Run (R)

[Ranting Idiot]

Brand new fic that *gasp* is finished. I'll just stagger the posting for fun's sake on my part. My other 'angst' fic may have fallen more into the general category but I insist that this one won't. Don't expect a happy end, all righty?

Author: Rant
Name: Run
Rating: R
Summary: Chloe and Lex trapped together following the occurences of Exodus. Slightly AU, but I think it could possibly fit in with canon given a quirk or two. (And I may just be fooling myself, but so what?)
A/N: This is Angst. Angst Angst Angst. May not make you cry, but I was hoping to make some shivers go down some spines. It follows a song by Veritical Horizon called 'Shackles'; the first 'chapter' is actually the lyrics to the song and the appropriate verses introduce each chapter. There are seven chapters, total.
Disclaimer: All is disclaimed besides the storyline in itself which came form my own twisted mind. Enjoy!

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Run, Chapter 1

For so long my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold
And it leaves me there without a place to call my own

I know now what shadows can see
There's no point in running 'less you run with me
It's half the distance through the open door
Before you cut me down
Again
Let me introduce you to the end

And I feel the cold wind blowing beneath my wings
It always leads me back to suffering
But I will soar until the wind whips me down
Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again

So tired now of paying my dues
I start out strong but then I always lose
It's half the distance before you leave me behind
It's such a waste of time

'Cause my shackles
You won't be
And my rapture
You won't believe
And deep inside you will bleed for me

So here I slave inside of a broken dream
Forever holding on to splitting seams
So take your piece and leave me alone to die
I don't need you to keep my faith alive

I know now what trouble can be
And why it follows me so easily
It's half the distance through the open door
Before you shut me down
Again
Let me introduce you to the end

'Cause my shackles
You won't be
And my rapture
You won't believe
And deep inside you will bleed for me

Though you know you care

'Cause my shackles
You won't be
And my rapture
You won't believe
And deep inside you will bleed for me

And my laughter
You won't hear
The faster
I disappear
And time will burn your eyes to tears

'Shackles' by Vertical Horizon

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Run, Chapter 2

And I feel the cold wind blowing beneath my wings
It always leads me back to suffering
But I will soar until the wind whips me down
Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again


The passes around their necks had photos on them… not that they would have been needed. Anyone would have recognized them anywhere, the Golden Ones of the Daily Planet. Clark Kent. Lois Lane.

How incredibly Golden they were.

They didn’t look at each other as they followed the armed officer down a darkened hallway, cold concrete rising on each side of them. Clark’s glasses slipped a little down his nose, but he didn’t bother to push them back up, barely gripping his hand tighter around the handle of his briefcase. Lois carried nothing but a pad of paper, a pen tucked into the front pocket of her stylish pantsuit. She’d wanted to bring in her laptop, but it hadn’t been allowed. There had been curses muttered for the first five minutes of their walk before she’d fallen into silence; even she knew that this day was more important than having to bother with the trivial things.

They spared each other one glance as the guard in front of them slowed, pointing out a room in which their guest was waiting. Lois walked past the other man without saying a word, while Clark uttered a polite thanks and followed after her.

The room looked empty at first glance, until they looked to the side and saw him. Despite the orange jumper, the plastic pitcher of water beside him (no Tyant here, no sir) and handcuffs around his wrists, this room was like any other. Lex Luthor owned all. Luthors always did.

“Lex,” Clark nodded curtly at the other man. “This is Lois Lane.”

“Of course.” As everything else about him, there was no doubting the confidence in his voice. Looking at Clark’s partner very coolly, he bowed his head slightly and said, “Miss Lane. It’s a pleasure.”

“I’m sure it is,” Lois answered shortly. She slapped down the pad of paper on the table and practically tore the pen out of her pocket, snapping it open with a loud click and then looking at him intently. “How about we get down to business, Mr. Luthor.”

“So nice to have the pleasantries out of the way,” Lex smiled vaguely at her before looking up at Clark and gesturing for him to sit down. “I’m glad that you could make it upon my request.”

“You know I wouldn’t have been able to turn it down, Lex,” Clark said as he sat.

“How long has it been? Seven, maybe eight years?”

“Just about,” Clark popped open his briefcase, retrieving his own writing props and a tape recorder. He showed it to Lex before pressing the record button and setting it down on the middle of the table. Speaking clearly to the recorder, he said aloud, “Date, August fifteenth. Reporters for the Daily Planet, Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Interviewee, Lex Luthor.”

“Professional,” Lex remarked. “I’m impressed.”

“You said you had something important to tell us,” Clark pushed up his glasses and opened up his own pen. “Please begin.”

Lex sighed at the two people in front of him. They both wore stoic expressions on their faces; he would have hardly told the difference between them and a couple gargoyles brought in from Gotham. Even so, there was no one else he’d rather speak to, there were no other two people in the entire world that he’d rather let know everything he was about to say. Shaking his head slightly, he said, “I’m not sure how much of this you’ll be willing to put into print, Clark. Miss Lane.”

“Try us,” Lois said with false sweetness. “We’re here to serve.”

Lex raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing in return. Instead he looked at Clark and angled his head at Lois. He watched with interest as Clark spared her a side-glance and visibly nudged her leg from under the table. Lois glared at him for a split second before looking back at Lex. “Mr. Luthor, we’re ready when you are.”

“Very well,” Lex consented moving his hands around a little, the chimes of shaking metal accompanying his every change in position. “Very well.”

********************************* ~ ************************************

Seven, maybe eight years ago…

The darkness was all around her, clouding her senses and playing games with her eyesight. She tried to lift her hands to block the sharp branches from whipping into her face, gouging her skin, but found too soon that it made her pace slow. Because of that, she tried to keep her arms at her side, pumping them in tune with her running legs, using them sparely when it came to protecting herself.

Her breath was labored, her skin glistening with sweat in the little light that was provided through the break in trees. Though she ran quickly, her feet barely made a sound against the mossy ground of the forest.

Just a little more. Just a little more. Get further, they can’t find me if I just run a bit further.

But she’d been running for ages and that feeling was still inside of her, that absolute knowledge that any second now that they were going to jump out from behind the next turn. Just a little more. Just a little more.

She was chanting that to herself when he stepped out right in front of her. A fist was in the air before she could dodge it and then Chloe Sullivan knew absolutely nothing but the pure black of oblivion.

********************************* ~ ************************************

“You’re lucky you found her. Luthor would have had your head if she got away.”

“He might still. But, damn, she’s faster than I thought.”

“I warned you. Just because it’s not the other one doesn’t mean she won’t fight as much. Or as mean.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m very aware of how special this one is.”

The fluorescent lights hurt her eyes, so Chloe kept her eyes tightly shut as consciousness brought her back. It was just as well, because the two men standing over her body would have stopped their discussion in a second if they realized that she was overhearing them. Bearing that in mind, she kept completely still as they continued.

“He needs to give us another guy, we can’t keep an eye on both of them in different rooms. It leaves us too open for another escape.”

Other one?

“I’ll talk to him about it first thing in the morning.”

“So do I just put her back in the same place?”

“Are you kidding me? If she got out of it once, she’ll get out again.”

“Then where else?”

Silence.

Then. “Put her in the other room.”

“What?”

“Just do it. He might like the company in any case.”

“Don’t you realize what they can do if we put them together? They’ll be gone within the hour.”

“No, they won’t. His room’s more protected by the alarms anyway, and we can keep an eye on both of them at once instead of splitting our guard. Just do it, all right?”

“Fine, fine.”

A burly arm was looped around her waist and Chloe let her body go limp as her mind raced. There was more? Another room? Another person? Him?

The trip was short before she heard a series of locks being let loose and a number of beeps of a code being disarmed. The man holding her shifted her slightly, but she kept up her rag doll ruse as he entered a dimly lit hallway and encountered another door. The same sounds followed before that same door opened and she was dumped unceremoniously on the cold concrete floor.

“Looks like a lucky day for you. You got company.”

The door closed quickly behind her and Chloe waited several seconds before lifting her head cautiously. The room she’d been deposited in was dark, but a first glance assured her that it was inhabited. Her mouth went dry as she saw who was sitting on the single cot on one end of the room, eyeing her suspiciously.

“Lex?”

********************************* ~ ************************************

He’d recognized the blonde hair at once. There was no one else in Smallville who had hair like that, save Whitney Fordman and everyone knew he’d bit it somewhere overseas. Lex slowly rose from his seat and crossed the room to help lift her up. She was wary when he offered his hands, but reached up and took them anyway, dusting herself off once she stood. But no amount of patting would take away the bruise that had fully formed around her right eye, leaving the skin around it purple and swollen.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

Lex lifted one half of his mouth in a wry grin at her first words besides his name. “I’m supposed to be a lot of things, Chloe.”

He could feel her eyes on him as he returned to the lumpy cot and sat down.

“But your plane crashed. I read about it. I heard about it. Your father said they couldn’t find-”

“Surely you wouldn’t believe anything that came out of Lionel Luthor’s mouth,” Lex said shortly. “I would expect your inquisitive mind would have seen behind the convenient façade. Especially since you’re here with me.”

Chloe’s face drained of color, making the bruise on the upper portion of her face seem all the more drastic. She cleared her throat and looked away before saying, “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.”

He watched her as she ran her hands back over the sides of her head, mussing the hair that had, from what he saw now, pieces of twig and leaves entangled within it. His gaze held as she began to pluck out the invading objects, wincing as they pulled at her scalp.

Lex slowly shook her head at her.

“What?”

“I’m wondering,” he said carefully, “Just what exactly you did to put you in here. A petty offense certainly wouldn’t cause Lionel to make someone disappear like me. For someone not saying very much, you’ve incited my interest quite well.”

