Author note: Another-well sort of creative title... this ch links the next ch to the rest.

The Seeds of Evil

by S. Ann Smith

Chapter eight: Confronting All Evils

'Dearest Chloe,

My dearest Chloe.

I love you. If you don't love me, I understand. How could you after what I've done, all that I could do. As stubborn as I may seem, I know I can trust you to keep this one secret: Mr. Kent is right. I am a horrible, horrible person who deserves what is coming for him, worthy of the Luthor name.

I understand if you never ever want to see me again after I tell you this. I have killed,

Chloe, I killed so many people, not because I wanted to, but because I felt I had to, to save the buisness, and to save myself. Call it feelings of rejection from my early adolescence, what ever, maybe even parental issues... but that aside, I thought you should know.

I'm sorry Chloe, but I don't want to hurt you, or to make you suffer my mother's fate for falling in love with a Luthor. I love you too much. We Luthors have a family curse, the women we love, and marry die young. My mother was barely in her mid-thirties.

I think it's the price for our money. I don't want you to suffer through our curse Chloe, if I continue to see you I'm afraid I'll lose you.

Love Lex'

Chloe let the paper fall to the ground.

What did he mean? He's afraid to lose her? But wasn't he losing her by pushing her away like that?

Extremely confused and disoriented, Chloe finnished her few chores, and stumbled into her room.

Crying face down on her bed was how Lana found her.

"Chloe?" She asked concerned. The concerned all-mighty-perfect-one recieved a very angry grunt from face-down Chloe, who wasn't impressed at the farcity that called itself Life.

After all that she had been through this past week, losing Clark's friendship, all that shit about her mother, reading some very unpleasant articles about her, and having her face plastered nation-wide, was all a waste. A waste because a certain tantalizingly sexy bald billionaire decided that he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Chloe?" Lana repeated worried.

" I feel like I've been hit by a Semi..."

"Why? What happened?"

"I think Lex just dumped me..."

"You think? Wouldn't you be positive?"

"You're very optimistic." came the glum reply from the smothered girl.

"Where's the Chloe I know? Where is the Chloe that would normally storm down to

whoever made her feel this way, and give him the what for?"

Chloe froze. Maybe Lana was right. Maybe she should get off her bed and give Lex shit for the way he made her feel.

Wait a minute... did she just hear Lana say what-for in one sentance, as an action? When did Lana ever say anything like that? Maybe some of that Sullivan Charm is rubbing off on her. That is if the Sullivan clan did have charm of any-sort - besides cracking the usual fertilizer jokes of course.

Poor Lana! She decided sitting up to look at her.

"Well, the Chloe you know is not here right now, and went on a coffee break, she will be back after she is finnished sorting through the emotions running throught her head right now. Can I take a message?" Chloe asked, mimicking their answering machine.

"Yeah, let me know when Chloe comes back from her coffee break. I'll go talk to Lex for her." Lana stood up and turned to leave.

Given a fresh bolt of unknown energy, which she had no clue where it came from, Chloe stood up and cut Lana off. "No you aren't." she declared, her sudden mood change causing a surprise to both her and Lana simultaneously. "I will."

Lana broke into a big goofy grin. Chloe had fallen for a very dirty trick on Lana's part.

But it was too late now, and all Chloe could do was hope.

Hope for some miracle of nature to allow her to do what she had to do calmly and collected. It was just what she had to do that worried her. She didn;'t even know what that was at the moment. She hoped it would come to her soon.