NS Monthly Challenge - #12 September 2010 - "AU challenge" - Entries

Here are the entries for the September fanfiction challenge!

Read them, leave a vote for your favourite, and don't forget to leave some feedback for the authors ;)

Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4

Voting ends October 15th!

Story 1 A Secret Prepossession

It was the way he stood, she decided. There was meaning in the curve of his body. Poise. Strength. Something missing from the other men in the salon. It was clear that his suit was tailored; fitted for his frame and his alone. The dark suit outlined the natural lines of his body, like a sheath on a weapon. It made him beautiful. It made him…unique. In a sea of counterfeits and replicas, he was unaffected.

A party was in full swing. She was here to celebrate the birth of some little earl who had too much time and money and not enough purpose in life. The celebration was in honor of Clark Kent. They were living in heady times in England. The widowed Queen had never been so popular. The wine and food flowed. Dancers moved to the elegant quartet. It was clear that he had spared no expense for his friend and rival. She’d watched him dance with one of his many admirers. She’d even watched Clark, but his lines were not elegant. They were blunt. Unsophisticated. She desired more than that.

He was dancing again. Lex Luthor was always in fine form and Chloe noticed it. She noticed the way his hand slowly slid down his partner’s arm, almost innocent. Almost. His hand - his beautiful hands - ghosted over her flesh. She could imagine the sensation as if it were over her own skin. She felt the hair rise on her own arm and her breath hitched. He was perfect.

Chloe glanced away from the dancers. She was being watched. “Ah. There.” Clark Kent stood with his father and Lionel Luther. The two older men were in deep conversation. She could tell by the way they invaded each other’s space that, while on the surface friendly, it was a bitter conversation betwixt the two. Their wives were together in another room, being civil in a way their husbands never could.

As she took in Clark’s heated glare, the fleeting thought crossed her mind that perhaps she could settle. Maybe he could be the one. Chloe surreptitiously looked at his hands. Blunt instruments. They were farmer’s hands. The lines of his body held no breeding. He was…common. Chloe dismissed him and glanced away from his gaze. She did manage to catch the frown that marred his features.

Chloe considered wandering off to a quieter place than the great ballroom, but she felt a presence at her back. He cleared his throat. Chloe turned around and feigned surprise.

“My apologies for startling you, Madamoiselle Sullivan,” His voice bespoke the dull edge of his nature, but it was not unpleasant. His clasp of her gloved hand was polite and brief as he kissed it in greeting.

“My Lord, it is my fault. I am remiss in wishing you felicitations,” her voice was slightly breathless. It was what would appeal to a man like him; for her to be weak. He was used to authority and to the regard his looks garnered him. He was not a bad sort. He just wasn’t for her.

Clark cleared his throat again. For a man of his rank, he was far too unassuming. “I noticed you were watching the dance. Would you care to join me?”

She would give offense if she refused, but Chloe could not have his hands on her. His body close to hers. He was wrong.

“My Lord, my chaperone is conversing with Lord Whitten. I would not be a proper lady were I to dance with you.”

His cheeks reddened. A slight tremor of power raced through her. Chloe could have him. It would be easy, but her eyes strayed to Lex Luthor once more and she knew, without doubt, that she would be left unsatisfied with the man standing beside her. As if noticing her regard, Chloe felt Clark’s body still next to her.

She knew he would speak. He had to. “Lady Lang and the Earl of Montrose look very nice together, don’t you think? His Grace has worked on the arrangement for some time now. I hear tale that her aunt is a fierce woman.” He discreetly pointed to the stern woman whose eyes never left the dancing couple. Chloe nodded. Yes, she had heard all about Nell’s demands on Lana’s behalf. Lionel Luthor was a shrewd man, and this match guaranteed Lex a future with an uncomplicated and biddable wife. An existence to avoid at all costs, but would be necessary to cement the Luthor fortune and tame the wild heir.

“Yes, I do think they look nice together. Such a match casts a certain reflection on the Luthor family.” She meant it as an insult, but Clark took it at face value. Why would he not? She projected what she needed to project. A mask worthy of the opera house. Clark interposed his body between her and the dancers. Irritation coursed through her body. He was an oaf and if her standards weren’t so high, she’d crush him.

“My father says that you have recently returned from France. It is beautiful in the winter, is it not?”

