Monthly Fanfiction Challenge #3 - "Kidnapped!" - August 2009 - Winner: lexie

Here's the August crop of submissions and oh how wonderful they are. We are very lucky that so many fine authors have decided to take a stab at entertaining us with Chlex with a side of kidnapping.

So read, comment, and VOTE! Remember that the more that you, the reader, becomes part of these challenges, the more participation we'll get from the writers and the more stories there will be for all of us Chlex lovers. The moment it takes you to vote lingers long in the mind of an author. :)

Voting will be open until 11:59 pm (US pacific time), August 31st.

Good luck to all and happy reading!

Story One
Story Two
Story Three
Story Four
Story Five
Story Six
Story Seven
Story Eight
Story Nine


Let the voting begin! :)

~Sarah~

Story One

TITLE: Tipping the Board
CHALLENGE: August ´09- Challenge #3- Kidnapped
RATING: PG


Lex looked down at the chessboard. It was a perfect game of strategy. It was attacking, defending, retreating, taunting and other things all geared towards victory. Some people fancied themselves as masters of the game, but they didn’t really understand the complexities. There was one immutable fact about chess that everyone occasionally forgot: every piece is ultimately a pawn. The fancy jumping knight, the diagonal bishop, the straight as a line rook, and even the magnificent queen with her freedom to move how she pleased. Some people could never see that.

The room he was in was beautiful. He designed it. Ornate art. An expansive bed. Beautiful doors. He sighed and glanced at the only other thing that made sound in this room, the clock. He would never run out of time.

********

From the moment he finished with her that fateful summer, Lex knew that Chloe was valuable and that he had to have her. She would be his black queen. Chloe would be at his side protecting him. He couldn’t make her his outright. Her value lay in revealing more of Clark. He couldn’t interfere with her. The queen had to be free.

But one such as her would never leave Clark, her white king. She would do as a queen would and protect him. It was a boon that Pete, his knight, left Smallville. Even better when his bishop died and his rook left to fulfill the duties the bishop left behind. Clark was adrift, but he still had his queen. Clark may have viewed the vapid Lana as his queen, but Lex knew better. Lana was and would always only be a pawn.

Lex moved a pawn, LexCorp pharmaceuticals, and then another, Moira Sullivan. The goal was simple: develop a way to control the meteor infected. Of course, that was when he didn’t know the truth about Clark or Chloe, but it worked out even better. He could control Chloe. And he succeeded.

It surprised him how easy it was to take her and make her find the information he needed. Clark was an alien, Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow, and more. It amazed him the amount of dirt she had accumulated on him. She had found hidden projects worse than Level 33.1. Chloe couldn’t confirm their existence with actual evidence, but it was only a matter of time. But even more exciting was the leverage he had over Oliver Queen. Suddenly his old nemesis was rendered inconsequential. It was a blood fever in him and he had to take it further. Queen had to be destroyed and Chloe was his instrument of choice.

The rest of them had fallen like dominoes. Queen was the foundation and Lex had ground him to fine dust. In a flash, they crumbled and he set his sights on Clark. It always ended with him. Clark, who had been his greatest friend and had become his greatest enemy, was his opposite. He had brains and Clark the brawn. He was the outsider, who tried hard, but eventually gave up because they weren’t worth it. Clark was effortlessly liked.

He should’ve delivered the final blow and been declared the victor; or it should’ve been Clark. Lex should’ve seen the castling. He should’ve seen the rook trade places with the king, but he didn’t. Chloe was the queen, but even in this she defied convention.

Every game played only worked when all parties acknowledged the rules of the game. He had assigned her the role of queen as did Clark even if he didn’t realize that; but she had other plans. Chloe was in turns the queen, the bishop, the knight, and the rook. But more than anyone else, Chloe Sullivan knew the truth. She was a pawn. And she treated herself as such. She should’ve accepted his victory. Everyone else had. There were no more moves to be made, but that doesn’t matter when your opponent upends the playing field, which is what she did.

Lex had never bothered trying to understand what ways the meteor rock affected her. He only knew that Moira Sullivan could control the meteor infected, his pharmaceuticals department made it into a drug, and that drug worked on Chloe Sullivan.

It was arithmetic that added up to his victory. But his arrogance clouded his vision. He never saw the glint of absolute obedience gradually become awareness and then horror. He never saw that awareness and horror morph into anger and hatred. He never saw her anger and hatred smolder and transmogrify into the beast of intelligence and vengeance. It was the exact moment that he lost. And he, the black king, never saw the checkmate.

********

There was a gentle knock. Lex had to forcefully prevent himself from cringing when the door opened. She looked good. The designer dress and shoes fitted her form and added to her measure. His greatest regret was that even still he could barely see the insanity in her eyes. But even as that spark lit her face and what used to be his trademark smirk touched her mouth, he still wanted his black queen.

The only solace was that Clark didn’t win either. Her blow destroyed Clark even as it brought him low. She came to him sporadically. To gloat. To talk. To pick his brain. Chloe had the status that he had craved his entire life. LexCorp was hers and even his presidency.

Today she came to gloat. He knew it because at her side was Lex Luthor, or rather, the machine that took his form. A damned machine. Even Brainiac was hers to command. He would never fully understand the mechanics of the moves that brought him to his cage. There was another truth that Lionel never taught him and he had never learned until Chloe: the queen had to be free, but the king, who could only ever move one space, was trapped. She was a master and Lex wished that he had seen that sooner.

Story Two


"Anything"


When Lex had received word that his ‘girlfriend’ had been kidnapped, he was concerned as anyone would be when just hearing about that kind of report on the news: worried for the victim’s safety; hoping for a quick, and healthy outcome; but ultimately no real attachment to the problem.

