make him more grasping and desperate though… I think this ‘snatch and grab’ move he just did is NOTHING compared to what he’s going to do now that Chloe has tossed some more hope his way.

And it was SO exciting, thrilling and amazing to see the development of the Clex (Clark and Lex) relationship in this fic. I was thrilled from seeing Clark was genuinely frightened by Lex, his resolve, determination and outright obsession. It’s amazing seeing them developing into the famous Clex mythos where, despite the obvious contrast in super-abilities, Superman still finds Lex to be his most lethal, challenging and dangerous foe. Exciting times ahead… and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Please update soon, Skauble. Although, I’m going to be leaving Monday morning for Cannes, and will be gone for a week… so you have a whole seven days to come up with the next update… Yay! :D

[westwingwolf]

Oh my how much did I love that Lex pulled Chloe into the store room?! Very much until Clark showed up. She practically admitted that she still loved him and he got to hold her once again and he's not going to let her go. Deal with it Clark, you loser, Chloe's moved on and even though you once had a chance, you never would have been good enough for her.

[sparrow]

Lex is getting creepier by the second....goody :)

[malugargula]

Poor Chloe... it`s terrible when you can`t trust the person you love...
Poor Lex... it`ll be hard to make Chloe trust him again after what he did...
The fic is amazing, each chapter better
I loved that Lex didn`t think about Clark`s strenght or anything... just thought about Chloe
:)

[somethingeasy]

erm... I DID mention that I loved the new practice of adding shorter chapters at a higher updating frequency, right? Seriously, I really need another Skauble-fix. Last chapter, with Lex grabbing Chloe and snatching her away into a closet without giving her a chance to leave, was Lex's way of handling her GENTLY and tentatively. What the heck is he going to do now that he has confirmation that she does love him, and that he only needs to convince her to follow her feelings and instincts?

Why do I see Serial-Killing Lex lurking around the edges of this Lex? LOL ;)
pleeeeeease update soon? OR how about a quick addition to that other story? I've was actually hoping that I would be welcomed home with a beautiful chapter to that too. Soon? Pretty please?

[FroggyJump]

“It was worth it,” his smile became a slightly pained wince somewhere in the attempt. “To see you look at me like this again; it was worth anything.”

“Lex, don’t–”

She made to move her hand but he grasped it, held it against his skin. “Tell me you don’t love me Chloe.” He pressed a brief kiss against her palm. “Look in my eyes and say the words.”

TBC

SE - Swoon. Come on gag me with a spoon. Although I do agree that the fact that Lex is serious makes it worth reading and so true how is Chloe suppose to resist with lines like that and this:




“Of course I’m sorry,” the pain in his tone matched the sorrow on his face lending an honest intensity to his words. “I have a million things to apologize for; but loving you isn’t one of them.”

TBC

I enjoyed Chloe's snark in this chapter and hope to see more soon. I did a big catch up and what I read was fantastic from Clark's musings to Lex's mistiming is was great to read. I was happy to see Clark show maturity in his actions since Chloe has been back.

[somethingeasy]

Soooo... the challenge is over, right? Time to get back to writing Chlex, right? :D
RIGHT??!

Please return to this fic. I'm desperate to know what kinds of extreme, ridiculous, ludicrous (but still brilliant) plots Lex is planning against (or is it for?) Chloe.

Update soon! please?

[somethingeasy]

hey there... erm, I'm still on th edge of my seat, with my finger poised over (and randomly jabbing at) the 'refresh page' button. I keep feeling certain that she's updated now, no now, no wait... NOW! LOL!

Anyhow, I finished reading through the last chapter (yes, again! Shut up! I'm not any more obsessed than you other people! Just secure enough to admit to it :P )

Anyhow, reading through the last part of the chapter, I realized that LEX is not the only one who has the means, motive and opportunity to use ridiculous lengths to bring Chloe to his way of thinking... What about Clark? He heard what Lex said, and the tone that Lex used... he might decide that the best way to protect Chloe is to kidnap her himself and sequester her away in a safe place... such as the fortress in Yukon... the fortress that Lex also happens to know about.

