Ghosts of Christmas Past (Secret Fanfiction Santa: Superag) - PG13

[Booksketeer]

A/N: I have to apologize; my two children have been in the hospital, and I have been unable to finish this fic by Christmas as I had hoped, but ultimately I blame superag because despite the open restraints, her one little line of dialog spawned this (at last count) 32-page story... and counting.

It was supposed to be a short story, a short story!

And I haven't even gotten to the prompt yet.

Also, mega kudos to lexie who helped me immensely by beta-ing this story, despite her hectic schedule.







Spoilers: Season 7, bastardized.

Prologue

The Ghosts of Christmas Past


Gabe Sullivan stood in the foyer of his Smallville home, nervously awaiting the return of his daughter.

“Chloe, sweetie, I’m so glad to see you…but I’ve got something very important to tell you.” He wrung his hands, then adjusted the collar of his shirt. “See, baby, I’m so sorry I didn’t take your articles more seriously growing up, because as fate would have it…” He sighed and shook his head. “No, no, no.” He gazed out into the living room for a few moments before turning back to face…his reflection in the hallway mirror.

“Okay, Gabe, you can do this. It’s Chloe. She probably knows more about this meteor infection thing than you do, old boy.” Straightening his shoulders, he tried again. “See, here’s the thing, sweetie- I can see ghosts. No, you don’t have to call the mental ward; my first two weeks away were spent there because I would have rather believed I was going crazy…funny story though, I helped solve a murder! Want to interview your old pop?”

Gabe groaned and buried his head in his hands. How did someone confess something like this? Leaning towards his refection, he said in a creepy tone- “Daddy sees dead people…”

Unbeknownst to him, his daughter had already entered the house; the only thing that held back a heartfelt cry of welcome (and inevitable laughter) was the stressed tone of his voice as he practiced his confession.

“Haley Joel Osment you’re not, but you know I still love you Dad.” She laughed anyways as she tackled her dad in a hug.

“Chloe!” He was startled to find his arms suddenly full, and it took him a moment before he reciprocated her bone-crushing embrace. He pulled back to look at her; it’d been quite a few months that he’d been gone, and his little girl was growing up so fast. She’d been a woman when he’d left, but now a maturity beyond her years shone through, and it made him mourn their time apart all the more.

“Chloe, I’ve got something to tell you…”

She waved him off. “You see dead people, huh? Oh, yeah- you’re definitely giving me an interview.”

Gabe was a little floored. “How can you take this so…so…calmly?” his voice rose a bit with the release of his fears. “I was so worried about telling you, I thought you’d think I was going insane. Hell, I thought I was going insane. I mean, it’s not everyday you run across…someone…” he trailed off at her smug look.

“Did you actually read the Torch when I was in school, dad?”

He blushed. “Of course I did, I-”

“Just thought it was the overactive imagination of a teenage girl?”

“Well, sweetie, you have to admit it’s a difficult thing for anyone to understand-”

She gave him a wicked smile. “You know dad, I am so glad you said that, because as it happens I have a small confession of my own.”

Gabe gave a wry grin; despite how ominous that sounded, he was just happy to be home.

***

“So,” Gabe started around a mouthful of lo mien noodles. “In a nutshell, you probably should have chosen a career in medicine rather than journalism, huh?”

They were sitting side-by-side on the floor, the coffee table covered in Chinese take-out boxes and various movie rental cases. The most important Sullivan heart-to-hearts were often accompanied by all the MSG they could eat and a decent action movie for background ambience.

She laughed and flicked a chunk of sweet and sour chicken at him, which he deftly caught with his chopsticks. He swallowed his food and laughed, waving his sticks. “Your dad’s still got it.”

“Nice try” Chloe replied to his earlier question. “But how would I get past the written test? I doubt ‘touch the leg until the pretty light comes and goes’ is the correct answer to ‘What do you do with a patient that has a broken leg’.”

“You’re a smart girl. Memorize whatever they want you to-then you can just do your ‘mojo’ when you’ve got your own practice. Imagine- you’d be the first doctor in the world with a hundred-percent success rate.”

“And the fact that I’d no longer be chasing down hazardous leads for front page news has nothing to do with your suggestion, does it?”

Gabe put an innocent expression on his face. “Nooooooo, of course not honey. All those near-death experiences growing up have given me a new appreciation for you. Why ever would I want to miss out on that?” his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

He laughed and reached out for another egg roll, missing Chloe’s guilty wince. She hadn’t explained exactly how she healed; and had no intention on him ever finding out. She nudged him and pointed to the screen with her chopsticks, where the hero narrowly escaped an exploding warehouse. “At least I’m not that guy.”

He glanced up, before giving a snort of disbelief. “You were that guy, Chloe.”

“What?! I was not!”

Her father pinned her with a look. “Two words: exploding safe-house.”

Chloe’s mouth gaped open, speechless for the moment before she closed it. She couldn‘t really argue his point. “That’s three words.”

“Two. It’s hyphenated, so it only counts as one word.”

She threw her arms up in defeat. Her dad was one of very few she’d ever conceded to; beside his annoying tendency to be right, she kinda figured she owed him for all she put him through during her childhood. “You win; I give up.”

When she didn’t get a reply, she nudged him with her elbow. “Hello? Earth to dad? Where’s the mocking? Why are you not rubbing it in my face…” Turning to look at him, she realized somewhere in the last few seconds she’d lost his attention. He was staring, at what Chloe didn’t know, because there was nothing…

“Dad!” Gabe jumped when she shouted, and turned apologetically to his daughter.

“I’m sorry, sweetie-”

“There’s one here, isn’t there?”

“What?”

“A ghost. You were staring at a ghost, weren’t you?” She bounced excitedly to her feet. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! This is incredible! Wait-” her voice tempered a bit with her next question. “It’s not anyone I know, is it? Because then it might be a little creepy…”

“No, it’s nothing like that…”

Chloe arched an eyebrow. “My ‘bullshit’ meter is going off, dad.”

“Language, Chloe.”

She huffed and folded her arms, giving him a determined look- and Gabe caved.

“Yes…there is someone else here.”

“A ghost?”

His lips thinned. “I don’t like to use that word.”

Chloe cracked a grin. “Spirit? Specter? Shade? Apparition?”

Gabe sighed. “Chloe…”

“Okay, okay. But get up and introduce me.”

He twisted his head to look up at his daughter. “What?”

She reached down and helped pull him to his feet. “Come on, introduce me. It’ll be neat.”

“But-” he looked from her to a point just beside the table they were sitting at. “You can’t see her-can you?”

“…It’s a her? Good.” Chloe smirked. “For a little while there I was worried it was some guy that would peek in on me while I took a shower.” Gabe ran a hand over his haggard face…and idly wondered what he did to deserve this.

Chloe held an enthusiastic hand out to where she estimated the other woman could be. Her dad sighed and shook his head. “Fine.” Grabbing her outstretched hand, he pulled her forward and seemed to grasp something else…and Chloe felt a coolness on her palm. “There. Chloe, meet-”

She suddenly yanked her hand out of her dad’s hold with a terrified shriek. “Oh, crap! Oh, crap…shit shit shit!” Gabe’s jaw dropped, and he quite forgot to call her on her language.

“Chloe?” her eyes darted from him to the tall, stately red-head that had appeared. She stopped, and took a few calming breaths.

“You didn’t tell me you could do that!”

He looked puzzled. “Do what?”

“That! I can see her!” Chloe pointed a slightly shaky finger.

The woman looked at Gabe. “She can see me?”

“She can talk?”

Gabe looked between the two, incredulous. “You can?”

The ghostly woman gave him a back-handed swat on the chest that passed right through him. “Of course I can talk-you’ve known that for a while.”

“No, I was talking to Chloe-”

“There- she’s right there. Tall, red-haired, pretty ghost girl. Woman.” The woman in question inclined her head in an appreciative gesture.

Chloe took another breath. “Okay. Okay. I can handle this. This…isn’t that bad, actually. Better than an alien parasite in the brain anyways.”

“What?”

Ignoring her father for the time being, she strode forward and held out her hand once more. “Hi, I’m Chloe.”

Giving Gabe a bemused smile, the woman reached out and took her hand. “You can call me Lily.”

Dropping onto the couch, the man looked up to the ceiling in resignation. “Why me?”

Chloe grinned down at him. “Because we live in Smallville, dad.”

Chapter One

The movie had long since ended, and Chloe was sitting on the end of the couch in conversation with their ‘spectral companion’. Gabe had gone back to eating their dinner, studiously attempting to ignore the two women.

“So, my dad- the ghost whisperer.”

“Your father doesn’t really whisper, he whines.”

“Hey!” he protested. “You try having someone walk through a speeding car to talk to you, and see if you don’t have a heart attack.”

“I would just be thankful I was alive ,despite my peculiar talents.”

“You always have to pull the ‘I’m dead’ card, don’t you?”

Chloe cleared her throat and hid a smile. “So…how long have you known my dad?”

“Chloe!” He shook his head. “You make it sound like- sweetie, she’s dead. You do remember that, right?”

The two females were much better at ignoring him when it suited them.

“Well, I have to admit, I think I’m one of the first ones to start following him. So, it’s been not quite two years I would guess.”

“Wow. So, there’s others?”

Lily gave a shrug. “A few. Nobody now, but me, but there have been some that have followed him from town to town.”

Chloe shook her head in amazement. “Why? Nothing against you dad-” she nodded his way “but he’s not the most interesting of guys. Is it just because he can talk to you?”

She laughed. “Well, I don’t know about anyone else- except for that young man that was murdered. I do know he spent quite some time convincing your father to avenge his death.”

“You do know, dad, that having the murder victim come right up to you and tell you who killed him doesn’t actually count as ‘solving’ the case, right?”

Gabe grunted in her general direction.

“So why are you following him?”

She gave a small smile. “I want him to kill me.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open, speechless, and Gabe started choking on his noodles.

“Don’t say it like that!” His eyes watered as he coughed a few more times. He gestured to his daughter. “Explain it to her.”

“Yes, yes please do explain.” Chloe’s eyes darted back and forth between the two.

Lily sighed. “My body is being kept alive, but as you can see,” she motioned to her transparent state. “I’m obviously not in it. It’s very important, more important than he realizes, I think-” she inclined her head toward Chloe’s dad. “That my body is put to rest.”

“Why don’t you just, you know,” she made a walking motion with her fingers. “Get back in it?”