If anything he was more upset about the problems this would cause for his investment. Yes, he knew that most would consider him callous, but he had long since passed the moment where he consider Lana a friend, let alone be romantically involved with her. Now, he just wanted to ensure that nothing got in the way of determining Clark’s secret. If she was the key, and sadly he was beginning to discover she wasn’t, then he’d try his damnedest to get her to trust him. And that meant getting her out of yet another dangerous occurrence that always seem to orbit around her.

At the very least, he couldn’t let it come out that he knew of her disappearance and did nothing to resolve the situation.

So he was approaching the deal with the kidnappers as he always would: cool, calm, and calculated. He would not give up anything deemed too valuable. Money was not a problem, but information, his pride or dignity; those he would hold onto steadfast despite any attempt chaos made to damage his control. And these people wanted what they always seem to want: an admittance of Lex and LuthorCorp for so called misdeeds.

Composure was his intention, until the thieves had let it be known that along with Lana, they had taken her roommate. They had tried to make it seem as if it was Lex’s worthwhile to hurry his actions. That no woman could forgive her lover if he managed to get her best friend killed.

The scheme worked just not in the way that anyone would believe. None would know it but he was still protective of Chloe. He had gladly taken on the task two years ago, and felt even more responsible to do so since the altercation in caves that had led to her brief disappearance.

He had done everything necessary to ensure her continued existence. Even kept himself away. He wouldn’t lose her now.

So he had one hour to set up a press conference or she would die. Didn’t bother to pay attention to the time he had after that to save Lana’s life.
For the first time in a while, he didn’t want to remain calm. He wanted to kill the bastards.

And he was helpless. Because he knew even if he did apologize for everything he, his father, or LuthorCorp ever did; it wouldn’t help Chloe. These people were beyond rationality. They would wait until Lex had destroyed his public image, and then kill both captives with barely a thought of right and wrong. Probably Chloe first, seeing her as unimportant to the mission, a quick shot to the head, and then they would move on to the ‘prize.’ Torture Lana and then kill her, sending Lex video proof so that he could watch the horror again and again. Make him pay; have him lose everything as they believed they had.

They would never know it was the missing scenes that would drive him crazy. The thought of what had happened just before the footage would begin. How the ‘extra one’ looked when the end came. If she pleaded or if she knew it was coming and…well ‘accept’ wasn’t the right word. One can never accept death, especially in these situations; just know you are helpless to stop it. Wondered what her last thoughts would be. Even as he worried about her, he selfishly hoped she would spare a thought to him.

With a snap to his brain, he realized how morbid he had been. He could almost feel the slap to the back of his head, and Chloe’s voice deeming that for such a genius as he was, he proved too often that he lacked any brain activity. Here he was condemning her to death, and he hadn’t given any real thought to what she was probably doing at that moment.

Quite likely, she had a plan for escape if she hadn’t already implemented it. So he had hope, and couldn’t spare any time. He could find them but he couldn’t save them by himself, leaving only one option: Clark.

He didn’t bother to explain his actions, past or present. Simply said Chloe and Lana were kidnapped and needed Clark’s help. Didn’t even care if Clark noticed he placed Chloe’s name first…though the boy probably didn’t.

At first Clark seemed wary, as if he thought this was another setup. Then Lex lost any remaining control he had left, and pushed Clark against a wall. Later, he would think about how he didn’t know where the strength had come from, given that he couldn’t do that to a normal person of Clark’s size, let alone that above all else, he knew Clark wasn’t normal. Maybe it was true that adrenaline could make people do extraordinary things.

Grabbing Clark by the collar, “You can stay here and live gloriously on your high horse, at least until the truth comes out. Or you can come with me and save the day, bring…them home.” His voice was steel but the fear had to be evident.

Maybe that was why Clark believed him because they did indeed save the day. Lex didn’t even care how Clark managed it, for once just being grateful that he did and leave it at that.

He didn’t bother to check on Lana, he’d let Clark spend time with her, she wouldn’t notice if he was there anyway.

Helping Chloe and checking her over for injuries, he wanted to say so many declarations to her. Make her see how he’d do anything for her. Call whomever necessary to ensure her safety.

And somehow, she must have known because she held him and whispered, “Thank you.”

Story Three


Without A Date

“So,” Lois stated. “What you’re telling me is for the past year and a half it just so happens every time you make a date with a guy you get kidnapped?”

Chloe made a non-committal groan into the cushion of Lois’s couch.

“And then you end up at Lex Luthor’s house?”

“The mansion. In Smallville.” She lifted her head to correct her.

Lois stood up and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders, shaking some sense into her cousin. “And you’re telling me I can’t print a thing about it?!?!”

Chloe’s head bobbed until she put her hands on Lois’s arms, pushing her lightly away. “Loo~is!” She sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch. “And I have no idea why!”

Her cousin gave her a look that said plainly ‘Are you insane?’

“Are you insane?”

Chloe arched an eyebrow.

“It’s just like in kindergarten; the boys pick on girls they like. Allright, it’s a little creepier than that, but still- he likes you.”

She narrowed a glare at her smirking cousin. “Hello? He’s committing a felony! Holding me against my will!”

“Mmmhmm. Then how’d you get here?”

***

The last three dates she’d made, her abductors simply snatched her from the street as she made her way to the appointed place, blindfolding then handcuffing her for the ride back to Smallville. This time, however, they spiked her coffee before she was even able to get out of the door-and for that, they were dead men.

She noticed she was a lot more comfortable than usual (only in her life could kidnapping be called ‘usual’) her head pillowed on something soft, and the obvious absence of metal on her wrists encouraging. Still a bit groggy, she arched her back and went to stretch…only to find her arms immobile. Shocked into full awareness, she opened her eyes to find her wrists tied to either side of a large four-post bed with what felt like…yep, silk cord.