“I am to please,” Chloe replied with saccharine sugar in her voice. She finally gave up on her hair and gently touched a finger to her face, flinching from the obvious pain.

“Don’t do that,” Lex’s voice was unnaturally soft as he waved her over. He grabbed a plastic cup from the ground a fished out a few pieces of melting ice out from the water. Chloe took them from his offering hand and placed them to her face.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“I am to please.”

[hfce]

Wow interesting start. More please ;)


Hope

[dsapiro]

Wow, deffinitely interesting. And you have no excuse not to update soon!

[celticangel]

Great start. Can't wait to see where you go with this one. :yay: :chlexsign1:

[staysixkid]

I love angst! This story, has signs of true angst, so I know that i'll love it. Intense begining, leaving me wanting more. Post SOON.

[scifichick774]

Ooh - really intriguing beginning. Definitely looking forward to more of this.

[sydsvaughn]

Angst is good- especially since its Lex and Chloe. Looking forward to more!

Sara

[drina]

I know it's gonna be angst, and there's not gonna be a happy ending..and i don't like that...but like a deer caught in the headlights, I can't turn away from this one...

[asharnanae]

PLEASE!!!! POST MORE!!! PLEASE!!!!! :ohmy:

[bluemoongirl23]

Excellent start. I'm curious to see what Chloe did that would make Lionel kidnap her and how Lex ended up in jail, seven, maybe eight years later.

Blue

[Blaire023]

obviously I won't be happy with the ending. And obviously it's angst. And obviously you already have it all typed up and what not. And obviously I'm thinking...

Well sheeyit! They're in an isolated room. Only have eachother to talk to...

they need a gold fish...or a hamster...or one of those rat things...chihuahua...yea that's it.

~B

I'm enjoying it so far
:blinkkiss:

[shipperchick]

:yay: ****SQUEEE****

Love it love it love it!

Especially:

She was chanting that to herself when he stepped out right in front of her. A fist was in the air before she could dodge it and then Chloe Sullivan knew absolutely nothing but the pure black of oblivion.

I just love how well you've written the tension in the running scene... I love how you've written it throughout the chapter. It's palpable in the scene with Lex & Clark, and I can already feel it with Lex & Chloe... you're a good writer! Please, write more of this.

Oh, and I know it's angst, but a girl can hope that with lots of begging and pleading we could convince you to give us a happy ending? (Well, the lack of Chloe in the 'prologue' could be a problem with that, but anyway).

If you *must* make this angsty, then go ahead, but please also consider writing a straight happy ending if the muse strikes you, I really like your style. :worship2:

[Ranting Idiot]

Heh heh heh. I love it when people read and respond, it just leaves me so elated. I'm glad you all like this, I was just struck by the idea last week and decided to pound it out in between writing the end of Unexpected (which should be up later this week, sorry for the delay :sad:). Without further speaking on my part, here is the next chapter.

-Rant

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Run, Chapter 3

For so long my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold
And it leaves me there without a place to call my own

Clark had stood some time while Lex had spoken slowly and surely, his voice filling the room and rebounding back them from the hard walls. His arms crossed, he didn’t meet his old friend’s gaze as he fought to comprehend all that had been said so far.

Lois, however, didn’t hold back from staring Lex straight in the face. Her expression unreadable, she wrote down notes without bothering to look down at the paper. Lex humorously noted that she must have been used to doing that – every single sentence was written directly on its intended line.

Clark’s voice broke out, a pain hiding just underneath the surface. “She was alive.”

“Yes.”

“Locked up with you.”

“Again, yes.”

“Then where is she now?”

Lex hesitated for a moment and barely glanced at Lois’ interested look before answering Clark. “I have yet to get to that.”

“Then go on.” Impatience flitting across his features, Clark kept his arms crossed and urged him to continue.

So he did.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

It happened around this time every day. Chloe was taken first, her absence noted for just under a two hours. Lex counted every second because there was only so much planning that could be put into revenge. Besides, when she was gone, it just wasn’t as fun.

As if this whole situation could be labeled as fun, anyway.

When she was returned, a little shaken, but still whole, Lex was next in line. He was sure that they went on the same trip in the car with the darkly tinted the windows that gave them no hint as to where they were being held. The trip took at least half an hour, consisting of twists and turns in the dirt roads and leading to a small clearing in the middle of nowhere. It was never empty, though; the helicopter was always waiting for him, Lionel Luthor standing patiently just outside.

He grunted at the appropriate times, rolled his eyes at others, provoking a fury that was barely masked. When the dance was over, he was pushed roughly back into the car and returned to his playmate.

They never talked about what was said on those trips. They just never asked.

Instead, they ate dinner in silence, barely gazing at each other over the plastic bowls of lukewarm soup and nearly stale bread. Lex had to laugh at what they were fed; Lionel certainly wasn’t pulling any punches when it came to his prisoners. Afterwards, they usually played cards until the lights were shut off and they tucked themselves into their separate cots, Chloe’s having been brought in the same day one of the guards had dumped her on Lex.

The cycle was broken after three weeks when Lex returned sporting several cuts on his face and holding his wrist within his other hand. Chloe’s eyes had automatically become more alert at the sight of him in worse condition than normal. Her trip had been as uneventful as usual and she’d expected no less from Lex.

Grabbing the ice from the handy cup, she placed it on his bruising wrist and quietly said, “You really need to hold back from goading him.”

“And deprive myself of the only joy I have around here?” Lex shook his head and tried to smile at her.

“Lex,” Chloe sighed and wrapped an old towel around the ice to keep in place. “He can hurt you more than this. You know this was only a warning.”

“I know,” Lex held the towel in place and sat on the floor. “He’s getting impatient, though. He’s not getting the answers he wants.”

“And he’s not going to get them,” Chloe said sharply before she could stop herself. When Lex lifted his eyebrows in interest, she muttered, “You’re too damn stubborn.”

“As are you,” Lex observed. “I could give you the same warning, Chloe. I’m sure he won’t let the men hold back much longer if you keep remaining silent.”

“He doesn’t hold his men back enough,” Chloe hugged herself, a disgusted look flashing across her face. Lex couldn’t say that he was surprised, but a level of bile rose in his throat as well. With three men keeping guard all the time, it was no doubt that at least one of them was getting lonely and considering their female prisoner.

Chloe stayed quiet for a long while before finally clearing her throat and saying, “What does he want from you anyway?”

“What does he want from you?”

“I asked first.”

“You really don’t think I’m going to follow childish logic, do you?”

“Common sense, more like,” Chloe mumbled, stopping short when the door opened and a tray filled with their dinner was pushed in, the metal scraping loudly against the floor. Hoping to avoid his searching look, she picked up the tray and put it in between them, sitting down and separating the food between them. “I’m sure one of them had to have spit in this.”

“I’d like to think that it adds flavor,” Lex said easily, dipping his spoon into the soup and eating thoughtfully for a bit before adding, “He tried to kill me.”

“I know,” Chloe said quietly as she ate, too.

“He might still try.”

“I know.”

“Isn’t it nice to feel important?”

“Immensely.”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

“I was a fool to get involved,” Chloe’s voice broke the nighttime silence, but Lex had been expecting this. He turned his head towards her in the darkness and waiting for her to continue. “But I was hurt and I wanted to hurt him back.”

Of course, he knew who him was.

Lex shifted slightly in his cot and asked, “Did you succeed?”

“I’ll never know,” Chloe shrugged. “Right now I’m more concerned with the question of if I’ll ever get out of here.”

“That question will drive you mad if you think it too much.”

“Maybe insanity isn’t a bad option at this point.”

“Perhaps.” He heard her move around for a few seconds, then saw her shadow rise in the room, followed by the dull scrape of wood against the ground. She drew her cot right next to his and laid down again, facing him. “Can’t get close enough, huh?”

Her voice was barely a whisper in his direction; it was little wonder why she’d drawn close. Chloe was clearly about to tell him something that Lionel must have been dying to hear. “He hired me to do research.”

“Lionel?”

“Would there be anyone else?”

“You never know.”

She scoffed him, but kept going, “I found things. A lot of things.”

“Like what?”

Chloe didn’t answer for a long while, instead turning on her back. When she finally spoke, she only mysteriously said, “Things that your father wants to know.”

“You wouldn’t tell him, would you?”

“I wouldn’t be in here if I had, don’t you think?”

“Good girl.” Lex nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “Gabe would be proud.”

Her voice held a hurt that he wished that he’d stopped from inflicting, “Please don’t mention him.”

“I’m sorry,” Lex said sincerely. “I forget that there are fathers out there that actually love their children.”

She never responded.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Chloe came back the next day with bruises.

Lex knew it was only the beginning.

[petriebird18]

Damn Lionel, Damn him to HELL, although he'd probably be right at home in hell.
I know i'm not going to like the ending, i like HAPPY endings, but i just can't stop myself from reading this IT"S ADDICTIVE! :biggrin:
Now update!
~Deidre~
(oh, and Lois and Clark are acting like idiots, which they are.)
:chlexsign3:

[dsapiro]

Ahhh, no. So, so angsty. So, so good! More soon!

[lunaluthor]

Originally posted by petriebird18@Jul 21 2003, 08:38 PM
I know i'm not going to like the ending, i like HAPPY endings, but i just can't stop myself from reading this IT"S ADDICTIVE! :biggrin:

I second that
I know I will cry in the end but I keep reading your story I feel like a moth drawn to a hot painful light

great writing despite of the depressing plot
:ohmy:

[scifichick774]

I...man. You've set up the angst so well in this fic. Bad grrr at Lionel. Can't say I wasn't expecting it, but still...

[hfce]

Oh wow that was :crygreen:

Hope

[bluemoongirl23]

Freaking fanfuckingtastic! Just wonderful! Oh the possibilites with them locked up. But, I don't like Clark's she was alive line. I know, I know, angst.....