Chloe had to play her part so she indulged him for the night. She caught Lex’s eye as he danced into her line of sight. Chloe knew that he had done it on purpose. His eyes held promise. Tonight her wait would be over and Lex Luthor would be hers.

-----------------------------------------

Her back hit the brick wall roughly. She sensed that he was in no mood to play this night. He would not be denied. Not again. Chloe smiled as his lips found hers.

Lex’s voice was a refined, bass rumble in desire. “My thoughts have been only for you. Even now your father works to arrange a marriage between you and Clark. But I will have you first.”

She enjoyed his possessive nature. It made their acts far more intimate. His desire for her matched hers for him. It filled her with a sense of power. Lana Lang would never have the parts of him that she would have after tonight was done. His hand reached under her skirts to grab her bare thigh. Chloe pushed him away and broke the kiss, “You were not seen, were you? We cannot be seen together.”

His frustrated sigh spoke volumes, but she had to know. Chloe was a proper lady and could not be marred by the night’s events. He removed his hand from her thigh and framed her face with his hands. “Beloved Chloe, I would do nothing to lessen your beauty. I would have memory of you, as you are, forever. This you must know. I was not seen.”

Chloe smiled and placed a kiss upon his palm. His kiss was as gentle as the first time he had ever kissed her. She did not have to feign breathlessness. “I know, but I must be certain. Surely you must understand my caution? Your reputation is assured. Paid for by the substantial coffers your title conveys. I would not survive such a scandal.”

Lex’s thumb stroked her lips and he kissed her forehead. “I understand the need for discretion, which is why I have procured for us a secluded peasant’s lodging. It has been abandoned for many years, but I have taken time to prepare it for you.”

“Then it is time.” Her smile was one of triumph if not contentment. Her contentment would come later.

His answering smile and the light that entered his eyes could only be described as desire. It was almost inhuman in its intensity. Lex Luthor was a beautiful devil. His eyes never left hers as he kissed her left hand above the place where her future husband would place his ring.

“If I could but change fate itself, I would never see this hand wearing any other’s ring. You are right. It is time.”

--------------------------------

Chloe was in the sitting room with her chaperone when the messenger came. She smiled when her father rushed from their home to parts unknown. He stayed out well into the evening, while she again found comfort in the sitting room. His voice echoed down the hallway to her eager ears.

“Yes. A tragedy. Surely, the authorities will find the fiend.”

The disembodied voice of Jonathan Kent answered her father. There was a hint of false sincerity, but by and large, there was horror. “This is not the first. In truth, I fear for my own son. To be found in such a manner. Horribly mangled. This will be a priority. It must be.”

Chloe could imagine the confusion on their faces and the head shake that would accompany such words.

Her father sighed. “Lionel is devastated. His mother…I fear the woman may not recover. To lose a son such as Alexander to a beast. There can be no time lost.”

The Duke of Grafton’s voice was soft, but now he felt a vague sense of fear. Chloe could feel it.

“Whitechapel will never be the same.”

Story 2 An Unsuitable Match


A tap on her shoulder had Miss Chloe Sullivan fuming again in an instant; she was sure her father was going to once again beg her to be sweet and kind to the gentleman at this lavish ball. It was by no means her idea of an evening well spent, and she intended to tell him so one more time in the hopes her words might sink in.

“Father, you will forgive me, but as I’ve already stated, I am not willing to throw myself at rich and powerful men in the hope they’ll take pity on the poor unfortunate girl and marry me for your sake” she snapped without ever turning around.

“I think if I were your father, Miss Sullivan, I would not try to force you after such a speech” said a voice that was most definitely not Mr Sullivan’s own.

Chloe closed her eyes and forced down the blush that rose in her cheeks as the man she had inadvertently slighted walked around her chair and stood beside her, surveying the scene before them.

“Mr Luthor” she forced a polite smile as she glanced up at him, “I apologise, had I known it was you, I would never...”

He waved away her concerns in an instant, apparently more amused than offended. Chloe wasn’t so sure she wanted Lord Luthor’s son to find her amusing or in any way entertaining or attractive. After all, she knew Alexander’s reputation - charming women into submission with ease and not caring much for whom he hurt, at least that was the rumour. She heard a lot of talk, moving as she did quite easily between both the upper and lower circles of society. It came easily to the daughter of a tradesman, elevated to a slightly higher status by his promotion in now working for the Luthor family. It meant Chloe had met Alexander before, but knew much more of him by reputation than actual conversation. They were never given the opportunity to get properly acquainted; his father and similar people who considered themselves better than everybody else never allowed such a thing. This worried Chloe not a jot as she was about to explain just the moment she was asked.

