Disclaimer: See chapter one
Ch. 12
An Eye for an Eye
Cold enveloped her as she pressed her forehead against the icy glass. Blurry eyes watched his chest move in solemn waves like the ocean. Staring into the darkness of the hospital room, her heart clenched as the curtains sealed the gloom before her, ostracizing her from her father's world.
Warm hands encased her waist, and she found herself leaning into the looking glass with more intensity. His soft head brushed against her cheek, as he whispered some words of encouragement into her ear.
She turned her body to face him, and his indigo eyes sparkled with regret and sorrow. Her body began to feel like Jell-O in his embrace and she found herself falling, with great speed into a world of dreamless suffering and obscurity.
He watched as she stirred within her sleep. Christmas morning had dawned on them, and instead of being filled with the joy of the holidays; his heart bled a crimson flow of sorrow for the slumbering woman nestled against him.
He uncurled himself from her form and sat up gently, succeeding in not waking her. He walked slowly to the bathroom and turned on the tap to the shower, he needed to clear his mind.
Christmas or not, some things needed to be taken care of.
She roused from her sleep as heavy eyes fluttered open. For a short time, she forgot the trials of the previous night and only remembered the happiness that warmed her when pictures of her wedding reentered her mind. The day began to replay itself, from her nervousness to her joy.
And then it came back.
The sorrow, the unbearable anguish was taking her over once again and she found herself sobbing into her hands as they rested gently upon her knees.
"I feel so alone," she whispered to herself, her tears making dark spots on the black satin sheets that stay coiled around her legs.
"You're not alone, Chloe," a voice whispered into her ear. His weight sunk into the bed as he lifted her chin from her knees, his fingers intertwining with his own.
"Am I not?" she asked, softly.
"No, your father will be fine," he said, burying his face in her hair. "And you'll always have me."
"Will I?" she asked bitterly, pulling away from him. She stood up from the bed and tumbled away from it, as she began pulling off her pajamas and pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweater. "No, Lex, I am alone. Because I've managed to push all of my friends away, my father is lying in a coma in the hospital struggling for his life and I am married to man that doesn't love me!" she spat, gathering a pair of boots and a long black leather coat and gloves. "No, Lex, I am very much alone," she said, misery enveloping the bitterness, "I don't have anybody."
Lex opened his mouth to rebut, but the soft click of the door closing stopped him from uttering his last.
Chloe wasn't sure how long she walked. She was afraid that Lex would come after her. When he didn't she was torn between relief and resentment. She clutched the jacket tightly around her and looked to the heavens. Dawn has swept away hours ago and the afternoon sky shined coldly upon her.
There was no warmth to be felt, all she felt was the bleak silence and bitter wind that seemed to have followed her around Christmas Day. She was at a loss for pain so she replaced it with anger. A deep boiling anger that sprang to hatred, a hatred so intense that her stomach boiled with nausea and her ears rang in the stillness.
By late afternoon she had made it all the way to town. She grimaced as she watched the children running down the block playing with their new toys and couples kissing under the mistletoe.
Her footsteps led her where her mind did not care to venture. She heard the proverbial bell as she pushed open the Talon door.
She felt eyes on her and footsteps stroll forward. It was Pete and he was moving his mouth saying something to her. Her mind blocked his speech as she settled herself in a booth and removed her gloves, moving her fingertips against the soft material on her booth.
"Chloe?" Pete whispered again. It seemed as though she was ignoring him. "Chloe?"
Her eyes shot up and delved deeply into his. He noticed in her eyes there was no sparkle, there was no fire, there was only the dim green that he'd seen before, like dirty seawater.
Before she realized the presence of other guests she almost opened her mouth to respond to Pete.
"Chloe, I'm so sorry, for everything," sobbed Lana, staring directly into Chloe's expressionless face.
She looked over to Clark. His face didn't carry the same expression that Lana's and Pete's did. There was little empathy and less pity. It's as if he said the words without his mouth moving and she could hear them in her head. "You deserve this," the voice said, " for betraying me and siding with the Luthor's. It's your fault your father is dying; it's your fault that he got in that accident. The only person that brought this upon you is yourself."
Her brow wrinkled as she fell forward and began crying as uncontrollable tears fell down her face. She felt small arms wrap around her and she found herself actually being grateful that Lana was there. She felt pressure on the other side of the booth and realized it was Pete, from the aroma of the cologne he had been wearing since they were fourteen.
Clark frowned. He felt bad for Chloe, he genuinely did, but he couldn't help the thoughts swimming around inside his head. This was her fault. If she had not have sided with the Luthor's this would not have happened. 'If you hadn't lied to her this would not have happened,' said another voice.
He was conflicted, his thoughts were jumbled and he needed time to clear his mind. Chloe raised her head slowly as she heard that familiar bell jingle again, and she realized it was Clark walking out of the room and possibly out of her life.
Lex paced his study as the fire crackled gently behind him. He had let her go. He remembered the way he felt when his mother died and all he wanted was to be alone. So he gave her the time and waited for her to come back. When one o'clock came around, he found himself worried and drove to her house to find it empty. He called Lana and the Talon and nobody had seen her.
He sat behind his desk and put his forehead in his hands. Her words loudly replaying themselves in his head.
"I am married to a man that doesn't love me…"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in deeply. The brutal truth was that he did love her; he loved her more than he loved Helen more than he could ever imagine. She made him laugh and smile, she made him feel alive. She made him feel anew and her presence tended to all the wounds that have afflicted him throughout his life. She was his light in the darkness, his warmth in the cold, his shield from the rain.
And she had no idea.
Because he was too much of a coward to tell her how he felt.