Blue

[vardaquareien]

I'd just like to note for the record that I don't like angst ....but damn you, you've suckered me in!!! How'd you do that? I want more and everythin!

[asharnanae]

as someone stated earlyer, damn but this is adictive, and boy do you have a way with the cliffhangers. hoe can you keep us in such suspence!! :biggrin:

[hler]

Wow, you really have a way with those emotions....soo sad, it makes you want to rip Lionel's heart out with a spoon. Oh wait, he doesn't have a heart, forgot that for a moment. Well, there are other ways of causing pain...This is very well done, and it doesn't hurt to have shakled as the song inspiration, gotta love vertical horizon...more soon please!!
~Heida

[Ranting Idiot]

Disappeared for a couple days... work sucks. I sigh. But here's the next part, hope you like it! (Oh, and A/N, Chloe and Lois are not cousins in this story, just so you know. That's why she doesn't say anything about it.)

-Rant

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

So tired now of paying my dues
I start out strong but then I always lose
It's half the distance before you leave me behind
It's such a waste of time

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Lois was practically running down the hallway. Her feet were killing her, pinching at her toes in an ache like no other, but she didn’t slow her pace. If she did, there was no doubt that Clark would have no problem with leaving her behind.

Besides, she wanted to hear what Lex had to say now as much as Clark did.

Lex was waiting in the same room as before, dressed the same way with that same infuriating look on his face. Only a Luthor would act like a prince inside of prison.

Lois snapped to attention when Clark slammed his briefcase down on the table and pulled the recorder from inside. His voice was nearly breathless with anxiety as he said so quickly that the words blurred together, “August Sixteenth. Reporters, Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Interviewee, Lex Luthor.”

He tore his gaze up to Lex. “What happened next?”

“Nice to see you, too, Clark,” Lex said easily before looking over at Lois. “Miss Lane, would you like to take a seat?”

“What happened next?” Clark repeated.

“Now, now,” Lex waved his handcuffed hands in the air. “No need to rush. The warden was kind enough to supply us with an extra hour.” He smiled brightly at Clark when the other man began to glare at him, the grin growing when Lois began to tap her foot impatiently. Finally he sighed, “There’s just not calming down the investigators, is there?”

“Tell us,” Lois spoke up at last, her clear eyes holding steady on Lex’s. “You have your captive audience, now live up to the hype.”

“Oh,” Lex looked over at Clark, “I like her.”

Clark simply pointed to the recorder and Lex began.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

She soaked the warm towel in the bucket that one of the guards had supplied, rinsing out all the blood she could before wringing it to remove the excess moisture and bringing it to Lex’s cheek. The gash wasn’t deep, but it had bled like nothing else, scaring the daylights out of her when he’d come back.

Lex said nothing as she gently touched the towel to his face, wiping as much as she could without hurting him. It hurt more than he would admit to her, but he also knew that if he confessed the truth, it would only push her closer to the edge.

The swelling around her face was finally going down. Lionel had had a field day a couple days before when she’d come face to face with him, unable to hold back from inflicting just a few slaps. Chloe had refused to cry then and she refused to cry now. But she wouldn’t meet his eyes when he tried to meet hers. Inside, Lex knew she was beginning to break.

He finally ended the silence with, “He didn’t touch you today, did he?”

“No,” Chloe whispered. She began wringing out the material again, her hand growing dark from the dirty water. “No, he didn’t touch me.”

“Chloe,” he stopped her hand before she could touch him again. “What did he do then?”

“Oh, you know Lionel. Threats, extortion, bribery,” Chloe said lightly. “Same old thing.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?” Lex kept holding on to her wrist though she tried to pull back.

“I,” Chloe seemed at a loss for words until she finally turned her gaze to him. “I can.”

“Now try and lie and tell me that it was the same old thing today.”

She couldn’t. He could see that clearly from the fear in her eyes, in the hard line of her lips as she fought back the demons inside her head. Lex watched her until she at last opened her mouth again and said, “He didn’t have to touch me today. What he said was enough. What I saw was enough.”

“What was that,” Lex asked softly.

Chloe finally pulled her hand back from his and covered her mouth, gaining control of herself before responding. “Pictures of my dad. Going home. Leaving home. Eating in his kitchen all by himself.”

“Are you surprised by that, Chloe?” Lex asked without malice. “Of course he’s watching him.”

“They’re going to kill him if I don’t say anything,” Chloe blurted out.

“What?” Lex stood and looked down at her. “Damn it, Chloe, what is it inside of you that makes my father drive to the point of killing?”

“He’s your father, how should I know how to understand a mind that twisted?” Chloe turned her back on him and walked around the room a couple of times. “Lex, I need to get out of here. I did it once, I can do it again.”

“You know we can’t do that as easily as the first time around, Chloe,” Lex said harshly. “There’s twice the security here and three times the manpower that was watching you the first time around.”

“I can’t leave my dad all by himself!” Chloe yelled desperately.

“Then you’ll have to tell Lionel what you know!” Lex shouted back, not even believing himself when he said it. They both knew that was an irrational thought; their silence alone was the only thing keeping them alive right now.

“I can’t, I can’t!”

“Why not?”

Chloe opened her mouth once but then shut it quickly. Lex didn’t bother to push her because he knew she wasn’t about to tell him, either. Whatever she was hiding, it was clearly apparent that Chloe wanted to take it to the grave. He grabbed the towel and touched it to his face again, not even chancing his next remark. Chloe sat on her cot, huddling herself in a blanket though the room was warm enough on its own accord.

“You should have anticipated this,” he said fifteen minutes later when the bleeding finally slowed to a trickle.

“I did,” Chloe admitted, holding the blankets all the tighter around her. “But anticipating is different than actually seeing.”

“I can’t promise he won’t touch Gabe,” Lex hated to tell her this, but it was just as well that she heard him. “But you can’t tell him, Chloe. Telling him won’t save your father.”

Chloe turned her head to him, her eyes shuttered, “If I tell him, it’ll only bring more death.”

She began wiping at her eyes, at last shedding the tears that he’d been expecting for weeks. They didn’t last long, just enough for a few drops, but Lex knew that it was a fear in itself for Chloe to let those out. When her face finally appeared for him to see, her face was dry and the only hint at her momentary lapse in defense was a slight rim of red around her pupils.

“I just want out.”

He didn’t know what made him do it; the space had always been there, but now Lex stood and went to her, pulling her body from the cot. She was stiff as he put his arms around her, trying to give her the comfort he’d had so little of in his own life. Putting one hand in her hair, he whispered, “Then we’ll get out.”

“How?” Her voice was a shaky murmur. “How are we going to?”

“Smallville wasn’t big enough for us, who’s to say that this hovel is?

When she began to smile, he took it as a sign that they could start to plan.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

“Are you going to tell me?”

“It doesn’t matter much at this point, now does it?”

“Come on, I told you.”

“Very vaguely.”

“Then very vaguely tell me why you’re in here and not frolicking with the Little Mermaid somewhere in the middle of the ocean.”

When he laughed, it was with surprise, because it wasn’t something that had come out of him in so long. Maybe that’s all he needed, a way in, a free pass to stop whenever he wanted. Whatever it was, Lex willingly turned in his cot to face Chloe next to him. “You heard about the crash.”

“Everyone did.”

“I don’t have to tell you who the mastermind behind that plot was.”

“Helen always did rub me the wrong way.”

“Do you want to hear this or not?”

“Consider me mute.”

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to help gather his thoughts before taking a deep breath and saying, “You’re not the only one holding something back from Lionel. He, however, didn’t realize this until after the plane went down. Once he figured it out, he set some of his men to find whatever was left of me, just in case he could still have access to what he wanted.”

“I’m not sure if it was lucky or not that I washed up on that beach. They knew exactly where to find me. I’m not sure if I’m thankful.”

“You should be,” Chloe responded quietly into the dark. “Because we’ll get out. And then he’ll be left wishing that he’d never come after us in the first place.”

He didn’t say anything for a long while. In the lumpy bed next to him, Chloe shifted onto her stomach, expecting that’d she’d gotten the most he would give her on his own story. When he spoke at last, a shiver ran through her spine with every single word.

“We’re going to get out and you’re going to leave Lionel to me.”

[dsapiro]

Wow, that was really good. But I want more. I want to know what it is that they know and I want to know what happened. Update soon!

[Calliope]

Ooooo, Lionel's such a creepy bastard. :mad: I hope Lex gets to follow through on his threats.

[Blaire023]

lol@creepy bastard

haven't heard that one before...i like it!

Loved this chap rant...love them all....want to marry it...probably against a whole buncha laws though...grrr...stupid laws.

~B

[hfce]

Wow that was good.


Hope

[bluemoongirl23]

Lionel is in for a mighty ass whupping. And I love it! Also love the closeness that starting between the two of them. Must remind myself that this won't end well.

Blue

[Val]

GOD! *kicks Lionel repeatedly*
Great story! MOREEEE!

[shipperchick]

On another note -- haven't read the chapters yet, but I wanted to say, YAY! Another person into Vertical Horizon's music! Isn't it just the most phenomenal album? (Right up there with Live's Distance to Here and Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy for me)

Okay. I shall review the actual chapter as well, but just a short note saying YAY! Good choice of lyrics! Plus, I hear it in my head while reading...

[lunaluthor]

you are killing me with your story I'm so curious and you only give me tiny little pieces

update update update :yay: :yay: :yay:

[Sunflow]

I have a feeling this is a long one, right? So many mysteries... I'm dying to know why Lex is in prison in the first place.
I don't know why exactly, but this story paints a great visual picture, it is so easy to imagine the whole situation. It's like in a good old criminal movie, with the interview, the prison and all. Do I have to tell you that I love good old crime stories? Although now that I think of it, the words 'no Chloe in the present time' and 'crime' do not sound good together.
Angst. Grrrr.