“I wonder, Miss Sullivan, why you allowed yourself to be coerced into coming here when you clearly have no interest in the event?” Alexander asked with a barely concealed smirk, almost as if he knew he were setting up a rant to end all rants and liking the fact immensely.
“I do not object to the party, Mr Luthor” she told him easily, “Watching the people here is entertaining in and of itself, but my father wishes me to be much more than a spectator” she sighed, “He would have me pushing my virtues at any rich man that so much as smiled my way. I will not be a trophy wife or any man’s charity case” she said, sticking out her chin.

“Your morals and standards do you credit, Miss Sullivan” Alexander assured her, “but it is my understanding that ladies such as yourself might struggle to cope in the world without the aid of a husband”

A burst of laughter she knew she should have hidden escaped Chloe’s lips then. She could hardly believe she was hearing these pompous words from such a man! To suggest she could not support herself as the years progressed; he clearly did not know her at all.

“I shall make my own way in the world, Mr Luthor, without causing concern to anybody else” she said smartly, knowing his eyes were on her even as she looked out across the ballroom floor, “Though I find scandal in the way my dear cousin, Miss Lane, is hanging on Mr Queen’s every word, and how many a young lady is practically throwing themselves into the arms of Mr Wayne, they would all find disgrace in the fact that I wish to have a profession of my own” she said, glancing up at him, “I am a writer, Mr Luthor, and proud of that fact”

“A writer?” Alexander echoed her words, though the amusement she expected to see in his features was now all but gone.

He almost looked impressed, and that was surprising in itself to Chloe. So often, her talk of having a career over being a wife and mother led to much shock and consternation. Her father quite despaired of her plans to make her own way in the world, convinced as he was that such a thing could never make her happy nor rich.

Their eyes now locked together, Alexander was quite transfixed and entirely oblivious to the world around him. So many young women here tonight, and at every ball or party he was to attend at his father’s command, were insipid and too eager to please. They had no opinions of their own and no ambition but to snare a rich husband to keep them in good stead all their years. It sickened Alexander to be amongst these people, to not meet one person who could be genuine and real, excited by their own life and ambition, and not just falling over themselves to agree with him.

“Alexander!” his name finally met his ears on the third attempt and he turned away from Miss Sullivan’s hypnotising gaze to see his father glowering at him, “What are you doing over here, son?” Lord Luthor asked crossly, paying no attention at all to the young lady, “I have just been speaking with Lady Potter; she tells me you have not yet asked Miss Lang to dance”

“My apologies, father” Alexander duly apologised, “but I’m afraid my sampling the delights of Miss Lang’s company will have to be postponed” he said with a hint of a smile that could not be helped as he offered Chloe his arm, “Miss Sullivan and I shall be dancing the next together” he explained, as his eyes met hers once again, practically begging her to agree.

“Yes, indeed” she agreed immediately, not entirely sure why she was doing so.

Alexander Luthor was different to all the other eligible bachelors, or so it appeared to Chloe. He almost seemed as rebellious as she was, as eager to disobey his father’s instructions as she tended to be. Whether he had any real reasons for such misbehaviour or he just liked to be the thorn in his father’s side, she hadn’t the slightest clue, but trying to find out would make this evening all the more amusing and agreeable to her.
“Have no fear, Miss Sullivan” he whispered to her as he led her to the centre of the room in preparation for the dance, “This is only a means to an ends, and in no way a proposal”

“Just as well, Mr Luthor” she smiled, eyes dancing with fun, “If you did ask, I should only refuse”

Alexander did believe her, but was still certain that he would change her mind before too long. The strangest thing was that Chloe already knew, despite her impassioned speeches to the contrary, she may yet allow herself to be persuaded too.

- The End -

Story 3 WALLFLOWER

Her dad used to call her his flower; vibrant as a sunflower, prickly as a thistle, fragile as a poppy, beaming to the world and secretly waiting to be picked. She used to bloom towards the sun, the young man she dreamt one day would look at her and finally see her. And now she’s just turned one-and-twenty and another spring has gone by. Another year standing on the sidelines , wondering if being a wallflower is all she’s ever meant to be, begrudging the opposite sex the freedom her gender has been denied. She wishes she could erase pity with outrage if only to feel alive.