He pulled out a key and opened the bottom drawer on his desk. He rummaged around until he found a glossy sheet of paper. He turned it over to see a picture of Clark and Chloe that Clark had given him a while ago. It was supposed to be for the article Chloe interviewed him for the Torch. He smiled inwardly at her grin. He would have her smile again.
He was afraid of what admitting his love for her would bring until he looked at her bright smile once more.
"Not anymore."
Lana closed the door to Chloe's bedroom and retreated down the hall to her own. Chloe inwardly thought of Lana and smiled.
She began to feel bad about the way she treated her. Sure she was jealous of her and Clark, but Lana is a better person that Chloe liked to give her credit for.
She grabbed her purse and emptied it onto the bed. She flipped open her cell phone and noticed that she had seven missed calls, all from Lex.
He was worried about her.
She dialed the numbers to his study quickly and waited with butterflies as the phone rang.
"Luthor."
Her stomach clenched as her mouth closed hastily. That wasn't Lex.
That was Lionel.
"Happy to see that you could make it and all, being Christmas, dad," Lex said sourly. "Who called?
" I don't know they hung up son," said Lionel dryly. "What is all this about?"
"All what? Wanting to see my father on Christmas?" Lex asked, seating opposite his father.
"Come now, Alexander, we rarely spend Christmas as a family."
"Nothing ever gets passed you. Have you heard about Gabe Sullivan?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Tragedy indeed," Lionel said deadpanned.
"Indeed," echoed Lex, " as you know Chloe is my wife and I would do whatever is necessary to protect her. Even if that means killing you."
"Is that a threat, son?"
"More along the lines of a promise."
Chloe double clicked on the police report emailed to her from a friend down at the department. It was a description of her father's accident. She read carefully and thoroughly the letter, stating that the night of the accident there was a 12x12x12 pothole in the middle of the road and that by the next day it was filled on street that served as a detour.
She made some calls and found that the city hadn't ordered any roadwork on the main road her father and herself used so often.
This was a set up and she knew who was behind it.
Clark was right. This was her fault.
She ambled to the closet to get another coat when a box fell painfully atop her head and rolled toward the door. As it revolved one last time, the top fell off and thrusting out from it came the gun that her mother had given her.
"Are you implying something Lex?" asked Lionel as he squirmed slightly in his seat. His eyes looked toward the fire in the grate and an uneasy feeling settled over him.
"Oh nothing of the sort father," he replied, smirking, "And relax father, I won't be pushing you into the fire this time," he said, walking toward the bookcase and turning the statue head as a safe appeared.
"And what do you plan on doing?" asked Lionel, nervously.
Lex smirked as he opened the safe and pulled out a small pistol.
"Fulfilling a promise, to two people," he said, flicking a switch on the wall that turned off all the cameras in the house. "Too long have you played God with people's lives Lionel, too long have you hurt me and the people I love. There are no security guards around, there is no help, they're all gone. After all this is Christmas," he said, turning toward his father, the gun pointed toward him. "And what a perfect way to end this don't you think? No one is here so I didn't have to suspiciously give the entire staff the day off. And you deiced to build our house in the middle of nowhere, so there is no one to hear the gun shot," said Lex walking toward his father and hovering over him, lowering the gun in the direction of Lionel chest. "And most importantly, no one to hear you scream."
"No one but me," said Chloe, leaning against the doorframe. "Lex, I'm touched, you will kill you father for me?" she asked dryly walking toward Lex and taking the gun from his hand. "Not tonight Lex," she said, hearing Lionel sigh behind her.
"But, Chloe-" he said, warningly.
"No butt's Prince Charming," she said, smirking at him, "I want to talk to daddy dearest alone."
"Chloe-"
"Do you trust me, Lex?"
"Of course I do."
"Then go away," she added sweetly, kissing his cheek as he passed and closed the door.
"I just saved you from your son killing you, Lionel," she said sourly.
"Why?" he asked, standing up.
"Because my father is dying and you're my father in law. You're all I have left," she said, tears falling down her face. "This is my fault. I should not have gone against you. I should have known better. But I didn't and now my father is paying for it," she sobbed, walking toward him as he backed away. He inhaled loudly with surprise as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her body shaking as she cried.
Lionel smirked and wrapped his arms around her. "Did you really think I'd let you get away with it, my little daughter in law?"
Chloe moved her left arm from around him, as to brush a tear from her cheek. Letting her arm down, she reached into the pocket of her oversized black trench coat. "You know they say in death, all of life's little questions are answered," she began, pulling the gun from her pocket and leaning into him further as she pressed it between the two of them.
Lionel felt something push into his abdomen seconds before she pulled the trigger. The shot rang out loudly as Lionel became rigged. "Send me a postcard, will you?" asked Chloe, smirking as she backed away from Lionel.
His legs caved beneath him and he fell to his knees, gripping his stomach where she shot him.
The office door burst open as Lex ran in. "CHLOE?" he yelled, fearing that his father might have done something unimaginable to her.
He stopped when he saw Lionel on his back clutching his stomach, cherry liquid glistening on the hardwood floor. Chloe's back was too him and she turned her head slowly, smiling. "Hello, my husband," she said.
She faced Lionel and bent over him. "Goodnight, dad." She said, as she took the handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped her face with it, flecks of blood staining the white silk.
She gingerly wrapped it in the cloth as she turned and walked toward Lex, his eyes wide as he stared as his wife sauntered toward him.
She lowered the gun to his open hands and let it leave her own. She smiled brightly as she kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes.
"An eye for an eye, right?" she asked quietly, as she slowly left the room.
A deep smirk formed on Lex' face. "An eye for an eye," he repeated, and followed her wake.