Sunflow

[scifichick774]

Must...have...more...

[Susan S]

I love the mystery and the tone of the piece is just great! Reminds me a bit of the old shows I watched as kid when I was home sick. I want more details though! I want to know what Chloe and Lex both had on Lionel that got them into the situation. Update soon!

Susan S

[jem]

woah there chica!!!!

love the relationship building between the two.. the drama! man, its really quite scary too...

write more !! please!!!!

[Ranting Idiot]

Blaire, what in the world is it with you trying to get freaky with my stories? I'm thinking restraining order here... ;)

Sorry to break the news to you, but what Chloe and Lex 'know' that Lionel wants to know is not going to be explained, so don't look for it. Obviously, Chloe is protecting Clark and everyone else by not revealing what she found out and Lex, well, I needed to have Lionel find him for some reason, just not an exact one. What I'm trying to focus on is their entrapment, which leads to this warning.

*WARNING* It broke my heart to write part of this chapter, but it had to come out this way. It wouldn't work into the story otherwise, so forgive me now before you read it. Thanks *End WARNING*

All in all, enjoy the next part. There are 2 chapters left after this one.

-Rant

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Run, Chapter 5

'Cause my shackles
You won't be
And my rapture
You won't believe
And deep inside you will bleed for me

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

“Well, you certainly took care of Lionel,” Lois mused aloud when Lex stopped with his latest narrative. She pursed her lips at him and pointedly stared at the handcuffs around his wrists. “Yes, you certainly did.”

“Don’t try to understand, Miss Lane. I know not everyone sees things from my point of view. You may have chosen to speak out against Lionel through the Daily Planet; the rest of us have to rely on more underhanded methods.”

“I’ve paid attention to your life enough to believe you,” Lois growled out as Clark finally ended his own silent listening.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t you tell me?” Clark’s broken voice was muffled out against the table, where he’d laid his forehead long before. Lois looked over at him with pity on her face, placing a hand on his shoulder. She squeezed it reassuringly, rather filling her hands with fabric than feeling his skin yielding beneath her palm, but she was sure he appreciated the gesture.

It was obvious soon that he did, as he reached up a hand and covered hers. Lois turned to Lex and carefully asked, “What happened next?”

Not bothering to address her, Lex spoke clearly to Clark, “Do you understand why I asked you to come here, Clark? I’m telling you now, isn’t that enough?”

“No, it’s not enough,” Clark looked up angrily, his cheeks reddened. He slammed a fist against the table, barely able to hold himself back and surprising no one when the wood dented slightly. “It’s not enough, not for anyone, not for Pete, not for Lana, not for me.”

“It always came down to you, didn’t it, Clark?” A snide tone had unleashed itself and readily mocked him. “How does it affect you? What will it do to change your already tumultuous life? Even her, she was there because of you.”

Lois started in her chair, her eyes growing wide as she looked back and forth between the two men. She barely recovered enough before choking out, “What is he talking about, Kent?”

Clark didn’t even acknowledge her as he began to glare at Lex, who’d gone back to wearing an impassive expression. He angrily heaved the recorder at Lex’s hands and ground out, “Go on. Now.”

“Whatever you wish,” Lex said coldly. “But I promise this won’t make you feel any better.”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

They’d started a stockpile. One evening after finishing their meal, Lex had broken his plastic bowl, claiming to have stepped on it without meaning to. The guards had been too annoyed to bother putting the pieces together and discovering that a large shard was missing. It held residence on the bottom of Lex’s shoe, while Chloe began to take small chunks out the wooden legs of her cot. Whenever the coast was clear, they would both furiously chisel the edges to sharpness against the floor. Chloe hid them in the folds of her blanket. The blanket itself began to fray as Lex took it apart little by little, tightening strands into braids that would be used for their worst purpose only as a last resort.

They discovered the first password to the outermost door by the simple means of Chloe faking a rash of loud tears as the guards led her back to the room after yet another visit with Lionel. Lex had to applaud her silently as he heard her from the through the second door; Lana Lang could never have held a candle to those sobs.

Quite the actress, they never saw Chloe sneak peaks on three different occasions at their busy fingers; they congratulated themselves when she returned one day perfectly calm. Lionel assured them that it was probably the shock, Miss Sullivan would give in any day. To be honest, Chloe had no need for the tears for they had served their purpose to determine one of the codes in its fullness.

Lex listened to the men carefully through their door, noting their comings and goings each day. He’d long ago memorized the actions, but this time it was for a purpose. When they were alone together, they would huddle closely and discuss who had guns where, what time they went to take a piss and why one of them liked Chinese food, but another preferred pizza.

Chloe showed a zeal for conspiracy that he should have known to expect, but it was astonishing to see it all the same. She woke up with fire in her eyes, ready for their next day of plotting and pushed back when he fought against her. Lex hadn’t wanted to show her the best places to jab their little weapons, but logic always spoke clearest. Her skill was becoming second only to his and marked Lex deeply. It was sometimes frightening to see the determination that set her whole body into a practiced punch.

They were the tiniest army the world had ever seen and possibly the most powerful.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Lex slept on the floor, waking early in the morning and carefully laying himself into Chloe’s rickety cot before the guards came in with breakfast. It was much too fragile after all her tampering to handle supporting a sleeping body for an entire night. Though Chloe had offered to sleep on the floor, Lex had to claim to be a gentleman at least once through their ordeal and let her take his bed.

But when he got up one morning, Chloe was already awake, sitting next to the door. When he opened his mouth to speak, she quickly put a finger to her lips and waved him over. Lex crept across the floor and joined her, placing his ear on the flat plane. Arguing voices came into his hearing, but it was jumbled, as if he’d started watching a movie halfway through.

“What is it?”

“Shh,” Chloe leaned in to listen more, but the voices began to fade. Looking particularly aggravated by this, Chloe moved back and whispered, “They’re getting mad. Lionel’s had only three of them here this entire time and they want out. I guess we’re not the only ones.”

“They’re hired and probably have been paid obscene amounts of cash, they have no reason to complain,” Lex muttered back.

“Yeah, like hit men really care about giving a proper two weeks notice,” Chloe rolled her eyes at him. “Anyway, they’re going to talk to Lionel today about bringing someone else in.”

Lex’s eyes widened, “That’s bad.”

“Tell me about it!” She managed to exclaim without raising her voice. “I mean, we can count on your dad being stubborn for a couple days, at least, but we’re going to need to carry out with the plan as soon as possible.”

“But we don’t even have the second pass code,” Lex gripped his head in his hands. Every time they’d attempted to decipher it, the guards had been careful to turn them to the opposite wall. It was their biggest obstacle left after actually unlocking the door. Chloe assured Lex that she had it covered, but ten seconds wasn’t a lot of time to pick a alarm code out of the air and insert it properly before their captors got any wiser.

Chloe bit her lip and waited until every thought had time to run itself over his brain at least a few times. “We could always-”

“No,” Lex’s face grew hard. “I refuse to.”

“It’s the only way,” Chloe argued back.

“No, it’s not,” Lex sighed and banged his head back against the door. “It’s not.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

She was counting slowly in her head, feeling every sharp pick hidden within her blanket without looking at them. She was on number ten when she heard it.

There was a thump, then a yell, then another thump. She stood up, unsure of what was happening. It took another string of violent curses before her mind clicked into place and her feet were running to the door.

Slamming her fists against the wood, she began to scream, “Stop it! STOP IT! LEX!”

“You hear her,” one of the guards growled into his ear before hitting him against across the face. “She’s screaming for you rich boy.”

Lex kicked out with his legs, catching the man on his side, but a second guard was holding his arms back, bending them to the point of almost breaking. Even so, he didn’t stop from his task. Throwing his head back, Lex heard a satisfying crunch against his skull and ignored a slight dizziness as the other man’s arms slacked.

Lex pulled out his arms and threw a fist at the other man, then swiftly dodged when the guard returned with jab to the stomach. Lex laughed derisively at him as they circled each other in the small space between the two doorways. He’d surprised them by putting up a struggle after just entering the first door after the latest trip, successfully jamming one knee into the first guard’s spine. He’d barely begun to collapse before the second man grabbed Lex’s arms. When the original guard stood, he’d begun to have the fun he’d been anticipating for several weeks.

Now they faced each other, matching sneers directed to the enemy while the second guard struggled to keep conscious, slumped against the wall.

“Damn Luthor,” the guard wiped a stream of blood from his mouth. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this. Almost as long as I’ve been wanting a taste of that.”

Lex didn’t let his disgust show as the guard angled his head at the second door, Chloe’s screams for their halt clearly echoing around them. Instead, he punched out a nicely placed fist onto the other man’s cheekbone. Spitting the blood, the guard seethed, “Doesn’t matter what you do, Luthor. It’s not like you can get out of here, not without us. Not while she’s still inside.”

However, before Lex could reply, his feet flew out from under him. The second guard had regained enough control to sweep a leg out and forced Lex to slam into the ground. Lex fought him tooth and nail while the first guard took a couple kicks at him. The second guard yelled at his partner to open the door and it was with an intense look of displeasure that he did so as Lex clashed with the guard on the floor.

“Two-five-one-eight-zero-seven.” Lex stored the numbers in his brain as he continued to fight.

Picked up by the back of shirt, he was thrown like a rag into the room, barely feeling as Chloe descended on him, her hands fluttering everywhere, her shrill voice asking Lex what the hell was wrong with him. He’d planned on flashing a debonair smile of success, even if it was accompanied by rivers of blood and broken teeth, but he never had his opportunity.