Bending her head and taking deep breaths, she didn’t get to four before she exploded.

“This is going too far Luthor! You get out here right now or I swear to God-” her tangent lasted a little over five minutes before she noticed, fortunately, her legs were free. She gave a grim smile-knowing she’d be able to escape once more.

***

“And you all laughed at me when I told you about the switchblade in my shoe.”

“Because that’s just paranoid.”

“Ha! Says you!”

Lois sighed. “Have you ever simply sat down and talked to him? Asked him why he won’t allow you to date anyone else?”

Chloe blushed, but shrugged her shoulders and avoided Lois’s eyes. “I’ve always…snuck out before I actually see him.”

Slapping her forehead, Lois groaned. “Where did I go wrong with you?” Jumping up from the loveseat, she pulled out her phone, dialing as she left the room. A few short moments later, she strode back and prodded Chloe up.

“Okay, cuz, I love you and all, but you’ve got to go home.”

“What? But-”

Lois shook her head. “Just trust me. Go home, relax, sleep on it. I think things will be looking up for you by morning.”

Giving her a parting, puzzled glance, Chloe did as she suggested and went home.

***

Opening the doors of the Talon, she squinted in the darkness, winding her way through the tables to the stairs.

A muffled sound stopped her in her tracks; tensing, she looked about, expecting any moment for a figure to jump out at her and-nothing.

Slowly feeling her way around the bar, she cursed her stupidity that sent her toward the sound, just like every victim in every slasher film.

Hands searching around the counter, she found the switch and turned the dim secondary lights on. It gave her just enough light to see the long, trussed-up bundle on the couch across the room suddenly roll onto the floor. Despite knowing where it came from, the resulting thud still caused an answering shriek from Chloe.

Nerves high on adrenalin, she gave another shriek and fumbled with her cel phone when it rang.

“Hey, cuz, Happy Birthday! Hope you like your gift.” Lois hung up before she could hear the faint response.

“It’s…not my birthday.”

Giving herself a little shake, she pulled together and strode across the room to stand beside the couch, hands on her hips as she gazed down at the floor where a thoroughly trussed up Lex Luthor now lay.

Bending down to remove his duct-tape gag, she said, “I suppose we should talk.”

***

Rubbing his wrists as he followed her into the apartment, he commented. “I assume you’ll claim complete ignorance in how I found myself here?”

Mouth opened in astonishment at his gall, she snapped back. “I probably know less about it than you did about how I ended up tied to your bed!”

He arched an eyebrow and gave a self-satisfied grin. “I think that’s the one I’m most sorry about missing.”

“Arrrgh!”

***

Across the street, perched in an apartment that afforded the best view, Lois and Clark sat watching the inevitable fireworks.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Lois scoffed. “You’re not afraid he’s going to hurt her, are you?”

Clark winced as they watched Chloe toss a frying pan across the room, narrowly missing Lex’s head. “Actually, after that, I think I’m more worried about Lex.”

“Shh! It’s about to get good!” Lex had come within a good three feet of the furious blonde.

Clark shook his head. “It’s not like we can hear-”

Lois clamped a hand over his mouth just as Chloe jumped; throwing her arms around his neck, her lips met his in a frantic meld, her legs locked about his waist. Lex seemed to be stunned at first, but responded eagerly, tugging at her jacket as they tumbled out of view of the window.

Lois clapped and threw a fist in the air. “That’s my girl! Go get him!”

Story Four



TITLE: “A Modern Persephone...”
CHALLENGE: August ´09- Challenge #3- Kidnapped!
RATING: PG

It´s five in the morning when she wakes up with a thumping heart and a panic attack. She looks around expecting to find herself in a restricted environment unable to move, fighting for oxygen, buried alive in a wooden coffin in Chandler´s Field. However, something feels different; she isn´t dressed in street clothes but in a flimsy and revealing nightdress of the highest quality- a far cry from the cotton t-shirts she used to wear to bed. No, she isn´t underground; although sometimes she feels as if she were. There´s no Deputy Watts to blame this time, and she is no longer a high school student. The surroundings are too masculine and their owner too worldly to have teddy bears around.

When Hades decided he loved this girl
he built for her a duplicate of earth,
everything the same, down to the meadow,
but with a bed added.

She takes a deep breath and waits for her eyes to get used to the dark. She can hear the tick-tock of the grandfather clock, smell the perfumed beeswax on the wooden floors and the sweet pleasant scent of the expensive mahogany furniture. It´s all very soothing and disturbing at the same time because she´s a prisoner and this Metropolis flat is supposed to be her jail. And yet, it isn´t anything like the damp and mouldy cells usually associated with a kidnapping, and her feelings towards her jailor get more confusing as weeks go by. Her analytical mind claims it´s just a typical Stockholm Syndrome case. She´s Persephone living in Hades´ underworld unwillingly, abducted by the God while hanging out with her best friend- unlike her Greek counterpart she hadn´t been picking flowers but bowling with Lana for her bachelorette party.

He waited many years,
building a world, watching
Persephone in the meadow.
Persephone, a smeller, a taster.
If you have one appetite, he thought,
you have them all.

And then she realises that abduction behind the bowling alley was months ago and that, unlike that kidnapping she has no actual memory of, this one she remembers very well. It started a couple of days after her mum ended up in a catatonic state one more time and Chloe decided she couldn´t take losing Moira all over again. She´d promised her mother and Clark she wouldn´t do it, and deep down she knew that coming knocking at his door would have a price. Although she didn´t know at the time what kind of ransom she´d have to pay, she put her signature on the dotted line of a document he´d had his lawyers draft. It gave him carte blanche and, with that smug smile of his she´d come to hate, he sealed the deal with an unexpected kiss that astounded her as much for its heat as for the way she responded to it. She knew then what ransom he´d demand of her and trembled because she wasn´t sure her agreement to move to Metropolis would turn out to be what it was in the eyes of the world.

