Chapter 15
The sound of her name from the darkness brought fresh fear.
'Car. Get to the car' The crunch of gravel, then one of her heels caught in the lawn and she sprawled, whimpering, in the damp grass. Hearing running behind her she scrambled, half crawling towards her car, which seemed to get further away. Short, panicked breaths pulled at her chest. He was going to catch her. Black terror all over her, one small part of her mind cynically observing that she couldn't believe she actually fell over, just like all those bimbos she always laughed at in horror movies.
Hands lifted her effortlessly and she whirled as quickly as she could, fists raised to fight her assailant. Seeing the expression on her face he stepped back, letting her go.
"Chloe, its me, Lucas. What the fuck.?" She backed away, still terrified. If one of them could do it. "Chloe, please, I'm not going to hurt you!" A quick glance around, gauge the distance to the car. "Its ok, please calm down." Lucas tried hard to stay focussed, despite his confusion and anger at whoever had hurt her. Chloe stopped a few feet away, poised to run again. Lucas waited, wanting nothing more than to reach out to her, but instinctively knowing that she would see that as an attack. He took in her appearance, hair all over the place and dress askew. Still worse than that, the beginnings of bruises on her lips. His blood boiled.
Slowly she seemed to become a little less scared, and burst into a new storm of tears. He made reassuring noises and waited.
"Lucas." she struggled to find the words. 'Turn into Pete or Clark. Leave me alone. Call my daddy. Don't look at me. Hold me until I feel safe again.' She had so many conflicting thoughts that she could barely make her mind coherent.
"Its ok, no-one's going to hurt you now. Shh." Desperately wanting to touch her, he clenched his fists impotently.
"Lucas. I. he." More tears. She covered her face and tried to get control of herself.
"Come back to the house, Chloe." Seeing the distrust spark in her eyes, he stepped back a pace. "Its ok, I'll look after you. No one can hurt you. We'll get Lana." Hesitatingly, Chloe took a tiny step forward, wanting to believe yet still not daring to. "Come on, its ok." Lucas backed toward the house, Chloe following inch by painful inch. He felt like an idiot, saying the same things over and over, but unable to think of anything else to say.
Finally they reached the veranda steps and he managed to get her to sit in one of the big white wooden chairs. He sat in an adjacent chair, miserable to see her cringe away from him. Still he made gentle, reassuring noises until she relaxed a little.
"Chloe, can you tell me what happened?" He wanted to get Lana, but couldn't leave her on her own out there. Whoever had done this to her might show up, and he had a nasty suspicion he knew who that was. 'Goddamit! I should have kept a better eye on her! What the fuck was Bruce thinking?' And always at the back of his mind was Lex, his super-ego, disapproving, furious, disowning. He watched her face. She was silent now, tears running unchecked down her cheeks, as she seemed to stare at something a long way off. Her fingers twisted in her skirt. He wished he had something to wipe her eyes with.
"I don't want to talk about it." She glanced at him, and dashed a hand across her face. She was getting some sense of perspective back, and began to feel foolish and ashamed at her hysteria in front of a relative stranger. Lucas ran his hand over his head in an unconscious imitation of his brother, his eyes full of such gentleness and understanding that she nearly broke down again.
"I know." Lucas put out a hand towards her and touched her for the first time, lightly brushing her arm. At first she recoiled, but allowed the contact, making him feel better. "I think you should tell someone, but it doesn't have to be me." She looked down at her crumpled dress without seeing it.
"Its ok." She reached a difficult decision. "Bruce. kissed me." She looked up at him, nervously plucking her skirt. She didn't want to say it, couldn't describe how it had felt, anyway.
"Go on." Lucas contained the anger in his voice.
"He. forced me to do things." New tears. She was getting tired of crying. 'How does Lana do this all the time?' "I thought he was going to." A long pause.
"But he didn't." Dumbly she shook her head.
