Part 9 Scenes in a Silent Film
They arrived at Lex's house when the afternoon sun dipped into the warm waters of the Bay. He ushered her into the door apprehensive about her reaction to the place. While he had been scared that she would recognize it, Lex's heart fell when Chloe stepped in nervously, glanced around, but did not seem to have any memories.
He racked his mind for memories, even the slightest mention of any formula that the European company had been working on at the time that Chloe vanished. There had to be some record of whatever potent formula it was Lucas had hold of. At the same time, Lex could not even decide whether to use it or not. There was still the threat of Chloe deciding that what he had done was too vile to forgive. He hadn't even completely forgiven himself.
She looked around the imposing living room, and Lex tried to read her face. What was she thinking right then? Did any of the furniture remind her of a time when she lived with him? Nothing had changed really. He never allowed anything moved.
Her next words came to him as a surprise, because perhaps he was guilty of trying to push remembrances of his brother to the back of his mind. "Why didn't he tell me he had a brother?"
Lex turned and found her still observing the room, not even looking at him as she directed that question. "Believe it or not," he answered, "despite the whole two hours since you first asked me, I still don't have the answer." The dry answer caught her attention, and she glanced at him wide- eyed. Lex smiled to put her at ease. "When we find him, we'll ask him why."
"He's the only one who has the answer, isn't he?" she agreed. "You believe we'll still find him."
"Chloe-"
"Is he dead?"
Lex started moving towards the stairs. Before stepping on the first level, he told her, "Maybe."
She followed closely behind him as they made their way to the second floor. It was a plush apartment she had to admit. The luxury with which Lex Luthor lived his life was in stark contrast to the way she and Lucas had gone about their marriage. She could not ignore the nagging feeling now that all along, Lucas had strung her in some kind of hide and seek game. They lived far beneath their means, away from the public's eyes primarily because Lucas was hiding something. Reminded of the way he denied her the chance at a working life, she suspected that she was his biggest secret.
Chloe looked up at Lex, who stood waiting for her at the top of the stairs. She trusted him. There was an openness and need in his eyes that made her trust him even when he first introduced himself to her in Barcelona. She was about to raise her suspicions to him when suddenly, his figure, looking at her from the top of the stairs, shifted to an image of Lex bare-chested, dressed only in dress pants, looking down at her blankly. Chloe gasped and took a blind step backwards. Her vision turned red, then black. When next she fluttered her eyelids open, it was to find herself in the same position, only this time, his arms were gripping her tight against his body.
"Lex?" she whispered, her words muffled against his shirt.
Carefully, she pulled away from him, but he would not let her go. He led her slowly up the remaining few steps. When they reached the top stop, he finally allowed space between them, but his hand still gripped her elbow. Chloe's gaze wandered back to the bottom of the steps. A sob escaped her throat when she saw a bloody pool of blood in place of the polished floor. Right beside it, images of men appeared. Two men in uniform appeared like paramedics, and the one whose back was turned to her shielded the prone figure they were placing on a portable gurney. There was a flash of white silk that was immediately covered.
She wanted to close her eyes, to block the image that though she did not recognize caused great distress in her heart. Chloe could not help but move her gaze to another vacant point of the floor. This time, she found a man kneeling there-a younger man she knew. She waited with her eyes fixed on him until he looked up slowly. Tears fell from her eyes. "Lucas," she whispered. "What are you doing?"
"Chloe," an insistent voice spoke sharply in her head. "Chloe." She was being shaken from the trance. "Chloe, what's going on?"
She shook her head madly, trying to erase the images. A sharp pain rushed up her temples and she breathed harshly to fight it off. Chloe opened her eyes and found Lex staring intently at her. "Lex," she cried.
"What did you see?" he asked again, calmly.
"I don't know!"
He moved closer to her, and she realized how softly she said the words. She felt his breath across her lips. "Chloe, tell me what you saw."
Did she detect a trace of fear in his demand? Chloe closed her eyes and saw his face etched at the back of her lids. The Lex in her vision moved closer, and she was transported to a park under the morning sun, clothed in a floral sundress. Her brows furrowed at the odd fullness she felt in her heart that she had never experienced as far as she could remember. With Lucas, she felt happy. But this, what filled her heart as the imaginary version of Lex moved his lips closer to hers, was far different.
