CHAPTER ELEVEN
Disclaimers in Chapter One"Chloe, I'm home!" Gabe called out to a quiet Sullivan home. Hoping that his daughter had managed to forgive his huge brain fart from the night before, he bellowed again, "Chloe!"
"Yeah, I'm here," a weak response came from living room right behind him.
He quickly turned around, grabbing his heart in the process. "Jeez!" he shrieked. "Chloe, you scared the bejeesus out of me."
Chloe was lazily perched on the sofa with a book on her lap. "Sorry," she mumbled as she shifted her obviously crestfallen face from him to the book she was reading.
Gabe dropped his briefcase by the door and shed his coat before inching closer to his daughter. "You alright, honey?"
A half-hearted "fine" was the answer he received. Feeling guilty as ever, Gabe sat himself in an open space on the couch.
"Look, honey," he sighed. "About last night.."
Chloe shook her head to interrupt him. "Don't worry about it, Dad," she responded. "You were right."
Gabe raised an eyebrow. Today was indeed a day of surprises. "Right? About what?"
"About Lex and me," she shrugged, not bothering to look up at her own father. Whether it was out of indifference or whether she was trying to mask her own feelings, Gabe could not assess just yet.
"Honey, I don't understand."
Chloe eyed him with disbelief. "Dad, you said last night that my relationship with Lex is just one of those things that shouldn't happen. Especially for my safety."
She finally looked up at him. "And you're right," she declared. Gabe saw through her, however. The pain in her eyes was an easy giveaway at how she really felt about this issue.
Exasperated, Gabe could only massage his temple with his right thumb and pointing finger. He found it almost amusingly ironic that in the span of twenty-four hours, he went from adamantly protesting to, albeit begrudgingly, supporting Chloe and Lex in whatever romantic endeavor they pursue.
Because of his rash actions last night, he now felt compelled to convince Chloe that she ought to change her mind *again* about her connection with Lex. Color him compassionate to Lex's cause now that he truly knew how the young man felt about his only child.
"Chloe," he stopped her, taking her hand into his. "I wasn't myself last night. The thought of you and Lex was just sprung on me, and I felt betrayed. I wasn't really mad at you or Lex for dating; I was just ticked that I found out some other way."
Chloe looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "I really shouldn't done it, anyway," she pointed out.
He rolled his eyes. His daughter was such a handful. "Chloe, you're a grown woman," he said. "If my anger didn't cloud my brain from rational thought last night, I would have said that you have the right to see whomever you please."
A sigh came out before he added, "As long as you tell me first."
Growing suspicious, Chloe blurted. "Alright, what's gotten into you?"
"Common sense?" he offered weakly. He knew that he just dug a deeper hole with that one.
She glared at him. "Nice try, Dad."
"Fine, fine!" He exasperatedly threw his hands in the air. "I talked to Lex."
"Talked to Lex?" she questioned, eyeing him closely. "I find that hard to believe."
"Okay, so it was more along the lines of yelling.."
"You yelled at him?" she practically shrieked, mortified at the thought of her irrational father wailing in front of his boss.
"Yes," Gabe quickly interjected before she grew more restless. "But no one got hurt, and we ended up having an understanding."
"An understanding?" Chloe echoed, not quite sure as to where her father was going.
Gabe sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Listen, I intended to go over his office, rip him a new one and retire."
Chloe snorted, but he continued. "*But* Lex gave me his perspective on your.." he hesitated, trying to dig for an appropriate word. When he came up with nothing, he just said, "Relationship."
"And what perspective would that be?" she inquired, growing more curious at what really occurred between her father and Lex that day.
Gabe's expression grew softer. "He cares about you, honey," he assured her. "And as your father, that suffices. For now." He grinned for good measure.
Chloe rolled her eyes at her father's dorkiness, duly noting, however, what he had claimed Lex to have said during their discussion. Lex caring about her? Ha.
Still incredulous, she shook her head. "As great as that may be, Dad," she said tiredly. "I still think you were initially right. I am way out of my league with Lex. I mean, I can't even cut it with a farmboy like Clark. I don't know why I thought I could handle Lex."
"But honey.." Gabe started to protest, but Chloe was adamant in her resolve.
"It's okay, Dad, really," she insisted as she kissed him on the cheek. She swung herself around and stood up to head up to her room. "Good night, Dad."
She ran upstairs as fast as she could. When she finally got into her room, she gently closed the door and slid with her back to it until her butt hit her carpeted floor. Tucking her legs to her chest, she made sure to press her face to her knees to silence the sobs that were inevitably coming.
She had not meant to become so emotionally attached to Lex, but the compatibility and chemistry were more than what she expected and could handle. Now for the sake of her family and friends, she had to let go of a man with whom she found herself falling in love.
Meanwhile, downstairs, a frustrated Gabe loosened his tie and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed the phone, dialed familiar numbers and waited for an answer. It was a bluff. Sixteen years as her father, he knew better. She was hurting deep inside, so he had to call the cavalry.
"Hello, Martha?"