Title: Shadows of the Past
Author: Kathy
Ratings: PG 13 to R for violence
Pairings: Chlex friendship that becomes a romance
Spoilers: Anything up to and including Season 4 is fair game
Category: Mystery with a little of the Supernatural thrown in
Summary: Chloe and Lex uncover a murder that happened nearly a hundred years old.
Disclaimer: This story is purely for fun and no profit. I don't own Smallville or any of its characters. The WB has that privilege. THOSE JERKS
A/N: I was inspired to write this story after seeing the movie, The Grudge. If you don’t like my story, blame Buffy :biggrin:
As we have a number of fics on here with the same titles, I'm just going to poke my head in here for a bit and will be doing the same in the other similarly titled fic. For those looking for letia84's fic: Shadows of the Past~tigerbaby
Shadows of the Past
Prologue
“I could never love you!”
The words echoed off of the kitchen walls, and the man who heard them flinched. “Why can’t you? WHY?”
He hadn’t consciously moved, yet, somehow he had her around the neck, and he was shaking her.
“Answer me, Megan, why?”
Suddenly she made a run for the door. Megan made it two steps before she was knocked to the ground.
She felt a flash of pain in her right side, and then she was on her back.
He was bending over her and then she saw the knife blade.
It was smeared with blood. Her blood.
She started screaming, but it was the same name over and over again.
“Emma! Oh my God, EMMMA!!”
A/N: This will be a slightly AU Season 4. I’ve decided to pick and choose what I like about the previous and current seasons. Mucho thanks to newbatgirl for the encouragement. Please review and let me know if you want me to continue.
Chapter 1
Every November, the streets of Smallville were taken over by an antiques show and auction.
It lasted for a week and the entire town was involved. The booths from all the vendors were set up and down the sidewalks of Main Street, displaying colorful wares not often seen in the small midwestern town. The collectors came from all over Kansas, and were more then willing to shell out big bucks for what often appeared to be useless and frivolous items.
Chloe Sullivan didn’t even pause to gawk at any of the jewelry or crystal vases. She was a woman on a mission and she would not stop until she found what she was looking for. She finally came upon the booth she’d been seeking all afternoon. The rare books display was always a personal favorite and one where people were encouraged to handle the merchandise.
Chloe’s fingers itched to start digging through the piles of books. She was looking for a specific book for her dad; leather bound edition of Absalom, Absalom! By William Faulkner. It would be the perfect Christmas present, and she wanted to try to make up for all of the worry she had caused him this past year. Who was she kidding? She wanted to try and make up for all the worry she had caused him for the past twelve years.
Chloe shook her head, and acknowledged the fact that one book wouldn’t make up for her past mistakes, but she needed her dad to know how much his love and support meant to her. She paused in her thoughts to lift a first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula up to examine it, when a lilac-colored cloth book landed at her feet. She bent to pick it up, and tried to read the title, when she realized that it didn’t have one.
Her curiosity peeked, Chloe started to leaf threw the pages. The words were hand written, and the scrawl seemed distinctly female. Chloe looked at the front page and was amazed to discover that this wasn’t a book at all, but a personal journal, written by a woman named Megan Todd. Chloe looked at the date of one of the entries and her eyes widened in surprise. The journal appeared to be written in 1920.
Chloe was overcome with excitement at her find. She couldn’t believe her luck at finding this historical document. She glanced around at the other patrons to see if she had given any of her excitement away, but no one was paying any attention to her. She sighed in relief, and turned the book over to try to find the asking price, when a familiar voice interrupted her. “I despair for the future of our country when a young person can’t even find the front of a book.”
Chloe turned in the direction that the smooth voice had come from, and smiled in greeting. Lex Luthor looked as elegant and unruffled as he always did, but there was a quirk to his lips that showed his amusement. His smile widened at Chloe’s response. “Very funny, Lex. When exactly did you stop being a business tycoon, and become a contender for Last Comic Standing?”
He smiled, and chose not to answer what he took to be a rhetorical question. Instead, he looked at the lilac colored book in her hand, and decided to comment on that. “Interesting choice of reading material. I suppose the color is why you were drawn to it?”
This time, Chloe did roll her eyes, but she couldn’t be sure if it was at his words or his implication. “Man, you’re killing me with your one-liners. You should think of organizing your own one-man show. It could be called The Notorious L.E.X.”
Her only answer was Lex’s loud and surprisingly hearty laugh. She was stunned for a minute, and then joined in. Chloe could have counted on one hand the number of times she had seen Lex laugh, let alone openly guffaw at one of her jokes. It was a rare event, and it always happened in private. Yet, here he was, laughing his head off on Main Street where anyone could see him.
He shook his head in amusement, and cleared his throat to regain his composure. His face was serious again, but his eyes were still full of mirth. Chloe was the only one who could get him to let down his guard, and he was grateful that he still had a friend who was willing to do that for him. God knows they didn’t have much cause for amusement this past year, but that all seemed to be past them. At least, he hoped so.
Lex looked at the untitled book in her hand, and silently raised an inquiring eyebrow. Chloe smiled and eagerly held the book out for him to see, anxious to share her find with someone who would appreciate it. “It’s a journal from a woman in 1920, and from the looks of it, she and her family lived in Smallville. And I want it.”
He grinned at the plaintive quality in her voice, and without a word, he turned to the booth’s proprietor and handed him $100. The man looked dumbfounded and made a feeble attempt to give Lex some change back, but Lex had already turned his back to the man, and looked at Chloe. He gave her the journal back and, without another word, started to walk towards the street where the antique cars were parked.
Chloe was struck speechless for a minute, but she came back to herself quickly. She didn’t want to shout, but she needed to know why Lex had just bought her a journal from nearly a century ago. She loved her present, but she didn’t want him to think she had been hinting around for him to buy it for her.
She caught up with him, and before she could even form a coherent sentence, he said, “It’s an early Christmas present and you’re welcome. Now, if you don’t mind, I want to look at the cars.” His tone might have put any other person off, but Chloe could see the kindness in his expression. She didn’t want to embarrass him with an emotional display, so she settled on linking her arm through his, and walking with towards the cars.
***
“I know that I’m very fortunate that I’ve found Daniel. All of the mothers of Smallville where quite envious that Daniel began courting me. He is very much a gentleman, and brings me flowers whenever he is paying a call. I know my father is impressed by his business acumen, and my mother loves Daniel’s manners. I can’t help but feel that Smallville, and especially Miss Megan Butler, are very lucky that Daniel Todd has come to town.”
A/N: What do you think?
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