“It would do little good.” She shook her head. “I should have died several years ago of a severely degenerative disease. My body was put into a type of- I don’t know, coma I suppose; and although there is nothing anyone can do, my…family are still holding on.”

“So you want my dad to convince your family to pull the plug?”

“I…” Lily gave her a contemplative look. “I did…”

Gabe’s head snapped up. “Did? Wait a moment, what do you mean by did?” his expression was cautiously optimistic.

Lily’s focus was completely on Chloe now. “You said you have a power as well…”

There was a pause before Chloe’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh.” She bit her lip as she thought it over. “I’ve never tried to heal a disease before-it’s always been flesh wounds. But I- I suppose I can give it a try.”

Gabe looked uncomfortable. “Chloe, I don’t know if I want you flaunting what you can do like that.”

She hid her wince; he didn‘t know how true that was. “This coming from the man that not an hour ago tried to convince me to make a living off my ‘abilities’.”

Her father blushed. “You know I wasn’t really serious. Besides, this is a little different. You can’t just walk into Smallville General and heal a woman that’s been in a coma for over a decade, and not expect some uncomfortable questions to come your way. Especially from the family.”

“At least at the hospital, with so many people security is practically non-existent.”

Lily had an inscrutable look on her face. “I wager you’d have a better chance at convincing my family to simply let you see me than it would for your father to convince them to let me go.”

“You do know I have to touch you for it to work, right?”

Gabe was about to protest again, when Chloe cut him off.

“Well, dad, it makes more sense to try to heal her than to just ‘pull the plug’. If it doesn’t work, then yeah, you see if the family can be convinced to let her go. But we need to try, don’t you think?”

He sighed. “Chloe, I…yes, I guess you’re right. I just don’t feel comfortable dragging you into this.”

“After all that I’ve pulled you into over the years?”

“Children’s prerogative. It’s all a part of being a parent.”

“Yeah, but normal child rearing doesn’t require a training guide from Mission Impossible.”

They laughed while Lily simply watched.

“So…” the red-haired woman began. “Will you try, at least, Chloe?”

“Of course.” The young woman stood and began to collect the various now emptied take-out boxes. “We can swing by the hospital tomorrow; I’ve got a few toys collected here for the toy drive anyways, and I can drop them off at the collection box in the lobby.” Her dad picked up the plastic bag and began to help.

“That does sound like it would be convenient. Unfortunately, I’m not at the hospital.”

The two Sullivans stopped and looked at each other before turning toward their ghostly guest.

Chloe bit her lip. “This sounds like it just got a lot more complicated.”

“Lily?” Gabe questioned.

The woman clasped her hands together. “My husband is the one who won’t let me go. My son…” she shook her head. “He doesn’t even know I’m…technically…alive.”

“How about we get the back story after you tell us where your body actually lies?” Chloe had a bad feeling about this.

“My family owns a manor on the outskirts of Smallville…”

Chloe’s jaw clenched, and she spoke before she could stop herself. “No. Oh hell no.” She whirled around and strode angrily into the kitchen. Gabe stared open-mouthed after her before turning to the other woman.

“Give me a few moments, Lily.”

Following the sound of slamming cupboards, he entered the room to find his hot-tempered daughter searching the cabinets before finally pulling out a garbage bag to dump the remains of their dinner. “Chloe, what is wrong with you? You were gung-ho about trying to help this woman before-”

Throwing the little boxes in the trash, she didn’t even turn to address him. “A manor on the outskirts of Smallville, dad. Stubborn husband that won’t let go… and her name is Lily.” She turned to glare at her dad. “Lily as in, maybe, just maybe, Lillian Luthor.”

Gabe was surprised at the vehemence with which she spoke the woman’s name. “Since when did being a Luthor matter to you? Even after all we‘ve been through with Lionel, you still defended Lex whenever anyone spoke badly of him.”

“Look, dad. There’s something you need to know.” Dropping the garbage bag, she walked over to where he stood and placed her hands on his shoulders. “The one golden rule of being a meteor freak? Is to never, ever let Lex Luthor find out.” Closing her eyes against the memories of what her and Clark uncovered, she couldn’t find the strength to tell her father what had happened to her. But she had to at least warn him. “He’s got this place set up, a lot of them actually.” She opened her eyes, hoping he’d understand how dangerous his former boss had become. “They- he has people taken to these ‘laboratories’ to find out how they work. And why. People like us now, dad.” Dropping her hands, she turned to pick up the trash bag and set it in the can. “Those people generally don’t come back alive.”

“Alexander wouldn’t do that.”

Chloe and Gabe turned to the woman who had just walked through the door. Literally walked through the door.

“I know my son, and he wouldn’t just …hurt people like that.”

“I’m sure he has a whole list of excuses to justify what he does.”

“He’s not like that. I would believe it of Lionel, but not my Lex.”

Chloe bit her lip before she could confess to having solid evidence, something Lillian couldn’t refute. Of all the videos, all the files she could have kept, the only one she saved was hers. And if she couldn’t imagine telling her father, or anyone else, what had happened to her-

“Sweetie,” Gabe started.

“I’m sorry.” Chloe spoke to Lillian. “We’re going to have to agree to disagree on this.” Folding her arms she leaned against the counter, determined.

Gabe shook his head. “I’ve never known you to judge someone based on their family.” he said gently.

“I’m not.”

“Well, it looks as though you’re judging Lily because she turned out to be a Luthor.”

A contrite expression crossed her face. “Dad, I’m not saying I won’t help her- I’m saying I can’t. I can’t go into the Luthor manor. The only reason I’ve gone these past few months was because I’m Lana’s maid of honor, and I had to. She doesn’t need me again until spring, and that’s just before the wedding.”

“Wedding? My son is getting married?”

The two Sullivans looked at each other.

“Yeeah…” Chloe strung out. Looking at her dad, she knew he was remembering as well the last few weddings for the young Luthor that had turned out so disastrous. She shook her head, silently conveying ‘I’m not telling her.’.

Gabe spread his hands, a clear ‘I’m not doing it either.’.

She couldn’t help a small grin. It was nice that after all this time, they still knew each other so well.

Lily was looking back and forth between the two. “What are you not telling me?”

“Ah,-” Chloe started. “I think it’d be a lot easier if there were some things you heard directly from your son.”

“Yes.” Gabe agreed. “Suffice it to say, it’s not the first time he’s gone down this particular aisle, and considering it’s Lana it probably won’t be the last.” At Chloe’s arched eyebrow, he explained. “It’s not that I have anything against Lana, sweetie; I know she’s your friend. She’s just, I don’t know- she seems a little flighty to me when it comes to relationships.”

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, but at least she won’t try to kill him.”

Lily gave her a sharp look. “Are you implying my son‘s previous wife did?”

Glancing at each other once more, Chloe offering a wince, Gabe turned to their ghostly visitor with a sympathetic look. “Chloe’s right; you really need to hear it from Lex himself.”

An uncomfortable silence descended on the group for a moment or two before Chloe coughed. “Well, when do you think would be the best time to break into the mansion?” Her faux-bright smile was trained on Lillian.

Her face lit up, and the specter stepped forward to embrace the blonde woman, causing goose bumps to run up her arms at the sudden drop of temperature.

“Thank you Chloe; you’ve given me something I haven’t had in decades- hope.”

Chloe awkwardly tried to return the gesture, but (not surprisingly) her arms went through the other woman.

“Okay, let’s put a rain check on the hugs until you’re a little more corporeal.”

***

“Should I be worried my daughter already owns a burglar’s outfit?” Chloe looked up from the small pack she was putting together to see her dad standing at the entrance of the living room, hands on his hips and a concerned look on his face.

Even she had to admit, she looked the part of a cat-burglar- dressed as she was from head to toe in loose, comfortable black she knew from past experience she could move quickly and easily in. “Well dad, as a reporter I do have to be able to sneak around quite a bit.”

He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, you should probably be worried.”

Gabe sighed and shook his head. “Just tell me you always have good cause.”

Chloe paused before packing her spare taser beside the electronic key pick. “Of course I do, dad. I’m not a gossip columnist.” She said the last part with great distaste.

He laughed. “Or a thief.” He raised his eyebrows when there was no reply from his daughter, who was inspecting with great care her tool kit. He coughed in an attempt to get her attention. “Or thief, right?”

“Well, daddy…”

Uh oh.

“Remember when you mentioned a ‘good cause’?”

Gabe held up a hand to stall her. “I love you Chloe, but in this instance, I’m going to go with plausible deniability; I don’t need to know anything else.”

She shot him a relieved smile.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

He frowned. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t you wait a bit, maybe do some sort of preliminary investigating, to figure out where you’re going?”

Slinging her small pack onto her shoulders, she shook her head with a wry grin. “Don’t worry so much, dad- this isn’t my first rodeo with this particular horse.”

“Dare I ask-”

“I’m speaking in metaphors; bad metaphors, yes, but- plausible deniability, remember?”

“Ah. I see. So if we get caught and the police ask…”

“You thought I was going to a midnight rodeo.”

“At the Luthor mansion.”

“Hey, they have horses, don’t they?”

Lillian appeared at Gabe’s side. “Yes, we do-but I gathered from comments your father made you yourself are not too fond of them.”

Chloe shook her head, still smiling.

“Let’s go.”

***

Chloe and Gabe met up with Lillian at the gate leading up to the imposing house. The blonde really wanted to know if Lillian could just teleport, or if she floated the way there; and if so, what kind of miles per hour did the ghost get? But despite the bravado she displayed at the Sullivan domain, she knew this plan could so easily fall to pieces, and so her anxiety held her tongue.

She took point, and led her dad (who was still murmuring his doubts) and a ghost (who, much to her amusement, was semi-hiding behind Gabe) to the far side of the manor, where she knew Lex’s study lay. Turning the stone corner, she counted three stained glass windows, stopping at the fourth. Light painted the grass gold and red from the colored panes, and she waited a few beats before beckoning her dad closer.

“I’m pretty sure Lex is in bed with Lana-their room is on the far side of the manor, but I need to make sure no one is in the study. So, give me a boost and I’ll-”

Lillian’s head suddenly popped out of the closed window, startling both Chloe and Gabe. The blonde bit her lip to muffle a shriek, but Gabe having had a few years to become accustomed to such spectral hijinks, merely shook off his surprise and looked to the other woman expectantly.

“There’s no one currently in the room; give me a few moments and I’ll check for security guards.”