Before he knew it, the first guard had grabbed Chloe from him and was pulling her out the door. His insides shrank as he heard called over a shoulder, “I know the perfect punishment just for him.”

And then he was alone.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

It seemed like hours had passed before he heard the muted beeping noise. Lex’s head shot up and he stared at the door as it opened and Chloe was roughly pushed in. Her wrists in shackles, she stumbled into the room, barely kept from falling when he caught her.

Her face was clear of contusions, but her shirt was torn in various places, revealing a dismaying number of finger-shaped bruises on her arms, stomach, shoulders… everywhere.

“Chloe,” he didn’t recognize the despair in his own voice as she huddled into his arms and hid her face in his neck. The door slammed shut behind them, followed by the same beeping. Two-five-one-eight-zero-seven, Lex’s mind taunted him. This was the price she had to pay for his bright idea. This is what he’d wanted to avoid, the violating of her innocence for a simple code. But the sacrifice of his body had led to the slaughtering of hers.

“Lex,” she looped her arms around his neck, haloing his head with the circle formed by the handcuffs. “Oh, God, Lex.”

He clutched her tightly, whispering repeated apologies that he knew would never, ever be enough.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

They never noticed that dinner didn’t come that night. Lex was more concerned with making her comfortable than of his hunger. He laid her on the stack of two lumpy mattresses and covered her with the untouched blanket. When he tried to draw away, she caught his hand and held it to her chest within her manacled hands.

Her voice was a tortuous whisper, “It would have happened anyway, Lex.”

He began to protest, but she shook her head violently. “I know it, Lex. If not tonight, then sometime tomorrow. It was going to happen. He was waiting for it.”

“But it shouldn’t have been on account of me,” Lex said hoarsely as he brought a fist to his swollen mouth. “I never even considered what they would do-”

The lights had gone out hours before, but he could see as she sat up gingerly and pushed the blanket off of her. Using the hand she already had within her grasp, she pulled him closer and attempted to throw the blanket around him. “Come on.”

He didn’t put up a struggle as she pulled him down and he laid carefully beside her on the mattresses. They had to both lay on their sides to fit, but Chloe ignored his efforts to move away. Her hair fell across his face as she drew closer to him, finally circling his neck once more. “Stay.”

“Chloe-”

She silenced him by placing her lips to his, sliding slowly against him. It took a second or two, but he finally retreated, but only barely. “What?”

Strength came into play as she laid her palms against the back of his head and kissed him again. Lex couldn’t stop himself this time, responding movement for movement, barely noting how their noses clumsily knocked into each other and her fingers dug into his scalp. She nudged him into moving now, slipping underneath him until their bodies were flush with each other.

Chloe was the one who broke the kiss the second time, her eyes staring up into his. Lex was breathless from what she’d begun, but couldn’t find anything to say when she finally uttered, “Make him go away, Lex. Please.”

He didn’t bother to resist as her shackles bit into the flesh of his neck and pulled him in once more.

[scifichick774]

Amazing Chlex angst, though I must say, the scene that riled me up the most was with Clark. What a jackass! Very in character to think that everything revolves around him, but still. More soon please.

[hfce]

Calrk is an ass :tease: and Lionel needs to be killed. :die:


Hope

[dsapiro]

Originally posted by hfce@Jul 28 2003, 01:23 AM
Calrk is an ass :tease: and Lionel needs to be killed. :die:


Yup! That was so angsty. And only two chapters left. :crygreen:

[Calliope]

I'm so very sad now. :crygreen: Which means you did a good job with that chapter. I'm wary yet looking forward to the next part.

[bluemoongirl23]

Amazing chapter! You make us hate Lionel so well. And the relationship between Chloe and Lex is wonderful. May I just add, damn Clark to hell, too.

Blue

[vardaquareien]

*sob* :crygreen: oh that was horrible! Not your writing of course, that was brilliant - but poor Chloe!!! You wrote this so well! I can't wait for more!

[§åß®îNå]

Chloe was the one who broke the kiss the second time, her eyes staring up into his. Lex was breathless from what she’d begun, but couldn’t find anything to say when she finally uttered, “Make him go away, Lex. Please.”

omg that scene broke my heart!

i love your fic!! :worship2:

[mina murray]

Oh, man, those scenes always make me tear up.
Great story you have here, but I have a feeling it ain't gonna end well. ::yeah, like being in the angst section didn't spoil me:: :crygreen:

[Val]

Great chapter! Poor Chloe...

And I agree Clark is an idiot, and I so totally pictured Lois&Clark's Clark on that part. For some odd reason...

[Ranting Idiot]

Ah, don't be so hard on Clark, the poor dope. Can you imagine sitting there and finding out all you thought to be true wasn't? But, yeah, he is pretty self-centered, now isn't he? Good thing Lois is there...

In any case, glad you're enjoying it, may I KAZAAM away my disclaimer and put up the next part.... just one left!

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Run, Chapter 6

And my laughter
You won't hear
The faster
I disappear
And time will burn your eyes to tears

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Lois had never seen Clark’s hands shake. They were usually so strong and calm, just like the rest of him, whether they were interviewing someone considered highly dangerous or falling into another of their catastrophes at the hands of some terrible villain. He was a rock. A clumsy, self-conscious rock, true, but always solid.

But even she couldn’t blame him now.

It was if a permanent shiver had taken over him as Clark reached out his hands across the table, picked up the recorder and, without a word, pressed the stop key. Lex watched the entire proceedings silently, his eyes staying on his old friend the entire time. It was only when the recorder was to the point of falling from Clark’s grip that he put his own hands out and took the device. Lex gave Lois one meaningful look before retracting the tiny cassette from inside.

She didn’t object as he snapped it cleanly in half.

“I’m going to finish now.”

“Then finish it.”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

They had to wait until after breakfast until any of their plans were put into action; the handcuffs would have only held them back. So it was when the third guard came in that Chloe showed him her raw flesh and asked quietly for them to be taken off. At first they thought the request would be ignored, throwing them back to the drawing board, but the man had at last shook his head and done what she’d asked. Chloe had smiled wryly at him and told him to count the small blessings.

He’d smiled slightly in return and began counting their weapons again.

The plan was to wait until after their last visit with Lionel; it would be of no use to escape when he was so close with more men surrounding him. The darkening night would play a factor in their favor, as well. Lex could barely contain his energy as he faced off with the other man for one last time as a prisoner. As before, Lionel started off calm, but it soon changed into a simmering rage. He knew Lex would be more stubborn than Chloe, even though the woman had impressed him thus far, but Lionel could only be patient for so long. The last look he gave Lex convinced him that they’d truly chosen the best time to leave their surroundings.

Chloe’s visit had gone uneventfully, he learned later, and it was obvious to her that the guards had refrained from informing their boss of the previous night’s occurrence. It was just as well, because she was enjoying her own daydreams of revenge on the same man. Lex told her that she scared him sometimes. Chloe took that as a compliment.

Through all their waiting and counting down during the day, they never outright discussed their actions the night before. It had happened only once, quietly, but it had healed them both in the smallest of ways. There was no way to lightly confer over something as deep as that.

Tension grew in the room as the hour grew closer. The men were eating. Guard number one was using the bathroom, as expected. Guard number three went to take his break for sleep. Guard number two stayed quiet, his mind obviously on other things. It was when the television was turned on for the late afternoon news that Chloe and Lex traded glances and nodded in agreement. Chloe slipped a hand into her pocket and withdrew two small metal rods. She was in the middle of picking the lock when Lex finally found his voice and asked where she’d found them. It was then that Chloe pointed to a small incision on the sole of her left shoe and whispered, “How do you think I got out the first time?”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

The lock proved harder to manipulate than the first time around, so Chloe took short breaks where she stretched her cramped fingers and pretended to study the metal knob. After sighing a little, she’d go right back to it as Lex shifted next to her. He didn’t want to feel as if their plan was useless from the get go, but even Lex couldn’t deny the wave of relief that went over him when the knob finally turned smoothly under Chloe’s palm. They shared one last look as they stood up and it was only when they were both ready that Chloe opened the door and Lex slipped through, punching in the code for the first alarm.

Breaths were held for those precious few seconds before the steady red light became a flashing green. A grin grew across Chloe’s face as she looked over at Lex, but he’d turned away from her. The look of joy fell as she realized just what he was thinking about. She put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed before turning her attention to the second door. Lex listened intently at the door, the sound of a television program all the louder now. Giving Chloe a thumbs up, she inserted the picks into the second lock. It popped out more easily than the first, surprising them both with its release. Chloe stared at the door with wide eyes for a several seconds before turning to face Lex. Anxiety was written across his face, but he stood, lending out his hand to her.

They were ready.

He opened the door this time, pushing Chloe back and slanting his head over so slightly against the crack, spying out to see where the two guards on duty were. The television blared louder now, coming from his right. As they had hoped, and expected, the guards had put too much trust into the alarm system and had abandoned their post by the door. Lex snaked out one hand and quickly punched in the number on the pad on the wall just outside of their little hideaway. He’d seen it enough times and memorized the shape of it to know that his fingers were exactly where they needed to be.

Chloe pulled at his shirt behind him, urging him to open the door further. Rearranging the little shards in her back pocket, weapons that were becoming more pathetic the more she thought about it, she gently pushed him forward as the door fully opened. They stayed close together, moving slowly and keeping their eyes peeled for any movement. Several feet down the hallway, they came to a turn, moving into another corridor. Picking up the pace, Lex grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her along, looking all around. Chloe muttered instructions to him, telling him of what directions she taken to get out of the building. He’d heard her say them a million times, but was thankful all the same for her soft words.

