Author's note: I have been away a longggg time. Heh. Not gonna finish that story. But I'm back. Hopefully I'll get cooking on some of my unfinished ones again, but for now, here's a little one shot to chew on. Song fic is not usually my genre, but I decided to try it. It kinda isn't that good, but hey. Getting back in the swing of things.
Yay disclaimers!
I don't own smallville, any of its characters, or the song "Silver and Cold" by AFI.
I,
I came here by day,
but I left here in darkness
and found you,
found you on the way.
It was dark in the room where they were keeping her. Dark and nearly silent. The only sound was the pounding of her own heart. She could hear it's frantic pulsing through her chest, in her head, through her fingers, out her toes. The pulsating took her over and nearly covered the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. Don't tell him, her heart said, mores code through the ever present beat, Don't tell him what he wants to know.
She nodded her head in agreement. She could not say a word.
Now,
it is silver and silent.
It is silver and cold.
She stood on shaky legs, still aching from the last beating. Her hands, tied behind her back, ached in throbbing unison, and she was sure at least one of them was broken.
You
in somber resplendence,
I hold...
On her feeble legs, Chloe Sullivan wandered the damp room, trying to gauge where she was. She could not tell. Only the sharp biting feeling of being alone prevailed, an intense feeling of knowing that she would have to fight this battle on her own. It was not her battle to fight.
Your
sins into me,
oh, my beautiful one.
Your sins into me.
A door in the corner of the room opened, flooding bright and clean into the room. Chloe blinked at the sudden source of light, before it was quickly shut again. The dread was mounting in her mind- she knew what this meant. Another battle, another loss, another hour of fierce and terrible silence. She had been dancing this dance with him for days, maybe weeks now. Time was lost on her. The bare bulb above her head flickered on, and she braced herself for the first punch, the breaking of the silence, the continuation of the war.
As
a rapturous voice escapes
I will tremble a prayer
and I'll beg
for forgiveness
The pain was sudden and whole, like a crack of a whip. She had promised herself to be silent through the beatings; that resolve quickly shattered to nothing. A whimper found its way out of her mouth and she could hear it, but not feel it. It took on a life of its own. She had begged, she had cried, she had screamed, she had moaned and whimpered. But she had kept the secret safe.
Your
sins into me,
Your sins into me
oh, my beautiful one.
He watched his men work their charms on her body with little emotion. This girl, who he would have gone lengths to protect some months ago, meant nothing to him now. He could not explain when or where his mind had turned to darker places, he could only calmly examine the void his humanity had left as one examines their own cuticles- no particular attachment, no remorse.
Light,
like the flutter of wings,
feel your hollow voice rushing
into
me as you're longing to sing.
Chloe felt warm. Was it the blood, her own blood, surrounding her in a puddle on the floor? No. It was something else. The pain was changing. Now a dull steady stream punctuated with a few quick cracks when they hit a more sensitive spot. She could feel herself slipping away, into the place she kept for her mind. It was far from this tiny room with only the one swinging bare bulb. It was light. It was pure. It was, somehow, where Clark was. Clark was at the center of it all, wasn't he? Clark was the ending and the meaning of it all.
So
I,I will paint you in silver.
I will wrap you in cold.
I will
lift up your voice as I sink.
So lost in her own thoughts, Chloe did not notice when they stopped beating her. She only noticed when they lifted her. She was brought to her feet, though to be honest, she carried little of her own weight. She was too weak to even stand on her own. She knew what they would ask of her, she knew she would not give it.
Your
sins into me,
oh, my beautiful one, now
Your sins into me.
As
a rapturous voice escapes
I will tremble a prayer
and I'll beg
for forgiveness.
Your sins into me,
Your sins into me
He came into the light, so Chloe could see him. He marveled at the handy work of his own men, almost took pride in it. Her eyes seemed glazed, blood trickled down her cheek. There was not a part of her that went unscathed. She teetered helplessly in his power and it made him sick with desire to see her broken.
"Hello, Chloe."
His voice brought her back and she lifted her head, just a little, to see him. His eyes glinted with malice. His face portrayed no emotion, but his eyes betrayed him. He asked the question again.
"What is Clark hiding?"
Cold
in life's throes.
I'll fall asleep for you.
She thought of Clark's smile. The image had been fading of late, with every blow she received. She had taken them for him, she had protected him.
Cold
in life's throes.
I only ask you turn away.
He smiled at her. Back to the charade, the way they played. He would smile and pretend he was a good person. She would say nothing. He was sick of this game and he wanted his answer.
Cold
in life's throes.
"Chloe, if you tell me… I'll let you go. You'll leave and I'll never look for you again. You'll walk out. You'll be fine."
I'll
fall asleep for you.
That hope glimmered for her; she considered for a moment revealing what she had been asked for so long. She could live. She could live and not hurt, not like this, ever again.
Cold
in life's throes
But she couldn't do it.
I
only ask you turn
She was silent.
as
they seep into me,
He put his hands on her face and leaned forward, his eyes almost touching hers.
"Chloe, if you don't tell me, I'm going to kill you."
His whisper was deadly sweet.
oh,
my beautiful one, now…
She leaned forward, and then cocked her head back. As if to tell him. And she thought of Clark's smile and her heart broke, for herself and not for him. It was her life she would pay.
Your
sins into me,
oh, my beautiful one.
Your sins into me.
She leaned forward and spit on his face.
"Go to hell."
As
a rapturous voice escapes
I will tremble a prayer
and I'll beg
for forgiveness.
Your sins into me,
Your sins into me
Lex Luthor calmly wiped the blood off his face. He had given her a chance; she had refused it. He motioned to the men that surrounded her, and they let go. For a moment, she swayed, as if to stand, and then fell to her knees.
Your
sins into me,
oh, my beautiful one, now
Your sins into me.
As
a rapturous voice escapes
I will tremble a prayer
and I'll beg
for forgiveness.
The cold metal of the gun Lex held to her forehead felt good. A promise. An ending. She closed her eyes, and opened her arms. She wanted the end. Clark was safe and she would die for it.
Your
sins into me,
Your sins into...
She looked up at Lex one more time. His arm was in the way, the arm that held the gun.
"Hope your soul was worth it." She whispered.
Lex pulled the trigger.
Your
sins into me
It was over in a second. Chloe slumped to the floor. He motioned to his thugs to clean her up. He had a dinner party in one hour that he had to attend to. For a moment, he stared at her lifeless body and something shook in him. But it was gone in a second.
Oh my beautiful one.