“Wow.” Chloe glanced at her dad as she removed a small black box from her tool bag. “You know, you could become one of the best cat-burglars in the world.” She wiggled her finger at him, teasingly, before attaching wires to the miniscule black sensors on the window sill. “You must use your powers for good…”

Gabe grinned and shook his head. “As I watch my one and only daughter break into the richest house in Kansas. Yes, ma’am.”

Lillian appeared once more, this time standing next to Chloe. “There are three guards, and they’re making a round about the house now.”

She nodded. “Okay, they’re on half hour rounds, so when they’re finished, you’ll find them in the kitchen. Wait until they’re all there, and then let me know, and then dad can boost me through the window.”

Gabe and Lillian stared at her, questioning looks on both faces.

She sighed. “Lana was complaining about being woken up by the guard’s tread in the hallways, and made them lengthen their rounds. Then she complained that one of them ate the last of the Oreos, and she just knew it was them because the kitchen is where they go between walks. Happy?”

They looked at one another before Lillian gave a nod and phased back through the wall. Her father looked at her, concerned. “Chloe…you are a reporter, aren’t you?”

“Yes, dad.” she replied in a longsuffering tone.

“It’s just, it seems like you’re entirely too adept at this sort of thing…”

Lillian interrupted them. “Chloe, there are three security men in the kitchen…and your friend is correct; one of them are getting into her cookies.”

“Okay. Let’s get this over with.” Pushing a button on the little box she hooked up, she waited until the light flashed green before sliding the window open as far as she could. “A little help, dad?”

Lacing his fingers together, he gave her a foot hold allowing her to climb over the window sill. She disappeared for a moment before sticking her head back out the window. “I’ll send Lily if we get into any trouble, okay?”

It wasn’t okay; not really. He’d rather be going in there than sit outside, waiting and wondering what was going on. But this plan was the only one to make sense. So Rather than re-voicing doubts and complaints, he nodded. She gave him an encouraging smile before closing the window.

***

Sneaking around the manor was much more difficult at night. Once she left the dim lighting of Lex’s office, she paused for a few moments to let her eyesight adjust before continuing on in the pitch black hallway. Instinct told her the safest way to remain unseen would be to hug the wall; Lillian, however warned her about the scattered side tables on either side of the hallway holding useless, expensive art pieces. Despite having a more-than-reliable guide, her shoulders remained tense, as though at any moment she’d run into another person wandering the halls. Worst-case scenarios tried vainly running through her thoughts; she had to make a conscience effort to clear her mind of all but her task.

Walking down the hallway, she noticed a gradual increase in the lighting-and realized with a sinking feeling their path took them past the well-lighted kitchen. The kitchen that held the lounging guards.

The hallway was wide, with the kitchen itself situated along the far back. Unfortunately, the door was thrown open, illuminating for a few short, crucial feet the corner at which Lillian was beckoning her.

‘I can’t do this. I can’t. There is no way…’ But the nervous, pleading look on the other woman’s face kept her inching toward the bar of light. She could see them; all three men were tall, armed, and appeared to be in top physical shape. But by the way the one sandy-haired man was packing in the Oreos, she figured he wouldn’t be that way for long. One of the men said something, causing all three of them to laugh out loud; she took the chance and darted past.

There were no calls of alarm, no shouts of ‘Intruder’, and slowly Chloe’s heartbeat regained it’s normal tempo.

Then Lillian was gesturing frantically, and the sound of footsteps could be heard down the hall.

And of course, with her luck, they were steadily getting louder.

‘Oh, shit.’

Chapter Two

“Lex…”

“….”

“Leeeex…”

“….”

“Lex!” The sound of his name being whisper/shouted accompanied by a sharp jab to the back had him half awake. Raising his head and blearily reading the time, he allowed his head to flop back down on his pillow with a groan.

“Lana. It’s three a.m. Why are you waking me up?” He bit back the added ‘this time’, because as he had stated, it was three in the morning- not the best time to listen to her whine about his lack of sensitivity. Not that there was a time that was perfect for one of Lana’s lectures, but in the middle of the night was worse for him- especially since he had to be awake in two hours to go to work.

“I can hear them, Lex. And they keep waking me up. Will you do something?”

Lex groaned once more before sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Running a hand over his sleep worn face, he forgot himself for a moment and questioned her.

“Why don’t we just move into one of the bedrooms upstairs, Lana? Then the guards can do their jobs, and we can both sleep peacefully.”

Lana turned so she was facing his back. “I told you; I’m not sleeping in the same room with you that you’ve slept in with one of your other women.”

“There are ten bedrooms in this place, Lana…”

“This bedroom is fine, Lex. I like this one. All the upstairs rooms are too cold, and-”

Ignoring the rest of her sleepy rant he stood and grabbed a plain white shirt from his dresser, not willing to pad through the hallways in nothing but his sleep pants.

He closed the door softly behind him, and made the short trek to the kitchen. At his appearance the guards looked up, apparently just about to get into a card game.

George, a blond man that was a little more congenial than his co-workers, gave a small smile to his weary employer. “Is it Miss Lang again, sir?”

Lex sighed. “She says she can hear you. You might try shutting the door, it should block the sound. Otherwise you’re going to have to find a different place to congregate.” he turned to go, but a thought had him facing them once more.

“Tell me that’s not the last of those things.” he pointed to the blue and white bag the sandy-haired man held. The man in question raised his hands.

“No sir, there’s two more boxes in the pantry.”

“Good.” He turned and shut the door behind him, making his way back to his- their bedroom. A flicker of movement at the corner of his eye stopped him from rounding the corner of the hallway. He stood, still as a statue for over a minute, before deciding his sleep-deprived mind was merely playing tricks on him.

He had taken two steps down the hallway when the unmistakable ‘click’ of a door latch was heard. His head snapped toward the sound; down the western hallway. There was no reason for anyone to be there, as the only rooms worth any mention in that wing was his father’s old study and a now defunct game room. The other four rooms were entirely empty. Lex narrowed his eyes in contemplation before turning around to stride back to the bedroom he shared with his fiancée.

He made his way into the room, quietly retrieving the pistol hidden in his dresser drawer. Lana was finally asleep, or so it seemed; and he didn’t need her asking questions. Fortunately, there wasn’t so much as a sleepy murmur from the young woman in bed, and he gently closed the door behind him before softly treading back toward the far hall.

***

If Chloe thought the guards were enough to worry her, crouching next to a small table in the pitch black hallway while Lex Luthor walked by, she nearly had a panic attack. He was a good ten feet away as he leaned against the doorway, speaking to his employees, and although she knew it didn’t work that way she screwed her eyes shut in the childish belief that if she didn’t see him, he couldn’t see her.

“Chloe?…Chloe…come now, open your eyes, dear.”

Her whole body tensed until her brain registered the female voice, and she opened her eyes to see the comforting face of her ghostly companion.

“The guards are probably going to do another walk about as soon as he leaves; you need to get to the last door on the left hand side of this hallway before that happens.”

If she stopped to think about it, she’d probably have frozen in place until the guards found her; temporarily shoving her doubts to the side she crept from her hiding spot and silently bolted for the door. To her relief, the knob twisted easily under her hand, and she slid inside the room. Gently easing the door closed, a wince crossed her face at the ‘click’ that sounded despite her caution in releasing the knob. She held her breath until Lillian entered a moment later.

“He’s gone, and the guards will soon begin their rounds. I do not think they check each room, but we should err on the side of caution.”

The room was sparsely finished, for all that two walls were covered in hardbound books. A table laid bare near the back wall, and the floor was some sort of hardwood almost completely covered by what might have been an oriental rug; she wasn‘t sure in the near complete darkness of the room. Windows along the far wall allowed light from the quarter moon to shine through, all the more bright for not being filtered through colored glass. Lillian beckoned from beside a tall, stately chair that seemed to almost match the carpet.

“We need to move this chair further into the room.”

“We?” Chloe whispered.

She gave a sheepish grin. “You’ll need to move this chair, to about…here.” She stood almost center of the room. Chloe shook her head, grasped the arms of the chair, and began to pull. It was heavier than it looked, though she was fortunate in that the rug muffled any sound from the legs dragging along the floor. Halfway across, she moved behind the chair to push against it with her back, moving it the final few feet with a sigh of relief.

Lillian was standing at the edge of the rug, nearly pacing with excitement. “Right here, lift this corner back.”

Furrowing her brow in confusion, she did as the woman asked, revealing a metal plate she estimated five feet wide, and maybe a little longer. There was a crest inlaid on the side she didn’t recognize; a stylized ‘V’ surrounded by several stars around the edge. “What in the world?” She looked up at her ghostly companion. “This is insane.”

“I won‘t argue you that.” Running transparent fingers over the ‘V’, she touched the third little star on the end. “Move this piece clockwise until it rests under the point, and you should be able to lift the door.”

“Completely insane.” she muttered again, but did as Lillian instructed. The door was lighter than she expected, considering the size. Looking back at the crumpled rug, she grabbed an end and threw it almost completely over the metal plate, then creaked it open just enough to slide her body inside, smoothing the carpet over the best she could before closing the door.

“Lillian?” If she thought it was dark out there, it was nothing compared to the absolute absence of light in the space she now stood. Figuring it was safe to do so, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small flashlight. She turned, trailing the light over her surroundings, and let out a surprised gasp when she looked to the left to find a thin railing the only thing preventing her from falling to the floor, a good fifty feet down. A flight of stone steps were in front of her, running along the wall gradually leading to the cement floor below.

Chloe carefully climbed down the steps, and looking back she could see her footsteps outlined in the layers of dust that had accumulated. Stepping off onto the floor at last, her beam bounced around the room before settling on some type of hospital bed bolted to ground in the middle of the room. She vaguely wished Clark were there; the empty atmosphere was giving her goosebumps that had nothing to do with ghosts.

“Lillian? Where are you?” Light finally reached the back wall from her flashlight, and she saw her companion standing there. “What are you doing?”

“There’s a wall switch right here that will give you some light.” The red-haired woman seemed a bit subdued now that they’d finally gotten to her resting place. Chloe could understand- it was a bit weird seeing your body lying almost dead, and Lillian had been in a coma for almost two decades. And once she had turned the lights up and could see, Chloe had to cover her mouth to prevent a gasp of horror, although nothing could stop the accompanying chills.

Lillian’s body was hooked up to various equipment and monitors, obviously keeping her alive. But the machines, wires, and even her own body was covered in layer upon layer of dust and grime. Walking up to the side of the bed, she couldn’t wrap her mind around the situation; if Lionel loved his wife so much that he’d spend the time and money to save her life, even when there was no hope, then why was her body so…neglected?