"Someone came in." It felt so much better to have it out in the open, it had seemed dirty when it was inside her, but now she felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She knew that later she would be angry, angrier than she had ever been before, but now she felt nothing but relief. It wasn't as bad as all that. Chloe felt her normal, indomitable spirit flow back into her and was glad. Lucas was gazing at her, all concern. "I'm sorry, Lucas."
"What the hell for?" The sudden change of tack threw him completely, and almost involuntarily he reached out to her again, skimming her damp cheek. She sighed and shook her head.
"For. being hysterical? For overreacting? I don't know."
"Chloe, you certainly didn't overreact!" Lucas could feel the anger building inside of him, knowing that soon he would have to go and kick Bruce's ass until he cried like a girl. Forcing himself to stay chilled for now, he concentrated on Chloe. She seemed much better already, and again he marvelled at how quickly she could turn a situation around. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm much better. Umm, Lucas, would you get Lana for me? I think I want to go home now." Lucas stood fluidly and headed for the door, but was stopped by her voice just as he was reaching for the handle. "Lucas?"
"Hmm?" She was standing now, and hesitantly walked up to him, messy hair picked out by moonlight.
"Umm, I just wanted to say. thank you, I guess. You've been really great." Impulsively she threw her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against the hard muscles of his chest. It was one of those 'get straight back on the horse' situations, and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life hiding or being afraid. It was surprisingly comforting when his warm arms closed around her, and he held her gently for a long moment. She felt his lips on the crown of her head just before she pulled away.
"Come to dinner with me at the mansion tomorrow?" The question surprised them both, but Lucas was glad as soon as he asked it. He felt truly close to her, and didn't want to let her go. She hesitated.
"Bruce.?"
"Is never coming anywhere near you or the mansion if I have anything to do with it." He seemed so much like his brother at that moment, completely calm and under control and yet Chloe knew he was angry as hell.
"Ok, Lucas. I'll come." A warm smile lifted his features and he took her hand.
"Lets find Lana and get the hell out of here." Turning the handle, he drew her into the warmth of the house.
The sound of her name from the darkness brought fresh fear.
'Car. Get to the car' The crunch of gravel, then one of her heels caught in the lawn and she sprawled, whimpering, in the damp grass. Hearing running behind her she scrambled, half crawling towards her car, which seemed to get further away. Short, panicked breaths pulled at her chest. He was going to catch her. Black terror all over her, one small part of her mind cynically observing that she couldn't believe she actually fell over, just like all those bimbos she always laughed at in horror movies.
Hands lifted her effortlessly and she whirled as quickly as she could, fists raised to fight her assailant. Seeing the expression on her face he stepped back, letting her go.
"Chloe, its me, Lucas. What the fuck.?" She backed away, still terrified. If one of them could do it. "Chloe, please, I'm not going to hurt you!" A quick glance around, gauge the distance to the car. "Its ok, please calm down." Lucas tried hard to stay focussed, despite his confusion and anger at whoever had hurt her. Chloe stopped a few feet away, poised to run again. Lucas waited, wanting nothing more than to reach out to her, but instinctively knowing that she would see that as an attack. He took in her appearance, hair all over the place and dress askew. Still worse than that, the beginnings of bruises on her lips. His blood boiled.
Slowly she seemed to become a little less scared, and burst into a new storm of tears. He made reassuring noises and waited.
"Lucas." she struggled to find the words. 'Turn into Pete or Clark. Leave me alone. Call my daddy. Don't look at me. Hold me until I feel safe again.' She had so many conflicting thoughts that she could barely make her mind coherent.
"Its ok, no-one's going to hurt you now. Shh." Desperately wanting to touch her, he clenched his fists impotently.
"Lucas. I. he." More tears. She covered her face and tried to get control of herself.
"Come back to the house, Chloe." Seeing the distrust spark in her eyes, he stepped back a pace. "Its ok, I'll look after you. No one can hurt you. We'll get Lana." Hesitatingly, Chloe took a tiny step forward, wanting to believe yet still not daring to. "Come on, its ok." Lucas backed toward the house, Chloe following inch by painful inch. He felt like an idiot, saying the same things over and over, but unable to think of anything else to say.