She stands by the pool saying, from time to time,
I was abducted, but it sounds
wrong to her, nothing like what she felt.
Then she says, I was not abducted.
Then she says, I offered myself ...

She turns around quietly, her cheek pressed against a cool spot of her pillowcase and looks at the man lying asleep next to her. It´s at moments such as this that she remembers the old Lex, the one that protected her from the devil, the one that drove Lois´ dad to the safe house one Sunday to bring her and Gabe a little piece of home ... And yet, he´s also the man who´s hurt her friends, had his scientists violate her at 33.1 and manipulated both her mother and her to get what he wanted. She should hate him... Once she foolishly thought everything he did was only meant to get back at Clark; that was when she found safety in self-deception. His wooing and subsequent marriage to Lana wounded Clark deeply, yes; however, she can no longer deny she herself is largely to blame for setting the wheels in motion.

No one understands anymore
how beautiful he was. But Persephone remembers.
Also that he embraced her, right there,
with her uncle watching. She remembers
sunlight flashing on his bare arms.

She also remembers, less clearly,
the chilling insight that from this moment
she couldn't live without him again.

And now, as he opens his blue-grey eyes and bores his scorching gaze into her, she accepts the truth she´s silenced for years. That seventeen-year-old who kissed Lex goodbye on the lips in front of Sam Lane´s eyes, that girl who chose her best friend Clark over him by cutting all strings when they were back in Smallville has never stopped loving Lex. Despite her efforts to hate him, she now recognises everything he´s done as retribution for breaking his heart the way she did that summer when she claimed she didn´t love him, that she´d just been confused and lonely.

A replica of earth
except there was love here.
Doesn't everyone want love?

His marriage to Lana is over and he can´t find regret in his heart, only satisfaction at knowing he´s got this woman tied to him at last. Just like Hades, who tricked Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds to ensure her return to him, he´s giving her the serum to help Moira stay awake. He´s aware he should feel guilty about having lured Chloe by abducting her mum, and there are times he does, when he loses himself in her and he imagines he sees something other than hatred in her hazel-green eyes. He wishes he didn´t have to feed her pomegranate seeds to make her stay by his side for ever.

A soft light rising above the level meadow,
behind the bed. He takes her in his arms.
He wants to say I love you, nothing can hurt you.

THE END


A/N: The interspersed extracts of poetry belong to “The Myth of Innocence” and “A Myth of Devotion” from “Averno” by Louise Glück.[/QUOTE]

Story Five


The Reckoning


The kidnapping of Lana Lang was timed to the last detail. Chloe and Lex didn't want to give her an opportunity to alert Superman or the police that she needed help.

In the end, the women Lex hired to do the job had to use a tranquilizer dart, and Lana's inert form was easily carried to the deserted warehouse in Metropolis' meatpacking district.

~~~

Lana Lang had hired a hitman to kill Grant Gabriel and make it look like a suicide, but Lois Lane was with Grant in his apartment when the killer broke in, so he was forced to improvise

She wanted revenge against Lionel Luthor for forcing her to marry Lex five years ago, and when she'd overheard Lionel and Lex speaking about Grant, she'd knew he’d be the perfect victim.

However, Lana hadn't counted on Lois' being in her editor's home, so she was unprepared for the media frenzy that descended on Metropolis when Grant's and Lois' bodies were discovered.

Lana had also not counted on Chloe Sullivan and Lex Luthor . They were not about to let the murders of their loved ones go unpunished, so they joined forces, and pulled their combined resources and within a day they had the name of the hitman. Two days after that they'd traced the money, trailing it from a Swiss bank account to Metropolis Federal Bank.

Lana was following the news, and she realized that she needed to get away. She turned to Clark for help, convincing him that she was so traumatized by Lois' death that she needed to leave the county. The only trouble was, she didn't have money for a plane ticket

Clark then very helpfully asked his billionaire friend Oliver Queen if he could use his private jet to fly Lana to Paris, and Oliver, despite his own devastation at Lois' death, agreed.

She had been packing when the police arrived with their search warrant and she had no choice but to let them in. She couldn't believe that her brilliant plan had been traced back to her.

Unfortunately, Lana was uncommonly lucky. Her legal aid attorney discovered that the search warrant to seize her computer had not been signed properly so all of the evidence found on the hard drive was thrown out. Subsequently, the murder charges were dropped and Lana was released.

But Chloe and Lex were not about to let that stand, so they decided to enact a little street justice.

~~~

Lana finally woke up after being unconscious for 3 hours. She had a horrible headache and once she saw that she was chained to a chair, she was horribly afraid. Her fear mounted when Chloe and Lex walked into the room, identically expressionless.

Lana didn't wait for either of them to speak before she started begging for her life. "Please don't kill me"

She turned saddened doe eyes onto Lex, "I didn't know Grant was your brother, I swear it!"

When Lex proved to be immovable she turned to Chloe, crying, "I didn't know Lois was going to be there, Chloe. If I'd known, I'd have changed it to a different night."

Lana realized her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "I mean, I wouldn't have gone through with the contract. You have to believe me!"

At this point, Chloe started to smile at her former friend. "Why?"

Lana just stared confusedly the pair in front of her, unable to answer. Lex nodded to Chloe, "You heard Chloe. Why should we believe you?"

She started to shake her head, surprise written all over her face. "I don't know what you mean."