Grabbing a blanket that was folded at the end of the bed, Chloe shook it out, causing dust to fly in a veritable cloud around her head, which in turn gave her a fit of coughing. Waving it away the best she could, she used the edge to clear off as much dust from Lillian’s body as possible. Gently running the cloth around the other woman’s face, she could barely see breath fogging the respirator over the woman‘s mouth and nose. “Why would he allow this to happen?”

She didn’t realize she’d spoken the question out loud until she received a reply. “Why do you think he would care, Chloe?”

Startled, Chloe glanced up at the spectral form of the woman laying before her. “This-” she waved her hand, gesturing about the room. “This whole setup- he had to love you Lillian, if he couldn’t let you go.”

The ghost sighed. “Your naiveté can be so sweet. He did it for the money.”

Chloe’s face showed her confusion. “What do you mean?”

She gazed down at her own body as she replied. “Lionel isn’t the only one to know I’m alive.” She looked up at Chloe. “My lawyers know as well. I wasn’t…I wasn’t well for a long time. Physically and mentally, and then there was some question as to the medication that was being given me whether it was helping or hindering.”

As much as she liked Lillian, she reaffirmed her vow right then to stay as far away from all Luthors as possible…just as soon as she was done with this mess.

“If I had simply died, over half of our estates and holdings would have immediately gone to Lex; and that includes Lionel’s oh-so-precious Luthorcorp.” she shook her head sadly. “But by keeping me alive, he assures himself his position at the company, his fortune, and he no longer has to worry about the scandal our divorce would have caused.” Chloe’s flashlight fell to the floor as she froze in shock at what the other woman revealed, and saw for the first time Lillian’s face contort into a fierce snarl. “No, instead he gets to play the bereaved widower while literally sitting over the body of his wife.”

Chloe glanced up; imagining Lionel sitting at his desk, working everyday while Lillian lay down here, just gathering dust…it was more than a little sick.

She shook the image out of her head, more determined now than ever to help the woman before her. Pulling off her gloves, she placed them beside the thin body and rubbed her hands together, concentrating on the warmth that was now being pulled from her own body in preparation. No matter how many times she used her abilities, she always reveled in the buildup of power she could feel coursing through her veins and pooling into her hands. If everyone who was infected felt this way, she could understand how some people might become addicts, eventually getting to the point where they didn‘t care who saw them and forgetting completely the consequences of discovery.

It was a little different for her though, because all too soon the next part kicked in.

Laying her hands on Lillian’s shoulders felt like a hit to her gut. Chloe bowed over, trying to instinctively curl up against the onslaught of pain, but her hands were melded to the woman beside her. She gasped for breath but every time she inhaled it felt like a thousand knives slicing her lungs from the inside. Her mouth opened in what would have been a scream if she’d had the air. Chloe felt the cool breeze of ghostly hands as Lillian tried in vain to figure out what was happening.

“Chloe! Chloe, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

She wished she could respond; Lillian sounded genuinely distraught. ‘It’s okay, this is a good thing. This is what should happen.’ Chloe briefly bemoaned the lost opportunity to warn the woman before her body shuddered in another silent scream.

With her pulse pounding in her ears, she didn’t hear the demand to raise her hands that came from behind; even if she had, she couldn’t until the power was through with her. She was finally able to take a breath, allowing the shriek that had been building in her throat to finally let go. But just as the pain from healing began to recede, a new one, searing hot blossomed in her back as the bullet entered her.

Breathing heavily, she looked into the open, aware eyes of the Luthor woman, and gave her a wry grin. Then Chloe grimaced as blood began to leak out of her mouth.

“I hate it when I get shot.”

She remembered sliding to the ground at that point; the next thing she was aware of was standing near the back of the room, watching as the gun fell from Lex Luthor’s suddenly nerveless fingers at the sight of the mother he’d lost almost two decades ago slowly standing before him.

***

By the time Lex had made his way back to the eastern hallway, he had half-convinced himself he was imagining things. Since his engagement to Lana, everyone around the two had been quietly accommodating of their relationship, and it caused an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach, as though waiting for the proverbial ‘other shoe’ to drop. He considered the fact he may have become a bit…not bored, surely, but perhaps he did feel as though something was missing with the absence of what had become routinely occurring conflicts. So he was fully prepared to find nothing amiss as he checked each room of the hallway, chalking his feelings up to being unaccustomed to times of peace.

However, as he opened the door to his father’s old office, his grasp tightened on the pistol in his hand- someone had been in the room. And he doubted very much it was his guards.

Holding the gun steady, he made a cursory check of the curtains and desk, anywhere large enough a person could be hiding. Finding no trace, he turned his attention to the heavy wing backed chair now sitting in the middle of the room. Lex circled the chair, trying to figure out why someone would sneak into an old, empty office just to move a piece of furniture. It’d been a few years since his old man had moved out of the manor, and Lex had wasted no time in scouring the room personally on the off-chance Lionel had left anything of interest behind. If there was something to be found, he would have found it.

Coming to the front of the seat, he cocked his head, thinking. Standing on the chair wouldn’t get anyone anywhere- they’d have to be a good seven feet tall to reach the ceiling. Regardless, he braced a hand on the back of the chair and stood on the seat. A quick glance around the room told him what he assumed it would: nothing. Back down on the floor, he took a few steps back, glancing over to the side of the room he was certain it came from. It was on his third glance that discovered the misshapen bump in the carpet. He figured the leg of the chair most likely pulled the carpet when whoever moved it did so; but being the only other anomaly in the room he strode over and flipped the corner of the rug back with his foot, intending to smooth the carpet down. However, the moonlight filtering into the room glinted on a sliver of metal just under the crease of the rug.

His heartbeat increased, and with a small amount of trepidation, he pulled the corner of the carpet back, almost completely to where the chair now sat; then stared for a moment at the silver plate embedded into the flooring.

How the hell had he missed this?

And who else would know it was there, but his father?

Shit.

Either his father, or someone working for him had come into the room, to get…what, exactly? A safe this size (really, what else could it be?) in such an inconspicuous place…there had to be something inside worth breaking in for. But if that were the case, then why now? Why wouldn’t he have taken it with him, or at least hired someone soon after moving out? Why would he wait so long? Crouching down and tracing the crest emblazoned on the side, he found a hand hold and on a whim pulled up.

He nearly fell backwards when the door swung open with a minimum of effort. Light poured through the opening, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized it wasn’t a safe he’d discovered, but an entire hidden room. And whoever had broken into his house was probably still there.

Carefully, silently, Lex lifted the door the rest of the way, and gently set it against the other side of the floor. Crouching down, he could see nothing but a stone landing, roughly six or seven feet below, and a floor just beyond the railing much further down. Pausing for a moment, he couldn’t hear anything; no voices, no sounds of heavy objects being lifted; nothing. Taking a deep breath, he silently lowered himself into the hole, and dropped down. Lex landed in a crouch, his hand brushing against something small and soft- picking it up, he saw a black knit cap. The surrounding area was covered in dust, but the only dirt on the hat was on the side that had landed on the ground. Although looking around, he realized he didn’t need that confirmation- a figure dressed in solid black stood in the middle of the room, a bright light emanating from a point in front of him. He couldn’t see the figure’s face, but the short blonde hair hanging in waves caused him to mentally change ‘him’ to a ‘her’.

Training his gun on the woman’s back, he eased down the stone steps to the floor below completely unnoticed. His hands tensed around the gun when the woman bowed over suddenly, and he could see beyond the almost blinding light to another figure lying down. Shit. Another meteor freak.

“Hands in the air, now.” he barked out.

He didn’t know what was going on, but if some nameless meteor freak had to break into his home in the dead of night, it couldn’t be good. The woman never responded to his command, and he crept a few feet closer, but stayed far enough away so that if she moved suddenly he was comfortably out of reach. Instead of obeying his orders, she flung her head back with a shriek; and Lex, startled, pulled the trigger.

He couldn’t see the blood from the bullet wound, wasn’t in fact sure it had done any damage until he saw the faint splatter against the floor. The woman gasped, looking into the face of what he could see now was yet another woman on the metal bed she was leaning against; heard her pained, yet still sarcastic remark.

“I hate it when I get shot.”

He dropped his hands. That was no nameless meteor freak; that voice, the blonde hair- he’d just shot Chloe Sullivan. Lex stood in shock, reaction-less even when the woman on the bed sat up, and began to pull the tubes and wires from her body. The last thing to go was the breathing mask, and that’s when the gun fell from his hands entirely. He knew that face.

“Alexander?”

He knew that voice.

She stood, shakily, but not atrophied as she should have been laying down here for…how long?

He swallowed twice before he could speak, the blonde collapsed on the floor completely forgotten.

“Mom?”

Chapter Three

Chloe raced up the stairs, through several walls to the office where outside her dad waited. He was going to kill her when she woke up. She poked her head through the window, and hissed down at Gabe.

“Dad…dad!” He looked up from where he was standing watch. “Chloe?”

“Dad, do me a favor…call Clark for me, okay?”

“Clark? Why Clark? What happened?”

“Nothing that wasn’t supposed to.” Except being shot in the back, she thought. Best to leave that part out if possible. “I got hit with a backlash of sorts…and Clark has experience when it comes to helping me like this.”

“Backlash? What haven’t you told me, young lady?”

Oh, if only he knew…

“Dad, please…I need you to trust me right now. Oh, and don’t freak out, okay?” What she wanted to say was, ‘Don’t put me in the morgue, because it’s creepy when I wake up’ but figured he wouldn’t take that too well.

“Freak out? Chloe, you’re starting to get me worried here-”

She cut him off. “Do you have Clark’s number?”

Gabe glanced down at his phone, and quickly thumbed through the few contacts he had listed.

“Well, I have his home number here but…” he looked up to see his daughter had already left.

He sighed as he finished. “What am I supposed to tell him?”

***

For the moment, Lillian herself ignored the small blonde figure on the floor in favor of her son, finally standing before her. He stood frozen to the spot as she came closer, and for the first time in what felt like forever wrapped her arms around his stiff form. “Oh, Lex…” she breathed.

His arms slowly came up to embrace her, then tightened as he realized she was no figure of his imagination, she was real, alive, and breathing.

And kind of rank smelling, but really- what did he expect after how many years of being dead, or comatose, or whatever the hell had happened before being healed?

Speaking of which…

Lex pulled back to look at the body on the floor. “Chloe-”

Lillian backed out of his arms to turn and look at the other woman. “Oh, dear. Gabe is going to be absolutely furious.”