He enters the crowded ballroom escorting his mother, resigned to spending yet another boring soirée accosted by debutantes and their ambitious mammas eager to marry their daughters off and secure a seat in the Luthor box for the following theatre season. He hates feeling like a thoroughbred being auctioned at Tattersalls and looks at the parade in front of him with a cynical and bored eye. If he didn’t love his mother the way he does, he wouldn’t have stepped into his father’s shoes for the night. She’s the only reason Lex’s stayed in Metropolis when he could be roaming the world, living his own life- one chosen by him, away from his Dad.

Their arrival is accompanied by the ubiquitous hushed whispers provoked by the obsequious reverence for money and power- privileges he enjoys and resents in equal measure since they put a veil in front of everyone’s eyes. He wishes someone could actually see him and not the wrappings he’s been born into. He fears that day might never arrive, that his body’s destined to be in the spotlight while his soul, his real self, stands on the sidelines forever ignored or misunderstood. He wishes he could break society’s constraints and be who he’s allowed to be in the privacy of his mother’s parlour when his father’s not around to judge him.

From her far-off corner of the room Chloe observes the small commotion near the entrance to the hall. She recognises the beautiful patrician lady as the very same who paid her daddy her last respects one winter rainy morning almost three years ago, and she knows by the excited prattling and giggling around her that it isn’t Lionel Luthor who’s escorting the lady this evening. Chloe has never crossed paths with Lillian’s only son- they simply don’t move in the same circles- but she’s heard a lot about him and knows the brooding young man who’s considered the greatest catch in Metropolis and the most elusive one prefers now the solitude of his study to the social scene he used to favour.

The band begins to play a waltz and Chloe’s attention is once again drawn to the dance floor as some new couples are formed and others come together for a repeat performance. Her cousin smiles at her ready to twirl in the arms of the Queen heir, who’s made it possible for Chloe to attend the ball by graciously extending an invitation which she assumes was exacted by Lois. She loves her eldest cousin for trying to see her happy but giving up a fascinating read and a cup of hot coffee to come today only to see Clark romancing the daughter of prominent Henry Small makes her wish she could have some magical power to vanish into thin air.

One of Lillian’s oldest friends, an attractive and motherly red-haired lady who’s introduced to Lex as Mrs Kent, joins mother and son and engages in a warm chat which quickly puts a little colour back on ailing Lillian’s cheeks. This is Mrs Luthor’s first outing in months after a mild heart attack and seeing her smiling and relaxed manages to subdue the negative mood Lex was in when crossing the threshold; he can actually feel the tense muscles start to uncoil. The evening would be worth it if he could at least help her forget the strains of the mansion and her marriage to Lionel Luthor for a few hours. He tries to cover up his relief when, seeing his attention otherwise engaged, the young women hovering around move towards the floor and start to dance.

Chloe’s eyes roam the room discreetly looking for a story to write. She’s got piles of finished manuscripts she keeps locked away in a lovely oak trunk she inherited from her mum, dreams of the day she’ll open the postbox and find a letter with an enclosed cheque for her first published story. She loves observing people, looking beyond their masks, seeing who they’re inside. Martha enters her field of vision, and Chloe has her first look at the Luthor heir. Lillian smiles and laughs mirthfully at something Jonathan Kent’s widow says, and the young woman gets momentarily mesmerised when Lionel’s first-born lets his mask slip for a brief moment. She wonders if her cheeks are blushing as she returns her gaze to the dance floor.

A few minutes into the chat Lex excuses himself and approaches the punch to have two glasses poured for the ladies. He hangs out there a little longer than expected to escape the stifling heat and the asphyxiating assortment of imported perfumes. He makes idle conversation with a former Excelsior classmate he hasn’t seen in a while and, as he turns around with the drinks in his hands, he spots a patch of deep emerald fabric at a distance and overhears a couple of dandies’ scornful remarks punctuated by some ear-grating giggling. A wallflower.