Chloe and Lex exchanged a quick look, rolling their eyes at Lana's stupidity. "Lana", Lex said patiently, "a person in your position should be working overtime to prove that they understand the error of their ways."

"You should be trying to convince us that you know what you did was wrong," Chloe piped in.

"After all," Lex added, "we are the only thing standing between you and certain death."

At their words, Lana started to cry in earnest. She turned imploring eyes to Chloe, "But I was only defending myself."

Lex turned furiously on his ex-wife, "Protect yourself from what? When was the last time the Luthors had anything to do with you?"

Lana dropped all pretenses of tears, and her face twisted up in anger. "Every Luthor deserves to pay for what happened to me. I lost the only man I ever loved because of you and your family!"

Chloe and Lex both drew in a calming breath, and then she called out, "Did you get all that?"

Superman stepped into the room, and all three exchanged relieved gazes. Lana started to cry out her gratitude but one frozen look from Clark stopped her. Her worst thoughts were realized when he spoke, "I'm taking you to the Metropolis Jail, and you are going to confess to the murders of Lois Lane and Grant Gabriel. I just hope the D.A. throws the book at you."

But before he lifted her from the chair, Clark whispered to Lana. "Just so you know, I stopped loving you a long time ago."

Clark’s gaze landed on Chloe. "It took me too long to realize what I had right in front of me."

He sighed when he saw Lex take Chloe' hand and bring it to his lips, and it was only then that Lana saw that Chloe was wearing an engagement ring.

Chloe was smiling up at Lex. “I told you my plan would work. Why did you doubt me:”

Lex shook his head, “It wasn’t you I had my doubts about. But Clark did come through in the end.”

Lex pulled Chloe into his arms, grateful that he had her in his life and that Lana was going to be paying for her crimes.

He didn’t like owing Superman a debt of gratitude, but for Chloe’s sake, he was willing to endure it.

Story Six


Just Another Day


He told her from the beginning this was a bad idea, but in all honesty, the fact she never did as she was told was one of the things he loved best about her.

Lex Luthor was one of the most powerful men in the world, so it was refreshing to have one person around who wouldn’t do just exactly as they were instructed. Chloe Sullivan was that one person, and he loved her for that and for a hundred other things.

Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t be infuriating as hell, and given the messes she sometimes got herself into, it was a blessing she had managed to fall in love with a powerful billionaire. He had ‘influenced’ more people than he could ever list to keep his future wife out of trouble, and she knew it too. Still, she did as much for him, kept him on a far better path than he could have been headed down without her there.

Stopping at a red light, Lex checked the mirror, ensuring the convoy of security were still in view. Mounting a secret rescue mission through the centre of Metropolis was not an easy task, but Lex and Chloe could both do without the publicity that screaming sirens would bring. This needed to be dealt with quickly and calmly, though the calm never came easy to Lex.

His fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel until finally the light turned green, and he spared a glance at the screen on the dash before putting his foot down. No speed limits were broken, that would just draw attention, but he’d go as fast as he could to reach the blinking dot on the screen.

Putting a GPS tracker on Chloe’s cell was something they’d agreed on the last time she’d been kidnapped, but only when he agreed to the same. Now they could find each other at any time, and it was necessary, given the dangerous situations they often found themselves in.

Just a few more blocks to the parking garage that was shut for refurbishment. Good place for crime, Lex realised, good place to hide a victim. He winced at the thought of what could be happening to his Chloe, what might already have happened, as he parked up by the side of the road and didn’t wait for his staff to accompany him.

The entrance had clearly been rammed, he noticed as he hurried inside, pulling the gun from inside his jacket. One level up, he heard the alarm, and he knew it was Chloe’s car. It was impossible to be sure, most car alarms sounded the same, but he just knew.

Hurrying through the darkened space, Lex headed up, the second level and the third, the noise getting louder, echoing through the emptiness, bouncing off the concrete surrounding him.

Finally he saw it, the little red convertible she’d always wanted, her Birthday present last year. The lights flashed like a disco, the alarm loud enough to wake the dead, and as Lex got closer he saw the front end buckled, twisted beyond repair.

A figure lay crumpled across the steering wheel and Lex couldn’t breathe as he moved closer. In the dark it was impossible to tell at first, but soon he could see it was a woman at the wheel. Blood streaked through her hair, but she was breathing, she just wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.

“What took you so long?” said Chloe behind him and Lex spun around fast to see her, wrists held in cuffs and what used to be a gag hanging loosely at her throat.

“Chloe” he rushed to her, pulling her into his arms and holding on tight, breathing her in, never wanting to let go.

“I’m fine, Lex” she promised, hating that she couldn’t hug him back, “I handled it” she explained as he moved to see her face, gently stroking her hair out of her eyes and wincing at the sight of a bruise forming on her cheek, “But I figured hopping down the main street like this might draw a little unwanted attention...” she said, glancing down and making Lex realise her ankles were bound together, “She might be a bitch for trying to lock me in my own trunk” she said, looking past him at the woman who had done this, “but she must’ve been a hell of a girl scout. Her knot tying skills are way superior to my untying ones” she smirked, as Lex rolled his eyes at her mistimed humour.

Another crisis averted, he realised, as he knelt to unbind his fiancee’s ankles and then led her away from the chaos that was about to ensue, as security guards and the clean-up team came running in.

The car would be towed away, crushed without a thought, and another delivered to the mansion before tomorrow. The parking garage would be clear of evidence, and the woman would be dealt with accordingly, though the authorities would never be called.

As Chloe and Lex got into his car to head home, she sighed.

“You okay?” he checked, eyes and tone full of concern as she glanced his way.