Lex looked at his mother, an incredulous look on his face. “How do you know her father?” Looking around, he spread his arms out, indicating the room they found themselves in. “What the hell is going on?”

His mother placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t we get out of here first, Lex? It’s a long story, and I’ve been here longer than I care to remember.” He stared into her face for a few beats; still trying to come to terms with his mother standing there beside him before nodding in agreement.

Lex walked over to Chloe’s prone form and crouched over her, placing his fingers on the side of her neck, surprised to find a faint pulse. He dimly registered his mother walking towards the couple on the floor to hover over him, watching. He ran a hand down her back stopping when he felt the frayed edges of the bullet hole in her shirt, his hand instantly soaked in her blood.

“How far do you think the bullet went in? She may just be in shock…”

He un-tucked her shirt from her pants and lifted the hem to find the bullet wound, but a small ’ping’ stopped him short as his eyes traced the path a small bit of metal made as it rolled onto the floor.

“Is that?”

“The bullet.” He picked it up, turning it over. He hit her; he knew he did. His mother echoed his thoughts.

“If you didn’t hit her- where is all this blood coming from?”

Palming the wet piece of metal, he lifted Chloe’s shirt from her back. He attempted to wipe the blood smears from her back with his hand and did little more than move it around; however, if there was a bullet wound there, he would have felt it. Lex looked up as his mother handed him the blanket Chloe had used to wipe his hands.

“I know I shot her…but there’s no wound.”

“Hmm.” Lillian gazed speculatively at the blonde. “Perhaps it’s part of her special ‘talent’.”

Lex raised his eyebrows, silently questioning.

“Later. Right now, I need a hot bath. Oh!” she gave a wince. “Gabe is probably still waiting outside.”

Lex smoothed her shirt down before putting an arm under Chloe’s back and legs, lifting her up. By the time he’d gotten her situated in his arms, Lillian was already halfway up the stairs. He gazed after her before looking down at the unconscious woman he now held, wondering what could have possessed her to give him such a gift.

***

She’d never let on to Clark but sometimes, when her body was healing, she liked to walk around and see what people did when they thought nobody was looking. He didn’t even know she could do that- no one did. She reasoned it didn’t really matter though; when she woke up in her body, the memories of her ghostly state were dim at best, almost dreamlike. But she was pretty sure she’d remember this.

Lex Luthor carried her body back into his office, laying her down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Despite the lateness of the hour, he seemed agitated as he paced back and forth looking from her body to the doorway where his mother had gone to take a shower.

She folded her arms, glaring at him as he made another pass by the couch where her body lay. “Stop looking at me like that. Jerk.”

Of course he couldn’t hear her. But it felt good to say it. It was cathartic; as was watching him shake off a brief moment of chills every time she got mad and tried to choke him with her ghostly hands.

He jumped a bit when his mother made her appearance in the doorway, hair still wet, and wearing what appeared to be an outfit of Lana’s. He wondered when he’d get used to having her around, and tamped down the urge to simply lock her up in the manor to keep her safe. He still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she wasn’t another delusion, as he was the only one to have seen her so far. He was half tempted to wake Lana up just for confirmation, but there was no way that meeting would go over well so late at night.

Following on Lillian’s heels, however, was one of his security guards who fortunately for Lex, acknowledged his mother with a polite nod before turning to address his employer.

“Mr. Luthor, there’s a Gabe Sullivan and Clark Kent to see you.”

Lex frowned at the last name, but nodded anyways. “Show them in.”

Gabe came striding in first, worry etched on his face until Lillian threw her arms around him with a large smile, and he gave her a distracted, half-hearted grin. Clark came behind him, but paused just inside the room, waiting for what Lex didn’t know.

“Oh, Gabriel, thank you so much!” She pulled back, giving him a look of concern. “But something… something happened to Chloe.”

“Oh, god- is she alright?”

Chloe sighed. There was no easy way to do this. She waved to her dad from her position next to the couch. “Hi, daddy.” she said sheepishly.

Gabe’s eyes widened as he took in the form of his daughter, then her body lying separate from her. He sputtered incoherently for a few moments before pointing at her and responding in the most authoritive voice he could manage.

“Chloe Anne Sullivan, you get back in your body this instant!”

Clark and Lex both looked at him as though he were insane. Lillian looked at him in sympathy.

“Dad, I told you not to freak out, remember?”

“Don’t freak out? Don’t freak out? You’re dead and I’m not supposed to freak out?!”

“Hey, technically I’m not dead- I actually have a pulse this time.”

“THIS TIME?!”

Chloe groaned and Lillian put a comforting hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “Calm down, Gabe; you’re going to have a heart attack.”

Lex’s eyes narrowed at the couple; pieces coming together to slowly form a bigger picture. Clark however, paled when he heard Gabe’s side of the conversation and pushed past him, ignoring Lex’s stance near Chloe’s head to bend over and check her pulse himself. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Clark had seen the after effects of Chloe’s abilities far too often, to be able to recognize with hardly a glance what had happened. Seeing the fit her father was pitching, Clark figured Chloe had left some things out when she confessed her meteor infection. He brushed Gabe’s strange conversation with his catatonic daughter under the rug for the time being; Chloe could explain later. But if she didn’t tell him the cost of her healing powers, he doubted she prepared him for the aftermath.

Which would explain why she had her dad call him.

He ignored the argument that was going on behind him between Gabe, the red-haired woman, and…Chloe? Filing those questions for later, he reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her car key. Tucking it away in his own pocket, he lifted her up off the couch. Her father and the woman next to him stopped arguing and turned towards the young man.

“Clark, what are you doing?”

Still cradling Chloe in his arms, he turned to her dad. “I’m taking her home. I’ve seen her do this before, and I know how to take care of her while she’s…out. That’s why she had you call me.”

Gabe stood for a moment with his mouth open, then turned to stare at a point just to the right of Lex.

“Dad, Clarks’ right. He’s seen me like this more times than I’ll probably ever admit to. I promise, I’ll be fine.”

“So I’m just supposed to stand back and let you go?” he choked out.

Clark gave him an encouraging smile. “She’ll be okay, Mr. Sullivan. I promise.”

When it appeared Gabe was having problems formulating another protest, Lex stepped in. “Don’t you think we should call a doctor? She shouldn’t be moved, Clark. I’ve got a couple of doctors on call that can be here in less than twenty minutes.”

Clark looked at him for the first time, glaring. “I’m sure you do, Lex. But I don’t think they’re the kind Chloe needs right now…or ever, really.”

Lex glared back at him. “Since when does your opinion trump a professional physicians?”

“I’m the only one here who knows what’s going on with her right now; that alone makes me more qualified than any of your ‘doctors’. What’s more is, I see her as a person and not a science project. Can you say the same?”

Lex clenched his hands and reigned in his temper. “I don’t know what you’re implying Clark but-”

“Can it, Lex.” He turned to Gabe. “I’ve got her car key, you want me to drop you off at home?”

Lillian stepped up beside Gabe and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s quite late; or rather, early? I’m sure it wouldn’t be much of a fuss to have him stay in a guest bedroom.” She looked to her son. “Would it?”

A pleasant mask fell over Lex’s face as he replied. “Of course not. He’s more than welcome to stay for as long as he likes. After all, mother, you did promise me quite a story and I can only imagine Gabe can help fill in the blanks.”

Startled, Clark’s gaze flew from Lex to Lillian in shock. Mother? Shaking his head, he figured it would be just one more thing for his blonde friend to explain once she was back in the land of the living. “Mr. Sullivan,” he gave him a quick nod. “Mrs. Luthor, Lex.” He tightened his hold on Chloe and strode out into the hallway.

Chloe stared after him for a moment. “Be careful, dad.” Chloe ghosted a kiss on his cheek and followed.

“Really? You’re really going to tell me to be careful after tonight?” Chloe laughed, and was gone. Gabe bonelessly flopped into an overstuffed chair.

“So,” Lex began. “How long have you been able to see ghosts?”

Chapter Four

Clark walked quietly down the hall towards the front door. Glancing around, he saw no one around who could open the door for him; so re-arranging the blonde he was carrying to one arm, he’d just cracked it open when a soft voice from behind called his name.

“Clark?”

Shoulders stiffening, heart racing, he let go of the door to once again balance Chloe in his arms before turning to the brunette who’d spoken.

“Lana.” his voice was soft, but his eyes were hard. Conflicted, as always when faced with his heart’s desire.

“What are you…is that Chloe? What’s wrong with her?” she took a few steps closer, staring into the face of her unconscious friend. “Is that…blood?”

Clark looked down to find, indeed, a line of blood trickling out of the corner of the blonde’s mouth as her head had fallen back to hang over his arm. Jostling her body he managed to get her head back onto his shoulder. “She, ah, fell. And bit her lip.”

Lana gave him a strange look. “What’s going on?” her voice was hard, demanding; and Clark knew she didn’t believe him. He couldn’t really blame her.

He sighed. He wanted to get out of the house before Chloe lost her pulse; her dad would (completely understandably) be terrified. And being around Lana like this- dressed in a barely-there camisole, knowing she was sharing a bed with Lex, was killing him. “Look, Lana; Chloe will be fine. I’ll make sure of it; but if you want to know what’s going on, you can ask Lex.”

With that parting statement, he pushed the door open and walked out of the manor.

Lana stood in the doorway, watching the dark-haired man walk down the driveway, and out the gate doubtlessly heading toward a car hidden down the road somewhere. She stayed , looking out after him even after he left her view; wondering if things would ever be right between them. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Lana turned back inside the house, fully intending to find her wayward fiancé, and get some answers. She walked down the hallway toward the bedroom to see if he’d come back yet, but stopped when she came to his office. This room was usually closed- but there were lights on in the room which filtered out through a cracked door, as Clark hadn’t closed it entirely when he’d left.

She crept closer, hearing voices; Lex’s unique tone along with another woman’s, having what sounded like…an intimate conversation? Peeking through the small opening, not daring to open the door any further, she saw an attractive woman who looked to be maybe ten years older than Lex himself holding his hand, and speaking to him in a low, warm voice…and was that one of her outfit’s the woman wore? Lana couldn’t hear quite what was said, but it was all too apparent to her what was going on when the woman threw her arms around him, and instead of pushing her away Lex was only too happy to return the embrace.

Lana was numb with shock; sure, she’d heard of his philandering ways, who hadn’t? But he was with her now, engaged even! Why would he do this to her?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the two stood, and she backed up when she saw them start to approach the door. So she heard quite well the next thing her fiancé said.