The waltz comes to an end and she applauds the band, pretending she likes to be standing on the fringes, living through others, always ready to lend an understanding ear and find the right comforting words. Lives go on around her and for once she wishes she could be at the centre, the sun around which the others revolve instead of a reliable satellite. She wonders what it’d feel like to be that someone if only for just a moment. And she smiles bravely at her cousin and her beau, anxiously awaiting the next piece to start so that she can slip away to the balcony, alone with her thoughts, away from the room which is determined to clip her wings and has already hung a label around her neck because of her sex.

The first chords of a new waltz sound and Lillian’s blue-grey eyes watch her son’s profile over the rim of her punch glass. She knows how much he’s sacrificing to be with her tonight, how much he loathes to be labelled because of who his father is, how much he yearns to be loved and accepted for who he really is. Lillian shivers at the fleeting thought of leaving him alone with his father, fears what it could do to his sensitive soul, hopes that when the time arrives for her to die he’ll have someone who can see and treasure the real man behind the mask. She follows his gaze across the floor and feels a small flutter in her chest when she reads his intention, wonders how the room will react and smiles.

The milling crowd on the dance floor parts and the surprised murmurs rise when the slighted parties realise Young Mr Luthor won’t break his dancing fast for any of the young debutantes. Leaving both disappointed mammas and insipid schoolgirls behind, he walks purposefully towards the balcony, clearly preferring the flavour of an aromatic cheroot to the romance of an Austrian folk song. Suddenly the voices in the background are silenced when the real purpose of his stride is revealed the minute he veers slightly to the right and, with a graceful bow, stretches out a hand and invites the young woman who’s sat out every dance.

Her eyes are the deepest green he’s ever come across in his twenty-seven years and they look at him as if they could see right into his soul. He can read disbelief in their depths as if she couldn’t believe she’s been singled out and then acceptance when she realises it isn’t pity that has drawn him to her but something deeper, an instinctual identification with what lies underneath- the desire to leave the sidelines and be actually seen. And she lets him take her hand and guide her into the dance and as they waltz and reverse round the hall lost in the moment, all eyes watching them, they’re no longer satellites at last.

THE END

Story 4 The Heart of a King

Comments: King Lex has always striven to have the heart of a king...can he find it again?
Warning: Full Disclaimer has been placed in the fic, as it is loosely based off of The Other Boleyn Girl. I own NOTHING!

Disclaimer: The following story is loosely based on The Other Boleyn Girl (written originally by Philippa Gregory). Full credit to the novel goes to her – full credit for the movie goes to the creators, writers, directors, producers, etc. I own nothing and no infringement's intended.
Disclaimer #2: I have also loosely described England in this time period. It is fictional in all aspects. I mean no infringement whatsoever.
A/N: If anyone recognizes the title, The Heart of a King from the movie The Man in the Iron Mask, it is because originally this was where I heard it. (“You have the heart of a King”) Full credit to it goes to the movie, The Man in the Iron Mask, its creators, writers, directors, producers, etc. I don’t own it, I’m just borrowing it.
Rating: PG: 15

One Parter…

The Heart of a King was supposed to be noble, caring, absolute, and warm. Lex had tried very hard to have his heart be like this. But right then, as he stood against the cold gray stone archway that led to the scaffold and the people, he felt ashamed. His wife that he had bent over backwards to please was about to be beheaded for treason and adultery. May as well go up and tell them all that I’m a lousy excuse of a king, Lex thought hollowly. He didn’t see what she was like, not until he found out what she had done. She was a liar, a harlot, and a bitch and he had been a moron for not seeing what his own mother, Lillian had tried to tell him before he married her.

His beautiful mom sat next to him when he needed her. Lillian Luther, the Dowager Queen, had the prettiest hair. It was thick and fairly long. Her smile and her heart were so accepting, no matter what. She loved him, King, or not. She loved him and he loved her so much. She put her hand on his and said, “I love you, Alexander. You are a wonderful son and a kind, strong King.”

Walking onto the scaffold and feeling the sun on his face, holding a hand over his eyes to see, Lex looked at the executioner named Troy, then at his conniving, lying, anaconda type wife and said, “Get down on your knees.”

Crying, Lana turned and said, “Please, Lex, don’t’ let him behead me.”

Lex looked flatly at her and said, “You asked for this, Lana. You disgraced me by lying about who you really were, making me think you were human, only to find out you were a horrible creature set out to get what you wanted. Even if that means sleeping with the most elusive, antagonistic cretin to ever walk the planet, Clark Kent. You’re going to die Lana.” He motioned with his hand and she moved to her knees.
Troy moved over and yanking her hair back with his hands, he was about to put her hair in a knot when Lex stepped up and said, “Here the Queen likes to wear pink fluffy pony tails in her hair.”