“Of course” she nodded, smiling genuinely as she reached a hand out to his face, grateful for his concern, his love, his rescue, a hundred other things, “I was just thinking... shame we had to cut these” she said, holding up her wrists from which one half each of the cuffs dangled like bracelets, “Might’ve come in handy...” she said with a look that was pure filth, and she knew it.

“You” said Lex in a low voice as he leaned in close to her, “are a very bad girl, Miss Sullivan”

“And you wouldn’t have me any other way, Mr Luthor” she told him in kind before they shared a hungry kiss, the trials of the day already swept aside in favour of better things.

- The End -

Story Seven



Ten Days


“Another nightmare?” Lex asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as Chloe padded back into their bedroom. She nodded, pushing the hair back from her face tiredly.

“That’s every night this week.”

“I know,” Chloe sighed, climbing back into bed.

“Would therapy help?”

“It’s only been three weeks,” she snapped. “You can’t expect a person to get over something like that in three weeks.”

“I know that. But I’m worried, and so are you. How bad does it have to get before we look for professional help?”

Chloe snorted derisively. “That’s rich, coming from a man who wouldn’t touch therapy with a ten-foot pole, who refused to consider it when I suggested it.”

“Well I can’t imagine that my presence is helpful or anything more than a reminder of what happened, so what do you suggest?” Lex pinched the bridge of his nose. “What should I be doing to help?”

“Lex, it’s late, and we have full schedules tomorrow. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Will we? Will we actually talk about it? You said yourself that tomorrow, like every other day, will be busy. I feel like I haven’t seen you in three weeks. And when I do, you won’t look at me.”

“I don’t know what you’re-”

“Yes you do,” Lex ground out. “I haven’t talked to my wife, my Chloe since this happened. And why would you talk to me? We both know this was my fault. I can’t stand the sight of my reflection. But I can’t go through another day where you can’t bear to look at me.”

“I’m trying, Lex. Logically, I know you did the only thing you could do. You’re the president. You can’t give in to terrorists. In my head, I know that you couldn’t put the country at risk. What’s one person compared to a nation? I get it in theory, but when it’s your flesh and your blood out there …”

“You blame me anyway,” said Lex dully. “Hell, I blame myself.”

“Stop it! I don’t have the energy or the inclination to mop up after your insecurities tonight.”

Lex stared at her, mouth opening to launch a defense, but Chloe beat him to it.

“Oh, I know what you’re going to say, and you probably don’t even realize you’re doing it, but you are setting yourself up for reassurance and sympathy. You blame yourself and to keep from hurting you further that’s my cue to jump in and say ‘Oh no, honey, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault at all. I don’t resent you at all for this.”

“And you can’t say that. Just like you can’t look at me.”

Goddamnit, Lex, she’s my daughter! She’s my daughter and those men had her chained up like an animal for ten days while the White House sat here issuing statements about the mental health of these troubled perpetrators and doing NOTHING to bring her back to us. And then we finally find her bruised and broken and bleeding. She’s 15 years old, Lex. Fifteen. And God knows what they did to her.”

She started crying then, wet, gulping sobs. Lex pulled her in against his body as she fought him, arms and hands striking out at his back and shoulders, anything she could reach. He drew her closer, murmuring into her hair and stroking long fingers down her back until her hands stopped battering against him and began clutching at him instead.

After a while, her sobs slowed. “What if they …” she began. “What if they …”

“Eleanor said they didn’t,” Lex said, throat tight as he answered the question Chloe couldn’t bear to ask. “We have to believe that. We have to believe her.”

“But her nightmares,” Chloe said. “She won’t give me the details, and I don’t want to push her, but it makes me think that she didn’t tell us the worst of it. Therapy might help, you were right about that, but if we force her into it, it’s just another violation. It needs to be her decision. And heaven help us if the media catches wind of it.”

“We can talk with her about it tomorrow,” said Lex, rubbing a warm hand over her shoulders and kissing her forehead. “Maybe it would be easier for her to talk to someone other than her parents.”

Chloe nodded and closed her eyes, rolling to her side and pulling Lex with her so that they were spooned together in the middle of the bed.

They lay there for a few minutes before Chloe spoke again. “Lex.” The silence stretched between them. “I’m trying to let it go. I want to let it go. I wish I could tell you that I’m not still angry and resentful of the way this was handled and how long it took to get her back.”

“But you can’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Has this made you hate me?” he asked, afraid of the silence but afraid of her answer even more.

“I don’t know. ... Can you forgive yourself if it has?”

Lex buried his face in the soft, warm curve of her neck, breathing in the smell of her skin.

“I don’t know.”

Story Eight


Henry Finklestein
One Shot: Kidnapped challenge
Pairing: Chlex
Category: AU, Romance
Rating: PG:13
Summary: “I don’t get it. Do you just attract trouble?”

************

The fist thing she noticed after waking up was darkness. The second thing she noticed was she was on the cold floor. She sat up in bed, a deep frown on her face as she looked around the darkened room she was in. There was a small window, emanating just a tiny fraction of light from the moon. She glanced around the room, her heart pounding as she noticed an unconscious Lex lying a few feet from her.

Her eyes closed in sudden realization of her current situation. “Shit.”

Six hours earlier

Chloe smiled as one of her bride’s maids placed her veil onto her head. “How do I look?”

“You look beautiful.” her bride’s maid gushed with a bright grin.

Chloe smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe it. The day was finally here. She was getting married. Today she was going to be Mrs. Henry Finklestein.

Her smile faltered as a little voice whispered in her mind at how odd that sounded. “Chloe Finklestein.” She muttered. She shook her head. What was she thinking about anyway? Henry was a great guy, no matter how goofy his name was. She giggled to herself and smoothed down her dress. “I’m going to be Mrs. Chloe Finklestein.” She nodded once firmly

“We’re almost ready Chlo.” Lois said as she peaked her head inside the room.