“You can stay in your old room upstairs; no one has even gone in that wing of the house for years. It might be best if we keep your presence here a secret for now; I’d rather dear old dad not find out until we’ve figured out a way to deal with him.”

Lionel? He should be worried about her, Lana, finding out- his fiancée, not his father. The brunette woman quickly fled down the hallway, slipping into the bedroom and leaning against the door. If he thought she’d sit idly by while he let his mistress move in… Lex obviously thought he could have his cake and eat it too, but he had another thing coming. Unbidden, an image of the tall, broad-shouldered young man carrying her friend and bridesmaid down the drive that night came to her mind.

Two could play this particular game.

She’d check on Chloe tomorrow. And if the intrepid little blonde happened to be at Clarks’ when she went to find her…

***

Chloe woke coughing and spitting blood, gasping for breath between fits. After a few rough moments, she managed to sit somewhat upright; having been lying on her belly on the couch in the Kent barn made it easier on her. Last time she’d been shot, she’d smacked Clark for laying her down on her back causing her to almost die again, from choking. Then she smacked him again for letting her bleed on Martha’s couch.

Her breathing was still a little ragged, and she barely had the strength to sit upright, let alone stand any time soon. Her entire body was cold and racked with violent shivers; her blood hadn’t been circulating long enough for much heat to come of it. So it was with a great deal of gratitude that she snatched the cup of warm water out of Clark’s hand.

“Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up; I heard the phone ring and thought I’d have time to answer it before you came back.”

She waved his apology off as she rinsed her mouth out, spitting into a small bucket he held up to her. He dropped the old, warm flannel (of course) blanket over her shoulders and she smiled in gratitude. Sighing, she flopped her head back against the couch, tucking the blanket around her.

“It’s not a big deal, Clark; after all, I kinda sprung this on you.” She gave him a grin through lips that were still tinged blue when he sat on the other end. “I just didn’t want dad to see me like this, you know?”

Clark didn’t return her smile. “What happened?”

Chloe bit her lip as she considered, then with a faint thought of apology to her dad, she decided on a full disclosure.

“See, here’s the thing; my dad left because he suddenly found out he could see ghosts, and thought he was going crazy. Then, to get them off his back, he started helping them. Lillian- Lex’s mom- was one of them. But when I told dad what I could do, she explained what happened to her and asked me if I could heal her.”

“But Chloe, she was dead for way too long to-”

“Nope. Wasn’t dead at all. Lionel kept her alive so he wouldn’t lose his money to Lex.”

Fortunately, Clark didn‘t follow that line of questioning any further, and just accepted what she told him. “So where did all the blood come from?”

Chloe made a face. “This is the part you’re not going to like.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You mean, I’m supposed to enjoy any of this?”

“Lily said Lex didn’t know about it, but we must have made a mistake somewhere because when I was healing her, he found the room and shot me in the back.”

Clark’s face darkened. “Why am I not surprised?”

“You want to hear the worst part?”

Clark turned an incredulous look on his blonde friend. “What’s worse than you getting shot?”

Chloe shuddered. “I think Lillian has a thing for my dad.”

***

Fifteen minutes later found them sitting at the breakfast table, Mrs. Kent’s famous farmer’s breakfast in front of them both. Martha had given Chloe a welcoming hug when she‘d come downstairs from a much-needed shower- Clark having already ran over to Chloe‘s for a change of clothes, and gave her son a look that said she’d wring the entire story out of him sooner rather than later before setting about feeding them. She’d started on the pancake mix before Clark informed her Chloe had just ‘woken up’; using finger air quotes for emphasis. She’d looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned on her, and she then added potatoes, eggs, bacon and sausage to the counter.

“Thanks Mrs. Kent.” Chloe said, spearing the last sausage from Clark’s plate. “Even if dad knew how hungry I get after…” she trailed off, before giving herself a little shake. “He doesn’t know his way around the kitchen like you do.”

Clark snorted, allowing his small friend get away with her thievery. “Yeah, but now that mom’s a Senator, she never really makes breakfast like this anymore. I think she likes you more than me sometimes.”

Martha gave him a good-natured glare, before playfully throwing her hand towel at him. “All right you two-time to pay up. The dishes are all yours while I go to the grocery store and replace the weeks’ worth of food you two have demolished.”

Chloe blushed, and Clark groaned as he pushed away from the table. Martha dropped a kiss on top of Clark’s head, and Chloe stood to give her a hug before the older woman left.

“Well, let’s get this over with.” Chloe picked the hand towel off Clark’s lap where it had fallen. “You wash, I’ll dry?”

“Why don’t I dry?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Was that rhetorical, or do you really want an answer?”

Clark gave her a puzzled look.

“Your mom told me about the several times you’ve destroyed a plate trying to dry it faster via heat vision. I think it’s safer to let me dry.”

“Hey, if I don’t practice…”

“Hey, if you don’t practice on your mother’s dishes, you’re less likely to get in trouble. Did that ever occur to you?”

Clark grumbled. “It’s not like I haven’t replaced them…” he gave a sigh as he stood and caught the sponge that was thrown his way. “And in my defense, I was just trying to be useful.”

“Well, make yourself useful now and start those bubbles.”

Grinning, he saluted her before walking into the kitchen.

***

Lana pulled up to the Kent family homestead, slightly relieved to see Mrs. Kent’s vehicle missing from the driveway. Stepping out of the sleek Mercedes she walked up the path, up to the door and lightly rapped on the front pane before letting herself into the house, just as she, Chloe and Pete had done for the last few years.

Before she could call out a ‘hello’, the quiet murmur of a female voice entwined with Clark’s low tones had her slowing her steps, quietly trailing the sound until she had just reached the kitchen area they seemed to be emanating from. Looking inside, she breathed a sigh of relief; it was Chloe’s voice she’d heard. She mentally shook her head at herself- she really should have recognized her voice, and over the past couple of years the little blonde had proven time and again she’d never see Clark as a romantic interest. Not anymore, at least. This situation she was going through with Lex had to have been clouding her judgment.

Despite all that, though- she felt an irrational pang of jealousy watching the two banter comfortably back and forth while washing dishes. Before she could feel like more of an intruder, she cleared her throat, startling the two at the sink. Chloe’s hold on the plate in her hand slipped as she whirled around, and she tried twice to catch it but it managed to escape her hold both times. Clark snatched it just before it shattered on the tile.

“Nice catch!”

Clark gave her a wary grin. “Yeah, well if it had broken you’d have told mom it was my fault, so- self preservation tactic.”

Chloe gave an over-dramatic huff. “I’m twenty-one years old, Clark. I’m not afraid of your mom.” She paused, before giving him a bright smile. “But yeah, I would’ve blamed you anyways.” Turning to the brunette girl now before them, she gave a friendly nod. “Hey Lana. What are you up to today?”

“Hey. I saw you a couple days ago, and I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Chloe turned to Clark, mouthing ‘A couple of days?’

He shrugged.

It would have been nice to know sooner that she’d been MIA for more than twenty-four hours. Glancing back at Lana, who was looking from her to Clark, she got the feeling the other girl was less than honest about her true reasons for being there. And by the look she was giving Clark…yeah, it had very little to do with checking up on her.

Slinging the hand towel over Clark’s shoulder, she gave him a brief hug before pulling back, deciding blunt honesty might be the quickest way out of what was fast becoming an uncomfortable, tense atmosphere.

“So, looks like you two need to have a chat. I’m just going to take my keys,” spotting them on the hook near the doorway, she did just that. “And leave you two kids to it.” Having second thoughts, she grabbed the towel from his shoulder and handed it to the startled woman. “You dry. Don’t let him talk you into doing it himself.”

She turned to walk away when Clark snapped out of his stupor. “Chloe-”

Turning back, but still walking toward the door, she cut him off. “Thanks Clark- you have no idea how much you helped out. But I’ll talk to you later.” Waving at the two of them, she slipped out the door, closing it behind her.

Leaning against the house for a moment, she shook her head and hoped they knew what they were doing. She really thought this whole song and dance between the two would be done for now that Lana was getting married- but apparently she was wrong. Shaking her head, she walked over to her car and hopped in before realizing there was only one more thing she had to do-what she’d been putting off all morning.

Meet up with her dad.

She might be twenty-one, living on her own for the past few years and in college; but she was still so grounded.

Chapter Five

Pulling up to the Luthor mansion gate, she had just rolled her window down to talk to the guard when she was automatically let through. Chloe was feeling vaguely creeped out- especially since she knew Lana was gone from the manor that day. She almost turned right back around, but remembering her dad was more than likely still in there, she started driving forward once more.

Pulling up to the doors, she stepped out of the car and strode briskly up the stairs before she could change her mind, a servant ushering her inside just as she knocked. Giving the man a polite grin, she looked up to see Lillian coming down the hallway with a bright smile on her face.

“Chloe!” Pulling the hesitant blonde into her arms, she gave her a warmer welcome she’d ever gotten from anybody under this particular roof. Warily she raised her arms to pat the woman on the back.

“Hi, Mrs. Luthor.”

Pulling back, the woman gave her a mock-glare. “Please, call me Lily.”

“Okay, Lily. Is my dad here? Clark said he didn’t see him at our house so I figured-”

“Oh, he’s here alright. Nearly had to hog-tie him to get him to sit tight- he was so worried about you. As was I, of course.” She led Chloe toward the back of the house. “In fact, I think he’s in the kitchen right now.” Pausing outside the now closed doors Chloe had snuck past, what- was it only two nights ago? She put her hands on the blonde’s shoulders and looked her in the face.

“I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for bringing me back to life. There is nothing I can ever do to repay you; but if there’s anything you ever need, I want you to promise you’ll come to me first. Please.” Smiling, she tucked a stray bit of hair behind Chloe’s ear. “Especially when I saw what it cost you to do so.”

“Yeah…about that. Just how much does my dad know about that part?” She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed.

Lillian arched an eyebrow. “You never told either of us, so I assumed the pain was something you wanted to keep quiet about. However, the only way to satisfactorily explain away your unconscious form was by placing the blame on your abilities; which, I suspect is less of a lie than I first thought. You know you should tell him about it soon, don‘t you think?”

She grimaced.

Lillian shrugged. “Oh well. We’ve kept him waiting long enough I think.” With that, she put a hand to her back and pushed her into the room.

Chloe stumbled into the pristine, white and black kitchen to find her dad sitting at the table, poking at some unidentifiable substance on a plate.

