Part 13
Lex woke up and realized that he was still holding Chloe in his arms. As if burned, he drew back and stumbled out of the bed. Lex scrambled towards the bathroom connected to his bedroom and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet bowl. He heaved dryly, his stomach twisting despite the emptiness.
She had been so beautiful even in death. Lex figured that his past self must have blocked the incident in his mind. All he could clearly remember now was the way Chloe, Ch'ali, he corrected himself, looked in her wedding dress, laying on the pedestal that his sister insisted they create for her viewing. Ch'ali's face had been still and smooth, with none of the suffering asphyxia must have caused showing. Glori made the viewing days so memorable. His sister had made sure that Ch'ali had the honor the queen deserved.
It had rained in his kingdom forever. At least he was certain that it was still raining up to the moment that Antar attacked to avenge Ch'ali. Lexan had stood on the tallest tower, as close to the stars as he could possibly reach, with Ch'ali's crystal clutched in his hand. He waited for the blast of Rath's energy. He died consumed by Antarian hatred.
Yet of all the memories, the one that would stay with him forever, Lex knew, was Ch'ali's distended body, full and swollen with his first child, on the silken sheets of their marriage bed. The marks of his hands angry around her neck.
Lex pulled himself up and stood in front of the sink. He turned on the faucet and washed his face with icy water. The whitelighter said to say his name if he was needed. Lex needed him now. He would ask Leo to take Chloe as far away from him as possible. He was not going to kill her again.
He steeled himself and walked back into the room. Chloe lay on his bed, the most picture perfect sight he had seen in his life. Her chest rose and fell under the sheet. He had to act while she was still breathing.
The unusual illusion of the wall moving made him turn his head. His step in front of the bed was automatic. Within seconds, a pert curly blonde stepped out of the wall. She gave him a wide red smile. "Heya bro!" came the greeting.
"Glori," he said in recognition. No matter what form his sister took, Lex knew he would always recognize her, if only for the energy she emanated.
"Betcha thought I did it, huh?"
"What happened?"
"Leo didn't make it clear?" she taunted. "And when Belthazor told me Leo had been here, I knew you would have figured it all out."
Lex shook his head. "The last. they were scenes from everywhere. Maybe I was distressed because I really did not want to remember."
Glori shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. Our kingdom survived the brunt of the Antarian attacks. I merely had to make myself more powerful. It was easy to do with yours and Ch'ali's gifts." Her eyebrows rose. "So if you're wondering why you did not take your gifts with you, it was because I needed them to turn myself into a god. It was the only way to save the desert you left me with."
Lex did not care about powers. Glori could swallow them whole if she wanted. "Why? Why did I do it?"
"You saw her and Zan embracing? You were racked by guilt by what you were doing to your people? You were suddenly terrified of being a dad?" Glori shrugged. "Who knows? You were just a very sick guy and I never noticed before. It was a bit crazy though. You kept telling me you were going to keep your family safe from everyone else. You never figured that you would kill them with your own hands."
Lex shook his head. He looked down at where Chloe slept. And then he looked at Glori. "We have both always trusted you."
She raised her chin and nodded. "Of course, Lexan."
"Don't call by his name," he rudely interjected.
Glori screwed her lips. "It would be too weird if I call you by another name, bro."
"It's Lex." Lex took a deep breath. "We trusted you, Glori. Now I'll ask you. Do you think she is danger from me now?"
Glori sighed and stepped close. She wrapped her arms around her brother. "I've always loved you so much. And when you brought her home, I knew she had your heart. Lex, I know you love her enough to stay away."
"So you think I will hurt her again?"
Glori nodded. "You may not want to. But Lex, it's innate in who you are. Just like I'm sure you had no control over loving her. You will have no control over this too."
An hour later, when Chloe woke up, she saw her shoes neatly side by side to the left of the bed. The room was empty. She looked for Lex and found no one. Put off, Chloe slipped into her shoes and stomped out of the mansion. It was a long way back to the Talon or to her house on foot. Left with no alternative, she started walking.
"Stupid bald man. Stupid stupid spoiled brat," she muttered as she walked. "As if there weren't mutants in Smallville. As if there's no deranged devil man or sexy pretentious phasing woman after me!"
She saw a cloud of dust from a distance and knew that it was a vehicle. Chloe hopped up and down at the middle of the path and waved her arms.
"What am I doing hitching a ride as if this is the safest place on earth?!"
Smallville would be in the eyes of others, pretty safe. Not her though. No. She was brilliant. Chloe fled back into the cover of tall stalks.
The white van stopped right where she had been jumping up and down like a nerd earlier. Chloe held her breath. "Please please please please please just go away. Please please please please just go away!"
"Hey!" came a hollering female voice. "You need to hitch a ride?"
"What are we doing?" an irritated male hissed. "Get back in here, Maria! As if we're not in enough trouble already!"
"Wait. Someone needs our help, Spaceboy," the female returned.
"Maria, come back here," came a firmer voice.
"Don't use your commanding voice, Max. You're not a king."
"Oh for God's sake!" said another woman. "I'm going out there and dragging her back in the van."
"Isabel, dammit, let go!"
Someone gasped. Chloe sincerely hoped they saw a snake and decided to flee. Ooops no. There are no snakes here. There are no snakes here.
"I think I saw her."
Chloe's eyes widened when the stalks concealing her parted and she looked up at the disturbingly familiar face of the woman who had once tried to kill her.