Her lips parted in awe. The feel of an insistent mouth covering hers shocked her. Eagerly, she responded at the feeling that was familiar and welcome. All her life only one man has kissed her. Lucas had come home. Her hand rose so that she could entangle her fingers in the soft, thick hair she loved. But her palm came in contact with a smooth, warm skin that did not surprise her as much as it should have.
For a brief second, she pressed his head deeper against her searching lips. "Lex," she murmured as she bit his lower lip. The moment she heard herself, Chloe opened her eyes and saw the blue eyes that were not her husband's. She desperately pulled away.
He breathed heavily as he stood in front of her.
Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "Mr Luthor," she gasped, switching to the formal address in her embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I-I thought you were Lucas."
Did she imagine the hurt in his eyes now? "Chloe-"
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." She turned on her heels and walked away hastily. Chloe swallowed as she searched the rooms for the one where her bag had been taken. What had happened to her? It was as though she had been possessed by someone not entirely herself, but then-She shook her head furiously. "No!" Chloe had known it was Lex. In her heart she could not deny that she willingly kissed the Lex in her mind's eye. "No!"
~~
Having successfully avoided Lex Luthor for the rest of the night, Chloe did not expect the knock on her bedroom door half an hour after midnight. She had not been able to sleep herself. Chloe blamed it on homesickness. There were so many things she could not understand. She had never been to Manila before, let alone Lex's house. What were the scenes that played out before her earlier then? And why was it that everything seemed so familiar?
"Chloe," came the quiet, commanding voice.
She sat up in bed and looked at the thick wood that separated her from her husband's brother. Chloe swallowed the shame that rose up in her throat. She could not face Lex, not when she seemed like a hussy bent on sleeping with Lex even before Lucas was found.
"Chloe, open the door. It's important."
Reluctantly, Chloe rose and unlocked the door. She opened it to find Lex standing before her with sunken eyes. She was not alone in sleeplessness tonight. "What-what is it?"
"Ten minutes, Chloe. Put something on quickly and we'll take my helicopter down to Bicol. It's about an hour by air from here. They have a John Doe who fits the description we disseminated about Lucas. We have to leave now because he's critical." After giving the instructions, Lex closed the door, leaving Chloe staring at the brown wood in shocked silence.
They arrived at Lex's house when the afternoon sun dipped into the warm waters of the Bay. He ushered her into the door apprehensive about her reaction to the place. While he had been scared that she would recognize it, Lex's heart fell when Chloe stepped in nervously, glanced around, but did not seem to have any memories.
He racked his mind for memories, even the slightest mention of any formula that the European company had been working on at the time that Chloe vanished. There had to be some record of whatever potent formula it was Lucas had hold of. At the same time, Lex could not even decide whether to use it or not. There was still the threat of Chloe deciding that what he had done was too vile to forgive. He hadn't even completely forgiven himself.
She looked around the imposing living room, and Lex tried to read her face. What was she thinking right then? Did any of the furniture remind her of a time when she lived with him? Nothing had changed really. He never allowed anything moved.
Her next words came to him as a surprise, because perhaps he was guilty of trying to push remembrances of his brother to the back of his mind. "Why didn't he tell me he had a brother?"
Lex turned and found her still observing the room, not even looking at him as she directed that question. "Believe it or not," he answered, "despite the whole two hours since you first asked me, I still don't have the answer." The dry answer caught her attention, and she glanced at him wide- eyed. Lex smiled to put her at ease. "When we find him, we'll ask him why."
"He's the only one who has the answer, isn't he?" she agreed. "You believe we'll still find him."
"Chloe-"
"Is he dead?"
Lex started moving towards the stairs. Before stepping on the first level, he told her, "Maybe."
She followed closely behind him as they made their way to the second floor. It was a plush apartment she had to admit. The luxury with which Lex Luthor lived his life was in stark contrast to the way she and Lucas had gone about their marriage. She could not ignore the nagging feeling now that all along, Lucas had strung her in some kind of hide and seek game. They lived far beneath their means, away from the public's eyes primarily because Lucas was hiding something. Reminded of the way he denied her the chance at a working life, she suspected that she was his biggest secret.