His heart leapt when he saw the double doors she’d promised would be around just another turn. Freedom lay on the other side. Life lay on the other side. Lex grasped Chloe’s hand tighter, knowing that he wanted her right there with him as he embraced those things.

The returning squeeze never came as a voice shouted from behind them. Chloe threw a horrified glance over her shoulder in time to see the first guard draw out his gun and point it at him. She threw herself on Lex and they both went down as a piece of drywall blasted to pieces near where his head had just been. Dust clouded their faces, but there was just enough visibility for them to both scurry towards the doors as shots rang out over their heads. Bursting through, the night air enveloped them both, advocating every yearning to continue.

Lex had begun to stand when Chloe screamed and scrambled to her feet. The second guard had joined the first and while they’d reduced the firepower to nothing, they were quickly gaining on their prisoners. Their unsaid agreement flew to the forefront as Chloe and Lex began to run into the dense forest behind them.

It was just like she’d told him, limbs snapping against their bodies, the moonlight barely filtering around thick leaves. He even began to feel that feeling that something wasn’t quite right. The knowledge hit him quickly and Lex stopped still, Chloe banging into him from behind. Before she could ask what he was doing, he placed a hand over her mouth and forced her to hunch down. A breeze ruffled the leaves above them, but even through them, he could hear the running steps. His suspicions of a clear path cemented when he heard one man dictate directions to the other. Realization came to Chloe’s eyes without Lex saying a word; it was little wonder that they’d caught her so quickly if they already knew all the shortcuts.

Lex leaned around her and plucked a few of their supplies from her pocket. Pressing them into her hand, he gripped his hands over a few, as well.

The first guard came trampling near them a few minutes later, his loud grunting marking him for their attack. Lex saw Chloe bite her lip and was close to telling her that she needn’t do what she was afraid to, but he never got his chance. When the man appeared behind a few trees to their side, Chloe jumped out at him and violently shoved the sharp end of her wooden stick into his leg. Lex followed closely behind, shoving him down when he screamed out in pain; Chloe took his fallen form for granted, shoving two more sticks into each ankle. There was no way he would be running after them now. Lex took care of the noise by backhanding the guard and punching him twice, successfully rendering him unconscious. Any movements upon wakening were hindered by the braided rope that Lex looped around the man’s wrists.

Quiet overtook them both as they tried to reclaim air into their lungs. Chloe visibly flinched when she saw the blood on her hands, but wiped them off on her pants and quietly asked Lex if he was all right. He tested his fist a couple of times before nodding and resuming their course.

Maybe it was the success of their first attack that had left them a little less alert. Maybe the second guard was just so quiet that he fooled them both. In either case, it only took a split-second for Lex to go flying as the second guard smashed into him just before they entered a clearing in the woods. A scream flew out of Chloe’s throat before she could stop it, but it didn’t stop her from joining the fray. Throwing herself in, she scratched wildly at the man’s skin, barely remembering her little weapons and jamming them wherever she could find bared skin.

Soon, there was more blood than her small attack to account for. It was clear then that Lex had managed to retract his plastic shard and shove it into the man’s stomach. The second guard howled in pain, grasping at his middle to remove it as Chloe began viciously punching the back of his head. The assault came even harder from Lex’s side, something dark driving him from the inside as he thought that this was the man. This was the man who had hurt her.

The punishment was returned in spades.

He barely noted that Chloe had drawn away, something in her hands that glinted from the moon’s beams. She stood to the side and yelled his name right before a shot rang out.

The two men on the floor stilled as Chloe’s breath exploded out of her lungs in shock. Her hands were shaking like mad as Lex kicked off the man he was fighting and stood. Her gaze was pointed to a lump lying on the forest floor several feet away.

The third guard.

“I- I,” Chloe stuttered, the gun in her hand nearly falling from her grip. Lex recognized it as belonging to the man still at his feet. “I… I…”

Lex eased the gun out of her hands, aiming it down at the second guard who laid prone before them. “You had to do it.”

“He had a gun!” Chloe looked up at him, wild-eyed. “He was pointing it at us! I had to, Lex, I had to!”

“I know, Chloe. I saw it,” Lex said evenly, glaring downward. “I saw it.”

“Is he…” she couldn’t finish the question, her mouth flapping uselessly.

“I’ll check in a second,” Lex said all the more calmly. He put his arm out and pushed her backwards. “Get back.”

The second guard started to draw to his knees, blood flowing from various wounds all over his body. Even so, it wasn’t enough to erase the vision branded into Lex’s mind of Chloe’s own injuries. His hand was steady as he raised it to point the muzzle at the other man’s forehead.

“Oh, God,” Chloe whispered. “Lex, don’t. Please, don’t.”

“Yeah, Lex,” the man mocked. “Don’t.”

His answer was the tightening of the grip.

“Lex, please,” Chloe begged.

“Chloe.” Lex didn’t look at her. “Run.”

“What?” Chloe pressed her hands to his arm, but he didn’t relent. “No. Just drop the gun and we’ll go. If you have to… shoot him, do it in the leg. Come on, please, can we just go now?”

Lex’s eyes hardened. “No.”

“We’ll go to the police, we can give them descriptions of how to get here,” Chloe answered, nearly hysterical. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Don’t you understand, Chloe?” Lex spared her a quick glance. “Even now, you aren’t safe. My father has men everywhere. Everywhere.”

“We can hide, right? Until we’re ready-”

“You have to hide,” Lex said, pain evident in his voice. “He won’t kill me. He won’t chance it. But he’ll go after you. He’ll go after Gabe.”

“No, no-no-no-”

“Yes.” Lex said carefully. “That’s why you have to run and you have to run now, Chloe.”

She buried her face into the back of his shoulder. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You have to.”

“No.”

“Do it, Chloe.”

“And leave you to kill him?” Chloe shook her head. “No.”

“Fine,” Lex stepped forward and slammed the pistol against the other man’s temple. His body crumpled against the floor and Lex turned to her. “Now go.”

“Lex,” she whispered. “I can’t.”

“Listen to me,” Lex threw the gun to the side and reached up his hands to cup her face. “Go now. Get Gabe and tell him ‘Alex 89’. He’ll understand. He won’t like it, but he’ll understand.”

“What is it?” Chloe asked desperately.

“It was a plan of escape. We formed it a long time ago in case someone we knew got into a situation like this. It’ll give you both access to new identification and enough money to hide out for a while. Use it.”

“But-”

“Use it,” he whispered fiercely. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers for just a moment before drawing back. “I’ll find you. I promise I’ll find you. But right now you have to run.”

She wanted to stay, he could see it in her eyes. But as always, logic won out. Chloe reached up one last time and kissed him brutally, holding him close. Lex wanted to hold on as much as she did, but went against himself and pushed her away. Just when he thought she would give another argument, Chloe gave him one last glance, turned on her heel and disappeared into the trees on the other side of the clearing.

[bluemoongirl23]

Rant,

I love/hate how you keep us guessing about Chloe. She alive? She dead? Who knows? Not me, but I can't wait to see how this one ends. I may want to throw objects when I find out, but still.....

Blue

[staysixkid]

WHAT... :huh: was that? You can't leave it there! No, you cant! GAH! :wacko:

[hfce]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO :crygreen: you cant stop there......



Hope :tease:

[dsapiro]

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Your going to update really soon, right? RIGHT?

[vardaquareien]

oh sooooo many questions you've left us with! It was wonderfully done!

So is that the last time Lex saw her? Does he know anymore about where she is? Is she alive??? Oh you just keep me wanting more!

[scifichick774]

*shaking*

Man, you got my heart pounding with that one. Just love this fic.

[Blaire023]

how could you do that to me? *sniffles* i thought you actually liked me.

kidding...I LOVED IT! So suspenseful and filled with so many goodies.

I can't wait to find out if she's alive or not. One more chapter right?

*keeps eyes peeled*

~B

[tigerbaby]

I'm not a fan of angst but you've got me hooked.

I have you right up there with scifichick as one of my favourite authors.

Update, update, update!!

[Calliope]

So much tension! :huh: I can't handle it. Update soon!!

[mina murray]

So did Chloe get away? Is she dead? Is she alive? Why is Lex in prison? Will he get out? Oh, the questions...
Great chapter. I really hope she's still hiding somewhere and will show up to get Lex out of there.
Why yes, I'm having a romantic day today. :chlexsign1:

[darlc]

cliffhangers........(wishing that you're not that good at it....you :devil:

pls update soon :angel:

[Val]

I want more! What happened to Chloe??? :crygreen:

[serenitysea]

This is cruel, this is very, very cruel. *mutters under her breath about writers and their stupid cliffhangers*

This whole STORY is a cliffhanger!

There was one line I really liked in the last chapter, "They were the smallest army in the world and possibly the most dangerous."

I might have botched it, but you get the idea.

Keep up the great work!

[Susan S]

Ack! Another cliffhanger. Is Chloe alive? What happened after she ran? Did Lex ever find her? Love the characterizations of Chloe and Lex, very well done. Now update!

Susan S

[lunaluthor]

nooooo you cliffjunkie
I'm down on my knees begging update update update
if you haven't guessed by now I'm not taking thrills that well

[Ranting Idiot]

Hey-hey-hey, calm yourselves down! Sheesh! Ah... cliffhangers are more fun than they should be. This is the first time I've gotten to sit a my computer for a few days, so I'm putting people out of their misery, okay? (!) Thanks bunches for the reviews and tell me what you think about this last installment.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

I know now what shadows can see
There's no point in running 'less you run with me
It's half the distance through the open door
Before you cut me down
Again
Let me introduce you to the end

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

“And Lex Luthor rose out of the ashes like a Phoenix, revealing his form to the world and standing against his father,” Clark muttered under his breath. Lois slowly nodded beside him, moving little in the wooden pew and saying nothing. Clark barely noted her silence, looking all around at the people sitting with them, cameras and pencils ready. “And he’s doing it all over again.”