Troy put Lana’s hair in her hair thing and then meanly pushed her head down to the brown wooden object. Looking at the group of people he said, “Lana, Queen of England, is hereby executed.” Then like a man excited to chop a piece of wood, Troy yanked down his axe…
Standing in the back of the crowd, Chloe Sullivan closed her eyes and prayed for her sister’s soul for what she had done, and then opening them, she saw the King. Some Kings who had had that happen to them might have been pleased, felt vindicated, but not King Lex. He looked hollow and miserable.

Two Months Later…

Chloe stayed in the “leafy hamlet” she referred to many times that she had lived in all her life, where she could draw her sketches of neighbors for money and write her stories for fun. It was September 24, technically the beginning of fall. The air felt nice, the sky was blue and Chloe enjoyed sitting on the grass, holding her notebook, and writing with a quill. She was writing about what she wished would happen between her and Lex, using the names Candace and Jacob.

Later that night, Chloe stood outside, looking at the houses and the trees. The sky was illuminated by incredible stars all over the place. She smiled. Suddenly, a gentleman looked at her, his blue eyes standing out. He said, “Chloe. You’re out here too?”

Chloe looked up and seeing Lex she said, “Lex…” She walked to him and said, “What are you doing here…the castle is across the quad.”
Lex smiled and said, “Chloe, being with you, I feel like I have the heart of a king. I didn’t have it with Lana. I have it with you, Chloe, and I want to marry you and be the kind of king that can stand with his wife beside him. I want to make love to you and have many, many children.”
Chloe grinned and said, “Yes. I’ll marry you, Lex. And I’ll be a queen that stands with you.” Slyly she added, “And I’ll make love with you all over the castle and have as many children as I’m able.”

Chloe added, “I love you, Lex. “

Lex smiled largely and moving her chin up he said, “I love you too,” and he kissed her.

The End.

Hooray the voting begins! I better get reading :)

I liked all of them! I think they were well written and I enjoyed reading them. :) Great job guys!

Loved all of the stories from this months challenge. It was truly hard to choose one. I liked different aspects of each story.

I ended up voting for number 2 because of these lines though:

"“Have no fear, Miss Sullivan” he whispered to her as he led her to the centre of the room in preparation for the dance, “This is only a means to an ends, and in no way a proposal”

“Just as well, Mr Luthor” she smiled, eyes dancing with fun, “If you did ask, I should only refuse”

It was such a great Lex and Chloe exchange that I couldn't resist it.

Thanks to the four of you for taking the time to write these and entertain us. Great job everyone. I love going back in time with these two. So many possibilities and such fun to see.

Story 1 A Secret Prepossession

This was a fantastic story, with a great and completely unexpected twist at the end. First of all, I loved the comparative description between Lex and Clark, especially in the context of 18th century society. People in those days used to place a (usually undue) amount of importance on peerage, class and breeding. While most of their judgment was based on nonsense, there is still a romanticized notion of ‘certain people’ inherently showing more class and better breeding than others.

It was rather fun seeing Clark being judged as a ‘farmer’ (the word farmer being a nasty slur) even though he’s technically a lord of some type. It makes sense that a sweet and earnest but unsubtle, indiscrete, clumsy and slightly ham-handed dope like Clark would be deemed ‘unsuitable’ by many of the standards that are held by society’s elite of those times. At the very least, it was very satisfying to see, for once, Chloe looking at Clark, and judging him unworthy of her time and attention. Yayyy!!!

It was even more satisfying to discover that Chloe is currently carrying on an affair with Lord Lex. It figures that Chloe would not be the type of person who would allow her society’s conventional rules dictate her behaviour. Although I have to say that she was taking a HUGE risk with her reputation. Not to mention a huge risk with her body considering that this is the time before reliable birth control :P

It was such a damned SHAME that Lord Lex is apparently formally attached to Lana Lang!! Damnable cowardly Luthor! Can’t HE also defy society’s expectations and actually go for the woman that he actually loved and wanted… rather than settling for a ‘suitable wife’. Pathetic, cowardly, spineless wretch!