LOL! Skauble, is this fic going to end with some dramatic confrontation and fight taking place in Clark's Ice Palace? Now THAT would be something interesting to see, LOL!

More likely the ending is going to be something that takes me COMPLETELY by astonished, shocked surprise, but after reading it I'm going to say, 'Oh, now I see it was so OBVIOUS it was headed in that direction and that this was the only way it could end' ;)

I'm looking reaaaallly forward to the next chapter. Update soon!!! pleeease?

[lovechlex]

I just found this fic today...and I have to say that I'm so incredibly in awe of your writing. You manage to illustrate emotions so beautifully with words! Please update your story soon!

[Kit Merlot]

Sarah, I do believe that this gorgeous story needs an update. I want to know how Lex is planning on winning Chloe back.

Please update soon--PLEASE!!:grin3:

[somethingeasy]

Sarah, I do believe that this gorgeous story needs an update. I want to know how Lex is planning on winning Chloe back.

*sigh* you and me both, Kit! I've been going nuts trying to think of all the different kinds of crazy, dangerous plots that Lex could dream up to convince Chloe that she has no choice but to believe him and accept that HE'S the man who could make her happy for the rest of her life... whether she wants him or not. I've already considered the possibilities of blackmail, kidnapping, shock-therapy... perhaps threatening her loves ones OR promising to burn down DisneyLand on a summer weekend unless she complies?

OR he could just stand outside her balcony and sing her a romantic ballad while doing a strip tease? I know THAT is something that ANY woman wouldn't be able to resist... Heck, even Martha Kent might throw herself at Lex if he pulled such a move, LOL!

please update soon. Feel free to use my 'serenading strip tease' idea :D

[Chica]

I just found and read this fic. it's amazing! Update soon.......

[Krysia]

Come back with an update ,PLEASE! :respect:

[Sunflower]

I've read this fic a few weeks ago, I couldn't believe how good it was. Please update. This story is just too good to be left off. :grin:

[jem]

skauble please please come back and update this story, poor chloe and lex...

[biscuits]

I will add my voice to the chorus of the masses crying out for an update. I love every sentence of this story. I will be at your mercy when next you update. Note that I said when, not if. I live in hope. and in a rather crappy apartment.

More please. Whenever you can find the time.

[Sunflower]

Please, please, update. I love this story so much and not knowing what's going to happen next is driving me crazy. Please, I beg you! :puppydog:

[seattlemary1979]

Ahhhhhhh I see how you are--you love the begging-you probably have a hidden basement filled with, shall we say, implements, to cause the said begging, but apparently that is not enough for a sarah....soooo you've gone ahead and found a new and more devious way to torture people....you write amazing fics and then make us beg and beg and beg for updates!!!

Well I'll have you know it works, so please please please please update--please?

[skauble]

Ahhhhhhh I see how you are--you love the begging-you probably have a hidden basement filled with, shall we say, implements, to cause the said begging, but apparently that is not enough for a sarah....soooo you've gone ahead and found a new and more devious way to torture people....you write amazing fics and then make us beg and beg and beg for updates!!!

Well I'll have you know it works, so please please please please update--please?


Actually your reasoning sounds much better than the fact that I have no work ethic. lol

I'm just finishing up a chapter of something else, but I feel bad for leaving this one for so long so I promise that it's up next and I'll work on it the minute the other thing is finished (which should be super soon).

I really do want to get back to this story because it's getting close to being done and I'd love to finally experience the feeling of finishing a fic.

~Sarah~

[Kit Merlot]

Actually your reasoning sounds much better than the fact that I have no work ethic. lol

I'm just finishing up a chapter of something else, but I feel bad for leaving this one for so long so I promise that it's up next and I'll work on it the minute the other thing is finished (which should be super soon).

I really do want to get back to this story because it's getting close to being done and I'd love to finally experience the feeling of finishing a fic.

~Sarah~

This is wonderful news, Sarah! Can't wait for the new update:grin3: