Chlex Fanfic: Orchestrato, Chapter 18
Hiya, Peeps,
Some more Chlex in the house, WOOT! Actually, er... *looks worried*...there's a lot of Clark in there, but Lex is well-represented.
Enjoy!
Title: Orchestrato
Author: BabyDee1
Pairing: Chlex
Rating: PG13 for now, NC-17 later
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Brilliant banner by chleansmile :-P
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 18
Chloe stood under the pulsing jets of the shower for as long as she could, enjoying the pressure of the warm water as it washed the grime off her skin.
She had been kidnapped and held for half a day, but every second of captivity had felt like a lifetime. Her captor, whom she recognised as Tyler James Richter, had kept her bound and gagged throughout her ordeal and had taunted her with chilling tales of how he would the peel skin from her flesh while she still lived, and take great pleasure in doing so. Given his extraordinary meteor ability, and what he’d done to the guards at the safehouse, she had no problem believing he’d meant every word of it.
So when Clark had turned up at the forge and rescued her, she’d never been more happy to see him in her entire life. Even though she would have relished the opportunity to discover more about Tyler’s unique shape-shifting, matter-morphing ability, she didn’t consider it any great loss that he had lost his life in the rescue attempt, falling into the same vat of super-heated molten steel that he’d planned to dispose of her remains in. The thought of meeting such a grisly end made a chill run through her entire body, and she shivered despite the heat of the water cascading around her.
With a sigh, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, and began to towel herself dry. There was no time to dawdle; kidnap victim or no, she still had a ruthless criminal to put away, and only a few hours left to go over her trial notes for the final time.
Uncle Sam Lane had taken no chances with her safety. Once Clark had taken her to him, he had spirited her straight to a military base on the outskirts of Kansas, where she would remain until tomorrow when she would be escorted to the courthouse under armed guard. He’d reluctantly allowed Clark to remain with her, and she could hear her friend on the other side of the door, talking to someone on the phone.
Quickly she towel-dried her hair as much as possible and dressed in the pyjamas that had been procured for her, then stepped out into the room.
“Hey,” she greeted. Clark shut off his cell and turned to face her.
“Hey,” he replied.
“Who was that on the phone?”
“Hmm? Oh, no-one important.” He slid the phone into his pocket and came over to her side of the room, then took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied honestly. “Thanks for saving my ass back there; for a second I thought I wasn’t gonna make it.”
Clark gathered her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I knew you were alive,” he mumbled into her hair. “They kept telling me you were dead, but I knew, I just knew you were out there somewhere.”
She smiled. “Thanks for believing, Clark,” she whispered. “I wanted to tell you, I really did; but Lex thought it was safer if everyone nobody knew the truth, and I agree with him.”
“He didn’t do a very good job of keeping you safe, though, did he?” Clark quipped.
“Up until this morning, he did a brilliant job,” she replied instantly. “I owe him everything, Clark; he couldn’t have done anything more for me.”
“Yet despite his best efforts, not only did Tyler find you, he also managed to kidnap you right out from under Lex’s nose,” he said derisively. “If I hadn’t found you, you’d be dead by now.”
“And if Lex hadn’t spirited me from the safehouse months ago, I’d have been dead then,” she retorted. “What’s with all the Lex hate, Clark?”
He scowled. “He let me think you were dead, Chloe.”
“So what, you want to punish him by letting him think the same?” she queried. “What’s that going to achieve?”
“You have no idea what he put me through!” he complained. “You’re my best friend, and I thought you were dead!”
“But I’m not, which I’m very happy about,” she shot back. “And I’m sure he’d be relieved to know that I’m safe and well, and I’d like to give him the good news, so could I borrow your cell, please?” She held out her hand expectantly.
He kept his hands by his sides. “Your uncle said not to make any calls, because they might be tracked,” Clark mumbled. “Tyler’s dead, but if Lionel figures out he failed, he could send somebody else after you.”
Chloe hated to admit it, but he had a point. She knew Lex’s cell was protected, but Clark’s wasn’t, and she had no idea how the whole tracing thing worked; they might be able to follow Clark’s one-way trail, after all.
“I suppose it could wait until tomorrow,” she said reluctantly. “But I feel so bad for him; he must be blaming himself for what happened to me, and he has no idea that I’m okay.”
Clark sighed. “He knows you’re okay,” he said reluctantly. “I told him I saved you.”
“You did?” she asked, puzzled. “When?”
Clark’s feet shuffled guiltily, and her eyes widened. “That was Lex on the phone just now?” she accused. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You don’t owe him anything, Chloe,” he insisted. “He should be grateful you’re testifying in this trial.”
“Why are you being such a jerk about him?” she asked, baffled. “Okay, so he let you think I was dead, but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re trying to put a way a serious criminal!”
“Who just happens to be his father!” Clark pointed out. “Lex is only interested in putting Lionel away so that he can seize the Luthor Empire for himself; don’t you get it? You’re just a convenient means to an end for him!”
“That is not true!” she cried. “You think this is easy for him? He’s protected me against his own father, Clark; he’s done everything to make sure I was safe!”
“Yeah, safe to testify in his corner, which is precisely my point, Chloe- he’s using you!”
“He is not!” she shot back. “You don’t know him like I do, Clark. I’ve lived with him. He’s kind, gentle, generous and respectful, and I will not stand here and listen to you malign him like this!”
Clark stared at her, and then his eyes widened in sudden realisation.
“Are you falling for him?” he asked incredulously. “All that time you spent alone with him…did he put the moves on you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said crossly, but she could feel her tell-tale cheeks warming under his studious gaze.
“Did he seduce you?” he pressed. “Because that would be witness-tampering, Chloe; not to mention, completely sickening!”
“He hasn’t done anything of the kind, you idiot!” she snarled. And he really hadn’t; she’d come on to him, so technically she was telling the truth.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him and gotten to know the person behind the name,” she continued calmly. “We’re friends, but that’s it.”
“Friends?” Clark snorted. “You and Lex? You can’t trust him, Chloe!”
“Why not?” she challenged. “Because he’s a Luthor? How would you feel if I judged you based on the actions of your biological parents, Clark? Huh? How can you, of all people, write him off because of something his father did?”
She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. “Or is it because he helped Lana get to Paris; is that it?”
Clark didn’t answer; he simply folded his arms and scowled.
“Hey, she wanted to get away from here, buddy. You can’t blame Lex for that!” she went on.
“All I know,” Clark said slowly and deliberately, “…is that after you give your testimony tomorrow, and Lionel Luthor gets convicted, Lex is going to turn around and act like you don’t exist.”
“No,” she said vehemently, shaking her head. “Lex isn’t like that, I promise you.”
“Once he’s gotten what he wanted, he’ll have no further use for you, Chloe, I’m telling you,” he warned. “What do you think he’s gonna do once his father goes to jail, huh? Invite you round for coffee and doughnuts every night, or something more? He may be your friend, but you’re not his; not by any definition.”
“You’ve got him all wrong, Clark,” she said confidently. “Just like everyone else in this town. All he’s ever done is try to help, but none of you can see past the Luthor tag on the end of his name. So pathetic.”
She walked determinedly to the door of her room and held it open. “Once again, thank you for saving me, Clark,” she said tightly. “Now I’d like you to leave.”
Clark opened his mouth to argue, but she glared hard at him and he promptly decided against it. With a sigh, he headed through the door she was holding open.
As he passed the threshold, he paused and gave her one last, fleeting glance.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said softly.
She kept silent until he’d walked all the way through the door, and then she slammed it shut and bolted it behind him.
***
Chapter 19…
Some more Chlex in the house, WOOT! Actually, er... *looks worried*...there's a lot of Clark in there, but Lex is well-represented.
Enjoy!
Title: Orchestrato
Author: BabyDee1
Pairing: Chlex
Rating: PG13 for now, NC-17 later
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Brilliant banner by chleansmile :-P
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 18
Chloe stood under the pulsing jets of the shower for as long as she could, enjoying the pressure of the warm water as it washed the grime off her skin.
She had been kidnapped and held for half a day, but every second of captivity had felt like a lifetime. Her captor, whom she recognised as Tyler James Richter, had kept her bound and gagged throughout her ordeal and had taunted her with chilling tales of how he would the peel skin from her flesh while she still lived, and take great pleasure in doing so. Given his extraordinary meteor ability, and what he’d done to the guards at the safehouse, she had no problem believing he’d meant every word of it.
So when Clark had turned up at the forge and rescued her, she’d never been more happy to see him in her entire life. Even though she would have relished the opportunity to discover more about Tyler’s unique shape-shifting, matter-morphing ability, she didn’t consider it any great loss that he had lost his life in the rescue attempt, falling into the same vat of super-heated molten steel that he’d planned to dispose of her remains in. The thought of meeting such a grisly end made a chill run through her entire body, and she shivered despite the heat of the water cascading around her.
With a sigh, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, and began to towel herself dry. There was no time to dawdle; kidnap victim or no, she still had a ruthless criminal to put away, and only a few hours left to go over her trial notes for the final time.
Uncle Sam Lane had taken no chances with her safety. Once Clark had taken her to him, he had spirited her straight to a military base on the outskirts of Kansas, where she would remain until tomorrow when she would be escorted to the courthouse under armed guard. He’d reluctantly allowed Clark to remain with her, and she could hear her friend on the other side of the door, talking to someone on the phone.
Quickly she towel-dried her hair as much as possible and dressed in the pyjamas that had been procured for her, then stepped out into the room.
“Hey,” she greeted. Clark shut off his cell and turned to face her.
“Hey,” he replied.
“Who was that on the phone?”
“Hmm? Oh, no-one important.” He slid the phone into his pocket and came over to her side of the room, then took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied honestly. “Thanks for saving my ass back there; for a second I thought I wasn’t gonna make it.”
Clark gathered her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I knew you were alive,” he mumbled into her hair. “They kept telling me you were dead, but I knew, I just knew you were out there somewhere.”
She smiled. “Thanks for believing, Clark,” she whispered. “I wanted to tell you, I really did; but Lex thought it was safer if everyone nobody knew the truth, and I agree with him.”
“He didn’t do a very good job of keeping you safe, though, did he?” Clark quipped.
“Up until this morning, he did a brilliant job,” she replied instantly. “I owe him everything, Clark; he couldn’t have done anything more for me.”
“Yet despite his best efforts, not only did Tyler find you, he also managed to kidnap you right out from under Lex’s nose,” he said derisively. “If I hadn’t found you, you’d be dead by now.”
“And if Lex hadn’t spirited me from the safehouse months ago, I’d have been dead then,” she retorted. “What’s with all the Lex hate, Clark?”
He scowled. “He let me think you were dead, Chloe.”
“So what, you want to punish him by letting him think the same?” she queried. “What’s that going to achieve?”
“You have no idea what he put me through!” he complained. “You’re my best friend, and I thought you were dead!”
“But I’m not, which I’m very happy about,” she shot back. “And I’m sure he’d be relieved to know that I’m safe and well, and I’d like to give him the good news, so could I borrow your cell, please?” She held out her hand expectantly.
He kept his hands by his sides. “Your uncle said not to make any calls, because they might be tracked,” Clark mumbled. “Tyler’s dead, but if Lionel figures out he failed, he could send somebody else after you.”
Chloe hated to admit it, but he had a point. She knew Lex’s cell was protected, but Clark’s wasn’t, and she had no idea how the whole tracing thing worked; they might be able to follow Clark’s one-way trail, after all.
“I suppose it could wait until tomorrow,” she said reluctantly. “But I feel so bad for him; he must be blaming himself for what happened to me, and he has no idea that I’m okay.”
Clark sighed. “He knows you’re okay,” he said reluctantly. “I told him I saved you.”
“You did?” she asked, puzzled. “When?”
Clark’s feet shuffled guiltily, and her eyes widened. “That was Lex on the phone just now?” she accused. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You don’t owe him anything, Chloe,” he insisted. “He should be grateful you’re testifying in this trial.”
“Why are you being such a jerk about him?” she asked, baffled. “Okay, so he let you think I was dead, but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re trying to put a way a serious criminal!”
“Who just happens to be his father!” Clark pointed out. “Lex is only interested in putting Lionel away so that he can seize the Luthor Empire for himself; don’t you get it? You’re just a convenient means to an end for him!”
“That is not true!” she cried. “You think this is easy for him? He’s protected me against his own father, Clark; he’s done everything to make sure I was safe!”
“Yeah, safe to testify in his corner, which is precisely my point, Chloe- he’s using you!”
“He is not!” she shot back. “You don’t know him like I do, Clark. I’ve lived with him. He’s kind, gentle, generous and respectful, and I will not stand here and listen to you malign him like this!”
Clark stared at her, and then his eyes widened in sudden realisation.
“Are you falling for him?” he asked incredulously. “All that time you spent alone with him…did he put the moves on you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said crossly, but she could feel her tell-tale cheeks warming under his studious gaze.
“Did he seduce you?” he pressed. “Because that would be witness-tampering, Chloe; not to mention, completely sickening!”
“He hasn’t done anything of the kind, you idiot!” she snarled. And he really hadn’t; she’d come on to him, so technically she was telling the truth.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him and gotten to know the person behind the name,” she continued calmly. “We’re friends, but that’s it.”
“Friends?” Clark snorted. “You and Lex? You can’t trust him, Chloe!”
“Why not?” she challenged. “Because he’s a Luthor? How would you feel if I judged you based on the actions of your biological parents, Clark? Huh? How can you, of all people, write him off because of something his father did?”
She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. “Or is it because he helped Lana get to Paris; is that it?”
Clark didn’t answer; he simply folded his arms and scowled.
“Hey, she wanted to get away from here, buddy. You can’t blame Lex for that!” she went on.
“All I know,” Clark said slowly and deliberately, “…is that after you give your testimony tomorrow, and Lionel Luthor gets convicted, Lex is going to turn around and act like you don’t exist.”
“No,” she said vehemently, shaking her head. “Lex isn’t like that, I promise you.”
“Once he’s gotten what he wanted, he’ll have no further use for you, Chloe, I’m telling you,” he warned. “What do you think he’s gonna do once his father goes to jail, huh? Invite you round for coffee and doughnuts every night, or something more? He may be your friend, but you’re not his; not by any definition.”
“You’ve got him all wrong, Clark,” she said confidently. “Just like everyone else in this town. All he’s ever done is try to help, but none of you can see past the Luthor tag on the end of his name. So pathetic.”
She walked determinedly to the door of her room and held it open. “Once again, thank you for saving me, Clark,” she said tightly. “Now I’d like you to leave.”
Clark opened his mouth to argue, but she glared hard at him and he promptly decided against it. With a sigh, he headed through the door she was holding open.
As he passed the threshold, he paused and gave her one last, fleeting glance.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said softly.
She kept silent until he’d walked all the way through the door, and then she slammed it shut and bolted it behind him.
***
Chapter 19…