Chloe nodded and put the finishing touches on her lipstick.

Lois walked further into the room. “So…”

Chloe sighed. “Lois.” She said in a warning tone.

Lois put her hands up. “Fine. I’m forever holding my piece.” She pointed her bouquet at her. “But just remember that I tried to warn you.” She turned to go before pausing in the doorway. “Oh and, Lex is here.”

Chloe froze, her eyes wide.

**************

It all happened so fast. She was walked down the isle by her dad and placed in the arms of Henry. They both said their vows and I dos. She was happy. She really was, but she didn’t know why she couldn’t stop herself from shifting her eyes over to the person in the third row.

Lex. Lex Luthor. Her first love. Her first everything. She hadn’t seen him for two and a half years. But, now he was here.

At her wedding. At her wedding reception.

She thought she would had been busy enough at the reception to ignore him. Taking pictures and making her rounds with Henry to greet the guests and thank them for coming. But, that wasn’t to be. She couldn’t stop herself from being distracted. Distracted by that jerk sitting at table number 13 with a date.

Her eyes narrowed. How dare he show up? Who does he think he is?

She didn’t have time to think things through as she made her way toward his table, a small frown on her face.

He seemed to sense she was coming toward him because he looked up from his dinner as soon as she reached his table. He gave her a slow smile. “Chloe.”

She smiled back. “Lex.” She greeted sweetly. She smiled at the rest of her guests at the table. “Can I speak to you for a minute please?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, of course.” He stood up and followed her toward the bar.

“What are you doing here?” She hissed.

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, you invited me.” He said softly. He titled his head with a small smile. “Or did you forget?”

She blinked up at him, wondering how after two years he could still make her feel this way. “That was a joke.” She said angrily.

He nodded. “A cruel one I might add which is just your style.” He wiped an imaginary stain off of his suit jacket before placing his hands in his pockets, which was a nervous gesture she knew. “But still, you didn’t think I would miss this did you?”

“Yes!” She hissed.

Lex glanced over at Henry. “Henry Finklestien Chloe? I never thought you would marry a dentist. I mean someone so-ordinary.”

She felt herself blushing. “Stop it! He‘s sweet and he makes me happy.” She shook her head. “Just take your date and go!”

He shook his head. “Oh no.” He smirked I want to see the lovely couple off. “I mean, it’s the least I can do.”

“Wow!”

Chloe’s eyes slid closed and Lex smirked as the groom himself made his way over toward them. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

He gave Lex a goofy grin. “Chloe, you didn’t tell me you knew Lex Luthor!”

“Uh, yeah.” Chloe stuttered. “Henry this is Lex. Lex-”

“Henry Finklestein,DDS.” He said holding out his hand for Lex to take.

Lex just stared down at his hand.

Henry hesitantly retracted his hand and cleared his throat. “So how do you know Chloe?” He asked excitedly?

Chloe’s stomach clenched as Lex opened his mouth to answer.

“We were, close friends once upon a time.”

Henry nodded. “Well that’s my Chloe. Friends from high places. Especially with the job she has. Reporting and the little books she has been writing.”

The expression on Lex’s face changed. “Little book?” He asked. “She was on the NY times best seller list for 13 weeks.”

“Umm, Henry why don’t you go and speak to my uncle like you promised you would. Please?”

He nodded and kissed her cheek. “It was nice meeting you.” He said with a wave.

She smiled as she watched him go before turning back to Lex. “You didn’t have to be so rude.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Did he even read your books?” He asked suddenly. “Is he even remotely interested how talented you are.”

She opened her mouth. “He--doesn’t like political intrigue.” She glared at him. “I don’t have to defend him to you.”

Lex stepped closer toward her. “Does he even know how amazing you truly are?”

Her glared disappeared and she opened her mouth to respond.

BANG!

“Everybody get down!”

************

Her dress was ruined.

But that obviously wasn’t the most important part of her current situation. She crawled over toward Lex and touched his shoulder. She touched his shoulder then his forehead. Her eyes widened when here fingers touched some warm and wet.

She knew it was blood without having to look and she silently cursed him and thanked him for trying to protect her.

*******

“I don‘t get it. Do you just attract trouble?” Chloe asked as she ripped the lace off her dress off to use so she could dab at the cut on his forehead.

Lex winced at the sting. “Well, you know me.” he answered. “You looked beautiful today by the way.”

Chloe pursed her lips at his compliment. She was quiet for a long moment before lowering her arm. “Thank you.”

****

“We’re going to die in here.”

Lex glared at her. “We aren’t.”

She glared back. “This is your fault anyway. What’d you do this time Lex? Who’d you go and piss off this time?”

He sighed heavily and shook his head. “Chloe, what do you know about Henry exactly?”

******

She glared at him. “Why are you bringing him up?” She asked. She shook her head. “He’s probably worried about me. He’s probably-”

“A dentist.” He cut in. He gave her a look. “A dentist Chloe?”

She glared at him. “You don’t know him so just--shut up. Henry is smart and funny and mature and stable. He’s-”

“Boring.” Lex cut in. “A dentist. Not your type.”

“You don’t know me Lex. You haven’t known me for almost three years.”

Lex smiled. “I know you Chloe. You’re a creature of habit. Just like me.” He looked at her.

She looked away from him. “We are nothing alike.” She murmured. She brought her knees up toward her chest. It was painful to hear those words fall from his mouth. She had loved him. She knew it was the truth. She knew Lex knew her more than anything.

“What happened Chloe?”

“If you don’t know the answer to that then you still don’t get it.” She answered.

“I hurt you.” He answered softly.