“He always did have a flair,” Lois conceded after the lack of words weighed heavily between them. The courtroom that they sat in buzzed with excitement. “And now he’s doing it again…”

Her voice trailed away and Clark looked over and saw a thoughtful expression on her face. “What is it?”

Lois didn’t answer for a moment, but the softness of her face was unmistakable. She looked at Clark curiously and simply asked, “Do you miss her?”

“All the time,” Clark whispered. Pain embedded itself on his features. “It wasn’t like we didn’t notice she was gone. I remember Gabe was frantic most of the time. We never thought they were together, though. For Pete’s sake, we thought Lex was dead until he showed up.”

The gentle look in her eyes disappeared in an instant. “So that’s it? You just noticed she was gone?”

“No!” Surprised, Clark shook his head violently. “Believe me, we looked everywhere we could, for ages. People didn’t hear much about it because there was the big hoopla with Lex reappearing, and no one realized that Gabe took off about the same time. One day he was there and the next… It just came to the point where we had to accept that wherever she was, we couldn’t do anything about it.”

“And Lex didn’t say anything?”

“Nothing. Not until now.” Looking as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, Clark slumped in his seat. “We hardly spoke when he came back. There was something… different. Something I just couldn’t place. And because of that, our friendship just… died.”

“Just like you thought Chloe was dead?” He saw the glint in her eye, as if a lioness on the hunt for her prey. She’d never truly directed it to him before, but Clark knew suddenly why so many men broke under Lois Lane’s pressure. “That’s what you thought, wasn’t it? That Chloe died? Why?”

“Because…” Clark spread out his hands. “Because Chloe wouldn’t run away. Even through everything that went bad, Chloe wouldn’t run. She was too strong for that.”

“She ran from Lex.”

“That’s different. You heard him say what happened to her. What happened in Smallville was nothing compared to what Lex said went on.”

“It sounds like you know more than you’re telling, Kent,” Lois’ voice hardened. “Was Luthor telling the truth when he said you were a part of it?”

Clark nodded slightly, not trusting his voice to say it. He looked up and drew his neck taut, as if trying to control his emotions before saying in a small voice, “I hurt her very badly before she left. I was going through something, too, but it didn’t justify the way I’d treated her for so long.”

“What about the research she was doing for Lionel?” Lois waited he’d looked down and caught his eyes. “Do you know what that was all about?”

He visibly bit the inside of cheek before answering, a sure sign that he was about to lie. Lois had expected it anyway. “I have no idea.”

She surprised him by letting the lie pass by without speculation. “And now you know that she’s out there? Really out there and not dead?”

“I don’t know,” Clark said quietly. “But if someone finds her now, it’ll be Lex.”

“If he gets out of here,” Lois pointed out.

Clark looked around the courtroom as Lex was brought in, followed a few minutes later by the jury from behind the judge’s chambers. His voice went flat as he stared at the man he could barely call his friend now. Not after what he’d heard. Not after the years had passed before the truth was revealed. “Believe me, he’ll get out.”

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Pete had been right long ago when he told some guards in a faraway cave that they hated Lionel Luthor as much as he did. It was true nearly a decade later as Lex Luthor was cleared of the murder charge that had left his father dead in his high rise office, a bullet in his chest. Self-defense, the jury believed; even if a few didn’t, they were thankful enough that Lex had gotten rid of Metropolis’ plague for them that they were willing to take that excuse. The courtroom broke out in cheers as the handcuffs were removed from Lex’s wrists and he shook his lawyer’s hand. Cameras clicked all around Clark and Lois as they sat still, flashes harshly lighting their stationary faces. Men and women screamed out questions at the famous Luthor, but he merely shook his head, waved at the crowd and disappeared through a side door.

Lois and Clark rose at the same time, fighting through the throng and exiting the building before nearly everyone else. They grasped their hands together to stay close, but Clark’s stomach jumped when Lois drew close and whispered, “What do you think he’ll do now?”

Clark cleared his throat, “Do what he promised. He’ll find her. There’s nothing standing in his way now.”

The air filled his empty hand as Lois pulled away. Her face expressionless, she ran down the front steps of the courthouse and withdrew her keys to open the car they’d come in. Clark obligingly sat in the passenger seat as Lois took the wheel. Body practically frozen, she zoomed through the traffic leading back to their office. Clark had known her long enough to know she was running after something, but didn’t know what. “Lois, what is it?”

“I have something to show you,” Lois muttered. “I didn’t want to show you before, but I think it’d be a good idea to let you know.”

“All right,” Clark said slowly as they flew past the other cars. They were soon at their offices, the elevators taking them up to their floor. He followed as Lois made haste to her desk, starting up her computer and pulling out a file.

She gave him a firm look before saying, “This isn’t going to make you happy, but you need to know.”

Clark looked uncomfortable, but took his turn at the computer screen, reading what she’d put up for him. As he kept going, his face visibly paled and Lois knew exactly why. He finally choked out the words, “He killed them.”

“Three men found in Wallings Woods, two hundred miles outside of Metropolis, seven years ago,” Lois said briskly. “One died from exposure, the two others died of wounds resulting from gunshots. One man shot,” Lois swallowed quickly, “in the shoulder. That was most likely Chloe’s work. However, while most of the bleeding came from that, a bullet point blank to his heart is what finished him off. The second… execution style, right in the middle of his forehead. The authorities were confused by broken piece of plastic in his stomach.”

Bile rose up into Clark’s throat and he had turn to away and take a few minutes before saying, “He killed those two men. After Chloe ran, Lex killed them. And he just left the last one to die.”

“That’s what it looks like,” Lois said simply, though her eyes betrayed her. Setting her elbows on her desk, she leaned her head into her hands. “It could have been Lionel… but I don’t think so. It just all pieces together.”

“We’ve got to-”

“Got to what, Kent?” She looked up at him, her features haggard. “Tell the cops? These were the scum of the earth, Kent, they’re glad that these men were found dead. This case was buried nearly as quickly as it came up.”

“But we can’t Lex get away with it!”

“That’s the thing,” Lois said heavily. “He already has. I want to believe Lionel Luthor did it. I really do. Even if it wasn’t, part of me wants to justify Lex’s actions after what happened to Chloe.”

“That doesn’t justify killing, Lois. Even Chloe had her chance and she didn’t take it. He said it himself, she was scared to death after shooting that man.” Clark’s voice showed certain strength she hardly heard, “Lex didn’t have the right.”

“I know,” Lois sighed. “I know.”

They fell into silence after Clark pulled a chair close to their desk and they considered the newest revelation. Lois had been uncharacteristically quiet since they’d left Lex at the prison, but Clark was smart enough to avoid pushing her. If there was one person, woman or not, who could tear him apart, it was her. The plans of an exclusive story with Lex Luthor had long ago faded into nothing, now they were only left with the aftermath of his words.

It was with reluctance that Clark stood and said, “I need to call Pete and Lana. They’ll want to know this.”

“Okay,” Lois nodded, but said nothing more. Trying to shake everything off, she turned back to her computer after Clark left, pulling up the others stories that Perry had requested from her. Only a few minutes had passed since Clark had left before the elevators opened with a loud ding and a man with a huge flower arrangement stepped out. Lois stared at him as he walked through the offices, walking straight to her desk and peeking out around the flowers.

“You Lois Lane?”

“Yes, I am,” she answered carefully.

“These are for you, then. Sign here.” He held out a clipboard, which she dutifully signed and handed back to him. “Have a nice day, Miss Lane.”

“Right,” Lois murmured, reaching out and plucking a card from the middle of the arrangement. She opened it slowly and pulled out the note; after reading it, she tucked it into the pocket of her pantsuit. Though there was chatter around her, she kept quiet and stared at the bouquet for a long while before standing. She wrote out a quick note:

Kent, new story coming at me, couldn’t resist. I’ll consider sharing with you later. –Lois

Grabbing her jacket, she threw it on before picking up the arrangement and leaving the Daily Planet.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

Her key slid easily into the lock, clicking open and allowing her to enter. Lois readjusted the vase in her hand before deciding that the flowers would best sit on her kitchen counter for at least a short while. Setting them down, she moved to her living room and sat down on her couch. Her wait did not last very long.

She willed her body not to shake when the voice rang out from behind her, as it came from the general direction of her bedroom, but there was a slight shiver that not even the strongest person could have resisted.

“He’s in love with you. It’s quite obvious.”

Lois stared straight ahead, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her turn to him. “The irony is amazing, don’t you think?”

“I agree completely,” Lex finally moved into her vision, sitting down on the chair opposite her. “Kent was always slow on the uptake.”

“A sad truth that I’ve had to my advantage,” Lois said coolly, leaning back in her seat. She glared at Lex. “I don’t encourage it, though.”

“But how could he control his emotions?” Lex moved forward and played with a lock of her hair. “He was never able to resist those brunettes, especially with names such as yours. Lois Lane. So close to Lana Lang, yet not.”

“I’m not mimicking Lana Lang,” Lois bit out.

“Of course you aren’t,” Lex replied easily. “But you always had too much nostalgia in you to resist even the smallest of tributes to your old life.”

Lois’ face blanched, but she kept staring at him the eye. “What are you doing here, Lex?”

“Doing what I promised, isn’t that obvious?” Lex smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hiding in plain sight… I always did like your style, Chloe.”

“Don’t call me that,” Lois muttered, at last looking away.

“Even Lionel didn’t realize it was you. Every time he mentioned your name, it came with a curse, but it was always concerning your latest stand against him in the Planet. Oh, how he hated you.”

“I’m sure he would have been pleased that the sentiment was returned,” Lois said dryly.