“Well, Lily, I think this one came out a little better, at least-” he looked up to find not his hostess, but his daughter giving him a sheepish grin.

He stumbled from his seat and threw his arms around her, making sure she was solid and alive. Chloe let him hold her for a minute or so before breaking the silence.

“So, I’m probably grounded, aren’t I?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Darn it.”

They both ignored the fact his eyes started leaking slightly. He sighed, pulling back and looking his daughter in the face.

“After a long talk with Lillian, I realize I can’t forbid you from using such a special gift you’ve been given. But really, sweetie; don’t you think you’ve given me enough heart attacks for one lifetime?”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want me hiding it from you if I go ghostie again.”

He laughed, and wiped away the remaining tears on his face. “That’s part of it too.” Guiding her to the table, they sat down and Gabe gestured to his plate. “I’d offer you breakfast, but-”

“But you’ve never been much of a cook.”

“Actually,” he glanced back at the door, and when he was sure they were alone, he continued. “Lillian made this. This is her third attempt at what was supposed to be breakfast.”

Chloe stared at him in surprise. “Really? Well, that’s- hmm. Not surprising, actually. She’s probably had people to cook for her all her life. You on the other hand have no excuse.”

He laughed again, picking at what could have been either pancakes or eggs- or maybe toast. She honestly didn’t know. Looking into his face, she couldn’t help but feel there was something more to be said.

“Dad- you know there’s something I haven’t told you about my abilities…”

He held up a hand to forestall her. “Chloe, sweetie, I’ve been in a similar position for almost two years now.” He gave her an understanding smile. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready. For now, let’s just eat breakfast, and then go home. We still have the last two ‘Die Hard’s to go through.”

Chloe just managed to hold in a snort of laughter at her dad’s unintentional pun. “I’m not hungry.” Looking at his plate once more, she grimaced. “Really.”

Lillian swept through the doorway in time to hear Chloe’s last statement. “Is my cooking really that bad?” Taking another look at Gabe’s plate, she made a face. “It is, isn’t it? Oh well. I have an order coming in from town; they’ll be here in another hour or so. It’s from this little place in Metropolis that used to have the best-”

“Actually, Lily, I’ve already eaten breakfast this morning. I just came by to see how you were doing, and to pick up my dad.”

“Oh, but I’ve ordered plenty to go around…”

Gabe looked up at Lily with a smile before turning to Chloe. “Well, honey- it’d be a shame to waste it after she went through the trouble of ordering for us.”

She was half tempted to point to his plate and use the same logic; but looking between the red-haired woman and her dad, she realized with an unsettled feeling that her dad seemed to want to stay…and she feared it wasn’t merely for breakfast. But that wasn’t a conversation for here and now.

Standing, giving her dad a smile that, if it wasn’t one hundred percent, who could blame her? “Alright dad. I haven’t been back home yet, and I just want to go relax for a bit in my own bed today.”

Gabe looked concerned. “Is everything okay? You’re not still hurt, are you?”

“You don’t have to go home, dear- I’m sure it would be fine for you to use one of our bedrooms; it’s not like we use them all.”

She addressed her dad first. “I’m fine, dad- and really, Lily, I just want to go home.”

She interrupted any further protest by giving each of them a hug (she really did like Lily) and waved goodbye before walking out of the kitchen.

She counted it a blessing- she figured as she walked down the hall, then through the front doors; that she hadn’t met up with either Lionel or-

Walking outside, she found her luck had run out. For leaning against her car door, arms folded casually was Lex Luthor. She stopped for a moment, gritted her teeth then continued walking towards her car. He straightened as she approached, giving her a quick once-over before she stopped in front of him.

Pasting a clearly fake grin on her face, she said in a saccharine sweet voice “Lex, what a pleasant surprise. Although it’d be a lot more pleasant if you were standing, oh, say another five feet that way?” she pointed away from her car.

He narrowed his eyes in a half-hearted glare at her sarcasm. “Chloe. You’re looking well for being half-dead the last time I saw you.”

Her lips thinned in an un-amused line. “No thanks to you, as I’m sure you know.”

He glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back at her in a brief, uncharacteristically unsure gesture.

“I suppose I should apologize for my behavior that night, but-”

“And I suppose that’s the closest I’m going to get to an apology.”

He gave a strained smile. “Would you accept an apology?”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Would it be genuine?”

Lex’s smile became a little more authentic. “You have no idea what you’ve done if you really need to ask that- and this is one of those rare moments in time that I can use that phrase with you as a good thing.” Keeping his gaze on hers he shoved a hand in his pocket and produced a small white box. “A genuine apology and a gift. One for the record books.” He held the box out towards her.

She took a half step back and eyed the little container warily. She couldn‘t help the sarcasm in her next statement. “Wow, and Christmas is still a whole month away. Lucky me. But really, I shouldn’t- I haven’t even gotten you anything yet.”

His grin widened and he took a step forward, still holding out his offering. “Oh, but you have, Chloe. You’ve given me something nobody else could; my mother.” His smile became a little more mischievous. “Don’t worry, it won’t bite…anymore, anyways.”

He appeared as though he could stand there all day waiting for her to accept his gift. Chloe didn’t have nearly that much patience. Giving him a cautious glance she carefully took the little box from him.

“Okay,” she held the small package up. “I’ve got your gift, you’ve apologized, I accept, now goodbye.” she made a little shooing motion with her other hand.

“If you don’t open it now, I’m afraid you’re going to throw it away once you’re home without even opening it.”

Actually, she had intended on tossing it out the window before she got home. Dammit.

She sighed. “If I open it in front of you and ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over it, will you let me get in my car?”

He laughed. He actually laughed. Just what had happened over the last two days? Unsure of whether or not she should be creeped out by this more…human version of Lex, she broke the little gold ribbon holding the lid and opened the box.

She had half expected a piece of jewelry just from the size and shape of the box. But what was nestled in the foam padding was a small misshapen lump of metal strung on an unremarkable rope chain of white gold. Lifting it from the box, she looked at it quizzically for a moment before understanding dawned.

Shaking her head, she said in a wondering voice bordering on laughter. “You cocky son-of-a-bitch…”

The smirk remained on his face while he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“You know, I might actually keep this. It has to be the most unique gift I’ve ever received;” she gave him an evil grin. “And probably the cheapest one you’ve ever given.”

“I wouldn’t say that-that little piece of lead took your life two days ago. I’d say that makes it quite expensive-and anyways, I gave my father a pair of polar bear toe socks from the local supermarket for Christmas last year. I don’t think I can get any cheaper than that.”

She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing at the image that comment conjured. “You know, seeing you like this, I can almost forget what an evil little man you are.”

If his face was anything to go by, he didn’t find that comment nearly as funny as she did.

“Alright. Thank you, and you’re forgiven for shooting me in the back- wow,” she shook her head in wonder. “Never expected that to ever come out of my mouth. But now that we’re even, can I go home?”

“Even? You think an apology and a trinket makes us even?” Chloe again held a wary look at his reply, but his face was incredulous.

“Look, Lex, all I want right now is for you to drop it. I don’t want you owing me anything.” She put a hand on his arm and tried to shove him away from her car, but he was considerably stronger than her and managed to hold his ground. Bracing a hand on the side of her car, he put another on the other side of the small blonde, effectively trapping her against her car.

“I can’t imagine your fiancée would be too happy to see you this close to another woman.”

He gave her a condescending look. “Because you seem to be purposefully ignoring my point, let me spell it out to you- I’m trying to make things right between us.” He snorted. “And Lana appearing at Clark’s house after avoiding me and giving me the silent treatment for two days; I’m sure those two are considerably closer right now than we are.”

They were close enough that their breaths mingled in the air between them. The only way Lana and Clark could be closer is if they were…Chloe glared at him. “Lana isn’t like that. She wouldn’t cheat on anybody, Luthor.”

“Oh?” he replied challengingly. “Would you care to make a wager on that?” he stepped closer, his hips pressed against hers and voice lowered in a soft, seductive tone.

For half a moment, Chloe was tempted. He was warm, and close, and…belonged to Lana. Shaking herself out of whatever hormone induced daze he had her in, she replied in a voice that was much more steady than her nerves.

“If you don’t back away from my personal space, your chances of conceiving with anyone will be nil.”

He laughed, and stepped back a few feet as she’d requested. “You trust your friends that much, then what’s holding you back from making a small bet with me?” he crossed his arms, standing with a smug look on his face.

She snorted. “My common sense.”

“Oh, come on. If you’re so certain of your friend’s loyalty, then it’s practically a free request you’re getting from me. On the other hand, if she’s not…well, I won’t ask for anything you can‘t give.”

She tensed, and sent a vicious glare his way. “If it has anything to do with my infection…”

He interrupted her with an exasperated sigh. “Can we get past that, please?”

Chloe stared at him, dumbfounded. “What? You did not just try to brush kidnapping and immoral experimentation under the rug with not even a ‘uh oh, I did a bad, bad thing. Sorry’.”

“Would it help if I apologized?”

“This is some twisted kind of joke, right?”

“Not that I was going to, mind you-”

“Wow. I’m shocked.” she deadpanned.

“Even you have to admit what I’m doing has invaluable applications-especially with everything you’ve been through with the meteor infected.”

She crossed her arms defiantly. She’d been wanting to have this conversation for a long time-and had already guessed at his reasoning and various excuses. “Yes. Which explains why you assaulted me, a ‘dangerously unbalanced meteor freak’. Oh no, Lex, look out- I might go crazy and heal someone.”

He ran a hand over his frustrated face. “Chloe- it wasn’t personal. And you and I both know there was a bigger evolutionary chance of you gaining a dangerous ability-”

“But I didn’t. And even if I did, you still had no right to decide my future when I hadn’t even done anything wrong.” She turned her back on him to unlock her car door, almost ending the conversation until she thought of something else. Turning back to face him once more, she continued. “And if you’re testing anyone you come across that’s infected, why is it that I suspect you haven’t had yourself tested?”

He looked confused. “Why me?”

“You were at ground zero, Lex. Do you really think you escaped unscathed, after all you’ve seen?”

Lex looked stunned at the question, as if he truly hadn’t had that thought.

“Is that it? Would you forgive me if I put myself through all that I put you through?”

“No! That’s not the point! It’s sick and wrong, Lex. What part of sick and wrong do you not understand?” she threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “Never mind. We’re not going to settle this argument in one day. Right now, I just want to go home.”