Chloe looked up at Lex, who stood waiting for her at the top of the stairs. She trusted him. There was an openness and need in his eyes that made her trust him even when he first introduced himself to her in Barcelona. She was about to raise her suspicions to him when suddenly, his figure, looking at her from the top of the stairs, shifted to an image of Lex bare-chested, dressed only in dress pants, looking down at her blankly. Chloe gasped and took a blind step backwards. Her vision turned red, then black. When next she fluttered her eyelids open, it was to find herself in the same position, only this time, his arms were gripping her tight against his body.
"Lex?" she whispered, her words muffled against his shirt.
Carefully, she pulled away from him, but he would not let her go. He led her slowly up the remaining few steps. When they reached the top stop, he finally allowed space between them, but his hand still gripped her elbow. Chloe's gaze wandered back to the bottom of the steps. A sob escaped her throat when she saw a bloody pool of blood in place of the polished floor. Right beside it, images of men appeared. Two men in uniform appeared like paramedics, and the one whose back was turned to her shielded the prone figure they were placing on a portable gurney. There was a flash of white silk that was immediately covered.
She wanted to close her eyes, to block the image that though she did not recognize caused great distress in her heart. Chloe could not help but move her gaze to another vacant point of the floor. This time, she found a man kneeling there-a younger man she knew. She waited with her eyes fixed on him until he looked up slowly. Tears fell from her eyes. "Lucas," she whispered. "What are you doing?"
"Chloe," an insistent voice spoke sharply in her head. "Chloe." She was being shaken from the trance. "Chloe, what's going on?"
She shook her head madly, trying to erase the images. A sharp pain rushed up her temples and she breathed harshly to fight it off. Chloe opened her eyes and found Lex staring intently at her. "Lex," she cried.
"What did you see?" he asked again, calmly.
"I don't know!"
He moved closer to her, and she realized how softly she said the words. She felt his breath across her lips. "Chloe, tell me what you saw."
Did she detect a trace of fear in his demand? Chloe closed her eyes and saw his face etched at the back of her lids. The Lex in her vision moved closer, and she was transported to a park under the morning sun, clothed in a floral sundress. Her brows furrowed at the odd fullness she felt in her heart that she had never experienced as far as she could remember. With Lucas, she felt happy. But this, what filled her heart as the imaginary version of Lex moved his lips closer to hers, was far different.
Her lips parted in awe. The feel of an insistent mouth covering hers shocked her. Eagerly, she responded at the feeling that was familiar and welcome. All her life only one man has kissed her. Lucas had come home. Her hand rose so that she could entangle her fingers in the soft, thick hair she loved. But her palm came in contact with a smooth, warm skin that did not surprise her as much as it should have.
For a brief second, she pressed his head deeper against her searching lips. "Lex," she murmured as she bit his lower lip. The moment she heard herself, Chloe opened her eyes and saw the blue eyes that were not her husband's. She desperately pulled away.
He breathed heavily as he stood in front of her.
Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "Mr Luthor," she gasped, switching to the formal address in her embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I-I thought you were Lucas."
Did she imagine the hurt in his eyes now? "Chloe-"
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." She turned on her heels and walked away hastily. Chloe swallowed as she searched the rooms for the one where her bag had been taken. What had happened to her? It was as though she had been possessed by someone not entirely herself, but then-She shook her head furiously. "No!" Chloe had known it was Lex. In her heart she could not deny that she willingly kissed the Lex in her mind's eye. "No!"
~~
Having successfully avoided Lex Luthor for the rest of the night, Chloe did not expect the knock on her bedroom door half an hour after midnight. She had not been able to sleep herself. Chloe blamed it on homesickness. There were so many things she could not understand. She had never been to Manila before, let alone Lex's house. What were the scenes that played out before her earlier then? And why was it that everything seemed so familiar?
"Chloe," came the quiet, commanding voice.
She sat up in bed and looked at the thick wood that separated her from her husband's brother. Chloe swallowed the shame that rose up in her throat. She could not face Lex, not when she seemed like a hussy bent on sleeping with Lex even before Lucas was found.
"Chloe, open the door. It's important."
Reluctantly, Chloe rose and unlocked the door. She opened it to find Lex standing before her with sunken eyes. She was not alone in sleeplessness tonight. "What-what is it?"
"Ten minutes, Chloe. Put something on quickly and we'll take my helicopter down to Bicol. It's about an hour by air from here. They have a John Doe who fits the description we disseminated about Lucas. We have to leave now because he's critical." After giving the instructions, Lex closed the door, leaving Chloe staring at the brown wood in shocked silence.