Finally they reached the veranda steps and he managed to get her to sit in one of the big white wooden chairs. He sat in an adjacent chair, miserable to see her cringe away from him. Still he made gentle, reassuring noises until she relaxed a little.
"Chloe, can you tell me what happened?" He wanted to get Lana, but couldn't leave her on her own out there. Whoever had done this to her might show up, and he had a nasty suspicion he knew who that was. 'Goddamit! I should have kept a better eye on her! What the fuck was Bruce thinking?' And always at the back of his mind was Lex, his super-ego, disapproving, furious, disowning. He watched her face. She was silent now, tears running unchecked down her cheeks, as she seemed to stare at something a long way off. Her fingers twisted in her skirt. He wished he had something to wipe her eyes with.
"I don't want to talk about it." She glanced at him, and dashed a hand across her face. She was getting some sense of perspective back, and began to feel foolish and ashamed at her hysteria in front of a relative stranger. Lucas ran his hand over his head in an unconscious imitation of his brother, his eyes full of such gentleness and understanding that she nearly broke down again.
"I know." Lucas put out a hand towards her and touched her for the first time, lightly brushing her arm. At first she recoiled, but allowed the contact, making him feel better. "I think you should tell someone, but it doesn't have to be me." She looked down at her crumpled dress without seeing it.
"Its ok." She reached a difficult decision. "Bruce. kissed me." She looked up at him, nervously plucking her skirt. She didn't want to say it, couldn't describe how it had felt, anyway.
"Go on." Lucas contained the anger in his voice.
"He. forced me to do things." New tears. She was getting tired of crying. 'How does Lana do this all the time?' "I thought he was going to." A long pause.
"But he didn't." Dumbly she shook her head.
"Someone came in." It felt so much better to have it out in the open, it had seemed dirty when it was inside her, but now she felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She knew that later she would be angry, angrier than she had ever been before, but now she felt nothing but relief. It wasn't as bad as all that. Chloe felt her normal, indomitable spirit flow back into her and was glad. Lucas was gazing at her, all concern. "I'm sorry, Lucas."
"What the hell for?" The sudden change of tack threw him completely, and almost involuntarily he reached out to her again, skimming her damp cheek. She sighed and shook her head.
"For. being hysterical? For overreacting? I don't know."
"Chloe, you certainly didn't overreact!" Lucas could feel the anger building inside of him, knowing that soon he would have to go and kick Bruce's ass until he cried like a girl. Forcing himself to stay chilled for now, he concentrated on Chloe. She seemed much better already, and again he marvelled at how quickly she could turn a situation around. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm much better. Umm, Lucas, would you get Lana for me? I think I want to go home now." Lucas stood fluidly and headed for the door, but was stopped by her voice just as he was reaching for the handle. "Lucas?"
"Hmm?" She was standing now, and hesitantly walked up to him, messy hair picked out by moonlight.
"Umm, I just wanted to say. thank you, I guess. You've been really great." Impulsively she threw her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against the hard muscles of his chest. It was one of those 'get straight back on the horse' situations, and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life hiding or being afraid. It was surprisingly comforting when his warm arms closed around her, and he held her gently for a long moment. She felt his lips on the crown of her head just before she pulled away.
"Come to dinner with me at the mansion tomorrow?" The question surprised them both, but Lucas was glad as soon as he asked it. He felt truly close to her, and didn't want to let her go. She hesitated.
"Bruce.?"
"Is never coming anywhere near you or the mansion if I have anything to do with it." He seemed so much like his brother at that moment, completely calm and under control and yet Chloe knew he was angry as hell.
"Ok, Lucas. I'll come." A warm smile lifted his features and he took her hand.
"Lets find Lana and get the hell out of here." Turning the handle, he drew her into the warmth of the house.