Lex put a hand on her door before she could open it. “And our little wager?”

She groaned. “Are you really going to push this?”

He gave her a self-satisfied smirk.

“I’m not saying ‘yes’ until you tell me what you want.”

“If I win…you go on a date with me.”

Chloe gave him an evil look. “You’re getting married to one of my best friends. If I was half the friend I should be, you’d be lying on the ground right now.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You know, that doesn’t sound so bad-”

“In pain.”

He sighed. “I figured. But you don‘t really think, if I catch her sleeping with another man that the wedding would still be on, do you? I‘ve never been that much of a masochist.”

“Wow, the implications in that one statement alone…fine. If Lana and Clark are having sex, I’ll go on a date with you. And does that ever sound wrong…”

“And you?”

“And me what?”

“If Lana is as loyal as you say, and I am wrong- what do you want?”

Oh…the things she could ask for…she wondered idly how far she could push him; but there was something else that weighed heavily on her mind.

“My dad-your mom. You make sure ‘they’ don’t happen.”

Lex gave her a strange look. “What ‘they’?”

“Look. My dad’s the only person Lily’s been able to communicate with for over a year. I’d be surprised if she didn’t form some kind of attachment to him- I just don‘t want it to be a romantic one.”

He looked uncomfortable. “And just how would you propose I do that?”

“In a perfectly safe and legal manner, of course.”

“Funny.”

“I rather thought so.”

“As distasteful as the thought of…‘them’…is, I can’t tell my mom who she can and cannot have a relationship with.”

“Well, since you’re so certain you’re correct, you don’t really have to worry about it, do you?”

He sighed, but gave a half-hearted grin. “I can’t argue with my own reasoning being used against me, now can I?”

Chloe rolled her eyes and opened her door, climbing into the driver’s seat. She had just started the engine when the passenger side door was opened, and Lex slid into the adjoining seat.

“What…what are you doing?”

“We are going to the Kent’s house. If I remember correctly, the wager was ‘right now’, wasn’t it?”

Chloe groaned, letting her head hit the steering wheel for a moment before looking up and pining him with a glare. “Fine. But no matter what happens, you’re finding your own way home, even if you have to walk the entire way. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

***

Ten minutes of silence and Chloe couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why?”

He turned to look at her, curious. “Why what?”

“A month ago…well, let’s be honest-” she gave a self-depreciating grin. “Two days ago you couldn’t have cared less about me.” When he opened his mouth to interject, she held up a hand to forestall him. “As a person, you couldn’t have cared less. So, give me a good reason why you’re all of a sudden so eager to, as you put it, ‘make things right’. And so help me if your entire excuse is the fact I brought your mother back from the dead, I’m kicking you out of the car. And I’m not stopping first.”

He looked amused at her lecture. “Let’s just say, that having had nothing but Lionel’s influence as a young man, I was quite unaccustomed to seeking a relationship for more than…surface qualities. Finally having my mother’s input…well, it’s an understatement to say she was less than pleased with any of my previous attempts at relationships; my ex-wives in particular. Unfortunately, her reasoning was not only sound, but quite common-sense as well. As a result, I’ve been re-thinking some decisions in my life-” he glanced at her. “And realized there’s some bridges that shouldn’t have been burnt.”

“Oh, god. Don’t tell me you’ve taken an interest in me because your mom wants you to.”

He didn’t glare at her, but it was close. “No, Chloe. She’s not dictating my love life, thank you. She merely mentioned having you as an ally would be more useful than as an enemy.”

“Did she really use the word useful?” Her tone of voice said clearly the safest answer would be ‘No’. What his mom had actually said was something along the lines of ‘If that young woman could stand beside you against your father, of all people at sixteen, imagine what she could do for you now at twenty-one. Then ask yourself what that Lana girl has done for you.’ she had snorted in contempt before adding ‘It‘s no wonder your father approved of her-she‘s useless.’ Which, as he had told Chloe, he really should have seen long before now.

He sighed in exasperation. “Not useful, I just-”

“Go ahead. Dig yourself a little deeper, Lex.”

The man in question threw his hands up in defeat. “All I’m saying is I think it’s best in both our interests to at least try to bury the hatchet. After all,” he gave her an evil smirk. “If you’re right about our parents, we may be seeing a lot more of each other.”

Chloe shuddered at the mental image, and decided right then if either Lana, Clark or both had given into their baser desires, she was going to hurt them.

Lex, catching sight of the evil gleam in her eyes, decided it might be wiser to keep his silence the rest of the trip.

[Kit Merlot]

I have to apologize; my two children have been in the hospital, and I have been unable to finish this fic by Christmas as I had hoped, but ultimately I blame superag because despite the open restraints, her one little line of dialog spawned this (at last count) 32-page story... and counting.

This is a great beginning, but more importantly, I hope your kids are feeling better.

[lexie]

A/N: I have to apologize; my two children have been in the hospital, and I have been unable to finish this fic by Christmas as I had hoped

As I told you in my e-mail, I´m relieved all your family´s on the mend.



Also, mega kudos to lexie who helped me immensely by beta-ing this story, despite her hectic schedule.

You`re welcome, Kristine; although the only beta-ing I did (blame it on my schedule) was breaking it up into chapters... and only till the beginning of number 4.

Thanks for letting me have a little peek beforehand. And let me tell you that the continuation of chapter 4, which you must have written after sending the thing to me, was as enjoyable as the rest.

I love the premise and look forward to reading the rest.

A Merry and Healthy Christmas to you and yours.:blinkkiss

[superag]

First, I hope all the family is getting much better and will enjoy the holidays. And no hurry on forcing the story out, although it's so good I may just keep bugging you personally.

Second, the one line that I gave you, I never in a gazillion years would have built something so wonderful and fantastical as this plot around it. I am so looking forward to where the rest of this takes us readers.

I have a bad feeling that Chloe is right about Lily and Gabe. Of course that would put quite a kink in Lex's rethought plans about having Chloe in his life as something other than a step sister.

I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this next. Things are very interesting and could become even more enthralling the next time.

Thank you soooo much!

[MelBee1985]

I'm not done reading, I will tomorrow, but I had to comment.

First, I am very sorry for your kids. I hope they are better now. Hope you'll get a good christmas!! :)

I loved the start and I must say I love how whiny Lana is. Craked me up to see her upset about oreos. And to see Lex so annoyed with her complaints. So I take this is S6. lol I'll definitively be reading the rest soon enough, when I'm not sleepy :D

Have a merry christmas and will be waiting for the rest. ;)

THanks for your participation in the SeSaFic!

[westwingwolf]

I hope your children get better soon.

Very cool to know that Gabe has a gift and it's a helpful one too just like Chloe's. Though Chloe might find the thought of Gabe and Lillian strange, I don't know why she'd be so eager to stop it. That's not very nice. Lex may have done a quick turn around but at least it is in the right direction. I'm so glad Lana got the wrong idea and decided not to confront Lex. I so want Lex to win that bet.

[autumngold]

Wow! What an incredible story! I think that Lex owes Chloe a lot more than the bullet he shot her with on a chain, so I'm really hoping that Lana and Clark are screwing around. Poor Clark, it's sad that I just threw him to the dogs that way. :) What a fabulous beginning to your story! I can't wait to see what happens next. What is Lionel going to do when he finds out? Please post more soon!

[Booksketeer]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes for the kids; in a nutshell, my two year old was in the hospital for a while with pneumonia and two days after he came home I had to take my four year old in because she couldn't stop throwing up after ten hours. She ended up having to have an IV for dehydration and medicine. Yeah...December has never been easy for us. But we've done Christmas tonight at home, and we all had a wonderful time. Thanks again!

[somethingeasy]

This was a fascinating fic that really caught my attention because it’s based on such an interesting, twisted, bizarre and imaginative premise. I don’t know what inspired such a strange story, but I really enjoyed it.

First of all, it was a lot of fun seeing Gabe rehearsing in front of the mirror on the best way to tell his daughter that he was a mutant freak. It was also a great way to introduce the fact that Gabe can see ghosts, and has been able to do so for a considerable amount of time.

I knew who the ghost was the moment I heard the name ‘Lily’… of course who else could it possibly be but Lillian Luthor. Awesome!

It was beyond creepy to find out the reason why Lillian was still technically alive was not because Lionel loved her too much to let her go… but only because he wanted to keep a hold of Lillian’s share of her wealth which was meant to go to Lex upon the event of her death. The sheer magnitude of nasty, malevolent selfishness in this is mind-boggling! *shudder*

It was really entertaining seeing Chloe breaking into Lex’s mansion with such relative ease… and Gabe finding out the practiced expertness with which Chloe can break into strong-holds of all sorts. I was LOL at Gabe’s incredulous, bemused reaction to seeing Chloe actually has a burglar ensemble, LOL!

I enjoyed the scene that took place between Lana and Lex… mostly because it satisfied the Lana-hater within me. It was fun seeing Lex inwardly groaning at Lana’s petulant, demanding whining. It’s a complete mystery on why he’s carrying forward with this wedding if he knows she’s this annoying. It must be that inner-masochist driving him onwards, eh?

I was shocked by the sequence in which Lex shot Chloe! woah! Lex is damned lucky that, if he was going to shoot any innocent person, he happened to shoot Chloe Sullivan. She can heal from gun-shots, and he won’t have to carry the guilt of her death… only the guilt of shooting her and almost killing her.

After the shooting, the plot REALLY seemed to speed up. It seemed like about a hundred, thousand things were happening at once, and I could barely keep up with everything. But it still made for fun reading. Some of my favourite twists included the all the relationships that were suddenly breaking, forming and re-forming in front of me. Lexana seems to be finished (thank heavens), and Chlex seems to be starting up (yayyy!), and even some Chlana action seems on the verge of opening up (meh!).

But the cutest of all these potential relationship is the Lillian/Gabe ‘thing’ that seems to be budding. LOL! Nice idea! It’s going to be fun to see how that develops… and how Chloe, Lex and Lionel react to that!

Hmmm, speaking of Lionel, Lillian might find it a little complicated to pursue a relationship with Gabe considering that she’s still technically married to Lionel Luthor…?

Anyhow, great fic… really bizarre, imaginative plot… really fun! Thanks for posting.

[daria_103]

Great story, it's a very interesting concept, I can't wait to see where you take it. More importantly though, I hope you're children are okay and on the mend!

[hfce]

First I am glad your kids are ok. Second I want more please.. :D

[Ami Rose]

This was great! Too bad it never got finished!