Lex woke up and realized that he was still holding Chloe in his arms. As if burned, he drew back and stumbled out of the bed. Lex scrambled towards the bathroom connected to his bedroom and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet bowl. He heaved dryly, his stomach twisting despite the emptiness.
She had been so beautiful even in death. Lex figured that his past self must have blocked the incident in his mind. All he could clearly remember now was the way Chloe, Ch'ali, he corrected himself, looked in her wedding dress, laying on the pedestal that his sister insisted they create for her viewing. Ch'ali's face had been still and smooth, with none of the suffering asphyxia must have caused showing. Glori made the viewing days so memorable. His sister had made sure that Ch'ali had the honor the queen deserved.
It had rained in his kingdom forever. At least he was certain that it was still raining up to the moment that Antar attacked to avenge Ch'ali. Lexan had stood on the tallest tower, as close to the stars as he could possibly reach, with Ch'ali's crystal clutched in his hand. He waited for the blast of Rath's energy. He died consumed by Antarian hatred.
Yet of all the memories, the one that would stay with him forever, Lex knew, was Ch'ali's distended body, full and swollen with his first child, on the silken sheets of their marriage bed. The marks of his hands angry around her neck.
Lex pulled himself up and stood in front of the sink. He turned on the faucet and washed his face with icy water. The whitelighter said to say his name if he was needed. Lex needed him now. He would ask Leo to take Chloe as far away from him as possible. He was not going to kill her again.
He steeled himself and walked back into the room. Chloe lay on his bed, the most picture perfect sight he had seen in his life. Her chest rose and fell under the sheet. He had to act while she was still breathing.
The unusual illusion of the wall moving made him turn his head. His step in front of the bed was automatic. Within seconds, a pert curly blonde stepped out of the wall. She gave him a wide red smile. "Heya bro!" came the greeting.
"Glori," he said in recognition. No matter what form his sister took, Lex knew he would always recognize her, if only for the energy she emanated.
"Betcha thought I did it, huh?"
"What happened?"
"Leo didn't make it clear?" she taunted. "And when Belthazor told me Leo had been here, I knew you would have figured it all out."
Lex shook his head. "The last. they were scenes from everywhere. Maybe I was distressed because I really did not want to remember."
Glori shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. Our kingdom survived the brunt of the Antarian attacks. I merely had to make myself more powerful. It was easy to do with yours and Ch'ali's gifts." Her eyebrows rose. "So if you're wondering why you did not take your gifts with you, it was because I needed them to turn myself into a god. It was the only way to save the desert you left me with."
Lex did not care about powers. Glori could swallow them whole if she wanted. "Why? Why did I do it?"
"You saw her and Zan embracing? You were racked by guilt by what you were doing to your people? You were suddenly terrified of being a dad?" Glori shrugged. "Who knows? You were just a very sick guy and I never noticed before. It was a bit crazy though. You kept telling me you were going to keep your family safe from everyone else. You never figured that you would kill them with your own hands."
Lex shook his head. He looked down at where Chloe slept. And then he looked at Glori. "We have both always trusted you."
She raised her chin and nodded. "Of course, Lexan."
"Don't call by his name," he rudely interjected.
Glori screwed her lips. "It would be too weird if I call you by another name, bro."
"It's Lex." Lex took a deep breath. "We trusted you, Glori. Now I'll ask you. Do you think she is danger from me now?"
Glori sighed and stepped close. She wrapped her arms around her brother. "I've always loved you so much. And when you brought her home, I knew she had your heart. Lex, I know you love her enough to stay away."
"So you think I will hurt her again?"
Glori nodded. "You may not want to. But Lex, it's innate in who you are. Just like I'm sure you had no control over loving her. You will have no control over this too."
An hour later, when Chloe woke up, she saw her shoes neatly side by side to the left of the bed. The room was empty. She looked for Lex and found no one. Put off, Chloe slipped into her shoes and stomped out of the mansion. It was a long way back to the Talon or to her house on foot. Left with no alternative, she started walking.
"Stupid bald man. Stupid stupid spoiled brat," she muttered as she walked. "As if there weren't mutants in Smallville. As if there's no deranged devil man or sexy pretentious phasing woman after me!"
She saw a cloud of dust from a distance and knew that it was a vehicle. Chloe hopped up and down at the middle of the path and waved her arms.
"What am I doing hitching a ride as if this is the safest place on earth?!"
Smallville would be in the eyes of others, pretty safe. Not her though. No. She was brilliant. Chloe fled back into the cover of tall stalks.
The white van stopped right where she had been jumping up and down like a nerd earlier. Chloe held her breath. "Please please please please please just go away. Please please please please just go away!"
"Hey!" came a hollering female voice. "You need to hitch a ride?"
"What are we doing?" an irritated male hissed. "Get back in here, Maria! As if we're not in enough trouble already!"
"Wait. Someone needs our help, Spaceboy," the female returned.
"Maria, come back here," came a firmer voice.
"Don't use your commanding voice, Max. You're not a king."
"Oh for God's sake!" said another woman. "I'm going out there and dragging her back in the van."
"Isabel, dammit, let go!"
Someone gasped. Chloe sincerely hoped they saw a snake and decided to flee. Ooops no. There are no snakes here. There are no snakes here.
"I think I saw her."
Chloe's eyes widened when the stalks concealing her parted and she looked up at the disturbingly familiar face of the woman who had once tried to kill her.