A/N : Oh you wonderful reviewers! You really do keep me writing! Thanx to Paradox, J, Merrie, Lurker, NeeterDilly and Kristin for the latest reviews - you guys are the best!

Hope you continue to enjoy this fic.

Disclaimer : Nope, not my characters!

Lex walked two steps ahead of Chloe all the way from the limo to the door of his office. It was here that he stopped. Yesterday he had stayed away from this part of the house completely. He would never admit it but Lex Luthor was scared. He remembered it all so vividly, the storm, the sound of the wind smashing the stained glass windows, the feeling as the sheer force of the blast knocked him off his feet, the sight of his father and the sound of his cries, and finally, the sick feeling he had felt when he realised he had waited too long to save his father's life.

Chloe was scared too and it was not merely being in the strange mansion that bothered her. She knew something was wrong, her reporters instinct told her something was definitely not right here. Lex had turned so cold on her in the car and she still couldn't figure out why. 'It was after I mentioned his father' she thought to herself. She knew Lex and Lionel didn't exactly get on but Lex's reaction to the mention of his father's name had never been this severe.

Lex turned and looked down into Chloe's eyes. He found strength in them like he'd never seen anywhere else, and that was what he needed right now.

"Lex, what is going on?" Chloe asked him, he only smiled.

"Always the reporter, aren't you?" His smile faltered as he thought of the answer to her question. He reached down and took hold of her hand. "Come on" he said, quietly, forcing his other hand to open the door to the office.

The billionaire and the reporter entered the room, hand in hand, both concerned at what they might find, but both pleasantly surprised. The office had been completely refurbished. New stained glass windows coloured the sun light that flooded over the shining mahogany desk and chair. New bookcases lined two walls filled with all kinds of literature. Chloe sighed.

"They've done a good job here" she smiled, but Lex didn't. His eyes were fixed on one spot.

"Is this all you wanted to show me? The new decor?" Chloe asked him. She only just heard him say that it wasn't.

"Then why am I here?" she was impatient to know what it was he needed to tell her and eager to see whatever it was he had to show her.

Lex exploded angrily, it was the only way he could cope with the guilt that was welling up inside of him.

"My father died in here!" he yelled, "I killed him!"

Chloe took her hand from Lex's grip and took a few steps back toward the door.

"What?" was the only sound she could make as she continued to back up.

"My father is dead and it's my fault" Lex repeated, not quite as loudly as he had said it before.

"Here?" Chloe asked her second one word question of this conversation, no-one would have guessed she was a journalist.

"In this room" Lex told her. She felt sick, physically sick, in fact it was beyond sick, it was an unbearable feeling of pain and anger and disgust. She had backed up right out of the door by now and so she did the only thing she could - she ran.

Lex didn't even bother to go after her. He just watched her go and then he cried. It was years since Lex Luthor had cried, it was not the Luthor way, but knowing he had hurt the one he loved made him feel worse than he ever thought possible. He had hurt her, he had lost her and he was doomed to be alone. He looked turned his gaze back to the room that he stood in. Through his tears he could still make out the spot where his father had fallen and never got up again. Guilt washed over him and he collapsed in tears. He didn't care who saw him, he didn't care what happened to him, everything he cared about had just walked out of the room, out of the building and out of his life.

A/N : Well, what do you think? Go on then, review and let me know if you still like it, and then I might just write faster for you!