“Understatement.”

He smiled at that. “I do get it Chloe. I ignored you.”

She could remember. Waiting up for hours. Waiting for him to come home. Waiting for her phone to ring. He just-shut down. Shut her out. It was like every time she seemed to get close he would shut down. She just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Chloe-If it means anything I’m sorry.” He said quietly.

She looked up at him. He only ever gave her that look. That look when his eyes would go soft. “Apology accepted.”

They were both quiet for a long moment and she huddled against his side. Smiling in thanks as he put his arm around her.

This was wrong, but she couldn’t care.

They both heard the sound of sirens and she looked up at him.

“Lex?”

He looked down at her.

“I just-I-you’re right you know.”

He frowned, confused. “About what?”

She didn’t answer. Just kissed him, wrapping her hand around his neck, sighing as he immediately responded to her kiss.

‘This was it.’ She thought softly. She could hear their rescuers getting closer. She knew they would be rescued. She knew they would be safe.

She also knew that she would not be Mrs. Chloe Finklestein.

That was okay.

END

Story Nine


Birthday Experiment
PG-13

Presently

Chloe almost felt sorry for her. Almost, but not really. It was the best gift ever and Lex had proudly explained his handiwork to her with an uncharacteristically large grin on his face.

“Anything you ask Chloe. Anything at all,” he waited for her response still looking quite pleased with himself.

“And you’re certain she hasn’t got a clue?” She thought for a minute longer. “I’m never going to believe it until I see it Lex.”

“I was hoping you would say that. We’ll take my car.”

The previous evening…

Lana Lang lay strapped down to the lab table. It’d been an extraordinarily simple plan, but that was all that was needed with a girl like her.

He’d taken her out to dinner and she’d been overly excited to go. Wined her. Dined her. Then quickly slipped the drug into her drink while she excused herself to the ladies room.

She’d made it out to the car for what she thought was the ride home and passed out within a couple of minutes.

Doctors and scientists worked quickly as he’d instructed they would need to do. He’d have to get her back home before she woke and place her in her bed as if nothing had happened. By the time dawn had come he’d accomplished just that, and had called Chloe asking her to come to the mansion so he could give her the present he had for her.

It’d taken him months to figure out the perfect gift to get her for her birthday this year. It came to him one day as he surveyed the results to one of his latest experiments that had gone extremely well. He knew exactly what to do. He had to kidnap Lana. And he’d done so successfully.

Presently

His car came to a screeching halt outside of the Talon and he quickly got out and opened the door for Chloe.

Together they walked inside. He could feel the excitement radiating off of her. It was understandable, he couldn’t wait to see it with his own eyes himself.

When Lana spied the two walking towards her she visibly repressed a scowl. What was Lex doing with *her* after their wonderful evening out together? Granted she’d apparently become embarrassingly drunk enough to pass out and for Lex to have to take her home, but certainly that wouldn’t have been enough for him to turn his attention to someone as, as, as…oh she didn’t know, but Chloe could hardly replace her.

“Good morning Lana” Lex spoke. His lips twitching momentarily as he did so.

Chloe had to resist the urge to test her new gift out immediately and instead repeated the same greeting Lex had given.

Lana barely acknowledged her. Figures. Too wrapped up in herself to even know it was her birthday today.

“Lex, about our *date* last night,” she seemed to be certain to look at Chloe as she emphasized the word date.

“No need to worry Lana, it happens,” he turned his head and gave Chloe a significant look before looking back at the pink princess. “I’ll have my usual.” And with that he walked off to a booth on the far wall.

Chloe knew it was her cue. It was fair game to test the merchandise. She probably should try something simple and hardly noticeable, but then it wouldn’t be any fun, so she dove right into the downright uncharacteristic for Lana.

When Lana had finished watching Lex walk away from her Chloe cleared her throat. “I’ll have my usual too Lana.”

Chloe was met with a fake smile and a nod, but she wasn’t done with her yet.

“And when you deliver it to our table I want you to tell Lex you are sorry you are such a pretentious bitch.”

Lana’s back straightened up and a strange glaze went across her features as she immediately turned to make their coffee.

Chloe blinked for a moment in astonishment then strode over to the table Lex had been watching from.

“This should be interesting,” she announced before sitting across from him. A large grin pasted on her face.

It wasn’t long before Lana was on her way over with two mugs in hand. She quickly set them down in front of them then proclaimed rather loudly “I’m sorry I’m such a pretentious bitch.”

Chloe covered her mouth and snorted while Lex pressed his lips together to suppress his own laughter then schooled his features. “Thank you Lana.”

The glaze left her face and she looked visibly confused for a moment. “Uh, there ya go.” she scurried off quickly.

Chloe’s mouth gaped open at Lex and the questions started to come. “Oh my gosh. How long does this last for? Does she remember doing it?”

Lex lifted his mug to his lips. “It’s forever Chloe, unless you tell me to have it reversed. She remembers nothing once she’s completed what she has been told to do.”

“Holy shit.” It was as articulate as Chloe was going to get at the moment. Suffice it to say that Lex had come up with the perfect gift indeed.

What a power to weild. Lana Lang forever would do what she was told, no matter what.

“And there are no side effects? No going crazy and killing people right?” Chloe didn’t want to be absolutely cruel to Lana. Just wanted her to finally be put in her place.

“Not in any of the other trial subjects. No, it seems to be perfectly safe. So long as no one asks her to take a long walk off of a short pier.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Chloe smiled at him.

“What are you going to have her do next?” As much as he enjoyed giving Chloe her new toy he also wanted to reap the benefits of seeing Lana get as much as she had ever given.

“You decide. It wouldn’t be right for me to have all of the fun. Even if it is my birthday.”