The ending was both surprising as well as satisfying. Lex Luthor dying in the end, with a strong hint that Chloe herself was responsible for his death. heeee! Excellent! It appears that she decided that the coward did not deserve to live if he chose to bow to authority and marry Lana Lang rather than go for Chloe openly as well as sordidly and secretly.



Story 2 An Unsuitable Match

LOL! This was a really fun and funny ficlet. Chloe’s and Lex’s introduction alone was really memorable and funny. I was delighted to see that Chloe managed to make quite an impression on Lex from the very first words that she spoke at him. Not only that, but Chloe also managed to convey a very honest and direct impression of her personality from the very beginning of their acquaintance… and Lex was completely enchanted!!!

I was so pleased to see that Chloe continued to be bold, direct and even brash during her entire conversation with Lex. She actually told him, outright, about her father’s obsession with getting her landed as a trophy wife to a rich husband. AND she told him that she’s actually not interested in such a role for her life, thank you very much. I get the feeling that she has NOT been nearly as bold and direct with the other men this evening… but probably saw something in Lex that inspired direct honesty from her. How wonderful!

I was also so pleased with and proud of Lex for NOT giving even the slightest hint of condescension or amusement when Chloe told him about her aspiring plans to become an independently earning writer. He not only took her dreams seriously, but ALSO agreed that she is well capable of fulfilling this dream of hers… no matter what the obstacles in her path.

I loved the way that Lex was enthralled with Chloe’s passion, intelligence and drive… and how Chloe herself was delighted to finally, FINALLY meet a kindred soul who took her seriously!

LOL! It’s only fitting that the end of story summed up how they both were well aware that a marriage between them in only inevitable. Although they both also know that Lex will have to spend some time wooing Chloe properly in order to prove that he can have a place in her life alongside her passion for her writing. Brilliant, sweet story, with a brilliant, sweet ending!



Story 3 WALLFLOWER

I enjoyed the visual metaphor established at the beginning of this story… painting Chloe as a wallflower, and Lex as a ‘thoroughbred stud for sale’. It’s obvious that the two personalities feel stifled, constrained and frustrated with the labels, and the roles that they’ve been trapped in.

The interesting re-mixing of the character was fun to read about. In particular, it was interesting to see how having Lillian alive in Lex’s life made her more ‘human and real’, and therefore more ‘chore’ and source of frustration, rather than the idealized angel that Smallville-Lex tends to paint her as.

The ending was lovely. I liked how it ended on a note of high potential, where you can see Lex and Chloe are kindred souls who have just met with each other… and are just about to embark on their first unforgettable conversation with each other. Fantastic ending!


[B]Story 4 The Heart of a King[/I]

LOL! It’s always fun to see another Lana-torture fic, where another writer exorcizes her frustration with the character, Lana Lang, but putting her through torture and death. Not only was there an execution, but there was also the added humiliation of adding on garish fake pink ponytails on her head just before it was cut off from her body. Ouch! lol!

It would have been nice to have known exactly what was the history between Chloe and King Lex before Lana managed to wrangle her way into the picture. I’ve also read Philppa Gregory’s ‘The other Boleyn
girl’, and I assume that Chloe’s character is based on the character of Mary Boleyn? The sister who loved the king truly, with all her heart, slept with him and gave birth to his son, but was then supplanted by her sister, Anne?

erm.. probably not that ugly a past considering that a happy ending came about fairly quickly, eh? LOL! Nice idea for twisting some stories and myths from history into a fic idea!

These were very fun to read - as I tried to write one myself, but couldn't keep it in the word count, I was really interested in seeing what other folks were able to do with the challenge.

I voted for the first one, as I was very impressed that she was able to construct a narrative (with nuances and plot twists and everything!) and do a fair amount of historical world-building all within 1500 words. When I first started reading, I got hung up on the title - wondering if it was a mispelling and was supposed to be "secret proposition." But when I read the story I figured it out!

The second one had a cool Austenian feel to it, particularly the final snippet of dialogue. The third one used the wallflower trope, which is a feeling most girls can connect to, at least to a certain extent - making it a great way in to a historical story for contemporary readers. And, for the fourth one, I do think the phrase "the heart of a king" has great resonance for Chlex, even within a contemporary setting and certainly in a historical one.

It was almost as much fun for me to figure out who wrote the stories as it was to read them! I think I know three of them, but we'll see when the winner is announced.

Thanks to everyone for writing and entering!