“It’s amazing what plastic surgeons can do with some cash under the table. But from the moment I saw you,” Lex continued quietly. “I knew. I thought it would take years to track you down, but there you were on Kent’s arm a year ago at that blasted charity dinner. It was hard avoiding you.”

“Believe me, I was pulling my own tricks to stay clear of you,” Lois added. She turned her gaze back to him and coldly said, “Is that why Lionel’s dead now?”

“Lionel’s dead because Lionel was stupid enough to pull a gun on his son,” Lex’s voice was unrelenting and completely without shame. “He was responsible for his own actions.”

“What about yours, Lex? What about those men in the woods?” Lois cut through his arrogance. “I know about that, did you expect different? I know that they’re dead.”

“Dead, yes. But at who’s hands? It’s an interesting question.” Lex got up from his seat and sat down next to her, raising a hand to her cheek and stroking it softly as he said, “Look at me and tell me that you weren’t on the edge of your seat as I told our story to Clark.”

“You were playing with him, thinking I was learning everything at the same time he did,” Lois pushed his hand away. “He didn’t deserve to find out like that.”

“Then how? Over dinner at your place, you’d reveal that you were his old friend that had dropped off the face of the earth? That he would open his eyes, finally put two and two together and take joy in that the women he loved were one and the same?” His words were smooth and mocking. “Such a happy ending for Clark Kent. But you can’t tell me that you weren’t satisfied in that room.”

“I wasn’t,” Lois denied hotly.

“You’re lying. I could see it, Lois, I could see the satisfaction when he began to cry.”

“He lost so much. We all lost so much,” Lois tried pulling away, but Lex stopped her.

He whispered into her hear, “We didn’t, Lois. We still have our chance. Chloe doesn’t have to come back, but I’m certainly not letting Lois Lane slip through my fingers.”

They were so close that their breath joined in the few inches that separated them. Lois stared into Lex’s eyes, fighting the demons that were rising again, tormenting her with the decision. They’d lain silent for years, telling her that she would have time to figure it out, but now the time had come and Lois had no idea what to do. Chloe had no idea what to do.

She swallowed hard a couple times as Lex began to lean in to press his lips against hers, but she stopped him. “Lex. Tell me the truth. Who killed those men?”

“Lois, tell me that you don’t want me. Tell me that you want Clark, who’s waiting so eagerly at your fingertips after so many years,” Lex countered.

“I-,” Lois broke off. “I can’t.”

“Then I can’t tell you either.” Lex stopped her from saying anymore by going in one last time and meeting her lips with his. Lois resisted for only a moment before giving in and wrapping her arms around his neck. They pulled closer to one another as they stood, Lois nearly stumbling as she led him to her bedroom.

It didn’t matter that Lex said she needn’t return, for that night Chloe Sullivan came back on her own accord.

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

He found her sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at nowhere in particular. Her naked form tempted him, but he only drew close enough to place his lips against her shoulder. Lex whispered softly to her, but Lois didn’t seem to hear. When it became apparent that she needed her time alone, he threw the covers over himself and fell back into a deep sleep.

Minutes ticked by one by one as Lois and Chloe fought within her. One of them said that it was still Lex. He’d suffered with them, what had been done was done. They could move on together now try their chance at happiness. Once they’d been great together and they could be so again, she insisted.

The other buried her face in her hands and said that Lex Luthor had changed. She said that every time she saw him, a part of Lionel Luthor stared back at her. And she wondered.

It was with a grave heart that she turned and pulled up the covers, sliding her body against Lex’s. The war was still going on, speculating if she was making the right choice, because by returning to him, she may have just been returning to another Luthor prison. And right before she fell asleep, one clear voice spoke out from within her.

Maybe it was time to run again.


The End

*********************************** ~ ***********************************

A/N: Okay, this is the part where people say, "But they're together... how is that an angsty ending?" Well, as much as I love the Chloe=Lois point of view, we have to remember one thing... Lois ends up with Clark. :devil:

Don't hate the writer too much! -Rant

[staysixkid]

Yeah...Chloe...I mean, Lois and Clark might be together, but she still has Lex on the side. :biggrin: That's what matters, and is the only thing I'm concerned with. She'll give in....in time.

Brilliant idea to put the two together. It has been an on going issue with Chlark fans ( :tease: ), but I liked it anyhow.

Maybe it was time to run again.

:ohmy: Heck girl! Don't run! Stay! It's LEX!

Anyhow, I loved, loved, loved, this story...and I am sad to see it end.
Ophelia

[Blaire023]

YAY! I swear I could have burst sab's eardrum while i was reading that last part when the twist came up I was like, "AHHHHHHH YAY!"

i loved this. like i've said to so many fics, i want to marry it and have little ficlets with it.

is that wrong? probably.

thank you thank you thank you.

you are the queen of chlex fic *bows before you*

~B

[dsapiro]

Wow, that was wonderful. And it is an angsty ending, but still kinda happy. Ahhh, so confused. Great job.

[drina]

What a twist at the end. Bravo. :applause:

[scifichick774]

WOOT! Yay for happy endings (at least for the time being). I truly loved this fic and the twist at the end was just great. Now go work on your humor fic...*shoos you with hand*...go on.

[celticangel]

Wow! I loved this story from begining to end. The plot twist at the end was brilliant. I never saw it coming. :worship2: :yay: :worship2:

[bluemoongirl23]

Loved the last line! Way to keep us hanging even when the story is finished! You are amazing, baby. And, I love Chloe's inner turmoil.

Blue

[Val]

OMG what an awesome twist!
Loved your fic and yes cliffhangers can be annoying to us, readers, but finding out sure pays off! :p
Great Job!

[hfce]

Rant not nice :tease: a surprising twist but still not nice. :tease:


Hope

[Ranting Idiot]

Heh heh heh. :devil:

Sorry, Hope, but it had to be done like this. It's angst, come on! Poor Chloe, returning to self-made Luthor prison.

I'm glad that you (well, most) liked the twist, it was a lot of fun planning it out and as one (awesome-awesome-awesome) reader pointed out after re-reading the whole story, there are several hints as to Lois = Chloe. Sometimes it's just the way she reacts to things (in either personality) or mannerisms or actions; it was a ton of fun putting it together and I'm still excited that I got to freak you guys out! HA! Oh, the ego is on the verge of exploding...

Love ya much!
-Rant

[The_Streak]

Wow, that wasn't what I expected. It was good, okay, better than good but I'm a little slow over here.

Streak

[jem]

WOW..... awesome twist... most of em, are good, but youve surpassed the other twists ive read....

ANGSTy thing too....... damn gurl.......

[A-u-r-o-r-a]

that was really good and movie-ish, nice one! ^_^

[lunaluthor]

you caught me off guard brilliant ending dspite of my distaste of Lois Lane :devil:

Loved your story :yay: :ohmy:

[kidkarmina]

Well I definitely did not see that one coming (Chloe = Lois). You are quite right about putting this fic under angst category. Very well written :worship2: and its slight romance was still angsty! Great job :blinkkiss: !

[vardaquareien]

Originally posted by Ranting Idiot@Aug 3 2003, 02:41 PM
...we have to remember one thing... Lois ends up with Clark. :devil:
As long as I ignore this line I love this fic!!! The plot twist was wonderfully done and completely unexpected. It's not often that I don't see a twist coming so very well done! :clap:

I just have to ignore the fact that Lois ends up with Clark and I'm perfectly content. I can happily picture Chloe winning out over Lois and reforming Lex *covers ears to all other suggestions* Gee can you tell I'm not much of an angst person? :biggrin:

[shailafter]

at least she ended up with lex in this story.. and it was a great story! loved it.. :worship2:

[sara_noele]

Chloe = Lois and Lois = Chloe? Wow! Loved the story very much. :yay:

[katspell]

:worship2: :worship2: I must totaly bow down, I completly did not see that coming you :devil: you. Please, write again, I did some :crygreen: over this.

Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
:chlexsign4:

[Hekate]

Wonderful story! By the time of the courtroom scene I figured out the Lois=Chloe scenario but the ending with Lex and her was very well done. It certainly puts a whole new twist on the Lex/Lois/Clark triangle.

[pop55]

Ok, I only have one word for that fic : BRILLANT! sad and strong!! Bravo!

[gina]

Just found this fic and I had to comment on how much I loved it. I was guessing throughout if Chloe was alive or dead but I never saw that twist coming. Up until Lois got the flowers I had no idea she was Chloe. That was an awesomely executed twist! I even went back and reread and saw signs that I had missed of Chloe as Lois in the earlier chapters.

I also particularly liked the irony at the end, how Clark is in love with Lois without realizing that she's really Chloe and has been beside him for all that time, and in contrast, Lex could tell Lois' true identity when he first saw her.

:yay:

[moultipass1]

This is the third time I've read this story, and I can't remember why I never gave you feedback before.
Anyway, this is a great fic, maybe even one of my favourites, even though it's angsty and I usually don't like that. Too depressing.
But this one's really wonderful... and I know by now that Loïs is actually Chloe, but I'm always surprised! :)
Lex is so... Lexish it's almost scary!
Really love it!

Moultipass

[Donutte]

Ok, I sooo enjoyed this fanfic! It's definitely in my top 10 (and I've read many)! Everytime I thought one thing would happen, the opposite would happen... And the cliffhangers, as annoying as they would have been had I read this when it was first posted, totally add to the story... Kudos!!


Donutte

[starmoon]

that was great maybe you could make a sequel that would be cool but i still love your story the way it is.

[arkakitty]

Wow. This was great :)

[trckyrcky]

Wow, I can't believe I never saw this story before. I love the twist in the end.

[Ami Rose]

That was... wow! Amazing writing!